Mulder was still staring at the note.
"What is it, Mulder?" she asked, finally.
"Did you bring that Beckett file with you?"
Did she bring the Beckett file? She thought. Not that a missing scientist would logically have anything to do with attempted military sabotage. But yes, she had brought it. Because she always saw to the details—it had been part of her clinical training. And, like marching taught at boot camp, was part of her training that couldn't be undone.
"Yes, Mulder, I brought the file. Why?"
"What does this name—Ziggy—mean to you?" he asked.
"A round-headed syndicated cartoon character?" And, although she was impressed that Mulder had picked up on a part of the note that the rest of them had ignored—he was good at that, actually—picking up on details others ignored—she did not get the connection to the case.
"Part of the project Beckett was working on was the creation of a sentient computer. And the computer project had a name—"
"HAL?" Scully suggested.
Mulder made a face. "I'm serious Scully. I think this is a note for that computer. Or from that computer. Beckett—or his agent—was here. And might still be here."
"To what purpose, Mulder?" she asked. "You said this 'project' was under the aegis of the Navy. Why would the Navy try to sink one of it's own capital ships?"
Mulder straightened up with a start. "That's a very good question Scully. There's no point to it. Maybe I've been looking at this backwards. Maybe the Project was involved in saving the ship."
Sam caught up with Al on deck. "How long until Ziggy deciphers the code?" Sam asked.
"Four more hours at least," Al replied. "But you still need to be able to collect evidence, and…"
"It'll be easier to collect evidence if we know where to look," Sam replied.
"That's a good point, Sam."
"Besides which, I thought I was here just to find out what's going to have happened—not to make an arrest."
Al tapped at the handlink. "Ziggy thinks they might be the same thing," he said. "And there's the other thing."
"What other thing?"
"Those two FBI agents. Ziggy thinks you're here to help them."
"Right. Help them solve this case," Sam said.
"Uh, that's not exactly what she means," Al replied.
"What does she mean, then?" Sam asked. Al was dancing around something. Rather not like him.
"Well, she thinks that one or both of them need a life change. They way things stand, within three months, Agent Mulder will vanish, never to be seen again. Agent Scully will maintain that he's abducted by aliens. And Agent Scully, after searching for two years, will leave the FBI—and give up medicine."
"And what does Ziggy think I'm supposed to do about it here?"
"She thinks there's a 70% chance you're here to get them to… you know…" Al made some motions with his hands—waving them about and bringing them together.
"But they're partners, Al. They work together. It wouldn't be appropriate— You'd just as soon as get the Colonel and the Commander together!"
Al looked sheepish. "Ziggy had some theories about that, too."
"Al! I shouldn't have to remind you that this is a nuclear carrier—one still under threat of sabotage—not the Love Boat. And can't a man and a woman work closely together without sex being involved?"
"Keep it down, Sam," Al said. "I said she had some thoughts. She gives it 10%. And you do have to do something about the agents. An improper relationship would be better than one going MIA and the other withdrawing from life. Come on, Sam—you've seen the way they look at each other."
The truth was, he had seen something pass between the two FBI agents. And if there was something below the surface, then maybe all Sam had to do was bring it out, and let the agents come to their own conclusions. He heard the imaging chamber door slide open.
"I'm gonna go check on some things," Al said. "In the meantime, it looks like you've got company." He pointed over Sam's shoulder with his cigar. Agent Mulder was striding up the deck.
The imaging chamber door slid shut, and Al was gone.
"Do you always hide out on deck when at sea, Commander Rabb?"
Agent Mulder appeared on the deck next to Sam—almost out of nowhere.
"Actually, frequently, yes," Sam replied.
"So, is this your idea for finding the saboteur?" Mulder asked.
"I'm sorry?"
"In the mess hall, you said you had an idea for finding the identity of the saboteur. I was wondering if wandering around on deck had something to do with it."
"Basically," Sam replied, "my idea was to take a look at who may have left the ship—other than pilots on sorties—just prior to the incident."
"Why eliminate the pilots?" Mulder asked.
"Because a pilot on a sortie would know that he'd have to return to the ship—and if the ship was sunk, there'd be no place for him to land."
"That's a good point," Mulder said. "If you assume either that the saboteur intended to leave instead of going down with the ship. Or assuming that the saboteur was a crew member."
"The records indicate that there were no guests on board at that time."
"No guests that were apparent to witnesses," Mulder said.
"You're back on the time-travel idea, Agent Mulder?" Sam asked. Mulder was a fascinating character—uncannily insightful in places, unusually blind in others. He seemed to know about the existence of the Project—at least in its broad outlines—but he had no clue as to its purpose, or how it would work.
Mulder smiled.
Sam leaned against the deck railing. "Let me ask you something else, if you don't mind my changing the subject."
"Please," Mulder replied
Sam took a breath. Like with any other leap, the reason for the leap could be any number of things. And Sam felt it foolish not to at least explore some of the possibilities, even if he thought them highly unlikely. And so he would give Ziggy's idea a try. "How long have you been with Agent Scully?" he asked.
Mulder paused. "We've been partners for seven years," he replied.
"And you're only partners?"
"What are you implying, Commander Rabb?" Mulder asked.
"I'm not implying, Agent Mulder. I'm curious. You and Agent Scully seem to be unusually close."
"No closer than you and Colonel Mackenzie."
Point there, Sam thought.
Scully had been bunked with the Colonel. Not that she really wanted to stay over onboard an aircraft carrier. But there seemed to have been little choice.
She entered the stateroom, and found Colonel Mackenzie tapping away on a laptop.
Scully knocked on the bulkhead. The Colonel sat up with a start.
"I'm sorry to disturb you Colonel," Scully said. "Looks like we're roommates."
"I'm sorry," Mackenzie said. "I didn't hear you come in. Please, make yourself comfortable. I'm just finishing an e-mail to my fiancé."
"Have you set a date?" Scully asked.
"Not quite yet," Mackenzie replied. "We're looking at a few a few months from now."
"You said before that your fiancé was stationed at JAG for a while?" Scully asked.
Mackenzie nodded. "We worked together for a long time before we got together." She paused. "Funny—I never really thought about it this way—but we actually only got together after he left to return to Australia. But if we hadn't worked together for so long, I doubt we would have gotten together."
"Why do you say that?" Scully asked.
"Well, because working together under stressful conditions—you learn things about character that you wouldn't under other circumstances. I'm sure your relationship with Agent Mulder would be different if you weren't partners."
"What exactly do you mean by 'relationship?'" Scully asked.
Mackenzie paused. "I didn't actually mean anything other than a working relationship," she said. "Why, were you thinking about something else?"
Had she thought about something else, Scully wondered to herself. Maybe she had, on occasion. But not seriously. Mulder would probably not be interested—well, maybe over the telephone, but not in person… And besides, they were partners.
"Why?" Scully retorted. "Can't a man and a woman work closely together without 'something else' being involved?"
"Certainly," Mackenzie replied. "On the other hand, it is a natural question."
"Is it?" Scully replied. "And what about you and the Commander?"
Mackenzie blushed, and bit her lip. "Actually, if you must know," she said. "At one point, I made a pass at him."
"And?"
"And he turned me down." Mackenzie paused. "But it was good that I did it, I think. This way, it was put out of the way." She turned back to the laptop. "I think I better finish this note before this conversation gets anymore slumber-party like."
Scully nodded, and climbed into the top bunk. Her mind swirling around the case, and around this conversation, she drifted off to sleep.