From: xfstories@yahoo.com   
      
   Murder In The Capital Part Five   
   By Katie Phillips   
      
   Scully's Hotel   
   5:30 PM   
      
   Scully was finishing up the last of her coffee when she heard a knock   
   on the door.  She saved the document displayed on her computer   
   screen, and walked over to answer it.  A quick look through the peep   
   hole revealed a very energetic-looking Mulder.  He was obviously   
   excited about something.   
      
   "We got a name," he blurted out, walking past her into the   
   room.  "Herbert Tinker.  Worked for both companies and the lobbying   
   firm."   
      
   "That's great Mulder, but working for a couple of companies doesn't   
   give us enough to bring him in."  Scully followed Mulder into the   
   room and stood by her desk, watching him pace back and forth.   
      
   "I know Scully, but we're close.  I can feel it."  Mulder finally   
   stopped moving long enough to look at her.  "Peters is heading up to   
   New York to interview the folks up there, Rogers is flying to LA and   
   Edgars is taking on the lobbying firm."   
      
   "Where does that leave us?"   
      
   Mulder gave her a slow smile and walked over and wrapped his arms   
   around her.  Bending down, he gave her a long, deep kiss.  "That   
   leaves us with digging through the federal data banks on this guy."   
   He kissed her again.  "Then I thought we might stop by the Gunmen's   
   place to see what they could dig up on him."  He slid his hands down   
   until they cupped her bottom. "And then…"   
      
   Scully calmly reached around and pulled his hands back up to her   
   waist.  "And then, we will head back to your apartment to write up   
   what we've found, before I head back to my hotel room to sleep.   
   ALONE."   
      
   Mulder groaned.  "I know, I know, work before pleasure."  Scully   
   chuckled at him.  "I *will* be compensated for all this hard work,   
   won't I Scully?"   
      
   She gave him a long look that gave him plenty of ideas of how he   
   would be compensated.  "Let's go Mulder.  The quicker we get started…"   
      
   "The quicker I can nibble you all over?  Ouch."  Mulder rubbed his   
   arm where Scully punched him.  "Have you been lifting weights?"   
      
   ++++   
      
   Five hours, three pizzas and two six packs of beer later, Mulder,   
   Scully and the Lone Gunmen had come up with very little on Herbert   
   Tinker. As Mulder liked to put it, he was nothing more than an   
   ordinary guy.   
      
   Mulder looked up from his notes as Scully got ready to head back to   
   her hotel.  "I still think he's trying to make a name for himself.   
   You look beat Scully."   
      
   "Thanks, you look great yourself."  Scully walked over and kissed   
   Mulder on top of his head.  "Don't get up, and try to get some sleep   
   yourself. I'll see you at the office in the morning."   
      
      
   ++++   
      
   The man stood next to a payphone near Mulder's apartment.  He was   
   very happy they still made payphones; they made his job much easier.   
   He waited for thirty minutes after Scully's cab drove off, before   
   picking up the phone and dialing.   
      
   "You will do as I say, is that understood?  Excellent.  You will   
   strike tomorrow."   
      
   ++++   
      
   Skinner's Office   
   2 PM the following day   
      
   "Frankly Mulder, nothing about this guy Tinker would give you the   
   idea that he had anything to do with anything, let alone   
   masterminding a plot like this."  Skinner threw down the folder and   
   looked across the conference table at Mulder.  He, Mulder and Scully   
   had been trying to put together the last pieces of the puzzle while   
   Rogers, Edgars and Peters were out in the field trying to track   
   Tinker down.   
      
   "That plays right into my theory, Sir. This guy Tinker is trying very   
   hard not to be so ordinary.  This is his one opportunity to stand out   
   and be noticed, and he's making the most of it."  Mulder was going to   
   continue, when he was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.   
      
   Kimberly entered the office holding a small envelope.  "Excuse me,   
   Sir.  Agent Mulder, someone just dropped this off for you."   
      
   Mulder took the envelope she offered him.  "Who was it?"   
      
   Kimberly looked a bit embarrassed.  "To be honest with you, I   
   couldn't really tell you.  He wasn't one of the regular guys from the   
   mailroom."   
      
   "Think our friend is sending us a message?"  Mulder ripped open the   
   envelope.  The message was short and sweet.  "Two of you will die   
   very soon."   
      
   Mulder grew pale and showed the note to Skinner, immediately worried   
   about  Scully's whereabouts, until he recalled she'd gone to the   
   ladies room.  "This means he's gotten to someone inside this   
   building."   
      
   "But who?  How?"   
      
   Mulder was about to respond, when his gaze fell on Scully's coffee   
   cup.  He stared at it, remembering how she had been raving about the   
   stuff that she could barely stomach three years ago.   "Oh God!"   
   Mulder whispered.   
      
   His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door to Skinner's   
   office door being locked.  "I wished you'd figured it out a little   
   sooner, Mulder."  He head snapped up to see Scully standing with her   
   back against the door, her gun pointing directly at him.   
      
   "Scully?"  Mulder locked his eyes with hers.  The sound of Skinner   
   moving caught his attention.  And Scully's.   
      
   "Don't move Walter.  I know you keep your gun in your drawer while   
   you're in your office, and that Mulder's is downstairs."  Scully   
   snorted in self-disgust.  "Tinker found the perfect fool to execute   
   his plan."   
      
   "What *is* his plan Scully?"  Mulder was trying desperately to keep   
   her talking.  His efforts were having the desired effect; Scully was   
   starting to sweat.   
      
   "It's very simple, actually.  I shoot the two of you, and then inject   
   myself with this."  Mulder and Skinner noticed, for the first time,   
   the small device in her hand.  "At exactly 2:07."   
      
   She glanced at the clock on Skinner's wall.  It showed that Mulder   
   and Skinner had only seconds left to live.  Her hands began to shake,   
   and the last thing Mulder heard before the gun fired was "I wish it   
   could have been different, Mulder."   
      
   Mulder heard the shot and braced himself for the impact.  He was   
   shocked when the bullet flew past his head, missing him by only a few   
   inches.  He looked over at Skinner, who was looking back at him with   
   the same shocked expression as Mulder knew he himself wore.  Scully   
   never missed.   
      
   "Scully never did like being told what to do," Mulder quipped as he   
   turned his attention back to Scully, just in time to see her body   
   crumple to the floor.   
      
   Skinner ran to the door and opened it, ordering Kimberly to call for   
   an ambulance and to seal the building, while watching Mulder gather   
   Scully into his arms.  "She's still alive, but I don't know for how   
   long."  Mulder's voice was anguished.   
      
   Skinner watched as the ambulance crew took Scully away, with Mulder   
   never more than a foot from her side.  He said a silent prayer for   
   the both of them, before turning his attention back to securing the   
   building and apprehending Herbert Tinker.   
      
      
   ++++   
      
   Within minutes the building was secured and every available agent was   
   sent to search the premises from top to bottom, looking for Tinker.   
   Each was armed with a photo obtained from the file Mulder had   
   prepared.  Kimberly had confirmed that Tinker was the man that had   
   dropped off the envelope for Agent Mulder.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)