John was drifting off to sleep when he heard a brief two knocks on the door. He stood and looked through Monica's peephole, before opening it for Scully.

"Agent Doggett, we have a problem," Scully said, letting herself in.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Well...Our doctor's dead." She handed him the photographs from the crime scene. "Has been for a couple of weeks, since Monica disappeared I'm guessing."

"And no one noticed?" Disbelieving, John took a closer look at the photos.

"It was a heart attack."

"So are we dealing with a ghost?" John asked, suspicious. Please don't say yes, he thought to himself. He really couldn't take the ghost, spiritual stuff. That was closer to Monica's field of expertise. He still didn't actually believe in ghosts.

"Not sure," Scully replied.

"Wish this bitch would just solve itself," John sighed, leaning against the kitchen bench.

"Well it's not going to do that," Monica explained from somewhere in the shadows. She moved forward and John saw she'd found her dressing gown, pulling it around her. "What is it Dana?"

"Our suspect's dead!" John replied for her. "So now, of course, it must be some ghost-" Monica grabbed his wrist. He was talking with his hands and becoming too animated for her to follow.

"It wasn't a ghost," she stated plainly.

"Monica, you were asleep the whole time-"

"I have a theory," Scully interrupted, and they both stopped and looked at her. "I think there was a reason why you could see straight through that blindfold."

"What?" Monica asked, slipping into a stool in the kitchen.

"It didn't exist."

"Yeah it did, we all saw it," John said.

"Are you sure you saw it?" John shook his head and sighed.

"I don't believe this. So what, we only imagined we saw it? The whole hospital? Where is it now?"

"John wait-" Monica said, looking over at Scully. "What have you got?"

"Well Doctor Shea and a friend were working on experiments that looked at people's near death experiences, and he's documented them. He's got tapes, but it was all consensual."

"This was a pretty straightforward abduction though," Monica stated. "They even sent the tapes as some kind of show-"

"Exactly," Scully replied. "And since this man was dead, he's not responsible for your abduction. I think he's responsible, though, for your sight." She handed Monica a folder of documents. Doggett went and switched on the main kitchen light so they could all read properly. "Shea was an optic specialist, much like the one that was with me when we did take that damn blindfold off-" Monica nodded. "And as you can see-"

"He's been experimenting with eye tissue," Monica observed.

"Before he died, he developed a prototype for literally growing a healthy pair of eyes from genetic material."

"But blindness is caused by the genetic material-"

"In some cases, but for accident victims or people with cataracts as a result of another condition...This would be perfect."

"Does it work?" Monica asked.

"I'm turning the research over to the blind institute, we'll see. In the meantime-"

"Was the research shared previously?"

"No. I think Shea was looking out for you."

"But he was dead," John stated.

"Yes," Scully replied, as if to ask 'so?' "What if Shea knew what this person was doing, or found out what they were planning for you, and-" Monica's brow creased.

"A business partner, perhaps?"

"There are two possibilities. He did have a partner, who got into some money trouble. Shea has also filed police reports of a possible stalker. I don't have the reports for the details yet but what if he bragged?"

"But why did he protect Monica and not anybody else?" John asked.

"Monica, when was the last time you went to the optometrist?"

"Three weeks-"

"Anything interesting happen?"

"Not sure, I hadn't been to anything outside of Quantico for ages. Seemed routine...They called me though, said they'd just opened and would love to get some regular clients in, were doing a ring around to see if they could book anyone."

"What if I told you that the material was put over your eyes then, in premeditation of your abduction?"

"But why didn't they just stop me being-"

"Because while they don't want you to go blind, they are aware of this project and they want to know the results. There are two people here. Shea, who wrote his thesis on near death experiences, then became an optometrist- "

"Interesting career path," John mumbled.

"And someone who's much more interested in near death experiences than Shea was, and who somehow got this man involved."

"All right," John tried. "The suspect might work in the hospital, just like Shea?"

"Likely," Scully replied.

"So he realises that Monica can see, and kills Shea."

"That's what I'm thinking," Scully nodded. "Those lenses protected Monica's eyes, the blindfold wasn't put on her until she was given back though." Scully handed John the photo of Monica's arm, the one that had been written on - the warning not to take the blindfold off. Monica took it from him and put it next to the reports.

"It's the same handwriting."

"He returned her?"

"You say you were walking around the house, didn't see or hear anyone around when you found her?"

"Yeah," John replied.

"There was no one around then."

"It was Shea-" Monica stated. "What did he do? Rescue me?"

"We made a small mistake before," Scully stated, handing them the outline from the video, that hadn't showed up any infra-red. "That's not John, looks like him, but it's Shea."

"He was in the room with me?" Scully nodded.

"Sure was. If we find out where this all took place, we might be able to fix this up for good."

"What about the blindfold?" Monica asked.

"I think you could see through it because it was your genetic material as well, but it's still being tested. Has some interesting properties." Scully paused, deciding not to list them. "Uh, Monica, we need a location-"

"And?" Monica asked. "You said it yourself I was asleep-"

"Would you consider hypnosis."

"No way!" John exclaimed.

"Okay," Monica replied steadily. "When?"

"As soon as possible."

*

"Monica can you tell me where you are? Describe where you are."

"I'm in a room. It's got nothing in it and it's...all white. There's no one in there with me...There's a noise, like an old camera shutter clicking except much louder. Right in my face. I can't move without it happening. I think it's something to keep me where I am."

"Are your eyes closed or open?"

"It goes black and I open them." Monica gasped. "There's a, someone else there...Who are you?..."

"What's this person telling you Monica?" Scully and John looked on nervously.

"He says not to worry. The others haven't worked but that I will. That I'll be okay. He knows my name. Who I am. He says that my friends will look after me...He's leaving. He tells me not to move and to close my eyes...It goes white again. I'm somewhere else now..."

"Describe where you are."

"I'm looking at the Statue of Liberty, I'm, I'm on the observation deck of the World Trade Center. I'm with Brad." The hypnotist looked back at Scully and she nodded to continue.

"What are you doing?"

"Watching, talking, not much, but now I'm falling." They watched as Monica became agitated. "Everyone else is standing and I'm-" She stops.

"Monica, what's happening?"

"It's black again."

"Are you still in the room?"

"Yes."

"Can you skip ahead a bit Monica? Do you remember waking up?"

"In hospital."

"Okay just before that."

"John found me in my house."

"How did you get there?"

"I, it was white again, and then it was black and I hit the floor."

"Okay," Scully said. "Bring her out."

*

Monica yawned as they sat at their office desks that night.

"Agent Reyes what are you doing here?" Skinner asked, walking in.

"Where else am I going to be?" she asked. He didn't reply.

"How's the theory?"

"Altered," Scully replied, glancing up at him from her notes. "We don't think the facility was examining any form of sleep of near death experiences-"

"Well that's a change."

"We think it's purposely testing the growth of this new lens, and that the light inducing these visions or projections is a side effect."

"Do you have any evidence for this one?"

"Less than the last."

"Agents, I know this is taking a lot of thinking over, but if you could actually do something, perhaps they would stop talking upstairs."

"Why would we care what they say?" John asked. "We never go up there for very long."

"That's a good point, Agent."

*

"Could be anywhere," Scully started up again once he'd left. "If it was some kind of secret experimental facility it's not going to be marked with a big red spot."

"Let's do something then," Monica said. "Like he said. Who can we talk to?"

"Shea's wife," Scully replied. "There's also the business partner, who's come clean. I don't think he's connected. Can't find this guy who was supposed to be stalking Shea. I think he's the link."

"An eager researcher, perhaps?" John asked, showing them a page. "Michael Hoskins. Twenty-eight. His ideas on eye surgery were knocked back by the board due to insufficient testing."

"What were his ideas?" Monica asked.

"That if the material was genetically masked rejection of the transplant wouldn't occur."

"Where is he?"

"No idea. Just tried him then but no one's answering, we should drive around."

"What if Hoskins was testing people, and boasting to Shea about it. Certainly that would fit with his sending us the tapes," Monica said. "And he realised that Shea had done something to me, and killed him, but Shea never left."

"This gets more bizarre every day," John sighed. "All right who's up for it?"

"I'll go to Shea's wife," Scully said. "You two can tag along to check out Hoskins."

*

"Are you another detective?" Mrs Shea asked as Scully opened the door. She showed the woman her ID.

"Special Agent Dana Scully. May I come in? I won't be long."

"Sure." Shea led Scully inside and they took a seat in the family room. "What can I do for you?"

"Do you know about your husband's plans for optic organ growth?"

"Yes."

"He told you?"

"Well, he wrote me a letter."

"May I see it?"

"Of course." Mrs Shea left the room for a second and Scully collected her thoughts. Toxicology had come back and it revealed Mr Shea had been injected with adrenalin, enough to cause a heart attack. As his wife returned, she handed Scully the letter.

"Thankyou. Where were you when your husband died?"

"I was at my sister's, in Florida. We'd had a fight and I left for a holiday. I thought he'd call." Scully's eyes drifted over the letter. He knew he was in trouble. Someone knew what he'd done and he didn't think he'd be around much longer. The letter told of his plans and where they were kept. It also told of his discovery of the next trial patient, of who she was and how she was connected to him, and that he wasn't going to let her be ruined. He agreed to help the man who was trialling the incomplete idea, in order to save her life. To distract police the near death experience was set up... Scully looked up at Mrs Shea, who was watching her read.

"What was your husband's connection to the woman described in this letter?"

"He never told me." Scully nodded, believing her.

"May I get a copy of this and bring it back?"

"Certainly. Is there anything else?"

"Not at the moment Mrs Shea, thankyou very much."

*

"He's cleared out," John observed. Monica opened the fridge, peering inside.

"Milk's out of date," she replied. "I don't think he's been here in a while."

"Me neither." John's phone rang. "John Doggett-"

"I've got it," Scully replied. "I know what happened. Shea wrote a letter to his wife explaining most of it."

"He give a location?"

"No. That part I don't know, but we can wrap this case up tonight. I just need the rest of the genetics results I ordered."

"All right we'll meet you back at the office."

"Find anything?"

"He's cleared out. No sign of life. Looks like he went to work one day and never came back."

*

Dear Susan

I'm writing you this as a record, for I don't know how much time I have left. As you know a man has been pursuing me. His name is Michael Hoskins. He has similar ideas to what I'm gathering evidence on at the moment - whether it's possible to grow optic lenses from genetic material.

However, his plans are flawed. He has bragged several times about his experiments on animals and more recently, five humans, four of whom have died. I am hoping, at least, that it is only four.

He has chosen these "patients" from my own client list at the clinic, where I am unknowingly conducting my own research. When I discovered who the next of Hoskin's patients would be, I called them into the clinic and trialed my own method on her without her consent. I believe that this should protect her from Hoskin's experiments, but I cannot be certain of this.

She is a federal agent, who I have taken a great interest in since she first visited my clinic for a check up in New York. It was lucky I found her again, hopefully in time.

I'm writing this because I believe Hoskin's has discovered my meddling with the woman's sight, and he will be angered by this. Hoskin's, while he is true to his ideals and is passionate about his work, has been taking increased pleasure in the unsuccessful outcomes of his trials. I believe he has developed a total disregard to human life, and wishes not to explore the possibilities of a cure for blindness, but the possibilities to cause pain and suffering on innocent victims.

Monica stopped reading and looked up at Scully and John.

"You remember seeing him in New York?"

"Probably, I'm sure I did go, but I don't remember him or anything about it. It was a long time ago. It explains a lot though."

"Basically convicts him of murder," John stated. "We'll find him now."

"Why was he important to me?" Monica asked Scully.

"Maybe he just didn't want anyone else to die," John replied.

"That can't be it. He's being almost secretive about it-"

"I agree," Scully said. "I've been running his background since this morning. If there's something there, we'll find it." Monica nodded.

"What else?" She asked, seeing the hesitation in Scully's eyes.

"That's all." I don't believe you, Monica thought, but kept it to herself.

To be Continued...