Chapter Twenty One

Mulder walked briskly towards the glass containers and watched as the scientists continued to study the now presumably 'dead' alien rebel. He couldn't hear them speaking, he wanted Scully working on it so desperately, but also knew that she wasn't up to it right now, and had important things to sort out with her Mother.

He frowned in thought as he looked at the rebel properly himself for the first time. He looked with actual admiration at the careful detail that made it look so human, apart from the face defects of course. Mulder shuddered for a moment as he remembered them bursting into their house, all those hours ago, though it didn't feel long ago at all, just when they had thought that they were going to be happy and safe… but may be it was a good thing that it happened, now may be they could go back to normal and clear their names, Scully would have her mother back…

Mulder sighed heavily and tried to push his thoughts out of his mind, desperate to think of something that could help the situation. He didn't even want to know what was happening in the world outside, he felt so cowardly just hiding, but he knew that somehow they would find a way to help. Suddenly Mulder was brought out of his thoughts as there was a sudden commotion in the bunker. The security guards ran towards the stairs and Mulder swung around in shock as he followed them in haste. He needed to know what was going on.

X x x x x x x x x x

'Mr President Sir!' Tim called to the President as he slammed open the door. 'There is a man outside the bunker, he says that he knows you Sir!'

'What?' The President asked in shock, how could anyone know where the bunker and how had they got there? 'Have you checked him over security wise?' He demanded.

'Yes Sir, his name is… Basford.'

There was a long silence in the room as the President's mind ticked over tirelessly, he recognised the name, definetely, but he couldn't remember from where or when.

'He says he can help Sir.' Tim said nervously, and the President didn't answer for a moment and then finally gave in.

'Show him in.' He said in a low voice and went to sit down at his desk. Confused, he sighed heavily and held his head in his hands, but was quickly interrupted by Mulder bursting through the door.

'Mr President..' Mulder said as he barged in, much to Tim's disapproval. 'What's going on?'

'Agent Mulder, this isn't the time..' The President started, agitated.

'Tell me what's going on! If you've got news you've got to tell me Sir!' Mulder demanded, knowing that he was crossing a line, but by now he didn't care.

'Agent Mulder, I'm expecting a visitor.'

'Who?'

'An old friend, he's come here to help. I need to talk to him privately.' The President said. Mulder frowned.

'Why? Am I allowed to listen? Does this have something to do with the aliens? I think I have a right to know Sir…' Mulder said quickly.

'I.. I'm not sure what he has to offer…' The President said, distracted. He frowned in frustration and tried to usher Mulder out. 'Please, I need to think. I'll get you if I need you.'

'But Sir..' Mulder demanded, but the door was closing in his face and two security guards stopped him before he could reach for the handle again.

X x x x x x x x x x

Scully jumped as she heard the rush of feet as suddenly, all the security guards around her apart from two, left the surrounding area and went upstairs. She broke away from her Mother and looked around in confusion. Margaret frowned.

'What's the matter?'

'Mom.. I think something's happened.' Scully asked, and Margaret looked at her daughter with confusion.

'What darling?'

'It's all right, we'll be fine, I'm sure Mulder is on it, I'm sure he's ok.' Scully said, reassuring herself. Her mother frowned with concern and took her hand.

'It's important you rest now.' She said, and Scully caught her eye and softened.

'I know.' She said softly, and then smiled a little. 'Sorry, I'm just a bit jumpy.'

X x x x x x x x x x

Mr Basford took a few steps into the office and looked around cautiously. The President took a deep breath and awkwardly motioned to Mr Basford for him to sit down. The two men glared at each other for a moment, unsure what to say.

'How did you get here.' The President found himself blurting out, the sweat starting to trickle down the back of his neck nervously. He pulled open his shirt collar a little.

'Don't be stupid Brian.' Mr Basford said suddenly, and the President was taken aback at someone calling him by his first name, but he knew that this person had power over him now. 'You can't really have expected me to forget where this place is after all those years can you? Besides, this is where we hid and had our arrangements wasn't it, all that time ago, can you not remember?' Mr Basford said threateningly. The President swallowed nervously. He couldn't believe it had come to this.

'How did you get here.' The President repeated. 'The streets are full of alien rebels…'

'I'm not stupid, I have had my training and I know what to do when this happens, don't I. Just like you do.' He said in a low voice, suddenly there was a deathly silence in the room. The President cleared his throat.

'I don't know what you're talking about.'

'Brian, there's no one else in this room, its just you and me, and now we can talk things through and get everything straight. I think its time, don't you?'

The President swallowed again and closed his eyes for a moment, was it really going to be revealed? He had cut it out of his life for years, denied it so much that he had forgotten it himself, and believed it himself. But now, it was time for it to come out, the truth. The ultimate truth. It was just a price that he would have to pay for the sake of the planet. But the thing that was bothering him the most was what Agent Mulder would do when he found out, when he found out that he had known about this all along, that he had been one of the men his father had…

'No.' The President suddenly blurted out, and Mr Basford frowned in confusion. 'I can't reveal myself. I'll be ruined!'

'Oh you have to Brian. Or the world is going to end, you know that. We need to fight back the way only you and I know how, we know there's a way, don't we.' He said in a low voice, not expecting an answer. 'I didn't come all this way to see you for nothing, and I brought this…' He said, holding out his hand and passing over a CD to the President. The President took it slowly and with trepidation and stared at the disk for a while. He couldn't believe he was looking at it, it made him afraid, afraid of what doors it would open, what would become of him…

'Put it in the computer.' Mr Basford said, rising from his seat slowly and looking into the President's eyes threateningly. 'Put it in the computer.'

'But.. But…' He started, but Basford was advancing on him and going towards the desk and the top of the range desktop on the President's desk. The President cried out and stopped him quickly, grabbing his arm.

'wait!' He exclaimed. 'Lets just… talk first.' He said breathlessly, and Basford frowned angrily, but then slowly sat down again, giving in.

'Fine, lets talk.'

The two sat in silence for a moment while the President gathered himself and sat himself down by his desk.

'1954…' He started.

'Was the year that we discussed alien colonisation.' Mr Basford cut him off, and the President sighed heavily.

'Yes it was.' He said bitterly. 'But we never expected it…'

'To happen? Oh come on Brian, why do you think I left the group? I wasn't stupid, I knew the aliens were clever, I knew they were capable.'

'I left too!' The President said defensively.

'I know, but that's not the point is it. We both knew this was going to happen one day, not to the exact date, but we knew. And we can stop this Brian, we can use the information we have, remember the tests on the aliens? We told them our weaknesses for gods sake! Just to get… research! But remember. They told us theirs.' Basford said slowly, and the President started to nod slowly and sadly, the shame flooding over him. Basford raised an eyebrow.

'I don't think it'll work, they'll have remembered and they will have evolved themselves…' The President started, but Basford shook his head.

'We have to try.' He said in a low voice. 'And we have to tell Mulder.'

Hope you like it! Sorry for the slow updates..
but I FINALLY HAVE MY NET BACK! YAAAY!
So here I go, I promise to update fast.

Thanks for your suggestions and reviews by the way. Please still review!