| J. Edgar Hoover Building Washington D.C. 9:30 A.M. She stood in the doorway and watched him sleep. Considering that he had actually managed to get there before her, he�d probably been there all night looking over their most recent case. It was a difficult one; they hadn�t the faintest clue where to start. All they knew was that there was a mining incident in Montana where the entire mine, despite its supports, collapsed. No one was inside, but soon after that the miners were all killed. Once all the miners were dead, random people were being murdered all over the country by the same thing. But that was as far as they�d gotten. The thing would kill, then disappear. It was obviously not human, the autopsies proved that. Whatever it was had claws and a really strong frame to take down some of the people it did. She went over to the desk and tickled the back of his neck. He woke with a start, still half asleep. � I�m up,� came the automatic response. � I was just doing a little meditating.� � I can tell,� she replied, amused. � So how much information did you absorb while you �meditated�?� He rubbed his eyes and squinted at the papers he�d been using as a pillow. � I can�t say it was a lot. This is a new murder. Apparently by the same thing. Only this time there are two-toed bird prints around it.� � Bird prints?� � Yeah. And the eyes were pecked out.� � Pecked?� � There are scratches in the sockets that suggest a beak.� � So we�re looking at a rabid bird that attacks people, pecks their eyes out, then slashes their throat?� � Exactly. But maybe not rabid.� � Mulder, birds don�t attack people.� � They do. They�ll dive bomb you.� � In defense of a nest.� � What nest? This is all over the country. Scully, I think we�re dealing with a mutated raptor.� � . . . You�re joking.� � Then how could it get all the way across the country in three days? Look at this.� She took the picture he held out to her. In the center was an imprint of something with two toes, a spread male hand was to the left, and a foot was to the right. The imprint was larger than the hand, but equal in length to the foot. � They got the officers who had the biggest hands and feet to measure that. The shoe size is fourteen. That bird is big. Bigger than the largest known. It�s either a mutated raptor or an undiscovered species.� � So how do we find it if it�s always on the move?� He held up a finger and began shuffling through the stack of papers. � I did some research and found that every person that was attacked had some involvement with a mine somewhere.� He handed her another paper. She looked it over. � So what do you suggest we do? There�s no pattern.� � But there is. It�s going through the states and victims in alphabetical order.� She arched an eyebrow. � I think you�re giving this thing too much credit.� � Godzilla wasn�t stupid.� She dropped the papers in front of him. � Godzilla is a made-up monster from Japan.� � But there�s a possibility that with mutation comes intelligence. Think about it, Scully. According to the Theory of Evolution, we evolved from one-celled prokaryotic organisms.� � That�s evolution.� � No. Evolution is just another, nicer word for mutation. As we evolved, we got smarter. Instead of just existing from day to day like monerans and protists and using action-reaction survival, we interact with everything around us and use fight or flight.� � Your point?� � Maybe it�s a mutated raptor that was buried in a mountain in the Rockies decades ago and managed to survive until the mine was opened. It escaped, which caused the collapse of the mine, and then killed all the miners because they injured it somehow. And then it went on to kill others involved in mining so it wouldn�t be hurt again.� � Now you�re getting ridiculous.� � But it�s not out of the realm of possibility.� � No, but it�s teetering on the edge.� � Perfect.� He stood and began putting papers in folders. � Now that I have you thoroughly against the idea, let�s go prove me right.� She sighed and rolled her eyes, but followed him out the door. � You know, Mulder, when this turns up nothing, I�m going to have to say I told you so. Where are we going, anyway?� Silvertip Mine Silvertip Mountain, Montana 4:00 P.M. She stood there in the cool early evening air, watching him stick his head into various holes along the mine�s fallen entrance. A gentle breeze ruffled her hair and coat and she tossed her head to keep her hair from tickling her face. � Mulder, why are we here? People are being murdered as we speak and you want to examine a collapsed mine?� � Know your enemy,� was all that he said in reply from the hole he was currently shoulder-deep in. There was some silence, then a muffled humming. � Shit!� He jerked back from the hole and rolled away, then leapt to his feet. The humming was now the distinct rattle of a diamondback snake. She ran over to him, terrified that he�d been bitten. � Are you okay? Were you bitten?� He spit out some dust that had gotten in his mouth. � No.� Calming herself with a heavy sigh, she helped brush the dust off him. � I hope you�ve learned your lesson.� � Yep. Don�t stick your head in a hole with a rattlesnake in it.� � How about not sticking your head in holes at all?� � Why? Not all of them have rattlers.� Sometimes he was such a child . . . � Did you find anything interesting?� � Yeah. In the hole with the rattler.� He held up a feather that held all the colors of the rainbow in a horizontal pattern. � So what kind of bird does this belong to, Bird Mistress?� She shook her head, ignoring the name. � I�ve never seen anything like that.� He produced half an egg next. � I don�t know about you, Scully, but I don�t remember Audubon documenting a bird that lays purple eggs.� � So you�re sticking to mutated birds?� � No. I think this is something else. Where�s the nearest natural history museum?� <--Index Division 2--> |