- 11 -
Mulder's absence was immediately noticed in the breakfast room.
Dominique sent Gretl to check up on him. In the morning the doors to
the bedrooms were always automatically unlocked. She found him lying
feverish in bed, begging to be excused at the breakfast table. He did
look like hell. He didn't even have to fake being more ill than he
already was.
'I'll send Dominique,' Gretl said, alarmed by the way Mulder looked.
She had never seen anyone sick since the day she had first entered
the home. She wasn't used to seeing this. But she had heard stories
about others feeling sick as well.
A few minutes later Dominique came to Mulder's quarters and found his
follower just like Gretl had said. Dominique sighed, realizing this
was the third time something like this happened. He didn't like it.
He didn't want doctors on his premises. They had to deal with this
themselves. He would have to reduce the dose and make sure Mulder
adjust slowly to the drugs.
'I'll be fine,' Mulder mumbled, lying exhausted in bed. 'I just need a
bit of rest.'
'I'll have Gretl bring you some toast and tea. You need to eat
something. If you don't, you'll just weaken more,' Dominique said
friendly, sitting on the edge of the bed as if he made a house call.
'I couldn't stand eating,' Mulder said, closing his eyes already. 'I'm
sorry to be such a pain, Dominique.'
Dominique smiled reassuringly. 'Don't worry about it and get well. But
promise me to eat something. If you don't feel better in the
afternoon, I'll give you some medication or send for a doctor.'
Gretl, who entered the room with a tray with toast, jam and coffee
disturbed Mulder again later that morning. A cup with the white
tablet lay next to the plate with food. 'Dominique wants to make sure
you eat everything,' she said. 'And you should take that tablet as
well. It will help you heal.'
Mulder ate three bites of the toast and put the pill in his mouth,
drinking some water. Gretl smiled and stroked his hair when he closed
his eyes and fell asleep, feeling restless.
When she left, he hurried out of bed and spit the tablet out in a
washcloth he kept in his toilet bag. Then he shoved the tablet in the
bottom of his toilet bag. It would never be found there. Before long
he was able to catch a normal, restful nap.
When he woke up, he found another tray in his room that had been
brought in when he slept. On it he found toast and orange juice and a
bit of dry meat. There was no tablet this time. He ate a bit of it,
feeling much better. The worst seemed to be over.
Quickly he took a few bites and glanced at his watch. It was after
two. Most of the members would be outside right now, strolling the
gardens. He walked over to the window that looked out on the gardens
and noticed that about a dozen people were there. The others were
gone. If he remembered correctly it was Monday afternoon. Chances
were that some of them had left for the city to recruit new
people. There were two guards walking the premises. Dominique was
nowhere in sight.
With a bit of luck, he would be the only one in the house right now.
He had to take the chance that Dominique had gone to the city with
the others. This could probably be the best chance he had.
Quickly Mulder slipped on a jeans and T-shirt, socks and sneakers and
left his room, closing the door carefully. If anyone checked up on
him, he would have a problem, but it was a risk he had to take.
The bedrooms were on the second floor of the second building. Using
the big wooden staircase he could hurry upstairs, where Dominique's
office was. But the doors were always locked. It would have no use to
try to get access there.
The only other place he could think of right now was Dominique's
bedroom that was on the same floor as theirs. It would be a good
place to start. Quickly Mulder hurried down the corridor until he
came to the far door to the biggest bedroom in the building.
His first impression was that the door was locked, but it just needed
a bit of a push to get in. Quickly he walked in, closing the door
behind him. The bedroom was a spacious place that held a small sofa,
a bar and a cupboard that was locked.
Mulder looked around. There was nothing out of the ordinary. The
closet held clothes in the style he had gotten used to. Three pairs
of shoes waited for their owner on the bottom of the closet. There
was no extra luxury; nothing to indicate that Dominique lived a rich
life.
In the top drawer of the night table, Mulder found a single key. It
was large and seemed very old. Somehow it seemed out of place. Mulder
took it and put it in his pocket.
Quickly Mulder closed the drawer and left the room, nearly bumping
into Dennis who came from the other side. Mulder hurried, walking as
light-footed as he could over the creaking floor. He was sure that
someone had heard him, but Dennis didn't come after him.
Without further incidents Mulder reached his room and took the key out
of his pocket. There was something with that key that he couldn't
define. Something told him to keep it with him. But where? If he were
out of luck, they would search him and find it. He put it in a
handkerchief and shoved it in his shoe. It would walk a bit
uncomfortable but at least no one could find it there.
Then a hard knock on his door shook him up. Mulder startled and walked
over to the door, realizing that he was still dressed. Quickly he
removed his sweater and kicked out his sneakers and ruffled his hair,
trying to look tired and sick.
Dominique stood there with Dennis.
'Fox,' he said, 'how do you feel?'
'Better,' Mulder said, knowing he still looked very pale.
'Did you leave your room, Fox?'
'Yes, I did.'
'Where did you go?'
'I wanted to go out for some fresh air, but when I reached the
staircase, I felt nauseated and had to come back. I'm better now
though. I would like to go outside for some air.'
Dominique glanced at Dennis and nodded. 'Why don't you take Fox out?
I'm sure he could use the fresh air.'
'Yes, Dominique,' Dennis said, putting his hand under Mulder's elbow,
forcing the agent to come with him. Dominique stayed behind in the
room, glancing around. Then he closed the door behind them, locking
himself up in Mulder's room.
'What's going on?' Mulder asked dazed.
'Dominique wants to make sure you're not under any bad influences,
Fox. He's going to search your room to see if you brought any illegal
stuff in here.'
Mulder grinned nervously, wondering if he should fight Dennis off and
make a run for it. The two of them made their way down the stairs.
Dennis was a strong man and could easily outrun him. No, this was not
the right time.
Outside the sun burned on their faces. Mulder glanced at the group of
followers that seemed complete again. Vickie stared at him for a
brief moment when Dennis put him on a bench and said, 'I'll be
around.'
Mulder nodded and closed his eyes. The dizziness was passing slowly.
At least that was something. And if he were a good actor, Dominique
would still believe he was under the influence. He was pretty sure
Gretl informed him about taking the drug.
He felt someone touch his shoulder and looked up. Vickie sat down next
to him and stared before her, ignoring Dennis' fierce eyes that tried
to figure out if they were talking. Vickie didn't say a single word.
Then she stood up and left him alone again.
A few moments later Dominique came out and spoke briefly with Dennis.
Mulder knew they had found the cell phone. He bit his lip, trying to
act as numb as possible. When dinner came, he sat down at the table
with the rest of them. They ate in silence.
But there was a tension in the air that they could all feel.
Suddenly Dominique stood up and said loud, for all of them to hear, 'I
unfortunately have bad news. One of our people has acted against the
rules and will be punished. No matter how much I regret having to do
this, I must act accordingly.'
Dominique's eyes looked at them one by one. Then he moved away from
his seat and walked beside them. Surprised and in shock Mulder
watched when Dominique touched Renata's shoulder and asked her to get
up. The woman shared a glance with Mulder before she turned and faced
Dominique.
'You know what you did wrong, Renata,' he said.
The woman nodded.
'Why, Renata?'
'I ' she stopped, not able to give the correct answer.
Dominique's face looked sad and disappointed when he nodded towards
Dennis and one of the other guards. They guided Renata out of the
room, closing the door hard behind them. It gave a tremble that went
through everyone's soul.
Mulder opened his mouth to ask what was going on, only to be stopped
by Gretl, who sat on her regular spot beside him. Her eyes gave a
warning glance.
Dominique's eyes rested long on Mulder before he turned away and
walked back to the head of the table. 'I feel ' he started, 'that my
world is coming to an end. That, what I have created and put my faith
upon is crumbling underneath me. When a reporter is able to
infiltrate this secluded and private community, only to spread lies
about us, I fear. I am afraid that I can no longer trust any of
you. And the basis on which I have built this communion, was trust.'
He turned away dramatically, sighing deeply. 'I will have to make a
decision that might affect every single one of you. I will inform all
of you tomorrow of this decision.'
This time the crowd seemed disturbed and restless. They mumbled to
each other when Dominique left them alone. Mulder sat in shock,
realizing that he wasn't the only one undercover in the compound. But
somehow they had discovered that Renata was a reporter. How could he
be sure they didn't know he was still an FBI-agent?
Confused Mulder decided not to try to go after Vickie again. Instead
he would call Scully and tell her to organize a bust. If Dominique
were to make that important decision, it could very well mean the end
for all of them. Something told him that an era was coming to an end.
He realized all too well that there was much more at stake now than
just Vickie Moss. Renata Lowe's life could very well be in danger.
She might already be dead. He needed to find her quick, before they
ended her life. If needs be, he would go in search of Vickie and
Renata, and leave with them.
When he reached for the pair of socks with the hidden mobile phone in
the drawer, he came back empty-handed. His phone was gone. Suddenly a
noise behind him surprised him and the sound of a turning key shook
him up.
'Hey!' he shouted, trying to stop the door from locking. But he could
do nothing but bang his fists on the door and hope that someone would
hear. No one came to respond to his call. It was only a little after
seven and already he faced a night filled with boredom. He could not
get in touch with Scully and tell her what was going on. He wouldn't
be able to help Renata out, and might as well be facing his own death
soon.
Unless someone unlocked the door and got him out.
But no one came. And night fell as if everything was as it should be.
Mulder's absence was immediately noticed in the breakfast room.
Dominique sent Gretl to check up on him. In the morning the doors to
the bedrooms were always automatically unlocked. She found him lying
feverish in bed, begging to be excused at the breakfast table. He did
look like hell. He didn't even have to fake being more ill than he
already was.
'I'll send Dominique,' Gretl said, alarmed by the way Mulder looked.
She had never seen anyone sick since the day she had first entered
the home. She wasn't used to seeing this. But she had heard stories
about others feeling sick as well.
A few minutes later Dominique came to Mulder's quarters and found his
follower just like Gretl had said. Dominique sighed, realizing this
was the third time something like this happened. He didn't like it.
He didn't want doctors on his premises. They had to deal with this
themselves. He would have to reduce the dose and make sure Mulder
adjust slowly to the drugs.
'I'll be fine,' Mulder mumbled, lying exhausted in bed. 'I just need a
bit of rest.'
'I'll have Gretl bring you some toast and tea. You need to eat
something. If you don't, you'll just weaken more,' Dominique said
friendly, sitting on the edge of the bed as if he made a house call.
'I couldn't stand eating,' Mulder said, closing his eyes already. 'I'm
sorry to be such a pain, Dominique.'
Dominique smiled reassuringly. 'Don't worry about it and get well. But
promise me to eat something. If you don't feel better in the
afternoon, I'll give you some medication or send for a doctor.'
Gretl, who entered the room with a tray with toast, jam and coffee
disturbed Mulder again later that morning. A cup with the white
tablet lay next to the plate with food. 'Dominique wants to make sure
you eat everything,' she said. 'And you should take that tablet as
well. It will help you heal.'
Mulder ate three bites of the toast and put the pill in his mouth,
drinking some water. Gretl smiled and stroked his hair when he closed
his eyes and fell asleep, feeling restless.
When she left, he hurried out of bed and spit the tablet out in a
washcloth he kept in his toilet bag. Then he shoved the tablet in the
bottom of his toilet bag. It would never be found there. Before long
he was able to catch a normal, restful nap.
When he woke up, he found another tray in his room that had been
brought in when he slept. On it he found toast and orange juice and a
bit of dry meat. There was no tablet this time. He ate a bit of it,
feeling much better. The worst seemed to be over.
Quickly he took a few bites and glanced at his watch. It was after
two. Most of the members would be outside right now, strolling the
gardens. He walked over to the window that looked out on the gardens
and noticed that about a dozen people were there. The others were
gone. If he remembered correctly it was Monday afternoon. Chances
were that some of them had left for the city to recruit new
people. There were two guards walking the premises. Dominique was
nowhere in sight.
With a bit of luck, he would be the only one in the house right now.
He had to take the chance that Dominique had gone to the city with
the others. This could probably be the best chance he had.
Quickly Mulder slipped on a jeans and T-shirt, socks and sneakers and
left his room, closing the door carefully. If anyone checked up on
him, he would have a problem, but it was a risk he had to take.
The bedrooms were on the second floor of the second building. Using
the big wooden staircase he could hurry upstairs, where Dominique's
office was. But the doors were always locked. It would have no use to
try to get access there.
The only other place he could think of right now was Dominique's
bedroom that was on the same floor as theirs. It would be a good
place to start. Quickly Mulder hurried down the corridor until he
came to the far door to the biggest bedroom in the building.
His first impression was that the door was locked, but it just needed
a bit of a push to get in. Quickly he walked in, closing the door
behind him. The bedroom was a spacious place that held a small sofa,
a bar and a cupboard that was locked.
Mulder looked around. There was nothing out of the ordinary. The
closet held clothes in the style he had gotten used to. Three pairs
of shoes waited for their owner on the bottom of the closet. There
was no extra luxury; nothing to indicate that Dominique lived a rich
life.
In the top drawer of the night table, Mulder found a single key. It
was large and seemed very old. Somehow it seemed out of place. Mulder
took it and put it in his pocket.
Quickly Mulder closed the drawer and left the room, nearly bumping
into Dennis who came from the other side. Mulder hurried, walking as
light-footed as he could over the creaking floor. He was sure that
someone had heard him, but Dennis didn't come after him.
Without further incidents Mulder reached his room and took the key out
of his pocket. There was something with that key that he couldn't
define. Something told him to keep it with him. But where? If he were
out of luck, they would search him and find it. He put it in a
handkerchief and shoved it in his shoe. It would walk a bit
uncomfortable but at least no one could find it there.
Then a hard knock on his door shook him up. Mulder startled and walked
over to the door, realizing that he was still dressed. Quickly he
removed his sweater and kicked out his sneakers and ruffled his hair,
trying to look tired and sick.
Dominique stood there with Dennis.
'Fox,' he said, 'how do you feel?'
'Better,' Mulder said, knowing he still looked very pale.
'Did you leave your room, Fox?'
'Yes, I did.'
'Where did you go?'
'I wanted to go out for some fresh air, but when I reached the
staircase, I felt nauseated and had to come back. I'm better now
though. I would like to go outside for some air.'
Dominique glanced at Dennis and nodded. 'Why don't you take Fox out?
I'm sure he could use the fresh air.'
'Yes, Dominique,' Dennis said, putting his hand under Mulder's elbow,
forcing the agent to come with him. Dominique stayed behind in the
room, glancing around. Then he closed the door behind them, locking
himself up in Mulder's room.
'What's going on?' Mulder asked dazed.
'Dominique wants to make sure you're not under any bad influences,
Fox. He's going to search your room to see if you brought any illegal
stuff in here.'
Mulder grinned nervously, wondering if he should fight Dennis off and
make a run for it. The two of them made their way down the stairs.
Dennis was a strong man and could easily outrun him. No, this was not
the right time.
Outside the sun burned on their faces. Mulder glanced at the group of
followers that seemed complete again. Vickie stared at him for a
brief moment when Dennis put him on a bench and said, 'I'll be
around.'
Mulder nodded and closed his eyes. The dizziness was passing slowly.
At least that was something. And if he were a good actor, Dominique
would still believe he was under the influence. He was pretty sure
Gretl informed him about taking the drug.
He felt someone touch his shoulder and looked up. Vickie sat down next
to him and stared before her, ignoring Dennis' fierce eyes that tried
to figure out if they were talking. Vickie didn't say a single word.
Then she stood up and left him alone again.
A few moments later Dominique came out and spoke briefly with Dennis.
Mulder knew they had found the cell phone. He bit his lip, trying to
act as numb as possible. When dinner came, he sat down at the table
with the rest of them. They ate in silence.
But there was a tension in the air that they could all feel.
Suddenly Dominique stood up and said loud, for all of them to hear, 'I
unfortunately have bad news. One of our people has acted against the
rules and will be punished. No matter how much I regret having to do
this, I must act accordingly.'
Dominique's eyes looked at them one by one. Then he moved away from
his seat and walked beside them. Surprised and in shock Mulder
watched when Dominique touched Renata's shoulder and asked her to get
up. The woman shared a glance with Mulder before she turned and faced
Dominique.
'You know what you did wrong, Renata,' he said.
The woman nodded.
'Why, Renata?'
'I ' she stopped, not able to give the correct answer.
Dominique's face looked sad and disappointed when he nodded towards
Dennis and one of the other guards. They guided Renata out of the
room, closing the door hard behind them. It gave a tremble that went
through everyone's soul.
Mulder opened his mouth to ask what was going on, only to be stopped
by Gretl, who sat on her regular spot beside him. Her eyes gave a
warning glance.
Dominique's eyes rested long on Mulder before he turned away and
walked back to the head of the table. 'I feel ' he started, 'that my
world is coming to an end. That, what I have created and put my faith
upon is crumbling underneath me. When a reporter is able to
infiltrate this secluded and private community, only to spread lies
about us, I fear. I am afraid that I can no longer trust any of
you. And the basis on which I have built this communion, was trust.'
He turned away dramatically, sighing deeply. 'I will have to make a
decision that might affect every single one of you. I will inform all
of you tomorrow of this decision.'
This time the crowd seemed disturbed and restless. They mumbled to
each other when Dominique left them alone. Mulder sat in shock,
realizing that he wasn't the only one undercover in the compound. But
somehow they had discovered that Renata was a reporter. How could he
be sure they didn't know he was still an FBI-agent?
Confused Mulder decided not to try to go after Vickie again. Instead
he would call Scully and tell her to organize a bust. If Dominique
were to make that important decision, it could very well mean the end
for all of them. Something told him that an era was coming to an end.
He realized all too well that there was much more at stake now than
just Vickie Moss. Renata Lowe's life could very well be in danger.
She might already be dead. He needed to find her quick, before they
ended her life. If needs be, he would go in search of Vickie and
Renata, and leave with them.
When he reached for the pair of socks with the hidden mobile phone in
the drawer, he came back empty-handed. His phone was gone. Suddenly a
noise behind him surprised him and the sound of a turning key shook
him up.
'Hey!' he shouted, trying to stop the door from locking. But he could
do nothing but bang his fists on the door and hope that someone would
hear. No one came to respond to his call. It was only a little after
seven and already he faced a night filled with boredom. He could not
get in touch with Scully and tell her what was going on. He wouldn't
be able to help Renata out, and might as well be facing his own death
soon.
Unless someone unlocked the door and got him out.
But no one came. And night fell as if everything was as it should be.