Title:  The Chilmark Project - Part IIIa - Foxhunt   
   Authors:  Wylfcynne & Ravenwald   
      
   For Authors' notes and Disclaimers, see Part I -   
   Demonology   
      
   For still more Authors' notes, see the end.   
      
   +++   
      
   Foxhunt   
      
   +++   
      
   FBI headquarters Tuesday May 14, 2000 9:10AM   
      
   "You wanted to see me, sir?"   
      
   Assistant Director Walter Skinner looked up at the   
   familiar voice. Dana Scully was a quietly beautiful   
   woman, and he almost always looked forward to   
   seeing her.  He also knew she had many fine, if   
   less tangible, qualities: she was terrifyingly   
   intelligent, she was a scientist, and absolutely,   
   incorruptibly honest.   
      
   "Agent Scully, where is your partner?"   
      
   She blinked at him, patently startled.  "Sir?"   
      
   "Where is Agent Mulder?"   
      
   She was still unsettled; he could see it in her eyes.   
      
   "I...I don't know, sir," she said finally. "I expected to   
   find him here. He didn't come in?"   
      
   Skinner shook his head.  "He didn't come in, he's   
   not here. He's not answering his home phone or his   
   cell.  Is he working on something on his own time?"   
      
   Scully was processing the information he had   
   provided. "Not that I'm aware of, sir.  He took   
   Monday off to visit his mother.  Perhaps there's   
   been a problem and he has not had a chance to   
   call in."   
      
   He hated it when she so calmly came up with such   
   a rational explanation.  That annoyance made his   
   voice harsher than he had initially intended.   
      
   "Then find him, Agent Scully.  I don't want to mark   
   him AWOL."   
      
   "Yes, sir."  She turned and walked out.  He heard   
   her footsteps accelerate in to a run before his   
   office door closed completely.   
      
   +++   
      
   It was just a few minutes before noon, and Skinner   
   was looking forward to getting down to the gym and   
   pounding the stuffing out of the heavy bag.  He   
   usually pictured Cancerman's creased but smug   
   face on the bag, and right now he wanted to pound   
   something bloody.   
      
   (*I know I'm only an AD, but I hate being kept in the   
   dark and fed manure!*)  he groused privately.   
   (*Cancerman treats me like an errand boy and   
   Scully vacillates between believing whether she   
   can trust me or not. Mulder trusts me, at least a   
   little... wherever the hell he is--!*) Before he could   
   follow that line of reasoning any farther, his phone   
   rang.  He glared at it, then grabbed it.   
      
   "Skinner."   
      
   "Scully here, sir," came the quiet but terrified voice.   
   "I must report that I believe Agent Mulder has been   
   kidnapped."   
      
   Skinner's voice betrayed nothing.  "Kidnapped,   
   Agent Scully?  What evidence do you have to   
   support that theory?"   
      
   "His apartment's been trashed, sir, and there are   
   some traces of blood. I've sent them to the lab."   
      
   "And you don't think he's just in pursuit of some   
   suspect?"   
      
   "His service weapon, his badge and identification,   
   and his car keys are here, sir.  His car is here.  His   
   sneakers are here.  I think he was accosted in the   
   shower; there was an open bottle of shampoo lying   
   on the shower floor. He lost the fight, and was   
   taken out bleeding, naked and wet."   
      
   "And no one noticed this?"   
      
   "Apparently not, sir," she sighed.  "Mulder is an   
   insomniac; sometimes he runs in the middle of the   
   night. He was supposed to go to Greenwich to see   
   his mother; I don't know if he did, and I don't know   
   what time he might have gotten home.  If it was   
   three or four in the morning, it would not be beyond   
   the realm of possibility to imagine that no one we   
   have been able to locate saw anything.  The only   
   thing I can positively say is missing from his   
   apartment, besides him, are his handcuffs.  I don't   
   like what that implies, sir."   
      
   Skinner frowned.  "I don't like it, either, Agent   
   Scully. Report the crime to the local police, but   
   make sure they know you're the lead on this.  He's   
   one of us--it's our case."   
      
   "Yes, sir."   
      
   "Keep me informed, Agent Scully.  Do you want   
   someone to help?  I can assign you someone..."   
   He could not even say 'interim partner.'   
      
   "No, sir.  I can handle this."   
      
   "If you need manpower, tell me."   
      
   "I will, sir.  Thank you."   
      
   +++   
      
   That evening, having made no significant headway   
   in the investigation, Scully made a decision.  She   
   got into her car, and made a short trip that she had   
   seldom before made without Mulder. She got out   
   of the car and slowly walked up to the door.  She   
   hesitated and then raised her hand to knock.  The   
   door opened before she finished the motion.   
      
   "Agent Scully?"   
      
   The facade that she had kept intact under Skinner's   
   penetrating gaze crumpled as she heard the   
   genuine concern in Byers's voice.   
      
   "Agent Scully, what's wrong?"  The bearded man   
   steered her into the building and got her over to   
   one of the office chairs before she collapsed.   
      
   "They've got him."  The statement came out low   
   and broken.  She had no proof that the Consortium   
   had taken Mulder, but with these men, she did not   
   need any.   
      
   Byers immediately understood what she meant.   
   "Frohike, Langly, those bastards have kidnapped   
   Mulder!"   
      
   The other two men entered the office quickly and   
   took their places surrounding her.   
      
   "How...?"   
      
   "When...?"   
      
   Langly and Frohike spoke at once.   
      
   "Sometime over the weekend.  He had yesterday   
   scheduled off.  He was supposed to go see his   
   mother over the weekend.  When he didn't show up   
   this morning, I went to see what was wrong, to find   
   out what she did to him this time."   
      
   She took a deep breath, and deliberately detached,   
   as if this were just another case.   
      
   "When I got to the apartment, there was no answer,   
   so I used my key. I entered his living room and   
   there was clothing scattered around, two or three   
   outfits as if he had dumped his suitcase out onto   
   the floor, and then someone had kicked the pile   
   apart.  There was a trail of clothing, sweats and his   
   socks leading into the bathroom. The shower was   
   running and there were signs of a struggle.  There   
   was a small amount of blood trailing from the   
   shower to the door and then it stopped."   
      
   Her composure began to show strain.  "They took   
   him naked and dripping wet."   
      
   Frohike hunkered down in front of her and took her   
   hands in his. "We'll help you find him, Dana.  We   
   won't let these bastards win!"   
      
   +++   
      
   Scully could not face her empty apartment again,   
   so on Wednesday night, when Skinner told her that   
   she had to go home or he would have her arrested   
   just to make her stop running around town chasing   
   flimsy leads, she went to her mother's.   
      
   She let herself in, and stopped dead when she saw   
   the four flower arrangements on the mantle.   
   (*Four?! Who...?*)   
      
   "Mom--!" she called, her already ragged emotions   
   shredding with this additional stress.  "Mom!"   
      
   "I'm here, Dana!" her mother called from the   
   kitchen. She came out smiling, drying her hands.   
   She frowned when she saw the distress on Dana's   
   face.  "Dana, honey, what's wrong?!"   
      
   Afraid to say anything for fear of completely losing   
   control, Dana gestured inarticulately at the mantle   
   where the flowers were displayed.   
      
   Margaret Scully could see her daughter trembling,   
   and knew that something was horribly wrong.  She   
   also knew that her daughter would not talk until she   
   was good and ready.  So she glanced up at the   
   flowers and smiled gently.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)