Chapter 29: The Lone Gunmen.

Mulder hadn't stayed long at the J. Edgar Hoover building, but he knew that he had made a stir. There were people now watching him, following him through the building and making sure that he was interrupted at every turn. He was surprised to not be in any way interrupted in his meeting with Skinner, but was sure that at some point either Skinner or his daughter would be quizzed on the meaning of the visit. The bottom line for Mulder was that he didn't trust anyone at the FBI. He had seen how corruption worked and was sure that the place, where justice was supposed to rule, had its price, and that many of those people within its walls were as dirty as a hooker on a holiday.

He left as quickly as he had come, and making sure that he hadn't been followed, Mulder made his way to another location that was quite familiar to him, and remained that way still. This location, a door in a dark alleyway, was still a place where Mulder would find trusted allies, but at the same time, it was a great reminder of a sad time in his career. He had lost three of his best friends, men he had trusted and who had trusted him. After the tragic passing of the Lone Gunmen, Langley, Byers and Frohlike, Mulder and a group of associates to the original three decided to keep the publication afloat and though it continued in its success, it was never the same without the antics of the three founding members.

Mulder remembered his friends before he reached out and knocked at the steel door that led into the headquarters of the Lone Gunmen magazine.

"Password?" a woman's voice was heard. She sounded pissed.

"Frohlike attended Langley before becoming one of the Gunman's primary Byers," Mulder stated with a sigh.

The sounds of locks and latches could be heard in the alleyway before the large bulletproof door swung open.

"It's really more of a pass sentence; you do realize this, right?" Mulder said as he looked down at the woman before her.

"It was your idea," Yves stated.

"I'm aware," Mulder stated as he walked in and the door shut behind him.

"Oh fearless one," Kimmy stated from his place behind a computer screen, "what brings you down to the slums? You've already submitted an article for the next publication."

"Came to pick up my fan mail," Mulder stated dryly.

"There isn't any fan mail here for a Fox Mulder, but there may be a letter or two for Milo Dexufilmlawr." Jimmy stated as he passed a bundle of coffee stained envelopes toward Mulder.

"What happened to them?" Mulder asked looking at the mess of paper.

"Jimmy and Kimmy needed something to prop up the coffee table so that it wouldn't wobble, but they still managed to knock the table over and ruin the magazine mock up and your mail." Yves stated snarkily. "That's fifteen dollars worth of Starbucks on there."

"Good to know," Mulder stated and put the envelopes in his inner suit jacket pocket.

"So really, why are you here?" Kimmy asked again looking up from his computer screen. "I would love to continue to argue about the absurdity that is the alias you write under but, then again, I am sure it will only be a matter of time before you start receiving your hate mail at home. Using your proper name to create your anagram is an insult to the brilliance of our readers and before long they will realize it!"

"Thanks for the heads up," Mulder said and turning toward Yves he began his usual routine of ignoring the geekiest member of the Lone Gunmen. "I need some information, hopefully you've heard about it or know of the government agencies covering it up."

"Oh, finally something worth our wile," Kimmy stated intrigued by the turn of the conversation and he rushed to the side of the room his colleagues had occupied with Mulder.

"I need to know anything about a third alien colony." Mulder stated.

"There isn't a third alien colony," Yves laughed.

"I have proof that there is," Mulder said placing one of Scully's binders on the desk top.

"This isn't proof of alien colonial powers," Yves stated. "This is evidence of human mutations."

"It's alien," Mulder stated, "it's immune to radiation."

"Yeah, and what's so great about it? You've seen it before, Mulder, we have files on it." Jimmy stated.

"If this is a test to see if we can perform as well as our predecessors, it's a lame attempted. You brought this same information to the Lone Gunmen years ago and they told you that it was inactive, waste, DNA." Kimmy stated as he moved back to his old station. "This is old news my friend!"

"But its active now," Mulder stated.

"Technically, it has always been active; we just didn't know what it was doing." Yves said pulling up her own research on the genetics and mutations they had been following. "Now, as it is becoming far more predominant, and not only in cancer victims, we have begun concluding that it has been present in the microbial forms of the human condition for quite some time."

"Do you believe it to be alien?" Mulder asked.

"Oh absolutely," Yves stated, "and so do our informants within the government circles. The difference between this alien and the colonial aliens is that this material is genetic. It is passed on from father and mother to child and as procreation takes it course the mutation becomes more active and it attaches itself primarily to the XY chromosomes and causing the immunities to develop. It also heightens fertility."

"Hyper Fertility is not an affect of colonization; it's an affect of repopulation." Jimmy added.

"And, if the mother and the father share the mutation then the child will be more likely to exhibit heightened maternal and paternal qualities." Kimmy added, throwing in his two cents.

"So, if a doctor and a surfer procreated and they both carried the gene…" Mulder stated.

"You would end up with a Hot Australian Doctor," Yves stated. "Sadly, human genetics already exhibited the same qualities."

"But the key to this genetic abnormality is the immunity to radiation and the need to procreate," Jimmy laughed.

"If you find said Hot Australian Doctor, sign me up to be his baby momma!" Yves joked.

"So aside for the immunity to radiation, there really isn't a difference between humans and aliens?" Mulder asked.

"Not in this case, although I believe there are other immunities that we are not completely aware of." Yves answered. "It could be that the immunities include being immune to the black oil, radiation, extreme heat or cold, inter dimensional changes, time loss, or rather the increased frequency of loss of time, and a sixth sense to beings that are also carriers of the gene. More often then not both parents carry the gene, or so my research has trended in that manner. We won't really know for sure until colonization occurs, but this genetic mutation has caused the human race to become stronger in some things, and has hindered us in other. With immunity to radiation comes the possibility of being unaffected by medical treatments, which may in time make us more susceptible to things like cancer, but we won't know for sure. The only thing that we are sure about right now is the government involvement with colonization. They are acting like they have no idea about the genetics of the human race, when more then certainly they do. Colonization is their primary focus as of right now."

"Which the government plans to go ahead with, even though they are failing miserably and running out of time on the behalf of the alien colonists." Kimmy stated.

"From what we can gather," Jimmy added, "the government is playing double agent to the aliens. They are covering up, as much as they possibly can, about the third alien DNA. It is becoming more difficult as the DNA is so wide spread now, but they are striving for the safety of the human race and covering their own asses."

"If what we have discussed is actually reality, then colonization will not take affect, and although there will be some loss of life, the casualties that we initially anticipated will be far less, and hopefully the aliens will move on from here. It would seem that there has been protection in place for the human race for quite a long time. We've all been tested for the DNA material, and it proves to be in some capacity or another, intertwined in all of us," Yves stated as she motioned around the room.

"And yet, Yves still won't have sex with me!" Jimmy stated sadly. "Not even for the sake of the human race."

"You're not a Hot Australian Doctor," Yves retorted.

"Sorry to not have more exciting news for you, oh fearless one," Kimmy stated mockingly, "but the alien colonization is going to fail as epically as Jimmy's sexual conquests on Yves!"

"This may be true, or is that just what the government wants you to believe?" Mulder asked as he began pacing.

"You have other ideas?" Jimmy asked.

"I just can't come to terms with the idea of this all coming to nothing in the end. All the years I spent chasing after the truth only to have it just fall by the weigh side, can this really be the sad disappointing end to my life's work?" Mulder asked.

"Oh I am sure there will be other mysteries and some really fascinating paranormal activities for you to dive head long into, Mulder, but as for this, I think aliens are a things of the past. People believe more easily now that there is life out there, it's just a matter of asking what kinds of life?" Yves stated, "as for government conspiracies, now there is a sure fire thing, there will always be cover ups and lies to investigate."

"The Lone Gunmen will never rest," Jimmy smiled.

"On the bright side, the universe is enormous, more aliens will surely find their way to our planet, if we don't find our way off of it first to be the next colonial force," Kimmy stated.

"We are not going to get into your new theory on molecular particular reduction and the possibilities for the future of time travel," Yves stated as she sighed and reached for her iPod. "I suggest you run, this is a really boring theory," she whispered to Mulder.

"Went I am the next Einstein you'll be groveling at my feet!" Kimmy stated angrily.

"Human history dictates a strong desire to colonize; I don't think that will ever change." Jimmy stated trying to bring the conversation back around to the topic of Mulder's visit, "If its not aliens, it will be some other being, who knows what else is really out there."

"You sure don't," Kimmy stated angrily.

Yves rolled her eyes and went back to her computer work.

"Alright Kidlettes, play nice," Mulder stated with a laugh as he retreated toward the door. "Poppa will be back in a few weeks to check up on you. Don't let any creepy crawlies get you," he mocked, "and if you hear anything else about the colonization send word."

"There won't be much to report, boss," Jimmy stated, "but we'll keep an ear to the ground."

"Thanks guys keep up the good work. I'm looking forward to the next issue." Mulder said at the door and then disappeared into the thickening darkness of the coming night.