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part 5/6
Spring Hill Mall 2:21 pm
"This is where I was bent over when they just disappeared. The only face I saw was Jeff's. He seemed to be melting- or disintegrating. It was so strange. All I could do was scream for help."
Scully had knelt next to Kate as the teenager explained the events, and Mulder was standing next to the boarded up doors. Scully looked to Mulder, and he continued to ask her questions.
"Where would you say that the light was emanating from? I mean did you notice a beam or just a circle of light?"
"I can't remember. It was there; then it wasn't. Sorry." She smiled slightly at Scully.
Scully returned the smile. "Kate, this is important. We need to know what the light looked like."
Though it was a reasonable question, Kate got upset at this point and defensive. She suddenly stood up and shouted, "I told you! This is harder then you think. My best friends are gone and all you two can think about is government conspiracies! I'm going home!"
Scully was going to stop her, but then it hit her. Mulder made the move while Scully thought back to their conversation yesterday. He grabbed Kate by the wrists and brought her back. Kate was trembling. Mulder turned her to face him. "What do you mean conspiracies? We said nothing of the sort. What the hell are you talking about?! Tell us what you or your parents are hiding!"
Scully laid a hand on his arm, and he released Kate. She fell to the floor and was on the defense again. "Mulder," Scully pulled him to the side, "we need to think about this. I don't remember bringing the government into this at any point either. Do you think that she knows something or perhaps her parents know something?"
"Well she must have some information, Scully. Look how she's trembling. There's more to this-"
"__I know. I know what happened." Kate looked up at them. Mulder and Scully returned her gaze.
"And I'm ready to tell."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Food Court 12:46 pm
Kate was cradling a coke, while Scully feverishly took notes, and Mulder sipped his iced tea. "They saw too much and that was that. I knew they shouldn't look in there, but I said nothing. Then the light came from the far corner, and they were gone. There was nothing I could do. Grandfather said that it would only be a matter of time. The bullet hole you were inspecting, Agent Mulder, with Detective Robins, was put there as a decoy. Grandfather and my parents are part of this, and I need it to stop. You have to help my friends!"
"So you're saying your grandfather took them somewhere. Are your parents involved?"
"Yes, my mother is his daughter and has known for a while about the kidnappings and tests. They erase the memories of what the victims see and then send them on their way. It's been that way for years. My father is involved for my mother's sake and mine. I know about it, because I saw it by accident when I was ten. At that time, I had no where to turn, so I ignored it. Now my friends are paying for my decision."
"Who is your grandfather?" Mulder leaned over the table, but Kate shook her head.
"I'll tell you whatever else you want, but not that. He is a powerful and evil man working with a global consortium. I'm sorry."
Scully gave Mulder a look that said it all. "I want to go back to the site." Mulder leapt up and headed down the hall.
"Mulder! We should call for backup! Mulder!" He ignored her, and she saw him standing by the door staring at the boards.
"Think about it, Scully. Small Town, USA; five teens disappear in local mall. Who's gonna think of it as more then a kidnapping? Not the cops, or the parents. They all go on with their lives, because they were TOLD to. He's here. I can feel him."
"Who? The guy with the cigarettes, or that other guy that we keep meeting in strange situations?" Scully stopped in the hall near the music store and collected her thoughts. "Oh Mulder, come on!" Kate was standing near Dana and looked confused. She looked at the board that kept the mysterious hall off limits and noticed a hole. She moved to look in when she heard a dull roar.
Mulder look to the far corner of the hallway and saw something. There was a blue light emanating from what appeared to be a surveillance camera. His heart leapt into his throat. In a matter of seconds he pushed Dana and Kate to the floor and pulled out his gun. Mulder aimed and fired, knocking out the source. As the devise exploded, he heard a scream from Scully. He looked towards her and then back into the mall.
A man in black raised a gun and fired. He hit Mulder in the shoulder, and then he aimed for Kate. Scully heard a gun shot as she moved in front of the young woman and thought she was done for. No bullet hit her, but she heard a thump. The man in the hall was down, and so was Mulder. Mulder had mangaged to get the shot off, hitting him in the head, and killing the man instantly.
"Mulder, oh my God! Can you hear me?" Scully frantically pulled out her phone and called for paramedics. She put pressure on Mulder's shoulder and talked to him softly. He mumbled and groaned but stayed awake. The paramedics came, and as they put him on a stretcher, Mulder lost consciousness.
Scully turned to see if Kate was all right but. . . she was gone. Just gone. 'No surprise here,' Scully thought silently to herself.
Officer Robins asked her what had happened. "We were investigating the scene. Kate made a wrong move, and the whole thing went to hell in a handbasket. I'd have to say that this case is closed. I doubt any of you will be seeing Kate or her family for a long time, if ever again. That is my statement, and you can quote the whole thing for all I care. I have to get the hospital."
Scully walked off leaving the dumbfounded officer to deal with the many curious reporters. XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sherman Hospital- rm 1027 Elgin, IL December 24, 1998 10:34 am
The doctor told Scully her partner had suffered a wound to the right shoulder. It went through clean. 'Now he'll have a scar to match the one that I gave him.' she thought.
Scully walked into Mulder's room to find him awake and sitting up. He looked miserable. "Hey," she called. Dana pulled up a chair with a file in hand.
"Hey, yourself." He lifted up the shirt to show her the bandage, "Look, now the one you gave me has a twin!" He seem amused.
Scully rolled her eyes. It was so typical of Mulder to find an injury amusing, while she worried about him.
"How long will I be here?"
"You'll be released in about an hour, but only because it's the holidays, and they feel sorry for me." He gave her his famous lop sided grin, and it sent chills down her spine.
"What do you have there?" Mulder pointed to the file.
"The report for Skinner. Pretty thin considering all the fun we had here. Kate and her parents are gone, Mulder. No trace. The door in the mall has been reopened, and there are bathrooms there now. The scanner you shot has been cleaned up, and the parents of the missing children have left town as well. Does that about sum up our Christmas vacation?"
Mulder grimaced as he sat up more. "Yeah. That just goes to show you what a joy the holidays are. Did you happen to find out who her grandfather was?"
"No, I checked, and the file on her family said that he had been dead for years, so we'll never know. Sorry, Mulder. Just another X-File. Come on, partner, get dressed. I want to go home." She threw his clothes at him so he could dress and be on their way.
At the mall, a man dressed in his best suit, and looking very well manicured, looked at the doors to the bathrooms. "Such a waste of good work space." He turned and walked out.
end part 5/6
part 5/6
Spring Hill Mall 2:21 pm
"This is where I was bent over when they just disappeared. The only face I saw was Jeff's. He seemed to be melting- or disintegrating. It was so strange. All I could do was scream for help."
Scully had knelt next to Kate as the teenager explained the events, and Mulder was standing next to the boarded up doors. Scully looked to Mulder, and he continued to ask her questions.
"Where would you say that the light was emanating from? I mean did you notice a beam or just a circle of light?"
"I can't remember. It was there; then it wasn't. Sorry." She smiled slightly at Scully.
Scully returned the smile. "Kate, this is important. We need to know what the light looked like."
Though it was a reasonable question, Kate got upset at this point and defensive. She suddenly stood up and shouted, "I told you! This is harder then you think. My best friends are gone and all you two can think about is government conspiracies! I'm going home!"
Scully was going to stop her, but then it hit her. Mulder made the move while Scully thought back to their conversation yesterday. He grabbed Kate by the wrists and brought her back. Kate was trembling. Mulder turned her to face him. "What do you mean conspiracies? We said nothing of the sort. What the hell are you talking about?! Tell us what you or your parents are hiding!"
Scully laid a hand on his arm, and he released Kate. She fell to the floor and was on the defense again. "Mulder," Scully pulled him to the side, "we need to think about this. I don't remember bringing the government into this at any point either. Do you think that she knows something or perhaps her parents know something?"
"Well she must have some information, Scully. Look how she's trembling. There's more to this-"
"__I know. I know what happened." Kate looked up at them. Mulder and Scully returned her gaze.
"And I'm ready to tell."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Food Court 12:46 pm
Kate was cradling a coke, while Scully feverishly took notes, and Mulder sipped his iced tea. "They saw too much and that was that. I knew they shouldn't look in there, but I said nothing. Then the light came from the far corner, and they were gone. There was nothing I could do. Grandfather said that it would only be a matter of time. The bullet hole you were inspecting, Agent Mulder, with Detective Robins, was put there as a decoy. Grandfather and my parents are part of this, and I need it to stop. You have to help my friends!"
"So you're saying your grandfather took them somewhere. Are your parents involved?"
"Yes, my mother is his daughter and has known for a while about the kidnappings and tests. They erase the memories of what the victims see and then send them on their way. It's been that way for years. My father is involved for my mother's sake and mine. I know about it, because I saw it by accident when I was ten. At that time, I had no where to turn, so I ignored it. Now my friends are paying for my decision."
"Who is your grandfather?" Mulder leaned over the table, but Kate shook her head.
"I'll tell you whatever else you want, but not that. He is a powerful and evil man working with a global consortium. I'm sorry."
Scully gave Mulder a look that said it all. "I want to go back to the site." Mulder leapt up and headed down the hall.
"Mulder! We should call for backup! Mulder!" He ignored her, and she saw him standing by the door staring at the boards.
"Think about it, Scully. Small Town, USA; five teens disappear in local mall. Who's gonna think of it as more then a kidnapping? Not the cops, or the parents. They all go on with their lives, because they were TOLD to. He's here. I can feel him."
"Who? The guy with the cigarettes, or that other guy that we keep meeting in strange situations?" Scully stopped in the hall near the music store and collected her thoughts. "Oh Mulder, come on!" Kate was standing near Dana and looked confused. She looked at the board that kept the mysterious hall off limits and noticed a hole. She moved to look in when she heard a dull roar.
Mulder look to the far corner of the hallway and saw something. There was a blue light emanating from what appeared to be a surveillance camera. His heart leapt into his throat. In a matter of seconds he pushed Dana and Kate to the floor and pulled out his gun. Mulder aimed and fired, knocking out the source. As the devise exploded, he heard a scream from Scully. He looked towards her and then back into the mall.
A man in black raised a gun and fired. He hit Mulder in the shoulder, and then he aimed for Kate. Scully heard a gun shot as she moved in front of the young woman and thought she was done for. No bullet hit her, but she heard a thump. The man in the hall was down, and so was Mulder. Mulder had mangaged to get the shot off, hitting him in the head, and killing the man instantly.
"Mulder, oh my God! Can you hear me?" Scully frantically pulled out her phone and called for paramedics. She put pressure on Mulder's shoulder and talked to him softly. He mumbled and groaned but stayed awake. The paramedics came, and as they put him on a stretcher, Mulder lost consciousness.
Scully turned to see if Kate was all right but. . . she was gone. Just gone. 'No surprise here,' Scully thought silently to herself.
Officer Robins asked her what had happened. "We were investigating the scene. Kate made a wrong move, and the whole thing went to hell in a handbasket. I'd have to say that this case is closed. I doubt any of you will be seeing Kate or her family for a long time, if ever again. That is my statement, and you can quote the whole thing for all I care. I have to get the hospital."
Scully walked off leaving the dumbfounded officer to deal with the many curious reporters. XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sherman Hospital- rm 1027 Elgin, IL December 24, 1998 10:34 am
The doctor told Scully her partner had suffered a wound to the right shoulder. It went through clean. 'Now he'll have a scar to match the one that I gave him.' she thought.
Scully walked into Mulder's room to find him awake and sitting up. He looked miserable. "Hey," she called. Dana pulled up a chair with a file in hand.
"Hey, yourself." He lifted up the shirt to show her the bandage, "Look, now the one you gave me has a twin!" He seem amused.
Scully rolled her eyes. It was so typical of Mulder to find an injury amusing, while she worried about him.
"How long will I be here?"
"You'll be released in about an hour, but only because it's the holidays, and they feel sorry for me." He gave her his famous lop sided grin, and it sent chills down her spine.
"What do you have there?" Mulder pointed to the file.
"The report for Skinner. Pretty thin considering all the fun we had here. Kate and her parents are gone, Mulder. No trace. The door in the mall has been reopened, and there are bathrooms there now. The scanner you shot has been cleaned up, and the parents of the missing children have left town as well. Does that about sum up our Christmas vacation?"
Mulder grimaced as he sat up more. "Yeah. That just goes to show you what a joy the holidays are. Did you happen to find out who her grandfather was?"
"No, I checked, and the file on her family said that he had been dead for years, so we'll never know. Sorry, Mulder. Just another X-File. Come on, partner, get dressed. I want to go home." She threw his clothes at him so he could dress and be on their way.
At the mall, a man dressed in his best suit, and looking very well manicured, looked at the doors to the bathrooms. "Such a waste of good work space." He turned and walked out.
end part 5/6