PART 21

"Mulder what you're saying is that there is a group of men killing innocent people for selfish purposes. For reasons that I haven't witnessed in my worst nightmares. People being tortured."

"Yes sir I am."

"But where's your proof? Where have you got this information from?"

"I don't have any proof, but I can promise you that I tell not one word of a lie."

Skinner stood up from his desk, he wanted to believe Mulder and help him find Scully, but it was so unrealistic. It would be completely against his better judgement if he pursued the leads Mulder was offering. Mulder could see that Skinner's enthusiasm to help him was faltering so he stood up too and walked over to him.

"Seven years sir, seven years we've been having these conversations about how "spooky" my work is, but after all this time you'd think I know what I was doing."

"What are you trying to say Agent Mulder?"

"I'm saying, trust me. Even if you only ever trust me once in your whole life, let that moment of trust be now. I need you to help me find her; I can't get to these people alone. I should have Scully to help me but they've taken her too, I need you to back me up to get her back. So I can have back what is rightfully mine."

"Agent Scully is not rightfully yours."

"She is my partner, my friend and the only person that I can depend my life on, I can't work on the X-Files alone, or with anyone else. Either we find her, or...or the X-Files are closed, effective immediately."

Skinner could see in Mulder's eyes that he was serious, that he meant every word. And despite wanting to do his job within the regular rules and regulations, he had a yearning to help, to bring down the people that were so set on bringing down his best two agents.

"Ok, I'll help you. Whatever I can do I'll do, no questions asked. You have my full

co-operation."

"Thank you sir. I think I know how we can begin."

Skinner and Mulder's talks were happening while Scully was being informed of the details she found herself stuck in. The man whose name she still hadn't learned of was telling her about his life and the other people he'd dedicated his life to helping. But when Mulder and Skinner could go home to comfy beds and warmth and safety, Scully was being led to a hole in the ground where she followed her narrator until they reached an opening into the depths of the earths soil. There the 500 people she'd been told of surrounded her. All of them were sleeping, all but one small child who sat shivering in a corner.

"They will not find us down here. They are not clever enough. They hunt well but not well enough. Although we each say a small prayer to God for getting us through another night."

"What is this? Where are we?"

"We are in the living quarters of the people I told you about. They are sleeping now, you can meet them tomorrow if you like."

"I just want to go home."

"Sorry?"

"Nothing, what's that there?"

"Where?"

"Over in the dark in the corner."

"That is Nacelles, she is the youngest here at the moment. She's five years old, and she

doesn't speak at all. She can hear and see perfectly, we don't know how the tortures didn't

affect her, but she is very lucky. Although she may never speak again in her life, she has

been scared by what she saw when she was trapped by the men."

Scully walked over to the small girl sitting alone in the quiet. She sat beside her and the girl didn't move a muscle, she didn't even look at Scully until she started speaking to her.

"Are you ok?"

"She will not speak back."

Scully looked at the man as if to say just give me a chance and back off. He seemed to get the message and went to see if it was safe to go back up to the huts.

"You're Nacelles right? My name is Scully, Dana Scully. Are you ok? Which bed is yours?"

The girl looked at Scully and smiled. She stood up and held her hand out to Scullys. She too stood up and they went over to a curtain that was hanging between two separate areas. The area they went into was a playroom of sorts, a child's room basically. The girl pointed to a pile of blankets on the floor and again smiled.

"Is that where you sleep? Would you like me to make it comfy for you?"

Scully set out the blankets in the arrangement of a bed and sat on top of it. She patted beside her and the girl sat with her.

"Is that ok?"

Nacelles nodded her head and lay down, still holding onto Scully's hand. Scully covered her up and lay beside her. Before she knew it they were both fast asleep.