One, two, one, two, one, two, one, two...

The relentless pounding rhythm of the run was usually soothing to Scully, especially during a tough case. She used it as a mantra; a meditation where, with or without her partner, she could relax, and do some serious thinking.

Unfortunately, the only thing the run was doing for her today was making her lightheaded and disoriented. So much of this case was beyond her realm of 'normal' that she didn't know what to believe, or where to begin. Their enemy was, for the most part, invisible; their allies were -angels-, for pete's sake, and something had taken control of her mind and she couldn't even understand what it was! She thought back to Modell and how hard it was to talk the gun from Mulder's hand; how he felt afterwards. "Now I understand, Mulder," she muttered as she stopped her run, gasping for air, "Now I understand..."

That understanding, though, didn't help the frustration she felt. Even in the strangest of cases, she was always able to find something that she had a tangible explanation for, something that her scientific mind could hold on to and at least -attempt- to rationalize. Everywhere she turned in this case, something came up that she could find no explanation for. And -then- there were those things that Mulder saw...she didn't know what to make of those.

Stopping again to catch her breath, she realized that she had run up one of the hills outside of town. The view was breathtaking, but it wasn't what she wanted to see. Mulder seemed to be having such an easy time with this case. Or at least, he started having an easy time with this case when he realized someone was praying for him... "Lord," she prayed, "Why can't I see things like he does, just this once?"

"Because," replied a voice behind her, "Then you wouldn't be the woman that your partner treasures so much. You'd be someone else."

Gasping, Scully turned around to see a tall, fair-haired stranger walking up behind her. Dressed in khakis, he looked like an extra from the set of Bridge on the River Kwai, except for the power hidden deep within his eyes. While the young boy's eyes were cold as ice, reflecting only pain and fear, this stranger's eyes were warm and kind. He seemed to radiate strength and wisdom from every ounce of his being. "Who are you?"

Chuckling, the stranger replied, "An answer to prayer." Taking up Scully's hand in his own, he bent down gallantly and kissed its top, introducing himself. "I am Tal, Captain of the Heavenly Host. Or, as Andrew so succintly put it, the 'Angelic SWAT team'. I must say it is an honor to finally meet you face-to-face."

Scully stared at 'Tal' in disbelief. "You're -another- angel?"

Tal nodded. "God has granted me this opportunity to meet with you and allay your doubts about your work on this case." At Scully's patented look of skepticism Tal continued, "You feel like you are trying to fight against forces that are beyond your understanding, correct?" Scully nodded, the skeptical eyebrow still firmly in place.

"And while you are finding scientifically viable evidence that crimes have been committed, the evidence doesn't point to anything that can be explained in human terms, correct?" Again, Scully nodded, her skepticism wavering and her caution growing. Evidently this 'Tal' knew details of this case that shouldn't have gotten past her, her partner, Monica and Andrew. So either Monica, Andrew and this gentleman were working for someone, as they had first suspected, or else...

Attempting to close some of the remaining distance between them, Tal spoke softly, his tone cautious, as though he knew he were about to broach a deeply disturbing topic. "The demons' attack really shook you, didn't it? To have your mind...violated by someone who looked so innocent. He slipped under your defenses..."

Barely above a whisper, Scully completed Tal's words from her own heart. "Because I couldn't see who they really were." The fear in her voice was unmistakable, and she poured her heart out to the angel before she even truly realized it. "Every time I start a case, I know without a doubt that I'm going out there to catch 'the bad guy'. Even when it seems like we're dealing with the 'shadow forces' we've been fighting since day one, I -know- they're out there. We just have to find them. But this time..."

Tal completed her thought, "All of the evidence seems to be pointing to very human crimes, but without the possibility of a human suspect, and you think that your inability to believe is hindering the investigation."

"Isn't it? Aren't I just getting in the way?"

Tal shook his head. "Dana, I need to show you something. Turn around." Confused, Scully still complied with his request. Now facing their view of Hamelton, Tal asked, "What do you see?"

"Houses, stores, streets, cars, a few people but they're pretty small from this distance..."

Closing the distance between them, Tal placed a hand on Scully's shoulder. "Now what do you see, Dana?"

Scully gasped at the abrupt change in her surroundings when Tal's hand met with her shoulder. The peaceful little town of Hamelton below her suddenly seemed far from peaceful. "There's a black canopy over the town. If I look close enough, I can just make out some of those things...God, there must be thousands of them..." Realizing what she just said, she quickly apologized, "No offense."

Tal chuckled lightly. "None taken. What else?"

Scully watched as a demon from the canopy dove to the town below. Following the demon's path, she realized that nearly everyone she saw in town had some sort of demon either trailing behind them or hovering over their heads. Taking her eyes off the scene in front of her, she looked around to see if one of those...things were following her without her knowledge. When she couldn't see any of them, only Tal, she asked him, "Do demons follow humans like that all the time?"

"You tell me," the angel replied, "What do you think?"

Turning her attention back toward the town, Scully watched a demon following a man as he picked up his morning paper. Thinking carefully, she replied, "Not all the time, then. But only when you're unhappy, angry, or scared, or doing something you know isn't right."

Tal nodded his encouragement, even though he knew Scully couldn't see him behind her. "That's as good an explanation as I could have given you."

"So how do you get a demon off your back?"

"The easiest way?" Scully nodded. "Pray for that man. Don't worry that you don't know him, just pray that whatever is bothering him, God will intervene and destroy the demon tormenting him."

Shrugging, Scully closed her eyes and did as she was asked, not entirely understanding why. As soon as she opened them, a man dressed in attire matching Tal's snuck up behind the demon and slit his throat. Red gas spewing from cut, the demon let out an angry scream of pain, and flew away in a rage. Not staying to savor his victory, the angel disappeared as quickly as he had come, retreating into the shadows before the demon had taken to the air.

Scully took a step away from the scene she had just witnessed, confused. "I don't understand, Captain. If there are more angels in town, why are the demons so firmly in control?"

Tal replied, "Your partner explained to you the concept of 'prayer cover'?"

"Yes, he did," replied Scully.

"We don't have enough of it yet here in Hamelton. The prayer meeting last night was a big boost for us, but the more consistent the prayer cover, the stronger we are. Plus, the timing isn't quite right yet."

Scully turned around to face the angel. "What do you mean, the timing isn't quite right yet?"

"Unlike angels," replied Tal, "Every demon has a human counterpart, through whom he can work either directly or indirectly. We can't find the demons on our own without tremendous prayer cover or until someone roots out that human counterpart."

"And that's our job here in Hamelton?" Tal nodded.

Scully turned away from Tal, looking once again toward Hamelton. Her physical contact with the angel broken, her mind's eye filled in the images of the evil that her physical eyes could no longer see. Her concern for the town below her grew by the second. "Are there enough angels here to handle things when the timing - is - right?"

Placing his hand once again on Scully's shoulder, Tal smiled confidently. "See for yourself."

The images in her minds eye matched up with what her physical eyes were seeing the instant that Tal's hand rested on Scully's shoulder. Those dark images, though, were counterbalanced by tiny paired dots of incredibly bright light scattered throughout Hamelton. Looking out to the horizon and through the surrounding area, Scully found hundreds of pairs of lights, scattered just wide enough that you could only see them -if- you knew where to look. Scully was amazed. "Each one of these pairs of lights is an angel?"

Slipping his hand away from Scully's shoulder so she could turn to face him, Tal nodded. "Just as Andrew told you before, angels have always been with you on your cases, though you may not always have seen them. But, in a fight like this, we mobilize as many as we possibly can. They go into hiding until the time is right."

Turning back to look over the town, Scully asked, "What happens when the time is right?" When she received no answer, she turned around to repeat her question to the captain...

...and found that the captain had disappeared. She called out, "Captain? Captain?", but no one answered the call. Slightly confused, but also filled with a renewed sense of purpose, Scully looked at her watch and quickened her pace back to town. If she didn't get a move on, -she- was going to be the one who was late to breakfast.

Sitting near the tops of the branches of a nearby tree, Tal and Guilo watched the red-headed agent as she continued her run back to town. Tal couldn't help but notice the confusion on his old friend's face. "You seem troubled, Guilo. Want to talk about it?"

Guilo replied, "I was just surprised that you -chose- to reveal yourself to Dana. Highly unusual tactic, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. The things she's seen have confused her mind to the point where she didn't know what to believe anymore. And since she's the one with real faith, we need her to be strong for all that lies ahead. I simply did what was necessary to strengthen that faith."

Guilo nodded in understanding, picking up on the implications of his captain's statement. "It's coming, isn't it?"

Tal squeezed his friend's shoulder. Confidently, he leaned in and whispered, "Soon, my friend. Very, very soon."

Hamelton Elementary School
10:00 a.m.

Scully was fighting off the urge to laugh as she walked beside her partner through the front doors of the elementary school. After their conversation with Tom Harris over breakfast, the group agreed that they should not approach the school without a warrant, since it would be a surprise if anyone was willing to cooperate with their investigation. Normally, she would have been the one to object to asking for a warrant on so little evidence, but, after her morning conversation with Captain Tal, she decided to try a little experiment. The minute her partner got on the phone to Skinner, Scully prayed that they would get the warrant, no questions asked.

Two minutes later, her partner had sat down at the table, his eyes wide with disbelief. In a voice that was little more than a whisper, he declared, "We got the warrant. It'll be waiting for us at the sheriff's office in ten minutes."

Monica and Andrew looked over to Mulder with wide-eyed surprise. "Really? How did we get it so fast?"

"Apparently," replied Mulder, his voice gaining strength, "The judge our boss called was familiar with Tom Harris' case. He granted the warrant almost immediately."

Ever since that conversation, it had taken all of Scully's reserve to keep her face cool, calm and collected. [It worked! Maybe there's hope for these kids after all...]

Now, though, as they approached the school, Scully's mind quickly returned to business, and she said a quick prayer that the warrant wouldn't be necessary.

Andrew and Monica shared a glance at each other as Mulder knocked on the door. Even though the distracted agent hadn't noticed the expressions dancing across his partner's face, the two angels had most definitely noticed, and they couldn't help but wonder exactly -what- had happened to Scully during her morning run.

They decided they'd have to ask her about it later, though, as Mulder's greeting to the school secretary interrupted their musings. "Good morning, ma'am. I'm Agent Mulder, my partners Agent Scully, Agent Smith, and Agent Wesson. We're here to investigate the disappearances of several children in the area, and I was hoping I could get some information from you."

"Of course," replied the cheerful, gray-haired secretary. "What would you like to know?"

Mulder jumped right to the point. "Does your school teach any curriculums to help children improve their self-esteem?"

The secretary's brow furrowed in confusion. "Not that I know of. However, each teacher does have some freedom in what they teach their class outside of the board's required curriculum, so I don't know if any particular teachers might be teaching something unusual."

Flipping through her notebook to find the list of each of the missing child's teachers, Monica asked, "Is there any way we could observe some of the children's classes in action?"

"Of course," replied the secretary. "Whose classes would you like to observe?"

Glancing at Monica's notebook, Andrew offered, "How about we go to Miss Janssen's class first? She was the teacher of the most recent girl to have disappeared."

"Certainly," agreed the secretary. Looking at her watch, she informed the group, "The class is at recess right now, so if you would like to wait a few minutes..."

"Actually," interjected Mulder, "This might be the perfect time for us to visit that class. Scully, why don't you and Monica go out to the playground - see what you can pick up from seeing the kids interact with each other outside the classroom. Andrew and I will go with Miss -?"

"McGillicuddy," the secretary cheerfully replied.

"Miss McGillicuddy," continued Mulder, "and see what we can find out from her about her curriculum."

As they followed Miss McGillicuddy out of the office, Scully nudged Mulder to get his attention. When they were a few steps away from the secretary, Scully whispered, "Did you happen to notice that in a town where everybody knows everybody, our Miss McGillicuddy didn't mention Sharon's name once in the time we talked to her?"

Mulder nodded slightly. "Definitely makes you wonder, doesn't it?"

Scully nodded. Whispering a quick "Good luck" to her partner, Scully followed Monica back out the doors to the playground while Andrew and Mulder followed the curious secretary. Scully couldn't help but think, [Somehow I doubt they're going to get anything out of Miss Janssen with -her- around...]

Shrugging off the negative impressions, Scully turned her attentions to the playground, where a curious scene was unfolding before her. Of the thirty or so children on the playground, only about five of them were playing. The rest were lying on the ground near each other, heads touching, each in some stage of a deep meditative trance.

"What do we do now?" whispered Monica.

Motioning to a nearby swingset, Scully shrugged, replying, "I guess we wait to see who comes out of it first."

Veronica Janssen carefully scrutinized the two agents trying to squeeze themselves uncomfortably into desks meant for youngsters one-fourth their age. Turning to the older woman still standing protectively at the entrance to her classroom, the young teacher encouraged her, "Thank you, Miss McGillicuddy. I'd like to speak to the two agents in private, if you don't mind."

Miss McGillicuddy continued to stand in the doorway, ever vigilant. "According to district policy, Miss Janssen-"

Veronica cut off the older woman before she had a chance to finsh. Closing in on the classroom door, she insisted, "I am aware of district policy, Miss McGillicuddy, and in this case I do not believe that I need counsel, or for that matter, a representative of the district here to assist me. These gentlemen are here to find the missing children, nothing more, and since I am confident that I did not have a hand in their disappearances, I have nothing to be afraid of, do I?"

Having backed out of the doorway instinctually, Miss McGillicuddy replied, "Well, it is certainly within your rights to do that, Miss Janssen, -"

Veronica cut her off as she shut the door, "Yes, it is, Miss McGillicuddy. Good day." Sighing loudly, she turned back to the two handsome (and hopefully single) men and apologized, "Forgive me, gentlemen, but Miss McGillicuddy can be a bit of a pompous windbag. I had to get her out of here so we could talk freely."

Andrew chuckled lightly in agreement, and Mulder brought the group down to business. "It's our understanding that you were Sharon McLintock's teacher before she disappeared, it that correct?"

Veronica nodded. "Yes."

"Did she exhibit any sort of...unusual behaviors prior to her disappearance?"

No longer able to sit comfortably in her spot on top the teacher's desk, Veronica moved to the window and looked out at the playground.

Noticing the children deep in meditation and the two women standing guard over them, Veronica called the two men over to the window. "Would you consider that to be unusual behavior for first-graders at recess?"

It took every ounce of restraint that Andrew had not to run out of the classroom to the playground; a restraint solely based in the knowledge that those with him didn't see the hoarde of demons playing with each child's mind and whispering sweet deceptions in their ears. His part was to help Mulder in any way he could; not rip those demons off of those children and send them off into oblivion, no matter how much he wanted to. The helplessness he felt was overwhelming. Noticing the concerned look on Mulder's face, though, he shook off the thoughts and brought his focus back to Veronica. Feigning ignorance, Andrew asked, "What are they doing?"

"They're in some sort of meditative trance," replied Veronica bitterly, "At first I didn't mind. It even lit a spark of creativity under some of the children who had been painfully shy before."

"And now?" asked Mulder.

"They're all discipline problems. Every single last one of them. They talk out of turn in class-usually swearing. I don't think they listen to a word I say, and every once in a while, one of them will just get up and start running around the room. Within five minutes, six are following him."

"And you can't control them, even by force?" asked Mulder.

Still looking out the window at the few good kids she had who were playing on the slide, Veronica sighed. "I tried once. Would you believe me if I told you that six year-old child nearly threw me clear across the room?"

Through clenched teeth, Andrew replied, "Oh, I believe you, all right. I most definitely believe you."

Veronica turned away from the window to look at Andrew. The surprise in her voice was evident. "You -do-? Everyone else thought I was crazy."

Getting back to the subject at hand, Mulder asked, "What about Sharon? Was she a part of the group as well?"

Veronica nodded solemnly. "Yes, she was. Such a great kid before all this started. But after she got involved with that group..." The teacher sighed deeply. "In some ways she was worse than the others. She wouldn't eat snack, she wouldn't listen, she never turned in her homework, and every word out of her mouth was either a swear word or a lie. I was just about to call her parents in for a conference when - "

Realizing this was the perfect time, Andrew asked, "Do you know who's teaching the children these techniques, Ms. Janssen?"

Immediately, Veronica blurted out, "I'm not sure..." After a few moments of silence, though, she exclaimed, "Wait! I remember one of the kids saying something about going over to a Mr. Gregorson's for 'playtime' after school. Since -all- of them seemed to recognize the name I can only assume that's him."

Mulder worked hard to keep the excitement out of his voice as he realized they finally had a solid lead. Instead, he politely told Veronica, "Thank you very much, Ms. Janssen. You've been a great help." Handing her a business card, Mulder added, "If you can think of anything else that might help us, my cell phone number's on the back."

"Well, I don't know how much help I've been, but thank you anyway." She took the card as she led the two agents to the door. "Do you think Sharon's okay?"

Andrew nodded. "She will be, Ms. Janssen. We'll get her back soon, I promise you that."

For the first time in weeks, Veronica Janssen's face lit up in a bright smile. "In that case, call me Veronica."

"Well, Veronica," cut in Mulder, "We really need to get going. Thank you for your time."

"Anytime, Agent Mulder. Anytime." As she watched the two agents head out to intercept their colleagues on the playground, Veronica did something she hadn't done in years.

She prayed.