"For Christ sakes, they looked like you asked them to rob a bank." John harps as he and Monica enter her faculty-designated cottage.
"Asking students to meet after dinner isn't uncommon. All teachers are considered advisors." Monica drops her briefcase on the floor next to the door.
"I've got some red wine or beer, hard liquor is hard to come by when you're surrounded by four thousand teenagers."
"Beer is fine." John tosses his overcoat on the back of the sofa and sits down. "I mean it, I missed you."
She smiles and hands him a beer. "I heard you've been Marita's sidekick for the past few months. Should I be jealous?"
"Give me a break. You think I'd want the wrath of Skinner on me? She won't have him hanging over her on official business," his eyes light up with humor "he tends to over react."
"So tell me about the kid. What's your impression of him?"
"He's exceptionally bright. Like so many of these kids, they have a lot of emotional baggage, and William's no exception. He's still has one foot in childhood and the other in adulthood and it makes it hard to know which one you're dealing with. His grades aren't a problem, he just needs to ace his proficiency exams and he'll have his pick of any University."
"I'm not surprised he's smart, look at his mother and father, what about his adoptive parents?"
"I know they were fairly conservative and religious, but from what I can ascertain, they walked the walk. William seems to have good values and a strong work ethic. I peeked at his psych file, and it sounds like he was pretty angry with them, but seems to be working it out."
"Does he know he was adopted?"
"That's something I hope we can find out."
Midway through 2017, the war against the alien colonists continued to rage on in Africa. The attempts to bring the vaccine into the country had failed when mass hysteria broke out and those who had the knowledge and power to mobilize their people were abducted, killed or fled. The decision to withdraw foreign aid was made when it was determined that almost one quarter of their population had been abducted, returned and reborn as Super Soldiers. The African's belief in superstitions led to false information and that that led to deadly consequences, convincing the rest of the planet they had no choice but to withdraw. A new tactic would have to be developed, one where their cooperation might not be necessary.
The Middle Eastern countries faired no better, their allies and enemies warned them of the genocide they were bringing upon themselves, but the Clerics who ruled the theocracy declared Jihad against the infidels and those who aligned themselves with them. The Resistance movement retreated when the Holy War unintentionally strengthened the alien objective.
Petie and Will look stiff and uneasy as Monica ushers them in to the living room and motions for them to sit down.
John tries not to stare too hard at Will, but he's fascinated by the resemblance he bears to both Dana and Mulder.
"So how's life, do they treat you okay?" John directs the question to Will.
"Yeah, I guess so. I like school pretty much. The guys on my floor are all decent."
"Petie, what about you?" John smiles at her reassuringly.
"It's okay. I hate sharing a bathroom, but it's better than the group home."
"You're both here for another year and Monica says you're on the fast track to be accepted to a University. Any idea what you'd like to study, or where you'd like to go?"
Both teenagers look uncomfortably blank, especially Petie who colors up at the question.
"John's connected to some of the schools in the northeast, he's here to offer suggestions."
"So tell me a little about yourselves, where you were born, something about your family, maybe that's a good place to start." John suggests.
"I was born in Oregon, both my parents were in the army, so we moved a couple of times. I don't remember anything from when I was really little, but I started elementary school at Fort Wainwright in Alaska. Then we went to Fort Lewis, in Washington. That's were both mom & dad were deployed. I staid with my grandma in Bellefleur, Oregon, but she got abducted because she had never gotten immunized. When she came back, they took her to the hospital. I never saw her or my parents again. I went to a group home in Salt Lake City… came here three years ago, when I was fourteen."
Petie looks matter of fact. Her tragic story isn't uncommon, but it still tugs at both Monica's and John's heart.
"Was there someplace you really liked, someplace you'd like to go back to?" Monica asks gently.
"No, I'd like to go someplace I've never been. Maybe Los Angeles." Petie gives them a big smile.
"What about you, Will?" John asks.
He looks hesitant to say anything, but once he gets going, it's like a floodgate opening.
"I was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming. My parents had a farm, well not a real farm, but a big place with land and animals. I had a dog, named Miracle and we had sheep and chickens and a llama. When I was eight, I went to sleep away camp in Utah. I was ten, almost eleven when the colonization happened. My parents didn't believe, they thought it was a big hoax to scare everyone in supporting the President. We staid at the church compound with the congregation in Cheyenne, but then the army came and said they would be fighting against the Super Soldiers. All the kids got on a couple of buses and we went to a camp that was set up in the iron ore quarry and we waited there for a long time. At least two weeks. They told me that they went back for my parents but it was too late."
John interrupts him. "You were born in Cheyenne?"
He looks at him funny. "Yeah, well sort of, I was adopted when I was a baby."
A coup to overthrow the splintered Russian Federation's government was successful and marshal law was declared. Western Russia, together with the former soviet block countries banded together to form a coalition. They were given aid from the European Union, the U.S. and Canada and by December 22, 2017, the fifth anniversary of the planet's resistance against alien colonization, victory was declared as the enemy retreated into Eastern Russia.
China, India and the countries adjacent to them, as well as Japan and both North and South Korea became allies and fought with determination against the Super Soldiers. Their superior knowledge of technology combined with the addition of more foreign aid enabled them to fight an effective battle against the alien adversary. When the fighting ended, and for the first time, the East Asian countries put aside their history, differences and racist views and found peace amongst each other.
Monica and John stand at the doorway and watch the teenagers walk hand in hand down the path toward the dorms.
"You remember being that young and in love?" He puts his arm around her waist and draws her closer to him.
"Mmmm, oh yeah, his name was Joey and he had an ass kicking Camaro…" She raises one eyebrow and gives John a mischievous look.
"Agent Reyes, I'm shocked. I didn't think you had a bad bone in your body." He leans in towards her and whispers in her ear. "Except for Follmer…"
"Ouch!" John barks as Monica twists his arm behind him. "What's the matter, no sense of humor?" He laughs as he pulls her back into the cottage.
He closes the door behind them, when suddenly an enormous blast shakes the ground and knocks them both over. John instinctively covers Monica's body with his, as splinters of wood and shattered window glass fall down on them and a cloud of smoke and wallboard dust fills the air. They are both stunned by the explosion and time is lost, the thick air causes them to cough and blink particles out of their eyes, before they can comprehend what has just happened.
"Jesus… Monica, you okay? What the fuck…!" They scramble to their feet and shake off bits of glass and debris. With the smoke swirling around them, he takes her hand and they stumble outside where the sound of approaching fire sirens and the concerned voices of the other faculty members is barely audible through the ringing in their ears.
A crater, thirty feet wide is billowing smoke and the cars parked in the lot next to Monica's cottage are on fire.
Scully is no stranger to stress and adversity, her life's been a roller coaster ride and the dips have been filled with tragedy and grief. Somehow, this situation with William overwhelms her. She never allowed herself to think she would meet him, only believing that giving him up would ultimately save him. To know the hardships he's faced at such a young age fills her with guilt and sorrow. She wants to see him, but is afraid to meet him.
They've flown into Denver, an hour's drive outside of Boulder, and are waiting for an agent at the car rental office.
"Hey Scully, seems like old times, us in a rental car, you pissed off, me oblivious." Mulder teases her, he knows she's filled with anxiety and is trying to ease her discomfort, the same discomfort he feels himself.
"Mulder, I know what you mean, it's like déjà vu, you being oblivious that is." She manages a smile for him when her cell phone vibrates and she answers it.
"Hello…. What? Are they okay? Oh my God! How's his condition? No we're in Denver on our way to see John and Monica…. Who… I don't understand… It can't be…" Scully's face goes pale and her eyes are wide with astonishment.
"What is it?" Mulder takes her aside away from the line of car rental patrons.
"Its Gibson. Skinner and Marita were run off the road in their car when someone opened fire on them, and Kersh was shot in his office, he's lucky to have survived. They have a suspect on the security camera digital tape …"
Scully pauses as if finding her voice and whispers "It's Alex Krycek!"