Note from the author:  Well, here's my story, at long last for those of 
you who may have been waiting for it.  Yes, it's true, a  new rated PG 
story.  A note about my use of notation to indicate time, location, etc.; 
there is no change of location or lapse of time if it is not indicated.  The 
stars indicate a lapse of time or a minor change of location.  Some 
thanks:  thanks to Robyn Sanderson, for helping me edit my wording 
and grammar.  Thanks also to Deanna Zhang for helping me with my 
characterization.  Sean Leventhal, thanks for your idea, you know 
which one I'm talking about.  Thanks to everyone else at my lunch 
group at school, and to everyone on pretender-l mailing list for their 
comments and suggestions.  This wouldn't have been possible without 
all your help and support.

*****

"Turnabout is Fair Play"
Erin Piateski <qeylar@geocities.com>

November 7: WEP-TV Channel 18 News Room: Komencio, Tennessee

"This was his desk," said Anderson.  "Why are y'all looking for him 
anyway?"

Ignoring his question, the tall woman with dark hair said curtly, "Did 
he leave anything?  Like a red notebook?"

A bit hurt that she hadn't answered his question, Anderson replied, 
"You mean this red notebook?", producing a spiral notebook full of 
newspaper clippings. 

Miss Parker snatched the notebook out of his hands and began to flip 
through it.  "Did he say where he was going?" she asked distractedly.

"Well, he didn't say, but I was curious about his sudden disappearance 
and did some checking" said the reporter proudly. Miss Parker's head 
jerked up.  "You know where he is?" she asked, suddenly interested.

Anderson smiled smugly.  "After he left, I found out that he'd caught a 
flight to New York.  He was going under the name "Jarod LeDoux".  
Anyway, I went up and found out that he was teaching at some college 
there.  He was a professor, teaching about fear conditioning or 
something weird like that.  I thought it was strange that he could be a 
professor, but I didn't pursue the matter beyond that.  Say, miss, you 
free tonight?  I know this great Italian place...."

Miss Parker brushed him aside and hurried out the door, with Sydney 
trailing behind her.  Anderson shrugged, and went back to work.


November  8: Howard J. Taak Biology Building; Parkwood College: 
Parkwood, New York

"And so, the amygdala is an essential part of the fear conditioning 
process.  This was shown when experiments were done showing that 
rats didn't learn fear if lesions were put on the amygdala.  Studies have 
also shown that the amygdala is affected by a microgravity 
environment, so there have been proposals for experiments with fear 
conditioning on rats in space to see if there are any differences in 
reactions or time until extinction."  The students scribbled furiously in 
their notepads.  "Now, does anyone have any questions?"

Several students raised their hands.  Suddenly, Miss Parker, Sydney, 
and several men in black suits kicked the door in and burst into the 
classroom, pointing their guns at Jarod.  Jarod dropped his notes and 
ran for the other door out of the classroom.  Five more men burst 
through that door and raised their weapons.  The students began to 
scream, and there was pandemonium in the classroom.  Jarod was 
startled, but remained silent and looked imploringly at Sydney.  Miss 
Parker smiled maliciously as she strode confidently to the front of the 
room with her gun drawn.  The students fell silent.  She waved her 
gun into Jarod's face, saying "So we meet again.  But this time, you 
don't have a hurricane to help you escape."  Miss Parker reached into 
her coat pocket and pulled out some handcuffs.  She snapped them 
onto Jarod's wrists, fastening his hands behind his back.  Still smiling, 
she shoved her gun into Jarod's back and nudged him in the direction 
of the door.  Jarod slumped as Miss Parker triumphantly pushed him 
out of the room.

November 12: Mr. Raines' office; The Centre: Blue Cove, Delaware

"Where are the DSA's?"  Mr. Raines rasped.

"We couldn't find them anywhere.  They weren't in his room, and no 
one he knew has them.  He won't tell us where they are," Miss Parker 
replied evenly. 

"I want those archives.  That's more than 30 years of research, gone.  
Get me those archives!"

"We're trying.   We sent two sweeper teams and neither of them 
turned up a trace.  We're doing the best we can."

"Obviously your best isn't good enough.  If you can't get that 
information, I'll find someone who will."

"My father wants me to do this.  I don't have to answer to you," she 
retorted.  With that, Miss Parker turned and marched out the door.

November 13: Sleep-Tite Motel: Parkwood, New York

Special Agent Fox Mulder sighed.  He was bored.  He and Agent Scully 
were investigating the mysterious disappearance of a professor at a 
small college in New York.  He had not wanted to be assigned to this 
case, not feeling that it was an x-file, but Skinner had insisted, so here 
he was, in a mundane little town in upstate New York.    

"Mulder, I just spoke to some of the students in the class" said Scully as 
she came into the hotel room.  She closed the door behind her.  

"Apparently, as Professor Jarod was teaching the class, a group of 
people with guns came in and took him away."

"I thought his last name was LeDoux" Mulder commented.

"The students seemed to be really fond of him, even though he'd only 
been there a day or so -- they referred to him as Professor Jarod.  
Anyway, there were about 10 people that burst into the classroom in 
the middle of the class.  They were lead by a tallish woman in her 30's 
with reddish-brown hair and an older man, also fairly tall, with gray 
hair.  The professor referred to the woman as --" Scully checked her 
pad, "-- Miss Parker.  The man had a Belgian accent and Miss Parker 
referred to him as Sydney.  When I checked his room, I found this 
briefcase."  Scully held up the silver case.

"Have you looked inside it yet?" Mulder inquired.

"No.  Let's see what's in there."  Scully undid the latches on the case 
and opened it.  Inside, there was a small screen and countless small 
disks.

"It looks like some kind of player for these disks" Mulder observed.

"I wonder what's on them," Scully said.  She picked up the first disk in 
the case, slipped it into the drive and turned on the reader.  

The screen lit up with a video of a small boy building a model of the 
Empire State Building.  The boy slowly circled the model, singing a 
song to himself as he built.  He looked to be no more than 4 or 5 years 
old.  In the background, pictures of the Empire State Building flashed 
on a large screen.  At the bottom of the screen was written "JAROD 
2/4/63" and below that, "FOR CENTRE USE ONLY".  

The boy said "I'm finished!"  

A youngish man came in front of the camera."This one's been here 
only 36 hours, and he's already demonstrating more talent than any of 
the others," the man said in a  voice with a light Belgian accent.  
Eliciting no response, the boy cupped his hands against the presumably 
mirrored glass and peered in, repeating his statement.  The man slid 
the glass wall aside and entered the room with the boy. "Hi, Jarod.  I'm 
Sydney.  I'll be taking care of you for a while," the man said, kneeling 
down to the boy.

"Why?  Where's my mom and dad?" the boy questioned.  The screen 
went blank.

"What was that?" Mulder asked.

"I don't know.  They seem to have been analyzing what the boy was 
doing.  Let's watch another one."  Scully picked the last disk in the case 
and put it into the player.  This recording had the same caption at the 
bottom, except with the date 8/4/96.  A thirty-something-year-old man 
was in a cubicle designed to look like a submarine.  Water was pouring 
in.  As the water got closer and closer to filling up the cubicle, the man 
began to panic.

"I can't breathe," he sputtered, "I can't concentrate.  I know the drill to 
escape, but I can't.  I'm helpless -- I know I'm going to die.  I think of 
my wife and children and how they're going to be alone, but I'm 
paralyzed with fear.  I can't move, I can't act -- ."  Just as it was about to 
completely fill the cubicle, the valves letting the water in shut off, and 
the it began to drain.  The man climbed out of the tank, and for the first 
time, Mulder and Scully could see his face clearly.  

"It's Professor Jarod!" Scully exclaimed.  Mulder and Scully slowly 
looked at each other and realized that this case was much bigger than a 
simple missing persons.  They turned back to the recording.  

Jarod dried himself off with a towel and turned to an older man in the 
room with him.  "He couldn't save himself, Sydney.  It wasn't his 
fault." Sydney nodded his assent and turned to leave the room.  
"Sydney, why can't I go out and see how things are on the outside?" 

Sydney turned around and replied, "Jarod, we've been over this a 
thousand times.  Your simulations would not be accurate with the 
influences of outside society."

"Sydney, what happened to my parents?" 

A tall woman came into the room.  "Sydney!  My father wants to see 
you in his office now." 

"Just a moment, Miss Parker," he replied."Now, Sydney," she said 
authoritatively.   Sydney continued on his way out of the room.  

"Sydney, answer me.  Please."  Jarod had a pained expression on his 
face.  Sydney left the room, closing the door behind him.  The 
recording ended.  

Mulder and Scully sat silently for a few minutes, absorbing what they 
had just seen.  "Scully, Professor Jarod must have been living at that 
place, the Centre or whatever it's called, for his entire life.  It looks like 
they did experiments with him, like simulations of some sort.  That 
man, Sydney, must have been a father figure or mentor of sorts," 
Mulder deduced.

"Why would they do that, though?  No one would shut up a child in 
an institution for his entire life.  And why wouldn't he have escaped 
once he became an adult?"

"Judging by the recordings, he seems to be unusually smart. How could 
he become a professor at a university so soon after he's been out of the 
Centre if he wasn't?  Maybe they were using his intelligence in some 
way.  I don't know why he didn't escape earlier, but the point is, he did 
escape, and now the Centre is trying to get him back." 

"This is ludicrous!  Do you hear what you're saying, Mulder?  That 
some sort of covert organization exploits genius children?  The 
authorities would know.  They couldn't possibly stay secret for that 
long."

"How can you deny what you've just seen?  I don't know what they 
were trying to accomplish or why, but the fact is that the man has 
disappeared, and some of the students specifically referred to a man 
named Sydney who had a Belgian accent as one of the people who 
kidnapped Professor Jarod.  This sounds like something the Lone 
Gunman might like to look into.  Maybe they know something about 
this 'Centre'."

November 15: Jarod's room; The Centre: Blue Cove, Delaware

"Jarod, tell us where the recordings are.  It's for your own good," 
Sydney urged.  Miss Parker rolled her eyes.

"Let me handle this," she said impatiently. "Look.  Either you tell us 
where those recordings are, or..."

"Or what?  Or you'll take me away from my parents and lock me up?  
Or you'll make me do experiments?  How about if you beat me up or 
torture me?  No, your father would never allow that.  I'm too 
important to your friends in the Tower."  Jarod smiled bitterly.

"Where are those recordings?"

"I already told you, I don't know.  I don't know any better than you 
do."

"Jarod, we know you gave those recordings to someone for 
safekeeping.  Just tell us where they are and this will all be over," 
Sydney assured him.

"I didn't give them to anyone.  They were sitting on the floor of my 
room.  Your black-suited minions -- oh, excuse me, your sweeper team 
-- should certainly have found them by now."  He turned to Miss 
Parker.  "You're becoming sloppy.  The case was in plain sight."  Miss 
Parker stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Jarod--"

"There's nothing you can do, Sydney.  Whether you believe me or not, 
I'm telling you the truth."  Sydney's face fell, and he left the room, 
locking the door behind him.  

Jarod paced around the room.  How strange it was to be here again, in 
this hateful room which he'd longed to escape from for so long, and 
yet, was his only escape within the Centre.  Everything was exactly as 
he left it, except for a few papers and things which had obviously been 
searched through when he first escaped, looking for clues as to his 
whereabouts.  Jarod sat down on the couch.  He had to find a way to 
escape.  He didn't know how, but he would find a way.

Mr. Parker's office

"You've disappointed me," Mr. Parker stated bluntly.

"I'm sorry, Daddy.  We can't find the recordings anywhere.  He refuses 
to tell us where he stashed them before we caught him," Miss Parker 
appealed.

"If you had done your job thoroughly, you wouldn't be having this 
problem."

"I did my job.  I brought Jarod back to the Centre and fulfilled my end 
of the bargain.  Now I want out."

"Not just yet.  Not until the DSA's are returned.  Jarod was telling the 
truth when he said that he didn't know where the recordings were."

"What do you mean?"

"We received some information today that two FBI agents found the 
briefcase.  They got to Jarod's room before the sweeper team did.  The 
sweeper team should have been there first.  That's sloppy work.  Why 
didn't they get there sooner?"

Miss Parker paled slightly.  "Daddy, we thought that since we had 
caught Jarod, it wasn't urgent that we bring in the sweeper team 
immediately.  You told us that there would be no interference by the 
authorities."

"I wasn't told about them until this morning.  There will be hell to pay 
for this."

Miss Parker's eyes narrowed.  "Who are the agents who were sent to 
investigate?"

"Their names are Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.  They're in a division 
of the FBI investigating something called the x-files, reports on the 
paranormal -- ."

"I've heard of them.  Weren't they involved with the capture of two 
more Eves from the Litchfield experiments?"

"That was only one of the list of Centre operations they've ruined."    

"If they know what they have -- "

"They know something's not quite right about the recordings, but they 
don't know what the Centre is.  You need to go and get that briefcase 
back before they take it to someone who can tell them what they have."  
He stood and gave her a kiss on the cheek.  

Miss Parker smiled.  "Bye Daddy.  See you soon."

Sydney, who had been waiting outside the office, met Miss Parker just 
outside the door.  "How did it go?" he asked.  

Miss Parker pushed past him, saying, "We're going to Washington."


November 16: The office of the Lone Gunman: Washington DC

"So, what do you know about the Centre?" Mulder inquired.

"A corporation based in Blue Cove, Delaware with contracts for covert 
operations with the military and other organizations," Frohike said.    

"They've been doing experiments for a number of years now with 
people known as pretenders, who are geniuses with the ability to take 
on any profession they want, and simulate situations," added Byers.  

"Do you happen to know about a pretender named Jarod?" asked 
Mulder hopefully.

"Jarod?  He was the pretender who escaped recently, wasn't he?"

"He's been going around the country, taking on different professions.  
The Centre is trying to track him down.  The main people tracking him 
are--"

"Miss Parker and Sydney," Mulder supplied.

"How did you know that?" Frohike asked.

"Jarod was captured.  He was a professor at a small college in upstate 
New York.  We were investigating the case as a missing persons, but 
when we talked to students, they told us that a group of men in suits 
led by a woman barged into the classroom in the middle of class, and 
took away their professor.  Jarod reportedly referred to the woman as 
Miss Parker.  Then, when going through his room, we found this."  
Mulder set the Halliburton on the table and opened it.  "These disks are 
the record of all the simulations done by Jarod at the Centre."

"Incredible," Langley breathed.  "Let me show you the only known 
pictures we have of Miss Parker."  He began to type furiously on the 
computer.  "Apparently, her father is one of the head honchos at the 
Centre, and Miss Parker is in a relatively high position as well.  She 
reportedly is a most menacing, intimidating person to work with.  Ah, 
here it is."  He turned the computer screen toward Mulder and Scully.  

Mulder raised his eyebrows. "I wouldn't mind being intimidated by 
her," he commented.  

Scully said in surprise, "That's the woman we saw in the recording."  
She skeptically asked Langley, "How do you know all this 
information?"

"We have a contact within the Centre who feeds us information 
occasionally.  We haven't received much lately, because the Centre has 
found out that there's a leak, and our source has to lay low for a while 
to avoid getting caught," informed Byers.

"How do you know your source's information is accurate?," Scully 
asked skeptically.

"We've checked our source's credentials thoroughly," Byers assured.  
"The information is valid.  In fact, you and Mulder have had run-ins 
with the Centre on several occasions, although you may not know it.  
The Centre was responsible for the Litchfield experiments."

"With the Eves," Scully said to herself thoughtfully.  Going back to the 
earlier topic, she said, "How does your source know that Miss Parker is 
intimidating to work with?  If she's in such a high position, she 
wouldn't have much contact with people on the lower end.  And I am 
assuming your contact is on the lower end of things, since the people 
in higher positions wouldn't be leaking information that would 
incriminate themselves."

"Actually, one doesn't need to work with Miss Parker to be intimidated 
by her.  Anyone who has ever met her knows that she has an 
extremely imperious, domineering personality.  The only people who 
don't seem to be afraid of her, besides her father of course, are Mr. 
Raines, who is another Centre big-shot, and Sydney," Langley added.

"Her father works at the Centre as well?" Scully asked.  Frohike nodded 
his assent.  

"Are we able to locate any files or information about these people?" 
Scully asked, practical as usual.

Langley shook his head.   "We don't have more than either a first or a 
last name for any of these people, and they seem to have erased a lot of 
their information from databases through their friends in high places.  
Everything we know we got from our source."

*   *   *   *   *
Assistant Director Skinner's office; J. Edgar Hoover Building

The phone rang, and Skinner answered it.  "Yes?"

His secretary replied, "There are some people here to see you, Director 
Skinner."

"Send them in."

A tall, imposing woman and a docile-looking older man walked in.  
The woman confidently approached Skinner's desk.  "Where are 
Agents Mulder and Scully?" she immediately demanded.

"I think I have a right to know who you are before I answer any of your 
questions," Skinner retorted.

Miss Parker rolled her eyes.  Sydney, trying a more conciliatory tack, 
said, "I'm Sydney, and this is Miss Parker.  We want to ask you some 
questions about the current whereabouts of Mulder and Scully."

Skinner eyed them suspiciously.  "I'd like to see some identification.  
What agency are you with?"

"Please, if you could just tell us where they are.  It's very important 
that we speak with them," Sydney petitioned.  

"Not until you produce some identification."

Miss Parker stared into Skinner's eyes and leaned over Skinner's desk 
menacingly.  "Look.  You will tell us where they are or I'll...."  

Skinner's phone rang, and he picked it up with a glare at Miss Parker.  
"Yes!" he snapped into the receiver.  He was silent for a minute, then 
said, "Okay, send them in."   

Mulder walked into Skinner's office, followed by Scully, who was 
carrying the Halliburton briefcase.  Scully closed the door  behind them.  
Sydney stood to meet them.  "That's better," Miss Parker said in a voice 
which was quiet and menacing all at once.  

If Mulder was surprised, he did not show it.   "Miss Parker.  And 
Sydney.  Nice to meet you," he said in his usual deadpan voice, 
nodding to each of them.

"I see you've done your homework, Agent Mulder," said Miss Parker.  
"Now, I believe that is ours," she said, gesturing toward the briefcase 
and showing no surprise that Mulder had identified her and Sydney.  

Scully tightened her grip on the handle of the case.  Miss Parker's eyes 
narrowed.  She reached under her jacket and cursed.  She remembered 
that she had left her gun behind, knowing that she wouldn't have been 
able to bring it into the building.  Changing her plans, she slowly 
approached Scully, until she was less than a foot away, towering over 
Scully.  "Give me the briefcase," she said in an even voice.  

Mulder stepped between them and replied, in the same even voice, 
"You're not getting this briefcase.  Now, maybe we could negotiate a 
deal."

Miss Parker shook her head, but Sydney stepped forward and inquired, 
"What kind of deal?" 

"You let Jarod go, and stop following him, and we give you the 
briefcase."

Sydney nodded, "That might be...."

Miss Parker shoved him out of the way.  "That's unacceptable.  You 
will give us the case."

Skinner stepped from behind his desk.  "I think you'd better leave 
now, or will I have to call security?"  

"You haven't seen the last of us," hissed Miss Parker as she gave 
Mulder and Scully one last glare and left, with Sydney trailing behind 
her.   

Skinner turned back to Mulder and Scully.  "Agent Mulder, what the 
hell was that about?"

"We were investigating that case in upstate New York with the 
missing college professor.  When we looked in his room, we found 
that case."  He gestured toward the Halliburton case.  "It contains a 
small screen and numerous CD-ROMs which contain recordings of 
simulations done over the course of the life of the missing professor.  
Miss Parker and Sydney work for the Centre, a corporation which 
exploited Jarod, the missing professor. Jarod was a genius, of the type 
known as a "pretender", which means he is able to take on any 
profession.  Apparently, he was taken from his parents when he was 
four years old, and raised by Sydney, locked inside the Centre.  Sydney 
and Miss Parker, the daughter of one of the Centre's directors, have 
been chasing him for about a year now, and they finally caught him. "

Scully stepped up.  "We can find another Halliburton case and carry 
that one out.  If they try to steal it, let them; it's worthless.  This case 
can stay here for safekeeping."

Skinner mulled over this new information for a moment, then finally 
said, "So they want the case with the recordings to hide what they did.  
You two better put that case in a safe place."

Mulder shook his head.  "I disagree.  They have contacts everywhere, 
and Mr. Parker has friends in high places.  The case isn't safe here.  We 
can still take another Halliburton out, but this case should be mailed to 
this address."  

He placed an address on Skinner's desk.

*   *   *   *   *

Miss Parker got into the driver's seat of the car and slammed the door.  
Looking out the window, she saw Agent Mulder come out of the 
building carrying a silver Halliburton briefcase.  Mulder headed toward 
what must have been his car.

"Do we take him now or follow him?" Sydney inquired.

"You fool.  We're in the parking garage of the FBI headquarters.  Of 
course we'll follow him."  Miss Parker took out a cigarette and lit it, 
inhaling deeply.  Mulder got into his car, started it, and drove out of 
the garage.  Miss Parker started the car and followed him.  

November 20: The office of the Lone Gunman: Washington DC

"Thank you," Byers said to the delivery man who handed him the 
package.  He turned back and re-entered the office, shutting the door  
behind him.  He set the package on the table.  

Frohike entered the room.  "A package.  Who's it from?"

"Assistant Director Skinner."  

Frohike opened a drawer and took out a scanner.  Turning it on, he 
slowly waved it over the package.  "It's safe," he reported.  Opening the 
wrapping, they found a silver briefcase.

Miss Parker's office; The Centre: Blue Cove, Delaware

"What did you do with the briefcase?"

Giving a sly smile, Mulder inquired, "So, do you think the Knicks are 
going to the playoffs this year?"  Miss Parker moved to strike him, but 
Mulder caught her arm and threw her to the ground.  Miss Parker sat 
on the floor for a moment, shocked that someone would dare oppose 
her.  Two men in black rushed in with their guns drawn, and pointed 
the guns at Mulder.  Mulder put up his hands, and Miss Parker got up 
from the ground.  

Miss Parker waved the men out of the room.  She put her face close to 
his and hissed, "If you ever try a stunt like that again, I swear I'll kill 
your partner.  Now. What did you do with the briefcase?"

Mulder slowly got back into his chair and commented, "If the Knicks 
won yesterday's game, they'll only have to win one more game to 
reach the playoffs -- you didn't happen to hear the score, did you?"  

Miss Parker raised her hand to strike Mulder, and there was a tentative 
knock at the door.  "What?" she snapped.  

Broots opened the door a crack and timidly peeked in.  He saw Mulder 
and stammered, "Um, h-here are those reports you wanted."  Miss 
Parker snatched the folders out of his hands and threw them on her 
desk, as Broots took one last frightened look at Mulder and scurried out 
of the room.

Miss Parker pushed Mulder off his chair and onto the floor.  He fell 
hard, on his face.  As he rolled over onto his  back, Miss Parker saw that 
his nose had begun to bleed.  She smiled.  Mulder moved to wipe away 
some of the blood on his face, but Miss Parker drew her gun, cocked it, 
and aimed it down at him.  Mulder moved his hand away.  

"You will tell me what you did with the briefcase."  Mulder shook his 
head.  Miss Parker put the toe of her shoe on his neck and began to 
apply pressure.  "Don't make me kill you.  I'll do it, I swear I will."

Just then, Sydney walked in.  "Torture was never a reliable means of 
getting information, Miss Parker."

"Don't presume to tell me what is and is not a reliable way to get 
information," Miss Parker said through clenched teeth.

"You're acting irrationally.  If you're not careful, you'll end up killing 
the man."

Miss Parker lowered her gun and eased the pressure on Mulder's 
throat.  He staggered up from the floor with a small croak, wiping some 
of the blood from his face with his sleeve.  

"Why did you come in here?" Miss Parker asked in an irritated tone.

"We just received a new set of twins today.  We've run out of rooms.  
We need to move Agent Mulder in with Jarod."

"No.  Absolutely not."

"We have no other choice.  The others must be kept in isolation, but 
Jarod's already had outside contact.  We can't worsen the damage.  Or 
would you rather have Agent Mulder in custody at your house?" said 
Sydney sarcastically.

"Fine.  Put him with Jarod.  But I want to double the guard on that 
room."

Sydney nodded.  "Your wish is my command," he said patronizingly, 
and left the office.

"Sam!  Jeff!" Miss Parker shouted.  Two men in black suits came in the 
door.  "Take Agent Mulder to Jarod's room and double the guard 
there."  The men nodded, and escorted Mulder out of the room.


Assistant Director Skinner's office; J. Edgar Hoover Building: 
Washington DC

"What the hell is going on?" Skinner bellowed.  "Two of my agents 
have mysteriously disappeared from their homes and the investigation 
is going nowhere.  What do you have to do with it?"

"Your agents are in no danger," said Cancer Man, as he lit up a new 
cigarette, "If you tell us where the Digital Simulation Archives are."

"I'm not telling you anything."

"Then I can't vouch for their safety."


November 21: Mr. Raines' office; The Centre: Blue Cove, Delaware

"I believe I may know where the DSA's are," Cancer Man said.  Mr. 
Raines motioned for him to go on.  "Agent Mulder is often in contact 
with the writers of a government paranoia magazine called "The Lone 
Gunman".  I believe he may have sent the briefcase to them."

Mr. Raines wheezed, "I'll send Miss Parker out to get it.  Mr. Parker 
will be pleased."


The office of the Lone Gunman: Washington DC

"And if that's not bad enough, I found out that the government alsoś" 
Frohike stopped.  "Oh my god, they're coming to get us."

Byers and Langley looked out the window.  A black car had driven up, 
and Miss Parker, accompanied by several men in black suits, had gotten 
out with their guns drawn.       

"Time to implement our escape plan," said Langley as he hit a key on 
the computer.  The computer began to spew black smoke, then died.  
He picked up a case full of computer disks, and Byers picked up the 
silver briefcase.  Meanwhile, Frohike moved the rug from the floor to 
reveal a trap door.  He lifted the door, and the three men descended 
through the hole to an underground passageway, closing and locking 
the door behind them.

Miss Parker motioned to one of the men in suits, and he kicked the 
door in.  Miss Parker ran in, motioning the other men to follow her.  
She coughed.  "Ugh!  What's burning," she complained.  The men 
spread out and searched all the rooms, to find the office empty.  Miss 
Parker put away her gun, extremely frustrated.  Then, she noticed the 
trapdoor in the floor.  "They went through the trap door.  Sam, go get 
them."

Sam dutifully pulled at the door, and looked at Miss Parker helplessly.  
"It must be locked."

"Damn!" shouted Miss Parker, then stormed out the door and back to 
the car. 


November 22: Jarod's Room; The Centre: Blue Cove, Delaware

Jarod looked up from his book as the door of his room was opened, and 
a man he had never seen before was pushed in.  The man stumbled on 
the few steps by the door and nearly collapsed to the ground.  The door 
was slammed and locked, and Jarod rushed over to the man to give 
him assistance.  "Here, let me help you," he said to the man as he 
helped him toward the couch.  "My name's Jarod."

The man managed a weak smile.  "Fox Mulder."

"Nice to meet you, Fox-"

"Oh, call me Mulder," he corrected. Jarod gave him a quizzical look.  "I 
even made my parents call me Mulder," Mulder explained.

"All right, Mulder.  I wish it were under better circumstances.  Let me 
guess--Miss Parker.  Tell me, Mulder, what are you doing here?" Jarod 
said as he dampened a wash cloth and handed it to Mulder.

As he wiped the blood off his face, Mulder recounted, "I'm a special 
agent in the FBI.  My partner and I were sent to investigate your 
disappearance from that college in New York.  When we searched your 
room, we found the Halliburton case with the recordings.  We watched 
a couple of them, and figured out that it was you.  Then, Miss Parker 
and Sydney came calling at the FBI Headquarters, and tried to get the 
case from us.  We were expecting that, and so when we left the office 
that day, we carried dummy briefcases.  Later that night, we were 
abducted from our apartments and taken here.  We've been here a few 
days, but they got a new set of twins and ran out of rooms, so they put 
me here with you.  After an interrogation by Miss Parker, that is."

"Then they don't have the recordings?" Jarod asked hopefully.

"No, we put them in a safe place."

Jarod breathed a sigh of relief.  "Good.  I think they've used me for 
quite enough 'research'."

Mulder surveyed the room.  It was actually quite spacious, with some 
comfortable looking sofas and a desk with a computer on it.  "So, this is 
your prison."

"Yes, but now even more so.  They're so paranoid about me escaping 
that they won't let me out of here for any reason, and they've installed 
extra cameras to monitor my every movement."

"Why are they keeping you here?  You're not going to do any more 
simulations."

"They're afraid that I'll tell the world about their existance. "  Jarod 
laughed bitterly.  "Of course, I didn't do that in the year that I was free, 
but what do they care?  By the way, what happened to your partner?"

"I don't know.  I haven't seen her since we left the FBI Building  I hope 
she's all right."


Residential room 42

Scully paced from one side of the room to the other for what seemed to 
be the thousandth time.  There was a knock at the door, and Sydney 
walked in.  "Hello, Agent Scully.  I hope you're well."  

"Where's Agent Mulder?  Is he all right?"

"He's in a room with Jarod now.  He's fine, except for a few cuts and 
bruises.  No permanent damage."

"What did you do to him?" Scully demanded.

"Miss Parker had a little chat with him, and he didn't give her the 
information.  I know this all seems very confusing to you, but I 
wouldn't want to see Miss Parker hurt your partner any more.  You 
and Agent Mulder can leave if you just tell us where the briefcase is."

"How naive do you think I am?  You and I both know that no matter 
what information I give you, Mulder and I will never be released."

Sydney shrugged.  "It was worth a try."

"We'll escape from here.  And if you think differently, you've 
seriously underestimated us."

Sydney gave a small amused laugh.  "Jarod is a pretender, and he had a 
hard time escaping.  I hardly think you and your partner are any match 
for him."


November 23: "The Lone Gunman" Emergency Headquarters: 
Clarksburg, Maryland

"We have to do something about this," Frohike said.  "We have to 
save Agent Scully."

"And Agent Mulder," Byers reminded.     

"I'm not sure I can hack into their security system.  The CIA system is 
like an open book compared to that of the Centre.  I could try," said 
Langley uncertainly.

"And our contact can't help us.  We and Jarod have already been 
helped too much," said Byers.  

"This is going to take a lot more than just hacking into their computer 
systems," Langley surmised.  "It's going to require something on a 
much larger scale than that."


November 25: Jarod's Room; The Centre: Blue Cove, Delaware

The lights flickered.  Jarod looked up in alarm.

"What?  It was just a temporary interruption of power," assured 
Mulder. 

"You don't understand.  The Centre has backup generators.  The power 
should never flicker in here.  Something's wrong."

The lights flickered again, then died.  The room was pitch black.  "Um, 
do you have a flashlight somewhere?" asked Mulder.

"Yeah, I think so.  Just a minute, let me see if I can find it."  Jarod felt 
his way to his desk and opened a drawer.  He fumbled around inside 
the drawer for a few seconds, until he found a flashlight.  Jarod clicked 
on a flashlight.  The beam was dim, but it was enough to see.  Jarod 
walked to the door, leaned up against it, and listened.  "I don't hear 
anything.  Normally the guards make some no--"

Jarod was cut off by several beeps emanating from the door's security 
system.  He jumped back in surprise as  a man with long blonde hair 
opened the door, after presumably overriding the system. 

"Langley?" Mulder said, not believing his eyes.


Residential room 42

The lights flickered.  Scully looked up from the book she had found on 
a shelf.  "Oh well," she thought to herself, "It's just a brief power 
outage."  Then, everything went black.  "Great," she thought, "Just 
what I need."  There were a few beeps at the door, and in came Frohike.

"Agent Scully!  You're all right!" he rejoiced.  He motioned toward the 
door, and they walked out, stepping over the unconscious bodies of the 
men in black suits who had been guarding the door.

*   *   *   *   *
Mr. Raines' office

"You let them escape," said Mr. Raines.

"We had taken every possible precaution," Miss Parker replied.

"Obviously your precautions weren't good enough."

"They had help."

"I've had enough of your excuses."

"I don't have to answer to you."  Miss Parker turned away from him 
and began to head toward the door.

"You get them back this time, or you'll pay the consequences."

She stopped in her tracks and whirled around to face Mr. Raines.

"Like my mother paid?"

"Your father has been through this with you," he rasped.  "Your 
mother was weak.  She committed suicide."

"She did not commit suicide, and you know it.  I want to know who 
killed her.  Did my father give the order?"

"I think you had better leave."

"Did you kill her?"

"Do I need to call someone in to escort you out?"  He calmly pressed a 
button on his desk, and two men in black came in.  They each took 
hold of one of Miss Parker's arms and began to lead her out. 

"You can't deny the truth.  I'll find out what happened," she said 
evenly.

"The truth," he said in a grating voice, "is what the Centre says is true.  
And you had better remember that."


November 26: Tom and Ray's Restaurant: Damascus, Maryland

"What do we do now?" Scully asked.

"Well, we've escaped the Centre for now, but they'll track us here 
eventually," Jarod said.  "They won't touch you two once they're sure 
you don't have the recordings."

"We gave them to the staff of a small magazine called 'The Lone 
Gunman'.  Those were the people who rescued us, but I'm not sure 
why they disappeared after that.  I'm sure that since the Centre stopped 
trying to interrogate us, they found out about that.  And since they 
didn't give us the recordings, they must be keeping them in another 
location,"  Mulder supplied.  "They have three emergency 
headquarters locations around the country.  One is right near here, in 
Clarksburg.  One is in the town of Sekura,  in Illinois, and the third is 
in Azilo, California."

"We can check the Clarksburg location first, and if they're not there, 
we'll look in Sekura, then on to Azilo," Scully suggested.


*   *   *   *   *
Davis Airport: Laytonsville, Maryland

"Are you sure they won't be monitoring this airport and learn our 
destination?" Mulder asked.

"This airstrip is so small and unknown, I doubt if even the Centre 
keeps track of it," Jarod replied.  He got into pilot's seat of the airplane.  
"All aboard!"

A few minutes later, they were in the air en route to Illinois.

*   *   *   *   * 
Sekura, Illinois:       

Mulder nudged Scully.  "Scully," he said.  "Wake up."  Scully sleepily 
opened her eyes.  "We're there.  You slept almost the entire trip.  You 
didn't even wake up when we stopped to refuel."

"What time is it?" Scully asked groggily.

"About 10 PM," said Jarod.  "We're just about to land in Sekura.  Since 
it's so late, we're going to get a hotel room for tonight and start our 
search tomorrow."


November 27: Sanderson's General Store: Sekura, Illinois

"Have you seen any of these men?" Mulder asked the middle aged 
man behind the counter, showing him some pictures.

"That one with the blonde hair looks familiar."

"Do you remember when you saw him?" Scully inquired.

"Must've been a few days ago.  He came in to buy some groceries.  
Looked real frightened the whole time he was in here, like someone 
was going to jump out at him."

"Thank you very much," said Jarod sincerely.

"Glad to be of help."

*   *   *   *   *

Crossroads Inn

Jarod unlocked the door to the suite they'd gotten at the hotel, and 
collapsed onto the sofa.  "We should leave as soon as possible, but it's 
going to take a couple of hours before all the preparations are made to 
leave."

"I'm sure we can find some way of occupying our time," said Mulder.  
"I wonder if there's anything good on TV."  He picked up the TV 
listings and flipped through them.  "Hmmm -- news, news, movie, old 
sitcom, old sitcom -- there's nothing on."

"What is the movie that's on?" asked Scully.

"Terminator II," Mulder replied.

"What's it about?" Jarod asked.

"You mean you've never heard of The Terminator?  You know, 
"Hasta la vista, baby -- ?"  Jarod shook his head.  "It's a major part of 
our culture."  Scully rolled her eyes.  "Anyway, it's about a cyborg sent 
back in time to kill a small boy."

"Is it good?"

"It's all right.  I suppose we might as well watch it; there's nothing else 
to do."


November 28: Davarya Airport: Azilo, California

The plane touched down on the runway, and taxied to one of the 
hangars.  Jarod, Mulder, and Scully stepped down from the plane and 
saw a shadowy figure silhouetted against the light streaming in the 
open hangar doors.  They froze.The figure stepped out of the light, so 
they could see his face.  "We've been expecting you," said Byers.


November 30: Kay Larr Memorial Mental Hospital: Azilo, California

"We're very happy to have you here at Larr, Dr. Runcieman.  You 
came with very high recommendations from Dr. Riedel; it isn't often 
that someone of your credentials would choose to work for a small 
facility like ours."  Dr. Zhang leaned back into her chair.

Jarod smiled.  "It's a pleasure to be here.  I prefer to work at smaller 
hospitals.  There is more interaction with the patients themselves, and 
I get a better sense of their progress.  Sometimes a personal touch 
makes all the difference when it comes to a sick person."

"I quite agree, Dr. Runcieman."


November 31: The Centre: Blue Cove, Delaware

Broots clicked on yet another link for yet another web site.  He was 
rather tired of endlessly searching the web, but lately, Miss Parker had 
become even more fanatical in her quest to find Jarod.  Suddenly, 
something caught his eye.  He immediately picked up the phone and 
called Miss Parker.

"What?" snapped Miss Parker.

"I-I think I found something, Miss Parker."

"What, like a life?"

Broots gave a nervous laugh.  "I think I've found Jarod." 

"Where is he?"  

"He's in Nevada."  There was a click.  "Hello?  Miss Parker?"  Broots 
shrugged and hung up the phone.


December 1: Cunningham Regional Airport: Enfaluyo, Nevada

The Centre's small jet had been circling for hours.  "What is taking so 
long?" asked Miss Parker irritably.

"I'm sorry, there's a problem on the runway and we haven't been 
given clearance to land yet," said the pilot apologetically.

"I realize we haven't gotten clearance yet or we would be on the 
ground now," Miss Parker caustically remarked.

The pilot listened to his radio headset for a moment, then said in a 
relieved voice, "That's it, we just got clearance."

Miss Parker said irascibly, "It's about time."

"Now, Miss Parker, it wasn't his fault," said Sydney in a soothing 
voice.  Miss Parker glared at him.  "What exactly was the lead Broots 
got?  You never told me."

"It wasn't much.  Just that Jarod was currently working at a 
pharmaceuticals company here.  It would be closed by now, so we'll 
have to look for him in the morning, provided no one has warned 
him that we're coming."  Miss Parker looked meaningfully at Sydney.  

"Why, Miss Parker," said Sydney, "I wouldn't warn Jarod of our 
arrival."

"You've tipped off Frankenboy before.  I wouldn't put it past you to do 
it again."  Sydney opened his mouth to reply, but the plane rolled to a 
stop on the runway, and they exited it.

"Joel," said Miss Parker curtly to one of the men in black in the plane.  
"Find us the best hotel in the town."

"Uh, Miss Parker, there's only one motel in the town.  The Seaside 
Inn."

"The Seaside Inn?  We're in the middle of the desert."  

Joel shrugged.  "That's what it's called."

*   *   *   *   *
The Seaside Inn

"Give me your best room," said Miss Parker curtly to the woman 
behind the desk.  

"That would be the emperor suite," said the woman, whose name tag 
identified her as "Lorraine".

"Fine.  And give him whatever else you have," said Miss Parker, 
waving toward Sydney.

"How kind," Sydney remarked.

*   *   *   *   *

Miss Parker slipped her key into the lock on the door to her room.  
With a bit of jiggling, it finally opened.  She coughed.  She flipped on 
the lights and shut the door behind her.  "Oh my God," she said in a 
frustrated voice as she looked around her. The room was rather musty, 
and worn-out looking. The suite was far less than she expected, but 
then again, she thought, what could you expect from a backwoods town 
like this one.  She carried her bag into the bedroom and turned on the 
light.  "Jarod!" she gasped.  She dropped her bag and fumbled for her 
gun, but Jarod was already upon her and she slipped into 
unconsciousness as the needle slid into her arm -- .


December 2: The Seashell Restaurant; The Seaside Inn: Enfaluyo, 
Nevada

Sydney looked at his watch.  Miss Parker was 45 minutes late to 
breakfast.  He sighed, irritated that she was making him wait.  It wasn't 
exactly out of character for her, though.  Looking at his watch again, 
Sydney was beginning to become slightly worried, so he decided to 
check Miss Parker's room, just to make sure everything was all right.  


Room #56

Sydney approached Miss Parker's room.  He knocked on the door.  
"Miss Parker?" he called out.  "Miss Parker?"  There was silence.  
Sydney turned the doorknob, and to his surprise, it was open.  He 
opened the door and stepped inside.  "Miss Parker?" he called out once 
more.  He continued further into the suite, noticing that Miss Parker's 
bag was lying on the ground at the doorway to the bedroom, and the 
bed had not been slept in.  He finished searching the apartment.  "Oh 
my God," he said in a haunted voice.  He decided to call Broots so that 
Broots could break the news to Mr. Parker.


December 3: Dr. Zhang's office; Kay Larr Memorial Mental Hospital: 
Azilo, California

"Dr. Zhang, I've been noticing that some of the patients have been 
given nonstandard treatment."

"Yes, that's true.  We believe that through simulations, their minds are 
stimulated, and it helps them come back into the real world," Dr. 
Zhang replied.

"But aren't you afraid that the simulations will have other side effects 
on the patients?  Like that woman who reportedly committed suicide 
after the treatment?"

"Ai-Yuan Po committed suicide as a result of her mental condition, not 
because of our treatment."

Jarod smiled.  "Well, I'm glad that's cleared up.  If you're sure the 
treatment's safe, I want to start my sister on it in a few days."

"Certainly."

Jarod started out of the room, then paused.  He turned around.  "One 
more thing," he said.

"Yes?"

"I'd like to do the treatment myself."

Dr. Zhang smiled.  "Sure, go ahead."

"Thanks," Jarod said with a smile.


Room #25, Ward 05

Miss Parker slowly opened her eyes.  She felt terrible.  She felt like she 
needed a cigarette.  She tried to move to get up, but something was 
restraining her.  "Why the hell am I strapped to a bed?" she asked in an 
irritated voice.

"It'll be okay, Ms. Parker.  Your brother brought you here, and you're 
going to be just fine," said Dr. Zhang soothingly.

Miss Parker attempted to get up and failed.  "Where is 'here'?" she 
asked, her voice growing harsher and more angry with each word.  
"Did Jarod bring me here?  You must let me go.  He is a dangerous 
criminal."

"You just rest now.  We'll take off the straps after we think you're no 
longer a danger to yourself and others.  Once we get rid of these 
delusions, you can become a productive member of society again."

"I am not delusional! Jarod engineered this!  I'm going to kill that 
bastard."  Miss Parker began to struggle violently against the straps, in a 
vain attempt to get away.

"I think you're ready for some more medication."  Dr. Zhang pushed 
her needle into Miss Parker's arm and injected some medication.  Miss 
Parker became still.


December 4: Suite # 5; Vacation Inn: Azilo, California

"Anyway, I found out that the doctors at Larr have been performing 
experiments on the mental patients, almost like the simulations I had 
to do at the Centre," said Jarod.

"But why mental patients?  Wouldn't they have a different response 
than the average person to a simulation?" Mulder asked.

"Yes, but of all types of people, mental patients are perhaps the least 
able to defend themselves, because if they say something's wrong, no 
one believes them.  The hospital is purporting that the simulations are 
"treatment" for the conditions of their patients, but I know the 
simulations led to the suicide of a patient named Ai-Yuan Po."

"By the way, how is Miss Parker doing?"

"She's fine, although they keep her under pretty heavy medication.  
She thinks she works for a top secret organization and has a father with 
contacts in all levels of the government."  Jarod and Mulder laughed.       

"Ahem," said Scully.  Jarod and Mulder stopped laughing and looked 
at her.  "How much longer is this going to go on?  We can't keep Miss 
Parker in there indefinitely."

"I'm going to notify the Centre in just a few days.  After I give Miss 
Parker a taste of her own medicine."  Jarod smiled mischeviously.


December 5: Room #25; Kay Larr Memorial Mental Hospital: Azilo, 
California

"This is her room," said Dr. Zhang as she and Mulder stopped walking.  
"I better go in with you in case she gets violent again."       

"All right," said Mulder.  

Dr. Zhang knocked on the door.  "Mrs. Parker?  Your husband is here 
to see you."

There was silence.  Then, an annoyed voice emanated from the room.  
"What do you mean 'Mrs.' Parker?" 

"Your husband is here.  We're coming in right now."

"What the hell are you talking about?  I'm not married!"  

Dr. Zhang opened the door.  "Of course you're married.  Don't you 
remember your husband, Fox?"

"Agent Mulder!  I should have known Jarod brought you and your 
partner to help torment me."  Miss Parker turned to Dr. Zhang.  "This 
man is a special agent in the FBI."

"Mrs. Parker, this is your husband, Fox Parker.  Don't you remember  
him?"

"He is not my husband.  I already told you, I'm not married."

"Mrs. Parker, you don't work for a secret organization.  We've already 
been through this," Dr. Zhang said patronizingly. 

Mulder chimed in.  "Don't you remember, sweetie? We're happily 
married with six loving children.  I'm a school bus driver.  We live in 
a cozy yellow house with a picket fence and a swing set in the back 
yard."

"And tell me, just what is my profession in this fantasy of yours?" she 
asked sarcastically.

"You don't have a job.  You stay home and take care of the children."

Miss Parker's mouth opened in horror.  "Out," she said forcefully, 
pointing to the door.  "Get out of my room."

"All right, honey.  When you feel better, I'm sure you'll think 
differently."  He went to give her a hug.

As soon as his hand touched her arm, she slapped it away.  "Get your 
hands off me," she said in an even, threatening voice.  As Mulder and 
Dr. Zhang left the room, Mulder smiled and winked back at Miss 
Parker.  "You won't get away with this!" she called.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Parker.  How are we feeling today?" asked Jarod 
in a cheery voice as he entered the room.

Miss Parker jumped up from her chair.  "How dare you say that?  You 
have kept me in here for four days and sent Mulder to pretend to be 
my husband.  What are you trying to pull here?  Let me out!"

Jarod smiled and gave a good humored laugh.  "I don't think so.  You 
are still quite unstable.  Face it, you still don't recognize your husband 
or remember that you're married.  Come on, I think you're ready for 
your first treatment."  Jarod approached her, carrying a straitjacket.  
"Come in," he called into the hall, and two burly orderlies entered the 
room.

Miss Parker backed away, until she hit the wall.  The orderlies followed 
her, and one held her down while the other put on the straitjacket, 
while Miss Parker kicked and struggled.  "I'll kill you, Jarod, I swear I 
will."

Jarod smiled reproachfully.  "The jacket is for your own good, Miss 
Parker.  We don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I am going to call the secretary of the armed forces, and every branch 
of the military is going to hunt you down.  You will not get away with 
this."

Jarod said patronizingly, "I'm sure you will.  In the meantime, let's go 
and see if we can make you feel better."


Treatment Room #3

"Here, sit in this chair," said Jarod, motioning to a solitary chair in a 
chamber in the middle of the room.  Miss Parker gave him a withering 
stare, then when nudged by the orderlies, complied with his order.  
"Now.  We're going to test your reactions to different situations.  I'm 
attaching these wires to your head to test your brain activity during the 
simulation."  Jarod put a soft cap on her head which was full of wires.  
"There.  I hope it doesn't mess up your hair too much."  Jarod smiled.

"What the hell are you doing?  This is illegal.  You can't just do 
experiments on people."

"And who says that?  Your fictitious organization the Centre?  Is that 
who says it?"

Miss Parker began to struggle against the chair.  "You can't do this!  
You have no right!" 

Jarod continued, ignoring her.  "Then, we'll let the chamber fill up 
with water until it gets just past your nose.  Then we drain it.  Usually."  
He smiled.

"I'll kill you!"        

Jarod's smile took on a more sinister quality.  "Turnabout is fair play, 
Miss Parker."


December 7: The Centre: Blue Cove, Delaware

Sydney sat at his desk with his head in his hands.  He didn't know 
what would happen to him for failing to find Miss Parker.  Suddenly, 
the mail icon on his computer started beeping.  "You have mail," said 
the words on the screen.  A ray of hope came through.  Sydney clicked 
on the picture of a mailbox.  A message from Jarod!  Sydney was 
overjoyed.  He opened up the message and read it.  A smile crept across 
his face, and he started to snicker. He picked up the phone and dialed a 
number, trying to hold back his laughter. "Mr. Parker, this is Sydney.  I 
found your daughter."


December 8: Office of Jarod Runcieman; Kay Larr Memorial Mental 
Hospital: Azilo, California

Jarod looked out the window of his office, and seeing three black cars 
drive up, looked at his watch.  "Right on schedule," he said with a grin.  
He got up from his chair, carrying with him the silver Halliburton case, 
and made his way to Room # 25.  Softly knocking on the door, he 
opened it.  "Hello, Mrs. Parker.  It's been nice seeing you.  I hope you 
feel better soon."  

Miss Parker cynically said, "I hope you didn't think you accomplished 
anything by this.   Forcing me to do simulations didn't turn me around 
like all the other people you've done it to."  She laughed cruelly.  "It'll 
just make it worse for you when we catch you."

"Well, I'd like to stay and all, but your friends have just arrived.  Hasta 
la vista, baby," he said with a laugh.  Miss Parker shot him a withering 
glare.  With one last smile and wave, Jarod departed.


Suite # 5; Vacation Inn

Jarod came into the room, and Mulder and Scully looked up from their 
coffee.  "Well, the Centre is here, so I have to get moving.  It's been 
great meeting you guys and thanks for your help.  I'm really sorry I put 
you through all this trouble.  By the way, here's a file of information 
about the goings-on at Larr.  Be sure to show it to the local police." 

Mulder nodded his assent.  "Good luck," said Mulder as he and Scully 
stood up and each shook Jarod's hand.

"I hope you find what you're looking for," said Scully.

"Thank you again.  I can never repay you for the help you've given 
me."  With that, Jarod left.


Kay Larr Memorial Mental Hospital

Charlene looked up as several men in black suits burst through the 
door to the hospital.  Looking bored, she put down her nail file.  "Can I 
help you?" she asked.

An older man spoke up.  "Yes, we're looking for a patient named Miss 
Parker."

"You mean Mrs. Parker?  Yes, the housewife who thinks she belongs to 
a secret organization.  Room 25.  I'll tell the doctor she has visitors."  
Sydney and the men were already down the hall.  "Excuse me, you 
can't go without the doctor's permission.  Sir?  Sir!"  They continued 
down the hall, pausing at each door to see what the number was.  
Charlene hurried after them.  "That area is off limits!" she said futilely.  

Finally, they stopped at room #25.  Sydney knocked softly at the door.  
"Miss Parker?" he ventured.  

"Sydney?"

"Yes.  We've come to get you out."  He put his hand up for Charlene to 
give him a key to the door.  

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you into that room."  One of the men in black 
motioned toward his gun.  Charlene's eyes darted over to it.  "Uh, here, 
sir.  It's this one," she said as she handed Sydney a full ring of keys.

Sydney unlocked the door and went in.  "What the hell took you so 
long?" snapped Miss Parker.

"You're welcome," said Sydney placidly.  He looked her up and down.

"I know, I know, I look terrible.  You don't have to say it," Miss Parker 
said irritably.  "Let's go."

Sydney nodded.  As Miss Parker marched out, she didn't notice the 
smile on Sydney's face.

The End