Wambli-Part 3/18 Summary and disclaimers in Part 1 ***** "No matter how paranoid you are, you're not paranoid enough." Episode 5x01-Unusual Suspects ***** Reptile Gardens/Black Hills Raptor Rehabilitation Center Rapid City, South Dakota Sheriff Ian Zweifel was standing in one of the back offices of the Reptile Gardens with his cell phone pressed tightly to his ear when Alicia Chase walked in. Of moderate height and slender build, the blonde didn't look like an F.B.I. agent, but he knew she was a good one. She had also only been in the Bureau for three years, therefore she had no reason to recognize him or his wife. She gave him a curious glance, then proceeded to talk with Charlie, who was waiting by the door. "Lincoln Medical Clinic," a voice spoke in his ear. "This is Carrie speaking. How may I help you?" "Hey, Carrie. Is Sara there?" "Yeah, Sheriff. Hold on." He stood and waited as the Musac played over the phone. The Medical Clinic was moderately large considering it was located in such a small town, but it served many ranchers in the area, as well as many people from the reservation. Dr. Al Rosenberg started the clinic years ago with his wife and fellow doctor Michelle. They ran the General Practice side of the clinic while Sara handled most of the pediatrics. She loved the older couple and she loved her job. It was what she should have been doing years ago instead of following him to hell and back over and over again. The Musac disappeared and her voice came over the line. "Hi." It was obvious by the happiness in her voice that Carrie had told her who was on the line. "Hey, Babe," he responded softly. He never would have guessed an endearment such as 'babe' would ever be in his vocabulary, but he spoke it without thinking these days. "What's going on? Did you find your eagle?" "Yeah," he responded. "And she is definitely unique. It's like she wants to communicate, but can't." He kept his voice low so Chase wouldn't hear him. "I was wondering if Moira would have any luck." Sara was silent for a while. Moira Anderson was an old friend of theirs from Spokane, Washington, who had the special ability to transfer her consciousness into that of animals, thinking what they think, feeling what they feel. Ian hoped she would be able to communicate with Marlene, the name he had given the eagle in his mind. "I don't know, Ian. If this bird has a sentient mind like a human, Moira might not be able to touch it. She still can't enter human minds without becoming overwhelmed." "It's worth a shot, isn't it? Come on, Scu-" he stopped himself before he forgot who he was talking to and where. "Sara. She's probably in need of a vacation, anyway." Though Moira had been one of the mourners at 'their' funeral five years ago, Sara had made contact with her a few months later when she and Ian had returned to the U.S. after toodling around the Pacific Islands. One of the few people Sara trusted absolutely, the young horse trainer had kept regular, but careful, touch since then. Ian heard the familiar sigh of resignation from his wife, the one that made him feel victorious and guilty at the same time. "Okay. I'll call her, see if she can come down." "Thanks," Ian told her. "Look, Chase is here right now. Maybe I can find out when these 'officials' are supposed to get here." "What if it's soon?" He sighed. "Then we'll have to think of something to keep Marlene here." "Marlene?" Sara's voice was dry. He knew he didn't have to explain. With a laugh, he said goodbye, waited for her amused farewell, and hung up. Then he turned to Charlie and Special Agent Chase. "Sheriff," she nodded to him. "What are you doing here?" "Well," Ian said smoothly, "some of these eagles were recovered in my county, and most of them were captured there. Now, I know this is a Federal case, but I feel I should have some say in the matter." "Some say?" She raised her eyebrows. "Meaning?" "I heard some government types were heading out here to look at them...at one in particular. What is that all about?" Chase's cool demeanor cracked a bit. "I'm not sure exactly. From what I understand, one of the eagles we recovered was used in a research program, to test insecticides or something like that. I guess she got away and they're afraid she may cause some kind of problem. I got the idea that she was a livestock killer and they didn't want her on the range anymore." Ian nodded. "Hmmm. And Game, Fish and Parks can't handle her? They have to send someone from D.C. to take care of it?" Chase shrugged. "Hey. I'm just following orders here." Ian met her light brown eyes with his own. "Some orders should be questioned, Agent Chase. If you don't know that by now, you'll never become a top agent. You'll be stuck out here in the boonies forever." Chase opened her mouth, about to argue, when Charlie interrupted. "When are these people coming?" With one last glare at Ian, Alicia turned to Charlie. "They said they'd be here early this evening." Ian let his eyes meet Charlie's over the top of Alicia's head. He knew Charlie was thinking the same thing he was; they could not let the people coming tonight have that bird. Charlie didn't know why. And Ian knew he would have to explain it to him. But not yet. Right now, they needed to get her out of here. Hiding a smirk, Ian left the office. He was about to commit a crime, a federal offense. He was about to steal an eagle. ************************************************************ "Exactly what agency are you guys from? (Silence) Obviously not the office of information!" Episode 5x18-The Pine Bluff Variant ***** Lincoln, South Dakota Downtown It was after 6 o'clock when Sara was finally able to leave the clinic. The last one to go, she locked up the door behind her and headed for her car, which was parked a short way down the street. As she walked, she noticed all the cars parked in front of the Sheriff's office, which was only three blocks away. All three county vehicles, as well as Charlie's pickup and several other cars sat in the angled parking spaces in front of the building. Curiosity and concern warred in her heart as she passed her own car and continued down the street. She could pick up the kids at Susan's later. As she walked into the building, she passed Tricia, the county dispatcher/secretary/mother hen, who was on her way out; the office officially closed at six. The tall, dark-haired woman rolled her eyes at Sara as she slipped by her. She seemed anxious to leave. With trepidation, Sara continued on past the dispatcher's station and toward the door to Ian's office. She could hear the arguing coming from inside long before she neared the room. Carefully, she walked up to the open door. Alicia Chase and Nick Remington, both local F.B.I. agents, were arguing with Charlie. Two other official looking men stood off to the side, quietly watching the by-play between the agents and the Indian cop. Ian sat at his desk, feet up, and amused expression on his face, munching on sunflower seeds. He smiled when he saw her in the doorway. She glanced at the suited men in the corner, and looked back at her husband, a question in her eyes. He nodded his head ever so slightly, but his smile dissapeared. His unspoken 'okay' allowed her to relax somewhat, and she entered the room. All talk halted. "What is going on?!" she demanded, her eyes searching the room. Charlie she knew well, and Chase she had met a couple of times. But Remington she had only seen from a distance. She felt a chill move up her spine as the older agent's eyes narrowed at her entrance. Did he recognize her? She took a deep breath and looked at Ian. "Would you like to explain who these people are?" She gestured toward the stoic men in the corner. With a sigh of his own, Ian introduced her. "Gentlemen, this is my wife, Dr. Sara Zweifel. Sara, these men are with the Department of Agriculture. Agents Cronin and Breker." He nodded to the F.B.I. agents. "I believe you've met Agent Chase. Her companion is Special Agent Nick Remington." "Do you always stick your nose into your husband's business, Dr. Zweifel?" Remington asked. Sara was stunned by his rude question...but only for a moment. "Only on nights we had plans to meet for dinner and I find several people in his office fighting," she coolly replied. She felt a presence behind her and turned to find Lucas LittleElk and Sam Lang, Ian's deputies, entering the office. "Sara," Lucas nodded toward her. "We heard the arguing too, sir," he directed his attention toward Ian. "Is everything okay?" "Oh, everything is fine." Ian still gave the appearance of a man at ease, but Sara knew her husband too well; he was as tense as a bowstring. He looked at her. "You know those eagles that we recovered?" She nodded. "One of them was stolen earlier today." He smiled slightly. "Ironically, it was the one these men came here to collect." He nodded toward Cronin and Breker. Sara felt her eyebrows shoot up. 'Oh, Mulder,' she thought to herself. "Any idea who took it?" she asked carefully. Remington answered for her husband. "We have reason to believe it was a couple of kids from the Rez." Sara looked at him, meeting his eyes though she was still nervous about his presence. "And you're yelling at Charlie because...what? He's from the Rez, too?" "Sara..." Even Charlie recognized the venom in her voice and tried to step in to avoid anymore arguing. "No, Charlie. I'm talking to Agent Remington." She continued to hold the man's gaze steadily. "Well?" The agent sighed. "We think that Chief Yellow Hawk may know how it happened. After all, both he and your husband were at the facility where the eagles were being held most of the day. The bird was taken in broad daylight during the middle of a moderately busy tourist day on the grounds of a popular zoo." Ian interrupted. "The birds are kept far from any of the exhibits and shows, Agent Remington. It wouldn't have been difficult for anyone who knew the place to slip in when all the shows and most of the people were on the other side of the grounds. Even the bird staff isn't always around; they have to take care of the exhibits and such." He paused. "And Agent Chase can confirm that both myself and Charlie were in the office most of the day." Alicia nodded. "They were. And he's right. Anyone could have slipped in and taken the bird without being seen. The only question I have is how did they manage to catch that particular bird without a ruckus? They were all wild birds." "This particular bird used to be in captivity, though," Ian argued. He looked at the Ag officials. "Isn't that so? For all we know she'd been trained to the glove and came willingly." One of the men, Cronin, Sara thought, spoke up. "Even if that was the case, how would these kids have known that particular bird was the tame one?" His dark eyes roamed the room. Ag Department official, my ass, Sara thought. "Unless someone told them. Someone who knew." His gaze landed on Ian. The sheriff just shrugged. "I don't pretend to know anything about Golden Eagles or any other kind of bird outside of what I learned from the Bird Department staff this morning." He suddenly pulled his feet off the desk and stood. "Now, if you'll all excuse me, gentlemen, Alicia. I'd like to have dinner with my wife as planned. If you'd like to press charges on a couple of Indian boys...or Charlie...or me...you can wait until tomorrow." Sara stepped aside as everyone in the office began to slowly move outward. The Ag agents were grumbling amongst themselves. Remington looked PO'd. Chase looked worried. The deputies and Charlie looked triumphant. Sara knew they would all follow Ian to hell and back if he asked them to, and any victory, however small, over the Federal Government was something to be savored. Leaving Lucas at the dispatch desk, they all vacated the building and went their separate ways. Ian watched them for a moment, then grasped Sara's arm lightly and led her down the street. "Let's walk," he said. Lincoln was small enough that walking from one end of town to the next was barely any effort at all. They headed toward Susan Norton's house, where Fox and Marisa went to daycare during the weekdays. They walked silently for a while. Sara was the first to break that silence. "How well do you know Remington?" "He doesn't recognize us, if that's what you're worried about. If he had, he would have done something by now." Ian brought his arm up to lay it over her shoulders. Public displays of affection had become more numerous for every year they were married. "Is Moira coming?" he asked after another silence. "Tomorrow. She was pretty excited and agreed with your opinion of her needing a vacation." Ian smiled. "Good." "Of course," Sara continued. "I don't know how she can help if the eagle she was supposed to communicate with is gone." There was a tiny bit of question in her statement. When he didn't reply, she looked at him. "Mulder," she said, her voice hard. "Shhh!" He looked around them and squeezed her shoulders. "Billy Moran used to work at Reptile Gardens. I called him up and he and a friend of his agreed to help us." "Billy Moran?" She shook her head. "And they think it was a kid from the Reservation?" "They think it's Caleb Running Bull. He was the one who bought Marlene from WhiteEagle. The poor kid's gonna be upset at being accused, but I know he has a good alibi, so they shouldn't be able to make anything stick. Not to mention the fact that he doesn't have the eagle." "You realize you just committed a federal crime, don't you?" "Wouldn't be the first time." Sara couldn't help smiling. "Now what?" "Now we wait for Moira and find out what Marlene has to say." ************************************************************ "The government knows about it, you know. They're in on it sometimes, right there in the room when they come. They work together." Episode 2x05-Duane Barry ***** Highway 44 West Heading into Rapid City Nick Remington's jaw, which had been clenched for the last three hours, was finally starting to relax as he and Chase neared Rapid. His headache, he was sure, would go on for a while yet. He loosened his sweaty grip on the steering wheel and glanced at the woman next to him. Alicia sat staring out the passenger side window at the barren plains around them. Having grown up in Chicago, he knew she hadn't been too thrilled to be assigned to such a small city. It hadn't helped that she had first arrived during the winter. She was used to the cold, but not the desolation. And the lack of serious crime. Most of their cases consisted of assaults, rapes, and the occasional murder on the Indian reservations in Western South Dakota. The rare bank robbery popped up on occasion, and white collar crime was becoming more prevalent in Rapid, but it was pretty boring overall. He loved it here. But he had been born in Eastern Wyoming, and the people and the land were similar. Now this had happened. A stolen eagle. That in itself wasn't a big deal, but the fact that D.C. had sent other agents bugged him. He didn't trust the so-called Ag agents. And he didn't trust Sheriff Zweifel. He never had. Something was going on with the 'officials' and that eagle, and Remington was certain both Zweifel and Yellow Hawk knew something about it. It didn't mater that they seemed to be at odds. What bothered him was being kept out of the loop in his territory. What did the Agricultural Department want with an eagle? Why that particular eagle? Why were a Indian police chief and a small town sheriff concerned with the matter? And why did that sheriff's wife look familiar? He had seen Sara Zweifel from a distance a couple of times before, but he had never seen her up close or heard her speak. But the minute she had stormed into the office today, he had felt a tug of recognition. He could not for the life of him recall where he knew her from. "So what do you think is up with that eagle?" Alicia's voice startled him out of his contemplation. He shrugged. "Hell, I don't care about the eagle. I just know something fishy is going on and Zweifel is somehow behind it." "What makes you think that?" "Come on, Chase. He's the only one who is not supposed to be involved, yet he's up to his neck in whatever is going on." Alicia didn't argue. "But what would a small town sheriff have to do with government tests on an eagle?" "Maybe he's an animal rights activist?" Remington was positive this wasn't the case, but he knew they had to consider ever aspect. "Maybe when he heard where that bird came from and where it was going to, he flipped." Alicia let out an inelegant snort. "This guy lives side by side with cattle ranchers. Half of his 'buddies' hunt and fish. I bet he eats his steak rare." She looked over at him. "If he's an activist, I'll eat my brand new leather jacket." Remington couldn't help but smile. God, he loved this woman. Too bad she'd never know. "Obviously, your not an activist, either, Miss Leather Jacket." Alicia didn't respond right away. "I heard one of the girls at the Gardens say that they thought the eagle that was stolen was smarter than normal. That the Indian cop was trying to talk to it." Remington's eyebrows shot up dramatically. "I know the Lakota consider the eagle sacred, but I've never seen them try to talk directly to one." He shook his head. "What a mess. I've got a friend in D.C. who might be able to help us. She and her partner have been complaining that things are a little slow in their department. Maybe they'll want to come out here and poke around." "Yeah. We are so busy, it's not like we can work on this ourselves!" The sarcasm in Alicia's voice was unmistakable. He laughed. "Zweifel's not gonna talk to us. He knows us. If we can put some outside pressure on them, maybe it'll help." He paused. "Besides, smart, talking eagles are right up her ally." "Why? What department does she work for?" "You've probably never heard of it. It's been around for years, but isn't as infamous as it once was." He sighed and let his gaze fall on the dark shape of the Black Hills slowly growing bigger in the distance. "It's called the X Files." ***** End 3/18