October Supernatural challenge Fanfic Part 2
Conpiracy Theories Part 2
VCTF
ATLANTA, GA
3:03 PM
“To be honest, I’m not sure how to profile this one, Bailey,” Sam was saying. Everyone was gathered around the command center table, including the additions of Mulder and Scully. “The crushed skull suggests someone with a lot of rage, but the fire, and how well it was executed suggests efficiency. We have four farms that have been hit with the same perfect fires but the victims at all four crime scenes were completely mangled. It’s as if one person is in charge of the murders, and one person is in charge of the fires. But I don’t know how anybody could do either of those jobs alone.”
“I think I can help explain some of this,” Mulder spoke up, raising his hand for attention.
“Please,” Bailey said, giving Mulder the floor.
Mulder cleared his throat and stood, positioning himself by the main screen. “George?”
George began to tap away at the keyboard and images flooded the screen. Photograph after photograph of burned and destroyed farms and corn crop were displayed across the mains screen.
“As you can see,” Mulder explained, “the four farms in the United States haven’t been the only farms like this destroyed. The photographs you are looking at are from Tunisia, Texas, even South Asia. Anywhere warm enough to grow such a crop. Now, as Dr. Alvarez and Agent Scully have briefed us, these corn crop and bees contain a virus and believe me, this particular virus is deadly to humans.”
“So who’s in charge of these farms?” John asked, skeptically.
“That’s the part that you are going to find hard to believe. The less I tell you, the safer you’ll all be… What I’m going to suggest to you may sound radical, but I promise you it’s not. These farms, these crops, are a threat to every man, woman, and child on the planet. The destruction of these farms saves our lives. My plea to you is that you cease this investigation and let nature take its course.”
“I can’t do that,” Bailey said. “It’s my job to find killer and stop them. As long as human beings are being murdered, it’s my job to keep the investigation open.”
“I was afraid you’d say that. Now, I need to explain to you why your lives will be in danger unless you stop investigating.”
“We’re all ears,” John said and settled back in his chair. He had a feeling he was about to watch Agent Mulder self destruct.
“You have stumbled upon something much larger than just four farms,” Mulder began. “In fact, this goes back way back to 1947. To the day a UFO crashed in Roswell, New Mexico. Bailey told me he filled you in on that incident along with the creation of the Majestic-12 Consortium, or Syndicate.”
Mulder looked at Bailey. “Your source told you the Syndicate was working on some sort of project. What your source didn’t tell you was that the project involves beings of extraterrestrial origin.”
“Oh, come on,” John exclaimed. “You seriously expect us to sit here and listen to you make a speech about aliens? We have more important things to do today, Agent Mulder. Like saving lives.”
“Just listen,” Bailey said, a little too sharply.
“It’s a waste of time,” John muttered back, but he sat back in his chair.
“The project the Syndicate has been working on for fifty years is to create the perfect alien-human hybrid,” Mulder continued to explain as if he hadn’t been interrupted. “The virus in the corn crop, as Dr. Alvarez and Agent Scully explained, can do two things. It either activates your junk DNA or completely takes over the host so that an alien being can grow inside it. It is my theory that on a certain date in the future, the virus will be spread to infect every living person on this planet.”
Mulder grew more heated as he explained until he was standing at the foot of the table, pounding the table with his fist with every point he made. “Whether you believe my theory or not is irrelevant. What you need to know and believe is that the government will do anything, including commit murder, to protect the project.”
Mulder stood back and calmed down. “Bailey, am I correct in assuming your source gave you something? A weapon of some kind?”
Bailey looked unsettled. “How did you know about that?”
“That weapon is used to kill alien bounty hunters.”
“Agent Scully started to tell me about these bounty hunters,” Grace piped in. Scully’s face reddened and she appeared to sink lower in her seat. Sam shot her a sympathetic smile, sensing that Mulder’s theories were hard to her to swallow.
“I don’t know a lot about the bounty hunters,” Mulder said. “But I do know there is only one safe way to kill them. A stiletto, used to stab a bounty hunter in the back of the neck, will sever the alien’s brain stem, immediately killing it and deactivating the virus in it’s bloodstream. If the alien is shot, stabbed, or it’s skin is broken to the point where it bleeds, the virus in it’s bloodstream will escape into the air and kill any human in close proximity. I believe it is the alien bounty hunters who are in charge of destroying the farms. Since Agent Scully and myself discovered one of the farms in Texas a few months ago and exposed that part of the project, the government has set about the systematic destruction of all farms carrying the virus.”
“So what exactly is it you expect us to do at this point?” John asked.
“I again ask that you stop investigation. But if you feel you must continue, I ask you to be careful. And I ask that you consider what I’ve said.” Mulder looked to Sam. “I know that one person here already has enough to worry about without adding government agents or bounty hunters to the list.”
Everybody followed Mulder’s gaze to Sam who pretended to look through the file in front of her. When she glanced up, it was to see Scully’s questioning gaze.
Bailey cleared his throat, shifting everyone’s attention. “All right, I think we’ve heard enough for one day. I say we go home, sleep on it, and meet back here at 0800 tomorrow.”
“I second that,” Grace agreed and she was the first one up from the table. She waved to Sam and ran to her lab to gather her things. She wasn’t sure how anybody else was feeling, but she was exhausted after an intense day in the lab with Agent Scully and after listening to one crazy theory after another. She wasn’t sure whether she believed in the government conspiracy the agents were talking about or not. But it scared her that she wasn’t outright against the idea.
Grace headed to the elevator, reaching it at the same time as Sam. They entered together and Sam hit the button for the garage.
“Long day?” Sam asked, noticing Grace’s tired look.
“You could say that. Do you believe all this stuff?”
“I don’t know,” Sam said, hugging her files against her chest. She looked about as overwhelmed as Grace felt. “Honestly, I haven’t really had a moment to think about it. I’m not so sure I believe in the whole alien theory, but something strange is definitely going on.”
“Your friend’s cute,” Grace teased. “Even if he is a little crazy.”
Sam turned red and laughed. “You just had to get that in, didn’t you?”
“Absolutely,” Grace said, chuckling. “How long have you known him?”
“Ah, since Quantico,” Sam said, suddenly feeling clumsy. She shifted her files and one slipped out of her grip.
“No kidding… you think you’ll be seeing much of him now that you’re reacquainted?”
“I don’t know about that, Grace. He’s a busy man,” Sam answered, picking up her file. “And besides, how do you even know I like him?”
“Because you get clumsy and drop things,” Grace said, a full grin now painted on her face. She was thoroughly amused.
“He’s just a friend,” Sam said, suddenly seeming very distant and serious. Her head was slightly tilted as if she were in deep thought and Grace wondered what was going through her mind, wondered if perhaps it had something to do with Tom, but Sam was the type of person who kept that sort of thing well hidden. Grace had always noticed her friend’s far away looks and knew the word aloof didn’t exactly describe how Sam always seemed to be stuck somewhere inside herself. There were many layers to Sam, and Sam’s mind was always working on overdrive. Grace often wondered if Sam had always been like this, or if this was something new that had developed after Tom’s death. The latter worried her, as she knew it wouldn’t do Sam any good to obsess over the past.
“Hey,” Grace said, putting a hand on Sam’s arm and breaking her train of thought.
Sam looked at her with wide-eyed surprise. “What?”
Grace motioned toward the doors. The elevator was open, the garage before them.
“Oh,” Sam said and grinned sheepishly as she stepped out of the elevator. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
“You work too hard,” Grace smiled, following her friend into the garage. “Get some rest tonight.”
“You, too, Grace.”
Grace watched as Sam climbed into her truck and headed off towards home. “Poor kid,” she muttered under her breath and started digging through her bag for her keys. She found the car key but before she could unlock the door, someone had snuck up from behind and pushed her against the car. She felt one arm leaning hard against her back, pinning her to the car, with her own arms stuck under her. A hand snaked its way around to cover her mouth. Instantly, she thought: Jack.
“I’ll take my hand away from your mouth if you promise not to scream.”
Grace nodded and the hand was removed. “Who are you?”
“That doesn’t matter. I’ve come to tell you to stop the investigation.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know what I’m talking about. Don’t play dumb. You need to tell all your buddies to quit or one by one you’re going to start dying off. Am I clear?”
Grace nodded emphatically.
“Say it.”
“You’re clear. I understand.”
“Good. Count to ten before you turn around or I’ll kill you.”
Grace felt the man move away and remained hunched against her car, shaking, and counted to ten. Even after counting, she still didn’t turn around. She unlocked her car and climbed inside, locking the door behind her. Shaking, she started to cry.
VCTF
ATLANTA, GA
7:36 AM
The elevator doors opened and Sam stepped onto her floor. Three steps later, she came to stop, shocked at the sight in front of her. The VCTF had been ravaged. File cabinets were gutted, papers spilled everywhere, tables had been knocked over, glass had been broken, and chairs thrown. She glanced across the way to Grace’s lab and noticed the disarray. She went around the corner towards her office but stopped when she saw Bailey and Grace through the glass in Bailey’s office. It looked like Bailey was comforting Grace.
“Bailey? Grace? What happened?” Sam asked.
Bailey answered. “Grace was threatened last night to stop the investigation. Whoever it was warned her to tell us, too. I can only guess the office destruction is part of the warning.”
“Oh my god. Grace, are you all right?” Sam asked, sitting next to her.
“I’m okay, Sam. Just shaken.”
“Why didn’t you tell anybody about your attack last night, Gracie?” Bailey asked.
“Because this guy, whoever he was, had made it into a secure FBI garage. I knew he wasn’t some punk off the street. He wanted to warn me. Not kill me. Had he wanted to kill me, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you this morning.”
Sam smiled meaningfully at Grace and put a hand on her arm. Grace smiled weakly back. “Grace, you could have called me,” Sam said softly.
“I know,” Grace said. “I know. But I’m okay. Really. I’m fine.”
“Okay,” Sam nodded.
“Trust me, the office is in worse shape than I am.”
Sam glanced out toward the bullpen where John’s desk was. “I’m going to check out the damage to my office.”
Sam hesitantly approached her office and glanced inside. To her relief, it remained mostly untouched. Her desk drawers had been torn out and her filing cabinet opened and papers spilled, but the mess was relatively small in comparison with the rest of the place. She went immediately to her desk and was thrilled to see that the photograph of Chloe was just fine and still in it’s place but her heart sunk when the picture of Tom was nowhere to be found. She looked through the papers on her desk and then under the desk to see if it had been kicked under. She was about to panic, when a glint of light caught her eye. Broken glass. She reached out for the frame and picked it up. Half the glass had already fallen out and the rest she carefully picked out and tossed into the trash.
“I’d say good morning, but…” Mulder let his thought trail off when he saw Sam with the photograph in her hands.
She looked up at him but he could tell from her eyes that she was far away. “When did you get here?”
“Just now. Bailey filled me in. What have you got there?”
Sam carefully placed the photograph aside on her desk. “It’s just a picture. I need to get a new frame for it later.”
Mulder nodded, letting it go. “Your office doesn’t look too bad.”
“No, thank god. Poor Grace, her lab was trashed.” Sam headed toward the file cabinet and started picking up files and stacking them next to the cabinet. It would take forever to go through them all and make sure they were in order. Mulder started scooping up paper, too, and stacking them.
“I hope nothing’s missing,” Mulder said.
“Yeah, it will take a while to go through all this stuff. I’m sure it’s all here, though. Whoever broke in here can’t have been looking for this.”
“What is it?” Mulder asked, looking at a photograph. “How will you know if something’s missing?”
“I’ll know.”
“How?” he asked, honestly bewildered. “There are so many papers and they all look the same.”
Sam paused to look at Mulder. “It’s Jack, that’s how. I know the case like the back of my hand.” She finished stacking the files and went back to her desk. Mulder remained standing.
“Well, while we’re on the subject of Jack…”
Sam quickly looked up at him.
“I don’t want you to get your hopes up… but I may have found one of the places he stays.”
“What?” Sam said, standing. “Have you told Bailey?”
Mulder shook his head. “I wanted to tell you first.”
Sam immediately ran from her office and headed to Bailey’s. She burst in and Bailey and Grace starred at her.
“Mulder says he found Jack’s lair.”
Bailey stood. “How?”
Mulder entered the office after Sam. “The Lone Gunmen.”
“Who?” Sam asked.
“Let’s just say I have some friends with pretty much unlimited resources and hacking skills. Here, I’ve got an address.”
Sam took the paper from Mulder. “Bailey, it’s right here in Atlanta. This is the address to the High Museum of Art.”
HIGH MUSEUM OF ART
ATLANTA, GA
9:32 AM
It made Jack laugh to think how easy it had been to get the janitorial job. And how easy it was to gain entry to every square inch of the museum with the access keys he’d been given. He had found a small space in the darkest corner of the museum basement that served as a perfect temporary lair and he had hacked into the museum’s internet connection. After making a few adjustments to the system to hide where the internet was being broadcast from, it was safe for him to surf the web for free. He didn’t plan on sticking around for much longer; he would have to find his own place soon. But for now, it would do. The FBI would never think to check for him in such a public place as a museum.
Jack made his way down the corridor to the main lobby. He had been sent to clean up a spill. It made him angry that people brought in drinks to throw away in the lobby when no food or drinks were allowed in the museum in the first place. Why couldn’t people be civilized and throw their trash out before entering? He sighed. It didn’t matter. He would only be around for a few more days. Less if things worked out the way he hoped.
The lobby was packed as usual. The museum was one of the most popular in the United States. Hundreds of people walked through the doors each and every day and Jack liked the idea of hiding amongst so many strangers. He began to clean the puddle of Coca-Cola when he saw the suits enter. FBI. He could smell it. He continued to clean, keeping an eye on the door.
And then she entered. Samantha. His Samantha. Jack’s breath caught in his throat at the sight of her. He allowed himself a moment to indulge before he began to wonder how she had tracked him here. He never should have underestimated his Samantha. It was time to move out.
***
Bailey instructed the FBI agents to surround the museum. Many were in plain clothes so as not to frighten the museum goers. He and Sam headed inside to meet with the curator, Ronald Soares.
“Mr. Soares, you have that list we asked for?” Bailey asked.
“Yes, sir, right here,” Soares said, handing the list over. “All of the employees we’ve hired in the past few months. I’ve got security getting surveillance tapes ready to hand over to you.”
Bailey’s phone rang and he excused himself. Sam stayed behind to talk to Soares.
“Mr. Soares, has there been any unusual activity in the museum lately?” she asked. “I think Jack may have disguised himself as a janitor or maintenance worker.”
Soares shook his head. “No, not that I know of. I’ve got Mark Johnston on his way down from. He’s head security. If anyone knows anything, it’s him.”
Sam nodded. “I’ll need to know if anybody’s found anything. Blankets, a computer, anything like that. Jack picked this museum for a reason. Probably because he could hide here. We’ll need to check any unused portions of the museum. He was probably living here.”
“Living here? In the museum? There’s only one place I know of that anybody could hide that well. There’s a section of the subbasement we don’t use anymore. I’ll have Mark take you down there.”
“Sam!” Sam glanced over and Bailey was waving to get her attention.
“Thank you,” she said to Soares and jogged over to Bailey. “What’s up?”
“John says someone in a maintenance uniform just left the museum. We’ve got plainclothes following him. He think he’s headed for the subway.”
“It’s him. Let’s go.”
ARTS CENTER STATION
ATLANTA, GA
10:02 PM
Sam followed Bailey and John inside the station, scanning the crowd for anyone in uniform. If they lost Jack here, they’d lose him for good. Sam knew he’d strip off his uniform and blend in with the crowd.
“Bailey, there!” Sam said, pointing towards the far end of the platform. There was a man in a grey jumpsuit uniform. Bailey motioned for agents to cover the platform as he and John inched towards the man, pushing through the crowd.
“Bailey,” Sam shouted anxiously. She pointed to the oncoming train. Bailey began to struggle harder to get towards Jack. Sam fought her way across the platform towards the train as it arrived.
“Sam, don’t!” Bailey shouted. He watched as Jack entered the train and then turned back and watched as Sam entered, one car down from Jack.
“John!” He shouted to get John’s attention and John nodded in understanding, struggling to get close to the train, but it was too late. The doors closed and he hit them with his fists in frustration, alarming the people inside. The train quickly pulled out of the station, followed by yet another train. The rest of the people on the platform entered the train and headed off, leaving Bailey and John alone on the platform with a few plainclothes agents.
“Sonofabitch!” Bailey shouted, half in frustration, half in panic. Then he began barking orders into his walkie-talkie. “I want agents covering every station. Not every other station. Not every two stations. Every single station. Agent Samantha Waters is on the train alone with Jack. As soon as Sam gets off that train, I am the first to know.”
“Bailey,” John said. “I bet Jack’s headed for the airport.
ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
ATLANTA, GA
10:41 AM
Bailey and John ran inside the airport, scanning the crowd. Bailey called Sam’s cell phone for the seventh time and finally, she picked up.
“Sam, where are you?” he demanded.
“I’m at the airport. Where are you?”
“The airport. By the metro entrance. Tell me where to find you.”
“I’m in the main terminal. In the atrium.”
“We’re coming to get you, Sam.”
Bailey and John weren’t far from the atrium and it only took them five minutes to find Sam. She was sitting on a bench, her elbows on her knees, her head in her hands. Bailey called out for her and when she looked up, he could see that she was upset and exhausted from the high of being so close to Jack and the crash of him getting away yet again.
“Sam,” Bailey said and she stood. He took her in his arms and held her tight for a moment. “You worried me.”
“Don’t do that again, huh?” John said.
“He got away, Bailey,” Sam said, her voice rising. “I got into his car and found his uniform under a seat. I know he came to the airport. Flights are departing every few minutes and this is one of the busiest airports in the world. How could I keep an eye on all of them? I don’t know which flight he’s on.”
“Sam, it’s okay,” Bailey said reaching out for her, but she pushed him away.
“No, it’s not okay. We try and we try and he gets away each time. I’m tired, Bailey,” Sam said, looking up at him. “Jack’s gone and I’m tired.”
Bailey was at a loss for words but John spoke up. “How do you know he got on a plane? What if he’s still here? He wouldn’t want to be far from you, Sam.”
Sam didn’t answer, she just looked at John for a moment. Then, “John’s right.”
“What?” Bailey asked. “Why would he stick around?”
“He had no idea we were coming,” Sam said. “He’s scared. He’s scared and he’s running. This is the first time we’ve caught him unawares and he wasn’t prepared. I doubt he has any cash on him.”
“I’ll set up a search party,” Bailey said.
“No,” Sam said softly, deep in thought now. “He’s unprepared but he’s resourceful. He’s gone, Bailey. But he’s still in the city somewhere. Watching.”
“He’ll screw up, Sam. And when he does, we’ll get him.”
VCTF
ATLANTA, GA
5:17PM
Sam intended to put her head down on the table for just a second but it ended up turning into a nap until Mulder found her.
“Hey, Agent Waters, sleeping on the job?” he teased, sitting across from her at the command center table.
Her head shot up from the table and she looked dazed for a moment. Then her eyes cleared and she remembered where she was. She said quickly, “I was just putting my head down for a second.”
“Relax, I’m only joking around,” Mulder laughed. “I want to show you something.”
Mulder reached over and grabbed George’s laptop. He hit a few keys and a grainy video appeared on the main screen. Sam immediately recognized the VCTF offices. Mulder hit a few more keys and the video became clearer.
“This is the security video and here’s what it captured last night.”
Sam watched as a man in a gray suit entered the offices and began rummaging through the file cabinets in the bullpen. The man had close cropped hair and a strong jaw and he was built like a football player. When he couldn’t find what he wanted, he began to tear through the office, ripping it apart.
“What a minute,” Sam said, looking shocked. “This is the work of one man?”
Mulder paused the video on the man’s face and looked over at Sam. “This is the alien bounty hunter I told you about. The one that can only be killed with-”
“The stiletto.”
Mulder nodded. “The stiletto.”
He resumed play on the video surveillance. The man on the tape proceeded to lift a desk over his head and smash it onto the floor.
“He’s incredibly strong,” Sam said. “Like he’s-”
“Not human?”
Sam grimaced. “That’s not what I was going to say.”
“I know. You’re finding this whole alien thing a bit hard to swallow.”
Sam nodded and stood. “Has Bailey seen this?”
“He was the first one.”
“Okay, well I have to get home to Chloe-”
“I wanted to ask you a question,” Mulder interrupted, standing. “You free for dinner tonight?”
“Oh, um, what time is it?” Sam fumbled for her watch. “I didn’t realize it was so late.”
“Yeah, what do you know, it’s dinner time.”
“Fox, after today, I’m really not in the mood. And I need to get home to Chloe…”
Bailey rounded the corner and when he saw Sam and Mulder, he waved. “Good evening, sleeping beauty,” he joked. Sam reddened, embarrassed that Bailey had caught her sleeping, too. “Go to dinner, Sam. You said Chloe has dance rehearsal tonight. You could use a night out after today.”
“Great,” Mulder said. “So you’re free.”
Sam rolled her eyes and gave up. “Let me get my bag.”
Half an hour later, Sam and Mulder were seated at a Italian restaurant and enjoying a good meal. They chatted about everything from what Mulder had been up to in the past few years to Chloe and Sam’s new life in Atlanta. But when Mulder tried to get back to the subject of Jack, Sam changed the subject to the only subject she knew could distract Mulder for hours.
“Fox, the man on the security tape,” she said. “Where do these alien bounty hunters come from?”
Mulder looked up toward the ceiling. “Somewhere out there.”
“How did you find out about them?”
“I’ve run into one or two of them. They’re extremely dangerous if they’ve been ordered to kill you. Most of the time, you’ll never see them coming.”
“Why haven’t they- I mean-”
“Why haven’t they killed me? I cause the government a lot of problems but they don’t dare kill me. Sometimes I’m not even sure why. Sometimes I wonder if I’m playing into their game, doing what they really want all along.”
“And what is that?”
“Exposing a supposed UFO-alien conspiracy while its really just a smokescreen covering up something else.”
“You don’t really believe that.”
Mulder shook his head. “No. I believe I’m right… Look, there is something else you need to know about these bounty hunters. I know it’s hard to believe but they are shape-shifters.”
“Shape-shifters?”
“They can change their faces and physical bodies to match that of anyone. You. Me. Bailey. Your daughter.”
“What?” Sam asked, putting her fork down.
“Look,” Mulder said. “We don’t have to talk about this anymore. I know its upsetting. And it’s hard to comprehend. But you need to be warned. Just try and keep an open mind. If you come across this bounty hunter-”
“Why do you think I would come across him? Why not Bailey? Or John?”
“You’re the profiler. You’re the one pointing the investigation in the right direction. Without you, Bailey would stop it immediately.”
Sam shivered at the thought but knew he was right. She took her napkin from her lap and placed it on the table, sitting back.
“I know you have to get back to Chloe.”
“She’ll be home soon.”
“All right, let me take care of the check. I’ll bring you back to your car.”
VCTF
ATLANTA, GA
7:00PM
Mulder made sure Sam got in her car safely and then headed back to the hotel. He planned to check in with Scully before turning in for the night, ask if she had found out anything else about the case. He pulled out of the garage and turned onto the street into traffic. Five minutes away from the hotel, his cell phone rang. The caller ID simply said: “SCULLY.”
“Hey, Scully, what’s up?” Mulder said, swiftly steering the car to avoid a pothole.
“Mulder, are you with Agent Waters?”
“No. I just dropped her off. I’m headed back to the hotel. Why?”
“I just received a very strange phone call from a man who wouldn’t identify himself. Agent Waters might be in trouble.”
ENGINE 23 TRUCK CO.
ATLANTA, GA
7:35 PM
“Hey, Dr. Waters, is everything all right?”
Sam turned to the group of FBI agents disguised as firemen sitting in front of her building. One of them was looking at her curiously.
“Everything’s fine, Bill. Why?” Sam called out.
“I could have sworn you just went up. Did you leave?”
“No,” Sam shook her head. “I just got home.”
“I must be imagining things,” Bill said, checking his watch.
“I’m sure it’s fine,” Sam answered.
“You want me to come up with you?”
“No, that’s all right. I’ll call if I need you.” Sam was too tired to deal with a hallucinating FBI agent now. She’d have to call Bailey and let him know the agents needed shorter shifts and more time for rest; all she wanted now was to get out of the wet weather and into her warm home.
Sam entered the loft, calling out for Chloe and Angel, and getting no response. She checked her watch and realized it would probably still be half an hour before they arrived home. It had been a long day and she was exhausted. She decided since she was home alone that she’d treat herself to a nice long soak in a bubble bath. It would calm her nerves and help her to clear her mind so she’d be able to get some sleep, although she wasn’t sure how much sleep she’d get with the idea of alien shape-shifters stuck in her head. The thought of it made her shiver.
Sam threw her bag onto the living room couch and headed into the bedroom. One step into the room, she stopped short, her breath caught in her throat. A man stood at her bedside, rummaging through her nightstand. She immediately reached for her gun kept in the holster at her lower back. With the gun pointed firmly at the man’s back, she shouted, “Freeze!”
Instead of doing as he was told, the man simply turned around to face her. Sam’s finger squeezed the trigger ever so slightly but when she saw his face, Sam felt as if she had been kicked in the gut. She immediately let go of the trigger and her arms relaxed. The gun fell to the floor, her jaw falling open. It was Tom.
“Tom?” she asked, her voice coming out wavering and weak. She felt her eyes fill with tears. “How?”
“Honey, it’s just me,” Tom said. There was something strange about his voice. It didn’t flow smoothly, like a normal voice. There was something stilted about it but Sam hadn’t noticed, or perhaps she simply chose to ignore it.
“How are you here? Where have you been?” Sam demanded, regaining some strength to speak.
“What do you mean, Samantha? I was at work. Now I’m home.”
“You’re home.” Sam said, repeating dumbly. “Tom, you’re home.”
“Yes.”
“But you’re supposed to be dead,” Sam said, the emotion apparent in her voice. Tears began to stream down her cheeks.
“I’m not dead, I’m right here,” Tom said stiffly.
“Don’t believe him!” Sam whirled around to see Mulder standing in her hallway. “He’s a fake. He’s one of the shape-shifters.”
“How did you get in…?”
“I called George to tell him you might be in trouble and he set up a manual override of the security system.”
“I’m not in danger. It’s Tom. Tom’s alive.” To Sam, her voice sounded far away and she wondered if Mulder could hear her.
“Sam, you need to listen to me carefully. This man is not your husband. Your husband died five years ago. This man is an imposter. A shape-shifter.”
“No!” Sam shouted in anguish. She reached down for her gun and pointed it at Mulder.
Mulder put his hands up. “Sam. Think about this for a minute. I know everything I told you is hard to digest but think about it. Do you really think Tom could come back from the dead?”
“He didn’t die!” Sam shouted, sounding a bit hysterical now. “Did you, Tom? You were alive all along.”
“I never died,” Tom answered.
Sam’s eyes widened. “Then where were you? Why did you leave me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tom said.
“You don’t know what I’m talking about?” Sam shouted, suddenly pointing the gun at him. “Who are you?”
Tom suddenly vaulted forward, knocking Sam hard across the hall and into Chloe’s room. Her gun flew out of her hand and she wasn’t sure where it had landed. She got up and ran to the living room where Tom was holding Mulder up by the neck. Mulder was trying to peel the man’s fingers off his neck to no avail and was gasping for breath.
“Let him go!” Sam shouted. Tom didn’t listen.
“Sam,” Mulder gasped, getting her attention. With his eyes he pointed to a spot on the floor by Sam’s foot. She looked and saw the stiletto Mulder had dropped there.
“No…” she said.
“Do… it…” Mulder managed. His lips were turning blue.
Sam grabbed the stiletto and pressed the button for the blade. Her hands shook.
“I can’t…” she cried. Even hearing Mulder begging her for help, she hesitated.
Sam saw that he was turning blue and knew that he would die if she didn’t help him. She knew that she had to help Mulder because even if her mind was playing tricks on her, her heart told her that this man in front of her was not her husband. Tom was dead and buried in a grave in Richmond, Virginia. There was no way for him to be alive, no matter how badly she wished for it.
With a suddenly calm she didn’t think she was capable of, Sam reached back and stabbed the strange man in the neck at the base of the skull. He immediately collapsed, dead, and Mulder fell to the floor, gasping and heaving for breath. Sam’s hand involuntarily unclenched and the stiletto dropped from her grip. She watched as green blood oozed and bubbled from the stranger’s neck wound and then the shape-shifter’s face reverted from Tom’s face back to it’s own face, one she recognized from the VCTF security surveillance cameras. Sam fell to her knees, unable to breathe or to process anything that had happened, staring in wide eyed shock at the shape-shifter’s body as it began to sizzle and ooze. It appeared to liquefy right before her until all that was left was a small greenish metallic puddle on the living room carpet.
“Sam. Samantha,” Mulder said, managing to get Sam’s attention. Sam, still wide eyed, moved her head slowly to look at him. He was reaching his hand out to her. “Take my hand.”
Sam slowly lifted her hand and gave it to him. She felt as if she were underwater and she had to reach out over a far distance. Mulder warmly grasped her hand and pulled her toward him until she was in his embrace. Feeling friendly human contact, she suddenly burst into tears.
“It’s okay, Sam,” Mulder whispered into her hair. “It’s okay, it’s going to be okay.”
OUTSIDE MULDER’S HOTEL
ATLANTA, GA
10:13 PM
“Agent Mulder.”
Mulder froze and peered into the shadows. He heard footfalls and a tall, slim, man with grey hair and a cigarette appeared; his face was still in the shadows but Mulder knew him immediately.
“You,” Mulder accused.
“Hello to you too,” Cancer Man said, and puffed on the cigarette.
“I should have known you were involved. Call off the bounty hunter. No one here is a threat.”
“Are you sure of that? I’ve heard that Bailey Malone is like a dog on a bone.”
Mulder was losing patience. “As soon as Dr. Waters was put in danger, he called off the investigation.”
“Ah, yes. Dr. Waters. That leads to an interesting dilemma,” Cancer Man said, stepping closer to Mulder and revealing his face. “Your friend Samantha poses a threat. She knows too much.”
“Don’t do this to her,” Mulder spoke vehemently through clenched teeth.
“Interesting that you couldn’t save your sister, Samantha, all those years ago,” Cancer Man said, breathing smoke. “By helping this Samantha, do you feel it absolves you from what you couldn’t do for your sister?”
“This has nothing to do with my sister,” Mulder said, raising his voice. “Dr. Waters is an innocent woman. She wants nothing to do with this. She’s got enough on her plate.”
Cancer Man’s lips curled into a knowing smile. He opened his mouth to speak and smoke curled out with each word.
“Ah, yes. Jack of All Trades, I assume?”
Mulder could feel a vein pulsing in his temple as he tried to keep his anger in check. “He almost broke her,” he said, his voice breaking with emotion. “She’s pulled together what she’s got left. Let her keep it. For her daughter’s sake.”
“Sob stories never interested me much, Mulder, but I suppose you’re right,” Cancer Man said, the smug smile still on his face. It was all Mulder could do not to wipe it off with a punch. “She is in an awfully vulnerable position. For all we know, Jack will get her first.”
Something in Mulder snapped. He smacked the cigarette out of Cancer Man’s hand, grabbed the lapels of his jacket, and smashed him against the wall. His face mere inches away from Cancer Man’s, he shouted, “You stay away from her. If she dies, and it looks like Jack, I will know it was you. If you so much as touch a hair on her head I will kill you.”
“Relax,” Cancer Man answered calmly, the smile never leaving his face. “Someone like her isn’t much of a threat, anyway, especially when she can’t catch the person putting her in this delicate position in the first place.”
Mulder turned away in disgust, realizing that Cancer Man was just messing with him and began to stalk away.
“Oh, and Mulder?”
Mulder stopped and turned to look back. Cancer Man had lit another cigarette and puffed on it before speaking.
“I’d be careful if I were you. Attacking a government official can get you into serious trouble.”
Mulder didn’t respond. He just turned and continued walking away.
VCTF
ATLANTA, GA
10:17 PM
The surveillance video played, and when it ended, nobody spoke. After a moment, George broke the silence.
“Still don’t believe in aliens, John?” he asked softly.
Grace shook her head back and forth, as if not able to comprehend what she just saw. “Poor Sam. I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of trauma this has caused her.”
“It’s bad enough having to kill a guy that’s a dead ringer for your dead husband,” John muttered, “but when he turns out to be a shape-shifting alien, too?”
“How did the bounty hunter get past security? I mean, even if he was able to look like Sam to gain entry, he wouldn’t have the same palm print,” George wondered out loud.
Bailey looked visibly upset. Everybody saw the tears in his eyes and understood they were for Sam. “I don’t know George. All I know is that we’re dealing with extremely powerful people. And this case is over for us.”
He got up without another word and headed toward Sam’s office. He didn’t knock, he just opened the door and walked in. Sam was sitting at her desk looking at a picture of Tom. When Bailey entered, she cleared her throat and he half expected her to rifle through the papers on her desk, pretending to search for something as she usually did. Instead, Sam just looked up at him.
“Sam, I am so sorry,” Bailey said. His voice wavered. “Are you all right?”
Sam tucked her hair behind her ears and nodded. “I’m fine,” she said quickly, but there were tears in her eyes. She stood and moved around to the front of her desk and leaned against it, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
“Bailey,” she said, her voice wavering ever so slightly, “we need to cease this investigation. The killer we were looking for is dead now. And honestly, I’m not so sure if that’s a good thing considering he was rebelling against this conspiracy Mulder told us about. But he’s dead and we can’t change that. Our investigation, as far as we are concerned, is over. As for the rest of it, I don’t want anything to do with it. Leave it to Mulder. He clearly know how to handle himself and he’s more equipped to deal with this than we are.”
“I agree,” Bailey said. “Mulder told me that ‘they’ would break in here tonight in search of the surveillance video and all the evidence we’ve collected. I’ve instructed Grace to leave everything out in the open. I’ll leave the tape where they can find it. Once they have everything, it will be out of our hands and they’ll leave us alone.”
Sam nodded.
“Where is Mulder?” Bailey asked, suddenly realizing he hadn’t seen the agent.
“He left. Said he had an emergency meeting with someone back in DC.”
Bailey paused, taking a moment to study his friend.
“Sam, you should see somebody about this-”
“What would I tell them, Bailey? That I was forced to kill an alien that came to me in the shape of my dead husband?” Sam said, her voice rising with each word spoken. “I’d be sent to a psych ward before I could get half the story out.”
Bailey could tell Sam was struggling to keep her composure. Instead of answering her, he took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her. At first, she remained stiff, resisting the offer of comfort, trying not to fall apart, but then she relented. It was Bailey. And Bailey meant strength, comfort, understanding. All of the things which she needed most right now. She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight, for dear life, and let her grief come out.
VCTF
ATLANTA, GA
3:03 PM
“To be honest, I’m not sure how to profile this one, Bailey,” Sam was saying. Everyone was gathered around the command center table, including the additions of Mulder and Scully. “The crushed skull suggests someone with a lot of rage, but the fire, and how well it was executed suggests efficiency. We have four farms that have been hit with the same perfect fires but the victims at all four crime scenes were completely mangled. It’s as if one person is in charge of the murders, and one person is in charge of the fires. But I don’t know how anybody could do either of those jobs alone.”
“I think I can help explain some of this,” Mulder spoke up, raising his hand for attention.
“Please,” Bailey said, giving Mulder the floor.
Mulder cleared his throat and stood, positioning himself by the main screen. “George?”
George began to tap away at the keyboard and images flooded the screen. Photograph after photograph of burned and destroyed farms and corn crop were displayed across the mains screen.
“As you can see,” Mulder explained, “the four farms in the United States haven’t been the only farms like this destroyed. The photographs you are looking at are from Tunisia, Texas, even South Asia. Anywhere warm enough to grow such a crop. Now, as Dr. Alvarez and Agent Scully have briefed us, these corn crop and bees contain a virus and believe me, this particular virus is deadly to humans.”
“So who’s in charge of these farms?” John asked, skeptically.
“That’s the part that you are going to find hard to believe. The less I tell you, the safer you’ll all be… What I’m going to suggest to you may sound radical, but I promise you it’s not. These farms, these crops, are a threat to every man, woman, and child on the planet. The destruction of these farms saves our lives. My plea to you is that you cease this investigation and let nature take its course.”
“I can’t do that,” Bailey said. “It’s my job to find killer and stop them. As long as human beings are being murdered, it’s my job to keep the investigation open.”
“I was afraid you’d say that. Now, I need to explain to you why your lives will be in danger unless you stop investigating.”
“We’re all ears,” John said and settled back in his chair. He had a feeling he was about to watch Agent Mulder self destruct.
“You have stumbled upon something much larger than just four farms,” Mulder began. “In fact, this goes back way back to 1947. To the day a UFO crashed in Roswell, New Mexico. Bailey told me he filled you in on that incident along with the creation of the Majestic-12 Consortium, or Syndicate.”
Mulder looked at Bailey. “Your source told you the Syndicate was working on some sort of project. What your source didn’t tell you was that the project involves beings of extraterrestrial origin.”
“Oh, come on,” John exclaimed. “You seriously expect us to sit here and listen to you make a speech about aliens? We have more important things to do today, Agent Mulder. Like saving lives.”
“Just listen,” Bailey said, a little too sharply.
“It’s a waste of time,” John muttered back, but he sat back in his chair.
“The project the Syndicate has been working on for fifty years is to create the perfect alien-human hybrid,” Mulder continued to explain as if he hadn’t been interrupted. “The virus in the corn crop, as Dr. Alvarez and Agent Scully explained, can do two things. It either activates your junk DNA or completely takes over the host so that an alien being can grow inside it. It is my theory that on a certain date in the future, the virus will be spread to infect every living person on this planet.”
Mulder grew more heated as he explained until he was standing at the foot of the table, pounding the table with his fist with every point he made. “Whether you believe my theory or not is irrelevant. What you need to know and believe is that the government will do anything, including commit murder, to protect the project.”
Mulder stood back and calmed down. “Bailey, am I correct in assuming your source gave you something? A weapon of some kind?”
Bailey looked unsettled. “How did you know about that?”
“That weapon is used to kill alien bounty hunters.”
“Agent Scully started to tell me about these bounty hunters,” Grace piped in. Scully’s face reddened and she appeared to sink lower in her seat. Sam shot her a sympathetic smile, sensing that Mulder’s theories were hard to her to swallow.
“I don’t know a lot about the bounty hunters,” Mulder said. “But I do know there is only one safe way to kill them. A stiletto, used to stab a bounty hunter in the back of the neck, will sever the alien’s brain stem, immediately killing it and deactivating the virus in it’s bloodstream. If the alien is shot, stabbed, or it’s skin is broken to the point where it bleeds, the virus in it’s bloodstream will escape into the air and kill any human in close proximity. I believe it is the alien bounty hunters who are in charge of destroying the farms. Since Agent Scully and myself discovered one of the farms in Texas a few months ago and exposed that part of the project, the government has set about the systematic destruction of all farms carrying the virus.”
“So what exactly is it you expect us to do at this point?” John asked.
“I again ask that you stop investigation. But if you feel you must continue, I ask you to be careful. And I ask that you consider what I’ve said.” Mulder looked to Sam. “I know that one person here already has enough to worry about without adding government agents or bounty hunters to the list.”
Everybody followed Mulder’s gaze to Sam who pretended to look through the file in front of her. When she glanced up, it was to see Scully’s questioning gaze.
Bailey cleared his throat, shifting everyone’s attention. “All right, I think we’ve heard enough for one day. I say we go home, sleep on it, and meet back here at 0800 tomorrow.”
“I second that,” Grace agreed and she was the first one up from the table. She waved to Sam and ran to her lab to gather her things. She wasn’t sure how anybody else was feeling, but she was exhausted after an intense day in the lab with Agent Scully and after listening to one crazy theory after another. She wasn’t sure whether she believed in the government conspiracy the agents were talking about or not. But it scared her that she wasn’t outright against the idea.
Grace headed to the elevator, reaching it at the same time as Sam. They entered together and Sam hit the button for the garage.
“Long day?” Sam asked, noticing Grace’s tired look.
“You could say that. Do you believe all this stuff?”
“I don’t know,” Sam said, hugging her files against her chest. She looked about as overwhelmed as Grace felt. “Honestly, I haven’t really had a moment to think about it. I’m not so sure I believe in the whole alien theory, but something strange is definitely going on.”
“Your friend’s cute,” Grace teased. “Even if he is a little crazy.”
Sam turned red and laughed. “You just had to get that in, didn’t you?”
“Absolutely,” Grace said, chuckling. “How long have you known him?”
“Ah, since Quantico,” Sam said, suddenly feeling clumsy. She shifted her files and one slipped out of her grip.
“No kidding… you think you’ll be seeing much of him now that you’re reacquainted?”
“I don’t know about that, Grace. He’s a busy man,” Sam answered, picking up her file. “And besides, how do you even know I like him?”
“Because you get clumsy and drop things,” Grace said, a full grin now painted on her face. She was thoroughly amused.
“He’s just a friend,” Sam said, suddenly seeming very distant and serious. Her head was slightly tilted as if she were in deep thought and Grace wondered what was going through her mind, wondered if perhaps it had something to do with Tom, but Sam was the type of person who kept that sort of thing well hidden. Grace had always noticed her friend’s far away looks and knew the word aloof didn’t exactly describe how Sam always seemed to be stuck somewhere inside herself. There were many layers to Sam, and Sam’s mind was always working on overdrive. Grace often wondered if Sam had always been like this, or if this was something new that had developed after Tom’s death. The latter worried her, as she knew it wouldn’t do Sam any good to obsess over the past.
“Hey,” Grace said, putting a hand on Sam’s arm and breaking her train of thought.
Sam looked at her with wide-eyed surprise. “What?”
Grace motioned toward the doors. The elevator was open, the garage before them.
“Oh,” Sam said and grinned sheepishly as she stepped out of the elevator. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
“You work too hard,” Grace smiled, following her friend into the garage. “Get some rest tonight.”
“You, too, Grace.”
Grace watched as Sam climbed into her truck and headed off towards home. “Poor kid,” she muttered under her breath and started digging through her bag for her keys. She found the car key but before she could unlock the door, someone had snuck up from behind and pushed her against the car. She felt one arm leaning hard against her back, pinning her to the car, with her own arms stuck under her. A hand snaked its way around to cover her mouth. Instantly, she thought: Jack.
“I’ll take my hand away from your mouth if you promise not to scream.”
Grace nodded and the hand was removed. “Who are you?”
“That doesn’t matter. I’ve come to tell you to stop the investigation.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know what I’m talking about. Don’t play dumb. You need to tell all your buddies to quit or one by one you’re going to start dying off. Am I clear?”
Grace nodded emphatically.
“Say it.”
“You’re clear. I understand.”
“Good. Count to ten before you turn around or I’ll kill you.”
Grace felt the man move away and remained hunched against her car, shaking, and counted to ten. Even after counting, she still didn’t turn around. She unlocked her car and climbed inside, locking the door behind her. Shaking, she started to cry.
VCTF
ATLANTA, GA
7:36 AM
The elevator doors opened and Sam stepped onto her floor. Three steps later, she came to stop, shocked at the sight in front of her. The VCTF had been ravaged. File cabinets were gutted, papers spilled everywhere, tables had been knocked over, glass had been broken, and chairs thrown. She glanced across the way to Grace’s lab and noticed the disarray. She went around the corner towards her office but stopped when she saw Bailey and Grace through the glass in Bailey’s office. It looked like Bailey was comforting Grace.
“Bailey? Grace? What happened?” Sam asked.
Bailey answered. “Grace was threatened last night to stop the investigation. Whoever it was warned her to tell us, too. I can only guess the office destruction is part of the warning.”
“Oh my god. Grace, are you all right?” Sam asked, sitting next to her.
“I’m okay, Sam. Just shaken.”
“Why didn’t you tell anybody about your attack last night, Gracie?” Bailey asked.
“Because this guy, whoever he was, had made it into a secure FBI garage. I knew he wasn’t some punk off the street. He wanted to warn me. Not kill me. Had he wanted to kill me, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you this morning.”
Sam smiled meaningfully at Grace and put a hand on her arm. Grace smiled weakly back. “Grace, you could have called me,” Sam said softly.
“I know,” Grace said. “I know. But I’m okay. Really. I’m fine.”
“Okay,” Sam nodded.
“Trust me, the office is in worse shape than I am.”
Sam glanced out toward the bullpen where John’s desk was. “I’m going to check out the damage to my office.”
Sam hesitantly approached her office and glanced inside. To her relief, it remained mostly untouched. Her desk drawers had been torn out and her filing cabinet opened and papers spilled, but the mess was relatively small in comparison with the rest of the place. She went immediately to her desk and was thrilled to see that the photograph of Chloe was just fine and still in it’s place but her heart sunk when the picture of Tom was nowhere to be found. She looked through the papers on her desk and then under the desk to see if it had been kicked under. She was about to panic, when a glint of light caught her eye. Broken glass. She reached out for the frame and picked it up. Half the glass had already fallen out and the rest she carefully picked out and tossed into the trash.
“I’d say good morning, but…” Mulder let his thought trail off when he saw Sam with the photograph in her hands.
She looked up at him but he could tell from her eyes that she was far away. “When did you get here?”
“Just now. Bailey filled me in. What have you got there?”
Sam carefully placed the photograph aside on her desk. “It’s just a picture. I need to get a new frame for it later.”
Mulder nodded, letting it go. “Your office doesn’t look too bad.”
“No, thank god. Poor Grace, her lab was trashed.” Sam headed toward the file cabinet and started picking up files and stacking them next to the cabinet. It would take forever to go through them all and make sure they were in order. Mulder started scooping up paper, too, and stacking them.
“I hope nothing’s missing,” Mulder said.
“Yeah, it will take a while to go through all this stuff. I’m sure it’s all here, though. Whoever broke in here can’t have been looking for this.”
“What is it?” Mulder asked, looking at a photograph. “How will you know if something’s missing?”
“I’ll know.”
“How?” he asked, honestly bewildered. “There are so many papers and they all look the same.”
Sam paused to look at Mulder. “It’s Jack, that’s how. I know the case like the back of my hand.” She finished stacking the files and went back to her desk. Mulder remained standing.
“Well, while we’re on the subject of Jack…”
Sam quickly looked up at him.
“I don’t want you to get your hopes up… but I may have found one of the places he stays.”
“What?” Sam said, standing. “Have you told Bailey?”
Mulder shook his head. “I wanted to tell you first.”
Sam immediately ran from her office and headed to Bailey’s. She burst in and Bailey and Grace starred at her.
“Mulder says he found Jack’s lair.”
Bailey stood. “How?”
Mulder entered the office after Sam. “The Lone Gunmen.”
“Who?” Sam asked.
“Let’s just say I have some friends with pretty much unlimited resources and hacking skills. Here, I’ve got an address.”
Sam took the paper from Mulder. “Bailey, it’s right here in Atlanta. This is the address to the High Museum of Art.”
HIGH MUSEUM OF ART
ATLANTA, GA
9:32 AM
It made Jack laugh to think how easy it had been to get the janitorial job. And how easy it was to gain entry to every square inch of the museum with the access keys he’d been given. He had found a small space in the darkest corner of the museum basement that served as a perfect temporary lair and he had hacked into the museum’s internet connection. After making a few adjustments to the system to hide where the internet was being broadcast from, it was safe for him to surf the web for free. He didn’t plan on sticking around for much longer; he would have to find his own place soon. But for now, it would do. The FBI would never think to check for him in such a public place as a museum.
Jack made his way down the corridor to the main lobby. He had been sent to clean up a spill. It made him angry that people brought in drinks to throw away in the lobby when no food or drinks were allowed in the museum in the first place. Why couldn’t people be civilized and throw their trash out before entering? He sighed. It didn’t matter. He would only be around for a few more days. Less if things worked out the way he hoped.
The lobby was packed as usual. The museum was one of the most popular in the United States. Hundreds of people walked through the doors each and every day and Jack liked the idea of hiding amongst so many strangers. He began to clean the puddle of Coca-Cola when he saw the suits enter. FBI. He could smell it. He continued to clean, keeping an eye on the door.
And then she entered. Samantha. His Samantha. Jack’s breath caught in his throat at the sight of her. He allowed himself a moment to indulge before he began to wonder how she had tracked him here. He never should have underestimated his Samantha. It was time to move out.
***
Bailey instructed the FBI agents to surround the museum. Many were in plain clothes so as not to frighten the museum goers. He and Sam headed inside to meet with the curator, Ronald Soares.
“Mr. Soares, you have that list we asked for?” Bailey asked.
“Yes, sir, right here,” Soares said, handing the list over. “All of the employees we’ve hired in the past few months. I’ve got security getting surveillance tapes ready to hand over to you.”
Bailey’s phone rang and he excused himself. Sam stayed behind to talk to Soares.
“Mr. Soares, has there been any unusual activity in the museum lately?” she asked. “I think Jack may have disguised himself as a janitor or maintenance worker.”
Soares shook his head. “No, not that I know of. I’ve got Mark Johnston on his way down from. He’s head security. If anyone knows anything, it’s him.”
Sam nodded. “I’ll need to know if anybody’s found anything. Blankets, a computer, anything like that. Jack picked this museum for a reason. Probably because he could hide here. We’ll need to check any unused portions of the museum. He was probably living here.”
“Living here? In the museum? There’s only one place I know of that anybody could hide that well. There’s a section of the subbasement we don’t use anymore. I’ll have Mark take you down there.”
“Sam!” Sam glanced over and Bailey was waving to get her attention.
“Thank you,” she said to Soares and jogged over to Bailey. “What’s up?”
“John says someone in a maintenance uniform just left the museum. We’ve got plainclothes following him. He think he’s headed for the subway.”
“It’s him. Let’s go.”
ARTS CENTER STATION
ATLANTA, GA
10:02 PM
Sam followed Bailey and John inside the station, scanning the crowd for anyone in uniform. If they lost Jack here, they’d lose him for good. Sam knew he’d strip off his uniform and blend in with the crowd.
“Bailey, there!” Sam said, pointing towards the far end of the platform. There was a man in a grey jumpsuit uniform. Bailey motioned for agents to cover the platform as he and John inched towards the man, pushing through the crowd.
“Bailey,” Sam shouted anxiously. She pointed to the oncoming train. Bailey began to struggle harder to get towards Jack. Sam fought her way across the platform towards the train as it arrived.
“Sam, don’t!” Bailey shouted. He watched as Jack entered the train and then turned back and watched as Sam entered, one car down from Jack.
“John!” He shouted to get John’s attention and John nodded in understanding, struggling to get close to the train, but it was too late. The doors closed and he hit them with his fists in frustration, alarming the people inside. The train quickly pulled out of the station, followed by yet another train. The rest of the people on the platform entered the train and headed off, leaving Bailey and John alone on the platform with a few plainclothes agents.
“Sonofabitch!” Bailey shouted, half in frustration, half in panic. Then he began barking orders into his walkie-talkie. “I want agents covering every station. Not every other station. Not every two stations. Every single station. Agent Samantha Waters is on the train alone with Jack. As soon as Sam gets off that train, I am the first to know.”
“Bailey,” John said. “I bet Jack’s headed for the airport.
ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
ATLANTA, GA
10:41 AM
Bailey and John ran inside the airport, scanning the crowd. Bailey called Sam’s cell phone for the seventh time and finally, she picked up.
“Sam, where are you?” he demanded.
“I’m at the airport. Where are you?”
“The airport. By the metro entrance. Tell me where to find you.”
“I’m in the main terminal. In the atrium.”
“We’re coming to get you, Sam.”
Bailey and John weren’t far from the atrium and it only took them five minutes to find Sam. She was sitting on a bench, her elbows on her knees, her head in her hands. Bailey called out for her and when she looked up, he could see that she was upset and exhausted from the high of being so close to Jack and the crash of him getting away yet again.
“Sam,” Bailey said and she stood. He took her in his arms and held her tight for a moment. “You worried me.”
“Don’t do that again, huh?” John said.
“He got away, Bailey,” Sam said, her voice rising. “I got into his car and found his uniform under a seat. I know he came to the airport. Flights are departing every few minutes and this is one of the busiest airports in the world. How could I keep an eye on all of them? I don’t know which flight he’s on.”
“Sam, it’s okay,” Bailey said reaching out for her, but she pushed him away.
“No, it’s not okay. We try and we try and he gets away each time. I’m tired, Bailey,” Sam said, looking up at him. “Jack’s gone and I’m tired.”
Bailey was at a loss for words but John spoke up. “How do you know he got on a plane? What if he’s still here? He wouldn’t want to be far from you, Sam.”
Sam didn’t answer, she just looked at John for a moment. Then, “John’s right.”
“What?” Bailey asked. “Why would he stick around?”
“He had no idea we were coming,” Sam said. “He’s scared. He’s scared and he’s running. This is the first time we’ve caught him unawares and he wasn’t prepared. I doubt he has any cash on him.”
“I’ll set up a search party,” Bailey said.
“No,” Sam said softly, deep in thought now. “He’s unprepared but he’s resourceful. He’s gone, Bailey. But he’s still in the city somewhere. Watching.”
“He’ll screw up, Sam. And when he does, we’ll get him.”
VCTF
ATLANTA, GA
5:17PM
Sam intended to put her head down on the table for just a second but it ended up turning into a nap until Mulder found her.
“Hey, Agent Waters, sleeping on the job?” he teased, sitting across from her at the command center table.
Her head shot up from the table and she looked dazed for a moment. Then her eyes cleared and she remembered where she was. She said quickly, “I was just putting my head down for a second.”
“Relax, I’m only joking around,” Mulder laughed. “I want to show you something.”
Mulder reached over and grabbed George’s laptop. He hit a few keys and a grainy video appeared on the main screen. Sam immediately recognized the VCTF offices. Mulder hit a few more keys and the video became clearer.
“This is the security video and here’s what it captured last night.”
Sam watched as a man in a gray suit entered the offices and began rummaging through the file cabinets in the bullpen. The man had close cropped hair and a strong jaw and he was built like a football player. When he couldn’t find what he wanted, he began to tear through the office, ripping it apart.
“What a minute,” Sam said, looking shocked. “This is the work of one man?”
Mulder paused the video on the man’s face and looked over at Sam. “This is the alien bounty hunter I told you about. The one that can only be killed with-”
“The stiletto.”
Mulder nodded. “The stiletto.”
He resumed play on the video surveillance. The man on the tape proceeded to lift a desk over his head and smash it onto the floor.
“He’s incredibly strong,” Sam said. “Like he’s-”
“Not human?”
Sam grimaced. “That’s not what I was going to say.”
“I know. You’re finding this whole alien thing a bit hard to swallow.”
Sam nodded and stood. “Has Bailey seen this?”
“He was the first one.”
“Okay, well I have to get home to Chloe-”
“I wanted to ask you a question,” Mulder interrupted, standing. “You free for dinner tonight?”
“Oh, um, what time is it?” Sam fumbled for her watch. “I didn’t realize it was so late.”
“Yeah, what do you know, it’s dinner time.”
“Fox, after today, I’m really not in the mood. And I need to get home to Chloe…”
Bailey rounded the corner and when he saw Sam and Mulder, he waved. “Good evening, sleeping beauty,” he joked. Sam reddened, embarrassed that Bailey had caught her sleeping, too. “Go to dinner, Sam. You said Chloe has dance rehearsal tonight. You could use a night out after today.”
“Great,” Mulder said. “So you’re free.”
Sam rolled her eyes and gave up. “Let me get my bag.”
Half an hour later, Sam and Mulder were seated at a Italian restaurant and enjoying a good meal. They chatted about everything from what Mulder had been up to in the past few years to Chloe and Sam’s new life in Atlanta. But when Mulder tried to get back to the subject of Jack, Sam changed the subject to the only subject she knew could distract Mulder for hours.
“Fox, the man on the security tape,” she said. “Where do these alien bounty hunters come from?”
Mulder looked up toward the ceiling. “Somewhere out there.”
“How did you find out about them?”
“I’ve run into one or two of them. They’re extremely dangerous if they’ve been ordered to kill you. Most of the time, you’ll never see them coming.”
“Why haven’t they- I mean-”
“Why haven’t they killed me? I cause the government a lot of problems but they don’t dare kill me. Sometimes I’m not even sure why. Sometimes I wonder if I’m playing into their game, doing what they really want all along.”
“And what is that?”
“Exposing a supposed UFO-alien conspiracy while its really just a smokescreen covering up something else.”
“You don’t really believe that.”
Mulder shook his head. “No. I believe I’m right… Look, there is something else you need to know about these bounty hunters. I know it’s hard to believe but they are shape-shifters.”
“Shape-shifters?”
“They can change their faces and physical bodies to match that of anyone. You. Me. Bailey. Your daughter.”
“What?” Sam asked, putting her fork down.
“Look,” Mulder said. “We don’t have to talk about this anymore. I know its upsetting. And it’s hard to comprehend. But you need to be warned. Just try and keep an open mind. If you come across this bounty hunter-”
“Why do you think I would come across him? Why not Bailey? Or John?”
“You’re the profiler. You’re the one pointing the investigation in the right direction. Without you, Bailey would stop it immediately.”
Sam shivered at the thought but knew he was right. She took her napkin from her lap and placed it on the table, sitting back.
“I know you have to get back to Chloe.”
“She’ll be home soon.”
“All right, let me take care of the check. I’ll bring you back to your car.”
VCTF
ATLANTA, GA
7:00PM
Mulder made sure Sam got in her car safely and then headed back to the hotel. He planned to check in with Scully before turning in for the night, ask if she had found out anything else about the case. He pulled out of the garage and turned onto the street into traffic. Five minutes away from the hotel, his cell phone rang. The caller ID simply said: “SCULLY.”
“Hey, Scully, what’s up?” Mulder said, swiftly steering the car to avoid a pothole.
“Mulder, are you with Agent Waters?”
“No. I just dropped her off. I’m headed back to the hotel. Why?”
“I just received a very strange phone call from a man who wouldn’t identify himself. Agent Waters might be in trouble.”
ENGINE 23 TRUCK CO.
ATLANTA, GA
7:35 PM
“Hey, Dr. Waters, is everything all right?”
Sam turned to the group of FBI agents disguised as firemen sitting in front of her building. One of them was looking at her curiously.
“Everything’s fine, Bill. Why?” Sam called out.
“I could have sworn you just went up. Did you leave?”
“No,” Sam shook her head. “I just got home.”
“I must be imagining things,” Bill said, checking his watch.
“I’m sure it’s fine,” Sam answered.
“You want me to come up with you?”
“No, that’s all right. I’ll call if I need you.” Sam was too tired to deal with a hallucinating FBI agent now. She’d have to call Bailey and let him know the agents needed shorter shifts and more time for rest; all she wanted now was to get out of the wet weather and into her warm home.
Sam entered the loft, calling out for Chloe and Angel, and getting no response. She checked her watch and realized it would probably still be half an hour before they arrived home. It had been a long day and she was exhausted. She decided since she was home alone that she’d treat herself to a nice long soak in a bubble bath. It would calm her nerves and help her to clear her mind so she’d be able to get some sleep, although she wasn’t sure how much sleep she’d get with the idea of alien shape-shifters stuck in her head. The thought of it made her shiver.
Sam threw her bag onto the living room couch and headed into the bedroom. One step into the room, she stopped short, her breath caught in her throat. A man stood at her bedside, rummaging through her nightstand. She immediately reached for her gun kept in the holster at her lower back. With the gun pointed firmly at the man’s back, she shouted, “Freeze!”
Instead of doing as he was told, the man simply turned around to face her. Sam’s finger squeezed the trigger ever so slightly but when she saw his face, Sam felt as if she had been kicked in the gut. She immediately let go of the trigger and her arms relaxed. The gun fell to the floor, her jaw falling open. It was Tom.
“Tom?” she asked, her voice coming out wavering and weak. She felt her eyes fill with tears. “How?”
“Honey, it’s just me,” Tom said. There was something strange about his voice. It didn’t flow smoothly, like a normal voice. There was something stilted about it but Sam hadn’t noticed, or perhaps she simply chose to ignore it.
“How are you here? Where have you been?” Sam demanded, regaining some strength to speak.
“What do you mean, Samantha? I was at work. Now I’m home.”
“You’re home.” Sam said, repeating dumbly. “Tom, you’re home.”
“Yes.”
“But you’re supposed to be dead,” Sam said, the emotion apparent in her voice. Tears began to stream down her cheeks.
“I’m not dead, I’m right here,” Tom said stiffly.
“Don’t believe him!” Sam whirled around to see Mulder standing in her hallway. “He’s a fake. He’s one of the shape-shifters.”
“How did you get in…?”
“I called George to tell him you might be in trouble and he set up a manual override of the security system.”
“I’m not in danger. It’s Tom. Tom’s alive.” To Sam, her voice sounded far away and she wondered if Mulder could hear her.
“Sam, you need to listen to me carefully. This man is not your husband. Your husband died five years ago. This man is an imposter. A shape-shifter.”
“No!” Sam shouted in anguish. She reached down for her gun and pointed it at Mulder.
Mulder put his hands up. “Sam. Think about this for a minute. I know everything I told you is hard to digest but think about it. Do you really think Tom could come back from the dead?”
“He didn’t die!” Sam shouted, sounding a bit hysterical now. “Did you, Tom? You were alive all along.”
“I never died,” Tom answered.
Sam’s eyes widened. “Then where were you? Why did you leave me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tom said.
“You don’t know what I’m talking about?” Sam shouted, suddenly pointing the gun at him. “Who are you?”
Tom suddenly vaulted forward, knocking Sam hard across the hall and into Chloe’s room. Her gun flew out of her hand and she wasn’t sure where it had landed. She got up and ran to the living room where Tom was holding Mulder up by the neck. Mulder was trying to peel the man’s fingers off his neck to no avail and was gasping for breath.
“Let him go!” Sam shouted. Tom didn’t listen.
“Sam,” Mulder gasped, getting her attention. With his eyes he pointed to a spot on the floor by Sam’s foot. She looked and saw the stiletto Mulder had dropped there.
“No…” she said.
“Do… it…” Mulder managed. His lips were turning blue.
Sam grabbed the stiletto and pressed the button for the blade. Her hands shook.
“I can’t…” she cried. Even hearing Mulder begging her for help, she hesitated.
Sam saw that he was turning blue and knew that he would die if she didn’t help him. She knew that she had to help Mulder because even if her mind was playing tricks on her, her heart told her that this man in front of her was not her husband. Tom was dead and buried in a grave in Richmond, Virginia. There was no way for him to be alive, no matter how badly she wished for it.
With a suddenly calm she didn’t think she was capable of, Sam reached back and stabbed the strange man in the neck at the base of the skull. He immediately collapsed, dead, and Mulder fell to the floor, gasping and heaving for breath. Sam’s hand involuntarily unclenched and the stiletto dropped from her grip. She watched as green blood oozed and bubbled from the stranger’s neck wound and then the shape-shifter’s face reverted from Tom’s face back to it’s own face, one she recognized from the VCTF security surveillance cameras. Sam fell to her knees, unable to breathe or to process anything that had happened, staring in wide eyed shock at the shape-shifter’s body as it began to sizzle and ooze. It appeared to liquefy right before her until all that was left was a small greenish metallic puddle on the living room carpet.
“Sam. Samantha,” Mulder said, managing to get Sam’s attention. Sam, still wide eyed, moved her head slowly to look at him. He was reaching his hand out to her. “Take my hand.”
Sam slowly lifted her hand and gave it to him. She felt as if she were underwater and she had to reach out over a far distance. Mulder warmly grasped her hand and pulled her toward him until she was in his embrace. Feeling friendly human contact, she suddenly burst into tears.
“It’s okay, Sam,” Mulder whispered into her hair. “It’s okay, it’s going to be okay.”
OUTSIDE MULDER’S HOTEL
ATLANTA, GA
10:13 PM
“Agent Mulder.”
Mulder froze and peered into the shadows. He heard footfalls and a tall, slim, man with grey hair and a cigarette appeared; his face was still in the shadows but Mulder knew him immediately.
“You,” Mulder accused.
“Hello to you too,” Cancer Man said, and puffed on the cigarette.
“I should have known you were involved. Call off the bounty hunter. No one here is a threat.”
“Are you sure of that? I’ve heard that Bailey Malone is like a dog on a bone.”
Mulder was losing patience. “As soon as Dr. Waters was put in danger, he called off the investigation.”
“Ah, yes. Dr. Waters. That leads to an interesting dilemma,” Cancer Man said, stepping closer to Mulder and revealing his face. “Your friend Samantha poses a threat. She knows too much.”
“Don’t do this to her,” Mulder spoke vehemently through clenched teeth.
“Interesting that you couldn’t save your sister, Samantha, all those years ago,” Cancer Man said, breathing smoke. “By helping this Samantha, do you feel it absolves you from what you couldn’t do for your sister?”
“This has nothing to do with my sister,” Mulder said, raising his voice. “Dr. Waters is an innocent woman. She wants nothing to do with this. She’s got enough on her plate.”
Cancer Man’s lips curled into a knowing smile. He opened his mouth to speak and smoke curled out with each word.
“Ah, yes. Jack of All Trades, I assume?”
Mulder could feel a vein pulsing in his temple as he tried to keep his anger in check. “He almost broke her,” he said, his voice breaking with emotion. “She’s pulled together what she’s got left. Let her keep it. For her daughter’s sake.”
“Sob stories never interested me much, Mulder, but I suppose you’re right,” Cancer Man said, the smug smile still on his face. It was all Mulder could do not to wipe it off with a punch. “She is in an awfully vulnerable position. For all we know, Jack will get her first.”
Something in Mulder snapped. He smacked the cigarette out of Cancer Man’s hand, grabbed the lapels of his jacket, and smashed him against the wall. His face mere inches away from Cancer Man’s, he shouted, “You stay away from her. If she dies, and it looks like Jack, I will know it was you. If you so much as touch a hair on her head I will kill you.”
“Relax,” Cancer Man answered calmly, the smile never leaving his face. “Someone like her isn’t much of a threat, anyway, especially when she can’t catch the person putting her in this delicate position in the first place.”
Mulder turned away in disgust, realizing that Cancer Man was just messing with him and began to stalk away.
“Oh, and Mulder?”
Mulder stopped and turned to look back. Cancer Man had lit another cigarette and puffed on it before speaking.
“I’d be careful if I were you. Attacking a government official can get you into serious trouble.”
Mulder didn’t respond. He just turned and continued walking away.
VCTF
ATLANTA, GA
10:17 PM
The surveillance video played, and when it ended, nobody spoke. After a moment, George broke the silence.
“Still don’t believe in aliens, John?” he asked softly.
Grace shook her head back and forth, as if not able to comprehend what she just saw. “Poor Sam. I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of trauma this has caused her.”
“It’s bad enough having to kill a guy that’s a dead ringer for your dead husband,” John muttered, “but when he turns out to be a shape-shifting alien, too?”
“How did the bounty hunter get past security? I mean, even if he was able to look like Sam to gain entry, he wouldn’t have the same palm print,” George wondered out loud.
Bailey looked visibly upset. Everybody saw the tears in his eyes and understood they were for Sam. “I don’t know George. All I know is that we’re dealing with extremely powerful people. And this case is over for us.”
He got up without another word and headed toward Sam’s office. He didn’t knock, he just opened the door and walked in. Sam was sitting at her desk looking at a picture of Tom. When Bailey entered, she cleared her throat and he half expected her to rifle through the papers on her desk, pretending to search for something as she usually did. Instead, Sam just looked up at him.
“Sam, I am so sorry,” Bailey said. His voice wavered. “Are you all right?”
Sam tucked her hair behind her ears and nodded. “I’m fine,” she said quickly, but there were tears in her eyes. She stood and moved around to the front of her desk and leaned against it, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
“Bailey,” she said, her voice wavering ever so slightly, “we need to cease this investigation. The killer we were looking for is dead now. And honestly, I’m not so sure if that’s a good thing considering he was rebelling against this conspiracy Mulder told us about. But he’s dead and we can’t change that. Our investigation, as far as we are concerned, is over. As for the rest of it, I don’t want anything to do with it. Leave it to Mulder. He clearly know how to handle himself and he’s more equipped to deal with this than we are.”
“I agree,” Bailey said. “Mulder told me that ‘they’ would break in here tonight in search of the surveillance video and all the evidence we’ve collected. I’ve instructed Grace to leave everything out in the open. I’ll leave the tape where they can find it. Once they have everything, it will be out of our hands and they’ll leave us alone.”
Sam nodded.
“Where is Mulder?” Bailey asked, suddenly realizing he hadn’t seen the agent.
“He left. Said he had an emergency meeting with someone back in DC.”
Bailey paused, taking a moment to study his friend.
“Sam, you should see somebody about this-”
“What would I tell them, Bailey? That I was forced to kill an alien that came to me in the shape of my dead husband?” Sam said, her voice rising with each word spoken. “I’d be sent to a psych ward before I could get half the story out.”
Bailey could tell Sam was struggling to keep her composure. Instead of answering her, he took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her. At first, she remained stiff, resisting the offer of comfort, trying not to fall apart, but then she relented. It was Bailey. And Bailey meant strength, comfort, understanding. All of the things which she needed most right now. She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight, for dear life, and let her grief come out.