All across the desert lands and the canyon lands of the West, birds reclaimed the sky. Grouse, hawks, and eagles took flight, free to fly the skies unmolested.

Two owls soared across the night sky, the ground a blur, stars whirling. They swooped down through a sandstone arch and alighted upon an outcrop. They scanned the ground in search of mice, and for once, all the lights in the sky remained motionless and silent.


There was nothing to do except wait. To wait on the off-chance that someone might find Krychek. The airports and border patrols had been alerted. But he was one man among millions. How closely do you scan every passing face each day? He could be anywhere.

Except Mulder knew where Krychek was. And it bothered him. Hence that night, if you drove past his apartment, you might notice that a panel of his window had an X marked with masking tape, backlit with a 85 watt bulb.

Early in the morning, in answer to his signal for help, a packet was slipped under his door.

Except five hours before, a different packet had been slipped under his door.


Scully unlocked the door to Mulder's apartment. She ignored the magazines and bizarre video collection that was scattered around the place. She checked the phones, the TV, the plants, the bed, all of the furniture, even the refrigerator. Nothing.

The message on the answering machine was simple. Please watch out for crawlies.

But there were no bugs, and it was Friday afternoon and she wanted to go home.

It was as she was walking back to her car that she saw a blue car with tinted windows pull off too quickly when she got near it.

She stared after it, but it didn't have any plates, so she unlocked her car and started it up. She popped a tape in the deck marked NIN when Mulder said,

"Scully, I've gone to find the Land of Mu."

She nearly jumped out of her seat when she heard his voice, but fortunately the car roof prevented her.

As she clutched her head in agony, she could make out his voice continue as he kept talking through the tape.

"I think its somewhere in Sonora Mexico. Mrs. Fitzgerald put a map in her letter. Scully, they know about my contact. They tried to slip me a fake envelope. If I'm not back by Monday tell Skinner where I've gone, he should be back from his conference by then."

The voice ended then.

Scully's swearing, however, ended several minutes afterwards.


Sonora, Mexico

The fox looked up at the sky. It had seen many strange things recently. The fox knew what was to come. If anyone thought to ask it. If they did, he knew better than to tell. There were many new smells in the air.

He licked his paws.

Change was coming.

With tassels dangling dangerously, the rented purple punch buggy with tassels dangling drove along the dusty desert roads. Mulder had arrived in Mexico