*Shit*, thought Marita Covarrubias, looking to either side of her. The people who had been
chasing her were gone, but they might be back soon. She couldn't take the chance of mistaken
identity---for all she knew, they were sent by the conspiracy to kill her. Marita headed for
the nearest elevator heading down, hoping to make it to the ground level and hop a bus for 
the airport.

But when the doors opened, Marita was surprised to see the woman that had taken off after her
standing there. She recognized her immediately and Marita spared no time in fleeing, prompting
the woman to give chase.

"FBI, stop running!" the woman said. "I said stop where you are!"

A shot was fired and Marita paused, just praying that she wasn't hurt. She could see no blood
or wound. Before she could recover her bearings the woman had the gun pointed square between
Marita's shoulders.

"No sudden moves, now," she warned. She patted Marita down for weapons, but since she had none
let her go. "Turn around."

Marita obeyed. "Who are you, and why are you chasing me?"

"Why did you run?" Leigh demanded.

The woman turned to stone. "I believe that my life is in danger."

"Why would you think that?" Leigh asked.

"I can hardly expect you to understand," the woman scoffed. 

Leigh ignored her comment and took the piece of paper out of her pocket. "Are you Marita 
Covarrubias?"

"That depends."

"On what?" 

"Whether or not you were sent here by the men who might be trying to kill me," the other
woman asked.

"I wasn't," Leigh told her. 

"How do I know that?"

She shrugged. "I guess you'll just have to trust me." The woman didn't respond. "What do you
know about Fox Mulder?"

Marita Covarrubias struggled to keep a straight face. "Nothing."

"Oh really? How do you explain this?" Leigh held up the paper again. "Do I need to read it
to you?"

"That doesn't prove anything."

"It proves you know something about Fox Mulder," Leigh said. "Which leads me to believe you
know more than just something about him---you know something about Dana Scully and a couple
of rogue FBI agents, Reyes and Doggett. I mean to find out what that something is."

"I don't know anything about those people," Marita lied. "Just names I've heard around."

"Then I guess I'll just have to arrest you," Leigh threatened, extracting her handcuffs and 
waving them in the air menacingly.

"You don't want to do that."

"And why not?"

"I told you. My life is in danger, I'm sure of it. If you arrest me, they'll find me and kill 
me before you ever find out what I know," Marita told her. She was visibly shaking.

*She really does believe she's in danger*, Leigh thought. "Okay, I'll make you a deal. We walk
back into that casino like nothing happened. We'll go to the bar and talk about this over a 
drink. Fair deal?"

"I don't drink."

Leigh rolled her eyes. "Okay, where do *you* want to go?"

"I'm not going to tell you anything," Marita warned.

"Well, I can still arrest you."

"Why do you want to know about Mulder and Scully? Who do you work for?" Marita demanded to know.

"I already told you, I'm an FBI agent." Leigh was growing more and more frustrated. 

"What do you want to know?" Marita crossed her arms.

"I want to know where they are," Leigh told her. "I was given orders to find them because they
are endangering national security. All four of them are threats to this country, so you would
be wise to give over as much information as you have on them before I move to try you as an 
accessory."

"An accessory to what?" Marita Covarrubias stared her down. "Do you even know what they've 
supposedly done? Did they tell you anything, except that they're a threat to national security?"
She scoffed. 

Leigh squared her shoulders. "I have my assignment, and I'm going to complete it. If you don't 
tell me what I want to know, I'll arrest you."

"I will tell you where Mulder and Scully are, if you promise me that you will go them with an 
open mind," Covarrubias stipulated. "It is true, Mulder and Scully are threats to national security,
but not for the reasons that you think. What they know could unravel a conspiracy fifty years in
the making, one that is closer to being fulfilled every second we stand here arguing. Mulder and
Scully are on their way to uncover the truth, the truth about the fate of this planet. Instead
of serving those whose interests lie not in your well-being or that of others, but in their own
selfish salvation at the cost of billions of lives, you should do as much as you can to help
Mulder and Scully in their quest."

"Like you have?" Leigh raised her eyebrows.

"I have lost six years of my life to the conspiracy," Marita explained. "First, as a conspirator.
Then as one of their pawns, their lab rats." She said the last phrase with disgust, as if she was
spitting out something foul. "And now I've done what I can to help where I can---I suggest that you
do the same."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Leigh asked.

"You don't," Marita said, walking away. Leigh moved to pull her gun, but then stopped as Covarrubias
turned back around. 

"Mulder and Scully, along with Agents Doggett and Reyes, are headed to Puerto Rico, to the Aricebo
satellite," she revealed. "Follow them if you must, but I beg you not to report to your superiors
until you have spoken with Mulder and Scully, until you know what they know." With that she walked
away, turning the corner and disappearing into darkness.

As she walked back towards the elevator, Leigh was startled by a single gunshot. Pulling in a deep
breath, she whirled around and ran towards the sound, towards the dark where Covarrubias had vanished.
As she turned the corner she watched as a black sedan peeled away. At her feet lay Marita Covarrubias,
bleeding from her chest. Frantically, Leigh pulled open Covarrubias' shirt and pressed what fabric 
she could gather to the wound, attempting futilly to stop the steady flow of warm red liquid.

Covarrubias' eyes opened slowly and her lips began to move.

"Don't try to speak," Leigh commanded. Her hands were drenched now with blood. It began pooling 
beneath the dying woman.

Marita Covarrubias took in a deep breath and said so softly that Leigh had to strain to hear:

"Trust no one."

Covarrubias smiled weakly as if at a private joke, closed her eyes, and died.

End of Chapter 4---Continued Chapter 5