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"We'll be waiting just outside the block gate." Austin was telling Scully, "Just signal to me and we'll open the door if Delany agrees to letting Mulder out."

"This is a bad idea." Warden Callahan said, aggressively, "Delany isn't going to listen to her."

Scully glared at him, "I'm afraid if we leave it up to your men, Warden, all the cell doors will end up open." Scully returned his jibe.

When the Warden huffed and left the room, Austin looked at Scully, "I don't think you should go in there, either." He said, softly, "If something goes wrong-"

Scully interrupted him, "I appreciate your concern, but I'm getting Mulder out of there. If he sees someone more threatening, he might panic. He won't feel as threatened by me."

"If anything were to go wrong, Mulder would never forgive me for letting you go in there alone."

"I'm not going to let you stop me. If we all get out of this, you can tell Mulder that."


Mulder rubbed his eyes as he sat in the corner of the cell. Delany sat on the bed, facing him and Virmontes stood guard at the door. Mulder felt as if he was coming out of a daze. He remembered talking to Delany and then suddenly he was inside the cell. Scully and Austin were talking but he couldn't really remember what they were saying. When Virmontes had grabbed Scully, Mulder felt as if he woke up and he attacked. He felt like that again now, as if he were waking, "What did you do to me?" Mulder asked suddenly.

"I took you prisoner to convince you to leave my name out of your report." Delany answered.

"No, it was like I was hypnotized or something." Mulder instantly thought of Pusher, but this felt differently. While Pusher and his sister made him feel as if he knew what was going on, Mulder felt as if he were coming out of a fog now.

"I don't know, Agent Mulder, perhaps you're ill."

Mulder felt the inclination to agree, but suddenly realized that may not be himself thinking that, "I'm not ill. You're doing this somehow."

For the first time since Mulder had been in the cell, Delany's cool exterior broke and he looked afraid, "You're mistaken."

"Look, if you kill me, if you don't kill me, it won't matter. Your name is already out there. Any convincing you'll have to do with me will start with the truth. I don't plan on telling those two agents to leave anything out unless I know what the hell is going on." Mulder stood.

"Sit down, Agent Mulder." Delany said.

"No," Mulder fought the sudden desire to sit back down, knowing for sure now that the feeling was not coming from him, but Delany, "You turned yourself in, you said you were hiding. Hiding from what?"

"Nothing."

"Look, the only thing you want is to remain anonymous and the only way to get that is to tell me the truth. You controlled me somehow, made me fall asleep. Is that why Virmontes does whatever you say?" Mulder could tell that he was getting closer to the truth as Delany's body language slowly revealed discomfort and fear.

It was a long time before anyone spoke again, "I am able to suggest things. To plant ideas and make others feel as if it's the truth."

"But then why not plant the idea in my head that you're not Conrad Delany?" Mulder asked.

"Because it doesn't work like that, it isn't mind control, not really. The mind has to be relaxed and vulnerable. You have to want to listen to me, want to hear what I'm saying, and it has to be subtle. I noticed it works on people who are overly confident as well. They put up a good act, but I can use that. You knew what you saw when you looked at me, my suggestion would not have convinced you otherwise. You knew I'd lie, so you didn't want to listen to me. You had no lack of confidence, but you're not putting up an act. The only way I had you was when you got curious as to why I wanted to hide. You wanted to hear me then."

"What about Viste? He normally leave the cell doors wide open?" Mulder's memory was becoming clearer now.

"No, but Viste is rather stupid and easily suggested to."

"So, if you have this ability, why turn yourself in? Seems like you could be hiding still and be a free man."

"No. I would have been found. I did the thing they never would have suspected. No one would ever think to look for me in prison; Delany would never turn himself in. If I could get in unnoticed, I could live here under the radar."

With the few answers Mulder now had, he found that he was even more confused than ever, "How is it that you can 'suggest' things to people?"

"It was given to me. It's a curse, Agent Mulder."

Mulder was about to speak again, when he heard whistling and hollering. He caught a few filthy words and his heart sunk as he guessed who was walking toward them.

"Mulder?"

"Scully." He walked toward the door only to be stopped by Virmontes, "Stay back, Scully." Mulder warned.

Scully had no intention of getting into another weight match with Virmontes and didn't need Mulder's warning, but she nodded, "Listen, Delany. I don't have much time to strike a deal with you. If Mulder isn't out of that cell unharmed very soon, the Warden is going to use brute force. Neither of us wants that."

"I told you, if they come storming in here, Agent Mulder won't live through it." Delany said again.

"That is exactly what I'm trying to avoid. But, I promise you, if Mulder doesn't come out of this unharmed, your name will go in my report." She wanted to threaten much more than that, but knew that Delany should not be upset. "If you want to remain John Doe, you need to let Mulder out of the cell now."

"My name is John Doe." Delany stated, "Forget the other name."

Mulder knew exactly what Delany was trying to do and almost intervened before Scully spoke again.

"I know you're Delany. No one else has to if you let Mulder go." Scully answered.

Mulder watched the test. Delany was either trying to prove that he couldn't pull one over on someone who was in a singular state of mine or he was making a last ditch effort to keep his name a secret. Scully had no intention of listening to Delany and therefore couldn't be hoodwinked by his suggestion.

"Go and get The Warden and I'll let Mulder out. Only Callahan is to be here to escort Mulder out."

Scully looked as if she might argue, but nodded. With one last look at Mulder, she walked quickly toward the cell block gate, ignoring the raucous noises that came from the mutinous prisoners who knew what was going on.

Austin was on the other side, his eyes darting around the block nervously as the prisoner got louder and more excited, "Maybe it's best to let things calm down." He suggested.

"He's agreed to let Mulder out, but he says that only the Warden is to go down there."

Callahan was not far away and gave the agents a contemptuous look, "You better hope he's telling the truth." Callahan pointed a finger in Scully's face and the door opened again to allow him through. They watched and it seemed like the Warden was speaking to Delany at length. Suddenly, without signaling to them, he began to walk back without Mulder.

"Open the gate." Scully commanded and heard the telltale buzz. She pulled the heavy door open and met Callahan half way down the block, "What happened?"

"He refused to let him go now." He said, gruffly, "Just like morning roll call."

"What?" Scully said, more confused by his last statement than anything. The Warden ignored her and continued to walk away and she found Austin beside her.

"We need to tell Delany what's going to happen now. Maybe he'll listen to us if he sees that the Warden is going to send a force in here."

Scully nodded and the two agents rushed to Delany's cell, "You're out of time, Delany."

"No, you're out of time." He said, calmly. The noise on the block seemed to rise, "No one can leave."

Peering into the dark cell, Scully could see Mulder was being restrained and was struggling. He managed to shove Virmontes' elbow out of his face and, with wide eyes, called out to her, "Scully, run! Get out of here, get off the block, now!"

Austin and Scully exchanged glances and despite Scully's unwillingness to leave Mulder in such a state, Austin began to usher them away.

"We can't leave him."

"Something is happening, something bad." Austin said, now jogging although every instinct told him to run for it. He looked behind him as Scully reluctantly followed, now resolved to listen to Mulder.

They weren't quite half way when, the cell doors, every single one on the block opened just as if it were roll call and the prisoners, already unruly and rebellious by the recent events, poured out.