Vienen Rewritten by Tiffany and Jaz Oil Exploration Rig Beaufort Sea Near Prudhoe Bay Despite the cold night, Kiawak Ashoona stands on the deck of the oil exploration rig. Wrapped in his parka, he barely feels the biting wind whipping around the ocean surrounding him. He looks out into the moonlit night, appreciating the view of nothingness on all sides. Closing his eyes for a moment, he lifts his head to the sky and opens them to take in the blanket of stars above. Relaxed and refreshed, he turns to return below deck to sleep. Kiawak strolls across the deck, in no hurry to leave the outdoors and return to the stale, recycled air below. Looking to the right as he walks, the young man sees a figure by the wellhead. Instinctively, he ducks behind the stairs leading to the upper deck and peers around the corner. The scrawny man is looking at the ground right by the wellhead. He steps slowly around it, never looking up. Kiawak covers his mouth to stifle his startled gasp when the man jerks suddenly and falls backward onto the floor. He crawls backward frantically, obviously terrified of whatever he found. The young Indian rushes out of his hiding place to help, but stops suddenly when he takes the scene in. A pool of oil is creeping out of the wellhead, almost as if it was alive. "It can't be," Kiawak whispers to himself, horrified. The oil continues moving, crawling up the man's skin now, who Kiawak recognizes as Mike Killner. Mike scrambles to his feet and tries to get the oil off his body, flailing his arms wildly. His body goes completely stiff, every muscle in his body tensed, and then suddenly relaxes. Mike turns around and spots Kiawak, still staring at him just a few yards away. He walks toward the frightened man stiffly. As he gets closer, Kiawak gets a good look into the man's face. Mike's eyes have a black cloud of oil running over them, and his features are oddly stiff. Killner stops for a moment, then continues moving towards Kiawak. Turning quickly, Kiawak sprints away. His one hope is to go below deck for help from the other men, but Mike is standing right in his path to the stairs. He twists and turns through the deck, hoping to pull Killner far enough away from the stairs that he can get down there himself. At every turn, he looks over his shoulder, checking the distance between them. Breathing heavily, he turns a corner and runs straight into Killner. Even though Kiawak outweighs him and is in much better shape, the blow doesn't even seem to faze the older man. Kiawak falls to the floor, and before he can regain his senses, Killner is standing above him. His eyes close and he seems to be concentrating hard. Then his entire body begins to glow brightly. Kiawak covers his eyes against the blinding light, but pain courses through his entire body and he lets out a blood-curdling scream. * * * J. Edgar Hoover Building Washington, D.C. John Doggett walks into the X-files office. It's early, but Doggett can see signs that someone has been here for several hours now. The entire room smells of stale coffee, and there is a napkin with a small mound of sunflower seeds sitting on the desk. Papers are strewn everywhere and the empty leather chair behind the desk is pushed back and to the side. The office is empty. As Doggett looks to the right, he feels a tap on his left shoulder and jumps. "Dammit!" Doggett turns to see Mulder standing just behind him, holding a nearly empty coffee mug. Mulder is frantically swiping at the spreading coffee stain over the crotch and right thigh of his pants. "Sorry about that, Agent Mulder," Doggett says, grimacing. Mulder slams his now nearly-empty coffee mug down on the closest table and begins pulling tissues out of a nearby box as quickly as possible. He carefully sponges at his sodden crotch, wincing slightly. Cleaned up as best he can, Mulder tosses the tissues into the trashcan, then gives Doggett a resentful stare before he walks to his desk and carefully sits down in his chair. He doesn't invite Doggett to sit. He lifts a file from one of the many piles on the desk and begins reading. Mulder's body language conveys that this is his turf and Doggett is not welcome. Doggett frowns slightly. Moving towards the desk, he places his hands on his hips as he says, "Agent Mulder, what are you doing here? We both know this place is off-limits to you and I don't want my ass in a sling because you don't follow orders." Mulder watches Doggett for a moment, not answering him. His eyes appear to be measuring Doggett. Doggett doesn't look away from his scrutiny. Finally, he passes a folder over the table to him. "I have something for you to see, Agent Doggett." He waits for Doggett to open the cover. "That is Kiawak Ashoona," Mulder says. Doggett stares at the mutilated corpse as Mulder continues. "He was an Inupiat Eskimo who worked at an oil exploration facility in the Beaufort Sea near the Northern Slope region of Alaska. A fisherman found his body three days ago. It's being shipped to the FBI and should arrive today or tomorrow." "I thought Eskimos didn't want oil drilling up there?" Doggett asks. "The Inupiats own some of the land on the Northern Slope and have been after the government for years to let them drill. They don't believe it to be a threat to the land or wildlife." "So what happened to him?" Doggett hears rustling behind him and turns in his seat to see Scully standing behind him, looking at the file over his shoulder. "He appears to have burns consistent with exposure to a very intense source of radiation." Mulder smiles faintly but the smile fades when Scully leans over Doggett's shoulder, her face in close proximity to his. "May I?" she asks Doggett, her hand on the file. He nods and releases the file to her. "What's your theory?" Doggett asks. "Oh, I believe they struck oil. Just not the kind they were looking for," Mulder answers circumspectly. "The Black Oil," Doggett states, his face registering his disbelief and impatience. "You've read that file?" Mulder asks, his eyebrows lifting slightly in feigned surprise. "He's read all the files, Mulder," Scully answers, her voice carrying a hint of reproach. "Yes, I've read the file," Doggett replies, glancing at Scully. They make eye contact for a moment, but her eyes are unreadable. Doggett turns to look at the picture again. "But, Agent Mulder," Doggett continues. "There is most likely another, more reasonable, explanation for that man's condition." "Then why are you assigned to the X-Files, Agent Doggett? Working here requires a willingness to accept the unexplained, to believe the unbelievable," Mulder accuses. Scully quickly interrupts. "Whatever either of you think the explanation is, the fact is that this man was murdered. And we need to find out why, and by whom." Mulder breaks the stare he was leveling at Doggett to turn his attention to Scully. She lifts her eyebrow, and Mulder understands her unspoken message. When he speaks again to Doggett, his voice has tempered somewhat. "Well, Agent Doggett, you're going to get a chance to prove your theory because we're heading to Alaska." "We?" Doggett repeats. "Since I doubt Agent Scully's doctor is too keen on her flying anywhere, I have to assume you're talking about yourself and the mouse in your pocket, because I know I haven't submitted a 302 for a trip to Alaska yet. And seeing as how you're not supposed to be working on the X-Files, the chances of any such 302 getting approved are slim to none and slim just left town." "Which is why we're not submitting one," Mulder replies, smiling slightly. Doggett glances again at Scully, seeing her frown as Mulder continues. "Sometimes you just have to go with your gut, Agent Doggett." "Sounds to me like the only thing about that strategy that's easier is the path to the unemployment line. I don't know about you, but seems to me Kersh doesn't really need much more of a reason to see the X-Files shut down, and you're talking about handing it to him on a silver platter. You so eager to be out of a job so soon after returning, Agent Mulder?" Mulder's jaw tightens for just a moment, and Doggett knows he's struck a chord. "Sometimes that's the risk we have to take. Welcome to life on the X-Files, Agent Doggett." A tense silence settles between them, until Scully breaks it. "I'll stay behind and autopsy the body when it arrives, Mulder. That may give us a clue as to the 'why,'" Scully says. Mulder nods in reply. "I'll meet you at the airport in an hour," Mulder says. Doggett turns to leave. Just as he's about to close the door, Mulder calls out to him. "Agent Doggett - " Doggett pokes his head back in the door. " - bring your mittens." He can see Scully hide a smile as he turns away. * * * Oil Exploration Rig Beaufort Sea Near Prudhoe Bay Bo Taylor stands above deck, searching the skyline for something. He sees a black spot come over the mountains and veer towards him. Sighing, he walks over to the landing pad to wait. As he watches, the helicopter approaches and stops right above the mark on the ground. Turning away from the whipping wind, he watches out of the corner of his eye as the helicopter touches down. The door closest to him opens and two men jump out, wearing heavy parkas with the hoods up covering their heads. One of the men reaches back into the cabin and pulls out two backpacks and shoulders one, tossing the other to the ground. He then walks over to where Bo is waiting. The second man pauses for just a moment before reaching down and picking the bag up. He slams the cabin door shut and follows. Bo waits for a minute while the helicopter lifts off again and starts to disappear over the horizon. He then turns to the two men before him. "Agents Mulder and Doggett?" he asks, not sure which is which. The second man nods curtly. "I'm Agent Doggett," he clarifies. "This is Agent Mulder. You Bo Taylor?" Bo nods. "That's right." He shakes hands with both men. "Have a good flight up?" At their nod, he continues. "I have to say, I'm surprised to see the FBI taking an interest in something like this. We're a long way from Washington, D.C." "We understand that this is an oil exploration rig," the first man, Mulder replies, "and that you think you may have recently struck oil." Bo's eyes light up at the memory. "There's no maybe about it. If we can get the government to allow it, we're sitting on a gold mine." He turns then and looks over his shoulder, indicating the two FBI agents should follow him down below deck. They do so, struggling with their bulky bags in the narrow hallway. "Mr. Taylor, you want to tell us exactly what happened with Kiawak Ashoona?" Doggett asks. Bo keeps walking, but slows his pace some as he thinks. "I'm not sure what I can tell you, Agent Doggett. Kiawak was only here for about six months. He seemed to be working out fine. After we found we were getting close to the oil, he started acting real strange. One day we'd found he'd just disappeared. We didn't know what happened to him until we heard from you guys." "In what way was he acting strange?" Mulder asks. Bo stops at an intersection and turns to look at the two men. "He started getting these crazy ideas, hallucinations almost, that people were out to get him, things like that," he replies. "We tried talking sense to him, but he wouldn't listen. Next thing we know, he's gone. We searched this rig high and low for him - there are a lot of places someone could stay hidden in a place like this - but we didn't find him. Then you guys called and told me he was dead." The answer seems to satisfy Mulder, but when Bo turns to continue his journey into the rig, he sees Mulder glance at Doggett and the two exchange a meaningful look. After navigating the men through a maze of hallways, Bo finally stops in front of a nondescript door. He opens it and gestures for the agents to enter. The room is just as unremarkable as the door suggested. Compact, it managed to hold two beds, a table, two chairs, two dressers, and not much else. Doggett sets his bag on the bed to the left and then shrugs his coat off. It makes it to his wrists before he grabs it again and pulls it back around him. "Awful cold in here - don't you guys heat this place?" he asks. Bo looks at him for a moment. "Well, normally we do, but we've had some problems with heat in the past few days. We're making do until more supplies come from the mainland." Doggett shrugs and turns to look around the room. "So, do you guys want to rest up some? I know it was kind of a long trip for you," Bo asks. Both men open their mouths to speak, but Mulder gets there first. "We're fine, Mr. Taylor. Why don't we get right to work and look at the crew manifest? We can start by talking to the crew and having a look around." Taylor nods, and leads them back down the hall to another room. This time, the room, though not much larger than the one they had just left, was set up like an office. Taylor walks behind the desk and looks through a few drawers before finding a stack of papers. He hands them to Mulder over the desk. "Here you go." He then places his hands on the desktop, leaning slightly forward. "Just let me know if I can be of any more assistance," he adds. Doggett nods to Bo in acknowledgement, but Mulder is already engrossed in the manifest and doesn't seem to even notice. Taylor watches them leave as they shut the door behind them. He blinks twice. A black film floats over his eyes. * * * J. Edgar Hoover Building Washington D.C. Autopsy Bay 3 Clad in blue scrubs and mask, Scully leans over an autopsy table holding the body of Kiawak Ashoona. Making a small incision at the scalp, she jumps backward as a black, oily substance oozes from the cut. She gasps in surprise and the scalpel in her hand drops to the floor. Backing away from the table, her eyes are glued to the oil which continues to ooze from Ashoona. Her back hits the door to the room and she quickly turns the knob and throws herself through the door, slamming it behind her. Scully leans heavily against the door, her breath coming in quick gasps. Pulling the mask from her mouth, she spies the latex gloves on her hands and, in fear, rips them from her hands. Pulling out her cellphone from her pocket she makes a quick call. "This is Agent Dana Scully. I have a quarantine situation in Autopsy Bay 3." She listens for a moment. "Yes, I'll be here. Please hurry." * * * J. Edgar Hoover Building Washington, D.C. Autopsy Bay 3 Scully turns away from the table holding the body of Kiawak Ashoona with a heavy sigh. The body is now encased in a plastic tent and Scully is wearing a HazMat suit. Leaving the tent, she heads through a set of double doors . The two pair of latex gloves she's wearing are tossed into a nearby hazardous materials container. Turning, she studies the faint outline of the body through the plastic tent for a moment, absently rubbing the small of her back. Finally, she turns and heads through another pair of doors to a lab. Reaching over the table, she grabs two more pairs of latex gloves and puts them on. She takes a vial sitting on the table and looks at it closely, inspecting the contents. She shakes it gently, and then holds it to the light as the liquid settles. The black liquid coats the glass, but slides down to join the puddle at the bottom easily. Scully prepares a slide, then recaps the vial tightly. She sets the slide on the microscope and looks at it for a moment. After a few moments, she pulls back, a grim expression in her eyes. Steeling herself with a deep breath, she gingerly looks again. This time her brow furrows in puzzlement. Pulling away again, she grabs at her cell phone, keeping her eye on the microscope. She dials in a number and waits. "Hi, Mike? It's Dana Scully. I need you to patch a line from the oil rig Agents Mulder and Doggett are investigating to my cell phone. Would that be too much trouble?" Agent Mike Stem's voice booms through the receiver to her. "No problem at all, Agent Scully. It'll take a few minutes though." "That's fine. Call me when it's ready, please." With that she hangs up and into the microscope, then back at the body. After a moment of uncertainty, she grabs a magnifying lens and returns to the body. Placing a mask over her mouth, she bends close to Kiawak's head. With a scalpel in her other hand, she gently pokes at the brain matter, trying to find... she isn't sure what. She makes a small incision just above the right ear, and steps back involuntarily as a small pool of black oil spills out of the tissue. It doesn°t do anything though, and just sits on the autopsy table, like any other liquid. Scully cautiously pokes her scalpel into the oil, half expecting it to jump up onto her skin, and breathes a sigh of relief when nothing happens. The ringing of her cell jerks her upright again, and she pulls her now-bloody gloves off before answering the phone. "Scully." "Got that patch for you, Agent Scully," Agent Stem announces. "Thanks. Put him through, please." * * * Oil Exploration Rig Beaufort Sea Near Prudhoe Bay "Agent Mulder?" Taylor knocks on the open door to the room where Mulder and Doggett sit, poring over the list manifesto. "Yeah?" he stands. "You got a radio call. Want to come with me?" "Sure." Mulder looks back at Doggett, who's already returned to the manifesto. Turning back to Taylor, Mulder follows the man down the labyrinth of hallways to the communications room. "I think I'm getting the layout of this place down," Mulder tells Taylor, more to make conversation than anything else. "That's great. It just takes a little bit of time. Would you like me to wait you, to make sure you don't get lost on your way back?" Taylor aks as they reach the room. Mulder shakes his head, "No, I think I've got it, thanks," then pushes into the room. It is another bare, windowless room, with two tables full of radio equipment and a rickety looking chair sitting in front of them. Mulder sits down and grabs the radio receiver towards him. Pushing down on the transmission button, he calls out, "Hello?" "Mulder?" Scully's voice responds back to him. "Scully, glad you called," he smiles. "I'm freezing up here." "Well, what I have to tell you isn't likely to make the situation any better, Mulder." A knock behind him makes him turn back to the door. Doggett is standing at the threshold. Mulder acknowledges his presence, then turns back to the radio. Behind him, he hears Doggett step into the room and come up behind him. "You were right, Mulder. Ashoona was infected with the same virus we saw in Texas," Scully tells him. Mulder's lips press together in a grim line as he absorbs this information. Doggett taps him on the shoulder and Mulder turns around for a second to see the confused look in the agent°s eyes. Ignoring it, he grabs the microphone again. "Are you all right?" "Yes. It gave us a scare for a while, but there's been no contamination." Mulder closes his eyes briefly in relief. When he opens them, he asks, "How is that possible?" "That's the intriguing part, Mulder. The virus was no longer viable. It was dead." "Dead? Are you sure?" "Postive, Mulder. But I haven't yet been able to determine what killed it. I think you should evacuate the rig and quarantine the workers. Some or all of the workers may be infected." Mulder shakes his head. "If we leave the rig, we may never know what they°ve found or what they intend to do with the oil." "It°s not worth the risk." Scully°s frustration can be heard through the static on the radio. "We know what it does." "Which is exactly why I need to find out what's going on up here. Find out what killed that virus, Scully." "Mulder, please," Scully says softly, her voice conveying what she cannot say over the open line. Mulder's silence speaks volumes to Scully. "Mulder - " He interrupts Scully, his eyes on Doggett. "Gotta go, Scully. Let me know when you find something." He ends the connection. Doggett is impatiently waiting for answers from Mulder. "The virus in Texas?" questions Doggett. "The one Agent Scully was infected with?" "The very one," replies Mulder. "And this is the virus that's supposed to turn people into alien monsters." Doggett's derision is evident. "No," replies Mulder with exaggerated patience, "it gestates an alien monster, it doesn't turn you into one. Very important difference there, Doggett." "Whatever. If Agent Scully says that people on this rig are infected, then we need to quarantine them." "If we do that, we may never find out where the oil is or who wants it." "We need to get these people someplace they can be treated," Doggett bites out angrily, "If we wait, they might not be able to recover." Mulder shakes his head. "There's only one cure we know of, Agent Doggett, and we don't have it. I'm not writing off these men but if we just leave and don't find out what they're planning to do with the oil, more than just these men on this rig will lose their lives." The men face off in the small room. The only sound is the static from the forgotten radio next to them. Finally, Doggett breaks the silence. "We'll make a compromise, Agent Mulder," he says, "we'll quarantine the rig but we'll hold off evacuating until we hear back from Agent Scully. That a deal?" Mulder nods. Doggett hands Mulder the crew manifest he'd been holding. "From what I've seen, everyone on the list appears to be accounted for - except this guy." He points to a name on the list - Toonoo Sharky. "I asked the crew about him and no one's seen him for days. He was good friends with Ashoona. The crew says they're from the same tribe." "Then let's go find him." Outside the room, Taylor is listening intently to the conversation. Now he gives two sharp raps on the door before entering. "I was just thinking you boys might want some chow," Taylor says. Doggett and Mulder exchange a glance. "Uh, sure. Yeah, okay," Doggett replies. "I'm hungry. What about you, Agent Mulder?" Mulder's eyes are narrowed slightly as he studies Taylor. He looks towards the open door for a moment before replying, "Sounds good." Taylor turns to lead them from the room. "Follow me." Doggett steps close to Mulder and says in a low voice, "You wonderin' how long he's been standing out there?" Mulder nods. "Me, too," replies Doggett. They turn and leave the room. * * * J. Edgar Hoover Building Washington, D.C. Autopsy Bay 3 Scully hangs up her cell phone and rubs her forehead in frustration. She stands up again and slowly makes her way back to the body. There has to be some sort of clue in there. She decides that the brain is the place to start, considering the large collection of the dead virus she found in there. Grabbing her scalpel once again, she makes a small incision in the tissue and lets the oil spill out before continuing on. * * * Oil Exploration Rig Beaufort Sea Near Prudhoe Bay Doggett pushes his tasteless meal around on his tray and looks at Mulder. They°re the only two men left in the mess hall, and it affords them more privacy than they°d had all day. "So what are you thinking, Agent Mulder?" Doggett asks. "I°m wondering where this other crew member is, Agent Doggett." Mulder responds. "Toonoo Sharky. He was friends with Kiawak, and I°m guessing he°s the key to all of this." "Let's split up - it'll go faster," Doggett suggests. The somewhat antagonistic look he and Mulder exchange suggest there may be more reasons to split up than just speed. "Well, then, there°s our plan," Mulder declares, standing up from the table. Doggett looks at Mulder°s back for a second before following. "I°ll start from here and go up, you go down." Mulder heads towards the door. "Wait..." Doggett calls out. Mulder turns around. "You know where you're going?" Mulder nods. "Don't you?" he asks in feigned concern. Doggett hesitates briefly before nodding. "Yeah. No problem, Agent Mulder." Mulder turns and leaves the room. Doggett stands, bewildered for a few seconds, in the empty room, then turns and exits out the other door. "Well, I guess I'd better find some stairs," he says softly aloud to himself as he leaves the mess hall. * * * Mulder walks out of the mess hall and starts walking down the halls. He has no idea where he's going but didn't want to let Doggett know that. After several fruitless turns, he spots a faded map of the rig taped to a wall. "Yessss..." he says, inspecting and memorizing the map. He turns and heads back the way he came. At the end of a hallway, he sees a room marked for "Authorized Personnel Only." After a cursory look around, he cautiously turns the door handle and steps inside. The room is devoid of people. Computers and electronic equipment cover a few scattered tables. Mulder looks at one machine, then another, slowly making a pass of the room. Some papers are stacked beside a computer. Mulder picks up the small stack and begins leafing through it. He stops at a printout of a long list of numbers. Mulder quickly leafs through other papers on the table until he comes across a map. He studies it, comparing the numbers with the map. Mulder sucks in a breath as he realizes the enormity of the situation. The map in front of him shows the Northern Alaskan shoreline. The location of the rig is marked with a red "X". In his hands, he holds a printout with several latitude and longitudinal points. Following them on the map, he traces a large oval onto the paper. The points surround the rig°s location. Folding both papers tightly in his hands, Mulder leaves the room and rushes for the stairs. * * * Doggett is searching dark hallways and empty rooms when he sees a door marked "Boiler Room." The door is unlocked, but the room is completely dark. Doggett pulls out his penlight and switches it on before he enters. It is eerily quiet inside and Doggett steps cautiously further into the room. Even as he tries to be silent, the sound of his feet stepping on the floor seems obnoxiously loud. Doggett shines his light around the room and realizes Bo Taylor had been lying to them - the boiler room was completely destroyed. There was no way, with the resources on board, that this room could become operational again. The control board had been smashed beyond recognition, and the boilers themselves had been damaged in ways Doggett couldn°t even comprehend. Pulling his jacket tighter around his body, Doggett continues his tour of the destroyed room. He turns a corner to face back towards the entrance and starts moving towards the light that trickles into the room from the open door. As he passes one of the white boilers, he sees his shadow pass across it. Then, a flicker of a shadow next to his. As he turns to see where it is coming from, something heavy hits him from behind and he collapses to the deckplate, unconscious. * * * Mulder stands outside the communications room anxiously waiting for the officer to finish his daily call so he can use the radio. Standing still takes too much energy so he begins pacing the hallway. Eight steps one way, turn, sixteen steps the other, turn sixteen steps back the first way, turn, repeat. After an eternity, the door opens and the comunications officer steps into the hallway. "She°s all yours, son," the grizzled old man mutters, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his parka pocket. "Get your kicks while you can, though. Storm°s coming in and that°ll mess with the communication lines like you wouldn°t believe." Mulder nods his thanks, and then steps into the room. He waits as he gets patched to Scully°s cell phone. "Mulder, is that you?" "Scully, something huge is going on here." "Listen to what I have to say first." Her voice leaves no room for argument. "I think that Kiawak had some sort of immunity to the oil. He had it in his body for who knows how long, but he never showed any signs of infection. And the fact that the oil didn°t show any of the normal signs that we see - I don°t know exactly how that is, but it°s the only explanation I have for it." "It makes sense, Scully. Why would the infected workers want to kill him? Because he was the only way to kill them. Their kryptonite, so to speak." "So the other workers tried to infect him and when they figured out that they couldn°t, and also that HE could kill THEM, they decided to take the offensive and kill him first?" "Exactly, Scully. Here°s the other thing. There°s one man on board who°s as yet unaccounted for. He°s from the same tribe as Kiawak. I°ll bet he°s also immune to this virus." "What makes - think that?" A burst of static cuts through the line. "Because of the other thing I found, Scully. This rig is sitting on a huge oil deposit. What if all of this oil was infected? It would make sense that the Eskimos from this area would have a built-in immunity to the biggest threat to their tribe. I°d bet that this oil surfaced several times in the past, and each time, the Eskimos survived because of their immunity." "Makes sense, Mulder. But what - going to do about this rig? We can°t let - bring up all of - crude oil if there°s - slightest risk of - containing the virus. - one infected person on - got out into the population - " Static is continually cutting into the line and appears to be getting worse. "I°m working on that, Scully," Mulder tries to reassure her, hoping the static isn°t as bad on her end. "The biggest thing right now is that a storm°s coming up here. I°m not sure how long we have until communications are going to be down completely. As it is, you°re breaking up right now." "So - Mulder," comes the reply. "Scully!" Mulder calls into the microphone. "Scully, do you copy?" Through the buzz of static, Mulder hears bits of Scully°s voice coming through the receiver, but he can°t understand a word she°s saying. He wonders how much of what he said got through to Washington. He bangs the microphone down on the table in frustration and then goes to tell Bo that communications are down. * * * An exploding pain wakes Doggett from his comfortable slumber. Squeezing his eyes shut against the pain, he realizes he is lying on the cold metal floor, and the memory of the attack rushes back to him. He pulls himself to his knees before bending over at the waist, laying his throbbing head on the cool floor. He reaches back with one hand to rub the already appearing bump on his head. A voice to his right calls out timidly, "You°re awake?" Doggett sits up cautiously and looks towards the direction of the voice. "Yeah, I°m up. You°re the guy who hit me?" "I°m very sorry." The man crawls out from the shadows, and stands in the sliver of light from the door. He°s a short man, with dark hair and frightened eyes. He looks as though he hasn°t showered or shaved in days. "Let me guess. Toonoo." It°s not a question. "Yes." The younger man nods in reply and then steps close to Doggett, who sees a razor glint in the small shaft of light. Before Doggett knows what's going on, Toonoo reaches out and grabs Doggett's hand, makes a shallow cut, and watches as blood oozes out. Doggett pulls his hand away and presses his mouth against the wound, trying to staunch the blood flow. "I°m sorry," the Eskimo murmurs again. "I just had to be sure-" "Of what?" Doggett lets his hand of his mouth long enough to ask angrily. "Please," Toonoo begs. "You need to help me. I°ve been hiding like this ever since I found out- ever since Kiawak was-" "Why?" Doggett is confused. "I was sure they°re going to get me next. When I was growing up, there was a legend that my family told me of a demon that came in the form of a black oil. It would come up from the earth and invade the intruder, possessing him and turning him into a monster." "We°ve heard of this oil," Doggett reassures him. "It°s not just from here." Toonoo continues as if he hadn°t even heard Doggett. "We believed that the oil was trapped far below the ground many years ago, because of the cold. It needs heat to survive, and it°s too cold above ground for it to prosper. So we were safe. After I was ten or so, I never believed that story, but then, I started working here. And ever since we hit oil, that°s when these things have started happening." "Who°s infected?" Doggett asks. "Everyone. Everyone except Kiawak and me. We don°t know why. But now, Kiawak is dead, and I-" Toonoo bows his head for a moment, and then lifts it back up to face Doggett. "That°s why I ruined the boiler room. I needed to make the rig cold, so that this, this thing, could be controlled. I didn°t know what else to do." Doggett is silent, thinking things through. "They killed him because he had immunity to this virus?" At Toonoo°s nod, he continues. "It°s probable that if he had immunity, then he had the means for killing it. Which means you do too." "Which is why they want to kill me. Please, please sir, you have to get me off this rig. I need to get to the mainland, back home. It°s the only place I°m safe. If I stay here much longer, they°ll be sure to find me, and then I°m dead. Please, I have a wife and three children." Doggett looks into the other man°s eyes and only hesitates for a moment. "Yeah, come on. Let°s go find my partner and then we°ll get the hell out of here." * * * J. Edgar Hoover Building Washington D.C. "I don°t care what the weather report says," Scully declares angrily to her cell phone and everyone else in the crowded hallway. "There are two Federal Agents who need an airlift out of the Beaufort Sea as soon as possible... Well, there has to be a break in the storm soon... Dammit... Just get them out as soon as possible." She breaks the connection with disgust and continues down the hallway. She strides into Skinner's outer office and passes the secretary°s desk. The blonde woman looks up from her paperwork with an impersonal smile. It quickly disappears when she realizes that the agent is completely ignoring her. "Agent Scully, AD Skinner is in a meeting. He asked not to be disturbed. You can°t go in-" Scully continues to ignore her and barrels into the inner office. "Sir, I need to speak with you..." She trails off as she sees two senior agents sitting at the table with the AD, interrupted from what seemed to be an important meeting. Skinner looks at her and then back at the two men. "Agents, let°s take a short break for lunch and get back to this later." With that, he turns away from the table and dismisses them. They gather their papers and leave the room quickly. "What is it, Scully?" Skinner asks as the door shuts. He walks back over to his desk and stands beside it. "I have reason to believe that Agents Doggett and Mulder are in trouble, Sir," she informs him. "They°re on a rig in the Arctic that has several members infected with a virus caused by-" she looks at him for a moment then stops her sentence. "A storm is coming in, and the Coast Guard is refusing to send a helicopter in because of the risk it runs of getting hit on the return trip. They won°t go in until the first clearing, and that won°t be at least for another 24 hours. That°ll be too late, Sir." Her plea is more of a demand than a request. Skinner nods, then punches the intercom. "Kimberly, can you get me Tom Barrett on the phone, please? Thanks." He looks at Scully, then clears his throat. "I°m pretty sure we°ll be able to work something out, Agent Scully. Relax." Scully nods her head and lets out a pent-up breath, but she can°t seem to let the tension go. When the phone rings, she starts a tiny bit before composing herself again. "Skinner... Tom! How°ve you been! Yeah it°s been a while now. I°ve been well here, yeah. Yeah. Listen, I had a favor to ask you. Yeah I know it°ll cost me... how does dinner sound next time you°re in town? Great!" Scully watches her boss talk to his old friend with a bit of incredulity. "Are you still the commander of the 17th Coast Guard District? Wonderful. Listen, I have a bit of a situation on my hands that could use your help. I have two agents up in the Arctic, on an oil rig..." Scully closes her eyes and breathes a sigh of relief. * * * Oil Exploration Rig Beaufort Sea Near Prudhoe Bay Mulder strides through the corridors, searching for Doggett, but trying to appear as inconspicuous as possible. It°s not difficult. The halls are deserted and he feels as though he is the only person left on this rig. "Agent Mulder!" a voice hisses behind him. He turns to see Agent Doggett hurrying to him with a dark haired man following. "I°ve been looking for you," Mulder whispers. "Is this Toonoo?" Doggett nods. "Let°s go to our room so we can get some privacy." Doggett and Toonoo follow Mulder down the hallways back to a bedroom. They reach the cramped room, and Mulder motions for Toonoo to have a seat in the chair. "You°re immune to the virus, aren°t you, Toonoo?" He nods. "Yes. And I need to get off this rig. My life°s in danger here." "There°s another good reason to get you out of here. We have never seen a natural immunity to this virus. We need to get you to the mainland and figure out how your immunity works." "Agent Mulder, what about the men who are already infected? What are we going to do about them?" Doggett asks. Mulder looks away for a moment, biting his lip in concentration. He then turns back to the Indian. "Toonoo, do you know of a way to blow this rig up?" "Blow it up? Are you nuts?" Doggett is incredulous. "It°s the only thing we can do," Mulder remains calm. "We need to blow this rig up or risk infecting the entire population." Reaching into his jacket, he pulls out the map and printouts he had taken earlier. Shoving them into Doggetts hands, he says, "Look. Look at the size of it. If we allow this rig to stand, chances are someone is going to show up here to get that oil out. We can't let that happen." Doggett's eyes widen in amazement as he looks at the size of the deposit. After a moment, he again looks to Mulder. "What about the vaccine?" he asks, desperate for another chance to save the crew. "I wish I had it, Agent Dogget, but all we have is Toonoo's immunity. We have to get him off this rig alive." "We can°t blow it up! All those men will die!" Doggett points towards the door for emphasis. Mulder's face is deathly serious and old beyond his years as he replies, "Agent Doggett, I've seen what this virus does - it perverts and destroys. Those men are already dead." A silence falls over the room as Doggett measures the truth of Mulder's words. Mulder does not shrink from his scrutiny. Finally, Doggett speaks, "What do we do?" * * * Boiler room "If you tie these wires together, and then rig them to the wires that Agent Doggett has in his hand, we°ll be able to have a connection to the onboard gas supply station. Once I strip these wires and connect them to the rest, we°ll have it set and ready to go." "I still think this is crazy," Doggett says, but he holds still as Mulder connects their four wires together. "Welcome to my world, Agent Doggett," Mulder mutters as he concentrates on the bomb he is making. "What the hell is going on in here?" Bo Taylor enters the room with a yell. He shoves the door wide open, illuminating the boiler room with light from the hallway. In his right hand, Doggett can see a knife glinting against the light. He advances on the group. Doggett gets to his feet, ready to attack, but before he can step forward, Toonoo rushes past him and barrels into Taylor. The two men tumble to the ground and roll into the dark. Doggett runs over to help Toonoo. Mulder is still kneeling by the wires, now holding the ones Toonoo had indicated earlier. He uses his penknife to strip the wires, then wraps them around each other. Grabbing the next set of wires, he repeats the process, moving as quickly as he can. Toonoo is kneeling above Taylor, trying to get rid of the knife in Taylor°s hand. Suddenly, Toonoo gasps and falls backward into the light. Doggett steps forward to see him holding the knife, now embedded in his chest. Taylor steps over his body, and moves toward Doggett. Doggett throws the first punch, but Taylor quickly moves away and kicks him in the stomach. Taylor gains the advantage in the fight and Doggett crashes to the ground. Taylor presses his shoulders on top of him, black oil begins to well in his eyes and drip from his mouth and nose. Suddenly, Mulder, wielding a pipe, slams it into the side of Taylor's head, knocking him off Doggett. He lies on the floor motionless. Doggett, breathing hard, scrambles off the floor, away from the black oil spattered by Taylor's head. Mulder doesn't say anything as Doggett meets his eyes, but they seem to have reached a new understanding. "We don't have much time," Mulder says, "the charges are ready to blow." "Then lets get out of here," Doggett replies. They head for the door, Doggett casting one last amazed look at the man on the floor behind them, a growing pool of oil now surrounding him. An explosion sounds behind them as they hit the door and they both duck. Outside the door in the hallway, a group of crewmen are coming from the left. When they see Mulder and Doggett, they begin shouting and running toward them. "Come on," Mulder says, as he turns to the right and begins running. Doggett follows as more explosions rock the rig behind them. Mulder leads the way through the twisting hallways and decks of the rig. Doggett glances back occassionally at the men still chasing them and gaining ground. Finally, they reach the outer deck. More explosions cause flames to leap up into the night air. The snow is swirling in the wind, making Mulder and Doggett shout to be heard over the noise. "Now what?" Doggett shouts. "Now, we jump." Mulder responds. Doggett glances down into the dark water below them then back behind them. He looks at Mulder. "Been nice knowin' ya, Agent Mulder," he shouts, half serious, half sarcastic. "Don't worry, Agent Doggett," Mulder responds caustically, "I've got nine lives and I've only used eight." With a slight grin, Doggett says, "On the count of three?" Mulder nods. "One..." Doggett shouts. He glances down at the swirling water below in trepidation. "Two..." He looks back up at Mulder who nods. On the unspoken "three", they leap from the rig into the water. The rig explodes behind them, fire enveloping the place they had just stood. Through the snow, a helicopter banks to the right and follows Mulder and Doggett down to the water. They are pulled to safety inside the helicopter. Dripping wet, both Mulder and Doggett are cocooned in blankets. "Anyone else alive on that rig?" the pilot questions Mulder, his voice raised to be heard over the sound of the blades. Mulder locks eyes with Doggett. "No one," replies Doggett. The helicopter turns and heads away from the rig. * * * Washington D.C. J. Edgar Hoover Building Mulder is sitting in Kersh's office. His mouth is drawn into a tight, angry line. He and Kersh are the only ones in the room. "Twenty-four men are dead, Agent Mulder," Kersh spits out, his voice harsh and grating. "Men you were sent to help. Can you explain yourself? Can you tell me how two Federal Agents allowed a $125 million dollar rig to blow up?" He pauses, waiting for an answer. "Agent Doggett had nothing to do with it," Mulder responds. "I made the call." "YOU made the call," Kersh interrupts, even more livid at this than he had been previously. He stops for a moment, seeming to get himself under control. When he speaks again, it is in a very quiet, dangerous tone. "It was never your 'call' to make." Mulder doesn't speak. They stare each other down in silence. Kersh leans forward, placing his elbows on the desk, and finally speaks. "You are hereby indefinitely suspended from duty, without pay, pending what I assure you will be a most thorough and, more importantly, very long investigation, Agent Mulder." Kersh's lips curl around Mulder's name as if it were profane. Mulder quietly gets to his feet. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his badge and a folded envelope. Then he unclips his gun from his belt and lays all three objects on Kersh's desk. "What's this?" Kersh demands, gesturing to the envelope. "My letter of resignation. Effective immediately." He turns his back and leaves the office, the quiet *snick* of the door closing behind him somehow more final than if he had slammed it. Kersh stares at the badge and gun, his expression unreadable. * * * J. Edgar Hoover Building Basement Office Mulder is sitting at his desk, reading a newspaper. Doggett walks in the office. Mulder tosses a newspaper to him. "Read the paper this morning?" Doggett shakes his head as he glances at the page the paper is folded to - A12. "It seems the government has decided to expand the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve," Mulder says. He looks meaningfully at Doggett. "Right into the Beaufort Sea." Comprehension dawns on Doggett's face. "You're kidding," he says as he quickly opens the newspaper and begins to scan the small article. "Whoever did this," Doggett says, "knows what's up there." "Yep." "The government is trying to cover it up." "Bingo." Doggett appears horrifed, yet resigned. "We've got to find out who." "Not 'we', you, Agent Doggett. I'm finished." Doggett appears taken aback by Mulder's response. "What do you mean 'finished'?" Doggett says in disbelief. "I'm out of the FBI. I just quit." "You quit?" asks a stunned Doggett. "It was either suspension without pay while the FBI conducts what I was assured would be a very extensive investigation or quit. I chose to quit. I've done my part to save the world, now it's your turn." "But Agent Mulder, the X-Files are your life!" Doggett says, still trying to understand what Mulder is telling him. "Not anymore, Agent Doggett, not anymore." Mulder smiles slightly, his gaze shifting to behind Doggett. Doggett hears the now quite audible clicking of high heels walking towards the office. Doggett turns to see Scully coming in the open office door. Scully smiles at Doggett briefly before looking at Mulder. "Ready to go, Mulder?"ž Mulder nods and picks up his coat. He clasps Doggett'sžhand as he passes by him on the way to the door.ž "Extreme possibilities, Doggett.ž Remember that." The door shuts behind Mulder and Scully and Doggett opens his hand. Mulder had surruptitiously passed him something during their handshake. Resting in Doggett's palm is a silver cylindar the size of a large pen. Curious, Doggett turns it over, discovering a small nearly-hidden button on one side. He presses the button and starts when a long, pointed spike slides out with a small hiss. Depressing the button again, the blade retracts into the handle. Doggett turns a confused gaze to the closed door. End.