Somehow, they had drifted off to sleep and for the first time in months, they both slept peacefully. It was the unwanted appearance of their reacquainted nemesis that pulled them out of their dreams.
As everything else in the sterile white room, the lights shone proudly white, but something Scully noticed during her captivity was that the hallway lights were yellow. Whenever Butch or some other fiend entered through that mysterious door, the yellow flooded in, bringing with it anticipation.
It was the yellow light that woke Scully and her sudden movement, in turn, woke Mulder. Towering above them was Butch, dressed plainly in khaki, a sign to Scully that no experiments would be done today. He carried a tray piled with some of the most appetizing foods that Scully had seen in months.
Butch put the tray down on the floor and stared at the agents for a moment before leaving.
"My, what a feast."
Mulder picked up the tray and placed it on his lap. He looked intently at each item – apples, a pile of toast, some butter and jam, eggs, and two cartons of milk.
Noticing that Scully was not as eager as he was, Mulder restrained himself from digging in.
"What's the matter Scully?"
"Something's not right."
"What do you mean?"
"This food … they've never given me anything like this before."
"You're afraid that it's tainted."
Mulder stared longingly at the tray but eventually pushed it aside.
"So what do you think they're up to?"
"Maybe they're trying to kill you."
Mulder picked up Scully's light tone and decided to continue with the play.
"Death by food poisoning?"
"You know the saying Mulder. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."
"Well, I'm not so sure about that Scully. I mean, I've had some of your cooking and I must say …"
The sudden flood of yellow light disrupted Mulder's thought. Butch reappeared and was noticeably tired. He gestured towards Mulder and indicated that he wanted Mulder to follow him.
Mulder looked cautiously at Scully as he followed Butch out of the room.
"Eat up, Agent Scully. You'll need the energy."
Butch called out the words as he closed the door behind him.
"Follow me. No questions."
Mulder nodded. However, his mind was preoccupied with trying to find a way out. The hallway he walked down was straight and narrow, the walls as yellow as the lights. The monotony ended with a flight of stairs, and as they climbed, Mulder felt a chill run down his spine. There was something eerily familiar about the place.
As the first flight of stairs ended and another began, Mulder could hear the remnants of a scream permeate through the walls. He knew where he was.
"This is the place."
They stopped halfway through the second flight of stairs. Butch allowed his words to sink through Mulder. He could only guess what he was thinking. Perhaps thoughts of the Mole, the elaborate set up, and the beginning of Mulder's recent troubles.
"Let's keep going."
Butch heeded to Mulder's words. The continued to climbs the stairs until they reached the top door. Butch fished a key out of his pockets and it slipped perfectly into the lock. With a turn and a push, Mulder saw something he did not expect.
The walls were painted with soft colors, a sharp contrast to the bright yellow and whites. Pictures hung from the walls – family portraits and such. There was no doubt that he was in a house, and the cozy yet extravagant feel of the home lead Mulder to conclude that he was, in fact, somewhere in Martha's Vineyard.
Mulder scoffed at the irony.
Butch continued to lead him through the house, walking past things he personally envied. They finally stopped at a closed door.
"In there."
Mulder shifted his gaze between Butch and the door before entering.
The room was dark, the blinds drawn to prevent the sunlight from leaking in. The only source of illumination came from an antique desk lamp.
"Agent Mulder, sit down."
Mulder uneasily complied. The voice was unfamiliar to him and he did know whether or not to take comfort in that fact.
"I'm sure you're wondering why you're here."
The man paused as he casually lit a cigar.
"Do you smoke?"
Mulder shook is head to indicate the negative.
"Well then, let's get to business, shall we? I suppose you have some idea of what we are trying to accomplish?"
"No."
"What a shame. I thought you were brighter than that. Now I'm beginning to reconsider my course in this conversation. It wouldn't be too fun for me if I revealed everything to you. But I suppose that it's necessary if we are to count of your participation.
Now, I assume that you realize that Agent Scully has been chosen to be apart of a very special experiment - an experiment that will help mankind survive if there were any invasions."
"Invasions? You mean …"
"Quite right. We are not always correct in who our allies will be. The same aliens who provided us with the original chip technology have turned against. It was only recently that we discovered that they embedded a secret code that would have allowed them to take control of any of the abductees at any time. We estimated that they would have attacked within the year.
Luckily, we were already developing a new chip, using some new technology. We had a few tests, but with new time constraints, we decided that it was time for human experimentation. Systematically re-abducting persons, we were able to replace a majority of the chips. Those we were unable to replace were taken out manually.
Agent Scully, however, is the lucky recipient of a, well, shall we say, a better chip. You've witnessed its powers. You know how unbreakable of a woman she is, Mulder. She is invaluable to us."
The man paused, got up from his chair, and walked to Mulder's side.
"This is her destiny. She is the future of the human race. She is our only resistance to the aliens.
And you, Agent Mulder, ironically, are the only thing that makes her happy. You make her feel safe. Remember that."