Title: The Answer Is Out There
Disclaimer: I have just three words for you guys and gals out there: THEY'RE
NOT MINE!!!!!!
Note: italics signifies a memory
Ch.7
They were here. Scully had to blink a few times to be sure the building wasn't just a mirage. Mulder watched her with evident fascination. There had to be some explanation beyond science that had led her here; otherwise, Scully would never have been this fazed. Despite all their work, and her growing acceptance of the paranormal, Scully remained more of a skeptic than a believer. Her moment of extended panic was over a minute later, and they entered the lobby. Mulder headed off to the left while Scully went right. The lobby was deserted.
"Of course," Scully gave a heartless chuckle. These people never seemed to frequent busy hotels, and with good cause. This place was not in as bad shape as the Heart O'the City Hotel had been, but that did not say much.
"Scully. Over here." Mulder's usual baritone was now a concealed whisper. Scully glided over to where he stood. He was right in front of the elevators. The elevators had long pieces of yellow police tape across the door, marking them "DANGEROUS! DO NOT USE!" Attached to one piece of tape, a sheet of white paper dangled.
" 'Mulder and Scully,' " Mulder began to read as Scully approached. " 'Nice of you to finally drop in. Eighth floor, first door on your left at the top of the stairs. Sorry, you'll have to walk it. -Neo' " They were on the third floor according to the number on the elevator door. Mulder snatched the paper off the tape and walked to the stairs. "This guy isn't taking this seriously, is he?"
"I gather that's not his style," Scully tried to sound sympathetic. They were fortunate that the first three floors were underground, or so Scully learned after the first three flights. The stairs were old and high. Each flight carried them up about fifty feet. Every floor had nearly vaulted ceilings, which accounted for the extreme vertical climb. Even Mulder was winded after the fourth flight. Seeing as they were both tired, they took a break on the seventh floor.
"Mulder, what are we doing here?" Scully sat down on a dusty, sheet-covered love seat. Mulder shook his head.
"I'm beginning to rethink this myself. Maybe we should have gone to Agent Jones first. If they've got any weapons up there...anything even remotely like what they used to take out that building, we're dead if they say we are." Scully nodded at that morose thought. This really hadn't been planned as well as it should have been. Protocol demanded that they call for backup. Yet they hadn't, and not even she had thought twice about it.
"Mulder, we should have called for local department backup."
"Yeah, I thought of that, but I can't help but feel that they wouldn't do us any good. Remember the reports?" She did. The ratio of kills to time in the military building had been unbelievable; wars had been fought with a poorer ratio. Trinity had taken down four Chicago policemen on her own, three of which had had their necks broken. These people were good enough to do all that, and yet they shirked public confrontation, avoided direct meetings, and lived in abandoned buildings. Why?
"Mulder, why is Neo here? If he can take us out, if he can take out an entire guard of military reserves, why does he hide?"
"So the government can't nuke his ass?" Mulder shrugged. "I didn't plan on coming here for more questions, I came here for answers." Scully nodded definitively. That was why they had come. Despite the possibility for peril, she felt assured that they could get their answers safely. And they would get them....
**********************
"They're coming." Neo nodded. Trinity closed the door to the adjoining room. "How were you planning on doing this?" Neo smiled and put his arm around Trinity's waist.
"They're going to be nervous, and I bet a little intimidated. If they really know as much as they said...."
"Exactly my point. We have to be prepared in case they bring an agent with them, or if an agent takes one of them." Trinity's frown was spread tightly across her face. She was trying to ignore the rush of anxious adrenaline, not to mention Neo's caresses. Sensing her tension, Neo sighed and gave her a quick hug.
"Hey, don't worry. We'll be ready for them, I promise. Expect the unexpected...now where did I here that phrase? Oh yeah, I think it was on a cartoon...I know, it was Tiny Toons...that Plucky Duck, such a cut up. He had more of an ego than I do." Trinity smiled and let a chuckle escape. Her sour hesitation broken, Trinity was ready for his plan.
"So, how do we greet our guests?" Neo smiled and moved closer to her. Gently, he slipped off her jacket. Her strapless shirt revealed her perfect, bare shoulders. Trinity raised an eyebrow in silent query.
"They're more afraid of us, trust me. Might as well make them think they're at an advantage. You know, catch them off guard so they won't be so uptight..." He cooed in her ear. Neo backed up towards the bed, pulling Trinity with him.
**********************
"Let's do this." Mulder gave Scully his hand and pulled her to her feet. They mounted the last flight of stairs. "First door on the left..." Mulder whispered to Scully as he pointed upward at the base of a door that she could hardly see. Creeping quietly up the last few steps, Mulder eased his way across the floor, careful not to disturb anything or make any noise. Scully followed his lead and strode across the tiles to the right side of the double doors as Mulder moved to the left. Mulder began a silent count, gesturing with his fingers the number he was on.
"Shh!" Scully hissed, her voice still no louder than Mulder's whisper. The count stopped as both agents placed an ear to the wall. The wall muted the sounds, but the essence was still coming across. It sounded like two people either talking in low tones, or...
"Jesus, Scully are they doing what I think they're doing?" Scully had to force an irritated look to cover her embarrassment. Knowing Mulder, with his penchant for the porno industry, the actions of the couple inside were turning him on. "I guess that answers the question about them being involved." Hot blood poured into Scully's cheeks as she listened. The sounds grew increasingly frequent, the rhythmic pattern only being broken by a few grunts and moans. Mulder had to hide his mirth at his partner's obvious discomfort. As far as Mulder knew, Scully had never walked in on anyone like this. Noticing his effort not to laugh, Scully stuck her chin out indignantly.
"Sorry, Mulder. Extracurricular time is over. On three?" Mulder nodded, bringing his gun up again. One...Two...Three...Together, they kicked in the double doors, which, not being locked, gave away with little protest or noise. Keeping their backs covered, Mulder and Scully advanced cautiously into the room. There were two large armchairs over by an exaggerated fireplace with their own little table. The long curtains were closed, but the dawn light peeked though the folds. No one was inside, but upon breaking in, the noises became slightly louder.
"Over there," Mulder gestured with his chin to another set of doors. Scully advanced, Mulder giving her cover. This time, without a count, they stormed the doors. As soon as they were inside the darkened room, the noises disappeared. Mulder gave Scully an "aw shucks" face, his way of trying to lighten the mood. The density of machinery for such an old room was staggering. There were outlets and buttons and plugs of every kind, hardly any of which they recognized. Scully's gaze snapped to follow a hint of movement she had seen in the back. The dim lights from the giant console provided enough illumination to give a hint of detail on an object in the back. It was rectangular...a bed perhaps? Scully fought her blush again as that thought came, unbidden, to her mind. To her relief, it was not her perverted imagination; it was a bed.
Lying under the covers were their sleeping subjects, Trinity resting in Neo's arms. The sheet covered up to her shoulders, with her left arm positioned next to her head. Neo still had on his black dress shirt, but it was unbuttoned. Scully squinted at the scene. Something was wrong here. If they had just been...well, if they had, how could they possibly be asleep? Or finished for that matter, Scully giggled to herself. A short stab of envy hit her in the base of the skull. How was it that terrorists could find time to fool around and she hadn't slept with someone in one, two, three years? It had been long enough to lose count, which was the most depressing part. Jealousy began to nibble away at her anxiety, which was beneficial in one sense. However, as she stared at Trinity, blissfully resting on Neo's bare skin, envy turned to anger.
"This is you wake up call." Mulder chimed in, pointing his gun and cocking it. Neither Neo nor Trinity stirred. Scully followed Mulder's lead, thankful that her partner had not been so sidetracked. Neo opened his eyes, blinked once or twice, and then closed them again. His nonchalance was unusual, but both agents had had enough unusual cases to be unfazed by this reaction.
"Good morning, Mr. Mulder, Scully. I trust you didn't have any trouble finding us?" Neo's calm tone made him sound more like a friend greeting guests at a summerhouse than a wanted criminal addressing the FBI agents assigned to profile him. Trinity had her eyes closed and was still, her breathing regular.
"The directions were fine. It's the mountain climbing I could have lived without." Mulder smiled. He had to admit, he liked this guy's style. Neo reminded Mulder of himself in many ways. There were times when Mulder could remember being caught watching a few of his "favorites". This wasn't much different, except for the fact sex seemed to have this bizarre acceptance in society that his type of entertainment didn't.
"Time to talk, Neo." Mulder shot a glance to his partner. What was making her so uptight? Even for her, this was...unusual. Neo sighed; his exasperation was akin to Mulder's.
"Yeah, sorry we have to break up this party." Neo chuckled. He propped himself up, shifting Trinity slightly in the process. Her eyes snapped open to focus a stare void of emotion at the two agents.
"What party?" Scully couldn't keep her anger in check. She brought her weapon to within an inch of Neo's temple. Mulder couldn't believe it. What could have possibly merited that response?
"Let's go, Neo. I told you last night, you are coming with us. If you make it hard on us, restraints aren't optional." Scully didn't back down. Mulder decided to follow her lead, make it seem like a team effort, and nudged his own firearm towards Trinity's head. No sooner done then the sound of several more weapons being cocked was heard. Mulder and Scully each stared, uncomprehending at the new situation.
It had seemed like Trinity flew backwards into a crouch opposite Neo. She had two semi-automatics, one trained on each agent. Neo, too, had pulled himself up and had two guns of the same make as the agent's. The speed of the pair who had been only recently splayed out comfortably on the bed was dizzying. The real confusion started once Mulder and Scully realized that both Neo and Trinity were dressed. Trinity's low cut, strapless shirt had been easily covered by the blanket, making her appear naked. Neo had had his shirt before, but Scully had thought, blushing as she did so, that he wouldn't have been dressed either...
"You're not..." The rest of the stupid and obvious question never left her mouth; Scully caught it before she could embarrass herself further. A devilish grin played out on Neo's lips.
"Why, Miss Scully, we were only resting our eyes. Whatever did you think we were doing?" Scully felt the rush of blood to her cheeks. Indignant, she tried to recover.
"Really funny. We heard you." Trinity gave Scully a curious glance. Until then, Trinity had not shared in Neo's humor or in any emotion that either Mulder or Scully had noticed. This time, she appeared genuinely puzzled. Mulder watched the quick silent conversation held between the looks Neo and Trinity returned to one another.
"I can't imagine what you mean." Neo shrugged, his smile encroaching further across his face. Mulder had to hold back his laughter. He hadn't been wrong about Neo or his sense of humor. For a dead guy, Neo was pretty animated. Trinity passed Neo another look, to which he responded by nodding. His smile vanished. "Time to talk. I believe you have something to say to me?" Neo turned to look at Mulder.
"Yes, but there is a catch to that."
"Naturally. What do you want, Mr. Mulder?"
"I want the truth." He paused but quickly enough not to draw any added attention. "That's all I ever want." A look of camaraderie and sympathy hid in Neo's eyes. Scully couldn't help the jealousy that was eating at the back of her neck again. Now even Mulder had some kind of kindred spirit. Life was just not fair.
"You deserve it, Mulder. I've checked up on you. If anyone needs to know, I'd say it was you." Slowly, Neo pulled his guns back and put them into the holsters that were strapped around his legs. Trinity made no move to copy his actions, keeping her weapons on their targets. "But first thing's first." Neo rolled off the bed and into a tuck on the floor next to Scully. It was sheer luck that she hadn't let her nervous trigger finger have its way.
"Share and share alike, Mulder." Neo called over his shoulder as he walked back into the first room. Mulder swallowed a hard lump in his throat. He knew Neo was talking about his report. He had rethought coming here before, and now he was on the verge of running if it would keep Neo from reading the profile. In all his years of training, Mulder could recall all the cases and all the precedents that strictly dictated that giving the subject his profile was dangerous. Neo waited for Mulder to follow, which finally overrode Mulder's initial hesitation. When Scully tried to go with her partner, Trinity jumped up and stood in her way.
"Not this time, Miss Scully." Adding emphasis to her words, Trinity proceeded to disarm Scully. Afterwards, Scully could only barely remember the exact process as the swift moves melted together. In one moment, Trinity was throwing her own weapons up and high-kicking the firearm out of Scully's hands, then in the next, she was catching all three. "I believe I have made my point." Scully nodded numbly. The door to the adjoining room closed, sealing Mulder and Neo away. Scully sat on the corner of the bed, sighing her resentment of submission.
"So, that little episode, just now, this is what you do for fun?" Trinity actually smiled, the first such reaction that Scully had seen in her. "If you were going for distraction, it worked." Another smile.
"I'm sure Neo embellished just a little bit." Scully chuckled at that. "He has a tendency to overdo things some times. I don't know what you heard before, but trust me, it was all part of the act." Scully laughed at the thought of Neo making up those noises, purely for the sake of distraction. For the sake of staving off boredom, Scully decided to take the time to profile Trinity. If ever they did turn over Mulder's report, this would be an added bonus.
"Do you mind if I ask why you're doing this?" Trinity remained silent. Behind her usual stoic façade, Scully could picture her mind racing. "Why are you so interested in us? Just because we're following you..."
"That's not it, Miss Scully."
"Agent Scully or Scully." A sneer of pure disgust creased Trinity's placid features.
"I won't call you agent anything. It's not who you are. Scully, then."
"Fine."
"You want to know why? It's because you know something you've never had explained to you. You've accepted thus far, but you have never really believed. Every answer you find is only one more lie to add to a pile of them, which you have accumulated over the years. Slowly, you have come to realize what most of us know now. There is something wrong with the world you live in...There is something not human that is influencing yours and others' lives." This time, Scully stayed mum on the subject at hand. "I'm right, Scully. I've been there."
"How? How could you possibly know what it's like?" Scully dropped her head into her hands. How was this woman bringing these raw wounds to the light? "You have no idea what it's like to be violated like Mulder and I have been. We've run up against forces with superior resources and power like you wouldn't believe. So far," Scully spat her next words with all the frustration her grief possessed, "So far, all you've done, you've gotten away with. Nothing can stop you. So why do you wait? Why not just kill us? I know you intend to. There's no other reason you're letting us get this close, Trinity."
"That's not true, Scully. We are only trying to help you." Scully started to laugh, but her voice lacked any sincere mirth. "What?"
"Help us? How? Better people than you have tried, people with more influence, more sway, more intelligence...no offense, I only meant in terms of having the information." Trinity shrugged at the last comment. She sat next to Scully on the bed.
"Let me tell you something, Scully. I know all about you. I know everything about your career, your supposed abduction, and your life as a whole. You may not know it, but you and Mulder aren't that different. You both want answers, want reasons why things are what they are. But you refuse to accept that the answers may lie outside scientific reasoning. That will change.
"And just for the record, there is no 'better person' than Neo." Scully couldn't hide a genuine giggle at that.
"Oh, why is that? I thought that," she jerked her head toward the bed, "was just a distraction." It was Trinity's turn to flush for a moment.
"That wasn't what I was talking about." Trinity's voice was broken with her own attempt to keep from laughing. "You'll know one day, Scully. I believe you will make it."
"Make it where?" Trinity dropped her gaze to the floor. When she turned to look at Scully again, Trinity had rediscovered her enigmatic stoicism.
"The real world."
**********************
An hour later, Mulder took the lead as he and Scully left the building. Scully felt liberated. A great weight had vanished in her life. Her earlier jealousy of Trinity and Neo, and then of Neo and Mulder, had vaporized. There was no need to be jealous. Despite their criminal behaviors and incredible abilities, Neo and Trinity were good people. Scully hated the thought of going back now and giving the report over to Agent Jones.
"You know we have to turn in Mulder's character sketch to Agent Jones, Trinity. We can't disobey..." Scully trailed off at the piercing stare of surprise and alarm that Trinity was giving her. "What?"
"Agent Jones? Is that a guy?" Scully nodded. "Black suit? Black tie with gold clip? Always wears black sunglasses?" Yes, yes, and yes. "Shit. An agent told you to do this?"
"Yeah, we thought it came from the NSA at first, but then Agent Jones called and..." Scully cut herself off when she saw that Trinity wasn't paying any attention. "What's the matter?" Trinity never answered. She stood up immediately and burst into the next room. From where she sat, Scully could see Mulder sitting rather straight in one of the armchairs, directly across from Neo.
The sudden anger and shock in Neo's face when Trinity told him what she had been told was enough to give Scully a cold shiver. Within five minutes, Neo had Mulder on his feet and out the door and Scully in tow behind him.
Now here we are, Scully sighed as the thought passed through her head. Mulder started the car while she lingered, looking up at the dull light several stories over her head. She could remember her terror at finding this place, the exact building Neo had shown her in her dream. Now, Scully didn't want to leave. The answers she had from Trinity explained very little but served to peak her interest.
As soon as she got inside the car, Scully knew that Mulder's interest in the case had been reinvigorated. He sat in the driver's seat like a ghosted shell of himself. The whole drive home his movements were mechanical and automatic. But behind his ever-serene and vacant expression, Scully could detect a detached turbulence. Mulder was thinking about the case, but he was afraid? Nervous? Insecure? What had he found out from Neo? Scully almost asked him about thirty times on the way home, but each time she turned to look at him she lost her nerve. Thus, the car ride back to the hotel was quiet and introspective for both agents.
They remained mute even as they reached their hotel only to discover Agent Jones standing there...yet again.
"Agent Mulder, Agent Scully. I've come to collect you report." Scully glanced at Mulder. He was still shying away from her investigating stare. Mulder reached into his coat and pulled out the crumpled yellow legal paper with his notes on it. Agent Jones reached to take it, but Mulder held it away.
"It's not typed, Agent Jones. If you can wait another day..." No visible sign of registration showed on Agent Jones' face.
"That won't be necessary."
"I'm sorry, I can't turn this over until I've made the proper documentation with the bureau." Mulder walked around Agent Jones, Scully right behind. As she passed, Scully felt a chill. When Scully closed the door, Agent Jones was no longer standing there. He had disappeared...like Neo had once. Scully rubbed her forehead. This had been an interesting day, even though it hadn't been as enlightening as she would have liked. But, like all the other days previous, her head was thundering.
**********************
"Good morning Chicago! It's Randy Stubbs and Rudy Chubbs on Stubbs and Chubbs in the morning! Time is approximately seven-thirty, and it is currently sixty degrees outside in the Windy City, but don't forget your coats because a cold front is on the way. More on the weather after traffic with Cyndi Stevens. Cyndi?"
Before the squeaky, high-pitched voice of the traffic expert could drive her insane, Scully smacked the snooze button on the clock radio.
"Mmmmm...Mulder? Have you made coffee yet?" No reply. Great, what a time for him to go out on a jog, Scully groaned and tossed over in her bed, throwing the covers over her head. The radio flipped back on to the most annoying country song to which she had ever been subjected. Scully reached to smack the radio again but only succeeded in knocking it off the nightstand. Grudgingly, she got up, yanked the plug from the wall, and went to take a shower.
Half an hour later, Scully was putting the finishing touches on her makeup while packing away her clothes from the day before. Mulder still hadn't returned. Leaving for breakfast, Scully posted a note on the door in case Mulder got back while she was out. By the time she got back, the note was still on the door. Scully let herself in before she really began to panic. She searched frantically through Mulder's stuff to find some clue as to where he had gone.
When she got to the drawer in which he had placed his clothes, she found the answer. Underneath his gray sweatpants, a set of papers with a post it note attached to the top sheet. Scully removed the papers. There were three copies of his typed profile on Anderson, Thomas A. Scully read the yellow note, written in Mulder's scrawled script.
I have to know.
End of Chapter 7