Chapter 7
A Warning
He couldn't tell if his own eyes were opened or closed. The room was too dark. On the small single desk in the tiny motel room he could make out the time flickering in red.
2:37 am.
They drove out for just over an hour and took whatever room available with two beds in the first motel they saw. They paid in cash, just in case someone was trying to track them and it would be too much of a risk to use their credit cards. Skinner had left four different messages on their cell phones asking them to contact him. He said that when he came down and found their office completely empty he didn't know what to think. It hadn't even occurred to Mulder that everyone would think that Scully and Mulder just decided to take everything and take off. That's what it looked like anyway.
He decided to follow Scully's advice and contact Skinner. He hasn't closed his eyes since they turned the lights off at 11 and he's had a lot of time to decide how to do what they had to do in the safest way. They would come to Skinner's house early in the morning before he would leave for work and talk to him there.
He heard stirring from Scully's bed. She seemed to be mumbling something in her sleep. Although he tried not to let it on, she gave him a scare earlier that day when they were at the gunmen's place. It could be classified as an anxiety attack, but Scully wasn't one to have anxiety attacks. The way she held on to the back of her neck in pain told him that something was up with the chip that was put there as a last resort to cure her cancer. He shook his head, telling himself not to assume the worst.
At once he realized Scully had woken up. He heard her get up, then walk and then she was fumbling with her jacket. The door was opened and cold air rushed in. He saw her silhouette from the moon light just before she stepped out and closed the door behind her.
Mulder lay for a moment, then got up himself, turned the light on, and put on his own coat.
When he opened the door he immediately found her standing just some meters away. She was looking up, her hands sitting tightly in the pockets of her jacket. He walked up to her, and when he places his hand on her lower back she jumped a bit. She was obviously unaware of his presence.
They made eye contact, and she smiled. "What are you doing out here in the middle of the night." She said softly.
"I could ask the same thing. Couldn't sleep?"
She looked up again. "The stars seem so much brighter out here then in the city. And we've just driven an hour away."
"Light pollution. There is not as much lights here, so the stars are seen more clearly."
"You've always got all the answers. So classic of you Mulder."
He laughed a bit, but the mood between them wasn't a funny one. It seems they couldn't figure out whether to cry or laugh at their utter misfortune.
"I think we should get an early start tomorrow morning to stop by Skinner's place." He finally said.
"We'll give him quite a scare."
"I think he's pretty freaked out as it is. We go missing, and when he goes down to look for us he finds the office wiped out."
He saw her shiver.
"It's cold. Let's go inside." He offered.
"In a moment. I just wanted to get some fresh air."
He came closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Is everything ok with you Scully?"
"I'm fine. But I've been having this odd feeling lately. Here." She rested her hand on the back of her neck.
"You mean, like before?"
"No, nothing like before. It's different. Unfamiliar. Like something is nagging at me."
He held on tighter. He himself had a sickening feeling that things would only get worse. The only thing he was grateful for was that they were together through hard times. And if anything, hard times were ahead.
"Mulder, what the hell are we going to do." She asked, looking in his eyes.
He smiled. "We'll do what we always do. Look for the truth."
With that, she surprised him by leaning into him for a hug. She wrapped her arms strongly around him, her head on his chest, and he returned the favor. He felt he could stay like that forever.
The next morning they were up at 5 am. Neither of them was able to catch too much shuteye, but they were still both wide awake at 6:30 when they were nearing Skinner's building. They knew he leaves for work at around seven, and he lives alone, so they won't be a surprise to anyone else.
-----
Skinner heard the knock on his door and wondered who it could have been. He threw the tie that he had just picked out and was about to put on back on the bad, and walked to the front door.
"Yes?"
"Sir, it's Mulder and Scully."
At once he felt something between surprised and relieved. He'd been worried when he wasn't able to reach them the previous day. He checked and saw that they were present on their flight back from Idaho but he hadn't heard of either of them since. Not to mention the state he had found their office in.
He swung the door open. "You two have got a lot of explaining to do. Come inside."
They both accepted his offer of coffee, and minutes later they were seated on his couches, sipping quietly from their coffees.
"Now, first thing's first. What the hell happened to your office? Did you clear everything out?"
"No, sir, we didn't. That's how I found the place yesterday morning. We were also left with a note. A threatening note. Someone wants us out of the game badly." Mulder was saying.
"You mean someone did this while you were in Idaho? Who could have gotten in under the security in that building?"
"I don't think anyone had to get in."
Skinner understood perfectly what Mulder was getting at.
"And your computers were stolen in Idaho."
"Yes. Sir, who wanted us on this case? You said on Monday that someone for above requested us for this case." Mulder asked.
"Don't jump to conclusions Mulder. You want to tell me sending you on that case was a set up? Someone sent you there for distract you?"
"Skinner, the whole case was fake. Something outrages about a made up monster who went around and kidnapped people. We were never meant to find it. Just stay there long enough for whoever sent us there to do their job."
Skinner sighed. He hated admitting it, but it sounded like someone inside the FBI had a hand in all of this.
"I was told by Director Kursh to give this one to you. But he says the order didn't come from him." Skinner said.
"Then who did it come from?"
"I don't know. I didn't exactly ask too many questions."
"Then Kursh is our only suspect right now." Mulder said.
Skinner looked over at Scully who's been quieter then usual. "Are you ok Scully? You look a little pale."
Mulder turned to her as well and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, is it happening again?" He asked her.
She nodded. "I just need some fresh air." Her hand was on the back of her neck as the two agents got up and went over to Skinner's balcony. They exchanged a few words and Scully stayed outside, while Mulder came back in.
"Is she alright?"
"I'm not sure."
"Mulder, what I don't understand is, why now? I know it's not the first time they are trying to close you, but what brought this on right now?"
"These." Mulder said, and produced a folder. Inside, were photographs of some large white facilities in some forest.
"Because of these? What are they?"
"I don't know."
"Then how do you know that's the reason?"
"Because whoever took our laptops and all the files, made sure to stop by our apartments to get copies of these. They must have some importance."
"So you're going to try and find out what they are?"
"Yes. Meanwhile, we could use your help. We can't go near the building, we still don't know how far will these people go to stop us. We need someone on the inside. I know it's a lot to ask, but you're all we've got."
"Of course. You know I could never say no."
"Thank you sir."
"Where will you go now?"
"I prefer not to tell. We'll be calling you every once in a while so we keep in touch."
"Ok. Be safe." Skinner said. And on that note, they left, and Skinner found himself once again worrying about them.
----
As they were walking out of Skinner's building, they got a call from the gunmen. They said that they might have narrowed down the location of the photographs. They got in their car, and their next destination was the gunmen's place.
She felt him stealing glances at her.
"Mulder, I'm alright. It passed."
"I'm just worried about what causes this. And why now."
"Wait, what do you mean? You think it's connected to…. Oh my god!"
In an instant, the car that had been driving behind them sped up and nudged them forcefully in the back..
"Scully…" Before Mulder could say anything, there was another hit, stronger then the first.
"Hold tight!" Mulder warned, and pressed on the gas as far as it would go. They were on a narrow, one way road, and they couldn't see any cars ahead.
The black car behind them wasn't far away, and it was getting closer. Scully looked for a license plate but the car didn't have one.
Even at full speed, it was soon behind them, and in an instant, right next to them, and Mulder did all he could just to stay on the road. He'd just switched from gas to breaks when the car pushed them hard from the side, and suddenly Mulder and Scully were spinning.
Scully closed her eyes, and when she opened them again she realized they were in a complete stop, still on the road. She spotted their attacking car a few yards away.
What happened next was even more shocking then the attack itself. The black car turned around, and drove away.
"You okay?" She heard Mulder's voice.
"Yeah. What the hell was that?"
Mulder found her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I think, that was a second warning".
AN: Please drop a word! Thank you
