"Why did you lie to Krycek?" The Elder asked, his voice eerily monotone.
"I only led him to believe that we still had her. At least we had time to make the changes to the chip before she was taken," the Smoking Man said.
"We underestimated the Bounty Hunter and his abilities to track her. Our only hope is that he returns her with the chip still in place."
"The chip doesn't matter now. The work is finished." The Smoking Man took out a box of Morley's from his jacket pocket and flipped open the top to grab a cigarette. "Now all we can do is wait."
In hot anger, the Bounty Hunter threw the bloodied scalpel across the room. The scalpel disintegrated into the wall from the shear force of his throw. "It's too late," he said to his clones. "They made the changes."
Scully was lying unconscious on the cold metal table in the middle of the room. The back of her neck was open and exposed. There were six clones in all surrounding her, aiding the Bounty Hunter with the surgical procedure.
"Let's kill her," one of the clones suggested.
"No. They have other chips. We have to watch her closely to see what we are up against. The chip must stay in. We need to know what kind of offspring she will produce."
Another clone nodded in agreement. "Only time will tell. We'll finish up here, then. When will we return her?"
"As soon as possible."
Scully woke up in a room that was foreign to her; she knew she wasn't at the hospital anymore. Her vision was blurry and she felt severe pain in the back of her neck. She tried to get out of the bed but she was too groggy. A figure approached her; she couldn't quite make out the face. He was a stranger to her, yet somehow he seemed familiar. "This will help with the pain," he said, as he gave her a shot in the arm.
"Where am I?" Scully asked weakly.
The figure didn't answer her.
"Where's Mulder?" Scully questioned, her eyelids suddenly feeling very heavy. She noticed more men had come into the room. They all looked the same, and they crowded around her. "What's...going...on..." Scully managed to say before she closed her eyes and was knocked out completely.
"It's time," the clone said.
After the charade in the parking ramp, Mulder returned to his apartment. He hadn't been home in days. He needed to be alone to think; he was at a complete loss as to how to proceed next.
Was this going to be another torturous waiting game? How long this time? He was beginning to lose hope, and he was missing her more than words could express. It had already seemed like she had been gone for years. Mulder didn't know how much longer he could hold on. His emotions were starting to get the best of him, and as he got out of the elevator his eyes watered and he felt a lone tear escape the corner of his eye. He couldn't protect her anymore, especially if what Krycek said was true. Because of the chip, she would always be a vulnerable target; a lab rat in which they could perform their hideous tests on anytime they wanted. He could never win against this kind of insatiable evil. They will always have the upper hand.
Mulder stooped down at his door to pick up the pile of newspapers that had collected there over the past couple of days. He then jiggled the key into the doorknob and automatically felt a presence in his apartment when he walked in. It was a gut instinct. Someone was in his apartment. He quietly set the newspapers down and pulled his gun out of the holster attached to his side. Holding the gun out in front of him with both hands, he proceeded cautiously down the short hallway and into the living room. He couldn't believe what he saw...