The X-Files: The End

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From: rad@crl.com (Robert A. DeLisle)

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Subject: REPOST: The End #3.1

Date: 12 Feb 1995 14:50:53 -0800

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m: PXTS92C@prodigy.com (Brian Olson)

Subject: "The End" Ch 3.1 - The very LAST X-Files!

Date: 6 Jan 1995

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"The End"               Chapter 3

                                                            

Agent Fox Mulder was all ready to go to California when     

Skinner called him into his office. He now sat in a seat in 

front of the assistant director's desk,. He shifted around  

in his seat--he wanted to get out of there as soon as he    

could. Every second counted.                                

  Skinner was at his desk looking over some papers. Mulder  

didn't care if he gave him a case, because no matter what   

they did to keep him from the UFO crash site, he was going. 

This was something big.                                     

  "Mulder, you're going to the Mojave."                     

  Mulder nearly fell off his chair. "What?" was all he      

managed.                                                    

  "They want you out there. They think you could assist     

them."                                                      

  "Help them? They WANT me out there?"                      

  "You're being temporarily reassigned to two top secret    

projects that I cannot discuss here. You will go to the     

Mojave where you'll meet with General Johnston. He's in     

charge of both projects."                                   

  Mulder kept a straight face and a cool head. This was     

certainly too good to be true. Which meant it probably was. 

"What about Scully?"                                        

  Skinner nodded. "She's being assigned to this case as     

well."                                                      

  "When are we to leave?"                                   

  "Immediately."                                            

  That was just what Mulder wanted to hear.                 

  "Any questions?"                                          

  "Yes. Why would they even want me a part of this? Aren't  

they afraid of me learning something?"                      

  "I can't answer those questions." Skinner brought his     

fist to his mouth and coughed. "If there's nothing further, 

you and Agent Scully should get going."                     

  "Yes, sir." Mulder rose from his seat and left the        

office.                                                     

  He had already booked a flight to California. He had      

planned on sneaking a peak at the site, maybe even snapping 

a picture or two in his endless pursuit of the truth. But   

they were allowing him and Scully to go right in.           

                                                            

  When the plane landed, there was no doubt they were in    

Southern California. The warm sun was something Mulder and  

Scully were not used to.                                    

  At the airport, they were picked up by an army corporal   

who refused to identify himself. They drove in an army Jeep 

into the middle of nowhere. They arrived at an army camp    

site after a half-hour of driving in nothing but sand.      

  Mulder and Scully exited the vehicle. An army general     

walked toward them wearing some kind of protective suit.    

  "Sir," the corporal said, "these are the FBI agents. Fox  

Mulder and Dana Scully."                                    

  "You're dismissed, corporal." The young man walked over   

to a tent, and began to remove his uniform. He was probably 

going to get one of those suits on.                         

  Mulder extended a hand. The general did not return the    

greeting.                                                   

  "Mulder, Scully, I'm General Johnston. I'm in charge of   

two special government projects:  Operation UO Retrieval    

and Operation EBE Retrieval."                                

  Mulder and Scully looked at each other.                   

  "You are here," the general continued, "because we need   

some insight into what we're dealing with."                 

  Mulder smiled. "So you wanted to bring in the FBI's       

resident E.T. expert?"                                      

  "We wanted you two because of your previous work in the   

field." His voice was tinged with a little anger. "I        

shouldn't have to explain any more."                        

  "What is it you want us to do?" Scully asked.

  Johnston didn't respond for a few seconds. Then, "I don't   

feel comfortable talking out here. Let's go into my tent."  

He motioned to one of the army tents set up in the sand.    

  Don't feel comfortable out here? Mulder thought. This is  

Mojave Desert Shield! If someone isn't comfortable amidst   

this army mob, where WOULD they feel comfortable.           

  They three made their way inside the tent. Then General   

Johnston got right down to business. "I'm going to talk     

completely frank with you two."                             

  "All right," said Scully. "So just what is it we're doing 

here?"                                                      

  "YOU, Dr. Scully, will examine the bodies of dead         

E.B.E.s."                                                   

  Scully swallowed hard.                                    

  "We want you here, Mulder, to provide us with general     

information and insight regarding these creatures."         

  "This ship crashed yesterday," Mulder said. Boy, it felt  

good to be talking freely like this for once in his career. 

"How many E.B.E.s are there?"                               

  "We'll talk more later," Johnston said simply. "I'll have 

someone get you protective suits. You're going to need to   

wear them if you want to go to the crash site--"            

  Mulder couldn't wait. "Yes, we've come all the way here,  

let's go there now."                                        

  "We'll go when I say we're going. Don't get ahead of      

yourself Mulder. We want to ask you some questions first."  

  "What kind of questions," Scully asked him.               

  "That doesn't concern you, Agent Scully." For being       

completely frank, he sure liked to hide things. Mulder      

wanted to work with Scully all the way since she'd be on to 

her new assignment after this. But just being able to see   

an extra-terrestrial biological entity was more than he     

could ever have asked for. He decided to cooperate in every 

way with the general.                                       

  "We'll proceed to the crash site in a few hours. Is that  

too much to ask, Agent Mulder?"                             

  "No, general."                                            

  "Good. Let's get you two a tent."                         

  Johnston had the corporal show the agents to a tent,      

which was glamorously furnished with just two sleeping      

bags. "I think we can assume the mystery corporal isn't an  

interior decorator."                                        

  "Mulder, did you hear what the general said? Alien        

bodies?" Scully was almost in shock.                        

  Mulder smiled wide. "Scully, this is a top secret         

operation. For the first time, WE'RE on the inside. This is 

my chance, Scully. This is my chance to finally see one.    

This is as close as I've ever gotten."                      

  "Mulder," Scully said sullenly, "seeing one isn't going   

to bring HER back."                                         

  "Her?"                                                    

  "Samantha. That's what this is really about. In your      

heart, you know this won't bring her back."                 

  Mulder sighed. "That's not what this is all about,        

Scully. It's about truth. It's about a little honesty. It's 

about ending years of denial and cover-up. It's about the   

government opening up to the people and saying, 'There's    

something to all this.'"                                    

  Scully nodded. "Just watch what you do, Mulder. Don't do  

anything that will jeopardize your future."                 

  Mulder smiled again. "By the book, Agent Scully."         

  She smiled back. "You know, Mulder, I had some            

reservations about leaving the X-Files. I didn't want to    

abandon you. But I know you'll do just fine. I know you're  

where you want to be, and nothing will stand in your way."  

  "Scully, I didn't mean to sound like a jerk. I really am  

happy for your new position. They picked the best one for   

the job. I just hope I haven't hurt your career."           

  "You've HELPED me Mulder. If anything, you've allowed me  

to see more clearly." She smiled. "At the risk of sounding mushy, I owe 

a lot to you."        

  "Scully, be careful. We almost had a moment."             

  She laughed out loud. "Mulder, WHATEVER it is you're      

looking for...I hope you find it."                          

  "So do I." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a    

photograph of Samantha. He had to bring along a picture of  

her. She had to be there with him when he saw the aliens.   

  "Here you go." The corporal had entered the tent and had  

two protective body suits for the agents. Mulder took them  

both anbd the corporal left. He gave one to Scully.         

  Mulder looked at it. It was like a big rubber glove with  

a hood that went over the face and a plastic front to look  

through. "Guess he's not one for fashion, either."          

  They quickly put the suits on. Just then, the general     

walked in. "I see you're both ready. Would you like to go   

to the crash site a little early?"                          

  "Yes," answered Mulder all too quickly.                   

  "All right, let's go." The three left the tent and went   

back to the general's Jeep. It took a half-hour to get to   

the site, which seemed an eternity to Mulder. When they     

finally arrived, there was nothing to see but more Jeeps,   

control booths for something, and a large hill, about       

five-hundred feet high.                                     

  Mulder jumped out of the Jeep. "Where's the ship?"        

  "On the other side of the hill. Don't worry, you'll see   

it. We need to go into the command center first."           

  This was an amazing sight--almost as incredible as seeing 

the ship itself. This entire desert looked as if it had     

been occupied with armed troops for months, but in fact     

this was all set up in a day.                               

  They walked to a large booth. Inside was the most         

advanced tracking equipment in the U.S. There were men and  

women in protection suits sitting at each control station.  

  An officer in one of those suits came over to the agents  

and introduced himself. "I'm Captain Cole, the head of unit 

six, the crash site." He extended his glove-covered hand    

and shook the hand of each FBI agent. The sound of rubber   

rubbing against each other filled the room. "Before you see 

the ship and...everything else, you need to sign a form."   

He had two papers in his left hand, and gave one to each    

agent.                                                      

  "What is this," Scully asked.                             

  "Think of it as a permission slip," General Johnston told 

them.                                                       

  "Mulder didn't want to waste any more time. "Where do I   

sign."                                                      

  The general picked up a pen that was on a counter and     

gave it to Mulder. He was ready to put his John Hancock on 

the line at the bottom of the paper, but Scully grabbed his 

arm.                                                        

  "Wait, Mulder. Read this." She pointed to the words in    

the forms last paragraph. Johnston and Cole exchanged       

glances.                                                    

  Mulder read the whole paper. What was there made him      

realize this was the same government he'd come to know and  

hate. The same government that covered up such things. This 

was no different.                                           

  "...YOU WILL SHARE WHAT YOU SEE UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH,"  

the paper said.                                             

  The general knew what Mulder had seen. "It's up to you,   

Mulder. We're giving you the chance to see everything. All  

you have to do is sign the form."                           

  Mulder weighed his options. He was finally on the inside. 

But he didn't like their game. He didn't want to play. But  

he HAD to see the ship and the aliens. This was more        

important to him than anything.

  Scully stared at her paper in her hand, apparently unsure   

of what to do. She looked even more nervous when she looked 

up and saw the general, captain, and Mulder gazing at her,  

waiting for her to make her decision. She stood with the    

paper in her hand for about twenty seconds.                 

  Then, General Johnston took the pen from Mulder and       

extended his arm toward her. "Unless you sign that paper,   

you're being sent back to Washington."                      

  She seemed to consider it, but the general's next words   

seemed to make the decision for her. "With what you know    

now, you'd better watch your back at Washington."           

  She signed it. The general took it from her, and motioned 

back outside. "This way, people."                           

  Captain Cole stayed inside the booth, and the three       

others walked outside and back to the Jeep. "Just a quick   

drive around the hill."                                     

  Mulder was getting impatient. He kept telling himself     

he'd get what he wanted. It didn't stop him from counting   

the seconds. Each minute was like a year.                   

  After four years of driving, the Jeep reached its         

destination--but no ship in view! "Where is it?"            

  "Calm down, Mulder. You'll see it." A sergeant saw the    

general's Jeep and hurried over to it. "Agents Mulder and   

Scully," Johnston told him simply. The sergeant, and        

everyone else, was wearing the same protective suit. He     

waved them ahead.                                           

  The Jeep forged on, at about two miles an hour. Mulder    

was shifting his weight in his seat, like he had to go to   

the bathroom. It took another year of driving before the    

vehicle came to a complete stop.                            

  The general got out. The agents looked at each other, and 

got out themselves. They walked over to the general. In     

front of the three was a wall consisting of a giant plastic 

translucent tarp hung on poles a hundred feet high. Mulder  

could hear a faint humming noise that he couldn't figure    

out.                                                        

  The general pointed to a point on the wall. There was a   

slit cut into the plastic that was closed. A small breeze   

blew it slightly open, but not enough to see what was on    

the other side.                                             

  General Johnston walked forward to the slit in the        

plastic, then turned to look at the agents. Mulder was the  

first of them to walk toward the general, and Scully        

immediately followed. There was an atmosphere of            

uncertainty that was apparent even on Johnston's            

plastic-covered face.                                       

  Mulder's heart began to race as he already knew what was  

on the other side of the wall. All his career he had been   

blocked from the truth. Now, the truth was within reach,    

just on the other side of a sheet of plastic. The           

adrenaline was really going, now, and Mulder wasn't sure    

how he'd react when he saw what he thought he was about to  

see.                                                        

  Johnston slowly moved his arm to the plastic, and         

carefully pulled back a plastic flap, and opened up the     

barrier between Mulder and his dream. Without waiting for   

any further invitation, he proceeded forward.               

  But Scully put a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head 

toward her to see an unsure expression. He smiled back, his 

heart full of happiness at this one moment. She saw his     

face, and gave him a nod. He turned back around to face the 

entrance.                                                   

  He walked forward.                                        

  Inside, his gaze met with a dream--a dream he'd had since 

his sister was taken. He would stare down an                

extra-terrestrial spacecraft.                               

  And that was what he was doing now. Inside, he somehow    

felt his lifelong work was coming full circle. His jaw had  

lost its hinges and hung there.                             

 

(TO BE CONTINUED...)

 -------------------------- end of part 3.1 ------------------