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The flash drive rolled along his knuckles. It was a trick his father had taught him with a dime and eventually a quarter. If only he had half of his father’s magical prowess. Slatted light through the window shade scattered as it bounced off the metal of the flash drive. The anticipation of what was contained on the flash drive fluttered in his stomach and sent a burst of adrenaline through his veins. Even though the only living things in the house besides the venturous roach were the goldfish and a sleepy pup, William never felt alone. The house always felt warm and inviting, creaking with the footsteps of the past and moaning its lullaby. With a deep breath William leaned back and retrieved the laptop he furtively stashed between the mattresses. He rested it on the one the rest of the world believed was his real laptop and cracked it open. The home screen displayed and a bolt of fear shook William’s spine:
Watch the viruses on the porn sites. I’m not buying you yet another laptop,
-Love, Dad
Blinked across the screen. Damn. Somehow the guy was always two steps ahead of him. No matter how well he did or didn’t hide it, he always found it. William shoved the flash drive into the slot and began the download. Little manilla folder icons populated the screen.The loud creak of the screen door sounded off in a warning and William slammed the laptop closed, leaning back to quickly nestle it back between the mattresses. The wheel slipped and William flailed his hands and feet waving as he crashed with the chair flat onto his back. He puffed out his cheeks as a woman cleared her throat above him and released it in a blast of air as their eyes met. “While you’re down there, you may want to pick up your clothes,” his mother said with her arms folded, tapping her heeled shoe on the wood floor with her toe. “How was work today?”“Fine,” William replied, wrapping his arms around his knees as he failed to play it cool, twisting around into a seated position. “Spent all day putting the “I” in F.B.I.”Scully nodded. “Yes, I know it well. Dinner will be ready in an hour.” “Sure, no problem, Mom,” “Don’t forget to wash-up.”William scratched at the back of his head still feeling foolish. “I won’t.” *After dinner, Maggie closed the door to her father’s study to do her homework, while William went out to meet some friends. Mulder and Scully sat on the couch with their laptops and the television on mute, reviewing their respective lesson plans. Feeling the weight of Scully’s stare, Mulder lowered the dark rimmed glasses from his face.“Done for the night?” he asked. Scully nodded and he closed his computer, setting it on the coffee table next to hers. He extended his arm and Scully leaned into it, settling her head on his chest as they both stared out at the television. He raised the volume on the television enough for them to hear.“I get the feeling there’s something on your mind,” he whispered in her ear, brushing his nose behind it, her body having an immediate response. “I caught your son today, hiding something on his laptop.”Mulder rolled his eyes. “Scully, he’s a young adult male. He’s going to have secrets.”“I think there’s more to it. I saw it in his eyes. Please, Mulder.”Mulder inhaled deeply, then nodded. “Okay, I’ll talk to him.”Motivated by the deepening of his gaze, Scully pressed her lips to his. “Let’s go upstairs,” she mumbled against his mouth.Without even looking Mulder picked up the remote and powered off the television. He took her hand and lifted off the couch, leading her to the bedroom.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Marley,” Agent Hendrix called out, using the name for William he had invented when they attended Quantico together. The guys often razzed William, calling him names like Spooky Jr. or Little Spook. Even one of the professors referred to him as Casper. Much like his father, he retained the uncanny ability to develop behavior models for serial killers and repeat offenders that could almost predict their actions before even the killer perceived it. “Maaarley!” Hendrix, bellowed out into the woods, but there was still no response. They had been tracking a suspect in a murder case and the suspect fled on foot upon suspicion into thick hilly brush and then eventually the forest. Agent Hendrix wiped the sweat from his hairline, his heart raced as he trudged up the steep hill. The heavy humidity was so thick it smothered the air as it entered his lungs. When he reached the precipice he looked for any signs of life. He dialed William’s cell again, but it only went straight to voicemail. Too much time had passed. He was going to have to call it in. Even worse, he was going to have to answer to William’s mother.*“Remain calm.” William’s inner voice spoke to him in his mother’s voice. Professor Dana Katherin Scully, M.D.Bound by chains that must have been made of a special alloy, William struggled to free himself. Pain sung up his leg from the cramped quarters. The car made a swift left and his head banged against the inside of the trunk. The worst part was his ASAC would kill him when he found out that the perp had stolen his damn fleet sedan. His father had told him the story of how his mother had once been abducted and locked in the trunk of a car. Then he reviewed with him and his sister all the ways they could escape. William wiggled his feet enough to feel for the light sockets then kicked out with all his might. Sunlight shone as he watched the bits of plastic scatter the highway, the fixture bouncing and rolling off to the side. He took careful mental notes and using his abilities manipulated the cell phone stuck in his pocket to unlock and text everything he observed. The cell came to life, glowing through the pocket of his jeans, clicking as it opened and typed up each letter. Using only the heat of the electrical impulses of his mind he carefully and delicately radiated the phone’s display to the section he envisioned in his mind to be the send. He heard the ding of the message, notifying him that it did indeed reach a cell tower and was being sent to the only man he believed could find him.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Mulder’s long thin legs strided up to the area surrounded in yellow tape. He felt the heat on his neck as he barked at the ASAC. “Why wasn’t I notified immediately?”
“This is a Bureau matter. We don’t call Mommy and Daddy every time an Agent runs into a little trouble on a case,” Agent Rawls growled. “Isn’t there a class you should be teaching? Give a lecture on how to speak Klingon?”
“They actually speak in a Mandalorian dialect.”
“Who?”
“The beings on Karnac.”
Agent Rawls lifted an eyebrow. “Sure they do,” he muttered. “Look Mulder, we’ve got a handle on this, so you’ll be much better off to go back to your office in Quantico.”
But Mulder wasn’t listening. In a crouch position inside the yellow tape area, Mulder spoke to the detectives, “Were you able to pull any treads? It’s pretty obvious with the tire swirls marked in the gravel the car was rear wheel drive and pulled out at a high rate of speed.”
Detective Thompson replied, “His partner said they took off in their fleet sedan.”
Mulder looked up at him. “Agent Nick Hendrix is here?” He pulled out his cell and dialed.
“I’m walking towards you now,” Agent Hendrix said into his cell before hanging up and smiling at Mulder. “How did you know to come out here?”
“I received a text from William.”
“Who called in Fox Mulder,” Hendrix heard Rawls roar at the detectives. He ignored Rawls and spoke to Mulder. “We were chasing the suspect. William can run much faster than I can. He went ahead and then they disappeared. When I backtracked, the car was gone.”
“You think they took William?”
“I don’t know, but William wouldn’t have just left me here.”
Without a word, Mulder turned and started heading in the direction of his car.
“Professor Mulder, where are you going?” Agent Hendrix called out, trying his best to keep up.
“I’m going to find my son.”
“I’m coming with you,” Hendrix said, opening the passenger door and getting in.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The car continued to bounce and rattle, tossing William like dice in a game of Yahtzee. All the while, he concentrated on the welds in the chains, heating them up, burning his own skin until the links finally melted and weakened enough for him to break them. With a swift pull, he was able to free his hands.
Recalling the words of his father he remembered the jack kit underneath. Using his wits he pulled back the carpet and twisted the ring, accessing the spare tire and a wrench. He went to work on the lock and busted the trunk free. He waited for the car to slow and jumped, rolling onto the hard pavement, hearing the crunch of the shattering bone in his arm. Fighting through the immense pain he forced himself upright and raced away. Bullets buzzed by his ear before piercing his lower kidney, then his left lung. He coughed as he ran, blood spurting out and sprinkling the road, and his pants, with buttons of tiny red dots.
“That stings you asshole!” William shouted at the man, finally reaching a wooded area and darting behind a tree. His breath came fast and hard as he begged it to slow, leaning his hands on his knees.
When the man got too close William took off again in the zigzag formation he learned from his mother’s training. He made sure to follow no clear path, constantly changing direction to throw them off his trail. William winced, the pain excruciating and constant.
The man chasing him screamed and William turned and slammed right into another man. This one the size of a red oak. William hit the ground hard as he fell backwards. A gun pressed to his right temple.
“You might want to stop before we kill your entire family,” the man hissed.
“What do you want!?!” William huffed, popping the bone of his arm back underneath the skin, matching the break with the other half to heal, the bullet holes in his back already mending.
“Just a little blood,” the man returned. “So follow me or your mother dies.”
*
Mulder slammed on the breaks and the car spun, doing a full 180 before coming to a stop.
“Whooo,” Hendrix yelled. “That was fire.”
Mulder got out of the car and started on foot. About twenty feet along he lifted fragments of red plastic, holding it up to the sun. “This is William. We’re getting closer.”
“How do you know?” Hendrix asked.
“Because I taught him how to do it. They must have him locked in the trunk.”
“How? That’s impossible. No one’s going to make William do what he doesn’t want to do.”
Mulder looked at Hendrix, peeling his eyes. “How would you know?”
“I’m his partner. We’ve known each other a long time. There are some things you just can’t hide from your partner.”
Mulder’s phone tinged. He retrieved it from inside his jacket and flipped through his notifications. “William must have activated his tracker. He’s a few miles up the road.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“The always beautiful Agent Scully,” Frohike said as he opened the door to the Lone Gunman lair with a smile.
Scully walked inside. “Good afternoon to you. Did you get anywhere with the email I forwarded you?”
Langly appeared from around the corner. “Whoever sent you this knows what they’re doing. They’ve bounced that email across a ton of servers and the IP address they’re using is a dummy.”
“The online newspaper is also fake,” Byers added. “From an unknown town even Google doesn’t know about.”
“So it’s all fake news?” Scully asked the trio.
Frohike looked over at Byers then Langly. “Considering what the article says about your son, I’d say it’s worth the trip to find out.”
“But a trip to where?” Scully countered.
Frohike pointed to the town’s name below the bold print of the newspaper. "Vorstellung Valley. The address of the newspaper is on the back. It’s probably a couple hours from here.”
Scully glanced at the three men before her. “Pack your bags boys,” she said in her best Mulder imitation, “looks like we’re going on a road trip.”
*****
Vorstellung Valley, Virginia
Scully pointed to the exceptionally plain green exit sign after mile marker 131. There were no indicators that anything more lie ahead than maybe a gas station or possibly a McDonalds.
“You’re sure this is the exit?” Scully asked as Frohike turned the van into the lane.
“According to the address on the newspaper, this is the only exit that might lead close to that area,” Byers answered.
Over the river and through the woods didn’t lead them to grandma’s house, but around another bend through the base of a mountain it opened up to flat plains and a small town.
“Welcome to Vorstellung, population: 1013”
the sign read.
“Pull over,” Scully said, suddenly. “We don’t know where we’re going or what we’re looking for.”
Frohike slowed the car off the road onto the tall grass. He leaned over and twisted the knob to the glove compartment. It fell open and Frohike retrieved a pair of old military binoculars. “Here,” he said, handing them over to Scully.
Through the small ocular lenses Scully watched the people moving around, busy with their day like every other Main Street U.S.A., except something seemed odd. The people were moving in single file, their feet all coming down on the pavement at the same time. Like they were all part of some marching band or following on a track in a carnival ride. It reminded Scully of the Samantha drones Mulder had described long ago.
“Uh, Scully?” Langly said. “You might want to turn around.”
Scully turned to see five men with guns pointed at her and the Lone Gunman.
*
“How much longer you think this is going to take?” William asked the men. “I’d like to get home in time to walk my dog.”
As William spoke he took note of the number of men, the two windows in the other room that might be a possible escape, and items he might use as weapons. A chair by the desk pushed up against the wall, the desk lamp, even the cushion of the club chair they had him sitting in. At least they hadn’t restrained his hands or feet again. He willingly followed, out of curiosity more than anything. If he had to, he could use his powers of illusion to get away with killing anyone.
He heard a door close and a rustling of boots. The door to his room opened. “I was starting to feel underappreciated,” William said to the man with the machine gun. Then William froze at the two figures standing behind him. “Mom? Dad?”
“William,” Scully cried. “Are you alright?”
“Mom, I’m fine.” He forced a smile to alleviate her worry and said in the worst British accent, “Tis but a scratch.”
The man motioned them toward the loveseat in the corner of the room and Mulder and Scully sat down. From the reactions of his parents, William understood that they knew these men.. Or at least the one acting as the leader. The man was tall with a gray receded hairline and a face creased with not just experience, but misery and strife.
“The gang’s all here,” Mulder said. “You mind telling us why?”
“They’ve found the secrets of John Barnett,” the man said.
“The locker was empty,” Mulder replied.
“Yes, but the notes were never destroyed.”
“Mulder?” Scully asked.
“You remember the case, Scully,” Mulder said, keeping his eyes on the man standing at the center of the room. “..my former partner Reggie lost his life. Barnett went after you and held your friend hostage, and I finally shot him like I should have the first time and saved that Agent’s life.”
“Yes,” Scully answered, then turned to the men. “We never recovered anything.”
“Yes, but they did,” the lead man replied. “This town isn’t on any map because it doesn’t exist. Outside these walls is a simulation, a controlled experiment before they execute the real attack. All those people are volunteers, all for the promise of eternal life.”
“And you’re getting to the part of how this concerns us?” Scully replied.
“The experiments aren’t just for eternal life. They have access to files. The X-Files. They’re looking to create superhumans. It’s Will to Power. They don’t care about any prophecy or projects or plans for colonization. Only themselves and taking over the world.”
“Again,” Scully stated, sounding increasingly annoyed, “you brought us out here for a reason. Your men shot my son, causing him great pain. I have a right to know why.”
“I understand your hostility, but if you take a moment to look around, I believe you’ll find your answers. We mean no harm.”
“You said you wanted my blood,” William said. “Why?”
“They have bioweapons. Your blood will protect us. We’re on your side.”
“I can tell by the bullet holes in my jacket,” William smarted back.
“You don’t have much time, they will return soon. You have maybe two more hours. Search the compound, observe the town.”
The man standing in the corner stepped forward, his eyes intense. “Before the demons take over the heavens, you must stop them.”
Mulder drew the attention with the single wave of his hand. “Who is They?”
The gray-haired man looked puzzled like they already should have known. “The Adams and Eves.”
The men retreated, leaving Mulder, Scully, and William alone in the room. “What do we do?” William asked his father.
Mulder looked over at Scully, then back at William. “We go to work.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Mom,” Maggie called from her room before heading down the hall to her mother’s bedroom. “Have you seen my lucky socks?”“Are those the ones with a hole so big you could use it as a leg warmer?” Scully asked, combing her hair as she walked from the bathroom.“What are leg warmers?” Maggie replied, squinting at her mother. Scully held up the worn ragged pair Maggie had been searching for. The stains on them couldn’t be washed out for fear the last remaining threads might fray. “These socks?”Maggie happily yanked them from her mother’s hand as she held them out for her to take. She inspected them. “Mom, what did you do?”“I sewed up the hole.”“Oh, no.” Maggie raked a hand through her long flowing copper hair. “What if manipulating the stitching changed its karmic integrity? I’m pitching today and I have a calculus test.”Scully rested her hands at her hips. “You don’t need luck for any of that, you have skill.”“How about my lucky rabbit’s foot?” Mulder prodded as he stopped by the doorway. “I can hear you two from my office.”“Ew, Dad! I’m not carrying around the foot of a dead animal with me!”Mulder pursed his lips.“I may have just the thing.” Scully left the two of them standing by the fish tank before returning with a smile and a spring in her step. She handed Maggie a key chain.Maggie flipped it over. “An Apollo 11 keychain?”Mulder tilted his head. Scully lifting a brow in return. “Your father gave that to me as a birthday present. It’s about teamwork and, if luck was really an actual phenomenon, I might surmise that it has given me nothing but luck.” Maggie squeezed it tight in her palm. “I’ll give it a try.”“Where did you get this notion of luck from anyway? I’ve never heard you speak of superstitions before?” Scully asked.“From Coach Lupone.”“Lupone. His first name isn’t, Richie?” Scully looked over at Mulder.“Yeah, his first name is Richie. He’s our new coach from Chicago. You know him?”Mulder nodded. “From a long time ago. Really good kid.”“Kid? He’s like forty, Dad.” *** Each gulp of breath stung, the air not coming into his lungs quick enough. He dunked his head under and pumped his arms, over his head and under, pushing the water with his cupped hands and scissoring feet, feeling his body propel forward. The tiled wall seemed to fall away the harder he swam. One gulp of air and he turned and pushed off it with all his might. In the near distance he saw the steady smooth kick of his father’s legs. Mulder’s body glided like a bullet through the water. William kicked harder, but it was no match for the gentle glide of his old man. William touched the wall and pulled himself from the pool in defeat. His father’s encouragement might as well have been a wet towel to the face. “Keep practicing, you’ll catch me one day.”William wasn’t certain that day would ever come and the other part of him hoped it never did. To him, his father was larger than life. Mulder conquered Bounty Hunters and defeated supersoldiers. The man once rode a train like a skateboard and took down the world’s biggest crocodile with a handgun.“Part of that problem is that bathing suit,” Mulder said, tossing William a towel from the rack. “All that extra fabric is weighing you down.”William averted his eyes. God, why did he have to wear that speedo. Looking down at his own cobalt blue swim jammers, they didn’t leave much more to the imagination, but at least they didn’t resemble his mother’s underwear. Not to mention the odd number of male and young female agents that often inquired if his dad was single.Scully flexed her knees lifting the heavy weight, the last of her reps. Weights weren’t her favorite forms of exercise, but a necessary part of maintaining her muscle mass. She wiped down her machine and headed to the pool where Mulder said they were meeting. It was unusually crowded and it didn’t take her long to see why. Mulder and William were up to their usual antics, racing each other in the pool. The rest of the crowd were spectators, hollering, taking bets, and overall gawking at her husband and son. Women flirting and fawning over her husband was nothing new and nothing she paid attention too. Well, unless they crossed a line, then she crossed hers. A woman in her late twenties currently had Mulder’s attention with three other women surrounding him with dreamy eyes, waiting their turn. When Scully saw the bashful rose color his cheeks she knew the time had come for her to step in. Then one of the women touched his shoulder. Scully saw red, the fire burning all the way to her copper tips. “Excuse me, Mulder,” Scully said, giving her husband’s arm a firm tug, “Are you going to introduce me?” His eyes swayed from the young woman’s neckline to Scully’s gaze. His adam’s apple bobbed in his throat before his mouth hooked into a pained grimace. “Agent Johannson, this is my wife, Dr. Dana Scully. She’s also a professor at Quantico.” Leaning in he gave Scully a kiss. She knew it was an insurance move on his part, but she would take it. After all these years, she still couldn’t resist the sweet high she got from the soft press of his pillowy lips.“Nice to meet you,” Agent Johansson said, her shoulders flexing back while her jaw tightened. “Agent Johansson was in my class a couple years ago.”“I was wondering if he could sign my book,” Agent Johansson said, and as she did pumped her chest out and towards Mulder. “I bought a first edition.”“Did you,” Scully said, “how wonderful. I’m sure Professor Mulder would love for you to come to his book signing. Unfortunately he won’t be wearing the speedo.” This made the other women around him giggle like school girls. “You ready,” Scully asked, addressing Mulder, “I need to get back to Quantico.”“Yeah, let’s go,” Mulder returned.As they headed out Scully noticed William sitting by the pool, his own entourage of women hovering around him. Seeing the female agents and secretaries ogling and being amorous and flighty towards her son filled her head with one thought: she would have to buy a bigger gun.After her workout, Scully headed to Quantico, but was interrupted by a phone call from Assistant Director Monica Reyes. “Monica, how is everything?”“I wish I was calling under better circumstances, but there’s been a string of homicides that’s beginning to look to me like an X-File.”“Monica, we’re retired.”“I know, but they’re assigning your son the case and it’s starting to get political. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think it was imperative.”“Okay, let me free up my schedule with my T.A. and I’ll be right over.” * The bullpen had the old familiar smell of burnt coffee and Arrid extra dry, with ill-fitted suits and not enough female voices. When Scully passed a group of young men gathered at a corner cubicle, they hushed their conversation, their eyes upward as Scully passed on her way to Monica’s office. “Must be serious, they’re calling in the Spookys,” one of them whispered.Scully couldn’t stop herself. Halting her stride she turned. “What’s it like spending your days in a cubicle instead of an office, wishing and hoping one day you might get called to the big game? I see a lot of green faces in this room and I’m not referring to the aliens. I can tell by your ignorant attitudes, none of you attended one of my classes.”She walked by William’s empty cubicle, identified by his nameplate, and saw something that stabbed at her heart. As a cruel joke they had piled his desk with baby diapers, pacifiers and baby bottles decorated in little aliens. “It’s good to see you, Dana,” Monica said as she pulled her leather chair into her large mahogany desk. “We need to get together more often.”“Preferably at the house. What is it, Monica?”“The mayor of Staunton’s nephew was murdered and given his connections in the department of justice, demanded the FBI’s involvement. One of our agents discovered a connection between the mayor’s nephew and some other homicides along the Blue Ridge Parkway. They had all been around heavily wooded areas. Most were homeless or known drug users. Local police chalked it up to coyotes, bobcats, or possible bear attacks.”“And you believe this could be an X-File?”“They all had missing livers.”“Were any other body parts missing?”“They’re hiking trails in a forest. By the time they were recovered, animals and birds had already picked at most of the victims.”“Then what tipped you off to contact me?”“Local PD apprehended a suspect and held him in a cell waiting for our field office to arrive. When they got there the suspect was gone. The cell was still locked and there were no other windows in the cell. There was only one way he could have gotten out.”“He squeezed through the bars.”“Exactly.” * That night..Through the mirror Scully peered at Mulder’s shirtless body behind her. The planes of his chest like two chiseled rock formations, his biceps two footballs that transformed to solid softballs with each flex. She would be hard pressed to find anyone to disagree that he was an outwardly attractive man. The low hum of their toothbrushes interrupted the silence, their cadence of brushing and spitting down to an artform. She rinsed then rotated, reaching up to caress the layer of fine sandpaper growing along the long strokes of his jawline. “Are you shaving tonight?”“I could.”“Leave it scruffy,” Scully said, her finger mingling down the valley of his abs. “That is unless the multitude of former young students prefer you shaved.”“I knew it, I knew that bothered you.”“On the contrary,” Scully said, looking at him through her lashes. “I just thought maybe if you had time I could have your autograph too.”Mulder’s voice dropped and mellowed. “Scully, there are places on my body I wouldn’t even let another doctor touch. What they were doing was meaningless.”“Mulder, a light touch can easily turn to a stroke, then a harder stroke because they want to feel the taut muscle just underneath your skin, and next thing you know I’m burying both of you in the backyard.”“As an FBI agent you should really choose a less conspicuous location..”Scully cut her eyes. “You know what I mean.”“Scully, you may be overreacting.”“Mulder, they touched your arm, patted your back, squeezed your shoulder. She mimicked each touch as if that might erase where others had been.” Her voice quieted. “I saw the way your eyes were wandering, your boyish charm turned on high, and why were you letting them touch you?”He looked slightly surprised and immensely amused. She leaned in closer to him, inhaling deeply, her eyes drifting closed with the pleasure of his scent. “No one touches you, but me.”“No one, Scully. No one outside of this family.” He stepped closer. “And the same in regards to you, especially not the way I’m about to.” His voice was low and charged, fire lacing each syllable. His gaze went to that forbidden place of tenderness that she craved, and at one time feared, until she felt it down to her very soul.“Scully,” he whispered. Between one breath and the next his mouth was on hers, her back flush against the wall, their hands hungry and beginning to wander. With Mulder it had always been different. Primal instincts barged past any predilections to the pure irrational lust of claiming him. Underneath his navy boxer briefs, Scully felt him swell against her leg. His sweet supple lips deepened their kiss, while his body stayed plastered to hers. Sparks of pleasure skittered down from her chest and between her legs. She dug her fingers into his soft silky hair, kissing down his neck, biting, sucking on his velvet skin just below his five o’clock shadow. Scully moaned softly, her body quivered.From the not so distant hallway came the call of the wild. “Mom! You’re helping William on a case? I want to help.”“You’re not an agent,” William hollered back.“Not yet,” Maggie argued, throwing open the door. “Dad, why can’t I…” Maggie stopped mid sentence, her face scrunching tight as she stepped back over the threshold of their bedroom. “Oh my God, Ewww."Mulder, who had his back to the door, shifted Scully in front of him. “Margaret, what did we say about knocking?” Scully scolded. “I think I’m blind,” William whined, covering his eyes. “The two immaculate conceptions,” Scully murmured, waving her arm. “You’ve witnessed me kissing your father before.”Mulder cocked his head to the side, one side of his mouth hooking into a grin, “Well..” Then addressed his children. “Your mother is right, you need to knock.”William faked a gag. “Aren’t you too old for that?”“Not yet, so knock,” Mulder replied, pointing at him.“Oh, gross. We’re in the house,” Maggie chimed in, fleeing from the scene, William following close behind both of them retreating to their respective rooms.Scully entwined her fingers with Mulder’s and led him from the bedroom. “Where are we going?” he asked as they hit the steps.“You may have forgotten, but we have a basement with a very secure lock on the door.”Mulder waggled his brow. “Set the washer to spin.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Mulder held the door to the conference room open for Scully to walk through. William and Hendrix followed close behind.
“Well, if it isn’t the FBI,” the Sheriff boasted. “Everyone, this is Agent Mulder and Agent Scully. The mayor so humbly asked them to come out of retirement and assist us with this case.”
The officers in the meeting turned their attention to the four agents. They scowled at Mulder like he had just drank the last beer in the fridge. At the command of the Sheriff, they all left the conference room.
“There was another homicide last night,” Detective Witlock explained. “This time a toll booth operator.”
Among the scraping of chairs and chatter, Scully addressed the sheriff. “Have you worked up a preliminary profile?”
“You’re late. The briefing is over.” the sheriff answered in a bitter tone. “I’ve been working serial killer cases for over twenty years. If you would have gotten here on time you would have heard the profile.”
Agent Hendrix leaned in to William and whispered, “Oh man, this guy has it in for your mom and dad.”
“My dad hasn’t spoken yet,” William whispered back. “Wait.”
“Excuse me, Sheriff..” Mulder interrupted.
“Sheriff Long. Eli Long.”
Mulder bit at his bottom lip rocking on his heels. “Sheriff Long, I already have the profile.”
“And how is that?” The sheriff stood about four inches shorter than Mulder, but his sour demeanor gave him an extra six. He placed his hands on his hips and peeled his dark brooding eyes. “We haven’t released any information yet.”
“I’ll take a shot in the dark,” Mulder replied. “We’re looking for a white male between the ages of thirty to forty five, has mommy issues, doesn’t work in an office, and was most likely in the military.”
“How did you know?” Detective Witlock asked.
“It’s the typical profile for any serial killer.” Mulder looked at Scully. “Why don’t you head over to the ME, get a look at the bodies. See if we can determine the order in which the wounds are inflicted.”
“Where are you going?” Scully asked.
“In the local news for this area there was a man attacked at a movie theater last night. I’m going to speak with him and see if there’s any connection. William, you and Hendrix want to walk around town, get the feel from the local hikers? See if you can get a lead.”
“Dad, can I speak with you outside?”
“Sure..” Mulder said, but William detected a slight hesitation in his voice.
Once they reached the lawn outside the police station, William confronted Mulder. “Dad, A.D. Reyes assigned me the case. You’re here to assist.”
Mulder’s hands rose to his waist, flaring out his suit jacket, the faint outline of his six pack visible through his white shirt. “William, of course. I’m not trying to step on your toes.”
“Good, because I have a mobile office on the way.”
“Mobile office?” The words hardly left his lips when a solid black RV looking vehicle with blacked out windows pulled up to the curb. “William, we can't solve this case in the back of a school bus. We need to be out there, getting into the mind of this man.”
Meanwhile, Agent Hendrix was inside speaking with the sheriff. “We’re just here to help, Sir. We’d like to work together with you on this.”
“I appreciate that son. I was told Agent Mulder and Scully were the best of the best. I’d like to see it for myself.”
“It is something to see,” Agent Hendrix replied.
With Scully off to autopsy the body, the rest of them piled into a van darker than an eclipse of the sun. The inside was lined in acoustic foam panels, a solid black ceiling, and an array of monitors. There were long shelves along the length of the van that served as desks for the agents to work and type on their keyboards.
“William, we should call over to the field office, request a copy of the file on the toll booth operator homicide. See if we can get a home address,” Mulder suggested taking in his surroundings, making mental notes of all the technological advances.
William held up his tablet. “Already got it Dad.”
He handed it to Mulder for his review. Mulder tapped on the screen to zoom in and accidentally closed the file and opened email. Retrieving his glasses from his pocket he finally saw the error of his ways. “William, I’m not sure what this thing did..”
William took the tablet back. “It’s okay, Dad. I’ll pull it up on the big screen for you.”
“Big screen?” Mulder asked before a projected image appeared over a white board in the back of the van. There it displayed a picture of the victim with his information below. “How do I navigate the file?”
“You just touch whatever part of the projection you want more info on,” William explained.
“But it’s just a wall,” Mulder said, feeling around like he just became visually impaired. “I touch the wall?”
“Yeah.”
Mulder’s approach was akin to putting his toe in the cold water of the ocean. First he waved his hand. No response. So he did as William instructed and touched the projected area under the man’s name. Immediately his stats appeared. “How do I return to where I was?” he asked William who was already speaking to an agent readily typing on a laptop. He faced one of the van’s many windows.
“Swipe right. To see more details, swipe left.”
“Shortest route is Assembly street, but with all the lights it won’t be the fastest,” the agent at the computer terminal interrupted.
“That won’t be a problem,” William replied, pretending to type into his tablet as the traffic lights for blocks all turned green. In actuality, the tablet screen had nothing more than a game of minecraft on it.
“How do you have that kind of connectivity?” the agent asked.
William smirked. “That’s above your clearance level.”
“What about where the mayor’s nephew’s body was found?” Mulder asked William.
“I’ve got a group of agents already canvassing that area looking for DNA and microscopic evidence.”
“I need to call Scully and see where she’s at with the body.”
Another agent swiveled in his chair. “We’ve uploaded the forensics. We can see her notes live as she types them.”
Mulder’s brow furrowed as he leaned over to look at the screen. “Her private little notes?”
“Is there a problem, Sir?”
“No,” Mulder stammered. “I’m used to her typing those notes for my purview. To me. Now they’re being broadcast..”
“Dad, it’ll be okay.” William put a gentle hand on his dad’s shoulder.
“I’m not sure it will, William.” Mulder squinted out the one way glass window of the van. “It may never be okay again. When Bob Dylan said times were a changin’ I don’t think he ever fathomed this. So how does this work?”
“There is a continuous digital uplink to Quantico.” The agent expanded the screen and Scully appeared. Mulder reached out his hand and caressed the screen. “You mean you can see and hear everything in the room?”
“Absolutely.”
“So if we.. you can.. Oh.”
Mulder stared at Scully for long moments watching her work. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she? If they had this back in the day I may have never left the office.”
Scully leaned over and her top button loosened, making her cleavage and the top lace of her black bra visible. “Scully,” he whispered, admiringly. Then realized the other agent was watching and put his hand over the screen. “I think we got the idea. You can monitor elsewhere.”
Mulder opened his phone and texted Scully:
Fix your top button. I’ll explain later
“What does the list of names on that other screen mean?” Mulder asked William as he shoved his phone back into the inside of his jacket.
“That’s a list of possible suspects. The AI generates it and the list will change as we obtain more evidence.”
Mulder walked over to the projection and began to draw on the whiteboard, taking notes.
“Dad, no, that’s a monitor too.”
Mulder ran his hand over the smooth cool surface “You’re kidding me.”
The van pulled up to a split level ranch style house in the middle of a suburban community.
“It might be better if you guys wait outside,” Mulder said to the agents and detective. “All this…” Mulder waved his hands around. “..is kind of intimidating. Why don’t you go pick up Scully at the medical examiner while we’re questioning our witness.”
*
“Sir, take your time,” William said to the man, sitting down at the round kitchen table next to the man, gently giving the man his personal space and enough time for him to gather his thoughts and words.
Mulder purposefully pulled his chair further back to let William take the lead.
“You said you went to the movies. The attack happened in the theater?” William asked in a soft even tone.
The man nodded. “In the back row.”
“Did you get a look at his face at all?”
“It was too dark, but I may be able to give you some details.”
“Were you with anyone?”
“No.”
“No witnesses?”
“Not that I know.”
“Where do you work, sir?”
“I make food deliveries to all the local businesses.”
“Do you think it was anyone you met at work? Maybe someone new or someone that may have been following you?”
“I don’t think so.”
William leaned back. “You have any questions for him, Dad?”
“You said this was at a matinee,” Mulder said then paused for effect. “Why did you go to the matinee? Were you off that day?”
The man shrugged. “I was sequestered for Jury Duty and Wednesday the case was over and we were dismissed. I had the rest of the day off so I thought I’d catch a movie.”
“Thank you for your time,” Mulder answered.
“You have a theory?” William asked as they were leaving.
“Only pieces of one. I have some leads in my mind,” Mulder replied. Realizing this could be the perfect mentoring case, he prodded William, “I’m curious about your thoughts.”
“If this is Tooms or someone like him, he should have a nest.”
William’s answer surprised Mulder. How did he know such a specific detail about Tooms. “Has Reyes given you access to our files?”
“No,” William said quietly.
Mulder tightened his lip. Another theory formed in his brain. This one related to a conversation he had with Scully. “I’m beginning to suspect that this has something to do with the laptop you were so desperately trying to hide from your mother the other day.”
“I may have done a little hacking, but only into the x-files. I just wanted to know.
You know it’s really difficult having two FBI agents as parents. You made it almost impossible to sneak out at night or get in any real trouble. This is all I have.”
Mulder locked eyes with his son. “I’m sorry your life was so miserable.”
“Dad, that’s not true.” William kicked a loose pebble from the sidewalk. “You know what I mean.”
William’s phone buzzed and he glanced at his watch. “Henny just texted. There’s another guy he wants us to question. They’re coming now to pick us up.”
“Did the van pick up your mother?”
“The van’s at the medical examiners now.”
As they spoke a light colored Ford Escort pulled up.
“That was fast,” Mulder said.
William and Mulder slid into the back seat. Hendrix was driving with Detective Witlock on the passenger side.
“We interviewed several hikers, but this one guy, his name is DeQwan, he had some details the others didn’t. We thought we’d share our notes after you spoke with him. Get your opinion.”
“I’m not certain why that would be necessary,” Witlock said, “but Agent Hendrix insisted. We told him we’d meet at the Trailhead Tavern. It’s not far from here.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“I know I agreed to meet up with you, but if all these people keep watching me talking to suits it’s not going to be good for me,” DeQwan said, his eyes darting from one patron to the next, his Appalachian Trail ball cap pulled down to the bridge of his nose.
“It’s okay,” William said, “I won’t be here long.” He turned to the other agents. “Why don’t you guys get a table. I’ll meet up when I’m finished over here.” William removed his jacket and handed it to his father, stripping off his tie next. Unbuttoning his cuffs, he rolled up his sleeves and slid into the opposite side of the booth. Mulder pulled up a chair.
DeQwan kept his voice low, leaning in. “On the trails, hikers post warning, markings in the trees. Certain symbols mean certain things. The path of one trail in particular, the Buckhorn Gap, leads to a beautiful spring and then twin waterfalls, but people fear hiking it because of all the warnings on the trunks of all the trees.”
“Have you known anyone to go missing on that trail?” William asked softly.
“Yeah,” Deqwan sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Frosty.”
“Frosty?”
“That’s his trail name cause he’s always cold. Anyway, he went missing not too long ago. There was a search party, but his body was never found. There were other’s too. There’s something out there in those woods. People have seen things.”
“What kinds of things?” William asked, keeping his voice low and even.
“The Forest ranger says it’s nothing more than a bear’s den, but we think there’s a monster in there.”
William’s eyes widened. “Has anyone ever seen it?”
“Not enough to get a picture. Some say it might be a child of bigfoot or a..”
“A mothman?” Mulder suggested.
DeQwan looked at him and furrowed his brow. “Yeah, but no one ever believes us.”
“I want to believe,” William cut in, speaking in monotone. “If you can show us where this cave is, I have the equipment and the manpower to smoke out whatever kind of monster it is.”
“I can show you. Please, find Frosty, he deserves a proper burial. His parents and his girlfriend deserve closure.”
“We’ll do our best,” William said. “Thank you for telling us your story.” He nodded at his father and they left.
“So, what ya think?” Hendrix asked William when he met them outside the restaurant.
“I think you did good, Henny,” William replied and returned his bright smile.
Mulder handed William his jacket, holding up William’s tie against his. “What do you think, should we switch?”
William laughed. “Dad, your ties are hideous.”
Mulder pursed his lips. “Your mother likes them.”
“My mother is blind about certain things when it comes to you.”
“What does that mean?” Mulder said, following William down the street. “What things?”
“Forget it.”
“Next time I go shopping for ties I’ll bring you, okay?” Mulder pleaded.
“Okay.” William scratched his head and squinted. “You think we’re in the right direction?”
“Yes, but I also think you need to lead with your instincts,” Mulder replied honestly.
“What do you mean?”
“Did anything get picked up by your mental radar when we questioned Carrie?”
“She wasn’t following her normal routine.”
“So what does that lead you to believe?” Mulder prodded.
“The killer could have followed her, but wasn’t stalking her, or attempting to learn her routines.”
“Possibly.” Mulder thoroughly enjoyed these teaching moments with his son. It made him appreciate the time they had together and to watch him shine, to see his mind think. It made him proud.
“You think the Jury Duty has a significance,” William stated flatly.
“Do
you
?” Mulder returned.
“Maybe?”
Mulder pointed at William’s tablet. “Look in the case file. Tell me what you find.”
“The mayor’s nephew was also coming from jury duty.”
“Ok, so what should we do with that information?”
“We look up the names of the rest of the jurors. You really think one of them is our killer?”
Mulder smiled at their discourse. “I think that I wouldn’t discard the theory without further investigation.”
*
FBI Van, thirty minutes later…
“Twelve jurors and one angry man?” Scully asked when Mulder and William debriefed her on their jury duty theory.
“Yes, but Mom, how do we know which one is our mutant? We’ve run it through our programs and it can’t discern the perp. We need your help.”
“Well,” Scully said, taking a breath, “according to your father you’ve seen the Tooms file. What physical differences did Tooms have?”
William massaged his forehead as he took a moment to think. He lifted his finger. “The ability to turn into Gumby and become elastic man?”
“What else?”
William shook his head and threw up his hands. “I give up.”
“His eyes were known to be jaundiced due to the high amount of bilirubin build up in his body,” Scully answered.
“Who needs a half a billion dollars worth of equipment when you have your mother,” Mulder smarted.
“We’ve got a location,” said the agent.
“Of the suspect? How?” Scully inquired.
“The computer detected a slight jaundice in one of the jurors. We have his address on file.”
“I’ll lead the stakeout of the house with Scully,” Mulder said. “William, we still need someone to find the bile nest. That’s his real home.”
“I’m on it,” William replied, his face bright.
“Don’t forget to bring back up,” Scully reminded him. “And be careful.”
Mulder wrapped his arm around Scully, squeezing her shoulder. “He’s going to be ok. We need to allow him the space to be successful. You’ve done a great job raising him. Now let him do his job.”
“I know,” Scully sighed. “But it’s not easy knowing he’s being thrown to the wolves.”
“I’ve got this,” William assured her. Then addressed Hendrix. “Henny, get a crew and let’s get out there.”
*
Buckhorn Gap Trail
The path, made up of mostly single track, proved to be a long hike into the woods. Time passed slowly, but soon the sun would give way to shadows. They were running out of time.
“Just got word from base,” Hendrix huffed, trying his best to keep up with William’s long stride. “They’ve got a ping from a cell tower from the perp’s phone. It’s about three miles up ahead.”
William made a sharp left, heading towards the sound of a rippling brook.
“Marley, where you going?” Hendrix called. “It’s straight ahead.”
“You keep going,” William said. “There’s something here.”
Pushing ahead, he followed no path. On instincts alone he went through the thick brush. Limbs and twigs cracked and snapped, scraping at his exposed forearms and tearing holes in his slacks as William followed the vision in his head; one based on a foundation created by his parents. He felt their past pulling him to his future, beckoning him farther into the mountains.
Over an hour later, following the brook uphill, over rushing cold clean water gushing over rocks and fallen logs, William came to the opening of the cave. It was just as DeQwan had described. Yellow bile dripped from the mouth of the cave like honey. The ceiling and walls smooth as glass from the constant motion of the acidic liquid. It dripped on his clothes, in his hair, like hot oil teardrops down his face. William felt his anxiety climbing, the bile reeked of a souring sulfuric odor. It made him want to gag and a couple times he did. When he was just about to turn around and give up the chase, he found the base of the nest and the mutant’s collection of souvenirs -some jewelry, books, a compass, figurines, and an umbrella.
The cave moaned even when the air inside it stilled. William squinted into the darkness. Pulling out his flashlight, the beam canvassed the walls. In the corner a man struggled to his feet. One of his hands was wrapped around his side over his bloodstained t-shirt. It was torn open in the shape of a smile, the man attempting to hold in what might be his intestines, but looked more like a giant pinkish earthworm.
“FBI,” William yelled out. “I’m going to get you help.”
Thwack! Something slammed into William’s back. He staggered forward with a scream, both of surprise and pain. William twisted just as the breeze of a fist grazed his cheek. The flashlight slipped from William's hand and smacked against the rocky floor cracking the glass inside. It was only then as a strip of beam cut the air that William saw the glowing yellow of the monster’s eyes. Two bright red rings surrounded his pupils. Hypnotized by the horror, William didn’t prepare for the sweeping kick that brought him to his knees. The monster grinned above him, a smile that reminded William of a snarling dog.
The only chance William had of surviving the struggle would be to lure him out into the light of day. The mutant charged and William swooped down, lunging and railing against him like a linebacker, making contact then driving him back. Pain screamed in William’s shoulder as the mutant closed his jaws around his skin, his dress shirt providing little protection. It fired him up and gave him the adrenaline to lift the mutant off his feet and send him out of the cave and onto his back into the dirt and grass. Twilight had carried its violet hues across the sky, making it difficult to see through the trees’ natural canopies, but provided more light than the cave. Clean air. William’s lungs greedily sucked it in like he had been underwater. The forest had never smelled so good. Better than the last day of school in the playground knowing nothing but summer was ahead.
The mutant stood and hissed, sprinting towards William again. William swung, aiming for his throat, but making contact with his chest, and knocking him back a step. The mutant slipped on the wet rocks close to the stream and went down hard, slamming his head on the tiles. Vaguely aware of his own primal scream, William picked up a rock and brought it down on his upturned face as hard as he could.
The mutant’s head bounced back against the ground, before his body sprung into action. His arms swung like a pinwheel, surprising William. He had no choice, but to take the blows, landing on his bicep, chest, across his face. William tripped and his ankle twisted awkwardly, sending a searing pain up his leg. Ignoring the fire, William struggled to run, almost dragging his foot with him, climbing over fallen pine trees, detouring around an oak, leading him and the mutant to the top of a ravine. He had reached the end. William was trapped. His heart felt like it was falling dead in his chest as the mutant approached at full speed. There was nothing left to do. William closed his eyes and replaced the crest of the cliff with an open field, the blue and green now traced with the grays and blacks of dread and horror. William had reached out and tore right through the fabric of reality. The mutant’s eyes were hungry, peering out at him, a dark urine shade with the narrow black pupils of a cat’s eyes. Their contact was rough, the mutants body slippery, like wrestling against the wind. William’s facade worked, when the mutant reared to make his final strike of his teeth into William’s abdomen, he took a healthy step back and lost his footing. William kicked with all his might and the mutant’s feet came up from under him. William’s illusion faded and he leaned over to watch the mutant tumble into the ravine. He landed with a thud, his limbs in unnatural positions, blood trickling from his nose and mouth. Only then did William hear Hendrix calling, followed by a dozen agents.
“I heard your yell,” Hendrix panted. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, nothing serious.” William lifted his pant leg and lowered his sock to see the purple shading of his ankle. The swelling had already begun.
“You’re going to need to get checked out,” Hendrix said. “Then we need to debrief with A.D. Reyes.”
*
F.B.I. Headquarters
“I ran the DNA found at the crime scenes with our suspect,” Scully said. “They are a match. Between that and the souvenirs that Wil- I mean Agent Mulder, collected, we have strong evidence to close this case.”
“Do you have the results of the DNA comparison with Eugene Tooms?” Reyes asked from behind her desk.
Scully moistened her top lip and glanced over at Mulder. His eyes smiled supportively. “The results indicate that there is a relationship. With about eighty percent certainty he’s a relative of Tooms. If I was to venture a guess, I’d say second or third cousin.”
Reyes leaned back in her chair and turned to Mulder who gave a nod in agreement. “Well, I’ve been discussing the possibility of a restructuring of my department with Deputy Director Skinner and he’s in agreement that it’s time to reopen the X-Files.”
“Monica,” Scully protested, glancing once again at Mulder, “Agent Mulder and I are retired, we’ve moved on..”
“In a meeting with the other A.D.s there was an overwhelming agreement that Agent William Mulder be assigned to the new X-Files division.”
“When will you make the announcement?” Mulder asked. “When will he be transferred?”
“I gave him the keys to the basement office this morning,” Monica replied.
*
Mulder pressed the button to the basement as Scully got on the elevator. “Maybe taking this case wasn’t a good idea, our son having to endure our legacy.”
“I don’t know if I like the thought of him, all alone down there, isolated,” Scully agreed.
Mulder lifted a brow, “Maybe he’ll get a partner.”
The elevator doors opened and the overhead fluorescents flickered. They maintained their even stride down the hallway. “Besides, you saw all that modern tech. There’s no longer room for dinosaurs like us.”
“Dinosaurs? Speak for yourself, Mulder.” Scully replied.
“The world is changing, Scully. If we don’t change with it, they’ll put us on display with the relics at the Smithsonian.” Mulder stopped suddenly and held his arm out for Scully to halt. She followed his eyeline to see their son -sleeves rolled up, hair slightly askew, tie loosened- sitting behind his father’s desk. William’s fingers busily typed away at his laptop as he stared down, enthralled by an opened red and white X-Files folder.
Mulder squeezed Scully’s arm and whispered, “Let’s go.” They gave themselves one more moment to observe their son, before they returned with hands entwined, a tightened chest and glassy eyes to their careers as professors at Quantico.
*
“You really believe there’s more of the Tooms family out there?” William asked his father as he poked at his salad, passing it over for a scoop of potatoes before cutting into his steak.
Mulder swallowed before taking a swig of his iced tea. “Not just the Tooms. Who knows how many more types of mutants could be hiding among the shadows or hibernating.”
“It’s not fair,” Maggie declared, finishing her veggies then pushing away her plate. “I’m missing all the fun.” Pointing at William she declared, “I’m catching the next liver eating mutant and solving the case before you.”
*
One week later…
The address had been encrypted, but with some basic software William easily cracked it. William knew better than to enter into Google maps and call attention to it, so he did it the old fashioned way. Using his father’s old map collection, he located the dilapidated apartment building and entered. The hallway echoed with life. From the bellowing furnace noise to the tenants clanging with muffled voices behind the crooked numbers marking the doors. At the far end, William located the door number he was after - 1013. The door scratched and groaned open before he even knocked. Like the apartment, and fate, had been waiting for him. The floorboards creaked with each step inside. From the dark and shadowy corners appeared a gray-haired man that William recognized from when he had been captured and held against his will.
“You’re my informant?”
“I come to serve a purpose. You serve a purpose.”
He handed William a package with the words:
Happy Easter
written in thick black ink. William looked back at the man. The scrawny man slowly closed his heavy lined eyelids and gave him a nod. William ripped open the package. Inside contained a book.
The Case for the UFO: Unidentified Flying Objects.
A cursory flip through the pages revealed handwritten notes in various shades of blue and black ink along the margins. Words like merchandise, tests, brainwashing, stealth technology and unified field theory filled the short paragraphs. William knew better than to speak what he saw aloud. Somehow they were most likely being monitored. He looked inside the cover and saw handwritten names. One stood out. William Scully Sr. and next to the signature, The Office of Naval Research. Then his stomach turned when he saw another written a few names down. William Mulder, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.
William looked up from the book. “Who
are
you?”
The old man’s eyes crinkled. He spoke with upturned lips. “My name.. is Jeremiah Smith.”