- 7 -
'What do you do, Mr. Mulder?' Dominique asked as he sat on the bench
before the man.
Mulder looked him straight in the eyes and said, 'I'm an FBI-agent.
Well, I was an FBI-agent until yesterday.'
'Really?' Dominique said soothingly, folding his hands over each
other. 'What happened to you yesterday?'
Mulder's eyes darkened and he didn't seem to be willing to talk about
it first. But Dominique's soft voice seemed so charming and honest it
felt difficult not to respond. There was something in his voice that
appealed to people. He was able to get the deepest secrets out of
them. Slowly Mulder realized that he too would be able to become a
victim of this man, hadn't he realized beforehand that
all of it was just a way to get to him.
'Mr. Mulder,' Dominique said friendly, 'in this house we tell each
other the truth. You are here for relaxation techniques. But those
techniques do not help unless you confide in me. I cannot help you
until I know what bothers you. What drives you. What brings you here.
Without those answers, you are not eligible to become a member of our
selected group.
'My sister,' Mulder said as his eyes drifted off, refusing to look at
the others. 'She disappeared when I was twelve years old and she was
eight. Everyone always blamed me for it: my parents, the community
and our friends. I was at home and had to watch her. But I couldn't
stop her from disappearing. I spent my entire life looking for her.
My fellow colleagues have tried to stop me. Even my partner didn't
support me when I followed a lead into my sister's disappearance.
I finally got so fed up that I left. I decided that I can only find
her on my own terms. I don't need their resources to help me.'
'So you just packed your bags and quit the FBI?'
'That's what basically happened, yeah. I didn't need to be there for
the money. My father left me a large inheritance. I'm planning on
investigating her disappearance on my own terms from now on. She's
very dear to me and I want to find her. It's been my life's goal and
it will stay that way until I finally track her down.'
'Do you believe that she's still alive?'
'I know that she is. I've seen evidence that she's out there, waiting
for me. When I find her, I'll tell the world that they were all
wrong. I don't need my so-called friends to tell me that.'
Dominique looked very serious when he moved away from the wooden bench
he sat on, and put his hand on Mulder's shoulder, forcing the agent
to look at him. 'You haven't had a second's peace in your life, have
you, Fox?'
Mulder winced at the use of his first name but nodded slowly. 'No, I
haven't.' 'And you came here to find that peace. You want
confirmation that what you did was right.'
'I don't know why I'm here. When I talked to that woman yesterday, she
sounded so happy. I just '
'- You just want to be happy yourself, don't you? That's what anyone
wants. That's why you are here.'
'But I'm not allowed to be happy. I lost her.'
'You were just a child. You couldn't be held responsible. If anyone's
responsible, it's your parents for leaving you alone.' Dominique
started walking and took place behind Mulder who still sat down and
stared before him. 'Why are you really here, Fox?'
Mulder straightened his shoulders. 'I want another life,' he said
firmly. 'I want to live with people that don't blame me for my
sister's abduction and don't push me back when I want to find out
what happened to her.'
'Do you believe you'll find that here?'
'I don't know what I'll find here. I don't know anything about this
place. I just came here because that woman told me I could find some
peace and rest here. I should be out there, looking for her, but
right now I can't. I'm just exhausted. I want some rest.'
Mulder hid his face between his hands. His shoulders shook as he
leaned forward. The other guests looked at him and nodded in
compassion. Dominique leaned forward and put his hand on his back.
'You're going to be fine, Fox. We all are. I promise you that you'll
get through this and that you will never have to be alone again. I
guarantee it.'
Mulder looked up, staring gratefully at Dominique who smiled and
nodded just as compassionately as the others had done. A few moments
later the group parted. Dominique walked his guests to their cars,
and looked at the group of people that glanced at him hopefully. All
of them expected a resolution to their problems and he was able to
give it to them. But resolution had its price and he already knew
whom he was going to select.
The FBI-agent would be among them soon. His first test would be a test
of faith. After that, it would become clear if he was telling the
truth or not. And then it would be very simple to wheel him in. The
risks he took for granted. Life was full of risks. This was no
exception.
It just made everything more fun.
'What do you do, Mr. Mulder?' Dominique asked as he sat on the bench
before the man.
Mulder looked him straight in the eyes and said, 'I'm an FBI-agent.
Well, I was an FBI-agent until yesterday.'
'Really?' Dominique said soothingly, folding his hands over each
other. 'What happened to you yesterday?'
Mulder's eyes darkened and he didn't seem to be willing to talk about
it first. But Dominique's soft voice seemed so charming and honest it
felt difficult not to respond. There was something in his voice that
appealed to people. He was able to get the deepest secrets out of
them. Slowly Mulder realized that he too would be able to become a
victim of this man, hadn't he realized beforehand that
all of it was just a way to get to him.
'Mr. Mulder,' Dominique said friendly, 'in this house we tell each
other the truth. You are here for relaxation techniques. But those
techniques do not help unless you confide in me. I cannot help you
until I know what bothers you. What drives you. What brings you here.
Without those answers, you are not eligible to become a member of our
selected group.
'My sister,' Mulder said as his eyes drifted off, refusing to look at
the others. 'She disappeared when I was twelve years old and she was
eight. Everyone always blamed me for it: my parents, the community
and our friends. I was at home and had to watch her. But I couldn't
stop her from disappearing. I spent my entire life looking for her.
My fellow colleagues have tried to stop me. Even my partner didn't
support me when I followed a lead into my sister's disappearance.
I finally got so fed up that I left. I decided that I can only find
her on my own terms. I don't need their resources to help me.'
'So you just packed your bags and quit the FBI?'
'That's what basically happened, yeah. I didn't need to be there for
the money. My father left me a large inheritance. I'm planning on
investigating her disappearance on my own terms from now on. She's
very dear to me and I want to find her. It's been my life's goal and
it will stay that way until I finally track her down.'
'Do you believe that she's still alive?'
'I know that she is. I've seen evidence that she's out there, waiting
for me. When I find her, I'll tell the world that they were all
wrong. I don't need my so-called friends to tell me that.'
Dominique looked very serious when he moved away from the wooden bench
he sat on, and put his hand on Mulder's shoulder, forcing the agent
to look at him. 'You haven't had a second's peace in your life, have
you, Fox?'
Mulder winced at the use of his first name but nodded slowly. 'No, I
haven't.' 'And you came here to find that peace. You want
confirmation that what you did was right.'
'I don't know why I'm here. When I talked to that woman yesterday, she
sounded so happy. I just '
'- You just want to be happy yourself, don't you? That's what anyone
wants. That's why you are here.'
'But I'm not allowed to be happy. I lost her.'
'You were just a child. You couldn't be held responsible. If anyone's
responsible, it's your parents for leaving you alone.' Dominique
started walking and took place behind Mulder who still sat down and
stared before him. 'Why are you really here, Fox?'
Mulder straightened his shoulders. 'I want another life,' he said
firmly. 'I want to live with people that don't blame me for my
sister's abduction and don't push me back when I want to find out
what happened to her.'
'Do you believe you'll find that here?'
'I don't know what I'll find here. I don't know anything about this
place. I just came here because that woman told me I could find some
peace and rest here. I should be out there, looking for her, but
right now I can't. I'm just exhausted. I want some rest.'
Mulder hid his face between his hands. His shoulders shook as he
leaned forward. The other guests looked at him and nodded in
compassion. Dominique leaned forward and put his hand on his back.
'You're going to be fine, Fox. We all are. I promise you that you'll
get through this and that you will never have to be alone again. I
guarantee it.'
Mulder looked up, staring gratefully at Dominique who smiled and
nodded just as compassionately as the others had done. A few moments
later the group parted. Dominique walked his guests to their cars,
and looked at the group of people that glanced at him hopefully. All
of them expected a resolution to their problems and he was able to
give it to them. But resolution had its price and he already knew
whom he was going to select.
The FBI-agent would be among them soon. His first test would be a test
of faith. After that, it would become clear if he was telling the
truth or not. And then it would be very simple to wheel him in. The
risks he took for granted. Life was full of risks. This was no
exception.
It just made everything more fun.