Majestic Oil Co.
Drilling platform 51
Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf waters shimmered in the sunset of the fading day. The metal pipes, cables, wire, and various switches and lights of the oilrig did the work while the workers sat down to enjoy their steak dinner in the dining room. Just as the workers were taking their seats to eat, an alarm loudly rang out. The workers all were startled. Shouts of "damn," "shit," "what the hell is that" and "perfect timing" passed through the room. The workers filed out to their stations to determine the emergency this time. They had struggled through so many practice drills and false alarms, they had become a little numb to any urgency that might be needed in such a situation.

But, the foreman soon discovered this was such an emergency: TWO of the lines were spilling large quantities of the precious oil into the Gulf at an alarming rate. He picked up the phone next to the monitoring station and called the company supervisor who was on the rig overseeing the operation.

"Sir, we have a situation here...Well, two of our lines are spilling. It's going pretty damn fast here. ...Yes sir...we need to notify the Coast Guard and the state authorities...but...sir, we have to follow... no... yes, sir... okay...I'll be here...we're working on it!" He hung up the phone, cursed under his breath, and began barking off orders to his men to try to get this thing under control. HE was going to follow procedures.

He heard the supervisor approach, his shoes clicking on the metal grating. He turned towards him and said, "We're doing all we can here, but we've already lost an awful lot. Shouldn't we contact the authorities to warn them?"

"I'll handle that, YOU handle YOUR men, Wilcox. Okay?" Krycek ordered the foreman. "Get this under control, NOW. And let me handle the authorities."

Wilcox nodded as Krycek walked away from the monitoring station.

Krycek walked to the edge of the platform and looked down on the Gulf waters below. The bluish-green water was quickly turning a muddy black color as the oil escaped from the pipes. "Damn!" Krycek said to the water as he banged his good hand on one of the vertical support columns. He, then, withdrew a cell phone from his jacket pocket. He hesitated several seconds before dialing the number.

The other end was answered quickly. "It's me. We have a situation here. It's in the water. What are your instructions?" As Krycek listened to his instructions, an object on the horizon caught his eye. The phone slipped away from his ear as he recognized what the object was. "Shit!" he exclaimed to himself.

About a half a mile from the platform, Luke Gerrior and his brother, Matt, were working this area of the Gulf to harvest the precious seafood that provided their families' incomes. As they pulled in the shrimp net they had been dragging through the Gulf waters, Matt was the first to notice the black oil clinging to and falling from the net.

"Hey, what the hell is that? From that damn rig?" he asked his brother motioning with his head towards the oilrig.

Luke said, "Dammit! The shrimp are ruined with that on 'em! I'm calling the Coast Guard. They're gonna put us out of business with this crap!"

He turned to go to the wheelhouse and stepped in some of the black oil that had spilled on the boat deck. He slipped and fell on his butt.

"Shit!"

"Hey, you okay, Luke?" Matt asked as he suppressed a laugh.

Luke grunted as he got to his feet and flashed a "go to hell" look at his brother. Then, he stopped. He looked down and saw the oil moving from the boat deck into his shoes. He looked at his arms and saw it moving up his forearms past his elbows, UNDER his skin. He looked to his brother, his eyes showing his panic.

Luke saw his brother stiffen, then he felt movement at his feet and looked down. Both brothers were still as their boat sat motionless in the water.

The remaining oil on the boat deck congealed into a single blob and oozed through an opening in the boat deck into the Gulf water, that was quickly turning a viscous black.

The pounding on the apartment door would have wakened the dead. But, Assistant Director Walter Skinner hadn't been dead, just asleep...for only a couple of hours after a late night sting operation in Gaithersburg. He came fully awake as the beating on the front door continued. He looked at the clock, which read "5:04," cursed as he climbed out of bed, and pulled a pair of sweatpants over his BVDs.

He walked towards the front door, when the pounding suddenly stopped. He stopped and stared quizzically at the bottom of the door, trying to perceive shadows in the hallway light. No shadows... He began to move cautiously towards the door again, when the phone rang, startling him slightly. He changed direction and grabbed the phone. He answered it, "Yeah?" It was too damn early for pleasantries.

"Go to the door."

"What?!" Skinner replied to the cryptic message.

"Go to the door. It can help her find what she seeks," the electronic voice stated.

"What?! Who the hell is this?" Skinner fairly screamed into the phone.

But, his questions were answered by a 'click' followed by the return of the dial tone. Skinner cleared the line, then quickly dialed '*69' to find the phone number of the bizarre call. "Damn," he said as he found the number had been blocked. It was not long enough for anyone to have gotten a trace, and he knew the caller had probably used enough equipment to ensure his anonymity, anyway- whoever "HE" was!

Skinner pulled his gun from the desk drawer, moved away from the phone and towards the door. He stood next to the door and listened for any sounds coming from outside. Nothing... He peered through the peephole. No one was visible. He held his gun at ready and opened the door slowly...until he could see outside. No one appeared to be there. He swung the door open wide and cautiously checked the hallway. No one was there. He looked down and saw a box was sitting next to his door against the wall. He moved down the hallway to check other doorways and the stairs. Again, they were empty. He returned to the apartment, picking up the package on the way.

He knew it was careless to handle a mysterious package, but something told him he needed to see the contents of THIS package as soon as possible. He opened the box and found a file folder with computer printouts and some photos. One of the photos caught his attention...a flash of red hair...

Lone Gunmen's offices
12:06 PM

"Is somebody gonna open the door? Or do we have to get special ops to penetrate the place?!" Mulder asked as he made faces in the camera above the door.

Scully shifted the bags of food in her arms as she waited for the doors to the super-guarded sanctuary of quite possibly the three most paranoid, and computer literate, men in America.

"Keep your pants on, Mulder!" Langly yelled as he proceeded to unlock the half- dozen or so locks.

"At last...the inner sanctum!" Mulder quipped as he followed Scully through the doorway. Langly meticulously returned the locks to their previous, and usual, positions.

Frohike descended on Scully. "Whatcha got?" he asked as he sniffed the bag. "Hmmm...smells...Greek?"

"Down, Frohike," Mulder chastised, as he maneuvered around Scully, trying not to spill the tray of drinks he was balancing.

"Are you psychic or do you just have a highly developed sense of smell?" Scully asked wryly. "It's gyros," she informed them.

"Bring it over here and we'll set up a spot for food distribution," Byers called from behind the computers.

"What do ya have to drink?" Langly asked around a huge bite of sandwich, a couple of minutes later.

Scully answered, "Root beer or..."

"Iced tea," Mulder interjected. He flashed a winsome grin Scully's way. She raised her eyebrows, then took a hearty bite of her sandwich.

"I'll take a root beer," Frohike requested.

Scully nearly choked as she tried to suppress a laugh. Mulder didn't even try to suppress his.

"What?" Frohike asked innocently.

"Never mind. Pass me an iced tea, Scully," Mulder deftly deflected, flashing Scully a wry smile. "What did you guys find? Anything good?"

All three exchanged worried looks.

"Well, to be honest, we really weren't expecting you here TODAY. We were surprised when you called earlier. Frohike SHOULD have told you, then. But he heard 'lunch' and he couldn't say no. See, uh, we had a.....um...pressing ...issue that we had to um....check out immediately," Byers stumbled out.

Mulder looked at his three friends and knew instantly something was rotten in Geekville. "Oh? What was that?" he asked.

The three, again, were at a loss for words. This time Frohike attempted to explain, "Well, it was for...someone we've... well let's just say, this person, who shall remain nameless so as not to be incriminated, asked a personal favor we couldn't refuse."

Scully said, "I thought WE had done that. We have to take a number now, guys?"

Mulder continued to size up the trio.

Langly took the lead this time, "No! It's just, well, this was a very pressing matter. Like Byers said. Very delicate and of some urgency....for a ... subscriber."

At that, Byers glanced up quickly at Langly.

"We couldn't put off a paying customer, now, could we?" Langly asked.

Byers jumped in quickly, "But we are VERY close to finishing up your work here. We just had to expedite this other matter."

"Anybody I might know guys?" Mulder asked.

All three again exchanged alarmed looks.

"No, Mulder, why would you ask that? I said it was a CUSTOMER," Langly stated quickly.

Mulder shook his head and took a bite of sandwich. He turned away from the guys and exchanged a look of supreme doubt with Scully, which she returned, equally doubtful.

Mall near Botanical Gardens
3:18 PM

"My kingdom for a parabolic mike and long lens camera!" Mulder complained from behind the wheel of their car. "These binoculars are a piece of crap."

Scully glanced over at him, blank-faced. "Mulder, I guess next time we follow the Gunmen, we'll have to tell them to stop by the Hoover building so we can pick up any surveillance equipment we might need," she stated.

Mulder smirked her way, then returned to fiddling with the binoculars trying to get a better focus with the cheap things.

Scully glanced ahead and noted their three paranoid subjects. They were walking around the small park area near the building acting like they didn't know each other. Beside her, Mulder groaned and rubbed his stomach.

"Did that sandwich upset your stomach, Scully?"

"No. Mulder, perhaps the problem was that you didn't stop at TWO."

He threw his head back and opened his mouth in a silent guffaw. But, as he looked forward, he closed his mouth and his gaze intensified. Scully followed his gaze.

The Gunmen had regrouped and were talking with their contact-a man. Unfortunately, though, they couldn't see most of the man (including his face) as Langly was standing in front of him. They could tell he was wearing jeans, running shoes, and a baseball cap. He was tall and of average weight.

'All purpose, generic disguise,' Scully thought.

Langly moved a bit, but this was of no help as the man had moved as well. He now had his back to them.

"Come on...the face..." Mulder whispered to himself.

The group shifted again and it looked like Mulder's request would be honored. However, Byers stepped in and blocked the view of the man's face this time.

"Byers, get outta the way," Mulder grumbled simultaneously with Scully's, "MOVE!" They glanced briefly at each other and, then, returned their attention to their subjects.

The Gunmen had turned away from the man and were walking away. The man, his head down, was walking towards them. The brim of the baseball cap was now blocking his face. Mulder and Scully slouched down in their seats, fearing detection. The man stopped at a car about five cars ahead of theirs.

As he unlocked the car, he looked back over his shoulder. It was then that Mulder and Scully got their first and only look at his face. Scully gasped slightly as she recognized Assistant Director Walter Skinner.

Skinner entered his car. Even after Skinner had driven away, they sat in silence.

The foreman looked out over the Gulf waters and the fleet of ships and equipment that were cleaning up their mess. He closed his eyes and stretched his neck to both sides.

"Man, what's going on?"

He opened his eyes to see one of the workers had joined him and was quietly inquiring about their confusing situation. The foreman glanced at the worker and said, "Don't ask stupid questions."

"Goddammit, Wilcox, do you know what's going on or not?! Huh? Why are we completely shutting this place down now? Why are we working to seal this off so quick that we ain't getting any sleep? What the hell's going on here?"

"Go back to work," Wilcox stated, emphasizing each word.

"NO! Not 'til I get some answers."

"Look, all I know is that we have orders to shut down as quickly as possible. Don't ask any more stupid questions. Just do the job and let's get outta this damn place and go back to a REGULAR rig!"

He glanced over his shoulder and saw Krycek standing about 25 feet away. "Go back to work," he told the worker emphatically.

The worker glanced back at Krycek and left.

The foreman faced Krycek and stared him down.

"Is there a problem?" Krycek asked evenly.

"Well..." the foreman began, uncomfortably, "yes, there is." He cleared his throat and ventured, "The guys are exhausted. They're working too long without sleep and they're gonna make mistakes. We're gonna end up with a bigger problem than we've got already."

"Oh, no," Krycek soothed, "No... there will be NO further problems. EVERYTHING'S go until we're finished here. Everyone WILL do his job."

"Why are we capping off? We're nowhere near done with the flow here. Why are we stopping? We could be back up and running after an inspection..."

Krycek lost his patience and shoved the foreman against a metal support.

"You're asking a lot of questions you have no business asking," Krycek emphasized. "Do your job and there will be no problems. Everyone does their jobs and this site'll be wrapped up quickly."

Krycek left it there as he eased his grip on the foreman. The foreman dropped in a heap on the platform.

A yell called their attention to the other side of the rig. Krycek took off as the foreman struggled to his feet. Workers were running towards the yelling as well. Krycek had to shove them out of his way as he yelled at all of them to return to their workstations.

The foreman arrived to find Krycek staring down to the platform below as oil flowed from a pipe nearby. He followed Krycek's gaze to see two workers lying on the platform, motionless.

"Dammit!" Krycek hissed.

"Man, don't just stand there! We gotta get to them!" the foreman yelled at Krycek as he started towards the ladder and the alarm button.

Krycek grabbed him by the arm and said, "No, I'LL take care of this."

"Oh, yeah, like before. YOU'RE NOT TAKING CARE OF ANYTHING!! They're lying there dying, oil's goin' everywhere, and you're too busy threatenin' me to do a damn thing!"

Krycek frowned. He had lost all patience with this man. He shoved the foreman back into the stream of oil flowing from the broken pipe.

The man was startled as the oil poured over him. However, he quickly regrouped and balled his fists to strike Krycek. He stopped when he saw that Krycek was just staring at him. The foreman felt movement in his arms. He looked down and saw the oil going under his skin...

After the foreman fell and joined the two other workers on the lower platform, Krycek stepped to the P.A. box. He ordered all of the workers to secure their stations and assemble in the dining hall immediately.

Mulder walked in and threw his coat and jacket on the chair near the door. He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes and walked further into the apartment.

He exhaled, opened his eyes, and headed for his couch. He was startled to find it occupied already... by Skinner.

"Sir, straightening my office is one thing, but... are you inspecting for "House Beautiful" magazine?" Mulder managed to get out.

Skinner ignored the levity as his response was completely serious, "Mulder, I'm in receipt of some information. It's information I thought you should see. I believe it is very important to you... and to Agent Scully."

Mulder quickly matched Skinner's serious demeanor, "What is it?"

Skinner pulled a manila envelope from the inside pocket of his jacket and handed it to Mulder.

Mulder took the envelope and eyed Skinner. He opened it and pulled out the contents, which consisted of photographs and computer sheets. His eyes widened as he looked at the photos.

"Where did you get this?" Mulder asked Skinner sharply.

"I don't know."

Mulder flashed a skeptical scowl at Skinner.

"I was told it would be important. It was left on my doorstep," Skinner offered as explanation.

Mulder studied the photos. He couldn't take his eyes from them. It was incredible. He, then, looked back at Skinner and asked, "Does this have anything to do with your meeting with the unholy trio this afternoon?"

Skinner was surprised this time. "Well, yes, they were very helpful. They checked out the info on the sheet there and it seems legit. They were able to get some additional info, as well."

Skinner handed him some computer printouts. "Mulder, I believe you and Scully need to take some time to check this out. I've arranged with Personnel for you both to have one week's vacation. Let me know if you need more. And... let me know if there's anything you need," Skinner said and, then, left.

Mulder had only been half-listening to the last part as he stared at one of the photos. He was frantically trying to determine HOW he was going to handle this.

Protect or trust? Both?

Mulder and Scully were looking over the documents and computer sheets the Gunmen had given them when they arrived at the Gunmen's office the next morning. Mulder had convinced Scully en route to the meeting not to mention the rendezvous they'd observed the day before. They'd check that out later. The guys might become even more paranoid, if that was possible, and withhold the needed information, he told her.

"How did you make this connection? Majestic Oil?" Mulder asked as Scully poured through the information.

"To be honest," Byers answered, "we got lucky."

"Yeah, there was this major oil spill down in the Gulf day before yesterday. We heard about it on CNN. Majestic Oil is a brand new company. But we did some digging and came up with just about zero. They are under such an umbrella! You can't trace them to one parent company. The trail goes in a dozen or so different directions. And, they just opened a refinery outside Baton Rouge, about one mile from a chemical factory that just opened about a month ago. Plus, there was a bacterial outbreak along the Louisiana/Texas Gulf coast a few HOURS after the spill. CDC is working on it. They've set up a quarantine ward near Morgan City," Langly explained.

"What kind of bacterial outbreak?" Scully asked as her attention left the file in her hand.

"All they're saying is it is highly contagious and sea water-borne," Frohike continued. "They closed all beaches from Alabama to the Texas/Mexico border. All boating in the Gulf is restricted in the same area."

Mulder and Scully exchanged glances.

"That would be awful damn close to the oil spill area," Mulder mused aloud, looking at the map on the desk.

"Any other info on the type of infection? Symptoms?" Scully inquired.

"Nope. They aren't giving much to anybody," Langly answered. "The CDC has deployed a small army. Big-time mobilization... The local news is reporting that anyone reporting any pain, shortness of breath, or difficulty with motor functions to call their 800 number," Frohike supplied.

Scully looked at Mulder. This was very close to the situation they'd been searching for.

"Okay... I could go for some gumbo and jambalaya..." Mulder's voice trailed off.

The doctor emerged from the decontamination room and was accosted by Cancer Man.

"Situation update," he demanded.

"No major changes since before," the doctor reported.

"What about those treated?" the Smoking Man asked.

"Well, you know most were too advanced to be candidates for treatment. Those deemed... eligible... were given treatment approximately 6 hours ago. There has been some improvement. We are monitoring them closely. But,... it seems to be more virulent than you first described," the doctor continued.

"How so?"

"You said the onset of symptoms was a matter of minutes, but major effects to organs shouldn't take place for several hours. We're seeing major organ FAILURE

within six hours."

Cancer Man stared at the doctor.

"And, it's taking longer than you described for any noticeable benefit from the vaccine."

"I see," was Cancer Man's only response, but his face was grave.

The doctor seemed surprised at the man's reaction but continued, "Now, what should we do with the advanced patients?"

"Burn them."

The doctor's brow furrowed. "We don't have the facilities for that here. Besides, we need to study these patients to improve..."

"Fine, doctor," Smoking Man interjected, "then we'll handle those patients." He then turned and left.

He walked a short way down the hall and was joined by the First Elder.

"Is the situation here in hand?" the Elder queried.

"I'm handling things here," Smoking Man stated. "I'll inform you when the operation is complete."

"We want reports of your progress...FREQUENTLY."

"Am I not trusted to do the job, now? THE JOB WILL BE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED. Now... what is the status in the water?"

"The situation is coming under control now. Our people have replaced the workers. Massive clean-up procedures are ongoing, working to get the whole situation under control. Alex Krycek is working to get this situation in hand."

"Then I suggest you concentrate on that. It is much more serious and more public than this," Smoking Man advised as he walked away.

New Orleans Airport
11:37 AM

Scully stepped up to the Lariat Rental Car counter as the attendant asked, "May I help you?"

"Yes, we'd like to rent a car."

"Actually, TWO cars," Mulder corrected.

Scully turned swiftly on heel and looked at Mulder piercingly.

"Alright," the attendant answered, as he went into gear preparing the paperwork.

Mulder tried to avoid Scully's intense gaze by concentrating on the Lariat sign on the wall.

They boarded the van to go to their rental cars. Scully had waited as long as she could. "Mulder?"

He'd been anticipating this, but he knew it was still going to be damn hard. "Scully, you need to go check out the medical situation in Morgan City. I've got another lead to check out."

"What lead? From the Gunmen? Why didn't you mention it before?" Scully was trying to maintain a cool exterior while she was seething inside at yet ANOTHER ditching.

"Yeah...that chemical factory north of Morgan City. I wanna check it out...see if there's a connection." There, he'd done it...but was she going to buy it? Besides, it wasn't a complete lie...

There was silence for several long minutes, as Scully studied his face. Mulder tried not to squirm under the unwavering scrutiny.

"I'll go ahead to Morgan City and check us into a motel there. I'll call you and tell you where we're staying. That is, IF you're going to be accepting calls..."

"Oh, yeah, of course I'll be taking calls, Scully. I'll be in Morgan City tonight."

"Fine, Mulder," Scully said curtly as she looked out the window.

Mulder looked forward. She knew him too well. No, she hadn't bought it. She would let him go do this... but he would have to explain later. But, with any luck, he might not have to...

Skinner seemed awfully uncomfortable sitting on the stool the Gunmen had offered him in their office.

"I received another package," he told them.

"Yeah, what was in it?" Frohike asked.

Skinner cleared his throat. "Here."

Skinner handed the folder to Byers, standing closest to him.

Byers opened the folder and perused the computer printout. The printout had precious little information on it. Mostly, there were numerous alphanumeric strings, some kind of code. They spotted the info, at the same time, that most concerned Skinner.

"Whoah!" Langly chirped.

Frohike just groaned.

Byers immediately knew the action needed.

But, Skinner jumped in, "I want you guys to check out this data. I want to know the veracity of it."

"Of course," Byers assured Skinner. "But, what IF it is true? They need to know this? How will we get word to them?"

"I'll let you handle that. It has to be OUTSIDE the bureau," Skinner informed them.

The Gunmen looked at each other.

Langly broke the astounding silence, "Hey, we get to be field agents!"

Upon arrival in Morgan City, Scully had stopped by the hospital to check the situation. She was surprised to learn the patients with the unidentified bacterial infection had not been taken to the hospital. They were being treated at a provisional quarantine ward set up at an abandoned factory west of town. She left the hospital and got rooms for both she and Mulder at the Alligator Bayou Motor Inn. She changed into some casual "snooping about" clothes. She grabbed the case file and set out to find this quarantine ward.

She called Mulder and told him the motel's name, as she had promised. He answered, as he had promised, but gave no further explanation for his behavior.

She would try to wait patiently until he got there to further interrogate him.

Mulder sat in the rental car sucking on sunflower seeds on a side street, closely watching a house across the street and about two doors down. He glanced at the envelope Skinner had given him the day before. He picked it up and looked through for the... he'd lost count of how many times he'd done this over the last day. He avoided the photos, looking instead at the computer printouts. One printout read: Landry 2111 Porters Rd. Cartier, LA He bit his lip as he read the all-too-familiar information on the other computer printout...

"101145694300
Scully, DK.
02/08/64.0
NUC, RBC Sample Enchantillon
9948 Villard... 10.13.94
ETC 598 NIY 467 Bili 786"

"Dammit..." he breathed. He closed his eyes, pulled out a photo, and sighed. He turned the photo over and opened his eyes. He noted the red hair... the freckles... the bright smile... the green eyes...

His attention was drawn away from the photo as a car passed by and drove into the driveway of the house he was surveilling.

The car entered the garage and the door closed behind. Mulder got out of the car and walked to the house. He hesitated before knocking. "What the hell am I gonna say?!' he thought.

A woman answered, "Yes?"

Mulder cleared his throat. "Yes, Mrs. Landry," Mulder began. "My name is Mulder. I'm with the EPA," Mulder said as he flashed his badge quickly. "I'd like to ask you some questions."

Mrs. Landry's eyes widened and it was several seconds before she finally asked,

"W-W-What about?"

"May I come in please?" Mulder requested.

Just then, a car pulled into the driveway and stopped. A man leapt from the car and hurried towards the house.

"Honey, this is Mr. ...Mulder with the EPA," Mrs. Landry quickly informed her husband, trying to control the panic in her voice.

"EPA?" Mr. Landry inquired.

"Yes, sir," Mulder answered as he extended his hand, which Landry took after studying it briefly. "I'd like to ask you and your wife some questions."

"What is this about?" Landry asked, echoing his wife's previous inquiry.

"Why don't we go inside to talk about this?" Mulder suggested.

Mr. Landry looked at his wife, then gestured for Mulder to enter the house.

They sat in the family room, Mulder in a chair and the Landrys on the couch.

"Now, Mr. Mulder, what is this all about?" Landry queried again.

"You work at the Seymour Pharmaceutical Factory, don't you? We've received some reports of mishandling of chemicals at the plant. Possible groundwater contamination...some nearby residents have complained of illnesses...especially in their young children. I understand you have a son..."

"Yes. He's 15 months old," Mrs. Landry confirmed.

"Have you noticed any problems? Any illnesses?" Mulder fished.

Landry and his wife looked at each other. Mulder perceived sharp alarm pass between them.

"No," Landry said as he turned away from his wife to face Mulder. "We haven't noticed anything."

The cries of a wide-awake baby sounded and Mrs. Landry excused herself. Mulder's eyes followed her.

"Eric's a little fussy...he's teething." Landry said, breaking Mulder's reverie.

"He's had no health problems?"

"I said no. He's FINE," Landry answered emphatically.

Mulder took a breath and began to ask another question when Landry spoke," Mr. Mulder, could we do this later? My wife and I are going...we have some urgent family business out of town. Could we finish this by phone when we get back?"

Mulder studied Landry then asked, "When do you think that will be?"

"We're not sure right now. But, I will call you as soon as we're back, alright?"

Mulder considered this for a moment, then agreed. "Okay, but I'll be in the field not in my office. Let me give you my voice mail number."

Mulder wrote a number on a sheet of paper and handed it to Landry.

"And, my cell phone's giving me trouble. Could I use your phone?" Mulder bluffed, buying a little more time to check things out.

Mr. Landry showed him to the kitchen and the phone there. He left him saying he was going to check on his wife.

Mulder dialed his home number and left a nonsensical message on his machine as he checked the kitchen. He noted medicine bottles: all for Mr. or Mrs. Landry. Then he noted 4 memos on the calendar for this month that said, "Eric Dr. Nordlace." One was for today's date.

Mulder hung up the phone as Landry returned.

"Everything okay?" Landry asked.

"Yes. Thanks for the use of your phone. You'll call me when..."

"Steve! We've gotta go now! They're..." Mrs. Landry had rushed into the room, carrying Eric and interrupted Mulder. She stopped short when she realized Mulder was still there.

"Okay, Sue, we'll go soon. Mr. Mulder was just leaving," Landry informed his wife.

Mrs. Landry glanced over her husband's shoulder out the front window. She looked at Mulder, but turned to her husband and said, "NOW! We have to go NOW! LOOK!" Landry turned to look out the window. Mulder followed his gaze. Two dark sedans were parked in front of the house.

"Shit!" Landry cursed as he gathered his wife and son and shuttled them towards the back of the house.

The doorbell rang.

Mulder followed the Landrys. When he caught up with them in the hallway, Mulder asked, "What is going on? Who are those people?"

Mrs. Landry's face was contorted in total panic as she held Eric tightly. She looked at her husband with wide eyes. The doorbell stopped ringing and was replaced by urgent pounding.

Landry turned and pushed his family towards the doorway to the left, which was the baby's room. He turned back and faced Mulder, "Okay!" he said in a hoarse whisper through clenched teeth. "The doctor told us something IS wrong with Eric. But, we don't think there is. He doesn't act sick at all. At least he didn't until the doctor started TREATING him. We decided to stop the treatment, but they won't let us. The doctor said they'd take him away."

"Who will take him away?" Mulder asked, fearing he already knew the answer.

"THEM! The men at the door... The men who are working on the new cancer drug at the factory."

"Is there any way you can help us, PLEASE?" Mrs. Landry asked plaintively. "You asked about sick children. Help us get Eric out of here so he won't get sick. Please..." Just then, they heard a loud crash and breaking wood as the men kicked in the front door. Mulder turned and faced the Landrys.

She moved through the trees, choosing a spot towards the back of the building. She exited the protection of the trees and moved quickly to the building. She crept along the outside of the building towards a window. She carefully looked in the window and saw several bodies wrapped in white sheets. Just then, two men in decontamination suits came through the door carrying another sheet-draped body. They set it on a table and proceeded to wrap the body like it had been autopsied. When they finished, they left. All of the bodies were now wrapped as if they'd been autopsied.

Scully tried the window and felt it move slightly, telling her it wasn't locked. She started to lift the window when she heard a voice behind her say, "Stop!! Raise your hands and turn around slowly."

Scully closed her eyes and exhaled sharply through her nose. She turned around and faced the young man aiming a rifle at her.

A lone boat plowed through the Gulf waters on a sunny afternoon. The man at the helm looked like a boater out for a leisure cruise, except for the camera that hung from his neck and his continuous scanning of the horizon with binoculars.

"Come on," he said to himself, "gotta be here..." He, then, spotted an oilrig on the horizon to the southeast. "Gotcha!" he exclaimed in triumph.

He aimed the boat towards the rig and started to accelerate, when he heard a loud "pop" and felt something whiz by his head. He turned around to see a much larger craft in pursuit of him. He could make out figures on deck that were shooting at him.

"Pop!" Another bullet came awfully close to its mark. He pushed the lever to accelerate but only a hiccup from the engine greeted his action. He scanned the gauges on the console.

"Damn! Thought I'd fixed that," he cursed himself. With that, the engine sputtered several times before quitting. He was dead in the water.

The pursuing ship pulled closer to the boat and the reporter saw the small army of men with automatic weapons on deck. He panicked and dove into the water. He began to swim away from the boat, not even thinking about how far he was from shore. His only thought was to get away from those guns. Then, he felt the oil in the water...

"Damn! Get him out of there!" the man in charge on the ship ordered his men.

They pulled up alongside the man in the water, who was floating face down.

"Crap," the man in charge growled. "Get those decon suits from below and get him into a cryolitter ASAP." He turned to the man next to him, "And get him on the radio."

Several minutes later, the decon team, including the man in charge, pulled the reporter's body from the water. They turned him over. The man saw the black eyes, which he had been expecting. What he wasn't expecting was the already semi-transparent skin in the neck area...

Jeffrey Spender sat in the X-Files office, trying to figure out just how in the hell he'd landed here. The phone call broke into his thoughts and he answered it, "Spender."

"Spender... it's Diana," his partner said.

"How's London?" he asked.

"The psychokinesis research conference is great. I haven't really been anywhere else."

Spender closed his eyes and shook his head. "So, you meet Kreskin yet?" he asked.

"Look, Spender, I called to tell you I'm going to stay an extra day. They're having a post-conference workshop on psychic manipulation of... Oh forget it! I'm just going to be a day later getting back, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever... not much going on here, anyway."

"Alright. Hold down the fort until I get back...see you day after tomorrow."

Spender hung up the phone and returned to his solitaire game on the computer. The phone rang again.

"Look, I won't touch your files or your desk, don't worry," he answered it.

"Agent Spender?"

"Sorry...yes?" Spender recouped.

"Do you know where Agent Mulder is?" questioned the male voice.

"I'm not his keeper. Look his extension is..." Spender turned to check his Rolodex.

"Find Agent Mulder and you'll find what happened to your mother."

"What?"

"Find Agent Mulder," the voice emphasized, then there was a loud click.

Scully sat on a folding chair, the only piece of furniture in the small, windowless room. The armed man had taken her gun, badge, and cell phone before bringing her there. That had been thirty minutes ago. A half-hour of contemplation in her "jail cell" had done nothing to improve Scully's mood. She stood and walked around her chair, when the door opened and a man in blue scrubs entered.

Scully faced the man and gave him a piercing look. "Agent Scully, I'm Dr. Stewart with the CDC. We're making arrangements to escort you out of this area and back to your car."

"Dr. Stewart," Scully began, in earnest, "what is going on here?!"

"Agent, Scully, you were found in a restricted area without escort. This is a quarantine area. You cannot just sneak in. You should know that!"

"Yes, I'm aware of the situation, Dr. Stewart. I know you are quarantining people here who have a dangerous infection. What type of bacterial infection do these people have? What are the symptoms?" Scully continued her probing.

Dr. Stewart narrowed his eyes and chewed the inside of his cheek. Finally, he said, "It's vibrio vulnificus. It's causing primary septicemia."

Scully contemplated this info for a moment and said, "But, doesn't that require ingestion of virus-contaminated seafood? We were told this was contact-only."

"Usually, but this a... um... mutation," Stewart explained, "appears to enter the bloodstream and septic shock occurs after surface contact. And it occurs extremely fast."

Scully looked intently at Stewart at the mention of "mutation." "What seems to have caused this... mutation?"

"We aren't sure, yet."

Scully studied Stewart for a minute, then ventured, "Is there any way I could examine a victim? I've been investigating some mysterious infections and I think I might be able..."

"I'm sorry, Agent Scully," Stewart interrupted, "but that won't be possible. You'll be escorted back to your car now."

He left the room as two armed men wearing fatigues entered.

At the back of the quarantine facility, men in fatigues were continuing to load wrapped bodies onto trucks. Cancer Man was overseeing the operation through a window.

Dr. Stewart entered the office and said, "That's all of them. The only ones we were able to save were the ones we got to within 4 hours of initial infection. That was the reporter and the foreman."

"Have you collected the samples needed to study their infection and subsequent recovery?" Cancer Man asked.

"Yes, we've collected all necessary samples from the patients. But," Dr, Stewart cleared his throat before continuing, "we really should study the bodies to determine the exact etiology of it and the modifications needed so the vaccine will..."

"You have your samples, Doctor," Cancer Man interrupted as he turned from the window to face the doctor, "I will take care of the bodies."

"But, we need to study this. Perhaps, we can find a way to fight this..."

"Doctor, you'll study your samples and report to us all of your findings. We'll take care of the rest."

Dr. Stewart set his jaw in frustration, then left the room. Cancer Man watched the doctor leave as he took a drag on his cigarette.

Alex Krycek walked in the door through which Dr. Stewart had just exited.

"All wrapped up in the water, Alex?" Cancer Man asked.

"Pretty much. Our people are there now, capping it off. They should have that done in short order."

"So, you got bored and decided to come check out how we are cleaning up your mess?"

"Now, wait a minute. WE didn't cause this, it was those rotten pipes and shoddy workmanship on your people's part."

"Now, now... Me thinks he doth protest too much."

"Look, you can stick.."

"Krycek, don't be so touchy! We could use your services here. It seems Agents Mulder and Scully are here."

"Here? How the hell did they get here? I thought YOU were supposed to cover those tracks?"

Cancer Man ignored the jibe, "There is the small matter of a family that needs to be taken care of."

"The boy?" Krycek asked very seriously.

"Precisely," Cancer Man informed him.

"How far?"

"Finished."

"And the boy?"

"We need him returned, of course."

Scully arrived back at the motel and noted a light on in Mulder's room, next door to hers. She walked to his door and knocked. Steve Landry greeted her.

"Yes?" he asked.

Scully looked very confused. "Excuse me. I must have the wrong room," Scully said as she stepped back to check the numbers.

"Wait a minute... are you Scully?" Steve asked.

Scully gave Steve a sharp look and studied his face. "Yes."

"Oh, good. Agent Mulder said you'd be coming. Come in, please."

Scully looked in the door warily and entered the room. Mulder was not in the room. "Where IS Agent Mulder?"

"He went to the store to get us some things," Steve explained.

"Us?" Scully queried.

As if on cue, Sue Landry exited the bathroom, carrying a freshly bathed, towel- wrapped Eric.

"I'm Steve Landry. This is my wife, Sue, and our foster son, Eric. Agent Mulder told me to tell you he'd explain everything when he got back," Steve said.

"You're Scully, right? You're just how he described you. Agent Mulder's gonna try to help us," Sue replied.

Scully was looking quizzically between Steve and Sue, when she caught a glimpse of Eric, and his red hair.

Mulder got out of the car and saw Scully's car parked in front of her room. He frowned slightly as he considered again how to handle all this. He took the bags out of the backseat and slammed the door. He turned to head to his room, only to be confronted by an agitated Spender.

"What are you doing here?" Spender demanded.

Mulder was surprised, but regained his composure instantly. "No. The question is what are YOU doing here?"

"What is this case you're working on? I happen to know you filed no paperwork for this little trip of yours."

"I don't answer to you," Mulder said as he brushed past Spender.

Spender grabbed Mulder's arm. "No, you don't seem to want to answer to anybody. That's your problem, isn't it? That's why you don't have the X-Files anymore."

Mulder yanked his arm away from Spender and continued towards his room, setting his jaw to control his anger.

Spender shoved him against the building. "Look, what does this have to do with my mother? I know you're still trying to use her to get to your little green men!"

Mulder dropped the bags, startling Spender. He wheeled around and belted Spender in the jaw. Spender crumpled to the ground and Mulder shook out his throbbing hand.

"This has nothing to do with your mother. I don't know where you got that idea. This is personal...Scully and I are working on this on our own time. It's PERSONAL."

Scully opened Mulder's room door just in time to see Spender fall and hear Mulder's last remark. "Mulder!" she called.

Mulder looked her way and gave her an apologetic look. He, then, picked up the bags. Scully hustled Mulder into the room, leaving Spender to pick himself up.

"We didn't know what to do. Agent Mulder got us out of there just before the men from the factory would have found us. We stole through the woods and around the neighborhood, until we got back to his car. Then, he brought us here, saying that you'd help us figure out what to do now," Steve Landry summed up their escape.

"Scully," Mulder called and motioned towards her room with his head. When they were in her room, Mulder began his explanation, "Scully, I should explain a few things..."

"A few? A FEW?" Scully sputtered. "Why did you bring them here? Are they connected to this case? Mulder, what is going on..."

Mulder took a deep breath and dove in, "Scully, I think you should read this information." He handed her the file Skinner had given him two days earlier. "Skinner gave it to me."

Scully read the file. She had to reread several parts to make sure she'd read it right. "Mulder, you think this is tied to Emily, don't you?"

Mulder nodded his head once.

"Mulder..." Scully began in a slightly exasperated tone.

"Scully," Mulder said sharply to get her attention. "There's the information in there that I saw in that lab at the nursing home in San Diego. It's a match. And have you looked at Eric closely?"

Scully gave Mulder a tired look, then looked down at the floor.

"Read the file, Scully," Mulder urged. "Look, I know this is hard. Believe me, I know. But, we've got to find out what's going on. I need you to sift through the medical lingo. Scully, yes, I DO think this ties into the virus, somehow."

Scully looked up at Mulder and searched his eyes. It was there...Mulder the protector. But, he was sharing, now. He was giving her what he knew, knowing she NEEDED to know everything. She exhaled and raised the file to read some more.

Mulder checked on the Landrys while she read. When he returned, she'd finished.

"What do you think, Scully?"

"I don't know what exactly to think, Mulder. You know this could be fake. We could be being lead down the merry path, AGAIN."

"Scully, I don't think so. It doesn't feel like that. Besides, have you taken a good look at Eric?"

Scully looked away and exhaled sharply. "Mulder, I can't deal with this right now. A lot has happened..."

"What did you find at the quarantine area?" Mulder changed the subject.

"A small army of men packing automatic weapons. A doctor who didn't provide too many answers before shoving me away. Mulder, I DID see bodies, wrapped like those in Maryland after Dallas, in a holding area. I couldn't get a close enough look at them though, to be sure they were the same."

Mulder listened intently, then spoke, "Scully, let's head back there and see what we can find."

"Mulder," Scully sighed. "We've got 'The Family' next door. What should we do with them? You're the one who's going to help them!"

Mulder glanced towards the connecting door. "They'll be fine. They can lock themselves in. THEY don't know they're here. I want to check this place out."

Mulder and Scully left immediately after getting the Landrys settled into Scully's room. They made a pallet on the floor for Eric, who fell asleep very quickly once they laid him on it. Mulder gave them strict instructions not to open the door to any one and gave them both he and Scully's cell phone numbers.

But, Krycek didn't come in through the door. He sneaked in his usual route: the bathroom window, about an hour later. He placed pillows over the Landrys and pulled the trigger of the high-caliber pistol with silencer. Eric cried briefly, but Krycek calmed him with a pat on the back.

Mulder and Scully found the quarantine facility empty. They weren't really surprised at this. Scully took Mulder to the room where she'd seen the soldiers placing the bodies.

"This is it, Mulder. This is where the soldiers put the bodies that were wrapped like the bodies in Maryland, after Dallas."

"But, Scully, you said those bodies were wrapped as though they'd been autopsied, but they hadn't. So, could these have been autopsied already?" Mulder asked.

"I don't know, Mulder," Scully answered, "but, I don't think...believe that is possible much less plausible."

"It could be that..." Mulder mused as he walked around the room in large circles.

Scully's head hurt and she groaned as she stretched her neck. She mumbled, "One step forward-- two steps back-"

Mulder stopped and turned towards her. "Scully, it may seem like that now, but you don't know-"

"What?!" Scully cut him off. "What don't I know? Please enlighten Mulder? What am I missing? Tell me!"

"Scully-" Mulder said quietly as he shook his head and looked away.

"No, Mulder! Tell me!" she pleaded. "You brought the Landrys here. Who the hell are they? And just how long are we supposed to hide the?"

She had his undivided attention again. "We've GOT to hide the Landrys. For as long as we can. They're free right now from those men, and maybe..."

"Mulder, what about this information you got? Like WHO gave Skinner this info?"

"I don't know...he doesn't either."

"And in what context is my name listed?"

"I don't know that right now. But, it's similar to information I saw at that nursing home in San Diego. The Gunmen are working on it as we speak."

"Mulder," Scully began.

"Scully, we have to consider ALL possibilities here. The Landrys, Eric-"

"Eric? What about Eric, Mulder?" Scully's facial expression matched her pointed words.

Mulder studied Scully's face for several moments, then said, "I think Eric and Emily are related. I think they may be..." Mulder shifted his weight on his feet and rested his hands on his hips. Finally he added, "Brother and sister."

Scully looked at him evenly.

"But, you thought that yourself, didn't you, Scully?"

Scully met his eyes then looked away. She exhaled slowly before admitting, "I knew that's what you were thinking."

Mulder gazed at Scully for several seconds more, then said, "Then, let's get back to the motel and get some rest so we can pursue this in the morning. We need to find out as much as we can from his foster parents. This time we're going to get to the truth, Scully."

Scully didn't respond to the promise before she left the room. Mulder glanced around the empty room before following her to their car.

Mulder turned the car onto the main highway from the dirt road. Scully looked solemnly out the passenger window. She noticed a man on the side of the road waving at them.

"Mulder, stop the car," Scully ordered.

Mulder pulled the car to a stop near the man, who leaned towards the window Scully had just opened.

"Dr. Stewart? What are you doing out here?" she asked.

"Please, I need to talk with you, but we must get out of here," the doctor said as he looked around nervously.

Mulder yelled out, "Get in the car!"

They had driven about two miles and the doctor hadn't said a word.

Scully glanced towards Mulder, then asked the doctor, "What is it you need to talk with us about?"

The doctor looked quizzically at Mulder. Scully answered the unspoken question, "This is my partner, Agent Mulder."

The doctor pursed his lips for a moment then began his explanation. "Agent Scully, you said you'd been investigating mysterious infections? What KINDS of infections are those?"

Mulder looked at Scully, his expression clearly a warning. "We're still not exactly sure. Like I said we're investigating them," Scully answered.

Dr. Stewart nodded, understanding her reluctance. "These people are insidious. They do all this in the name of science, only to..." The doctor stopped suddenly and looked out the window. "It's not vibrio..." he said quietly.

"It's not?" Scully asked.

"No. That's the official story. It's actually something I've never seen before. It's something I'm not sure... It is so virulent and pervasive and variable. The vaccine is not very helpful."

Mulder and Scully were both stunned by this. "You mean you have the vaccine? You were using it?" Scully asked as Mulder inquired, "Where is it?"

"They have it," the doctor replied. "I saw a paper with a pharmaceutical company's letterhead. I think they're working on the vaccine, maybe."

"What's the name of this company?" Scully asked.

"I think it was... Seymour Pharmaceuticals. They're somewhere here in Louisiana," Dr. Stewart quickly looked all around the car. "Look, I've got to go. I can't be seen with you. Drop me off at the bus station. I'll find my way from there."

"Wait a minute," Mulder rebuked. "What IS this virus? Where is it coming from?"

"Look, they didn't say where it was from. But, the victims were covered in an oily substance. All I know really is that they had us use the vaccine, but we had to account for every cc. And, it wasn't very effective. The victims had to have been infected within the last 4 hours for it to have any effect. That's all I know. Now, I've GOT to go..."

Mulder pulled the car to a stop near the bus station. "Doctor, we're looking for that vaccine. Even if it doesn't work, we need it to try to find a better vaccine," Scully explained.

"I told you, they have it all and we have to account for all of it."

"Doctor, could you, maybe, get us a sample?" Mulder inquired calmly.

Dr. Stewart look away before finally answering, "I'll try." He then exited the car and walked towards the bus station.

Mulder pulled the car away from the curb as he and Scully headed back to the motel.

A large black sedan pulled up and occupied the space they had just vacated. The First Elder and a black-haired man were in the car. The First Elder pulled alongside the sidewalk where Dr. Stewart was walking. The Black-Haired Man jumped out of the car and accosted Dr. Stewart. He flashed a gun at the doctor and motioned towards the car.

The doctor looked at the car as the First Elder said, "Get in, NOW."

The doctor looked around, realized there was no escape, and climbed in the front seat. The Black-Haired Man slammed the door and climbed into the backseat.

As he pulled away from the curb, the Elder said, "There are some things we need to discuss."

The doctor turned and bitterly asked, "Discuss?! I don't think you want to talk, do you?"

The Elder didn't reply as he accelerated the car.

Mulder and Scully arrived back at the motel. As they approached their rooms, they noticed Frohike was standing in Scully's doorway.

"Frohike, what's going on? What are you doing here?" Mulder asked when Frohike didn't move to let them enter.

"Mulder..." Frohike said in a quiet tone. "Why don't we go over to your room? We need to talk."

Byers had joined him at the door and concurred," Yes, Mulder, let's go next door and talk."

"Guys, what's going on? There a United Anarchists' meeting here this week? Mulder asked.

"We have some new information for you," Frohike said, "Let's go next door to your room and talk."

"We can talk right here, guys. We just want to get into Scully's room. Now, MOVE!" Mulder stated as Scully tried to see around the men.

"Mulder, PLEASE, let's go next door..." Byers didn't get a chance to finish as Mulder pressed by him and Frohike to enter the room. He saw Langly holding Eric in the connecting doorway. Then he saw it: the Landrys' bloody bodies lying in the bed. Scully saw this shortly after him.

"Is he okay?" Mulder asked Langly as he and Scully walked to him.

"He seems to be fine," Langly replied, holding the toddler very expertly. Mulder and Scully touched Eric, each needing reassurance of his safety. Eric smiled at Scully. She briefly answered the smile before turning to the bed.

"Have you called the police?" she asked.

"Not yet. We got here just before you. Eric was just lying on the blanket on the floor," Frohike explained.

Scully moved towards the bed as Mulder dialed the police on his cell phone. She checked their wounds. Then she began checking around the room.

"The police are on their way," Mulder said as he hung up from the call. "What did you find?"

"It was a professional. Knew exactly where to hit them. I don't see anything around here that's going to be much help."

Mulder walked over to where Langly was holding Eric in the doorway and reached for Eric. Eric eagerly went to Mulder.

"Byers, hand me his toy car over there," Mulder requested as he checked Eric himself.

"You didn't see anyone? Nothing unusual?" Mulder asked the guys as he gave Eric the toy. Eric played with the toy, running it over Mulder's shirt.

"Other than Frohike's vest, no," Langly answered.

"And he was just lying on the floor? Was he crying?"

"No, he was just looking around. We thought it best to get him out of there. That's why Langly took him to your room," Byers offered.

"What is this info you guys came all the way down here to give me?" Mulder asked.

"What?" Byers asked, confused by Mulder's sudden gearshift.

"The information you said brought you down here... What is it?"

Byers gathered his thoughts quickly. "Assistant Director Skinner received another package. This one had some DNA reports. We compared them to the data you gave us before..."

"Yeah...so?" Mulder inquired.

"They... um... correlated," Frohike replied, glancing briefly at Scully, who was still standing next to the Landrys' bed.

"The results have a high confidence level," added Langly.

Scully turned and faced them briefly before turning her attention back to the Landrys' bodies.

"Can I see those results?" Mulder asked after several moments of silence.

"Yeah," Frohike offered. "Let me go get them out of the car."

Mulder studied Eric for several seconds before turning back to the horrible scene. Eric dropped the car and turned his attention to the zipper on Mulder's jacket. Mulder stooped down and picked up the car.

As he stood up he noticed Scully standing rigid, staring at the bodies on the bed. He turned back to Langly and handed him Eric as he put the toy car in his jacket pocket. He walked over to Scully, put his hands on her shoulders, and guided her over to his room. He sat her on his bed and got her a glass of water. He stood next to her as she took a couple sips of water, until Frohike announced the police had arrived. After he gently touched her shoulder, he went to speak with the officers.

Krycek watched the scene at the motel from some bushes on the side, where he had been since his escape from Scully's room just moments before the Gunmen entered. He watched as Mulder, Scully, and The Gunmen talked and, obviously, agonized over what action to be taken, until the door shut. When the police arrived, he turned away from the motel and headed to his car parked a few blocks away.

Scully lay awake in Mulder's room, replaying the events of the day. Eric lay in the other bed. After the police left, Mulder had insisted that they switch rooms. He'd sleep in her room, in the OTHER bed. The Gunmen had managed to get a room next door to Mulder's. She tried to synthesize all the information Dr. Stewart had given them. Trying to reconcile that with what Mulder and the Landrys had told her about Eric was nearly impossible. She thought about the Landrys...

She heard a door close, pulling her out of her thoughts. She knew what it was; had even expected it. But, then, she heard a second door. This got her out of bed moving towards the window. She looked out to see Mulder's car taillights heading out of the parking lot with four heads visible in the car.

She sighed and turned around. She could see Eric's sleeping form in the moonlight from the window. She moved to the bed and sat down next to him. She reached out and stroked his red hair. He snored lightly. Her expression became sad and a single tear fell as she caressed the sleeping tot's head.

Mulder pulled the car over to the side of the road. They were about a half-mile away from the Seymour Pharmaceuticals factory. He put the car in park.

"So, we gonna do some more funky poaching?" Frohike asked, with excitement in his voice.

"No, guys. I need you to do something else for me. Something more in line with your expertise," Mulder started to explain.

"What?! We aren't going to be field agents anymore?" Langly objected.

Mulder turned to Langly and, then, gave a wry smile.

"Guys, this is field work I need. I need you to go to Social Services in Baton Rouge and check out any information on Eric. The Landrys were petitioning for adoption. There must be a record of that. Also, they said that Dr. Nordlace had some kind of supervision over their custody of Eric. I really need you guys to check that out."

The Gunmen exchanged glances, before Byers spoke for the group, "Mulder, you've got it. We'll check out Eric's file at Social Services. When do you want us to come get you?"

"I'll call you if I need a pick-up," Mulder answered.

Frohike opened his mouth to protest, but didn't get a chance as Mulder took off running for the woods.

Scully awoke the next morning and wasn't quite sure where she was. Her cheeks were wet, telling her she'd dreamed of Emily, again. But, then she felt the movement next to her and opened her eyes. Eric was sleeping peacefully in the crook of her arm with his head lying against her chest. Scully smiled and brushed a kiss in his hair.

Eric opened his eyes, then, and looked at Scully. He studied her for several seconds before smiling at her. Finally, he sat up and crawled off the bed. He toddled around the room, then came over to Scully and asked, "Momma?"

Scully's heart clenched for a minute, then she realized he was asking for Sue Landry.

"Your Momma had to go away," she said, choking slightly. "You can stay with me. Okay?"

She held her breath, afraid he was going to get really upset with his mother absent.

Eric studied Scully for several minutes. Then he toddled over to her and smiled up at her. She put her hands out, asking permission to pick him up. Eric leapt towards her. She laughed and held him in her lap.

"I guess we better get us some breakfast. How about that little restaurant? How does some cereal sound?"

Eric smiled and pulled on her hair.

"Uh, no," Scully said. "Eric, not my hair..." she pulled his hands out of her hair and handed him a toy car to play with.

Scully carried him over to the bag of clothes Mulder had bought last night. "It should be safe to take you over there."

After they'd finished their breakfast of cereal, banana, and milk for Eric and coffee and bagel for Scully, they were crossing the parking lot back to the room. Eric was playing with Scully's cross necklace. Scully spotted Spender standing next to the room door. "Damn..."

Scully looked away towards the cars in the lot, wishing she had a way to get away. Then she spotted a car near the exit. A man was sitting in the car, watching she and Eric. She recognized the profile of the man, and began to walk faster towards the room.

'Spender, this time you're a blessing,' she thought.

"Spender," she called to him as she approached. "I am so glad to see you. Look, do me a little favor? Watch Eric here in the room for me? Would you? I need to go talk to the office and I need you to watch him for a minute."

"Who is he?" Spender asked, clearly bewildered, as Scully pushed Eric into his arms.

"He's... my brother's little boy. Will you watch him, please? Just in the room... His toys are right there. See?" Scully had been opening the room door and motioned into the room.

Spender walked in and said, "Uh, yeah, Scully, sure. But, it's just for a minute, right?" He was clearly uncomfortable with a baby in his arms.

"Just a minute. And Spender, DO NOT let anyone in this room, got it?"

Spender didn't get a chance to answer as Scully had closed the door.

Scully marched out to the car. The man in the car noted her approach and opened the car door. He exited the car and turned around to face Scully.

"Why hello, Agent Scully," Cancer Man exuded.

Scully stood still and said in a strained voice, "What are you doing here?"

"Just noting your company. Quite a diverse group of visitors you've been having since you've been here."

"Glad I brightened your day. Now, what do you want?"

"You know what I want or you wouldn't be here."

Scully took a deep breath and tried to control her blossoming anger. "Why?"

"He needs protection and you can't provide that. I can."

"Protection? You're going to protect..." Scully blurted out with a hollow laugh.

"They'll stop at nothing. You know that. And you cannot protect him. You should know that after San Diego."

Scully was losing it fast. "THEY?! THEY?! You mean WE you son of a bitch!" With that Scully pushed him against the car and pulled her gun. "You will NOT be the one PROTECTING him. Let me ease your worries about that."

"And how are you going to protect him? She was taken right from under your noses." Cancer Man struggled to speak as Scully had her arm pinning down his neck. "I can protect him. You'll fail, as always."

"Shut up!" Scully yelled up to his face. "You aren't going to lay a finger on him!"

"You're alone right now, Scully. Who's going to help you? Mulder's... occupied."

Scully narrowed her eyes at those words. "What do you know about it? You're too busy camping outside my motel room, trying to hurt a little baby. A BABY!"

"Yes, he's a baby. But, he'll always be a baby if I don't protect him. And, Agent Scully, rest assured, we ALWAYS know where you are."

Scully shoved against his neck as the reality of the last remark sunk in. Mulder! She pushed him aside and said, "Get the hell out of here! Leave us alone!"

Cancer Man straightened his tie and got back into the car as Scully turned and walked back towards the room. He got into the car, looked into the rearview mirror, and drove away.

Scully entered the motel room and Spender immediately began asking her questions, "What is going on here, Scully? Where's Mulder? And what are you two doing here? Mulder said it's personal, but I still think my mother's involved somehow."

"Spender...What? No, you're mother is NOT involved in this. I don't know where you... Look, just listen... This is personal, but it is VERY important. It is a very serious matter."

Scully walked over to where Eric was playing with a plastic car. Eric smiled up at her as she knelt down in front of him. She watched him play for a few seconds.

"Scully? Where's Mulder?"

Scully stood up abruptly, turned to Spender, and said, "Spender, I need you to watch Eric for a while longer."

"What?! No, Scully, I'm not good..."

"Spender, I've got no choice here. I have to check on something and I can't bring Eric. I need you to stay here and watch him."

"Where are you going? How long?"

"I'm not sure, but I've got a pretty good idea..." Scully said as she tried to get into Mulder's head. "Just watch Eric until w...I get back. You've got my cell phone number, so call me if there's a problem. DO NOT let ANYONE in here, okay? No one gets in here!" Scully gave this speech as she was grabbing her jacket, binoculars, and car keys.

Spender considered his answer carefully, then finally agreed. And Scully was out of there...

"Ma'am, please, we really need this information. It is very important. Couldn't you please just..." Byers was cutoff by the curt social worker.

"Sir, we do not give out that information. The foster parents must come in themselves."

"Look, MA'AM, we're working with the FBI on this one, so you better give that info to us. Or, we'll have to call headquarters," Langly stressed.

"Sir, if you're working with the FBI, I need some identification. Otherwise, I can't give you any information." She waited several beats, then said, "Good day," as she walked away.

"Great going, Langly! Pull out the G-man on the hard-nose social worker... oh yeah, that'd work great!" Frohike groused.

"I didn't hear you sayin' anything to help the situation. Now how are we going to get the info Mulder needs?" Langly asked.

Byers turned to both of them and urged, "Stop arguing. It's not going to do us any good." Then in a low voice he added, "let's get back to the car. We might just be able to hack into the system to get the info. Frohike, think you could run a hack?"

But, Frohike wasn't listening. He was moving across the room to a desk where a woman was shaking a computer monitor violently. "It doesn't like that," he said when he reached her desk.

She looked up at him and gave him a confused look. "What?"

"The monitor. It really doesn't respond well to violent behavior."

"Well, neither do I, but I'm prone to it when it won't follow orders," said the

40ish woman, who had dark brown hair, blue eyes, and wore wire-frame glasses. She was dressed smartly in a gray suit with a red blouse.

Byers and Langly walked towards the woman's desk, also. Langly mumbled down to Frohike, "Not usually your type..."

"Want me to see what I can do?" Frohike offered, as he walked away from Langly.

"Do you know much about these... things?"

"Oh, a little...let me see..." Frohike walked around behind the woman and asked, "What wasn't it doing that you wanted it to do?"

"I just want it to print this page," the woman said as she rose from the seat to give Frohike better access to the keyboard.

Frohike typed in a few commands, then, rose and walked to the back of the computer desk. He looked up at the woman and smiled.

"What is it?" Byers interrupted.

"Printer cable's loose is all," Frohike explained as he tightened the connection.

"God! How stu..." Langly started. He stopped when Frohike shot him a cold stare.

"Click Print again," Frohike requested.

She did so and the printer came to life. "OH! Thank you so much! You've saved me!"

Frohike smiled at her as Byers and Langly made 'oh brother!' faces.

"Listen, is there anything I can do to help you? I mean it, anything! You really have saved me! This report is due in 15 minutes and it took me all DAY yesterday to type it!"

Frohike glanced at Byers and Langly.

"Well, actually, we could use some info, if you could possibly..." Frohike moved towards the woman and flashed her his best needy look.

She smiled back demurely. Oh, yeah, he had her hook, line, and sinker!

Back at the motel, Spender was not having fun. Eric began crying right after Scully left. He'd changed the baby's diapers twice already, thinking that was the problem. He'd given him some Cheerios he found in a bag on the dresser. He'd called over to the diner and gotten them to bring him some juice. But, none of this seemed to help. The only thing that worked was when he played with him. He couldn't even read some of the papers he'd found in the room, and they looked like they might have important information.

He was pushing the cars all around the room to keep the kid from screaming his lungs out, when Diana walked in.

"Is this the X-file you left Washington to investigate, Spender? Playing cars with a toddler?" she said, smothering a laugh.

"No," Spender said as he got to his feet and straightened his suit. "But, Scully stuck me with babysitting duties."

"Scully? She's here?" Fowley asked, surprised.

"Yeah. So's Mulder. Somewhere...I don't know. Look, watch the kid for me, would ya? I need to go check out some info at the field office."

"Who is this kid?" Fowley queried as she knelt down and smiled at Eric. He didn't return the smile, just crawled towards one of his cars.

Fowley studied him as Spender answered, "I don't know. I think she said he's her brother's kid. Kinda looks like her, so that's probably it."

"Yeah... probably," Diana replied, distracted.

"Look, you gonna watch him or not?"

Diana shook her head and looked up at Spender, "Uh, yeah, I'll watch him. Go do whatever you need to do."

Spender left quickly, grabbing the papers he'd spotted. Diana turned back to study Eric.

"Just who are you, anyway?" she said quietly to herself.

Eric looked up at her and began to cry loudly. Diana grimaced at the loud noise and then set about trying to stop his crying. She scooped him up and began looking for the diapers...

Scully hurried into the plant, trying to be as quiet as possible. She noticed a side way in that only a few workers had used during her 15-minute surveillance of the factory. She cautiously entered through that door. She began looking for the medical area, knowing that's where Mulder would be heading.

She spotted Dr. Nordlace's office at the end of the hallway. She entered and found an office with the usual examination equipment. She noted a door at the back. She checked the door; it was slightly ajar. She walked through the door and quickly found herself pinned to the floor. She struggled to get out of the strong grip on her body.

"Scully?"

She struggled to turn over as the grip lessened a little.

"Mulder? Get off of me!"

Mulder got to his feet and pulled Scully with him. He squeezed her shoulders and said, "I'm sorry, Scully. But what are you doing here?"

"You ditched me again, Mulder. I had to come rescue you, as usual."

"Rescue? Me?! Scully, I don't need rescuing!" he started to argue, when a thought occurred to him. "Wait a minute... Where's Eric? Where did you leave him?"

"Mulder, he's safe back at the motel," Scully explained, clearly leaving out a big detail. "I had to come up here. I received some information..."

"Scully, who's with Eric? Did the Gunmen get back? Who's with him?" Mulder interrupted.

Scully considered her response very carefully. She could lie. He'd done it before. But, this was Mulder. She'd never pull it off...

"SCULLY? Who's with Eric?" Mulder was losing patience.

"He's with... Spender."

"WHAT?!"

"Mulder, I left instructions not to let anyone in or to go out. He's an FBI agent. He certainly can watch..."

"Spender?! Scully, I wouldn't let him watch my fish! How could you..."

"Look, Mulder... I... had to trust him. It's done. He'll be okay 'til we get back here. And the sooner we get done here, the sooner we get back there."

Mulder stared intently at Scully for several minutes. His shoulders fell a little before he motioned towards the file cabinets that lined the back wall of the room. "Lots and lots of files..."

"What's in them?"

"I'm not sure. Most of it's in code. But, I did find Eric's file," Mulder informed Scully as he walked towards an open file drawer. He showed her Eric's file that was set on top of the other folders. Scully pulled in next to him and they perused the file. It was in some kind of code.

"Have you ever see a code like this before?" Mulder asked. Scully answered a couple seconds later. "No. And, it doesn't look anything like the code in those MJ files. This is something new we'll have to check out."

They scanned some more and both inhaled sharply.

"Mulder..."

"I see... Scully, what does that mean?"

"I don't know Mulder," Scully answered truthfully, her eyes frantically scanning the file trying to find out more.

"Why are OUR names in here?!" Mulder asked.

"Mulder, I don't know. We need to find a way to..."

Scully was interrupted by the sound of someone in the outer office. Scully shoved the file back in and closed the drawer. Mulder grabbed Scully by the arm and pulled her to an area in the room that was full of empty boxes. They crouched down behind those boxes; Mulder had his arm resting on Scully's shoulders. Their facial expressions clearly indicated they knew that they were in deep trouble.

A man entered the file room and walked around the room. Mulder and Scully remained quiet as the man passed their hiding place. Scully closed her eyes and said a silent prayer. Mulder crouched a bit lower, leaning in to Scully. The man swept through the room, then left.

They were quiet and still for about a minute after he left. Then, they stood up and both exhaled loudly in relief.

Then, an alarm broke the silence.

They both looked towards the door before their eyes locked for a few seconds. Then Mulder said loudly, "Let's get the hell out of here."

Mulder and Scully made their way quickly through the corridors of the factory. The annoying alarm stopped after about 3 minutes. The corridor suddenly split into two hallways. They looked at each other and the unspoken question, "Which way?" was asked by both.

Then, they heard voices approaching from the right corridor. They started frantically checking the doors in the corridor. They had tried about half a dozen doors, to no avail. But, just as the voices seemed like they were right on top of them, the door Scully tried opened. She grabbed Mulder's arm and pulled him into the room behind her. But, the force of her action knocked her off balance and they ended up on the floor.

Scully groaned as Mulder landed on top of her. The voices stopped. Then, they heard metal clicking sounds. Mulder's eyes widened as he realized they were checking doorknobs. He pushed himself up and locked the door. Then, he sank down to the floor and pulled Scully back towards him. Scully started to protest when he motioned up at the frosted glass panel in the door. She sunk back against his chest as the doorknob rattled. Neither of them breathed.

The man turned the doorknob. Then, he leaned in to see through the glass.

"See anything?" First Elder asked behind him.

"No," the man answered as he turned to check the next door. "They're all locked. Musta been the air conditioner. This old factory makes all sorts of weird sounds."

First Elder returned to their conversation, "We need to step up the operation. Time is of the essence. It is imperative... experiment is... utmost..."

They struggled to hear the last words, but the men's voices drifted as they walked away.

Mulder closed his eyes and pulled Scully closer in relief.

"Mulder, we're not out of here, yet," Scully reminded him as she turned to face him. "We better go."

Mulder nodded as he opened his eyes. He released his grip and Scully stood.

Mulder stood and they surreptitiously exited the room.

As they arrived at Scully's car, Mulder's phone rang.

"Mulder," he answered.

"Mulder," Byers began. "Look, you need to get to the Morgan City hospital as soon as you can."

"Why? What's going on?"

"It's Eric. He's been taken there," Byers answered slowly.

Mulder's panic expression made a sudden appearance.

"What?" Scully asked.

"On our way," Mulder told Byers as he hung up.

"Gimme the keys, Scully."

"What?! Why?" Scully asked, bewildered.

"Just gimme the keys. We gotta go."

"Where are we going Mulder? What's wrong?" Scully asked as she handed him the keys.

Mulder opened the doors and they got into the car. Scully grabbed Mulder's hand before he put the key in the ignition. Mulder closed his eyes and said, "The hospital. Eric's been taken there."

Scully's clasp on his hand went limp. Mulder grabbed for her hand before it fell completely away from his. He held it in a tight squeeze and looked at her. They made eye contact briefly. Then, Mulder released her hand and started the car. Scully's hand fell to the seat.

As they drove onto the main highway, she reached out for Mulder's hand.

Mulder entered the emergency room and immediately began making demands.

"A baby was brought in here a little while ago. His name is Eric. Where is he?!"

"Sir, just a moment and I'll-" the ward clerk answered.

"NO! I won't wait a moment! I want to now where he is NOW!"

Scully solemnly followed him, silent. Then she spotted Diana. Her eyes narrowed as she walked towards the other agent.

"What are you doing here, Diana?" Scully asked.

Mulder turned abruptly away from the clerk and joined Scully facing Diana. "Diana?"

Diana literally squirmed under the scrutiny of the partners.

"Spender had to go to the field office, so I was watching Eric. But, he got sick..."

"Where's Eric?" It was Mulder.

The Lone Gunmen had come out of the waiting room down the hall. "Mulder!" Frohike called.

Mulder waved off Frohike and turned back to Diana. "Where's Eric?" he asked again, a little louder.

Scully intently studied Diana.

"I don't know..."

"What?" Scully and Mulder both asked.

"The doctors were running some tests. -I was sitting with him- when a social worker came in. She was asking questions about Eric. -I couldn't answer those questions. So, I- left to find a phone- to call you. When I came back, -they were both- gone," Diana explained quickly, the words stumbling out.

"Both? The social worker and Eric?" Mulder asked, incredulous. "Did you notify the police? How long ago..."

"Yes, I did," Diana stated. "They were here. It's been about two hours..."

"Diana..." Mulder began, but Scully interrupted him.

"What was the social worker's name?"

"What?!" Diana asked.

"What was the social worker's name?" Scully repeated.

Mulder shifted his gaze from Scully to Diana.

Diana was silent and shifted on her feet. Then, she said, "I don't really remember. It seems like it was something like... Mrs. Wilson. Or Williamson. I didn't really catch it before I went to call you."

"But, you didn't call Scully," Mulder stated.

Scully glared at her intently.

"I tried. It said the cell phone was out of service."

Scully turned and walked away. She walked out of the sliding doors and took a deep breath. She gazed up heavenwards and closed her eyes tightly. She could hear Mulder yelling at Diana.

Then she felt a whoosh of air as the doors behind her slid open. She opened her eyes to see Diana rushing towards her car.

Scully, again, heard the doors slide open behind her.

"Shit!" Mulder exclaimed as he stopped just outside the doors.

The Gunmen came through the doors and stood between Mulder and Scully. Scully had her back to them all.

Frohike announced, "We're going to head back to DC and get to work on this. We'll find him. We got some info about his adoption from Social Services. We'll find that Dr. Nordlace. We have to. We'll track him down. Nothing will stop us..."

Langly yanking him towards the parking lot cut him off.

"We'll call you, Mulder," Byers said, following his friends. He glanced warily at Scully as he passed her. She was just standing still and looking straight ahead.

Mulder looked at Scully for a few minutes before moving forward. He placed his hand on her back and guided her towards the car, in silence.

"You failed," Cancer Man said as he picked up a file from the table in his office.

"I couldn't take him. THEY came in. What was I supposed to do? March out the front door with him, right under their noses? Look, you don't like it...you handle it! I'm not your errand boy, anymore," Krycek answered.

Cancer Man didn't respond to this. He merely closed the file...Eric Landry's file. He opened the file drawer and placed the file in.

"I heard the boy was taken-"

"Don't believe everything you hear. In the future, just do your job." Cancer Man remained at the file cabinet with his back to Krycek.

"So, that's it?" Krycek asked.

"For now..."

Krycek made a disgusted face and left the office. Cancer Man looked up from the file drawer and took a long drag on the cigarette.

Mulder and Scully went back to the chemical factory the next morning after checking out of the motel. It had been a long night at the police station. Scully hadn't said much; she hadn't said much since the hospital. Mulder had been quite vociferous and had been called down by the sergeant a couple times. There had been no sign of Eric.

They drove directly to the factory instead of entering secretly. They entered the building and were greeted by the security guard.

"May I help you?" he asked.

Mulder flashed his badge. "We'd like to see Dr. Nordlace."

The security guard answered, "I'm sorry. Dr, Nordlace left about a half-hour ago. He's no longer working here."

Mulder was now furious. "Damn!" he said under his breath as he guided Scully down the hallway towards the doctor's office.

"Hey, where you goin'?" the guard called after them.

"We're going to check the doctor's office. We KNOW the way."

The guard shook his head and followed them.

Mulder guided Scully through the corridors. They entered the doctor's office and walked into the inner office. The room was now empty: no file cabinets.

"Shit! They took it all!" Mulder yelled as he kicked an empty box left from the doctor's hasty departure.

Scully turned around. The sign on the door caught her attention. It was Dr. Nordlace's nameplate. She looked at the sign, then her eyes darkened.

"Mulder. Look at this."

Mulder walked over to the door and followed Scully's gaze.

"Nordlace," she said.

"What?" Mulder asked, trying to figure out what she was thinking.

"Switch the letters," she said, barely audible.

Mulder stared at the sign for several seconds, then, through clenched teeth, "Calderon!"

Scully looked at him with a pained expression, her eyes filled with tears. He matched her expression. Then, he reached into the inside pocket of his leather jacket. He pulled out the toy car and studied it. A few tears fell down his cheek as he closed his eyes.

Scully's expression softened. She moved towards Mulder and took him in her arms. He leaned into the embrace. He held Eric's toy tightly in his hand that rested across Scully's shoulders.

THE END