Chapter eight
They left the nurse to be lost in her own psychosis and began to look through the office for anything useful.
"Hey, I found a letter. It's from Herbert to Ms. Wickson," Mulder said looking through the nurses desk, "It's dated a few weeks ago, when Kenny went missing; Elisabeth, you were not there, so I am leaving you this message. I hope it will be sufficiently clear. This morning I surprised Mr. W. coming out of the amphitheater. I suspect it was he who left the locked chamber open last night. That idiot is putting everybody in danger. You know that the current instability means that we cannot take the least risk. We must do something. Try to engage him in conversation today; you may be able to learn more. Herbert."
"Do you think Mr. W, is Walden?" Scully asked.
"Pretty sure," Mulder said.
"Hey, she locked the door with this wheel thing, looks like it goes to kind of valve," Stan said removing the object from the door handle.
"I've seen this before," Scully said taking the wheel from him, "In the main building, there is a room on the second floor with two shelves that move with this, but one shelf in the middle was missing this."
"Well, I guess we should head there then," Mulder said and headed for the door.
"What about the videos?" Stan said.
"Right, I forgot about those," Mulder said, "Let's check those out first."
"Should we just leave her here?" Scully asked uncertainly, indicating the nurse.
Mulder looked at her contemplatively. The nurse was still in her own world babbling about Leonard and Herbert.
"We'll have to. She is no use to us, and we can't drag her around; she is safer here." Mulder said.
"You're right," Scully said and pocketed the wheel.
Mulder, Scully, and Stan left the infirmary and headed back to the janitor's room. They passed by Vick's body, without looking at him, to the back room.
Mulder put the video labeled Surveillance in first.
It split into four screens.
"Mulder, these are labeled the night that Kenny Matthews disappeared," Scully said pointing to the bottom of the screen at the date.
"Yeah and there is someone leaving that building," Mulder said pointing at the left corner of the screen, "Where is that Stan?"
"It's the gym, it's in the east part of the school," Stan explained and then pointed at the bottom right corner of the screen, "That must be the one who lured Kenny out because there goes Kenny, and they both go towards the garden area that's usually locked."
"And look who it is," Mulder said angrily.
"Herbert Friedman," Scully said, "Yes, and a few moments later, look who's the only one coming back out, alone," she said pointing to the left side of the screen as Herbert exited a gate and locked it behind him.
"Where is that door?" Mulder asked Stan.
"I have no idea, I mean Friedman goes through the gardens that I know of, but I've never scene that gate before," Stan said.
"But look, someone is accessing it after Friedman has left, who is it?" Scully said drawing their attention back to the screen.
"I can't really see, but he is the one who set those things loose," Mulder said as they watched the person run back out a few minutes later, being chased by four nearly mutated students.
The video stopped.
"Well, we know that Friedman is really doing this, and so is the nurse, Elisabeth Wickson," Scully said.
"Yeah, but what about Denny Walden?" Mulder said.
"I don't know. He knows a lot and it could have been him letting those things loose," Scully said.
"Maybe. Anyway, let's check out the last video," Mulder said popping in the video of SUBJECT 37.
The video played fuzzy for a moment. All they saw was a lone person sitting in what looked like a jail cell.
"It's Kenny," Stan said as the video became clearer.
"He's alive," Scully said sounding relieved.
"When was it filmed; is he still alive?" Mulder said.
"It doesn't say," Scully said.
"Well, we have to find him, but it sounds like he is already a test subject," Mulder said taking out the tape and looking at the label.
"Thirty-seven, but only twenty-five went missing, including Kenny?" Scully said confused.
"I know, but only Herbert can answer our questions now and we have no idea where he went," Mulder said, "Let's just go to that room you talked about," he said.
The three walked back to the main building. They opened the door and cautiously looked in before fully entering it.
"Well, at least we know what that huge noise was," Scully said.
The whole of the second floor had collapsed.
"Well, it's not like we needed anything up there," Stan said.
"Didn't you say that the room was on the second floor?" Mulder asked turning to Scully.
"Yeah, but we can go this way," Scully said indicating a door to their left.
The three walked up the stairs and ended up in the teacher's lounge.
"Good thing I unlocked all the doors," she said.
"Yeah, really," Mulder said following her to a set of stairs.
Scully then led them to the room with the shelves.
Mulder attached the wheel to the shelf and moved it to the left. Behind it was a door.
They walked into the uncovered room. It was just a small storage closet.
Scully searched through the shelves.
"I found a couple of files," Scully said showing them to Mulder, "It's a work order and floor plan of the school."
Mulder took the papers.
"Issued by: Cabinet MAC SCHMIND. Official works acceptance Document: Project No. receiving the public: Private high school. FINANCIERS: Mr. Leonard Friedman, Mr. Herbert Friedman. PRIME CONTRACTOR: MAC SCHMIND Associates
ARCHITECT: Richard MAC SCHMIND. Date of acceptance of the works: October 1899. Date works commenced: January 1902. Description of the service: Function: High School. Set of a number of buildings consisting of: a main building with classrooms, administrative rooms, a library, a gymnasium, a dormitory, a double dining hall, a theater, a sick bay and different practical work rooms," Mulder read.
"So how come these aren't mention?" Scully said, handing Mulder many pictures of what seemed to be basements.
"If he doesn't have those on record, then that must be where he conducts his 'research'," Mulder said.
"Then we need to find those basements," Scully said.
Mulder nodded, and looked back at the shelves. He noticed a round canister under some papers.
"What's this? It looks a bit out of place," Mulder said picking up the canister and opening it. It was a movie reel.
"What is it?" Stan asked.
"Have no idea, need a movie projector to see it, but it's labeled, ARCHIVE 23," Mulder said.
"Well, in the amphitheater, there's a movie projector," Stan said.
"Lead the way then Stan," Mulder said.
They walked back out into the Teacher's lounge and were surprised to see Denny Walden.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Mulder said angrily as he approached the man.
Walden was at one of the tables just looking through some of the files. He didn't look too surprised to see them.
"I'm looking for Friedman," Walden said casually.
"We already saw him. He's disappeared again," Scully said.
"Where did you see him?" Walden asked sharply.
"He was in the library, but now we don't know where he is," Stan said.
"I need to find him," Walden said with urgency.
"Why? Need to get your stories straight?" Scully accused harshly.
He didn't react to the comment, but looked at Scully darkly, "You find your student, Kenny?"
"No, but we have an idea of where he may be," Mulder said, "Want to help? It may help your case once this nightmare is over,"
"No. I have other matters to take care of. I really need to find Friedman," Walden said carelessly, but scrutinized them, "But do tell, where do you think Kenny might be?"
"Well, we know that this school seems to be mostly basements so…you get the picture," Mulder said snidely.
Walden nodded, unperturbed, "Yes, well, I need to be going; good luck with finding Kenny then," he said insincerely.
He waved to them and walked down the stairs.
"I'd make him come with us, but I might accidentally let one of those things have him," Scully muttered darkly.
"It'd be no accident with me," Mulder said peeved, "He knows Friedman's doing all this but…he also seems to be out of the loop."
"I know; why does he have to search for Herbert and why was the nurse supposed to talk to him?" Scully said.
"Well Herbert had insinuated in the letter that Walden was getting careless, maybe Herbert is getting rid of him," Mulder said.
"Maybe these monsters were released to clean up the failure of the research," Scully suggested, "Maybe Herbert is waiting for the sun to come up and kill the test subjects,"
"He might be and if he is we need to move fast and find Kenny, we need to find the basements," Mulder said.
"Ever see the basements?" Scully asked Stan.
He shrugged, "No, I really didn't know the school had any."
"Hey, Scully let me see the letter from Herbert to the nurse," Mulder said suddenly.
Scully looked at Mulder curiously, but took the letter out from Stan's backpack and handed it to Mulder.
"I remember the amphitheater being mentioned," Mulder said as he skimmed the letter quickly, "Ah, here. Herbert mentioned seeing Walden coming out of the Amphitheater,"
"So you think the entrance might be there?" Scully asked.
"Yeah, besides we need to go there to see the reel," Mulder said.
"Yes, but won't it be locked," Scully said a little hesitant.
Mulder groaned, "Of course it would be."
"We need to find the key," Stan said.
Scully nodded and then looked at the table that Walden was at when they came in. She walked over and shifted some of the files she had seen earlier.
Put in a folder was a key. Scully picked it up.
She showed it to Mulder and Stan, "What do you think he means by it?" she asked.
Mulder took it from her, surprised, "Well, maybe he knows that Friedman is trying to eliminate him and he wants us to stop him, or we've become a hindrance to the research and he wants to stop us."
"It could be a trap, but either way, we need to go down to the basements," Scully said.
"I agree, we just need to be on guard," Mulder said.
Stan and Scully nodded.
"So Stan, lead us to the Amphitheater," Mulder said.
Stan exited the building with Mulder and Scully following him.
The amphitheater was located in the southeast part of the school.
The arrived in front of the building and Mulder unlocked it with the key Walden had given them.
They entered into the entrance hall. The walls were lined with portraits and pictures of staff and students standing with Herbert Friedman.
Stan stopped and looked at one of the older pictures.
"I never noticed it until now, but Friedman is in every one of these pictures since the school opened in nineteen-oh-two," Stan said.
Scully looked at the dates and saw that Stan was right, "To date, it still puts Herbert to be about one-hundred and fifty or older, but that's impossible."
"Maybe," Mulder said coming up to stand with her, "Or maybe he, Walden, and Ms. Wickson are the only ones who were successful with being infected with the Mortifilia; they achieved immortality," he said seriously.
"Mulder…" Scully said wearily.
"You know that it has to be a possibility, with all the evidence, the dates, the very aged parchment of the letters that they wrote to each other," Mulder said pressed.
"We don't even know that the Mortifilia even exists," Scully said, "Let's just find Kenny and deal with Herbert later."
Mulder nodded, knowing it wouldn't be wise to keep arguing with her. He was used to this side of her by now.
The three moved into the auditorium and started searching.
"Well, Mulder, I see nothing that indicates an entrance to the basements," Scully said.
"Me neither," Stan said.
Mulder looked around the auditorium.
"There has to be," he said.
"Well, let's not let this be a waste; let's look at the reel," Scully suggested.
Mulder nodded and Stan led them up to the projection room.
Mulder set up the film and started it.
It was in black and white, and silent.
The film started with a close up of some mutated parasite and then to a person tied to a chair.
"Oh my god," Scully gasped, her hand over her mouth, "It's a person before they change."
They were seeing a person tied to a chair, struggling against the ties in a semi-dark room.
After a moment, the person struggled harder, but was then enveloped by a dark mist. The scene then changed to a young, normal looking man in a lab setting.
"It's Herbert," Mulder said awed.
"I don't think so," Scully said uncertainly as they watched the man inject himself with something.
The film then changed to someone sitting hunched over in the shadows. The person then moved in front of the camera.
"Oh god, what happened to him?!" Stan jumped, as the imaged of a mutated man looked closer into the camera.
"That must have been Leonard," Scully said awed.
"What was wrong with his face?" Mulder asked, "It was all scarred up."
Scully shook her head, "I think that he didn't take to the Mortifilia research."
"He was a failed subject…but how when the other's succeeded?" Mulder said.
"Mulder, we still don't know that's true; that they really are past one hundred years old," Scully chastised.
"Fine, but either way, it seems that's why Leonard killed himself," Mulder said, slightly frustrated.
Scully looked at him curiously, "What do you mean?"
"Well, you read that article. He was a good flier, but somehow he lost control and crashed. I don't believe it, but I wonder why he took Herbert with him that day though," Mulder said.
"Maybe Herbert didn't know what he was planning, or it really was an accident," Scully shrugged.
"Or it never really happened," Mulder said, "Whatever happened, right now there are too many questions that need to be answered, we need to find Kenny, and Friedman."
"Yeah, well, let's look again for that entrance," Scully said.
They split up this time. The amphitheater was small, but they still hadn't any luck. They met up behind the stage.
There was an elevator that led up to the storage room.
"Too bad this thing doesn't go down," Mulder said looking at the elevator annoyed.
"Well, let's just check upstairs for the heck of it then," Stan said, "There might be clues or something."
Mulder shrugged and stepped onto the elevator. They found that it would only hold two people.
"Hey, I don't want to stay down here by myself," Stan complained.
"Well, two of us have to go, 'cause I sure as hell don't want to be by myself up there," Mulder said to Scully.
"You go, and take him then," she said a little annoyed.
Stan stepped onto the elevator with Mulder.
Mulder pushed the button and the elevator rose.
Scully watched them for a moment before she saw that in the elevator shaft was a ladder that led down.
"Mulder!" she called.
Instead of Mulder answering her, she heard both men yell, and then something screech and then shots being fired.
She panicked. Scully had no way to get to them and she didn't want to call the elevator and leave them up there with what ever they were now fighting.
After a moment, it became quiet.
Scully was very worried.
"Mulder? Stan?" she called again.
The elevator started down.
Mulder and Stan were pressed against the back wall of the elevator, breathing hard.
"What happened? Scully asked as she rushed to their side.
"Monster…big blob thing," Stan said choked out, shaking.
Mulder nodded his agreement, "I'm really getting tired of this place."
"Sorry, but one good thing came from it," Scully said.
Mulder gave her a dry look, "Explain."
"I found the basement," she said, "It's in the elevator shaft."
"So we have to put the elevator back up?" Mulder said annoyed, "But how would I get back down?"
"There's a ladder," Stan pointed out behind some boxes.
Scully stepped back from the elevator and Mulder went up again, without Stan.
Scully and Stan moved some of the boxes so that Mulder could come back down.
Mulder climbed down ladder and looked at the elevator shaft.
"How could this go unnoticed?" Mulder asked.
"Probably because no one but a teacher is allowed to use the elevator," Stan said.
Scully locked the safety on the elevator once it was up and stopped.
Mulder nodded, "Okay, well, let's head down then," he said, "Ladies first," he offered to Scully.
Scully only shrugged and started first on the ladder. Stan went next.
Mulder started his decent, but was startled when the elevator made a loud creaking noise. He didn't like how it sounded so he moved a bit faster. Nearing the bottom, he saw that the elevator moved a bit and was creaking more loudly.
Mulder made it to the bottom and rushed from the elevator shaft just as the elevator cable snapped and the elevator came crashing down.
The three looked at the ruins in amazement.
"Well, guess it was a good thing I went first," Scully said lightly.
Mulder glared at her, but asked, "How do we get back up then?"
Scully contemplated it, "I really don't know, but there has to be another exit."
"Hopefully; where are we?" Mulder said as he looked at the room.
"Boiler room it seems," Stan said.
"Well, we should start searching for an exit, or Kenny," Scully said walking over to the only door in the room.
Mulder and Stan nodded and followed her.