Washington, D.C.
Undisclosed Location
4:12 P.M.
"Back so soon, Mulder?" Langly asked as he opened the steel door to
the headquarters of The Magic Bullet.
"Well," he said, passing by the lanky blonde, "I was going to catch a
flick but I said to myself, 'Hey, why don't I go find out who's
behind the serial murder of nine women and prevent the future
murder of three more before fire and brimstone fall from the
sky and the Four Horsemen roam the earth' instead."
Mulder stood behind Frohike and Byers who were seated next to each
other in front of two different computer screens. The sound of
clicking resonating from the keyboards reverberated off of
the largely unfurbished walls. He placed his hands on his
hips and asked them collectively, "What've we got?"
"We've got nothing, Mulder," he said with an amazingly strait-face,
"but as to your after-hours conquests, well, that will have to remain
a...what's the word I'm looking for...an irritation all your own."
"Hey, Frohike," he replied, putting a hand on his shoulder
and leaning closer, "get a haircut."
Frohike mumbled as Langly resumed his seat opposite the other two.
"I've been working on tracking down anyone who works or who
previously worked at Quantico with exceptional medical
knowledge specifically regarding microbiology and genetics,"
he told Mulder, "I've just finished compiling a list of the
fifteen leading researches in those fields." He handed
Mulder a list including the fifteen names, the history of
their medical training, and the more publicized projects
to which their names were connected.
"Dr. Elizabeth Sykes," he read aloud, "Six years at Quantico as a
practicing microbiologist. Had a prominent career and much success,
with work ranging from the identification of specific motor proteins
in chemical synapses..." He smiled. "Whatever that means," he said,
and then continued with the briefing, "...to providing
assistance with the Human Genome Project. She became a
full agent in 1982, and has been working at the microbiology
unit in J. Edgar ever since."
He looked up above the printout at Langly. "I think this Sykes woman
is the same agent who discovered the link between Purity Control and
the victims," he mused, "I think I'll have Scully take a look at this
list."
Frohike looked up through his large, round glasses with a
gleam in his eye. Mulder pointed at him. "Don't even say
it," he told him.
"What?" Frohike asked, raising both of his hands in an inquisitive
gesture.
"Whatever it was you were going to say," Mulder answered.
"I was going to say that I'm still cross-referencing the close
contacts of the victims, but now I thinking about some four-letter
words I'd like to say instead."
Byers turned around in his seat and looked at Mulder, hoping to steer
the discussion back to the findings that they had spent the better
part of the day researching. "I've been attempting to discover the
link among the victims," he said, "but it is a difficult task because
the background of all of the women is extremely convoluted."
"Quite a coincidence, wouldn't you say?" he asked Byers.
"Perhaps too much of a coincidence," he answered, "What better way to
erase a person from existence than to destroy his entire past? Not
only have the victims' bodies been disposed of, but almost their
entire life has, as well."
"Maybe the objective isn't to erase them," Mulder proposed, "Maybe
these women simply do not have a past. If they were genetically
engineered, synthesized in a lab, then perhaps there is no past that
needs to be destroyed."
"I thought of that," Byers answered, "Several of the names
on Langly's list worked for the same medical facility at
one point or another in their life, a place called
'Chimera Genetics.' This facility, Mulder, was the
foreground pioneer in genetic engineering. Chimera
technology led to the first fusion experiments conducted
between rodent and human cellular membranes, which led to
the discovery of the modern Fluid-Mosaic membrane model,
the model for which we base our beliefs on how the cellular
membrane is composed. Back in the days of the rodent-human
fusion, Chimera wanted publicity, it thrived on it because
it was backed solely by grants from the American Medical
Association."
"The A.M.A.," Mulder stated.
"Yes," Byers continued, "but for the last twenty years or so, Chimera
has been a covert operation. Grants were no longer needed as Chimera
began to be backed by private, confidential donors. Today, no one
except the experts working there knows what experiments are being
conducted."
"Sounds like Chimera has moved on from rodents to a higher species,"
Mulder said.
"Yeah," Frohike concurred, "and we're not talking about Langly."
Langly shot him a look of disdain while Mulder thanked the Gunmen for
all of their assistance. "Great job," he told them, turning
to leave, and said, "Frohike, have those results faxed to me
by about 7:00 tonight."
Without waiting for a response, Mulder walked out the door.
"Jesus," Frohike called after him, "Who died and made you Assistant
Director?"
Route 1S
4:20 P.M.
Mulder fiddled anxiously with the radio knob as he waited for the
stoplight to turn green, finally settling on "Heartbreak Hotel" by
Elvis Presley. He felt as though he was on the verge of something
big, something that he was sure Scully would be afraid to admit.
"Scully," he said aloud, realizing that he had left her
quite abruptly in the basement of J. Edgar. He picked up
the cellular phone that was seated on the passenger's side
as the light changed color. Inching along, he dialed
Scully's number as cars flew past him on the left.
"Since my baby left me, I found a new place to dwell," he mouthed, in
sync with the lyrics. By the time she picked up he was singing the
chorus softly to himself: "I've been so lonely, I've been so lonely,
I've been so lonely I could die."
He could almost see the quizzical expression on her face as her voice
rang through the phone, "Mulder, is that you?"
"Yeah, Scully," he said, "It's me."
"What are you doing, Mulder?" she asked, "Where are you?"
There was a pause on the other end of the line, "And what
is that in the background?"
"Karaoke," he replied simply, and then asked her, "Can you meet me at
my place in fifteen minutes?"
"Why?" she asked, "Did you find something out from the Stooges?"
"Just meet me there. There's something I need your help with."
"Sure, Mulder," she answered, "I'll be there."
She pulled the phone from her ear, about to turn it off when
she heard a soft, yet insistent voice, "Scully?"
"Yes?" she asked, replacing the receiver once more against her ear.
He gulped down a lungful of air, and hesitated, "Um...never mind," he
said, "See you in fifteen."
Fox Mulder Residence
4:53 P.M.
Mulder glanced around the room. It was exactly as he had left it.
Files were strewn on the floor and a blanket still lay on the couch
which had served as his bed the night before he had traveled to
Philadelphia. The descending sun was shrouded by dark thunder clouds
and the light from his fish tank provided the sole illumination. He
walked towards the tank and grabbed for the flake-food bottle
that was hidden behind a picture of he and his mother. He opened
the yellow cap and poured some into the water, watching peacefully
as the fish fed. They were so content, so carefree. Sometimes he
wished for the same sort of blissful ignorance. He replaced the
food and picked up the silver frame that encased the picture of
his mother. He touched her face lightly with his finger. He
remembered how much Samantha had looked like her. She had the
same striking features, the pronounced chin, high cheekbones,
and flowing, dark hair. He placed the frame back on the table
as a fist rapped loudly on his door.
"Coming," he called, and walked across the room to answer it,
stumbling over a pile of dirty laundry as he did. He unlocked the
latch and opened the door, revealing Scully in a stunning red suit
that highlighted her ruby lips and fiery hair.
"Come here often?" he asked with a smile, extending his arm in a
gesture that told her to advance.
"Only when overcome with an overwhelming desire to vacuum," she
answered. She seated herself on his couch, after removing several
items of clothing from the cushion. She gazed up at him as he
approached her. "What was so urgent that it couldn't wait until
tomorrow, Mulder?" she asked.
He seated himself on his "bed" next to her and pointed to the file
that lay overtop twenty others on his coffee table. "That, Scully,"
he answered. He opened the front portion of the manila folder,
revealing the lists compiled by the Gunmen. "I need you to look
through that list for me. It's composed of the fifteen people from
Quantico who are the most likely to be connected to this case. They
all have a deep background knowledge of genetics and several are
connected to a laboratory facility known as Chimera Genetics."
"Chimera?" she repeated.
"Yes," he said, "have you heard of it?"
"Yes," she answered, "When I was an undergraduate student, I worked
with a professor performing chromosomal identification techniques in
fruit flies. During that time, I researched many scientific
journals. At that time, I noted a strange occurrence. Many
of the journals that I researched involving genetics originated
from work compiled from Chimera. I remember asking my professor
if such an occurrence was customary and he informed me that
Chimera was the foremost leader in experimentation involving
genetics."
"But did you know, Scully, that in 1983, all grants provided by the
American Medical Association to Chimera Genetics were withdrawn
due to 'questionable experimentation techniques?' After '83,
funding was provided by private donors and no works have been
published by Chimera geneticists since that time onward."
"What exactly are you driving at, Mulder?" she questioned.
"I'm saying," he told her, "that someone is using Chimera as a
resource for something other than to simply perpetuate knowledge in
the field of genetics. Someone is using Chimera for personal gain."
"Mulder," she said, "With all of the regulations established by the
scientific community, I don't see how someone could have gotten away
with using Chimera as a personal guinea pig for all of those years.
Chimera must have been checked out by someone in authority.
Besides," she added, somewhat indignantly, "all scientists
have a duty to report their findings, and if duty isn't a
strong enough motivator, then the desire for prestige and
monetary gain provides the incentive. I simply do not think
it is possible that Chimera has been operating under selfish
motivations."
He shook his head. "You're wrong, Scully," he said, "Do you
know what a Chimera is?"
Scully nodded. "Actually, I do. In Greek mythology, the
Chimera was a horrible beast that plagued mankind, part
dragon and part ram. It was destroyed by the Corinthian
hero Bellerephon with the aid of the winged horse Pegasus.
The term has been adapted for medical use. Today, a chimera
is known as a fusion product generated from two different
genomes."
"That's right, Scully," he concurred, "And do you know for what
experimentation Chimera Genetics is most famous?"
"Yes, I do, Mulder," she answered, "Chimera scientists proposed the
modern-day theory of the Fluid-Mosaic Model of the cellular membrane,
a semi-permeable barrier composed of proteins and phospholipids."
She cocked her head to the side and gazed at him, long and hard.
"Where is this going, Mulder?" she asked.
"I believe that Chimera is the site of the experimentation being
conducted on Purity Control, experimentation that led to
the formation of human-alien hybrids like the nine missing
women. Like the mythological beast, geneticists are
engineering the fusion of Purity Control with humans,
generating two separate entities that are able to coexist
and function as a unit."
She looked at him, her eyes betraying her disbelief, "That's
a little farfetched, don't you think?"
"I don't think so," he answered, his voice alive with
passion, "Langly told me that the first experiments that
led to the perpetuation of the Fluid-Mosaic Model included
fusing rodent membranes to human membranes. What if,
Scully, these scientists have figured out a way to not only
combine our cells to that of rats, but our entire genome to
that of the bacteria found in Purity Control."
"Mulder, that kind of technological capability is decades, even
centuries down the line."
"Then how do you explain the gel results, Scully?"
She stammered, feeling somewhat defeated, "I don't know."
"And what about that list of geneticists at Quantico, Scully? It
can't just be a coincidence that eight of the fifteen most qualified
in their field spent at least three years researching at Chimera."
Scully picked up the list that still lay atop the open
manila folder. "Oh my God," she said suddenly, her
eyes and mouth widening to double their natural size.
"What is it?" he asked her.
"Mulder," she said, "I recognize these names." She pointed
at the top two on the list of qualified geneticists. "Dr.
Elizabeth Sykes," she read aloud, "Mulder, she's the woman
who informed me of Purity Control in the women's bloodstreams
in the first place. And Dr. Anne Carpenter, she was the sister
of Sykes who originally isolated the base pairs in the Purity
Control DNA sequence. She was killed for our work, Mulder,
killed because she discovered the truth that lay hidden Purity
Control." Her eyebrow arched as she completed the last thought,
"Why would Agent Sykes make me aware of the Purity Control
connection if Chimera was carrying out the genomic fusion in
the first place?"
J. Edgar Hoover Building
5:16 P.M.
"Inform her that Agent Scully is here and that the matter
is urgent."
Scully straightened her posture and puffed out her chest, attempting
to look as important as possible. She was having extreme difficulty
convincing Ms. Donnelly, Agent Sykes' secretary, that she needed to
see the good doctor.
"I'm sorry, Agent Scully," Ms. Donnelly said, looking up through a
stack of papers that needed to be filed, "but Dr. Sykes told me that
she was not to be interrupted at any costs, that includes convening
meetings with Special Agents who have neglected to make an
appointment." She turned her attention once more to the
work at hand.
Now Mulder was growing impatient, as well. "If we neglected to make
an appointment, Ms. Donnelly, then it is most likely due to the fact
that our confidence in your ability to correctly pencil us in is
somewhat lacking."
Ms. Donnelly scowled. She was about to coldly respond to his
completely unnecessary commentary when she was interrupted by the
sound of the opening of Dr. Sykes' office door. "It's okay, Angela,"
she said, "Please send them in."
Mulder stuck his nose up in the air and turned away from the
receptionist, a small "Hmm," escaping his lips, as if to say,
"See, we told you so!" Ms. Donnelly watched as the two agents
walked into Dr. Sykes' office. "Asshole," she muttered as
soon as Mulder was out of earshot.
Mulder and Scully entered the room and Sykes closed the door behind
them. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Agents?" she asked as she
gestured to the two leather seats in front of her. Scully waited for
the doctor to be seated behind her desk before she started her
interrogation.
"Agent Sykes," she began tartly, "some very intriguing details
regarding the case have come to my and Agent Mulder's attention,
details that you neglected to tell me when you first brought my
attention to Purity Control."
"Such as?" she questioned, her dark eyes hardening into an unfamiliar
firmness. They seemed as stormy as the night clouds visible through
the window behind her.
Mulder took up the reins. "Like the role that Chimera Genetics has
played in bringing about the creation of human-alien hybrids."
Sykes' eyes flashed as thunder shook the night sky. "How did
you hear of Chimera?" she asked.
"So you don't deny, then, that there is connection to Chimera,"
Mulder said, his eyes twinkling with the rush gained from
catching the perpetrator in a lie.
"Of course not," Sykes answered, "I was simply hoping that
it would be unnecessary to bring Chimera's role in all of
this to light."
"Why don't you tell us everything," Scully interjected, "from the
beginning. Please do not leave anything out."
Sykes shifted in her chair and fiddled nervously with a letter opener
that lay on her desk. "Chimera used to be a highly respected lab,"
she began suddenly, eyes shifting from left to right, "the most
prestigious forum for genetics research in the country, perhaps
in the world." Her eyes began to warm as a smile crossed her
lips. She looked at the ceiling and sighed inwardly. "Those
were the days," she said, "results had to be gleaned from the
work. A.M.A. grants were at stake and at times the pressure
seemed unbearable. But pressure produced amazing results.
Chimera scientists identified the intricate workings of mitosis
and meiosis, the first motor proteins, and developed the theory
of the Fluid-Mosaic Model of cellular membranes. Perhaps you've
heard of it."
Mulder shot Scully a glance. She was smiling. He smiled, too.
"We've been informed of the Fluid-Mosaic Model," he answered.
Sykes continued where she had left off. "In the early eighties, it
was discovered that a select group of geneticists were conducting
experiments that, at the time, seemed far too outrageous. Working
under the project name 'Saving Grace,' the scientists implemented the
fusion of various types of DNA, including rats, birds, snakes, and
mammals. The experiments were seen as an abomination by the
scientific community and kept largely under wraps. The A.M.A.
withdrew all support to Chimera, stating that manipulation of nature
would lead scientists down a path that was largely unethical.
Unfortunately, they were right."
Scully glanced at her thoughtfully. "What is your connection to
this, Agent Sykes?" she asked.
"There were eight of us," she said simply, "eight of us who were
willing to pursue the work for the betterment of science and
humanity, even if our work was continuing through the pockets
of some secretive governmental officials. Of course, at the
time we didn't know that they were using us to carry out their
own dastardly plans, creating a human-alien hybrid that they
could control and would use in order to fight the future."
"And what about your sister, Agent Sykes?" Scully questioned,
"How was she connected to Chimera?"
"My sister was a go-between," she answered, "we all were,
except for a select few who actually proceeded in carrying
out the actual fusion and birthing of the twelve clones.
My sister worked on developing and identifying the human
genome. When you appeared with Purity Control in 1994,
she had honestly never seen anything of that nature
before. I, on the other hand, was part of the team that
assisted in conducting research on the alien bacteria.
Because of my understanding of Purity Control, the
geneticists who worked for our backers were able to
completely manipulate the alien genome. Because of me,
they were able to create the hybrids."
She paused briefly and then continued, "When my sister was killed,
Agent Scully, I began to realize just what depths these men would go
to in order to ensure their dominance over our creations. I
knew that I had to stop the project, stop these men from
creating walking weapons that would be used in order to
maintain their control. It's what my sister would do, were
she still alive."
"Well, that certainly explains why you steered me towards the Purity
Control connection," Scully responded, "but I'm still confused as to
why you didn't just tell me outright about Chimera."
"I was afraid, Agent Scully," she answered, "I have a family
of my own now, husband, children, responsibilities. I saw
what those bastards did to my sister. I was simply afraid
of sharing her fate."
Sykes sighed again as she pulled a photograph from her desk drawer.
"I figured that this would all come out eventually," she confided to
the agents, throwing the photo across the desk for them to see, "It
was inevitable. So I brought this from home when Agent Scully first
sent me the blood samples. It is the eight of us who worked on the
project together at Chimera."
Mulder's eyes widened as he plucked the photo up from the desk with
his fingers. "Oh my God," he breathed, horrified with the image he
saw reflected back at him. Looking completely unchanged from the day
he had seen her in Philadelphia, Lauren Alvarez stood smiling next to
Dr. Sykes, looking exotic and beautiful.
Scully looked incredulous. Her eyes appeared as expansive as the
night sky and her mouth formed a large "O" that wordlessly expressed
her disbelief.
"Mulder?" It was a simple question but it articulated plainly
everything that she was feeling, bewilderment, empathy, skepticism.
What could he possibly be thinking, and how was Lauren connected to
the murders of nine women?
"That woman," he asked, pointing to the pretty figure of Lauren
Alvarez, "who is that woman?"
"Oh, her?" she questioned, "That's Maria Valesquez. She was the head
geneticist of the project, by far the most advanced of all eight of
us." She looked wistful. "Her intelligence was unmatched,"
she said.
"What did her job consist of?"
"Maria had the responsibility of putting our individual projects
together. She
essentially took the human genome work of Anne and her group and the
Purity Control genome of my group, put them together, and raised the
twelve fetuses."
Mulder folded his hands and sat back in his chair, attempting to
absorb all that he had heard. Scully continued where he left off.
"Agent Sykes," she said, "When I first came to see you, you gave me
the impression that you were unaware of the connection between the
murders and the blood samples that I asked you to analyze. Now you
are telling us that not only were you aware of the connection, but
your own two hands assisted in securing its ties, that you are
partially responsible for the generation of these beings that are not
human, and yet, not alien either. How can you sit there so brazenly
and ask us to accept what you have told us on your word alone?"
"Agent Scully," she said smugly, "you above all people should know
that in our line of work, you can never be too careful to whom you
divulge information, or what the extent of that information
should be. Discretion is not merely a tool, it is a necessity.
I was only acting out of the best interests of all concerned."
Mulder awoke from his daze with a gentle startle as the
humming of his cell phone whirred from the inside pocket
of his jacket. "Excuse me," he said softly, standing up
and proceeding towards the hall to take the call.
"With all due respect, Agent Sykes," Scully continued, "I
believe that your motivations were less than respectable."
Sykes scoffed at the arrogance of the skeptical scientist. She had
all of the evidence at her disposal. Why was her refusal to believe
so adamant? "I have already admitted as much, Agent Scully. My
family is my life. The thought of losing them, I couldn't live with
the guilt. You couldn't possibly understand, Agent Scully. My
children are everything to me."
Scully's face grew pale and she began to shrink away like
a frightened child hiding the truth about who broke the
cookie jar from his parents. Agent Sykes had unwittingly
touched a deep nerve. She would never know what it was
like to bear children, to carry a child as part of her
body and then, after nine months, feel his soft body against
her breast. Scully slowly regained her composure and
attempting to appear as in control as possible, she
recaptured the courage to ask the doctor one more
question, "Why even call our attention to the experiments,
then? Why make us aware of this project that someone is
so obviously attempting to hide after nearly two decades
of work?"
All emotions were wiped away from Sykes' face. Holding
back the tears and the crack in her voice, she sullenly
answered, "Agent Scully, you were right. It was
partially my doing, the existence of these, these,
creatures. If it weren't for me, they wouldn't be alive
right now, and someone wouldn't be attempting to
exterminate them one by one. I told you about the
hybrids because I want you to find the bastards that did
this. My conscience will never fully be cleared, but if
you and Agent Mulder can make it right, as only you can,
then I will be able to look my children in the face,
assured that their future is bright and secured."
The door opened and Mulder leaned his head in. "There's been another
murder," he said and once again closed the door, leaving the
two women looking at each other in grim determination.
Flight 983A
9:45 P.M.
Mulder walked gracefully down the center aisle, followed by a
struggling Scully, greatly encumbered by the large overnight
bags that draped each arm. "Mulder," she lightly whined,
lifting the bags to his eyelevel. He turned sharply around
at the sound of his name and gazed at the pathetic picture
before his eyes. He couldn't help but laugh.
"Mulder," she said, "it's not funny."
He walked towards her, still chuckling softly. It was good to laugh,
if even for a moment. If anyone could get his mind off of
Lauren's...err...Maria's involvement in the creation of alien-human
hybrids, it was Scully. He took the bags from her hands and
immediately began to wince.
"Jesus, Scully, what'd you bring?" he scolded her.
"What's wrong?" she asked, making her voice sound as though she were
talking to
a little child, "Are those bags too heavy for my big Macho Man?"
His smile broadened, "Big is right, Scully."
A small smirk crossed her face. "Mulder," she reprimanded.
She followed his lead as he made his way to their seats.
"...C...D...E...oh, F, here we are, Scully," he called aloud. He
placed her bags in the overhead compartment and opened his arm in a
gentlemanly gesture. "Ladies first," he told her.
She grinned gratefully. He knew how much she hated not being able to
see where they were going. She always needed to feel as though she
were in control, even if she was incapable of piloting an aircraft.
"Are you sure you don't want the window seat?" she asked,
knowing full well that he would say "No."
"No, that's alright," he answered, "You take it. I need to
stretch out my legs anyway."
"Just make sure your big feet don't trip the stewardess."
A mock expression of hurt graced his face. "I believe they prefer to
be addressed as 'flight attendants'," he told her, and then added,
"You know what they say about a guy with big feet, don't you,
Scully?"
She smiled broadly, now. "Yes, Mulder," she said, "I think I do. I
believe they say that a man with big feet is completely narcissistic
and suffers from delusions of grandeur in order to compensate for his
abnormally small..."
Her final words were obscured by the sound of the pilot speaking over
the
intercom. "Hello, this is your Captain speaking, and thank you for
flying American Airlines..."
10:15 P.M.
Mulder had his arms folded over his chest and was leaning back in the
second-class chair, hoping to glean some sliver of comfort so that he
could be overtaken by sleep and forget, at least for a short period,
all of his many woes. Scully turned her attention from the overcast,
obscured night to the bent figure of her handsome partner. She
stared at him, contemplating whether or not she should initiate the
inevitable discussion. They had to talk about her, about Lauren, or
Maria, or whatever her name was. She had to know what he was
planning on doing once they arrived in Philadelphia, but even
more so, she felt the desire to understand what mental distress
he was tormenting himself with. She thought of leaning in, of
putting her chin on his shoulder and just holding him, to let
him know that she was there and everything would be alright.
As long as she was by his side, she would never let any more
pain enter his life. And she knew that he gave her the same
protection in return.
"Take a picture, Scully," he said suddenly, maintaining his position,
not even opening his eyes.
"What?" she blurted out, confused as one waking from a
blissful dream.
"Take a picture," he repeated, "It'll last longer." He opened his
eyes and turned his neck to face her. His face was only an
inch away. She backed up and leaned against the window,
startled by their sudden proximity.
"I suppose now would not be the most opportune time to ask if you're
awake," she said.
Mulder rolled his beautiful, hazel eyes, revealing the dark circles
beneath them. "It's a shame you didn't get any sleep," she said, "It
looks like you could have really used it."
He smiled a devilish grin. "Is this your way of asking me to
join the Mile-High Club, Scully?" he asked.
It was her turn to roll her eyes. "As tempting an offer as that
sounds," she replied, "I'm afraid I'll have to pass." She
took a deep breath as she continued, "But I'm glad you're
awake, Mulder. We need to talk."
"Are you breaking up with me, Scully?"
"Mulder, be serious for a moment, please," she pleaded. His face
immediately dropped from humor to a look of stoic professionalism
that appeared whenever he was explaining some remote theory to
her that only he would take seriously. But this time, he wasn't
leading the discussion.
"Go ahead," he urged her, shaking his head in a gesture of support.
"I think we need to talk about Lauren," she said bluntly.
Mulder sighed and faced the back of the chair in front of him.
He had been expecting the conversation since they had left Dr.
Sykes' office, but he had silently hoped that Scully and he might
sit in hushed peace until their arrival in Philly. "Must we?"
he grumbled.
Scully dismissed the comment and proceeded onward, "Mulder, I know
that this is very trying for you. I mean, you weren't even aware
that Lauren was a scientist, let alone the leading geneticist in
a conspiracy to generate alien-human hybrids and then dispose of
them once their usefulness had run its course."
"I'm aware of the details, thank-you," he replied drolly, his voice
dripping sweet with sarcasm.
Scully breathed deeply and paused. "I'm sorry, Mulder," she said,
"but we need to decide how we are going to handle the investigation.
Do you want to interrogate her after we arrive at the airport
or would you like to visit the crime scene first?"
"I'll handle it, Scully," he told her, "I'd like to interrogate
her by myself when the time is right."
"When the time is right?" she questioned, her voice growing
noticeably incensed, "And when, pray tell, will the time be
right?"
"I'll handle it," he said again in a tone so commanding that even
those on the other side of the aisle were wondering what it was that
the tall, handsome man in the black suit was going to take care of.
Scully turned back to the viewless view of the window and Mulder
faced the opposite direction. She knew now was not the time to
press him, that he was dealing with too much at one time. But
even he was not going to stop her from digging into the past of
Detective Lauren Alvarez.
Undisclosed Location
4:12 P.M.
"Back so soon, Mulder?" Langly asked as he opened the steel door to
the headquarters of The Magic Bullet.
"Well," he said, passing by the lanky blonde, "I was going to catch a
flick but I said to myself, 'Hey, why don't I go find out who's
behind the serial murder of nine women and prevent the future
murder of three more before fire and brimstone fall from the
sky and the Four Horsemen roam the earth' instead."
Mulder stood behind Frohike and Byers who were seated next to each
other in front of two different computer screens. The sound of
clicking resonating from the keyboards reverberated off of
the largely unfurbished walls. He placed his hands on his
hips and asked them collectively, "What've we got?"
"We've got nothing, Mulder," he said with an amazingly strait-face,
"but as to your after-hours conquests, well, that will have to remain
a...what's the word I'm looking for...an irritation all your own."
"Hey, Frohike," he replied, putting a hand on his shoulder
and leaning closer, "get a haircut."
Frohike mumbled as Langly resumed his seat opposite the other two.
"I've been working on tracking down anyone who works or who
previously worked at Quantico with exceptional medical
knowledge specifically regarding microbiology and genetics,"
he told Mulder, "I've just finished compiling a list of the
fifteen leading researches in those fields." He handed
Mulder a list including the fifteen names, the history of
their medical training, and the more publicized projects
to which their names were connected.
"Dr. Elizabeth Sykes," he read aloud, "Six years at Quantico as a
practicing microbiologist. Had a prominent career and much success,
with work ranging from the identification of specific motor proteins
in chemical synapses..." He smiled. "Whatever that means," he said,
and then continued with the briefing, "...to providing
assistance with the Human Genome Project. She became a
full agent in 1982, and has been working at the microbiology
unit in J. Edgar ever since."
He looked up above the printout at Langly. "I think this Sykes woman
is the same agent who discovered the link between Purity Control and
the victims," he mused, "I think I'll have Scully take a look at this
list."
Frohike looked up through his large, round glasses with a
gleam in his eye. Mulder pointed at him. "Don't even say
it," he told him.
"What?" Frohike asked, raising both of his hands in an inquisitive
gesture.
"Whatever it was you were going to say," Mulder answered.
"I was going to say that I'm still cross-referencing the close
contacts of the victims, but now I thinking about some four-letter
words I'd like to say instead."
Byers turned around in his seat and looked at Mulder, hoping to steer
the discussion back to the findings that they had spent the better
part of the day researching. "I've been attempting to discover the
link among the victims," he said, "but it is a difficult task because
the background of all of the women is extremely convoluted."
"Quite a coincidence, wouldn't you say?" he asked Byers.
"Perhaps too much of a coincidence," he answered, "What better way to
erase a person from existence than to destroy his entire past? Not
only have the victims' bodies been disposed of, but almost their
entire life has, as well."
"Maybe the objective isn't to erase them," Mulder proposed, "Maybe
these women simply do not have a past. If they were genetically
engineered, synthesized in a lab, then perhaps there is no past that
needs to be destroyed."
"I thought of that," Byers answered, "Several of the names
on Langly's list worked for the same medical facility at
one point or another in their life, a place called
'Chimera Genetics.' This facility, Mulder, was the
foreground pioneer in genetic engineering. Chimera
technology led to the first fusion experiments conducted
between rodent and human cellular membranes, which led to
the discovery of the modern Fluid-Mosaic membrane model,
the model for which we base our beliefs on how the cellular
membrane is composed. Back in the days of the rodent-human
fusion, Chimera wanted publicity, it thrived on it because
it was backed solely by grants from the American Medical
Association."
"The A.M.A.," Mulder stated.
"Yes," Byers continued, "but for the last twenty years or so, Chimera
has been a covert operation. Grants were no longer needed as Chimera
began to be backed by private, confidential donors. Today, no one
except the experts working there knows what experiments are being
conducted."
"Sounds like Chimera has moved on from rodents to a higher species,"
Mulder said.
"Yeah," Frohike concurred, "and we're not talking about Langly."
Langly shot him a look of disdain while Mulder thanked the Gunmen for
all of their assistance. "Great job," he told them, turning
to leave, and said, "Frohike, have those results faxed to me
by about 7:00 tonight."
Without waiting for a response, Mulder walked out the door.
"Jesus," Frohike called after him, "Who died and made you Assistant
Director?"
Route 1S
4:20 P.M.
Mulder fiddled anxiously with the radio knob as he waited for the
stoplight to turn green, finally settling on "Heartbreak Hotel" by
Elvis Presley. He felt as though he was on the verge of something
big, something that he was sure Scully would be afraid to admit.
"Scully," he said aloud, realizing that he had left her
quite abruptly in the basement of J. Edgar. He picked up
the cellular phone that was seated on the passenger's side
as the light changed color. Inching along, he dialed
Scully's number as cars flew past him on the left.
"Since my baby left me, I found a new place to dwell," he mouthed, in
sync with the lyrics. By the time she picked up he was singing the
chorus softly to himself: "I've been so lonely, I've been so lonely,
I've been so lonely I could die."
He could almost see the quizzical expression on her face as her voice
rang through the phone, "Mulder, is that you?"
"Yeah, Scully," he said, "It's me."
"What are you doing, Mulder?" she asked, "Where are you?"
There was a pause on the other end of the line, "And what
is that in the background?"
"Karaoke," he replied simply, and then asked her, "Can you meet me at
my place in fifteen minutes?"
"Why?" she asked, "Did you find something out from the Stooges?"
"Just meet me there. There's something I need your help with."
"Sure, Mulder," she answered, "I'll be there."
She pulled the phone from her ear, about to turn it off when
she heard a soft, yet insistent voice, "Scully?"
"Yes?" she asked, replacing the receiver once more against her ear.
He gulped down a lungful of air, and hesitated, "Um...never mind," he
said, "See you in fifteen."
Fox Mulder Residence
4:53 P.M.
Mulder glanced around the room. It was exactly as he had left it.
Files were strewn on the floor and a blanket still lay on the couch
which had served as his bed the night before he had traveled to
Philadelphia. The descending sun was shrouded by dark thunder clouds
and the light from his fish tank provided the sole illumination. He
walked towards the tank and grabbed for the flake-food bottle
that was hidden behind a picture of he and his mother. He opened
the yellow cap and poured some into the water, watching peacefully
as the fish fed. They were so content, so carefree. Sometimes he
wished for the same sort of blissful ignorance. He replaced the
food and picked up the silver frame that encased the picture of
his mother. He touched her face lightly with his finger. He
remembered how much Samantha had looked like her. She had the
same striking features, the pronounced chin, high cheekbones,
and flowing, dark hair. He placed the frame back on the table
as a fist rapped loudly on his door.
"Coming," he called, and walked across the room to answer it,
stumbling over a pile of dirty laundry as he did. He unlocked the
latch and opened the door, revealing Scully in a stunning red suit
that highlighted her ruby lips and fiery hair.
"Come here often?" he asked with a smile, extending his arm in a
gesture that told her to advance.
"Only when overcome with an overwhelming desire to vacuum," she
answered. She seated herself on his couch, after removing several
items of clothing from the cushion. She gazed up at him as he
approached her. "What was so urgent that it couldn't wait until
tomorrow, Mulder?" she asked.
He seated himself on his "bed" next to her and pointed to the file
that lay overtop twenty others on his coffee table. "That, Scully,"
he answered. He opened the front portion of the manila folder,
revealing the lists compiled by the Gunmen. "I need you to look
through that list for me. It's composed of the fifteen people from
Quantico who are the most likely to be connected to this case. They
all have a deep background knowledge of genetics and several are
connected to a laboratory facility known as Chimera Genetics."
"Chimera?" she repeated.
"Yes," he said, "have you heard of it?"
"Yes," she answered, "When I was an undergraduate student, I worked
with a professor performing chromosomal identification techniques in
fruit flies. During that time, I researched many scientific
journals. At that time, I noted a strange occurrence. Many
of the journals that I researched involving genetics originated
from work compiled from Chimera. I remember asking my professor
if such an occurrence was customary and he informed me that
Chimera was the foremost leader in experimentation involving
genetics."
"But did you know, Scully, that in 1983, all grants provided by the
American Medical Association to Chimera Genetics were withdrawn
due to 'questionable experimentation techniques?' After '83,
funding was provided by private donors and no works have been
published by Chimera geneticists since that time onward."
"What exactly are you driving at, Mulder?" she questioned.
"I'm saying," he told her, "that someone is using Chimera as a
resource for something other than to simply perpetuate knowledge in
the field of genetics. Someone is using Chimera for personal gain."
"Mulder," she said, "With all of the regulations established by the
scientific community, I don't see how someone could have gotten away
with using Chimera as a personal guinea pig for all of those years.
Chimera must have been checked out by someone in authority.
Besides," she added, somewhat indignantly, "all scientists
have a duty to report their findings, and if duty isn't a
strong enough motivator, then the desire for prestige and
monetary gain provides the incentive. I simply do not think
it is possible that Chimera has been operating under selfish
motivations."
He shook his head. "You're wrong, Scully," he said, "Do you
know what a Chimera is?"
Scully nodded. "Actually, I do. In Greek mythology, the
Chimera was a horrible beast that plagued mankind, part
dragon and part ram. It was destroyed by the Corinthian
hero Bellerephon with the aid of the winged horse Pegasus.
The term has been adapted for medical use. Today, a chimera
is known as a fusion product generated from two different
genomes."
"That's right, Scully," he concurred, "And do you know for what
experimentation Chimera Genetics is most famous?"
"Yes, I do, Mulder," she answered, "Chimera scientists proposed the
modern-day theory of the Fluid-Mosaic Model of the cellular membrane,
a semi-permeable barrier composed of proteins and phospholipids."
She cocked her head to the side and gazed at him, long and hard.
"Where is this going, Mulder?" she asked.
"I believe that Chimera is the site of the experimentation being
conducted on Purity Control, experimentation that led to
the formation of human-alien hybrids like the nine missing
women. Like the mythological beast, geneticists are
engineering the fusion of Purity Control with humans,
generating two separate entities that are able to coexist
and function as a unit."
She looked at him, her eyes betraying her disbelief, "That's
a little farfetched, don't you think?"
"I don't think so," he answered, his voice alive with
passion, "Langly told me that the first experiments that
led to the perpetuation of the Fluid-Mosaic Model included
fusing rodent membranes to human membranes. What if,
Scully, these scientists have figured out a way to not only
combine our cells to that of rats, but our entire genome to
that of the bacteria found in Purity Control."
"Mulder, that kind of technological capability is decades, even
centuries down the line."
"Then how do you explain the gel results, Scully?"
She stammered, feeling somewhat defeated, "I don't know."
"And what about that list of geneticists at Quantico, Scully? It
can't just be a coincidence that eight of the fifteen most qualified
in their field spent at least three years researching at Chimera."
Scully picked up the list that still lay atop the open
manila folder. "Oh my God," she said suddenly, her
eyes and mouth widening to double their natural size.
"What is it?" he asked her.
"Mulder," she said, "I recognize these names." She pointed
at the top two on the list of qualified geneticists. "Dr.
Elizabeth Sykes," she read aloud, "Mulder, she's the woman
who informed me of Purity Control in the women's bloodstreams
in the first place. And Dr. Anne Carpenter, she was the sister
of Sykes who originally isolated the base pairs in the Purity
Control DNA sequence. She was killed for our work, Mulder,
killed because she discovered the truth that lay hidden Purity
Control." Her eyebrow arched as she completed the last thought,
"Why would Agent Sykes make me aware of the Purity Control
connection if Chimera was carrying out the genomic fusion in
the first place?"
J. Edgar Hoover Building
5:16 P.M.
"Inform her that Agent Scully is here and that the matter
is urgent."
Scully straightened her posture and puffed out her chest, attempting
to look as important as possible. She was having extreme difficulty
convincing Ms. Donnelly, Agent Sykes' secretary, that she needed to
see the good doctor.
"I'm sorry, Agent Scully," Ms. Donnelly said, looking up through a
stack of papers that needed to be filed, "but Dr. Sykes told me that
she was not to be interrupted at any costs, that includes convening
meetings with Special Agents who have neglected to make an
appointment." She turned her attention once more to the
work at hand.
Now Mulder was growing impatient, as well. "If we neglected to make
an appointment, Ms. Donnelly, then it is most likely due to the fact
that our confidence in your ability to correctly pencil us in is
somewhat lacking."
Ms. Donnelly scowled. She was about to coldly respond to his
completely unnecessary commentary when she was interrupted by the
sound of the opening of Dr. Sykes' office door. "It's okay, Angela,"
she said, "Please send them in."
Mulder stuck his nose up in the air and turned away from the
receptionist, a small "Hmm," escaping his lips, as if to say,
"See, we told you so!" Ms. Donnelly watched as the two agents
walked into Dr. Sykes' office. "Asshole," she muttered as
soon as Mulder was out of earshot.
Mulder and Scully entered the room and Sykes closed the door behind
them. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Agents?" she asked as she
gestured to the two leather seats in front of her. Scully waited for
the doctor to be seated behind her desk before she started her
interrogation.
"Agent Sykes," she began tartly, "some very intriguing details
regarding the case have come to my and Agent Mulder's attention,
details that you neglected to tell me when you first brought my
attention to Purity Control."
"Such as?" she questioned, her dark eyes hardening into an unfamiliar
firmness. They seemed as stormy as the night clouds visible through
the window behind her.
Mulder took up the reins. "Like the role that Chimera Genetics has
played in bringing about the creation of human-alien hybrids."
Sykes' eyes flashed as thunder shook the night sky. "How did
you hear of Chimera?" she asked.
"So you don't deny, then, that there is connection to Chimera,"
Mulder said, his eyes twinkling with the rush gained from
catching the perpetrator in a lie.
"Of course not," Sykes answered, "I was simply hoping that
it would be unnecessary to bring Chimera's role in all of
this to light."
"Why don't you tell us everything," Scully interjected, "from the
beginning. Please do not leave anything out."
Sykes shifted in her chair and fiddled nervously with a letter opener
that lay on her desk. "Chimera used to be a highly respected lab,"
she began suddenly, eyes shifting from left to right, "the most
prestigious forum for genetics research in the country, perhaps
in the world." Her eyes began to warm as a smile crossed her
lips. She looked at the ceiling and sighed inwardly. "Those
were the days," she said, "results had to be gleaned from the
work. A.M.A. grants were at stake and at times the pressure
seemed unbearable. But pressure produced amazing results.
Chimera scientists identified the intricate workings of mitosis
and meiosis, the first motor proteins, and developed the theory
of the Fluid-Mosaic Model of cellular membranes. Perhaps you've
heard of it."
Mulder shot Scully a glance. She was smiling. He smiled, too.
"We've been informed of the Fluid-Mosaic Model," he answered.
Sykes continued where she had left off. "In the early eighties, it
was discovered that a select group of geneticists were conducting
experiments that, at the time, seemed far too outrageous. Working
under the project name 'Saving Grace,' the scientists implemented the
fusion of various types of DNA, including rats, birds, snakes, and
mammals. The experiments were seen as an abomination by the
scientific community and kept largely under wraps. The A.M.A.
withdrew all support to Chimera, stating that manipulation of nature
would lead scientists down a path that was largely unethical.
Unfortunately, they were right."
Scully glanced at her thoughtfully. "What is your connection to
this, Agent Sykes?" she asked.
"There were eight of us," she said simply, "eight of us who were
willing to pursue the work for the betterment of science and
humanity, even if our work was continuing through the pockets
of some secretive governmental officials. Of course, at the
time we didn't know that they were using us to carry out their
own dastardly plans, creating a human-alien hybrid that they
could control and would use in order to fight the future."
"And what about your sister, Agent Sykes?" Scully questioned,
"How was she connected to Chimera?"
"My sister was a go-between," she answered, "we all were,
except for a select few who actually proceeded in carrying
out the actual fusion and birthing of the twelve clones.
My sister worked on developing and identifying the human
genome. When you appeared with Purity Control in 1994,
she had honestly never seen anything of that nature
before. I, on the other hand, was part of the team that
assisted in conducting research on the alien bacteria.
Because of my understanding of Purity Control, the
geneticists who worked for our backers were able to
completely manipulate the alien genome. Because of me,
they were able to create the hybrids."
She paused briefly and then continued, "When my sister was killed,
Agent Scully, I began to realize just what depths these men would go
to in order to ensure their dominance over our creations. I
knew that I had to stop the project, stop these men from
creating walking weapons that would be used in order to
maintain their control. It's what my sister would do, were
she still alive."
"Well, that certainly explains why you steered me towards the Purity
Control connection," Scully responded, "but I'm still confused as to
why you didn't just tell me outright about Chimera."
"I was afraid, Agent Scully," she answered, "I have a family
of my own now, husband, children, responsibilities. I saw
what those bastards did to my sister. I was simply afraid
of sharing her fate."
Sykes sighed again as she pulled a photograph from her desk drawer.
"I figured that this would all come out eventually," she confided to
the agents, throwing the photo across the desk for them to see, "It
was inevitable. So I brought this from home when Agent Scully first
sent me the blood samples. It is the eight of us who worked on the
project together at Chimera."
Mulder's eyes widened as he plucked the photo up from the desk with
his fingers. "Oh my God," he breathed, horrified with the image he
saw reflected back at him. Looking completely unchanged from the day
he had seen her in Philadelphia, Lauren Alvarez stood smiling next to
Dr. Sykes, looking exotic and beautiful.
Scully looked incredulous. Her eyes appeared as expansive as the
night sky and her mouth formed a large "O" that wordlessly expressed
her disbelief.
"Mulder?" It was a simple question but it articulated plainly
everything that she was feeling, bewilderment, empathy, skepticism.
What could he possibly be thinking, and how was Lauren connected to
the murders of nine women?
"That woman," he asked, pointing to the pretty figure of Lauren
Alvarez, "who is that woman?"
"Oh, her?" she questioned, "That's Maria Valesquez. She was the head
geneticist of the project, by far the most advanced of all eight of
us." She looked wistful. "Her intelligence was unmatched,"
she said.
"What did her job consist of?"
"Maria had the responsibility of putting our individual projects
together. She
essentially took the human genome work of Anne and her group and the
Purity Control genome of my group, put them together, and raised the
twelve fetuses."
Mulder folded his hands and sat back in his chair, attempting to
absorb all that he had heard. Scully continued where he left off.
"Agent Sykes," she said, "When I first came to see you, you gave me
the impression that you were unaware of the connection between the
murders and the blood samples that I asked you to analyze. Now you
are telling us that not only were you aware of the connection, but
your own two hands assisted in securing its ties, that you are
partially responsible for the generation of these beings that are not
human, and yet, not alien either. How can you sit there so brazenly
and ask us to accept what you have told us on your word alone?"
"Agent Scully," she said smugly, "you above all people should know
that in our line of work, you can never be too careful to whom you
divulge information, or what the extent of that information
should be. Discretion is not merely a tool, it is a necessity.
I was only acting out of the best interests of all concerned."
Mulder awoke from his daze with a gentle startle as the
humming of his cell phone whirred from the inside pocket
of his jacket. "Excuse me," he said softly, standing up
and proceeding towards the hall to take the call.
"With all due respect, Agent Sykes," Scully continued, "I
believe that your motivations were less than respectable."
Sykes scoffed at the arrogance of the skeptical scientist. She had
all of the evidence at her disposal. Why was her refusal to believe
so adamant? "I have already admitted as much, Agent Scully. My
family is my life. The thought of losing them, I couldn't live with
the guilt. You couldn't possibly understand, Agent Scully. My
children are everything to me."
Scully's face grew pale and she began to shrink away like
a frightened child hiding the truth about who broke the
cookie jar from his parents. Agent Sykes had unwittingly
touched a deep nerve. She would never know what it was
like to bear children, to carry a child as part of her
body and then, after nine months, feel his soft body against
her breast. Scully slowly regained her composure and
attempting to appear as in control as possible, she
recaptured the courage to ask the doctor one more
question, "Why even call our attention to the experiments,
then? Why make us aware of this project that someone is
so obviously attempting to hide after nearly two decades
of work?"
All emotions were wiped away from Sykes' face. Holding
back the tears and the crack in her voice, she sullenly
answered, "Agent Scully, you were right. It was
partially my doing, the existence of these, these,
creatures. If it weren't for me, they wouldn't be alive
right now, and someone wouldn't be attempting to
exterminate them one by one. I told you about the
hybrids because I want you to find the bastards that did
this. My conscience will never fully be cleared, but if
you and Agent Mulder can make it right, as only you can,
then I will be able to look my children in the face,
assured that their future is bright and secured."
The door opened and Mulder leaned his head in. "There's been another
murder," he said and once again closed the door, leaving the
two women looking at each other in grim determination.
Flight 983A
9:45 P.M.
Mulder walked gracefully down the center aisle, followed by a
struggling Scully, greatly encumbered by the large overnight
bags that draped each arm. "Mulder," she lightly whined,
lifting the bags to his eyelevel. He turned sharply around
at the sound of his name and gazed at the pathetic picture
before his eyes. He couldn't help but laugh.
"Mulder," she said, "it's not funny."
He walked towards her, still chuckling softly. It was good to laugh,
if even for a moment. If anyone could get his mind off of
Lauren's...err...Maria's involvement in the creation of alien-human
hybrids, it was Scully. He took the bags from her hands and
immediately began to wince.
"Jesus, Scully, what'd you bring?" he scolded her.
"What's wrong?" she asked, making her voice sound as though she were
talking to
a little child, "Are those bags too heavy for my big Macho Man?"
His smile broadened, "Big is right, Scully."
A small smirk crossed her face. "Mulder," she reprimanded.
She followed his lead as he made his way to their seats.
"...C...D...E...oh, F, here we are, Scully," he called aloud. He
placed her bags in the overhead compartment and opened his arm in a
gentlemanly gesture. "Ladies first," he told her.
She grinned gratefully. He knew how much she hated not being able to
see where they were going. She always needed to feel as though she
were in control, even if she was incapable of piloting an aircraft.
"Are you sure you don't want the window seat?" she asked,
knowing full well that he would say "No."
"No, that's alright," he answered, "You take it. I need to
stretch out my legs anyway."
"Just make sure your big feet don't trip the stewardess."
A mock expression of hurt graced his face. "I believe they prefer to
be addressed as 'flight attendants'," he told her, and then added,
"You know what they say about a guy with big feet, don't you,
Scully?"
She smiled broadly, now. "Yes, Mulder," she said, "I think I do. I
believe they say that a man with big feet is completely narcissistic
and suffers from delusions of grandeur in order to compensate for his
abnormally small..."
Her final words were obscured by the sound of the pilot speaking over
the
intercom. "Hello, this is your Captain speaking, and thank you for
flying American Airlines..."
10:15 P.M.
Mulder had his arms folded over his chest and was leaning back in the
second-class chair, hoping to glean some sliver of comfort so that he
could be overtaken by sleep and forget, at least for a short period,
all of his many woes. Scully turned her attention from the overcast,
obscured night to the bent figure of her handsome partner. She
stared at him, contemplating whether or not she should initiate the
inevitable discussion. They had to talk about her, about Lauren, or
Maria, or whatever her name was. She had to know what he was
planning on doing once they arrived in Philadelphia, but even
more so, she felt the desire to understand what mental distress
he was tormenting himself with. She thought of leaning in, of
putting her chin on his shoulder and just holding him, to let
him know that she was there and everything would be alright.
As long as she was by his side, she would never let any more
pain enter his life. And she knew that he gave her the same
protection in return.
"Take a picture, Scully," he said suddenly, maintaining his position,
not even opening his eyes.
"What?" she blurted out, confused as one waking from a
blissful dream.
"Take a picture," he repeated, "It'll last longer." He opened his
eyes and turned his neck to face her. His face was only an
inch away. She backed up and leaned against the window,
startled by their sudden proximity.
"I suppose now would not be the most opportune time to ask if you're
awake," she said.
Mulder rolled his beautiful, hazel eyes, revealing the dark circles
beneath them. "It's a shame you didn't get any sleep," she said, "It
looks like you could have really used it."
He smiled a devilish grin. "Is this your way of asking me to
join the Mile-High Club, Scully?" he asked.
It was her turn to roll her eyes. "As tempting an offer as that
sounds," she replied, "I'm afraid I'll have to pass." She
took a deep breath as she continued, "But I'm glad you're
awake, Mulder. We need to talk."
"Are you breaking up with me, Scully?"
"Mulder, be serious for a moment, please," she pleaded. His face
immediately dropped from humor to a look of stoic professionalism
that appeared whenever he was explaining some remote theory to
her that only he would take seriously. But this time, he wasn't
leading the discussion.
"Go ahead," he urged her, shaking his head in a gesture of support.
"I think we need to talk about Lauren," she said bluntly.
Mulder sighed and faced the back of the chair in front of him.
He had been expecting the conversation since they had left Dr.
Sykes' office, but he had silently hoped that Scully and he might
sit in hushed peace until their arrival in Philly. "Must we?"
he grumbled.
Scully dismissed the comment and proceeded onward, "Mulder, I know
that this is very trying for you. I mean, you weren't even aware
that Lauren was a scientist, let alone the leading geneticist in
a conspiracy to generate alien-human hybrids and then dispose of
them once their usefulness had run its course."
"I'm aware of the details, thank-you," he replied drolly, his voice
dripping sweet with sarcasm.
Scully breathed deeply and paused. "I'm sorry, Mulder," she said,
"but we need to decide how we are going to handle the investigation.
Do you want to interrogate her after we arrive at the airport
or would you like to visit the crime scene first?"
"I'll handle it, Scully," he told her, "I'd like to interrogate
her by myself when the time is right."
"When the time is right?" she questioned, her voice growing
noticeably incensed, "And when, pray tell, will the time be
right?"
"I'll handle it," he said again in a tone so commanding that even
those on the other side of the aisle were wondering what it was that
the tall, handsome man in the black suit was going to take care of.
Scully turned back to the viewless view of the window and Mulder
faced the opposite direction. She knew now was not the time to
press him, that he was dealing with too much at one time. But
even he was not going to stop her from digging into the past of
Detective Lauren Alvarez.