Double Indemnity
Round 5, part 2
Aqualegia

Many miles later, Anson looked into the rear view mirror, and smiled as he noticed that the rumble of the tyres on the asphalt seemed to have lulled most of his companions into sleep. Only Smith, who was sitting beside him staring straight ahead, and Mulder, were still awake. Not that Mulder was looking at him either, he only had eyes for Alex who was sleeping safely within the circle of his arms.

As they approached the point where Alex had said they would need to turn off the main road, Anson slowed and brought the vehicle to a gentle halt. Turning in his seat, he looked at Mulder who had raised his head when the van had started to slow down.

"It's time," Anson whispered.

Mulder nodded and gently shook his lover awake. Alex stirred and stretched the kinks out of his back, then after a quick glance at his brother he popped a quick kiss on Mulder's cheek before taking Anson's place behind the wheel.

As Alex started away, Anson went to sit beside Scully, gently propping her drooping head on his shoulder, then after a while he too went to sleep

-oo0oo-

When the van stopped outside a cabin that, apart from being a lot further from the road, looked no different from any other they had glimpsed in passing during the last few hours, Mulder raised an eyebrow, looking between it and Alex.

"How do you know this is the right cabin?" he asked.

Alex gave a tired smile. "You're not the only one with an excellent memory, which is why I found it so hard to believe that so many years had been wiped from it." he said, casting an apologetic smile to his brother, who had woken when the engine had stopped.

Turning back to Mulder, he went on, "I came here once with the Brit. He had me drive him lots of places so that I should know their locations. He was a wily old bird. He knew that if I went to a place once I would be able to find it again."

Alex swung round in his seat to face the others, who were now also waking up. "We'd better check to make sure that we don't have any squatters here, or in the outbuildings, so I suggest we just go into the cabin as if we were here on holiday. Leave all the supplies in the van though, because the main entrance isn't actually in the cabin, although once we're inside we do have access to the complex...."

"I'll stay out here with the prisoners," Jeremiah stated, "It would be inconvenient if they woke up too soon."

Alex nodded at the alien healer, then went on, "Once we've made sure we don't have any unexpected visitors, I'd like the Gunmen to use the equipment they've been contrapting to go on a bug hunt. I will show you where the 'official' cameras are hidden - anything else we'll disable until we find out if they are part of the complex's security, or not." Then, belatedly remembering that he wasn't in charge of the group, he asked, "Is everybody okay with that?"

Anson smiled at his clever twin; Scully and the Gunmen looked at Mulder.

Taking a deep breath, Mulder wrestled with his need to be in charge, then said, "You have much more experience with the inner workings, and the security systems, of the Consortium, Alex, so I think we should make as much use of that knowledge as we possibly can."

Alex gave him a sweet smile, then turned, got out of the van and marched boldly up to the cabin.

Taking out the bunch of keys he'd retrieved from Mulder, he used one of them to open the front door and they all trooped inside. Scully and Anson made straight for the kitchen and started opening cupboards and drawers as Alex had told them there should be supplies of tea, coffee and non-perishable goods already stored there.

Mulder and Alex watched with interest as the Gunmen identified where the cameras were. Once they had been given the all clear, and everyone had a mug a coffee, Alex showed them all how to switch the television over so that it could be used to access the surveillance around the grounds.

"It's not used very much, but it can be useful in cases like now. All these video feeds are monitored from the control room beneath us; and, so long as we keep one person on watch there, we will have warning of anyone approaching... and be able to make like a family on vacation in time for their arrival."

"Neat," Langly murmured as he pressed the buttons on the remote control while the others scanned the pictures for any signs of movement. Ever practical, Scully asked, "What would you have done if Mulder hadn't brought your keys with him?" Alex gave her a quick grin. "We would have had to make a detour to pick up another set - it would have added at least another day and a half to our journey... so I'm very thankful that Mulder did have my keys."

"In that case, so am I," she assured him. Then, changing the subject completely, she said, "While the boys play with the electronics, I'm going to start getting us all a meal."

"I'll help you," Anson said, getting to his feet and following the petite redhead into the kitchen.

Alex and Mulder smiled at one another, pleased that Anson was no longer so aggressive... and no longer glued to Alex's side.

Once he was satisfied that they were not being observed, Alex told the Gunmen to keep watching and tugged Mulder back to the van. Instructing Mulder to take the wheel, he walked over to the barn that served as a garage and opened the doors.

Mulder drove the van inside and waited patiently whilst his lover closed and locked the doors behind them. Alex then walked across to one of the rough-hewn supports and inserted his key into what looked like a crack in the timber counted slowly to nine, then withdrew it. A few seconds later the floor, accompanied by a feint whine, started to sink into the ground.

When it stopped at the lower level, Alex went over to what looked like a smaller version of an airport baggage train. He unplugged the motor unit from the wall and drove it over to the van. They unloaded their prisoners into one of the trailers and their baggage into another.

Their first stop, after sending the van back up to the garage, was the holding cells where they incarcerated their prisoners under the guidance of Jeremiah. Then they dropped off the cartons of equipment in the main laboratory, then piled the baggage in one of the top-most level lounges.

Alex took the 'train' back to where he'd found it and plugged it in to recharge its batteries, before jogging back to where he'd left Smith and Mulder.

Going into the control room, he switched on the main power, then took his two companions to a door near the rear of the room. Pressing a button, the door slid aside and revealed a spiral staircase. Taking the lead, Alex went up and opened the door at the top which proved to be part of the panelling around the chimney stack in the cabin's master bedroom.

"Neat," Mulder commented when he realized where they had exited.

When they entered the living room, the Gunmen demanded to be shown where they had come from, then wanted to go down to the control room immediately. Alex reminded them that Scully and Anson were getting them all a meal and that she would be unimpressed if they were not only to disappear just when the meal was ready, but also exclude her from the first tour of even part of the complex.

"Believe me," Mulder added in a tone that brooked no argument, "You do not want to be cooped up with a pissed-off Scully."

"Right.... In that case I guess we'd better curb our enthusiasm and set the table for dinner." Frohike stated, putting their thoughts into words.

-oo0oo-

After they'd eaten and all the dishes and pans had been washed and put away, Alex took them on the promised tour of the complex. Their first stop was the executive level's living quarters, where they each chose the bedroom they were going to use, and took bedding out of storage to made the beds before moving their meagre possessions into them.

Next were the laboratories; which Scully and Smith agreed were every bit as well equipped as Alex had said they were, and professed themselves satisfied with the range of chemicals and compounds held in the storage lockers.

For their part, the Gunmen looked around the Computer Suite and Communications centres with expressions that said that Christmas had not only come early but that their presents had far exceeded their wildest dreams.

Although confident that their arrival had not been observed, they were not complacent enough not to take turns keeping watch for any intruders.

Six of them would be standing watches, of four hours each, sitting in the control room keeping watch on their surroundings, and on their two captives... even though Smith assured them it wasn't necessary. Scully and Jeremiah were excluded from the roster because they would be occupied doing the actual research. Scully also vetoed Alex taking a shift until at least the following day; no-one argued with her, except Alex, as it was obvious to them all that he was almost asleep on his feet.

He was still protesting when Mulder dragged him off to the bedroom they would be sharing and bolted the door behind them. Once inside, Mulder hugged Alex, kissed him stupid, stripped him of his clothes, and helped him into bed. Although it was still early in the evening, Mulder switched off the lights until only the dim emergency ones remained, then stripping off his own clothes he climbed in beside Alex and pulled the tired man into his arms.

Alex snuggled close to his lover. "This is nice," he murmured appreciatively.

Mulder kissed the top of the sable head, and ran his hand in small circles across Alex's shoulders. Slowly the tension went out of Alex's body and after a while he drifted off to sleep. Mulder looked down at his sleeping lover, remembering his fear whilst standing over him in the hospital that he might not survive: it had been then that he had really had to confront his feelings, to acknowledge that he was deeply in love with Alex; that he needed him....

-oo0oo-

Alex snuffled in his sleep and his nose pressed further into Mulder's ear. Mulder, already starting to wake up, opened his eyes, looked at the clock and smiled. They'd had nearly ten hours of uninterrupted sleep... which was certainly a record for him and had been much needed by Alex.

Gently disentangling himself from Alex's clutching hands, he walked as quietly as he could into the bathroom to relieve himself, but wasn't really surprised when, while he was washing his hands, Alex appeared in the doorway on the same errand. Giving him a quick kiss on the nose as he passed, Mulder collected their clothes from where they had landed the night before and placed them in a pile on a large chair near the bathroom door.

When Alex exited the bathroom, Mulder gathered him into his arms and captured his mouth in a searing kiss. Manoeuvring carefully he got them back to the side of the bed, then gave Alex a little push.... The back of Alex's legs hit the edge of the bed and, caught unawares, he fell backwards, sprawled across the dark quilt. Mulder followed him down, smothering any protest Alex might have made by covering his lips with his mouth.

Hands and mouths mapped bodies and the morning erections which had flagged slightly with the necessity of using the bathroom, hardened again. When he felt he couldn't wait any longer Mulder reached into the bedside cabinet for the supplies he had left there the night before, then quickly, but thoroughly, prepared Alex, and hastily donned a condom.

Alex's hips rose as Mulder's cock breached the tight ring of muscle, and Mulder stilled... waiting.... Alex's eyes glittered, he lifted and crossed his legs behind his lover's back and tried to pull Mulder forward to force him to start moving again.

Mulder grinned down at him and braced himself, locking his elbows.

Alex slid his feet down until his heels were behind Mulder's thighs and pulled Mulder towards him, urging him to bury that thick cock in his ass... and slowly, inch by inch, Mulder complied. Then, not wanting to tease his lover any further, he started moving his hips backwards and forwards in a steady rhythm, one hand pumping Alex's cock in time with his thrusts...

...Alex's hips lifted, his muscles tightening around, then milking Mulder's pulsating cock as his orgasm tore through him.

Panting, his arms and legs trembling, Mulder withdrew his softening member and rolled them both on their sides to recover their breath.

They cuddled and drowsed for quite a while, then Mulder shifted slightly and caught sight of the clock and pulled away. "Damn, I'm on duty in the control room soon, we'd better get a move on."

Clean up was a hasty shower together, then they quickly got dressed and went to the communal living area in search of breakfast.

They found everyone else was already eating, seated in either the control room or the conference room, the communicating doors between the two were open so that they could talk back and forth without interrupting the surveillance. The sideboard nearest this door held covered dishes of food keeping warm on hotplates, and after they had all said 'good morning' they were invited to help themselves to anything they fancied to eat.

After they'd eaten their fill, Smith stayed with Anson in the control room whilst everyone else gave a hand with washing the dishes and clearing away what little remained of the food.

Those chores done, they split up as agreed the night before.

Mulder, Scully and Smith went to the labs to start reading through the notes about the vaccine and to see if there were any clues in the files about the Alien's genetic make up.

Alex went with the Gunmen into the Computer Suite and took them through how to access the systems... "Those that I know about, anyway," had been his comment when he had first seated himself in the operator's chair. Once he had passed on everything he could remember, he returned to the conference room to see how Anson was getting on. Without making his presence known he watched his brother working methodically through the list of checks. Alex smiled, pleased that giving Anson some responsibility seemed to have calmed the man even more than just being close to him had done; Smith had promised that he would be able to help his brother... though exactly how he hadn't yet revealed.

Another thing he'd noticed had helped as well, was that their acceptance as equals by Mulder, Scully and the Gunmen was causing his brother to lose his air of distrust. Scully, especially, had become noticeably friendlier once she'd leaned the story of their early lives... the way they had been torn apart... and his conditioning and ill-treatment by his own Grandfather, had shaken her to the core.

Leaving Anson to his tasks, Alex made his way down to where Mulder, Scully and Smith were working. When he entered the room, Scully looked up from the file she was reading.

"Why did they stop development just when they'd got a viable vaccine?" she asked abruptly.

"I asked the Brit that," he replied mildly, unfazed by the brusque tone. "He said that although they could easily mass produce the stuff, it only worked by direct injection... it could be lethal to anyone with any kind of immune deficiency, and there would be about five percent of the population for whom it wouldn't provide any protection. Also, what about the other primates... or the larger mammals... are they at risk too? He was of the opinion that it should be used only as a last resort." He hitched a hip on the table near Mulder that hadn't yet been covered by piles of files. "The vaccine's biggest drawback is how to ensure that everyone in the world, about five billion people, would get the injection.... Then, even if you could find a way to get everyone inoculated, there's still that five percent, still millions of people, that would be able to be infected, their only chance to avoid dying giving birth to an alien, would be death at our hands...."

Scully gasped, "You're not suggesting we-"

"No!" Alex interrupted. "I'm not suggesting anything; it was, as I said, a scheme put forward as a last resort. What we need to find, if possible, is something that is one hundred percent effective and easily deliverable. Something to make our planet inimical to the Colonists without killing off any of our own species, or our friends, in the process."

"Not asking for much, are you," Scully commented wryly.

Alex smiled at her. "There's a poet that wrote;
'Who sees with equal eye, as God of all,
A hero perish or a sparrow fall,
Atoms or systems into ruin hurl´d,
And now a bubble burst, and now a world.'

Mulder said, "That's from Alexander Pope's Essay on Man. Epistle i., and it's very appropriate."

Alex turned a brilliant smile on his lover. "I thought you would know who it was." He became serious again, saying sombrely, "However, we do have to face the fact that we may not be able to save everything...."

Scully protested, "I can't accept-"

"We can not adopt an 'all or nothing attitude' at this stage," Jeremiah told her. "It may be that we will have to use more than one solution - or even find that no matter what we do we are unable to save some insect, fish or bird."

Scully scowled at the file in front of her, not yet willing to concede the point.

Alex stared at one of the paintings on the wall.

Mulder leaned back and looked at the ceiling. He eventually broke the silence, saying contemplatively, "We might be hailed as heroes for getting rid of some insects in this world: fleas and ticks for instance... and I don't think many people would mind if we managed to exterminate the killer bees and locusts that cause so much misery... or the tsetse fly in Africa.... Mankind has been trying to eradicate all of them for years."

"...and don't forget the mosquitoes that carry malaria and other fatal diseases." Alex added.

Scully raised her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Okay... I will admit that perhaps I was not thinking clearly... I just don't like the idea of playing God."

"Neither did we, which is why we are sitting here trying to find another solution."

Scully nodded, then changed the subject slightly. "I've been reading about the vaccine, are there samples of it here?" When Alex nodded, she went on, "It also says here that the vaccine was easily replicated... exactly how easy is it to manufacture?"

"Do you remember, yesterday, while I was talking about the labs here, I said that in the lower levels there were lots of very expensive machines?"

"Yes."

"Amongst them is a gas chromograph and mass spectrometer. All of the tools necessary to break down samples into individual chemicals to identify the amount needed to reproduce the smell, the liquid... whatever.... Other machines can synthesize them - their existence in this complex is the main reason I brought you here, rather than take you to one of the other abandoned facilities."

"That's all very well, but who is going to teach us how to use them?"

"The Englishman told me there were step by step instructions on file for each of the machines - each of the technicians working here was required to document everything they did - and how to retrieve that information should be in the files that I have given to you." He turned and grinned at his lover. "I suggest you give the indices to Mulder to read and he'll then be able to find anything you want."

"Gee, thanks Alex. Something else to clutter my brain up with," Mulder mock-complained.

Alex's grin widened, and his eyes made promises which made Mulder squirm slightly in his seat. Sliding off the table, Alex asked, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Mulder squirmed again, the double-entendre giving him mental images of what that mouth had been... could be doing to him.

Seemingly oblivious, Scully shook her head. "No, not for the moment, Alex. I think we should be ready to start taking samples from you, and Anson, tomorrow."

"Okay. In that case I'll go collect Anson and we'll make lunch." he walked out of the room, then popped his head back around the door. "I'll ring down when it's ready," he said, then was gone again.

-oo0oo-

Lunch was soup and sandwiches. A loaf, still warm from the bread maker, stood in the centre of the table should anyone want some more.

After they'll all eaten their fill, they crowded into the control room to review the morning's progress. The Gunmen reported that they had gone over the control room and the communication and computer systems with sniffers and scanners and a fine toothed comb, and could say with confidence that they were not under surveillance from the outside. Their second report was that they had been able to set up secure and untraceable lines. Frohike and Langly had logged on to their usual chat rooms and caught up with the current news. Byers had catalogued all the databases and other programs that were stored on the network, and proposed that he pinned up lists of them on the wall in the conference room together with a comprehensive plan of the complex. Their final piece of news was that they had figured out a secure way to contact Skinner if necessary.

Alex told them that Byers had pointed him to the food inventory database from which he had printed out a listing, He and Anson had then checked the cases of tins in the storerooms, and the food in the walk-in freezers, against the list to ensure its accuracy before entering their depredations of last night and today into it by scanning the bar codes on the labels. The reader was mounted on the wall beside the waste disposal and recycling chutes which had been discovered using the plan of the kitchens held on the network. They had also replaced the stores they'd used in the cabin from the storerooms and brought down the rest of the fresh food from the refrigerator.

Clearing away the meal was, by general consensus, a communal task. Except for Alex, who had admitted, when Scully asked some probing questions, to feeling tired and was now finishing off someone else's duty in the control room, everyone helped and it was soon done.

Mulder, after doing his share of the work, decided he wanted to be with Alex for a while, so he took the files he was reading with him. Alex flashed him a grin as he entered the room then went back to alternately checking the surveillance monitors then turning his attention to a spreadsheet he was working on and occasionally running a finger down a page in the microwave's instruction book.

Putting the files down, Mulder walked up behind his lover and peered over his left shoulder, trying to figure out what he was doing. Puzzled, he asked, "Whatcha doing?"

"I'm calculating cooking times for each type of meat for each weight from three pounds upwards. That way, whomever is doing the cooking can cook a joint of meat without having to do complicated maths to determine how long to cook it for. Once I've finished I'll print it out in a more easily readable format."

"That's a good idea." Mulder kissed the cheek nearest to him, then settled down to read the files. Privately thinking that he was going to get Alex to go to bed early as he was looking rather pale and tired.

-oo0oo-

The next morning Scully put Alex and Anson though a battery of tests She took swabs from various parts of their bodies; samples of blood, tissue, urine and semen; even going to far as to sit them in the gym's sauna and get them to collect samples from the rivulets of sweat rolling down their bodies... in fact samples of everything she could think of that might help her understand what caused the aliens to become distressed by their presence.

After they'd had lunch, and Scully had finally finished with them for the day, Jeremiah took Alex and Anson into a nearby lounge. Mulder followed them in, having been allowed to join the session on the understanding that he sat quietly at the side of the room, saying and doing nothing.

Jeremiah got the twins to sit on cushions on the floor, facing each other and close enough that their knees touched. Then, sitting on a low chair behind Anson, he said, "Alex, I want you to hold your twin's hands. Anson, I am going to put my hands on either side of your head... some of the memories I am going to retrieve are going to be painful, but don't pull away, don't hide from them... Alex will be there with you, he will hold on to you...."

Alex took hold of his twin's hands as the healer placed his on Anson's head. The twins' eyes locked as they had been used to doing, a long time ago, when they were young boys...

For quite a while nothing happened, then, starting with the scene they with which were both familiar, Alex being dragged away from Anson and his mother by their grandfather, Anson's life began to unfold. First came the beatings and abuse perpetrated by his step-father... gently Anson was made to understand that none of it was his fault. The murder of his mother and step-father by the smoker was dragged from his mind... examined, and put aside - that wasn't his fault either.

The problems in the Army proved to have been caused mostly by a combination of interference by his grandfather and a sergeant who wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. The rest had been his own stubborn need, just like Alex, to survive at all costs. The hurt that his marriage, divorce, and the consequent separation from his daughter had caused was not something that could be completely assuaged... couldn't yet be put aside completely... but Jeremiah showed him how to deal with it without getting so upset that it eclipsed his reason, causing others to react negatively towards him, which in turn hurt him even further.

Much of his life before he'd gone into the catatonic state, was a blank... and if he'd pushed it aside then Jeremiah wasn't going to rock the boat and make him remember... it had been dealt with, no guilt was attached because he didn't remember that there was anything to be guilty about.

After the session was over, Anson was quiet and thoughtful... and stuck so close to his brother that Alex could hardly move without bumping into him.

During dinner, it was obvious to everyone that the twins, especially Alex, were very tired, so while they were clearing up after the meal, Mulder and Jeremiah took Alex aside.

Taking a deep breath, Mulder said, "Alex, I think it would be best if you and Anson go get some sleep. Stay the night in his room. I think you'll both sleep better that way, and you both look as if you are badly in need of some rest."

Alex looked towards Jeremiah, who said, "I concur. It will be like a rebirth for him, and a healing time for you.

"Shouldn't we stay for the discussion?" Alex asked, wary that he might get left out of being a party to any decisions.

Mulder pulled him into a hug, easily divining the cause of Alex's reluctance to leave. "I promise to tell you everything... and no decisions will be made without you both being present. If there are any to be made it won't be until after breakfast tomorrow." When there was no answer forthcoming from Alex, he went on, "And you can't tell me you're not tired..."

Alex held on tightly for a moment longer, then pulled away. "Okay. I admit I do feel tired... and emotionally drained after the session this afternoon," he admitted reluctantly. "But I would rather wait a while and let my dinner settle before trying to get to sleep."

Scully, who had joined the group while Alex was speaking, said, "That's probably a good idea, though if you fall asleep while I'm making my report I'm not carrying you to bed."

Alex grinned, "Nah, I wouldn't make you do that... Mulder will do it." He looked around and spotted Anson on the other side of the room, watching them with a worried look on his face. "I'll go tell Anson what you've said, and then we'll join you in the conference room."

Alex joined his brother and quickly explained Mulder's suggestion, which was greeted by a relieved smile, and Scully's comments which made him laugh. Then seeing that most of the group were going into the conference room, they followed suit. Alex sat down to the left of Mulder, and Anson sat to the left of him.

When they were all seated, Scully put on her glasses and opened her file of notes. "Okay. This is what we have discovered so far. Alex and Anson are definitely monozygotic twins," she grinned and forestalled the questions she could see forming, "Which means that they developed from a single fertilized egg. What the general public would call identical twins."

"We can see that for ourselves!" Langly commented from his seat in the control room.

Scully's lips twitched, but otherwise she ignored the interruption. "It is generally acknowledged that monozygotic twins have the same DNA. However, once you know that the twins exist there are extra tests which can be run to distinguish between the two, for once the egg splits the development of each foetus becomes independent... it's the same with their fingerprints, there will be lots of similarities, but because they will have touched different parts of the womb, and each other, while they were developing, they will be slightly different. The DNA test is still running, but with the state of the art equipment here, it should be completed by tomorrow evening. For some sort of comparison, I'm also doing samples from Mulder, Byers and myself."

She turned over some pages in the file before starting to speak again. "We divided each of the samples we took from the twins this morning into four, one for control purposes, one for the analysis, and two for reaction comparison. With Byers to help me use the machinery, I analyzed the samples for their chemical composition, and made a start on the synthetic versions. Tomorrow, I shall continue with that, while Jeremiah starts the tests."

She looked over to the alien healer, and smiled.

Jeremiah gave her a slight smile in return, and said, "After assisting Miss Scully this morning, and spending some time with Alex and Anson this afternoon, Langly and I have been sorting through the monitoring equipment. He and Frohike have volunteered to help me do the testing since the Hunters show absolutely no response to their presence. They will, of course, be wearing top level Hazmat suits to guard against any release of noxious fumes et cetera."

Alex, who had made a valiant effort to stay awake while Scully was talking, was slumped against Mulder, fast asleep, by the time Jeremiah stopped speaking.

Mulder looked over at Anson and very quietly said, "Let's get him to bed." Anson nodded and gently shook his twin awake.

Alex blinked owlishly, and climbed unsteadily to his feet. As one Anson and Mulder put one of Alex's arms across their shoulders and started for Anson's room... Scully walking ahead of them to open the doors.

After Scully had left and closed the door on them, Mulder helped Anson get his exhausted twin undressed and into bed. He kissed Alex on the forehead, patted Anson on the back, then left them alone. He paused in the doorway saying, "Good night, sleep well," to them both then, closed the door behind him.

Anson shut off the lights and climbed into bed beside his brother, wrapping his arms around the tired man, just as he had when they were children. Alex shifted position slightly to get more comfortable, then was asleep between one breath and the next. Anson closed his eyes and listened to the soothing sound of his brother's even breathing which lulled him into a deep, healing sleep.

-oo0oo-

At lunch the next day, when the twins didn't make an appearance, Scully asked where they were and if they were all right.

Mulder grinned. "I took a late breakfast in to them about ten. They were both still asleep then, and looking very angelic. I made sure they ate, and left some water with them to drink before I left. If they don't appear before we've finished lunch I'll go look in on them."

"I'll come with you," Scully said, "I want to make sure that they are okay, and not suffering any ill effects from the tests we put them through yesterday."

"They are behaving exactly how I expected," Jeremiah assured them, "However, if you need reassurance, Miss Scully, I'm sure they will appreciate your concern."

She smiled back at him, "I'll still feel better if I can see them for myself." Mulder shrugged, and said, "I'll let you help me carry the meal into the bedroom."

Which is why, just over an hour later, Scully was carrying a tray across the threshold to Anson's bedroom. Having put it on the table beside Mulder's she went over to the bed and looked at the twins... still blissfully asleep and unaware of their presence.

She studied them for a moment, they looked so beautiful - one cradling the other - and found herself in agreement with Jeremiah that leaving them to sleep together had been the best thing to do. They both looked 100% better than they had the night before. She glanced at Mulder who was also staring at the twins, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"It seems such a shame to wake them..." she whispered.

Two pairs of long eyelashes fluttered and rose over green eyes... neither of the owners seemed very surprised to see them standing there.

"The sleeping beauties awake," Mulder replied quietly. Then addressing the twins, he said, "We've brought you some lunch. Jeremiah asked me to tell you that you should get some exercise this afternoon. Then you can nap again if you want to."

Alex sat up, pulling the bedclothes off his twin.

"Hey!" Anson exclaimed, snatching the at the vanishing covers.

The corner of the quilt only just preserving his modesty, Alex laughed, captured Mulder's hand and kissed its palm.

"You're obviously feeling a lot better, Alex," Scully commented, as Mulder bent and kissed his lover's forehead before reclaiming his hand.

Alex cocked his head on one side, sounded himself, then nodded, "Yes, I do." Completely unfazed by his nakedness, he got out of bed and wandered over to the table where the lunch trays were waiting. Pouring out a glass of apple juice, he took it over to Anson, who was now sitting up in bed. Collecting two robes from the bathroom, he donned one and laid the other on the bed for Anson to wear.

Blushing, Scully tugged on Mulder's sleeve. "C'mon Mulder, we've got work to do. Let's leave them to eat their lunch in peace."

Mulder put an exaggerated pout on his face, and a whine into his voice. "But Sculleee..." then laughed as she folded her arms and tapped her foot, trying, and failing, to look severe. Linking his arm with hers, he escorted her out of the door saying over his shoulder, "See you later guys." Scully pulled the door shut behind them.

Anson drained the glass of juice before donning the robe and joining Alex at the table. About half-way through the meal, Anson put down his knife and fork, and when Alex looked up he said, "Do you think they've ever...?"

Alex shook his head. "Nah." When his brother continued looking thoughtful, he asked, "What?"

"Has Dana got a boyfriend?"

"Not at the moment... that I know of.... Why?"

"Just wondering."

Alex smiled.

-oo0oo-

That evening, Scully spoke first about the DNA tests she had run, describing the results as unusual.

"Alex, Anson and Mulder all had genes turned on that are not active in the majority of the population, as represented by the control samples from Byers and myself. The genes that were on and off are identical in both Alex and Anson, there were, however, small differences elsewhere which would identify which twin was which. Just for the record, in Mulder's DNA the gene selections are different from those of the twins."

Jeremiah reported on the results of taking the samples, both real and synthetic, individual and combined, but although the combined sample had the most effect and made the subjects very uncomfortable it wasn't strong enough for their purpose.

There was a stir of excitement, this was a giant first step. Although he was as pleased as they were at the reaction, he nevertheless issued a caution. "We still have a long way to go. We need to find a way to: one, enhance the immediate effect; two, make sure it isn't toxic; three, distribute it world-wide; and four, to make sure that it has a lasting effect or put in place some mechanism to replenish whatever it is that we finally use."

Mulder looked at the Gunmen. "Anything you want to say guys?"

Byers cleared his throat. "Both Melvin and I have things to report... I'll go first. I have set up a secure way to communicate with AD Skinner. One of our close associates will arrange for a mobile phone to be delivered to him by a courier service on any day that we specify with instructions on the date and time to be in a secure location. It will be set up to dial a one-time only number... once we've spoken to him, he will just dump the phone. Any time you say the word we can contact him. Over to you Frohike."

Frohike slid the file in front of him across the table to Scully. "Here's the updated listing of all the software on the network, with descriptions, where we have discovered any documentation, of what they are supposed to do. I've put a soft-copy of this on your desktop, with hyperlinks to the documentation so you can easily read the full version for yourself."

"That's great, thanks for doing that so quickly." Scully replied, opening the file to take a glance through the contents.

Frohike smiled. "You're welcome, Doctor Scully." He watched her for a moment, then turned his attention back to Mulder. "In between doing other jobs, we've been testing the security systems to see how good they are; and we have conclusively proved that the monitoring systems around this place are far better at keeping track of any intruders than any human could be so there isn't any need for someone to scrutinize the monitors all the time.... We have to keep someone in the computer suite to run the facility, the cause of any alarm shows up on the monitors in there, so I propose that we combine the two tasks."

Mulder frowned. "If the monitoring is so efficient, how did I keep getting around it during my forays onto various bases."

Alex grinned. "We've got *all* the complex's monitoring systems turned on. You'll find that the guards on most bases are what I would term 'rent-a-thugs'. It never takes them long to find out that if they put the perimeter alarms on 'low' and turn others off, they can make unauthorized visits to the nearest town... or slip out of side doors to have a smoke - they also quickly get fed up with all the false alarms caused by animals, and turn more of the systems off. That's not the case here, if anyone tries to make an unauthorized entry, or exit, we will know it."

"Didn't you ever report it?"

Alex shrugged, "Why should I? I wasn't the security officer. Besides, it suited me to be able to walk in and out when I wanted to, and also to stay 'friends' with the guards, it's amazing what you can learn from listening to them talk."

Mulder and the others laughed at Alex's pragmatic explanation. When the mirth had subsided, he asked, "Is there anything else anyone wants to raise?" After everyone had answered in the negative, he went on. "Okay, in that case I suggest we clear up and go to bed, we've got a busy day tomorrow.

-oo0oo-

A day and a half later, after many hours of testing, they sat around the conference table containing the remains of their lunch, discussing what to try next. Scully said that they had now tested all the combinations of chemicals, and although many of them had caused some discomfort only the strongest 'smell' had made them nauseous to the point of vomiting. None of them had been strong enough to incapacitate the aliens, let alone eliminate them.

"If any of you have any ideas at all... no matter how ridiculous they may sound, then please, come and tell me." she said. "In the meantime I will be in the laboratory reviewing my notes to see if I can think of anything else."

She left the room feeling as dejected as her companions looked. She walked the corridors for a while, trying to clear her mind of all the scenarios she had run through... feeling that she needed to make a fresh start with an open mind.... When she returned to her desk she found Alex sitting in her chair staring at the ceiling with a frown wrinkling his nose.

"Did you think of something, Alex?" she asked.

His eyes swivelled to focus on her standing next to him. With a small smile, Alex vacated the chair so she could sit down, then said, "I'm not sure; I'm trying to recall something that was said some days ago. I'm almost certain that it was something to do with smell...."

"Maybe we ought to reconvene the meeting and ask everyone to think about when the word smell was mentioned. I'm betting that if Mulder was present, that memory of his will recall it."

"You have a point there. C'mon." He started for the elevator at a brisk pace.

"Whoa, slow down, Alex, your legs are longer than mine," she called after him.

He stopped and waited for her to catch up with him. "Sorry," he said and grinned, thinking about the speed that Mulder usually walked.

A few minutes later they were all seated in the conference room, listening intently while Alex explained what he needed from them.

Silence reigned while they all cast their minds back over the days since they had started out.

Suddenly Langly sat forward and looked at the twins sitting side by side. "Anson, when we were escaping from the safe-house you said something about covering ourselves in Alex's smell..."

"That's it!" Alex exclaimed. He turned to his twin, "You said something about them not liking Mulder near them as he was - er - was...."

Mulder instantly recalled the conversation and filled in what Alex was trying to remember. "Anson said, "They're allergic to us. That's why it was easy to kill them." I said, "You mean all of us or just you and your brother?" To which Anson replied, "Me and Alex mostly, they don't like your smell right now either. You have Alex all over you." He grinned at Alex, then commented, "Maybe it was the smell of your semen on me that they didn't like." His grin widened as the tips of Alex's ears turned pink.

"You could have a point there, Mulder." Scully said seriously, "It's always been thought that extra pheromones were released just prior to and during sex - although no-one has conclusively proved this. - the aliens were definitely disconcerted by your presence. Come down to the lab with me and get some sample jars..."

"You're not seriously sugesti-"

"Yes, I am," Scully told him emphatically. "Unless you want me standing over you..."

"No, Scully, I'm sure we can manage on our own." Mulder was quick to assure her.

She gave him that saccharine smile which always made his teeth hurt, and said, "If you say so."

She set off for the laboratory again. Alex and Mulder looked at one another then got to their feet and meekly followed her.

After a few moments' hesitation, Anson trailed after them. He watched from a distance as she typed out some instructions, which she gave to her partner; Alex was given a tray of jars and tubes to carry, and then they were sent on their way.

Anson moved away from the door and slipped into an empty room while his twin went by. He knew that Alex would know that he was close by, but he didn't want to talk to them right now.

-oo0oo-

As Alex helped Mulder carry the table across the room to beside the bed, he said. "I feel as if we're preparing for a major operation instead of getting ready to make love to each other."

Mulder laughed wryly. "In some ways it is... it's going to be difficult enough to collect the samples without breaking the mood when the bottles are close at hand. If I had to break off and fetch them...."

"Okay, I get your point. In that case we'd better sort them into the order you want to use them before we start as well."

After getting everything ready they decided to take a quick shower so that any samples wouldn't be contaminated.

-oo0oo-

Anson waited until he was sure that Alex and Mulder wouldn't be returning for anything, then crept back to the door of the lab. Peeking inside he could see the petite redhead sitting slumped on a lab stool staring into space.

Walking forward, he smiled when she looked towards him. "Hi Dana, do you fancy doing some experimenting of your own.

"Are you hitting on me?" she asked, sounding surprised.

He gave her a charming smile. "Why wouldn't I? You're a beautiful woman, Dana, and perhaps in the present circumstances...." His smile widened as she raised an eyebrow at him.

Scully thought about it. "I know he's clean as I ran every single test I could think of on his blood; I haven't got laid in years; here is an attractive man who wants me; and I need more samples. What have I got to lose?"

"Since you put it that way; why not." she replied.

He laughed and swept her into his arms, kissing her hungrily.

Then, placing her on her feet again, he said, "Let's get the gear you need and take this party somewhere more private."

Laughing, she quickly assembled another collection of jars and tubes, then led the way to her room, deeming the one he had so recently been sharing with Alex unsuitable for their needs.

-oo0oo-

After their shower, Mulder almost dragged Alex to the bed and kissed him stupid before laying him down and slowly driving him frantic with need. Manfully ignoring his own impending orgasm, he quickly took all the samples that Scully wanted, including the semen which had started to spurt from his lover at the slightest touch on the straining erection, before swallowing the rest. He then entered Alex as quickly as he dared and let his instinct take over, thrusting back and forth a few times until he lost all control and collapsed, panting on the bed. Alex gathered his lover into his arms and held on tightly drifting on a post-coital high.

-oo0oo-

Meanwhile, Scully was finding it extremely hard to concentrate on getting the samples she wanted from Anson. His gentleness and caring surprised her and it was only his presence of mind, as her second orgasm approached that got her the samples of semen she required before he emptied himself inside her. Still connected by his softening penis, he bent forward and kissed her, then rolled them both over so she was partly sprawled across his body.

A long time later they showered together, completely at ease in each other's company; both knowing that their coupling was not going to be just a 'one night stand'.

-oo0oo-

Much later: Two pairs of sex-sated, happy people arrived back at the lab at almost the same time; and the three men cheerfully followed Scully's directions for quickly dealing with all the tubes and jars they had used during their lovemaking. By the time Jeremiah had joined them, the samples had been split up and the first batch was already being analysed. He wrinkled his nose slightly, and remarked that the current mix was far more pungent than that used in their previous experiments.

"Let's hope that means it has the effect on the Bounty Hunters that we want," Scully remarked, not looking up from the microscope she was using. "If this doesn't work...." She left the sentence unfinished, but they all knew what she meant. Time was running out; fast.

However, Jeremiah felt an unaccustomed stir of excitement. Somehow, deep inside, he had the feeling that the chemical he could smell was the one which could free the Galaxy of the Oilien menace. He felt impatient to try the new formula, and that surprised him as he had a well deserved reputation as one of the least impetuous men in the Universe.

The results came back much faster this time as the machines already had a frame of reference from the tests on the previous samples.

Scully compared the new list of chemicals with the old one. "There are quite a few differences," she said thoughtfully. "There are a couple of new ingredients, two, no three, others have increased their proportions, instead of going down as might have been expected with two new chemicals involved."

"Do we have the two extra chemicals that are needed in the stores?" Alex asked, suddenly anxious that there might be some impediment to testing the new mixture immediately.

"I'll check," Scully replied, turning towards a computer a few yards away. She tapped in a query, then scrolled through the results. The men watched her with bated breath, until she turned back to them with a broad smile on her face. "Yes, we do have them, fortunately we only need very tiny amounts of the one we have the least of; but if we are to mass produce the mixture here, then we will have to get some more supplies of it.

"When do you think the new formula be ready for testing?" Jeremiah asked, easily masking his excitement.

"If we get the extra chemicals from the stores now, the mixture should ready after dinner this evening; once it's been mixed, the re-analysis to make doubly sure that it's composition is exactly the same as the original sample, can run while we're eating.

Mulder looked at his watch. "I'll warn the Gunmen that we'll be having an early meal." He went over to the phone and spoke to Frohike; told him about the proposed change from their normal routine, and emphasizing that they were going to be running some tests later.

He put the phone down, then turned to Scully. "Is there anything more that we can do for you and Jeremiah?" Scully shook her head at him. "In that case, Alex, Anson and I will go help get dinner - we'll hold it until you tell us you're ready."

-oo0oo-

At dinner that evening the twins sat on opposite sides of the table, Alex was in his usual place next to Mulder, and a rather smug looking Anson sat very close to Scully, who didn't seem at all displeased at the familiarity.

Frohike was scowling at Anson and the almost glowing Scully; from their body language he had a pretty good idea what they had been doing earlier, and he was as jealous as hell.

When Jeremiah took his usual place at the head of the table, he announced, "We should have the new formula ready for testing by the time we've finished dinner, so we intend to start the trials tonight... its smell is a lot different from the last one, and I have high hopes of success."

Dragging his mind away from Scully, Frohike said, "Should we start making arrangements to contact Skinner? Whichever way the tests go, he needs to know as soon as possible."

"I'd say that was a good idea," Alex replied, then nudged Mulder, "What do you think?"

Mulder nodded, "Yes, I think so too. Please give your associate the go-ahead to contact Skinner, and set the contact time for mid-morning tomorrow - say between eleven and eleven-thirty. We ought to be able to do enough tests between now and then to make sure this is a viable option and doesn't have any undesirable side-effects... Though I have to admit that although Jeremiah says it has an unpleasantly strong smell, it doesn't seem to be strong, or unpleasant at all to me. We'll have to see what your reactions are, then maybe test it out in the nearest town."

"Mulder!" Scully sounded shocked.

"It's not going to harm them, Scully. I just want their reaction to the smell. After all, we don't want any headlines about a strange smell. In a small population it would be written off as a child's chemistry experiment... in a large population, especially if, as we believe, aliens will die, it would cause more notice, and the aliens might be able to... I don't know... find some way to neutralize it. I know I'm being paranoid, but I don't want anyone to connect our formula with their deaths. If we want to have a secret weapon for use now, and in the future, then it has, by definition, to remain a secret."

Langly was aghast. "You mean we can't publish anything about all this?"

"Not a word," Scully, Mulder and Alex confirmed in unison.

"They might realize we've done something, but we'd be stupid to tell them exactly what." Mulder went on in an uncompromising tone. "We do not want them to ever even *think* about returning to Earth; and if we tell them what we did they might just try to find a way out of spite."

"Message received and understood," Frohike assured him. Byers and Langly nodded their agreement. One horde of alien invaders was more than enough for anyone's lifetime... even a planet's.

Alex grinned. "Maybe we could turn it into a perfume, or men's cologne, make lots of money and repel the alien invaders at the same time. If we could make it attractive enough, without seriously compromising its effectiveness, we wouldn't have many problems with distributing it," he joked.

"That would be the ultimate last laugh on the Consortium." Mulder agreed. "I wonder if it would be possible...."

"Let's make sure it works first," Scully cautioned... then she grinned too. "It is a delightful thought though."

After the meal, Jeremiah explained that the new test would be exactly like the first test last time. A small sample would be taken into containment cell number one, and they would record what happened.

-oo0oo-

Leaving Byers in charge of the computers and the control room, the others went to the observation room, which had video feeds on large screens from the aliens' cells and from the corridor outside.

In the corridor outside the cell of Alien #1, Jeremiah checked the self-contained Hazmat suit that Frohike was wearing, then let him through the airlock into the cell.

Once inside the cell, Frohike opened the petri dish and placed it on the floor near the chair where the Bounty Hunter was confined. The Alien cringed away, shaking its head in distress... then seemed to crumple into itself, before turning into a puddle of green goo. Frohike then took a test tube out of his pocket, removed the stopper to get a sample of the air, then closed both it and the dish before exiting through the airlock again.

After going through decontamination, Frohike met them in the lab, where Scully ran the air sample through the chemical analyzer. Since the machine was comparing samples, they didn't have long to wait for an answer: The air inside the chamber showed only the addition of their 'weapon'; no contamination from the alien's death could be detected.

"What do we do now?" Anson asked.

"I want to try turning it into a liquid, and maybe adding some distilled flower essence, to see if it is still effective when it is diluted."

Jeremiah left them at this point saying that he wanted to contact his colleagues and let them know that the first test of the new formula had been successful.

Under the fascinated gaze of the remainder of the group, Scully mixed some of the powder into distilled water and added a few drops of lavender essence. She then tested the resulting 'perfume' on her arm, finding that it had a very pleasant smell. Mulder held out his arm, and says, "I'll wear some overnight too."

Scully laughed. "I rather doubt that you need to test for compatibility or skin irritation." Mulder just grinned.

Frohike held out his arm too. "I'll be your other test subject, so we can see if this mix is going to have the same effect on the remaining alien." Scully dutifully sprayed some of the liquid on both arms, then looked around, "Anyone else want to test this?"

Before any of them could answer the intercom buzzed, Alex quickly pressed the button and Byers' voice told them, "Intruder alert. Four men, and they aren't carrying the right weapons to be locals out for a night's hunt."

"We'll be right up," Alex assured him. When they reached the control room, Mulder immediately realized what Alex had meant about the difference between having the full alarm system on and the partially on systems he had infiltrated in the past. The intruder's detection was far further away from the cabin than he would have even looked for an alarm, and the distance, given the necessarily slow speed of the strangers' approach, would give them plenty of time to prepare their defence.

Alex stared hard at the screen, watching the intruders' movements. "At least one of those is a Bounty Hunter, like the one we have in the cells." He pushed up the sleeve of the dark jumper he was wearing to bare his arm, and offered it to Scully. "We can call this a field test. If the perfume doesn't work, then a one of their stilettos will have to do." He patted the pocket where the ever-present silver cylinder was carried, checking it was still where it should be.

Obligingly Scully sprayed his arm, and then up the side of his neck, too. Alex looked startled for a moment, then laughed. He sniffed at his arm, then said, "It would make a nice aftershave."

Scully sniffed at her own arm, and agreed that it wore well and kept its pleasant smell.

Alex turned away and became all business again. "Byers, what's their status."

"They are still moving very slowly, and are quite a way out, but, as you can see they've split up into two pairs," Byers reported

Alex studied them for a moment, then commented, "I think we have to assume that means we have two Hunters coming towards us." He watched the intruders for a few minutes more, then turned back to face the others. "Langly, could you please get us all one of those new headsets, please." He walked over to where the schematic of the base was now permanently displayed on a large screen that Langly had installed. "Scully, Frohike, I would like you to take some of the dust and strew it in an arc in the path of the pair approaching this exit. If they both get past the dust then take them out.

"Don't forget to wear full face masks," Alex warned, "If you do have to shoot a Hunter you don't want to breathe the fumes they exude. Don't let them get within reach and try to get as many bullets into its neck as possible. Headless Hunters don't get up."

"Nor do plammed ones," Mulder muttered, just loud enough for them to hear.

"That's true and I'll make sure that everyone has one, there's a drawer full of them in the armoury. I want the rest of you to stay in this room; Anson, arm yourself with whatever you deem appropriate and protect Byers and Langly - there's only one way in to this suite of rooms, I want you to secure it, just in case they manage to find a way to get inside the base. We'll lay a carpet of our 'dust' around the entrances which should take care of the Hunter, but it won't affect any collaborators they have with them, but just in case, I want you all to wear full face masks, too. They will also guard you against things like gas grenades."

Lastly he turned to Jeremiah. I would like you to make sure that, should anything disastrous happen to us, the samples get distributed - so please make sure that the data doesn't fall into unfriendly hands, and don't take any chances. We are much too close to success to get sentimental about individuals.... Without being too dramatic; the fate of the planet is in our hands...." Alex suddenly gave a wry grin. "I think I'd better stop there before I make everyone depressed; and the Hunters sneak up on us while I'm still talking."

They scurried around getting ready, collecting what they would need to repel the intruders, then went to their assigned positions - all the while listening to updates on the progress of their enemies through the forest given to them in Byers' calm voice.

Mulder and Krycek were the first pair to reach their designated exit. They reported that they were leaving the base, and acknowledged Byers' reply that they were now showing up on his display.

With the inner and outer doors safely locked behind them, they moved forward as quietly as they could listening to Byers' quiet instructions.

A few minutes later they heard Scully report that they had reached their exit.

Mulder smiled, thinking that it was a good thing that their exit had been closer to the control room than the one which Scully and Frohike had used, since he and Alex had needed the extra time to get into position because of their much different plan of attack... time which seemed to be dragging interminably.... Eventually Byers told them they had reached the area Alex had designated their "killing zone".

They quickly picked a spot for Mulder to stand, then Alex moved away in a sweeping arc to get behind their prey.

Just as Alex was vanishing from Mulder's sight he heard Scully report that she and Frohike had reached the surface, and the airlock was closed behind them.

Alex walked for about three hundred yards at an oblique angle to their advancing enemies, then waited for the two figures to go by before trailing silently in their wake.

The second of the two, trailing some way behind the other was starting to plod clumsily along, tripping over roots and bumping into trees, obviously not used to hiking long distances.

Alex drifted closer, planning to take the man out at the earliest opportunity. When the man tripped over a particularly high root and slumped to the ground stunned from crashing his head into the trunk, Alex was on him in an instant. He grasped the man's head, twisted it sharply to the left, and let the corpse drop to the ground. He briefly considered plamming it for good measure then decided against it.

Very quietly he reported the death to the others, and asked Byers to keep a note of the position, so that they could recover the body later. Then he trailed along in the wake of the Bounty Hunter, pretending to be his clumsy companion, watching and waiting for Fox to appear.....

Meanwhile, Scully and Frohike, each carrying a bag of the 'alien killer' dust, quickly moved away from the exit with Byers guiding them into the path of the two intruders, until he said they were the right distance from the complex.

Starting from where they stood, they turned back to back and scattered the powder in a wide arc either side of themselves as they walked slowly apart. When Byers told them to stop, they walked a couple of feet back towards the complex, then scattered more of the powder as they walked towards one another again.

When they met, they closed the bags and retreated about twenty-five yards to where they were concealed but could easily see the 'killing ground' through the night-vision lenses built into their face masks.

They didn't have long to wait, less than ten minutes after they had taken cover Scully spotted two figures creeping towards them. She whispered into the mike that the enemy were in sight, then held her machine gun ready in case it was needed.

The thick-set form of the Bounty Hunter entered the clearing where they had started their line of defence. Suddenly the Hunter halted his advance, shook his head then tried to turn away... but it was much too late; he crumpled to the ground and immediately started to dissolve.

The second intruder looked on in horrified silence for a moment, then turned and bolted in the direction from which he had come.

Scully and Frohike gave a sigh of relief, then Scully reported in. "The Hunter is dead and his companion has fled as if the devil were after him."

There was laughter in Byers' voice as he replied, "We can see him on the monitor, crashing into trees in his haste to get as far away as possible."

His tone became serious again. "Mulder, get ready, your target is about 100 yards away from you."

"Okay, I can see movement," was Mulder's calm reply.

"And I'm right behind him," Alex murmured, having shortened the distance between himself and the Hunter.

A few moments later Mulder removed his mask and night-glasses, then stepped out of concealment. The Hunter stopped. Alex immediately shouldered the rifle, activated the plam, and went into stealth mode, silently closing in, ready to go to his lover's assistance should it be necessary.

The Hunter flowed into action, rushing forward to grapple with the obstacle in its path. Alex swiftly followed it.

Mulder watched impassively as the alien came at him, never doubting that the mixture with which Scully had sprayed him would work. The Hunter was almost within arms' reach when it faltered and sank to its knees. Mulder stepped aside as it toppled forward, dissolving in front of his eyes.

Alex said, "It worked," into the mike. He took a sample of the air from just above the bubbling remains then stepped back. He stripped off his mask and hugged Mulder who was grinning like a lunatic at him before giving him a quick kiss.

Then putting the mask back on again, and telling Mulder to do the same, he asked, "What do you recommend we do about the body back there?"

'Did you leave any marks on it?" Mulder questioned.

Alex shook his head. "The only marks are self-... well, tree-inflicted when he tripped and bashed his head."

"We'll leave it where it fell then," Mulder decided. "If it's still there in the morning we can 'find' it on our way into town. Meanwhile, let's leave any further discussion until we get back inside."

Later, in the conference room, over a cup of coffee, Mulder reiterated his belief that they should 'discover' the corpse, if were still there, when they visited the town.

Alex, considered it for a moment, then shook his head. "Okay, I know that sounds reasonable, but I'm not taking any decisions until I've seen what tracks we've left behind. The last thing we need is an entanglement with the local law.

"Whatever happens, we have to check on the ground that Scully and Frohike covered to make sure that no flora or fauna have been harmed."

"Jeremiah and I can do that, we must be sure that the mixture hasn't killed any wildlife before you go hiking into town." Scully stated in a tone that brooked no argument.

Mulder and Alex exchanged glances; the former trying to convey that in this mood Scully would not be easily swayed.

Easily reading his lover's body language, Alex said, "That's a good idea. We don't need any unexplained animal deaths to complicate things with the locals. Even so, we'll have to take our chances that the sheriff doesn't take too much of an interest in us.... Once you've given us the 'all clear', which I'm positive you will, we can walk into town and see if the any of the inhabitants has an allergic reaction to us, and if the body is still there then we'll report it."

"I wonder how long the effects of the spray lasts," Scully mused aloud.

"Well, as long as Frohike doesn't mind not washing tonight, we could test it on the second of our prisoners tomorrow," Anson suggested,

"I concur with that plan of action," Jeremiah agreed.

They all turned to look at Frohike.

"If it will help get rid of these invaders, I'm willing to forgo the comfort of nice, hot showers," Frohike told them in a mournful sounding voice, trying, but failing, to maintain a doleful expression. He grinned when they laughed, then said, "Since there's nothing more we can do tonight, I think it's time you all went to bed, my watch is due to start in a half hour anyway, so I might as well take over now."

"Good idea!" Alex exclaimed, taking hold of Mulder's hand and dragging him towards the door... not that his lover was putting up much resistance. "Good night."

Anson raised an eyebrow at Scully who smiled and they left together, Langly said good night and left in their wake.

Byers fussed for a few minutes, making sure that Frohike knew where the body was lying, then he too went to bed.

After a while Frohike turned to Jeremiah who had remained behind, and asked, "Do you really think this is going to work?"

Solemnly the alien healer nodded. "Yes, I do. I think this is what Alex and Anson were engineered to do."

"Then why did their grandfather split them up when they were five?"

Jeremiah gave a wry smile. "Maybe the scientists involved didn't realize they had to wait until after puberty for the full potential of their scent to be effective: or, perhaps he changed his agenda - a lust for perceived power... who can tell."

"An evil man to subject his own grand-children so such cruelty."

Jeremiah silently nodded his agreement.

After some minutes of companionable silence, the healer said good night and left the control room to check on the remaining prisoner, and then went to his room to get some rest.

-oo0oo-

Early the next morning, during breakfast, Langly reported that the package had been successfully delivered into AD Skinner's hands.

Then Anson voiced what was uppermost in most of their minds. "What are we going to do about reporting the body?"

"Alex and I have been thinking about that, and this is what we propose. First, he, Scully and I take our clothes and stuff up to the cabin and make like we are staying in it. It may be a wasted effort if we decide to dispose of the body, but easier in the long run. Our story is; we need some fresh milk so we decided to take a walk to the shops rather than get the car out of the barn.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just dispose of the body in the incinerators here?" Frohike asked.

"We did consider that," Mulder replied. "But we felt that the risk of something going wrong was greater since we don't know who he is, or the identity of the other man who ran away. If they are staying somewhere local, posing as hunters perhaps, and this guy gets reported missing we could face having a full-scale search and rescue operation combing the woods. We believe it's better this way."

Frohike laughed. "You're the FBI man, so you should know what you're doing." He turned to Jeremiah. "When do you want to conduct your test?"

"I believe it would be best to let our three friends get their personal effects upstairs first, although only they should not go past the upper door. He paused for a moment, then said, "Also, since we are expecting the sheriff and his cohorts to visit, I think we should scatter some of the dust in the front yard and along the drive just in case one of them is a colonist."

Anson cleared his throat to get their attention. "Since my DNA is the same as Alex's, I can help upstairs by doing the drive and yard. That will save us some time."

"Good idea." Mulder looked round the table. "Anyone want to say anything else?"

Some said 'No' others just shook their heads.

Mulder picked up his mug of coffee and drained it. "In that case I'm going to pack my bag and get it upstairs. I'll see you later."

Alex, carrying the last slice of his toast, left with him.

Anson followed Jeremiah and Scully out of the room. Their first task was to look at the ground where they had killed the Hunter to make sure that their activities hadn't killed any wildlife. So, while Anson waited for them at the exit, Scully and Jeremiah walked until they came to the glade where the Hunter had died... and breathed a sigh of relief, everything looked perfectly normal, insects were crawling around; flies and bees were buzzing about, and they could hear birds singing in the trees, high overhead. Best of all they couldn't distinguish *their* dust from the natural earth on which it had been scattered. Jeremiah assured Scully that it was there, though... he could smell it.

Satisfied with the inspection they returned to the complex and went down to the labs so Anson could collect a bag of dust, he then went up through the concealed entrance to the cabin and was soon walking along the drive to the point which had been agreed with Scully he should start scattering their defence. He had also suggested, and she had agreed, that when he returned to the cabin he should make a complete circle of dust around the structure, just to be on the safe side.

Meanwhile, Jeremiah had taken Frohike and Langly with him to the cell block. Once Langly was in the observation room and had the video recorder switched on, Frohike entered the cell. The alien immediately shrank away from him, clearly distressed by the smell. Then, as the Gunman walked closer, its eyes opened wider then rolled up into its head before starting to melt and bubble away.

Frohike turned away, slightly nauseated by the sight, and rejoined Jeremiah in the hallway. "It's nice to know it works, but I really don't like to watch the consequences."

Jeremiah nodded his understanding of the sentiment, then offered some consolation. "If the freedom, the very existence, of your race and mine wasn't at stake we wouldn't be doing this."

"I know, but I can't help wishing it wasn't necessary." He took a deep, cleansing breath, then said, "I'm going to take a shower, while you tell the others of the success of our experiment," He marched swiftly away leaving Jeremiah and Langly to go back to the control room with the results.

By the time Anson returned to the cabin, most of the preparations had been done, and now that he was able to help Scully, she sent Mulder and Krycek on their way to town. Each man was wearing a light, walker's day-pack, complete with a hydration system, which had been found in the stores downstairs, in which they would bring back the cartons of fresh milk, fruit and a few other groceries.

They had talked over their plan of action to cover up their activities while they were having their shower before breakfast, so as soon as they reached the point where they had joined the path the night before they pushed through the bushes, then took a pee and scuffed up the leaf litter so that any of their old tracks were completely obliterated.

The next part was more difficult, they scanned ahead for any signs of their passing and carefully stepped in their own footprints, which fortunately were few and far between, until they reached the point where Alex had left Mulder. They stopped there a while listening to the bird song, and making sure there was no sign of Alex's departure. Once they were in sight of the body, they stopped, then moved forward, as any investigator would do, to see if the person was alive. They stepped away and stood a few minutes as if discussing what would be the best thing to do, then picked up the pace for the rest of the walk into town. Keeping off the main path, Alex, walking in front of Mulder, lead the way along the narrower track that he had used while stalking the intruders the night before.

When they reached the road, they took a quick bearing on their position then walked in the direction of the town which, they calculated, should be less than a mile away.

The town of Langdon wasn't very big, its main street no more than a dozen buildings along each side, so the civic offices were easy to spot.

They walked into the sheriff's office and asked to see the Sheriff or a deputy. The receptionist directed them along a corridor and told to go in the second door on the left.

The lone deputy figure seated at one of the desks looked up as they entered the room. The welcoming smile turned into a leer as it morphed into the familiar shape of a Bounty Hunter. Lunging to its feet, it moved to attack but stopped almost immediately clutching its throat for in the enclosed space of the office the Lavender scented mixture, newly applied after their shower, worked much more quickly. In less than a minute they were alone in the room. The only sign of the aliens' existence was a patch of floor that need some polish.

Glancing around to make sure there weren't any security cameras covering the room, Alex said, "I wonder what happened to the real Deputy Sykes."

Mulder shrugged, "Depends how long the Hunter has been Sykes, there's either a fresh body somewhere, or Sykes was buried a long time ago. Whichever it is, there's nothing we can do about it at the moment. I guess we go back to reception and tell them there's no one in the office."

They trooped back to the entrance and reported that the deputy wasn't in his office and asked if there were someone else they could see.

The receptionist frowned and muttered under his breath about people wandering off without telling him, then picked up the phone and punched a button. When it was answered he succinctly told the person the other end that the deputy had gone walkabout and there were two men wanting to see the someone from the sheriff's office - he listened to the reply then replaced the receiver.

"Please take a seat in the waiting room, Sheriff Thompson will be with you soon."

Thanking the man, they went into the room he had indicated, and settled down to wait on a couple of wooden chairs with their backs to the wall. Finally, just as Mulder was about to get up and make enquiries about how much longer they would have to wait, a tall, mournful looking man, with a droopy moustache, came in and introduced himself.

"I'm Hank Thompson, the sheriff here. I understand you wanted to see me."

Mulder swallowed his ire at the wait, and nodded. "Yes, sheriff, my cousin and I were walking into town to get some milk and we came across a body in the woods."

"A body!"

"Yes, sir, a man's body. It's lying on the edge of the path we took from the cabin to get to town."

"We called out, and when we didn't get an answer, we circled around and Alex checked him to see if there was a pulse. As there wasn't we came into town to tell you about it."

"And if there had been?" the Sheriff asked.

"One of us would have stayed with him, while the other went back to the cabin and phoned for help."

"Come to my office while I get hold of the doctor and a couple of deputies and then you can show me where you found the body."

Alex cleared his throat. "Would you mind if one of us went to the store first to at least get some milk... we have completely run out."

The sheriff considered the plea for a moment, then said, "The general store is across the road; be back in less than fifteen minutes."

"Thank you, Sheriff." Alex gave him his most charming smile, picked up both backpacks, and left the room to carry out his errand.

"Now, lets go to my office where I can gather my team together ready to collect the dead man you've found."

Meekly Mulder followed the lanky man along the corridor, past the deputy's room to the door at the end. Inside, the Sheriff waved him into a chair, seated himself behind the large desk, and got on the telephone to gather his team.

When he was done talking to the doctor who doubled as the Medical Examiner, and the four deputies he was able to reach, and asked for the forensic team to be sent to meet him, he turned his attention back to the man sitting quietly on the visitors' side of the desk.

"Now why don't you tell me, who you are, what you are doing here, and who your companion is?"

"My name is Fox Mulder. The man who has gone for the milk is Alexander Arntzen, and we're here on vacation."

"Vacation huh? He sounded rather sceptical. "Okay. Tell me again why you were walking through the woods."

"We arrived a few days ago and had brought with us some supplies of fresh milk, butter, eggs... and so on. We used the last of the milk this morning, so, as it was a nice day, we decided to take a walk into town to fetch some more. We knew of the path because it's marked on the map which came with the cabin - along with other trails described as 'pleasant walks'."

"Have you done much walking since you've been here?"

Mulder shook his head. "Not really. We've been relaxing, just chilling out... our good intentions derailed by apathy." He grinned. "Running out of milk gave us the incentive to get off our butts and get walking."

Thompson looked thoughtfully at him for a moment, then reached out to pick up a large piece of paper from a pile on a nearby shelf and pushed it across the desk towards Mulder.

"Can you show me, roughly, the whereabouts of your cabin, and where you found the body?"

Mulder studied the paper, which proved to be a large scale tourist map of the town and the National Park which almost surrounded it.

"Alex is the navigator, but I'd reckon that the cabin is about here." He pointed to a spot with his left hand, then used his right hand to point at the road just outside of the town. "This is where the trail ends, and the body is about two thirds of the way along the path from here."

Just then a man in a deputy's uniform walked in. He glanced at Mulder, then said, "Morning Sheriff. You wanted to see me?"

"Morning Eli. Sorry to call you in on your day off, but Bill is not in his office and he's not answering his radio. Our visitor here, Mr Mulder, has discovered a dead body on his way into town for supplies, so I've called you and Dave to assist Doc Cameron, Max will be covering the shift in the office while Julie tries to find out where Bill has gotten to."

The door opened again, the greeting ritual was repeated and Mulder was introduced to Dave Martin, then Doctor Cameron and Maxine Wright arrived closely followed by Alex, who handed one of the packs he was carrying to Mulder and was then able to shake hands as he was introduced to everybody.

"Okay, let's get on our way. I'll lead off and take our visitors with me. Eli, you and Dave follow in the wagon. The forensic team are already on their way and will meet us where the track joins the road."

They set off in a three vehicle convoy, with Mulder guiding the Sheriff to the spot where they had joined the road, and pointed out the beginning of feint trail they had used.

The Sheriff detailed Dave to wait for the other team to arrive to show them which ]path to take, then led off at a brisk pace along the path, only stopping when the body was in sight.

Doc Cameron went forward and took a look at the body, noting its position, then came to the Sheriff. "Judging by the angle of the head, I'd say he has a broken neck. You can't see it from here, but there's a rifle on the ground the other side of the body. He's probably one of those poachers you've been having problems with... tripped over in the dark and crashed into the tree."

The Sheriff nodded, and thanked Cameron for the information.

There was an uncomfortable silence, broken only by the buzz of insects and the occasional bird song, until they were joined by the people from the mobile crime lab. A man with a large camera bag, and a woman with a backpack, who introduced themselves as Teresa Smith and Oliver Bertagna.

"Do you need us to stay here any more Sheriff?" Alex asked after the forensic team had started working. Conscious of the fact that they needed to get back to the complex soon so that they could contact Skinner.

Thompson scowled, obviously debating whether to let them out of his sight.

"Perhaps you'd like to come with us and get a cup of coffee," Mulder suggested, "I could certainly do with one."

"As we've now bought the milk, I expect Dana could do with one, too," Alex added. "She must be wondering what has delayed us."

"In that case, I believe I will take a cup of coffee with you." He turned to his deputies. "Eli, once you've got the body back to the morgue, go back to the office and see if Julie has managed to find Bill. If not, stay there until I get back. Dave, after the body is loaded, drive around to..." He fished a copy of the county map from his pocket and pointed out the location of the cabin. "...here to pick me up. I'm sure that will give us enough time to walk to the cabin." Turning back to Mulder and Alex, he said, "Lead on, I shall probably need a cup of coffee by the time we get there."

-oo0oo-

Back at the cabin, Scully had been kept informed of the whereabouts of Mulder, Alex and the lawmen ever since they had entered surveillance range and when three figures broke away from the pack moving towards the cabin, she shooed Anson back into the complex and piled their empty luggage against the door side of the fireplace to discourage any investigation.

She looked at her watch, it was now nearly two hours since Alex and Mulder had set off, so she put the coffee pot on and settled down with a book to await their arrival.

A quarter of an hour later, she looked up when Mulder opened the door and ushered Alex and the stranger inside.

Putting on an act for the Sheriff's benefit, Mulder quickly ran through the agreed story as if she didn't already know it, whilst Alex went into the kitchen and poured four mugs of coffee, bringing it with milk, sugar and a packet of cookies he'd bought in town, back into the main room just as Mulder was finishing with the arrival of the sheriff whom they had invited to accompany them for a cup of coffee.

Alex put the tray on the coffee table and invited everyone to try the cookies he'd brought back.

They'd hardly taken more than a few sips before they heard a vehicle approaching along the gravel drive. As the sheriff's car come to a halt outside the cabin, Mulder opened the door and invited the deputy inside. He introduced him to Dana and offered him a cup of coffee.

The deputy declined the offer, then turned to Sheriff Thompson and said, "Sheriff, Julie hasn't been able to find hide nor hair of Bill, although Miss Prentice says she's sure she saw him go into the office this morning, and didn't see him come out again."

The Sheriff drained his coffee, and got to his feet. "Thanks for the coffee folks, I guess I'd better get back to town and find out what's happened to my missing deputy. You folks staying here long?"

"Until at least the end of the week, maybe longer..." Mulder replied with a shrug.

"I'll see you around, then." Thompson said as he and the deputy left.

"Do you think that's the last we will see of him?"

"Probably not, especially if, as I suspect, the deputy, Bill, turns up dead."

"Dead!" Scully exclaimed, "Why do you think he is dead?"

"I couldn't very well tell you about it in front of the sheriff, but when we arrived at his offices we were directed into the deputies' office where 'Bill' was waiting for us - only he morphed into a Hunter and our aftershave killed him. As we have no way of knowing how long ago the substitution took place he could find a fresh corpse or a pile of bones."

"...or somewhere in between," Alex added. "Whatever the circumstances, if he finds he's got a dead deputy the sheriff will leave no stone unturned to find out what happened."

"We'll worry about it later, our priority now is talking to Skinner and we're running out of time. Let's get back downstairs, it's nearly time for the call."

-oo0oo-

Assistant Director Skinner sat in his office mulling over the strange package, and the instructions he'd received with it. Ever since the day that Spender had called him and asked for a meeting, strange things had been happening, things that he didn't really understand and in some cases didn't want to believe. He thought of the phone call he'd got from Mulder, somewhere in New York, who told him about being chased out of the safe-house by aliens and collaborators. When he'd gone to see for himself, instead of using bureau resources, he'd taken some very good friends with him, men he'd known since 'Nam, and they'd found the place in a shambles. They found two bodies and one man barely alive, whose injuries were like those they'd seen from Napalm, eating the flesh away... yet there were no signs of the chemical having been used anywhere in the area. Lionel Webb, their medic, now a fully-fledged doctor, faced with injuries he could not treat, had injected the man with some painkillers... and in return, just before he died, they got a garbled tale of aliens who bled corrosive green blood.

The man's ramblings and the injuries had served to remind Skinner of the reports he'd read from Mulder and Scully. So, on his return from retrieving their possessions, he'd gone down to the basement, late at night, and read through the reports again.

He'd heard nothing more from them until last night, when he'd received a package containing a phone and some instructions... and he was undecided whether to act on them, or not.

As the time he was supposed to make the call drew nearer, he found that he almost involuntarily got to his feet and went into the outer office. He told his secretary that he was going out for a breath of fresh air, then left the surprised woman to cope with rearranging any appointments he might have had.

He walked towards The Mall and turned into the National Sculpture Garden. Finding a bench in a quiet corner he took the phone out of his pocket, selected the only number in the memory, and pressed the call button.

-oo0oo-

Mulder practically snatched up the phone when it rang, displaying the incoming number that had been provided to Skinner. "Hello?"

"Mulder, it's Walter," Skinner said, following the instructions.

Mulder looked at Frohike who was matching voice prints, and got the thumbs up from him.

"Hi Walter, we urgently need to meet up with you, could you meet us in Boston this evening?"

"I could do that," Skinner admitted. "Is there a good reason why I should?"

"We've found a way to get rid of the 'green goo' for good. We've tested it and can show you the video evidence of it working. We now have to find ways to distribute it and that, amongst other things, is where we need your help."

Skinner's eyebrows rose in surprise. Mulder never asked for help in this manner unless he *really* needed it. Decision made, he asked, "When and where do I meet you?"

"How soon can you leave?"

"I could leave after lunch."

"Hold on a moment, and I'll get you the details."

Skinner listened as voices spoke in the background, then Mulder came back on the line. "There's a flight for Boston that leaves at 3.15 this afternoon a ticket will be waiting for you at the counter. A man named Thomas Parsons will meet you in arrivals at Boston - holding up placard with his name on it. He will bring you to us."

"Okay, I'll be there." Skinner promised.

"Thanks."

The line went dead and Skinner disposed of the phone as per the instructions. He then went back to his office, told his secretary that he would be out for the rest of the day and immediately left again, giving her the impression that he had been called away to a high level meeting.

-oo0oo-

Mulder replaced the receiver, a wide grin splitting his face.

"Skinner's agreed to come straight away. Frohike, put our plan into action, then you and Byers get ready to accompany Alex and I to the meeting." He turned to face Scully. "If the Sheriff comes back tell him where Alex and I have gone and that we will be returning late tonight. Jeremiah, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to come to the meeting with Skinner."

"If you think it would help then I will accompany you," the healer replied.

"I do, thank you," Mulder replied, walking towards the door. "We need to get a move on though, otherwise Skinner will be there before us."

-oo0oo-

Skinner's flight was nearly ten minutes late by the time it touched down in Boston. He was met in the arrival hall, as promised, by Thomas Parsons, who gave him a ticket for Bangor, Maine, and told him that he would be met at the airport by someone he knew.

Parsons the guided him swiftly through the airport to the departure gate where he handed over the flight boarding pass, and wished Skinner a pleasant journey before vanishing into the crowds.

A little dazed by the rush between the two gates, Skinner gave a mental shrug and boarded the flight just as the last call for passengers was going out over the PA system. The gate was closed behind him and he was soon in the air again.

-oo0oo-

As the contents of the van had been checked and double checked by the Gunmen while Mulder and Alex had visited the town, they were able to get under way as soon as Parsons and Robert Keene, another friend of the Gunmen, who had agreed to help them in Bangor, had been contacted to tell them that their assistance would be needed today, giving Parsons the time of the incoming and outgoing flights, and telling Keene that they would be calling in his office after during the afternoon.

The drive to Bangor was, fortunately, uneventful, and they arrived with plenty of time before Skinner's flight was due to arrive to go to Robert Keene's office.

While Alex and Jeremiah stayed with the van, the other three went inside. Keene greeted Frohike and Byers like long lost brothers and shook Mulder's hand with a great deal of reverence.

However, that didn't stop him from wanting some reassurance. "When I spoke to Langly this morning, he said you were looking for somewhere to hold a secret meeting... this meeting isn't going to get violent, is it. I mean the houses and apartments for which I have the keys have been entrusted to me by the owners to sell. I can't afford to let them get damaged."

"Outside of our group, only you will know exactly where we are, and as of this moment, only one other person knows we are in Bangor," Mulder assured him. "Believe me, I wouldn't be doing this unless it was very important."

Reassured, Keene produced a set of keys and copies of the house details and his realtor's map with the house's location circled in red.

After thanking him, Mulder glanced at it on the way back to the van, then passed it on to Byers who would need it to find his way to the house after meeting Skinner.

Mulder took the wheel, and after dropping Byers off outside the local Hertz office, drove them unerringly to a large executive type house with a three car garage, where they parked the van after punching in the code they had been given into the security system.

Once inside, they looked round the whole house before deciding that the large family room adjoining the kitchen would be the best one for them to use. Going back to the van, they retrieved their equipment, plus a folding table and chairs which Keene had left for them in the garage. The furniture looked totally out of place in such elegant surroundings, but it suited their purpose.

While Frohike set up their equipment, Alex and Mulder took over the kitchen and put coffee on to percolate.

-oo0oo-

At the airport, Skinner did indeed recognize the dapper figure of John Byers waiting for him in the arrival area. They shook hands, as old friends do, then Byers escorted him to where the hired Lexus was parked.

Having studied the map while he was waiting for the plane to arrive, Byers drove faultlessly to where the others were waiting. He activated a radio in his pocket as he approached the drive, and by the time he had driven up to them, the garage doors were open. Going straight inside, they allowed the doors to close again before getting out of the car.

Mulder was standing in the doorway to the house, waiting for them. "Thank you for coming, Sir," he said as the AD approached. "If you'll come this way, I'll show you the evidence. We've got it set up in the family room at the back of the house.

Skinner gestured for Mulder to lead the way.

Mulder turned on his heel, and guided them into a large, bright room where the others were waiting.

Skinner greeted Frohike, scowled menacingly at Alex, then looked at Mulder waiting to be introduced to the one unknown person in the room.

Mulder grinned. "Assistant Director Skinner, I'd like you to meet Jeremiah Smith, who has, if you recall, featured in at least one of the X-Files' reports that I've submitted to you. Jeremiah, this is my boss, Walter Skinner."

Skinner extended his hand. "Mulder contends that you are an alien, Mr. Smith."

Jeremiah shook the proffered hand solemnly "That is so, Mr. Skinner. Amongst my own people I am a healer, and because our blood is based on iron, like yours, I am also able to heal the inhabitants of this planet. However, Mulder says that you are as much of a sceptic as Ms Scully, so we are going to give you a small demonstration."

Mulder took a silver cylinder out of his pants pocket, and Skinner jumped slightly when a pointed blade slid into view with a hiss. Without pausing, Mulder drew the point of the blade down the outside of his left arm, leaving a trail of red blood in its wake.

He offered the arm for Skinner to examine, so he could be sure there was no trickery, then Jeremiah laid his hands above and below the deep cut, and in a few moments, under the AD's amazed gaze, the wound closed and disappeared.

"If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it."

"Scully said much the same thing," Mulder assured him, wiping the plam on a tissue, helpfully supplied by Alex, before retracting the blade and returning it to his pocket.

"Take a seat, Sir, and I'll run quickly through the story so far, could you save any questions until the end, please.

During the next half hour, Mulder talked earnestly to his boss. He told him of the aliens' colonization plans, the collaborators and their enforcers, the Bounty Hunters.

Skinner's eyes hardened when Mulder talked of Spender and how he'd bred his children and grandchildren to be lab rats. The subsequent cruelty he had inflicted on his twin grandsons caused a deep rumbling growl in the AD's throat, which only quieted when Alex told him of the therapy that Jeremiah had used to sweep away the final remnants of the brainwashing to which he, and his twin, had been subjected.

Mulder took over again and brought him up to date with the research that they had carried out in secret. He showed his boss the 'killer dust' and its liquid form, and then had Frohike show him the videos of the tests both inside the complex and the deaths during the attack on the complex.

"Alright, I'm convinced," Skinner said when Mulder finally stopped talking. "So what is it you want me to do? I can't very well go to the Director, even with this amount of evidence."

"No, we know that, we hope that you will agree to wear the after-shave so that if there are any impostors in the government, they will disappear without trace; literally. We were also hoping that you might be able to think of ways to distribute the dust, so that we cover the planet as quickly as possible. The Gunmen have some people who are willing to use the prevailing winds to help scatter large amounts, and one is going to use a crop-duster from high altitude while he's flying between jobs...." Mulder sighed. "I know every little helps, but its all too *slow*.

Alex, who had gone to fetch coffee, put a tray full  of mugs to the table. He took a deep breath, and faced his former boss. "Perhaps you could persuade Mulder, Sir, that to use Consortium funds to speed up the distribution is the right things to do; after all, they are the ones who left this mess for us to clear up by agreeing to collaborate with the greys."

Skinner gave him a glare that had intimidated many people over the years, but Alex was not going to be silenced.

"I'm not going to discuss it," Mulder stated, sounding petulant even to his own ears.

Alex turned to look imploringly at his lover, and made an impassioned plea. "Please hear me out... all I ask is that you consider this: if they were a large corporation and it was convicted of causing any kind of pollution, or of illegal logging or any other activities that endangered lives and/or the ecology, they would be forced to pay out huge sums to put things right, and fined as well. The Consortium have aided and abetted those who are about to rape our planet, its only right that they should pay towards our defence." He picked up a mug from the tray and went out into the garden, leaving a very thoughtful group of men behind him.

Some while after Alex had walked out through the french doors, Byers stated. "He's right, you know. Logically, and perhaps even morally.... These men have known about this invasion for fifty years, in that time they have amassed a huge fortune, and still left us practically defenceless. I say we make them pay to clear up the mess they helped to create.."

Skinner took a deep breath, then said, "I thought I would be the last one to say this; but I agree with Krycek. As a lawman I'm going to turn a blind eye to where the money comes from because as an inhabitant of this planet I'll help do whatever is necessary to thwart the invasion."

Mulder looked at him in wide-eyed astonishment, opening and closing his mouth a few times before managing to say, "I wouldn't have thought you would agree, Sir."

"With the help of my friends, and their friends and family throughout the world, we'll get this planetary vaccine of yours distributed in no time at all. Now go fetch Krycek, while the Gunmen and I talk about methods of distribution, communication and security." Skinner took off his tie as he spoke and then practically pushed Mulder out into the garden at the end of his speech.

Shaking his head at the speed with which things were changing around him, Mulder went looking for Alex, and finally found him standing by the fish pond watching the carp catching bugs skittering over the surface.

Alex had glanced over his shoulder on hearing someone approach. His back had stiffened and he'd looked back at the pond.

Coming right up behind his lover, Mulder threaded his arms around Alex's waist and rested his chin on one slightly hunched shoulder,

"Sorry Alex," he whispered, "I wasn't thinking... I opened my mouth and put both feet in it. I guess I was so hung up on doing this on our own...."

Alex didn't move.

"...You know what? Both Byers and Skinner agreed with you - I left them plotting together on ways and means of finance and distribution." The shoulder under his chin relaxed, however the silence stretched on. Eventually Alex laid his hands over Mulder's, who then  turned  his head slightly and licked Alex's ear.

Alex laughed, and snatched a quick kiss as he turned to face his lover. "Now if only there was a bed in that house everything would be perfect," he murmured.

Mulder grinned, then leaned in for a longer kiss, his  hips rubbing suggestively over Alex's. His hand was just reaching for the zip in his pants when Frohike's voice calling their names made them remember that they were  not alone.

Sharing a sigh, they regretfully pulled apart, and, willing their erections to subside, they returned to the house together, Alex collecting the mug he'd left on a small wall on the way back.

Skinner greeted their arrival  with a half smile, then asked, "Do you know how many billions of dollars there are in those accounts you supplied details for?"

Alex shrugged, "Something over three, and under six hundred.... billion would be my guess."

"Weren't you ever tempted to take it and hide?" Skinner asked, honest curiosity colouring his tone.

Alex shook his head. "No, not really. I admit it did cross my mind when I found out how much was there, then reality set in - whether I like it or not the aliens are coming, and I'd rather spend the money doing something about it, than living in the lap of luxury for a few years." He looked directly at Skinner for a moment, then said, "For what it's worth; I'm sorry for everything between us in the past - I was more frightened of what Spender would do to me if I disobeyed him, than I was of anything else.... It wasn't until he tried to have me blown up that I ran away... by then it was far too late to do anything but run..." He sighed and looked away a distressed expression on his face.

Skinner looked at him with compassion in his eyes. "After learning of the cruelty to which your grandfather subjected you, and your twin, I can fully understand why you did what you did... I can't say that I will forget, but, under the circumstances, I can forgive."

"Thank you," Alex whispered, suddenly overcome with emotion. A few moments later, still looking out towards the garden, he asked, "Mulder said you were making plans for the distribution; what ideas have you come up with?"

"So far only very wide concepts... we have all made lists of those people we are sure that will help us... the Gunmen's are further afield than most of those that I know. What about you and Mulder, do you have any contacts that might help us?"

Mulder shrugged, "I have a couple of friends in England with whom I have kept in contact, mainly because they have never dismissed my theories out of hand. What about you, Alex?"

"I made some friends while I was in Hong Kong, some of whom have families in other parts of China, but whether they would be willing to go around the authorities... well, I don't know... it would be a big leap of faith and it could get them into a lot of trouble."

Alex took a turn about the room, then coming back to the table, he said, "I think we need to put our venture on a more... I'm not sure of the term I want to use. More official, commercial, whatever-"

"If you're looking to make money out of this, I'll have nothing to do with it." Skinner interrupted angrily.

"I'm not," Alex replied as calmly as he could. "But look at it this way; if there are any beneficial effects from using it, we would look fools if someone else were to patent the formula and we found ourselves paying a licence to use it."

Frohike nodded vigorously in agreement. "That makes sense, it might even make it easier to distribute. With patents applied for, we could set up a manufacturing plant somewhere, and order in the compounds and other stuff without raising any eyebrows about the amounts being moved into the area."

Alex grinned. "Another plus is; we could pay people to package the 'dust', instead of doing it ourselves, which would speed things up."

Mulder raised an eyebrow at Skinner, who indicated his agreement with the plan, by saying, "If we are going to put this operation on a professional basis, we need to give the two preparations a name and get someone to design packaging for them."

"Isn't that going to slow things down rather than speed things up?" Byers asked.

"I believe it would facilitate sending the packages though the mail," Skinner assured him.

Byers considered the idea, then nodded. "Yes, you're right. A slight delay now would mean much faster distribution in a few weeks."

"Now all we have to do is find the right place to set up business."

"Get the patents applied for first, and distribute the dust we've already made," Alex urged. "We don't want to attract any attention until we've cleaned house in DC, or before we have a formed a proper company to make a bid for any premises."

"I agree." Skinner said startling them all. "And talking of DC, I had better start back, I have a meeting at the DoJ early tomorrow which I really can *not* afford miss if I want to keep my job. I'll start sounding out my friends and send you the names of those who have agreed to help." He got up to leave.

"One more thing before you go," Alex said, "We're going to need somewhere to meet with the lawyers, and other people involved in the set up. I suggest we buy and furnish this house for that purpose. It will give us a legitimate reason to hang around here, and will be fairer to Robert Keene, as we can't keep borrowing houses from him each time we want a meeting with someone."

That's a good idea, too," Skinner acknowledged. "Corporate lawyers don't like dealing with people of 'no fixed address', it makes them anxious."

"We'll make that our first job after we leave here. Byers will make sure you catch your flight with the carry-on bag of aftershave and dust samples," Mulder assured him. "At least that should ensure that we don't get infiltrated, and you never know who might not be the real thing any more, so please wear the aftershave at all times."

Byers handed him a cell phone. "This is one of our special cell phones," Byers told him. "Do not let it out of your sight, sleep with it if necessary, it will give you a direct line to us at all times, but it will not give away your location to anyone else."

Beginning to feel slightly paranoid himself, Skinner nodded acceptance of those terms. Tickets in hand and the carry-on bag stowed in the trunk of the Lexus, he was soon on his way back to the airport with Byers at the wheel.

The others went to Robert Keene's office to drop off the keys, and to start the process of buying the house.  After leaving the happy realtor they picked up Byers from the car rental agency and returned to their hideaway..

On their return they were greeted with the news that the Sheriff had come knocking on their door and snooping around the buildings not long after they had left..

Deciding to take the offensive, Alex and Mulder drove into Langdon before breakfast the next morning. They stopped at a diner from which an appetizing smell of frying bacon was wafting, and ordered fried eggs and bread to go along with the bacon. Mulder had a coffee and Alex a vanilla milk-shake. They had almost finished their meal when Sheriff Thompson joined them at their table..

They greeted him amiably, and waited to see what he had to say..

Thompson looked at the dishes, then asked, "Extra hungry this morning?

"Not enough food in the fridge." Alex said, succinctly. "We should have shopped yesterday, but we went out, visiting some friends, and didn't get back until quite late last night. We noticed the diner was open, so we decided to save time and eat before shopping,"

The Sheriff gave a lazy smile, then asked, "Did you walk in to town?".

Mulder shook his head. "Not this time, we've got quite a list of things to get.... I probably shouldn't ask, but have you identified the hunter we found?"

Thompson shrugged. "He was a small-time crook from upstate New York, what he was doing here, we don't know; poaching probably. We found traces of a car, but..." he shrugged again. "The CSI tell me they are still working on it." He looked at his watch, then got to his feet. "Well, I'd better leave you boys to finish your breakfast, and get some work done."

They said goodbye and the Sheriff ambled out of the diner, and walked along the sidewalk in the direction of his office..

Alex raised an enquiring eyebrow at Mulder, who shrugged. "He doesn't seem to suspect us of anything, but he's curious - like any good lawman should be...." He went over to the till and paid for their meal, while Alex sucked up the last of his milk shake, trying not to make too much noise. Then they did their shopping and drove back to the cabin without seeing any more of the town law..

Later, in the conference room, they discussed the breakfast meeting, and wondered whether the sheriff had found his missing deputy yet.

-oo0oo-

Earlier that same morning, Walter Skinner had applied that aftershave as he had promised to do. He hadn't liked to enquire as to the origins of the preparation, and he was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't as dire as he had feared.

Casting his mind back to the day before, he realized that all those at the meeting had been giving off this delicate perfume, even Scully. They were obviously taking no chances.

He was not looking forward to the meeting with George Greenfield. Something had soured the man's disposition, and he seemed to enjoy making people feel uncomfortable. His current focus was on the departments under Walter's command, and he kept making snide references to the number of outstanding cases, their efficiency... and making derogatory remarks about the X-Files division, and its currently absent personnel.

The early morning traffic was lighter than usual, so he arrived at Greenfield's office much earlier than he had intended to find that he was the first there. The door to the conference room they were to use was open, so he went inside and sat quietly waiting for the other delegates to arrive, reading through some of his agents' reports he always carried around with him in case he managed to find a quiet moment to read them.

He subconsciously registered when noises from the office next door, indicated that Greenfield had arrived, then looked up from the report when the communicating door opened to admit the current bane of his life.

Walter got to his feet and went to greet the man who could make his life even more uncomfortable if he were so minded. "Good morning, Sir. I hope you don't mind my making myself comfortable," he said as he walked forward, "Traffic was light and I...." His voice trailed off as Greenfield put his hands to his throat, opening and closing his mouth as if unable to breathe.

Skinner swallowed hard as the being sank to the floor and started to melt; undeniable proof of the efficacy of Mulder's gift to him.

Thinking of his wayward agent, brought Mulder's words to mind; 'you never know who might not be the real thing any more'. If ever he had needed proof of that statement, it was here; melting before his eyes.

The question was, what should he do about it. He couldn't tell the truth; he'd find himself locked up in a padded room. The irony of that thought brought a wry smile to his face. Here he had a classic instance of the unbelievable and the unexplainable which had occasionally found him considering ordering a straightjacket for Mulder.

He moved away from the rapidly vanishing remains, and made sure that the door to the corridor was locked, then closed the door between the conference room and Greenfield's PA's office. Lastly he picked up the thick files he'd been reading and used it to push the door to Greenfield's office shut. There would be an investigation into the man's disappearance, and he didn't want to complicate matters for the investigator too much.

No one disturbed them in the very short space of time it took for all signs of the alien to vanished.

Once he was sure that no traces were left, Skinner unlocked the door to the corridor. He sat back down at the conference table and tried to read, counting down the minutes until he could reasonably enquire why Greenfield, who was noted for his punctuality, was late for their meeting.

He was startled when, a few moments later, the door from the corridor burst open and a young girl rushed in with the breakfast he was supposed to be sharing with Greenfield.

"Sorry this is late, Sir, the delivery truck was delayed, so everyone is running behind." She fluttered around arranging the baskets of breads and fruit, the jugs of fruit juice,  the flasks of tea and coffee, and all the other dishes of items which might possibly be required, on the sideboard. She whisked out of the room again without saying anything further.

Walter's stomach growled, the smell of the danishes was getting to him. He got up and looked into the PA's office; it was still empty. He closed the door again and helped himself from the buffet - no matter what else happened today, he wasn't going to face it on an empty stomach.

He was just finishing his second cup of coffee when he heard sounds coming from the PA's office. Putting his cup back on the saucer, he opened the communicating door, and said, "Good morning, Mrs Vance. I'm sorry to pounce on you when you've only just arrived, but do you know where Mr Greenfield might  be? I was due to have a breakfast meeting with him today."

Monika Vance looked at the clock and frowned, her boss was now nearly twenty minutes late for the meeting, an almost unheard of occurrence. Still frowning, she went into the inner office, giving a perfunctory knock on the door as she did so. A few moments later she came out again. "That's odd," she said. "His briefcase is here and I've checked his diary; your meeting is definitely in there. Why don't you get some breakfast while I phone round to see what has delayed him."

Skinner thanked her and returned to his meal, feeling a little guilty that he was putting her to so much trouble when he already knew the answer to her problem. He returned to reading through the reports in his briefcase,  and another twenty-five minutes slip by, before he again went into the PA's office, drawn there by raised voices which stopped abruptly when he walked in.

He raised an eyebrow and looked from the PA to the smartly dressed man and back again, wondering what the argument had been about. When neither of them spoke, he said, "Mrs Vance, as there is obviously some sort of a problem here, would you please contact my secretary and reschedule this meeting for another day.

The PA nodded. "Of course Mr Skinner, I'm sorry you've been kept waiting so long. I can only apologize on Mr Greenfield's behalf, and I'll let Kim know what happened when I phone her."

"Thank you Mrs Vance." He turned on his heel and went back into the conference room. Picking up his briefcase he quickly repacked his papers, then left through the door which led to the corridor, thus avoiding saying anything more to the two people who were silently watching every move he made.

Once he had exited the building, he decided to take a walk into The Mall to make a couple of phone calls, before going back to his office and facing up to the rest of the day. He made his way to the same deserted corner of the Statuary Garden that he'd found the previous day, before taking out the phone that Byers had given him, and made a call to the number which had TLG beside it.

After three rings it was answered with a cautious 'hello'. Recognizing the voice, Skinner said, "Good morning, Byers, it's Walter."

There was a slight delay again while his voice-print was matched, then Byers replied. "Good morning Walter. What can I do for you?"

"I've some news for you to pass on. At my meeting this morning George Greenfield didn't like my aftershave and his opposition to my department's budget melted away."

"That's good news, Walter," Mulder's voice answered him. "I'm glad you took my advice and  decided to wear it."

"You may be sure that I will continue to do so. Maybe it will make some of my other problems melt away, too," he joked. "I'll certainly pass some samples on to my friends, hopefully it will make all our problems go away."

Mulder laughed at the double meaning of Skinner's words. "We'll send you some more soon. Do you have any other news, Walter?"

Skinner said he didn't, so they said goodbye and severed the connection.

Putting the special phone away, he dragged his normal one out of his jacket pocket, this had been closely examined by the Gunmen and declared 'clean'. He then contacted Charlie Muir, another friend he'd made in 'Nam. After discussing again the scenes they'd witnessed at the previous safe house. Skinner arranged for Charlie to pack up the clothing and personal effects which had been stored in his garage after being retrieved, to be sent to John Byers care of General Delivery in Boston.

Skinner then made his way back to his office, mentally making a list of all the people he wanted to ask to join their crusade against the invaders.

For the next few days, whenever he could find a spare moment, Skinner contacted his friends, covertly meeting with some, openly meeting with others, enlisting their help any way he could.

One of the first people he contacted was Oliver Staunton, a friend he'd made during his days as a law student. Oliver had been the best man at his wedding, he had reciprocated a few years' later when Oliver married Janine, and he was also an active godfather to their two children.

He presented Oliver with the task of creating the new company. Not unnaturally, Oliver wanted to meet at least some of the people who would be the owners of the company, before he committed himself to working for them.

Because Staunton hadn't yet agreed to work with them, Skinner cautiously decided that the meeting should take place on neutral ground, so five days after seeing them in Bangor, he arranged for the meeting with Mulder, Alex, Anson and Scully to take place in a suite at the Hyatt Hotel in Boston.

-oo0oo-

While the arrangements about the company were being made, Scully made a daily check on the areas where they had scattered the 'dust', to make sure there were no unacceptable side effects. During her research, she discovered that the 'dust' seemed to have encouraged lusher growth from the plants that it had touched. To make doubly sure, Scully and Jeremiah took samples of the vegetation and wildlife in both the 'dusted' area and some miles away, then ran tests on them to make sure that there was no contamination, and they all breathed a sigh of relief when no differences in their cell structures could be found.

Before leaving for their meeting with Skinner and Staunton, they took some pictures of the results of using their organic fertilizer to show as proof of concept.

Wanting to create a good impression, they set out for Boston the day before the meeting to pick up the parcel that Skinner had sent, and to do some shopping for some clothes that fit properly for Alex and Anson,  rather than appear in the generic, somewhat ill-fitting clothing from the complex's stores.

Stacked in the back of the van were all the packages of dust which were ready for shipping. They mailed most of the small parcels in towns on the way, and once they got to Boston, they used Fed-Ex, DHL and UPS to ship the large boxes to their destinations.

Before checking into their hotel they called in at an office supplies super-store and bought enough flat-packed boxes, in various sizes, and rolls of bubble-wrap, to distribute more of their weapon to those who had volunteered to help.

The success of their efforts to look smart showed when the meeting took place the following day, Scully was in a Donna Karen pantsuit, Mulder's Armani suit had been cleaned, and both Alex and Anson were wearing clothes by Hugo Boss.

When Skinner brought Staunton into the room and introduced him to them they took an instant liking to the tall, aesthetic looking man, who seemed to take a liking to them, too.

He talked to them about their future plans and seemed pleased that they had done the research work for their product, and raised the financing, before even thinking about manufacturing it commercially. He then helped them fill out the company registration forms which he would file the next day, and the patent forms, which Skinner would hold on to until the registration was completed, then they would go along to the patent office and submit the paperwork. Oliver called in a friend who worked nearby to notarize the signatures and they were both given free samples of the aftershave, along with their fees, as thanks for their work.

When Skinner and Staunton had left, to catch their return flight, Mulder phoned Robert Keene to find out how the house purchase was proceeding. The realtor greeted him with the news that if they could call in to his office the next day they would be able to sign the last of the paperwork and take possession of the house by the weekend.

Mulder agreed to do so, then phoned ahead to book two rooms at the Holiday Inn near Bangor airport. Having done that, he contacted the Gunmen to tell them of their change of plans. Frohike, who took the call, wasn't at all surprised as he'd already had a call from Keene about the need to make arrangements to sign the last of the paperwork.

As they started away from the hotel, Alex said, "I've been thinking, and I'd like to run a couple of ideas past you. Firstly, we're driving our only means of transport, we need to get ourselves at least one if not two, more vehicles as soon as possible."

Mulder nodded. "I've been thinking that too, we'll have a look round Bangor and see what is available. What's the second thing?"

"When the Gunmen were talking to Robert Keene about borrowing a house, he mentioned that this one had been on the market for quite a while. When we asked why, he said that it had belonged to an executive of a local company which had been taken over recently. The factory here was closed down, with the loss of a lot of jobs, because the parent company had larger premises in another state, and that had caused a sudden glut in executive housing."

"Depending on what they were producing that might be the answer to our problems," Scully chipped in.

Alex turned and smiled at her. "Exactly! It wouldn't hurt to ask about it," he replied.

"In that case I think we should find out some more details after the paperwork is dealt with tomorrow, Mulder decided. "It would be more convenient if we didn't have to trek all over the country to find suitable premises." Everyone having agreed that it was a good idea, the conversation languished for a while.

"I think we ought to split up now," Anson blurted out some miles further on, making his first real contribution to the conversation - surprising everybody, including himself to judge the by expression on his face.

"Why?" Alex gently prompted him to tell them what had caused his sudden outburst.

"I was thinking, that if we bought a car now, Dr Dana and I could take the van load of supplies back to the complex today. Then the Gunmen won't be without protection for another night, and we can help clear the backlog of orders for the dust. You can still get another van, and drive one vehicle each back to the complex.

"Good idea," Mulder said, pulling into the lane for the next off ramp. "One of the hoardings back there had an advert for a new and used car dealership near here, so let's go take a look at their stock."

The first dealership they tried didn't have the kind of car they wanted and it's owner recommended that they try CRM autos, a dealership who specialized in luxury cars, whose premises were on the other side of town.

Even as the second dealership came in sight, one of the cars on the forecourt caught their eyes. They drew up and took a look, it was exactly what they wanted; a late model Lexus. The bodywork and interior were both black and from it's condition it was obvious that it had hardly been used. They spoke to the owner about it, then the twins checked it over with a fine-toothed comb and pronounced it adequate. They haggled a bit with the salesman over the price, and when the deal was done, both sides were happy with the price that was paid. Once the few formalities were dealt with, Anson, with Scully at his side, drove the van off towards the complex. Mulder and Alex followed them for quite a while until their routes diverged.

Very late that night, when Mulder checked them in at the hotel, he was given a message from Robert Keene, who had called to tell them that he had arranged their appointment for 11 a.m. Mulder asked for a 7 a.m. alarm call, and dragged Alex into one of the two rooms they had reserved. Much too tired to do anything else, they cuddles up to one another and went to sleep wrapped in each other's arms.

-oo0oo-

Just after breakfast the next morning, they had a look round the car dealerships, and the used car lots, before finding another nondescript van, in good condition, which suited their needs.

The signing of the final papers went smoothly, the money was transferred, the lawyers got their fees, and they were told that they would be able to move in to the house anytime after nine, the day after tomorrow.

Once the lawyers had returned to their own offices, Alex explained just enough about their plans to get Keene's enthusiastic cooperation, and they were able to arrange a viewing of the factory for the day after they would be moving into the house.

Pleased with their day so far, Alex then suggested that it might be a good idea to order some furniture, and asked which of the stores in the city would be the best place for them to start.

Keene reminded them that they would have to arrange for the utilities to be turned on. His comment was met with a baffled stare from both men.

Keene laughed, then took pity on them. Telling his assistant to look after the agency for a while, he helped them arrange for the smooth transfer of the utilities, and arrange for the phone company to install the connections they would require on the morning that they moved in.

Keene gave them a copy of the house's layout and room sizes, then took them on a quick tour of the house itself, so that they could get some idea of the minimum amount of things they would need to purchase to furnish it. Since the previous occupants had left the curtains and carpets behind, they didn't have to worry about those, but everything else they would have to provide themselves. He left them at the entrance to a large department store, taking a taxi back to his office.

During the drive from the house to the store, Alex had been making a list of the things he thought they might need... it was a dauntingly long list. "Let's get any early lunch," he suggested, spotting a menu posted beside the entrance to a restaurant over to their left.

Mulder altered course for the entrance to the eatery without comment. Grinning, Alex followed in his wake, taking some leaflets off the information counter as they passed.

While they were waiting for their food to arrive, Alex browsed through the leaflets and discovered that they could obtain the services of a personal shopper if they wanted help with their shopping. He nudged Mulder who was gazing around the restaurant and pushed the leaflet into his hands. Their eyes met, their minds in total agreement; this was what they needed. So, after an enjoyable meal, they made their way back to the information desk to make enquiries about getting help.

They explained what they wanted to the woman at the desk, and within a few minutes they were introduced to Mrs Potter, dark-haired lady of around their own age, who said she would be delighted to help them. They showed her the house plan, and the photographs of each room that the agency had supplied and threw themselves on her mercy.

Four hours, and many thousands of dollars later, they had the minimum amount of furniture for each of the rooms, enough bed linen for three changes for each bed, towels, tables, lamps, chairs, sofas, china, pots, pans, kitchen utensils, glassware, four TVs.... the final till receipt was yards long and everything they'd bought would be delivered at 9.30 a.m., just after they had taken possession of the keys.

Exhausted, and traumatized after such a marathon of decision making, they drove the car and van to an out-of-town mall, and parked in one of the outer ring of parking lots. Alex joined Mulder in the van and rested his head against Fox's so that he could hear both sides of the conversation, as he phoned those at the complex and told them exactly what they had done during the day, and asked if there was anything else they should do before they returned to the complex.

Scully told them to get some more packing tape, and some white sticky address labels for the parcels, which they had forgotten to get the day before, and if they could, some more atomizers and small bottles so that they could send gifts of the after-shave/perfume inside the parcels.

Alex cut in and asked for the sizes of the labels they wanted, and wrote down the answers on another piece of hotel stationery. After the call, they looked at one another and sighed before getting out of the van, and traipsing across the parking lot to the stationery store; then they went methodically from shop to shop inside the mall buying up as many of the plastic travel bottles that Scully had requested as they could find.

Their shopping finally done they found a nice restaurant in the mall to eat dinner before starting out on the drive back to the complex. It was quite late at night when they got back to the cabin. They parked the newly acquired van in the barn, its twin still hidden underground, and left the car outside the cabin.

Alex looked grey-faced and tired, he had expended a lot of energy during the last few days, and was now running on empty.

Mulder hovered nearby as Scully insisted on giving him a quick check-up before sending him off to bed with strict instructions to get as much sleep as possible, and not do any anything strenuous for at least 24 hours... she glared at Mulder while she was saying that, and he grinned sheepishly back at her, knowing exactly what activity she had in mind.

A few minutes later, back in their bedroom, he undressed himself and his very tired lover and took him to bed, to hold while he fell asleep, surprising himself that just holding on to Alex while he slept was enough.
-oo0oo-

The next day was spent packing more boxes as Skinner had sent through a list of helpers. Two of Alex's contacts in Hong Kong had also volunteered their services. They in turn had some contacts in other Asian countries who were willing to try the organic fertilizer. So Scully insisted that Alex only operate the PC to produce the letters and labels that were required, and help with filling the myriad of travel bottles that they had procured the day before, as long as he remained sitting down.

That night those who were not going to be involved in evaluating the factory shared the night watch between them, the others all went to bed early as they had to be up before dawn the next day to get to the house before 9 a.m. to receive the keys and let the removal men in when the furniture arrived half-an-hour later

-oo0oo-

The actual hand over of the keys was a bit of an anticlimax. At one minute to nine, Keene got out of his car and walked up the drive to where Alex and Mulder were waiting in the porch. They waited in silence until his watch ticked over to the pointed hour, then he dropped a bunch of keys into Mulder's waiting palm, and gave a plastic bag of remote controls to Alex. "Welcome to your new home," he intoned solemnly.

Mulder opened the front door and then went inside to turn off the security system.

Alex sorted through the controllers to find one to open the garage doors so that the car and the van could be driven inside. Mulder unlocked the door into the house as Alex activated the controls to close the outer doors again. Anson triggered the mechanism to unlock the trunk, and they all lent a hand to carry the groceries into the house.

Keene declined to stay for a cup of coffee, saying that he had some work to catch up with, and that he would see them again that afternoon at the factory.

Once Keene had left, they took a quick tour around the house and gardens for the benefit of those who had not seen it before.

When the tour was over and they arrived back at the kitchen, Byers said, "It's a good thing that Robert didn't stay, we don't have a kettle, or any cups."

"That will soon be remedied," Mulder replied. "The stuff Alex and I ordered yesterday should be here soon. We asked them to make sure that all the goods for the kitchen and dining room would be first off the van...." he paused, and looked at his watch.

"Which is due to arrive any minute now," Alex finished the sentence for him.

Mulder grinned, and then took a sheaf of papers out of his pocket. "I asked Alex to draw up this plan yesterday, as one of his 'sitting-down' jobs." He unfolded on of the sheets and placed it on the kitchen counter. "As you can see, it's an enlarged copy of the plans, and in each room Alex has written for which room each item was bought, and the store's reference number on the receipt. On the right-hand side of the plan are the reference numbers in numerical order, with the room number beside it - if we set up the table and chairs we used the other day on the porch, Alex can direct operations from there. He will have the master list, and check off every item. He will tell the men where to go with the item, and we will direct it's placement with the aid of copies. Scully, would you please look after the kitchen, family room, and the dining room. I'll take care of the other rooms on this floor. Anson, I'd like you and Byers to take the bedrooms." He handed out the plans, then got the three men to help him put the garden furniture on the porch ready for use.

At 9.32 two large vans drew up, and after checking they were at the right address, started unloading them. They soon got used to pausing beside Alex to tell him the item number and getting the room location in exchange.

The move went smoothly, the beds were unpacked and assembled, the protective wrapping removed from the other furniture, and taken back to the van to be disposed of by the store. It was the least they could do, the manager had said, for people who had spent so much money with them.

The engineer from the phone company arrived, and Alex made sure that he knew exactly where the handsets were to go before letting him inside.

It was almost lunchtime before everyone who had been supposed to call  had come, done what they were there for, and departed.

As he shut the door on the last of them, Mulder suggested they should get pizzas all round so they wouldn't be late for their appointment at the factory.

Since none of the others felt like cooking, they readily agreed, so Mulder phoned for a delivery.

-oo0oo-

After lunch, they all got in the van and drove to the factory. The outside was clean and in good condition. The offices looked quite smart, too.

Robert Keene, and a young man whom he introduced as Steve Boyer, arrived outside the factory offices just after they had arrived.

"I asked Steve if he would show you around," Keene said. "He joined Rednap and Sons as an apprentice and was an assistant manager by the time the company was taken over by Oxalgo Inc. and production was moved away, so he knows how everything works and can answer all your questions."

Byers, acting as their spokesman, briefed Steve on the kinds of things their new company was going to produce; and that they were looking for premises to acquire that would not need too much alteration before they could start full-scale production.

Having listened closely to what Byers had to say, Boyer replied, "I think we've  got just about everything you need right here. We used to produce both dry and liquid items, mixing and packaging everything ourselves, and most of the equipment is still here. The director they left in charge here sold off some of the small stuff as a sop to the company, he didn't really approve of closing the factory down , and persuaded his new bosses that it would cost too much money to gut the place."

Byers nodded his understanding. "It sounds good, let's go take a look around." He gestured for Steve to take the lead.

As Boyer showed them around, they admitted to being impressed at the general layout of the working areas, someone had obviously given a lot of thought to speed and efficiency without making the place dreary and soulless.

When they reached the storage and mixing area, Scully voiced her surprise at the super-cleanliness of everything, the whole place looked as if it were brand new.

Boyer grimaced. "It was either that, or pull the whole place down; they'd been working on a new formula and wanted to make sure that no-one could come in here and analyse it before they could get it to market from their new factory in Philly."

"Did anyone try?" Mulder enquired.

Boyer nodded. "I think so, we had a few viewings just after the place was put on the market, but they took one look at the gleaming vats and left again. Since then, nothing."

Alex and Scully had their heads together, talking quietly, then they questioned Boyer on the accuracy of the mixture controllers, and how many 'ingredients' they could handle at one time. Scully seemed pleased by the replies she was getting.

When the tour was over they thanked Steve for showing them around, and Byers took down his address before walking the young man to his car. He rejoined the others smiling ruefully. "We really must get some business cards printed, giving out scrappy bits of paper is not good business practice," he told them. He looked around the circle, "Do we want to put in a bid, or do you want to look for somewhere else?" he asked when no one else spoke

"I think it would be a waste of time searching for somewhere else when this place has nearly all the machinery we want already installed," Scully replied. "If our bid for the factory is accepted we could be up and running in a few weeks, and I'd rather not waste time we may not have in what could turn out to be a fruitless search."

"I agree!" Anson and Alex spoke in unison, then grinned at one another.

"I do, too," Mulder said.

"And I make it unanimous," Byers agreed. Followed by the others, he walked over to where Robert Keene had been sitting in his car, parked in the shade of the office block, and said. "We'd like to put in a bid to buy."

Keene grinned with delight. "I thought when you were telling me about your needs that this place would have almost everything you wanted. Let's go along to my office and we can put a bid in straight away. The parent company has already reduced the price twice in an effort to sell; they need to recoup some of the millions they paid out in the takeover battle."

Alex grinned back. "I won't say 'money no object' to you," he said, "But we do want to do a quick deal without paying more than is reasonable for the premises. We'll follow you back to your office and we can discuss what our opening bid should be."

After some discussion they put in a bid consisting of the market value of the buildings, plus the second-hand value of the machinery.

Keene faxed the bid through to Martin Wong, the Chief Financial Officer of Oxalgo Inc., and followed it up with a phone call to make sure that Wong had received the bid. His PA confirmed that the fax had arrived; she had given it to Mr Wong a few minutes ago. She had been about to phone him to advise that Mr Wong would be phoning him later in the afternoon with an answer.

After thanking her, Keene relayed the news to his friends, who decided to return to the house to wait for the answer. While they were waiting they could finish the unpacking of the china and glassware, sort out where the lamps were going and make the beds so they would be able to go to bed when they were tired without having to worry if the bed was ready.

While the others were working inside, Alex and Anson spread their organic fertilizer over the whole of the house's gardens watched by a few curious neighbours. When they were finished they took a shower, then started preparing the vegetables for the evening meal. Now feeling very tired again, Alex sat at the table peeling and chopping anything that his twin put in front of him, while Anson did most of the actual cooking and set the table in between. He chivvied Alex out of the kitchen when all the preparations were complete, calling on Mulder to make him rest in the family room when it became obvious that he had overtaxed his strength again.

Alex pouted until Mulder partially relented, and sat beside him on the sofa to watch the new TV.... Alex was soon asleep with his head resting on Mulder's shoulder.

A short while later, Byers received a call from Langly, telling him that they would be coming to the city the next day with more parcels to mail, and giving him a list of items to get from the local Radio Shack so that they could install an update to the house's security system. He immediately collected the van's keys and set off to fill the list

Mulder looked across the room to where Scully was relaxing in an armchair, and smiled ruefully, Alex had hardly stirred when the shrilling of the cell phone had shattered the silence.

Scully grinned rather smugly back, knowing exactly what Mulder was thinking.... Her eyes drifted towards the kitchen area where Anson was keeping an eye on the meal... it wasn't very likely that she would go without tonight.

Mulder's smile widened, but he wisely kept any comments to himself.

The cacophonous sound of their new phones ringing all over the house was enough to wake the dead; Alex sat bolt upright and looked wildly around.

Anson answered the extension in the kitchen, and then looked over at Mulder. "It's Robert Keene, he wants to talk to you."

Mulder took the phone. "Mulder speaking.... Uh huh... yes... Okay. Thank you. Yes. Bye."

There are few things more frustrating than listening to only one side of a phone conversation, so Mulder had three people standing close to him, trying to hear what was being said by the time the call ended.

"Well?" Alex demanded, "What did he say?"

"They accepted our offer," Mulder said, as he pushed the button to cut the connection. I'll phone Oliver Staunton right away and ask him to push the purchase through. Keene is going to fax him all the details. With that he put the receiver back to his ear and dialled a number from memory.

Since Staunton had given them the number for his direct line, Mulder got straight through to him and their conversation was short.

"He's promised to push the paperwork through as fast as he can. He needs the money put into an escrow account so he can pay it over on demand." He scribbled a note on the pad beside the phone and passed it over to Alex. "This is where it has to go. The only other news is that the company registration went okay, and the name is ours to use when we want. The formula has been lodged with the patent office, so we can put 'patent applied for' on our packaging. He's getting associate firms to apply for patents in as many other countries as possible. We'll be getting a bill for that at the end of the month. Alex, I'll leave you and the gunmen in charge of the finances. Just make sure that the account that Skinner is using for obtaining the patents has ample funds to cover the checks and money transfers."

Alex nodded and went into the study to log on to the bank's website. He moved large amounts of money around, deciding to err on the side of over funding the new Company's accounts, now was not the time to be stingy.

He then checked his email, and found that one of the Gunmen's friends had taken up the challenge and designed an extremely attractive logo, letter heading and had even sent some packaging designs for their approval. He printed out the PDF file, then put the PC back into stand-by mode before taking the designs to show the others.

"We need to start hiring people," Mulder said as he looked through the pages that Alex had printed out.

"I suggest that we approach Steve Boyer," Alex said thoughtfully. "He was the assistant production manager, so why not offer him the manager's job, and ask him who else of his former colleagues he would recommend we employ, if they are available."

"If who are available?" Byers asked coming in from the garage.

Mulder quickly explained that their bid for the factory had been accepted, and what they had been talking about.

"Hiring Steve is a good idea," Byers agreed. "I'll give him a ring first thing, we need to find an office somewhere so that we can interview people, we can't very well have them traipsing in here; that kind of familiarity breads contempt."

"I'm sure Robert can find us somewhere to hang our corporate hats until we can move into our permanent offices," Mulder commented, drifting towards the dining room as Anson called out that dinner was ready.

"I'll call *him* in the morning, too," Byers promised, following everyone else into the dining room.

-oo0oo-

The next few days were very busy. Steve Boyer had accepted their offer of a job as production manager with alacrity.

Robert Keene found them a respectable suite of offices to use as a temporary base, They then advertized for staff to work for Alfodaan Organics, a new company which would be soon operating from the premises recently vacated by Rednap.

With Steve's help they were able to 'cherry pick' their way through the applicants for the  available positions, since he knew  who the willing workers were, and who had real managerial abilities: who could be trusted and who were troublemakers.

During this time, Byers stayed on at the house in his role as General Manager. Mulder and Alex split their time between the lab complex and the house, alternately helping with the packing of their 'product' and ferrying van loads of the parcels to the temporary office to be mailed around the world. One other chore they would have to complete would be flying down to DC with a few of the others to sign the transfer papers and to officially release the purchase money to Oxalgo.

As soon as Oliver gave them a date, they booked their flights for DC and started advising their suppliers that not only were they moving but they would also be needing larger quantities of the raw materials as their business was expanding.

As soon as they had taken possession, they set up one of the spare analyzers from the complex and once the first deliveries were in, they had the bins filled. Scully and Jeremiah then calibrated them to produce the formula they required. Steve, who had watched closely with interest, then set off a trial run of a few pounds of the mixture of which Scully took samples and ran them through the analyzer. She made a couple of adjustments, then, after a second trial run, she announced that they were ready to go into production.

The weeks passed in a frenzy of activity and as their sales grew so they started getting reports from Skinner about officials and politicians mysteriously disappearing from all over the world.

When the numbers of missing people started to become alarming, Skinner very privately organized a conference with top police officials from as many countries as he could persuade to send a delegate, and
once they were all inside the conference room, made sure they didn't have any infiltrators by having the lavender scented spray released into the room. by the simple expedient of having Mulder, Scully, Alex, Anson, Byers and Oliver Staunton enter with small sprayers concealed in their hands. Three of the delegates tried to bolt, but their progress was barred by Langly and Frohike who reinforced the effects of the spray.

There was uproar for a moment when the delegates thought they were being attacked, which turned to a sudden, horrified silence when the aliens started to melt.

Skinner let the silence go on for a few minutes, then used the opportunity to start his opening speech, "That, ladies and gentlemen, is why I asked you to come here. A team of my Special Agents discovered that we are being infiltrated by aliens from another world. I regret the dramatic way in which I had to prove this to you all, but we had to make sure that none of this planet's enemies would be able to report back on our discussions. When you leave you will be given samples of the spray you have seen used here. Please wear it as a perfume, or aftershave, to weed out infiltrators in your organizations."

"Why haven't you said anything before?"

"Firstly, would you have believed me? Secondly, until we could find a way to neutralize the enemy, talking to anyone outside a circle of close friends could prove fatal... for both parties. Frankly, although I had seen one morph and melt on film, I didn't really believe they could infiltrate government departments for long periods of time until I saw one melt before my eyes. When we investigated and found the body, we found out that the alien must have been in place for nearly a year."

He waited for the gasps and exclamations of astonishment to die down, then looked across at Mulder who nodded to indicate that he would take it from there. "I'd like to introduce you to Special Agent Mulder who is going to provide further information."

Mulder stepped forward and asked them to take their seats as he would be showing some slides and a video clip during his talk. He walked to the front of the room and waited patiently while everyone took their seats.

When they were all settled Mulder gave them a quick run through the various aliens he had encountered, and whether they were friend or foe. He showed them pictures and film clips they'd obtained from the lab's computers: He described trying to fight the Bounty Hunters, who were immensely strong, and which were the ones who masqueraded people. The only way to kill them, until now, had been to stab them at the point where the top of the spine met the neck with a stiletto. He showed them the one he carried around in his pocket. "The Hunters carry these too," he told them, "They use them to kill any other aliens they find. Because of our interference with their plans, they have been trying to assassinate most of us standing before you. Now that we have a weapon to use against them, which I hasten to add is totally harmless to indigenous life on this planet, we thought it best to call you all together to let you know what is going on. Obviously we do not want to alert our enemies, so the weapon is secretly being deployed. What we are asking from you is help in its deployment, and if anyone does suddenly disappear, look into the persons' past and look for a body; also you may wish to try to determine what secrets they might have passed on to their masters."

One man got to his feet looking red-faced and angry. "How long have you known about these people?"

Mulder grimaced. "As you are well aware in your own jurisdiction, knowing about something and having hard evidential proof are two different things. I've known about them for some years, the proof you've just seen has been in my hands for less than a month."

Somewhat mollified, the man sat down again, and Mulder breathed a sigh of relief; that hurdle had been cleared successfully.

He then went on to tell them about the 'organic fertilizer' they were producing, and selling at cost to appease the auditors; and the many free samples they had distributed around the world already which would account for the missing persons they had all been so concerned about.

Scully then spoke to allay any fears they might still have about the effects on the environment. She showed them the before and after results of their tests; which particularly impressed those from drought-ridden countries. Then before the conference broke up, she  helped distribute vials of the perfume, and boxes of the fertilizer, for the delegates to take home with them.

-oo0oo-

Six months later.

The silent war was almost over. The Greys had made one last, desperate bid for supremacy, they attacked the factory in Bangor, hoping to disrupt production for long enough for them to find some way of combating the weapons it was producing; but the board of directors had long ago anticipated such an attack. It was far too late for such desperate measures to do them any good; not only were there two other factories, one in England, the other in Australia, already producing Earth's defence; they had ringed the factories, and their houses, with flower beds, tubs, hanging baskets and a myriad of other containers, inside and outside the buildings packed full with their organic fertilizer.

They had not neglected their suppliers either; their homes and factories were also protected by tubs of flowers and trees.

No war can be fought without casualties, so they set up a philanthropic fund to care for the injured and to provide support for the dependents of the injured and the dead.

When Jeremiah came to tell them that the last of the invasion force had turned tail for their home planet, they planned a quiet celebration, inviting a few friends.

OooOooO

Demi-X is next.