National

Doggett and Reyes are moving with the mass of passengers that just arrived at National Airport from Portland. Doggett is holding a tattered suit jacket in one hand and Reyes has her left arm in a sling. As they come out past a security check point and into the main concourse, they see Skinner waiting for them. Skinner had reached them by phone and told them that the FBI image analysis section had some new matches for the men who had abducted Scully. Skinner asks, "What happened to you?"

Doggett says, "We were making an arrest and the guy told his dogs to attack us."

Skinner says, "I know you've been on the road for a week, but I really need you in San Diego." Skinner leads them into a small room through a door marked "Security". They sit down at a small table and Skinner opens the file folder that is on the table. These are the three recent image matches." He spreads the three prints across the table.

Reyes says, "They must know that we are watching for them. Its like they want us to notice what they are doing."

Skinner nods. "Yes, I think they do want us to notice. I got another call from their spokesman; he even told me his name. He calls himself Rupert. He asked for our help."

Doggett laughs. "Oh, that's real funny." Doggett notices that Skinner is dead serious. "Come on, how can they abduct an FBI agent, two former agents, and assorted others and then come back asking for our help?"

Skinner explains, "They want our help to find Scully."

Doggett slaps his forehead, "Of course, it had to come to this. Kidnappers asking the FBI to help find abductees." He notices that Reyes has her hands up at the sides of her head and is massaging her temples. "What is it , Monica?"

She is struggling to tell them something she remembers about what the clones had said while Reyes was being held captive, but the harder she tries the worse she feels. She gives up and tries to get John to figure it out for himself. "It does make sense, John."

Doggett can see how she is suffering and he starts to try to understand what she is hinting at. "Do you think Scully escaped from Rupert? If she did, why wouldn't she contact us?"

Skinner says, "Rupert told me that Dana was taken to San Diego back in May."

Doggett can't believe his ears. He asks, "Rupert took Scully to San Diego in May? She's been on Earth four months?"

Skinner thinks about Rupert's exact words. "He just said that she was taken there." Skinner picks up one of the photographic prints of a clone. "We've had no sighting of these clones on the West coast." He holds the image of a clone so that Doggett can see it. "Recognize where this one was?"

Doggett looks closely, "Is that Scully's house?"

Skinner replies, "Yes. I think Rupert is seriously searching for Dana. The clones might have lost her after she reached San Diego. Do you remember the Floreana?"

Reyes feels a wonderful relaxation of the pressure in her head as her thoughts follow Skinner's question and she stops obsessing over the fragment of memory she has been trying to share with Doggett. She says, "That crew man we interviewed in San Diego back in May could not remember who had shot him. If Rupert and his brothers were involved in the abduction of the crew of the Floreana, would they have involved Scully...in...that?" As her thoughts return to Dana, a fresh wave of pain slams into Monica. She is again breathing heavily and clenching her fists over eyes that feel like they might explode.

John shouts, "Stop it, Monica! Enough! Quiet!" Monica, smiles and eases back in her chair. She can tell that John has realized what she is going through, what he must do in order to ease her pain- and what he must do to make it worse. "Okay, there is something you want to tell me about the clones. Maybe something you heard during your captivity." Doggett continues thinking out load, using Monica's reaction to his words to guide him in the network of possibilities. "The clone brothers brain washed you in order to keep certain secrets, but I'm guessing you have remembered something important. You have remembered but you are not free to talk about it?" John sees Monica wince with pain and open her mouth. "No! Don't try to talk! What ever they did to your brain is causing you pain if you try to talk about your memories." He says to Skinner, "We have to figure out what Monica has remembered. What do we know about how Rupert and his brothers operate? Dana was zeroing in on DNA evidence, indisputable evidence of aliens, and they had to act to silence her."

Skinner speculates, "Assume that the Floreana found an alien artifact on the sea floor. Rupert was probably forced to act again."

John agrees with Skinner's guess. "But Scully did not just stumble across alien DNA. She had been infected with it as part of some experiment."

Skinner says, "It is natural to assume that Rupert was responsible for the infection and was trying to cover it up."

"But that is an assumption." Monica groans and clasps her arms around her head. John suspects that if Monica is feeling pain every time she tries to say something that Rupert wants kept secret, then he can use her cries of agony as an indication that he is guessing correctly. "An unsupported assumption. So let's try assuming something else" Monica shrieks with pain. Doggett tries to harden his heart and keep at it. "If someone else infected Scully….and if Rupert...why would Rupert have to cover up what someone else had done?"

Skinner suggests, "Scully had been turned into a walking display case for advanced alien DNA technology. It must be Rupert's job to keep hidden such advanced technology and evidence of aliens being on Earth." Reyes kneels next to the waste basket and vomits into it. Doggett takes that as a good sign.

Skinner moves to go to the aid of Reyes, but Doggett restrains him. "She'll be okay." Doggett turns his back on Reyes and tries to ignore her suffering. "Then someone else is doing the dirty work, infecting Dana with branched DNA...maybe these others were not done with Dana. Maybe they took her away from Rupert. Do they want to continue their experiments on Scully?"

Skinner shakes his head. "It does not add up. Why would Rupert wait from May to September before trying to recover Dana?"

Doggett notices that Reyes is quiet. He turns and finds her sitting on the floor watching him. She smiles weakly and says, "Rupert is clearly a step behind the- these others. What if it took all these months for Rupert to figure out that Dana was in danger, or back being used by these others?" Reyes thinks back to how Dana got into this mess in the first place, with Mulder using her as bait. But if Mulder only managed to attract the attention of Rupert and not those who had infected Scully….maybe Rupert is kicking things up a notch. Maybe he is trying to use Scully as bait, too. And maybe Rupert knows how to catch the real perps! "Now Rupert is doing everything he can to correct his errors, including asking the FBI for help."

Skinner hands John a pair of plane tickets. "You better go or you'll miss the flight." He asks Reyes, "Can you make this trip, Monica?"

Monica smiles weakly, stands up and wipes her mouth on her sling, "Oh, I feel much better now. The two of you figured out what I was trying to say. Its like all the weight of the world was lifted from me. Rupert is on our side in this. John and I have to go to San Diego and figure out who Rupert is up against. That will lead us to Dana." John takes Dana's arm and they hurry out of the little security room and rush off to catch their plane.

Skinner leans against the wall and heaves a deep sigh. He goes to the table and puts the photos back into the file folder. He turns to go and the door opens. It is one of the clones. Skinner draws his gun. Rupert says, "Don't do that, Walter." Gas starts hissing from a hole in the heal of Rupert's shoe. "Tell me how things went with Doggett and Reyes."

Skinner's finger tightens on the trigger. Suddenly his eyes blur and his legs feel like rubber. He sinks into a chair, his gun resting in his lap. Realizing he has been drugged, Skinner tries to again point his gun at Rupert. Rupert bats the gun out of Skinner's hand and grabs Skinner's jacket in his fists. "Do they know what they're getting into? Do you have any idea what we are dealing with?" Skinner's muscles go lax and he slips into a state of dream-like consciousness.

Rupert keeps one hand on Skinner and pulls two chairs together so he can sit knee-to-knee with Skinner. Rupert delivers a series of brutal slaps to the sides of Skinners head and Skinner's eyes open to hate-filled slits. Rupert says, "Listen to me Walter. This is important. We finally got a lead on Scully. The lab in San Diego isn't where Scully is. But someone there probably does know where she is. Have your agents search the San Diego lab and question everyone they find there." Rupert takes a slip of paper out of his pocket and tucks it into Skinner's shirt pocket. "Get some backup for Doggett and Reyes. Don't underestimate what they are up against." Rupert lets Skinner slump onto the table. Rupert stands up and adjusts his suit. Just before he steps out into the concourse, his face morphs into that of another man.