HELP!!! Need Mulder's password!!!
RJ
This is important.
I appreciate your help
Pangea
onl...@ix.netcom.com
mike...@access.digex.net
You're tired of reading this message, I know, but here it is again:
I'm posting this for Holly, so please send all comments to her at:
ho...@ariel.ucs.unimelb.EDU.AU
Thank you,
==================================================
For all comments and disclaimers, please refer to part one...
BLURRED VISION (part three of four):
***********************
"Something's wrong, Scully."
Mulder's words broke roughly into the silence that had descended on them.
They were sitting in the car, parked in the shadows of an old dockyard...
waiting.
"He should have been here by now."
"Mulder, it's only eleven twenty-one... He's just running a few minutes
late..."
Mulder shook his head slowly, his face reflecting the unease he felt.
"No... he's not going to show...Someone's warned him off..."
Scully pursed her lips: there was no arguing with Mulder when he was in a
mood like this. She was sure that the FBI set-up was going to go as
smoothly as planned, despite the suspect's tardiness...
An hour later, the small group of federal agents had emerged from their
well-hidden cars - suddenly filling the previously desolate area with
noise and activity. They were gathered around Mulder and Scully - the
lead investigators on the case. All of them wore expressions of
disappointment and frustration.
One of the agents voiced their collective thoughts: "How could he have
known? This was top secret... there's no way it could have gotten out
that we were waiting for him here..."
Mulder spoke, his words bitter and painful, "Well, someone must have told
him... It must have been leaked."
The gathered agents were suddenly silent, as the impact of Mulder's
comments hit them. They all started eyeing each other nervously,
suspiciously...
Scully interjected, "Maybe something happened to him? Maybe he just
couldn't make it for some reason?"
Mulder shook his head and responded with meaning, "Scully, what we were
offering him was too enticing... There's nothing that would have kept
Ashley Moore from turning up here tonight: he was convinced he was going
to get millions from this deal..."
No-one spoke for a long time... It was Mulder who finally broke the
silence, saying - as he started to head back to the car - "well, there'll
have to be an investigation into this..."
Seeing this as a signal, all the other agents returned to their cars and
drove off, each of them wondering which one of them was the traitor...
Scully strode quickly to catch up with Mulder, waiting until they were in
the car before asking him, "Mulder, you don't really believe that one of
them leaked that information do you? They're all highly respected and
long-serving agents..."
"Scully, I don't want to believe that, but I don't know what else to
think..."
**********************
The next few weeks were replete with similar incidents. Any case that
Mulder and Scully were working on seemed to be dogged by leaks and
betrayal. Witnesses would suddenly disappear, along with their
statements; surprise busts that the pair had planned would fall through
when the suspect disappeared; top secret information seemed to be finding
its way to the press.
In all cases, the one thing in common was that the leading investigators
- often the only investigators - were Mulder and Scully. They had worked
together for too long, been through too much to start doubting in the
implicit trust that they placed in one another, so Mulder decided that it
was someone within the Bureau, or government, who was trying to shut down
the X-Files, yet again.
The pair were called into Skinner's office, and he questioned them
severely about the lack of security surrounding their cases. Neither of
them had a response - it was obvious to them both that someone was trying
to set them up, by ensuring that their work would be discredited, that
they would be seen as even more of a risk to the Bureau than they were
already. And yet, they had no proof of this.
Skinner let them off with a warning, assuring them that if there was one
more "incident", the X-Files would be shut down without question, and the
two agents would be re-assigned.
Mulder and Scully had taken to discussing all their cases whilst
meandering casually through Washington's numerous parks, fearing that
their office may be bugged. This is where they went after their meeting
with Skinner, each of them troubled, although not surprised, by what he
had said.
"Mulder, I just don't understand what's happening... I've been over it in
my mind so many times - the only thing that any of those cases have in
common is us... We are the only two people that have been involved in all
of those investigations, and we're the only ones that have known the
information that's being leaked!" She sighed and looked at him
questioningly, but he, like her, was unable to find an answer.
After a thoughtful pause, Mulder replied, "What I want to know is - why
are they going to so much trouble? It's as if not only do they want to
shut the X-Files down, but they also have to discredit us in the process,
*and* make us suspicious of each other..."
She looked up at him quickly, worry in her eyes - what was that last
comment supposed to mean?
"Mulder, I hope you're not implying that I..." she couldn't continue the
thought.
He stopped abruptly and faced her, placing a hand on her arm, "Scully, of
course not... You know that you're the *only* one I trust..." He looked
at her intently, making sure that the meaning of his words sunk in.
She nodded, returning his gaze with her own equally potent one. But she
sensed that there was something else he wanted to say. They stood still
for a long time as Mulder worked up the courage to finish his thought:
"But Scully...I ...I, um, have to ask this... What about Chris? How do
you know that he isn't involved in this?"
Her eyes flashed at him angrily. "How dare you, Mulder!"
He had expected that her response would be strong, but he wasn't prepared
for the venom in her voice. He tried to soften his words, "Look, Scully,
I'm just trying to consider all the possibilities..."
"That's not good enough Mulder. I expect your trust to extend to trusting
me to make my own judgements about any man I was involved with! I'm not
some little school girl, Mulder - I *can* look after myself, you know...
I *don't* need you to protect me!"
With that, she spun on her heel and walked rapidly away from him. It
didn't take him long to catch up with her - his long legs easily
compensating for the lengthening distance between them.
He grabbed her shoulder and turned her body around to face him, "Scully -
listen to me... It's not that I don't trust your judgement... It's just
that I know, as much as anyone, just how easily it is to be deceived, no
matter how much you believe in something-"
She cut him off, "Well, that's the difference between you and me, Mulder."
He recoiled, hurt.
She pushed on, ignoring his pain, the words escaping her mouth before she
could stop him, "You've been against Chris from the very start Mulder,
and you'd use any excuse to turn me against him... So just drop the
adolescent jealousy, and let me live my life, goddammit!"
This time he didn't chase after her as she stormed off. He was fixed to
the spot, unable to move, her painful words echoing in his head. The
thing that hurt most though was her labelling his feelings as nothing
more than "adolescent jealousy". That she couldn't see his questions for
what they were: an indication of how much he cared for her, was what made
his heart ache bitterly... He looked at her retreating back with longing
- wanting to take back the words that had hurt her, wanting her to take
back the words that had hurt him...
Scully gradually slowed down, realising that Mulder wasn't going to
follow her. She couldn't believe that he had had to ask her about Chris.
What kind of fool did he think she was? Of course she trusted Chris...
She couldn't admit it, but in her heart she knew that the reason she had
reacted so strongly to Mulder's words was because that they had brushed
too close to the bone... She had had her own doubts, although they had
remained unacknowledged...
*********************
The next few days were tense between the pair. They went about their work
as usual, discussing the case when necessary, but otherwise remaining
silent. Each of them felt that they were owed an apology by the other,
and until that time, the situation was not going to be resolved.
The only good thing was that the leaks, the betrayals seemed to have
stopped... for the moment.
Mulder had decided to interview one of their witnesses, while Scully
continued to work on the autopsy of the victim. As he left the witness's
house, tucking his small tape recorder back into his pocket, he noticed a
familiar figure up ahead of him.
It was Chris.
Mulder walked stealthily behind the other man; he couldn't rid himself of
his suspicions, despite the reaction it had aroused in his partner. He
was sure that it was more than just a coincidence that all their problems
had started once Scully had begun seeing this man, and for once, he
wasn't going to let her hold him back from investigating this lead.
Chris stopped next to a small bar, quickly glancing around to ensure that
no-one saw him enter. Mulder just had time to duck into a doorway and
avoid being seen. His curiosity was roused by the man's gesture.. Mulder
became even more convinced that there was something not quite right about
this man...
He waited a few moments, and then he, too, entered the bar. It was pretty
rundown, with only the bare minimum of necessary light illuminating its
mostly empty space. Mulder searched the room hurriedly, and saw him
almost immediately - he was sitting in a corner booth, opposite another man.
Mulder slid quickly into the booth behind the two, noting at the same
time that it was a perfect cover, for, whilst he could hear every word
being spoken between the two men, he couldn't be seen... hidden from view
by the sheet of ugly perspex glass separating the two booths.
A waitress appeared at his table, asking him what he wanted.
"Coffee." He kept his words minimal, to avoid being heard by Chris and
the other man.
As he listened, he realised that they probably wouldn't have heard him
anyway, they were so intent on their conversation...
Mulder pulled out the tape recorder that he had been using to record the
witness's statement, placed it on the seat beside him, and pressed
"Record". As the words wended their way to him, his eyes widened,
disbelievingly... he was right... Chris was involved... but the words he
was hearing were even more painful: they outlined a deception so great,
so intricate, that he could hardly believe it...
END OF PART THREE
***************************
mike...@access.digex.net
I'm posting this for Holly, so please send all comments to her at:
ho...@ariel.ucs.unimelb.EDU.AU
(Unless they're comments regarding the way this was posted, in which case,
let me have 'em!!)
Thank you,
==================================================
For all comments and disclaimers, please refer to part one...
BLURRED VISION (part four of four):
***********************
Scully sat down heavily on her desk chair and sighed. The office was
empty - Mulder was off interviewing a witness. Even though she was still
angry with him for his comments the previous day, she couldn't help
missing him... She knew that they needed to talk about what had happened
the other day, but so far neither of them had made the first move.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a sound outside the office door. A few
seconds later, Mulder entered, his face stormy - angrier than she'd seen
him in a long time.
"Mulder, are you okay?"
He almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of her voice - he hadn't
seen her when he came in, assuming that she would still be working on the
autopsy. He turned to look at her, and the expression in his eyes made
her gasp.
"Mulder-- my god, what's wrong, what's happened?" She quickly stood up,
and moved to his side, placing a comforting hand on his arm. All her
angry thoughts towards him had quickly dissolved the moment she had seen
the agony in his face.
He couldn't look at her... couldn't look into those trusting eyes - not
when he knew just how much pain he was about to cause her...
"Scully... I.. I have something to tell you..."
"What is it Mulder?" Her voice was tender, aware of his pain, although,
as yet, still unaware of its cause.
Oh god, he wished that she wouldn't speak to him with such compassion.
She thought that there was something wrong with him... she didn't realise
that the pain he was feeling was because he was anticipating her own pain
and agony. He knew that she was going to hate him after she had heard
what he had to say... but there was no way of avoiding it - she had to know.
"Scully, I hope you know that the last thing I'd want to do would be to
cause you any pain..."
Her hand dropped to her side, and she stepped back, suddenly fearful of
what he was going to say.
He continued, "Scully...he... Chris... he - he's not who you think he is..."
Their eyes met: Mulder's were a well of pain, whilst the eyes that
returned his gaze were suddenly distant, cold...
"What do you mean?" The words escaped her in a tight whisper.
"He's the one who's been leaking the information on our cases... I heard
him today, talking with someone... he admitted it, Scully - I have
proof..." He pulled his tape recorder out of his pocket and placed it
softly on his desk.
She couldn't tear her eyes away from it...her mind unable to fully grasp
what he was saying to her.
"I want to hear it."
He looked at her questioningly. She nodded towards the tape recorder, and
repeated,
"I want to hear it."
"Scully, I don't know if that's such a good idea..."
She snapped, "Goddammit, Mulder! Just play the damn thing, will you!" She
drew in a shaky breath and fixed her eyes on his, then, her voice
softening, said, "I need to hear it..."
He nodded, and pressed play.
The voice that she knew so well, along with another, deeper voice,
emerged from the cassette:
" 'You have been very successful, Christopher.. we are all most impressed
with your work...'
'Yeah, well, you know... This one's certainly a better job that the last
one you gave me! By the way, I think that was a good idea to stop the
leaks for a while - let them relax a little, and then hit 'em with the
big one!' " He chuckled, and Scully closed her eyes, pain suddenly
stabbing through her, at the familiar noise.
" 'Yes, that's what we were intending... It won't be long now before the
X-Files are permanently closed, and Mulder's and Scully's reputations
destroyed... How has she been reacting to these "problems"?'
'Oh well, you know, she's been pretty stressed, I suppose... although,
she generally doesn't talk about her work much - which is fine by me!
Anyway - it hasn't made any difference in the sack--'"
Mulder quickly turned off the recorder, saying, "There isn't much else
after that, that's all you need to hear..."
Scully looked at him, her cheeks flushed, "Mulder, I want to hear it all."
"Look, Scully, it's really not necessary..."
Oh god, what else was on that tape...?
"Mulder - have you heard everything he said?"
Mulder nodded silently.
"Then I have to listen to the rest..." She had to know what Mulder had
heard...
Mulder shrugged his shoulders in a gesture of resignation, and went to
sit on his desk chair. Scully moved closer to his desk, and pressed the
play button once more...
Chris continued the thread of conversation:
"'...she's still just as hot in bed.'"
Scully could feel her cheeks turning crimson, but she couldn't turn it
off - she had to hear what Mulder had heard...
The stranger replied,
"'Well we're certainly pleased to hear that it hasn't been an unpleasant
task for you...'
'Are you kidding? Wow! This woman is such an Ice Queen on the outside,
but once you hit the bedroom... all of that just flies out the window -
she turns into an animal... man, some of the things she does...she leaves
me horny for days...'"
Oh god...
The voice of the stranger cut Chris off:
"'Yes, yes, I'm sure... Now, the other thing we want to know is
what exactly is going on between Mulder and Scully?'
'What d'ya mean?'
'Well, we've been observing them for a long time, and we've noticed them
getting closer and closer, but we haven't yet been able to determine
whether they've taken their relationship a step further...'
'Oh, I get it - you want to know if they're sleeping together? Yeah, I
s'pose that would be an even better thing to use to separate them,
wouldn't it?'"
There was no vocal response from the other man, although there had
obviously been some gesture, for Chris continued:
"'Well, I dunno... She *says* they've never actually done it, but I'm
sure they both want to... You should have seen his face when I first
introduced myself to him - man, that was a classic! He looked like he was
about to drop dead... yeah, he wants her alright... And the feeling's
pretty mutual, as far as I can tell... In fact, something funny that
happened about a week ago gave me a pretty good idea of how she felt...
We were having sex - oh man, it was a good one, that night - anyway, I
was.. um.. you know.. down there on her.. and she, like, grabbed my hair
when she came, and screamed out 'Mulder!' -- gave me a fuckin' heart
attack!--'"
Scully slammed her hand down on the recorder, abruptly cutting off the
flow of words. The silence in the room was so heavy, she felt as if she
were being smothered by it. She couldn't look at Mulder, couldn't even
lift her eyes from the cassette... her hands were shaking uncontrollably,
and all she could hear was the sound of Mulder's breathing...
After an interminably long time, Mulder opened his mouth to speak... She
heard the intake of breath, as he prepared to say something, but before
he had the chance she was gone - almost, but not quite, running out of
the room...
Mulder leapt up from his chair and followed her - by the time he got to
the office door, she was nowhere to be seen: the only sign of her was the
closing door of the Ladies'.
Scully pushed the door shut and leaned against it, fervently hoping that
Mulder wouldn't try and follow her. After a few minutes had passed, she
allowed herself to relax... he had obviously decided to leave her alone.
Chris's words filled her head; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't
push them out, couldn't ignore that voice...
Her knees gave way, and she sank to the floor, tears streaming down her
face, sobs racking her body. She stayed like that for what felt like
hours, although, in reality, was probably only twenty minutes... She felt
dirty, violated... how dare he share her most intimate secrets with a
complete stranger... and Mulder... Mulder had heard all that; Mulder had
listened to the voice that described everything in infinite detail...
Mulder knew that she had called his name in her most vulnerable of
moments... Oh god, how was she ever going to face him....? How could she
look him in the eye, knowing that he knew those things about her, knowing
that he had heard that voice that she knew was going to remain in her
head for a long time to come...
How could she have been so stupid? How could she have gotten so caught up
in the relationship that she hadn't even noticed what was going on,
hadn't noticed the betrayal, the deception... had trusted in him
blindly... Had she been so lonely, so desperate for love that she was
willing to settle for the first person to come along...?
The jumbled questions whirled around in her head... she was unable to
stop them...and unable to answer them...
Her head was starting to ache. She pushed herself to her feet slowly, and
moved over to the sink, where she ran some cold water, and splashed it on
her face. She reached over and grabbed a paper towel, blotting her face
with it and then lifting her head to look in the mirror.
She was a mess. The crying, the water and the paper towel had all
combined to turn her face into a clown's mask. Her makeup was completely
smeared and uneven.. her eyes were puffy, and her cheeks were mottled
with colour. She had to smile at the sight, and set about trying to fix
as much as she could with paper towels and water.
Ten minutes later, she carefully pushed open the restroom door and peered
out down the corridor. No-one was in sight, so she slowly emerged. The
office door was still open - Mulder was in there, no doubt. She took a
deep breath, willing her mind to ignore the echo of Chris's voice that
was still trapped in her head. She composed her face into a steel mask,
determined not to let Mulder catch a glimpse of what she was feeling...
he already knew too much about her...
She strode into the office purposefully, hoping that Mulder wouldn't
notice her still shaking hands, as she reached out and picked up her
briefcase. She didn't meet his eye as she turned in his direction,
keeping her own eyes firmly fixed on her hands.
"Mulder, I'm going to take the rest of the afternoon off... I'll see you
on Monday..."
He nodded, although she wouldn't have known, because no sooner had the
words left her lips, that she left the room - managing to avoid his eyes
the entire time.
Despite the evasiveness of her glance, Mulder had seen enough to know how
affected she was. Her face had been completely clear of her customary,
yet discreet makeup, instantly giving him the impression of looking at a
young girl; her eyes had been puffy; and her hands had been shaking
uncontrollably...
God, he wanted so much to comfort her, but he knew that she would have
shunned any such gesture on his part, especially after what they had both
just heard...
Even though he had known what was coming, he had still been shocked on
hearing those last words emerging from the cassette. He could only
imagine just how painful it must have been for his partner to hear her
most private moment talked about in such a cavalier manner.
And yet he couldn't help feeling flattered, happy even... He cursed
himself for his insensitivity, while at the same time relishing the
thought that she had fantasised about him. The memory of Chris's
revelation refused to disappear, and an image appeared unbidden in his
mind: his fingers running across her bare abdomen, his lips caressing her
neck...
He stood up quickly, anxious to erase those dangerous thoughts from his
psyche. He couldn't allow himself to think like that, not if he wanted to
remain her partner... her friend. He realised reluctantly that regardless
of his desires and needs, he couldn't take advantage of the information
he had just heard: it was an abuse of her privacy, and would, without a
doubt, destroy the careful and implicit trust she placed in him.
This wasn't the right time to be thinking about such things... sometime -
hopefully not too far off in the future - his hopes would be realised.
But not this time... This time what she needed was a friend.
**************************
"I just don't know what to do, mom."
On returning home, Scully had immediately turned to the only person she
had left to confide in.
"Dana, honey, it's not the end of the world--"
"Mom, you didn't hear the tape. You didn't hear the things he said...
personal things, *private* things..."
"I can't believe it was that bad! What sort of things did he say, Dana?"
"I can't tell you..." Scully tightened her lips together, and clutched
the phone even harder, in an effort to repress the memory of those words.
She drew a shaky breath and added softly, "the sort of things I can't
even tell my own mother."
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few moments, and
then Margaret said, "... And... you're embarrassed because Fox heard
these things also?"
Embarrassed. That was putting it lightly...
Scully nodded, then realising that her mother had no way of seeing the
gesture, she vocalised the agreement with a murmur.
"You know, Dana - I believe that Fox is an honourable man--"
Scully scoffed at her mother.
"Yes, I know, you probably think that sounds old-fashioned, but let me
finish please... He respects you Dana - more than I think you realise...
and he cares about you enormously..."
Scully knew that her mother had seen a lot of Mulder when she had been
missing and then, later, when she was dying in hospital. However, it was
only recently that she had begun to realise the depth of the bond they
had formed at that time... and it was at moments such as these that she
would wonder what exactly had transpired in that time...
"...and I know he values your relationship, your friendship, immensely -
I don't believe he would do anything to jeopardise it."
Scully heard the words, and a part of her knew they were true, but she
couldn't help the niggling doubt from invading her mind...
"Dana, you just need to trust him..."
At that moment there was a knock at the door. Scully got to her feet and
moved to the door, the phone still held to her ear:
"Hold on, mom, there's someone at the door. Who is it?"
"It's me."
Scully breathed in sharply - only one person in her life would answer
like that, assuming that she would automatically recognise his voice, as
she did, of course.
"I'm on the phone Mulder." She didn't know why she thought this would
ward him off...
Her mother spoke in her ear: "Is that Fox? Talk to him Dana, you need to
talk..." And she hung up.
Scully stared at the phone in frustration.
"Scully, come on - we need to talk."
God - it was a conspiracy!
"Mulder, I'm tired alright... I don't want to talk about this."
"Scully - look, I'm not leaving... Either you let me in, or I'll let
myself in."
"What? And invade my privacy again?"
As soon as the words left her mouth she regretted them, and from the
silence on the other side of the door, she realised they had hit home.
She quickly unlocked the door, and pulled it open. Mulder's expression
was unguarded and displayed his hurt like a shield.
"Oh Mulder, I'm sorry - I didn't mean that..."
"No, no, you're right... I had no business interfering--"
"Mulder, don't be ridiculous... we needed to find out where those leaks
were coming from, and you did. You don't need to blame yourself for
anything."
Scully's voice was cold, unemotional.
Mulder knew that this was just her way of dealing with pain, and he
didn't accept her tone of voice as an indication of her true feelings. He
stepped forward.
"Scully, can I come in?" He pleaded gently.
She nodded, stepping back and allowing him to sweep past her into her
apartment.
He moved towards the couch, and then realised that she hadn't followed
him. He turned around and saw that she was standing in exactly the same
spot, her hand still grasping the doorknob, her eyes glazed and unfocused.
Mulder moved to her side and gently released her hand from the knob,
closing the door softly, and leading her over to the couch. She followed
willingly, suddenly as easy to manipulate as a rag doll. She sat down
heavily on the couch, and drew her knees up to her chest, as Mulder
looked on, trying to decipher her thoughts from the myriad of emotions
that flitted across her face.
They stayed this way for a long time. Mulder didn't dare move, for fear
that he would disturb the trance-like state she had fallen into. He
allowed his gaze to linger on her face, as it had never done before. Even
without a trace of makeup, and with her eyes still puffy from crying, her
translucent beauty was undeniable. He yearned to reach over and run his
hand along her cheek, but he knew that she would only cringe at the
gesture. So he sat there silently, watching her - waiting for her to speak.
Scully was lost in thought. Seeing Mulder at the door had brought on a
rush of memories and emotions. She had barely felt his gentle hand
guiding her to a seat, had hardly noticed the silence that clung to
them... her every sense was focused on the thoughts and feelings that
raced around her head. Chris was a liar... he had used her... it was her
fault that their cases had been jeopardised... the X-Files would have
been shut down... and it would have been her fault... Mulder would have
blamed her... Mulder... Mulder had heard that she had wanted him... had
called his name... her intimate secrets...Mulder had followed Chris...
had recorded a conversation with Chris... Mulder had betrayed her...
trust...truth...what was the truth... who was on their side... who was
their enemy... would she ever have a normal life again...Mulder...
Mulder... Mulder....
For the first time since the tape had started reciting its treacherous
message, Scully lifted her head and looked into Mulder's eyes.
For a moment they each allowed their respective barriers to drop. They
were exposed; their desires, their needs, their feelings and emotions
were displayed openly and uninhibitedly...for a moment.
It was only a split second in time, and yet it felt like an eternity.
Scully knew what Mulder wanted... knew what she wanted... And she knew
that they couldn't have it - not now, not yet.
"Mulder... Can we move past this? I just want to forget... Will you do
that for me - please?" Her voice was husky, yet under control.
He moved closer to her, gently laying his hand along her cheek, lifting
her head so that their eyes met once more.
"Scully, if that's what you want... then I'll do it."
She closed her eyes. For a brief moment she imagined another life for
them, a life of complete and total companionship... and she smiled. It
would come... all in good time...
She opened her eyes, the smile still lingering on her lips;
"That's what I want."
THE END.
********************
So - what do you all think? Please e-mail me:
ho...@ariel.its.unimelb.edu.au
Thanks.
Brian Richardson
>From: pan...@dowco.com (RJ)
>Subject: HELP!!! Need Mulder's password!!!
>Date: Sat, 24 Feb 1996 06:07:19 GMT
>Can anybody tell me Mulder's computer password?
>This is important.
It's very relevant: TrustNo1 (Maybe by the time *I* get a car, I'll be
allowed to have 9 letters on my license plate...)
>I appreciate your help
No problem...just pay more attention to small details :-)
>Pangea
-- Brian
[ Still have to get my .sig file off the damned shell server... ]