Note: OK, I really went overboard this time. I am taking everyone completely out of character. I have to. There have been certain scenes in my head that I have been wanting to use, and this was the only way I could use them. This series is, for the most part, nuts and flakes. Don’t look for any redeeming value in this series. This is pure silliness which I will blame on Spring and the wonderful Seattle weather. –Batela.

The Fall of the Consortium began with a knock on Walter Skinner’s door. Sitting at the breakfast table in his dressing robe, Skinner was reading the morning paper, shaking his head over the latest report in a series of assassinations around the world. Since some high-ranking US officials were also victims, the story was making Skinner’s life hell and running all of his agents ragged. The victims were all among the more elite, scientists and leaders, but no other common thread had been found. Mulder had rambled on the subject one day recently in Skinner’s office; he insisted that all the victims had been members of the Consortium. A secondary series of stories had been of buildings and ships exploding, obviously the work of an underground political group who had yet to make their announcement claiming responsibility. All of Skinner’s agents were putting in triple time.

Skinner frowned, wondering who would be knocking at 6:30 in the morning. His brow cleared, it had to be Mulder. His agent was the only one who had a habit of knocking at the strangest hours.

"Who is it?" he called out.

"Mulder." Skinner was beginning to feel like getting a two bedroom apartment and just inviting the man to roomie with him. He opened the door and stood still.

"This has got to be a reoccurring nightmare." he said, seeing the man Mulder held by the scruff of the neck. This time, Scully was there, too, holding a gun on the other side.

"Good morning, Sir. We have a present for you." Scully said cheerfully. Skinner opened the door, inviting them in.

"Gee, Scully, and I didn’t get you anything." He closed the door and Krycek put his hand up in self-protection.

"Now, Skinner, hear me out first. I went to Mulder, he didn’t find me." Krycek spoke quickly before Skinner could get in the first hit. Mulder released him.

"I think you may want to listen to what he has to say, Sir." Mulder said. Krycek brought his hand up slowly, indicating his pocket. Skinner nodded. The man reached in and slowly withdrew a small case and Skinner tensed.

"Just a show of good faith." Krycek insisted. He opened the palm pilot and used the pen on the small board.

"You better hit the head, you’re about to feel as though you’re passing the world’s biggest kidney stone." the man advised him.

"What? What kind of game are you...?" Skinner got a strange look on his face and ran up the stairs.

Mulder smacked Krycek on the back of his head.

"What the hell was that?! Scully, you better check and make sure he’s alright." Scully followed Skinner’s path up the stairs after giving Krycek a deadly glare.

"Chill out, Mulder! The critters have to get out somewhere." He received another smack and a shove toward the couch. Mulder handcuffed him and stood over him with the gun, waiting for Skinner and Scully to reappear.

They came down about twenty minutes later, Skinner was as white as a sheet. His robe was unbelted, sweat dripped down his chest to his black silk pajama bottoms. He kept an arm wrapped protectively around his stomach and sat down gingerly. Scully looked at Mulder and gave a nod, he’d be fine.

"Sorry, Sir, that was unexpected." Mulder apologized. He put a case of computer disks on the coffee table. "Tell him what you told us!" he demanded of Krycek.

Krycek pointed at the case with both hands, the metal clinking.

"That is all the necessary files, proof positive, to take down my employers."

Skinner opened his eyes, filled with exhaustion and pain, and looked with suspicion at the leather jacketed man.

"Why."

"I have my reasons. I’ve shown my good faith," Krycek was saying. "let me go. You take all the credit, information given to you by a secret informant. Taxpayers money well spent for the FBI’s top agents. Good PR. I’ve also done a little editing in the files and removed certain familial ties." He looked at Mulder as he said that. Mulder wondered exactly how many people knew who his biological father was, it seemed as though everyone had known except him.

Skinner looked at the case without touching it.

"Have you examined them?" he asked Mulder.

"A couple at random, Sir. I glanced through them, they appear to be the real thing. I checked some information that I know as fact and it does bear out on the disks."

"And your recommendation?"

"I would suggest that this be kept under wraps until we get our hands on Smokey. If we go public with this first, he’ll disappear." Skinner nodded his agreement. Krycek shook his head.

"What do you mean no?" Mulder was ready to smack him again.

"I mean it’s too late. Where do you think I got this information from? I killed him and took it from his own files."

Mulder and Scully sat down before they fell down.

"Say that again." Skinner insisted, sitting up slowly.

"He’s dead. I killed him. Fed him to a cougar with some hungry cubs. I took a great deal of pleasure in watching them snack." Krycek reached inside his jacket again and pulled something out, throwing it on the table next to the case. A half used pack of Morley’s.

***********

The next two years were spent in a continuous world-wide shock wave. One slam after another as people from all over the world were hauled before a U.N. war tribunal. Time was saved with a sudden surge in the suicide rate as people under investigation killed themselves rather than face a death squad with the charge of treason against humanity. Those countries that didn’t hold their own court-martials, willingly handed over their guilty leaders. A surprising number of countries placed themselves under martial law until new leaders could be hastily elected. Russia and China closed their boarders as revolutions in those countries began.

The United States remained under its Constitutional government; having so many elected officials had for once proved to be a boon, along with a President who was actually innocent of something. A humorous news broadcast showed the man quipping that he was feeling left out from a popular party. Since the President was only in office for 4 years, maybe 8, there was no point in recruiting him; he wasn’t in power long enough to be of any real effectiveness to any long term plans. Only a few of the higher placed Senators and Congressmen had been called onto the U.N. carpet. Most people were amazed considering that everyone thought that all political players were guilty of something. U.S. citizens discovered that the only thing their leaders were at the most guilty of was common stupidity and ignorance.

The disk containing the vaccine code was put onto the Internet by a certain party of three geeks who have remained nameless, offering the vaccine free to anyone who wanted it. The CDC and WHO immediately began production, sending the vaccine to all doctors and health organizations to be offered free to everyone. The Consortium had synthesized it a few years earlier, keeping it for themselves and a select few.

Mulder spent his due time crowing, taking pride in his fellow humans for not wigging out; too badly, that is. Militaries were quickly organized and instructed on withholding any invasions. A sub-story continued at the same time; a Fifth-column within the clone ranks had come forward, requesting immunity. Mulder and the Kurts rallied them, declaring them a slave race deliberately created to serve the invaders. They only wanted their freedom. They were all sterile, they only wanted to be allowed to live the remainder of their lives as free people. People around the world who had existed under the yoke of oppression at one time or another had immediately stood up to sponsor the strangers. Since the clones were all trained in science, the scientific community took them in with great pleasure, replacing their shamed members who had turned traitors.

The Human Race was quite loud in its trumpeting dare for anyone or anything to try and take over their planet. Space remained quiet.

Skinner spent his time before the Tribunal, as he had expected to. Mulder and Scully stood by his side, defending him before the world. Krycek had arranged for the files to reflect nothing of Skinner except that he was a victim of blackmail, with his very life at stake with the flick of a switch. The files containing the blue-prints for the palm pilot and the nanites were entered as the main evidence, along with Skinner’s medical records of his stay in the hospital, his actual death, and subsequent miraculous revival, all verified by the attending physician. Skinner was the only person in thousands exonerated due to special circumstances beyond his control.

Krycek had also arranged for his own name to be taken out of the files. Just to keep continuity, he replaced his name with a fictitious one. The three agents could honestly say that they had never known anyone named Salacious Crumb. A certain man in Hollywood took a quite vocal exception to the name.

The strange assassinations and bombings around the world continued after a four month silence, but since it was proven from the files that the victims were all Consortium members, only a half-hearted attempt was made to investigate.

Mulder had his suspicions but he kept them to himself.

Although Skinner was welcomed back to the FBI, he turned in his resignation for an early retirement. He was 51, he wanted to live the other half of his life in relative peace and quiet for a change. He stayed around long enough to see Mulder finally taken as a serious player. Offered Skinner’s position, Mulder threw out a shock wave when he refused, politely. How could he continue to investigate his cases if he was stuck behind a desk? He agreed to be bumped only up to ASAC, that way he wouldn’t be permanently paper-bound. The Hoover rocked again when he nominated Scully. After all the blue-tape of proper channels, she accepted.

Skinner was quite happy to help Scully move in, and had even handed over Kimberly as a welcoming present. Both women were pleased with the arrangement; any other assistant would be scared out of the building after dealing with Mulder for a week. Mulder was not amused.

With the help of a convincing phone call out of the blue from an old friend, Skinner moved to a small town in the Virginia country-side, taking over as Sheriff for the sleepy little den. He could keep busy, fish when he wanted to, prop his feet up on the porch railing and wave at the neighbors. What could happen in BFE, Virginia?