Before The War...Part Three
Ch11
The last of the days light formed inch thick lines along the carpet as it shown through the blinds of a darkened office. There were rarely moments that any form of light found its way past the threshold of this organization. The men that worked behind these doors were shrouded in secrecy and being crushed under the weight of their deeds. The hallways were cold and carried with them an eerie silence. Even the corridors of a morgue gave more hope that these walls. The powerful man governed this moratorium and led these disheartened men but carried none of their guilt.
On this particular evening he sat and partook in his favorite of pass times. While his fingers drummed against the oak desk in rhythm with the swirl of the ceiling fan, his full attention was claimed by the black palm pilot in his hand. He stroked the back of the portable device and delighted in its current display. Across the screen a jagged green line monitored the heartbeat of an unsuspecting individual. Their blood pressure, intracranial pressure, oxygen saturation and respiratory rate were also exhibited and to the powerful man’s true amusement could be changed with the click of a button. However, this subject was far too valuable to be done away with in an instance and the cargo she carried even more precious. With each passing second the numbers fluxuated as the individual breathed all the while unaware that her every vital sign was being monitored. The powerful man pushed the intercom and summoned his secretary to his side.
“I think it’s time that we let our friends know what we know. Make the arrangements for a meeting this time tomorrow. I’m interested to see the progress they’ve made.” The powerful man said.
“Yes sir right away.”
His secretary quickly exited breathing a sigh of relief that she had not incurred his rage this time. The powerful man’s attention was once again drawn to the vital signs displayed in his palm. He sat in full amusement wondering the activity with which his precious subject was partaking in that could cause such a spike in her blood pressure. He vocalized his thoughts once he was certain he was in solitude.
“Oh Ms. Scully if you only knew what we know about you.”
Ch12
Rain drenched the asphalt that surrounded a red brick building. It continued its assault on the facility and its surroundings, leaving no landmark untouched by its soaked wrath. Thunder echoed through the otherwise seemingly silent lot. The industrial backdrop was separated from the building by a high wired fence with coiled spikes adorning its steel top. Condemned signs garnished every entrance and glass window panel that the building possessed. The Buckley Brewery was at one time an esteemed establishment that attributed to more than half of Baltimore’s alcohol distribution. Now it stood abandoned near the water’s of Curtis Bay.
John Doggett wasn’t one to let a clue be passed by. A Celtic symbol that Monica informed him meant ‘immortality’ hung above his head in its full glory. He couldn’t seem to grasp why an eight year old boy would have this rare and foreign symbol continue to pop up in all of his artwork but he was sure as hell going to find out.
“John, did you want the bolt cutters?” Monica asked.
“Yeah let’s cut through over by the mill.”
“I don’t understand what exactly we are supposed to find here.”
“I’m not quite sure either but my gut’s telling me that whatever it is we’ll find it in there.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“No”
John took the cutters from Monica and continued on toward the south end of the brewery. The fencing seemed to be far newer that its surrounding and the fact caught both agents’ attention. After creating a big enough entrance, John tucked the bolt cutters behind a shrub that lined the outer perimeter of the fence. He lifted the fencing and let Monica duck to enter ahead of him. After she was safely on the other side, he proceeded to follow. He placed the fence back to its original orientation as to not warrant unwanted attention from any passersby. When Doggett turned toward the building, Monica was already propping open a window for them to climb through. He would never admit it but her assertiveness was what he found most attractive.
“John!”
“Monica, are you ok?”
He was in a full sprint to get to her before he could finish his sentence. The pounding of his shoes sounded louder than thunder as they smacked against the pavement. Each one stronger than the proceeding, John was by her side in seconds. Upon first glance she seemed to be unharmed. She had climbed to a second story window after unsuccessfully trying to pry open those on the ground level. John quickly followed her path up the fire escape and once he was in view of what the window contained he understood Monica’s sudden outburst.
He expected to see decaying surroundings covered in dust and archaic brewing equipment but everything was quite to the contrary. The room housed large steel vats connected to each other by plastic tubing. They lined the north wall adjacent from a set of glass freezers containing even more steel vats. These were unlike any brewing equipment he had ever seen and he suspected they were anything but. Cylinders and burners were present on the counters. In the furthest corner, there was an exam area complete with many pieces of equipment John couldn’t identify. Though this room was empty John worried about who they would encounter on the other side; letting her curiosity take over Monica was already well into the room when John finally entered through the second story window.
Monica pressed her ear to the door and quieted her breathing. She heard the same silence on the other side of the door that she did within the room. The cress between John’s brow told her not to proceed but she had already begun to turn the door handle. To John’s relief there was no one on the other side but what they were greeted by was enough to speed his heartbeat. Directly in front of them was a railing that overlooked the main floor of the building. Hundreds of beds arranged in rows filled the floor for as far as the eye could see. Men and women in full medical garb monitored each subjects’ vitals with extreme precision. For every subject there was a corresponding practitioner. With every wave of new information that the vital monitor displayed, the practitioner recorded the new data. They were meticulous in their focus and despite the noise that Monica and John made they weren’t shaken from their trances.
From the opposite end of the corridor, voices echoed from the elevator. John instinctively grabbed Monica’s arm and pulled her into the nearest room. Once shielded by the safety of the door he realized just how close in proximity they were. Her back was pressed against the ivory wall and the weight of his chest lay comfortably upon hers. A rapid heartbeat could be felt along the nap of her neck where John’s face rested. He could tell she was about to speak when the hot air from her throat coasted along his jaw line.
“John, turn around.”
Monica’s voice was a low whisper and carried a bit of apprehension. The slightest edge could be detected by only the most observant listeners and John knew the tune to which her voice followed. He knew its every note. He gradually turned and took in what lay before him. It was another surgical room but this one was occupied. A body was sprawled along the examination table with his faced pointed out of sight. Monica took the first step toward the unconscious body with John not far behind her.
The boy was in his early twenties but looked like he had lived through more than his share of hell. Scars scattered his forearms from numerous nettle punctures. His skin was pale with a jaundice like glaze. Tubes escaped from his airway and looped through his nasal cavity. His identity was still shielded by the angle at which he lay. Monica reached her hand toward his arm and flinched at the clammy feel of his skin. At first glance he could have been anyone’s son or brother but when Monica found the courage to turn him toward her the boy’s identity was obvious. Inhaling violently she could barely form the words to express who lay before her.
“Gibson…John he’s bleeding!”
John hadn’t seen the boy’s identity yet when Monica revealed it. He rushed to the opposite side of the hospital bed and saw blood seeping from the right side of his head. A gash ran from his ear to the middle of his forehead. The wound was new and hadn’t formed a significant puddle of blood but being a head wound it soon would. John flipped the unconscious Gibson onto his side to see just how bad the wound was. It seemed to be superficial but with the blood covering most of his right side certainty was an impossibility.
“I’m going to slowly pick him up I want you to unhook the IV and see if we can get him off these monitors without alerting anyone. Ok one, two, and three.” John said.
Monica removed the nettle from his forearm and replaced it with a piece of gauze. Another piece of gauze poked out of a nearby drawer, Monica used it to bandage the laceration on his head as best she could. She then looked at the monitor to make sure he wasn’t hooked up to a ventilator. When she was sure that he was breathing on his own, she unplugged the tubes that lead from his nose to his mouth without removing the tubes themselves. John lifted Gibson from his bed and placed his head along his shoulder.
“Let’s go.” John said
“Wait.” She grabbed for the chart attached to his bed hoping it would prove useful. “Ok.”
As she had done before Monica placed her ear against the door. She motioned for John to proceed once she was sure there was no one in the hallway. They slowly traced their steps back to the room they had entered the building through. Blood soaked John’s shirt and Gibson’s body began to shake.
“He’s losing too much blood!” Monica yelled at the height of a whisper.
John placed Gibson on the hard floor and ripped the sleeves off the shirt he was wearing. He wrapped them tightly around Gibson’s head and applied pressure.
“Come on Gibson, stay with me.”
After securely wrapping the laceration again, John lifted Gibson and entered the fire escape landing. The moment John’s foot hit the railing a piercing siren rang out. Monica looked up from the lower landing as her eyes froze on John and Gibson. With much effort John made the ten steps to the ground with Gibson draped over his shoulder. His footing was dangerously unstable and he nearly missed the final step. As he reached the end, Monica took some of the weight of Gibson so John could safely reach the ground.
It wasn’t two seconds before they reached the point they had cut through the fence. The siren continued to sound and search lights swirled overhead. Thankfully they were out of sight behind the shrub in which they had hidden the bolt cutters. Once they reached the car, John laid Gibson across the backseat with Monica watching over him. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the only doctor he trusted.
Ch13.
The chill of a fall night cut at Mulder’s face as he and Scully exited the car into the wind. Though the capital was only forty miles from Charm City, the commute took over two hours. Entering the hospital’s emergency bay through automatic doors, the click of Scully’s heels resonated down the corridors of Harbor Hospital. Her pulse quickened as her pace did. Mulder had to take longer strides just to keep up with her. The florescent lights shone brightly as they turned the corner to the intensive care unit. Doggett and Reyes were stationed in the waiting area and rose to their feet as soon as Mulder and Scully came into their line of sight. Mulder immediately saw Doggett’s blood soaked shirt and increased his jog to a full out run.
“How is he? Did he say anything? Where was he found?” Mulder said
Mulder was close to the boy he had spent more than a year hiding out within the New Mexico desert. He had learned many a thing about the boy who could literally read his every thought. Having grown up with such extraordinary talents, Gibson had learned to adapt to his surroundings with incredible precision. Though he had spent most of his adolescence in hiding, Gibson knew plenty of the world, far more than many his age. Knowing that, Mulder wondered what had to have happened for Gibson to be found in such a state.
“The doctor hasn’t released much other than he is in stable condition. He assured me they would keep us up to date on his progress as soon as they knew more” Monica said.
“Monica and I went to investigate a possible lead when we found Gibson within a condemned building.” John said
“You found him in an abandoned building? Scully questioned.
“Not exactly, the building we were investigating was marked condemned but was very much in use. It was a testing facility of some sort. We didn’t get the chance to confirm any specifics. Gibson was unconscious in one of the testing facilities when we found him.” Monica said.
“His head was cut from his ear to nearly the middle of his forehead. He lost a lot of blood but I think we got him here in time. We don’t know for sure what else he might have been suffering from.” Doggett said.
“This is ludicrous. I’m getting some answers.” Scully headed for the nurse’s station.
“A young man was brought in approximately two hours ago by the name of Gibson Praise. He was suffering from a severe head laceration.” Scully said.
“What is your relationship to the boy?” the nurse asked.
“I’m his primary physician, Dr. Dana Scully.”
“Alright it says here he came in with a BP of 70 over 65, pulse 40, multiple contusions and internal bleeding. Doctors are pushing fluids to combat severe dehydration. He was given a transfusion to compensate for the blood loss due to his injuries. The next few hours are critical, he’s stable but the next couple of hours are up to him but I don’t have to tell you that. Do you know what medications he is currently taking?”
“None to my knowledge.”
Scully walked back to the three agents pacing three separate grooves into the patterned carpet of the waiting room. She knew Mulder was struggling with this, Gibson had helped fill the loneliness he had felt during his year apart from Scully and William .He had provided companionship in Mulder’s darkest moments and because of his special gifts knew secrets that even Scully wasn’t privy to. She would have to tread lightly with this one. As she approached the waiting area, she could feel the apprehension build in her throat.
“He’s in serious but stable condition. They have him on a stringent regimen of fluids and antibiotics in case of any infection. He’s resting now but we should be able to speak with him by morning.” Scully breathed a sigh of relief when she no longer had to carry those words.
“I’ll stay. Agent Doggett you and Monica can get some sleep and we can contact you in the morning.” Mulder said.
“I wouldn’t mind a little shut eye. Skinner’s been briefed on the situation; he wants a full report first thing in the morning.” Doggett said.
“Dana, let us know if you need anything.” Monica said.
Monica lightly placed her hand on Scully’s shoulder. She nodded her appreciation for the gesture, while Mulder had already made his way to the nearest sofa; his hand shaded his eyes from the harsh hospital lights. Concentration didn’t come easy as his thoughts compiled. Thousands of cases hadn’t managed to rile him as much as the past few days had. The gentle touch of Scully’s hand upon his chest was a welcome comfort. Despite his objections, he drifted to sleep.
Ch 14
Morning broke at 5:43 am and by the look in her eyes, Scully hadn’t slept and news of Gibson’s condition hadn’t come. Mulder rolled to his side and soon after to a sitting position. His muscles ached with fatigue. A creek was heard as he lifted his arms above his head to stretch his back out. Scully stood in front of the vending machine cursing it for having just stolen her money. Coffee, even hospital coffee, would bring Mulder completely back to life. A young doctor approached as soon as she saw that Mulder was awake.
“Sir, he’s awake if you’d like to speak to him.”
Mulder rubbed the corner of his eyes to rid himself of the last signs of sleep and diligently followed the attending to ICU room 27. Gibson was hooked up to every possible machine with monitor surrounding his bed. He had grown since Mulder had seen him last, traces of an early mustache lined his upper lip. His features were more distinct than Mulder remembered and to his astonishment he must have grown three inches. As he approached, Gibson sifted in his bed and faced Mulder.
“Agent Mulder” His voice was horse.
“It’s just Mulder now. So my ‘stay hidden’ speech didn’t take huh?”
Gibson chuckled soon to his dismay as the pain in his abdomen returned. He enjoyed that Mulder always said what was on his mind. It made it easy to trust him and caused fewer headaches trying to decipher what he was thinking.
“Do you remember how you got to Maryland?” Mulder asked.
“Men came in the night and took me by car. I wasn’t sure where I was going at first; I couldn’t hear what they were thinking. They didn’t think as humans do.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Two years.”
As Gibson finished his sentence, Scully entered through the sliding door coffee in hand. An understated smile spread across her face as she met eyes with Gibson. She would be forever grateful for the oasis he had provided Mulder with, even if it had meant their separation.
“Hello Gibson.” Scully said.
“Can you tell us anything about where you were?” Mulder asked.
“William’s not there. She’s worried that he is but he’s not. He has been there before but he’s not there now.”
Scully would never get used to the fact that Gibson knew what she was thinking before she did. She fought the tears that his statement threatened to bring and forced herself to focus and not give way to her emotions.
“Gibson, what was the facility for?”Mulder asked.
“A project you assumed was dead isn’t. It lives but under a different leader. He learned his craft from the man who smoked cigarettes. The plans for domination continue and William is the key to its success. The aliens don’t know he is what they hoped he’d be. When you saw him move the mobile over his crib as a baby, you feared the worst. You were right.”
Scully’s pleasant expression soon shifted to one of disbelief. She searched Mulder’s features for his response but before she could he had picked up the carton of milk on Gibson’s hospital tray and flung it across the room toward the wall. His frustrations had been building over the passing days; knowing his son was missing and now hearing news that the very organization he had spent most of his adult life fighting was alive and well, could send him over the edge. Scully did nothing to comfort him knowing her every effort would only cause him to slip deeper. He hadn’t let himself grieve the first time William was taken from them and now he had another reason to blame himself for the lives they were all leading. Scully’s face was stanch and serious as she collected her thoughts and searched for the exact words she wanted to express herself.
“Agent Spender injected my son with an alloy, he cured him. I saw the injection site. I tested that alloy myself. It was an unrecognized metal. I saved my son from this life, from this endless irrelevant pursuit.” Scully remarked.
Unable to control her emotions any longer a tear found its way down Scully’s cheek. The realization that all of the sacrifices she had made could have been in vain smacked into her chest with the force of a semi. She had spent the better part of years convincing herself that she had done right by her son. She had faced the criticism of her family over a decision she had stuck by that was now coming unraveled within a single conversation.
“Agent Spender was feed misinformation. He was setup. He played straight into the projects hands. All of the information he received was planted; the alloy that William was injected with was a magnetite mixture but someone with William’s powers isn’t debilitated by it only stunted. It acted as a pause. William will fully regain his abilities on the eve of his tenth birthday. He is not the only one of his kind just the first. You’ve wondered this very worry before, that he might be more than a normal child.”
“Why, why do they want him? What will he help them accomplish.” Scully was now visibly upset.
“He’s the one thing they could never create, a perfect human child without human frailties. He’s different, down to his DNA. Any child you conceive will share his traits.”
Gibson stopped and absorbed what Scully wasn’t saying. Unlike Mulder, Scully always thought before she spoke and often edited what she let the world hear. Scully turned her head to see Mulder’s reaction to the immense amount of information they had both been handed.
“Go.” Mulder whispered.
Mulder had answered the question Scully never posed. He knew she needed to prove what she had just heard. She said nothing as she exited the ICU. Mulder turned his attention to Gibson who wasn’t finished sharing secrets.
“She’s keeping something from you.” Gibson said.
Ch15
Though she was confused at what the future held for her family she was sure that she’d be damned if she didn’t use every resource she had to save her son and her family. Scully found herself back at Quantico franticly trying to disprove what she had learned from Gibson. When William was an infant she had his cord blood frozen and shipped to a medical warehouse for safe keeping. Cord blood was mainly for treating diseases such as leukemia but the DNA in the sample would be used to unlock the mysteries of her son’s abilities. The sample was rushed across town by a medical currier and arrived late in the afternoon. It was well past the all important 48 hour window for a missing person’s case but Scully was convinced that William was still alive.
She meticulously suited up in her scrubs, covered her hands with the latex gloves stored in the dispenser above the sink and began the process of uncovering her son’s genetics. She carefully placed a droplet of blood on a thin slide. The high resolution microscope on the counter next to her was her first stop. The slide was placed under the metal holders while Scully adjusted the scope to its clearest picture. Another sample of William’s blood was in the process of being separated by high speed rotations.
The next hours would pass with a haze as Scully used her expertise. Her eyes strained to piece together the microscopic information that lay before her. It didn’t take long to see that Gibson had been speaking with veracity. Scully held in front of her a transparency that displayed 24 sets of human chromosomes. She was beyond speechless. The transparency quivered in her grip as her muscles began to sake.
Ch16
The door was sound proof despite its transparency. The couples every gesture was clear but the words that escaped their mouths were inaudible. Scully was still dressed head to toe in her blue scrubs while Mulder was clad in his work suit with the tie unbound and loose around his neck. Neither wanted to face the implications of what William’s DNA revealed but the truth was staring them in the face with nowhere else for them to look.
“I tested the samples twice; it’s all here in black and white. William was one of Dr. Hermes test subjects his DNA proves it. He has a 24th pair of chromosomes. It’s unheard of, in fact it’s a scientific impossibility but I can’t deny what is right in front of me. Mulder, his DNA makeup is unlike anything I have ever seen. If I was able to see an MRI scan of his brain, I have no doubt there would be activity in regions of his brain previously known to be dormant .Mulder, this changes everything. He’ll never be safe, not if they find out what he is capable of.” Scully said.
“Then we have to make sure the project never discovers what he is. There is a possibility that they are already aware of his abilities and that is why he is missing and the Van de Camps suffered the fates they did.” Mulder said.
“I thought I protected him from an existence of fear, an existence of darkness and running. Instead I threw him into the fire.”
“You did protect him. You gave him the life you thought he would be missing if he were in hiding with us. Never think you didn’t do all you could for him.”
“How different would his life have been had I chosen to keep him with us? How different would we have been? Mulder I don’t want to fight anymore, I don’t think I have any fight left in me. How can he ever forgive me? How did you ever forgive me?”
Mulder placed his hand around the point of her chin and guided her head up to meet his eyes. He knew every nuance of the blue that flooded her eyes and the lines the years had brought to frame them. She had endured more pain in her years than many did in a lifetime. She faced the deaths of her loved ones and stared death in the face herself. She had felt the cold nip of mortality and lived to tell her solemn tale. She had raised a son on her own and was then forced to make the crippling decision to let someone else claim the title of his mother for the sake of his safety and a normal life for him. Dana Scully never seized to take his breath away; her simple presence caused his chest to tighten. Her sheer will to persevere astonished him. She had been his strength for 17 years, his touchstone. He would never have survived without her as his compass. How was he to comfort his strength when she felt she was crumbling? Without the hesitation of previous years, his lips connected with her and instantly comforted her. While breathing in the essence of her courage, he brought her close and rested her burdened head along his shoulder. His mouth lay near her ear as he begun to speak.
“Dana, I never needed to forgive you. You are the only one I trust, the only one I’ve ever trusted. We carried the pain of losing our son and the hole that his presence left behind together. You never have to do this alone, I won’t let you. The cruelties of this world will find him no matter where he turns. You don’t give up, you never have, it’s not who you are.”
She sighed heavily into his embrace and gradually accepted the circumstances fate had dealt them.
Ch 17
The memories weren’t his but they visited him often, never altering in their appearance. It was night fall and the Earth was blanket by darkness to shield the secret location of an extraordinary arrival. A lone star shone bright over a brunette who indulged in her craving for nicotine. The smoke slid past her parted lips and dispensed into the night sky. She was mere steps from the side of a woman she would never admit her affection for. She had taken her miles from home in hopes of protecting her. The road which they traveled to the hidden springs was dirt and the only source of water came from a well. The brunette had taken an aged room and made it glisten for the arrival of a child.
The women were not alone; a man with the intent to kill the child seemed to defy the very existence of death. Others began to gather to witness for themselves the coming of a promised miracle. The woman in labor screamed and held tight to the railing of a metal bed frame repeating the same mantra ‘don’t let them take him’. Her face was plastered in sweat as the exertion of struggle took its toll. Her voice sang low and sweet and far too familiar to ignore.
The amber ambiance played in his memory like a half written song longing for an ending. He recognized her voice, it spoke to him of someone and somewhere he was destined to remember. William longed to recall the voice that visited him every night upon his slumber.
Ch 18
The black SUVs’ circled the lot where the condemned brewery stood. Doggett was the first to exit as the fleet came to a halt. He had informed Skinner of his and Monica’s findings the night before and he was immediately ordered to seize the warehouse. The entirety of the fleet donned blue FBI issue jackets that displayed the agency’s name in neon yellow across the backs and along the right side of the chest. His team had been dually informed that they were to seize any evidence available and harm none but take into custody ant who weren’t test subjects. John directed his team to the slit in the wire fence he had created the night before. Twenty agents swiftly crossed over into the lot and swarmed the building in record time. Monica was among the agents.; her brunette hair was swept up onto the top of her head and only her long bands hung free. Her arms pointed out straight with a gun attached to the end of them. Full armed she was against the building first. Her hazel eyes pierced with focus as the full team assembled along the outer walls.
“On three we move forward. One, Two, Three!” John directed.
Fleets on both sides kicked in the main entrances and filtered into the main floor. Soot rouse as the doors hit the ground with vigor. As the dust settled John began to realize his mistake in waiting twenty four hours to get a team to the site. An abandoned warehouse came into clearer view. Every piece of equipment, freezer and test subject had been moved. With no sign of what he and Monica had witnessed before, he immediately retrieved his phone.
“Skinner.”
“Sir, there’s nothing here. It’s been moved.”
“Agent, I didn’t send you with twenty men to come up empty handed. Put them to good use and find out what happened.”
Doggett turned to Monica in hopes that she had already come to some conclusions. Recognizing his familiar questioning stare she reached in her back pocket for her phone.
“Mulder.”
“Mulder are you with Gibson by any chance?”
“Yeah he’s right here let me get him.”
“Hello, Agent Reyes?”
“Gibson, listen carefully this is very important. Do you know where the facility you were at would take test subjects if they moved locations?”
“There are dozens of facilities all across the country. I was taken to a place I recognized near the library of congress a few months ago. It was larger and housed more subjects that the Baltimore location. There’s an office building near the parking areas. The whole north side is occupied by the project.”
Monica relayed the new location to Doggett and the team was in route within seconds. The vehicles roared as they pealed out in search of a needle in a haystack.
…
“FBI, freeze put your hands on your head and don’t move. We’re looking for a boy who answers to the name of William.” Doggett demanded.
Having followed Gibson’s instructions to the tee, the team of agents infiltrated a second medical lab, taking the unsuspecting researchers by surprise. Most began to scatter as they saw the agents flood into the room. Some even destroyed the projects they had been working on before the agents could get to them.
“Put your hands where we can see them… Now!”
Doggett pulled a picture of the boy from his pocket, the one he had stored as evidence from the Van de Camp’s residence. He held the photo above his head so the room of scientists could see the boy’s face. Being extremely uncooperative, they refused to even give their real names, all except one. A man who had to have been at least 80 years old separated himself from the crowd and was willing to break his silence.
“I know the boy.” The old man said.
“What’s your name, sir?” Monica asked.
“Dr. Jacques Hermes.” He said with a heavy French accent.
“Come with me.” Monica led him to another room out of ear shot of the others.
“I know the boy well. He spent many months under my supervision. He was a very special boy, different from the others. He didn’t react to the test like the others did.”
“Do you know where he is now?”
“There is a man who has been hunting for him; you mustn’t let him be the first to discover the boy. I can’t tell you more but don’t forget to look where the birch meets the meadow. You should find some interesting things there.”
Hermes coyly smiled and reentered the mass of scientists becoming invisible within their ranks. Monica was dumbfounded at the doctor’s statement, he was senile in his musing but her gut said to not discredit the old man so soon.
Ch 19
His phone violently vibrated in his pocket insisting on attention. It was late afternoon on the fourth day of their search. Neither Scully nor Mulder had slept more than a few hours. He had finally insisted that they were of no use to the investigation exhausted. Scully was very resilient but finally caved at the thought of a relaxing bath, though it took much convincing.
A text lit up the screen of his phone. He fumbled to see its contents.
Ship Yard
12442 Connecticut Ave 10:30 PM
Come alone.
Mulder attempted to find who had sent such a cryptic summons but soon realized there wasn’t a number attached. He contemplated the repercussions of following such orders. He had only one choice but he refused to go alone. He waited until Scully had drifted to sleep before he crept out in search of clues to his son’s ware bouts.
…
The air smelt of stall salt water and fish remains despite the swift wind of the evening. Mulder wore his street clothes and hoodie to disguise himself from any prying eyes. Jean clad, he became inconspicuous. A street lamp lit the corner of the peer that stretch for more than half a mile. A silhouette swayed among the shadows moving ever closer to Mulder. He stepped directly into the light hoping to see his secret rendezvous before they came to close. It was a woman’s slim figure that first caught his eye. Blond hair peaked from beneath her cloaked face. The perimeter of light soon revealed familiar eyes.
“Marita?”
“Let’s not use names.”
Marita Covarrubias was sleek and took her time in removing the hood that hid her identity. She had learned the art of concealment during her years with the UN. She held many a secret in her grip and let even more slip through her fingers. Her life had been that of an informant, a tool of powerful men and a test subject. Her soul had been rattled with abandonment and secrecy. For the first time, she was ready to speak of all she knew without fear of death.
“You seem surprised to see me, Agent Mulder”
“Given the company you keep, I’m surprised you’re breathing” Mulder answered.
“I have found a way of survival in such a business. I have information that you have been desperately seeking, information about your son.”
Mulder stood speechless awaiting whatever she could possibly know about his son’s circumstances. He had once trusted this women, given merit to her claims, but the danger of years of solitude is that of mistrust even amongst the most deserving .
“Among the men whose secrets I hold, there is one whose face is well known but not for the deeds that he commits in the dark. He heads a project in search of a cure for all human disease. He does not do this for the betterment of human kind of even to save the suffering but to choose who shall live and who shall die. With such a remedy he could control the fate of all who breathe. William is the key to this miracle vaccine. “
“How do I know that these men haven’t sent you? They could be using you to get to William through me. How do I know that my trust won’t be betrayed?”
“You don’t. You can debate my trustworthiness as long as you’d like but the clock is ticking for William and the longer you worry about logistics the closer dangerous men come to doing him actual harm.”
Mulder gave way to silence letting his lack of an answer portray his response. Marita turned and faced the water, leaning over the railing just slightly to watch as the water beat the concrete pillars that held the pier. She sighed heavier that she had intended, turning to face him, wanting to look him in the eyes when she told him what she had come here to say.
“These men aren’t only interested in William; they have their eyes on a much bigger prize. One you would kill to protect. They know more about her than she knows of herself. Even the rhythm of her heartbeat is among their knowledge. They will stop at nothing to take what they want. It isn’t enough to have one perfect human child; they want the woman who carried him…and the child she now carries.”
Mulder stood wondering if the words that had just passed Marita’s mouth were as they seemed. Within the second his conversation with Gibson flooded his consciousness; he said she concealed a secret he knew nothing of. William’s conception was miraculous, never explained. This had to be a ploy but for what he hadn’t thought through just yet.
“You didn’t know did you? Think back on the journey Scully embarked on before William’s conception. Think to the cancer that nearly claimed her life and the implant that caused it. As you have seen nothing is impossible. This new miracle could be the end of the world as you know it and the world around you. Any child that is conceived as William was will possess his abilities. If the powerful l man were to get his hands on two children with the same miraculous abilities his scientists could easily unearth the science behind their abilities.”
Mulder’s face shone through with complete frustration. He found himself in the same shoes that he had nine years prior. A child was to enter the world and he knew nothing of its existence but only that it was threatened by men who were presumed dead. He took his anger out on the lamp post that lit this dreary scene. He rubbed his temples in an attempt to calm his frustration until he knew all that Marita did.
“You couldn’t possibly have come her only to deliver bad news, what aren’t you telling me?”
“There is only one way to ensure the safety of all involved.”
Final Installment:celinejaneway.livejournal.com/7329.html#cutid1