Chapter Six.
During the ride to the meeting Monica looked over and could tell Scully was still very nervous and anxious and tried to think of a way to somehow relax her and get her head clear so she was in a good state of mind to even take this meeting.
She was keeping one eye on the road and another on Dana and yet still hadn't come up with one thing to say to her. She finally stopped trying to be clever and just said what was on her mind, "Were going to get William back Dana."
Scully looked back at Monica, put her hand on her arm and smiled at her, "Thanks. I know we will. It's just hard knowing he's somewhere scared and alone and who knows what they might be doing to him. God, this has to be over soon. This tip has to pan out."
"We have so much information now and it's all coming together. We will find William and bring him home to where he belongs and that I know. Every instinct I have is telling me were this close to finding out about who has William and why he was taken and just what part do all these men play in this whole alien conspiracy. This is coming to a head and were going to be there when it does." Monica added as she smiled back at Dana.
Scully was so happy to hear Monica's scenario about how things were going to turn out and it did keep her mind more focused as well, "I admire your confidence Monica. I do believe I will be with William again and I hate to doubt that and when I do it's so reassuring to have you here keeping my spirits up. I hope you know how much you mean to me. Everything you've done for me. I just wanted you to know that no matter what happens I will never forget how much help you've been to me. I do want to make it up to you when this is over."
Monica had a twinkle in her smile as she looked back at Dana, "I like the sound of that. What did you have in mind?"
Scully actually had a smile come over her face and she looked right at Monica, "Well, I keep having this dream about a beautiful island with sandy beaches and palm trees all around. You and I lying in the sun getting a gorgeous bronze tans over every inch of our bodies and drinking pinacalotas until the sun goes down and then spending the nights making love under the moonlight."
Monica was smiling at Scully very descriptive suggestion and she was quite unhappy that she was driving right now, because she would have loved to just lean over and kiss her and thank her for such a great offer, but she had to wait on the kiss for now, "That sounds like paradise to me. I would love to join you on any island anywhere. Just say the word and I'm there."
"I was hoping you would say that. Well that gives us another thing to look forward to when this whole mess is over. I really can't wait to do this with you." Scully was finally able to have a brief moment of happiness before her cell phone brought her back to reality. She pulled it out of her purse and held it up to her ear, "Scully here."
"It's Skinner. We have some more information on that warehouse Vladimir told you about. It is listed as being owned by a company called, Tripera Inc. That in itself means very little, but we did some checking and the two major stockholders in Tripera Inc. are none other than Krycek and the cigarette smoking man. The company owns literally thousands of smaller companies, mostly in the chemical engineering field, with a handful having no real description. The company in question, Possum & Barnett's Fine Wine's, is not what it appears to be. We have reason to believe it is a chemical processing plant that is currently being used to create the black liquid."
"How come we didn't know about this before?" Scully wondered. "Mainly because it was a part of the investigation Follmer was in charge of. We now have all his records and are sifting through them as we speak. We have sent a team to this warehouse and I will let you know what we find." Skinner paused to talk to someone else in the room before continuing. "I just was informed that we had a sighting of Krycek just 15 minutes ago in the general vicinity of your meeting. I want you two to be very careful. Krycek has to be aware that his freedom is all but over and that makes him an even more dangerous man than usual."
"Okay, thanks again for the update. We'll be on high alert. Were almost at the address for this meeting now so we are going to park the car and walk from here." Scully added and was about ready to hang up. Skinner managed to catch her before she did, "One last thing, those men I sent to give you some backup are in place and will be ready to move in on your signal should anything go wrong."
"Alright. Well were off now so I will talk to you later and hope to have some more information when we do." Skinner wished them luck and Dana put her phone back in her purse and the two women got out of the car and slowly made their way down Birch Street and looked for a concession stand and saw one right on the corner beside a hot dog vendor and a phone booth.
As they got closer, they saw a man with gray hair sitting alone on a bench looking around very erratically.
When they got close enough they could tell it was Senator Richard Matheson. But was he the one who called them or was it just a coincidence? They needed to find out.
They walked up to him, sat down at his table and waited for him to say something and thankfully he did.
"I'm glad you made it." he was very nervous and constantly looking around, "Look, Krycek is after me. I told him I wanted out and he didn't take if very well. I want money. I want protection and I want immunity from any prosecution and I will tell you everything about Krycek and his plans."
"We are not in a position to agree to your demands. I need to know everything you do and then we can talk." Scully was being honest but knew he would not be happy about this.
"You better find someone who can give me what I want. Time is running out. If Krycek succeeds the whole world will be affected, and not for the better I might add. You have no idea what he plans on doing, and your son is part of this. A big part."
Scully's whole demeanor changed after his last comments, "What are you talking about? Tell me what you know about my son? Now!!"
"I can't. I'm sorry. I need protection first. Take me to someone who can make these deals. I will tell you then. We do not have much time." his face was dead serious and he was not going to budge until he felt safe.
Monica leaned over toward Dana, "Look, let's just take him to Skinner and maybe he will feel safe there and he can tell you something while they try and negotiate with him."
Scully knew it was her only chance so they took him by the arm and led him back to the car.
As they got close to the car, they saw Krycek standing beside it smiling at them.
They didn't have much time to think. Monica told Dana to take Matheson to Skinner and she would take care of Krycek.
Scully argued at first, but when Krycek started moving forward, she told Monica to be careful and then took off with the Senator. Monica took out her gun and Krycek backed off just enough to give Dana a chance to escape. She tried to talk to him and stall some more, "Looks like your caught Krycek. So why not just tell me what you were planning. I'm sure it was something spectacular."
"Oh it is. I say it because it will happen." Krycek began slowly moving in a circle around Monica, "You can try and stop me but it won't work. Shoot me. I don't mind. I'm well past fearing death. You won't be able to do a thing about what happens next."
Monica was keeping her eye out for any of Krycek's associates and trying to stay focused and do her best to get Krycek to slip up somehow and say anything that might help them, "You sound pretty confident. I think you underestimate the will of us humans. Whatever you have planned will not go without a fight."
Krycek laughed at Monica and took a couple steps closer, took out a vial from his jacket pocket and held it up for her to see, "Do you know what this is?"
Monica took one look and then turned her head away, "Well it looks like you were peeing in glass to me. I figured it would be black though, coming from you that is."
"Very amusing, but no. It had no name as of yet. So it's not FDA approved my any means, but what it is will change the world. Yes, the whole world, and no it's not some death pill. Believe it or not, it's not even about taking over the world like I'm sure you and your FBI buddies want to believe. It's much more human than that. It's about money."
"That's almost typical. People have died. So any possible financial reward you think you might get from this is not going to happen. Not when you're behind bars." Monica said, thinking everything would be so much better if they could just get Krycek out of the picture.
Krycek laughed yet again and moved even closer, "Do you really think a prison can hold me? Have you not seen these super soldiers? They don't die. They are invincible. Well, that's just the tip of the iceberg." once again he paused and tried to get closer to Monica, but she kept her distance, "Oh do you think you would be safe if I wanted you dead? Right now, you're the least of my concerns. Just to show you there are no hard feelings I'm willing to let both you and Scully and hey even Mulder and Doggett and maybe even good old Skinner have a chance to get in on this. I don't hold grudges."
"You're crazy if you think any of us would have anything to do with you now. Besides, you're not the boss. You're just a little flunky for the cigarette smoking man." Monica said in a very condescending voice.
"Oh, you're trying to provoke me. I wouldn't do that if I were you." he said as the smile left his face and a nasty sneer replaced it, "But fact is, I work for myself. He has his agenda and I have mine."
"I just bet." Monica said with disgust, "But, you have to admit he's pretty good at what he does. He's lasted what, 60, 70 years now? I think when he feels you have served your purpose you will end up dead like all the others he's used before you."
"Again, you're misinformed Reyes. He isn't 60 or 70 or 90. Nope. He's over 120 years old." he said, getting as much enjoyment from her look of disbelief than anything else.
"You're lying. We have his birth certificate. He worked with Skinner for years. No way he's that old." Monica snapped back, not wanting to believe what he was saying. It just made no sense.
"Well, believe what you want. It is true and this little black liquid is part of that. Oh yes, you have no idea the uses of this wonderful product." Krycek added, much like that of a salesman pitching his new product.
"Why not inform me then. Maybe I would be interested. So it's an anti- aging liquid is it? I can't say that doesn't appeal to me in some small way. How much do you have to drink for this to work?" Reyes questioned, hoping for the slightest slip from Krycek.
"I'm sorry, that's confidential at the moment." Krycek grinned, "I just don't feel you're really interested Agent Reyes. You're just trying to kill time so Scully can get some information from that low life Matheson. Which is fine. I'd do the same thing myself. But, he's useless. His information is second hand. He's just not going to be what Dana needs. I on other hand know exactly where William is right this minute."
Monica wasn't sure what to do about this but the more information she got from him the better it was, so she played along, "I love how you call him a low life. That's hilarious. Coming from such an upstanding citizen as yourself. Now as for William, if you took him you can add kidnapping to your list of charges."
"I don't like to think of it as kidnapping really. I prefer to think of it as insurance. William is different from other little boys. Whatever Scully was told was wrong. The one thing your people are not aware of is that alien DNA does not start to grow inside a human for over 10 years. So he will seem normal until then. The day is alien DNA takes affect it won't hurt him. He will be the same boy he is now, only stronger. If he is given the right black liquid he could achieve greatness of epic proportions."
Monica looked at Krycek as if he'd lost his mind, but could not totally discount what he was saying without some proof and if he was telling the truth at all, Scully's little boy would become a project the government would never let go of.
"Krycek, I don't know if any of this is true. I don't. I've seen no evidence. The so called, 'super soldiers' could be explained in any number of ways. Listen, it's been nice talking to you but I really have to be going now." Monica said as she backed up a little a time.
Krycek didn't try and stop her and just watch as she took off running, but did give her something to think about as he appeared in front of her just moments after she started running away.
She stopped, turned around to where he was standing and then looked back to where he was and he was gone again. She turned around again and he was directly in front of her smiling smugly as she backed away again.
Krycek laughed, then stopped and calmly looked at Reyes, "You see Monica, this liquid does things you can't begin to comprehend right now. We're only just now learning some of the other benefits of this liquid."
Monica couldn't explain how he seemed to be able to move so fast and be in two places at once but she had to believe there was a logical explanation for it, "Yep, that was a nice little illusion you pulled off, but I have no time for your tricks right now. We'll meet again and you will be going to jail. So enjoy your last few hours Krycek."
He just laughed as she got in a cab and took off.
She arrived at FBI headquarters about 20 minutes later and was taken to where Scully was interviewing Matheson. Walking up to Skinner, she told him about her conversation with Krycek. He knocked on the door where Scully was and called her out. Monica then told Scully the same thing and she was trying to take it all in as best she could.
"Matheson hasn't said much so far because he's not getting all the guarantee's he wants, but he has said enough to believe he could have some valuable information. After hearing what you told me about Krycek, I wonder if it's worth negotiating with him any further."
Monica listened intently to Scully talk and was quick to add her thoughts on this topic, "I don't know. Krycek has no fear of being caught right now. None. He feels invincible and right now he may be right. Something is obviously going to happen in the next few days that can either make or break a lot of what Krycek has planned and if Matheson knows about it, he could still be useful."
Skinner was handed a piece of paper and he spent a minute or two reading it and then handed it to Scully and she read it out loud, "It is regrettable that we have to inform you that the special unit you sent to check out the Possum & Barnett's Fine Wine's warehouse were all killed. 8 dead."
"OMG. We have to stop these people. Now!" Scully said loudly as she handed the piece of paper back to Skinner and walked back into the room with Matheson.
She stared at him silently, letting him see how angry she was before she decided to speak, "Okay, we just had an agent come back after having an extensive conversation with Krycek and he told us more in 5 minutes than you have the whole time you've been here. Now I'm running out of patience with you. We just got word that 8 of our agents were killed by these super soldiers and you might have been able to prevent this had you told us what you know. What keeps coming to my mind with people such as yourself is we have no reason to hold you here. None. If you think you can get a better deal with Krycek then go for it. For now you are free to leave."
Matheson's face went whiter than usual and he looked at Scully with a pleading look coming over his face, "You can't do that. I am turning myself in. I want protection. You have to give it to me. It's your job."
"No it isn't. We protect those who INFORM us of things. You have not. You have done nothing but stall. Trying to get more and more out of your so called deal. That's over now. We offered you way more than you deserve. You just got greedy. Now you blew it. We will stop Krycek, with or without your help." Scully got up to leave and Matheson grabbed her arm.
She gave him a very dirty look and he let go, "I'm sorry. You know I can't go back on the street with Krycek on the loose. This is blackmail. The FBI does not work this way. I have information and I will give it to you. I accept your last offer. So where do I start talking?"
"I'm afraid not. You rejected our last offer. The new one is the original one. Take it or leave it."
He was extremely annoyed and wanted to walk out that room but he wasn't completely stupid and he agreed to the deal and so Scully handed Matheson over to Skinner who then had him taken to the main interrogation room and they would film and record the whole thing and see what he had to say.
Scully and Reyes went down to the cafeteria and had some coffee as Dana waited patiently for this interview to be over so she might have some concrete information to work with.
Reyes was slowly drinking her coffee wondering what to say to ease Scully's mind but there were no words to speed the process so she put her hand over Scully's and smiled back at her, "We are getting close Dana. I can feel it." Reyes stood up and motioned for Dana to come with her.
Monica led her down to the basement and down a long corridor until she came to a door that simply read, "Greenhouse."
She took out a card key and inserted it in the slot, the door opened and the two women stepped inside.
Dana smiled as she looked around the room. It was the size of a small house filled with every type of flower she could imagine and along with the hundreds upon hundreds of different flowers were just as many different plants that she'd never seen before.
The lab was designed to create everything from chemical weapons to antidotes for them. It had numerous other uses, but it also served as a place for agents to go to just relax and smell the flowers literally. Dana was smiling as she walked through the many long isles filled with every flower known to exist. Monica walked up to meet her from the other end of the isle and they stopped in the middle where Monica took Dana's hand and pulled her close, "I like it when you smile. You have the most beautiful smile I've ever seen."
"Well I tend to smile when I'm happy and you help make me happy and for that I thank you. So much." "I want to do this. I want you to be happy and I know you will be when this is all over and we find William and can get your life back again."
"Oh god I want that so much." Scully smiled, and let out a huge sigh of relief at the very idea of getting her son back. Then she looked at Monica and smiled, "I know we haven't had a chance to talk much since, well, since we spent the night together, but I want you to know that was very special to me. I also want you to know that I want you to be a part of my life once this is over. Part of our lives, William's and mine. I hope you know this."
Monica's eyes lit up and then began to tear up and she just put her arms around Dana and hugged her tightly. After a very long time, Dana pulled back, held Monica's head up and smiled back at her, "I hope this means you want to be part of our lives?"
Monica smiled and gave Dana a quick kiss, "Oh yes. I'd love that. I just want you to be happy."
Dana kissed her back, "I will be if you're in my life."
"Then we're both going to be very happy." Monica kissed Dana again but, Scully's cell phone interrupted them again.
She took it out of her purse and put it to her ear, "Scully here."
"Scully, we've made a deal with Matheson. He's given us a wealth of information about Krycek and Follmer along with the last known location of their chemical labs. We're going to send a team there now. Do you and Reyes want to join us?" Skinner asked. "Actually I want to have 5 minutes alone Matheson. Is that possible?"
"I don't see why not. He's given us a lot so I don't know what more you're looking for."
"I think he knows more about Krycek's plans and his whereabouts. Even though he's cut a deal I think if he feels like he's protected he might cough up something else we could use."
"Alright then. I'll set it up."
Scully closed her cell, put it back in her purse and told Monica of the latest developments and they both headed back to the interrogations rooms.
Skinner came off the elevator along with Matheson and two armed guards with him. He led Matheson into the room and told Scully she had 15 minutes and then he was going to be taken away for reorientation for his new identity. Scully thanked Skinner, walked into the room and sat across from Matheson.
"Well, I'll make this brief." Scully said bluntly and then leaned in and grabbed Matheson by his bright red tie, "I need the most current information you have on Krycek and Follmer."
"Take it easy. I've told you guys everything I know."
"I don't think so. I think you're holding out just in case you need to make another deal. Well that's fine, but I need to find Krycek now. He has my child and this can't wait."
"I'm sorry he took your son. I said that was a bad idea. But Krycek listens to nobody."
"That's nice, but where is he?" Scully was growing increasingly impatient with Matheson and he could feel it.
"Look, all's I know is they are in the final stages of testing alien DNA and if it all goes according to plan they will have enough black liquid to create more than just super soldiers. I'm talking super doctor's, lawyer's, businessmen. Literally everything. I told Skinner all this. He has the location of this lab now."
"Okay, but I need to know where Krycek might be now. You must have some idea." Scully continued to push Matheson until he gave her something useful.
"I can give you a couple places he likes to hang out when he's not working. One is the Shaker's Pub on East 43rd street near the old cemetery. He also likes to enjoy the scenery at, "Kitty's Playground," a strip joint down on Mulberry Street. Those are the only two places I've seen him at more than once, outside of his apartment, but he rarely goes there."
"Thanks for the names, but you might as well give me his address just so we can check it out."
"It's also on the east side. A very seedy part of town and with his money it's hard to understand why he stays there, but the address is apartment number #545, 234, 40th street. Only blocks away from Shaker's Pup."
"If any of these leads pan out I'll make sure it's passed along to the right people."
Scully walked out of the room with a sense of hope and let Monica know what she learned and the two of them took off.
Once inside the car the two women mulled over the options and decided to check out Shaker's Pub first.
The drive was no more than 10 minutes and both women stayed focused and determined that something positive was going to happen soon that breaks this case wide open. They just hoped it would be now.
Scully parked the car across the street from the Pub and her and Reyes got out of the car, walked across the street and entered the dingy old bar. Inside it was dark and smoke filled, with a live band playing in the background and a couple big screen TV's that had most of the room's attention.
Scully and Reyes made their way through the hundreds of tables and booth's scattered throughout the place, stepping out of the way of countless customers and scantily clad women carrying the drinks. The back room was closed and that in itself seemed odd, so they made there way up to the bar and tried to get the attention of a very large bearded man who seemed to be the main bartender, "Hey. Hey." Scully yelled until the man turned to face them, "I'm looking for the owner of this place. Is he in?"
"No." was all the man said then turned and began talking to his customers again.
Scully looked at Reyes with a look of annoyance and then back to them bartender, "Hey. Yeah you. I wasn't finished talking. Now, if the owner isn't around who's in charge of this place when he's not around?"
"Look, I don't have to time for this. So if you aren't gonna order anything get the hell out." he gave them both a very nasty look and once again turned away.
Reyes walked up behind the counter and grabbed the man's arm and lifted it high up on his back, then put her hand on his wrist and twisted it enough to make the man wince with pain, "Okay, now let's try this again. Where is the owner?"
"He's not here. I told you that."
"Fine, who's in the back room? Is Alex Krycek back there?" Reyes applied just a little more pressure to the man's wrist as she asked. "He'll kill me if I say anything. He's crazy." the fear on his face helping prove he was scared for his life. Scully walked up to the man and flashed her FBI badge, "Right now you're the least of his concerns. There is a nationwide search for this man and if you're harboring a known criminal your life just got a lot more complicated."
"You don't understand. He's ruthless. I need some kind of deal before I say another word."
"It's just amazing how everyone wants a deal before they talk anymore." Scully said, not hiding her sarcasm or annoyance with how things were going, "Well, what I have also found is this, once people find out you've talked to the FBI do you really think you'll be safe in this place?"
The man looked at Scully and didn't believe her, "You can't do that. There are laws. There has to be." the burly man protested."
"Not a one. We're not charging you with anything. We just wanted to ask you some questions, so we have no reason to hold you. If this makes your life a bit unsettling, well, that's really not our concern." Scully was almost tired of using the same old thing against all these informants, but until she got her son back, they would have to do.
Reyes let the man go and the two women started walking away, wondering how long it would be before the man stopped them.
It was barely two steps this time, "Okay, I just want protection. That's all. Krycek is back there right now. I don't know a lot about what he's doing but the man is dangerous. Everyone knows this. He comes here a couple nights a week; plays a little poker in the back and who knows what else. I've seen him kill two men in the past month so I know he will do the same to me if he knows I talked to you."
"We understand all that. W e can put you in a witness protection program if you help us." Scully tried to calm the man down as best she could, "Now, I will call in and have a car come out to pick you up and take you somewhere safe. We need the key to the back room first. And if you know who else is back there I want there names."
The man handed over the key and wrote down the names of some of Krycek's associates, but none of the names rang a bell with either woman, but they kept the list for future reference.
Scully called the FBI and requested backup and a car to pick up the bartender and they waited at the bar until they showed up.
Backup arrived in less than 10 minutes and they surrounded the place and gave the okay to Scully and Reyes to make their move. With guns drawn they walked up to the back room and Scully knocked on the door, "Krycek, we know your there. We want you to come out with your hands in the air. The place is surrounded so there is no way out."
There was silence for a couple minutes then the door knob began to move and the door began to open. Krycek walked out with his hands above his head and a big smile on his face, "Ladies, what brings you to this part of town?"
During the ride to the meeting Monica looked over and could tell Scully was still very nervous and anxious and tried to think of a way to somehow relax her and get her head clear so she was in a good state of mind to even take this meeting.
She was keeping one eye on the road and another on Dana and yet still hadn't come up with one thing to say to her. She finally stopped trying to be clever and just said what was on her mind, "Were going to get William back Dana."
Scully looked back at Monica, put her hand on her arm and smiled at her, "Thanks. I know we will. It's just hard knowing he's somewhere scared and alone and who knows what they might be doing to him. God, this has to be over soon. This tip has to pan out."
"We have so much information now and it's all coming together. We will find William and bring him home to where he belongs and that I know. Every instinct I have is telling me were this close to finding out about who has William and why he was taken and just what part do all these men play in this whole alien conspiracy. This is coming to a head and were going to be there when it does." Monica added as she smiled back at Dana.
Scully was so happy to hear Monica's scenario about how things were going to turn out and it did keep her mind more focused as well, "I admire your confidence Monica. I do believe I will be with William again and I hate to doubt that and when I do it's so reassuring to have you here keeping my spirits up. I hope you know how much you mean to me. Everything you've done for me. I just wanted you to know that no matter what happens I will never forget how much help you've been to me. I do want to make it up to you when this is over."
Monica had a twinkle in her smile as she looked back at Dana, "I like the sound of that. What did you have in mind?"
Scully actually had a smile come over her face and she looked right at Monica, "Well, I keep having this dream about a beautiful island with sandy beaches and palm trees all around. You and I lying in the sun getting a gorgeous bronze tans over every inch of our bodies and drinking pinacalotas until the sun goes down and then spending the nights making love under the moonlight."
Monica was smiling at Scully very descriptive suggestion and she was quite unhappy that she was driving right now, because she would have loved to just lean over and kiss her and thank her for such a great offer, but she had to wait on the kiss for now, "That sounds like paradise to me. I would love to join you on any island anywhere. Just say the word and I'm there."
"I was hoping you would say that. Well that gives us another thing to look forward to when this whole mess is over. I really can't wait to do this with you." Scully was finally able to have a brief moment of happiness before her cell phone brought her back to reality. She pulled it out of her purse and held it up to her ear, "Scully here."
"It's Skinner. We have some more information on that warehouse Vladimir told you about. It is listed as being owned by a company called, Tripera Inc. That in itself means very little, but we did some checking and the two major stockholders in Tripera Inc. are none other than Krycek and the cigarette smoking man. The company owns literally thousands of smaller companies, mostly in the chemical engineering field, with a handful having no real description. The company in question, Possum & Barnett's Fine Wine's, is not what it appears to be. We have reason to believe it is a chemical processing plant that is currently being used to create the black liquid."
"How come we didn't know about this before?" Scully wondered. "Mainly because it was a part of the investigation Follmer was in charge of. We now have all his records and are sifting through them as we speak. We have sent a team to this warehouse and I will let you know what we find." Skinner paused to talk to someone else in the room before continuing. "I just was informed that we had a sighting of Krycek just 15 minutes ago in the general vicinity of your meeting. I want you two to be very careful. Krycek has to be aware that his freedom is all but over and that makes him an even more dangerous man than usual."
"Okay, thanks again for the update. We'll be on high alert. Were almost at the address for this meeting now so we are going to park the car and walk from here." Scully added and was about ready to hang up. Skinner managed to catch her before she did, "One last thing, those men I sent to give you some backup are in place and will be ready to move in on your signal should anything go wrong."
"Alright. Well were off now so I will talk to you later and hope to have some more information when we do." Skinner wished them luck and Dana put her phone back in her purse and the two women got out of the car and slowly made their way down Birch Street and looked for a concession stand and saw one right on the corner beside a hot dog vendor and a phone booth.
As they got closer, they saw a man with gray hair sitting alone on a bench looking around very erratically.
When they got close enough they could tell it was Senator Richard Matheson. But was he the one who called them or was it just a coincidence? They needed to find out.
They walked up to him, sat down at his table and waited for him to say something and thankfully he did.
"I'm glad you made it." he was very nervous and constantly looking around, "Look, Krycek is after me. I told him I wanted out and he didn't take if very well. I want money. I want protection and I want immunity from any prosecution and I will tell you everything about Krycek and his plans."
"We are not in a position to agree to your demands. I need to know everything you do and then we can talk." Scully was being honest but knew he would not be happy about this.
"You better find someone who can give me what I want. Time is running out. If Krycek succeeds the whole world will be affected, and not for the better I might add. You have no idea what he plans on doing, and your son is part of this. A big part."
Scully's whole demeanor changed after his last comments, "What are you talking about? Tell me what you know about my son? Now!!"
"I can't. I'm sorry. I need protection first. Take me to someone who can make these deals. I will tell you then. We do not have much time." his face was dead serious and he was not going to budge until he felt safe.
Monica leaned over toward Dana, "Look, let's just take him to Skinner and maybe he will feel safe there and he can tell you something while they try and negotiate with him."
Scully knew it was her only chance so they took him by the arm and led him back to the car.
As they got close to the car, they saw Krycek standing beside it smiling at them.
They didn't have much time to think. Monica told Dana to take Matheson to Skinner and she would take care of Krycek.
Scully argued at first, but when Krycek started moving forward, she told Monica to be careful and then took off with the Senator. Monica took out her gun and Krycek backed off just enough to give Dana a chance to escape. She tried to talk to him and stall some more, "Looks like your caught Krycek. So why not just tell me what you were planning. I'm sure it was something spectacular."
"Oh it is. I say it because it will happen." Krycek began slowly moving in a circle around Monica, "You can try and stop me but it won't work. Shoot me. I don't mind. I'm well past fearing death. You won't be able to do a thing about what happens next."
Monica was keeping her eye out for any of Krycek's associates and trying to stay focused and do her best to get Krycek to slip up somehow and say anything that might help them, "You sound pretty confident. I think you underestimate the will of us humans. Whatever you have planned will not go without a fight."
Krycek laughed at Monica and took a couple steps closer, took out a vial from his jacket pocket and held it up for her to see, "Do you know what this is?"
Monica took one look and then turned her head away, "Well it looks like you were peeing in glass to me. I figured it would be black though, coming from you that is."
"Very amusing, but no. It had no name as of yet. So it's not FDA approved my any means, but what it is will change the world. Yes, the whole world, and no it's not some death pill. Believe it or not, it's not even about taking over the world like I'm sure you and your FBI buddies want to believe. It's much more human than that. It's about money."
"That's almost typical. People have died. So any possible financial reward you think you might get from this is not going to happen. Not when you're behind bars." Monica said, thinking everything would be so much better if they could just get Krycek out of the picture.
Krycek laughed yet again and moved even closer, "Do you really think a prison can hold me? Have you not seen these super soldiers? They don't die. They are invincible. Well, that's just the tip of the iceberg." once again he paused and tried to get closer to Monica, but she kept her distance, "Oh do you think you would be safe if I wanted you dead? Right now, you're the least of my concerns. Just to show you there are no hard feelings I'm willing to let both you and Scully and hey even Mulder and Doggett and maybe even good old Skinner have a chance to get in on this. I don't hold grudges."
"You're crazy if you think any of us would have anything to do with you now. Besides, you're not the boss. You're just a little flunky for the cigarette smoking man." Monica said in a very condescending voice.
"Oh, you're trying to provoke me. I wouldn't do that if I were you." he said as the smile left his face and a nasty sneer replaced it, "But fact is, I work for myself. He has his agenda and I have mine."
"I just bet." Monica said with disgust, "But, you have to admit he's pretty good at what he does. He's lasted what, 60, 70 years now? I think when he feels you have served your purpose you will end up dead like all the others he's used before you."
"Again, you're misinformed Reyes. He isn't 60 or 70 or 90. Nope. He's over 120 years old." he said, getting as much enjoyment from her look of disbelief than anything else.
"You're lying. We have his birth certificate. He worked with Skinner for years. No way he's that old." Monica snapped back, not wanting to believe what he was saying. It just made no sense.
"Well, believe what you want. It is true and this little black liquid is part of that. Oh yes, you have no idea the uses of this wonderful product." Krycek added, much like that of a salesman pitching his new product.
"Why not inform me then. Maybe I would be interested. So it's an anti- aging liquid is it? I can't say that doesn't appeal to me in some small way. How much do you have to drink for this to work?" Reyes questioned, hoping for the slightest slip from Krycek.
"I'm sorry, that's confidential at the moment." Krycek grinned, "I just don't feel you're really interested Agent Reyes. You're just trying to kill time so Scully can get some information from that low life Matheson. Which is fine. I'd do the same thing myself. But, he's useless. His information is second hand. He's just not going to be what Dana needs. I on other hand know exactly where William is right this minute."
Monica wasn't sure what to do about this but the more information she got from him the better it was, so she played along, "I love how you call him a low life. That's hilarious. Coming from such an upstanding citizen as yourself. Now as for William, if you took him you can add kidnapping to your list of charges."
"I don't like to think of it as kidnapping really. I prefer to think of it as insurance. William is different from other little boys. Whatever Scully was told was wrong. The one thing your people are not aware of is that alien DNA does not start to grow inside a human for over 10 years. So he will seem normal until then. The day is alien DNA takes affect it won't hurt him. He will be the same boy he is now, only stronger. If he is given the right black liquid he could achieve greatness of epic proportions."
Monica looked at Krycek as if he'd lost his mind, but could not totally discount what he was saying without some proof and if he was telling the truth at all, Scully's little boy would become a project the government would never let go of.
"Krycek, I don't know if any of this is true. I don't. I've seen no evidence. The so called, 'super soldiers' could be explained in any number of ways. Listen, it's been nice talking to you but I really have to be going now." Monica said as she backed up a little a time.
Krycek didn't try and stop her and just watch as she took off running, but did give her something to think about as he appeared in front of her just moments after she started running away.
She stopped, turned around to where he was standing and then looked back to where he was and he was gone again. She turned around again and he was directly in front of her smiling smugly as she backed away again.
Krycek laughed, then stopped and calmly looked at Reyes, "You see Monica, this liquid does things you can't begin to comprehend right now. We're only just now learning some of the other benefits of this liquid."
Monica couldn't explain how he seemed to be able to move so fast and be in two places at once but she had to believe there was a logical explanation for it, "Yep, that was a nice little illusion you pulled off, but I have no time for your tricks right now. We'll meet again and you will be going to jail. So enjoy your last few hours Krycek."
He just laughed as she got in a cab and took off.
She arrived at FBI headquarters about 20 minutes later and was taken to where Scully was interviewing Matheson. Walking up to Skinner, she told him about her conversation with Krycek. He knocked on the door where Scully was and called her out. Monica then told Scully the same thing and she was trying to take it all in as best she could.
"Matheson hasn't said much so far because he's not getting all the guarantee's he wants, but he has said enough to believe he could have some valuable information. After hearing what you told me about Krycek, I wonder if it's worth negotiating with him any further."
Monica listened intently to Scully talk and was quick to add her thoughts on this topic, "I don't know. Krycek has no fear of being caught right now. None. He feels invincible and right now he may be right. Something is obviously going to happen in the next few days that can either make or break a lot of what Krycek has planned and if Matheson knows about it, he could still be useful."
Skinner was handed a piece of paper and he spent a minute or two reading it and then handed it to Scully and she read it out loud, "It is regrettable that we have to inform you that the special unit you sent to check out the Possum & Barnett's Fine Wine's warehouse were all killed. 8 dead."
"OMG. We have to stop these people. Now!" Scully said loudly as she handed the piece of paper back to Skinner and walked back into the room with Matheson.
She stared at him silently, letting him see how angry she was before she decided to speak, "Okay, we just had an agent come back after having an extensive conversation with Krycek and he told us more in 5 minutes than you have the whole time you've been here. Now I'm running out of patience with you. We just got word that 8 of our agents were killed by these super soldiers and you might have been able to prevent this had you told us what you know. What keeps coming to my mind with people such as yourself is we have no reason to hold you here. None. If you think you can get a better deal with Krycek then go for it. For now you are free to leave."
Matheson's face went whiter than usual and he looked at Scully with a pleading look coming over his face, "You can't do that. I am turning myself in. I want protection. You have to give it to me. It's your job."
"No it isn't. We protect those who INFORM us of things. You have not. You have done nothing but stall. Trying to get more and more out of your so called deal. That's over now. We offered you way more than you deserve. You just got greedy. Now you blew it. We will stop Krycek, with or without your help." Scully got up to leave and Matheson grabbed her arm.
She gave him a very dirty look and he let go, "I'm sorry. You know I can't go back on the street with Krycek on the loose. This is blackmail. The FBI does not work this way. I have information and I will give it to you. I accept your last offer. So where do I start talking?"
"I'm afraid not. You rejected our last offer. The new one is the original one. Take it or leave it."
He was extremely annoyed and wanted to walk out that room but he wasn't completely stupid and he agreed to the deal and so Scully handed Matheson over to Skinner who then had him taken to the main interrogation room and they would film and record the whole thing and see what he had to say.
Scully and Reyes went down to the cafeteria and had some coffee as Dana waited patiently for this interview to be over so she might have some concrete information to work with.
Reyes was slowly drinking her coffee wondering what to say to ease Scully's mind but there were no words to speed the process so she put her hand over Scully's and smiled back at her, "We are getting close Dana. I can feel it." Reyes stood up and motioned for Dana to come with her.
Monica led her down to the basement and down a long corridor until she came to a door that simply read, "Greenhouse."
She took out a card key and inserted it in the slot, the door opened and the two women stepped inside.
Dana smiled as she looked around the room. It was the size of a small house filled with every type of flower she could imagine and along with the hundreds upon hundreds of different flowers were just as many different plants that she'd never seen before.
The lab was designed to create everything from chemical weapons to antidotes for them. It had numerous other uses, but it also served as a place for agents to go to just relax and smell the flowers literally. Dana was smiling as she walked through the many long isles filled with every flower known to exist. Monica walked up to meet her from the other end of the isle and they stopped in the middle where Monica took Dana's hand and pulled her close, "I like it when you smile. You have the most beautiful smile I've ever seen."
"Well I tend to smile when I'm happy and you help make me happy and for that I thank you. So much." "I want to do this. I want you to be happy and I know you will be when this is all over and we find William and can get your life back again."
"Oh god I want that so much." Scully smiled, and let out a huge sigh of relief at the very idea of getting her son back. Then she looked at Monica and smiled, "I know we haven't had a chance to talk much since, well, since we spent the night together, but I want you to know that was very special to me. I also want you to know that I want you to be a part of my life once this is over. Part of our lives, William's and mine. I hope you know this."
Monica's eyes lit up and then began to tear up and she just put her arms around Dana and hugged her tightly. After a very long time, Dana pulled back, held Monica's head up and smiled back at her, "I hope this means you want to be part of our lives?"
Monica smiled and gave Dana a quick kiss, "Oh yes. I'd love that. I just want you to be happy."
Dana kissed her back, "I will be if you're in my life."
"Then we're both going to be very happy." Monica kissed Dana again but, Scully's cell phone interrupted them again.
She took it out of her purse and put it to her ear, "Scully here."
"Scully, we've made a deal with Matheson. He's given us a wealth of information about Krycek and Follmer along with the last known location of their chemical labs. We're going to send a team there now. Do you and Reyes want to join us?" Skinner asked. "Actually I want to have 5 minutes alone Matheson. Is that possible?"
"I don't see why not. He's given us a lot so I don't know what more you're looking for."
"I think he knows more about Krycek's plans and his whereabouts. Even though he's cut a deal I think if he feels like he's protected he might cough up something else we could use."
"Alright then. I'll set it up."
Scully closed her cell, put it back in her purse and told Monica of the latest developments and they both headed back to the interrogations rooms.
Skinner came off the elevator along with Matheson and two armed guards with him. He led Matheson into the room and told Scully she had 15 minutes and then he was going to be taken away for reorientation for his new identity. Scully thanked Skinner, walked into the room and sat across from Matheson.
"Well, I'll make this brief." Scully said bluntly and then leaned in and grabbed Matheson by his bright red tie, "I need the most current information you have on Krycek and Follmer."
"Take it easy. I've told you guys everything I know."
"I don't think so. I think you're holding out just in case you need to make another deal. Well that's fine, but I need to find Krycek now. He has my child and this can't wait."
"I'm sorry he took your son. I said that was a bad idea. But Krycek listens to nobody."
"That's nice, but where is he?" Scully was growing increasingly impatient with Matheson and he could feel it.
"Look, all's I know is they are in the final stages of testing alien DNA and if it all goes according to plan they will have enough black liquid to create more than just super soldiers. I'm talking super doctor's, lawyer's, businessmen. Literally everything. I told Skinner all this. He has the location of this lab now."
"Okay, but I need to know where Krycek might be now. You must have some idea." Scully continued to push Matheson until he gave her something useful.
"I can give you a couple places he likes to hang out when he's not working. One is the Shaker's Pub on East 43rd street near the old cemetery. He also likes to enjoy the scenery at, "Kitty's Playground," a strip joint down on Mulberry Street. Those are the only two places I've seen him at more than once, outside of his apartment, but he rarely goes there."
"Thanks for the names, but you might as well give me his address just so we can check it out."
"It's also on the east side. A very seedy part of town and with his money it's hard to understand why he stays there, but the address is apartment number #545, 234, 40th street. Only blocks away from Shaker's Pup."
"If any of these leads pan out I'll make sure it's passed along to the right people."
Scully walked out of the room with a sense of hope and let Monica know what she learned and the two of them took off.
Once inside the car the two women mulled over the options and decided to check out Shaker's Pub first.
The drive was no more than 10 minutes and both women stayed focused and determined that something positive was going to happen soon that breaks this case wide open. They just hoped it would be now.
Scully parked the car across the street from the Pub and her and Reyes got out of the car, walked across the street and entered the dingy old bar. Inside it was dark and smoke filled, with a live band playing in the background and a couple big screen TV's that had most of the room's attention.
Scully and Reyes made their way through the hundreds of tables and booth's scattered throughout the place, stepping out of the way of countless customers and scantily clad women carrying the drinks. The back room was closed and that in itself seemed odd, so they made there way up to the bar and tried to get the attention of a very large bearded man who seemed to be the main bartender, "Hey. Hey." Scully yelled until the man turned to face them, "I'm looking for the owner of this place. Is he in?"
"No." was all the man said then turned and began talking to his customers again.
Scully looked at Reyes with a look of annoyance and then back to them bartender, "Hey. Yeah you. I wasn't finished talking. Now, if the owner isn't around who's in charge of this place when he's not around?"
"Look, I don't have to time for this. So if you aren't gonna order anything get the hell out." he gave them both a very nasty look and once again turned away.
Reyes walked up behind the counter and grabbed the man's arm and lifted it high up on his back, then put her hand on his wrist and twisted it enough to make the man wince with pain, "Okay, now let's try this again. Where is the owner?"
"He's not here. I told you that."
"Fine, who's in the back room? Is Alex Krycek back there?" Reyes applied just a little more pressure to the man's wrist as she asked. "He'll kill me if I say anything. He's crazy." the fear on his face helping prove he was scared for his life. Scully walked up to the man and flashed her FBI badge, "Right now you're the least of his concerns. There is a nationwide search for this man and if you're harboring a known criminal your life just got a lot more complicated."
"You don't understand. He's ruthless. I need some kind of deal before I say another word."
"It's just amazing how everyone wants a deal before they talk anymore." Scully said, not hiding her sarcasm or annoyance with how things were going, "Well, what I have also found is this, once people find out you've talked to the FBI do you really think you'll be safe in this place?"
The man looked at Scully and didn't believe her, "You can't do that. There are laws. There has to be." the burly man protested."
"Not a one. We're not charging you with anything. We just wanted to ask you some questions, so we have no reason to hold you. If this makes your life a bit unsettling, well, that's really not our concern." Scully was almost tired of using the same old thing against all these informants, but until she got her son back, they would have to do.
Reyes let the man go and the two women started walking away, wondering how long it would be before the man stopped them.
It was barely two steps this time, "Okay, I just want protection. That's all. Krycek is back there right now. I don't know a lot about what he's doing but the man is dangerous. Everyone knows this. He comes here a couple nights a week; plays a little poker in the back and who knows what else. I've seen him kill two men in the past month so I know he will do the same to me if he knows I talked to you."
"We understand all that. W e can put you in a witness protection program if you help us." Scully tried to calm the man down as best she could, "Now, I will call in and have a car come out to pick you up and take you somewhere safe. We need the key to the back room first. And if you know who else is back there I want there names."
The man handed over the key and wrote down the names of some of Krycek's associates, but none of the names rang a bell with either woman, but they kept the list for future reference.
Scully called the FBI and requested backup and a car to pick up the bartender and they waited at the bar until they showed up.
Backup arrived in less than 10 minutes and they surrounded the place and gave the okay to Scully and Reyes to make their move. With guns drawn they walked up to the back room and Scully knocked on the door, "Krycek, we know your there. We want you to come out with your hands in the air. The place is surrounded so there is no way out."
There was silence for a couple minutes then the door knob began to move and the door began to open. Krycek walked out with his hands above his head and a big smile on his face, "Ladies, what brings you to this part of town?"