Season Six:
Episode 9

A lake
Central Pennsylvania
8:21 am

Numerous lakefront cabins dot the lakeshore. The structures range from simple to more grandiose in design.

A cigarette is smoldering on the ground. Some dry grass next to it ignites and the small fire spreads slowly. As the fire gains momentum, the wind catches it, directing the path of the expanding conflagration.

The fire continues to spread using the dry fall foliage as fuel. A row of lakefront homes is now in the path of what can now be called a blaze.

On a rise to the northwest of the lake, stands a figure in a black trenchcoat.

Fox Mulder waited in the hotel restaurant. He had already eaten his breakfast and was eager to explore the B3 level of the Edgar B. Hartlan Microbiology Building. He looked at his watch for what seemed like the hundred and fiftieth time that morning. 8:57 am. It had been 8:55 am the last time he'd looked. Mulder had reasoned that Special Agents Fowley and Spender would meet him for breakfast, regardless of their activities of the previous evening. It hadn't occurred to him that they might choose the room service option. It did now. That thought did little to improve Mulder's mood.

He was frustrated about not being able to investigate the B3 level the previous evening. He was angry with Diana for giving him her room key and for taking Spender to bed. He was irritated that Spender had found the time to be with Diana, when he hadn't. All of those emotions paled in comparison to his fear for Scully and to his disgust with himself for having to hope that Alex Krycek would help and ... protect her. Mulder wasn't sure how to deal with all of these feelings. He usually was quite good at burying them, but this morning they were dangerously close to the surface.

Jeffrey Spender glanced into the hotel restaurant. Mulder was there, looking fierce. Before Spender could retreat, Mulder saw him and waved him over. "Morning Mulder," he ventured.

"Spender," the older man countered. "Rough night?"

"Huh?"

Mulder smiled at Spender's reaction. He hadn't seen a grown man blush in quite a while. "You should let your ... companion know that you don't wear turtlenecks to work. A dress shirt can only conceal so much." Spender's right hand went to his neck, and he got redder. Mulder hadn't known such a crimson shade was possible. "Other side Spender."

Mulder's mood was improving as he watched Spender trying (and failing) to position his left hand between Mulder and his neck without being obvious. Mulder's attention was distracted as Diana Fowley entered the room. Her energy level was high and her smile radiant. "How'd the hunch go Mulder?" she asked as she sat next to Spender, who became perfectly still, reminding Mulder of prey in the presence of a predator.

"Paid off. I tried to follow in Marita Covarrubias' footsteps and inspect a basement level of the building our deceased scientists worked in."

When he didn't continue, Diana glanced at Spender and smiled slightly as she observed his determination not to meet her eye. Returning her attention to Mulder, she prompted "And?"

"The elevator wouldn't go to that level. The stairs don't."

"Maybe access is restricted after a certain time?" Diana offered.

"If so, someone convinced the elevator to make an exception, while I was on the level above looking for an alternative way down."

"We'll check it out Mulder. Don't worry. If push comes to shove, we can impose on Robert. Assuming our basement exploration uncovers nothing of interest, I suggest we move on to Pennsylvania. Jeff and I already cleared the travel and accommodations through Skinner. Agreed?"

Mulder frowned, but could think of no viable argument against her plan. Spender simply nodded while staring straight ahead. Diana grinned at her easy victory. The grin broadened as she saw Spender's predicament. Not worrying over Mulder's presence, she leaned closer to Jeffrey and whispered "Sorry 'bout that" in his ear.

To avoid further discussion, Spender rose and gestured for Mulder to lead the way.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Scully asked softly as she came up behind Alex Krycek. He was staring out the window at a vista of pine trees. The look on his face as he turned toward her said "no" quite adequately. Dana grabbed his arm as he tried to move past her. She was tiring of this. Avoiding someone that you were confined with was not, in Scully's view, particularly productive.

"Nothing worth talking about," he stated as he tried to extricate his arm. Had he chosen to do so with force, he could have attained his goal easily. That he hadn't interested Dana Scully. More than she cared to admit. "As I've said repeatedly. You really should listen better, Dana."

Unless she was very much mistaken, Alex had had a dream about the loss of his left arm. A dream that scared him. So he rejected it. He would not consider that particular extreme possibility. Forcing him to consider it to a degree where acceptance might be possible seemed doomed to failure. So Scully switched tactics. Smiling at him, she shifted her grip on his arm to a more companionable grasp and moved to his side. "Let's start over. Ok? Pretend that I never asked about your dream." Now when she moved back toward the couch and the breakfast that was set out on the coffee table in front of it, she was encouraging him to accompany rather than dictating.

He looked at her a trifle suspiciously as she sat to his left and began gently massaging his left shoulder with her right hand. When he began to relax and to show some interest in the pastry assortment arrayed in front of them, she ran her left hand slowly up his arm from wrist to shoulder, with the last part of the journey completed underneath the white t-shirt he wore. Refusing to consider how like a caress the action was, she repeated the process in the reverse direction. "Looking for seams or something?" he asked suddenly.

Scully froze, uncertain of what to say. She had denied her curiosity about his arm for as long as she could. When she risked looking at him, she saw that he had extended the relevant appendage toward her, offering it for inspection. "I haven't noticed any in the shower." Given permission, Scully began a more thorough examination. Krycek watched her intense concentration with interest.

"Have you had any pain or other discomfort between the shoulder and elbow?"

"No."

"Any discoloration or contusion?"

Despite their focus on the task at hand, both Scully and Krycek glanced up as the door opened. Scully resumed her examination after identifying the woman who entered. "It's a pleasure to watch a professional at work," Marita Covarrubias commented as she moved toward the couch. "Enjoying the attention Alex?" Krycek ignored the question, focusing on Scully, although he was aware that Marita sat down on his right. His mistake became apparent, when Marita leaned close and, deploying both of her hands industriously, whispered "I know exactly what sort of attention you like."

"Not from you," he asserted as he caught both of her hands in his right. "Not anymore."

Marita smiled condescendingly at Scully, before winking at Krycek. "Not in front of your new ... hobby. Of course, how inconsiderate of me." Covarrubias didn't miss Krycek's increased tension, and congratulated herself. Never losing eye contact with him, Marita sauntered to the television and turned it on, adjusting the sound to be quite loud. "I'm here on business Alex. I've got a message for you. One you can't afford to ignore."

Scully sensed the change in Krycek's demeanor, before seeing evidence of it. He smiled at Marita and gestured for her to continue, as he leaned back and put his arm around Dana. He looked ... in control and completely at ease ... as he gazed at Marita with polite interest. Scully noted that Marita was taken aback by the change. She also noticed Marita noticing with displeasure Alex stroking Dana's upper arm and assumed she overheard his "This should be good" comment. What surprised Scully was that she understood the dynamic. Alex had been defensive; however, he had sensed an undercurrent of jealousy. That was all he needed. These realizations engendered in Scully an equal measure of admiration and trepidation with respect to Alex and surprise regarding Marita. To avoid dealing with those emotions, Scully focused on Covarrubias' "message."

"... meeting as soon as possible. I have some allies here, so I think I can arrange it. She has plans for moving forward that appear to involve you. Dimitri isn't sure what they are, but he's trying to find out." To Scully's eyes, Marita looked earnest.

Krycek laughed briefly, and responded in a tone that was deceptively mild. "I look forward to it, but I doubt Katarina will approve of the additions you'll make to the guest list. That's why I don't like your chances, regardless of who protects you here."

"Alex?" Marita began, staring at Krycek appraisingly. "How much do you remember?"

"Enough," he replied softly. "I remember enough."

Scully watched Marita's demeanor change from chagrin to ... fear. "You better," she commented as she moved toward the door, turning off the television as she passed it. When she reached the door, she paused, but did not turn to face them. "I find myself wondering what Mulder would say, Agent Scully. Don't you?"

Scully stiffened and tried to pull away, but Alex wouldn't let her. When Scully tensely, but more calmly, settled next to him, Krycek pulled her to him and spoke directly into her ear. "We need to find a way to get you out of here Dana. You shouldn't attend this meeting."

Mulder, Fowley and Spender entered the Edgar B. Hartlan Microbiology Building. They proceeded immediately to the elevator and pressed the down button. Each engrossed in their own thoughts, none of them heard anyone approach.

"Going down?" Robert Collingsworth asked with a slight smirk aimed at Agent Fowley, as he reached past her to press the up button.

"Mariana Coventry did," interjected Mulder with his best earnest expression. "We want to be thorough."

Fox Mulder was looking for any sign of apprehension or concern. He was disappointed. Dr. Collingsworth merely shrugged and said "Suit yourselves," before turning his attention once more to Diana. "I hope you find whatever you're looking for."

Fowley smiled at him as the elevator arrived. "Care to ride with us?" she asked.

"Sure. Just as easy to wait in the elevator as in the lobby."

Mulder pressed B3. Again no reaction from Collingsworth. He continued making small talk with Diana, positioning himself closer to her. Both Mulder and Fowley were surprised when Spender asked "Is any level of this building restricted access, Dr. Collingsworth?"

Mulder's surprise was replaced with understanding when Collingsworth shifted to address Spender to deliver his negative answer. As the Department Head did so, Jeffrey shifted slightly in the enclosed space, effectively (and seemingly innocently) coming between Robert and Diana. Mulder's speculations were interrupted as the elevator stopped and the door opened. Emblazoned on the concrete wall facing the elevator was "LEVEL B3".

Spender glanced at Mulder questioningly before exiting the elevator. Diana said goodbye to Robert before following. After the elevator door closed, she took Spender's hand, gave it a reassuring squeeze before beginning to examine her surroundings.

The three agents were in the sub-sub-basement. It was not lit terribly well, was dusty and had a moderately unpleasant smell. There walls were concrete. All of them. Concrete of indeterminate age painted an institutional shade of grey. "What are we looking for Mulder?" Spender inquired.

"I don't know." Mulder answered slowly as he began to explore. This floor had only a right hand corridor, with the elevator lobby forming a T-intersection therewith at the center of the building. Besides a bathroom, all of the doors appeared to open up into larger labs with major pieces of dated equipment useful for teaching purposes not for cutting-edge research. Undergraduates spent time here. All of the doors were locked, but each had a reinforced glass panel, so that the agents could see into the labs. None of them looked interesting enough to allow Mulder to convince Spender or Fowley to bend the rules to gain unauthorized access.

"Do those labs look like they extend the entire width of the building to you Spender?" Mulder inquired as innocently as he could, seeking an ally.

"Tough to say. There could be storage rooms or something on the far side. Doesn't seem that they'd be very big though."

The words "or something" stuck in Mulder's mind, as he stared into one of the labs. His intuition was fully engaged. However, Mulder could sense the growing impatience of his fellow agents. He ignored it long enough to think the problem through. If there was something of interest down here, it was unlikely that it was in a small storeroom behind one of the labs. More likely, it was a lab itself. A lab running the length of the building hidden behind the undergraduate labs. The most likely place for an entrance would be ... the corridor where the elevator is. Thus, Mulder allowed himself to be led back toward the elevator.

Both Fowley and Spender breathed a sigh of relief as Mulder followed. Neither spoke. It was both depressing and unnerving on this level. They both looked at Mulder incredulously after he stopped Spender from pressing the up button. Fox Mulder was examining the concrete walls at the left hand end of the elevator corridor. Jeff and Diana glanced at each other. In response to her questioning look, he shrugged.

Mulder could not find any evidence that the concrete in the elevator corridor was any different than that in the main hallway. As he considered the events of the previous evening again, Mulder had a sinking feeling. Something was wrong. He smelled a cover up. Given Fowley's and Spender's biases against conspiracies, he didn't broach the subject. Fervently wishing that Scully were here, Mulder followed the other two agents to the elevator.

Assistant Director Walter Skinner was sitting in his office going over reports of "normal" Federal Bureau of Investigation cases. His mind kept returning to the questions that had plagued him since the meeting that morning. "Who in the hell were David and Russell, and what did they have to do with the Xfiles? Where is Agent Scully? What is going on with Mulder, Spender and Fowley? What happened to Marita Covarrubias?" With a sigh, Skinner was forced to admit to himself that he had not actually retained any of the facts in the reports he had been reading. With a sigh, he took the reports he had placed in the "read" pile and returned them to the "to be read" stack.

He was actually grateful when the telephone rang. "Skinner."

"Sir, this is Agent O'Neal of the Pennsylvania field office. We have a situation here that we believe pertains to an investigation being run out of your office."

"Go ahead Agent O'Neal," Skinner said expectantly. Any distraction would do.

"The investigation in question relates to the suicide of a scientist. I believe your agents are currently looking into three related deaths in Columbus Ohio." The agent paused.

Skinner waited for the rest of the information impatiently, before realizing that a "Your information is correct" statement was required. He uttered it in his most encouraging tone.

Agent O'Neal then continued, "We've had some trouble up at the lake. Where her cabin was."

Skinner focused on what he believed to be the operative word. "Was?"

"Yes Sir. There was a fire this morning. Four cabins were burnt to the ground, and six more, including hers, were severely damaged."

"Arson?"

"We're not sure yet. If it was, it wouldn't necessarily be obvious. It was a very dry summer and fall has been little better. A match might've done it."

Skinner recalled David saying "An operation is already underway." He wondered if this was part of it. Skinner was thinking that he was getting as paranoid as Mulder, when Agent O'Neal cleared his throat. "Thank you, Agent O'Neal. I will inform my investigative team. Until they arrive, please keep me informed."

"Yes Sir," was the response that Walter Skinner barely heard. He was suddenly very nervous about Mulder, Fowley and Spender going to Pennsylvania.

Dana Scully and Alex Krycek were in the kitchen. She was watching him with something between amusement and concern. Krycek was holding the door of the refrigerator open and staring inside. Before beginning the refrigerator vigil, he had turned the water on in the sink to rinse out a glass ... and left it on. As the refrigeration unit kicked in, Alex shut the door and moved next to Scully. "Now we can talk," he said quietly.

The running water and mechanical noises of the refrigerator were also oddly soothing to Scully. Marita had struck a chord with her comment about Mulder. Forcing her partner from her mind, she focused on the situation at hand. "Who is Katarina, Alex? What does she want?"

"Don't know. I just followed Marita's lead. Someone from my past wants a meeting. That part's straightforward enough. What isn't is why Marita told us without suitable precautions. Turning up the TV is unlikely to defeat electronic surveillance. I'm trying to do a little better." As he was speaking, he lifted Scully and sat her on the counter. Dana had to admit it was more comfortable talking to him with her head at a level closer to his, but his casual use of his greater physical strength didn't sit well with her.

"Maybe she wasn't really afraid of being overheard."

"That's what I thought. If we're right, that means ..."

"That whoever is holding us knows about the meeting and will allow it."

"Yes. But why?" Alex Krycek was satisfied neither with the open question nor with their analysis. "And why tell us at all? We're missing something Dana."

Scully was beginning to recognize the warning signs of frustration in Alex Krycek. She saw them now, and decided a diversion might be in order. "What do you remember Alex?"

His momentary confusion made her smile. He had been focused on the Covarrubias question. "Quite a bit. Stuff about my childhood and college days that I won't bore you with. A bit about some early assignments for ... someone. The Consortium maybe. Someone else maybe. A government maybe. Governments maybe. Maybe some combination of employers. Simple stuff to test aptitude and ... commitment." Krycek looked a bit uncomfortable about the choice of the word "commitment". Scully was curious, but decided to let it pass. "More difficult assignments, both military- and civilian-type stuff, came later. Then ... Mulder. I was assigned, by ... Cancerman to watch him. You and he were split up for some reason, but you were still working together. As I recall, you didn't like the new partner much."

Responding to his grin, Scully smiled and admitted her past feelings. "No. I most certainly didn't. Mulder seemed to take to you though."

"Non-threatening, just bright enough, over-eager junior agent at your service." Scully's jaw dropped as she watched the transformation take place. He straightened up, adopted a wide-eyed expression, clasped his hands behind his back and ... bounced slightly on his toes. The Alex Krycek who had accompanied Mulder to a Quantico autopsy room stood before her. Her expression made him laugh, and the illusion was shattered.

He returned to standing in front of Scully wearing a more subdued expression. "After Duane Barry, they pulled me out. I thought I was in serious trouble, but Cancerman seemed to think I'd done ok. To let things settle down, I got an assignment in Europe. A UN employee, with too much ambition and too little patience, was to be contacted and persuaded to cooperate."

"Let me guess," Scully interrupted. "Marita Covarrubias?" Krycek nodded and was about to continue, when the refrigeration unit shut off. The running water didn't seem nearly loud enough to Scully to ask him to continue, so she chose a question. "You? Persuading?"

With a mischievous glint in his eye, Krycek slid his arms around Scully's waist and moved her closer to the edge of the counter and to him. "I can be very persuasive," he whispered, leaning closer.

Scully was laughing, as she pushed him away. "I'll bet." She laughed harder at his crestfallen expression, presumably engendered by her sarcastic tone. "Give it up Krycek, you don't look remotely innocent."

He sighed, and seemed about to argue that he was at least remotely innocent, when something occurred to him. "Maybe the point wasn't to tell us about the meeting, other than to see if I remembered Katarina," he murmured softly in Dana's ear. "Maybe the goal was informing someone observing us."

Scully nodded. It made sense, in a Machiavellian sort of way. Not for the first time, Scully wondered how many levels of machinations were at work here.

For the benefit of any listeners, Alex continued their earlier conversation in an easily audible tone. "My ability to persuade, my dear Agent Scully, has been deemed unlimited by women at least as stubborn and exacting as you." Scully adapted quickly to the less serious conversation by voicing a large amount of healthy skepticism.

Spender was working on his field report in the airport. Their flight to Pittsburgh had been delayed due to weather problems, so he was doing his best to make good use of his time and ignore Fox Mulder. Ignoring Diana Fowley was more difficult.

Mulder was brooding. Diana had bought him some sunflower seeds in an effort to cheer him up. It didn't work. "How do three people play Russian Roulette anyway?" Diana asked. "Three weapons would be easiest."

Mulder knew Diana knew there was only one weapon found at the scene, and that the same weapon had killed all three men. He also knew she was trying to get him to do something constructive, so he applied his mind to the problem. "One weapon is traditional. As for how it might've been done, who knows. Men generally view any competition in sports terms. It seems likely that they devised a way to see who would participate in a "first round" and who would get a "buy." Maybe they drew straws or arm wrestled or something. The "winner" of the first round would then "play" the remaining competitor in the "championship round." Winner take all. Including all of the guilt which proved to be too much. Or so we're supposed to believe."

"One thing that Jeff and I found out when you went off on your own was that there were several telephone calls to Pennsylvania from the lab on the day they died. Maybe the "winner" called the "prize," and the conversation didn't go well."

Mulder considered the new information with a shrug. "Whatever. The official story will be suicide all the way around." Diana was about to resort to bringing up Mulder's beloved New York Knicks to distract him, when his cellular telephone rang. "Mulder."

"Agent Mulder," Assistant Director Skinner began. "There's been a fire ...."

As Mulder talked with Skinner, Diana Fowley observed Spender. Working on his field report like a model agent. She wondered about the rumors she had heard about him and his influential friends. Those rumors intrigued her, as did breaking through his reserve. She smiled at him when he glanced up from his laptop computer. He smiled back hesitantly, and jumped slightly as his cellular phone rang. Agent Fowley watched with amusement as he fumbled in his pockets for the device. Her amusement became avid interest, as she observed his demeanor during the call. He seemed annoyed, then frustrated, then ... fascinated. Diana glanced at Mulder, who was still in conversation with Skinner, and realized that it was unlikely that he had observed what she had. She was thinking about her next move when Mulder spoke.

"Our Pennsylvania investigation is likely to go the way of our Ohio one Diana. They've covered their tracks there as well." Fox Mulder winced slightly, as he realized that he had done what he had been avoiding Espousing his conspiracy theory.

"They?"

"The people who took Marita Covarrubias," he asserted stubbornly.

"I see," she commented with a stern expression, but otherwise chose to ignore the implications of his statement. "What's the plan then? Do we still go?"

"Skinner couldn't justify sending three agents. Jeff gets to pass GO and proceed directly to DC. I'll let him know."

Mulder didn't miss the disappointed look on Diana's face. He tried, unsuccessfully, to convince himself that it didn't matter.

Alex Krycek was worried. He knew his facial expression and body language didn't betray that to Dana Scully, but he couldn't hide it from himself. There were too many unknowns associated with his current predicament. Far too many. His memory was returning, but he was afraid that it wouldn't be fast enough. Not to mention the distractions. Two of those distractions were discussing the game of cards they were playing. Dana Scully looked unconvinced of Gibson Praise's assertion that he was not cheating.

One thing that Alex Krycek believed in was the value of preparation. He anticipated that one of the interest groups after the information in his head would use Gibson or Dana or both to get it. The purpose of the current exercise in preparedness was what he would do in that event. With regard to Gibson, he thought he could bluff disinterest effectively enough. Dana was ... different. Disinterest was a place to start, knowing that he would ultimately rely on other strategies and recognizing that "the observers" would likely know it as well. As Krycek began to contemplate the matter, his eyes drifted to the woman in question.

Scully became aware of Alex's scrutiny, and smiled shyly. "I think you should play my hand. He can't figure you out." Scully hadn't realized that Krycek had been lost in thought, until he took an involuntary step backward as she spoke. She also noticed that he developed a sudden interest in the carpeting. "From supremely confident to shy Alex. You have excellent range. I'll alert the Academy." Grinning at his questioning look, she continued, "I think Best Supporting Actor might be attainable with the right vehicle."

Shaking his head and smiling, Krycek felt himself relax. He refused to be distracted though. "Gibson?"

"Yeah."

"What's up in the world outside that door? Anything out of the ordinary?" Alex Krycek was aware of Dana Scully's increased alertness. He knew she was against anything that remotely constituted "using" Gibson, but they needed information. Alex was willing to face Scully's wrath to get it.

"Hard to say. Everybody avoids me." Krycek had to grin at Gibson's attitude. The kid loved the fact that adults shied away from him. "Seems like they're waiting for something to happen. Everyone is in a good mood. The old fat guy even smiled at me."

Scully and Krycek glanced at each other with concern. Neither of them believed that the state of affairs that Gibson described boded well for them.

Dimitri was beside himself.

Cigarette Smoking Man had exited the compound about 36 hours ago. Dimitri had followed. Cigarette Smoking Man had gone to the airport and boarded a helicopter heading for Winnipeg. Dimitri followed on a small chartered plane. He'd tracked Cigarette Smoking Man to a five star hotel. Cigarette Smoking Man checked in, as did Dimitri. From there, there was no trace of his adversary.

Dimitri had stayed at the hotel for 24 hours. Cigarette Smoking Man did not return. Uncertain of what else to do, Dimitri considered returning to the compound and reporting the situation to the First Elder. He could not imagine that going well. Thus, Dimitri decided to stay and enjoy a room service meal.

That was Dimitri's last mistake. The room service waiter brought him his rare filet mignon, baked potato, asparagus and cabernet sauvignon. He also brought a garrote. He used the garrote after opening the wine to allow it to breath.