SEVERAL WEEKS LATER
Scully ducked under the police tape and walked up to the office building. She jumped into the elevator and went down to the basement. From the basement she took another staircase down to an empty room. She looked around. It was painted white; all the walls, the floor and roof, all white. She walked through an open door that, if it had been closed, you wouldn't have been able to distinguish. John and Monica were already down there, and John pressed the button to close the automatic door as she walked through. On this side was a room painted black, with several computers and cameras set up. Yet the thing that caught Scully's attention most was the dead man that Monica was leaning over.
"It's Hosksins," she informed Scully.
"I can see that," Scully replied, covering her nose with her hand briefly. "Not long after Shea I'd say." She walked around and looked at what Monica was looking at.
"Cause of death is interesting," Monica said at the same time. Scully saw it immediately. His eyes had been taken out. There was blood all down his front and on the controls in front of him.
"He hasn't been moved?" Scully asked, hiding her shock.
"No," John replied. "Died right like that, looking out into the room. No blood anywhere else, doesn't look like it happened somewhere and then he sat down at all."
"So who did it?" Scully asked.
"I think it was Shea," Monica said. "And I was right in there at the time."
*
"Any idea why he rescued you and none of the others?" John asked Monica the next night as they were sitting on her couch eating Chinese. Monica shrugged, shovelling some more fried rice into her mouth.
"Nuh," she replied, her mouth full. "Maybe he didn't realise he could for the first few, until he got sucked in and got close enough to look over the details." They both fell into silence for some time. "Glad it's over but."
"Yeah," John replied.
"Hey did you really think I'd be blind when you found me?" John took a moment before nodding. "Would you have looked after me anyway?"
"No, Monica, I would have decided that we just couldn't be seen together any more, and that really, we should both look for other partners."
"I'm so tempted to throw this rice at you, but then I'd have to clean it up." John smirked.
"You think we'd all just piss off as soon as something happened?"
"I'm just playing with you, John." They finished eating.
"Thanks for dinner. I should be off-"
"No way, you're staying on the couch."
"Am I?"
"It's late, too much of a bother." She smiled at him, standing up and collecting their boxes.
*
John was in the shower and Monica was lying across her bed, looking over a new case, when the phone rang as the water stopped running. She picked it up.
"Monica Reyes."
"It's Scully, Monica, I've got some information you might be interested in."
John came out of the bathroom with his pants on and a towel hanging around his shoulders. Monica was sitting on the bed, looking concerned as she put the phone down.
"What is it?" he asked. "Monica?"
"HuH?" she asked, looking up. "Oh, um, nothing, don't worry. Goodnight John."
To Be Continued...
Scully ducked under the police tape and walked up to the office building. She jumped into the elevator and went down to the basement. From the basement she took another staircase down to an empty room. She looked around. It was painted white; all the walls, the floor and roof, all white. She walked through an open door that, if it had been closed, you wouldn't have been able to distinguish. John and Monica were already down there, and John pressed the button to close the automatic door as she walked through. On this side was a room painted black, with several computers and cameras set up. Yet the thing that caught Scully's attention most was the dead man that Monica was leaning over.
"It's Hosksins," she informed Scully.
"I can see that," Scully replied, covering her nose with her hand briefly. "Not long after Shea I'd say." She walked around and looked at what Monica was looking at.
"Cause of death is interesting," Monica said at the same time. Scully saw it immediately. His eyes had been taken out. There was blood all down his front and on the controls in front of him.
"He hasn't been moved?" Scully asked, hiding her shock.
"No," John replied. "Died right like that, looking out into the room. No blood anywhere else, doesn't look like it happened somewhere and then he sat down at all."
"So who did it?" Scully asked.
"I think it was Shea," Monica said. "And I was right in there at the time."
*
"Any idea why he rescued you and none of the others?" John asked Monica the next night as they were sitting on her couch eating Chinese. Monica shrugged, shovelling some more fried rice into her mouth.
"Nuh," she replied, her mouth full. "Maybe he didn't realise he could for the first few, until he got sucked in and got close enough to look over the details." They both fell into silence for some time. "Glad it's over but."
"Yeah," John replied.
"Hey did you really think I'd be blind when you found me?" John took a moment before nodding. "Would you have looked after me anyway?"
"No, Monica, I would have decided that we just couldn't be seen together any more, and that really, we should both look for other partners."
"I'm so tempted to throw this rice at you, but then I'd have to clean it up." John smirked.
"You think we'd all just piss off as soon as something happened?"
"I'm just playing with you, John." They finished eating.
"Thanks for dinner. I should be off-"
"No way, you're staying on the couch."
"Am I?"
"It's late, too much of a bother." She smiled at him, standing up and collecting their boxes.
*
John was in the shower and Monica was lying across her bed, looking over a new case, when the phone rang as the water stopped running. She picked it up.
"Monica Reyes."
"It's Scully, Monica, I've got some information you might be interested in."
John came out of the bathroom with his pants on and a towel hanging around his shoulders. Monica was sitting on the bed, looking concerned as she put the phone down.
"What is it?" he asked. "Monica?"
"HuH?" she asked, looking up. "Oh, um, nothing, don't worry. Goodnight John."
To Be Continued...