=====o=====================================================o===== "Zurvan" by Mary Ruth Keller E-mail: mkeller@universe.digex.net =====o=====================================================o===== Chapter XI - Emain Macha (Disclaimed in Chapter I) -----o-----------------------------------------o----- "One day as he was resting alone in his house, a tall young woman came into the hall where he lay. She was richly dressed and stately and there was a great dignity and confidence about her. She walked into Crunnchu's room as if she owned it. She did not speak to him but walked over to the hearth, sat down and calmly began to poke the fire. She sat all day there at the fireside and spoke to no one... 'What is your name?' the king demanded. 'My name ... will stick to this place for ever!' she said. 'I am Macha, a daughter of the Ocean. Now bring the horses here that I may race against them!' The horses were led out and Macha raced against them and out stripped them easily... Then Macha spoke again. 'From this day you will be afflicted by this weakness because of your cruel treatment of me. At the hour of your greatest need, when you are under attack, every Ulsterman will become as defenseless and helpless as a woman giving birth to a child. For five days and four nights you will remain in that state and your descendants will be afflicted by the same weakness for nine generations!' Both of these prophecies came true. Ever afterwards the place was known as Emain Macha..." excerpted from "The Weakness of the Ulstermen" in "Fame Outlives Life: The Ulster Cycle" as told by Marie Heaney -----o-----------------------------------------o----- Lowenberg Residence Santorini, Greece Sunday, April 6, 1998 2:46 pm A smile played around the woman's narrow lips as she contemplated Caroline, who looked ragged from the trip and the flights. She inclined her head once. "So nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Mulder. I feel I know you from Bill's many late night chats on the phone with me. But you don't know me. I'm Christina Knox. My dear Bill and I worked together for years at the State Department." Attempting to subdue the few white strands the wind had whipped free during the ride from the airport, Caroline smoothed her hair down with both palms. Suddenly extremely self-conscious of the lines in her face and the unadorned wool suit, she hid her hands in her jacket pockets, then pulled them out again to button the pale grey coat closed. Max tucked her under his arm in a valiant effort to shore up his wife's sagging will. Saunders and their new arrival stepped out into the corridor to make plans, leaving Mulder and Scully with their parents. The partners moved immediately to reassure Margaret, who had been on the verge of tears throughout the entire encounter. Caroline glared up at her husband. "Max? How long has he been here?" The white-haired man kissed her cheek gently. "He arrived with that other woman soon after you called me from Athens to let me know you were en route." He glanced back over his shoulder to check the two shapes on the far side of the glass. "That woman opened the door first, claiming to be a tourist out of water, then he came through behind her. What they want with us, or with our search for Samantha, I don't know." Mulder, who had overheard Max's whispered account, joined them. "Mom? Do you ever remember Dad discussing a Teena or Christy? I don't." Caroline had burrowed further under her husband's arm, grateful for the support. "Nor do I. But Bill never spoke of things about the job. You know that." Mother and Son locked eyes, then Mulder ran a hand over his face. "Yeah, I know. I just wonder whether she really knows Vicky Byers or not. I've only met her briefly once, but never talked with her, so all I know about Vicky is from Byers himself." "Yes." Scully was standing by his elbow now, Margaret having stepped outside to compose herself. "She was in DC while you were here, Mulder, but she never offered any details about her job." She shrugged. Mulder jerked his head towards the doors. "You don't think?" Scully shook her head. "Why would Saunders ally himself with the shape-shifters? It goes against everything the Consortium stands for. Why would *they* ally themselves with an ousted member of the very organization that has, as its purpose, the extermination of any alien life form that lands here?" Mulder narrowed his eyes at her. "To buy himself some time or some maneuvering space?" She bent over her duffle bag, abandoned in the corner of the room when they arrived. "I'll check, but they'll have to be in here with us, not out there." Max looked down at his wife. "Are we ready, then?" Raising her chin, Caroline set her face in the 'great lady' mask Mulder knew so well from his childhood. Mulder stepped to the outer door, opening it just enough to tell Margaret to stand clear of any flying glass. Saunders and Knox reentered the room, the bearded man glowering at the grey box in Scully's hand. "No, we're both human. Scan us. See?" He extended his arms out from his sides. Scully flitted her eyes at the display, then powered down the unit. "So you are. But why come to us with weapons? We were helping you, the last we met." Knox tipped her face up, extending her narrow Roman nose dismissively. "Trust No One, not even your purported allies." She stalked over to Mulder, looking up into the agent's shifting hazel eyes. "I'd never guess you were Bill's boy." She cast a disparaging glance over her shoulder at Caroline. "Somehow, I expected someone," she cocked her head, "taller and better looking." Mulder stole a glance at his partner, whose sole response was a quick roll of her eyes. He bent over the brunette. "Who knew you worked with my Father?" She pushed him back. "No one. We were very discrete. Bill had enough problems at home." Another down the nose sneer was sent in Caroline's direction, who had moved until Max blocked her view of the other woman. Mulder pinned Knox to the rough stones of the fireplace with a hand gripping each arm. "Who do you work for?" She tossed her head proudly. "No One. Not the Consortium, not any other Group you may have found out about. Why do you think your Father was allowed to retire? Have you ever asked yourself why the Group just didn't kill him outright? Did you think *they* were being sentimental?" Stepping back, Mulder released her. "OK, tell me." He crossed his arms to keep from fidgeting as she spoke. Knox rotated her shoulders, straightened her hair, smoothed out her suit, then met his eyes. "Whatever any of the others may have told you is probably nonsense." Her eyes flitted to Caroline. "He couldn't chose which child he would lose, vacillating between the son and the daughter. In so many ways, your husband was a flawed man, so he turned to you, his wife, hoping to seek some resolution to his dilemma. When you provided none, he took *my* suggestion." Mulder's face set in a tight mask, as rigid as the grip he applied to each of his upper arms. Knox glared at Scully. "Daughters are useless anyhow. The real truth was, she was a bargaining chip, nothing more. He wasn't happy with the work, so he was compiling evidence in secret locations, looking to expose the organization. They wanted the evidence, or they would kill his sweet Samantha. If anything happened to her, he would release the evidence." She laughed, a cruel, mirthless sound. "A Faustian bargain, wouldn't you know." Caroline joined her son. "Then end this charade! Tell us where Sam is." Knox pointed to the stacks of documents on the desk. "There's no need. All your answers are in those papers." Mulder bent into her face. "The real truth is, you don't know, do you?" Knox stared him down. Scully stalked over, setting her voice in her deepest growl. "If you're telling the truth, then tell us how you kept this from the Consortium all these years, and where this evidence is now." The brunette faced Scully, each with their fists on their hips. Knox bent into the auburn-haired woman's face. "How did I keep this from *them*? Don't think we were dense, child. Bill Mulder and I saw to it that there were no records of our meetings, no photographs, no incriminating paper trails. We worked in separate parts of the State Department, only met while overseas, only while deep in the Third World." She looked over at Caroline. "Oh, he told me about you, the sick wife back in the cold house in Chilmark. You drained his soul, drop by drop, you and your weaknesses and complaints." Caroline's voice dropped into a growl. "Were you William Mulder's mistress? Was that why we never had any real happiness?" Knox snorted. "Mistress? Why should I steal another woman's husband? Is everything between men and women supposed to be about sex? No, all he needed was someone to listen, someone to dole out the Scotch with a firm hand, someone strong to lean on." She struck her chest with her fist. "That was me!" She glowered at Caroline. "Not you." Scully stepped between them. "All right. I've heard enough. So what do you want with us now?" Saunders spoke from across the room. "To show you the secrets you've wanted to see. Why Africa is so important. Why Bill Scully warned you never to go there." Pouncing on him, Mulder shook the bearded man by the arm. "So, why are you telling us this now?" Saunders glared back. "Isn't it what you want to hear?" Scully shook her head. "No. We want the truth. What's in it for you?" Knox sighed. "We have someone else in on our secrets. Someone else who can take over the job of watchdog, of gadfly." She walked over to Mulder. "You've wanted that, all your life. Up until you found the D'Amato papers and kept them, you were just the Consortium's tool, finding what they would let you find, making the noises they wanted made. Now, you're a real threat. With us, you can make it work. What do you say? Are you willing to step into your Father's shoes?" Mulder shook his head. "All I want is my sister back. That's all it ever was." He released Saunders. "All this was necessary, but not essential. Let me have Sam and I'll leave you to hash it out with them." Saunders snorted. "Oh, you'll have your sister back. But retiring from the field of play won't be nearly that easy." Christina nodded. "Look at me." The agents studied her face, seeing the wrinkles and grey roots for the first time. "Do you have any idea how old I am?" She smiled sadly at the blank expressions. "I thought not. I'm over fifty, though I can never admit it. I'm tired of this constant cat and mouse, the continuous wariness." She nodded at Saunders. "When I was approached, offered a way out, I leapt at it." She turned to Mulder. "When your Father died, you mourned for him for how long? A day, a week, a month perhaps?" Mulder stared at his feet, then glanced at Caroline, hearing her condemnation ringing in his ears. Christina nodded. "I thought so. None of you knew him, did you?" Mulder looked over at X. "Did you know her connection with my Father?" Saunders only glared. Mulder's eyes softened. "Was this why you were willing to help me?" The bearded man shot back evenly. "Some of us are better at this double game than others of us were. Keep thinking about your crusade, Agent Mulder. You are his son, after all." Feeling as if he were spinning in the air, Mulder backed away from the group. "I don't know what to believe anymore." He bolted for the back door where Margaret Scully had been hovering. After a quick backwards glance, Scully trotted outside as well. Margaret was staring off in the distance. "He's gone, Dana. He ran." Shading her eyes with her hand, Scully surveyed the rocks. "After what he just thinks he's learned, I can't blame him, Mom, but I have to find him. We have no proof that any of this is true." Margaret crossed her arms. "But you do, Dana." Her lower lip trembling, the older woman stared at the mother of thyme she was scuffing under her feet. Scully turned, a sea breeze whipping her hair. "Ahab's diary. He found out about that woman, didn't he?" Her hand on her mouth, Margaret nodded. When the wind kicked up a sudden shower of dust, Scully stepped into the shelter of the house next to her mother. "Was she Bill Mulder's mistress?" Margaret sighed. "He could never work that out. By all appearances, she was. Secret meetings in clandestine locations, nameless packages dropped along the side of the road, money transferred to accounts in both of their names. It looked that way to Bill." Scully held her hair out of her eyes with her right hand. "It could also be that they were really protecting this evidence she talked about. It would look like the same thing." Margaret stared back into the house. "Caroline has been so kind, and she's been through so much. I didn't want her to know. I thought perhaps this was what you were searching for, what Fox wanted to know." The younger Scully shook her head. "I don't think the possibility of infidelity even phases Mulder. I think it's all to do with his sister. Which way did he go, Mom?" Margaret shook her head. "I don't know. He barrelled out of here while my back was turned. I called after him, but all I could see was his head disappearing over that ridge." She pointed. Scully nodded. "That would be like him. A straight line over the roughest terrain the island has." She pulled her cel phone from her jacket pocket. "Tell Caroline and Max to send a rescue party," she pointed, "that way, if I don't call in before dark." As she sprinted off, Margaret called, "Dana, your gun!" The auburn-haired agent flipped up the back of her jacket, offering her Mother a clear view of the Sig in its holster. "By dark, Mom!" --o-0-o-- Santorini, Greece Sunday, 6:08 pm Scully slipped as she topped the hillock of sharp-edged volcanics. The point of an andesite boulder drove itself into her knee, tearing the jeans and making her wince. She had been climbing and falling for three hours, aware that she was approaching the tallest peaks in the center of the island. One more shove, then she was over, sliding down the hillside on her right hip. She let loose a frustrated stream of words as she scrabbled for a hand-hold in the tumbling stones. But the rocks around her were all free, so her efforts only set showers of jagged red cobbles ahead of her and over her. She was halfway down the hillside when she thumped into something fixed. Momentarily stunned, she covered her head with her arms as dust and fragments settled around her. Shoving the rocks off her chest and legs, she was relieved to see another pair of hands joining in the effort. There was an amused rumble behind her. "Nice of you to drop in, Doctor." Twisting carefully, Scully appraised her situation. She was perched on a narrow rooted boulder, her partner holding her delicately by the waist. He had stretched his legs out straight to give her more room, but her feet still dangled off the edge of the ferrous rock. Striking at it with her heels, she could tell that it was thick, and the deep thuds she heard said it was solid, not cracked. When she looked back up the slope, she could see that this boulder was one in an irregularly spaced line that extended back up to the crest. She had been so intent on finding the slightest indentation marking his passage that she had missed the seemingly simple descent. Swiveling, she caught the twitching around his lips that meant he was working hard to suppress a smirk at her consternation, so she punched him in the shoulder once. "Mulder, what did you think you were doing, taking off like that?" He shrugged, keeping silent while she righted herself. Having worked with her long enough, he knew exactly what stages she had progressed through. First, she had no doubt chastised herself for letting him get so agitated at these new revelations. He deeply appreciated that about her, her concern for his mental well-being that went beyond what he had experienced with any of his other partners. Second, she had assessed the situation brewing, then had made the determination that she could come after him. Jerry would have been scheming as to how to make himself look good to his bosses after the fact and would no doubt have been attempting to grandstand back at the house. He eyed the tears in the denim and the sliced- open top of her running shoes. When Scully attempted to shift away from him, he slid to the edge of the rock to give her some space. Before he released her, however, he pressed his thumbs into her back, feeling the strained muscles there. If he were honest with himself, he would admit that part of the reason he had run was to give them both some time to assimilate what they had been told and prepare for what as to come. He needed to know if Scully had fully recovered from the head injury, which her present agility told him she had. He watched her twisting around, shifting until her back was against the talus wall. Although he was relieved the trip to Bern with his Mother had gone so well, he desperately needed this time alone with the one person he trusted. He scooted forward a little to give her more space. When their actions set another small shower of fragments clicking down the slope, Scully found herself smashed against his back. "It's probably true, you know." He rubbed his face, still looking out over the browned grass in the distance. "What, that Christina Knox was my Father's mistress, or that he kept us all alive by making a deal with the Devil himself?" Scully attempted to work her way forward of her partner, only to find herself nearly in his lap, his arm curled around her waist. "The deal with the Devil." He pulled her against his legs, holding her while she righted herself. "Oh. Your Father's diary?" Still struggling, she nodded. "Yes. Mom took it to mean your Father was having an affair and didn't want us to know, but Saunders wouldn't be here if he had nothing more that a faded mistress in his hand." He studied her green-blue eyes in the waning light. "How long did it take you to work that out?" Resigned to his holding on to her, she crossed her arms and settled in. "About the first hill. The rest of my time was spent looking for size eleven boot prints in the soil. You?" "Oh, I'd say an hour after I landed on my rear following a similar set of gymnastics to yours." He pointed at the sky. "It's amazing what staring at cloudless blue Mediterranean heavens does for your reasoning faculties." She looked up at him. "So why did you stop here?" He waved at the edge of the rock they were perched upon. Scully crawled out to the end, about four feet past his boots. Beneath this one rooted boulder, the hillside fell away in a straight drop, several hundred feet to jagged piles of black rocks. She scrambled away quickly, feeling a distinct sense of relief when he tucked her securely beside him on their narrow seat. He chuckled. "You finished investigating so soon, Agent Scully?" She rubbed the back of her neck. "Yes." Her brow furrowed with chagrin, she tipped her head back to look up at him. "Thanks. How did you know that was me up there? It could have been a shape- shifter, or anybody." He shook his head. "It was the clinical precision you threatened the various portions of my male anatomy with that gave you away, Doctor." He let his one-sided grin dimple his cheek. She pressed her shoulder against his chest. "Will you be OK with her, Mulder? With what she could be, that is?" He shrugged, his voice a whisper. "As OK as I'll ever be." He eyed her jacket. "Say, is that a cel phone, or are you..." She stuck out her chin, her voice low. "It's a cel phone, Mulder." She sent him the LOOK as she tugged it free. "And it still works." She punched in Max's number. "Do you know how relieved everyone will be to know you're OK?" He smirked. "Goils. You never figure out that it's the only reason to run away from home." After relaying a description of their location, she peered back up the hill. "If we can make it up to the top, the local police helicopter can pick us up more easily. Most of the steps look manageable." Mulder released her. "After you." The partners began a scrabbling ascent of the talus slope, Scully hoisting herself up first, Mulder steadying her if needs be and following. For several of the rocks, she had to sit on his shoulders to reach the boulder above, then drape herself over it to let him pull himself up, using her arms as guide ropes. On the stretch to the last boulder, her torn running shoe fell off completely, bouncing down the hillside in yet another shower of stones. She grunted. "Next time, Mulder, give me some warning so I can put on my hiking boots, OK?" Kneeling to steady her up the last gap, he chuckled. "Ah, and take all the fun out of this?" Walking ahead of him to the flat crest of the hill, she waved her arms at the approaching helicopter. "At least this is preferable to attempting a rescue off that bench you found for us." Glancing back over his shoulder, he snorted. "Yeah." Their perch was now covered in the rocks they had kicked loose on the way up. --o-0-o-- Lowenberg Residence Santorini, Greece Sunday, 10:36 pm The police helicopter deposited them directly on the flat lawn in front of Max's home, probably at his explicit request. This time, however, there was no welcoming clutch of elders, just the bare green space. After the partners shook the hand of the pilot, they crouched until the vehicle had departed. Scully faced the house. "I don't hear the dog." She slid her Sig out of her holster. "I don't like this." After selecting a rounded white cobble from the rock garden, he waved her towards the front entrance. "I'll take the back." Shrugging as she quirked her lips at his choice of weapon, he bent over her. "You have a better idea?" Ignoring the challenge, she moved forward, sticking to the flagstone path to spare her bare foot. "Mom?" She hovered by the front door, talking to give her partner time to move into position. "You OK?" She was surprised when Saunders unlocked the door. "What did you think, Agent Scully, that I would disappear again?" Still alert, she lowered her handgun. "The thought had crossed my mind." He fell in step. "I presume your partner will favor us with a precipitate appearance through the back way?" She checked the living room, noting the positions of the four within. Max and Caroline were seated across from Christina Knox, the two women exchanging glares, while the white-haired man kept one arm curled possessively around his wife's shoulders. Margaret had stationed herself as close to the door as she could, wanting nothing more than to leave these three to their privacy, but also seeking to provide whatever support she was able. Scully looked over at the African American. "It should come about..." They heard a crash, then Mulder's shout of warning. Scully called back. "It's OK, Mulder, they're all here." At the sound of more flailing, she hurried to the kitchen. What she saw immediately set her in her firing stance. "Freeze, Federal Agent." Her jaw worked when she realized how meaningless that phrase was here. But it had its desired effect. The blond, round-featured man Mulder was wrestling with froze, just long enough for the Agent to twist one arm behind the intruder's back. "I bin ein Officer!" Saunders snorted. "One of the German secret service. Just what we need." Scully sidled forward, placing the barrel tip of her Sig against the man's neck. "Die andere kan nichts Deutsch verstehen. Sprechen Sie Englisch?" Their captive nodded. "I'm with the German Federal Police." Mulder released him. "OK. Why were you skulking around in my stepfather's kitchen?" The officer began working the kinks out of his shoulders. "I need to speak to Christina Knox. Now. We have urgent business to attend to." Scully waved her gun at the doorway. "You first." As they left, she rounded on Saunders. "What do you know about this woman? Is she some common criminal ripping us all off?" Mulder grasped Saunders' arm. "What is her connection to my family?" Saunders yanked himself free. "Knox works in the State Department, just as she said. It was the old man, your former informant, Mulder, who told me of her existence. We all had cover jobs. It was only your Father who thought to use his to protect himself. The rest of us were too busy keeping to the Organization's agenda." Scully pushed Saunders on the chest. "All? You obviously had something going as well. Why else are you here?" Since they had reached the living room, Mulder touched his partner's shoulder, hoping to bring her attention to the present. Christina Knox was regarding their new arrival with white-faced astonishment. "How did you?" The Bavarian eyed Caroline Lowenberg, then launched into a tirade in German. Clenching both fists, Max flew at the man, connecting with his chin three times before Mulder and Scully restrained him. Caroline moved between her husband and the German. "Max, please, it's all a lie." She looked down, watching the blond man roll onto his hands and knees. "There were cover stories within cover stories we devised for the times. This is apparently one of them." Mulder joined them. "Mom?" She held up both hands. "In a minute, Fox." He grew more insistent. "Mom, if this has anything to do with Dad, or Sam..." She tensed. "Not now!" Scully watched him shrink back as if struck. Margaret Scully cleared her throat tentatively. "Could someone please...?" Max held up both hands in a gesture of surrender. "Forgive us, Maudie. This man," he poked the Bavarian with his toe, "has accused Caroline of willfully aiding certain National Socialists escape justice at the end of the war." The dark-haired woman cast bewildered glances around the room. "I don't understand..." Caroline reached for her son's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Fox. When Agent Hiram suggested we check with Inspector Klaus, I didn't stop to think that his official inquiry would trip this type of surveillance. But I should have expected it." The white haired woman pressed her palms together, using the gesture to regain her composure, before turning to the woman from the State Department. "Miss Knox, I think I'm beginning to understand why my late husband confided in you. You are not a native-born American, are you?" From Mulder's short gasp, Scully knew he was about to interrupt, so she grasped his wrist, shaking her head when he glanced over at her. Christine Knox smoothed the jacket of her suit before she replied. "No. I am from Poland. From what is now called Gdansk. My family was wealthy, like yours, before the War. But, I know nothing of that. I was born the year the war ended, into squalor and sickness. What little the Germans did not seize at the start of the War, the Soviets possessed by the end of it. When Bill approached me initially, it was in the name of fighting those who had blockaded Berlin, who had reduced one of the few free places left in the East to what I know. Like you, I could speak several languages, but unlike you, I am Catholic. There would be no question of divided loyalties for what they wanted to do. He helped me into America, helped me obtain my citizenship." Scully glanced at Caroline, who had seized her husband's hand fiercely. Max had turned to her, his eyes dark with sympathy. She stepped closer to her partner, who was caught up in the story, oblivious to the under currents running through the room. Margaret Scully let out a squeak, bringing the rest around to stare at her. "All this? How do you live with all this?" Mulder was across the room in three strides. "Mrs. Scully, please. Would you like to step outside?" She took his outstretched hand. "No, no. I'm fine. It's all so much, too much, almost, but I'm fine." She waved apologetically to the others in the room. "Go on." Christine and Caroline regarded her sadly, then squared off again, Caroline stepping close to the brunette woman. "Very well. He helped you to America, then to a job in the State Department. Also as a translator?" At Knox's nod, she continued. "So, when did you begin siphoning off information on the Organization?" Saunders stepped between them. "That's ancient history. What we need to be concerned with today is why we're both here." Since he had guided Margaret Scully to a chair by her daughter, Mulder rejoined them. "And that is?" Saunders narrowed his eyes at him. "Africa. Don't you remember?" Mulder began pacing. "Of course. In your statements, you indicated that the Organization used the Third World for many of its test sites. As far as natural resources go, outside of diamonds, Africa is the least excavated of any of the continents. With all those rifts and dormant volcanoes, it ought to be rich in heavy elements and precious metals." Scully blocked his path, trapping him between the sofa and the fireplace. "More than that, Mulder, if the Consortium is experimenting to find the ideal human, why not conduct the experiments where the human variations are the greatest, where there is so vast a gene pool to be tapped? Over sixty percent of human variations are present in sub-Saharan Africa." Saunders eyed her carefully. "The continent where we all originated." Mulder nodded. "Where humans live under conditions ranging from the sparsest desert to the wettest rainforests. So we were right earlier, that those pentagonal structures were part of the Organizations' network of labs." Scully whirled, advancing on Knox. "Also, where the primate gene pool is just as rich. Anywhere else in the world, we need to import our nearest relatives. There, variations unknown in the First World for chimps and gorillas are just a drive away." Saunders sighed. "Why do your think we kept their habitats under such tight control?" Mulder glared first, at Knox, then at Saunders. "So, this evidence my Father collected may help us. How do we get to it?" The African-American eyed him sadly. "Where do you think, Mister Mulder?" Mulder shrugged. "The D'Amato papers? Swiss bank accounts?" A snort. Scully tucked her hair behind her ear. "No. Right under their noses." Pointing at Knox, she tipped her head back to meet her partner's eyes. "How else would she know about Africa? Why else would she be here wanting us to go there right now?" Mulder stalked over to her. "It's more than that, though, isn't it?" Fear flashed for a moment in the brown-haired woman's eyes, but she kept silent. Mulder spoke to his partner without looking away from Knox's face. "If my father was supposed to compile a genetic data base on every citizen in the US, then he knew there was something unique about his own. Something that he, Sam, and I would have." Scully arched an eyebrow. "But if she wanted just the DNA from your Father's family, she could have taken it from Sam's file. What she needs is something only you have: your Father's Y chromosome." Mulder grasped Scully's arm, deeply grateful that she had followed his train of thought. "It's a key, a sequence that unlocks the evidence my Father had." He rounded on Knox. "That's it, isn't it? Something my Father and I have in common?" Although ashen-faced, she kept silent. Mulder looked over at Max, who was carefully shielding Caroline. "Mom?" After a quick squeeze of her husband's shoulder, she stepped forward. "It must be, Fox." Since the two women were of equal height, she glared directly into the brown eyes. "What was so special about Bill? So unique?" Knox pointed to the dark-haired agent. "When we reach the Laboratory, he'll find out." A tight-lipped smirk crossed her face. "Have you never wondered why it was so hard for you two to have children?" Mulder ran his hands through his hair. "My father's genetically incompatible with my mother. It must be..." Knox laughed, the sound harsh and angry. "Not aliens, Fox. Not at all. You'll see." Saunders pulled out his Sig, speaking to Max. "If you excuse us, Sir, we'll just take what we came for and be on our way. Mister Mulder, Agent Scully, come along. The Truth is waiting for you." When Max stepped forward, Mulder held up both hands. "It's OK. We'll go with them. Just keep yourselves and the documents safe until we return." He glared at Saunders. "We *will* be returning?" His jaw set, Saunders nodded. "As safely as I can arrange." Margaret was on her feet. "Dana, surely..." Scully shook her head. "There are answers for all of us there, Mom. I have to go. Look out for yourselves." Mulder blocked his partner's exit, pointed down at her feet. "Doctor, about those boots..." She cocked an eyebrow at his grim joke, then, dismissed by a nod from Saunders, trotted down the hall to her room. When she returned, changed into a heavy pair of canvas trousers and her boots, she handed her partner his Sig and ankle pistol. "Just in case." He nodded his thanks. Knox looked Scully over with a sneer, then spun away from her. "Do try to keep up. We can't stop when those short legs of yours wear out." Saunders had to suppress a guffaw of surprise at the comment. Without another word, the four departed, leaving three confused elders in their wake, Max holding his wife close. The Bavarian, after a momentary glance at Caroline, hurried after the agents. --o-0-o-- Algiers, Tunisia Tuesday, April 7, 1998 11:24 am Mulder waved his three companions over, leading them through the lot of Land Rovers. "I think that's the one, way in the back." Scully eyed Knox. "How did you find the resources to purchase one of these? Usually archaeological expeditions drop a hefty portion of their initial grant money just to buy a used one." Knox set her lips in a grim line. "My dear Bill left me well- provided with funds to pursue our outside interests." Scully trotted after her partner, leaving Knox to catch the three younger members of the group up. In a gesture of protest obvious only to the auburn-haired agent, Mulder's spine had straightened at the phrase 'my dear Bill'. Scully felt for him. When she reached his side, he had all the doors unlocked and was slinging what little luggage they had picked up into the back of the sand-colored vehicle. Saunders snorted. "Mister Mulder, kindly restrain yourself from breaking our tent-poles. We'll need that cover when night comes." Mulder glared back. "Oh? How far into the desert is this little caravan going?" Knox stood by the driver's door. "Further than you can yet imagine." She eyed Scully. "I trust you understand the operation of the water purification equipment? We don't need to die of hemmoragic fever out there. Or is you expertise solely devoted to dismembering the dead?" Mulder watched his partner's jaw flex, wondering when Scully would haul off and slug the older woman. He stepped forward. "If that were the case, at least two of us wouldn't be here." He jerked his head towards Saunders. "Maybe three." Saunders had already climbed into the passenger side. "If we could please keep our egos in check, we do have a long journey ahead of us, and an uncertain welcome when we do arrive." After a final disparaging glance at the two agents, Knox pulled herself into the driver's seat and turned the engine over. "Very well. Let's head for the cargo terminal." Mulder reached across the driver to turn the key in the ignition. "What are you talking about?" Saunders gripped the agent's wrist. "We are flying in to the site across the desert, Mister Mulder. You didn't think we could just drive, did you?" His dark eyes moved to Scully's face. The auburn-haired woman eased her partner back into his seat. "Mulder, two Americans would raise all manner of official notice if we tried to go up the Congo from the Atlantic. With a well- fueled transport, we can fly our equipment down to where we can drive the rest of the way." Glowering, the dark-haired agent crossed his arms. "I hope you people know what you're doing." After a quick sneer backwards, Knox started up the engine. --o-0-o-- J. Edgar Hoover Building Tuesday, 8:12 am As he stepped from the elevator, Walter Skinner eyed the figure pacing in front of his outer office door. Once he was within a few feet of the red-haired man, he sought to halt his determined circling. "Agent Pendrell?" The technician stopped. "Director Skinner? I need to speak with you." His green eyes flicked towards the glass door. "I don't think we should be discussing this in there, Sir." Skinner nodded. "As you wish, Pendrell. Shall we say, the Tidal Basin, at eleven thirty?" Pendrell broke into a broad grin. "Yes, thank you, Sir." --o-0-o-- Tidal Basin Washington, DC Tuesday, 11:27 pm Walter Skinner stepped around a strolling group of tourists, his objective being to reach the man sitting quietly on the second step of the Jefferson Memorial. Pendrell stood quickly when he spotted the Assistant Director. "Good morning, Sir." Feeling nervous and quite thin in his dark suit, the red-haired agent shoved both hands in his pockets. Skinner's cheek rippled slightly, then, anxious to proceed, prompted the technician with a simple compliment. "I wish all my agents would arrive for meetings early, Pendrell. What did you need to tell me about?" The two men fell in step with the crowds taking in the most ephemeral of Washington's sights, the yearly blossoming of massed Japanese cherry trees. Once he felt secure that there was no one following them, Pendrell looked over at the Assistant Director. "The two agents who were killed during the Courthouse explosion hadn't been recruited by the Shadow government, Sir. Whoever they really were, they had been surgically altered to appear to be duplicates." Skinner stared down at him. "How do you know that, Pendrell?" The technician smiled briefly. "I've been performing DNA tests for Agent Scully, so I just added a few cells from the corpses to the batch I sent out. After the original problem with guards for Saunders, you had asked me to check the other candidates out thoroughly, Sir. So, I ran through a list of eligible officers and took skin, hair and blood samples from all of them." Skinner glanced at a group of schoolchildren as they ran by. "Given what happened to the corpses of the two men who died last year..." Pendrell's chest swelled slightly. "And that we're dealing with shape-shifters, Sir." Skinner nodded. "A wise precaution. Considering we chose the guards at random from that pool on any given day, it seems we have a deeper problem within the Bureau itself." He stopped, his action pulling Pendrell around to face him. "Do you have any idea who those two men were?" Deflated, Pendrell stared at the marble beneath his feet. "Sir, it's easy to look for marker genes to determine if two samples are from the same person. But there's so much variation in just the population of Washington, all I can tell you is that they were Caucasian males of Western European descent." Skinner shook his head. "But I'll bet I know who does know." Pendrell looked up. "The old man with the cigarettes?" Skinner frowned. "Yes." Pendrell smiled. "Agent Scully told me how he had substituted an altered body for his own to fake his death last year. Do you know what this might mean?" Skinner gritted his teeth. "Our old adversary is tightening his hold over the shadow government." Pendrell gulped. "I was afraid you were going to say that." The bald Director sighed. "Ever since I found out he was still alive, I've been expecting this." He began walking forward again. "It's been relatively easy to survive with the old men gone. But if he's taking charge, we need to enlist as much help as we can, as much publicity as we can." Eyeing the younger man, he queried sharply. "You're certain all the bombing fatalities were from bullets fired by the weapons found with the two corpses? Certain?" Pendrell nodded. "In three of the cases, death would have resulted from the injuries sustained during the collapse of the structure without the added trauma, but basically, yes, the gunshots killed them all. I've secreted the originals of the ballistics tests and the autopsies to prevent tampering. Agent Scully warned me I'd need to do that." Skinner scanned the crowd behind them. "Very well." The red-haired man looked up. "Are you planning on having a press conference, Sir? Director Freeh would want to be involved." Both dark eyebrows arched. "That's a situation I'd like to avoid, if I can. After all the work and official nonsense one of those entails, we'd find ourselves essentially ignored. Remember, with all the revelations recently, a press conference tends to become a one-day wonder in this town. There were several DC area reporters at the Pittsburgh trial. I believe I'll speak with one or all of them. A few well-placed words and some evidence will start them investigating and reporting, which is precisely what *he* would like to avoid." Skinner bent over the younger man. "Keep those documents secured, Pendrell. Have you heard from Scully?" A nod. "Her last E-mail said she and Agent Mulder were pursuing a lead into Africa, but that they had no precise destination." The bald director closed his eyes. "I believe I know where they'll end up." Glancing around him again, he growled. "Make sure your vaccinations are up to date and meet me at my house tonight." Wide-eyed, the technician nodded. --o-0-o-- FBI Field Office Athens, Greece Wednesday, April 8, 1998 2:27 am "Mein Herr! Mein Herr!" The Bavarian had been pounding on the locked door for this room that was doubling as a prison cell for five minutes. A disheveled agent, his shock of red hair uncombed, pulled it open. "Yeah, what do you want?" The Bavarian thrust a tumbler in the man's face. "Some water, please, the sink in my room seems to have stopped up." Rolling his green eyes, the agent staggered in and locked the door. "OK, let me take a look at it." Bending over the valves, he muttered, "Crazy Germans, they expect everything to - Ahhhh." He slumped forward bonelessly. The blonde man eased him onto the cot beside the sink, then returned to stand in front of the mirror. He began adjusting his features, looking down at his sleeping guard and back into the glass. When the two were reasonably similar, he removed the keys from the Agent's pocket.