New Beginnings 14
Mulder was awoken by a persistent shaking. He groaned and rolled over, shoving his face further into the crook of his arm.
"Mulder, wake up!" a voice whined with the underlying tone of a child on Christmas morning. "It's time to get up!"
Mulder lazily lifted his head from its resting place between his arm and the back of the couch. "Sc--Dana, it's," he pauses and studies his watch, "Five-Thirty! Go back to sleep."
"But I want to talk to him."
"Who?"
"GOD!" Dana Gordon whined, raising her voice in impatience.
"He's not up this early," Mulder mumbled, going back to sleep.
In a huff not unlike the tantrum of a five-year-old, Dana Gordon sat down on the couch, partially landing on Mulder's stomach. Mulder tried to roll over and return to his slumber, but the constant stare of Dana proved to uncomfortable. Grudgingly, he sat up, forcing Dana off of the couch. "Fine, I'm up." he mumbled as Dana clapped her hands. "Why don't you go take a shower?" he suggested.
Dana shook her head, "I already did."
Mulder just nodded as he padded into the disgusting albeit necessary bathroom of the Lone Gunmen's hideout. By quarter past seven, everybody was up and alert. Langly helped Dana insert the "God device" into her ear as Frohike confirmed that the instruments were in full working order.
"So, where is Donald?" Mulder asked Dana.
"He said that after he did God's work in Las Vegas," Dana began, as Mulder remembered with disgust that "God's work" had included illegal gambling and what he suspects was recruiting people for his program with the aliens. "He would return to Salt Lake City."
"I just bought four airline tickets to just that city, all under false names," Byers chimed in from his position in front of the computer.
"Well," Mulder said, looking around, "I guess we're off to Utah."
xXx
Byers and Mulder unloaded the luggage from the conveyer belt at the Salt Lake City Airport. Dana stood, swaying from side to side trying to help her baby--or rather, Scully's baby--fall asleep. She was waiting for Byers and Mulder to walk her to one of the two cars that they had acquired from the local Rent-a-Car.
Dana and William would take one car, and Mulder and the Lone Gunmen would follow in another. Byers, who for the time being would play God, sat in the back of the SUV reassembling the equipment he would use to reach Dana. As soon as he got it hooked up, he tested it out.
"Dana," he said, hoping that he could pull off his character.
"God?" an excited and frightened voice came through the speaker.
"My..uh..child. You have been called to do my work," Byers faltered.
"I will do whatever you ask."
Mulder nodded at Byers reassuringly. "Go and find Donald Gordon. I must test his loyalty to me, just as I have tested prophets before."
"Okay."
"I...um..talk to me before you meet Donald."
"I will."
Byers switched the microphone off. He looked over at Mulder and Langly and sighed. "So far, so good," he said.
"Do you think we can pull this off?" Frohike asked from behind the wheel.
"Definitely," Langly said confidentally.
"I'm a little worried," Mulder admitted. "This has to be really wrong. We're pretending to be God to manipulate an innocent woman."
"I guess in that sense, we're no better than Donald Gordon," Byers thought aloud.
"No," Langly intervened, "We are doing it for a good cause. Besides, technically, Dana Gordon isn't anyone. It's delusional character that Gordon created to further gain control."
"I can't help but feel like we're doing this to Scully," Mulder said.
And with that, the four men were left to brood in their own guilt and uncertainty until Dana arrived at the home of her husband.