24.

Australia.

June 5TH  (9.25am)

Scully looked up from her microscope. She had spent a month now working solidly on her 'project' and it was painstaking work. Already she'd had one attempt at bringing a clone into the world that had failed quite profoundly. #1 had not been best pleased. Since the initial meeting she had been able to find out that the aliens were in fact named the 'Zigoras' from some outer solar system planet called Zigoran. It was amazing that they had fused their DNA with two humans but re-creating the 'real' alien colony was proving extremely difficult for Scully. Cloning was not as easy at it sounded. The 'how to' work she had discovered upon the Internet was not as clear-cut as it had first seemed.

Scully bit her lower lip as she attempted the process once more that day. Firstly to extract the DNA from a recreated cell, then extract DNA from the host egg. Finally put the DNA from the alien cell into the egg and voila, one alien foetus in the making. It was here the problem occurred. As the cell began its process of meiosis it would suddenly begin to deteriorate. Scully couldn't fathom why. Everything she had been doing was according to the information that she had downloaded and read in her predecessor's notes. It was infuriating.

"Damn it!" Scully yelled at her microscope.

Out of frustration Scully's arm snapped back and launched a test tube rack across the room. In the process spilling the contents, of saline solution and deteriorated cells, across the floor and she tore off her latex gloves. A whole month she had been working upon the project and had got nowhere. It was always the same. There had been one baby. One of the alien DNA structures had worked and began the natural cell division and had even been at the stage of implantation but it had failed to be taken by the 'Mother' who, along with #1, had not accepted the news well.

It was worse for Scully she hadn't been out of the building since her arrival. Sunlight was something she saw through the window in her room. God forbid her wanting to go for a stroll or a run in the park. Her life had been consumed by the determination to see this project through. Even that was wearing thin now that the project seemed doomed to fail. She had to think of it as a project. She couldn't bear the thought of her actually doing this through coercion.

The room was virtually empty apart from 3791 and 8965 who were studying her 'experimentations' so they could perform them at later dates. They watched Scully throw her equipment across the room and her proceed to pick the pieces up.

Scully felt the heat rush to her face quicker than lightening. Another hot flush swamped her system. It had been happening on and off recently. She knew for sure it was the 'change' and the prospect terrified her.

 She felt like she was losing her mind as well as control over her body. The whole situation was mind blowing. The menopause meant her whole life would alter. There would be no sex drive, an essential especially with Mulder as your life partner. It was awful. Poor Mulder, poor her, how would this alter their relationship? As she thought about Mulder her fingers carefully collected the glass pieces and placed them in her free hand.

A cold breeze filtered through the room and Scully found herself staring at her daughter just like she had a month ago. The girl was sat in bed hugging her bear mouthing words Scully couldn't fathom. The girl's eyes opened; Mother and daughter exchanged smiles. Scully looked over her shoulder. It seemed the 'aliens' couldn't see Samantha like she was able to. Scully turned back and Samantha was reaching out for her. Scully's empty hand reached out to touch her daughter's face as she moved towards her. Scully smiled through the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes. Samantha had nearly reached Scully when she faded away just like before. Tears blurred Scully's vision and she turned back to tidying her mess. Blinded by her tears she caught the edge of the broken glass against her skin causing it to bleed.

Placing the pieces upon the bench Scully went to find a sharps box for the fragments.

A hissing could be heard as Scully approached the bench again. The bench had a green glow to it where the fragments of glass should have been. A hazy pea green smoke covered the bench and Scully had to wave her hand to see what was going on.

"Oh my god!" Scully exclaimed making her two observers race to her side.

Beneath the smoke the cells that had been in the test tube had begun dividing rapidly. As Scully and her aides watched in disbelief a small but perfect foetus lay on the bench with the tiniest of umbilical cords snaked toward the glass that still contained small droplets of Scully's blood.

"That's it!" Scully said. "Blood" she cheered. If she were right then she would be going home sooner than she had anticipated. A smile spread across her lips as she looked down at the 'baby' that still lay upon the bench. Snapping on another pair of gloves Scully gently touched her creation. It was two maybe two and a half inches tall and made up of a multitude of blood vessels that were covered with a layer of skin no thicker than paper. Scully traced its face with her forefinger and instinctively its head snapped back in search of food. The umbilical cord made a slurping noise, as it seemed to vacuum Scully's blood from the glass fragments.

"Get me some blood. Please." Scully asked 8965 who was back in seconds. Scully grabbed a beaker and snatched the blood bag from 8965. Scully tore the transfusion bag open with her teeth and began pouring the contents into the beaker. Tenderly she picked up her 'baby' and placed it in the beaker, too.

Once in the beaker it began to gain colour. Having been a see through white the foetus altered to a pale flesh colour similar to Scully's own. Scully was thrilled. Maybe this was it. Had she created the perfect clone?