Chapter 5

x-x-x-x-x

To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy
is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit - ever..... So you
have to lie back on superior intelligence and superior firepower.
And that's all she wrote.

-- Carl Spackler 

x-x-x-x-x

BWI Airport
Maryland
10:35pm

Scully drove like hell to catch a 4pm flight from Phoenix to
Baltimore.  Byers made it to the hospital just after ten in the
morning.  Scully had to admit the fake FBI ID he had gave her
real one a run for its money.  When this was all over, she'd have
to get Mulder to push them on how they did that.

Mulder.  It wasn't a good night or a bad night.  He just slept and
slept and slept.  The doctors had him on fluids -- he was a little
dehydrated -- and worked to keep his fever under 100.

At the Phoenix airport, Dana Scully became Jordan Cochran
and with one wild idea that would make Mulder proud and the
container of oil, she started back east.  The oil didn't register in
her carry-on as she went through security, Scully thanked God. 
Both Scully and Cochran arrived at BWI just after 10:30pm.

Frohike, dressed as a chauffeur was there to pick her up.  He
even had a piece of cardboard that read "Cochran".  Scully
grabbed it out of her hand -- attention was not going to do her
any good right now -- as he took her overnight bag.

"I need to get to my apartment and depending on what Skinner
is willing to do I may need you guys to secure some lab space
for me."

"The Assistant Director told us you can trust him."

"Frohike, are you siding with the government on this one?"

"No, of course not."  He opened the LoneGun van and let her
in, "I just think you could use a friend on the inside.  He was a
big help to Mulder when you were missing last summer."

"And he was responsible for taping Mulder and me for months."

"We'll get you whatever space you need, you know that."  

"I know, and I'm grateful.  I'm sure Mulder is too."  Scully
yawned. "Oh, by the way, who are Jordan Cochran and Ben
McKenna?"

x-x-x-x

Scully and Frohike made it to her apartment by 11:15pm.  As
she grabbed her laptop, a change of clothes and a felt bag from
her Grandmother.  Frohike arranged a meeting with Skinner in
the FBI parking lot at midnight.  He didn't tell the Assistant
Director who he was meeting.

Skinner was waiting by the third column on level "D" when
Scully arrived.

"I need access to Mulder's office and some lab time." she told
him.

"Why?"

"He's sick again.  And I have an idea what might help him.  He
had a few good hours after I got him away from Georgetown
Memorial but a relapse put in back in the hospital."

"Where is he?  Is he alright?"

"He's somewhere safe but no, he's not alright.  And if he dies, I
will not stop until I find the people who did this to him and
bring it back to them one hundred fold."

The Assistant Director took out his cellphone and dialed.  "This
is Walter Skinner."  There was a pause, "Good thanks, listen,
I'm sending Agent Scully over to SL3B.  I'm a bit concerned
about leaving her alone in the building this late at night."  He
chucked, "Yes I know how secure the building is but Kim's
wallet was taken right out of her desk last week and while I
think she's a great Agent, Scully is just a little slip of a girl." 
Another chuckle, "Yes, I do remember the good old days of
height requirements.  Right, I got that number.  Thanks again
Doug."

Scully just stared at her boss.

"I'm sure you know Doug Thomas."

"Head of Forensic Labs."

"Member of my gym.  Would make J. Edgar Hoover proud
when it comes to his opinions of women on the job."  He took
out a business card and a pen.  He wrote the lab code number
on the card and handed it to her.  "I want to hear from you in
twenty four hours."

Scully just took the card and entered the Hoover building.

x-x-x-x-x

Scully's first stop was the X Files office.   She saw the smoke
alarm was already dismantled.  Not sure if Skinner did that or
someone with a more nefarious agenda, Scully made her way
through the office quickly.

She picked up her file -- the one Mulder re-started after their
trip to the end of the world last summer.  In their three weeks
of isolation in Auckland, she worked on the little bit of
"vaccine" that was left to fight the boredom.  Now she hoped to
recreate it and what it would do to the black oil.  

She grabbed Mulder's file from Russia and took the formula for
the chemical his doctor found injected in his neck.  It was the
same compound.

She also took out the file on the Piper Maru and found a similar
compound.

SL3B was actually was a secured lab on the third floor of
Hoover.  It was where she often found Agent Pendrell --
another casualty in all this.  Pushing that out of her mind, she
started working on saving Mulder.

x-x-x-x-x
Hoover Building
SL3B
6:10am

"I e-mailed you what I need, can you put it together for me?"
Scully yawned into the phone.

"This shouldn't be a problem."  Frohike was happy to reply. 
"You know it isn't any of my business Agent Scully and of
course you don't need it but maybe you'd like to drop by for a
little beauty sleep.  I'm sure I can straighten up the back room
after I put this..."

"Thanks for the offer Frohike but I need get out of her before
the building gets busy and I need to get back to Mulder."

"He doesn't deserve you."

"We don't always get what we deserve." For some reason
Scully's mind went back to the last time she and Melissa were
sitting in her kitchen.  "I'll be over in about an hour.  Find me a
plane to New Mexico."  Scully planned to sneak into the
Hoover gym for a quick shower and change of clothes.

Scully packed up her laptop, put her gun in her jacket pocket
and started her way out of the back lab.  She was unhappy, but
not completely surprised to see Diana Fowley waiting for her. 
"Shouldn't you be rifling through Mulder's files or something?"

"How is he?"

"He seems to keep scratching these burn marks on his chest and
side.  Know anything about those?"

"When the ambulance came to get him he became violent.  One
of the EMTs had to use the stun gun to protect himself."

Maybe it was the exhaustion, maybe it was the situation or
maybe it was the ridiculous lie Diana just told, but Scully almost
laughed.  "Are you morally or physically unable to tell the truth? 
I'm thinking morally myself, but it may be a physical condition."

"Excuse me?"

"You know when I first started working with Mulder, he had all
these ideas of a grand and efficient conspiracy on almost an
intergalactic scale.  But seven years later I've realized it isn't so
much a grand and efficient conspiracy as it is a large
bureaucracy where the left hand doesn't know what the right
hand is doing."

"You've lost me."

"I'm not that lucky."  Scully sighed.  "Whoever sent you to
babysit or electrocute Mulder didn't tell you his apartment was
under surveillance did they?"

"I'm..."

"...You're on video tape giving him the shock of his life, so to
speak." 

"I was only doing it for his own good."

"After I shot him I told him that and he believed me.  Somehow
I think you have a harder sell."  Scully turned to the door only
to have Diana grab her left arm.  Scully put her right hand on
her weapon.  Staring at Diana she asked, "Do you know you're
touching me?"

Diana let go of her arm and took a step back, "You won't be
able to save him.  His only chance for survival is with me.  I can
get him to people who can provide the medical attention he
needs."

"You've got that wrong, again.  Your only chance for survival is
Mulder.  Your place in whatever is going on here is solely based
on your relationship with him;  your ability to get him to do
what they want him to do.  That's gone.  So unless you provide
other unique services, and Mulder did mention who he found in
your bedroom back in February, you may have a serious
problem."

"That's offensive."

"And this is tiresome."  Scully opened the door and saw Rick
Hammersmith in the hallway.  At least she thought it was Rick
Hammersmith, Introduction to Forensic Evidence was almost
seven years ago.  "Rick?"  Oh please be Rick, she hoped.

"Dr. Scully, I thought that was you.  I was picking up some files
when I smelled coffee."  Over the years, he added about ten
pounds to his already beefy 6 foot 4 inch frame.  A few grey
hairs as well.  "Hey, long night or early morning?"

"Can you come here for a second?"  Scully had one eye on
Diana at all times.

As Hammersmith came to the door, Scully pulled a piece of
paper out of the side pocket of the laptop briefcase.  She hoped
it was the right one -- at this point she could use a break.  "Do
you know what this is?" 

"Yes, ma'am."

She turned to Diana, "Can you please tell Agent Hammersmith
who you are."

"I don't have time for this."  Diana bristled as she pulled out her
badge, "I'm Special Agent Diana Fowley."

Scully looked to Hammersmith, "Well Agent Fowley," the
younger agent began, "according to this piece of paper Dr.
Scully here has a court order requiring you to stay at least 500
yards away from her at all times.  Dr. Scully, how would you
like to handle this?"

Scully would have loved somehow to put Diana in jail, but she
really just needed to get out of there -- now sadly without the
shower.  "Are you doing anything for the next 15 minutes?"

"Only what you ask me to do." He flashed her a smile.

"Keep Agent Fowley here until 6:30am at which time she can
leave.  I should be well away from the building by then."

"Sure Dr. Scully.  You want to sit down somewhere Agent
Fowley, you're not going anywhere for a few minutes."

"This is outrageous."

"Don't be afraid to detain her by force if you must," Scully used
a stage whisper for Hammersmith, "Assistant Director Skinner
will tell you she's under investigation for some fraud and
somehow feels Agent Mulder and I are involved.  She's very
bitter about the whole thing."

Hammersmith just nodded and smiled, happy for the first time in
his life to be the teacher's favorite and not the coach's.

As Scully walked down toward the elevator she made a call,
"Hi it's me...remember the offer of the backroom?  I could really
use a shower."

###