"This gets better all the time," Harm mocked. He was thoroughly convinced by now that he was having his chain pulled.

Sarah Mackenzie ignored his mocking tone. "You're right," she said seriously. "The best bits are still to come."

"Tell on," he said and gestured toward her as though approving her continuing to spin this story. He drained the last of his coffee from the cup, and desperately wanted another but he wasn't going to miss the end of this story for the world.

*

As far as Sarah Mackenzie was concerned the glowing white room disappeared. She was no longer sprawled on an altar that had grown from the floor for her. She had been transported instantly to somewhere else.

The glowing white room was replaced by a dingy gloomy place. She tested her impressions, looked around her new surroundings in confusion. This was not what she had expected. Not this total immersion in the experience. She was disconcerted and struggled to regain her composure. She could feel things, not just see them and hear them.

The space was closed, but it felt big for a room, like being inside an auditorium, but it was illuminated by a single spot light. She couldn't see the walls but she was certain they were out there, just beyond the pool of light that illuminated both her and the other man in the room.

The air was cold.

She looked down at herself. It was her body; the conclusion coming from all those subliminal clues that she relied on to know her own body space. She wore he JAG uniform, everything was familiar. She almost expected to come through to the sensenviron in some one else's body, or naked. Coming through exactly as she had entered was possibly the one thing she had not expected. It was vaguely comforting though and for that she was thankful.

Gooseflesh had broken out on her arms she noted.

Fox Mulder was strapped into a chair where her was restrained by a machine that was attacking his body. Lots of tiny needles had already pierced his skin, pulled it tight in unfamiliar ways. He seemed to be in great pain.

He was naked.

"This is not real," the voice of Odin seemed to invade Mackenzie's mind directly without going in through her ears. "It is the earliest recording we have before his consciousness was damaged during their experimentation. Unfortunately it is also the best recording that we have. We hope the death experience has not tainted this recording too badly."

"His death experience?" she asked shocked.

"They recorded his death. It can be endured as a time based experience by simply replaying the quantum state of his consciousness throughout the process."

"That is disgusting."

"Your reaction is part of the reason why we need a human perspective. Please be aware that we can reanimate his body and recover his physical well being. That has never been in question. We need to determine if the consciousness that we have available for the body, is ethically able to return and join his people."

"You have doubts?"

"It is possible that his reason has broken down. We do not have any base line data upon which to make that assessment."

Mackenzie had an ugly thought in response to that comment. "If he is insane, what will you do with him?"

"Return his body to you. We see no reason to reanimate him if he cannot function."

"That is…" She shook her head.

"Alien?"

"Yes."

"You understand the nature of our problem then. We will animate this sensenviron when you are ready."

"What do I ask him?"

"Get him talking about himself. Free association is usually best."

"OK," she turned to Fox Mulder and addressed him. "Hello."

His eyes flicked open, almost in panic. "Who is that?" he demanded.

"Colonel Sarah Mackenzie," she answered. "US Judge Advocate General's department."

Mulder's eyes tracked the direction of her voice. His head remained constrained by the needles that pierced his skin. Mackenzie strode across the floor until she was within the range of viewpoints his eyes could reach.

"You're not real," he accused.

She smiled at him. "I am," she contradicted. "We both are. This," she waved her arm around, "is a contstruct, but you and I, we are real."

His eyes widened in negation. "No you're not," he said. His voice had taken a hoarse edge. "You're something that they've dredged up out of my subconsciousness. They can clone people. I should know I've come across enough of them."

"I'm real," she said. She held her arms away from her sides as though to indicate 'this is who I am'.

Her clothing disappeared, leaving her naked to his gaze. She blinked for a moment in confusion, marshalled her reactions and then heaved one heavy sigh. Mulder's eyes followed the movement of her chest.

*

"Huh," barked Harmon Rabka. "I wish I'd been there."

"It wasn't funny Harm."

"I don't suppose it was. It's not as though you put much more on display then, than you did during that trip to Australia."

"It wasn't the same. Not there in that alien environment. When I stripped in Australia, it was my choice."

"And this wasn't," he concluded.

"Yes."

"What did your alien make of that?"

"I'm getting to that."

*

Fox Mulder peered at her for a moment, as though committing the image of Sarah Mackenzies nudity to memory. His inspection had gone on long enough, she decided. She covered her self with her arms. "I think you have seen enough," she chided.

"Sorry," he muttered. "You must get a lot of that kind of unwanted attention." Her clothing reappeared.

The sensorium paused.

"You are disconcerted?" Odin asked her. "Our data suggests that this incident produced a moral ethical dilemma. Can you explain?"

She took a deep breath. "I am upset," she said.

"Yes. We can determine that. We gather many reactions from you. We wish you to consider your response and explain it to us."

"How I feel about it?"

"Yes, if you will."

She thought carefully for a moment before answering. There was nothing to be gained by equivocation, she was sure of that much at least. "I feel disrespected," she explained slowly, "as though my biological function is considered more important than my self."

"Your consciousness?"

"Yes."

"Continue. We also detected traces of positive responses on your part. Can you explain those tinges."

She thought for a moment. Making sure she knew exactly what they referred to. "I am slightly flattered that he considered me worthy of his attention."

"There is some element of mutual attraction?"

She looked at Mulder and smiled at the frankness of the aliens. "Yes some," she admitted. Brutal honesty was the only way forward from here.

"Is there more?"

"I experienced some minor element of liberation. The confines of the clothing are restrictive. Some element of sensuality as well."

"We have convergence on those traces. We still have more negative connotations in our measurements. We calibrate more than disrespect."

"Surprise."

"Yes, possibly."

"Cultural taboo."

"There is an element of conditioned response to it as well. We have sufficient convergence to proceed. Are you ready to continue?"

Mackenzie reminded herself that she was dealing with an alien. "Thank you," she said with heavy sarcasm.

"There is more?"

"Some. I can make some judgements from just this one interaction."

"Was that a morally inferior impulse on his part?"

"Yes."

"Is it atypical?"

She heaved a heavy sigh and admitted. "No. It was somewhat more real than the usual stripped-by-his-eyes response that men seem to do all the time. That was all."

"It was normal then?"

"Yes, but juvenile."

"Reversion to immature behaviour is sometimes inherent in the collapse of the moral and ethical conditioning of people who have been subject to destructive experiences. It may well be that we have a damaged consciousness to consider here. Please continue."

That didn't sound promising to Mackenzie. Despite his earlier actions she was already feeling a quietly disconcerting proprietary feeling for the plight of Fox Mulder. It was what she normally did under these circumstances, she empathised with her client. To some extent it was him and her, united against the mighty aliens. It was hard not to be parochial.

"How did you get yourself into this mess?" she asked Mulder.

His eyes sought hers. "I searched for my sister," he said. "This is my reward." His tone carried a note of heavy cynicism.

Mackenzie thought hard about that response. "Why would she be here?" she asked.

"These bastards kidnapped her when we were children. I can remember it. It took hypnotic regression, but I managed it. I remember it now. It was these little bastards." His eyes sought skyward as though the Asgards were watching them from above.

"Odin," Mackensie called to the air. "Is that true?"

"Possibly. We have very little information about what was done during the period while the Goa'uld were active and in control of our outpost."

"Do you know where she is?"

"No."

She turned her attention back to the man in the needling torture chair. "Did you hear that conversation Fox?"

"Nobody calls me Fox."

"Mulder then?"

"Yeah. OK."

"Did you hear my conversation with Odin?"

"Yes."

"Do you believe them?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because they always lie. Every time I get close to the truth, they hide it. They hide it behind subterfuge. There's a conspiracy. There are men working with them. Influential men."

"Odin, that was true wasn't it?"

"We believe it is. Yes."

"What were they doing?" she asked Odin.

"Building a genetic hybrid between the Asgard and the human," the alien answered.

She took a moment to digest that. "What for?"

"So they could colonise your world. The humans would be slaves, the Asgard/human hybrids would be the hosts of the Goa'uld. It would be a body with much longer life span while retaining the same human physical strength and stamina, much more capable than our own. That is one piece of solid information that we were able to gain from our investigation."

"He found all this out?"

"Yes."

"That was an impressive piece of investigative work."

"In part that is why we have gone to so much trouble to repair him."

She turned back to the prisoner anchored into the chair. "Mulder, what would you do if you could get out of this trap?"

"I would expose the truth. The people have the right to know."

"How would you do that?"

"Newspapers, the internet, the courts. I'd make the information public. These people have to be accountable."

OK, this was getting close to the matter. Sarah Mackenzie was closing in for the kill on her cross-examination.

"Wouldn't you want to chase them down and kill them?"

He frowned. "What would that achieve?"

"They would be gone."

"That's their way. It's not mine. There's been enough killing. I've seen it. I will not be responsible for it."

"Have you ever killed anyone?"

A hesitation. "Yes."

She moved closer to him, pitched her voice intimately. "Why?"

"We were attacked. My partner and me."

"You defended yourself."

"Or my partner. It has happened more than once."

"These events were the subject of an inquiry within the FBI."

"Always. Every time."

"Odin. How much can he hold back?"

"Nothing. He is not lying to you."

"This man has mainstream human ethics and behaviours."

"You have reached a conclusion that you are comfortable with?"

"Yes."

"Do you wish to remain in the sensorium, in case something comes up in discussion?"

"No."

"Very well."