Disclaimers in part 01
______
"To fear is one thing. To let it grab you by the tail and swing you around is another."
~~Katherine Patterson -- Jacob Have I Loved~~
______
TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2000
LONE GUNMAN OFFICES
7:40 P.M.
FROHIKE:
Kimmy left about half an hour ago. It took him over four hours to crack the encryption on the ghost files, even with Byers and I working with him. Belmont's usually an arrogant bastard, but he was so freaked by the file contents that he ran out the door without a single snide comment. You know it's bad when he doesn't insult your manhood for ten minutes before he leaves.
Byers, Mulder and I are still looking over the contents when the phone rings.
"I'll get it." The phone's next to my elbow anyway.
Before I have a chance to speak, Kimmy's yelling in my ear. "You bastards, you're gonna get me killed just like my brother!"
"Whoa, wait a minute. What the hell are you talking about?" Mulder and Byers look up at me.
"I just got shot at, you stupid cunt!"
"You little punk, don't you ever call me a--" My brain registers what he just said and I stop to regroup. "Shot at?"
Byers and Mulder are both shouting now, asking what the hell's up and who's on the phone.
"It's Kimmy. He says somebody shot at him," I answer, then turn my attention back to our erstwhile colleague. "Where are you, man? What happened?"
"You think I'm gonna tell you where I am over the phone? You're insane! This is all your fault, you and your nutcase pal Byers. This is serious shit you got me into. I'm going underground man. Don't bother looking for me! Don't call me, don't come to my place, and don't fuckin' breathe my name again! I hope the asshole who shot at me is at your goddamn doorstep next." With that he slams down his receiver and I'm left with a dead phone in my hand. I stare at it for a few seconds, trying to get my wits together, then hang up.
Byers goes dead pale. "Kimmy got shot at? Oh, no."
It's not like Kimmy's never pissed anybody off himself, but this just intensifies that twist in my gut that tells me Byers is right. This has everything to do with these files, and so does Deborah's shooting. They know we have it. They know Kimmy's got better kung fu than anybody else with DoD files. They know he was here, and probably saw him leave, which means that our place has got to be under live surveillance right now. We have to find out who 'they' are, and fast.
"I'll go see if there's anything going down outside here," Mulder says. "Be back in a couple minutes." He checks his pistol and hurries out.
I stare at my younger colleague. "Byers, I don't think I've ever been one to back out of a story, but I'm really starting think we should leave this one alone."
"We can't just leave it alone." His voice is quiet and he's got that crazed look in his eyes he gets when he's on a rip about something. "We've had two friends shot at in the last two days. We have to figure out what the hell is going on, find out who's behind it, and try to stop it."
We snap to attention when the office buzzer rings and race to check the door camera. There's no sigh of relief when we see it's Sari; Byers slaps the locks, flings open the door, drags her in and slams it behind her before she's had a chance to get a single syllable out. Since his mind is elsewhere, I secure the locks.
"Please, don't tell me you just got shot at," Byers says, wrapping his arms around her. He might as well be a python, from the grip he's got.
"No, why would you ask that?" Sari's confusion is all over her face. "What happened? Is everyone all right?" She backs partway out of his embrace, trying to look into his eyes.
"Kimmy just called, not ten seconds ago." I inform her. "He left here about half an hour ago after cracking some encryption for us. Somebody took a shot at him, and we need to find out what the hell is going on, like yesterday. He hung up just before you rang the buzzer."
Her eyes widen, and she mouths an 'o' of astonishment.
"Did you see anything outside?" Byers asks.
"Just Mulder, coming out the driveway. There were a couple of guys at the corner. Other than that, it looked pretty quiet to me."
I check the cameras that monitor the grounds around the house. Unfortunately, we don't have anything right now that covers the end of the block. We will by tomorrow.
"Did the two guys at the corner look like they were... watching the house?" Byers asks.
Sari shakes her head. "I wasn't paying that much attention, John. For all I know, they could have been looking to score some crack. You don't exactly live in the best neighborhood. I didn't notice them specifically watching me drive up."
At that moment, Mulder enters.
"What's up?" I ask.
"Two guys at the corner. They disappeared when I got to the street," he replies. "I tried to follow them, but they split up. I tracked one of them a few blocks, but I lost him down an alley." He curses in frustration. "Look, I've got to go. I need to talk to Scully and Skinner about this. Those files you guys found seem to be radioactive. You need to keep your heads down for a while. Don't leave unless you absolutely have to, and if you do, don't do it alone."
"No shit, Sherlock. What about Langly? And what about Deborah and her parents?" I'm getting more worried by the moment. This just keeps getting uglier with every passing hour. I'm convinced now that somebody's trying to keep us from exposing what's in these files. The more we get into them, the weirder things get. I have to know who's behind all this, and sort through our new information to find out what they're trying so hard to hide.
"Believe me, nobody will be getting past the agents at the door. We'll make sure that Deborah's parents have an escort to their room, and I'll bring Langly home myself if I have to," Mulder says, stone determination in his hazel eyes.
"Yeah, well you and Scully should keep your own heads down too," I tell him. "It's not like you're unrelated to this issue, and if somebody's trying to shut us down, you're likely targets as well."
He laughs. "And this is different from my everyday life how?"
I shake my head. "Just be careful. You take good care of that goddess of a partner of yours."
"She's a better shot than me, remember?" He has a rueful half-smile on his face. I pat him on the back as he leaves, and lock up tight. Time for me to start setting up some surveillance cameras from Langly's attic windows that will angle down toward each end of our block.
BYERS:
I'm so relieved to know Sari's safe that I can barely speak. We've moved from the office into the den, away from windows and doors, and are sitting together on the leather couch. I know we installed bullet proof glass on the house, but it doesn't increase my peace of mind as much as I'd like, particularly under the current circumstances.
"Everything will be fine, John," she says. She squeezes my hand. "You know, I actually came by to see you this evening because I have good news. I know you're upset right now, but can I at least tell you about my day?"
I consider it for a moment. I could use a little good news myself, really. "Of course, Sari. What's up?"
She smiles. She lights up when she smiles, and it always makes me feel better too.
"I got promoted today," she says. "They're moving me from my lobbying position, and giving me the job as international coordinator of our lobbying offices."
"That's great," I tell her, truly pleased for her. She sounds as though the promotion is a mixed blessing, though. "What will that entail?"
"Well, I'm kind of wondering if the Peter Principle hasn't struck, and they're moving me to the level of my incompetence. I'll be the International Lobbying Director, instead of doing the legwork and research myself. I'll be traveling more, doing training at regional offices, speaking at national and international conservation symposiums and political conferences, and representing the Sierra Club as an NGO to groups like the World Trade Organization and the World Bank."
Suddenly, I'm not so happy with the situation. If she travels more, particularly internationally, it'll be that much harder to keep an eye on her and make sure she stays safe. This is a very bad thing. "You're not going out of town anytime soon, are you?"
She sighs. "No, they're giving me a couple of weeks to settle into the office and take care of some other things. After that, though, I'm going to be in Paris for a week presenting a talk on the current state of illegal whaling for an environmental law summit."
I have to broach the subject with her. "What are you going to do about your personal security while you're traveling?"
"If I'm going into a 'politically unstable' area, I'll be provided additional protection."
She doesn't get it. "This might not be the best time to be exposed in public," I say softly, at the risk of making a vast understatement. "The files we found contain a lot of conflicting information, but we pulled it down from the mainframe at Area 51. I'm beginning to suspect it may have something to do with UFO's."
"John," she says with a frustrated sigh, "you know as well as I do that 'U.F.O.' simply stands for 'unidentified flying object.' It doesn't mean it has anything to do with all these little green men you guys talk about."
"We're talking some very strange system designs here. It doesn't look like anything I'm familiar with, and I've seen an awful lot over the years."
"I'm not willing to believe this is alien technology. Human beings are sufficiently creative that I wouldn't put it past some government agency to come up with a unique, off the wall system all on their own."
"I'd just feel better if you'd keep your head down for a while."
Her face contorts with impatience and irritation. "John, do you have any actual proof that the files and these incidents are connected, beyond the fact that you know both people and the shootings have been in the last two days?"
"Well, no."
"Until you do, I'm not ready to just assume that they are."
"But Frohike and Mulder said--"
She shakes her head and interrupts me. "If you can find me one shred of proof that there's a genuine connection here, I'll reconsider, all right?"
It's a concession, at least. It doesn't ease the stone in my stomach, but it's better than nothing. I nod. "That'll do," I tell her. "But I'd really rather you stay here tonight. It's much safer."
She raises an eyebrow. "I don't think so John." She sighs. "I suppose this means that the dinner I'd planned on inviting you out for is unlikely to occur."
I shake my head. "I don't think it's a good idea, Sari. I don't want either of us getting shot at."
She opens her mouth to protest, but I have more to say. "I know you don't believe me right now, but please, at least acknowledge that two of my friends have been shot at in the last two days and that it's not unreasonable for me to consider that it might be more than a coincidence."
Sari's mouth closes and she nods. A deep breath, and she says, "All right. It's not unreasonable for you to consider it might be more than a coincidence, but I'm not willing to rearrange my life because of that. Besides, my parents are going to be in town tomorrow. They'll be here until Monday."
This is new. "Your parents?"
"Yeah, dad got a last minute invitation to be the surprise guest at an Asian Arts conference. He's doing a presentation on Hindu and Sikh mystic poetry. You might actually enjoy it, if you're not feeling too paranoid to poke your nose out of the house. Devi's hosting a party for them at the consulate on Friday evening. Everyone's going to be there; all our friends, and all of mom and dad's friends as well. I'd really like it if you and the guys could come, at least for a little while. I know that Ringo's not likely to want to, with Deborah in the hospital, but maybe he'll want a break by then."
Sari has always spoken very lovingly of her parents. She seems genuinely excited that they'll be here, and at least this is a safe topic for the moment. I probably won't go to the lecture, but I'm fairly sure the party at the Sri Lankan consulate will be safe enough for her.
"That might be nice," I tell her. I'm not much of a party person, but she's been introducing me to her friends for the past several months. Most of them have been very nice people; intelligent, thoughtful, and often very talented in one art or another. I've started to feel, if not exactly safe, at least reasonably comfortable around many of them. "If the situation isn't still in crisis by Friday, and we've figured out whether these shootings are connected to the files I've found, then I'll certainly consider going," I tell her. I'm fairly sure Frohike would like it, too. Maybe by that time, we'll know what's going on, and the situation will be resolved.
Sari smiles again, and I can feel a relaxation of some of the tension between us as she leans back into me. I'm starting to feel a little warm, so I loosen my tie slightly and unbutton the top button of my shirt. With a sigh, I put my arms around her again.
"So would you like to come to dinner with me to celebrate my promotion?" she asks.
The knot in my stomach appears again. "I don't think that's wise this evening," I tell her.
I can feel her stiffen in my arms. This has not been a good day, and it really isn't getting better.
"John, could you please at least try to put aside some of what you're worrying about?"
"I'm trying, but it's pretty overwhelming. My stomach's churning anyway, and I'm not sure I can eat anything at all right now."
She turns slightly and looks up at me. "Have you eaten anything today?"
"A little. I had some breakfast," I tell her. If you consider coffee and an English muffin breakfast. "And a few bites for lunch with Langly."
She tilts her head and examines my face. "You've got those dark, owly circles under your eyes again, John. Have you been sleeping at all in the past couple of days?" There's worry in her voice, but a certain amount of annoyance as well.
If I tell her the truth, it's going to upset her, but lying to her is only going to make things that much worse. She doesn't like it when I try to hide these things from her. Some days she's worse than Frohike.
"No, not really. I've tried, but I've been too worried about Deborah and Langly." At least she'll understand that. I know she has been too. She may be after me right now, but I can tell she hasn't been sleeping well either. It's made both of us irritable and snappish.
"I know you're worried, but you can't go around acting like this, not eating or sleeping. It's just going to make everything worse. You're going to start making mistakes in your research, and if you really believe we're in that much danger, you're going to slip and end up getting yourself hurt one way or another." I know she's concerned, but all I can feel right now is irritation: hers and my own.
I can't take it any more. "And you're tired too, Sari. Your judgment isn't the best right now."
She stands, and I stand with her.
"It's not safe. You saw two people surveilling the place when you drove up. How do you know the guys who were watching the place won't be back, just waiting..." I can't say anymore. The thought of her being hurt, no matter how angry I am with her stubbornness, is too painful to contemplate.
She leans in toward me and starts raising her voice. "And how the hell do you know they weren't just dealing drugs? Why does everything on earth that goes wrong have to be your personal fault? Isn't it remotely possible that your friends might end up getting in trouble through random acts of violence, or through their own involvement in something you don't know about?"
"I don't know," I reply, trying to keep my own voice down. The last thing I want right now is Frohike to hear us fighting. "And neither do you. I'd rather err on the side of caution here, considering that people are being shot at!" I don't want to be angry with Sari. I don't want to fight with her. "Your life could be in danger, and I don't want to see you hurt, or worse. I can't have anything happen to you because of something I've done."
She's still mad, but at least she doesn't shout when she counters me.
"John, I appreciate your concern for me, but where the hell do you get your martyr complex? Who died and made you the center of the universe, able to contort reality with a single leap of logic? I thought that was Mulder's job."
That hurts. "That's not what I'm saying, and you know it. All of this started within a day of my downloading those files. Somebody wants that information kept secret, and I don't want you to be next on their hit list. I care too much about you to let that happen."
"You said you don't even know what you have," she says. "Isn't it possible that someone is feeding you a bunch of crap to get you upset and off balance? It's happened to me before, believe me."
She crosses her arms and her face stills into that calm, rooted expression she gets when she's not going to be moved. When she's like this, not even the Golden Horde led by Genghis Khan himself could sway her. It's one reason she's a successful lobbyist. Right now, it's the most annoying thing in the world.
"Some of what Kimmy found seems to add more pieces to the puzzle. They're shooting at us, for God's sake!" I take her by the wrist, wanting to force her to pay attention, but the startled flash of fear in her face makes me realize my mistake -- the gesture is an aggressive one.
"No!" she yelps, and steps back from me a couple of paces, jerking her arm away. Her anger is broken, replaced by a lightning charge in the air between us.
"I'm sorry!" I say quickly. "I didn't mean to scare you, Sari. I'm not going to hurt you. God, I'm sorry."
She's quivering a little, nervous. I never want her to be afraid of me, and now look what I've done.
"Sari," I say gently, "please, don't be afraid." I hold my hands out to her, palms up, hoping that she'll take my hand, but her fear is turning to anger again.
"Damn it, John!" Her voice is quiet but intense. I can tell that her temper is about to leave her entirely. "You know better than that."
"I'm sorry," I tell her again, "I was just trying to get you to listen." I need to patch this up now, and fast.
"You have my complete attention." Her voice is icy.
I use my most conciliatory voice. "I'm just... Sari, I'm just very worried right now. Maybe I am going a little over the top, but please try to understand where I'm coming from." I offer a hand to her again, and she takes it, finally starting to calm.
She sighs, trying hard to let the anger flow away. I've seen her do it before, and it always impresses me that she's able to do that. "Yes, John. I do understand that you're worried about me. And I promise that I'll be more observant, all right?" Before I can answer, there's a knock on the door.
End part 7