By Caroline Maher
Unicorn83@aol.com

Intro by Brian M. Suyat
Fikshun@aol.com
 
 

     If you like this story...let us know, praise is accepted readily (and
preferable over complaints, but we'll accept them too). This story is based
upon the characters and situations created by Chris Carter and Fox
Broadcasting, etc., etc.  X-Philers-you may recognize the first part of
this story is taken from Trailer 001 by Fikshun which spurred thought into
my own story about...

The Academy (part 1)
by Unicorn83 (and Fikshun)
4/12/95

     Scully turned her attention to the attacker on the left.  A now former
attacker lay with his face to the floor holding his right wrist.  Scully
prepared for the attack by using her smaller size.  She could see that he
was confidant of his strength and that could be either of the combatants'
undoing.  She deftly dodged the left feint by dropping low.  The man could
easily control her if Scully allowed him a grip.  She had to use her
quickness to fend him off.  The man shifted his weight nervously, eyeing
his small prey.  He snorted in Scully's direction.  Scully watched his eyes
carefully, they would belie his true tactics.  Her breathing was quick, but
in control.  Her heart pounded in her ears and her mind raced for an
escape.  She wanted to brush the stringy, sweat-stained hair out of her
eyes, but couldn't waste the moment.  The upper part of her right shoulder
hurt where the iron grip of the first man had caught her off guard.  She
may have twisted her leg on that fight, but he wasn't expected to be any
more trouble in the immediate future.  She had enough to deal with right
now.  The man's arms bulged from his T-shirt.  It said "Property of
Alcatraz XXL" and it didn't quite fit.  He twisted himself up to his right
and yelled a fierce attacker's yell.  Scully was petrified.  She cowered
back as best she could, and when the yell registered, she dropped to the
ground.   It came as a great shock to her, and her opponent, when he missed
with a mighty kick.  The man's right leg had swung over her.  He settled
with his back exposed to Scully's own counterattack.  Still on the ground,
Scully seized the occasion with ferocity.  With her left foot, she disabled
the man's left knee.  All of his weight transferred to the right leg which
she quickly swept out from underneath him.  As he fell, Scully swung her
right leg around following the felled giant and landed it on his chest.
Before he could rally, she also caught his right arm and bent it into a
control hold lest she have to break it to attend to another attacker.
Scully's teeth were set and she hissed through them to breathe.  The man
had rolled over on his side and was slapping his thigh indicating his
willingness to yield.
      "Cadet Scully?" a calm voice entered her head, "You may release Cadet
Marshall now."
      Scully sighed in relief and let up on the hold.
      Marshall was still in a fairly good mood considering, "Not bad
Doc...not bad."       This meant that Scully had successfully passed the
first portion of defensive tactics training, but she still had to look
forward to Hogan's Alley, the Academy's proving ground for simulated arrest
situations and at least 4 more weeks of intensive training.  It's not over
yet, she mused.
 
     After a short shower and a quick meal, Dana returned to sit alone in
her room studying the next chapter on criminal procedures-profiling. Why
was it that medical school seemed to come easier than this?  Was I a fool
to want to join the FBI?  Who was I kidding? Who was I seeking to impress?
The question now was, who was I talking to?  Dana Scully sat alone in her
room trying everything she could think of to avoid reading the required
material from the text.  But she knew what she had to do. So she shook the
cobwebs from her mind and rubbed her scratchy palms across her eyes hoping
to refresh herself enough to complete the chapters in record time, and
still leave enough time to get in some running, another of her shortfalls.
     Since Dana didn't have much time for exercise during her medical
residency, she had no time to prepare,which is what made going from the
hospital to the academy so difficult.  But the interviewer had told her she
was the perfect recruit, being bright, eager, aggressive and educationally
well rounded.  She had all the qualifications they could want, but not for
a Special Agent in the field.  They wanted to deflect her interest towards
the laboratory division, where her "talents would be best utilized" but she
would have none of it.  Joining the bureau was the first unrestrained,
spontaneous thing Dana Scully had ever done in her life.  Of course her
family said it was a rash, stupid decision and added a host of other
unfavorable comments about her choice.  Not one person said 'I'm proud of
you' or 'good luck at the academy Dana',  not one.   But then she wanted
desperately to prove herself, to her family, friends and herself.  She
wanted to prove that Dana Scully can take care of herself without anyone's
help or guidance.  And she knew the decision to join the bureau felt right
the moment she had her interview at Quantico.  But getting in was the easy
part, it's getting out that really worried her.
 
     "Come on Scully...save me the trouble...quit now!" Dana could her her
instructor barking the same phrase at a host of other cadets as well.  It's
like boot camp, she thought grimly, they see who can take and who can't.
The cadets' early day always began with their 2 mile run around the academy
grounds.
     "You can't do it Scully, go back to the hospital where you
belong...the bureau is no place for you...you're not cut out for this."
The sounds of his derisive laughter echoed hollowly in Dana Scully's ears
as he ran easily along next to them.  Only 1 more mile to go.  Running is
not, nor will it ever, be my strong point, thought Dana.  God, I hope the
criminals don't run.   Maybe the instructors are right, maybe you can't cut
it, Dana faltered at the thought until she heard her instructor again,  "I
said pick up your feet, Scully, and let's move, move, MOVE!!"
     Solomen and Giles were gone, that left only 39 cadets in the class
from the original 42.  Dana liked those odds, it meant that the percentages
were now in her favor of graduating.  The bureau always maintained that 3
or 4 cadets in every class drop out due to stress or because they failed to
qualify in all aspects of the academy training.  Dana had held a solid 90
average in all her classes, that was easy.  It was the firearms training
she was having the most difficulty working at, she wanted to score perfect
every time and perfection was hard to come by in the bureau, especially
when you aren't too familiar with handling a gun.   The bureau actively
recruits many police officers and ex-military personnel to its ranks, and
they all had previous firearms experience, which made it even harder for
Dana to keep up with their expertise but she did all she could to catch up.
  Solomen had been in her study group but failed his second exam only
yesterday, more's the pity, he had already given up a job as a detective in
Chicago to join the bureau and now had nothing to return to.  Giles was an
obnoxious pig and she wasn't sorry to see him go, he had failed to qualify
on the second portion of the physical, 'good' she thought,  'the bureau
didn't need him anyway'.  But the pressure was taking its toll on others in
her study group but not on her, Scully performed better under pressure,
after all, didn't she go to med school?  But most likely 1 or 2 more cadets
would wash out before graduation and Scully thought long and hard on the
subject, and none of them will be me...or my roommate.
     Dana's roommate was a young, brash graduate from the Pepperdine School
of Law whose father had been a career military man just like hers, a
jarhead, as Dana's dad referred to them.  A marine.  As a result, she was
already hardened to this life and ready to die for her country.  And Dana
remembered the first day they met.  Her roommate sauntered into their room
and proudly declared her name, "Constance Shaugnassey...your roommate..and
you would be?"  Dana was intrigued at her direct manner, almost envious
that a woman could carry herself like a man and yet still be considered a
woman.
     Dana laughed to herself remembering their first day together in the
room.  "There's only two important things for you to remember about me
Dana...first, I'm NOT a morning person..don't touch me, wake me or be
pleasant to me...and I like to be left alone until after my morning
shower...which coincidentally takes about 20 minutes...is that a problem?"
Dana shook her head 'no' and looked at her soberly, "And the second thing?"
 "Oh yeah, well, that's your side of the room and this is mine...I have
this thing about personal space, I have 6 brothers and sisters and I like
space of my own."
     They had gotten along famously after that.  Connie, as she like to be
called, wanted to work Bank Robberies at the bureau and wasn't looking for
anything else and so far she was the top female student to beat in just
about everything.  Dana wished she could be more like her, confidant,
athletic, capable, bright, tough, streetwise, a real extrovert.  Everyone
liked her and she was easy to talk to, important qualities to be sought in
a successful FBI agent.  And very unlike Dana herself.  Connie had spent
her 4 undergraduate years playing basketball on a scholarship while her
family struggled to save enough for her law school tuition, never doubting
that she would attend.  After college, she played some rugby at Pepperdine
and worked on their Law Review, all the while waiting for her opportunity
to attend the academy.  Her family was very proud of her accomplishments.
She was the perfect bureau recruit and Dana was sure she'd get her wish.
 
     "In today's class, we will focus on Criminal Profiling, and our guest
speaker is from the Violent Crimes section and his name is Reggie Purdue."

     Dana was looking forward to today's guest speaker, since she felt a
little weak in criminal profiling and was hoping to pick up some useful
pointers.  Reggie Purdue had been an analyst in the Violent Crimes Section
for a number of years now and she had read all about the 1988 capture of
serial killer Monty Propp's based on a profile written by Reggie and his
one time partner "Spooky" Mulder.  Mulder had picked up that nickname while
still attending the academy because it was said he was so good at
profiling, it was almost "Spooky".  Dana smiled inwardly to herself, her
friends referred to her as "Doc", but at least it's better than a name like
"Spooky".
     "How far did you get?"  Connie must have asked the question more than
once from the irritated tone in her voice.
     "What?" Dana was shaken from her daydream.
     "Dana, where is your mind today, I asked how far did you get on that
profile?"       Dana looked down at her sparse notes, "Not far enough,
why?"
     "I think we should put this away for a while and just take a walk
outside...fresh air will do us good."
      "Connie, you know these profiles are due tomorrow and I've hardly
made a dent in mine..." Dana peered over at Connie's work and spotted a
paper crammed full of notes, she sighed and resignedly agreed to a walk.
Maybe she's right and a walk will do me good, God knows it can't make
things any worse.
     Agent Fox Mulder was leafing through the stacks of papers that Reggie
Purdue had brought back from the academy.
     "Reggie, I hate you."
     Reggie laughed good-naturedly, "Mulder, it's good for you to help me
review the cadet's work, it makes them better agents when they get
out...besides they'll know what a profile really needs to be
successful...God knows it might've helped you."
     Mulder smiled wickedly at Purdue and pulled the top paper from the
pile, A Serial Killer's Profile by Cadet Dana Scully.
 
      Dana Scully was spending every spare moment down at the weapons range
trying to insure the fact that she would qualify on firearms training.
Guns made her nervous, and she really didn't like handling them but she
knew in order to become an agent that she must be proficient with them.
Breathe, slowly.  Inhale, one, two and let it out, and squeeze gently.
BLAM!  BLAM! BLAM!  Scully stopped to survey her score, not good.  She
wished she had steady hands when it came to handling a gun, she knew that
she could stitch a wound without a tremor but guns always made her tremble
inside.  Damn.
     "You know, you could try angling down and refocusing with your other
eye..." Dana looked over to see a man in his middle thirties watching her
from the range doorway, she could barely hear him with her earphones on.
     "Excuse me?" she slid the earphones off, "This range is off limits to
non-bureau personnel."
      The man chuckled softly, "I'm aware of that...cadet, thank you for
reminding me."  Scully had a feeling that this was an agent but knew for
sure when he pulled out his ID badge and clipped it to his jacket lapel as
he moved into the room.  "You look like you could use some friendly
advice...mind if I make a suggestion?"
      "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name Agent...?"
     Jack Willis...nice to meet you cadet..?"
     "Dana Scully, sir."
 
     "He's too old for you." Connie was desperately trying to make a point,
but Scully wasn't sure exactly what it was.
      "Why?  Because you don't approve of him?  Jack Willis is a nice
guy..and he's helping me perfect my form."
      "No doubt, but Dana there's plenty of younger fish out there...for
Chrissakes at least go out with us tonight...every Friday you stay here in
this room studying...while we go off and..."
      "Have a good time, yeah I know, but I'm not as fortunate as you to be
breezing through all my subjects...I need the extra study time."
     "But Dana, I think Marshall's kinda sweet on you...", Connie's voice
grew low and conspiratorial.
     "Very funny Connie."
       "You could almost say he went 'head over heels'...."
      Scully looked over at Connie who was trying her best not to laugh
remembering Marshall's close encounter of the previous day with Dana in the
defensive tactics class but even Dana had to laugh, "GET OUT!"
 
     Agent Fox Mulder was working late into the night on the cadet's
papers, no thanks to Reggie.  He was intrigued with the paper written by a
Cadet Scully.  He began to muse out loud to himself, "Too clinical in your
overall assessment of the diseases he might or might not possess, you must
limit your profile to the tangible and plausible at this time until he
presents symptoms contrary to those previously exhibited through his
behavior...you have valid points though if you can substantiate societal
mannerisms and abberrations....however, a profile needs a precise format to
be short, condensed, concise and presentable to 'non-clinical'
personnel..and you need to add more subjective opinion...supposition, if
you wish to drive it home...and the summation requires more definition,
focus..with more parameters, but it has promise."   She needed to examine
all the possibilities and open up to the fringes of reason, not just to
explore those on the surface.  'But I like it.'  It was the best profile
Mulder had seen coming out of the academy  in years, since his own work, of
course, 'this girl's got a solid future with the bureau, that is, if she
can graduate from the academy first.
 
     Dana Scully was busy preparing her summation material for another
profile when she heard a distinctive knock on the door, she peered up from
her work to the clock nearby, 'can't be Connie, it's too early'.  Curiosity
brought her to her feet and over to the door and just as she opened it she
heard a recognizable voice, definitely not Connie's.      "Dana, it's
Tom...Tom Coulton, I just wanted to ask you a question regarding the
profiles due tomorrow... "
      Dana opened the door to his smiling face, "Didn't you go out with the
party patrol tonight?"
     "No...I had enough of that in college...right now it's more important
for me to pass these classes than to have a good time, I can do that when
I'm on the job..."
      "I know what you mean...I almost envy Connie's ability to finish all
her work and still have enough energy left to have a good time.."
     "Say Dana, why don't you ever go out with them? It's not like you're
struggling with the work either...me, I can just barely keep up."
      "ME?" she laughed aloud, " I'm not exactly the party girl type..if
you haven't noticed."
     Uncomfortably Dana cleared her throat before she continued, "You said
you had a question about the profile?"
     Dana wanted to get this done as quickly as possible with a minimum
amount of effort on her part, Tom Coulton was prone tere here right now.
Dana shrugged it off nonchalantly, Oh well, I guess my profile has become a
group project.
 
     "Dana, that's your profile he's reading...." Connie whispered loudly
next to her.       "Forget it..it doesn't matter..." Dana replied woodenly,
sometimes I wish she'd just leave well enough alone.
     "What do you mean 'forget it'...you wrote it...how the hell did he get
it?"
      Dana didn't take her eyes off Tom Coulton standing in the front of
the room reading her profile, she knew it was wrong to give it to him but
he had confided in her that he already failed one exam and after his second
failure he'd be off packing.  He needed her help and he was a likable guy,
he'd make a good agent someday and besides, she didn't have the heart to
say 'no'.
      Dana redirected her leveling gaze at Connie,  "I said forget it."
      "No way..you're gonna tell me why that shit has your profile."
       "He needed my help...so I gave it to him."
     "Help doesn't mean giving him credit for your work...you wrote it, it
was good...you deserve the credit, not him." Connie was becoming more
insistent.  Dana looked back at Tom, who had completed his reading and was
preparing to resume his seat.      "It was only one paper..and he can't
afford another grade below 85 or he's out..", Dana hissed between clenched
teeth.
     "You can't help everyone all the time Dana...you're breaking academy
rules.."       "The hell I can't..."
       "Don't be naive Dana.."
     Dana turned away, "NO? Look who's talking."
     "What's that supposed to mean..?"
      "Oh come on...it's not secret about you and Cadet Pryor..."
      "That's none of your business."
      "People who live in glass houses Connie..."
     Dana and Connie locked icy stares at each other until the instructor
broke the silence.  "Is there something you ladies would like to share with
the rest of the class?"  Dana uncomfortably looked down at Tom Coulton for
support, embarrassment plain on her face.
      Connie stared back at the instructor, "No sir."
      "Thank you...then I will resume with the class readings."
      'It's over', thought Dana, missing Tom's sympathetic gaze sweep from
herself over to Connie, where it perceptively darkened with anger.
 
     When the profiles from the previous class were returned, Dana couldn't
help noticing how hers was covered with an unintelligible scrawl...what did
it mean?  Nervously, Dana approached Agent Reggie Purdue at the end of
class preparing for the worst, "Excuse me?"
      "Yes, Cadet?"
       "Scully sir, I was just curious about my paper?"
      "Is there a problem Cadet Scully?"
     Dana held up the paper. "Well sir, to be honest, it's covered with
writing and I was concerned about it..."
     Reggie Purdue laughed, a deep throaty sound, "It's fine...I gave it to
a friend in Violent Crimes who reviewed it for me...he really liked it,
said it was 'strong and well written',  'has promise' he said, so there's
nothing to get upset about."
     Dana sagged in relief, the tension easing from her shoulders and her
mind, she had been afraid for the first time of failure.  "Thank you sir."
As Dana turned to walk away, Agent Purdue put a restraining hand on her
shoulder, "Cadet Scully...Violent Crimes can always use another good
profiler...its worth some consideration before graduation. It was nice
meeting you."  And Agent Purdue walked out of the classroom closing the
door behind him leaving Dana Scully alone with her sobering thoughts.
 
     "Dana, don't you see what he's trying to do?"
      "Come on Con, you're getting paranoid.."
      "He obviously doesn't like me...it's no secret...he's trying to drive
a rift between our friendship."
      "TOM?" Dana said incredulously, "Tom?"
      "Yes, TOM."
     "Why?" Dana folded her arms across her chest awaiting a reply.
       "I don't know...yet"
     "You don't know,  Connie..come on, the study group is waiting for
us...."
      "I may not know now but I'll be damned if I'm not going to find out."

     "Did you hear about the theft in ethics?"
     "What theft?" Dana asked between mouthfuls of food, not sure what Tom
Coulton was referring to and not sure if she really wanted to know anyway.
She was really pressed for time right now, but she couldn't afford to be
rude, even to Tom.
     "The answers to our ethics final disappeared this morning from
Waymoth's locked drawer..." Tom added casually over his hot cup of black
coffee.
     "From a locked classroom?" Dana Scully said incredulously, she had a
hard time believing in a rumor that someone...a student, a cadet... would
steal the ethics answers while in attendance at the FBI academy, especially
this close to graduation.
     "They know who did it?" She resumed her eating and checked her watch
periodically, she would be meeting with Jack,  Agent Willis, to put some
finishing touches on her firearms training shortly.
     "No..." Tom continued "but I've heard a rumor that they already have a
few suspects in mind..."
     Dana stopped eating and looked up, "So what are they planning to do?"
      "I'm not sure...but I would guess they're probably going to search
the dorms..."
 
     "Cadet Shaugnassey...the committee will review your statement and
those of your witnesses regarding the accusations.  But I would like to
remind you that if you are found guilty of the theft, you will be summarily
and immediately dismissed from the academy, never to return."
     Connie's head slowly touched her chest in a sign of resignation.  The
odds were against her.  Dammit, thought Scully, she's the best cadet in
this class.  Why would she steal the answers?  And in an ethics course no
less. She graduated from a top law school and since Dana studied with her,
she had no reason to cheat, she knew just as much.  What would I do without
her?  It's Connie's strength that's been getting me through the academy, I
can't graduate without her.  I can't turn my back on her now, she needs my
help.  Dana looked soberly at the dejected cadet and a single thought came
to mind,  'You were wrong, I can help some of the people some of the time,
even if it means breaking the rules'.
 
~~~

     This story is an original of my own design based upon the characters
and situations created by Chris Carter, yatta, yatta, etc.  This is the
second part of my story "The Academy" once again featuring guest writer
Fikshun (who wrote the opening Trailer 008-Hogan's Alley exclusively for
this), who I'd like to thank as this story really couldn't have been
written without him.

The Academy Part 2/2
by Unicorn83 (and Fikshun)
4/12/95

     Cadet Dana Scully and her roommate, Cadet Connie Shaugnassey, burst
from the back seat of the Government vehicle as Agent Jack Willis brought
it quickly to a halt behind their suspects.  The two suspects, a tall, bald
black man, the other a rather short and portly white male were already
running down a narrow alleyway.  When the agents reached the alley opening,
they just spotted the smaller man turning right out the other side. "You
two go left," Agent Willis called behind him as he headed to the right
wall.  He stopped short of the sidewalk and peeked around quickly and back
again.
     The two cadets looked at each other, then they looked to their leader.
 Connie was the first to act and made it to the wall on the left three
steps before Scully.  Scully shot a look at her partner as they both
watched Agent Willis chasing after a short man with a pronounced limp.
Scully shook her head, but Shaugnassey said nothing as she checked the
corner in the same fashion as their instructor. Shaugnassey looked back to
Scully and shook her head.  She began to give elaborate hand signals to say
that Scully should dart around to the mailbox on the other side, then she
could cover Shaugnassey the whole length of the sidewalk.  Scully nodded
her understanding and took a step back to make her run.  At that moment, a
large hand snaked around the corner and grabbed Shaugnassey's gun arm.  The
man pulled her to the wall and she dropped her weapon in surprise.
Shaugnassey let out a grunt, and she tried to get a hold of Scully for
support.  Scully could do nothing as she watched her partner being dragged
around the corner.  Scully quickly shot out of the alley, maybe the
perpetrator didn't know there were two cadets on this run.  She stood in
the middle of the sidewalk pointing her gun down the empty road.  There was
no large man and no partner to save.  Two blocks down, a mother with her
child shrieked and dropped behind a newsstand. Embarrassed, Scully lowered
her gun and tried to stammer out an apology.  She tried to say that she was
on a training mission with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The idea
was there, but the words had not formed themselves yet.  Scully, her rapt
attention held by the terrified woman cowering in a public street, did not
notice out of nowhere as a hand clamped down on her wrist.  Her hand was
jerked up, then down as she fought for control of her weapon.
     "Nice moves, rookie," the black man smiled and bad breath stung
Scully's face.  "I been watching you.  I like what I see."
     The man had Scully's gun pinned away from them so she couldn't shoot.
He tightened his grip and Scully lost her weapon.  From the depths of his
long coat, the man produced a menacing knife.  He laughed out loud, and
lightly tossed Scully back into the alley.  Scully rolled onto all fours,
spied Shaugnassey's weapon lying nearby and lunged for it.  The man came
around the corner just in time to see Scully grab the weapon.  He stomped
toward her bringing the knife back-ready to stab down on Scully. Scully
fell on her back and pointed the weapon straight up into the man's face.
She cocked the hammer back and clenched her teeth at the prospect of
shooting him like this.
     "Gun beats knife," she said between breaths.
     The man stood there frozen.  Scully knew he could just drop the knife
on her and she wouldn't know what to do from there.  But, the man just
stood there, watching Scully with an impassive look.  Shaugnassey appeared
in the alley entrance.  Scully could tell by her shoes.  She must have
picked up Scully's weapon.
     "All right," Shaugnassey said, "let's be real cool about this.
Scully, get out of there."
     Not taking her eyes off of the man, Scully scooted away from the wall.
 'Thank God', she thought as she slowly got her feet under her to stand up.
 Then she put a few paces between her and the man.  She kept the gun
trained on him the whole time, and he knew it.
     "Drop the knife!" Shaugnassey yelled. The man let the knife fall.
Carefully, Shaugnassey stuck her foot out and slid the knife to the other
side of the alley.  Scully didn't bother looking to see where it went.
Shaugnassey holstered her gun and roughly pushed the man toward the wall.
"Hands on the bricks!" she called.  Shaugnassey tapped on his right foot to
throw him off balance a little.  She then stepped directly behind him to do
the same to his other foot, hopefully putting him fully against the wall.
Scully watched as her roommate handled the suspect.  Shaugnassey seemed to
enjoy this aspect of the arrest most.  She watched as Cadet Shaugnassey
stepped behind the man to begin the pat down search, just like in the old
cop shows.  Scully felt the power a little bit at that moment.
     Then she gasped, Scully noticed that her sights were trained directly
at her roommate.  "Con-" she started.  The tall man pushed off the wall
ramming into Shaugnassey.  She went flying back into Scully just as Scully
pulled the gun out of the way.  The man turned around and grabbed Cadet
Shaugnassey.  He pulled her in front of him as he grabbed the weapon out of
her holster.  He stabbed Shaugnassey in the back with the muzzle and
grinned evilly at Scully.
     Scully again trained her weapon at the man.  She tried to sight his
head, but Shaugnassey was struggling too much and Scully could not keep a
steady aim.  Suddenly Shaugnassey let out a yelp and pitched forward.  The
simulated recoil of the training weapon must have smacked her in the back
pretty good.  Shaugnassey flopped to the ground easily.  Scully watched her
sink.  She watched her roommates eyes squint in pain and surprise.  One
hand slowing her fall and the other gripping the small of her back. Then
Scully heard a second pop.
     "Cadet Scully, Cadet Shaugnassey, that's one F'n big µF'."  Agent
Willis was holding a clipboard and scowling down at Shaugnassey from the
end of the alleyway.

     "Just what the hell did you think you were doing out there?"
     "ME?" yelled Dana as Connie slammed the door to their room.
     "Yes you...you were supposed to be watching my back?" Connie raised
herself up to her full 5'8" size and towered it over Dana.
     "Well I wasn't aware of the fact that you were calling the shots,
Connie...when were you going to let me in on that little secret?" Dana knew
Connie was trying to intimidate her using her size, but it wouldn't work.
     "Now don't take that tone with me..."
     "ME..when did all of this become my fault?"
     "When YOU didn't do your job."
     "Which was...?"
     "Backing me up."
     "I don't believe this...I've just about had enough..." Dana turned
towards the door to leave but Connie slipped herself in between to get the
last word.
     "We're not done discussing this yet."
     Dana's eyes became slits and sparkled with unbridled anger as she
looked up and whispered hoarsely, "Get away from that door right now...or
you're going to be VERY sorry."

     Special Agent Fox Mulder needed a good run to clear his mind from the
vivid images of the case he was currently working on...so he grabbed his
stuff from the bottom drawer and headed for the academy track.  When he
arrived, he expected to see more cadets running around the track than just
the two.  Well, I guess when you're this close to graduation you spend more
time hitting the books and less time working on the physicals.  The
reassuring POP-POP of guns from the outdoor ranges only enhanced his
resolve and reminded him of his academy days not so far past.
 
     Cadet Scully needed to clear her mind from the intense argument she
had with her roommate and friend of 3 months.  Right now, her only friend,
she mused as she stretched her legs while rounding the corner of the 1/2
mile track. They had both failed to qualify in Hogan's Alley, that made it
a precarious position for both of them to be in this close to graduation.
Don't screw this up Scully, she thought to herself, it's the end of the
line. Not to mention the fact that Connie was still being investigated for
possible allegations of stealing answers to an academy exam.  Maybe it
wasn't such a good idea for me to be with Connie right now. Bullshit, I
don't believe she did it and right now I'm probably the only friend she's
got.  I've got to stand by her, pain in the ass or not, I'm her partner for
christsakes.

     Agent Fox Mulder was gaining speed fast on the  female cadet running
slowly on the inside lane in front of him.  Even at a distance, he could
always tell the difference in sexes between the cadets, even covered from
head to toe in their bulky academy issue sweatsuits.  But this one was
obviously distracted, running at a pace slower than would qualify her even
in the academy physical.  "Excuse me." Mulder easily passed by the cadet
and cut around in front of her taking the inside track again and continued
on his run.

     Scully didn't realize that she had become distracted, the run only
intensifying her feelings, and had slowed down to a snail's pace until
another runner passed her easily on the track.  She then made the conscious
decision to stop running and sat down upon the nearby grass for her
warmdown and to stretch her tired legs.  Unfortunately, this gave her more
time to think.  How could Connie have stolen the answers to an academy
exam? Much less, when did she have time to steal them?  They were roommates
and Scully was with her all evening studying and all day in class.  The
only free time the cadets had was...oh,shit...weekends.
     Scully immediately went to the firing range and sought out Agent Jack
Willis to beg for his assistance.  "I don't know what to do Jack...they're
going to bounce her out and she's the best female in the class...besides
being my roommate.  I have to help her, but I don't know where to start."
     Jack looked thoughtfully at Scully, he was growing fond of their
relationship, "You might consider conducting your own unofficial
investigation of the circumstances...maybe you'll find out something the
committee overlooked. It's the best I can do...sorry."
     Dejectedly, Scully left the firing range and returned her room,
racking her brain for ways to prove Connie was innocent.  But she couldn't
do this alone, she needed help, so one by one she approached the other
cadets and asked  them to help.  Scully was surprised and disappointed by
her results.  Of the 39 cadets in the class, only 4 were willing to help
her and Connie, 17 remained neutral and the rest believed Connie was
guilty, was glad she got caught and didn't express any remorse in seeing
her go. This wasn't encouraging, not in the least.
     They needed to meet their study group at eight but tonight Connie
thought better of going, "they don't want me there..they think I did it."
     "Bullshit Connie..."
     "Bullshit my ass Dana, you see the way they look at me..they believe I
did it and I'm telling you I was setup...",  Connie continued to profess
her innocence to Scully.
     "By who?"
     "I..."
     "Who? No,no." Dana was shaking her head, "don't say it. I don't
believe Tom would do it."
     "Dana, why would I lie? I've waited a long time to get into the
academy and why would I screw that up?  Come on, you know me better than
that..do you honestly believe I stole answers to our final ethics exam
this close to graduation?"
     "No...no, I don't, but it doesn't matter what I think...it's the
committee I'm worried about and so should you.  I can't do all the worrying
for both of us." Think, Dana think.  How can we prove Connie innocent?
"I've got it...we got to start at square one...where were the answers
stolen from?"
     "The instructors office on level one. Why?"
     "Because I'm going to conduct my own investigation of the
circumstances surrounding this theft."
     "And what should I do?"  "You..you better lay low and hope I find some
proof of your innocence, otherwise..."
     "I don't want to consider the 'otherwise'".

     Dana and her little band of intrepid cadets spent all of their spare
time tracking down leads, questioning potential witnesses and
double-checking stories.  The ethics instructor's locked office could
easily have been picked and many areas on the academy grounds are usually
left open for cadets round the clock which would make it easy for someone
to break in unnoticed.  However, the hallway where the office is located is
toured by a guard every 45 minutes or so after 9pm until the next morning
at 8am.  That closed down many windows of time.  Connie was with her in
class all day, ate dinner with her Friday night, went out about 9:00pm and
was back in bed by 2:00am.  I know that for a fact, thought Dana, as she
woke me up on her way in and then passed out till morning. The answers to
the ethics exam were last seen on Friday before the end of class, but the
instructor usually hangs around until after 5pm checking papers and noticed
them missing Saturday morning at around 8am.  That eliminated the
possibility that Connie could have stolen them anytime during the day on
Friday and she didn't roll out of bed until after 9am Saturday.  Now Dana
had to come up with proof that she hadn't stolen them on Friday night or
early Saturday morning.  It was too late to dust for fingerprints on the
classroom door since the theft happened over three days ago and by now
every cadet in the class had touched the door.  The answer was simple,
Connie needed a provable alibi for the hours between 9pm and 2am.

     "What do you mean you left the bar at midnight?" Dana said
incredulously. "Which part didn't you understand?" Connie looked away
sheepishly.  "You and Dan Pryor went where...?"
     "Does it really matter now where we went?"
     "Yes, it does...and it matters who saw you leave."
     "We were in the bar...and well, Dan and I were getting..."
     "Hold it Connie..just skip the part where you tell me why you decided
to leave and tell me who saw you go."
     "Everybody...I guess about 15 cadets from our class and few from the
DEA class..and the bartender."
     "And where did you go next?"
     "We went for a walk around the grounds..it's very peaceful at night
you know.."       "Yeah, I know...did anyone see you walking the grounds?"
     "No, we didn't pass anyone."
     Dana had to stop and think, she couldn't use Dan as a witness, what he
and Connie were doing was already breaking the rules...no cadets are
allowed to be involved with each other during training.  That didn't help.
     "And then I came back to the room around two.."
     "You and Dan were gone for two hours...nevermind, I don't want to
know."

     Two hours unaccounted for. Now I have a problem, Dana thought grimly.
Connie could go for a polygraph to prove her innocence, but then they might
question her whereabouts during those two missing hours and I'm back to
square one.   Think Dana, think.  The security guard didn't notice anything
unusual on Friday night and had passed the door several times.  The
instructor came in at eight and noticed the answers missing.  Wait, that's
it.  Only the instructor would know where the answers were and if the rest
of the room was undisturbed, that showed that the person who stole them
knew exactly where they were located.  How would Connie know that?  She
needed to speak with the instructor right away.

     "When I came in they were gone."  Ethics instructor Agent Frank
Waymoth explained to Scully.
     "But the rest of the room and your other papers were undisturbed?"
     "Correct."
     "What made you look for them?"
     "You have an ethics final in two weeks, seems simple to me."
     "Did they dust for fingerprints?"
     "Who?"
     "The committee?"
     "It seemed obvious that they didn't need to after they found the
stolen answers in her possession."  Waymoth had her there.
     "So you reported them missing first thing Saturday morning?"
     "Correct."
     "And then they conducted a room to room search until they were found,"
Scully stopped in mid sentence, "I need to dust the drawer for fingerprints
and the answers too, if you don't mind."
     "Go ahead, suit yourself but it seems obvious that this is an open and
shut case of theft, besides, who says she wasn't wearing gloves?"

     "Dan, I may need you to provide Connie's only alibi for Friday night
to the committee.."
     "And what if I say no?"
     "No?  Why would you say that?  You know as well as I do that Connie's
not guilty...those answers were planted in our room...they had to be.."
     "And when you prove that to me..maybe I'll reconsider."
     "But Dan.."
     "No, Dana, if Connie's going down, she's not taking me with her..it's
only three weeks to graduation and I'm not screwing this up...and neither
are you!"
 
     The fingerprints on both the drawer and the answers proved to be only
those of the cleaning crew and Waymoth.  Another dead end.
     "Connie, I was wondering if you'd undergo a polygraph to prove your
innocent?"       "Of course I would...if that's what it takes."
     But even Scully wasn't so sure of how much validity they would give to
a polygraph alone as evidence.   "But I need something else...there's got
to be something I'm missing.  I need to think. Connie I'm going to walk the
grounds and see if I can think of something..."
     "Dana we've only got two days left until the committee decides my
future..I..I.." The desperation evident in her shaking voice, tears slowly
streamed down her roommates cheeks. This was the first time Dana Scully had
ever seen Connie cry, she had never thought of Connie as weak, but it was
too early to give up hope yet.  Dana had to console her grieving roommate
until her tears lulled her into sleep.  Softly, Dana pushed a lock of hair
from Connie's face.  I'm worried.  I'm afraid that this time I can't help
her and fighting her feelings of futility, Scully grabbed her jacket left.

     "Hey Dana....it's Tom."
     Oh shit, Tom Coulton.  Dana really didn't have time to waste talking
with Coulton today.  This whole mess started right after....no, couldn't
be.  As much as Tom didn't like her roommate, Dana doubted he could be
involved even though Connie said  he had method and motive.
     "Slow down.. where you going?"
     "Just for a walk around the campus....I need to clear my mind"
     "Mind if I come?"
     Actually she did, but she just shrugged nonchalantly and continued
walking.       "You're kinda quiet today...something on your mind?"
     "No."
     "Hey, that's ok if you don't want to talk about it..must be about
Connie, right...I hear everybody talking about it and.."
     "And what?" Dana was tightly coiled in anger and turned on him.
     "It's just that...well, some people think she did it...her grades were
almost too good to be true...she never studied...and"
     "You think she did it too? Or your wondering if I'm involved somehow?
What?" venomously Dana's angry eyes flew up to Tom's face as she was about
to say something she knew she'd regret until she saw them.  Cameras.  All
over the outdoor campus-security cameras. Of course.
     "What's the matter?"  Coulton followed her gaze up the pole "hey, it's
just a camera."

     "Play it back again..."  Dana Scully stood hunched over the security
desk checking the previous Friday's tapes captured by the outdoor camera's.
 "There...what time is that...after 12:15 when they passed the first
camera..there again, after 12:40 and there again as they were returning
after 1am."  I've got my alibi.

     "Is this committee to understand that Cadet Shaugnassey and Cadet
Pryor were walking the grounds between midnight and 2am?"
     "Yes, sir." Dana answered thickly, her tongue felt like it was stuck
to the roof of her mouth.  "It's clearly on the tapes, sir."
     "And you expect us to believe a couple of dark video tapes, the word
of two cadets who are involved, a dismissal offense by itself, and a
polygraph exam of the accused?"
     "Plus the testimony of the other cadets who saw them leave and
myself...sir."
     "We will consider your evidence, Cadet Scully, and report our findings
shortly, dismissed."
     Scully paced the hallway nervously in front of the office of the
Assistant Director of Training and hearing the committee mumble inside was
no help to her already frazzled nerves.  Quietly, a head appeared from
behind the closed door, "Cadet Scully? You may return to your rooms and the
Assistant Director will call for you later."

     When Scully returned to her room, Connie was nowhere to be found.
Funny, I would've thought she'd have wanted to hear how it went.  I hope
she's not off somewhere doing something stupid.  I think there's a good
chance they won't find her guilty, but the question still remains as to how
the answers got here or how the committee knew where to look in the first
place?

     "Cadet Scully?"  There was a sharp but insistent knock on her door.
Dana rubbed her tired eyes.  Damn, I've must've dozed off.  She quickly
rose to answer the knock.
     "The committee would like to speak with you now."

     Surprisingly, Connie was already waiting in the Assistant Director's
office when Scully arrived.  She looked nervous but composed, I guess it's
the best we can expect under the circumstances.  Dana smiled reassuringly
at Connie and squeezed her hand gently in support.  It's almost over.  The
Assistant Director briefly spoke with someone outside and then closed the
door behind himself.  "Please sit down...this won't take long."       Dana
was trying her best to appear non-plussed by the Director's intent gaze
which wandered over both herself and her roommate with an inspecting eye as
he slowly took his seat behind the large mahogany desk.
     "No thank you sir, I think we'd rather stand."
     "Your choice."  The Assistant Director looked down, opened the folder
on his desk and leisurely turned a few pages before looking up at the
cadets again.  Scully could feel the tension grow as he intentionally made
them wait for the committee's verdict.  He sighed and cleared his throat
before he began.
     "Cadet Scully...while your intentions were admirable in defending your
roommate's innocence...they were hardly necessary.." Scully could feel her
heart drop and reassuringly squeezed Connie's hand harder as the Assistant
Director continued.  "We are all well aware of who committed the theft..."
That was it then, they had found her guilty.  "...It was me."

     "Let me make sure I understand exactly WHAT you're telling me
Connie...this was all a game...an elaborate mindgame?"
     "Created by the instructors to test our loyalty, our resolve...and a
few other things."
     "Why Connie?"
     "It's part of the training."
     "For what?"
     "Ethics, I don't know...the Assistant Director said every class has
some sort of unusual test that they must pass before graduation...and this
was ours."
     "And you didn't tell me?"
     "I couldn't Dana...they made me promise not to tell...they wanted to
see who would believe I was innocent, who thought I was guilty and who
would do nothing."
     "But why you?"
     "Well, that's the funny part...they've known about me and Pryor all
along...and they used this information to guarantee my silence..."
     "Guarantee your silence, how?"
     "Well, since our relationship was against the rules, they offered not
to expel us in exchange for our cooperation."
     "So he knew about it too?"
     "Yes."
     "So how come I'm the only one who didn't know?"
     "Dana, that's not true...even I didn't know I was being setup by the
academy instructors until after they found the answers hidden in our
room...and I knew I didn't steal them, but I believed Tom Coulton had..."
     "Tom?"
     "Yes, I thought because..."
     "Because of the little misunderstanding about my profile..."
     "Exactly."
     "Hell, even I was beginning to suspect Tom...and so you deducted two
and two."      "Well, actually Dan and I immediately approached the
Assistant Director and admitted my...our alibi and told him I wasn't guilty
but I thought I knew who was...then he admitted that he had planted the
answers and swore me to silence until today."
     "Why?"
     "They wanted to see who would pick up the ball and run with it so to
speak."      Dana felt angry and relieved and betrayed and a host of their
emotions as well. She really didn't know what to feel.  Her roommate had
confided in her about her innocence and Dana had forsaken all of her
studies to help any way that she could with a fabricated conspiracy...a
lie.  A lie that the academy staff had invented to play 'cat and mouse'
with the cadet's minds, now..only two and a half weeks from graduation.
     "So exactly what did they discover about us that they didn't already
know?"       "Well, they know that they can trust you...they can tell that
you put the needs of others before your own if you have to...that you're an
individual capable of leading...and that you work successfully either alone
or within a team.."
     "Wish I could same the same for you Con.."
     "Dana, that's not fair...I had no choice."
     "Well, at least they found out one thing about you..."
     "Oh, and what's that?"
     "That you're a damn good actress."

     "Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully." Her name was being announced
over the loudspeaker as she climbed the last step onto the podium to
receive her agent's credentials and get a congratulatory handshake from the
Assistant Director of Training on this, her graduation day from the FBI
Academy.  Five minutes earlier, Connie had graduated with top honors and
had been offered a position with the downtown Los Angeles field office
investigating Bank Robberies and White Collar crime.  It was a long time
coming.  Dana, on the other hand, had been offered a much safer and more
prestigious position within the academy itself.  As their on-site forensic
pathologist.  The Violent Crimes section had made her an attractive and
generous offer as well, through Agent Reggie Purdue, but Dana really wasn't
interested in pursuing serial killers at this time.  She had decided to
accept the academy's gracious offer, that is, until the day something
better comes along.

     "Well....what did she say?" Reggie Purdue looked back to where new
Special Agent Dana Scully was congratulating her classmates on their
assignments.
     "She said no."
     Fox Mulder looked disappointed, "I finally have a chance to work with
someone attractive and you screw it up."
     "Hey, what about me..You're no prize either, Mulder."
     And with that, they left to return to their subterranean office and
their dark, disturbing case.

     Special Agent Dana Scully knew that she couldn't have graduated the
academy without the help of her roommate, Connie, or without Agent Jack
Willis, whose invaluable help enabled her to qualify as a firearms
expert,and just in time too.  If nothing else, she had learned one valuable
lesson from Connie's little 'charade' at the academy, it had taught her
that she could rely on herself.  And that was something she believed she'd
really known all along.

The End.   Part 2/2