|
|
| Chapter 4: Home Fires Part 2 | |||
 By MLClick here for text only Note: Picks up immediately after the end of Home Fires Part 1. JD settled in his seat and turned to grin at Phoebe's furious expression. "Do you know how dangerous this is?" Phoebe hissed under the cover of takeoff noises. "Who for?" JD asked her. He patted her hand on the armrest. "Best not to talk about it right now, then. Let's wait till we get someplace more private." "You were not invited!" Phoebe whispered fiercely, snatching her hand away. JD was enjoying himself too much or he might have taken note of the fear in her eyes. "I can be every bit as much fun as Mulder," JD assured her. "'Sides, he's taken now, in case you hadn't noticed." He thought he might get a few licks in on Dana's behalf. He hadn't heard the whole story, but he'd heard enough to know how Dana felt about Phoebe. "You men!" Phoebe spat out. "Is that all you think about? This is serious business!" "Zat so? Then why the big come-on to Mulder? Did you think he'd follow you to England more for yourself or for what you're hiding?" Phoebe shot him a venomous look and deliberately turned away to look out the window. JD stretched his legs out into the aisle, smiling to himself. Yes, this was going to be fun. "Have you heard from JD yet?" Scully asked. "Nope, but they won't have landed yet," Mulder said. It was just past midnight in Georgetown, and London was five hours ahead. The night was quiet; no noise except the occasional snuffle or coo from William over the baby monitor. They were in bed, too, but neither of them even pretended to sleep. "I'm a little surprised that Phoebe hasn't called you from the plane," Scully remarked. "Surely she's noticed by now that you're not on the flight." "Oh ha ha, Scully," Mulder said sarcastically. He was as anxious, but he attempted to hide his worries. He knew JD could take care of himself but there were so many unknowns. JD was new to all of this. He wouldn't have the finely honed sense of paranoia that Mulder had, and though he might rival Scully for skepticism, he didn't have her science. Maybe this was all a mistake. Maybe he should have -- "Mulder, stop it," Scully said gently. She put her hand on his arm. "My thoughts too loud for you?" he joked, but her touch did calm him somewhat. "I know this isn't easy for you," she said. "I'm worried, too." "Yeah, we're a pair," he said with a grin. "Want to call the boys and wake them up, too? Misery loves company." "I have a better idea," Scully said. "I think you need to relax," she added, running her hand up and down his arm. He felt the familiar tingles at Scully's touch and turned to cup her face in his palm. "Are you coming on to me?" he whispered. "I'm glad you noticed," she whispered back. "I was beginning to worry that I'd lost my touch." She pulled his head closer to hers and added, "I still owe you for the back rub the other night," and kissed him, running her hands up and down the smooth skin of his back. After a long while she broke the kiss and lay looking at him with half-closed eyes, a small smile on her face. "Just in case you haven't noticed, I'm not really all that relaxed yet," he said, turning to her and pulling her tight against him so that she could tell for herself. "Getting there is half the fun," she said, kissing him softly on his nose, then his cheeks, and ending at his mouth once more. "You're taking all my best lines tonight, Scully," he complained, all the while doing his best to unbutton her pajama top. "You know what they say," Scully was pulling at the ties of his pajama bottoms, hampered by the fact that Mulder kept pushing his body against hers. "Actions speak louder than words." By way of answer, Mulder covered her mouth with his. Heathrow Airport, London JD followed Phoebe through Customs and down the concourse, keeping up a steady commentary about anything that came to mind. She couldn't walk fast enough to get away from him, and she evidently wouldn't do anything disruptive while still in the airport, which was to his advantage. Finally she turned on him. "You are making a complete nuisance of yourself. Fox is the one who knows about these things. Fox is the one who should be here. I want to talk to him. This was not what I had in mind." "I'm not sure I want to know what you had in mind, but I bet Mulder has a pretty good idea," JD said. "Sure, if you want to talk to him, I won't stop you. You can talk on my dime if you like." He dialed the number. "Hey Rad, did I wake you? No? Good. I got someone here who needs to talk to you," JD said, and handed the phone to Phoebe. That was another mark against Phoebe, as far as Scully was concerned. Even though JD had placed the call, it was Phoebe's fault, of that Scully was certain. She was damned glad that JD hadn't called an hour or so earlier. She listened to Mulder on the phone. "I did warn you, Phoebe," he was saying. "My terms or nothing. JD is my representative in England now. He's been fully briefed. You can show him whatever you were going to show me. In fact, I expect you to, if you want my -- *our* -- cooperation." He winked at Scully as he listened to Phoebe rant on. She didn't like the idea of lying naked next to Mulder while he talked on the phone to his former girlfriend, however many years ago it was. But she liked even less the idea of him talking to her while he was alone and naked in bed, so she wasn't going to leave. It wasn't rational, and it certainly wasn't a matter of trust. It was just too weird. She sat up, pulling the sheet around her, her hand on Mulder's hip as the call went on. She raised her eyebrows as he turned off the phone. "Pretty much what we expected," he said. "She's pissed and she doesn't want to play. But she will." He shook his head. "What, Mulder?" "You know, I really thought when Phoebe showed up it was just her yanking my chain like before. But there's something going on. I can hear it in her voice." "What do you mean?" Mulder shook his head. "I don't know if I can describe it. But she sounds a little bit desperate. I dunno, maybe it's just me." "You don't think you're projecting just a little here?" Scully asked. Mulder reached over and pulled Scully close. "Maybe. Maybe distance is helping me see her more clearly. I don't know," he said again. Scully didn't say anything more, just held him. "Did you hear what you wanted to hear?" JD asked, knowing the answer. Phoebe glared at him. "I hope you're not expecting me to put you up for the night," she said. "Right now, I'm thinking more along the lines of breakfast," he said. "Come on, my treat. But not in the airport." He followed Phoebe to the taxi stand and let her give the directions. Before long, they were ensconced in a seedy little cafe where the smell of fried onions and potatoes made JD's stomach growl in anticipation. "This your usual sort of place, or did you think I'd be more at home here?" he asked. He heard two or three different accents, none of them British. Phoebe was the whitest person there, and almost the only woman. A few men cast curious sidelong glances at them and then went back to their coffee and food. The air was thick with cigarette smoke mingling with the smell of hot grease. "I'm not afraid," Phoebe said. "That's not what I asked you," JD said. "Do you think I won't fit in with your posh crowd, is that it? That I'd stick out like the proverbial sore thumb? He gestured at his sweater and jeans. "Too casual? Or too black?" "In my `crowd,' as you term it, certain standards of behavior are expected," Phoebe said. "I'm not trying to be offensive, but Fox knows what to do and how to act. Frankly, I don't know what to expect from you." "I've had to adapt to circumstances all my life, Ms. Green. Ever hear of the phrase, `adapt or die'? Open your eyes and look around. There might be places where you think I'd stick out, but there are places I can go where you wouldn't dare stick your dainty pink toes -- badge and gun or not. So leave your preconceived notions at the door -- they're not gonna help you." "The last thing I need," she said evenly, "is a lecture on how life is." JD ignored her. "Now, I can learn how to act -- but you can't change your color any more than I can. Bet you wouldn't have dared to come in here on your own. Mulder said you liked to live dangerously -- but you always had a safety net, didn't you? There was always a daddy to pay your way out of something, or a Mulder to watch your back." "That's all you know," Phoebe said. "My father left when I was a child. The rest of it is none of your damned business. I'll say it again: Fox would understand what I have to show him -- how do I know that you will? What do you know about any of the things he's been involved in over the years?" "Yeah, you're right that I don't know much about all that scientific stuff, but you know, neither does Mulder. Dana's the one who usually handles that, and I didn't notice you rolling out the red carpet for her." Phoebe didn't seem to have an answer to that. "All right," she said suddenly. "You win. I'll show you what I can. God help you if you can't make Fox understand what you're seeing. I have some arrangements to make first. Go to your hotel, and I'll meet you there in an hour." She looked at him pointedly. "Try to look professional." "Yes, ma'am," JD said with an elaborate salute. FBI Pathology Lab Quantico "Good mornin', Agent Scully," John Doggett's voice boomed at the door of her office. Monica Reyes was beside him. "Got time for a cup of coffee?" "Just barely," Scully said. "I have to drive over to the Hoover this afternoon. Kersh's weekly update meeting. He never calls on me, but he takes roll." Monica rolled her eyes in sympathy. "Gotcha," Doggett said. "We have to head back there anyway, so can we drive you? We can drop you off here later to get your car." "I'd like that, John. Thanks." Scully knew something was afoot but knew better than to make anything of it in the confines of her office. Once in the car, Doggett wasted no time. "Monica and me found something we thought might interest you," he said. "You need help with an investigation?" Scully asked. Doggett and Reyes still called her on consults from time to time, in addition to helping where they could with Mulder's extra-curricular activities. Doggett still wasn't quite at ease with the Gunmen, but Monica had become a general favorite. "We may have found something to help yours," Monica said. "You know that Billy Miles' remains were taken to the morgue to be, um, examined?" "Yeah, and then he somehow regenerated himself and walked away?" Doggett chimed in, the I-still-don't-believe-it tone strong in his voice. "I remember," Scully said with slight amusement. How could she forget Billy showing up at her son's birth? "Well, we found some tissue samples," Monica said. "Don't ask me how, but some of them had somehow been preserved." "Mulder, it's me," Scully called from her cell on the way back from the Hoover. "Hey, Buddy, it's Mommy," Mulder said, holding the phone to one ear while he changed William's diaper. "Bet she can guess what we're doing right now." "Bet I could too," Scully said. "Mulder, I need to go see the guys on my way home. Can you hold down the fort there?" "Sure, we're two very self-sufficient guys," Mulder said. "Are you gonna bring us dinner?" "What do you want?" Scully asked. "Anything besides mashed bananas," Mulder said. "It's more than food, it's the latest thing in hair care. Do you want me to come by, too? I can bring William with me." "No, I won't be that late. I'll be able to say good night to him when I get home, and if I have anything to report, I can tell you then." "Okay, I have to wait for JD's call anyway," he said. "You haven't heard from him?" "Not since he checked into his hotel," Mulder replied. "He said he'd call again after Phoebe gave him the tour." The Hotel Chesterton, London JD had just about given up on Phoebe when she called him. It was considerably longer than an hour since she'd promised to pick him up. "I'll be by shortly," she said. "Where are we going?" he asked. "You'll see. It's what you wanted," she said. He was waiting in the lobby for her when she arrived. She almost walked past him, then slowly turned back. "Told you," he said with a grin. He was wearing a suit and carried a topcoat over his arm. He looked every inch the businessman. Phoebe gave him the once over in a way that made him think of a tiger stalking her prey. "You'll do," was all she said. She briefed him on the way over. "This is not the laboratory I showed Fox in the States. I couldn't show him the real operation, it was too dangerous." "So you're telling me that the photos were fakes?" "No, I'm not," she said impatiently. "The laboratories are real, but what I showed Fox is not what the labs are used for." "It's not a cloning operation?" "Not as such," she said evasively. "But I know the research will interest Fox, very much." "Or you're just yanking his chain," JD muttered. Phoebe ignored him. They drove some way out of London, to what appeared to be an industrial park. Several large buildings, very modern, occupied a large expanse of green. He recognized the names of some of the companies. He let out a low whistle. Phoebe glanced over at him. "What were you expecting? Some hole-and-corner operation?" "That was exactly what I was expecting," JD said. "We have a cover business, of course," Phoebe said. "Hiding in plain sight is usually a successful strategy." "So what's my cover?" JD asked. "You're a fellow security expert," she said. "It gives us carte blanche to go anywhere we like without question." "Okay then," he said. "Ready when you are." They walked right in the front door. Phoebe was greeted affably by the guard at the desk. "It's a load of crap, Rad," JD told Mulder later. "She's making out like it's all hush-hush, but the place she took me, she's a security consultant for. Nothing out of the ordinary going on that I could see." "No doors marked `No Admittance, This Means You?'" Mulder teased. "We were all over that building. No locked doors, big glass windows on the `clean room' operations. Anything I asked about, they were pretty open. Phoebe said something about hiding in plain sight," JD said. "I gotta tell you, JD, that some of the scariest stuff we found was out in the open. You have to know what you're looking for." "I think I do," JD said. "So I'm staking her out. I'll see where she goes, who she talks to. She may want to hide in plain sight, but I'm better at the undercover stuff, as you know." "Good work, JD," Mulder said. "Be sure to wear something black and sexy." "Don't have to, Rad. I'm already black and sexy." Mulder chuckled. "Well, I guess I don't have to tell you to be careful, either." "Got that covered, too," JD assured him. Phoebe called not long after. "Fox, I did as you asked," she said. "Yeah, you showed JD some very pretty offices that have nothing to do with what you dangled in front of us a few days ago," Mulder said. "What gives, Phoebe? You've always had a little trouble with the facts, but this seems extreme even for you." "I'm sorry, Fox. I did what I thought was best to get you over here," she said. "That worked out pretty well for you, didn't it?" he said. "Is anything you told us the truth?" "Of course it is," Phoebe said. "And you know that there have been labs set up to create the human-alien hybrids." "I also know that the program was destroyed and abandoned when the Consortium was destroyed," said Mulder. "The aliens aren't playing that game anymore." "What if I told you," Phoebe said, "that what we are doing is trying to develop a vaccine?" "What if I told you I think you're full of shit?" countered Mulder. "You're just pushing buttons until you see the light bulb go on, is that it?" "You know my uncle was involved in that research. You have to believe that there are still people who care about fighting against the aliens. And I know that you're one of them." He wasn't sure whether to believe her or not. Memories of his last conversation with the Englishman echoed in his head. He wished he'd thought to save the vial, but saving Scully had a much higher priority that day. "Then why didn't you come right out and say that to begin with?" Mulder asked. "I should think you know the answer to that already," Phoebe said. "Would you have trusted me if I'd come to you as a comrade-in-arms? If I'd told you right away what we're trying to do here? You've pointed out yourself that you don't know whom to trust. What if there's a mole in your organization? What if JD isn't what he seems?" "If you're referring to the FBI, then yes, we know it's probably riddled with people who don't have our best interests at heart. I don't know what other `organization' you might be referring to. I'm not with the FBI any more, and I certainly don't belong to any other organization that would have me as a member." "Laugh at me if you must, Fox, but you obviously still need to learn who your friends are." "It's funny that the people who tell me that most frequently turn out to be the ones who aren't my friends," Mulder said. "I'm just asking for a chance to prove myself," Phoebe said. "You've always been willing to listen in the past." "Yeah, and I seem to remember getting burned, too. JD is exactly what he seems, and I wouldn't go casting doubts about him. You, on the other hand, do need to prove yourself to me and to Scully before we can decide about you. Giving JD what he needs will go some way toward doing that." "Very well, Fox," Phoebe said. "But I'll expect something in return." Mulder let out an incredulous laugh. "You really don't have much to bargain with, Phoebe," he said. But he had to hand it to her for having sheer nerve. It was long past dinner time when Scully arrived home. Mulder had put William to bed and was sitting in the living room, deep in thought, when she came in the door. "Hi," she said. "I'm sorry about dinner." "I saved you some soup," Mulder said, getting up. "Not hungry, thanks." She came over to the sofa and gestured for him to sit down again, sitting next to him. She was bursting with something, but she merely asked, "Did you hear from JD?" "Yeah. And from Phoebe. But it'll keep. What kept you so long?" "John and Monica brought me some information this afternoon, and I wanted to check it out before jumping to any conclusions about it," she said. She could barely sit still. "Come on, Scully, don't leave me in suspense," he pleaded. She told him briefly about Doggett and Reyes' visit that morning, and what they'd given her. "We were talking the other day about what we knew about Billy Miles and what controls him. Or what controlled Knowle Rohrer or Donny Ranken or any of the others, for that matter." "What do we really know about these so-called super soldiers?" Mulder said. "Only what Rohrer told Doggett, and I'd consider that somewhat suspect." "Well, we know what we've seen with our own eyes," Scully said. "We know that they're virtually indestructible, or rather, that they can be destroyed but somehow regenerate." "But they *can* be injured," Mulder pointed out. "Ranken seemed pretty badly hurt." Scully made a sharp negating gesture and shook her head. "That's not what I'm talking about." Mulder knew that William's role in Ranken's injuries was something Scully wasn't ready to discuss, and he wasn't going to push her. He wasn't sure he was ready, either. "So this isn't about their destruction, but about --?" he prompted. "Possibly about how they're controlled," Scully said. "It's too early to say, and I don't want to get anyone's hopes up, but we may have a breakthrough." Mulder hadn't seen Scully this excited since Anson the Invisible Corpse. Her eyes sparkled and a small smile hovered on her lips. It made him want to kiss her, and because he could, he did. "It's not time to celebrate yet, Mulder," she said a little breathlessly a few minutes later, "but it's a start." "Tell me what you found," he said, tucking her against his side. This was the most fun he'd ever had discussing science with Scully. "I don't know what to think, Mulder. It appears that whatever is controlling Billy Miles and his kind interacts with the central nervous system in some way. It seems to exert varying degrees of control. But I don't know how it's done -- if it's some sort of external trigger, or it was somehow part of the replication process." She tried to be more cool and professional, but he could still see the excitement in her eyes. He felt pretty excited, too. His frustration had matched Scully's. Now maybe they'd start to get somewhere. "This is huge, Scully. Unbelievably huge." "I want to caution you, Mulder, that this is simply a preliminary finding. Judging from the different behaviors of the replicants we've encountered, this seems to be a possible explanation, but I need to do more research." "But how can you find out more?" "We need a larger sample, but I don't know how to go about getting one without putting someone in danger. It seems unlikely that we could get Billy to cooperate willingly." "Probably not, if we could even find him," Mulder agreed. "But what you're describing sounds a little like the things that Skinner had in his blood. Are they related in some way?" "The nanocytes? At this point, it's impossible to tell. I have tissue samples, but no blood. Not surprising, considering what happened to Billy. I could take a sample from Skinner, if he'll agree to it..." He could see the wheels turning in her head as she considered the possibilities. "...and," she said reluctantly, "from William." Mulder's heart sank at her expression. "Why? You know he's okay, Scully. You have nothing to worry about." "But there's something, isn't there? We can't just ignore it, much as I'd like to. I just hate for William to be connected to this in any way." "With his mom and dad neck-deep in it, he won't be able to help being a part of it," Mulder said as lightly as he could. Scully raised her head from Mulder's shoulder. She hunched over her knees, head in hands. "I know I have to face it sometime," she said. "There could be another Gretchen out there, waiting to harm William. Or the replicants may figure out a way to get to him. They have to know that he's a threat. There are so many pieces to the puzzle, but we don't have a way to put them all together yet." "We will, though, Scully. You will." "It's hard to put the scientist ahead of being a mother," she said in a muffled voice. "William is my son, not something to experiment with. I won't allow it." Mulder rubbed her back gently. She was rigid with tension. "I don't expect that of you, Scully. No one would. You remember, you said to me before William was born that you didn't want to be the subject of an unending X-File. Well, it appears that that's exactly what's happening. But if you said you didn't want to do this, I'd take you and William, and we'd go somewhere and work on having that normal life." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "I promise you I would." They sat quietly for a while, contemplating this. He pulled Scully back to rest against his shoulder. Her hand lay against his heart. "We can't do that, and you know it," she said softly. "We're committed now. We have been for a long time." "We'll keep William safe," Mulder said. "And we'll give him as normal a life as we can." "Maybe there's something I can't see," she said, still worrying. "Something hidden in him that we simply don't have the technology to detect." "Evidently the replicants couldn't detect it, either. If it's in him, it's in us, too," Mulder said. "And for no other reason. You know that better than I do, Scully. The truth really is in us. All three of us." Scully let out a frustrated sigh. "It's overwhelming. I need help. I can't do all the research myself, as much as I'd like to. I can't quit the FBI and devote all my time to it, either." "No one expects you to do it all alone," Mulder said. "We'll figure out a way to get you some help for this stuff." "I'm not sure that any research scientist worth having is going to throw over his or her career to come work for our cause," she said dryly. "Maybe we can think of something to sweeten the pot," Mulder said. "Research grants. Or we could set up our own private foundation for the study of retroviruses. They're all the rage these days." "You make it sound so simple," Scully murmured. "Also, we don't know what JD might have uncovered in England," Mulder pointed out. Scully didn't say anything. She didn't have to; her expression spoke for her. Mulder changed direction. "Have the guys turned anything up?" "Until now, we haven't really had anything for them to look for. But if they can put the word out about returnees who appear to have made a miraculous recovery from a near-death experience --" "Oh, Scully, you don't know what you're doing to me with your words," Mulder teased her. "To think I've lived to see the day when my skeptical Scully discusses alien abductions in such a matter of fact way --" "Shut up, Mulder," Scully said, but she said it fondly. It was pretty amazing that he could even joke about it, considering what he'd been through. They'd both come a long way. Mulder's conversation with Phoebe crossed his mind, but he didn't say anything. Like Scully, he wanted to have some facts before he said anything. Near Hammersmith, London JD wrapped his jacket around him a little tighter and shifted his long legs. He'd had to rent a car that was almost ridiculously small, and now he sat with his knees under his chin, watching Phoebe's door. He'd made sure, courtesy of some gadgets from the Gunmen, that she couldn't sneak out the back without him knowing about it. He watched her front door from across the street. The street reminded him of some of the nicer brownstone neighborhoods in New York -- rows of houses with a short flight of steps leading up to the front door on each. The street was well-kept, and after about nine in the evening, very quiet. Many of the houses appeared to be divided into apartments, but Phoebe seemed to have one all to herself. He watched as lights winked out in windows all along the street. Phoebe's stayed lit for a long time. "How'd you get yourself involved in this, man?" he asked himself. He wouldn't say he was in over his head, but he could see it from where he sat. He remembered back to the days when he was a new recruit to the Bureau and all this undercover stuff had been new and exciting. That had worn off soon enough, and a good thing, too. It was a job, and if you let excitement in, fear soon followed, and mistakes got made. Not that he hadn't enjoyed what he did sometimes. Most of the time. Getting the bad guys was a rush, for sure. Suddenly, light flooded onto the street from Phoebe's front door. She turned and shut the door behind her, and headed right across the street toward him. He got out the car and stood up, stretching his cramped muscles and instinctively reaching for the gun that wasn't there. Phoebe smiled as she approached. "I called your hotel and left a message. Fancy meeting you here." "What do you want, Phoebe?" he asked warily. "I might ask the same question of you," she said. "I'm just waitin' for you," he said. "Never pegged you as a homebody. I thought you might show me some of the nightlife of London." "We won't be going in that sardine tin you call a car," she said. "Come with me." She turned back across the street to her front door. JD followed her into the house cautiously. He caught a glimpse of rooms off the hallway and noted in passing the polished floors and beautiful furnishings. Phoebe didn't pause, but led him through the downstairs hallway and toward the kitchen and the back door. "I keep my car back here, in the old carriage house," she explained. They went out the back door and crossed the alley to the fanciest-looking garage JD had ever seen. Phoebe unlocked the door and rolled it back to reveal a cream-colored Land Rover and a green Jaguar. "The town car and the country car," she said with a little smirk. "Which would you prefer?" "Where are we going?" he asked. "Don't play coy with me. You know exactly where we're going," Phoebe said. "Come on, the Rover it is." Late as it was, there was still plenty of traffic until they got away from the city. They drove in silence until Phoebe asked out of the blue, "How long have you known Fox?" "Let's see...since the Academy, so quite a while now," JD said. "Longer than his partner, then," she said. "And he never mentioned me?" "Nope. He wasn't one to talk about his past much." "So is he married to his partner now?" Phoebe asked. "I hear he has a child with her, anyway." JD turned sideways in his seat to face Phoebe. "Listen, I'm not trying to be rude, but if you want to know more about Mulder, you should ask him. You and Mulder, that was a long time ago. You want my advice, you'll leave his personal life alone. Especially if you want his help, and Dana's." Surprisingly, Phoebe nodded. "You're right, of course. There are larger issues at stake here. Thank you for reminding me." There was not a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She sounded almost conciliatory. JD nodded back and watched the lights stream by his window. "What's your story then?" Phoebe asked suddenly. "Or are you off-limits as well?" "Not that much to tell," JD said. "I'm retired from the DEA. I'm a consultant now, free-lance stuff." "What sort of free-lance stuff?" Phoebe asked. "Oh, you know. This and that. Troubleshooting. Investigations. Stuff like this." "Troubleshooting." Phoebe had a half-smile on her face. "I quite like the sound of that. Am I trouble, then?" She brushed her hand against his leg as she reached for the gear shift. It could have been deliberate, or not. JD chose to ignore it. "You tell me, Ms. Green." "Call me Phoebe, please," she practically purred, "JD." It was the first time she'd called him by name. JD turned away again and rolled his eyes at the dark landscape. This chick shifted gears faster than anyone he'd ever seen. Fortunately, they were almost there. Phoebe slowed the car and took a different road into the business park. It wound around to the back of the building. She parked a distance away and led the way to a nondescript side door. "It looks like a fire exit," she said, "but it's actually not." She fiddled with something and the door swung silently inward. The door led to a narrow hallway that seemed to follow the outer wall of the building. Recessed lights along the floor lit their way dimly. Eventually they came to another door, also flush with the wall and unmarked. Phoebe opened it the same way, and they stepped into an empty laboratory. He saw rows of laboratory benches with test tubes, Petrie dishes, and all the other accouterments of a well-equipped lab. JD was pretty sure, however, that this was not one of the labs he'd seen the day before. "That's right," Phoebe said before he could ask. "This is our other operation. The one I told Mulder about." "It still doesn't look like the pictures you showed him," JD said. "I've called Mulder and explained the situation to him," Phoebe said. "We aren't cloning anything here, we're working on a cure for a deadly virus. You know about the virus, don't you?" JD nodded. "My uncle was involved in the research before. Unfortunately, most of the information was destroyed not long after he died. We've had to start almost from scratch." She walked along the rows of laboratory benches. "That's why I contacted Mulder. I didn't think he'd believe me unless he saw it in person." "Why all that shit about cloning?" JD asked. "I knew that it was a subject near and dear to Dana Scully's heart, and that if I could get her involvement, then I could get Mulder's, too." She looked chagrined. "It doesn't make me out as a very good person, does it?" "Can't say that it does," JD said. "I said the same thing to Mulder: if I'd started out being friendly and open, she would immediately have suspected something. She doesn't like me much, you know." "Yeah, I got that," JD said. "But I don't see anything here that would help me to convince either of them that they should throw their lot in with you." "Look around you," Phoebe said. "This place is filled during the day. Filled with dedicated researchers. Some are working on new patent drugs, and some are working on the vaccine. Just as the doctors in the States were working on legitimate, known diseases along with their research against the alien threat." "I can tell them all that," JD said, "but it's still not proof." With a toss of her head, Phoebe led the way to a wall of cabinets at the back of the room. She opened a drawer and showed the rows of glass tubes and small plastic cases. "Do you see now why I needed Fox here?" she asked. "He'd know. Or Dana would know." "Then let me take something back as proof," JD said. "Very well," Phoebe said. She slid the drawers shut. Next to the cabinets was a door leading into a small office. She opened a cupboard and unlocked a small safe inside. She withdrew an envelope, bringing it out to JD. "This is what I have left from my uncle. Take that to Fox." At that moment somewhere deep in the building, some kind of machinery started up. It sounded very loud in the stillness of the lab. Phoebe looked concerned. "I think it's the elevator. Stay here, don't touch anything." She walked quickly and quietly to the door and opened it slowly. When she turned back into the room, JD was halfway to the door. "I think we should leave," she said. "The staff will start arriving soon enough." Mulder and Scully were still up discussing the whys and wherefores of research and recruitment when JD called. "I saw the property you wondered about," he said obliquely. "What do you think about it, JD?" Mulder held the earpiece so that both he and Scully could hear what JD had to say. "I think there are some possibilities," JD said cautiously. "But we can talk more about it when I get back." "Okay, we'll see you when you get in, JD. And thanks." In line at Heathrow, JD said, "No problem," and turned off his phone. After Phoebe had driven them back to London, he'd checked out of his hotel and headed for the airport and the first available flight home. He wasn't going to take any chances that their late night visit to the labs had been observed. He'd let Phoebe explain it all away. Back in Georgetown, Mulder said, "Maybe we won't have to wait so long to get you some help, Scully. If this thing with the lab in London pans out --" "No." Scully said immediately. Mulder stared at her. "It's not what you think, Mulder, but I don't want to share this with anyone just yet. I can still run some tests on the samples that I have." He tried to appeal to her rational side. "Scully, Phoebe says she has people already working on a vaccine. As of now, we don't have anyone except for you and the guys, such as they are. It seems to me that this would be a good test of our collaboration, if we're even considering it." "I don't know," she said. "This has the potential of being a very big discovery. Until we know more about this operation in England, I'm not comfortable sharing this." "Please don't take this the wrong way, Scully," Mulder said slowly, watching her carefully, "but are you sure that that's the only reason?" She didn't answer right away. Then, softly, she asked, "Do you trust Phoebe, Mulder? Do you think that I'm being overly cautious? She's already told us one lie, at least as far as we know. She changed her story when she saw it didn't get the reaction she hoped for. Do you really believe that what's she's saying now is true?" "We have an eyewitness now. JD saw the set up." "But does he know enough to know what they're truly working on? Was he allowed to talk to any of the researchers?" Mulder shook his head. "So that's not really proof. If they are being held there, or they've been brainwashed in some way --" "Paranoid much, Agent Scully?" Mulder asked. That finally won a smile from her. "I learned from the best," she said. "Just humor me, Mulder. Let me continue with my own research for a while. If I find something more substantive, then we can go from there." Offices of the Magic Bullet Mulder stared at the picture of the young Phoebe, arm in arm with his former adversary. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. As bad as his experiences with Phoebe had been, he'd always thought they'd been his own. Now they were just more proof of how manipulated he'd been from the beginning. "Well, I guess it shows that part of her story is true at least," he said with a sigh. The envelope had also contained a picture of the man with Dr. Benita Charne-Sayre, a fact that caused Scully to set Langly to a new computer search, while she discussed an article for the next Magic Bullet with Byers and Frohike. "But I don't see how it proves anything about what she's involved in now," Mulder added. "Almost forgot. I brought you guys back some souvenirs," JD said. From one pocket he withdrew a padded envelope, and from the other, a handful of small, flat, plastic cases. Scully stopped her conversation with the guys and they all came over to look. Mulder could see that the small plastic cases JD held out were tissue samples, similar to what they'd found at Strughold Mining so many years ago. Scully opened the envelope and her eyes widened. "How did you get Phoebe to give you these?" Scully held up the vials of liquid from the envelope. "I didn't exactly ask," JD grinned. "Trouble is, they seem to be coded in some way, so I don't know how useful they'll be. Can you tell the origin?" "You mean, there wasn't a helpful sign that said, `alien tissue samples,' or anything like that?" Mulder asked. "Nope, sorry to disappoint you. But the labels must mean something," JD said. "We'll figure it out," Frohike said confidently. "Hey Langly, get over here." "I'm busy already," Langly said ungraciously. Byers took charge of the envelopes. "We'll work on it," he promised Scully. Mulder clapped a hand on JD's shoulder "Pretty damned good for your first time out," he said. "I always was a fast study," JD said. "Did Phoebe give you any trouble?" Mulder asked. "Nothing I couldn't handle," JD replied. "She sure runs hot and cold, though. She's not an easy read." "Yeah, I know," Mulder said ruefully. "But I'm sure we'll be hearing from her soon." "If she doesn't catch hell for losing that stuff I boosted," JD said. "Phoebe always manages to land on her feet," Mulder said. "What are you going to tell her?" JD wanted to know. "As little as possible," said Mulder. "We'll feed her a little bit of information and see what she does with it. Scully and I have been down this path too often to blindly trust her." Phoebe walked through the lab, now populated with men and women in immaculate white coats, bent over their workstations. There was a quiet hum about all this industry, rather like a beehive. She knocked on the office door with a slight hesitation. Things hadn't worked out quite the way they'd been planned, but she thought that they'd gone well enough. Mulder hadn't rejected her proposal out of hand, and if she could get Dana Scully's cooperation in some way, it could turn out very well indeed. She still had hopes for the future of their collaboration. "Come," said the voice on the other side of the door. Although he was not dressed in military garb, he still had a military bearing. He was not to Phoebe's taste; she still had her preferences, and the man in front of her did not match them. It was just as well. No point in complicating things further. She sat without being asked, crossing her legs. She'd have loved a cigarette, but those were not allowed. It wasn't a craving so much as a memory of a craving, anyway. Several moments passed. If he was displeased at her informality, he gave no sign of it. "All in all, not an unqualified success," he said finally, looking up at her. His eyes were clear but she could read nothing in them. "I think that's to be expected," she said. "You heard him. I have to regain his trust. God knows it's been betrayed often enough in the past." "You would know," he said. "You were one of the betrayers, after all." "Yes, but I've reformed," she said without a trace of irony. Not that irony was something he understood, anyway. Perhaps it was just his military background, but he seemed almost robot-like at times. But then, he'd been "recruited" long ago. It was only more recently that the transformation process had become somewhat more refined. Was it a bigger curse to have one's personality taken over entirely, or to have some awareness of what one once was, and have little control over oneself? "So long as you remember that," he said. "I was under the impression that I had no choice in the matter," she said lightly. "I think I have proven my value, however," she added. "I think that we will be successful, in the end." He stared impassively at her. She was never sure if he just had no sense of humor or if it had been stripped out of him somehow. It was odd, what they chose to retain and what they chose to discard. Though perhaps it wasn't entirely choice... Mr. Rohrer interrupted her chain of thought. "Wholesale destruction would be more expedient," he reminded her. "I need to understand why this is the better course." "You mean, They need to understand?" she asked daringly. "Because no one knows how widespread this `resistance' might be. Because They need to buy time to put Their plans in place. Isn't that the prevailing wisdom?" "You are `They' as well," he pointed out pedantically. "We are all `They' now." "That's as may be. I'm not going to get into a syntax war with you," she said cheekily. Any moment now They would become aware of her insubordination and subdue her. But she would bait him while she could. "We will be watching him. And you," he added unnecessarily. He shuffled the papers on his desk. "You may go." Phoebe was already out of her chair and at the door as he said the words. Before going outside, she adjusted the scarf around her neck. The knob on the back of her neck was small but noticeable and she took care not to draw attention to it. Offices of the Magic Bullet One Week Later "Hey Scully," Mulder said over her shoulder. "How's it going?" Scully jumped slightly and turned. "I wasn't expecting you here," she said. Then, realizing that William wasn't in his arms, "Where's William? Is everything okay?" "Yeah, everything's fine. Your mom came over and I thought I'd take the opportunity to come see how things were going." Before she could ask, he added, "Don't worry. JD's keeping watch. No one's gonna get in. And your mom won't let anyone in, either. No matter who it is." Scully sighed and cracked her neck. She'd been analyzing the samples JD had brought back and wasn't having much luck so far. She needed to know more about what they were to understand what she was seeing. Langly was working on the coded labels but so far wasn't having any luck. "Have you gotten hold of Phoebe?" Mulder had sent her an email requesting more information about the lab but so far had not heard back from her. "I got one reply from her saying she'd be in touch, but no further information," Mulder said. "I just tried again and the email got bounced back. I thought I'd have the guys check it out." "Do you think you need to send JD back?" Scully asked. "I dunno," Mulder said. "If it were up to me, I'd already be on that plane, but lucky for me I'm not alone in this." Scully smiled. "No, you're not. So since you aren't getting on the next plane, what do you think?" "I think maybe that's what she wants," Mulder said. "For me to come running. It could be just another ploy on her part." This earned him a raised-eyebrow look from Scully, but before she could say anything, there was a polite throat-clearing sound behind them. Byers stood in the doorway of Scully's makeshift laboratory. "Dana, Mulder, Frohike's found something you should see," he said. Scully secured her samples and took off her protective goggles and gloves. She shared a look with Mulder before they went to join Byers in peering over Langly's shoulder. "I ran across this by chance," Frohike said. "I was scanning for articles on security systems. This one would have been really easy to miss." He pointed to a paragraph in the middle of the story. The article cited an unnamed business in an industrial park outside of London that had suffered a break-in in the past week. It went on to say that industrial espionage was thought to be the motive, since many of the businesses there were involved in research and development. The perpetrators had set fire inside two of the buildings, and the resultant damage from fire and water made ascertaining what was actually taken difficult. The businesses themselves weren't commenting, citing proprietary information. "'At least, as the crimes occurred after hours,'" Frohike read, "'no lives were lost.' Is that the location Phoebe took JD to?" "Does that surprise you?" Mulder asked, the muscle working in his jaw as he chewed his lip. "What else does it say?" "Nothing about that particular incident," Frohike said. "It evidently made only the local news when it happened. I only looked at the article myself because it's about ways businesses can increase security. I guess this place learned too late, huh?" "Do you suppose Phoebe was involved in this?" Scully asked. "It would explain why she hasn't been in touch," Mulder said. "Though it sure as hell doesn't explain anything else." He ran his hands through his hair. "I should have known something like this would happen. I should have seen it coming." "Don't be so hard on yourself, Superman," Scully said, putting her hand on his arm. "We're no worse off than we were before. Maybe we're better off. We have the materials JD brought us. We have a direction to go in. More than one direction. And I think it shows that our doubts about Phoebe were correct." "Are you sure?" Mulder asked. Scully replied, "No, I'm not. But I have the feeling she could turn up again, just like a bad penny, with some kind of plausible explanation about what happened. It'll be up to us to decide whether to believe her or not, though frankly I'd be inclined not to. And in the meantime..." "In the meantime, what?" Mulder asked. "In the meantime, we both have work to do," Scully said. "We may not know what side Phoebe is, or was, on, but the battle is joined." "Indeed it is," Mulder said, his arm around Scully. "So let's get this show on the road." End Top of Page |
DISCLAIMER: "The X-Files" and its characters are owned by FOX and its related entities. All rights reserved. This website, its operators and any content on this site relating to "The X-Files" are not authorized by Fox. No copyright infringement is intended. This site created and maintained by Wasatch Design and Consulting. |
