J. Edgar Hoover Building
Monday, March 8
8:58 am
FBI Special Agent Dana Scully was having an incredibly bad morning. When she had gone to sleep the night before, she tried to prepare to come early so she could fill out the mountain of paperwork from their last case, which she just knew she was going to have to do on her own.
However, she didn't count on her alarm clock deciding that today was a good day to die. Consequently, she overslept, had to run out of the house, got stuck in traffic for half an hour, and got a run in her stockings as she stepped outof the car in a parking building two blocks away from work (the office parking structure was somehow suddenly full). She stormed into the basement office she 'unofficially' shared as part of the X-Files division, threw her briefcase in the corner, collapsed into the nearest chair and sighed loudly.
Her partner and best friend, Fox Mulder, had already been in the office for an hour and a half, taking the time to catch up on his e-mail and the latest issue of the Lone Gunman magazine. He looked up at his partner sympathetically and smiled.
"Hello Scully. Having a rough morning?"
"Mulder, you have no idea." Rolling her head back, she exclaimed, "God, is it only 9:00?"
"Yep. I brought you some breakfast." Not moving from his desk, he tossed her a white paper bag, which she caught effortlessly, but opened with great trepidation. Seeing the contents weren't going to give her a heart attack by noon, she smiled, finally allowing herself to relax.
"Banana Nut mini muffins? Mulder, sometimes you can be the most wonderful human being..."
Mulder smiled in return, finally standing up to go to the coffee machine. "Well, I try. Would you like me to get you a dose of the brown liquid of life?"
"The way you make it, it's more like the brown liquid of death, but yes, coffee would be great, thanks."
"You ready for another lovely day of paperwork?"
Sipping her coffee, Scully replied, "Can't wait. You know how much I just love filling out your claim forms and expense reports."
"Hey! Is it my fault I'm allergic to New Jersey sewer sludge?"
"No - it's my fault for letting you drag me through it. Again."
-^v^-
An hour later, a phone call roused both agents from the monotony of their work. "Yours," stated Scully as she recognized the distinctive ring of Mulder's office line. Picking up the phone, Mulder listened intently, rattling off a few quick "Yes, sir"s whenever appropriate. When he hung up the phone, he turned to his partner and said, "Skinner wants to see us in his office in fifteen minutes."
Scully got up and quickly grabbed her suit jacket, joking, "Well Mulder, want to place your bets on which one you think it is this time? A new case, or our regular bi-weekly ass-chewing?"
Mulder, following her lead, held the door open for her and replied with a smile, "I'd put it at about even odds, Dr. Scully."
-^v^-
The two agents stepped off the elevator and made their way to Skinner's office. As he watched his two most troublesome agents walk into his office, the Assistant Director was forced to suppress a chuckle. [Do they naturally assume that they're in trouble every time I call them? I guess, with their track record, that would make sense...]
In his most authoritative voice, Skinner instructed the pair, "Agent Mulder, Agent Scully, please take your seats."
Skinner sat down behind his desk as Mulder and Scully sat down in front of him. Before they could ask what the meeting was about, he handed Scully a manilla folder and told them, "I have a new assignment for you."
He noticed both agents start to relax, and Dana start to flip through the red-bordered file. [Now for the part they're not going to like...] "On this case you will be observed by two rookie agents, who will meet you in your office after this meeting is over."
As Mulder opened his mouth to protest, Skinner cut him off. "Now, Agent Mulder, before you protest about how strongly you object to being put on baby-sitting detail, let me finish. Regardless of your 'reputation', you have one of the strongest male-female agent partnerships in the Bureau. As part of a program to help agents work together successfully in mixed gender partnerships, the Director himself has worked with the head of Quantico to put together this program; where several veteran partnerships like your own will have rookie agents observing them through the duration of a single case. I volunteered you two, because I figured you needed as much positive PR as you could get. Taking that into consideration, I suggest you treat agents Smith and Wesson with the utmost courtesy and respect."
[Smith and Wesson? He's -got- to be kidding.] Before Mulder could open his mouth to actually verbalize a protest, Scully quietly replied, "Thank you, sir," silencing her partner with The Look.
Seeing that he wasn't going to get the expected argument, Skinner dismissed them, "Very well then, that will be all."
-^v^-
In the basement offices of the X-Files, two very unusual agents were having a very unusual meeting. One, a gentle-looking woman with dark hair and a thick Irish accent, went to embrace her 'partner', a tall, blond, and handsome gentleman who appeared very clearly American.
"Andrew!" the woman exclaimed, " What are you doing here?"
"Actually, I'm not quite sure. My orders were simply to help you with whatever comes up on this assignment."
"Oh, so you're supposed to help me out, eh? Does that mean I'm in charge?"
"No, it means that we're partners, Monica. We work equally."
Monica turned her gaze away, embarrassed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."
Andrew broke into a wide grin. "S'okay. I'm not upset. I just didn't want you to explode from a swelled head or anything." Feigning mock insult, Monica gave Andrew a good-natured punch in the shoulder. As Monica and Andrew continued to joke with each other, Mulder and Scully walked in from their meeting with the Assistant Director. Scully paused for a moment - it was surprising to see new partners who were so comfortable around each other, especially after Skinner's description of this 'program' these two were supposed to be a part of. She began to wonder, not for the last time, who these two really were.
"Good morning. I'm Dana Scully and this is my partner, Fox Mulder. I assume that you are the two agents who were sent to observe us?"
Andrew stood there for a minute, unable to speak. [I know these two from somewhere,] he thought, [But for the life of me I can't remember where...]
Noticing Andrew's unusual shyness, Monica imitated her human counterpart and replied, "Yes, my name is Monica Smith, and this is my partner, Andrew Wesson. We're looking forward to working with you."
Mulder grumbled under his breath, "Man, these two are the biggest blue-flamers I've ever seen."
Before he could give voice to that comment, Scully interrupted, "Well, it's always nice to find out that someone has taken notice of the more positive aspects of our work," while giving Fox a look that screamed, 'Mulder, I know what you're thinking and DO NOT go there.'
Seeing his partner's look,Mulder swallowed that comment (along with his pride), and stated, "So, shall we take a look at our latest case?"
Scully nodded, and both of them took their seats near Mulder's desk. Andrew and Monica pulled up chairs that were sitting against the wall and turned their attention toward Scully, who was holding the file.
Scully began, "I skimmed the file briefly while in the elevator on our way back down here. Ten couples have been murdered in rural communities in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Each couple had two children, a boy between the ages of 11 and 13 and a girl between the ages of 7 and 9. Both children disappeared after their parents were murdered; none of these children have yet been found, dead or alive. Each couple was listed as having died sometime around midnight."
"The witching hour," muttered Mulder.
Scully knew her partner meant that literally. Rolling her eyes, she continued, "The cause of death varies in each case. Three of the couples were stabbed with knives from their own kitchens, three were strangled, three were suffocated using (according to the ME on the case) the pillows they slept on, and the last couple was each shot in the chest at close range with a gun they had recently purchased. Get this, Mulder – the neighbors' statements report that they heard sounds similar to a flute near the houses of the dead couples, but other than that, there were no other signs of a struggle, forced entry or of anyone coming in or going out of the houses. In fact, other than the music, no one noticed anything unusual until the bodies were discovered the next morning."
"Any prints on the murder weapons?" asked Mulder.
"None," replied Scully, "and we are set to go to the sight of the last three murders tomorrow. We leave for Hamelton, Vermont at 7:30 tonight."
Mulder groaned, "Leave it to Skinner to make sure we get at least half a day's time to do paperwork. I'll take the file and start working on a preliminary profile. Scully, would you like to show our two 'observers' the joys of the Bureau's paper trail?"
Scully sighed. There was no way she was going to get out if it, was there? "Okay. If that's all right with you two?"
Andrew and Monica, to Scully's great relief, nodded, making it clear that, unlike her partner, they were more than happy to help with the paperwork.
Dulles International Airport
USAir Terminal, Gate 13
7:15 p.m.
Scully smiled as she watched Monica and Andrew approach her. "Good evening, Agent Scully," asked Monica, "Where is Agent Mulder?"
"Agent Mulder has made it a tradition to get on a plane fifteen seconds before they close the doors, so we have a while before he gets here. The plane should begin boarding in a few minutes. Shall we sit down?" She motioned to the nearly empty waiting area for the flight to Montpelier, and Monica quickly found a seat, followed by Dana and Andrew. Trying to jog his unusually cloudy memory, Andrew decided to engage Dana in a bit of social conversation. "So, how long have you and Agent Mulder been working together?"
"About four years."[God, has it been that long?]
"Agent Mulder seems like a very interesting person to work with," said Monica.
Her comment got a raised Scully eyebrow in response. As far as she could remember from her last trip to Quantico, the legend of 'Spooky' Mulder was still a hot topic of conversation, both among the faculty and the recruits. However, it seemed like Andrew and Monica knew very little about her and Mulder.
"Well, there's never a dull moment when I'm around, as you'll soon find out," chimed in a very familiar voice.
"Mulder, you're early! This is a surprise," exclaimed Scully, turning to see her partner, who had just walked up behind them.
"Well, I like to keep you on your toes. May I?" asked Mulder, motioning to a seat.
Everyone nodded for him to join them, so Mulder took a seat next to Andrew, which put Monica and Scully directly across from him. Scully was eager to get off the personal bent to this conversation, so she turned to Mulder and asked, "So, Mulder, any ideas about this case yet?"
"Not really," replied Mulder, "These don't look like your normal abduction cases. There's definitely some human force behind it, but I'm not quite sure what it is yet."
" 'Normal abduction cases'," repeated Monica, "But I thought you said you knew these children had been kidnapped?"
This raised Mulder's suspicions. From what Scully had told him, and from what little time he spent at Quantico, he knew that no new agent left that place without getting a good dose of 'Spooky' Mulder stories. Yet, these two seemed like they knew very little about him. He glanced at Scully, whose look only showed that she was suspicious too, but that they would talk about it later, alone, and tried to keep his face expressionless as Scully calmly replied, "Agent Mulder and I differentiate between kidnapping and abduction cases."
Monica nodded, and glanced at Andrew, who looked like she had just gotten them in trouble, again. [Maybe I should have read that background information Tess gave me,] she thought. Her gaze falling to the floor, she sighed, "I see,"
Scully took one look at her and, for some reason, her heart just went out to her. She felt that if she explained Mulder's ideas to Monica, that she wouldn't condemn him as crazy, like every other agent she met. "It's all right," whispered Scully, "When Agent Mulder talks about abductions, he's talking about abductions by extraterrestrials."
Monica's eyes lit up. Well, at least that she could deal with. She's seen enough types of beings from her days in the heavenly chorus to understand that God made many more types of creatures than humans, although humans undoubtedly were his favorites. "So, do you believe in the existence of little green men, Agent Mulder?"
Mulder had a hard time trying to keep from cracking up. How many times had he asked that question to someone, and either gotten an argument or hysterical laughter in response? And now, another agent was asking that question to him? This was too good. "Gray men, actually. And please, just Mulder. Actually, yes I do. Do you?"
"Why certainly, Mulder. I find it hard to believe that most people would be so arrogant as to believe that this is the only planet that God spent any time working on. After all, the universe is a whole lot bigger than most people can even understand, let alone appreciate."
Mulder wasn't sure whether to smile, laugh, cry or draw his gun. Finding another person who held the same beliefs he did always did that to him.
Scully rolled her eyes and had to stifle a groan. One 'believer' on a case was enough trouble, she though, but two? This was going to be a long one.
Andrew, on the other hand, started looking around the airport for a quick escape route and was fidgeting nervously. [If she starts going off about her friends from Bajor in the chorus,] he thought, [We are in big trouble.]
Fortunately for all concerned, the stewardess from USAir announced just in the nick of time, "Ladies and gentlemen, at this point we are going to start boarding passengers for Flight 1013 to Montpelier, Vermont..."
Montpelier International Airport
Monday, March 8
9:00 p.m.
A wave of nausea overtook Monica even as the plane was making its final approach. She had taken airplane trips before on assignments without problems. So what was happening to her now?
Andrew watched his partner, the worry evident on his face. He had felt the familiar twinge of evil as well, but was hoping he could shrug it off as nothing. Monica's strong reaction, though, made him see otherwise. Grabbing her hand, he whispered reassuringly, "We'll be landing in just a minute, Monica. It'll be fine." It wasn't much of a reassurance, he knew, but it would have to suffice.
Once the plane finally taxied to the gate, Andrew stole a quick glance at Mulder and Scully, hoping they wouldn't notice Monica's rapidly declining appearance. He relaxed slightly when the two agents, consumed by their desire to get off the plane, left without even a nod in their direction.
Turning back to tend to his partner, he saw that her condition was growing worse. She was pale, sweating slightly, and still looked like she was about to be sick at any moment. Andrew frowned, his concern growing. If Monica was feeling like -this- now, when the local air was just starting to get into her system, could she handle getting off the plane, and facing what he knew was coming? He said a quick prayer for God to give her strength, and helped her get off the plane.
Sure enough, when they made it to the gate, Monica's appearance had improved considerably, but not enough to get her past Dr. Scully's watchful eye. The agent stopped them as soon as they got off the plane, her concern for Monica's appearance obvious.
By this point, Andrew was working hard to not sound desperate. He knew that Monica needed, and deserved an explanation as to what was going on here, but he couldn't do a thing with the two agents around. With a leading arm around Monica, he guided her, "Come on Monica, let me take you over here for a minute to get some air."
Scully touched Andrew on the shoulder and asked, "Andrew, it's all right, I'm a medical doctor. Monica, can you tell me what's wrong?"
Monica recovered enough to find her voice. "It's all right, Agent Scully. Andrew's dealt with this before." A quick glance at her partner's face confirmed that he had, indeed, dealt with this before. [What's going on here?] Wanting to reassure the other woman, Monica continued, "I should be fine in a few minutes."
The skeptical tone never left Scully's voice as she said, "Fine. We'll give you a couple of minutes alone while Mulder and I go pick up the rental cars. Andrew, are you sure about this?"
It took every ounce of faith Andrew had to quickly reply, "Yes, she'll be fine." [Oh Lord,] he prayed, [Please don't make me a liar.] He placed his arm around Monica and let her far enough away from Mulder and Scully that he could talk to her without being heard. Turning his attention to Monica again he encouraged her, "Come on, Monica, take deep breaths, try to relax, gain some strength. You'll be fine in a couple of minutes, I promise."
After Monica had composed herself as best she could under the circumstances, she whispered, "I can't believe it! Andrew, have you ever felt so much evil in one place before?"
Andrew grabbed her and pulled her into a fierce hug. All he could do was quietly whisper, "Yes, I have." He had indeed felt such evil. It was a long time ago, and it was something he hoped he would never have to face again.
Monica looked up at him in shock. Staring straight into his eyes, she whispered, "You have seen this before, haven't you? Andrew, what's going on?"
Looking around to make sure no one was listening, Andrew replied, "Monica, I had hoped I would never have to reveal this to anyone, but I believe you need to have some idea of what we might be dealing with here. I have a feeling that my 'secret' is the reason I was sent to help you out on this
assignment. You must promise me, though, that you will keep what I tell you now strictly between us. Even Tess does not know what I am about to tell you." Monica nodded.
Satisfied, Andrew took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and revealed his only secret. "Okay. Monica, before I was an angel of death, before I was a case worker, I was in Special Forces. I fought in Ashton and Bacon's Corner. This-feeling, this evil you just felt? I felt it in the air just before both those battles."
-^v^-
When Andrew said that he had a secret, which she thought no angel had, she had no idea what to expect, but she certainly did not expect that. Special Forces? She thought nobody ever left that group. That was the best assignment an angel could get, in her opinion-fighting the demons that plague the Earth, and making sure that the most powerful ones never got a chance to inflict the pain that she hated to see. She had heard the legends about the battles at Ashton and Bacon's Corner since her days in the heavenly chorus so long ago. Both those battles were hard-fought victories; both barely won. None of the angels who fought there came out unscathed. Many carry wounds that are still physically visible. [And we're dealing with a force that is just as evil, just as palpable, as the Destroyer and the Strongman,] thought Monica. She voiced her concerns out loud to Andrew. "I guess what Tess told me was right; if we're dealing with something this strong, Fox and Dana could not possibly be prepared for something like this. I don't even know if I'm prepared to deal with something like this."
"Have some faith, Angel Girl," Andrew smiled, and tried to encourage her, pulling her into another hug, "I'm still here, aren't I? As Tess would say, 'If the good Lord could pull me through those battles, he can pull us through this one.'"
"I guess you're right," declared Monica, comforted already by the thought of her friend and supervisor, who promised she would be meeting Monica and Andrew in Hamelton. "We should find Fox and Dana, before Dana starts wondering if she'll have to perform an autopsy on me."
"And then Fox will start one of his 'X-File's on the both of us," agreed Andrew, laughing. "Let's go."
-^v^-
I-35 North
Heading toward Hamelton, VT
Monday, March 8
10:00 p.m.
When they found Mulder and Scully, they had rented matching blue Ford Tauruses, one for them, which Mulder drove, and one for Andrew and Monica, which Monica drove. Andrew spent the drive filling Monica in on the rest of the background information she was supposed to have read before the assignment, while Dana and Fox discussed the case and their increasingly interesting 'observers'.
"So who do you think they are?" asked Scully.
"I don't have any idea,"
"Do you think they work for our cigarette-smoking friend?"
"I'm not really sure," replied Mulder. "They acted like they didn't know anything about me, or our work, even though you know how many rumors are floating around the Bureau about us."
Scully sighed, and started out the window at the multitude of stars that blurred past them. "Frankly, Mulder, I'm wondering if all that 'believing in aliens' stuff she talked about before we got on the plane wasn't just for your benefit, to get you to trust her. And yet, there's something about them, particularly Monica, that makes me feel like she would accept anything, as long as it was the truth. My instincts say they don't work for *them*, but if they don't, then I really don't know what to make of them yet."
"Do you think they're aliens?"
"Mulder!"
"Just kidding!..."
-^v^-
Mercurius always loved this detail. Watching over a small town, making sure its people were protected from harm was, to him, a most rewarding experience. It had brought him great joy to know that the people below him in Hamelton felt as safe as when God brought them into the world. Sometimes, he would even spend the evenings walking the quiet neighborhood streets, silently, vigilantly checking on the people he considered friends.
Which is why he was so disturbed when the demon Angelos came to town. He tried to stop Angelos before the demon took young Mark McLintock, and was almost destroyed in the process. Disturbed, he flew off immediately to speak with Guilo, who had been working at Captain Tal's right hand ever since the battle at Bacon's Corner. He briefed Guilo on the havoc and death Angelos was creating in town, and asked his friend for his advice and help.
Guilo tried to reassure him. "Mercurius, thank you for alerting us to this. We have been tracking him for some time, and now that we know where he is, we can plan our strategy for his defeat."
Mercurius was reassured that the leaders of this battle were aware of the situation, but he still was greatly concerned for his friends in Hamelton. He eagerly awaited his orders, but was afraid to ask for them.
Sensing Mercurius' concern, Guilo came a step closer to his friend, knowing that he was not going to be happy with what he had to tell him at this point. "Stay out of sight for now, my friend. Be patient, for we will send help at the proper time. Until then, Angelos must not know that there are angels who will defend Hamelton to the end. Our prayer cover there is very weak right now, and we still must find the remnant there. If you find someone who will be part of the remnant, protect them from Angelos if he attacks them, but that is all we can do for now."
As Guilo suspected, his friend hated the plan. He swept his long blond hair behind his broad shoulders, and sighed. He may not like it, but orders are orders, and, for the best interests of all concerned, he knew he must obey. "And what of the case workers? Should I inform them of the situation?"
Guilo was not aware of any case workers who were working in the area near Hamelton, so his curiosity was piqued. "Case workers?"
Mercurius replied, "Yes, there are three case workers who have just come into town tonight. Two of them are staying at the Inn on the outskirts of town with two FBI agents, and a third is working undercover as a waitress at a small restaurant nearby."
[Perhaps Tal knows of these new arrivals to Hamelton. They might even be of use in finding the remnant here,] thought Guilo. "What are their names? I need to discuss their presence with the Captain."
Mercurius turned to the small notebook that was his trusted companion as witness - protector for Hamelton. "The worker at the restaurant is named Tess, and the ones with the FBI agents are called Monica and Andrew. The agents they are with are called Mulder and Scully."
Guilo took in a sharp breath. Andrew? He remembered the young angel from Bacon's Corner.[So what is he doing in Hamelton now? For all we know, he may be there for one of the two agents, but the timing is just too God-like.] he thought. [I must ask the captain about this.] "All right, for now, do not reveal your presence to them. Let them continue with their assignment, and wait for word from either the captain or myself. We will come to you when the time is right to fight our common foe. Are we in agreement?"
Mercurius nodded. He knew his friend's great strength and wisdom, and trusted his judgment implicitly. "Agreed. Good bye, my friend. I will see you soon."
The two angels embraced, then Mercurius flew away, quick as a lightning bolt, to return to his beloved town.
-^v^-