The camp was like a village by itself. Each person had his duties and if they all pulled their weight, the place ran like a well-oiled machine. There was plenty to suggest that the inhabitants of this village were nervous. There were guards posted at the entrance to the camp and, further up the mountain, you could see evidence of further development. Scully assumed this to be the actual dig site. Everybody was suspicious at the sight of strangers arriving; fearful glances were cast in the direction of the car. They stopped at the main tent and Anna got out and greeted the men in Swahili. She spoke a while, pointing to the two agents and the journalist. The man nodded and ran off to do something. They then drove to another part of the camp, a different atmosphere could be felt, less hostile. They all exited the vehicle, glad to be out of the stuffy space.
Several tents stood in a circle, inside the perimeter fence. There was a sign in Swahili nearby, the English translation read: Avoid walking around this area after dark, unless accompanied by armed guard. Scully moved over to where Mulder stood, "Quite a welcoming, huh?" "I feel so safe," said Mulder sarcastically, looking at the flimsy barbed fences. "Ok," began Anna, "Your accommodation for the next few days has been arranged, agent Mulder, you'll have to share quarters with Mr. Joubert, I hope you don't mind." "Not at all," Mulder replied. "Dana, you'll be staying in Dr. Felix's old quarters," she added further, "Themba here will show you around and help you get settled in before dinner."
Themba turned out to be an excellent host; he spoke fantastic English and knew everybody they passed on their tour. He showed them each to their new living spaces and made sure they were comfortable before going about his other duties. Dinner he informed them would be at six, while it was still light.
Dr. Felix's quarters were comfortable. Although, Scully wondered what had happened to poor Dr. Felix if his room was available... Everything was neat and tidy and there was room for her to put her things. The person who had cleaned up the room had left behind a picture of the Dr.'s family. Scully picked it up; a Blonde face stared up at her, happy and sad at the same time. She held a small toddler who smiled a broadly, arms open wide to the person who held the camera. "Sad, isn't it?" Scully turned to see Baschelli at the door. "I was just wondering what happened to him," Scully said. "He disappeared about a week ago, no one has seen him," he took the picture from her and looked at it, "After the discovery of the other four team members, he was assumed to be dead. Beautiful family, such a pity." "Yes," agreed Scully. "Well, I just wanted to come by and see if you were settled." "Everything seems to be fine," she said, wondering if he'd paid the men a similar visit, or if he planned to. He intrigued her, always joking, but telling a different story with his eyes. He never seemed to speak his mind and yet, she knew exactly what he was trying to say. She looked at him and he met her gaze. She thought she could see his soul, peering back at her. It was as if he spoke to her without saying a word; she was too frightened to blink, in case she missed the message. The moment was broken as Mulder popped his head in. "Hey," he said, feeling as if he'd walked in something. Scully felt guilty, she had no idea why. She felt like a child that had been caught stealing cookies. A crimson flush rose to her cheeks. Mulder didn't miss it, there was a pause, "I guess I'll see you both at dinner," Baschelli took his leave, "Try not to be late: it's not good to be out after dark." He passed Mulder on his way out and each felt the heat of competition rising. Mulder turned to Scully, "You all right?" he asked. "Yeah," she turned to face him, "Why wouldn't I be?" "I don't know, you just..." he trailed off, "I spoke to the journalist." "Really, who is he?" she asked, just as eager to change the subject. "MI6," Mulder said casually. Scully was shocked, "What do they want with this case? Surely they're not here for the same reason as us." "I guess I asked too many questions, he wasn't willing to share any information," he paused, "Told me to get on with my investigation and he'd get on with his." "Hmmm," Scully replied, "friendly guy."
Dinner consisted of traditional Kenyan food, a stew of gazelle meat, with some wild rice. Fruit was served as dessert: fresh paw-paw and guava, the last of the season before the snow. Scully sat down next to Mulder and began to talk about the camp and some of her initial ideas about the residents. Much to Mulder's dismay, Baschelli took a seat to her right. Seeing his discomfort, Anna requested that she be able to sit next to her friend. Unwillingly, Baschelli obliged. Mulder nodded to her in gratitude. The heavy atmosphere lifted and the conversation was light, Mulder relaxed knowing he had an ally in Anna, someone who obviously picked up the same things in Baschelli that he did. The early evening passed without incident, the case was put temporarily aside as everybody just tried to have a good time. Just after sunset, Scully inquired about the need to be indoors after dark "Never fear," Anna began, "we have an armed guard that will escort you back to you quarters. No need to be too paranoid." As if in defiance of her words, Bongani crashed in, he yelled something in Swahili, too scared to find his English tongue. Anna stood and answered him with panic. Neither Scully nor Mulder had any idea what was happening, but they were sure it had something to do with their case. "What is it?" Mulder asked. "Two of the members of the night team are dead, they were playing cards in the main tent and they were... attacked," she gave no further clue as to what it was that had killed them. Baschelli paled and rose from the table. Bongani signaled to Anna that she should follow him and she did, the rest of the dinner party in tow. When they arrived at the main tent crowds of workers swarmed around them. Anna cut a path through to the entrance. The light from inside illuminated her horror as she looked inside the tent. Scully and Mulder pushed up on either side of her. The two bodies were mangled. Scully turned to Bongani, "Translate for me," she said, trying to get over his shock. He nodded. She then turned and spoke to the crowd, "All right, everybody needs to calm down and get to a safe place. We don't know if the animal that killed these men is still in the camp, we need to take every precaution so that nobody else is injured." Bongani translated and everybody calmed, Scully thought she had succeeded, but nobody moved. They whispered among themselves and then a person at the back began to chant something, "Chui wanaume! Chui wanaume!" The momentum built up as the crowd caught on. "What are they saying?" Mulder asked Anna. She looked pale. "Leopardmen," she whispered. Scully looked at Mulder. Someone yelled over the chant, "The idol must be replaced!" Everybody turned to face the new voice. It was a small man, he had thick rimmed glasses and the appearance of a mouse. "Who's that?" Scully asked. "Dr. James Hilton," Anna replied calmly. "Who?" Mulder asked. "Dr. Hilton works in Magadi. He warned us not to chase after the idol, that we were committing suicide by removing it," Anna said bitterly. The man walked to the front and looked Anna in the eye. "I warned you," he said accusingly, "You wouldn't listen; how many men have to die before you will realize that the idol is possessed?" "Don't come with your hogwash here," she pointed to the two bodies, "this is the work of men, not some ancient deity." With that she walked away from him. He turned to the two agents, "You two must be the FBI agents Dr. Baschelli mentioned." So, that's what Baschelli was doing at the antique dealer... "Yes," answered Scully, "What's going on here?" "You've heard the myth of the Leopardmen?" they nodded, "Well, there you are, what more is there to explain." He said this and left the way he came. With his departure, the men started their chanting again, "Sanamu na rejeza! Sanamu na rejeza! Return the idol!"
No one slept well that night: the killings were taking place inside the compound; no one felt safe. Mulder lay awake, thinking of the new Dr. on the block, what had been his reason in coming to the camp. How had he known that there would be a killing? Furthermore, he wondered about the disappearance of Dr. Baschelli after dinner. He hadn't seen him at the gathering by the main tent. It seemed odd that he'd disappear after such news, unless it wasn't news to him at all...
Scully, too, lay awake, pondering the situation she now found herself in. She never knew what to make of any of it. The mysterious Dr. Hilton, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere with his mysterious message of doom, was he trying to scare them? She turned over and tried not to think anymore. Her mind drifted to Dr. Baschelli: where had he disappeared? She thought about the moment just before dinner. She had peered into the depths of his soul and seen something frightening, something oddly familiar, a dependence on something they obviously had in common. She drifted into a restless sleep.
"They're gone!" yelled Anna crashing into Baschelli's tent. "Hmmm... What?" he asked, deeply involved in the work on his desk, "Who? Who's gone?" "Everyone!" she was slightly hysterical.
"What are you talking about?" he was still confused. "The workers, Bongani, Henry, EVERYONE!" she collapsed into a heap of tears, crashing into his chair. He wasn't shocked. He sat down on his haunches and rested his hands on her shoulders, "Come now, relax," he said in a soothing voice, "They're afraid of what happened to those workers, they don't want to risk the same fate. They'll be back when they realize there's no real danger." "I'm ruined!" she yelled again, "Without workers, we'll never the job done in time!" "In time for what?" Baschelli was suddenly interested. "The...uh... enquiry," she said. "What enquiry?" he asked. "If this dig works out, I'm supposed to be promoted to Head of the Archaeology Faculty," she moaned, "Not a chance now!"
"Ok, just calm down. Everything's going to be fine," he sounded reassuring.
"Knock, knock," came a friendly voice, "Am I too late for breakfast?" It was Bongani. Anna ran and hugged the man. "You stayed!" she shouted happily. "Me and Henry thought it best, a bunch of white guys out here in the middle of nowhere, we thought you could use the help," he smiled. "Oh, thank you!" her excitement obviously wasn't fading. "We went out to get some game. Anyone for breakfast?" he asked casually.Scully woke, with the sun poking in persistently. She yawned and looked at her watch, seven thirty. She shivered slightly from the cold. Something lay on the desk. She picked it up; it was a letter. She opened it, surprised. It read: Agent Scully, don't follow the clues; follow what isn't being said. The mystery here delves deeper than any idols or myths. Be careful, there are many façades. She wondered where it had come from, and from whom it had come. She decided to keep it close by, at least she had someone who was making sure this investigation was successful, or was it a trick? She wasn't sure. She put something warm on and went out to see if Mulder was awake. He was indeed; he and the MI6 agent were talking in the sunlight. Mulder had a frown on his face. She joined the group and, seeing the concern, she asked, "Hey, what's going on?" "The workers have left," Mulder said, "They left last night. I guess they were unsettled by the murders." "You're so sure they were murders?" Scully said.
"Can there be any doubt?" the Englishman asked.
"Unless animals learned to write," Mulder added, pulling Scully towards the tent. On the canvass was a message, written in blood. "Beware pale faced ones." "What does it mean?" she was unsure if it was a threat or a warning. "I don't know, but I bet it wasn't just friendly advice," he paused, "We have to get up to that cave."
Scully nodded in agreement. Mulder turned to speak to the MI6 agent; he was gone. Mulder blinked, a little surprised. Scully, remembering the note, handed it to him to read.
"At least we have one friend on this battleground," he remarked, "It seems like everybody's got something to hide. Very strange," he added.
Breakfast was a silent affair; all were a little shocked by the evening's events. The disappearance of the workers and guards made everybody uneasy. Mulder mentioned that he would like to see the dig site. Anna paled.
"Is that a problem?" he asked.
"No, it's just that all the dead were..." she stopped, "They'd been inside the cave." She left everyone to guess what she meant.
"No problem," said Mulder, "We're armed."
The MI6 agent and Dr. Baschelli accompanied Mulder and Scully up the mountain. The walk was long and Baschelli kept them entertained with the history of the area. Mulder thought he might fall asleep on his feet. The MI6 agent took down notes as if preparing for his article. The snow made the hike difficult and all were exhausted by the time they reached the dig. The cave looked different in the light, less menacing. Before, Baschelli was sure he felt pure evil at its entrance. Now, there wasn't even a wisp of atmosphere in the air. The message from the night trip remained on the wall. It sent a chill down Scully's spine. It was like walking into a minefield with your eyes closed. The interior looked harmless enough, the previous day's work could be seen lying in piles on the cave floor. A slight dripping sound echoed through the cave. Dr. Baschelli led the group down a small shaft, Mulder, seeing another tunnel, went down it. He lost the group and continued down his own path. It led him to a small shaft; similar to the one Baschelli had gone down. At the bottom was what seemed to be a mine. Pick axes and other equipment could be found on the ground. There was a twinkling on the nearby wall. Mulder looked closer, they were diamonds, huge blocks of them lined the wall. He was confused; why was there no mention of a mine down here?
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to Scully. She turned to make a comment to Mulder and realizing he was gone, called out,
"Hey! Where's Mulder?" she asked, slightly panicked. The other two turned and looked around, he was nowhere to be seen. They began calling out his name. No answer could be heard. They went back the way they'd come, still calling him. When he did appear at the mouth of another tunnel, Scully reprimanded him,
"What the hell was that, Mulder?" he stopped smiling, "You scared me half to death! You don't just disappear without telling people where you're going!"
"Yes mom," he answered. She bit her lip with frustration and slight anger, not saying anything.
"Let's get out of here," she began again, "this place is creeping me out."
When the group returned, they found Bongani, Henry and Anna, fetching everything they could use from the other tents. The workers had, very kindly, left some weapons and ammo for the group to defend themselves. Food was in good supply. They had, however, taken the truck.
This was obviously because they believed Anna was the one causing Lekanzi to be angry: she had, after all, been the one who had entered first. Bongani thought it best to make the perimeter as small as possible, that way, they could guard it more easily. After lunch, they all began moving the fence. It was hard work and free minutes were rare. Mulder found one and used it to inform Scully what he'd found,
"But, Mulder, why would there be a mine down there? It's an archaeological site," she argued.
"I think there's a different mystery here, Scully. I think that dig is to hide what they're really doing down there!" Up went the eyebrow.
"You know Mulder, usually I ignore your temporary moments of insanity, but this time you're just being paranoid," she paused, "Besides, what could they want with a diamond mine?" As she said it, she realized the absurdity of what she'd just said. What would anyone want out of a diamond mine? Money, of course.
"You've found the mine?" asked the MI6 agent. Both Scully and Mulder were startled by his presence.
"Where did you come from?" Mulder asked.
"I'm MI6, remember, I'm everywhere!" he smiled.
"Why don't you tell us your real name and a bit about what you're doing out here and we'll tell you what we've found," bargained Scully. The agent thought a while and then gave in.
"My name is Alfred Greenwood," he began, "I'm out here because someone in this camp is smuggling diamonds."
"Smuggling? Why doesn't this person just sell them?" asked Mulder.
"It isn't that easy," he sighed, "they're African conflict diamonds."
"You mean..." Scully began.
"Someone in this camp is selling these diamonds to Warlords all over Africa. They allow them to buy more weapons on the black market. Whoever is selling them is making a mint," he finished her thought.
"You think they're using the dig as a cover?" said Scully.
"No, this operation
has been going on long before the dig began."
"You think our
diamond smugglers got worried that their mine would be discovered?"
Mulder asked.
"I have no doubt," Greenwood answered.
"Is it possible that these men are doing the killing to scare off the diggers?" asked Scully, hoping to make this case less of an X-File.
"It's possible," said Greenwood, "However, that would require an inside man. Any ideas?"
"What about Baschelli?" Mulder was quick to mention his name, sure he was up to something.
"I saw him disappear after dinner the other night," Greenwood agreed.
"Hang on, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Scully didn't know why she was defending him. The evidence did point in his direction, "We have no concrete evidence: no reason to suspect him."
"True, but I say we keep an eye on him," added Greenwood. Anna paused as she walked past.
"Hey, you lot," she yelled jokingly, "No time to stand around; you think I'm not going to make you work for your dinner?" They all laughed, Scully shook her head at her friend.
Just before dusk the group returned to their quarters to get ready for dinner. Scully flopped into her chair; her cell-phone sat forlornly on her desk. She'd abandoned it there when she couldn't find signal. She decided to check again. If she could get a line out, maybe they could get a lift out of here when they needed one. She exited the tent and walked around in the traditional fashion of one searching desperately for signal: phone in the air, turning in circles, walking backward looking for the best place to receive microwaves. On her quest, she came along a hole in the fence. It was small: not big enough for an animal to fit through, but curious enough. She looked out past the fence. Tire tracks, faded but visible, were winding their way out into the bush in the opposite direction to Magadi or, indeed, any civilisation. She heard her name being called and decided to check out the mysterious hole after dinner. She came from the place behind an outer tent and found Mulder calling her name. She walked over to him,
"Where've you been, we all thought you were carried off by something," he joked.
"I'll tell you after dinner," she said simply.
Dinner was slightly less extravagant; rations were decided on since there was a limited food supply. Little was said, other than the odd joke about the silence. It was an interesting meal, since each of the agents was able to get a good look at each of the characters in this drama and decide which looked the guiltiest. Slightly biased, Mulder decided that it definitely had to be Baschelli; Greenwood made a similar deduction. Scully put her money on one of the African men: they had connections in this area and were the only ones who knew anything about the disappearance of the other workers. As darkness descended, the tension and atmosphere among the group grew. Nobody was quite sure of the others and poor Baschelli was on the end of a rather hostile glare from both male agents. Scully excused herself from the table and decided that she would like to have a look at that hole.
It was dark outside and the air was rich with foreboding. It was as if something descended on the place at night and it was almost like an unknown omnipresent being lurked nearby constantly. Not a sound could be heard, now that the workers were gone, an eerie silence unnerved all the guests. Scully found her way to the place she'd been before dinner. It was pitch black with all the lights blocked by the tent. Perfect, she thought. No one would be able to see the person who used this entrance. Or was it an exit? She put on her flashlight. Why would anyone want to get out at night? She thought that, perhaps, it was where the killers got in; it was too small though. Her thoughts were interrupted by the presence of someone behind her; she whirled around, pulling her gun. It was Baschelli. She lowered her weapon,
"You scared me," she said relieved.
"You shouldn't be out here," he stated, "After dark, it's a dangerous place to be: no one can see you from here."
She relaxed a bit then wondered out loud, "If it's not safe, why are you down here?"
He hesitated. "I... I followed you."
She should have been creeped out, but something about him calmed her, perhaps the very thing she'd seen in him the first day they'd met. She felt flattered. He smiled; not a menacing smile, but a shy smile. He took a step closer, Scully didn't move, she felt safe; it was an unexplained safety. Her instincts told her to be wary of him, but she ignored them against her better judgement.
"I must admit, I'm taken with you," he said softly, brushing a piece of her hair behind her ear. She couldn't find an answer. "We're alike," he spoke with a tone that was hypnotic, "I sense something in you. We've both seen things, things we could never explain." How could he know that about her, was it what she herself had sensed, "we're too stubborn to admit it, so we cling to something tangible, something we understand," he read her like a book, it should have been unnerving, but instead, she felt drawn to him. He touched her cheek, "we're like teachers of a new religion, like..."
"Prophets of science," they finished the thought together. He smiled again and leant down to kiss her. She remembered Brother Andrew from the cult she and Mulder had investigated, she remembered his trick, instinct kicked in and she pushed Baschelli back,
"I'm a federal agent," she began, "As far as I'm concerned, you're under investigation." He stood back, looking shocked. She walked passed him in her retreat. She felt a jolt as he seized her arm,
"Don't be a fool," he said, "We're in the same boat, you and I." She jerked her arm free. She turned to walk away again. He pulled her back and slammed her against the canvass, covering her mouth. As shock subsided, fear gripped her. She could see the anger in his face. He stood over her. Then, something changed, she could see his face softening as he saw the terror in her eyes, he realized what he was doing and he immediately began to back off. It was too late: Mulder had seen him standing over her and had run to her aid. He grabbed Baschelli by the shoulders and pushed him to the ground. He still had a grip on Scully and she fell as well. Baschelli tried to get to his feet and apologize, but Mulder hit him hard in the jaw. Deciding it would be safer, he ran. Mulder's thoughts went straight to Scully,
"You ok?" he asked, helping her to her knees. She nodded, still shocked. She put her arms around him and cried. He held her; she was shaking violently. He glanced over to where Baschelli had disappeared.
Mulder helped Scully to her feet. They went over to the main tent where Anna had been with the others, they were still there, going over some sort of inventory. Mulder entered with Scully,
"Has anyone seen Baschelli?" he asked, trying to mask the anger in his voice.
"No," Anna replied with a cheery voice, "Not since dinner, why?"
"He just attacked Scully near the outer fence," Mulder said, his suspicion almost a reprimand to her happy mood.
"What?" she was shocked by his accusation.
"Lord knows what he was doing down there," Mulder added looking at Scully, asking the same question of her.
"He followed me," Scully answered, "There's a hole in the fence, I went to see what it was. He followed me down there."
"I don't know what to say; I can't believe it," Anna couldn't picture the soft professor attacking anyone, "Do you think it's him who's been killing my workers?"
"I don't know for sure, but I'd put money on it," Mulder replied.
"We can look for him in the morning," Anna pondered out loud, "When it's light."
Author's Note: Aha!So Baschelli isn't such a nice guy after all... I bet you didn't see that coming... Ok, I'm sure you did. If you want to find out if they find him or not, PLEASE REVIEW and tell me.
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