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- 3 -

ARRIVAL

Washington D.C.

Night had only just settled in on the nation's capital as two AgustaWestland AW101 military helicopters slowly descended towards the South Lawn of the White House. The wind had picked up significantly over the past few hours, forcing the pilots to land with caution. After a few moments of hovering, the first of the two aircrafts touched down on the Presidential lawn.

Hopping out of the chopper marked MA03, Dana Scully stared out towards the historic piece of architecture that sat mere yards from where she was standing. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her brown leather jacket in order to protect them from the frigid weather.

"Pretty ironic, huh?" yelled a man from behind her over the noise of the chopper's rotors, which had not yet come to a halt.

Scully turned around as the man stepped out of the aircraft. "What do you mean?"

Mimicking Scully, he too focused upon the the residence of the nation's leader. "You'd think that as Federal Agents we'd of had a significantly better chance of stepping foot inside the White House than as retirees." The man chuckled. "Who would of thought?."

"You've barely spoken a word since we left, Mulder, and the first thing you say is that?" asked Scully, incredulously. "Aren't you the least bit curious as to why we've been brought here?"

Mulder's jacket, and the hood of the sweater he was wearing underneath it, flapped violently as he turned to face Scully. "Have you forgotten who you're talking to? Of course I am, Scully. But they said they'd explain everything to us when we arrived, and, well, here we are."

But Scully wasn't satisfied with his answer. "What about you, Walter? I haven't pressed the issue this entire trip, but I think I've waited long enough. What exactly is this all about? We have a right to know."

Walter Skinner, the third passenger aboard their chopper, smiled at her as he pulled on a pair of gloves. "You haven't changed a bit, Scully. Inquisitive as ever."

"You haven't answered my question, Walter."

Before the matter could be pursued any further, however, Agent Moss, who had ridden in their chopper alongside the pilot, appeared, accompanied by two Secret Service agents.

"These agents have orders to escort us into the White House," he explained.

Mulder scrutinized both of the agents carefully before nodding. "Alright then, lead on gentlemen."

The agents about-faced and lead the four of them across the lawn.

"For the record," said Larry, leaning in so as not to be heard by the agents, "I'm just as confused by all of this as you are. Why the President has us rounding up a bunch of civilians while there's a national crisis occurring is beyond me. If you ask me, this is a waste of time."

Mulder just smiled. "Well when we meet her, which is why I assume we're here, maybe she'll clear that up for you, Mr. . .um. . .Larry."

"It's Moss," corrected Larry. "Agent Moss."

Mulder nodded. "Right, right, my apologies." There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Cool it, Mulder," muttered Walter, adjusting his glasses.

Sensing the tension rising, Scully stepped in to change the subject. "Agent Moss, you said 'a bunch of civilians'. Who else besides us has the President brought in on this?"

"I'm about to find out myself," admitted Larry. "My colleague was assigned to bring him in. They rode in the other chopper."

The Secret Service agents lead them towards the second helicopter, which was marked MA04. It had only just touched down, and the door was just sliding open.

"I'm impressed, Renee," said Larry, walking up to the redhead who had just stepped out of the chopper.

"What do you mean?" she asked, fixing her hair.

Larry smiled. "According to his file, Bauer's a loose cannon. But you managed to bring him in no problem."

Renee crossed her arms and frowned. "You're surprised because I did my job right? What are you implying? That I usually don't?"

Larry's confidence diminished instantly. "That's not what I meant. It was a comp-

But she turned around and walked away before he could finish.

Shaking his head, Larry muttered to himself, "Dammit." The faint sound of Mulder chuckling behind him caught his ear. But before he could turn around and say something, two more individuals stepped out of the chopper.

"Mr. Novick," said Larry. "This is Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. You've already met Mr. Skinner."

Mike shook hands with Scully and Mulder before turning towards the other man who had stepped out of the chopper.

"And this," said Mike, "is Jack Bauer, former agent of the Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit."

Larry stepped forward and shook Jack 's hand. "Larry Moss, FBI."

But Jack was not making eye contact with Larry, as his attention was focused on the White House behind him. It took him a moment, but Jack soon realized that Larry was scrutinizing him. "Something wrong?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

"I read your file, Bauer," stated Larry. "I know all about your warped code of conduct, so let me make this clear now. I'm in charge of this operation. You step out out of line just once and I'll put you down, you understand?"

Jack stared at him a moment longer, then looked past him towards Scully and Mulder, and said, "You two rode with this guy?"

Scully and Mulder nodded in unison.

"Oh yeah," replied Mulder.

Jack returned his gaze to Larry. "You have my sympathies." And with that he made his up the lawn towards the White House.

Larry just stood there and watched him go, chuckling to himself. From behind him, Mulder patted him on the shoulder.

"We've only just met and already we're one big, happy family, aren't we?" asked Mulder, walking past him along with Scully.

Larry nodded and muttered, "Yeah, real happy," before following them up.