-1 CHAPTER 4: The Mystery Deepens…Kind Of

Well hello, dear readers. Fancy seeing you here. I suppose you don't really care about me, and just want the latest chapter though, eh? Alright, I see how it is. Well here it is, fresh of the word processor, chapter four. Happy reading. I own nothing.

Feb. 12, 12:14pm

MacMeaties Restaurant

Mulder and Scully entered the restaurant. They took one look around at the dingy, greasy filthiness around them. And that was just the description of the customers and their table etiquette. The entire restaurant did anything but excite hunger in the agents. Mulder watched as a cockroach skittered across the tile floor.

"Okay, I've seen enough." Mulder joked. "Meet you in the car."

"Mulder." Scully said in a serious tone. He smiled, and made his way to the counter. An elderly man was standing at the register.

"Welcome to MacMeaties." The man said. "What can I get you today?" Mulder looked at Scully with raised eyebrows. Could it be? Finally, a sane person?

"Two Pepsis," Mulder replied. "And some information." He pulled out his ID, and showed the clerk.

"Are you wanting to know the secrets behind our germ-hostile space meat?" The clerk asked. So much for sane.

"Actually," Scully piped in, laying a sketch of a green-skinned child on the counter. "We were wondering if this boy has ever worked here. His name would be Zim." The old clerk studied the drawing for a moment.

"Nope. I've never seen that particular young man before…wait! Yes I have." Mulder flashed Scully a smug grin. The clerk thought for a moment. "He came in once, demanding to know how our meat is so germ resistant. He actually ordered all of our meat."

"He ordered all of the restaurant's meat?" Scully asked.

"Yeah. Then, if I remember correctly, he put on the meat, head to toe, and ran out yelling something about success."

"Are you sure of all this?" Mulder asked, writing the man's story down in his notepad.

"You get all types in here," The man replied, "But a kid wearing the meat is something you don't just forget about."

"I can understand why." Mulder said with a smile. "But you're not sure if he's ever worked here?"

"I don't recall him ever working here, and I've worked here since this restaurant opened." The clerk replied.

"It would have been for just one day." Scully stated. The clerk rubbed his chin.

"Hmmm. It's possible he worked here on a day that I was off." He turned to the kitchen. "Mr. Mort, there's a couple a' FBI agents here. They need some information." A few moments later, a broad-shouldered man in a pink shirt and blue tie came stomping out of the kitchen.

"Meat seasoning after you fry them!" He was yelling to someone in the back. "That grease has to last the month. Do it again, and you're fired!" He walked up to the register. "What can I do for you?" He asked. Scully pointed at the sketch.

"Has this young man ever worked here?" She asked. The manager looked the sketch over and rubbed his chin.

"I remember him. He came here on career day last year…and I fired him!"

"Why did you fire him, Mr. Mort?" Scully asked.

"The little punk thought it was funny to set off some kind of slime bomb in my restaurant. The MacMeatie's Corporation has a zero tolerance policy for pranks, practical jokes, and humor of any kind in the workplace."

"Slime bomb?" Mulder asked.

"Yeah. He filled the restaurant with hideous green slime…right in the middle of lunch rush, too."

"Did you happen to get any information on him?" Mulder asked. "Last name, address, social security number, anything like that?"

"Well…no." The manager replied. "Like I said, he came here on career day. Technically, we don't have to get much information on kids coming through on class projects like that."

"I see." Mulder said. "Is there anyone else here who was in the restaurant on the day Zim was working here?" The manager thought again.

"No, most of the others who were here have either quit or been fired since then. Simon still works here. He was the one who picked Zim up from school, but he's not working today."

"Will he be here tomorrow?" Scully asked.

"Unless he calls in sick again, he's scheduled to work tomorrow. This shift."

"Thank you for your cooperation." Mulder said. "We'll be back tomorrow to talk to Simon."

"Alright." The manager replied. "Good luck to you guys."

"Don't forget your drinks!" The old clerk called, sitting two cups on the counter. Mulder began to take out his wallet.

"Eh, it's on the house." The manager said. Law enforcement and EMS eats free, company policy." Mulder picked up the cups.

"Thank you." He said. "Don't work too hard."

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"Hideous green slime?" Mulder asked as the agents got into their car. They sat in the vehicle for a moment. Scully sighed and turned to Mulder.

"He said hideous green slime bomb, Mulder." She said. "I can whip up some smelly green slime, but that doesn't make me an extraterrestrial."

"At least we know that this Zim exists." Mulder argued. "Wanna go back to Dib's and see if he can give us an address?"

"Not yet." Scully replied. "I want to get as much information on him as possible before we go scaring the kid, asking him if he's an alien." She said, making sure Mulder knew that the last part was shot directly at him.

"Okay." Mulder said, a little defeated. He looked at a map he'd picked up of the city. "Why don't you take the school, and see what kind of information you can get on Zim there. It's only a couple of blocks away from the hotel."

"Where are you going?" Scully asked.

"I'm gonna go to the local police station and library, and see if there have been any reports of strange occurrences in the area in the past year."

"Alright. If that'll make you feel better." Scully said.

"Just tying up some loose ends." Mulder stated. He started the car, and put it in drive. As the impala exited the parking lot, a dark haired man in a black trench coat watched the car leave. He took a long drag off of a cigarette, dropped it to the ground, and walked into MacMeatie's.

Ahhh, the cigarette smoking man has made an appearance. That can't bode well for Mulder and Scully's investigation, can it? I did a lot of research, and couldn't find the name of the manager, the shift captain from "Career Day", so I just gave him the somewhat foreboding name of Mr. Mort (Latin prefix for "death"). Also the old clerk from "Germs" had a cameo in this chapter as well. And something I've been meaning to mention in my author's notes, but keep forgetting: None of you have spotted an allusion that I placed in this fic. The 1965 Impala is the car the demon-hunting Winchester brothers drive in Supernatural. I guess none of you have ever seen that show, so look it up too. It comes on the WB channel. Anyway, reviews have been lagging, so don't forget to post a review after reading, or I may forget to post a new chapter (evil grin at having so much power). Well, until next chapter, I bid you farewell. Dr. Lovekill out.