========================================================================== NOTICE: - Deslea's URL is now http://www.deslea.com or http://fiction.deslea.com. - Email address is now deslea@deslea.com. - May be archived by Scully/Skinner specialty archives only. This information supercedes all other information found in this file. ========================================================================== Offspring *R* 2/5 Deslea R. Judd drjudd@catholic.org drjudd@primus.com.au Copyright 1996 This piece was written in 1996 by the author for personal entertainment. It is copyright and may not be used or distributed (except for the purposes of private entertainment) without my written permission. Disclaimer This book is based on The X Files, a creation of Chris Carter owned by him, Twentieth Century Fox, and Ten-Thirteen Productions. Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Walter Skinner, Bill Mulder, Mrs Mulder, Samantha Mulder and her clones, Maggie Scully, Melissa Scully, Captain Scully, Sharon Skinner, Kimberly Cooke, the Cigarette Smoking (Cancer) Man, the Well Manicured Man and his offsider, Frohike, Quiqueg, Gautier, Jean Gautier, Ellen, and Alex Krycek remain the intellectual property of those parties. Dr Karen Koettig, Agent Grbevski, Melissa Samantha Scully, Grace Skinner, Clone 1 (Cynthia), Clone 3 (Carolyn), Clone 4 (Catherine), Dr Sam Fieldman, Dr Paul Sturrock, Dr Marion Pieterse, Wendy Tomiris, Serena Ingleburn, Amarette, Dr Jillian Maitz, Hallie, and Emily Trent are mine and copyright. Timeframe/Spoilers: To Avatar (Season 3). Rating: R for low-key sex. Summary: When Scully and Skinner fall in love, their troubles have only just begun... Offspring (2/5) Deslea R. Judd drjudd@primus.com.au drjudd@catholic.org Copyright 1996 Two Basement Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington, D.C. October 29, 1996 The phone rang. Mulder picked it up. "Mulder," he barked peremptorily, as was his habit when he was in the middle of something. He listened, jotting down the occasional note. "We'll be right there." He momentarily replaced the receiver, then picked it up again and dialled Scully's extension. "Scully? We've got what sounds like an X File. Can you meet me downstairs? I'll tell you about it on the way." Mulder reached his car just moments later, with Scully right behind him. "You seem excited," she observed. "What's the story?" "Spontaneous combustion. A scientist in a Government lab across town." "Do we have a name?" she asked, wincing as they drove out of the carpark into the sunlight. Mulder nodded. "Paul someone...Sturrock," he amended, glancing down at his notes. Scully flinched. "Don't do that when you're driving. The name is familiar. I've got a feeling he's caught up in DNA research." "DNA and therapeutic radiation," Mulder agreed. "I don't know the specifics." She nodded in memory. "That's right...the effects of radiotherapy, X ray technology, and the like on genetics and chromosomes. He's something of an expert in the field. He's pretty young, I think - I saw him at an occasional address he gave at Maryland U once - but he seems to have been around forever. He's supposed to be quite brilliant." "Brilliant people are usually a pain in the neck," Mulder observed with a mischievous glance at her. "You'd know," she shot back, but she acknowledged the backhanded compliment with a goodnatured smile. She drew a chocolate from her purse and opened it. "Lunch," she said briefly between bites. "You?" he asked, aghast. "It's all I can keep down," she said ruefully. "It's hell." Mulder snorted. "Sounds like heaven to me. Legitimised indulgence." Scully gave him a withering look. "O coronary candidate."<br> He was just about to fire a comeback when he saw a large white building to their right. "I think that's it." "What, you think the eight cop cars outside give it away?" she asked, tucking the empty wrapper back into her purse. She opened the door as he turned off the engine and suddenly recoiled. She could feel the candy repeating on her at the smell of molten human flesh. She held the door handle a moment before steadying herself and getting out.<br> Mulder, for his part, didn't need to be pregnant to lose his lunch. Luckily he hadn't yet had any. They walked together through the police cordon, flashing their badges as they went. Over the charred scar of ashes on the pavement was the familiar white painted body outline, but it was different, somehow. He couldn't put his finger on it. "It's too small," Scully said. Her glance caught some movement at her right. "And there's why." The paramedics wheeled the gurney past them, the body bag half open. The body inside was charred beyond recognition, its humanity discernible only by its vague shape. Now Mulder gripped her arm, fighting the impulse to dry retch. Scully smiled indulgently. Having coped with the smell, her scientific self had returned. "Count backwards. It will pass." Mulder obliged, and she was right: it //did// pass. They heard a commotion behind them, and they turned to see a woman in her early forties arguing with a police officer at the cordon. She was crying. By unspoken agreement, they approached the two of them. But suddenly, she turned away and sat down on the grass, weeping bitterly. "Agent Dana Scully, and this is my partner, Agent Mulder," Scully said briefly. "FBI. Who is that?" The cop nodded at them. "Superintendent Colin Chetton. Her name's Marion Pieterse. She worked with Sturrock." "Girlfriend?" Mulder asked. Chetton shook his head. "Just colleagues...friends. They go back decades, though." At Scully's surprised look, he added by way of explanation, "I did some moonlighting on security staff here a few years back. I don't know that many people here, but Pieterse and Sturrock are a bit of an institution. They're the longest-serving staff here. They couldn't have been here more than twenty years, I suppose - they're only in their forties at a guess - but they're almost part of the furniture. I'd say-" Chetton never did say whatever it was that he'd say, because quite suddenly, Marion Pieterse exploded in flames. Scully reached her first and tore off her coat, throwing it and herself over the woman, trying to smother the flames. She could feel a horrible, choking sensation as the smoke invaded her, and then she felt Mulder's hands on her shoulders, trying to drag her off. Someone came with a hose and drenched the two women with it, and it was over as quickly as it had begun. Scully removed the remains of her coat from the steaming woman, careful not to take any skin with it. She gasped involuntarily. Pitiful, understanding eyes peered out from the ruined face. Marion Pieterse's hair was nothing but charcoal, her body a blackened lump. But mercifully, she was alive, and mercilessly, conscious. She didn't cry out, but she whimpered in agonising pain. "Get those paramedics back," she told Chetton. "We've got third degree burns here. This woman has to be sedated and taken to hospital." They waited for a few moments, and Scully realised the woman was trying to take her hand. "Don't," she said, incredibly gently. "You'll disturb the skin...make the burns worse." But the woman persisted, and against her better judgement, she tentatively took her hand. It was like holding a crumbling leaf. The paramedics arrived and took control of the woman, and Scully started to rise. One of them frowned at her. "No, you don't," a man in his early twenties said sternly. "You're burnt, too." Scully looked down at herself for the first time then, and realised the front of her suit was badly charred. Mulder looked at her in horror, but she shook her head. "Don't fret, Mulder. It looks worse than it is. It doesn't even hurt, not really. It's probably first degree." The paramedic was gently pulling away the charred fabric around her midsection. The skin was slightly pink, but that was all. "You're right," he said grudgingly, "it is first degree - at least there. Go over to the ambulance and have them take a closer look, okay?" Scully complied. After much examination and bandaging, Mulder poked his head around the door. "How're you doing?" Scully looked down ruefully at the remains of her suit. "Not so well as my dressmaker, I'm afraid. Do you think I might swing a clothes allowance at my next salary review?" Mulder took off his jacket and gave it to her. She put it on and buttoned it around her, rendering her at least halfway decent. "I'm fine. First degree, like I said. It's a big area, but it will heal within days. Until then, I've just got to avoid bumping into anything. That's about the only time it hurts." Mulder's look was concerned. "It could have been a lot worse, Scully. That woman had third degree burns all over her, and there was only the coat between you. You were lucky - damned lucky." "Yes, it could. But it wasn't. Don't get protective on me, Mulder. It doesn't suit you." "I'm not. I'm just saying, be careful." He paused. "I spoke to the witnesses. It was the same with Sturrock as with Pieterse. No-one was within six feet of him, and he sure as hell didn't set fire to himself - at least not in the conventional sense. It can only be spontaneous human combustion." Scully was dubious. "Mulder, doesn't it strike you as odd that two best friends who have lived in one another's pockets since graduation - if not the first grade, for all we know - should spontaneously combust within an hour of each other? I mean, we're not talking the flu here. It isn't contagious, and it isn't common. Something is wrong here." "Could it be related to their work?" She frowned. "We need more information to know that. I can tell you one thing, though," she added. "It wasn't spontaneous human combustion in its typical manifestations - not with the woman, at least. Normally, you can't put out a victim with water or by smothering. They just keep on burning until there's nothing left. But although Marion Pieterse was badly burnt, we did put her out." "What about Sturrock? Can we find out?" Scully nodded. "I'll do the autopsy. If it's SHC, his internal organs will be burned to a crisp. If it's just his skin and the tissues near the surface, it's got to be something else." Mulder gave her a sudden grin. "It's not like you to be a believer, Scully." She shrugged noncommitally. "SHC is well documented, however rare. Most of the cases are related to an external fire source - cigarettes, or heat in a poorly ventilated area. There are a few cases like these, though, which occurred in open areas. We do have electrical impulses in our body. I'm perfectly prepared to accept that a person can overload just like a powerpoint." She paused. "But that doesn't mean I'm prepared to write off the fact that these two people who were so close went up in flames together, as well. That's too much of a coincidence for my liking." "And mine," Mulder agreed. "Come on, Scully. You've got an autopsy to do." Scully pulled a face. "And clothes to ceremonially bury." "Why bother?" he asked. "They're already cremated." She groaned goodnaturedly, and they left together. Morgue Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington, D.C. October 29, 1996 "Well?" Scully took off her mask. "No internal burning. Some changes due to the overall rise in body temperature, but Sturrock wasn't set alight from within." She sat down. "That having been said, however, the source of his burns, whatever it was, was pretty powerful. Human flesh doesn't burn that quickly or that thoroughly on its own. It's almost as if he'd been doused in some sort of flammable liquid." Mulder raised an eyebrow. "And was he?" She shook her head. "Absolutely not." She paused. "Did you come up with anything? Any other links between them?" He shrugged, suddenly noncommittal. "It's hard to know. Those two have been other half to one another for decades. Naturally they have shared acquaintances, at times shared homes, shared contacts...I don't know." Scully frowned. "Are you sure they weren't involved? Not even in the past?" "Quite sure. Pieterse's a lesbian." Scully considered. "That still doesn't rule the possibility out. My cousin's gay, and he had quite a few heterosexual relationships - trying to conform, mostly. Given that these two have known each other since at least their early twenties, that seems quite likely." "But would they still be best friends? I mean, it's tough breaking up with someone, but it's a lot tougher to be dumped for the other camp." "No pun intended," she said with a sudden grin. "Well, what else? It looks like it's down to their work." Mulder negatived this. "No go. They haven't been working on anything sinister. Their work seems completely benign and above board. They both could conceivably have been exposed to the same substance or toxin which provided the conditions for the combustion, but frankly, I'm starting to doubt even that." "Even further back in the past?" Scully asked. "I went back twenty years. Not a hint of anything untoward." He paused. "There were only two things which are a little strange." She looked at him, questioningly. "The first is that both of their personnel files list their dates of birth as unknown. It's true that they could be wartime babies, when a lot of records were lost, which would make them both a little older than we thought - but wearing your age well isn't a crime, is it? Just the same, it seems a little too coincidental that that's the case for them both. The other thing is that they seem to share more than friends and a car pool." "What, they're distant relatives or something?" "Or something. There was a pretty young lab technician who worked closely with them both a year ago. Wendy Tomiris. She seems to have been burning the candle at both ends. She's been involved with them both." Mulder grinned. "The family that plays together, stays together." "Did they fall out over her?" Scully asked. "Aparrently not. They seem to have reached some kind of understanding concerning Tomiris. According to the office grapevine, both Sturrock and Pieterse have been seeing her ever since, with each other's full knowledge and consent. It all seems very civilised." "Or pathological," Scully observed dryly. "Is Tomiris still there?" Mulder shook his head. "She now works at the Kuringai Power Plant on the west end of town. She's on the nuclear side of things...first nuclear medicine, then nuclear power." "Shall we go and meet Ms Tomiris?" Scully asked, untying her scrubs and hanging them up. "Sounds like a plan." They were halfway out of the building when Mulder's cellular telephone rang. He flipped it open. "Mulder...of course." He tapped Scully's shoulder and stopped. "I see...yes, we'll be there...thanks." She looked at him. "Yes?" "That was Kim Cooke. Skinner wants to see us." Scully nodded and turned back towards his office. "Any idea why?" Mulder shook his head. "Not a clue. I don't think I've done anything wrong this week." His record had a reprimand for every accolade. "You haven't been uncovering government conspiracies again, have you?" she asked, mock-stern. "No, Ma, I promise." Skinner met them at the door and showed them in. "Agents Mulder and Scully, thank you for stopping in." "Of course, Sir. What can we do for you?" Skinner threw a folder down on his desk in disgust. "You can start by telling me how Agent Scully came to have burns to thirty percent of her body, Agent Mulder." "Bad news travels fast," he observed. "A material witness exploded in flames. Scully was the first one there. She saved the woman's life. I might add that Scully's injuries may be extensive, but they are also minor. First degree burns, Sir - no different to scalding your hand doing the washing up." "Doing the washing up rarely involves burns to thirty percent of one's body," Skinner retorted. "And it's only sheer luck that they were minor - the victim had third degree burns, I understand." Mulder's brow creased with confusion. "Sir, am I to understand that I'm being reprimanded because Agent Scully sustained minor injuries in the course of doing her job according to appropriate protocols?" Skinner relented. "No, Agent Mulder. But I did want to call you both in here to tell you that as of now, Agent Scully is removed from active duty." He turned to Scully, whose jaw had dropped. "You will remain assigned to the X Files and you may assist Agent Mulder in your medical capacity, and in any non-conflict questionings. I make those concessions to preserve the integrity of the X Files. But interrogations, work at crime scenes, and the like are to be done with backup from one of the free-floaters downstairs. There are to be no repeats of this kind of incident." Mulder's look was one of outrage, but Scully's was sheer astonishment. "Sir, may I ask why?" Her voice was even, but she was simmering with rage. Skinner shot Mulder a look, then said, "Agent Scully, you are pregnant. I'm not having a pregnant woman getting burnt and shot and God knows what else. It's dangerous and unnecessary, especially when we have relief personnel who can cover in these situations. And that's quite aside from the liability issue should you lose your child as a result of your duties." Scully got to her feet. "Sir, with respect, I really don't think you've given this adequate consideration." Skinner got to his. "Agent Scully, I really don't think you're in a position to argue." She lost her temper then. "Damn it, Walter," she snapped furiously, "this isn't because I'm pregnant; it's because I'm pregnant to you." He glanced at Mulder, who turned and stared at her, aghast. She didn't notice. "How dare you use your position against me!" "You're speaking to a superior officer," he warned without conviction. "You stopped being my superior when you pulled rank over a personal agenda," she threw back in disgust. She turned on her heel and paced for a second. "I could appeal the decision," she pointed out. Skinner nodded. "You could," he agreed, "but you won't. You would probably be reassigned - either that, or responsibility for the X Files would be reassigned on the grounds of conflict of interest, probably back to the Violent Crimes Unit. Either way, parties with interests other than our own would have an opening to strategically place people less sympathetic to your work than you or I. You go above my head on this, Dana, and you'll cut your own throat." "You're threatening me?" she demanded. "Call it a word to the wise." He paused. "I'm not backing down on this, Dana. It's too important." She turned away in disgust and made for the door. Mulder followed. "Dana?" he called after her. She turned. "I'm sorry," he said gently. "So am I, Walter," she spat. "So am I." Basement Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington, D.C. October 29, 1996 Mulder and Scully returned to Mulder's office in silence. He motioned her to enter first, followed her, then deliberately closed the door behind them. Scully waited for the inevitable storm. "Why didn't you tell me it was Skinner?" Mulder's voice wasn't just angry, it was furious. "It was none of your business," she said, evenly. "The hell it wasn't! We work together under him...pardon the pun." Scully winced, and not just at his bitterness. The comment cheapened what she had felt for Walter that night, what she still felt...it robbed what they had had of its beauty. Her concern for Mulder was suddenly overshadowed by bitterness. She could never be with Walter. That beauty, that memory was all she had left. And Mulder, damn him, couldn't even let her keep that. But the qualification wasn't a leveller. If anything, it made Mulder angrier. Scully and Skinner...his best friend and one of their closest allies. He suddenly pictured the two of them together. He felt excluded. "This affects me, too. This case alone is proof of that." His volume was rising. Something in his voice warned Scully that he was close to the edge. Never especially stable, Mulder felt things deeply. She endeavoured to diffuse the situation. "I do believe you're jealous," she teased. Mulder was not appeased. It was true, albeit not as she meant it. And because she had hit a nerve, he hit one back. "Damn it, Scully, you've exposed the X Files to danger," he snapped crossly. Her own temper flared. "Damn you to hell, Mulder!" She paused, for maximum effect. "And damn the X Files, too." Mulder winced. She turned on her heel and stormed out. Assistant Director's Office Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington, D.C. October 29, 1996 Kimberly Cooke knocked, then poked her head around the door. "Sir, Agent Mulder would like to see you." Skinner raised his head from his work. "Send him in," he said, wearily. He got to his feet. "Thank you for seeing me, Sir." Skinner waved the courteous greeting aside. Coming from Mulder, it only served to make him nervous. "Take a seat, Agent Mulder," he said, and did so himself. Mulder sat, and shifted uncomfortably. "Sir," he began awkwardly, "I wanted to speak with you about what happened this morning." Skinner raised a hand. "I'm sorry you had to witness that, Agent Mulder. I was out of line, and so was Agent Scully. I should have spoken with her privately on the matter." Mulder shook his head. "Sir, that's not what I mean. I wanted to talk to you about your decision to remove Agent Scully from active duty." Skinner stiffened. "I have made my decision, Agent Mulder." Mulder said evenly (and it was an evenness he didn't feel), "With respect, Sir, I don't think you have made your decision on strategic grounds - either professionally or personally." "What the hell is that supposed to mean? If you're referring to the fact that my decision is based on my own fears for the safety of the baby, off the record I will tell you that you're quite right. I make no apologies for that. On the record I will say only that pregnant personnel on active duty add to the risk factors involved. I have exercised my powers of discretion in allowing Agent Scully to remain assigned to the X Files, but I will not allow her to participate in situations of conflict or danger." Mulder said gently, "Sir, that's not your decision to make." He lost his temper then. "The hell it's not, Mulder! This is my child, too!" Skinner got to his feet and turned away. The anger left his voice as quickly as it had arisen, but he remained resolute. "Agent Mulder, I've lost two wives. I've lost a daughter. I'm not losing anyone else if it can be avoided." "Are you speaking of Agent Scully, or the child she's carrying?" Skinner turned back to face him. "I'm speaking of them both." He sat down, finality in his expression. "Sir, when I said that this wasn't a strategic decision, I did mean it professionally, but I also meant it personally. Agent Scully doesn't want to be protected," Mulder said cautiously. "She wants to be respected. You used to respect her in her judgement and her actions. Now you have an involvement with her, and you're trying to take away her autonomy and her freedom. For God's sake, you're trying to take away the very thing you love her for!" He paused. "Sir, you have to stop letting your feelings for Agent Scully influence your decisions. If you don't, someone will get hurt. You're getting protective and she's getting defensive. You're working at cross purposes. And one day, it's going to cost one or both of you your lives - either that," he added with a wry grin, "or mine." Skinner's brown furrowed. "So what do you suggest I do, Mulder? Just send her into the line of fire?" "Damn it, yes! She's not a little kid you can protect; you know that! She's an adult, and an officer in the FBI. She serves her country, as we do, with all its risks. And that is her right." He paused. "Just trust her! Don't you trust her to do what's right for her? And your child? Don't you think she would die to allow that child to live?" "Yes, I do," Skinner conceded. "And that's exactly what I'm afraid of." He paused. "How do you do it, Mulder? Watch her just saunter into danger? You love her - how do you do it?" Mulder said in a low voice, "It does frighten me when I see her in danger - I admit that. I do it because I respect her. I respect that she knows what is right for her better than I do. I respect her the way you //used// to." Skinner was silent for a long time. Finally, he turned in his chair to face the window. "That will be all, Agent Mulder." Mulder rose. "Sir-" "I said, that will be all." Skinner waited until the door opened. "Mulder?" Mulder stopped in his tracks. "Yes, Sir?" "Thank you." Assistant Director's Office Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington, D.C. October 29, 1996 "You wanted to see me, Sir?" Scully's voice was wooden. Still bristling with fury, it was only with great self-restraint that she maintained any semblance of calm. Skinner heard the distance, the barely-shrouded hostility in her voice, and winced. Still, he thought, annoyed, if she wanted to play boss-subordinate, he'd play. "Come in, Agent Scully. Take a seat." Scully did as she was bidden. She waited. With deliberate nonchalance, Skinner leaned back in his seat. His look was magnaminous. "Agent Scully, I have reconsidered the decision to remove you from active duty. The extent of your involvement in active duty remains at your discretion." He sounded as though he had just granted her the greatest favour of her life. Scully looked closely at him. His turnaround was unexpected, to say the least, and his demeanour puzzling. "Thank you, Sir," she said cautiously, uncertain of her ground. He came to himself then. Dammit, he was in the wrong here! What the hell was he doing, playing mind games with her? Suddenly ashamed, he rose from his seat and looked away. His voice became regretful. "Don't thank me, Scully. Thank Mulder. He came to see me - and gave me a talking-to I thoroughly deserved." He came around his desk and sat on the corner. He met her gaze, and the professional mask dropped. His expression was contrite, and a little sad. "Dana, I'm sorry. I should have trusted you with this decision. I shouldn't have tried to take matters out of your hands. I was out of line, and I'm sorry." Scully nodded in acceptance of this. "I'm sorry too, Walter. I shouldn't have raised our private life in front of Mulder." She smiled faintly. "I was angry." He dropped his gaze. "I know." He looked at her once more, then went to her chair. He crouched in front of her and took her hands. "I just worry, Dana. I love you and this child you're carrying, and sometimes I get scared." She leaned forward and kissed him tenderly. "It's going to be okay, Walter. Please don't be worried." He looked at her dubiously, but he nodded. "I'll try." "Promise?" she asked. "I promise." 3170 West 53 Rd, #35 Annapolis, Maryland October 29, 1996 There was a knock at the door. "Coming!" Scully called, cautiously removing first her files, then Quiqueg, her dog from her lap and depositing them both on the floor. Then, reconsidering, she put the files on the coffee table. She checked through the peephole. It was Mulder. //What now?// she wondered, opening the door. "Hello, Mulder." "Scully? Can I come in?" Mutely, she stood aside. He walked past her. She closed the door and followed him into the lounge room. He sat down, uninvited. She sat opposite him. They were silent a moment, before Scully said, "Skinner called me back in to see him. He said he'd reconsidered his decision and that I could stay on active duty until I chose otherwise." She paused. "He said you'd talked to him." Mulder nodded, but didn't elaborate. He sat uncomfortably for a few moments. Finally, Scully decided to leave him to whatever he was battling with and made them both coffee. When she came back to the living room, he rose. She handed him his cup. He was silent another moment, then blurted, "Scully, I'm sorry. I guess I was upset that you hadn't trusted me." Scully's features clouded with indulgent compassion. He went on, "We're friends - aren't we?" Scully favoured him with a gentle smile. Normally expressive only in the most crucial of moments, she felt an uncharacteristic urge to hug him. "Of course we're friends, Mulder; you know that," she said incredulously. "It has nothing to do with trust. I just - well, I wasn't sure how I felt about all this. To tell you the truth," she added with a rueful smile, "I'm still not." Mulder said hesitantly, "Do you want to tell me?" Scully turned away from him and sat down. She gestured for him to do the same. Suddenly reflective, she said, "It was after I was - away. Skinner stayed with me. He was worried about me. I asked him why he was so worried, and he told me he cared for me. He said it didn't matter, but I'd asked." She stopped short, suddenly confused. Scully herself didn't really understand what had prompted her to take Skinner into her life. She cared for him, yes; but she had acted with such impulsiveness. It wasn't like her. She was normally so methodical and careful. She had no regrets, but she didn't understand. Finally, she said carefully, trying to sort through her own motives, "He looked so alone. I felt terribly sorry for him all of a sudden, with all that he'd been through lately and the way he's had to try and rebuild his life. And I felt ashamed of the way I'd treated him when Sharon was attacked. All I could see was this really good man who was - I don't know, //bereft// - and I'd misjudged him so badly, left him alone when he needed my friendship the most. I did care for him, very much. And I was frightened. I felt cut off because I'd been through this thing I couldn't remember and I didn't understand. I needed someone. He was there," she said simply. Her tone lost its reflective quality then. "We agreed that it couldn't go on. The risks were too high. Disciplinary action, maybe - it's a security risk, of sorts, you know; an involvement with a subordinate. And I didn't know if I wanted it to go on. I still hadn't sorted out just what any of this meant for me. But then I was pregnant. We were careful - but obviously not careful enough." "He loves you," Mulder said after a pause. She nodded, her expression grave. "I know that." His tone was piercing. "Do you love him?" Scully frowned. She thought for some minutes, before admitting, "I don't know, Mulder. It's hard to know when you need someone. You don't know if it's love or just need. And I do need him. I'm having a child, and I'm alone. He wants the baby. He's - there." She paused. "I do love him. But am I <love? I just don't know." Her smile faded. "I know I don't want a lover. I don't want someone to worship me and protect me. I don't want what Walter was offering this morning. I want respect - equality. I want to be trusted." Mulder grinned. "That's exactly what I told him." Scully started, then grinned with him. "Fox Mulder, adviser to the lovelorn. Tell me, if you're so smart, why don't you have anyone?" "Because, Scully, you're the only woman I've ever met who wants what I want. And if we were together, we'd //kill// each other. I mean, can you imagine the arguments? 'Mulder, you left the seat up again!' 'Scully, I think it was aliens.' " She burst out laughing. He went on, "Tell you what, though: if we're both still alone when we're seventy, we're getting married. What do you think?" "I think you've got yourself a deal." Waste Disposal Facility Kuringai Nuclear Power Kuringai, Virginia November 10, 1996 Scully looked at her watch surreptitiously. Wendy Tomiris had spoken interminably of her relationships with each of the deceased and the feud that had existed between them over Her Affections. She viewed herself, apparently, as the martyr of the case; both victims having been set aflame after their passions had been Ignited by Her. She was one of those people who think of things momentous and extraordinary in uppercase letters, and who speaks of them as such. Scully stifled a yawn. She had been there for over an hour and had gained precisely nothing. It was her experience that people who spoke briefly and concisely yielded far more information than their windy counterparts. Furthermore, their information was more likely to be relevant and specific. Articulate herself, Scully found the Tomiris woman to be annoying, and superfluous to the investigation. Tomiris was a technician, of sorts, at the Kuringai Nuclear Power Plant. The name was somewhat misleading. It was a power plant, but it also had a research facility attached. This had been the legacy of limited funding and adverse publicity to the idea of a separate research facility. Tomiris, however, was a minor worker in the nuclear waste disposal facility within the power plant itself. This was where they sat now, Scully listening to the woman's entire life history - not to mention all she had ever wanted to know (and most of what she didn't) about nuclear power. Scully, who had flirted with anti-nuclear activism in her first year at Berkley, suspected she could tell Tomiris far more than the latter could tell her. Still, she reflected in mounting irritation; it was all right. It wasn't as though she had a life, or a job to return to. She had had nothing of substance to add to the information on the spontaneous combustion deaths. Scully was starting to believe that the two victims' link via the Tomiris woman was coincidence - in fact, if you disregarded Mulder's attempts to spook her, she had thought so all along. In the absence of anything of interest, Scully amused herself by counting the number of times Tomiris used the word, "really" in each sentence. It was her recurring word, interspersed less often by the harder-to-incorporate "bizarre". Tomiris was talking about something really bizarre when Scully realised that she hadn't yet asked any of the questions she had wanted to. She had gotten as far as the routine paadding, that was all. She interrupted the woman. "Ms Tomiris," she said, "can you tell me how you met Paul and Marion?" Tomiris nodded. "I worked with them, as you know. They were the best of friends. Paul was straight, and Marion was gay." "And you?" Tomiris shrugged ruefully. "I was lonely, and I wanted to get ahead. Neither loneliness nor ambition know very much about gender. I suspect they care even less. I got involved with them both." "And they found each other out?" "Not at all. They told each other. I hadn't realised they would do that. But they were much more important to one another than a woman could ever be. Boy, was that messy. But in the end, they kind of agreed to share me, if you like. I didn't think it would work, but it has. They're each other's first priority. If I'd ever made either of them choose, I'd be the loser, I can promise you." Scully nodded slowly. "There's been no conflict over that decision?" "Not for them. For me, it's been a little more complex. It's not good for the self-esteem." "Being wanted by two brilliant desirable people?" Scully asked, dubiously. "The arrangement, if you like to call it that, was reached because they didn't want to risk their friendship over me. I may be lover to them, but they're each other's soul mate. I can't compete with that." Scully winced. She wondered if Skinner ever felt that way about her and Mulder. "You said they were one another's first priority. That seems pretty extraordinary to me. They go back a long way. Do you know when they met?" Tomiris nodded. "They met at University. Mind you, to hear Marion talk, you'd think it was the dark ages. She says she was the first woman to graduate medicine from her university. Doesn't sound like the sixties, does it? But maybe she meant in her particular specialty, or something. I never really gave it much thought." She paused. "As far as I know, they both got work at the lab straight from university. Again, I never gave it much thought." Scully gave up. "All right. We might leave it there, Ms Tomiris. I'll let you know if we find anything. My partner and I are interviewing Marion this afternoon. She might be in a position to help us." Tomiris' response surprised her. "Those bastards! Damn it, they didn't tell me she was conscious! How long has she been awake?" "Since late last night," Scully said, appalled. "I'm sorry, Ms Tomiris. I'd have told you myself if I'd known the hospital wasn't being co-operative." Tomiris snorted. "Co-operation and same-sex partners don't usually fit into the same sentence, I'm afraid. Do you know, you're the first person on the case that's even acknowledged I was her partner? Most of them just smirk, and the ones that know about the arrangement with Paul think I'm a slut. But Marion's the best person you could hope to meet. Paul was nice, but Marion's good, as well, if you know what I mean. I'm nothing that hot, you know; I'm a bit of a busybody and a gossip and I can be a bit of a gold-digger, too - but I love Marion. That deserves respect, at least." "Yes," Scully agreed softly. "It does." Andrew Wellings Memorial Burns Unit Georgetown Medical Centre Washington, D.C. November 10, 1996 Mulder met Scully at the hospital. Marion Pieterse had been moved from intensive care to the burns unit. She was out of danger, but her recovery would be a long, slow process. There would be a lot of surgery in the months to come. She was conscious, more or less alert; but she was also physically and emotionally traumatised. She had spent much of the preceding night under sedation after coming to and being confronted with the death of her lifelong companion and the horror of her own condition. Quite aside from this was the fact that she couldn't bear to be touched, but it was necessary to move her from time to time if she was to heal. "Dr Pieterse?" Scully said, her voice gentler than usual. She hadn't forgotten that crumbling hand beneath hers. Pieterse's glance went to her. "You're the woman who put me out." The crackling, partly grafted flesh would not allow a smile, but there was gratitude in her voice. "Thank you." Scully's expression twisted as she moved closer to the grotesquely shrivelled woman before her. "I'm surprised you feel that way, to tell the truth," she said softly. The corners of Pieterse's mouth twitched. "Some people are born to survive. They want it - no matter what. I'm one of them. So was Paul." The vague suggestion of a smile faded. Her eyes closed with what Scully presumed to be painful memory. She shot a pained glance at Mulder. The moment passed. Pieterse opened her eyes once more, her voice controlled. "I'm sorry. This has been quite a shock for me." Mulder nodded sympathetically. "My partner and I realise that, Dr Pieterse. We don't want to make it worse, but you must understand, we have to know what happened to you, and why. We won't take much of your time." Pieterse grimaced. "Time, I have. Lots of it. I hadn't realised how isolated in my work I had become. Now, I see that all I had was Paul and Wendy. Paul's gone, and Wendy hasn't so much as been to see me." There was bitterness in her voice. Scully spoke up. "Wendy wasn't allowed to see you whilst you were in ICU. The hospital failed to notify her that you were conscious. She only found out when I told her, an hour ago. I believe she's coming as soon as she can get away from work." She had no affection for Wendy Tomiris herself, but she had great empathy for the lonely woman before her. She cleared her throat. "In any case, Dr Pieterse, we wanted to ask if there was any common denominator between you and Paul Sturrock which might explain why you both exploded in flames within an hour of each other?" Marion Pieterse twitched her head in what might have been meant to be a negative shaking. "None at all, and not for wondering. Spontaneous combustion is a bit out of my field, of course; but I know enough to know that this is atypical. And yet -" she broke off, confused, then continued, "and yet, what else could it have been?" Mulder spoke up. "Could it have been toxicological? Were you and Dr Sturrock working with anything suspect? Could you have been exposed to anything in your experimental work?" Pieterse's gaze moved to him. "No," she said after barely a second's thought. "Low level ionizing radiation, for research, of course; but there was nothing particular about our work which would differentiate us from any radiology department in the country. Other than that, it was just DNA." Mulder had seen the quirks of DNA of questionable origin too many times to be reassured by this. "What sort of DNA?" he queried. Scully rolled her eyes. Even if this inoffensive woman had been working on some sort of alien or mutant DNA with unusual properties, did he really think she would tell them? But Pieterse was puzzled by the question. "Well, all types, really. The normal sorts of combinations you find in the general population. We don't start with genetic abnormalities, if that's what you mean; we expose healthy, typical DNA to low- level radiation in varying doses to see if it remains healthy." "Only low-level radiation?" Mulder asked. "Therapeutic doses?" She inclined her head very slightly. "Yes. Higher doses are outside of our scope, and the labs aren't equipped to do it, anyway." Mulder glanced at Scully, who nodded slightly to indicate that that was indeed the case. Suddenly wondering if Pieterse had noticed the exchange, he looked back at her. But Marion Pieterse didn't seem to have paid them any heed. She was staring at the television set, transfixed. She didn't move, even when Scully called her name. Mulder, annoyed, tapped his foot impatiently. He knew she had been terribly ill, but why had she suddenly faded out on them? he wondered. Scully looked at the television. It was a news bulletin, and there was a picture on the screen of a rather nondescript elderly woman to the left of the presenter. Scully wondered if the picture reminded Pieterse of her mother or another relative, causing her sudden blackout. "...local news, the name of the country's oldest mental patient, who escaped from a State facility in Virginia last month, has been released. Serena Ingleburn, who is a hundred and twenty one years old, has been institutionalised since 1889, when she was just fourteen. It's understood that staff were distracted by a small fire. Ingleburn is not considered dangerous, but in view of her age and her inexperience of twentieth century life, there are fears for her safety." Scully raised her eyebrows. "One hundred and twenty one?" she asked aloud, dubious. "She didn't look a day above seventy. Surely it's a typographic error on her records." Pieterse seemed to come to herself. "No, it's true," she said firmly. Suddenly aware of the two agents' scrutiny, she addded, "I read about her about ten years ago in one of the journals. She just seemed to suddenly stop ageing. No explanation was found, so far as I know." She paused. "I'm sorry. I was interested in the case when it hit the journals, and I became preoccupied. What were you saying?" Mulder glanced at Scully and shrugged. "Common denominators between you and Paul," he prompted. "Ones which might have caused you both to be set on fire." A frightened look seemed to cross Pieterse's ruined face, but it was gone before he could be sure. Her voice seemed to stiffen. "I really can't tell you anything, Agent Mulder." She paused. "I'm very tired. Would you mind-" Scully nodded. "Of course. You'll have someone call us if you think of anything?" Marion Pieterse nodded. "Absolutely." Three 5th Floor Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington, D.C. November 22, 1996 "Mulder, take a look at this," Scully called. He went to her. "What is it?" he asked. Scully was holding a sheaf of flimsy thermal paper. "It's from the American Scientific Database. Everything that's been published in the major scientific journals since 1898. I asked them for lists on everything ever written by Paul Sturrock and Marion Pieterse. I wanted to see if they'd ever done any work that Pieterse herself had forgotten which might have been relevant. They faxed me these. Prolific writers, the pair of them." "Hardly a fiery pastime," Mulder observed. Scully shook her head. "No, I think this is right up your alley, Mulder. We figured them for their forties, right? Which would put them through university in the sixties." He nodded. "There are articles by an M. Pieterse dating back to 1932." "Her father?" he quizzed. Scully shook her head. "That was what I thought, too; until I noticed that Sturrock's articles began at about the same time. And the first Pieterse-Sturrock joint effort appeared in Scientific American in 1934. So I got a copy of the first one. The bio describes Dr Marion Pieterse as 'Oregon's first female graduate of a higher degree, graduating in 1931.' Same story for Sturrock - he's described as having graduated in 1932." Mulder's brow puckered. "But that would make them about ninety! No way on earth is Pieterse ninety!" Scully raised an eyebrow. "I don't have any solutions for you, Mulder. But this makes a difference. It's a common and isolating factor to the two of them. We have to know who and what we're dealing with." Mulder frowned. "What about that woman on the news when we went to see Pieterse? She shut up like a clam after she saw that. She looked maybe seventy, but she was a hundred and twenty. Fifty years' difference - about the same difference as that between the good doctors' appearances and fact." "So what are you suggesting, Mulder? That the three of them got stuck in a time warp in the late forties or early fifties? And where does this woman - Ingleburn - fit in, anyway? She hasn't gone up in flames, so far as we know." He thought for a moment. "Didn't they say she escaped when staff were distracted by a small fire?" "Yes," Scully conceded, "but there's a difference between a small fire and two people going up in flames." "True," he agreed. "But maybe she did it. Maybe that's why she's been locked up all these years." Scully looked at him dubiously. "Let's say she did, though I don't for one second believe it. That doesn't explain how the three of them could have ceased to age, or had their ageing process slow down." Mulder shrugged. "I can't explain that, Scully. But maybe Ingleburn's files can." So saying, he picked up the telephone, and dialled a Virginia number. Anderson Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centre Anderson, Virginia November 24, 1996 "Would you mind filling us in on Serena Ingleburn's history, Dr Maitz?" Dr Jillian Maitz opened the file before her. "In honesty, Agent Scully, there isn't much to tell. Serena Ingleburn was born in 1875. During childhood there were a number of fires associated with her - mostly very small conflagrations. Understand, she wasn't an arsonist; it was more like what we might now call pyrokinesis. She seemed capable of controlling it except in times of extreme stress. But that changed at puberty, when fires began around her, seemingly quite spontaneously, with increasing frequency. As with anything misunderstood in those days, she was admitted by her family to this institution in 1889, when she was fourteen years old. Since her family's deaths, her place here has been givernment funded." Mulder leaped on this statement. "How?" he asked. "From where?" "It's a discretionary payment. I believe the rationale was her inability to control her talent and her resulting danger to society." Scully looked at Maitz closely. "Is she really a danger to society?" Maitz considered her for a moment, then said, "In all honesty, I think society is more of a danger to her. She's lived in this institution for one hundred and seven years. She knows nothing of twentieth century life - nothing. It's really a tragedy that she's lived so long, and I think on the outside she would have suicided long ago." "Do you have any explanation for her longevity, and the fact that she doesn't seem to have aged in some decades?" "None at all, Agent Scully." Mulder asked, "Has she been the subject of any investigations - either into her ageing or her pyrokinesis?" Maitz gave a dull laugh. "Serena Ingleburn is a prime example of welfare system complacency. When I came here nineteen years ago, I found a woman who was not being treated in any sense of the term and who had no condition which we would classify as mental illness. Frankly, the only reason I kept her here was that she was so damaged by the system that I felt to release her would probably kill her. In many ways, Serena Ingleburn is still a fourteen year old nineteenth century schoolgirl. I believe there was a brief study in the late forties, with occasional followup for about five years after; but nothing eventuated. The study was into the pyrokinesis." Scully spoke. "is there any information available on that study?" Maitz nodded. "We keep our records here until seven years after the patients' deaths. That's quite beyond our statutory obligations, of course; but I and the chief of staff who preceded me both believe very strongly in the value of a complete medical history; particularly as a number of our patients have rare and unusual psychiatric illnesses." She paused. "We're something of a dumping ground for cases no other psychiatric hospital wants to touch. I want them. I believe I have an obligation to them...an obligation to treat." She looked at the two agents. Mulder's expression was of understanding, Scully's of respect. She gave a little self-deprecating laugh. "I do get going on my pet subjects - all so-called experts do, I guess. But yes, we have the files. They're archived, but I can get them within a couple of days." Scully indicated that they would like that, and asked, "Dr Maitz, where do you think Serena Ingleburn is? Really?" Maitz seemed to consider the two of them. Finally, she admitted, "I think she's dead, or will be soon enough. Understand me, Serena Ingleburn is not a depressive personality. But she's had a pretty rotten life. She's been incarcerated for a hundred and seven years, lived a hundred and twenty one in a life from which the normal release of death has not occurred. Some people want immortality, but those who know Serena know it isn't a blessing, but a curse. She isn't depressed in any clinical sense, but she's exhausted. Mentally, she has been at the end of her life for two decades but she has lingered on. She would like it to end. Some days, I would like to give her the means to end it. But because she lives - lived - in a psychiatric facility, she has not had the opportunity to do so. Now she does. She may wander the city for a few days or weeks out of sheer curiosity, but the day is coming when she will seek that release. Personally, I hope she isn't found until she can do so." Scully nodded. "I understand." Dr Jillian Maitz gave her a piercing look. "But you'll still look for her." Her tone was bitter. "Yes," Scully admitted. "I'm afraid we have to." Basement Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington, D.C. November 30, 1996 "Scully, come and take a look at this." Mulder's tone was excited. Scully thought that his excitement, at eight fifteen in the morning, was quite tiring - if not positively indecent. "As long as it's not a tie," she said, approaching his desk. That she couldn't take without her first coffee of the day. "Not even the flouroscent green one?" he queried, and she shot an aghast look at his neck to confirm that this was not the case. It wasn't. "Especially not the flourescent green one," she shot back. "What have you got?" Mulder looked at his papers. "The research lab is a typical government department. They either destroy vital papers or keep them in quadruplicate. Luckily, the lab does the latter." He paused. "I raided their archives. Pieterse was recruited straight out of college in 1932, and Sturrock in 1934. Their employment records show birth years of 1906 and 1908, respectively. Everything progressed quite normally until 1967. Then, in the last month of Sturrock's tenure as Chief of Staff, the entire personnel section was blitzed. Everyone was to finish in the last week of August. During the first week of September, a temporary was brought in, and the new staff commenced in the second week of September." Scully spoke. "What happened during that first week in September, 1967?" "The temp was killed in a car accident in 1969. However, she obviously was into archiving, because the files still exist - which is something Sturrock may not have wanted." Mulder paused. "Both Sturrock and Pieterse negotiated new contracts which conveniently were to commence on September 1. Apparently, Sturrock had the temp create new personnel files for both and archive or dump the old ones, effectively making it appear, at least superficially, as if both had just commenced employment there. They also took that opportunity to change both of their birthdates to unknown." Scully said dubiously, "Are you suggesting that they stopped ageing before or about that year and then falsified their work records so that they could go undetected?" Mulder nodded. "Basically, yes." He paused. "Besides, there's more." "Do I want to know?" He ignored her. "Pieterse was due for a tenure as Chief of Staff, to commence next month. She's on the Board, and she recently suggested a consultancy review of the operations of the personnel unit. My guess is, she and Sturrock were paving the way for another blitz, another set of new employment files, and another coverup." Scully groaned. She wanted coffee. "And that's not all, is it?" "Afraid not," Mulder confirmed. "Pieterse and Sturrock conducted the 1952 study into Serena Ingleburn's pyrokinesis. They were relatively junior on the project - the primary study wasn't their area of speciality, but they'd been called aboard to investigate the question of whether or not the ability was hereditary." Scully hung her head in her hands. Mulder went on, "Do you want to know what I think?" She looked at him, her eyes bleary for lack of sleep. After a long moment, she said truthfully, "No, I don't. I want coffee. Want some?" He shook his head, stunned, and she rose and walked out. Scully returned an hour later, her expression considerably more alert. "I've had a walk and I've had a coffee and I've had a croissant," she announced. She'd also thrown up violently, but saw no reason to say so. //The joys of pregnancy,// she thought drily. "Now, where were we?" "You'd just refused to hear my speculations on the case," he said. "I'm quite hurt." She gave an impatient little sound and a toss of the head. "Rubbish. If you were hurt every time anyone refused to hear you out you'd be in a constant state of paranoia and insecurity-" she stopped short. "Sorry. Bad example." There was mischief in her eyes. "Thank you, Oprah," he said crossly. He wasn't in the mood. She just laughed. "Stop sulking, Mulder. What have you got?" Her smile was infectious, and he returned it in spite of himself. He motioned for her to sit down. "All right. I think Sturrock and Pieterse had some sort of anti-ageing project on the side at the same time as the pyrokinesis study. I think they used Ingleburn as a guineapig, then used it themselves. You heard Dr Maitz; she hasn't exactly revelled in her immortality. She's out now, and she's well and truly pissed. She's used the only weapon she has against the two of them: her ability to set things on fire by sheer will. She killed Sturrock, but you got to Pieterse before she could finish the job." Scully was skeptical. "Mulder, even if they were able to somehow turn off the ageing process, that doesn't confer immortality. She still should have died of disease by now. And Ingleburn doesn't seem able to control her ability, anyway - that's why she was admitted in the first place." Mulder raised an eyebrow. "She couldn't then. She's had a hundred and seven years to practice," he pointed out. Scully made a small gesture of concession on this point, but her expression remained dubious. //Surprise, surprise, my sceptical Scully,// he thought with a wry grin. "Well, have you any better ideas?" he demanded. "No," she admitted. "But do you remember Pieterse talking about reading about Ingleburn in the journals?" At his nod, she continued, "Well, I called Jillian Maitz. She's quite sure no such article ever appeared. There's no reference on the medical journal databases, either. So it looks as though Pieterse got her information somewhere else, in any case." Mulder regarded her. "I think maybe it's time we had another chat with Dr Marion Pieterse." Scully grabbed her coat. "Let's go." Andrew Wellings Memorial Burns Unit Georgetown Medical Centre Washington, D.C. November 30, 1996 Marion Pieterse and Wendy Tomiris were talking with animation when the two of them arrived. Scully cleared her throat. "Dr Pieterse...Ms Tomiris," she said gently. Wendy leaned forward and very gently kissed her partner's ruined lips. She got to her feet. "I'll go. Agent Scully, good to see you again," she added as an aside, and quickly left. Pieterse looked from Scully to Mulder and back again. Mulder thought her expression was frightened. "Yes?" she said shortly. He decided to jump in with both feet. "We're here to talk about Serena Ingleburn." Pieterse shrunk back in her bed. "I have nothing to say," she said firmly, too surprised to lie. Mulder frowned, suddenly impatient. Damn it, they were trying to protect her and the stupid woman was working against them! "Dr Pieterse, what you know could kill you if you don't tell us!" he snapped. "You're so busy covering up what you and Paul Sturrock did that you've forgotten that she'll kill you! Is the secret really worth a six foot burial?" That seemed to affect her. Scully suddenly had a flash of memory...Marion Pieterse saying quietly, //"Some people are born to survive. They want it - no matter what. I'm one of them. So was Paul."// She could suddenly grasp the motivation for whatever it was that the two of them had done: the survival instinct gone out of control. Pieterse was deathly quiet for a few moments, but then she spoke. "It was an exciting time, the late forties and early fifties," she said. "Paul and I had always worked in the area of hereditary, and then, right at the height of our careers, came this incredible discovery: the identification of DNA. My God, we worked with DNA night and day for six years, trying to assess its implications. I don't think we even scratched the surface of what we know now." She paused. "In 1951, we identified what we believed - what I still believe - was a genetic marker for the ageing process. There were a variety of genes involved, but one marker common to all. By 1952, we'd fashioned an antibody which would attach itself only to genes with that marker, and we found a way of attaching a toxin to the antibody. That way, we could immobilise those genes while not affecting any others." Scully nodded. "The same basic idea was used later to develop ways of killing cancerous cells while leaving healthy ones intact," she commented. Pieterse nodded. "That's correct. In 1952 we were also called in on the pyrokinesis project. Ingleburn is probably the only properly documented pyrokinetic subject in the western world. The study was an attempt to find out how she could do what she could do; whether she could control it; and to a lesser extent, whether or not it was hereditary. It was the last question that we were called in on. I may say as an aside that the study turned up absolutely nothing. You might call her a freak of nature." She stopped a moment, before going on, "But what interested Paul and I was that she was old - seventy seven - but in very good health. And she was what you might call a captive subject." Mulder looked at her piercingly. "You used her as a guinea pig?" Pieterse had the good grace to look away for a moment. But she looked back again and met his gaze steadily. "Yes," she said defiantly, "we did." Scully added grimly, "And then used it on yourselves." Pieterse nodded. "We monitored Serena until 1956. We were quite satisfied that it had worked, and that there had been no ill effects. Then, as you say, we used it ourselves." "And now she's back," Mulder said. "And she wants revenge." Pieterse looked from one agent to the other, genuinely puzzled. "For having the closest thing there is within science to immortality? She can still die by accident or disease, that's true; but otherwise - why, she could live for centuries!" Scully's look was one of disgust. Dear God, how could these people be so blind, so lacking in insight? "Dr Pieterse, you're a scientist with a successful career and a loving partner. The years have been kind to you. Serena Ingleburn is a woman with an anomaly which has made her a psychiatric patient, despite no evidence of mental illness, for over a century. She has never married, never had children, and never had a career. She is quite incapable of functioning in society, and because of her circumstances, quite incapable of suicide, too. This woman's life is a living hell, and you and your psychotic friend went and gave her fifty years more of it! For God's sake, ethics aside, surely you didn't expect that she would never come back for her pound of flesh!" Mulder stared at her, stunned by her ferocity. He shouldn't have been, of course; he knew how she felt about scientists playing with life and death. Scully had always felt that there were certain lines that should never be crossed...certain lines which could be crossed by God alone. Part of that was Scully, the scientist...a greater part of it was Scully, the Catholic. Pieterse was staring, too. Her expression was one of disbelief, mingled with vague understanding. "It never occurred to me," she said at last. "That someone could not want to live...no matter how they lived. Do you really think that's so?" she asked, incredulous. Scully nodded. Her tone became more even, but her voice was grim. "Yes, I do." The three of them were silent for several minutes, while Pieterse mulled over this idea. Quite abruptly, however, she looked at Scully. "She's here." "What? Why didn't you tell us?" Mulder demanded. Pieterse's voice was frightened. "I told you. It never occured to me that she might be...angry. I thought she just wanted to talk to us. I thought Paul was an accident, if it were her at all. She couldn't control it, last I heard." She paused. "She's working as a volunteer, or at least pretending to be one. She's stuck her head in a couple of times, but each time, I've had someone with me." She paused. "Do you really think she killed Paul on purpose?" Mulder shrugged. "Who the hell knows? Maybe she did. Maybe she just saw him and got so damned angry the power just leaped out of her. Either way, Dr Pieterse, the same could very well apply to you. The danger is very real." Marion Pieterse looked him in the eye. "All right," she said. "What do we do now?" "//We// do nothing," Scully retorted. "Agent Mulder and I will have you put under guard until Serena Ingleburn can be located. In the meantime, I suggest you ask your partner to keep away. If Ingleburn is about, she could be in danger, too." "By association?" Pieterse asked, dubiously. "No," Mulder replied. "By proximity." Recognition dawned in Pieterse's eyes. "You don't think you can stop her, do you?" Mulder shrugged. "I don't know. We don't know if she has to be close by for her to direct her power - if indeed she has any control over it at all. I may say that the circumstances of her escape from her institution suggest that she does have some control of it. As you yourself said, she is the only properly documented pyrokinetic case study in the western world. We don't have enough information to know." Pieterse looked from Mulder to Scully, grimly. "You don't think much of me, do you?" Mulder was discreetly silent, but Scully met her eye. "No," she said evenly. "I don't." "And yet you will protect me. Why?" Scully regarded her steadily for a moment. "Justice takes place in a civilised forum. People should be held accountable for their actions before their peers. When one wronged person takes matters into their own hands, that's not justice. That's revenge." Pieterse nodded. "Very well. But tell me, Agent Scully: documentation or not, what jury in the world will convict her?" Scully snapped in response, "What jury in the world will convict you?" With that, she turned on her heel in disgust, and left. Room 6.04 Georgetown Medical Centre Washington, D.C. December 16, 1996 They found Serena Ingleburn two weeks later. She had been sighted on a number of occasions, and fearful for the safety of the other patients in the event of a fire, Mulder had had Marion Pieterse moved to a room in a disused garden wing of the Center. This wing had the advantage of being accessible to fire crews and containing no oxygen or other equipment which might pose an explosion hazard in the event of a fire. Unfortunately, of course, it was also more accessible to Ingleburn. This time, she was easily apprehended and placed in a room at one end of the wing until Mulder and Scully could get there to question her. They arrived at midnight and were shown in. The guards, at Mulder's insistence, were armed not only with weapons but with fire extinguishers; but neither had been needed. Serena Ingleburn had been a model prisoner. In fact, when the two of them entered, she seemed to have little comprehension that that was what she was. She greeted them with a hand and a maidenly smile as though she were welcoming them to her home, though she was somewhat more tentative with Mulder than with Scully. //A fourteen year old Victorian schoolgirl, indeed,// Scully thought. It was against protocol, but both took the proffered hand automatically. "Ma'am, are you Serena Ingleburn?" Scully asked, respectfully. The old woman inclined her head slightly. "I am." "I'm Special Agent Dana Scully and this is Agent Mulder, Ma'am. We're with the FBI." There was a faint smile across her lips which didn't quite reach her old, old eyes. "I know who you are." Mulder spoke up. "Do you know why we're here, Ma'am?" The elderly woman nodded. "I do," she said, "but why don't you tell me anyway, young man?" "I will warn you that anything you say may be used against you," Scully said, wondering whether the woman had enough knowledge of the world to know her rights. "You can have a lawyer, if you wish." The smile did reach Ingleburn's eyes then. "They say that on the television when they arrest someone, don't they?" she said with a twinkle. "Am I under arrest, Miss Scully?" Scully shook her head, smiling in spite of herself. "Not at this time." Her smile faded. "But you are in some trouble, you must know that." Mulder's brow creased. What the hell was she playing at? They were supposed to be interrogating the woman, not babysitting her! He shot Scully an annoyed look, but the expression on her face stopped him from butting in. There was a firmness there, as well as respect. Scully knew how to handle those of older generations, he suddenly realised; and she knew what she was doing. Ingleburn nodded. Scully went on, "Ma'am, are you here to kill Dr Marion Pieterse?" The straightforwardness of the question stunned Mulder. Surely she didn't think the woman would say yes! But Serena Ingleburn was of another time, another era; and she scorned to lie. She inclined her head faintly. "That's so," she admitted, her voice steady. "Why have you waited?" Mulder asked. "You've been about for weeks. And its obvious that you don't care if you're caught." "I didn't want to hurt anyone else. You've served my ends rather well by moving her, young man." "Why?" he demanded, suddenly angry. He felt as though he'd been second-guessed by this fluffly little old woman, and he didn't like it. "You know why," she replied calmly. "Or at least the young lady does. She told Marion. I heard her." "Then you also heard what I said about justice...and the difference between justice and revenge," Scully said gently. Serena Ingleburn met her gaze. "Young lady, can you assure me that Marion Pieterse will be brought to justice?" Scully bowed her head. She was silent for a long moment, before she admitted, "You know I can't." "Then I'm sorry." There was finality in her voice. "Very sorry." Serena Ingleburn closed her eyes for a long moment, and then there were shouts from down the corridor. Mulder leapt to his feet and dragged open the door. Staring down the hall, he saw the guards rip fire extinguishers off the wall and rush into Pieterse's room. He turned back to Ingleburn and shouted, "What did you do?" Scully was staring at Ingleburn, who opened her eyes once more, winked at her, and closed them again. Suddenly understanding, she cried, "No!" and ran to the extinguisher on the wall. She pulled it down, pointed the hose at Ingleburn, and sprayed her with foam; but it was too late. She had burst into flames before their very eyes. Mulder grabbed another canister from the wall in the corridor and sprayed the elderly woman; and when that failed, he pulled off his coat and threw it over her. It was no use; the flames seemed to be coming from deep within her. Seeing the futility of it, Scully pulled him back then, frightened he would be hurt. "Mulder," she cried. "Mulder! You can't stop it! And even if you could, do you want to? Do you want her to live? For God's sake, show some humanity! Let her go!" Mulder stared at her mutinously for a moment; and then he nodded, conceding defeat. "All right." Scully simply turned away and left. He found her some time later in the cafeteria. She motioned for him to sit. "Well?" "Pieterse's dead," Mulder replied shortly. "Ingleburn - well, you saw Ingleburn." He looked at her with interest. "Did you know she would do that?" She shook her head with an air of exhaustion. "Not until that last second, when she closed her eyes the second time." Her voice was regretful. "I should have known." His voice was gentle. "You couldn't have known. And if you had, you couldn't have stopped it. And if you could have, would you?" Damn him for quoting her back to her! She smiled in spite of herself. "No. None of them should have lived so long. It was right for them to die. There are some things in life, Mulder, over which humans have no right of control." They were words which would return to haunt her later. Alexandria, Virginia December 17, 1996 The phone rang. Mulder opened his eyes, groping for it. He found it and, reluctantly, flipped it open. "Mulder." "It's me." "Do you know what time it is, Scully?" "Mulder, it's eight in the morning! You can't still be asleep." His voice was chagrined. "No, not anymore." She ignored him. "I'm just going over to Kuringai Power Plant to tell Wendy Tomiris that Pieterse's dead. Damn that homophobic hospital, they didn't think to call her! I'll probably pass you on the way back. Do you want me to swing by and give you a lift in, if you haven't already left?" "Yes, Scully. You do that. Bye." Scully hung up, raising her eyebrow. He had actually consented to travel in a car with her at the wheel! She'd have to remember that next time she needed a favour. "So, Mulder's a soft touch when he's half asleep," she said to herself with a grin. It bade well for future successes. It was going to be a good day. The phone rang. Mulder opened his eyes, groping for it. Muttering something about deja vu, he found it and, reluctantly, flipped it open. "Mulder." He glanced at the clock. "It's Kimberly Cooke from the Director's office, Agent Mulder," he registered dimly in the background at the same time as the rest of him was mentally screaming, //Oh, shit, it's eleven o'clock!// Jumping to his feet, he pulled a shirt around him and started buttoning furiously. "Yes, Kimberly? Listen, did I forget about some meeting or other with him? I've been working from home today," he lied, "and-" Kimberly cut him off as he pulled a pair of trousers from a hanger and yanked them on, nearly tripping over in the process. "No, Agent Mulder, it's nothing like that. A.D. Skinner asked me to call you. We've had some distressing news." Mulder frowned. //Bad// news didn't worry him - that was usually just a matter of political inexpediency. But when cool, efficient Kim Cooke started using words like //distressing// - "What is it, Kim?" "The A.D. didn't give me any details, but it seems there was an accident of some kind. Agent Scully's critical. She's in ICU at Georgetown Medical-" Mulder cut her off. "I'll be right there." Intensive Care Unit Georgetown Medical Centre Washington, D.C. December 17, 1996 Mulder burst through door. "Sir? I came as soon as I heard." Skinner was sitting beside Scully's inert form, one hand linked in hers and the other over her stomach. He looked up. "Oh," he said, as though he didn't quite remember who the younger man was. "Agent Mulder." Mulder said desperately, //"What happened?"// Skinner was silent for so long that he thought he hadn't heard. But finally, he responded; his voice distant and toneless. His voice was raw with pain. "I got a call. The paramedics found her Bureau I.D. They wouldn't tell me what was wrong. I went out there and she was in the ambulance. She was throwing up and disorientated. They flew her here from the local hospital in Kuringai. Sometimes, she recognised me; but towards the end - she was asking for her father, and Melissa-" He broke off, shook his head violently as though to clear it. His voice still raw, but steadied; he said in a monotone, "She went into convulsions, and then coma set in." The muscles in Mulder's face twitched as he tried to make sense of this. Why, he'd spoken to her that morning! Even agreed to let her drive him somewhere! "But why?" he demanded. "What the hell happened?" Skinner swallowed and blinked a couple of times, trying to call up that part of him that could answer the younger man. Most of him thought it just didn't matter right now. "They found her trapped in Kuringai Nuclear Power Plant with a number of employees. She was in the waste disposal facility. They keep the waste in stainless steel canisters, lined with glass. Eventually they get buried at a Federal waste repository in Nevada, but they keep them for ten years until they've cooled enough to be safely buried underground." He paused. "They're kept in a purpose-built storage facility with appropriate shielding. The full canisters are transported through specially shielded tunnels from the reactor itself to the storage facility, but the empty storage containers are transported to the reactor through the main area of the building - where Dana was." Skinner leaned back in his chair. "The plant has been trialling robots to handle the transportation of the canisters, for safety reasons. But there was a brief power outage. There was a two second gap before the generator took up the power. In those seconds, they think, the information going to the robot reached it in some kind of scrambled or incomplete form. It brought back two full canisters, unsheilded, through the main building. Security realised what was happening and shut down the building, trapping it in a staffroom." "And Scully was in there." "Yes. It was thirteen minutes before they were able to evacuate the building, shut down the robot, get people in protective gear and shielded transporters, and get Dana and the employees out. To be fair, if you can overlook the monumental incompetence that allowed it to happen in the first place, that's a pretty good response time." But Skinner didn't sound as if he was in the mood to be fair. The older man met his gaze for the first time. Mulder saw for the first time how broken he was. He seemed to have aged overnight. "She took over a thousand rem in there. They can't believe she's still alive - the others are all dead. But they say it won't be long. A few hours, maybe. Central Nervous System Syndrome, they call it. Plain old acute radiation sickness." He paused. "Nausea, vomiting, anxiety, disorientation. Then loss of consciousness. Central nervous system damage, fluid on the brain, then death. At least it will be quick. With lower levels of exposure, it can drag on for weeks." He sounded to Mulder as though he was repeating a script that had been playing in his head over and over. In a way, he supposed, he was. Skinner went on. "They wouldn't let me touch her. They said she might be radioactive herself. The way they were treating her, it was like she was some kind of leper-" he broke off, swallowed. "Finally they established that she wasn't emiting anything, but they still wouldn't let me too close. It wasn't until she came here that they allowed that." Mulder was stunned. He dragged up a chair and sat at Scully's opposite side. He put his hand over hers. He could feel the cool chill of shock creep over him. "Oh, my God." //Scully. Damn it, Scully, after all we've been through, all the near scrapes, how could you go and kill yourself in a plain old industrial accident? For God's sake, it's not even a conspiracy! What kind of a sick cosmic joke is that?// His memories of all that they had endured and lost together came back to him in waves. The last few months, they'd both been so wrapped up in their work and their own problems that they'd lost touch somewhat. But she was the one constant in his life. She was his mentor, his friend; even his conscience, a little. He loved her. It was that simple. He loved her, and she was always there. Until now. Skinner looked up at Mulder, accusingly. "What in the name of God was a pregnant woman doing in a nuclear power plant?" Mulder said cautiously, "She was notifying the partner of a murder victim. Those spontaneous combustion deaths." He added, "Sir, this couldn't have been foreseen. Accidents of this kind are practically nonexistent. The danger factor was practically nil. If it wasn't, she wouldn't have gone out there." Skinner nodded slowly. "Practically nil. Not practically enough." He breathed out, slowly. "All right." "Do you want me to order an inquiry?" He shook his head, suddenly defeated. "No, Agent Mulder. That will happen in due course anyway. I don't care." His body slumped. "Did I ever tell you that Grace was pregnant when she died?" Mulder shook his head. "No, Sir." "Well, she was. They were going to induce her in a couple more weeks. They couldn't save Grace, but they wanted to save the baby. She hung on for that - and for a lot longer than they said she should have. But in the end, she was just too weak. She let go." Skinner paused. "When Dana got pregnant, I thought at last, there was some justice. Another child. Maybe another wife, one day; although I don't really think she would ever have married me. But I was wrong," he finished bitterly. "There is no justice." Mulder thought of all that they had lost, all three of them. "No, Sir," he agreed. "There isn't." Skinner found Mulder an hour later, crouched in the nondenominational chapel. There was nothing religious about his choice of location, however; it had simply been the nearest deserted place when he had broken down. He was hugging himself, making horrible wounded noises. He sounded so like Skinner felt that it was all he could do to keep from joining him. Instead, he crouched at the younger man's side and put a hand on his shoulder. "Mulder," he said gently, reluctant to break the intimate moment, but knowing it had to be done. "There's news." Mulder was silent for several moments while he composed himself. "She's gone?" Skinner shook his head. "They don't understand it. But it could be good news." Mulder turned to look at him, stunned. //"What?"// he exclaimed. Skinner looked into the distance, choosing his words carefully. "I'm a bit fuzzy on how all of this works, but as it was explained to me, radioactivity exists when one chemical reaction sparks off a whole lot of others. When the reactions stop, that's when whatever it is stops being radioactive. With something like this - gamma radiation - the reactions never stop; at least not in time as we can foresee it. But Dana-" he stopped short. "Go on," Mulder prodded. "Well, they think some sort of reaction took place in her body which stopped the process prematurely - interrupted it. The degeneration has ceased. Her body is showing signs of recovery." Mulder's voice was alive with hope. "She's going to live?" Skinner was cautious again. "I didn't say that. Her body has been through a lot. The vital organs have all been affected. They don't normally recover. There's damage to her heart, her liver, kidneys - probably the brain, too. She'll still probably go - and in the circumstances, that might be just as well." He paused, reluctantly giving way to the hope in his own heart. "But just the same, it's a little different now. There's some hope." "Is she conscious?" "In and out. But she's lucid, which is a good sign for brain function." Skinner said gently, "She's asking for you." Mulder nodded. "All right." The older man helped him to his feet, and they left together. Mulder sat at her side. There were no more tears, now; but his face was twisted with pain. Skinner regarded him for a few minutes, then said softly, "I'll try to phone her mother again." He rose, and discreetly, he left. Scully was deathly white. He could see the veins traced delicately along the backs of her hands. She was so still. It seemed impossible to him that this motionless, frozen woman could possibly awaken...less likely still that she could recover. And then she opened her eyes. They were a washed-out blue, now; seemingly robbed of their emerald brightness by her ordeal. But they were Scully, conscious and alert. And suddenly, irrationally, he was sure it was going to be all right. "Hey," he whispered. "Hey," she replied. Her voice was tender. "You look like you've been through hell, Mulder." "That's my line," he said softly. "Scully-" he broke off, at a loss to express emotions he didn't understand. She took his hand in hers. "Mulder, don't. I'm here, and so are you. The rest of it's just words." He nodded silently, holding her gaze; and when her eyes fluttered closed once more, he kissed her forehead, and left the room. He watched as Skinner went back in to her, and leaned heavily against the wall. //She's got to be all right.// To be continued...