From: k.morse@ntlworld.com   
      
   > Title:  Paratio Parasitus   
   > Author:  Starfleetofficer1   
   > Summary:  Mulder and Scully investigate an unusual spike in deaths due to   
   > a brain-   
   > eating amoeba.   
   > Category:  X-file   
   > Rating:  PG-13   
   > Two weeks exclusive with VS15.   
   > Disclaimer:  No copyright infringement intended.  I also don't intend to   
   > insult Florida,   
   > the Miami-Dade county, the Everglades National Park office, or anyone else   
   > that I   
   > mentioned in this fanfiction.   
   >   
   > XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX   
   >   
   > LONG PINE KEY CAMPGROUND   
   > EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, FL   
   > SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29th, 2007   
   > 1400   
   >   
   > "Come on, Willie, wake up.  Please, wake up, Willie.  Please."  Jed   
   > Kirsten hovered   
   > over his son in their tent, wiping his sweat-soaked brow with a dirty hand   
   > towel.  The   
   > ten-year-old had a high fever, and had been suffering from a headache for   
   > the past   
   > three days.  It was only after the third day and the fever spike that Jed   
   > realized he   
   > had to bring his son to an official campground.   
   >   
   > The rifle was hidden inside Jed's sleeping bag, and Willie lay on top of   
   > his own.  The   
   > boy was much too hot to cover up, Jed reasoned.  He had undressed his son   
   > down to   
   > his boxer shorts to make him more comfortable in the 65º weather.  The 80%   
   > humidity was what killed it-65 was remarkably chilly for these parts.   
   >   
   > Gator hunting had been one of Jed's favorite activities since he was   
   > Willie's age, and   
   > since Willie's mother died, it had been a way to escape.  So what if it   
   > was illegal?  He   
   > had lived around the Everglades his entire life and he'd be damned if he   
   > let some   
   > stupid rules issued from a fat-ass behind a desk get in the way of his   
   > fun. And   
   > lately, the Gators had been spotted later and later in the year, as the   
   > temperatures   
   > got hotter.   
   >   
   > But during this trip, while they hid from authorities in makeshift   
   > chickees and   
   > abandoned ground sites, Willie had taken ill.  The headache, the fever,   
   > and now   
   > this.his little boy wouldn't wake up.  He lay motionless on the sleeping   
   > bag,   
   > oblivious to the mosquitoes, humid, damp, and swampy air, and most of all,   
   > his   
   > father's pleas.   
   >   
   > "Please, Willie," Jed begged, but got no response.  "Don't make me go to   
   > the   
   > authorities.don't make me go to the god-damned park rangers, please,   
   > Willie, just   
   > wake up!"   
   >   
   > He felt for a pulse, and found that there was none.   
   >   
   > "Oh, sweet Jesus, no." he breathed.  He started pounding on Willie's   
   > chest. He   
   > didn't know CPR, but he knew some kind of compression might get things   
   > going   
   > again.  Then he'd go to a ranger, he'd go to the police, he'd turn himself   
   > into the FBI   
   > if he had to-just as long as Willie woke up.  He opened Willie's mouth and   
   > breathed   
   > into it, but nothing happened.  He kept pounding on the little boy's chest   
   > until   
   > bruises formed, tears streaming down his cheeks and hitting his son's   
   > uncovered   
   > body.  He collapsed onto the ten-year-old, sobbing uncontrollably.   
   >   
   > XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX   
   >   
   > J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING   
   > WASHINGTON, D.C.   
   > MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2007   
   > 0830   
   >   
   > "No!  I did not order a pizza-pattern 12-foot by 12-foot throw rug!  I   
   > don't even have   
   > room for that kind of thing!  What do I want you to do with it?"  Mulder   
   > looked up,   
   > and saw Scully enter the office.  "Take it back to whatever dollar store   
   > it came from!"   
   >   
   > Scully raised an eyebrow, but Mulder didn't acknowledge her.   
   >   
   > "I don't care if it came from an expensive furniture store-no, I'm not   
   > anywhere near   
   > my residence.  I'm at work.  You do realize you're calling me at work?   
   > No, I know   
   > you have a job to do, and I know it isn't your fault, but take the damn   
   > thing back   
   > and read the name on the order."   
   >   
   > There was a pause, and Mulder moved the phone so the receiver was up   
   > against his   
   > neck. "I'm on hold.  You didn't order a pizza pattern throw rug, did you,   
   > Scully?"   
   >   
   > Scully smirked. "Does it come with the pizza?"   
   >   
   > Mulder shook his head. "No, it probably comes with fleas.  Yes!  Yes, I'm   
   > still here,"   
   > he said into the phone. "No, it's definitely not alright with me if you   
   > leave it outside   
   > my door.  Read me the name on the order.  No-read me the name on the   
   > order.   
   > Mm-hmm.  See, there's your problem.  My name isn't Mudler, it's Mulder.   
   > There's a   
   > Frank Mudler living down the street-you probably got his house number and   
   > mine   
   > mixed up."   
   >   
   > Scully's smirk didn't go away, much to Mulder's annoyance.   
   >   
   > "Because I get his mail all the time!" Mulder yelled into the phone.   
   > "Look, if I get   
   > home, and that thing's sitting outside my door, I'm gonna lodge a formal   
   > complaint   
   > to your manager.  Yeah, that's right.  Take it down the street to Frank   
   > Mudler.   
   > Thank you.  Goodbye." Mulder flipped his cell phone closed and put it in   
   > its holster.   
   > "My God, that took forever."   
   >   
   > "How did they get your phone number?"   
   >   
   > "Beats the hell out of me," he said, shaking his head in disgust. "It's   
   > probably on   
   > some practical joke list.  Pizza throw rug.  I've imagined more attractive   
   > things at a   
   > senior center."   
   >   
   > Scully grinned, and said, "Watch it, Mulder, it won't be long before   
   > you're there."   
   >   
   > "Ouch!" Mulder said, grabbing his chest just over his heart and gasping in   
   > mock pain.   
   > He walked over to Scully and pulled her into a sudden, passionate kiss.   
   > "Still think   
   > I'm old?" He asked when he was done.   
   >   
   > She seemed to be contemplating her response. "Eh.getting there," she   
   > teased.   
   >   
   > "You're so dead," he said playfully, and she quickly dodged him and went   
   > to her   
   > desk.   
   >   
   > "Not at work, Mulder," she warned him.   
   >   
   > "We've got no case file."   
   >   
   > "We're still at work."   
   >   
   > "Nowhere to go, nothing to do." Mulder sat on his desk and twiddled his   
   > thumbs.   
   > "C'mon, we could easily shut the door and-"   
   >   
   > "Agent Mulder?  Agent Scully?" A familiar voice asked.   
   >   
   > They both turned instantly, embarrassed to have been caught so completely   
   > off   
   > guard. "Yes, Sir," Mulder asked as Skinner walked in.  He was carrying a   
   > folder.   
   >   
   > "I have a case for you.  It's actually more for Agent Scully."  He handed   
   > her the   
   > folder, and she opened it and began looking at pictures.  Mulder looked   
   > curiously   
   > between his partner and the A.D.  "I'm sure you're aware of the amoeba   
   > that feeds   
   > on brain cells."   
   >   
   > "It was discovered in the 1960s.  There've only been a few cases of deaths   
   > due to   
   > the amoeba, but it enters through the nasal cavity and begins feeding on   
   > the brain,"   
   > Scully said absently as she looked at the pictures.   
   >   
   > Mulder looked like he was about to make a wise-crack about brain-sucking   
   > microscopic parasites, but Skinner stopped him before he could. "There   
   > have been   
   > fifteen cases in Florida in the past three weeks.  They're beginning to   
   > wonder if   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)