February 21st
5.26pm
D & K Prentince Ltd., Washington D.C

Jeb Dukes had thought it was going to be a standard
performance review as he walks casually into his boss
office.  However, as the young, athletic, brown-haired man
takes a seat opposite Gary Garber, he senses something
different in the atmosphere.

His face registers sheer shock as he struggles to take in
what is being said to him.  He can see the sympathetic look
on Gary's face.

In a daze, Jeb barely registers his employer's next words.

"You don't know how much I hate my job on days like this,
Jeb. If it were my choice I'd be giving you a promotion, but
with the economy the way it is..."

The younger man shakes his head in disbelief. "Are you
firing me?"

"You can hold your head up, Jeb. You've done a good job
here."

"I-I don't believe this. I ... I thought this was just an
evaluation."

He is about to protest further but Gary stands up, shaking
his head, obviously wanting him out of the room. At the
moment, Jeb doesn't have the heart to fight.

"I'm sorry. I really am," his boss says.

Stunned, he leaves the office and walks slowly back to his
desk, watching the other employees answering phones,
gathering up papers, preparing for the next day of work.
Ignoring the personal items on his desk and in his drawer,
he picks up his coat and leaves the building, speaking to
nobody, ignoring the calls of casual goodnights from
colleagues who have no idea what has happened.

He moves out into the dark city street, buttoning his coat
against the persistent drizzle of the evening.

Jeb then looks up, startled, at the sound of squealing tires.
An older model blue Ford car flies around the corner
before speeding down the street. The pedestrians watch in
surprise as a police car, sirens blaring and lights flashing,
hot on its heels, turns the corner at an even higher speed,
chasing the older car down.

Then panicked shouts fill the air as the blue Ford ploughs
into a station wagon in the middle of the next intersection.

With a frightening ferocity, the cars burst into flames.
Exchanging horrified glances with other stunned
onlookers, Jeb joins them in the instinctive run towards the
scene of the accident.

The police seemed to be out of their car instantaneously,
and prevent anyone from approaching too closely, trying
to wave the crowd back, although at present it is a largely
futile effort.  A woman lets out a moan of anguish as she
gazes at the cars. "Oh, my god, there's someone in there!
We've got to help him! Someone help that man!"

Jeb stands transfixed as the figure of a man completely
covered in flames emerges from the car and begins
approaching him.  He is conscious of a mild surprise as no
one else appears to be able to see the other figure, but he
cannot move away as the man steps close to him and then,
seemingly, into him.

The crowd is oblivious to the transfusion taking place and
moments later, the only external evidence of it were the
glowing red gleam in eyes that were formerly brown. As
the police again call for the crowd to regain calm, Jeb
seems to shake himself out of his trance-like state and
moves towards his car parked some way further down the
street.  He goes to the trunk of the car, unlocking a box-safe
and removing a pistol from it.

For a long moment he stares at it, his face showing an inner
fight.  Then, seeming to lose the struggle, he shuts the safe
and stumbles back into his office building. He ignores
surprised calls of greeting, focussing on the office at the
end of the corridor -- the office where he had been sacked
so recently.

He reaches the door, and raises his hand to the handle,
only to let it fall away as the door opens and his boss
appears.  With a surprised look on his face, as well as a
mix of compassion and guilt, Gary greets the younger man
who he had not expected to see again. "Hey... Jeb... What's
up?"

Jeb doesn't answer -- not in words. His actions do it for
him.

Silently, determinedly, he raises the pistol and fires.

22nd February
8.52am

The office is crawling with police as various officers mill
around completing the tasks of collecting fibers, taking
photos and questioning witnesses that they had not been
able to interview the previous evening.

The African-American detective Franklin Potter covers
Gary's face with a sheet, his weary eyes showing that he is
beginning to tire of the sights he has seen every day for
much too long.  He rises to find a woman approaching, her
eyes alert, taking in the details of the scene like a
professional investigator. He doesn't recognize her from
his own squad, which leaves him only one option for
deducing her identity.

Agent Reyes?

"Yes, hi. Monica Reyes." she proffers her hand. "You
requested my input into this case?" she looks around the
room with interest.

"I did," the older man agrees. "Would you like to see the
victims?"

Reyes offers a brisk nod. "On the phone you said you had
reason to believe the killings might be satanic ritual
murders."

"Right. Let me show you." He leads her around to Jeb
Dukes' desk, talking as they walk.

"This is Jeb Dukes' work area. I found this among his
personal effects."   Taking an unfolded CD jewel case
insert from the desk he hands it to Reyes.

"What can you tell me about the killer, detective?
Anything?"

"Thirty-one years old. College grad, lived alone. There's
some who felt he had a dark side."

Reyes casts a trained eye over the workstation. "Can I look
in there?"

"Sure. You're the expert."

She sits down at the desk thoughtfully.

"Does it tell you anything about why he might've killed
those people?"

"The fact is, a shooter like this is usually pushed over the
edge by what we call a stressor, a catalyzing event-- an
emotional breakdown the breakup of a relationship or
sometimes when someone's been fired."

The detective perks up a bit at that. "This guy was fired ...
by the victim." he tells her

"Well, that's most likely what drove him to murder."

"But what about all these images ... these devil pictures?"
Detective Potter asks, as if his pride depended on there
being something unexplainable about the case.

His confused rejoinder elicits an amused glance from
Reyes looks up at him. "It's Marilyn Manson" she says
wryly, the suppressed chuckle evident to the detective in
her tone.

"Marilyn Manson?" he asks, confused.

"Your kids listen to him. They probably buy his CDs at K-
Mart. I don't think there's anything satanic going on here,
Detective." With that she gets up from the desk and turns
to leave.

Detective Potter calls after her. "Agent Reyes? Okay,
okay... It's some rock group, but you don't think this has
anything to do with Satan or evil or...?

"Reyes doesn't look back as she answers. "You may just as
well investigate Elvis."

However as she walks to the elevator she stops beside
Gary's body again, staring at his exposed hands.  As she
watches the hands suddenly take on the appearance of
dust and ashes.

Startled, heart suddenly thumping, Reyes kneels beside
the body, raising the sheet. The whole body seems to be
nothing but ashes.  The detective takes in Reyes change in
demeanor and comes up behind her.

"Agent Reyes? Did you find something?" he asks.

She looks up at him for a moment without speaking, then
back to the body.  Which is suddenly a normal human
corpse, little more than twelve hours dead.

February 22nd
10.13am
Apartment of Dana Scully

Scully sighs heavily and shifts her weight on the couch,
grimacing with discomfort. The phone rings and sighing
once more, she reaches over to answer.  Scully.

"Oh, Agent Scully. I'm glad I managed to catch you. It's,
ummm, Monica Reyes."

A momentary surge of annoyance at the interruption
crosses her face, before she visibly composes herself and
responds to the other agent good-naturedly.

 "Hello, Agent Reyes. What can I do for you?"

"Umm, well this is kind of awkward but I have just
stumbled across a rather unusual case. It involves a certain
phenomenon and I would really appreciate your input.
Would you be able to meet me for lunch tomorrow?  I
could come by your place and pick you up or bring
something with me if you prefer?"

"Oh."  Scully frowns slightly, pondering the other agent's
request.  "May I ask why you are calling me and not Agent
Doggett?"

"I can't call Agent Doggett because, well, it involves him
on a rather personal level. I'd also like to know if you have
ever come across anything similar in your own
experiences while working on the X-Files with Agent
Mulder."

Intrigued now, her natural curiosity rising to the surface,
Scully agrees to Monica Reyes' request to meet for lunch
the following day and puts down the phone. "Interesting."

22nd February
10.15am
The Swanson Hotel, Washington DC

Jeb Dukes sits alone in his motel room on the bed. Fear
and determination struggle for dominance on his
countenance as his eyes fixate morbidly on the gun on the
nearby bedside table. His face contorts with some inner
struggle, his breathing harsh and ragged, then slowing,
becoming deliberate, deep and steady.

He rises, picking up the pistol, and with trembling hands
he holds it to his temple, looking in the mirror. His finger
begins to squeeze the trigger, almost of its own volition,
even as his eyes widen in alarm and his mouth opens to
cry out a protest that never finds a voice.  His expression
horrified, he pauses there, the trigger half-compressed.
Suddenly, he cries out in pain and drops the gun, which
now glows red-hot.

Agonized, he clutches the wrist of the hand that held the
gun with the other and stares at his burned hand upon
which blisters are now forming.

A blast of heat and wind rips through the room, ruffling
his hair and making sweat bead on his face. He raises
terrified eyes in the direction the air came from to find
himself confronted with his own image in the mirror. As he
stares at himself, his mirror image is engulfed in flames.

Jeb Dukes screams.

February 22nd
12.30pm
Pizza Hut

Scully looks up as a block of daylight breaks the dim
lighting of the pizza parlor and splashes over her face. Her
cheeks bulge as she chews, a slice of thin, New York style
pizza folded length-wise hovering in her hands, its apex
blunted by teeth impressions, dripping grease and cheese
onto the plate beneath her.

She sees Agent Reyes pause in the doorway and scan the
interior before espying Scully and crossing to her table, a
briefcase swinging in her hand.

"You already ordered, I see," Reyes remarks, her eyes
narrowing and her lips thinning in a grimace of revulsion
as she studies the large pizza that has taken up residence
in the center of the table. Anchovies, green and black
olives, mushrooms and pepperoni swim in a gooey pool
of cheese. Sighing, Reyes slides into the other side of the
booth.

Scully swallows audibly. "Want some? Help yourself." she
offers, putting down her slice and wiping her mouth with
her napkin.

"No...thanks," the other agent answers cautiously. "I think
I'll stick to the breadsticks."

Scully watches as Reyes scrounges through her briefcase
and emerges with a file.   "So, this case you wanted my
input on?" she asks

"As I said before, it involves Agent Doggett and the death
his son. I don't know just how familiar you are with that
case," Monica ventures.

"I know some, but Agent Doggett has never really told me
much about what happened."

Monica nods in understanding, hands her the file and
waits for the other agent to start reading. Scully obliges
and scans through the information on the sheets in front of
her.

LUKE JOHN DOGGETT
Age at Disappearance: 7
Date of Birth: 7/9/90
Date of Last Contact: 8/12/97
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 48"
Weight: 52
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blond
AKA: Unknown Missing From: Long Island, NY
Child is suspected to have been YY

Scully quickly scans the rest of the first sheet and then
looks up. "I wasn't aware you were the lead investigator."

Reyes nods.   "Once it fell to the FBI, yes. Agent Doggett
was with the NYPD at the time. We worked it together. We
never caught the killer. It was the hardest case I've ever
had. As in stealing-into-the-bathroom-to-cry-my-eyes-out
kind of hard. I can't begin to imagine what it was like for
John."

She sighs, the telling bringing back some strong emotions.
"I couldn't bear to put him through this again, but if it
means we could catch his son's killer... I just can't go to
him until I know if what I saw means anything."

"Agent Reyes, just what did you see and what makes you
think this has anything to do with this?"  Scully waves
Luke Doggett's file at her. "You said this case involves
some kind of phenomenon?"

"I don't know if it was a psychic experience or what, but
when we found his son, I had a vision. It was as if, for just
a moment... The body was changed."

 She pauses and looks quickly into Scully's eyes, trying to
 read her reactions.

"Changed? Into what?"

Monica averts her eyes once more and softens her voice a
little. "Ashes. It looked like ashes. The thing of it is Agent
Doggett told me he saw it, too,  although he spent the last
few years convincing himself he didn't, that even if he did,
it didn't mean anything. I think he is wrong. Very wrong."

Scully pauses, taking in Monica's words, digesting them
and letting them settle a little. "What do you think it
means?"

The other agent sighs softly once more and represses a
slight shiver. "I can't shake the feeling that it's a clue, that it
could somehow point to who's responsible, if only I let it.
And now I've seen it again. Years later and a seemingly
unrelated case and I've had the same vision. There has to
be a reason for it, a reason it's happening now. I've spent
some time trying to find evidence or records of other
similar cases..."

"Well,"  Scully says softly.  "I've investigated a number of
cases that involve visions.  And I've also had experience of
people who can manipulate your mind -- make you think
you see what you can't really be seeing" Images of Donnie
Pfaster and Robert Modell flash through her mind. "I'm at
a loss to know, however, how those could be in any way
connected with this case you're working on."

Reyes sighs frustratedly. "It was a long shot. . ." she
muttered, and then startled by the ringing of her
cellphone, puts her hand to her pocket to take it out.

"Monica Reyes," she says into the phone as Scully sets the
file aside and reaches for the rest of the pizza.  She has
only time for two mouthfuls however, before Reyes clicks
off her phone and looks at her,  anticipation shining in her
eyes.

"That was Detective Potter," she announced. "Jeb Dukes
has turned himself in -- maybe it's time to get some
answers."

Scully meets her eyes.  "Well, it seems like you don't need
my input any more."

"Actually, I do." Reyes looks at her. "Apparently he was,
uh, rambling about being possessed."

********************

One hour later the two women are in Arlington Police
Station, in an interrogation room, both facing Jeb Dukes.

Reyes sits facing the man on the other side of the table
while Scully stands to the side of the room watching the
proceedings with interest.

"Why did you do it, Jeb?  Why did you shoot Gary Garber?
Was it because he fired you?" Reyes demands, her usual
light-hearted personality giving way to pure steel as she
waits for Dukes' response.

The man shakes his head, upset and confused.  "No, I
didn't do it.  Something made me do it.  Something was
inside of me.

"Voices in your head, Jeb?" she asks, a hint of sarcasm in
her tone  just because she was open didnt mean she was
susceptible to anyone trying to get away with an insanity
defence plea.  And by provoking him she was confident in
her ability to get at the truth of the matter.

Desperately the man tries again. "I saw this car crash, see,
and then it was like this being came out of the fire in the
wreck, and came into me.  I couldn't stop it.  I mean, I
could see all that was going on, but this, this thing was
controlling my actions and..."

 Feigning impatience, Reyes cuts him off. "So what was
 this thing Jeb?  And where is it now?"

The man becomes even more confused.  "I don't, I don't
know.  I think it's still here - I could feel it even though it
wasn't controlling my actions.  It was like it didn't care for
now, it was just toying with me.  But I..."

His voice becomes slower, clearer as realization hits him.
"I think it's gone now."  He says slowly.  I can't feel it any
more."

In the corner of the room Scully's eyes glow with an oddly
red gaze.

Suddenly Jeb looks at her and screams.

"It's in her!"  He yells.  "It's in her now."

Scully stands placidly as both pairs of eyes in the room are
suddenly fixed on her.




22nd February
3.30pm
Edgar J Hoover Building

Agent Doggett strides into Assistant Director Skinner's
office.

The Assistant Director meets his Agent's gaze with a
worried frown. "Agent Doggett.  You said you had a
situation.  That something was wrong with Agent Scully?"

Doggett sits down opposite his superior. "Yes, sir.  Agent
Scully has been helping another Agent, Monica Reyes - I
believe you met?"

Skinner gives a short nod and Doggett continues. "I got a
call from Agent Reyes a few moments ago.  Apparently,
there's something wrong with Scully, she's having
hallucinations or something.  Reyes has the situation
under control for now but she requested I go up there, as a
familiar voice might help bring her out of it."

"Has she taken her into hospital?"  His eyes darken in
concern.

"No, sir.  She didn't explain why.  I'm going over now to
see what's happening, I thought you would want to be
kept informed."

Skinner stands up. "I'm coming with you.  Following his
agent out of his office he calls to his secretary, "Kimberly,
cancel all my meetings."


22nd February
4.15pm
Arlington Police Station

Skinner and Doggett hurry into the interrogation room.  At
the moment the situation seems calm.  Scully is slumped
in the chair Reyes had earlier hustled Jeb Dukes out of.  At
the moment she is staring into space.  Monica is standing
beside her, eyes fixed on the other woman, not even
looking up at her colleagues as they enter the room.

 Skinner approaches Scully. "Agent Scully, are you
 alright?" he asks, placing his hand on her shoulder,
 mentally willing her to turn to him with her
 customary"'I'm fine." He waits in vain, as she doesn't
 respond.

He looks over at Reyes. "Agent Reyes, what's happened
here?"

 The woman shakes her head. "We were questioning a
 witness -- Jeb Dukes.  He claimed he was being possessed
 - I didn't give it an awful lot of credence but then he
 started saying it had left him, and gone into Agent Scully."

Skinner sees Doggett move in frustration at yet another
mention of the paranormal, but ignores it as Reyes carries
on.  Scully doesn't react to being spoken to, but stares
blankly ahead, unhearing, unseeing, almost trance-like.

"And then Agent Scully began screaming.  Uh -- something
about the end of the world.  The ultimate battle of good
versus evil, the ultimate confrontation that she had been
waiting for - she wasn't making a lot of sense, sir."

Doggett cuts in.  "She - she should be in hospital," he said,
his voice full of concern for his partner. Then his tone
becomes half accusatory as he demands of Reyes, "Why
didn't you get her there?"

"She wouldn't go.  I managed to get her sitting down, to
calm her down slightly, although she was still rambling.
That's why I called you, I hoped you'd be able to persuade
her - I don't want to upset her considering ..." she breaks
off, and Doggett nods apologetically.

"Anyway, a few moments ago she seemed to go into some
sort of trance, so I have called the ambulance now.  They
should be here any moment."

As if they heard the summons, there is a knock on the door
and two paramedics walk in.  Skinner moves over
towards Scully to attempt to help the men lift her onto the
stretcher.  However, at the touch Scully suddenly starts up
and jumps to her feet.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screams, eyes wild., red hair
tossed around her face.  Backing away from everyone in
the room she yells. "You must leave me to do my work.
To bring about the final confrontation.  Good versus evil.
Ragnorak.  Armageddon.  The last day.  IT MUST BE
NOW."

Moving restlessly throughout the room she suddenly darts
to the door. "I must go from this place," she mutters.  "I
must find where the battle is to be fought.  I will find . . . ."

Nobody is about to let her leave the room, however and
the paramedics move over to the door to block her only
avenue of escape.  Exchanging glances with everybody
else, Skinner takes control.  Moving over towards her he
says with gentle compassion, "Scully - you have to come
with us now."

"NO!  I MUST FIND..."

Casting an anguished glance at Doggett, Skinner murmurs,
"I thought she was handling it ... I thought she was over the
worst."

"She was. ." Doggett shakes his head helplessly.

"Agent Reyes, can you and the paramedics clear the room?
I think too many people is making her nervous."

Moving quietly, they obey the Assistant Director's
command and, moving towards Scully,  Skinner's voice
remains firm. "Scully, you are going to hurt yourself if you
carry on like this." His voice resonates with authority, even
as compassion can be seen in his eyes.

Scully is beyond hearing now, and beyond caring even if
she does, but against one wall she cannot escape when the
Assistant Director takes a firm grasp on one of her arms.

 Doggett comes up behind Skinner and takes Scully's other
 arm, imprisoning the woman between the two of them
 even as she struggles violently against them.

Not only that, Scully, Skinner tells her, his voice as
calming as he can make it under the circumstances, You
are going to hurt your baby.

With that the resistance lessens slightly.

Doggetts eyes meet Skinner's over her head.  "What will
we do?" he asks of the older man.  "Where do we take
her?"

"We get her to hospital,"  Skinner says shortly and the two
men carry her out to where the paramedics wait.

*******************

Doggett watches as Skinner gets into the ambulance to go
with Scully to the hospital.  When it is out of sight, he
turns to Monica.

All right, Monica.  What the hell happened here?

Reyes can't quite manage to look directly into his eyes,
knowing that the answer will be both unwelcome and
painful to the older man.

"I came across a case that disturbed me and, as I said
earlier, we were interviewing a suspect in it. I asked Agent
Scully for her help, feeling she would be able to give me
some more insight into it, into the strangeness of it.  I was
hoping she might have come across something similar
before."

"That hasn't really answered my question," Doggett says
flatly.

Reyes looked Doggett straight in the eyes.  "I know, give
me time.

She sighs, I think there's a connection here between this
case and a case I worked on earlier.  A case you are,
unfortunately, familiar with - "

"If I'm familiar with it, why didn't you ask me to help?"
Doggett interrupts.

Averting her gaze once more, Reyes takes a calming breath
and continues in a softer voice, "I didn't go to you straight
away because you are too close to this. It's personal, John.
I also remember how you acted last time -"

Doggett, impatience coloring his tone, interjected "What?
What last time?"

Sighing, Reyes brings her eyes to look once more into her
fellow agent's, "I was going to tell you, John. I was   on a
case -- a shooting.  Something that I saw connected back to
Luke -- a vision..."

Agent Doggett stares across at his colleague in disbelief.  A
look of both grief and anger plays across his face.

"No.  Not this again. You're not going to make something
out of nothing once more.  It's over. Finished with."

Sighing uncomfortably, Reyes looks away, and then back
directly into Doggett's eyes once more and holds his
regard.   "Bob Harvey. I'm sure you haven't forgotten him."
It is not a question.

Feeling a pang of pain at the memories that name stirred
up, Agent Doggett snaps angrily.  "Of course I haven't
forgotten him.  Bob Harvey was the man who murdered
my son.  Am I supposed to forget that?

"John," Reyes replies softly, "Bob Harvey was killed last
night in a car crash while fleeing police. And just moments
after Harvey died, a previously sane man by the name of
Jeb Dukes, who was a witness to the accident, went back
inside a nearby building and murdered his employer."

"And?"

"And what?"  asks Reyes.

"What's the connection?  I can't see the connection between
all of this."

Reyes steels her eyes and says in a very direct way, "I had
the same vision both with Luke and with one of the bodies
found inside the building.  There is a link between them.  I
know it.  I can feel it."

Doggett, barely containing the anger that has risen up in
him, throws up his hands.  "No, there's no connection. I
don't care what you saw, you leave it alone."  Swallowing,
he continues in a much quieter voice, "I really think we
should be concentrating more on finding out what is
wrong with Agent Scully anyway.  I dont know about you,
but Im going to see if shes alright."

Sighing, Reyes follows him out of the building.

22nd February
 5.04pm
 Georgetown Memorial Hospital

 Scully looks up as the door to her room opens. Doggett
 and Reyes walk a little warily into it, leaving Skinner to
 have a final word with her doctor.  Scully, after giving the
 two former a brief glance, turns her attention to the latter
 and watches Skinner with interest.

 "Agent Scully - " begins Doggett.

 She turns her attention back to him. "Agent Doggett."

Reyes looks quickly across to the taller, older man before
looking at  the figure on the bed again. The fact that it is
not Doggett's partner is plainly evident in not only the
deep tone of Scully's voice but in her eyes too. The ice blue
looking at them both is not that clear, intelligent regard
they are both used  to but something more unsettling,
hotter, wilder, transforming her whole visage.

"How are you feeling?" inquires Doggett, just as Skinner
closes the door behind him and slips into the room.

The wild look passes from her face and, sighing, she shifts
slightly on the bed. "Fine, but tired. Are these really
necessary?" Scully looks down to the restraints holding her
in place.

Doggett shoots a quick glance to Reyes, who shakes her
head.

"I guess I could ask the doctor in a little while," he starts
only to have the woman in front of him begin to thrash
about violently on the bed,  pulling and straining against
the bonds trapping her there.

 "No. No. Get me out of these NOW!"

 "Agent Scully!" cries Doggett, worry in his voice.

 "Scully?" Skinner moves clearly into her line of view and
 casts an extremely concerned look at her. "Scully!"

 She stops struggling and this time an eerie calm settles
 over her features. She looks at all of them, her eyes
 flashing red briefly.  "You don't understand. You *must*
 let me go. I'm not ill. I'm not sick."

 Reyes stands up a little straighter, having seen the brief
 flash of color  and moves just a little closer to Scully. She
 focuses directly on her, but Scully's  eyes are now fixed
 just on Skinner. Scully's voice is different too. It is deeper,
 with a peculiar resonance.

"You have no reason to keep me here. There is no need to
keep me like this.  I'm not going to hurt myself, or the
baby.  Please, sir, at least get these restraints off me. Now.
Not in a hour or two.  Not even in a few minutes."

 Reyes watches Skinner carefully and, surprised, sees
 acquiescence written clearly on  his face.  She looks back
 to Scully and sees those eyes spark red once more.   She
 moves to touch Skinner's arm, attracting his attention back
 to her and softly whispers, "I don't really think that is a
 good idea just yet, do you, sir?"

Skinner blinks his eyes and gives a slight shake of his head
as if trying to clear something from it.

"Listen to her carefully but don't look directly into her
eyes. That isn't Agent Scully."

 Monica turns back to the woman on the bed, being careful
 to follow her own advice.  The eyes, however, have
 returned to their normal shade of blue. "Why is it
 necessary to have the restraints off now?  I'm sure they
 can't be that uncomfortable. What is so important that you
 need to be released from them immediately? You know
 you aren't going anywhere just yet, are you?  What are
 you planning to do?  Where do you want to go?"

 Scully starts to thrash against her restraints once more.
 "Let me go. Let me go.  Let me go!"

 Reyes moves to stand close to Skinner, "Who are you?"
 she demands of the tormented figure on the bed.

 Skinner shoots Doggett a rapid look upon hearing the
 quick intake of breath by the other man and puts out a
 hand to lay on his arm, silently asking him  to keep quiet
 and not interfere. Skinner then looks back to the two
 women. Reyes'  question has stilled and quieted the body
 lying on the bed, but that eerie, unsettled look comes back
 to Scully's eyes, which are focussed on the woman by her.

 "Who are you?" Reyes demands once more.

 "Let me go." The cold tone has also returned.

 "Tell us who you are."

 "Let. Me. Go."

 Reyes shivers at the iciness behind those words but
 refuses to give in. "No.  Who are you and what have you
 done to Agent Scully?"

 The body on the bed starts to tremble violently, drawing a
 gasp of shocked surprise  and worry from all three
 observers. Trapped by their restraints, the arms and legs
 shudder,  pulling at them with enough force to shake the
 whole bed.

Doggett and Skinner both move closer but stop when
Scully's body gives one last, strong jerk before  relaxing.
Reyes slowly steps up even closer to Scully and waits
silently, gesturing to the two men not to interfere. Finally
Scully's eyelids open and two warm blue eyes look into
Agent Reyes's.  Eyes filled with horror, disgust and a tinge
of  fear. Reyes visibly relaxes and gives Scully a tentative
smile.

 "Agent Reyes?" It's Scully's voice once more too, a little
 raspy, as if it has been unused for sometime. She looks
 around the room, sees Doggett, then relaxes noticeably
 when she spies Skinner. "Agent Doggett. Sir. I'm ...," she
 pauses and  takes a deep breath, looking slightly
 uncertain as to what to say. "I'm ... ," she tries once again.

 "Take it slowly, Agent Scully. Are you okay?" Reyes asks.

 Scully nods.

 "Are you hurt?"

 Scully shakes her head, "No. No, I don't think so."

 "Okay, take another breath and try again."

 Scully does that. "Don't let it go. Don't let me go. Even if I
 beg you, you mustn't release me. There's ...," she falters
 once more. "There's  something inside me. Something
 trying to control me. I'm trying to fight it but it is so
 strong. It wants control of me.  I don't know how long I
 will be able to keep it away from taking over again. Sir,"
 the last is directed solely to Skinner. "If I may have a word
 with you privately first?  I'm not sure I  I can ... ," she trails
 off, looking uncomfortable.

 Skinner reaches down and gentle squeezes her hand,
 offering silent encouragement.

"I don't think it's a good idea for any one of us to be left
alone with you now, Agent Scully," ventures Reyes.

Three sets of eyes turn towards her looking puzzled.
"Umm, I think whatever had control of Agent Scully also
seems to be able to bend people's wills a little.  Sir, were
you going to release Agent Scully earlier?"

All eyes turn to Skinner now.  "No, not at first, although I
admit I wasn't too sure about keeping them on her all the
time.   I do remember suddenly feeling it wasn't really
necessary though.  It just didn't seem needed and was
plainly upsetting her.  It was as if ... "

"Yes?" encouraged Reyes.

"It was as if I *saw* it in my head.  The idea that had been
in the back of my mind suddenly seemed so right. I should
get Scully released."

"Why didn't you try then?" pushes Reyes.

Skinner frowns a little as he searches for his answer.  "I
don't know...  When you spoke to me it just suddenly
didn't seem like such a good idea after all.  My head
seemed to clear..."  The last was said with a tone of
surprise coloring his voice.

"My guess is that this, this thing has the ability to influence
people. That maybe it can encourage an idea that is
already there in their minds. I think that's why we didn't
let Scully go at the police station earlier.  The idea has to
be already there.  All it can do is give it a forceful nudge.
Even so, I really don't think Agent Scully should be left
alone with any of us."  Reyes gives Scully a slightly
embarrassed smile.

Scully sighs and nods her head in agreement.  "Of course.
Fine.  I guess I would only have to tell it again anyway to
you both afterwards." She gives an awkward attempt at a
smile.  "This is going to sound bizarre."

"Tell me something new," replies Skinner, earning a better
smile in return at his attempt to ease the tension.

Scully clears her throat.  It is clear from her expression that
this is difficult for her.   Doggett meets her gaze and gives
her a little smile of encouragement too.  Sighing, she tries
to get more comfortable on the bed.

 Scully closes her eyes and then nods her head in
 acquiescence. "Jesus," she  swears softly, "This is going to
 sound unbelievable. *I* wouldn't believe it if it came from
 anyone else. There's this, this thing inside of me. It calls
 itself Loki.  It seems to know you, Agent Doggett, and it, it
 has knowledge, such knowledge of, of dreadful, evil
 things. It knows everything I know. It ripped through my
 mind, my memories, my *life* and now it wants to get out.
 No, it *needs* to get out. It believes the time is coming to
 pass for it to fulfill its, its 'destiny.' ..."

 His hand still holding hers, Skinner says seriously, "Scully
  a few years  ago you were 'called' to Ruskin Dam. By the
 chip in your neck.  It's why I didn't want to risk you going
 anywhere.  Do you think it could be that again?"

 Scully pauses, shaking her head from side to side. "I don't
 think so, Sir.  It feels  it feels different, I can't explain."

Suddenly Scully's whole body seems to spasm.  She pales,
gasps and gives her head a violent shake. "No!" Taking a
deep breath she tries to continue but her voice is shaky
and she falters with her words.  "But, but it does want me
to, to go somewhere."

She sounds strained but then abruptly her voice turns into
a scream.  "No. No. Not yet. Leave me alone."

 "Scully?" Skinner asks.

Panting, Scully struggles with her breathing.  Doggett and
Reyes move in a little closer to the bed, concern written
clearly across their faces.  The three all look fearfully at her
for a second or two before she nods her head at them.

 "I'm okay, I'm fine. Still here," she gives a tiny, almost
 rueful smile at her last words, then swallows. "I don't
 quite know how to say this but it, it seems almost
 obsessed with all my memories of Mulder and his
 theories. Anything related to the," she gives a little pause,
 "to the Aliens and the idea of colonization. It feels that
 something is near. Its time is near. I can feel it dig deeper
 and deeper into anything I have ever heard or seen about
 colonization. I think it believes it is here to help with it, to
 trigger it. I don't know. I can't pinpoint it. It just,  it just ..."

 Scully breaks off frustrated and slightly embarrassed.
 Skinner squeezes her hand again and opens his mouth to
 say something, but the door opens before he  can speak.
 Looking up they all see a doctor come into the room.

"Visiting hours are over for the moment and I need to
check my patient now.  I also think she could do with
some rest," she says without any greeting, a firm,
professional air about her.

She smiles at Scully and then looks pointedly across at the
other three agents in the room.  "It might be a good idea for
the rest of you to all go home and get some rest
yourselves."

Both Skinner and Doggett open their mouths about to
protest but the doctor intervenes before either could finish
a word.  "You can come back much later." She shoots them
a look that brooks no arguments and gently but firmly
starts to usher them from the room.

"I don't want her left unrestrained -" starts Skinner.

"*My* patient will be well looked after, I can assure you,
Sir.  I'm the best person to pass judgment on when or
whether to release the restraints."  She pointedly opens the
door.  "You'll be notified immediately if there is any
change in her condition.  If you have any further questions,
I suggest you ask at the desk.  I'd like to attend to my
patient now."  She closes the door, having managed to
quickly and efficiently steer them out of the room.

No one sees the look of pain come over Scully's face, or
hear her almost silent whisper.

"Oh my God no.  It's already happened."  Then two words
uttered flatly.  "El Rico."

 By the time the doctor turns back, Scully's face is again
 composed.  The doctor picks up Scully's chart and starts
 to look through it.  "How are you feeling, Dr. Scully?"

"Much better, thank you.  Tired and," she looks down at
her restraints,  "a little achy."

The doctor follows her gaze, then studies her for a few
seconds.  Scully's eyes flare red briefly.  The doctor blinks,
her face going a little blank.  "Well, Dr. Scully, I don't think
there is any need for those restraints now,  is there?"

 Smiling as freedom beckons, Scully nods her head.
 "Thank you.  I would like that very much."

 The doctor moves forward and releases her.  Scully rubs
 her the spots where she was bound and sighs in relief.
 Smiling back at her patient, the doctor checks her over
 quickly and leaves her alone to go tend to her other
 patients.   The door closes the door, leaving  Scully sitting
 on the bed contemplating.  A series of expressions from
 delight to horror, to disbelief runs across her features.

 "No, no, no, no, no, no." The words are repeated and
 repeated sounding more and more distressed until they
 fade away into a soft keening sound.

After a few minutes she ceases.  She rises slowly from her
bed, stopping in front of the mirror hanging on one of the
walls and stares at it.  Her image is reflected back to her, in
flames.

************************************

Agent Monica Reyes looks up from the magazine that she
had been thumbing through and, much to her shock, sees
Agent Scully leave her room.  She drops it on the floor,
barks an order to the nurse at the desk to call security and
runs after her.  It doesn't take her long to reach the smaller
woman and she reaches out an arm to touch her on the
shoulder.

"Agent Scully?"

There is no response.  Scully shrugs off the hand and
keeps on walking.

"Agent Scully, Loki, where are you going?"

Scully stops and turns around.  Her eyes are blazing red
again and her voice, when she speaks, is deep and
resonant once more.  "Leave me alone.  Let me go."

Reyes shakes her head.  "You know I can't do that.  Where
are you going?"

"To where it ended.  Leave me alone.  I don't want to hurt
you.  You seem to, to understand me. Just. Let. Me. Go."

"I can't."  Reyes reaches round for her handcuffs. Scully
stretches out a hand. It flares red and flash of flame shoots
out and hits Reyes on her right arm. The injured woman
gives out a harsh cry of pain.

"Don't stop me. Please. I have to go there."

The taller FBI agent moves towards Scully again, her
wounded arm hanging by her side and obviously in pain.
Scully sighs and lifts her hand once more.  Monica braces
herself but this time, instead of the white heat that she
expects, she finds herself suddenly knocked flat on her
back as something that felt like an enormous weight
punched her in the stomach.

Winded and in considerable pain, she can do nothing
other than trying to fight for her breath as Scully drags her
body into a vacant room and melts the lock shut with just a
touch of her fingers.  The few medical staff that were on
duty stand well back and look on in fear as Scully makes
her way towards the exit.

22nd February
5.50pm
Georgetown Memorial Hospital's Parking Lot

 Trying hard not to look overly suspicious, Scully searches
 for a car to suit her purposes.  She knows she has been
 lucky so far, the escape from the hospital had been almost
 embarrassingly easy. Allowing a little smile of satisfaction
 to be released she lifts her hand to a red Ford and pulls on
 the now bright orangey-red handle.

 She clumsily enters the car, runs her hand over the
 ignition key and starts the motor.  Taking a short moment
 to gather her thoughts together and to plan her journey,
 she lets a  weary, sorrowful sigh escape her lips before
 pulling out of the parking lot and heading  towards, "El
 Rico."  Her destination is said in a voice full of pain.

 22nd February
 6.05pm
 Walter Skinner's office

 Skinner stares at the ringing phone balefully.  There is no
 one he wants to speak to  he needs to finish up in his
 office, and go back to  check up on Scully. He picks up the
 phone.  "Skinner," he barks.

 "How can you LOSE a patient? Especially a patient as
 heavily pregnant as Agent Scully?  I requested that she be
 kept under restraint," he asks angrily.  A long pause.
 "And Agent Reyes? She was supposed to be there."
 Another pause, shorter this  time.   "I see.  Will, she be
 alright?"  Skinner runs his hand over his head as he listens
 to the response.  "Fine.  I'll be there shortly."

 He slams down the phone, sighs, and then reaches for the
 receiver again.

"Agent Doggett?  Assistant Director Skinner.  Agent Scully
has gone missing from the hospital."  Skinner reaches
behind him to grab his jacket off the back of the chair while
listening to the other  man reply.  "I don't know yet, but
Agent Reyes was slightly injured trying to stop her.  Can
you meet me in the parking garage?" A short pause.
"Good.   I'll see you shortly."

 He replaces the phone and leaves his office, jogging down
 the hallway oblivious to the few discreet stares directed
 his way.


22nd February
8.10pm
Walter Skinner's office

Monica Reyes is sitting in a chair, her uninjured arm
absently rubbing her bandages.  She looks across to
Doggett who, looking up from the file he is reading, rubs
his eyes.   "Sir, do you really think we'll find a clue to
where she is in old X-Files?" he asks, for the second time.

 Skinner says calmly.  "Yes, I do.   She was  Loki was 
 obsessed with colonization, aliens.   All of those
 encounters will be logged into the X-Files.  I think that's
 how we find her."  His face clouds.  "If the APB doesn't
 work, it's the best chance we've got."

 "At the last count, Mulder and Scully had documented
 three distinct species  of alien," he says.  "The Greys, the
 faceless rebels, and the colonists   and that's not counting
 this 'black oil' thing."  Doggett stated.

 Monica turns to him, rubbing at her right temple now.  It
 is clear that something is bothering her but it is also
 evidently clear that she can't place just what it is.

"But there was a conclusion, wasn't there?  A
confrontation?"

 "Yes, at El Rico."

 The members of the syndicate racing towards what was
 happening.  A certain  joy in their faces  they were certain
 they were going to see the end that they had wanted  to
 be reunited with their loved ones.  Certain that this  was
 going to be the day that they had been working towards.

 And then, joy turned to horror as the blazing inferno
 struck.

 "The ultimate battle of good against evil," Skinner
 murmurs.   "If that was anywhere  it was El Rico.  The
 Syndicate dead.  That ended there.   Mulder and Scully
 were lucky to escape.  I know they were planning to be
 there."

 Monica suddenly jumps up from her chair. "Oh my god!
 I'm so stupid.  I just remembered  something. Scully/Loki
 told me that she was going to where it ended."

Three pairs of eyes meet.  Skinner looks back at his agents
with a confidence in his that hadn't been there five minutes
before.

 "Agent Doggett, Agent Reyes  I think we know where she
 is."

 **********

 Three hours later the sound of Skinner's car cuts through
 the silence at what had been El Rico air base.  The base
 had been left abandoned since the fire and there were still
 signs of blackened material on the floor.

 Skinner snapped off the ignition an almost flew out of the
 car, followed by Doggett and Reyes.

"Scully," he called desperately, grimly, hating to think of a
pregnant woman out at this time of night, at this  time of
year.  "Agent Scully."

 A glance at his agents is all that's needed and the three fan
 out, all calling, scouring the vicinity.

 Out of the corner of her eye, Reyes sees something move.

 "Agent Scully." She calls again, running towards it.
 "Agent Scully  it's all right.  I'm here to help."  Then, in
 spite of feeling stupid,  "Loki,  I'm not going to hurt you,
 ok?"

 The figure stills for a moment, and then comes out.

 Scully's eyes are still wild, her composure icy.

 "Gone," the being inside her rasped.  "Ragnorak came.  It
 went."  The voice turned into a snarl.  "AND I WASN'T
 PART OF IT."

 Scully restlessly paces, first one way, then the next, her
 face a mixture of anger and pain.  "But if I failed in that, I
 will not fail this time.  I have no reason to live any longer."
 The entity waves Scully's gun, anger winning over pain
 this time.  "You will not stop me."

 Doggett watches besides Skinner, transfixed by the scene.
 Slowly he walks towards Reyes, feeling almost as if his
 own body is under someone else's control.  He opens his
 mouth, but does not know what he is going to say until he
 actually speaks.

"Why Luke?" he asks, almost  fearfully, something deep
inside him now sure that the being now controlling Scully
had been in control of Bob Harvey, had been responsible
for the death of his son.  "Why me?"  His voice is almost
unnaturally calm.

 Scully laughs, harshly, eerily.  "Why not?" she responds.
 "Armageddon is the goal.  Murder is the way," she chants,
 her face reflecting the madness that tinges her voice.

 Then the being seems to remember.  "I FAILED."

The  voice is once again furious.  "I failed in bringing
about what I was created to do.  I had one mission in life.
One reason to stay behind when my brothers and sisters
left.  My sole purpose was to watch for and bring about
Ragnarak, the final battle in which human civilization
would be destroyed.  Good versus Evil.  I failed in this.  I
failed in this and thus I failed to bring about the new
golden age.  I FAILED."  Scully stares wildly at the other
FBI agent, her eyes gleaming with red and madness.

 Monica stares her down.  "Loki, the war is not over.  The
 battle was won   the war endures." She is speaking
 desperately, trying to think of anything  that would save
 the other agent's life.  There are innocent lives at stake
 here.  This woman  this baby, this is not what you want
 to do Loki."

Frustratedly the woman shakes her head, knowing that
this being did not, would not, care about innocent lives.
He wanted only to witness Armageddon, Ragnarok, and
cause as much mayhem on earth as possible while he did
so.

 Taking a deep breath Monica adds.  "Armageddon is yet
 to come.  If you search this woman's memories you know
 that I speak the truth.  You don't want to hurt her.  She has
 played a part in all this.  Do you not want to play your
 part too?"

 "Yes.  Yes.  YES."  A terrible scream comes from the other
 woman's lips and Monica runs towards her as she
 collapses.  But the first thing Reyes notices as she reaches
 her side is that the red glow has disappeared from her
 eyes.  Loki has gone.

Doggett and Skinner both rush up to her.  "Is she okay?"

Monica nods.  "Yes, I think she'll be fine.  It's gone now."

Skinner sighs in relief, pulls out his phone and dials 911
for an ambulance.

"What happened?  Where is it?" barks Doggett, his eyes
scouring the area around him.  There is no one or nothing
there except for a few wild cats.

"I don't know.  I don't know."  All her concern for the
moment is focused on the woman lying in front of her. "I
have a horrible feeling the world hasn't seen the last of
him."


23rd February
4.05am
 Georgetown Memorial Hospital

 Skinner sits beside Scully watching the woman with
 concern as she begins to stir from unconsciousness.

 She looks up at him, confused for a moment, then heaves
 herself into a sitting position.  "Uh, hi," she ventures.

"How are you, Scully?" he asks her gently.  A small smile
crosses his face.  Hell of a way to spend your birthday, in
hospital.

"I'm fine." Then Skinner sees the recognition start to flicker
in her face as she processes the memories from the last
hours.  She looks at him.  "He's gone." She says.  "Whatever
Agent Reyes did, or said, it worked."

 Skinner lets the relief wash over him.  He hadn't really
 been sure until then.

 "I don't know why he left though," Scully muses.  "He
 suddenly  gave up."

 Skinner sighs.  "I heard Agent Reyes tell him that his
 Armageddon, his Ragnarok  was yet to come.  Maybe he
 wanted to do what he said  play his part in it."

 He can see that Scully isn't  entirely convinced by the
 answer.

 "Maybe," she says.

 ******************

 There is no sound in Scully's hospital room, as she turns
 restlessly in her bed sleeping.  Her hands are splayed
 over her abdomen, trying to protect her child, protect her
 child even from herself.

 "Mulder," she calls out softly, anxiously, as she turns
 again, dreaming.

 Even in her sleep she wishes he was with her, wishes he
 was there to help her with this vast task that she fears she
 cannot manage alone, to help her with bringing up their
 child and protecting him from dangers both foreseen and
 unimaginable.  But she will do the best she can alone.  He
 would have expected no less from her.

 And then, moving in as if coming from a great distance he
 is there.

 Scully's eyes are still closed, as she sits up in bed.
 "Mulder?" she asks.  Even in sleep she knows
 subconsciously this isn't right.  Knows he can't really be
 here.  But his hazel eyes rest on hers as he sits down on
 her bed beside her, taking her hand.

 "It's ok, Scully.  It will be ok," he murmurs, caressing her
 face with his free hand.

 She smiles tremulously.  "I can't do this alone, Mulder,"
 she whispers to him, her eyes still flickering behind
 closed lids

 He speaks softly to her.  "You're stronger than you think
 Scully.  You once said you had the strength of my beliefs,
 let me give that to you now.  You will be ok, I promise.
 Our child will be ok.  And this is not the end."

 Slowly, silently Mulder releases her hand, and seems to
 fade into the distance.  And for the first time in months
 there is a genuine smile on Scully's lips.

