Chapter 4
Agent Reyes walked into the basement office and hung her coat on the back of the chair. John wasn't in yet; he'd had a meeting with the brass. She threw herself down on the chair and started flipping through the papers on the desk. Nothing new, nothing exciting. How had Fox Mulder found all those X-files? Maybe that was just it, he'd found them all.
She sighed and spun in the chair to look at the posters behind her. John had never removed one of the pictures on the wall. Even the gaudy "I Want to Believe" poster that neither of them liked was on the wall in memoriam of the man who had sat behind this desk for so many years.
The phone rang.
"X-files office. Agent Reyes speaking."
"Monica. Is Dogget there?"
"No, I'm sorry Dana, he's in a meeting. What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's William. He ran off, to look for Mulder. I can't find him by myself. I can't loose him Monica. I can't. He's heading to California. I can't say anymore over the phone. When Dogget gets in, tell him to call me."
The door swung open and Dogget stepped inside, looking the worse for wear. The years had been good to him, but a meeting with the Director can cause years to catch up with anyone. He gave a questioning look to his partner.
"I'll do more than that Dana. We'll be there in twenty minutes. Stay put."
She grabbed her coat and bag. Dogget was already out the door.
Dana paced the living room. She wanted to leave, she needed to leave, but she couldn't without help. She'd never find him alone, he knew her too well. She couldn't call Mulder, he'd just panic worse than she was. Her only hope was to wait for her and Mulder's replacements.
A knock came at the door.
She walked over and opened it, not even bothering to look who it was. The Lone Gunmen stood there, small smiles on their faces.
"We come bearing gifts, fair Lady." Frohike said, presenting a small wrapped package.
"Not now, guys. William ran off. He's looking for Mulder." She turned around and ran a hand through her hair. She walked to the window and stared down at the street.
"WHAT? How does he even know?" Byers went over to Dana and tried to comfort her. Langley ran over to the computer, while Frohike stood shell- shocked in the center of the room.
"Area code," Langley whispered, "he found the area code."
"Yeah, he just left. He just…he…" Tears finally fell from her eyes and she doubled over.
"Don't you worry Dana. We'll get him back." Byers moved her to the couch.
"I already have. He's booked on a flight to San Diego; it arrives there at five. It makes a stop over in St. Louis. I think we have him." Langley printed the page out and brandished it above his head.
"He wouldn't have booked under his real name."
"He didn't, Dana. It was under Elias Hompokker, his alias in the computer game we gave him. We…uh…we…gave him everything under that name, as a joke. I guess he found out what the limit on the card was." Langley's face fell, and another knock came at the door.
Frohike answered it, and allowed Reyes and Dogget into the room. They glanced around at the Gunmen. Dogget's gaze fell on the paper in Langley's hand.
"What's that?" He walked over to Langley and looked at the paper over the other man's shoulder.
"William. We found him. We can get the three of you on a direct flight to St. Louis. You've got a little boy catch."
Dana couldn't stop thanking them. In no time she was packed and ready to go. Reyes and Dogget would be meeting her there. While the plan was to go there and pick William up they were all certain that nothing could be that easy.
William looked around the terminal. People were rushing to their planes. He wondered why they didn't hang around longer; show up earlier and then read a book. There were empty restaurants around, they had been closed for years and never renovated. He wondered why. He wondered what it was like to travel before America entered the war. He had been in infant then. He saw pictures, sometimes, of the Twin Towers. They'd been rebuilt; there were five of them now. Adults laughed at them, William wondered why the center one was taller than the other four. His mother said it was an obscene gesture, but in the last ten years it had gone out of use. Except in the five towers that pointed to Eastern Europe.
He had fifteen minutes to get his plane. His flight left from the other side of the terminal but he was sure he could make it. He shouldered the duffle bag he had with him and walked down the dark hall. The fluorescents above him lit the dull gray carpeting, but to William the world had started seeming dark after he had walked out of the front door of the apartment.
He'd gone to his best friends first. Kalee told him to stay, told him that he should let his mother deal with it. He gave her the necklace he's bought for her a few months before, hugged her and promised that he'd see her in school the next week. Looking around at all the security milling about the airport he wondered if he would return. He had $30 in cash, a credit card the Gunmen had given him as a gift, and about $600 in his college savings account that he really didn't want to get into. He supposed it was enough to get to San Diego and back. He hoped it was.
He reached the gate with about two minutes to spare. He took a deep breath and looked around. His head hurt from having to project himself back home earlier. For her sake he hoped his mother wouldn't follow. He looked down at his boarding pass. It was now or never. He walked onto the on ramp.
Dogget and Reyes got Scully into the terminal about 45 minutes before their flight. They wanted to be early. Langley hadn't gotten the departure time for William's flight out and they hoped that they could catch him before he left. They caught the flight just as the doors were closing. Regulations said that it could not be reopened, not even for federal agents, unless they had a cause. The last they saw of William's flight before it took off was a man in a black trench coat, the last to board the plane.
Agent Reyes walked into the basement office and hung her coat on the back of the chair. John wasn't in yet; he'd had a meeting with the brass. She threw herself down on the chair and started flipping through the papers on the desk. Nothing new, nothing exciting. How had Fox Mulder found all those X-files? Maybe that was just it, he'd found them all.
She sighed and spun in the chair to look at the posters behind her. John had never removed one of the pictures on the wall. Even the gaudy "I Want to Believe" poster that neither of them liked was on the wall in memoriam of the man who had sat behind this desk for so many years.
The phone rang.
"X-files office. Agent Reyes speaking."
"Monica. Is Dogget there?"
"No, I'm sorry Dana, he's in a meeting. What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's William. He ran off, to look for Mulder. I can't find him by myself. I can't loose him Monica. I can't. He's heading to California. I can't say anymore over the phone. When Dogget gets in, tell him to call me."
The door swung open and Dogget stepped inside, looking the worse for wear. The years had been good to him, but a meeting with the Director can cause years to catch up with anyone. He gave a questioning look to his partner.
"I'll do more than that Dana. We'll be there in twenty minutes. Stay put."
She grabbed her coat and bag. Dogget was already out the door.
Dana paced the living room. She wanted to leave, she needed to leave, but she couldn't without help. She'd never find him alone, he knew her too well. She couldn't call Mulder, he'd just panic worse than she was. Her only hope was to wait for her and Mulder's replacements.
A knock came at the door.
She walked over and opened it, not even bothering to look who it was. The Lone Gunmen stood there, small smiles on their faces.
"We come bearing gifts, fair Lady." Frohike said, presenting a small wrapped package.
"Not now, guys. William ran off. He's looking for Mulder." She turned around and ran a hand through her hair. She walked to the window and stared down at the street.
"WHAT? How does he even know?" Byers went over to Dana and tried to comfort her. Langley ran over to the computer, while Frohike stood shell- shocked in the center of the room.
"Area code," Langley whispered, "he found the area code."
"Yeah, he just left. He just…he…" Tears finally fell from her eyes and she doubled over.
"Don't you worry Dana. We'll get him back." Byers moved her to the couch.
"I already have. He's booked on a flight to San Diego; it arrives there at five. It makes a stop over in St. Louis. I think we have him." Langley printed the page out and brandished it above his head.
"He wouldn't have booked under his real name."
"He didn't, Dana. It was under Elias Hompokker, his alias in the computer game we gave him. We…uh…we…gave him everything under that name, as a joke. I guess he found out what the limit on the card was." Langley's face fell, and another knock came at the door.
Frohike answered it, and allowed Reyes and Dogget into the room. They glanced around at the Gunmen. Dogget's gaze fell on the paper in Langley's hand.
"What's that?" He walked over to Langley and looked at the paper over the other man's shoulder.
"William. We found him. We can get the three of you on a direct flight to St. Louis. You've got a little boy catch."
Dana couldn't stop thanking them. In no time she was packed and ready to go. Reyes and Dogget would be meeting her there. While the plan was to go there and pick William up they were all certain that nothing could be that easy.
William looked around the terminal. People were rushing to their planes. He wondered why they didn't hang around longer; show up earlier and then read a book. There were empty restaurants around, they had been closed for years and never renovated. He wondered why. He wondered what it was like to travel before America entered the war. He had been in infant then. He saw pictures, sometimes, of the Twin Towers. They'd been rebuilt; there were five of them now. Adults laughed at them, William wondered why the center one was taller than the other four. His mother said it was an obscene gesture, but in the last ten years it had gone out of use. Except in the five towers that pointed to Eastern Europe.
He had fifteen minutes to get his plane. His flight left from the other side of the terminal but he was sure he could make it. He shouldered the duffle bag he had with him and walked down the dark hall. The fluorescents above him lit the dull gray carpeting, but to William the world had started seeming dark after he had walked out of the front door of the apartment.
He'd gone to his best friends first. Kalee told him to stay, told him that he should let his mother deal with it. He gave her the necklace he's bought for her a few months before, hugged her and promised that he'd see her in school the next week. Looking around at all the security milling about the airport he wondered if he would return. He had $30 in cash, a credit card the Gunmen had given him as a gift, and about $600 in his college savings account that he really didn't want to get into. He supposed it was enough to get to San Diego and back. He hoped it was.
He reached the gate with about two minutes to spare. He took a deep breath and looked around. His head hurt from having to project himself back home earlier. For her sake he hoped his mother wouldn't follow. He looked down at his boarding pass. It was now or never. He walked onto the on ramp.
Dogget and Reyes got Scully into the terminal about 45 minutes before their flight. They wanted to be early. Langley hadn't gotten the departure time for William's flight out and they hoped that they could catch him before he left. They caught the flight just as the doors were closing. Regulations said that it could not be reopened, not even for federal agents, unless they had a cause. The last they saw of William's flight before it took off was a man in a black trench coat, the last to board the plane.