Genesis
Ally

Chapter 21

10:40 p.m.

"Hey, Dana. How're you doing there?"

Scully was conscious of the voice even as she came slowly out of sleep, and as she opened her eyes she experienced a moment of absolute certainty that the voice belonged to her partner. Her hopes were dashed, though, as SAIC Wickham's face swam in to view, hovering above her displaying the same expression of concern she had seen earlier.

She swallowed heavily and ran her tongue over her dry lips in an effort to moisten them, accepting the plastic tumbler of water that Wickham offered her and taking several small sips.

"Take it easy. Don't take too much."

His hand supported her head as she drank, the action causing the same twinges of pain she had felt earlier, sharper though, more localised than before. She winced enough for Wickham to notice.

"Are you OK, Dana? Do you want me to fetch someone?"

Scully shook her head.

"No. I'm fine. Aches and pains that's all."

"Yeah, well, that's understandable, I guess."

He removed the tumbler from her hand and set it down once again on the small side table next to the bed, appraising Scully carefully as he did so. She looked slightly better than the last time he had been here, and although she was still pale, the tiniest bit of colour now graced her cheeks. He marveled at her powers of recovery, and even more so when she began to struggle in to a sitting position.

Nevertheless, he moved quickly to assist her lest she do herself more damage, changing the settings of the bed to support her back.

"OK?"

Scully nodded.

"Thank you."

She glanced around the small room, taking in her surroundings now that she was more able to view them comfortably, eyes lingering on the flowers that were banked up against the far wall. Wickham followed her gaze.

"I guess you're more popular than you thought. You made the ten o'clock news last week, and since then they've been arriving in droves. It seems everyone loves a hero, or in your case, a heroine."

"I don't understand. Why would people do that?"

Wickham saw the confusion in her eyes and rose off his chair. He stood by the flowers, finally locating what he was looking for -- a large extravagant bouquet of white lilies tied with ribbon -- and plucked a small card from it's depths.

Silently, he handed it to Scully who read it, her eyes widening as she did so.

*You brought my daughter back to me. I'll never forget you. Christine.*

"Charlotte Stevens is alive?" she asked incredulously.

Wickham frowned.

"Of course. Why wouldn't she be?"

"Because at the warehouse . . . before I was shot . . ." she could hardly bear to utter the words. "Before Mulder. I mean . . ."

Her eyes filled with tears at the memory and Wickham set himself carefully on the bed, reaching out for her hand as he sought to reassure her.

"Dana, he didn't take her."

Scully shook her head.

"But . . . I remember . . . "

"No. I was there, remember? He knew he had no way out if he took the child, although he did take her from you. We found her a short distance away."

"Is she all right?"

Her words were so soft that Wickham almost didn't hear them. He squeezed her hand.

"She's fine. A little scared maybe, but none the worse for wear. We have her in protective custody with her mother until we can figure this thing out."

"And Mulder?"

Wickham dropped his eyes.

"We don't know. It's like he disappeared off the face of the earth. But we'll find him. Eventually. He can't run forever."

He watched as Scully digested the information, confident now that her feet were firmly set on the path he had carefully laid for her. Her next question threw him slightly though.

"Can I see her?"

"Who?"

"Charlie."

Wickham scratched his head thoughtfully, using the action to buy himself some time, and in doing so he remembered the Smoking Man's words regarding the child.

<We'll let Agent Scully see what she so desperately needs to see and then she'll be disposed of in the usual manner.>

He had anticipated her request, the son of a bitch. Wickham could only marvel at the mind of a man who could remain ten jumps ahead. To see the child would only add more weight to the false memories they had carefully planted. He knew then why the child had been so well cared for.

He smiled down at Scully.

"I'll see what I can do. When you're feeling a little stronger."

He watched her reaction to his assurance carefully and was gratified to see a light appear behind her eyes.

"So anyway . . ." he continued. "Are you ready to tell me what you remember now or do you want me to come back later?"

Scully shrugged.

"I don't know. I can remember some things as though they happened just a few minutes ago but, there are so many inconsistencies in the content of those memories, that I can't be sure they even happened at all."

Wickham nodded his understanding. This was something he had anticipated.

"It's OK, Dana. Just tell me what you can recall, for the record, and when we're finished I'll try to fill in some of those gaps for you. How would that be?"

She didn't answer him, but then she didn't need to. Her expression told him all he needed to know, and for the first time since entering in to this sorry scheme, he felt something akin to arrogance at how easily he had drawn her in to the web he had helped to spin for her.

She began to slowly give him a narrative on what she remembered regarding the incidents at the warehouse, and her memories of what exactly had prompted her and Mulder to come down here in the first place. Wickham could easily identify the segments of recollection that had been suggested to her. She related these incidents with much more confidence than the true events that had been allowed to remain in her mind, and there were long periods of silence as she battled to get her thoughts in order. He also knew that it was his job to fill in those spaces for her, allowing them to be planted in her mind, which, with the aid of the drugs being fed to her, were to become unquestionable reality for her as she slept.

He marveled at the scheme, at it's complexity, at how a human mind could be so easily manipulated, knowing that when she next saw him she would already have forgotten that this conversation had taken place.

Instead she would remember only what they allowed her to.

She would remember him being here tonight, and of giving him a history of recent events, but would not recall any of the suggestions he would make to her, instead believing that she had arrived at the determination of Mulder's betrayal herself.

And so he listened, affording just the right amounts of sympathy and professionalism for her to trust him implicitly as an ally, until she finally came to an end.

He finished jotting down her final words, and finally satisfied, leveled his cool grey eyes on her.

"That's all you remember?"

Scully shrugged.

"I'm sorry. I know it probably doesn't help much."

"Hey, don't worry. It helps us more than you know. Believe me."

"So . . ." she faltered slightly before going on, "what happens now?"

Wickham was careful to drop his eyes respectfully before answering, sounding contrite as he did so.

"Well, until we find Mulder, we're up against a brick wall. I have all my best men on the case, but so far we've turned up squat. But I don't mind telling you that I'll rest a lot easier once he's put where he belongs. Because while ever he's still out there, he represents a clear danger to you, and in here, there's a limit to how much protection we can give you."

Scully's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?"

<Good answer, Dana.>

He coughed slightly as if embarrassed to be the one to spell it out to her.

"Um . . . he tried to kill you once, remember? Who's to say he won't try to finish the job?"

He held up his hand as Scully shook her head, cutting her off before she had a chance to speak.

"I know this is hard for you, but you have to face facts. I have two armed Agents on the other side of that door. But I know Mulder. He wouldn't let them get in his way in order to get to you and I don't believe he would give you any kind of opportunity to raise the alarm. I've seen what he's capable of, and so have you. I'm not prepared to take any chances with your life."

Scully shook her head numbly. She could hear Wickham's words, but it was as though they came from somewhere outside herself, and try as she might she just couldn't correlate his warning to that of the man she had shared almost every day for the last six years with. The image was alien to her.

"I know it sounds crazy," she admitted quietly, "but I can't imagine him doing that. Even after everything that's happened, everything I know." And then, grasping at straws she turned tortured eyes on to Wickham.

"He must have had some kind of reason or justification for doing what he did."

Wickham laid a hand on her shoulder sadly.

"But he did have reason, Dana. More than enough to betray your trust the way he did. If you're feeling up to it, I'll explain everything to you."

He watched carefully as she nodded uncertainly and, with the arrogance he had felt earlier, he began to tell his tale.

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