Scully walked into the basement office, beginning another day as usual. Unlike most days, however, Mulder wasn't waiting in the office for her. He almost always arrived to work before her, and she often wondered if this was another facet of his obsession showing through.

She set her briefcase on the floor next to Mulder's desk, and proceeded to sit down in the desk's chair. She scanned over some documents in front of her; reports on UFOs, killers, and various monster sightings. Then, something caught her eye. It was a letter, addressed not to Mulder, but to her. She picked it up and examined the envelope, which had no return address. She opened the envelope, and began to read the mysterious letter. While reading, her blood began to turn cold.

Dear Dana Katherine,

I'm sure you didn't expect anything like this when you arrived to work this morning. I watched you on your morning drive, past your partner's apartment. I don't quite understand why you go so far out of your way every morning, when you KNOW that Agent Mulder will inevitebly already be at your office. It's of no importance. What I have to tell you, however, IS of importance to you. I need to meet with you, ALONE, in the parking garage of the building you are in. Be there in 15 minutes, or I won't be.

Scully weighed her options. She would be meeting in a secure place, where her fellow agents could assist her in moments. She stood up and walked out the door, curiosity consuming her.

She exited the elevator and entered the parking garage. No one was in sight, it was still quite early for most of the agents to arrive. She walked down toward the center of the lot, when she heard her name being called.

"Agent Scully!" the unknown voice said from the other end of the garage. Scully kept her gun within an easily accessible reach of her hand while she walked toward him.

"Who are you?" Scully asked as she approached him.

"Who I am is of no concern now," the man said, "But I have something that you need to know." After saying this, the man erupted into a fit of severe coughs. He appeared to be barely standing as it was, obviously seriously ill.

"And what would that be?" she asked cautiously.

"This file will start you in the direction you need to go, Agent," the man said weakly, "I'm sorry I couldn't give you more."

Scully took the file out of the man's hand, taking precaution the entire time. Suddenly, the man pulled his gun on her.

"Wait!" Scully said, raising her own gun as well, "What is all this about?"

"Stop them, Dana," the man pleaded, "For all our sakes." He then turned his gun away from her, and placed it against his own temple. He pulled the trigger, ending his own life. Echoes of the gunshot rang through-out the garage. Scully could only stand there, confused at what had just happened.

20 MINUTES LATER

Agent Mulder walked past other assorted agents and descended into the parking garage. He approached Scully, who was standing with Assistant Director Skinner.

"Scully, you sure have a problem with secret admirers, don't you?" Mulder said with a smirk on his face. Scully shot him a wicked look, even though she knew that her partner was simply teasing him.

"Agent Mulder, have you been briefed on what happened?" Skinner asked him.

"I was told on the way down that Scully had been approached by a man in the garage who proceeded to shoot himself in the head. And that he had given her a file of some kind," he responded.

Scully declined to speak up about the small inaccuracy in the story. She would rather Mulder not see the letter, only to save herself later embarassment. What would he think if he read it? She would rather not find out.

"Here's the file," Scully said while handing the file to Mulder. He flipped it open, seeing only a photograph. He turned the photo, which was of a man, and on the back was written a name.

"Who's Albert Kiveille?" he asked almost rhetorically.

"We don't know," Skinner responded, "but I expect the two of you to find out. Whoever he is, a man took his life after giving his name to Scully." With that, Skinner turned and walked away.

"Mulder, I need to know who this man is," Scully said while pointing at the informant.

"I'll see what I can dig up. What are you going to do?" he asked.

"Try and figure out who Albert Kiveille is," she responded.

Scully then turned and walked toward the elevator. Unbeknownst to her, a man stood on the sidelines of the crowd of agents. Obsidian watched her with a cold stare. He, too, turned and walked away.

MULDER'S OFFICE
2 HOURS LATER

"Any luck with our photogenic friend?" Mulder asked as Scully entered the office.

"None," Scully replied, "Either Albert Kiveille is an alias or the man has been wiped out of the system."

"Too bad," Mulder stated, "but I've had a little better luck with our suicide victim."

"What did you find?" Scully asked directly.

"Not much, but a start. I ran his fingerprints through the system, and a photo came up. There isn't much of a face left on the body, so can you tell me if this is the man?" he said while turning the computer screen toward her.

"That's him all right," she responded.

"Well, the photo is ALL that came up. Apparently, he's an operative for the Department of Defense. His name, rank, and anything else that could give his identity has been sealed for his protection."

"Damn," Scully muttered.

"But," he quickly said, "I have gotten us a meeting with a director at the DOD who said he would help us with whatever we needed. Scully, remember the last time we had a faceless Defense Agent turn up. This could be another set up."

"I realize that, Mulder," she said to him, "but I need to know what that man killed himself over."

"Okay, our appointment is in an hour."

OFFICES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
1 HOUR LATER

"Thank you for meeting with us, Mr. Rath," Scully stated. The two agents sat in front of a large desk. Behind the desk sat Roger Rath, a high-ranking Department of Defense official, who had agreed to answer their questions best to his ability.

"No problem at all, Agent Scully," Rath responded, "Now what business does the FBI have with thier sister organization?"

"This man," Mulder said while pushing the suicide victim's picture across the table, "contacted Agent Scully this morning. After passing information along to her, he shot himself in the head."

"I see," Rath responded while looking at the picture, "The man was indeed one of our operatives. His name is...was...Malcom DeLaney. He had been missing for several weeks, a victim of his latest assignment we were afraid."

"What business would he have with Agent Scully?" Mulder asked.

"That, I have no answer for,"

"What was his case that he was on?" Scully asked.

"The tracking of a domestic terrorist, one that goes by the name "Contagion"," Rath replied, "I'm sorry, but I am not at liberty to give out information on that case, seeing as how it's still active."

"That's understandable, Mr. Rath," Scully responded after glancing at her partner, "Do you know this man? His name is Albert Kiveille." She pushed Kiveille's picture in front of him.

"I'm afraid I don't, Agent," Rath said.

"Is there anything that you can tell us about this "Contagion" case?" Mulder asked insistently.

""Contagion" has been an active terrorist for about a year now. He sends letters to various government officials. Letters laced with various deadly diseases. We're still not sure how he does it, it seems that only the people targeted are affected by his lethal mail."

"Thank you," Scully said while standing, "Will you be willing any new questions that we come across?"

"It was my pleasure. And I will be happy to help, as long as it doesn't interfere with the case we're building against this terrorist," Rath replied.

The two agents walked out of Rath's offices, and stopped in the hallway. "What do you think about this man's story, Mulder?" Scully asked.

"For once, I believe the DOD is telling the truth,"

"I agree," she replied as the two started down the hallway back to their car.

Back in Rath's office, the official sat in his chair staring at the picture of DeLaney. His secretary entered, and sat his mail on the desk. Rath looked through the letters, and found one with no return address. Curiousity plaguing him, he opened it. Suddenly, he began to cough. The coughing soon produced blood, and the secretary rushed in to help him. Rath began to seizure, dropping the letter from his hand.

SAN DIEGO, CA
RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM SCULLY, JR.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Bill rushed to the phone, knowing that it could very easily be a military official. And pissing one of them off was definately something he didn't want to do. He picked up the phone, answering with a "Hello".

"Bill? Bill Scully?" the voice asked.

"Yes? This is him," he responded. The voice sounded strangely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

"I'll be seeing you shortly," the voice told him, "We have many things to discuss."

"Who is this?" Bill asked with impatience, "Answer me!" With this, the caller hung up.

Bill stood by the phone for a moment, in a shock wave of realization and recognition. He quickly picked the phone back up and dialed his sister's number.

The office phone began to ring, and Scully picked it up, "Hello?"

"Dana? It's Bill, Jr."

"Bill? What's wrong?"

"Dana, I just got a phone call that scared the hell out of me,"

"Who was it? What's going on Bill?"

"Dana, the voice. It was Dad," he replied slowly.

"What?!?"

"I swear it was Dad's voice. And the person threatened me,"

"Bill, what are you saying?"

"Dana, I know that you got phone calls once from Melissa. And I know you know that I didn't believe you, but what if this is the same thing?"

"Bill, I'm coming down there," Scully said to her brother. She then hung up the phone as Mulder was coming into the office.

"Scully, what is it?"

"Mulder, can you follow this case without me for a while?" she asked, "I have to go to San Diego, to see my brother."

"Sure, is anything wrong?"

"I don't know yet," she replied as she walked out the door.

FBI HEADQUARTERS
WASHINGTON, DC
3:30 PM

Mulder rifled through various files on his elevator ride to his basement office. Scully had left him with quite a handful, and he almost didn't know what avenue to take in investigating the case. They had one dead Department of Defense operative, his link to a terrorist working inside the country, and only a picture and name of an unknown man.

The elevator door opened to the basement, and Mulder stepped out. As he exited the elevator, another man entered. He and Scully rarely got visitors, but judging by the man's clothing he assumed him to be a janitor or maintainince man of some sort. Mulder walked a little down the hall and reached his office, where he realized something was wrong. The door had been left adjar, an odd occurrence considering Mulder always locked his office when he left it. He dropped his files and ran back toward the elevator, attempting to catch the unknown man.

He reached the elevator and realized that he was too late. The doors closed in front of his face, but not before he got a good look at the man. He had dark hair that hung in front of his face, unkempt. He had black, piercing eyes; eyes that struck Mulder as those he had seen in the face of various killers many times before. He looked at the top of the elevator, and saw that it finished it's ascent at the first floor. Mulder exploded onto the stairs, and bolted up the stair case. He entered the first floor, and saw the man walking toward the door.

"Stop that man!" Mulder shouted as he ran toward the doors.

Various agents jumped to attention, grabbing the man by the arms. The man simply threw up his arms, knocking three grown men to the ground. He then began to run, and was outside the doors by the time Mulder reached the other agents. He ran past them and exited the building, attempting to catch sight of the man.

He had vanished. Apparently, without a trace.

OFFICES OF THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL
SAN DIEGO, CA

Scully drove into a parking space in front of the CDC's San Diego branch. She had arrived not too long ago, and had managed to calm her brother and sister-in-law down. She got out of her car, and entered the building.

"I'm a Federal Agent," Scully said to the receptionist, "I need to speak to someone in charge."

"Yes, can I help you?" a voice came from behind her. She turned to find a middle-aged man in a lab coat standing behind her.

"You are?" she asked.

"Dr. Hampton, and I am most definately someone in charge," he responded.

"Can I speak with you privately, sir?"

The two entered Dr. Hampton's office, and the two sat down in their respective postions in front of and behind a large oak desk.

"Dr. Hampton, a call was made to my brother earlier today. The trace said that the call came from these offices."

"What kind of call? Who is your brother?"

"My brother is a high ranking military official working out of a nearby Naval base. He recieved a threatening phone call this morning, and he called me to assist in the investigation. Do you know anything about this, Dr. Hampton?"

"Agent Scully, I can assure you that no such calls were made from this facility. All calls are strictly monitored, and a call such as that would have raised all sort of red flags around here."

"Are you certain, sir?" Scully asked with a harsh tone of voice.

"Very," he answered sternly, "and I am a busy man, Agent Scully. You can see yourself out."

Scully stood and turned, promptly walking out the office door. When he was certain she had left the building, Hampton picked up the phone and began to dial.

"Yes, it's Hampton," he said into the reciever, "I was just questioned by the FBI."

"Agent Scully," the man on the other end of the line replied.

"Yes," Hampton said, "What do you want me to do about it?"

"Nothing," the man responded, "Let her dig around and find what she wants. The only thing she has to discover is that we're possibly her greatest ally right now."

"Yes, sir," Hampton said, "I'll keep you informed." With that, Hampton hung up the phone.

The other man sat back in his chair, stroking his goatee. Things were falling for Obsidian. Whether they were falling apart or into place remained to be seen.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE HEADQUARTERS
OFFICE OF ROGER RATH
4:43 PM

Mulder walked down the hallway toward Rath's office, which was already sealed with standard quarantine equipment. The call had been made a few hours earlier, that Rath had died of an unknown disease. The anonymous informant that tipped Mulder off to this obviously knew what was going on, but he didn't have time to argue. His FBI status had allowed him access to investigate, which surprised him. He had been briefed on the situation, and how Rath's poor secretary, who made the call to security, had been taken for treatment. She had no symptoms of Rath's ailment, however, even though she was exposed to the same virus as him.

"Put this on," a CDC operative told him as he shoved a HAZMAT suit toward him.

Mulder put the suit on and made sure it was secure. He then unzipped the seal to enter Rath's office. The body had already been taken out, but the office itself had been left untouched. The catalyst for Rath's demise had been left as it was: a plain white envelope addressed to the DOD Official.

Mulder stood, puzzled at the situation. If things had happened as the secretary explained, why hadn't she died as well?

"We don't need these suits," Mulder stated to the CDC operative standing with him, "We're in no danger."

"What? How can you know that?" the man asked.

"Because of what the victim told me this morning," Mulder stated as he unzipped his helmet and pulled it off, exposing himself to the room, "The virus that killed Rath was tailor made for him, no one else. The letter came from a terrorist that Rath was investigating, one that calls himself 'Contagion'. This person sends specifically designed diseases to his victims, and only one person ever dies from the infection."

"The person that the letter is addressed to," Mulder said after a pause. He then pointed out the letter. "Have this analyzed, and it should tell us what we need to know."

RESIDENCE OF BILL SCULLY, JR
SAN DIEGO, CA
6:16 PM

Scully sat on the couch, almost asleep. It had been an exhaustive day, and she was tired from her flight to California. The circumstances surrounding the case had her confused. What connection could she have to this Kivielle person? Why were the Centers For Disease Control and the Department of Defense involved?

Her thoughts were broken by the phone, ringing suddenly. Bill, Jr. came into the room and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Bill?" the voice replied.

Bill, Jr. motioned for his sister to listen. "It's the same voice," he whispered to her.

"Yes? Who is this?" Bill answered.

"Don't you love family reunions, Bill?" the voice asked. The person then hung up, leaving Scully unable to get a trace.

"What the hell is going on?" Bill said loudly while slamming the phone down.

"Bill," Scully said to her brother, "I want you and Tara to take the baby and stay somewhere else. Somewhere safe."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to wait for this person to come to me,"

Bill and Tara packed their things, and were gone within the hour. Scully wasn't sure what she was going to do, or what was going to happen, but she felt better knowing that her brother and his family were away from the house.

She sat on the couch for hours, until she finally fell asleep. Suddenly, she heard the cocking of a gun. Her eyes flew open, and she saw a man standing in front of her. He had a gun pointed at her, but she was more shocked to see who it was. It was the man in the picture, Albert Kivielle. He looked older, almost haggard. His hair was going, and his moustache had turned white.

"Dana Scully," Kivielle stated to himself, "I've been waiting to meet you."

"You're Albert Kivielle, aren't you?" she asked. "A Department of Defense official shot himself after giving me YOUR name."

"And I'm here to tell you WHY he gave you my name. Or at least get you started on the search for answers."

"Why so mysterious?" Scully asked him.

"I can't tell you everything, Ms. Scully," he answered, "These are truths that would serve better being discovered first hand for yourself. Are we listening?"

"Yes," Scully said, still fully aware that she was being held at gunpoint.

"I once worked for the Centers For Disease Control, many years ago. My wife, too, worked there. She died a few years back. She was one of a kind, my wife. So warm and full of life."

Kivielle then put his gun back in it's holster and held up his hands, "I am not here to threaten you. I had nothing to do with DeLaney's suicide, and I have no idea why he would have done it. I am simply here to give you closure."

Scully stood up and faced Kivielle, making sure her gun was accessible. "Closure?" she asked.

"You fancy yourself an investigator, pay attention. Check birth records for the year 1970, for a woman named Barbara Piora. You'll get your closure then." Kivielle then turned to walk out the door.

"Wait!" Scully yelled, "What the hell is all this about? You claim to give me answers, but only give me more damn questions! What connection do I have to you?"

"To find that out," Kivielle said as he went out the door, "ask your mother. Margaret knows who we are."

Kivielle left the house, leaving Scully standing in silence.

FBI HEADQUARTERS
WASHINGTON, DC
7:20 AM

"Hemmoragic Fever?" Mulder questioned Agent Hayes. Hayes had been working on samples of the virus that killed Rath, samples sent to the FBI from the CDC.

"That's right," Hayes stated while Mulder removed his eyes from the microscope, "Mr. Rath died a very horrible death at the hands of this disease."

"But," Mulder asked with confusion, "if it was Hemmoragic Fever, why aren't I dead? Why isn't his secretary dead?"

"That," Hayes responded, "I'm having a little more trouble determining."

"What have you found?" Mulder asked.

"The envelope was not the catalyst, as we first believed," Hayes stated as he turned the microscope off. He then turned another microscope on, which housed another sample. "THIS is what killed him, and I'll be damned if I know how."

Mulder put his eyes to the microscope. Underneath were peices of a material, with ridges carved onto them. "What are they?" he asked.

"Pieces of human skin," Hayes replied.

"What?" Mulder asked while raising his head from the table, "This is what caused the official's death?"

"Yep," he responded, "And those ridges you see there. Fingerprints, from the tips of the person's fingers."

"So," Mulder began as he leaned back in his chair, "what you're telling me is that the cause of Rath's death are slices of skin infected with Hemmoragic Fever. What if this 'Contagion' person, somehow and someway, can infect people with diseases simply by coming into contact with their skin?"

"I don't know about all that," Hayes said cautiously.

"Okay," Mulder said as he stood up, "Thanks for the help." He then turned and hurried out the door.

SAN DIEGO, CA
RESIDENCE OF BILL SCULLY, JR.
11:45 AM

Scully picked up the telephone after only one ring. She had called the San Diego police department with the information given to her by Kivielle, and they had promised results as quickly as possible.

"Scully," she said into the reciever.

"Agent Scully, this is Officer Talkins, we spoke earlier,"

"Yes, Officer, what did you find?"

"Well, I searched for the name Barbara Piora appearing anytime during the year 1970, and I only found one thing,"

"That was?"

"Hospital admittance records, and birth records. She had a baby during this time, named Michael Piora. I did a little checking on the kid, and he eventually went to school at Harvard. He then worked for the Centers For Disease Control for a few years. Then, he just vanished. Hasn't been heard from since 1995."

"Okay, that helps me out a lot," Scully said, "Thanks. I owe you one,"

"My pleasure, Agent Scully, good luck in finding this woman,"

Scully put the phone on the base and sat for a moment. The pieces were there, but she was simply unable to put them together. Then, she remembered a comment Kivielle had made, a comment about her mother.

She grabbed the phone and dialed Margaret Scully's number as quickly as she could. The phone rang twice, until it was picked up.

"Hello?"

"Mom, it's me,"

"Dana? It seems like it's been forever since you called me!"

"Mom, I've got something I need to ask you. It's about a woman that you might have known back in the seventies. Her name is Barbara Piora, does that sound familiar?"

There was a pause on the other end of the conversation, and Scully could almost hear her mother's breathing. Finally, she answered, "Why are you asking me this?"

"Mom, Bill Jr. has been getting phone calls. Someone that sounds like Dad. He asked me to look into it, this is what I've found,"

"I'm sorry, Dana. I don't have anything to tell you. Please call again soon," With that, Margaret hung up the phone.

Scully was in shock. Her mother had never acted in such a manner before. She sat in quiet thought for several moments, until the sound of someone entering the house startled her. She turned, and saw her brother coming through the door.

"Bill!" she exclaimed, "What are you doing here? It's not safe,"

"I came to see about you, Dana. It may not be safe for me, but that doesn't mean that it IS safe for you."

"Since you're here, can I ask you something?" she asked with a curious tone.

"Sure, about what?"

"When we were kids, did Mom or Dad ever mention a man named Albert Kivielle or a woman named Barbara Piora?" Scully was reaching by asking her brother, and didn't really expect anything. But, the reaction on Bill's face told her otherwise.

"Oh god," he whispered, "you know?"

"Tell me, Bill, I need to know,"

"It was something that I found out when I was a teenager. Dad made me promise to never talk about it,"

"Bill?" Scully asked while she held her brother's hand.

"Dad was having an affair with that Piora woman, and Mom found out," he finally confessed.

"Oh my god," Scully said to herself, "that's the connection."

1180 PRIMROSE WAY
BALTIMORE, MD
6:30 PM

Mulder pulled his car into the driveway of 1180 Primrose Way, putting it into park. The skin samples had been matched up with the corresponding fingerprints. The prints then led to this house, under the name Michael Piora, a man who had disappeared since 1995.

He got out of the car and pulled his gun. The house looked abandoned, but he was better safe than sorry. He opened the door to the house, and ventured inside.

"FBI!" he yelled into the house. He walked deeper inside, entering the kitchen. The place had decomposed rather well, and living conditions were not suitable for a person to have lived there recently. He then heard footfalls behind him, and he spun with his gun pointing toward the kitchen opening.

"Looking for me?" the man said as he raised his hands in the air. It was the same man Mulder had chased out of the J. Edgar Hoover Building.

"Michael Piora?" Mulder asked, keeping the gun trained on him.

"At one time," Piora answered with a smirk.

"Turn around," Mulder said as he advanced toward him. He grabbed his arms and proceeded to take his handcuffs out. Piora dropped his arms, and brushed his bare hand against Mulder's cheek. Suddenly, Mulder's world began to spin, and he couldn't see properly. Piora turned with superhuman speed and knocked Mulder's gun out of his hand. Mulder felt weak, and was unable to support his own weight. He fell hard onto the tile floor.

"You're in over your head, FBI man," Piora said as Mulder lay shaking on the ground before him. "But you don't have anything to worry about, not anymore."

Piora then turned and walked out of the house, leaving Mulder alone.

Several minutes passed, until another man walked into the room. Obsidian looked down, and realized that Mulder had already passed out. He pulled out his cell-phone and began to dial.

SAN DIEGO, CA
RESIDENCE OF BILL SCULLY, JR.
9:11 PM

Kivielle disabled the lock to the Scully home and let himself in. He entered the darkened house, knowing that he would have a long wait ahead of him. Scully had been gone for several hours, more than likely digging up information on him. He hated leading her around like he had, but he had no choice. He couldn't come out and give her information such as this, she would have an easier time believing it if she discovered it for herself.

He walked in the dark, until suddenly he heard the hammer of a gun being clicked back.

"Don't move," Scully said as she turned a light on. She had been in the house waiting for him, and was now standing behind him with her gun against his back.

"Agent Scully," Kivielle stammered, "I'm here to help you. You don't need that."

"That remains to be seen," she stated, "Have a seat."

Kivielle sat down on the couch, and Scully sat in a chair opposite from him. "What do you know?" Scully asked sternly.

"I take it you discovered what you needed to know?"

"My father had an affair with your wife," Scully said, "What else is there?"

"You know of Michael? I can tell you that he is the one that has been calling your brother, and there is a reason why he sounds like your dead father,"

"Barbara Piora had my father's child. This man is my brother. Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," Kivielle answered, still fully aware of the gun in his face. "Michael was a very...disturbed child. Barbara and William decided that it be best if he never knew about his parentage. I raised him as my own, with him following my footsteps at the CDC. But, something happened to him while he was on assignment for the Center."

"In 1995," Scully finished.

"Yes, he dropped out of sight, and I only recently found him. Apparently, he has discovered who his true family is,"

"What does he want?"

"I don't know. Michael has gotten himself into a lot of trouble. I lied to you last night, about Malcom DeLaney. He had been in contact with me, and that's how I found out about Michael's plans. Michael is the terrorist that Malcom was tracking."

"Contagion," Scully muttered to herself.

"DeLaney had found out about Michael, and was close to catching him. That's why it surprised me when you told me he had committed suicide, he had no reason to do such a thing."

"Why is Michael killing all these people?"

"I don't know, Agent Scully," Kivielle responded sadly, "Something happened to him while he was at the CDC. Something that...changed him,"

At that moment, Scully's cell-phone began to ring. She took it out of pocket, never letting her eyes or her gun off of Kivielle.

"Scully,"

"Agent Scully? This is Dr. Field at Baltimore Methodist Hospital, and I have grave news," the voice stated, "Your partner, Agent Mulder, has been brought in under a comatose state. He's been infected by something, and we're having trouble diagnosing it. His boss, Assistant Director Skinner, told us to contact you."

"I'm in California, I'll be there as soon as I can get a flight out," Scully said. She then turned her cell phone off and turned her attention back to Kivielle. She holstered her gun and stood up.

"My partner is in the hospital in Maryland, I have to go. Come with me, help me find your son,"

"I can't do that, Agent Scully," Kivielle responded, "but I can tell you that your partner's ailment is no coincidence. If he was tracking Michael, then that's why he's in the hospital."

"Then, brother or not, he will pay for it," Scully stated strongly. She then turned and walked out the door, leaving Kivielle sitting in the room alone.

BALTIMORE METHODIST HOSPITAL
BALTIMORE, MD
3:30 AM

Scully charged into the hospital emergency room, scanning the room for any sign of her partner. She walked around, ignoring the nurses around her asking her questions, until she finally spotted her partner. He was lying in a bed, comatose. It seemed like it had been only a short time since he had been like this once before, affected by the alien rubbing. She picked up his chart, and began to read.

"Can I help you, Ms.?" a nurse asked as she approached.

"Is this chart correct?"

"Yes, ma'am,"

"It says that he has contracted Smallpox," Scully said to the young nurse, "how is that possible? And why hasn't he been treated for it?"

"He HAS been treated for it," a voice stated from behind her, "It hasn't helped him. I'm Dr. Field, we spoke right?"

"Yes, I'm Dana Scully," she said while shaking his hand, "What do you mean it hasn't helped?"

"It's no form of Smallpox we've ever seen before, frankly we are stumped. He was found in an abandoned house, an anonymous 911 call had been made on his behalf."

"He was infected with it while on a case. A case involving a terrorist that sends diseases to his victims. I'd like to stay and help, I'm a medical doctor,"

"You are more than welcome here, Dr. Scully," Field said. A nurse then yelled his name, and he excused himself. Scully stared at her partner, a longing sadness overcoming her.

SAN DIEGO, CA
RESIDENCE OF ALBERT KIVIELLE
4:14 AM

Albert walked into his house and threw his keys on the table. He was tired from the night's ordeal, and only wanted to go to bed. He walked into his bedroom, and found Michael sitting on the bed, waiting for him.

"Hey, Dad,"

"Michael! What are you doing here?"

"I came to clear up a loose end,"

He then lunged at Kivielle, and grabbed him by the arm. Kivielle pulled out his gun and pushed Piora away. Suddenly, Kivielle began to cough uncontrollably.

"You shouldn't have gotten involved, Dad," Piora said while walking out of the room.

Albert knew that his son had infected him with whatever had afflicted with him. He also realized why Malcolm DeLaney had shot himself. Michael had done the same to him, infected him with a disease that was fatal...and slow. Albert looked at his gun, soon afterward putting it in his mouth. After tears streamed down his face, he pulled the trigger.

BALTIMORE METHODIST HOSPITAL
5:38 AM

Mulder had finally been moved into a private room, but they still had no idea on the cause or methods of treatment. Scully had worked hard, and was exhausted. She remained at his bedside, falling asleep in the chair beside him.

Obsidian walked silently through the door, watching the two agents. Scully was sound asleep, unaware that he had entered. He quietly closed the door to the room, leaving only the light from Mulder's machines illuminating the room.

He reached under his coat, and unholstered his gun. He pulled it out and looked at it for a moment. He then pointed it toward Mulder, pulling back the hammer.

TO BE CONTINUED...