By Patty Hayes
YRLD43A@prodigy.com or pattyhayes@prodigy.net
 

I am having a lot of fun with these and I would really appreciate
feedback.  I hope you enjoy this.

Summary:
Mulder and Scully go to the Lone Star State and deal with the
possiblity of clones.

Spoilers:
Just obscure references to second and third seasons.
No MSR. Some violence.

Disclaimer:
The characters and situations of the television program "The X-Files"
are the creations and property of Chris Carter,  Fox Broadcasting,
and Ten Thirteen Productions, and have been used without permission.
No copyright infringements are intended.  This work is not to be
forwarded or distributed to any newsgroup, FTP, or WWW site without
the permission of the author.

I do give permission for it to be put on atxc.
 

***************************************************
A DEATH IN TEXAS
By Patty Hayes
August 26, 1996
 

**********
FBI Headquarters
J. Edgar Hoover Building

Mulder and Scully were being called to Skinner's office.  They only
hoped it wasn't to reel them in again.  "Agent Mulder, Agent Scully,
please have a seat.  I have a new case from Violent Crimes.  The
Texas Rangers, Houston office, has not only requested help, they've
requested you two specifically.  One of the Rangers apparently knows
your reputation for finding serial killers, Mulder.  Here are the
case files that are involved.  You'll be picked up at Houston
Intercontinental Airport this afternoon.  Your plane leaves at one.
This case sounds awfully familiar.  Be careful."  Skinner stood,
which was their clue to exit.

"You don't look too happy, Scully.  Don't you want to see the Lone
Star State again?"  Mulder half grinned at her.

"I don't like working VC, Mulder.  You know that."  She looked up at
him.

He did know.  He didn't particularly like it himself.  He spent
several years in VC before taking on the X-File division.  Mulder had
a knack for finding serial killers.  He could get into their heads.
Know what they where going to do before even they knew.  He was
considered the 'fair haired boy' of the Bureau then.  It also earned
him the nick name 'Spooky'.  But it wasn't healthy for him.  "Let's
just go over the case files, get it solved and get back.  We can get
through this."  Mulder didn't want Scully worrying about him.

**********
Houston

"I don't like the looks of this one, Mulder.  The cause of death on
all of these cases where brain hemorrhages.  Probably caused by the
puncture wound to the back of the neck.  Isn't that the only way the
clones could be killed?  What, do we have someone out there thinking
these people are clones?  And if that is the case, how do they know
about them in the first place?"  Scully was re-reading the files on
the flight to Houston.

Even though Mulder might look through files more than once, he only
needed to view them one time.  His photographic memory retained every
detail.  "I know, I saw that too.  This is no serial killing.  I was
thinking, Scully.  You found, what, six Jeramiah Smiths in the
computer.  All working for the Social Security Office in six
different cities.  Well, that information is available to any hacker
worth his weight.  What if someone who worked for Social Security
transferred to another city?  Or any medical field for that matter.
Three of the victims worked in the medical field.  Texas has some of
the best and biggest medical facilities in the states.  They could
conceivably discover the multiple individuals.  There could be people
out there that know what we know, Scully.  Someone could be killing
people they think are clones, the clones could be killing people who
have found them out or someone is killing to protect the identity of
the clones.  The question is, which one and how are we going to find
him?"
He looked at Scully not quite knowing how to answer his own questions.
 

They heard the captain speak as their aircraft neared Houston.
"Welcome to Houston.  The temperature is a pleasantly cool 92 degrees
and the skies are clear.  The current time in Houston is 5:15 PM. We
thank you for flying Continental and we hope you enjoy your stay."

"This must be the place, Scully."  Mulder smiled at her.

"92 degrees, Mulder.  I don't think I brought the right clothes."
Both were dressed as they always dress.  Scully always professional
in a dark maroon suit with a pale pink silk blouse and Mulder donned
his sleek gray Italian suit. They stood getting their briefcases from
the overhead.

As they walked out the gateway, Mulder saw a young woman standing
holding a sign with his name on it.  She was petite, no taller than
Scully, with a bone structure that was slightly smaller than Scully's.
  She had dark brown eyes and a snow white complexion with strawberry
blonde hair, more strawberry than blonde, that hung long, braided
down her back.  She wore jeans, a sleeveless white blouse with a
denim vest, cowboy boots and a white cowboy hat that sat low on her
forehead.  He could see her gun sticking out from under the vest.
Mulder looked at Scully and grinned.  "We're in Texas, Scully, in
case you can't guess."

"Be nice, Mulder.  Don't embarrass me."  Scully grinned back.

He walked up to the woman.  "I'm Agent Mulder, this is Agent Dana
Scully."

She took off her hat and held out her hand.  "I'm Caitlin O'Grady,
Texas Ranger.  Nice to meet y'all.  We're really glad to have you.
If you'll follow me to baggage claim, we'll get your luggage, then
I'll take you to your hotel and get you checked in.  I'll have a car
for you in the morning.  I thought you might want to relax this
evening and we can get to work first thing tomorrow.  It really is
good to have your assistance on this.  We don't normally require it,
but this has been a trying case."  She spoke as she walked.  Even
Mulder's long stride had difficulty keeping up with her.

"Excuse me, Officer O'Grady.  Who is the OIC on this case?"  Mulder
wanted to know who had requested him and who he had to deal with.

Caitlin stopped and turned to face him.  "I am the Officer in Charge,
Agent Mulder."  She waited for a reaction and she got one.  His face
had a look of surprise and a small grin was forming.  "Is that a
problem, Agent Mulder?"  Her face was stone cold solid but her voice
had a hint of amusement.

Mulder was surprised, she looked far too young to be in charge of a
case of this magnitude.  He looked over at Scully for support but
only saw her brow raised as if to say 'Do you have a problem with a
woman being in charge, Mulder?'  He was outnumbered and he stammered
to regain face.  "No, no .. I ... you just look so young."  That
wasn't right.  "I ...  I mean I was just wondering who had requested
us."

"I did.  You worked with a friend of mine from NASA a year or so ago
regarding the space shuttle.  She recommended you highly.  And I
assure you, Agent Mulder, I am qualified for this position.  But if
you must know, I'm 33 years old and have been a Texas Ranger for 12
years, now.  A Sergeant for the past three.  Now, if you'll collect
your luggage right through here,  I'll bring the car around and meet
you right outside."  Caitlin turned away from him and walked down the
corridor.  She couldn't repress the smile any longer.  She had to
fight male dominance in her field every day and she took great
pleasure in putting one in 'his place'.  Even one so good looking.

"I can't take you anywhere, Mulder."  Scully was grinning at him.
She knew he was not chauvinistic, but it was still fun to watch him
stammer.  She knew what Ranger O'Grady had to put up with.  They
picked up their luggage and waited outside the door.  Caitlin pulled
up a moment later.

They drove in silence awhile then Caitlin spoke.  "I know you
probably want to relax this evening, but if y'all are up to it I'd
like to get you checked in and then take you to dinner.  I'd like to
talk a little bit about this case."

"Sure, that'll be fine."  Mulder was intrigued by this small piquant
woman.  He also wanted to make peace.

"This is not your normal selection, Mulder."  Scully was looking
around the plush lobby of the Hyatt Regency.

"Y'all are in Texas now, Agent Scully.  The Rangers are footing the
bill for this trip.  I'll be more than happy to wait if you'd like to
freshen up and change into something cooler."  Caitlin smiled and
handed them their room keys.

"Yeah, don't you have a winter in these parts?"  Mulder teased.

"Actually last year is was on a Tuesday."  Caitlin grinned as she
turned to have a seat in the lobby.

"You're going to have to do better from now on, Mulder.  I'm going to
get used to this."  Scully teased him as they entered the elevator.
Mulder just smiled.

They sat at a table in a small restaurant/bar.  "This place is small,
but the food is good and it's quiet here.  We can talk without
disrupting anyone else."

Their meals arrived and the silence was becoming uncomfortable.  "I
want to apologize for my comment earlier, Officer O'Grady.  I didn't
mean any disrespect.  I'm sure you're a very capable Ranger."  He was
almost blushing.

"Thanks, no harm done, Agent Mulder.  Please call me Caitlin.
Officer O'Grady is a mouthful and we're pretty informal down here."
He was getting used to her smiles.

"So, Caitlin.  What's a nice Irish girl like you doing in a place
like this?  I thought everything was bigger in Texas?"  He was
turning on the charm and he liked the reactions he was getting from
her.  Scully just glared at him.

Caitlin smiled, again.  She knew he was trying to get the upper hand
back and this must be his stab at charm.  But this was her town and
her territory and he wasn't going to succeed.  "My daddy's granddaddy
was from the old country.  I was born and raised right here in Texas.
"  She replied with her best southern drawl.  Then she transformed
into the professional that she was.  "I come from a large family, all
here in Houston.  I graduated from the University of Houston second
in my class.  I have degrees in both criminal law and psychology.
Became a Ranger right after graduation.  Always wanted to be a Texas
Ranger.  My work is my life, Agent Mulder.  I do not take it lightly.
 I had to work hard to gain the respect I deserve and I get that
respect."  Her tone slowed and the southern drawl was back.  "But I'm
sure, as Agent Scully will agree, women have to constantly fight for
that respect.  I'm sure you understand, don't you Agent Mulder?"  Her
dark brown eyes were large with amusement.

He was defeated.  He looked over at Scully and she was barely able to
contain her laughter.  "So Caitlin."  He grinned as he began again.
"Call me Mulder.  What do you have on this case so far?"

She grinned and relaxed.  "Well, you've read the files.  You know how
they died.  What I don't understand is how the killer made such a
clean puncture wound.  I mean, even with an ice pick, the angle of
entry would be in an upward or downward slope.  Depending on whether
you were striking overhanded or underhanded.  These were clean entry
wounds.  I just don't see how the ice pick entered and exited without
any tearing.  Even quick successive stabbings with ice picks have a
minute degree of tearing.  These had absolutely none."  This was not
her forte.  Caitlin needed their expert opinions and skills.

"You're right.  There would be some degree of tearing on some level
of tissue.  It would help if we knew what kind of weapon was being
used.  I'd like to take a look at the latest victim, make sure
nothing was missed."  Scully agreed with her.

"We do have what we think is the murder weapon from victim number 4."
 Caitlin was surprised they didn't know this.

"That wasn't in the report.  What was it?"  Mulder didn't like
surprises either.

"It looked like an ice pick.  I've never seen anything like it before.
  The base or handle is about 4 or 5 inches long, cylindrical, silver
metal and the pick is about the same length, also silver.  It's in
the evidence room.  I can show it to you tomorrow.  I know I sent a
copy of the photo of it along with the reports.  I don't know why you
don't have it."  Caitlin continued.  "We haven't been able to come up
with any witnesses.  The only common denominator we could find was
that three of the victims worked in the medical center.  The first
was transferred from a sister center in Dallas about three months
before her murder.  She worked with the third victim.  People who
knew them said that they were acquainted with one another briefly.
Even though they weren't close friends, victim 3 seemed really
disturbed by the other death.  No one knows why."

"I'd like to talk to some of those people, and I want a list of all
personnel of both medical centers, here and in Dallas."  Mulder felt
he was right all along.  People were discovering the clones and were
being killed for it.

Caitlin nodded.  She could almost see Mulder's mind working.  This
guy was good.

**********

Mulder and Scully were coming out of the restaurant after breakfast
about twenty minutes before Caitlin was to pick them up.  Scully was
dressed a little lighter than the previous day so as to better suit
the weather in Houston.  She wore a light green skirt and a pale
green cotton blouse, leaving the jacket in the room.  Mulder thought
it really brought out her red hair and green eyes.  He maintained his
normal attire.  Scully didn't think he ever sweat, he always looked
cool and collected.  They were debating on whether to wait in the
room or to sit and relax in the lobby when they saw Caitlin waiting
for them.  Mulder hardly recognized her.  She looked nothing like she
had the night before.  She wore a royal blue cotton sundress with a
short sleeved, short waisted jacket that barely covered her gun.  The
billowy skirt was a conservative couple of inches below the knee.
Her hair was long but pulled away from her face with a blue bow in
the back.  Caitlin left her cowboy boots at home in favor of blue
two
inch high heel shoes.  She looked remarkable.  She no longer looked
like the 'girl' that had picked them up.  She was quite the
professional and a very beautiful woman.

"If you're ready, we have another victim.  I thought we'd go out to
the crime scene before we go to the office."  She got right to the
point.  Caitlin was disturbed by the news of the latest victim.  This
made five during the past two months, three in Houston alone.  She
wanted to find this killer now.  This had gone on too long.

End of Part 1
 
 
 

From YRLD43A@prodigy.com Fri Aug 30 20:12:10 1996
 
 

I am having a lot of fun with these and I would really appreciate
feedback.  You can e-mail me at  YRLD43A@PRODIGY.COM  .  I hope you
enjoy this.

Summary:
Mulder and Scully go to the Lone Star State and deal with the
possiblity of clones.

Spoilers:
Just obscure references to second and third seasons.
No MSR. Some violence.

Disclaimer:
The characters and situations of the television program "The X-Files"
are the creations and property of Chris Carter,  Fox Broadcasting,
and Ten Thirteen Productions, and have been used without permission.
No copyright infringements are intended.  This work is not to be
forwarded or distributed to any newsgroup, FTP, or WWW site without
the permission of the author.

I do give permission for it to be put on atxc.
 

***************************************************
A DEATH IN TEXAS  2/4
By Patty Hayes
August 26, 1996
 

**********
"Do you have any details, yet?"  Mulder walked them out to the
Suburban.

"Not yet.  I just got the call twenty minutes ago on the way over
here.  It'll take us about forty minutes to get to the scene."  They
drove in silence.  Traffic was unusually light for this city and this
hour of the morning.

They pulled up to an apartment complex on the west side of Houston.
There were five or six HPD vehicles parked at the scene.  The coroner
had arrived and he and forensics were collecting evidence.  Caitlin
was talking to the officer that had arrived first at the scene.
Scully went to talk to the coroner.  Mulder was looking around for
anything that might give him a clue.  The death was the same as the
others.  He looked over at Caitlin as she was inspecting what looked
like the murder weapon.  He had seen this thing before.  It had a
retractable needle-like object.  The needle in the weapon she was
holding had been retracted and she was holding it too close to her
face.  Just the slightest pressure on the right side of the base
would cause the needle to protrude.  He quickly went over to her and
lowered her arm with a tight grip just as the needle protruded.

"Careful"  he said.  "You could put an eye out."  He brought her arm
back up so that he could inspect it.  She still held it in her hand
and he noticed her hand was slightly shaking.

"Thanks.  The one we have was already protracted.  I didn't know they
were retractable."  She looked up at him.  Then it hit her.  "How did
you know?"

"I've seen one before.  This is why there's no tearing, the needle
punctures and retracts in a fraction of a second, clean and quick."
They removed their latex gloves after putting the weapon in an
evidence bag.  Scully was walking toward them.

Caitlin let it go for now.  She would find out on the drive to the
office.  "The coroner agreed to let me perform the autopsy.  We've
got a neighbor outside I think you should talk to, Mulder."  He
followed Scully to the door.

Officer Randolph was taking notes as Brenda Morgan was talking.  "I
knew something was wrong.  She acted so strange yesterday.  Like she
was scared to death."

"Excuse me, uh ... Ms. Morgan,  I'm Agent Mulder of the FBI and this
is Agent Scully.  What do you mean by strange?  What was she afraid
of?"

"Lorraine moved in about three months ago.  She was from San Diego.
She moved here with her boyfriend and he dumped her right after they
moved in."  Brenda started from the beginning.  It was the only way
she knew how.  "So, here she was, in a new city all alone and well,
we hit it off.  She told me everything.  She was looking for a job.
Lorraine was a nurse.  She worked for an abortion clinic in San Diego
that had a lot of trouble, and she didn't want to go through that
again, so she was trying the hospitals and private practices.  The
money wasn't good enough though so she tried some of the clinics,
that's when she seemed to get nervous.  For the past couple of days
she locked herself up in the apartment, wouldn't answer the phone or
the door without being absolutely sure of who it was."  Brenda was
talking nonstop.  "She never had a chance to tell me who she was
afraid of.  I know she did a lot of research on her computer though.
Maybe she kept notes there."

Mulder thanked the neighbor and went back into the apartment and
headed for the computer.  Caitlin was already there trying to access
some of the files.  Only a few of them were pass coded.  "It looks
like most of them have been dumped but they are retrievable.  Whoever
tried to erase them didn't know that much about this type of system.
It stores all deleted files for retrieval in case you really didn't
want to delete them.  Only two of them need passwords.  Those are two
we probably need.  Jimmy?  You want to take over here?"  Caitlin
allowed the local expert to work at breaking the passwords.  "Let's
go to the office, we have a few things to discuss."

Caitlin walked ahead of them to the Suburban.  "Scully, we're going
to have to tell her something."  Mulder held Scully back for a moment
before they followed Caitlin.

"I think we should tell her, Mulder.  But we need to be discreet."
He nodded in agreement.

Caitlin decided to wait until they were at the office before she
grilled them.  She felt they had something big and didn't want to be
distracted by anything.  She put in a request for the evidence from
the previous crime scenes to be brought up to her office.  It should
arrive shortly.  "OK, guys.  Spill it.  How did you know about the
weapon?"

Mulder stalled for a moment, not sure how to begin.  He looked around
Caitlin's office and was impressed.  It was much larger than their
windowless basement office.  Everything was neat and orderly.  She
had a large collection of books.  Law books, psychology books, crime
manuals, other law enforcement references.  A couple were on her desk
as if she referred to them a lot.  There was a round conference table
in one corner.  He stood leaning against the door frame, his hands in
his pockets.  He looked at Scully and began.  "We think this has to
do with clones."  He gave that a moment to sink in.

"Clones.  You're kidding, right?  Can that even be possible?"
Caitlin was open minded but this was stretching it.

"Oh yeah, it's possible.  We've seen it on more than one occasion.
We ran into a case a year or so ago that dealt with a group called
the 'Gregors'.  They were using fetal tissue to clone themselves.
The only way to kill them is with that weapon to the back of the neck.
"  Mulder stood and stared at her.  That was all he was willing to
say at the moment.

"So these people were 'clones'?  Two of the victims were over forty
years old for God's sake.  If they were clones then this had to have
been going on for, what, thirty or forty years or longer.  Why hasn't
anyone known about this sooner?  And why is that the only way to kill
them?"  Caitlin knew they were holding back.

Mulder looked at Scully.  Without saying anything they knew what each
other was thinking.  It was a gift between them.  They spoke volumes
with their eyes and this time was no different.  They said nothing to
Caitlin.

"Look, I've got 5 murder victims.  Now this might not bother you, but
it bothers me.  I don't want a sixth.  I don't want to have to go to
another family member and tell them that their daughter or son or
mother or father is dead!  I want answers and I want them now!  Don't
hold back on me.  This is my case, I have a right to know."  Her
voice was loud and angry and her southern accent was at its strongest.
 

Mulder nodded at Scully's look.  "The dead are not clones, we think
they were killed because they found out about them.  When the clones
are destroyed their bodies disintegrate.  We don't know why."  He
knew why but didn't want to let her in on it just yet.  "So we don't
think the victims were clones. We found that when a clone was created
there were usually several with the same genetic makeup.  The victim
found more than one with the same face and name and somehow
discovered they were the clones.  They usually stick to the medical
field to have better access to fetal tissue and other necessities for
replication.  Which could explain why four of the five victims worked
in the medical field."

Scully picked it up from there.  "Maybe they worked with a 'John Doe'
in San Diego and when they moved here they found another 'John Doe'
with the same face.  Too much inquiry would alert the clone of danger
and force them or someone close to them to kill to protect their
identity."

Caitlin had a look of disbelief on her face.  The evidence box was
brought in and set on the conference table.  Caitlin signed for it
and noticed a name on the check out sheet she didn't recognize.
'Greg Forsythe, CIA'.  "Who is this?  When did he check in?  Why
wasn't I notified?"  She was speaking on the telephone to the officer
in the evidence room.  "Well, find out and get back to me."  She
walked over to the box and opened it, inspecting the items.  "Damn
it!  It's gone.  The first murder weapon.  It's gone!"  She walked
back over to the phone and dialed.  "I want the tapes to the security
cameras on the evidence room from 8pm on Tuesday through now and I
want to talk to every officer who signed anyone in or out of the
evidence room for the same time period.  Damn it!"  She repeated, as
she hung up the phone.

She looked at Mulder and Scully.  Mulder sighed and decided to trust
her a little further.  "There are some in our government that might
not want this investigated or solved.  They'll do anything to cover
it up."

Caitlin couldn't believe what she was hearing.  She was not totally
ignorant of the 'politics' or 'other agendas' that some aspired to
but this was murder.  And it was in her town.  She was not a happy
camper.  They were interrupted again by the telephone.

"Yes, Carol?"  Mulder and Scully only heard her end of the
conversation.  "What?  Oh, God."  Her voice was low and fragile.
There was a long pause.  Caitlin was standing and had to grab a hold
of the desk.  She closed her eyes and they could see what little
color she had drain from her face.  "Where are they?  And Pete?  Oh,
God.  Yeah, I'm here.  Get me Jones and Simmons, I'll go see Sandy.
I'll be at the hospital immediately after."  She clicked the button
and dialed the phone.  "Mom, this is Caitlin.  Mac's hurt, he's been
shot.  He's at Southwest Memorial.  Can you pick up his mother and
take her over there?  Yeah, I'm ok.  Pete's dead.  I'm going to go to
Sandy.  I'll be there as soon as I can."  She placed the receiver on
the cradle and looked up.  "Detective McDonnell and Officer Kelly
were the team with the evidence bag from this morning.  They were run
off the road on the way back and shot.  The bag is missing.  Officer
Kelly is dead and" she paused as she took a deep breath, "Detective
McDonnell
is in a coma at Southwest Memorial.  Is this what you meant by
anything?"  She had tears in her eyes and her voice was angry.

She didn't expect an answer.  She knew the answer.  "I'm going over
to see Officer Kelly's wife and then I'm going to the hospital.  The
files you requested should be here soon and in the mean time you can
go over these items.  I'll instruct Carol to get you anything you
need, including a vehicle.  Just tell her what you need.  I'll be
back later."  Caitlin had lost her energy and drive, she seemed to
have given up.

Carol came in a few minutes later with a tray of coffee and pastries.
 Mulder noticed that she also had tears in her eyes.  "Did you know
McDonnell or Kelly?"  He wanted to offer his sympathy.

Carol looked a little confused.  "I knew of Officer Kelly, but
Detective McDonnell is Caitlin's fiancee.  Yes, I know him."  She
left them alone.

Mulder was shocked.  He looked over at Scully and searched her eyes.
He suddenly felt too glad that she was with him.  He remembered far
too many times that he sat waiting while she lay near death.  Too
many times she had been hurt or taken from him.  Scully also
remembered.  But her memories were of Mulder in a hospital near death.
  They had both lost so much because of their work and their search
for the truth.  Now it had taken another life and is risking yet
another.  Scully reached over and placed her hand on his and for a
moment they both shared a wish.  To never lose the other.

**********

Caitlin was on her way to the hospital.  She had spent over an hour
with Sandy Kelly.  Officers Jones and Simmons had made the proper
calls to her family and they had come to see her through it.  She
held Sandy a long time then left to see Mac.  Caitlin parked the car
and sat there, waiting for the courage to get out.  If Mac didn't
make it, she didn't know what she would do.  She'd been with Mac for
over six years now.  He kept asking her to marry him, but she wanted
to wait.  As she had said, her work was her life.  Caitlin didn't
want to make any promises she couldn't keep, but four months ago Mac
had finally changed her mind.  She could no longer put him off.  The
wedding was set for next April.  Now all they had to do was live long
enough.

She took a deep breath as she entered the elevator and leaned against
the back wall.  Caitlin just kept thinking. 'He has to be all right.
He has to be.'  She stepped out at ICU and went over to her mother
and Mrs. McDonnell.  They hugged each other and sat down.  Her mother
told her what the Doctor had said.  All they could do now was wait.
She remembered the last time he had proposed to her.  They were at
the Galleria on a Sunday morning watching the ice skaters.  They were
sitting on a bench when Mac suddenly knelt down in front of her ( and
everyone else ) and asked her the question, giving her a little
velvet box with the most exquisite ring she had ever seen.  Now she
was trying to remember every detail of their times together.  She had
let his mother visit him first, trying to put off seeing him in the
condition she knew he would be in.  But now it was her turn.  Caitlin
walked in and her heart broke.  She sat in a chair next to the bed
and held his hand.  She spoke to him. Telling him how much she
loved him and how he needed to fight to come back and that she would
be waiting for him.  Then she lay her head on the hand she was
holding and cried for the first time that day.

**********

Mulder drove as Scully navigated through the Houston freeways trying
to find the Medical Center.  They had gotten directions from Carol
but had missed a cutoff and was doubling back.  They had found part
of what they were looking for.  Two technicians with the same
identification and photo.  They wanted to interview the one here.
They finally found a place to park and after wandering around the
Medical Center for almost an hour they discovered that the Joseph
Baker they were interested in hadn't shown up for work in several
days.  They called the sister Center in Dallas and found that the
second Joseph Baker, too hadn't been to work lately.  They were
hitting dead ends.  As they were leaving, Mulder thought he saw a
couple of men in black suits watching them from a slowly passing
vehicle.  He decided to see if they would follow him.  He didn't have
to worry about them following him to a place he wanted kept hidden,
he didn't have any idea where he was or where he was headed anyway.
Mulder just kept making
turns, checking to see if they made the turn also.

"We got a tail, Scully."  He said as he watched the rear view mirror.
 Scully pulled down the vanity mirror to check it out.  It was a dark
blue sedan with two men in black in the front seat.

"What do you think, Mulder?  Should we try to loose them or do you
want to see how far they'll go?"  She was angry and was ready for a
fight.

"Let's see how far they'll go."  He stepped on the accelerator and
Scully grabbed the side arm rest as Mulder weaved the speeding
suburban through the Houston traffic.  He ran two stop lights as the
dark sedan followed them through the back streets.  The suburban was
not as fast and he had trouble loosing them but on the second light
Mulder managed to leave them stuck behind a truck from the local
light company.

"I have a feeling they know their way around here better that we do.
Let's head over to Southwest Memorial and see how Caitlin is doing.
I'd be willing to bet there are a couple of these guys there.  You
want to see if you can find us a way there?"   Mulder didn't want a
confrontation when they would have the upper hand.  He was sure there
would be another chance.

End of Part 2
 
 

From YRLD43A@prodigy.com Fri Aug 30 20:15:20 1996
 
 

I am having a lot of fun with these and I would really appreciate
feedback.  You can e-mail me at  YRLD43A@PRODIGY.COM  .  I hope you
enjoy this.

Summary:
Mulder and Scully go to the Lone Star State and deal with the
possiblity of clones.

Spoilers:
Just obscure references to second and third seasons.
No MSR. Some violence.

Disclaimer:
The characters and situations of the television program "The X-Files"
are the creations and property of Chris Carter,  Fox Broadcasting,
and Ten Thirteen Productions, and have been used without permission.
No copyright infringements are intended.  This work is not to be
forwarded or distributed to any newsgroup, FTP, or WWW site without
the permission of the author.

I do give permission for it to be put on atxc.
 

***************************************************
A DEATH IN TEXAS  3/4
By Patty Hayes
August 26, 1996
 

**********
Southwest Memorial was a lot easier to get around.  They had no
trouble finding ICU.  Scully went to the nurses station to see if she
could talk to the doctors and find out about McDonnell's condition.
Mulder spotted Caitlin, alone in the corner of a hallway away from
the waiting room.  The room was full of family and friends and other
law enforcement officers.  Caitlin just wanted to be alone.  She was
just standing, staring out the window.  Mulder walked up to her and
stood leaning against the window frame.  He could see the wall around
her start to rise.  He waited for her to speak.

She finally glanced over at him and without looking up asked, "Any
luck so far?"  Even though a small smile formed on her face he could
see the sadness in her eyes.

He reached over and put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head.
"No."  She stepped back carefully.  She didn't want any contact.  She
didn't want to fall to pieces in front of this man.  Caitlin folded
her arms across her chest.  The wall went up a little higher.

"How's he doing?"  Mulder wanted to say something, to comfort her in
some way, but he didn't know her well enough to intrude.

"I don't know.  They never tell you exactly what's going on.  Just
enough to make you feel better.  Only I don't feel better."  She half
smiled again and finally looked up at him.  She didn't know why but
she suddenly felt like she had to explain what she was feeling.  "You
know, I waited too long.  I met Mac at the police academy twelve
years ago.  He had joined the force a couple of years earlier and was
using the jogging track.  I was in training and literally tripped
over him.  We went out a couple of times.  I thought he was full of
it.  He was."  She smiled.  "He thought I was too self-centered.  I
was.  I didn't see him again for another four years.  We spent a
couple of years in love, then he had an opportunity to move to a
small midwest town and play sheriff.  I couldn't go with him.  Being
a Texas Ranger was all I ever wanted, all I ever needed."  Her voice
was soft and Caitlin sounded as if she were talking to herself.  "I
wanted to help people, to make a difference.  I just couldn't give it
up.  I visited a couple of times and he came here a couple of times
and we talked on the phone, a lot.  But after two years he came back.
 He told me his life was not complete without me.  He told me nothing
else mattered to him."  She looked at Mulder intently as if needing
him to understand.  "And still I put him off.  Finally after another
three years we set a date.  He deserves better, but if he makes it
through this he's never going to get rid of me."   She smiled at
Mulder and he saw the tears in her eyes.  Then her expression turned
to anger and she took a deep breath.  "I want these people."

Mulder chewed on his bottom lip and nodded.  He wasn't sure the
people she wanted were accessible.  He saw Scully approach and once
again said a silent thank you for her presence.  "I just talked with
the Doctor, Caitlin, and I don't know if he conveyed this very well
to you but Detective McDonnell is really doing quite well."  She saw
a bit of relief from Caitlin and she continued.  "There was swelling
on the brain and in order to help alleviate it they induced coma.
The nerve impulses cannot be transmitted from one neuron to another.
Too much activity in the brain can hinder the reduction of
inflammation.  But his vital signs are excellent.  His blood pressure
is good.  The doctor said he's a strong individual, has a healthy
heart and a healthy body.  He should be awake by morning.  He's going
to be all right."  Scully tried to sound reassuring, she really felt
he would be ok.

Caitlin stood perfectly still for a moment then hugged a surprised
Scully in a flood of relief.  She released her quickly. "Thank you."
Caitlin took a deep cleansing breath.  Her eyes told Scully far more
than she could say.

Mulder saw a man in black lingering at the other end of the hall.
Scully noticed his look and glanced in that direction.  Caitlin also
noticed.  "What is it?  Who is that?"

He hesitated and looked at Scully.  He didn't want to make a scene in
the hospital.  "I'll find out."  Both women followed him.

As they passed the waiting room, Caitlin motioned for Simmons.  The
man turned and began walking to the exit, he had four people on his
heels.  He ducked in the stairwell.  Caitlin and Simmons took the
elevator and Mulder and Scully followed him down the stairs.  Caitlin
was waiting for him in the lobby.  She had Simmons positioned at one
exit and she was at the other.  They wanted to apprehend him without
letting anyone in the hospital know what was going down.

The man was on the second floor landing and he knew they were close
behind.  He pulled his gun and took a shot at Mulder and Scully.
They didn't return fire but stayed out of the line of fire.  They
knew Caitlin and Simmons were waiting on the first floor if they
could just drive him towards her.  The man knew he was between a rock
and a hard place.  He decided to try for the lobby.  He quickly made
it to the door and opened it slowly.  He could see Simmons at the
side exit.  'They didn't want to make a scene.'  He walked out the
door and headed straight for Simmons.  Simmons saw the man coming.
Just a little closer and he would have him.

Caitlin had heard the shot and was close to the stairwell door when
it opened and the man walked out and headed toward Simmons, his back
to her.  He walked swiftly and assuredly and when he came within ten
feet of Simmons he pulled out his gun.  Caitlin saw it a fraction too
late.  She yelled at Simmons as the man shot him in cold blood and
ran.  Mulder and Scully were out of the stairwell and running after
Caitlin to where Simmons lay.  She stopped briefly to check on
Simmons.  He had a pulse.  She ran out the door after the man.
Scully stayed with Simmons as Mulder followed Caitlin out the door.
They saw him jump into a dark sedan.  Caitlin got off a couple of
shots at the car before Mulder stopped her.  They lost them this time.
 

Simmons didn't make it.  They had killed, again.  Caitlin had never
before come across such arrogance.  She had dealt with evil before.
Everything had been clear cut, black or white, no gray areas.  It was
either right or it was wrong.  That was her belief system.  But what
was happening now made no sense.  It wasn't about drugs or money or
passion or territory.  The things she was used to dealing with.  This
had to be about power.  She had no other explanation.  She didn't
know how to approach this.

"I want an officer guarding this room at all times.  They'll be back.
 No one goes in unless they're on this list."  Caitlin was
instructing her team.  "Jimmy's broken the codes in the computer from
this morning.  I'm heading back to the office to check it out.
Notify me of anything out of the ordinary and I mean anything."  Her
cell phone rang as she turned to Mulder and Scully.  "Yeah?"

"Cait, this is Carol.  We got a call from someone who says they know
who the killer is on this case.  He wants to meet with you.  He says
to be at the old Miller warehouse in the ship channel tonight at 8:00
o'clock.  He didn't stay on long enough for a trace and of course he
didn't leave a name.  Cait, he also said to come alone.  What kind of
backup do you want me to send?"  She didn't want Caitlin to go alone
but Carol knew she would if given the chance.

"I'll get back to you on it."  She didn't want a lecture from Carol.
Besides, she knew Mulder and Scully would more than likely be her
backup.  She relayed the information and they formed a plan for later
that evening.

Back at the office they discovered that the two passworded files
contained the victims financial information and a private journal.
"The journal told of her being followed by a dark sedan on a couple
of different occasions.  She was really paranoid about it.  Locked
herself in.  Really obsessed.  It also told of her confusion of
seeing Joseph Baker employed at the medical center when she knew a
Joseph Baker of the same description working at a San Diego abortion
clinic.  The journal described how Lorraine tried to find out who
these two people were.  She had a friend whose husband worked for the
DMV in San Diego.  Lorraine tried to find any record of the two
Bakers."  Jimmy hadn't gotten too much from the journal but what he
did get was enlightening.  "I tried to contact the DMV employee, he's
been missing for the past week.  I ran a check through their
computers and nothing turned up.  But I went through the deleted
files and it turned up five Joseph Bakers, all looked exactly alike
according to their dri
er's license, all different social security numbers and addresses.
None can be found at this moment.  Whoever is behind this tried hard
to cover this up."

"Well, the inquiry obviously didn't go unnoticed.  Someone found out.
 It could be the same thing that happened to victim 3.  She worked at
the medical center and we called the Dallas medical facility and they
also employed a Joseph Baker.  We tried to contact the Bakers of here
and Dallas, both have not been to work in the past three days."
Scully told of their earlier discoveries.

"I called the San Diego abortion clinic and Joseph Baker left their
employ two weeks ago.  Right after the third victims death."  Jimmy
stated.  "No one knows where he went.  The other two also have
conveniently disappeared."

Caitlin, who had been quiet during this spoke up.  "Good job, Jimmy,
thanks.  What do you think this guy has for us tonight, Mulder?"

"I don't know.  It could be a setup.  They may just want to get rid
of us.  We have been making a lot on inquiries on Baker.  You might
want to watch your back, Jimmy.  We need to go in carefully on this.
I don't trust them."

"Look, we've got a couple of hours or so before we go to the ship
channel, why don't y'all get something to eat.  I'm going to make a
quick trip to the hospital.  You can pick me up there around six and
we'll head out."  Caitlin wanted to see how Mac was doing.

"I don't think you ought to leave here alone.  They're out there and
they're watching.  The first opportunity they get, they'll strike.
We had a couple tailing us earlier today.  We lost them but I believe
there are more out there.  We'll go with you,  we can grab something
on the way."  Mulder didn't want her going alone.  She was distraught
and he felt her senses were probably not as sharp as they normally
were.

They took separate vehicles.  Mulder wanted to see if anyone was
tailing Caitlin and he had a plan for this evening that would require
two cars.  No one had followed them or Caitlin and he pulled into the
hospital a few minutes after her.

As Caitlin got out of her car, she was approached from behind by a
man who grabbed her around the neck.  "Give me your keys!"  He
physically threatened her.  She could feel his arm tightening around
her neck.

Frankly, this just pissed her off.  A car jacking of all things?  She
didn't have the time or patience for this right now.  She responded
by stepping back hard on his foot with her high heel shoe.  As he
bent over slightly by the surprise and pain, Caitlin rammed her elbow
into his ribs.  The perpetrator, now gasping for air, took a step
back loosening his grip from around her.  She grabbed his arm and
flung him over her shoulder and onto the ground, putting one high
heeled foot on his chest and pulled her gun.  Mulder reached her side
by this time and with a grin on his face flipped the perpetrator over
and hand cuffed him.  He had watched her handle this with graceful
fluid motions.  For someone so small she was a formidable woman.
"Remind me not to get on your bad side."  He looked up at her
grinning.

"Damn!  When will people learn?"  Caitlin was shaking her head.  Now
she was going to be tied up with paper work over this.  She called
HPD on her cell phone and they responded quickly.  A half an hour
later they were finally on their way into the hospital.

Caitlin left them in the hospital cafeteria while she went up to ICU.
 Officer Grant was sitting at the doorway watching.  No one was going
to get past him.  She smiled at him and he stood as she approached.
"Hey Brad.  How's it going?"

"It's been pretty quiet for the past few hours.  No one suspicious
hanging around.  The doctor's been in a couple of times.  From what
I've overheard Mac's doing pretty well.  You got any clues, yet?"
He'd known Mac and Cait for a while now.  He'd volunteered for this
guard duty.

"Yeah, actually we've gotten a lot of clues.  We just can't seem to
get them to pan out.  We've got someone to see tonight that might
have information, though.  Thanks for pulling this duty, Brad.  I
feel better having you here."  Somehow in the past ten hours she'd
learn to distrust where she had trusted before.

"No problem, Cait.  I wanted to be here.  You look a little flushed,
you OK?"  Brad respected Caitlin but he was also fond of her.  They
were good friends at the academy and he wanted to see her happy and
all right.

"Yeah, I'm OK.  I just had to deal with a car jacking.  Right here in
the parking lot.  Can you believe the arrogance, car jacking a
policeman's car?  Not something I needed right now."

"Is he still alive?"  Brad grinned and put a smile on Caitlin's face.
 

"Yes!"  She chuckled.  "HPD took him downtown."

Brad laughed with her and then took a hold of her hand and squeezed.
"Why don't you go on in?"  She walked past him through the door and
sat with Mac.  She told him everything.  He was still unconscious but
she felt he could hear her.  She wanted him to know that she would
catch the guys who did this, but deep in the back of her mind she
wasn't sure she would make it back to see him again.  Caitlin had a
bad feeling about the meeting set for tonight.

End of Part 3
 
 

From YRLD43A@prodigy.com Fri Aug 30 20:18:11 1996
 
 

I am having a lot of fun with these and I would really appreciate
feedback.  You can e-mail me at  YRLD43A@PRODIGY.COM  .  I hope you
enjoy this.

Summary:
Mulder and Scully go to the Lone Star State and deal with the
possiblity of clones.

Spoilers:
Just obscure references to second and third seasons.
No MSR. Some violence.

Disclaimer:
The characters and situations of the television program "The X-Files"
are the creations and property of Chris Carter,  Fox Broadcasting,
and Ten Thirteen Productions, and have been used without permission.
No copyright infringements are intended.  This work is not to be
forwarded or distributed to any newsgroup, FTP, or WWW site without
the permission of the author.

I do give permission for it to be put on atxc.
 

***************************************************
A DEATH IN TEXAS  4/4
By Patty Hayes
August 26, 1996
 

**********
She met Mulder and Scully in the cafeteria and they went over their
plans for the meeting.  "Scully and I will go in early and scout it
out.  If we can surprise them we might have a chance to actually get
to some answers as to who is behind this.  We can be there as backup
for you without them knowing it.  We can also loose any tails we
might pick up."  Mulder was ready to go.

They followed the directions Caitlin had mapped out and got to the
warehouse about a half an hour before their scheduled meeting time.
They parked the Suburban at the occupied warehouse at the other end
of the block and walked through that warehouse to the back and then
down the back alleyway to the Miller warehouse.  There were no
vehicles and they could see no one in the alleyway.  The back of the
warehouse had four huge bay doors with windows along the upper panels.
  In the middle was a normal doorway, they approached it.  With guns
drawn Mulder and Scully cautiously entered the warehouse.

Mulder looked around as he stepped through the door.  The warehouse
was empty except for several crates sitting in both corners in the
front of the warehouse.  It was not yet dark outside so they had some
lighting from the bay door windows, but much of the warehouse was in
shadows.  They didn't want to use flashlights and give their
positions away so they made use of what light there was.  They
noticed staircases on both sides leading to what looked like offices
lining both sides of the warehouse on a second floor.  Mulder
motioned to Scully to go right and he went left.

After checking out the second floor and finding nothing they met
again at the back door.  "I don't see anything, Scully."  Mulder
whispered.  "I'm going to have a look see around those crates then we
can wait on the second floor to see anyone coming in.  It would give
us a better vantage point.  We can see just about everything down
here from there."  Scully agreed and went back up the right staircase.
 

Mulder walked around the far side of the crates to see if someone
might be hiding.  He found no one.  He tried to open one of the
crates, it was marked fragile, but all he found was a shipment of
cheap oriental vases.  Nothing else.  He went back to the left
staircase.  He didn't see the sensor at the bottom of the front door.
 He didn't see the thin silver wire going from the sensor along the
base of the wall to the set of crates against the wall.

Caitlin pulled up to the warehouse and saw no other vehicles.  'This
is not a good sign.'  The words 'set up' screamed in her mind.  Her
first instinct was to turn and run but she knew she'd have to go in.
She looked all around the parking area for any movement before she
got out of the car.  There wasn't any.  Caitlin walked up to the door
and went in.  She checked the left wall for a light switch.  By this
time is was dark outside.  The flood lights outside the building let
some light in through the back bay door windows but it was still
pretty dark.  There wasn't a switch on the left wall so she checked
the right and found one.  A few overhead fluorescents lit up.  It
helped some, but there were still too many shadows.  This took all of
twenty seconds.  Caitlin had gotten another five feet before the
explosion.  She never knew what hit her.

Scully saw Caitlin thrown ten to fifteen feet through the air from
where she originally stood.  The crates were still exploding and the
warehouse was on fire.  Both her and Mulder were running down the
stairs.  She reached Caitlin and felt for a pulse.  "There's a pulse,
Mulder.  We've got to get her out of here."  She looked at Mulder and
saw the fear in his eyes.  Scully knew Mulder had a bad experience
with fire as a child.  It scared the hell out of him.  He could
freeze with fear if she didn't keep him focused.  "Let's go Mulder!"
 

Mulder was beginning to panic, but he knew he had to get Scully and
Caitlin out of there.  The look in Scully's eyes was one of
understanding and he knew she would help him get through this.  He
carefully picked up Caitlin and they left through the back door.  He
carried her to the other side of the parking area, well away from the
warehouse.  It was going up in flames.  The explosion alone was not
enough to cause this fire.  They had to have introduced an accelerate
to the explosion and possibly onto the walls of the warehouse.  They
knew Mulder would be there.

He dialed 911 and gave their position.  An ambulance and the fire
department was on its way.  Mulder was out of breath and pacing.
Scully was checking out Caitlin.  She was not conscious.  "It doesn't
look good, Mulder.  Her breathing is ragged and her pulse is almost
non-existent.  I think her ribs are broken and she might have
punctured a lung.  She landed head first on that concrete floor,
Mulder.  She's probably got a concussion and I don't feel any damage
to the skull but there is blood under the sclera in her eyes, she
could have brain damage."  Scully was worried they might loose her
before they even had a chance to save her.

"Damn it, Scully!"  Mulder couldn't say anything else.  They had set
him up again.  This time it could cost another life.  Then he saw
movement out of the corner of his eye.  Someone had been watching
from the corner of the next building.  As he looked in that direction,
 the man turned and ran.  "Stay with her, Scully."  Scully watched as
Mulder took off after the man.

Mulder was tired of getting his ass kicked and loosing his gun, so he
took this pursuit with caution.  He rounded the corner in a crouched
position with his gun out front.  He saw the man a few feet away.
"Freeze!  FBI!"  The man turned and fired at Mulder.  He hit the
ground as the bullet missed his head by barely a few inches.  He was
up and running again in an instant.  As he neared the next corner he
stopped and pressed himself up against the wall and slowly inched his
way to the corner.  He could hear the man breathing heavily just on
the other side.  In a swift movement he lurched out into the open,
again with his gun out in front.  The man had his gun aimed at
Mulder's head and was about to pull the trigger when Mulder heard a
gun shot from behind the man and the man dropped to the ground in
front of him.  Mulder saw the two police officers running up to him.
The man was dead.  He had no identification on him.  Mulder couldn't
believe this was happening again.  Answers were in his grasp only to
be jerked out from under him again.

By the time he had returned to Scully the ambulance had arrived and
the fire department shortly thereafter.  Scully rode to the hospital
with Caitlin while Mulder hung back to find out what kind of
incendiary was used.  These things had 'signatures'.  They might be
able to find out who planted the device.

Mulder met Scully at the hospital and she informed him of Caitlin's
condition.  "They'll bring her to ICU, Mulder.  I don't know.  They
don't think she'll make it.  She did puncture a lung.  Three broken
ribs and four cracked ribs.  Internal bleeding.  They're still in
surgery.  The x-rays show a hair line fracture in her skull across
the top and back.  Considerable swelling of the brain.  The doctor
can almost guarantee brain damage.  We don't know to what extent
though.  They're surprised she's still alive."  Scully looked tired.

"I talked to the fire chief and he said it looked like a common
compound for an explosive with a high brisance value.  Maybe lead
azide and diazodinitrophenol mixed with mannitol hexanitrate or a
similar substance.  Common in military detonators, Scully.  He also
said it looked like certain areas of the warehouse had a 'napalm'
like substance on the inside of the walls.  They wanted to make sure
this explosion had a high shattering effect and that it burned hot."
Mulder was pacing as he told Scully the details.

"You don't think the military had anything to do with this, do you?"
Scully was dumbfounded that someone would go to such extremes to kill
them.  Not that they hadn't before.

"No Scully, I don't, but the people we've been fighting with in this
secret organization has the personnel to pull this off."  Mulder knew
the moment he saw the file what they might be up against.  He also
knew they might not be able solve this case.

They decided to go back to the hotel to get a little rest.  It was
after midnight and there wasn't anything either of them could do
there.

Mulder was asleep.  He probably only slept three or four hours a
night on a normal night.  He was normally plagued with nightmares.
Nightmares of his sister's abduction and later of Scully's
disappearance.  It haunted him, but tonight he dreamed of fire.  It
surrounded him and consumed any and all oxygen.  He was gasping for
air.  He was on the ground, crawling, trying to find his way out a
midst the smoke and flames and he couldn't breathe.  He could hear an
alarm ringing in the distance and he awoke with a start to find his
phone ringing.  He took a moment to shake off the sweat and fear he
was feeling and grabbed the receiver.  "Mulder."

"Mr. Mulder, this case is over.  There will be no more deaths."

Mulder recognized the voice.  The dark skinned man he often met with
for inside information.  He could never determine if this man was
friend or foe, although he had saved Mulder's life once from a bomb
on a train.  Electing to save Mulder rather than the 'experiment' the
government wanted badly enough to kill for.  "Why should I believe
you?  Do you realize how many people have died here?  How many are
left waiting to die?  Do you really expect me to walk away from this?
"  His voice was rising with his anger.

"Yes, Mr. Mulder.  I was not involved with this, but I can tell you
all evidence has been retrieved and all personnel has been pulled.
You will not make any further progress there.  That is all I can tell
you."   Mulder heard the phone disconnect.

He sat there for a while trying to make sense of this.  So many
people dead.  Two more who could die.  And once again there was
nothing he was going to be able to do about it.  He wondered if any
of this was worth it.  Was the truth worth it?  It would make so many
people happy if he would just give up and quit.  Just go away.  Then
he thought of Scully.  The losses she's had because of all this.  But
she wouldn't give up.  She would fight just to make their lives a
living hell.  Yes, it was worth it.  He couldn't give up.

He told Scully of the conversation with Mr. X at breakfast.  She
agreed that they would stay to see if they could find anything.  They
arrived at the hospital midmorning.  They met Carol, Caitlin's
secretary, on their way in.  She was shaking and her eyes were teary.
 

"She's dead, Agent Mulder.  She never regained consciousness and died
an hour ago.  She just couldn't hang on."  Mulder put an arm around
her and guided her to a chair as she broke down.  A friend came up to
them and comforted Carol.

Mulder and Scully sat down in the nurse's lounge.  Mulder leaned
forward and put his head in his hands, elbows on his knees.  Scully
put her arm around him.  So many people this man came into contact
with have died.  He blamed himself for all of their deaths.  She knew
this time would be no different.  She would be there for him.  That's
all she could do.

Mulder's heart was in his stomach.  Another young woman with a life
time ahead of her killed and for what.  To protect some precious
governmental information?  He almost laughed out loud.  He briefly
thought of two days ago when they had first laid eyes on Caitlin.
Standing in the airport looking all of  twenty, giving him a hard
time.  Cut down in the prime of her life, killed in the line of duty,
outstanding bravery.  That's what the notices would say.  He looked
up at Scully with tears in his eyes and took her hand and squeezed
but said nothing.  He didn't have to say anything, she knew what he
was saying, 'How many people have to die?'

They stayed to attend the funeral.  It was held two days later.  Her
fiancee, Ian McDonnell, was conscious and doing better but not well
enough to attend.  Of course her entire family was there.  She wasn't
kidding when she said she came from a big family.  Texas Rangers
attended from all over the state.  So many, in fact, that Mulder
wondered if anyone was holding down the fort.

The phone call was accurate.  They could not find one piece of
evidence.  The reports from the Fire Chief were missing, the evidence
from the last victim was stolen or compromised.  All information
regarding the Joseph Bakers was no longer available.  It was like
they never existed.  The organization had done a thorough job of
covering this up.

They left for Washington that afternoon, there was nothing else they
could do in Texas.  They knew they would get another chance, it was
their destiny.

THE END