^*^*^
Aja bit back the small smirk that threatened to give her away as 
Dr. Dana Scully became enthralled by what she was seeing and 
hearing. The questions started to come rapidly, the redhead 
providing ample evidence of the depth of her knowledge and 
naturally curious nature.

Wondering for the third time in so many minutes what the hold 
up was with Jorge and Ward, Dr. Sonjah risked a glance toward the 
hidden camera lens, willing Diana to understand the question; to do 
exactly what, she wasn't sure. She knew that the two men were 
somewhere just outside the lab, hopefully waiting for some signal. 
What that signal was, Aja didn't know. She'd only been privy to her 
immediate part of the plan to secure Dana Scully. Her boss had 
explained, in a rather convincing way, that her lack of knowledge 
about other parts of the plan was her security should things turn 
sour.

Aja didn't really care, but she was getting antsy knowing that 
Dana's suspicions could be aroused, making her flee before Diana 
could take possession.

Noticing that Dr. Scully was eyeing her oddly, Aja realized that 
she'd failed to answer the last question. Without giving away too 
much, Dr. Sonjah began to scroll down the screen, pointing with the 
cursor as she went. She raked a few strands of errant dark chestnut 
hair behind her ear with her other hand and sighed as she heard 
footfalls in the hall. Relief. Well, for her at least.


^*^*^
Given Building
Sub-basement Level 2

The additional lenses whirred into life, focusing jointly on the 
work station and the doors, controlled from Sub-basement Level 2. 
Long unused Sub-basement Level 2; now home to one former FBI Agent.

Diana could not control the racing of her heartbeat, her breath now 
also racing, and the beads of sweat breaking out along her brow.  
Hastily and mindlessly, she whisked her hair into a knot and 
secured it with a clamp, her eyes never leaving the multiple 
screens.

One minute Dana was bent over Aja's laptop screen, watching and 
reading as the taller woman indicated this and that. The next 
moment, the doors flung open and Ward and Jorge moved in as if 
they meant business. Well, she mused, they *did* indeed mean 
business. *Her* business. Diana would finally have what she needed.

But there was no time now to consider what lay in the upcoming days.
Right now, her staff withdrew small snubbed-nose handguns. Rather 
remarkable snubbed nose handguns.  One of her German connections 
had provided her with advanced weaponry; the type that didn't need 
the older more cumbersome silencer attachments.

The two men dressed entirely in black, including their face masks, 
were on either side of Dana before the petite woman had time to so 
much as cry out or turn her head. Solidly-muscled, they were easily 
able to almost totally still her wrenching body, quiet her writhing 
arms and legs. 
Almost.  

She did have time to forcefully dig her heel into Ward's instep. Not
that it would matter. Neither of them took offense easily. 
 
Diana's raucous laughter at her own humor went unheard.

She continued to observe gleefully as Aja made quick work of 
shutting down and removing her laptop and notes to her own 
knapsack. Using a specially treated cloth, she wiped the counter 
top, doors and desk for their fingerprints. Her male associates 
had no such concerns -- they'd worn gloves.

Knapsack on her back,  Aja quickly secured Dr. Scully's hands, 
tightly wrapping wide silvery-gray duct tape around her slender 
wrists. No mean feat since even with the two men's hold on the 
Agent they didn't seem to be able to effectively halt her movements. 

Reaching for the woven rip-stop nylon strap she'd shoved into the 
pocket of her lab coat, Aja looped it over Scully's right wrist and 
under her left, then back over and under both before securing it 
behind the redhead's waist. With a yank and a tug that jarred Scully. 

Although there was no chance anyone would hear them, Dr. Sonjah 
noticed with some amusement that Ward was growing bored with 
Dana's need to know who they worked for and what they wanted from 
her. Utilizing only a mere fraction of what she presumed was quite 
immeasurable strength, he back-handed Scully soundly, her final 
request for information dying before having any chance of escaping 
her mouth. Aja noted the smug grin on Ward's face as Scully's 
futile attempt to wriggle free died as they lifted her by her 
biceps and easily carted her to the door.

She managed to glance behind her to see Aja zipping Scully's 
backpack, zippering and velcroing the various compartments.  
Somewhat pleased, she noticed that Dr. Sonjah had failed to notice 
Agent Scully's cell phone from where it lay on the floor.  
Green message light beeping silently. 


^*^*^
Given Building
Bio-Science Lab

Were they totally stupid, Scully wondered as they left the lab. She 
knew it was probably fruitless to call out, the building seemed 
deserted. Even if she did yell, the level of activity in the 
parking lot at eleven thirty on a Monday night was probably 
negligible. No, someone had seen to everything.

Well, almost everything, she noted as she thought she caught sight 
of a teal lab coat rounding a corner farther down the hallway. 
Quickly assessing the situation, the Agent knew that one person by 
him or herself was not going to be of much use to her unless she or 
he saw what was transpiring and called for help. Besides, she 
somehow managed to continue reasoning, why risk drawing a bystander 
into whatever it was she herself had somehow become entangled in?

And that really was the question -- or at least one of them, wasn't 
it? She had no doubt that Dr. Aja Sonjah was part of the plan, but 
just how much a part of it and how far she was willing to go to 
further the benefactor's agenda, she had no way of knowing. As for 
her two *gentlemen escorts*, it was hard to identify them 
with certainty, but there was something in the eyes of the taller 
one to her left. Something that told Scully she'd seen him before. 
Since she'd been in Burlington. The fact that none of them would 
make eye contact with her made their identification all the more 
difficult.

Attempting to catch them off guard, she made an aborted attempt to 
literally trip them up, stopping suddenly, her left foot kicking 
out sideways, hoping to trip at least one of her captors.

Who slowly turned to her, the slit mouth of the wool facial hood 
doing nothing to hide his smile of wry amusement before his 
partner's chunky heel delivered a sharp blow to the exposed 
tendons of the back of her right knee. With a blurted 'Ahh' 
followed by a not-so-subtle 'son of a bitch' gritted through her 
clenched jaw, she staggered, almost dropping to her knees. Whether 
it was the utter surprise of the kick or the buckling pain that 
followed, she wasn't sure. In the end, the result was the same.

As if the pain in her leg weren't enough, Aja suddenly grabbed a 
fistful of her long coppery locks, pulling back and then up 
sharply. The fact that the woman's voice was soothing did nothing 
to dispel Scully's shiver at the words the taller scientist spoke 
in her ear. "Try something smart like that again, *Doctor*, and it 
might very well be the last time you have the opportunity." 

Message received. Her scalp buzzing and tingling, the nerve-endings 
much too close to the surface, Scully longed to reach up to cradle 
her head. But she was torn between that relief and trying to stay 
standing. Her captors' idea of helping her walk was to drag her 
forcibly until she managed to stumble along between them.

Where the hell were they going? Who was waiting for her?

She wasn't sure she wanted the answers to those questions. And she 
was equally sure she would get them whether she wanted them or not.

As they neared the elevator, she knew her shock registered clearly, 
the look on her face expressing her confusion -- that they weren't 
leaving the building. As the steel gray door slid open jerkily, she 
was shoved inside. Aja's smile faltered, realizing they were 
running behind schedule. Behind Diana's planned schedule. Never a 
good thing, but where it concerned Agent Scully, it would be viewed
as reprehensible. 

She drew a keycard from her pocket and slid it into the small 
horizontal slot in the numeric panel to the left of the now-sealed 
doorway. The elevator began its amazingly quick descent as soon as 
she withdrew the card. Scully's stomach seemed to drop along with 
the elevator car, her ears popping with the change in pressure and 
the speed.

In what seemed like approximately ten seconds, the motion ceased 
and the door opened. Into a wide cinderblock hallway which seemed 
to stretch on forever. She could see no doorways to either her 
right or left as the grip on her upper arms tightened. "Move it 
Agent Scully." Aja's clipped command died off as she proceeded the 
two men and their ward down the corridor. "She doesn't like to be 
kept waiting."

Scully wasn't sure she'd heard Dr. Sonjah correctly. They were 
taking her to a woman?


^*^*^
Location Unknown
Midnight

His scowl was rare, but its effect was instantaneous. Downcast 
eyes, fidgeting hands, jittery legs and tapping toes. Yes, 
Proteus' associates knew their general was not pleased. Much too 
smart to glance at one another, to try to determine who was the 
source of this displeasure, they focused their collective 
attention on nothing in particular. On anything but the Boss.

When he finally spoke, the tone was deceptively calm, low and 
quiet. "Where is she?" He paused as his black patent Nunbush 
loafers formed impressions in the thick nap of the gunmetal gray
carpeting.

The room remained silent.

Pausing behind the Stillman brothers, Proteus laid one hand on 
each of their shoulders. "Well boys, is there anything you'd like
to say? I believe she was supposed to be under your surveillance?"

Ben knew enough to shut up. His Sinatra-loving brother preferred 
to be more spontaneous. "No Sir, I don't believe there is anything
we'd like to say." 

"Speak for yourself, *brother*." Ben's muttered comment had been 
heard by the man standing between them.

But instead of challenging either of the Stillman's comments, he 
moved around to the others in attendance. Standing directly in 
front of two armchairs that faced each other, he looked from 
Tanner Roscoe to Slug, the former studiously avoiding his 
superior's probing gaze, the latter guilelessly returning the 
probing gaze.

Sometimes *not* asking the question was more effective than 
giving it voice and Proteus' stance; hands in suit pants pockets,
head tilted to one side did the work for him.

"Uh Sir, I remember Miss Fowley talking to that new doc, the one 
with the sorta funny sounding name? But I don't remember when it 
was." Slug's simply stated truth brought a half-smile to Tanner's
face.

Not a smart move.

"Was there something you wished to add, Mr. Roscoe?" He knew the 
Boss was not quite as amused at Slug's statements as he had been.

"No." Cutting his losses, he refrained from elaborating.

Pacing again, his voice nowhere and everywhere, he lectured, his 
orders clear. "Ms. Fowley has brought much to this group. For 
those of you uninformed regarding her involvement, I'm not going 
to be bringing you up to speed. However, what all need to know at 
this point is that it appears we may be dealing with a loose 
cannon; one in danger of misfiring if not properly redirected." 
He stopped, noting wryly that most of his associates were actually
breathing once again and that he had their undivided visual 
attention.

"Therefore, I need to know where she is and what she's up to. Do 
not interfere once she's located; just bring me the information." 
Arms now crossed, he assessed the faces before him, scrutinizing 
them as if seeing them for the first time.

"And," clasping his hands together, he headed for the door, opening
it, "the first person that brings me accurate information about 
her will be handsomely rewarded. Quite handsomely. Dismissed."


^*^*^
Pine Street Boardinghouse
Burlington, Vermont
26 September  
12:10AM

Now that he was back, the first thing he needed to do was call 
Scully.

"Damnit, Scully, pick up the fucking phone." Mulder slammed his own 
cell against the door frame as he shrugged out of his leather 
jacket. He could think of nowhere she might be without her phone 
turned on. Even during some of her most gruesome autopsies, she'd 
managed to take his call. She may have been perturbed, and that 
would've have been putting it mildly, but she always answered his 
calls. As if she knew it would be him.

He could feel it -- something was wrong. Something was always wrong 
when dependable, level-headed and usually predictable Scully didn't 
answer her phone. All right; he was generalizing, he knew, but he 
was damn close to the truth. 

He couldn't stay here; he had to do something. Clues, Mulder, look 
for clues. His inner voice made every attempt to set him on course.

Hoping he hadn't done permanent damaged to his cell, he carefully 
opened it. The green-lit message area glowed wanly and he had a 
signal. He tested it by attempting to contact A.D. Skinner. No 
ringing, no message that read 'dialing'.

"Shit." The night had just gone from bad to much worse. Until he 
remembered that his ever-efficient partner had started carrying a 
spare. How she'd gotten their boss to agree to foot the bill, he 
wasn't sure he wanted to know. But the result was that he might 
have access as soon as he found the extra. 

Not bothering to take his jacket, Mulder grabbed his keys from 
where he'd tossed them earlier and slammed the door behind him.


^*^*^
Given Building
Sub-basement Level 2
12:35AM

Diana schooled herself to breathe. She was so close to obtaining 
what she wanted most on the way to regaining Fox's undying love
-- if she could only calm herself and focus.. It wouldn't do to 
lose sight of her goal now -- when it was almost in the palm of 
her hand.

She couldn’t stand watching the monitors any longer; she needed 
reality. And she heard it through the surveillance system, knowing 
that the walls around her were impenetrable to both sound and force.
The sounds of Dana's occasional question early on, followed by the 
piercing; wonderfully piercing scream when Ward had applied a bit 
of practical demonstration to his admonishment. Then there was Aja. 
Diana Fowley had to admit that Aja was good. 

She had remained true to both her academic training and experience 
as well as to her superior. 

Preening just a bit for a myriad of non-existent admirers, she 
wallowed in the sound of the term. She -- Diana Fowley -- was 
'superior'. Well, all right; technically speaking she was 'a' 
superior. Then again, she really had no use for the fine semantics 
of adjective versus noun. The word could take on many forms, but 
its significance suited her well.

She snapped out of her private moment of praise to watch their 
progress. Dana looked almost docile now, but Diana didn't rely on  
appearances very often. 

Especially where Special Agent Scully was concerned.

She assumed and planned for the fact that Fox's partner would be 
anything but cooperative. In fact, she hoped she got to demonstrate 
just how 'superior' her skills were when darling Dana decided to 
try to escape. 

And she knew she would, she expected her to. 

Underneath the former Agent Fowley's multiple layers of delusional 
thoughts and behavior, there still resided a woman schooled by
the best self-appointed experts and trained by top-notch Quantico 
personnel. Her high intellect had allowed her to absorb the facts 
and her sharp wit had made her savvy in most else undefined by 
classroom learning.

Occasionally, on the road to reclaiming he who rightfully belonged 
by her side, memories of how to utilize those skills grew fuzzy and 
confusing. Her need to obtain her goal crowded her mind to the 
extent that her usual abilities to reason and think analytically 
faltered. Horribly. She knew this would not be a time for failure. 

Shaking her head, she momentarily wondered what she'd missed as 
Jorge's use of the keycard was indicated by the blinking green 
light on her screen and the soft chirp that sounded in rhythm with 
the pulsing light. Diana quickly composed herself, any lingering 
signs of the sheer adrenaline excitement swept away, replaced by 
her most ruthlessly serious visage.

Drawing herself up to her full six foot height in her heels, she 
crossed her arms in front of her and silently moved out of sight. 
She resisted the urge to peek, delaying her gratification to the 
moment of triumph that would be hers soon enough. To the moment 
when she was witness to the look of sheer incredulity on Dana 
Katherine Scully's face.


^*^*^
En Route

<Mulder, where are you? Have you located Agent Scully?>  Skinner
got straight to the point.

And also told Mulder what he didn't want to hear -- the A.D. didn't 
know where she was either.

"No Sir, I haven't. Did Kimberley turn up anything at the 
Radisson?" Mulder was glad he was driving; he needed to be moving, 
but more than that, he needed to be doing something. Something to 
actively find his partner. He hadn't realized he was laughing 
until his boss spoke.

<Did I miss something, Agent?>  Mulder knew Skinner probably 
understood the emotional release, if not the reason for it.

He knew that Walter Skinner would probably find this a peculiar 
time for his subordinate to be reflecting on the number of times 
one-half of the daring FBI duo of Mulder and Scully had gone 
missing. Mulder had lost count. In some ways, their disappearances
came with the job, went with the territory. He'd never accepted 
it, but was used to the routine of searching for her; knew the 
buttons to push, heck -- he knew the people to push. But the keys 
were that he had to be actively involved and he had to be the 
one to find her.

Remembering that someone was waiting for an answer, Mulder replied,
"No. Nothing."

<Kimberley says that the desk staff at the hotel told her they 
cannot possibly keep track of the comings and goings of each 
guest. However, one newly-hired college student seems to remember
seeing a woman who clearly fits Scully's description in the lobby.
Said she looked like she was in a hurry, but not upset. She was 
alone>

"What was she wearing? Did she have anything with her? Did she 
get her car? Did--"  Mulder didn't get to finish his final question.

<Mulder. Stop it. If you don't slow down, you're going to miss 
something along the way. I've called in Officer Kresge and the 
local PD>  Knowing his rogue Agent well, he headed him off at the 
pass. <Like it or not, you need assistance. Play nice, Mulder, 
and keep me informed>


^*^*^
The Given Building
Sub-basement Level 2
1:00AM

Unsure which woman would be considered the victor in this round, 
Aja watched with carefully neutral eyes as Diana Fowley and Dana 
Scully squared off for the first time. Although Diana had the home 
court advantage, so to speak, Dr. Scully seemed to be holding her 
own. So far.

Ward shoved Scully through the doorway, belatedly grabbing her 
upper arm to keep her from falling flat on her face. Dr. Sonjah 
caught the look on his face; half surprise, half fear. If he'd 
allowed the petite woman to injure herself, Diana would be all 
over him. Aja knew that the man valued his livelihood.

The fellow scientist gave Scully credit; she appeared to be 
keeping her cool with a layer of righteous indignation on top for 
good measure. However, the look on her face when she'd first seen
Diana had been priceless. Recovering quickly from what had to be 
shock, those blue eyes turned glitteringly cold. Aja guessed 
there was a good amount of animosity being directed toward her 
boss by the redhead.

She wondered about the nature of their mutual disdain. Through 
scattered bits and pieces, she'd been able to glean a few facts 
about Diana's supposed justification for abducting Scully. From 
what she could tell, Diana was laboring under the assumption that
by using the FBI woman as bait, she could lure her partner, Fox 
Mulder, to her. Aja's brow wrinkled in quiet consternation as 
she tried to fathom the logic behind that notion. She didn't know
who this Fox was, but he was obviously someone important to her 
boss--and to Dana. Therein lay the rub. She wondered at the 
depth of the history between these two women and the one man who 
seemed to be equally important to them both.

She was wrenched back to the present by the two words spoken by 
the Fowley woman. "Hello Dana." The words alone, to any outsider,
would have sounded cordial. Unless they'd seen the daggers in her
dark eyes or the smile that failed to materialize.

Dr. Sonjah glanced over to Scully again, noting how her chin 
jutted out defiantly, her head held high despite her bound wrists
and the fact that she was clearly in no position to try to hold 
her own. Aja secretly gave her some credit, although she knew it 
would do her no good. There had to be a reason her benefactor had 
gone to such lengths to draw Scully here and it had to be more 
than for the love of some man.

"I believe I spoke to you, Dana." Diana's words were marked by her
slowly measured movements around Ward and Jorge, stopping directly
behind Scully. Aja watched as Diana nodded imperceptibly to the 
two men and looked on as they each held one of Dana's arms.

Although not much about Diana Fowley surprised Dr. Sonjah, her 
ability to slide from seeming-control to tightly-held rage still 
frightened the doctor. Diana's fingers curled into Dana's scalp, 
twisting a rather large hank of hair and jerking upward with 
enough force to rock the smaller woman on her feet. Had her two 
hired hands not been holding her tightly, Aja was sure Diana 
would have succeeded in lifting her fellow scientist off the ground.


^*^*^^*
Home of Kimberley Kresge and Bryan O'Connor
24 Church Street
Burlington, Vermont
2:30AM

Regardless of the middle of the night hour, he was ushered inside 
before he could even knock on the door. Wired and exhausted 
beyond belief, Mulder allowed Kimberley and Bryan to lead him to 
the couch and hand him a glass of ice tea. He wasn't sure whether 
to drink it or not. His stomach was so knotted he was afraid he 
might just vomit it back up.

Kimberley made the decision for him. "Drink it Mulder, you're not 
going to get much farther without something in you." 

Noting her crisp business attire, Mulder surmised that she must 
have been working a rather late shift. Had he been in a different
frame of mind -- had Scully been with him -- he might have inquired, 
but let the observation go untested.

Kimberley's eyes never left the FBI Agent as she removed her 
holster and set it on the coffee table, and then toeing off her 
heels. Meanwhile, Bryan took the opportunity to place a sandwich 
on the table. Clapping Mulder on the back, he and his fiancee 
convinced the FBI man to sit down. "At least take a few bites 
while we figure things out." Handing him half the roastbeef 
sandwich, Bryan joined Mulder on the couch as Kimberley perched 
on the coffee table facing the two men.

In her all-business mode, the Canadian officer reminded Mulder 
of his own partner.  And Bryan reminded him of Scully in her 
nurturing mode, always trying to get him to eat and rest.

Kimberley picked up the conversation, pulling her hand-held PDA 
from her briefcase and flipping it open. Having been brought up 
to speed earlier by A.D. Skinner, she needed to fill in her 
information gaps quickly. Knowing the timeline the US government 
required before pursuing a missing person's report, told her 
that she could probably move a little faster. Removing the 
slender stylus from its holder, she began tapping away at the 
small screen.

"All right, we know she was seen leaving the hotel last night, 
presumably under no duress. The time seems to be pinpointed only 
within a half hour time slot; between ten and ten-thirty last 
night. From what I could get from the star-struck young man at 
the desk, she had her knapsack over her shoulder and appeared to 
be in a hurry. She didn't seem to have time for the Parking 
Valet to bring her car around, but he did see her drive off from 
the entrance horseshoe. Which means she probably retrieved the 
Maxima herself."

Bryan's brief smile wasn't lost on his partner as they both 
noted that Mulder had just about finished the entire sandwich 
and all of the tea. Between mouthfuls, he summarized and 
questioned, "So we know she was fine before leaving. Where is 
she? Did anyone see her on the road?"

"Good questions," Kimberley nodded, pausing to make a few more 
notes, "but so far, nothing. I have some of the local PD out 
canvassing the area for possible witnesses. Although it hasn't 
yet been twenty-four hours, they were more than willing to 
assist given Agent Scully's position. The hotel doormen didn't 
see which way her car headed when she left the underground 
garage." At Mulder's slight scowl, she added, "It was a slow 
night and chilly. It seems they had retreated to just inside 
the lobby doors." Leaning forward, she laid one hand on Bryan's 
knee and then pointed toward Mulder. 

"What about her room? Her voicemail? Or maybe she left you a 
voicemail?" Kimberley stopped, sighing in frustration. Of course 
he would have already checked his cellphone. Then again, she knew
better than to let go any possibility when investigating.

Mulder raked his hands through his hair, creating a few more 
spiky patches, the sheepish grin on his face bringing questioning
looks to both Bryan and Kimberley. "If she did leave me a message,
I can't access it. It seems my cell is not working at this moment."

"Scully did mention something about you and cellphones, Mulder," 
Kimberley said evenly, failing to entirely keep the amusement from
her voice. 

"Yeah, well, she has a spare I'll pick up when I leave here." 
Mulder didn’t want to be rude to his hosts, but he was feeling 
pulled off-course. "I'm heading over to the hotel now to see what 
else I can learn." Heading for the door, he stopped, one hand on 
the frame, the other on the screen door, "I'll be in touch."  

"Mulder?" Kimberley's voice was full of both concern and fatigue, 
but Mulder also thought he caught that 'always-on-alert' tone, as 
well.

"Call me with your, uh, new cell number, will you?"

He nodded and with that, he was gone almost before Kimberley and 
Bryan could register the sound of his truck rending the pre-dawn 
silence neighborhood street.
 

*^*^*