The car exits off of the Capital Beltway onto Beach Road in Kensington, a neighborhood just outside of D.C. The narrow road winds through a greenbelt that borders a small creek.
"Hello, Skinner." He answers his car's voice activated phone and glances at the clock on the dashboard, the blue digits indicate it's just before midnight.
"Walter, we have a serious problem. We need to meet as soon as possible…"
The conversation is abruptly interrupted by the sound of bullets bouncing off of the car's windshield. The next shot takes out the tires.
"Shit! Hang on!" Skinner shouts hanging on to the wheel as the car swerves, it's tires screeching. He barely has control of it as it skids on the shoulder of the road and goes over the embankment.
"Get down!" He orders. They cower in the car and look out into the darkness, seeing nothing but the occasional headlights from cars passing above them on the road.
"Skinner! Are you there?! Are you all right?! Christ… stay where you are, I'm dispatching a security patrol to pick you up."
"Walter, are you all right?" Marita whispers from the floor of the car.
"Yeah… you?" She nods at him as she pulls a weapon out from under the seat of the car and hands it to him.
"Skinner, they'll be there in three minutes. You need to both come to my office, now." Gibson's tone is grim.
Alien colonization had dashed away the dreams of college students across the country, their Universities and Colleges were closed one by one and their students were recruited to fight for survival of the planet. The next few years were crucial and a fast moving time for the resistance. The President made a vow to anyone whose college life had been interrupted, serve your county and when peace is restored, you will be paid to return to school and finish your education.
By summer of 2015, with the majority of the population immune to both the black oil and the host virus, the aliens retreated from both the United States and Canada. At their government's request, our foreign aid moved into Mexico and Central America. New leaders emerged from these strife-ridden countries. With a successful campaign waged against the aliens, they put the good of the people first and fought the corruption that had plagued them for decades.
Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Chile working cooperatively with the U.S. and Canada. United, they came to the defense of Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay. Ecuador and Columbia helped overthrow the Venezuelan dictator and the new government aligned themselves with the rest of South America. The end of 2017 had secured the countries of Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana.
For the time being, both North and South America had won their battle against alien colonization.
Petie Reynolds is seventeen and like Will, has been a resident at the campus for three years. When she first arrived, she was an awkward tomboyish girl and she and Will became friends when they discovered they shared a love of fantasy books and movies. They were both painfully immature and would escape into their own world. Traumatized by losing their families they retreated from the others and turned to each other for support and comfort.
Over the last year, Petie has morphed away from a self-conscious young girl and blossomed into a beautiful young woman. Likewise, Will, a tall, gangly and clumsy boy has filled out and become a handsome and athletic young man. The other girls on Petie's floor tease her about Will and this secretly pleases her. Will is as devoted to her as any one person can be to another.
Two months ago, they slipped away from the watchful eyes of the adults and the prying eyes of the other residents, and found a place to be alone. It was a windowless room with a skylight that sat next to the grounds keeping storage building. Will swept away the layer of dust on the floor and stole a padlock from the gym to keep it secure.
The first time Will brought Petie there they sat on a blanket and talked about the other residents, school and tests for college. They were both shy and tentative but excited about their clever independence.
The second time they met, Petie had brought candles from her floors emergency preparedness kit and amidst the flickering light, they talked about their future and what it meant to them. He had kissed her that night and it felt awkward, almost forbidden.
The third time they met, their kisses felt dangerous and needy. Their touch was clumsy, there movements self-conscious, but the uncomfortable familiarity gave way to something they both craved. To be loved. It had been years since they had felt a mother's touch or father's embrace and that night they found a little of both in each other.
"How are you doing?" Mulder leans over her and wraps his arm around Scully.
"I'm not sure, I guess I'm feeling conflicted. I'm doing this for me, it feels selfish."
"We said it, no decisions until we get there."
She sighs. "That's right, we did, but I can't stop wondering. Who should make this choice? William has never had a choice. Everything has been decided for him. Is discovering who his biological parents are going to hurt or help him"
"Scully, I don't know the answer. Maybe it will be clear when we see him. Maybe you'll just know." Scully snuggles against him and she dozes off into a troubled sleep.
Mulder lays awake thinking about his failed relationships. Family is a theory to him, a hypothetical concept used to make him feel like a bigger loser. He can't look at Scully without wondering when she'll wake up and see what he is, a relationship train-wreck.
Maybe this will be his salvation. Maybe this will make up for the losses in her life. Mulder wants to make things right, he's taken so much away, now he wants to give Scully her son back.
By 2017, the Australian Defense Force had mobilized and with aid from the U.S. and Brazil, their army, air force and navy were vaccinated against the black oil and host virus. Following Brazil's successful military strategy and using weapons provided by the U.S. they effectively defended themselves against the army of Super Soldiers and took back their continent. An agreement between the Australian government and Brazil ensured they would extend aid to the other Oceanic Countries and in turn they would protect the waters between the Tropic of Capricorn and The Tropic of Cancer.
The European Union and Turkey worked together to form an alliance. The infiltration of Super Soldiers into Western Europe was surprisingly sparse and they managed a successful campaign against the enemy. Russia had closed its borders and rejected aid, choosing instead to send up a nuclear missile that misfired and detonated in mid flight over the Ukraine. The EU severed ties as communications with the panicky country went dark. The Super Soldiers moved east toward the Russian border and south to Northern Africa and the Middle East.
"Who knows about this?"
"Inside this building, the three of us, his secretary, the Director, the Attorney General and two security guards. Outside? The shooter, and whoever sent him."
"Where is he?" Skinner asks. He's sitting across from Gibson Praise in his office at FBI Headquarters. Marita sits next to him, her expression is stern.
"He's been taken to a private facility, the Director arranged it through the White House. An inch to the left and the bullet would have severed an artery. Kersh must have reacted just in time to save his own life."
"What else has happened?" Marita asks quietly.
"We had met for an early dinner at the University Club. We both came back to the building, Kersh said he had a briefing with the A.G. in the morning and wanted to finish his notes. I have several reports that I wanted to work on. I was in the office for about an hour when I felt his presence, the shooter, I felt him in the building. I looked at my watch at exactly 8:27 pm and knew something bad was going down. I called security and they found Kersh." Gibson maneuvers his wheel chair ninety degrees to his right to face his computer.
He taps on the keys and a security image appears. "The shooter gained entrance to the building through the security check point, took the elevator to the seventh floor, got off, walked down the hall, knocked on his door, opened the door and shot him with a .350. He's clearly seen on the security tape."
Marita emits a startled gasp and Skinner shakes his head and grimaces. "What the hell is this?"
"I haven't had time to piece it together... but someone or something got to Kersh in a building with maximum security. Walter, you and Marita were almost killed in a moving car. All of us are in serious danger. We need to contact Mulder, Dana, John and Monica. They need to be warned.