THE X-FILES: EGYPT.
J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
4:11 PM.
"The Valley of the Kings. Three healthy men dead, found inside Tutankhamun's pyramid." Special Agent Fox Mulder clicked slides along, showing his partner, Special Agent Dana Scully, three mutilated bodies.
"I don't know, Mulder," said Scully. She stood next to him, carefully examining the slides. "Murder. Perhaps it's some sort of religious sacrifice."
"I was thinking that too," said Mulder as he chewed on a sunflower seed. "But the Egyptians generally didn't make human sacrifices, even back when this pyramid was built. These were done only two days ago. You know what I think?"
"That aliens form above just decided to kill three healthy men inside a pyramid so they could later take the bodies and examine them," Scully guessed sarcastically.
"No, Scully," said Mulder, equally sarcastic. "Who believes in aliens, anyway?"
Scully rolled her eyes and looked around Mulder's paranormal-adorned office. Her office as well, technically. The two had been paired together for some time now, and had grown on each others' strengths. They seemed to function as one unit now, not as two individuals. They had a reputation at the Bureau as Scully and Mulder, working on the X-Files, trying to find little green men. Originally, Scully had been assigned to Mulder in order to "debunk" his work on the X-Files, to shut it down. But that plan hadn't exactly worked out. Scully thought Mulder was an excellent agent. He had a passion for his work and an eye for detail. She thought she was extremely lucky to work with him.
"I did some digging," continued Mulder. "And it turns out that the three men who were murdered were descendents of some priests that had prepared Tutankhamun's body for the afterlife. I know for a fact, that it's true"—he said, quickly dismissing Scully's famous skeptical look—"since some people took some samples from the mummified priests and matched them to the three dead guys."
"So what do you think?" asked Scully.
"Some historians think that Tut was poisoned, that's why he died so young."
"Why did he attack the priests' descendents, then?" asked Scully, still skeptical of the whole thing.
"Because they were the ones who probably poisoned him and dressed him for the afterlife."
Scully sighed. "Mulder, I think that this is about as likely as you never eating sunflower seeds again. This isn't necessarily an X-File, you know. I think you're just hoping."
"C'mon, Scully. Where's your sense of adventure?" Mulder teased. "Besides, you might change your mind, since we're leaving for Egypt tomorrow."
FLIGHT #6982, CAIRO, EGYPT
11:49 AM.
Mulder leaned back into the padded airplane seat. "First class, Scully. A trip to Egypt. What more could you want?"
"A beer and some painkillers," replied Scully grimly. "I have a terrible headache."
"It'll get better," said Mulder optimistically.
"I sure as hell hope so," mumbled Scully. "So what are we doing after we get into Cairo?"
"Skinner said that there's someone named Robert Keller who's going to meet us at the airport. He's sort of our guide for this. He's been in Egypt for two months now, and he was the one who discovered the bodies."
"Why was he even in the tomb in the first place?" Scully asked groggily. "I want to go to sleep…"
"He said something about how he was just studying the hieroglyphics and then heard screaming," said Mulder. "These three men were found at the same time, dead in the exact same way."
"Hold that thought, Mulder. I'm going to sleep," said Scully. "I just feel awful."
"It'll get better," Mulder said again. "Right. You go ahead and rest, I'll review the case details again."
"Deal," said Scully, as her head hit the lumpy airplane pillow.
CAIRO, EGYPT
5:00 PM.
"Feeling better?" Mulder asked his partner. They were in a Jeep now, riding to the pyramid and campsite, which, for the next few days, would be home. He knew Scully very well now, well enough that he knew she would be fine after a good night's sleep. Scully, no matter how hard she tried, could be very predictable. She was, however, the best friend he had ever had. She had saved him so many times it was uncountable. Not only was she a good, diligent agent, she kept him in line. I would have never made it this far without her, he thought.
"Mostly," said Scully weakly. "I think I'll be better once we stop moving…"
"Right, right. We're almost here," reassured Mulder. Keller smiled at him from the front seat.
"How long have you two worked together?" Keller asked, trying to make polite conversation.
"At least five years…I'm not exactly sure," admitted Mulder, glancing over at Scully to discover she was fast asleep, again.
Keller nodded. "We're almost here," he said. "You believe in the unexplained?"
"Do I ever."
"I think that what killed these guys wasn't human. I mean, there was no one else that I knew of in the tomb besides me and those other three. I don't know who could have done it. Besides, they were all chopped up."
"Hmmm," Mulder thought aloud. "That's sort of what I thought, too. Scully, on the other hand, she doesn't believe in that kind of stuff. We're actually complete opposites."
"We're here," said Keller. He stopped the engine of the Jeep and opened the door slowly.
"Wake up, Scully," said Mulder, shaking Scully on the shoulder. "We're here."
TUTANKHAMUN'S TOMB
6:15 PM.
"This is amazing," said Scully in awe, looking around the giant burial chamber adorned in hieroglyphics. "I can't believe it."
"It is quite impressive," said Mulder.
"Jean-François Champollion was the first to really translate any of the ancient hieroglyphics," Keller said knowingly. "He spent many years on the Rosetta stone, translating the demotic and hieroglyphs from the Greek. The whole stone is basically saying thanks to Ptolemy V for doing some priests a couple favors."
"All that to say thank you," said Mulder. "Scully, the most you've ever done is bought me ice cream."
"Shut up, Mulder."
"So was this the place where you found the bodies?" Mulder asked Keller.
"It was. Right over there." He pointed to the far left corner.
Mulder and Scully walked over to the corner. "It looks completely clean," Scully noted, confused. "Are you sure that these men were killed while you were present?"
"Positive," Keller nodded.
"Was there anything unusual in the way that the victims acted that day?" inquired Mulder.
Keller squinted, trying to recollect that day. "No," he said slowly, "I don't think so."
"Where are the bodies now?" asked Scully.
"They've already been buried. The families of the victims wanted to bury them right away." He paused. "Anyway, I think that we should probably get to the campsite. It's getting rather late and I'd imagine you'd want to turn in early."
"Thanks," said Scully gratefully, and followed Keller out of the burial chamber room.
CAMPSITE
11:21 PM.
"So, Scully. What did you think of all that?" Mulder asked his partner. He couldn't see her in the dark, but she was right beside him in the tent.
"I think it's odd," she replied. "Three men just dead. Maybe they knew something."
"You heard Keller," said Mulder. "He said that he there wasn't anyone else in the tomb."
"There could have been. The tomb is huge. Maybe someone went in without him knowing."
"It's a possibility."
"Mulder, please keep an open mind on this case. I don't think that it's an X-File."
"Why not, Scully?"
"Because, Mulder." She was using the slightly annoyed tone that Mulder was oh-so-familiar with. "Nothing that can't be explained happened. I think that you're just making up this bit about King Tut's spirit murdering descendents of the priests that buried him."
"And potentially murdered him," added Mulder.
"Mulder, where did you hear that Tutankhamun was murdered?"
"Well, the Lone Gunmen certainly have a theory."
The Lone Gunmen. They were three friends of Mulder's, even more paranoid than he was about the paranormal. They even published a newspaper about the unexplained. Although she had very high respect for Mulder, she had to think that some of his theories were completely not thought out. Mulder did believe much of what the Lone Gunmen did say, unfortunately.
"The Lone Gunmen have a theory about almost everything. Including the 'do not remove' tags on mattresses."
"The government is a strange operation, Scully."
"A strange operation that you just happen to work for."
"Face it, Scully." The thin mattress of the cot Mulder was sleeping on squeaked, a sign that he was turning around to face her. "You just don't want to believe."
"Maybe you're trying too hard to believe."
"Doubtful. Goodnight, Scully."
TUTANKHAMUN'S TOMB
THE NEXT MORNING.
"OK, Mulder. I'll admit that something strange is going on."
Scully was feeling much better after a night's sleep. Mulder had noticed her increased perkiness that morning, a good sign. Maybe she would finally come around to see his side of everything.
He had managed to track down one of the three bodies that day, and was hoping Scully could examine it before anyone noticed it was missing. It wasn't the most courteous thing to do but he, was bursting with curiosity that he couldn't contain himself. He just had to know if something unusual or unexplainable was detectable on the body.
"What might that be, Scully?"
"The body is showing mass signs of desiccation," she said, pushing a lock of auburn hair off her face. "I don't know how to explain it. This body was found only two days ago, but by the looks of the desiccation, it appears to have been dead at least…years. That's all I can say for sure. Mulder, are you sure this body was even one of the victim's?"
"No, to be honest."
"So I could have potentially examined a body that had nothing to do with this case? Mulder, I think that they should send you back to the academy! You aren't following precautions or anything."
"Don't be a tattletale, Scully," Mulder smiled.
Scully still frowned. "Mulder, I think you're being a bit careless."
"So?"
"So? So? You know you can't do that. You could mess up and who knows where we'd be. Probably stuck in some crumbling pyramid somewhere."
"You know that won't happen, Scully."
"No, I don't know what will happen, Mulder. I don't know what will happen to us with me being your partner!"
"Now, now, Scully. Let's just return this body, shall we?"
"Sure, Mulder, as soon as we can find it again."
Mulder looked to the spot where the body was laid down, but saw nothing, only its imprint and footsteps leading up to the pyramid where it had supposedly been murdered.
"Oh my—Scully, this is an X-File!"
"Tell me about it," she grumbled. "Should we go stop it?"
"What do you think, Scully?" asked Mulder, and started running towards the pyramid. Sighing, Scully followed him.
TUTANKHAMUN'S TOMB
1:23 PM.
Mulder and Scully were in the burial chamber, once again. There was absolutely no sign of the running body.
"Mulder," said Scully, obviously annoyed, "what's going on?"
"Well, Scully," said Mulder carefully, "it goes like this. See, Robert Keller here is a friend of Skinner's. He wanted your medical advice on that body."
"But," said Keller. "The body was still alive."
"The body was still alive? What's that supposed to mean?"
"The body was alive, but it wasn't human," said Mulder. "It was extra-terrestrial. We found it about four years ago, and we decided that it was fine if we let you onto the truth. But you simply weren't ready until then."
"So this was just an elaborate scam?" asked Scully. "This was all a trick, and you, Mulder, my best friend in the whole entire world, was in it too? And you didn't tell me anything? You mislead me to Egypt where I had to sleep in a tent, it must be 200 degrees outside and the only person I've grown to trust has deceived me? I can't believe you, Mulder. You should be ashamed."
"Believe me, I am. Let's go home, Scully."
"No, Mulder, I can't." She was angry now. Angry that she didn't know the truth, that after all this time Mulder had lied to her. Then a sort of panic started to overtake her. If she couldn't trust Mulder, then who could she trust?
"Get away from me—get away from me!" Mulder tried to grab her arm and she struggled to the ground, sobbing.
Scully woke up the next morning, shaking violently. She was in Mulder's apartment, sleeping on his couch, covered with one of Mulder's ratty old blankets. "Where am I?"
"At my house," said Mulder. "Are you OK, Scully? You weren't feeling well last night, so you decided to stay for the night. Complaining of a headache. You need something to drink?"
"No," said Scully, perplexed. "I don't. I'm just…confused. See, Mulder, I had this dream…"
23 February 2001, "X-Files" fan fiction.