Date: Tue, 08 Jul 1997
Subject: Yin/Yang (2/2)

I am posting this for Lee Ann Wagner. Please send all comments to her.

For Disclaimer and Classification information, please see part 1

Yin/Yang - Part 6/9
by Lee Ann Wagner
lwagner@ntwrks.com
March 20, 1997

FBI Headquarters
Washington, D. C.
Monday, April 28
10:45 P.M.

Dana Scully dialed Dan Rais' cell phone number as Jackie St.
George finished printing out the information from the web site.
It took 5 rings before the older agent answered.

"Rais."

"Dan, it's Dana Scully. Jackie and I think we have found a
link between the original cases and the new one."

"That's marvelous, Dana. What it is?"

"It's not a what, Dan, it's a who. Fox Mulder."

"Mulder?"

"Yes. He was one of the primary agents assigned to each
case: 7 of them as profiler and 1 a specially requested agent.
That's the only thing that linked the 8 cases. We went over all
the files."

Rais was silent. "Fickett and I will get back there as
quickly as possible. Excellent work Dana. Now go home and get
some sleep. I'll call you tomorrow morning and we'll have a
meeting and plan the next step." He disconnected the line.

Jackie walked over to Scully's desk and placed 5 printouts
in front of her friend. She kept 5 for herself. She then walked
over and sat down in Mulder's chair. "You didn't tell him about
the web site."

Scully nodded. "I want to see what's all in it before making
it's existence official." She picked up the first sheet and
started studying it.

Jackie picked up the first sheet of photographs. "Do you
have a magnifying glass? These are small."

"Check the center drawer in Mulder's desk. That's where he
keeps the eye lens he uses for examining slides."

"Found it. Thanks."

After ten minutes of silent reading, Scully looked over at
Jackie in surprise. "There are things here that I didn't even
know about Mulder: the classes he took in high school and at
Oxford; who he took to the senior prom ..."

"Here's their picture. There are pictures here of Mulder as
a baby, in school, at Oxford. Someone has put together an awesome
retrospective of Fox Mulder: birth to present." Jackie gave a low
wolf's whistle. "Does he really wear red Speedos when he swims?"

"Is there a picture of him in them?" Scully walked over and
examined the page Jackie handed her. She studied one picture in
particular. "I've heard about those Speedos, but never seen them.
They are legendary among the clerical staff here."

"Well, he does look good in them," Jackie commented.

"Down girl." Scully laughed. "Think of Marty."

"Hey, I can look, I just can't touch," Jackie flashed a big

grin. "Besides when it comes to Mulder, I leave all the touching
to you."

Scully flashed her friend "The Look", as Mulder referred to
it. Jackie just tried to look innocent. Then Scully sighed
deeply.

"You know, this whole web site is very disturbing. Someone
has a hell of a lot of information, some of it confidential, on
Mulder ..."

"Don't forget the pictures. I doubt his mother has as good a
collection."

"... And pictures, many of them candid, and we don't know
who did this. Or why."

"Could it be the Gunmen?"

Scully thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I can't
see Frohike and the boys publicly invading Mulder's privacy this
way. They probably have more information than this on all of us,
but they wouldn't put it out on the internet this way." She
walked back to her desk and picked up the printouts. "The most
disturbing thing is I don't know if this web site is connected to
the case I'm on or not. I have no idea if this site is being run
by a murder with a sick obsession on Mulder or just some other
nut with a sick obsession."

"Well, if anyone could inspire more than one obsession, it's
Mulder. According to the school grades listed here, he's always
been an overachiever."

Scully smiled at the humor her friend was using to lighten
the mood. "Tomorrow I'll show this to Dan and then I'll talk to
Skinner. Get him to authorize a computer search to find the
person who runs this. But I think that's all we can do for
tonight. I'll drop you off at your apartment."

"Pick me up in the morning and you can get the files at the
same time."

"Okay. Then I can drop you off at the embassy."

Jackie just shook her head. "Can't get rid of me that
easily. I'm concerned about this whole mess also. If I'm needed
at the Embassy, Rosie will call me."

Scully smiled. "Thanks, Jackie.

The two women left the office and head for their respective
apartments and sleep.

X-Files Office
Tuesday, April 28
8:00 A.M.

Scully and Jackie had just arrived and gotten the coffee
machine going when Scully's desk phone rang.

"Scully."

"Dana, it's Dan Rais."

"Hi, Dan. Back so early?"

"Actually, Fickett and I are in Chicago. There was another
murder. The body was found late last night. We got the call
around 5 this morning and headed out. I wanted to have you set up
a conference about the case for around 11 your time. By then, we
should have had time to go over the information about the latest
murder, see if there is anything new, and discuss the link you
and Jackie found."

"Dan, there is something I wanted to talk to you about. Do
you have time?"

"Sure, I have about five minutes. What's up?"

"Jackie's getting on the line." Scully signaled Jackie to
pick up Mulder's phone. "Jackie's fiance found a web site that is
all about Mulder. It has all kinds of confidential information on
it such as a complete list of the cases he has been assigned
while working for the FBI."

"What?"

"It's true, Dan. There are family pictures and candid photos
of Mulder on cases on this web site also."

"Where does it come from?"

"It's an anonymous site out of Finland, so we haven't been
able to trace it yet. I just found out about it yesterday. It's
been around for at least a month, but it has changed addresses at
least once with no forwarding link."

"Shit! This could be linked to the case, couldn't it?"

"Yes. Or there may be no link at all."

"Damn! This is serious, Dana. But I don't have to tell you
that."

"No. We are planning to tell Skinner about the web site, but
I wanted to talk to you about it first."

Several moments of silence passed before Dan spoke again.
"Thanks for letting me know, but Skinner can pull the strings to
get this investigated. So drop it in his lap. Just let me know
what happens, will you?"

"Sure. I'll let you know this afternoon."

"Great. You'll get a hold of Dixson for me, wouldn't you?"

Scully sighed. "Sure."

"I owe you, Dana. If there is anything I can do about this
web site, let me know."

"I will, Dan. Thanks."

Rais hung up. Scully and Jackie set the receivers down.
Scully walked over and poured two mugs of coffee. She placed one
in front of Jackie before returning to her own desk. She took a
sip before picking up the phone again.

"I'll give Skinner's office a call before we go up there."
Scully waited for Skinner's secretary to answer the call.

"Kimberly, this is Dana Scully. I need to see Assistant Director
Skinner as soon as possible."

"Can I tell him what it is about, Agent Scully?"

"Agent Mulder."

Kimberly gave a loud sigh. "He was having such a good day
too. Hold while I see if he can see you now." The secretary put
Scully on hold for several minutes. "The A.D. will see you as
soon as you can get up here."

"Thanks, Kimberly." Scully gathered up the printouts and the
disc and stood up. Jackie stood up also.

"You can wait here if you want," Scully commented as she
reached for the door knob.

"Not on your life," Jackie replied as she followed Scully
through the door. "I want to see Walter's face when you tell him
about this breach of security."

While waiting for the elevator, Jackie studied her friend's
face. But she waited until they were alone in the elevator before
speaking. "You're really worried about this, aren't you Dana?"

"Not just this," Scully said indicating the printouts, "but
also the case. Mulder's the link in a serial murder case and a
web site dedicated to him pops up and I have no idea where he
is."

Jackie chuckled. "Life is not dull with Mulder in your
world."

Scully laughed. "I miss the office of silence already." She
hesitated for a moment. "It's not really Mulder's fault. He is
just a trouble magnate. It's his lot in life. I just worry that
one of these days he will get in over his head."

"That's what we are here for, Dana, to save his butt. You
and I haven't failed yet."

Scully smiled at her friend.

Once they arrived at Skinner's office, Kimberly waved them
in. Skinner sat behind his desk reading a memo. When the office
door opened, he signed the memo and looked up. "Agent Scully. St.
George. What did you want to see me about? What has Mulder been
up to now?" He indicated that the two women should sit down.

"Marty found a web site dedicated to Agent Mulder, sir."

"What's the problem? I grant you that Agent Mulder isn't the
usual type of subject for web pages, but ..."

"Sir, the web site has detailed information about Mulder:
his badge number, his cell phone number, each case he has ever
worked on and the case numbers. Information that could only have
come from the Bureau. There are also photographs of him, many of
them candid ones of Mulder working cases." She handed Skinner the
printouts.

Skinner spent several minutes scanning the sheets of data.
"How long have you and Marty known about this site, Jackie?"

"About three weeks. But it changed it's address with no

forwarding link. It took Marty two weeks to track it down again.
He sent me the new URL two days ago. I was planning to tell
Mulder about it when he got back from vacation, but ..."

Scully picked up the narrative. "We just learned that Mulder
is the link between the murders in the case Agent Rais is
heading."

Skinner looked up at Scully sharply.

"The killer is copying MOs of serial killers Mulder has
captured. All eight murders match eight different serial killers
and Mulder is the only thing all the cases have in common."
Scully handed him a list of the eight cases and their numbers.

Skinner studied the list and then looked at the list from
the web site. "Excellent work, Agent Scully, Jackie. Where is
Agent Rais?"

"He and Agent Fickett are in Chicago. There was another body
found last night and they are checking it out."

Skinner nodded. "Do you perceive any danger to Agent Mulder
from this killer?"

Scully hesitated a second. "It's hard to say, sir. The
killer is obsessed with someone he calls Yang. The notes talk
about how Yang has upset the balance and Yin must restore it. The
tone of the notes have been getting more aggressive. But as to
the killer going after Mulder, I just don't know, sir."

Jackie spoke up. "The victims have all been white male
between the ages of 30 and 38, just like Mulder. And victim
number 7 was killed in the same apartment building as Mulder."

"A little too much coincidence," Skinner commented. He
picked up his phone and buzzed his secretary. "Kimberly, get me
the agent in charge of the computer crimes division. Tell him
that I want to see him and his best agent as soon as possible.
And Kimberly, tell him that the agent he chooses should also be
one that he trusts will keep the investigation strictly
confidential." He hung up the phone. "If this most recent murder
is part of this case and if the link holds, I want Mulder back
here quick. Agent Scully, do you know how to reach Mulder?"

"He is out of town, sir. But he told me that he left the
name of where he was going and how to reach him on his computer."

"If the link holds, I want you to find him, Agent Scully. I
don't like my agents out there without knowing they're in danger.
If you need help, I'll assign you several agents."

"I'll help her, Walter." Jackie piped up.

"Good. You two should be able to handle Mulder if you need
to. Keep me informed of what is happening. Does Rais have any
suspects yet?"

"No, sir. The killer has left very little evidence to go
on."

"Who else is working this case?"

"Agents Fickett and Dixson."

Skinner snorted at Dixson's name. "I'm not surprised. Let me

know if you think Rais needs more agents and I'll see what I can
do. With an agent's life possibly in danger, the case takes on a
higher priority."

"Thank you, sir."

Skinner dismissed them.

Third Floor Conference Room
FBI Building
11:00 A.M.

Scully and Jackie walked into the room carrying a file
containing the information from the web site, the 8 files about
the other murders, and a new file containing information Dan Rais
had faxed to Scully an hour earlier. They had both read over the
new file before coming to the meeting. Jackie had spent the
morning reading about the previous murders.

Rais rang before Dixson arrived at the room. The call was
placed on a speaker phone. Scully quickly filled Dan in on the
latest information about the web site.

"Skinner assigned Agent Marsha Hersch from computer crimes
division to investigate the web site."

"Hersch is a good agent and a wiz at computers. If there is
anything to find, she will."

"Well, first she has to locate the site itself. It's moved
again with no forwarding link. But she feels that if it's still
in existence on the net, she'll find it."

Just then the door opened and Dixson walked into the room.
He ignored Scully, but gave Jackie a smile while letting his eyes
wander down and then up her body. "Well, I'm here. Let's get
started," he said sitting down across from Jackie.

"Agent Dixson, you're late. I was about to start this
meeting without you." Rais stated.

"Sorry. I was held up by an important meeting. The head of
ISU needed my advise on something." Dixson watched Jackie to see
if his words were impressing her the way he meant them to.

Rais ignored Dixson's statement. "Before we begin, I want to
take the time to welcome Jackie St. George to the team. Jackie is
with CSIS, currently assigned to the Embassy here in Washington.
Jackie, we can use all the help we can get with this one.

"For the record, I am Special Agent Dan Rais. With me is
Special Agent Robert Fickett. I would like each of you to state
your name when you begin to speak. Just so we know who we are
talking to.

"Now as everyone knows there was another murder here in
Chicago. The victim is Daniel Jay Asher, age 35 single white
male. Occupation: Investment Banker with 1st National Bank of
Chicago. He had been knocked unconscious and then hung from a
rafter in his loft condo. He was found when he failed to show up
for work two days in a row. His boss called the police who found
the body. There was no sign of a struggle. He was hit with a
judge's gavel which was recovered from the scene.

"There were two notes found on the body. The first one read:

"Justice Must Be Served."

The second one, which is what ties it to our killer, read:

"YANG IS THE CAUSE OF ALL DISTURBANCES AND FAILURES!
HE MUST DIE!
YIN MUST BE THE RESTORER OF BALANCE AND HARMONY!"

"There were no fingerprints found at the crime scene nor on
either note. The autopsy is being performed as we speak. I told
them to check under the fingernails, Dana, but the coroner said
there was not skin or blood.

"Dana and Agent St. George discovered a link between the
killings."

Scully took up the briefing, "I am Special Agent Dana
Scully. We noted that the killings were all copycats of other
serial murderers' MOs. And while reviewing the original cases, we
found that Agent Fox Mulder had worked on all of them. Or at
least the first 8."

"This is Rais again. He worked on this one. It was the first
case I ever worked with Mulder. The killer, Milton Bumberg,
executed accused criminals that the courts had acquitted on
technicalities. He hung them and pinned a note to the body. The
note he left was identical to the first one found on Asher's
body. So I think Mulder is the link between all the murders"

"I am Special Agent Jasper Dixson, PhD. I have to disagree,"
Dixson stated. "Most serial murders are sex related crimes. So
unless there is some fag out there after Mulder ..."

*Pompous Ass,* both women unknowingly agreed.

"Rais. As the agent in charge on this case, Agent Dixson, I
must warn you to watch what you say." Rais interrupted in a stern
voice. "I would hate to have to report you for inappropriate
language."

Dixson turned red. "Agent Dixson. What I meant was that the
killer is trying to satisfy some desire, most likely sexual, and
Mulder would hardly be the object of such a desire. Unless ..."

Scully tensed. She could see Jackie ready to grab Dixson by
the throat. Rais' voice broke the tension. "Rais. Agent Dixson."
Rais sounded angry. "Regardless of the reason, the Unsub has
developed a fixation on Agent Mulder. Even the victims fit. They
have all been single white males in their early to mid-thirties,
just like Agent Mulder."

He let the information register with the other agents before
Rais continued. "We need a list of all the cases that Mulder has
worked on."

"This is Scully again. I have that list, Dan. Mulder has
been assigned over 1,500 cases."

"Rais here. Okay. We needed to see who is still in prison,
who has threaten Mulder, things like that. Dixson, A.D. Skinner
has agreed to assigning two other agents to help you sort through
the files."

"Agent Dixson again. Maybe Ms. St. George would like to
help, so she can see how the ISU works." Dixson smiled at Jackie.

"Rais. St. George is going to be helping Dana contact
Mulder. If he is the one the killer is obsessed with, Mulder
needs to be notified and protected.

"Fickett and I will be back in Washington as soon as the
autopsy report is finished and we have photos of the scene and
body.

"Is there anything else we need to discuss?"

Since no one said anything, Rais ended the conference.
Dixson stood up and walked over to Jackie. Leaning on the table
so he could look her in the face, Dixson made his move. "So,
Jackie, what say you and I go out for a drink or something?"

Jackie looked at the man as if he had just crawled out from
under a rock. "I'm engaged, Agent Dixson."

"Well, I wouldn't hold that against you." He started to
reach out for Jackie's shoulder.

Scully could see Jackie's anger rising, so she figured she
had better do something before Jackie decked the man.

"Agent Dixson, here is a list of the cases Agent Mulder has
worked on." She handed the man a copy of the list from the web
site. "Jackie, we had better get busy locating Mulder." Scully
gathered up the files and walked to the door.

Jackie stood up to follow. Before she left the room, she
turned around. "Agent Dixson," she said in her sweetest voice. "I
would never cheat on my fiance and if I did, it would be with
someone from my own species, not a slime like you. And if you
ever try to touch me again, I will happily break every one of
your fingers and your hand." She turned to leave. Before she
closed the door, she looked back at the red faced man. "And you
may call me Agent St. George, if you have to talk to me at all."

Jackie quickly caught up with Scully who had started toward
the elevator. "That's the slime that called you `Babe', isn't
it?"

Scully nodded.

"You should have let me hit him, just one good one."

"Then I'd have to explain to Skinner what happened and
explain to Mulder why I didn't make you wait until he was here to
watch."

They both laughed. Once in the elevator, Jackie asked, "So
where do we start looking for the elusive Mulder?"

"His computer in the office. He said he left instruction on
his computer, so we might as well start in the office. But let's
get some lunch first."

The elevator door swooshed open when it reached the
basement. Jackie and Scully headed toward the X-Files office and
from there a quiet lunch before they started looking for Mulder.

Continued in Part 7

Yin/Yang - Part 7/9
by Lee Ann Wagner
lwagner@ntwrks.com
March 20, 1997

X-Files Office
Tuesday, April 28
6:00 P.M.

Jackie St George leaned back in Mulder's chair and
stretched. She and Scully had just spent the entire afternoon
going through all of the files on Fox Mulder's computer looking
for information about where he was going for his vacation.
Between the two of them they had been able to figure out all the
passwords so that they could access the files. But none of them
contained the information they wanted so badly. Scully had even
checked through her files to see if he could have left it there.
But they were no closer to knowing where Mulder was now than they
had been when they started looking at one that afternoon.

"What now," Jackie asked standing up and flexing her back
muscles.

Scully rubbed her forehead. "Now we try Mulder's home
computer. It's got to be there." She started to shut down her
Powerbook.

As they headed for Alexandria, both women allowed the
silence of the car to relax them. Neither had slept well the
previous night worrying about their friend. After a quick stop
for some dinner and sodas to drink, they arrived at Mulder's
apartment about 7 P.M. Once in the apartment, Scully headed for
the computer while Jackie put the drinks in the refrigerator.

As she went to turn the monitor on, Scully noticed that it
was already on. "This is odd."

"What?" came Jackie's voice from the kitchen.

"Mulder's monitor was left on," Scully said in a louder
voice.

"Could Tony have used the computer and left it on by
accident?" Jackie walked into the living room.

Scully shrugged. "It's possible, I guess." She turned her
attention back to the computer while Jackie prowled the rest of
the apartment.

Jackie walked back into the living room. "It looks like Tony
has been napping on Mulder's bed. Bet that was the first time the
bed's been used since Mulder bought it."

"Well, we have a slight problem here," Scully commented
without looking away from the computer screen. "Mulder has
changed his password on us."

"We should be able to figure it out. After all, between the
two of us, we know him pretty good."

They spent the next 15 minutes figuring out the new
password. Once they gained access to the programs, they spent the
next 4 hours figuring out file passwords and reading though
files. But they found nothing to indicate where Mulder had gone
on vacation.

They tried every first and last name of everyone associated
with Mulder. All the important events surrounding Mulder and
those people. They tried each state in the U.S., but found
nothing about his vacation.

"God," Jackie finally exclaimed in frustration. "I'd
forgotten just how paranoid Mulder can be."

Scully thought for a moment. "Let's try the names of some of
his video collection. Jackie, read me some."

"Try Coven," Jackie said reading the name of the first tape
she found.

Scully typed the word in and hit enter. After several
minutes, she said, "Nope. Try another."

"Okay, how about Body Talk."

"Nope."

"Blonde Justice."

"Nope."

"In Defense of Savannah."

"Nothing."

This continued until they had tried a dozen film titles.
Then they tried the names of some of Mulder's books from his book
shelf. And finally they tried his favorite sports teams.

Jackie flopped down on the couch. "I'm fresh out of ideas."

"What could Mulder have used for a file name?" Scully
exclaimed. "Only Mulder would leave his travel destination in a
file and use some totally obscure name for it, which probably
only makes sense if you know where he went in the first place."

"Next time he has to take time off, we lock him in his
apartment, bring food to him three times a day, and one of us can
take him for a long walk once a day. That way we know exactly
where he is at all times."

Scully started laughing. "And we can take all his clothes
except his boxers so he can't sneak out."

Jackie was laughing so hard that her sides were starting to
hurt. =A0"No =A0way, we leave him his Speedos." Just then =A0her =A0cell
phone started to ring.

"St. George," she answered. "Marty!"

Scully went to the bathroom to give Jackie some privacy so
she could talk to her fiance. After washing her hands, Scully
noticed that the bath towel was damp. She thought about that
while she was in the kitchen getting something to drink. Suddenly
she heard Jackie shout, "That devious, paranoid bastard. I can't
believe he did that."

Scully rushed back into the living room to see what had
happened. Jackie was off the phone and sitting at Mulder's
computer.

"What happened?" Scully asked.

"I found the damn file."

"What was it's name?" Scully peered over Jackie's shoulder
at the screen.

"I explained to Marty what we are up to and how we couldn't
figure out the file name and he suggested `vacation' or `holiday'
and damn if Mulder didn't use the word `holiday'."

"You mean we have spent over 4 hours racking our brains for
some archaic word that Mulder might use to for his vacation plans
and used the word `HOLIDAY'?"

Jackie just grinned and nodded her head.

"Aaarrrggghhh! You're right, Jackie. We lock him in his
apartment and take all his clothes, but we only feed him TWICE a
day. So where did he go?"

"To a cabin in northern Michigan. It's owned by some
relative of yours. Mom set it up for Mulder."

"My cousin Mike's cabin? It's ten miles from the nearest
town and that town only has around 55 residences. The cabin has
no phone connection nor cable. He'll go crazy there."

"Well, that's where Mulder is. Here's all the information
about his flights, where he made reservations at hotels for
coming and going from the airport to the cabin, and directions
to the cabin." Jackie printed out the information. "Now , if the
cabin has no phone, how do we call him?"

Scully thought. "That's right. Skinner made Mulder leave his
cell phone with me. Damn! If we call the sheriff's office in
Copper Harbor, they can send someone out to get a message to
him." She quickly got the number for the Keweena County sheriff's
office and dialed it.

"May I speak to the officer in charge?" Scully asked when a
male voice answered the phone.

"This is Sheriff Thorvalds."

"Sheriff, I am Special Agent Dana Scully with the FBI, I.D.
number 2317-616."

"How can I help you, Agent Scully?"

"My partner, Fox Mulder, is vacationing at the Rowen cabin,
ten miles east of Copper Harbor."

"I know the cabin and I know someone has been staying
there."

"Good. It is very important that I get a message to Agent
Mulder. Would it be possible for one of your men to take a
message out to him?"

"Any other time I would be glad to help you, Agent Scully,
but right now I don't have a man I can spare long enough to drive
out there and drive back. We have been having bad forest fires
all up and down the peninsula here. Most of the major roads in
and out of here are closed due to smoke. You don't need to worry
about your partner being in danger from the fires. They're at the
other end of the county right now. But they are moving a lot.
Almost everyone who is able is working at controlling the fires
and rescuing people. I just don't have anyone to send right now.
In two or three days, maybe. But now right now. Sorry."

"I understand Sheriff. Thank you." Scully hung up. "Damn!

Only Mulder would pick a remote cabin to vacation at and end up
blocked in by forest fire."

Jackie had been staring at the computer screen thinking the
whole time Scully was on the phone. And a disturbing thought kept
coming to the forefront of her mind no matter how much she tried
to dismiss it.

"Dana, is there anyway anyone could tap into Mulder's
computer if it was off?" Jackie asked without taking her eyes off
the screen.

"Mulder doesn't have the hardware for that." Scully answered
while setting the phone down. "Why?"

"Because, if the killer is after Mulder and he could access
Mulder's computer, then he knows exactly where Mulder is, how to
find Mulder, and when and how Mulder will be coming back home."

Some of the color slowly drained from Scully's face. She
closed her eyes as if it block out a painful sight. "Victim 7
lived and died exactly two floors below us in this building. When
I visited Mulder's apartment the morning after the murder, I
thought there were some fresh scratches on the lock, but
everything seemed fine inside, so I figured that the scratches
were old ones. But Mulder wouldn't leave his monitor on and not
even Mulder would leave a wet towel in his bathroom for two
weeks."

"Maybe his hamper was full," Jackie commented. She walked
quickly into the bathroom, but walked back slower. "The hamper's
empty. He must have washed clothes before he left. Dana, don't
forget that the bed looks like someone has been laying on it."

"And we both know Mulder doesn't use his bed." Scully walked
to the door. "I'm going to talk to Tony. He cares for Mulder's
fish when we're both on assignment. And I know he's been feeding
them this time also."

Jackie followed Scully out into the hall and past several
doors to Tony Dedan's apartment. Tony's mother answered the door.

"Hi, Dana, Jackie. What can I do for you?"

"Sorry to bother you so late, Ruth," Scully responded. "But
I need to talk to Tony. It's very important."

"It's no trouble, Dana. Tony's still working on his
homework. I'll go get him." The woman held the door open so that
Jackie and Scully could walk in. She then disappeared into the
apartment. Several moments later, Tony walked into the entry way.

"Hi, Agent Scully. Hi, Jackie. What's up?"

"Tony, you haven't been using Mulder's computer or bed, have
you?" Scully asked quietly.

"No way. I wouldn't use his computer without his permission.
And I don't think anyone uses Mulder's bed."

"Have you noticed anything missing or out of place?"

"Nope, not a thing. The only thing missing is the letter he
left for you, Agent Scully." Tony laughed. "Mulder wants me to
tell him how long after he left until you came and got it."

Scully looked up at the teenager. "This is important. When
was the last time you saw the note, Tony?"

"The night before the murder. It was sitting by Mulder's
computer right where he left it. And it was gone the next day
after you were in his apartment."

"Do you know what was in the letter?"

"Not really. But Mulder did say you'd have trouble finding
him without it."

"Thanks, Tony." Scully and Jackie turned to leave.

"Is Mulder is trouble?" The young man asked.

"No," Jackie smiled. "They just need him for this murder
case."

Tony smiled at the two women and closed the door. Once back
in Mulder's apartment, Scully checked all around the desk. She
could find no trace of the envelope or it's contents. Turning to
Jackie she said, "Someone took that letter and used Mulder's
computer, shower, and bed. Whoever it is knows where Mulder is."

"And we have every reason to believe that it's the
murderer," Jackie added.

Scully sighed. "I need to contact Skinner about this." She
picked up the phone and dialled Skinner's office. The call was
transferred to the switchboard when no one answered.

"This is Special Agent Dana Scully. I need to talk to
Assistant Director Walter Skinner. It's very important. He can
reach me at Special Agent Fox Mulder's apartment."

Within ten minutes, Skinner called back.

"What is it, Agent Scully?"

"I have every reason to believe that the Unsub may have
broken into Mulder's apartment and now knows where Mulder is.
Mulder is staying at a cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan,
about ten miles outside of the town of Copper Harbor. I called
the county sheriff to see if he could send someone out to the
cabin and have Mulder call in as the cabin has no telephone, but
the sheriff's office is short most of their staff because of
forest fires in the area. Jackie and I would like to go get him
ourselves, sir."

Skinner was silent for several moments before responding to
Scully's request. "Very well, Agent Scully. It's probably better
if you and St. George go after him. If I sent someone from one of
the field offices, Mulder might not believe them. I'll make all
the arrangements and call you back."

"Thank you, sir. Jackie and I are going back to our
apartments to pack. You can reach me there."

Skinner hung up. It was a half hour before he called Scully
back. Their flight was leaving Dulles for O'Hare at One A.M.
Scully changed to jeans and collected her medical bag and an
overnight bag. Jackie retrieved her sword and a knapsack with
some clothes in it. They made it to the airport with time to
spare.

Continued in Part 8

Yin/Yang - Part 8/9
by Lee Ann Wagner
lwagner@ntwrks.com
March 20, 1997

Upper Peninsula, Michigan
Wednesday, April 29
10:00 A.M.

Dana Scully sat in the back of a helicopter belonging to
Sawyer Air Force Base heading toward her cousin's cabin and
hopefully Mulder. The din from the engines and chopper blades
made talking nearly impossible even with the headset she wore.

The last ten hours had been nothing but rush and wait. The
plane had been delayed in Washington and the connecting flight to
Detroit had also been late. Once in Detroit, her and Jackie had
to wait several hours for the charter plane that would take them
to the Marquette County Airport. There they had to wait for the
helicopter in which they were now traveling.

While they had been traveling, Skinner had found out the
information that was needed. He found out the make, model, color,
and license number of the car Mulder was renting and the exact
co-ordinates of the cabin. So the helicopter pilot could pinpoint
the location and Scully and Jackie could tell if Mulder was at
the cabin or not.

All the delays made Scully nervous. She knew that the delays
had also affected Jackie. She had noticed Jackie pop a couple of
pain pills during the flight from Dulles to O'Hare. She looked
over at her friend. Scully could see Jackie whistling. Leaning
forward, she listened closely to identify the song. When she
realized that it was "The Ride of the Valkyries", Scully laughed.
Jackie looked at her and flashed a smile.

Scully tried not to think about what they might find when
they reached the cabin. She tried to convince herself that she
had overreacted and Mulder was perfectly safe. But something
inside her told her that her partner was in danger and they
needed to reach him as quickly as possible. Her thoughts kept
summoning up images of what the murderer could do to Mulder with
the three day head start he had.

Scully's thoughts were interrupted by the crew chief's voice
over the headset. "We're almost over the cabin, Agent Scully. If
you look to your right you can see the nearest fire. It's about 7
to 10 miles away. It doesn't seem to be moving fast, but the
weather service has forecast a pick up in the winds for today. If
that happens, you could be in trouble. So you'll have to work
fast. But on the plus side, the weather service is talking about
storms moving in this afternoon. A good, steady rain should help
put out this fire. Now it's time for you two to get ready to be
lowered down." He moved over to the two women and helped them don
their harnesses. The other crewman opened up the sliding hatch
and pulled the cable inside the chopper. Hooks on the free end
of the cable were attached to the harnesses.

"Now just hang on and we'll lower you right down about four
yards from the cabin. Once you're on the ground, just release the
catch and take off the harness. We'll pull them back up. We'll
stay until you radio us that you have everything under control.
Any questions?"

Both women shook they heads no. The crewchief smiled and
moved to the hatch.

Jackie moved over to the hatch, adjusting her back pack and
sword. Scully took a few minutes to make sure everything was
secure before following them.

"Let's do it," Jackie yelled.

Scully just nodded. She could tell that her friend was
enjoying this. She, on the other hand, was not fond of the idea
of dangling 100 feet above the ground and being lowered down from
a chopper with only a harness and wire standing between her and
free fall. She couldn't help thinking about yo-yos.

The airman started the winch. It pulled the two women out
of the helicopter. They hung there for a moment before the winch
started lowering them down. Scully could hear Jackie whistling
again. She looked over at her friend and smiled. Jackie flashed
her a smile before going back to scanning the ground. She started
to scan the surrounding forest for any sign of movement or cars.
Jackie caught her attention by waving her hands. Once she had
Scully's attention, she pointed to a Grand Cherokee that matched
the one Mulder had rented. It was parked in front of the cabin.

Once on the ground, they quickly shed the harnesses and
hooked the helmets to the equipment. Scully pulled a walkie-
talkie out of her jacket pocket and radioed the chopper. "We're
clear. We spotted Agent Mulder's vehicle by the cabin, but no
others."

"If you're all right," the voice of the pilot came over the
radio, "we're going to go and help move some firemen that got
caught by the fire. They need to be transported to a hospital and
we're the closest chopper that's big enough."

"Go ahead," Scully replied. "We'll use the Jeep to get out."

"Roger, Agent Scully. Good luck." The harnesses were pulled
back up and the chopper banked toward the west and headed off.

The women watched the departing chopper for a moment and
then turned toward the cabin. Before either had moved, Jackie put
her hand on Scully's arm. "I don't like the feel of this, Dana.
If Mulder is in here, why hasn't he come out. He had to have
heard all the noise."

Scully nodded. "Agreed. Any suggestions?"

Jackie looked at the cabin and the surrounding forest.
"Let's scout around the outside of the cabin first. You take the
left and I'll go right. Keep to the tree line as much as
possible."

"Sounds good." Scully started to move off to the left. She
turned back and added, "Be careful."

The two women started off in different directions and soon
lost sight of each other. Scully moved as quietly as she could
through the pine and hemlock trees. Once a squirrel erupted from
a bush and ran to a sugar maple. The noise startled Scully. Once
up the tree, the squirrel chattered at her intrusion of it's
territory. She stopped and took a few deep breaths before
continuing. *That's all I would need,* she thought. *Mulder comes
back from his morning run and I shoot him because I'm jumpy.* She
then continued. When she reached the back of the cabin, she
noticed Jackie behind the boat house near the lake. Looking
toward the cabin and not seeing anyone at the windows or door,
Scully sprinted to the boat house and her friend.

"Did you see anything?" Jackie asked.

"Just a squirrel. But the cabin seems deserted. Maybe Mulder
is out for his morning run."

Jackie shook her head. "I can feel someone watching us. I
can also feel Mulder around here."

"What do you want to do? We can't just wait. If the wind
kicks up, we could be caught by the fire."

"We are going to have to go in," Jackie said after thinking
things over. "I'll go around to the front and you go in the back.
Give me to the count of thirty before you knock on the back door.
Then wait for the count of ten and go in. I'll go in the front
door at the same time."

Scully nodded her agreement.

Jackie edged her way back toward the side of the boat house,
before Scully called her. "Jackie, stay down. No heroics,
all right?"

Jackie just smiled and said, "Who me, heroics? You must have
me confused with some other Canadian." She then disappeared into
the forest again.

Scully sprinted back to the nearest tree for cover and
worked her way until she was closest to the house. Then she ran
to the corner of the building and scrunched down. Keeping her
head below the windows she worked her way to the door. Once there
she pulled her gun and counted to thirty, then knocked. After
another count to ten, she opened the porch door and run to the
cabin door which stood open. At the same time she heard the front
door slam against a wall. Flattening herself against the wall,
Scully took a quick look inside. Seeing nothing, she waited
several seconds before slipping inside. Once inside she slowly
made her way toward the front of the house checking rooms as she
went. She spotted Mulder laying in one of the beds apparently
asleep. She continued her way to the front where she met up with
Jackie.

"Anything?" Jackie asked.

"Mulder's in the master bedroom. He looks to be asleep,
but ..."

"... But even Mulder couldn't sleep through all this noise.
You check him out and I'll guard your back."

Scully quickly led the way back to where Mulder lay in bed.
Her mind raced as she thought of not finding a pulse or one so
weak that it meant his was near death. Images from the pictures
of the other victims of this killer quickly flashed in her mind.
Jackie walked behind her scanning the rooms with her .38 out.
Once in the bedroom, Scully hurried over to the bed.

"Mulder ... Mulder," she called several times, but received
no answer. She reached for the covers to examine his face. That
was when she first noticed the blood running down from a cut
above his ear at the hairline and the start of a bruise on that
side of the face. Quickly she checked his carotid artery for a
pulse. "He's unconscious, but alive." She looked up at Jackie.
Scully could see the relief on her friend's face that reflected
her own.

"Let's get him and us out of here," Jackie replied moving
closer to the bed. She put her gun away to help Scully move him.

Scully pulled the covers off. Mulder was dressed as he did
for running. Even his shoes were still on. That was when she
noticed that his hands were tied behind his back and the rope ran
up to the brass headboard and back down to his neck. She examined
the rope and Mulder's neck. The rope held Mulder's head in place
and prevented him from moving if he woke up.

"The killer's here somewhere, Jackie," Scully commented as
they worked to cut the rope.

"All the more reason to get the hell out of here," Jackie
commented as she finally cut through the rope and freed Mulder's
neck. "That wacko might be back any second now. I'd like us to
be somewhere else."

"Good idea, Agent St. George," came a deep voice from behind
them. Scully looked up and Jackie spun around. "But a little too
late. The `wacko' is already back. As you and Agent Scully can
see."

Standing in the door way of the bedroom was a man. Nothing
about the man was remarkable except his size. He was tall,
several inches taller than Mulder and built like a linebacker.
His hair was a sandy color and his eyes were washed out blue. His
nose showed signs of having been broken one time too many and his
face was running toward heaviness. Despite the fact that he
appeared to be carrying too much weight, he's physique spoke of
strength and power. He was holding an assault rifle on them.

"Now Agent St. George, kindly hand your gun and fancy sword
to Agent Scully." He watched as Jackie did so. "Good," he smiled.
"Now Agent Scully will you please put both on the dresser over
here and add your Sig to the collection." Scully complied with
the man's instructions. "Excellent. Now if you will both walk out
into the kitchen."

He stepped back while the women walked forward. The man
moved so that he was out of either's reach, but he could keep
them covered. Once in the kitchen, he remained in the doorway
covering the agents.

"Now, Agent Scully, I want you to tie St. George's arms
together behind her back." He threw Scully two pieces of rope he
picked up off the counter. Scully complied. Jackie just watched
the man looking for an opening she could use that might help her
resolve this situation. "Very good, Scully. Now I would suggest
you sit down on the floor St. George because I want Scully to tie
you feet together." Once Scully completed this, he did the same
to Scully. Finally he checked Scully's work and tightened the
knots. Then he tied another piece of rope to a cabinet handle and
attached it to the rope binding Jackie's hands. He did the same
to Scully hands. As soon as both women were secured in this way,
the man leaned against the wall and looked at them.

"As soon as Fox wakes up, we can all have a nice talk while
we wait," he smiled at Scully and Jackie.

"While we wait for what?" Jackie asked.

"For the proper time, of course." A noise from the other
room caught his attention. "That sounds like Fox now." He left
the room.

"Any give in your ropes, Dana?"

"Not an inch. I hoped he wouldn't check yours."

Jackie shook her head. "This guy knows what he's doing. I
bet he got a merit badge for knots in scouting."

The man walked back into the room pulling Mulder along by
the arm. Mulder's brain was still foggy from the blow on the back
of his head that the man had given him. But the fog cleared when
he saw Scully and Jackie in the room, at this man's mercy. He
briefly closed his eyes against the sight. At that point he
realized they needed all the time he could buy them if any one of
the three were to come out this alive.

The man propelled the agent across the room, so that Mulder
hit the wall hard enough to force his breath out. With one sweep
of a leg, the man knocked Mulder's feet out from under him
causing Mulder to land on the floor heavily. The killer than took
more rope and secured Mulder's tied hands to another cabinet.
When he moved to bind Mulder's feet, the agent kicked out at the
man catching him in the shoulder. The man quickly tied the
struggling agent's feet. He then reached over and backhanded
Mulder across the face, cutting open the bound man's lower lip.
Standing up the man towered over the other one.

"You never did know your place, did you Fox?" He kicked
Mulder in the side. "But you will learn next time round." He
stood up and walked over to sit in one of the chairs by the
table.

Mulder licked his lip and stared at the man. "You always
needed an advantage when you fought anyone, didn't you Hazlett?
Even when it was someone smaller than you."

The man leaned forward. "You always had a smart mouth even
when all it got you was more pain. You never know how to talk to
your betters, did you Fox? Well, you sure made a mess of this
life for both of us."

"You know this man, Mulder?" Scully asked.

"We went through school together. Hazlett was two years
ahead of me." Mulder looked over at Scully. "Are you and Jackie
okay?"

Scully just nodded.

"But we knew each other outside of school. My older sister
used to baby-sit you and your sister. I envied you so much back
then. My old man took off when I was born and my mother had to
work so hard to earn enough money. But, you know, when Samantha
disappeared and your life started to go down hill, mine turned
around. My mom remarried a decent guy and my older sister, God
how I hated her, went away to college. I was picked for the
junior varsity football team. And as your family fell apart, my
life just got better and better."

He turned to the women. "I was the co-captain of the
football team in 11th. and 12th. grades, dated the prettiest
girls in school, got offered two college scholarships for
football. I could have had either one of you then. Fox here was
the school outcast. The only friends he had were other outcasts.

"But when he went away to England and college, my life
started to fall apart. I was kicked out of college because a
professor told how he was forced to give passing grades to some
of the football team."

Mulder snorted. "Couldn't pass your courses by yourself,
Hazlett? I'm surprised you didn't beat up some other student so
they'd do your work for you like you did in High School."

Hazlett walked over to Mulder and poked him with the muzzle
of the rifle. "What you never got, Fox, was that I deserved the
special consideration and high grades. I was important and better
than the likes of you. But you never understood that, did you?"
He walked back and sat down again.

"After getting kicked out of college, I joined the army.
Became a MP and did all right. It was grunt work, but toward the
end of my hitch, a stupid, drunk grunt claimed that me and my
partner roughed him up when we busted him. The jerk was AWOL and
tried to knife me. So we broke both his hands and messed up his
face, just to teach him a lesson. But the charges were dropped."
He smiled. "I have friends that helped the jerk see the error of
his ways and went over the wall for good. But I wasn't allowed to
re-enlist when my hitch was up. That was right about the time you
joined the FBI, Fox.

"Since all I knew was being a MP, I joined the police force
in Chilmark. It took me five years to get a college degree from a
community college back there. From a lousy community college when
I was suppose to go to one of the big name universities while the
school outcast went to Oxford." Hazlett slammed his fist down on
the table. Then he took a deep breath. He walked over to the
refrigerator and got himself a beer.

"For the next four years I took the sergeants exam three
times. Each time I failed. When I finally passed, they gave the
job to a guy with a degree from the University of Massachusetts.
The next week the local newspaperman a big feature article about
Fox here, detailing all his successes and promotions and how he
was saving society from serial criminals. Fox Mulder was helping
society receive justice. Fox Mulder, big shot. Shit. Fox Mulder,
boy genius who lost his own sister.

"But that article started me thinking. Every time Fox's life
improved, mine took a turn for the worse. The best years of my
life were high school which were his worse. Weren't they, Fox?"

Mulder just glared at the man with anger in his eyes.

Hazlett laughed. "No smart assed answers now, Fox?" He
kicked Mulder's foot.

"I thought about your life and my life for a while before I
remember about this Chinese philosophy I read about in one of my
college courses, that Yin and Yang thing. About how if yin and
yang didn't balance then life would be out of balance. And that's
when I realized that you were upsetting the balance and my life
was suffering. So that's when I decided that I had to correct the
balance. I figured that all the serial criminals that you were
catching weren't meant to be caught and that was the problem. So
if I did one more killing like those other guys did, I would
balance yin and yang. But then I realized that you would just
keep on upsetting the balance. I would have to kill you, but then
the scales would be out of balance the other way. So I have to
die with you. Then in the next life I'll be the success just like
I was supposed to be in this one." He sat back and smiled, taking
a big drink of his beer.

"Now the problem was to find out all I could about dear old
Fox here. That's when I stumbled on that internet thing. Boy, it
told me all about Fox and his cases and you Agent Scully and even
St. George there," he said pointed at the two women. "So I just
started killing people. But I only chose men that reminded me of
you, Fox, even through those serial killers tend to kill ladies."

"How many men did you murder is your warped quest to be
something more than just a has been, Hazlett?" Mulder asked.

"Oh, about 8 or 9. Ain't that right, Scully?"

"He's killed 9 that we know of, Mulder," Scully replied
never taking her eyes off the man. "What are you planning to do
now?"

"At noon, Fox and I are going to take a walk in the forest
until I find us a nice spot were we'll die together. I'm going to
take a bullet in the old brain, but Fox here has got to burn.
Takes what he fears, so that's the way he must die. It's karma."

The color drained out Mulder's face. Jackie worked hard at
her ropes. Hazlett stood up and walked out of the room.

"What happened, Mulder?" Jackie asked.

"Hazlett nailed me when I came back from my run this
morning," he replied. "What are you two doing out here?"

"We're here to save your sorry ass," Jackie replied as she
tried to work the ropes lose. "What exactly is your history with
this guy?"

"I barely knew him when I lived in Chilmark. I mean, his
older sister Linda was Sam's and my baby-sitter for a while, but
that's it. In High School, he and his friends tried to convince
me to do their homework for them, but I never did. I came home
with quite a few black eyes and bloody noses before they decided
I was not going to agree and they found an easier target. But I
haven't seen him since he left for college."

All three lapsed into silence as they tried to get the ropes
lose. But before they could work them loose enough to escape,
Hazlett walked back into the kitchen.

He squatted down next to Mulder. "Well, the wind has kicked
up real nice, so the fire should spread this way pretty quick.
Looks like you wouldn't have to walk too far."

"What about Scully and St. George?" Mulder asked.

"Now that's not up to me. If you co-operate, we'll just
leave them here. I have no reason to kill either of them. You're
the Yang to my Yin. If you don't, we can all just wait here for
the fire. Either way is fine with me. The choice is yours, Fox."

"If you leave them here tied up, the fire will still get
them."

"That's up to fate, Fox. Maybe they have some answering to
do for upsetting the balance or maybe it's not their time yet.
Either way it's out of my hands."

"You never could take responsibility for things that went
wrong, could you Hazlett?"

"Restoring the balance between us is my responsibility,"
Hazlett snarled, grabbing Mulder by the throat. "You're the one
who won't take responsibility for the fact that by upsetting yin
and yang you've made me bad." He slammed Mulder's head against
the cabinet. He then let go of his captive and stood up. "It will
soon be time to go. I'll give you some time to say good-bye to
your playmates." He stalked out of the room. Soon they heard the
front door open and slam closed.

"Mulder are you all right?" Scully asked urgently.

Black spots swam before Mulder's eyes. He shook his head
trying to clear them. He coughed slightly before answering his
partner. "Yeah. How close are either of you to getting loose?"

"My ropes are too tight," Scully responded. She tried to
move her hands so as to loosen the knots.

"Mine are tight, but I think I can pull the handle off the
cabinet if I stood up." Jackie replied as she wiggled away from
the cabinets. "Then I should be able to get to the knife set on
the counter." She indicated a set of kitchen knives in a butcher
block holder by the sink.

"All right." Mulder took a deep breath. "I'll go with
Hazlett..."

"No!" Both women practically shouted.

"That will give you two time to get free and come after us."

"I don't like that plan, Mulder," Scully commented.

"It's probably the best bet, Dana." Jackie countered.

"Trust me, I don't like this any better than either of you.
But if one of us can get free, we all have a chance and Jackie
has the best chance of it. But she'll need time and the only way
to buy some time is for me to go with Hazlett and let him think
he's won." Mulder leaned his aching head against the cool wood of
the cabinets.

Scully was furious, but knew they were both right. "Okay.
But as soon as we're free, we'll be after you, so don't co-
operate too much."

"I never co-operated with this jerk in school, so I don't
intend to start now. I just want to buy us all some time. Besides
if I let him kill me, who will keep you two from getting into
trouble."

Scully laughed and Jackie snorted. Mulder flashed them a
lopsided grin. "Besides I still have things to do before I die,"
Mulder continued. "Skinner still has some hair left and I
can't leave until it's all gone."

Just then they heard the front door open. A few seconds
later Hazlett walked into the kitchen and smiled down at his
captives. "So are you going to co-operate and die like a man,
Fox? Or are going to hide behind two women, like a coward?"

"Let's get this over with, Hazlett," was the only answer
Mulder gave.

Hazlett's smile faded. "No pleading or begging, Fox. I was
kind of looking forward to it."

"I remember how much you always liked that back in school.
So I wouldn't give you the satisfaction."

The killer cut the ropes binding Mulder's feet and untied
the rope from the cabinet handle. Then he hauled Mulder up by one
of his arms. He held on to one end of the rope to use as a
leash. He looked down at the two women. "I wish we had met under
different circumstances ladies. I would have liked to show you
both what a real man was, not a loser like Fox here."

Mulder used the fact that the man was distracted to slam the
man into a wall using his own body. Then the agent headbutted
Hazlett. As soon as Hazlett let go of the rope, Mulder took off
running.

Hazlett screamed and held his nose. Blood poured from it. He
took his hand away and looked at the blood. "The son of a bitch!
He'll scream before he dies." Grabbing the assault rifle, he ran
out of the door in pursuit of Mulder.

Continued in Part 9

Yin/Yang - Part 9/9
by Lee Ann Wagner
lwagner@ntwrks.com
March 20, 1997

Upper Peninsula, Michigan
Wednesday, April 28
12:00 P.M.

Mulder headed for the back door which stood open. Once
through that, he hit the screen door with his shoulder and it
flew open. He stumbled down the few steps and headed to his
left. Not having his arms free made him off-balance as he ran and
the pain in his head kept him from hitting his runner's stride,
but he knew he had to keep going. Soon he heard Hazlett shouting.

"Where are you, Fox? There's no way you going to get away
from me. I'll always find you and the more I have to look the
harder it will be on you once I find you."

Mulder focused on his running and breathing, but could hear
the sounds of his pursuer not that far behind him. Keeping to the
path that he ran every morning, Mulder tried to focus on the
obstacles in front of him. But a bullet whizzing passed his
shoulder convinced him that he might stand a better chance using
the trees as shelter, so he veered off toward his left.

Hazlett fired several more shots at the running man. He
chuckled. "I like this game, Fox. But we both know I'll win. You
can't get away from me, Fox. Yin and Yang are on my side."

Soon Mulder could see and smell burning wood. The strong
wind swirled with ash and embers. But he knew that to stop now
might mean death. So he fought down the panic he felt building
inside himself. Again he angled to his left hoping to be able to
lose Hazlett in the smoke and trees and make it back to the
cabin.

As he ran the smoke got thicker. Suddenly a loud boom
sounded and flying embers rained down. His panic momentarily
overcame him as he leaned against a tree and all his mind would
allow his body to do was cower. Mulder could feel the air being
sucked away from his lungs and flames sizzling against his skin.
At that moment all he wanted to do was curl up and cry. But the
sound of several shots broke through the fear and panic and sent
Mulder running again. As much as he longed to run away from the
smoke and fire, he knew that the thick, black smoke gave
additional cover which might make all the difference between life
and death.

Soon the sound of gunfire and the shouts seemed to recede.
Mulder stopped and listened. Except for the crackle of the nearby
fires and the occasional thuds of falling branches, the woods
were silent. He leaned against a tree and tired to catch his
breath. But the smoke and heat robbed him air. Mulder pushed off
the tree and started moving away from the smoke and nearby
flames. He stumbled several times and each time it got harder and
harder to get up again.

Soon Mulder found the lake. He nearly gave into the desire
to just sit down and wait for someone to find him there, but he
was afraid that the someone might be Hazlett, not Scully and
Jackie. That thought and also the need to know that Scully and
Jackie were all right, drove him as he followed the lake around
to the cabin. He made it to the clearing by the boat house before
his legs gave out and he sank to the ground, breathing hard. Each
breath punctuated by coughing. His eyes stung and his vision was
blurred from exhaustion and lack of oxygen. All he could hear was
the sound of pine trees exploding and the roar of the fire.

When he felt hands on his arms, he struggled, so afraid that
Hazlett had found him. "No!" he shouted twisting every which way
to dislodge the hands that pulled at him. His panic and fear
broke though to the surface.

Suddenly a soft voice broke though the panic and sound of
the fire. "Mulder ... Mulder, it's okay now. You are safe. But we
have to get out of here."

He knew that voice. "Scully?"

"I'm here, Mulder."

Then he felt the ropes on his hands being untied. Once his
hands were lose, the blood rushed into them and the tingling and
pain started. But someone was chafing them, getting the
circulation back. He looked up blinking to clear his vision.
Looking to his right, he saw Jackie with her gun out scanning the
surrounding woods for any sign of movement. To his left, was
Scully rubbing the circulation back into his hands.

"We have to get out of here before Hazlett gets back,"
Mulder said between coughs.

"No shit, Sherlock," Jackie replied. "Can you walk by
yourself or do you need help?"

"Just get me to my feet and we can get going," was his
reply.

Scully helped Mulder to his feet and started to guide him
toward the cabin. "Where are the keys to the Jeep?"

"On the table, near the Powerbook."

"I'll get them," Scully volunteered. She ran toward the
cabin.

"Grab the diskette by the Powerbook, too," Mulder called
after her.

Jackie turned and stared at him. "You want Dana to grab a
diskette?"

"There are three articles on there that I don't want to
lose," was his reply.

She just snorted and steered him around the cabin and toward
the Jeep. Once by the car, she checked all the doors and found
the driver's door unlocked. Quickly, Jackie climbed in and
unlocked the back door nearest Mulder who opened it and
collapsed on the seat. She had just finished getting his legs
into the car, when Scully came running out of the house carrying
the keys and their backpacks. She threw the keys to Jackie and
jumped in the passenger seat. Tossing the backpacks into the back
seat, Scully buckled her seat belt as Jackie gunned the Jeep to
life and took off.

Jackie drove with as much speed as the rutted, dirt road
would allow. They had driven about a mile and a half when the
smoke from the forest fire started to grow thick. Soon burning
leaves and ashes float down onto the car. A loud boom startled
everyone in the car. "That's just a pine tree exploding," Jackie
stated as she picked up speed. But soon the dense smoke caused
her to slow down again.

Then, out of the smoke, Hazlett appeared, standing in the
middle of the road. He seemed to materialize out of the smoke.
Jackie swerved to avoid hitting him. But he opened fire with his
rifle. The bullets the front of the Jeep. By the time the car
stopped moving, it was against a tree with thick white smoke
coming from the radiator. Jackie tried starting the engine, but
it wouldn't catch. Then she saw Hazlett aiming at the car again.

"Down!" she shouted and laid flat on the seat next to Scully
who was already down. Bullets shattered the glass sending shreds
flying into the car. She also heard a sharp intake of air from
the back seat. Once the rifle fire stopped, she popped up and
fired several shots toward the man. Then she ducked down, but not
before she heard him scream in pain.

After several minutes of no gunfire, Jackie slowly peered
around. "Hazlett seems to be gone," she commented. "I think I hit
him because I heard a scream, but who knows. Everyone okay?" She
undid her seat belt and climbed out of the car.

Scully did the same. "A few bruises, but that's it." She
shook her head and carefully brushed broken glass off.

"All in one piece" came Mulder's reply. He was leaning
against the back of the car, brushing glass out of his hair.
Scully noticed that he had a few new cuts and scraps on his face
and neck, but nothing serious. When his hand came away from his
head with blood on it, he looked disgusted. "How come I'm the
only one with glass cuts here?"

"Because you're the only one with short hair," Jackie's
replied, coming around the back of the car.

"Remind me to lodge a formal complaint about hair length
regs. They are clearly a form of sexually discrimination."

Jackie stopped by Mulder's left side. "Dana, he's been hit."

Mulder looked down at his arm. "It's just a scratch," he
countered.

Scully stepped around him and examined his arm. "It's not
serious, just a flesh wound. But it will need to be looked at
when we get out of here."

"Which bring us to the next question: how do we get out of
here?" Jackie asked scanning the surrounding woods.

"The cabin might be our best bet," Mulder commented.
"Between the fire and Hazlett, we don't stand a good chance of
hiking out this way."

Scully nodded. "With the lake right there, we can always
across it if the fire gets too close."

"Let's move then." Jackie stated.

Scully retrieved the backpacks from the Jeep and handed
Jackie hers. "It's about three miles back to the cabin on the
road. Maybe two through the woods."

"Woods," Jackie voted. "The sooner we get the cabin the
better we'll be."

"Agreed," Mulder stated.

"Let's do it," Scully agreed. "But we need to stay together.
With the smoke and all, it would be too easy to get separated."

The three moved though the trees as quickly as possible. The
smoke was thick and made the surrounding woods appear hazy, but
Scully kept track of Mulder and Jackie. Soon the smoke began to
thin out a bit. As soon as they were clear of the smoke, they
stopped for a moment to caught their breath and get their
bearings.

Suddenly a bullet slammed into the tree Jackie was leaning
against. Jackie and Scully pulled their guns and tried to spot
where the bullet had come form. But it wasn't until another one
slammed into the ground inches from Mulder's feet that they could
get some idea. Both Jackie and Scully fired several bullets in
that direction.

"Move!" Jackie shouted.

Scully pushed Mulder ahead of her while Jackie and her took
up the rear positions. They expected more shots, but none ever
came. No one said a word until they reached the cabin. Once
inside, Jackie prowled from window to window while Scully tried
to use the walkie-talkie to contact someone. Mulder stood guard
at one of the front room windows, scanning the forest for any
sign of movement. But to no avail.

"The helicopter must be out of range," she stated as she
placed it on the table. "Sit down Mulder. I want to get a look at
you while we have a few moments."

"I'm fine, Scully," he countered without looking at her.

She walked over to him and grabbed his jersey. "I said I
wanted to take a look at your injuries, Mulder. Now sit down."

"All right, all right, Scully. There's no need to get
assertive with me. Although, you can dominate me anytime you
want." Mulder gave her a leering smile.

Jackie snickered from the window where she kept watch.

Scully shot them both dirty looks. "Take off your jersey,
Mulder." She examined the gunshot wound in his arm. She opened
her medical bag and took out some alcohol pads and started to
clean the wound. Mulder let out a hiss and tried to pull his arm
out her grasp. "Oh, stop it Mulder. I'm just cleaning it." Once
she got all the blood cleaned away, she took a good look at it.
Pulling a tube of antibiotic cream and a gauze pad and tape from
her bag, she proclaimed it just a scratch and covered it with
some cream and a pad. Next she moved on to his face and neck.
While she examined and cleaned the small cuts and scraps, she
asked him what had happened.

"Hazlett surprised me when I came back from my run this
morning," Mulder said jerking away from his partner as she pulled
a small sliver of glass from a cut on his cheek. She dabbed some
cream on all the injuries and placed a band aide on the cut that
had contained glass. Next she moved to the cut by his ear.

"Is this where he hit you?" she asked as she dabbed it with
an alcohol pad.

"No. He hit me on the back of the head. I must have hit
something on my way down," he replied. "The next thing I
remembered was Hazlett standing over me and saying that some of
my friends were here to see me. Then he brought me out in the
kitchen. You two know the rest."

Scully finished with the area by his ear and had moved
around behind Mulder. She touched an area where there was dried
blood on the back of his head. Mulder jumped and pulled away from
her touch.

"Take it easy, will you Scully."

"Sorry. But you need to hold still." She pulled Mulder back
into a position where she could see his head wound better. She
worked more gingerly from then on.

"What happened in the woods?" Jackie asked. Her eyes never
left the tree line as she talked.

"I just kept running," Mulder responded. "Hazlett nearly
caught me once, but I lost him again in the smoke."

Scully stepped in front of her partner and examined his eyes
with a penlight. "How long were you unconscious?"

Mulder shrugged. "I left the cabin this morning about 7 and
was gone around two, two and half hours."

"Any blurred vision?" Scully asked.

"No."

"How about spots?"

"A few," Mulder admitted reluctantly.

"Ringing in your ear?"

"None."

"Headache?"

"A fierce one."

"You're live," Scully said smiling. "Now go get a clean
shirt on."

Mulder got up and headed for the bedroom. Scully walked into
the kitchen and returned with a glass of water. She removed a
packet of ibuprofen from her bag and placed it next to the glass.
Then she moved over to stand next to Jackie.

"How is he?" Jackie asked.

"I think he has a concussion, but no broken bones, I think.
The cut on the back of his head and the one by his ear will need
a few stitches, but other than that he's all right. Any sign of
Hazlett?"

"No," Jackie replied.

"I'll check the back of the house," Scully stated. "Make
sure he takes those when he comes out." After indicating the
packet, she moved toward the rear of the building.

Mulder returned to the living room and looked around for
Scully. He walked over to stand next to Jackie.

"Dana's checking out the back," she told Mulder without him
asking her. "She wants you to take those pills." Jackie pointed
at the glass and packet. "Does Hazlett have your gun?"

"I can't find it. So I would say he does." Mulder walked
over and downed the pills quickly. "What exactly is happening
with that guy?"

Jackie quickly filled him in on the case that Scully had
been working, omitting mention of the web site. She figured that
the website was something that needed a lot of discussion and
Mulder was not going to like. "So tell me Mulder are all
profilers as normal as you or wonderful as Dixson?"

Mulder ran his hand through his hair, but winced when he
brushed the wound on the side of his head. He paced from window
to window watching for any movement. "Most of them are just
people who happen to be good at psychology and police work,
overworked but nice enough. Dixson just proves that even assholes
can understand criminal behavior. As for me, ...."

"I know, you just hit your head several times too many,"
Jackie finished. She shot a grin at her friend to that any sting
out of her words.

Scully walked back into the room. "I bolted the back door
and placed a lamp in front of it. We'll hear him if he tries to
come in that way. So what's with you and this Hazlett character
Mulder?"

Mulder shrugged. "It was like he said. He was an older kid
in Chilmark. Star defensive linebacker, held the school record
for sacking the opposing teams quarterback, a number of whom
ended up injured, and school bully. He was two years ahead of me,
so I just knew him by reputation. The only use he had for me was
trying to get me to do his homework, which I refused. I hadn't
heard anything about him since he graduated and went off to
college. Why he became fixated on me is beyond me. What does
Dixson say?" Mulder asked with a smile.

"That if Hazlett is fixated on you, he must be homosexual
and want your body to satisfy his carnal desires," Jackie
dead panned. Scully tried to stifle her laughter.

Mulder shot the Canadian a sour look. Just as he opened his
mouth to make a comeback, the windows rattled from the force of
another explosion. Scully ran to a front window and looked out.
"Another pine tree. the fire is getting closer. We'll need to get
out of here soon." She picked up the walkie-talkie and tried to
contact the helicopter again. On the second try, it crackled with
a response.

"Agent Scully, we can't get to you for at least the next
hour. We've been grounded by a quick moving, heavy storm cell
that is moving into this area. The rain might help the
firefighters with the blaze near you. The fire chief advises that
you head for the lake if the fire gets too closer. If we can get
to you sooner, I'll radio back. Over."

"Thanks. We understand. Over." Scully set the walkie-
talkie down. "Damn. Well, there should be a boat in the boat
house. We can use it to get across the lake and then hike out."

"With Hazlett out there with an assault rifle, we'd be
sitting ducks in a boat," Jackie observed. "We have some
protection in here from him. If the fire gets too close, we can
swim for it."

Mulder and Scully agreed. Within minutes a heavy downpour of
rain started. After what seemed like hours, the walkie-talkie
chattered again.

"Agent Scully, are you there? Over."

Scully grabbed the transmitter. "This is Agent Scully.
Over."

"Good news, Agent Scully. The blaze in your area under
control. So if you sit tight, someone can drive in and pick you
up by morning."

"Negative. There is a killer somewhere in the forest with an
assault rifle after Agent Mulder who is with us. We need you to
notify the police and FBI for us. Over."

"Roger, Agent Scully. We will notify the authorities and get
back to you. Over."

"Now we just wait for the cavalry," Mulder commented. They
kept watch and waited. The dark smoke that hung over the trees
slowly receded.

About an hour later, the walkie-talkie chattered.

"Agent Scully here. Over."

"Dana, this is Dan Rais. What is the situation there?"

"Dan, Jackie and I are here with Mulder. The killer is named
Hazlett. He went to high school with Mulder. He's somewhere in
the forest around the cabin where we are. He is armed with an
assault rifle and Mulder's gun. Over."

"I have a team of agents and state police. We will be
heading toward your location around the south side of the lake. I
expect to be there in approximately an hour's time, at which time
we should be able to get a troop carrying helicopter out here to
airlift you three out. Over."

"Thanks, Dan. We look forward to seeing you guys. Over."

Basement Office
FBI Building
Washington, D.C.
May 3rd.
9:00 A.M.

Dana Scully sat at her desk in the X-Files office. The room
was alive with the sound of Mulder doing paperwork and cracking
sunflower seeds. She was finishing up the last of her field
report pertaining to the Hazlett case.

"While Agent Mulder's injuries were deemed minor, the doctor
ordered him admitted to the hospital overnight for
observation due to the concussion he sustained. Agent Mulder
required three stitches to close the wound above his left
ear and five in the wound located at the base of the skull
in back.

"The body of Edward James Hazlett was never recovered. A
search of the area around the rental car revealed some blood
stains which matches Hazlett's blood type. The local police
and fire officials stated that it would be impossible to
find his body in the burned area of the forest without
extensive searching and shifting of the fallen trees and
ash. He is presumed dead.

"A search of his house in Chilmark, Massachusetts reveled an
extensive collection of information pertaining to Agent
Mulder's life and career. The address of the website was
found on his web searcher. The exact origin of his fixation
is unknown, but it appears to date back at least one year
before the first murder. A list of the cases Agent Mulder
worked on was found among his belongings in his house.
Extensive case files of the appropriate MOs were also
recovered in addition to other files. How Hazlett obtained
these files is being investigated.

"The blood type and DNA collected from the body of Daniel
Pegg match the army records for Edward Hazlett. This
confirms the confession he gave Agents Mulder, St. George,
and myself. Edward Hazlett is presumed to be the murderer in
all 8 deaths.

"The creator and operator of the website is still being
sought. It has changed addresses four times since that
investigation was started. It has been given a separate file
of it's own due to the ongoing investigation."

"Since no new murders containing notes referring to Yin and
Yang have occurred, this case has been closed."

The End.

---
Lee Ann Wagner
lwagner@ntwrks.com
NaXis #001, M&S, XP,
FicTalk, FXX:Issues, EmMail,
a yet unnamed writing group.
Firey Monkey with a Rat rising

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Nothing inspires paranoia like a wholesome childhod."
-from an article about CC in Buzz magazine (March 1997)

"Tut, tut. It looks like rain."
-Christopher Robin in "The Many Advetures of Winnie-The-Pooh"