The Truth is Out There--Scene 71 from XF3 by Lolabeegood E-mail: lolabeegood@gmail.com Distribution: Archive freely with my name attached. Rating: R Categories: S, R Keywords: Mulder/Scully romance, Post-IWTB Spoilers: IWTB Summary: The truth is something Mulder & Scully may have to pay a steep price for. Author's Notes: Ever since I watched IWTB I have thought of the ideal way to start and storyline a third movie. So, after much thought and deliberation I have a series of scenes that I have written for the third XF movie. The scenes will not necessarily run right after each other but they are in sequence. They are more like scenes I would like to see in the XF3 that develop character, tie loose ends, and add plot interest. I do not own the characters and I don't make any money from this. Enjoy! ********************************** Skinner jumped from his position leaning against the wall when his phone trilled inside his pocket. "Skinner" he said. "You were right." Howard said from the other side of the phone "he's not FBI, but he was." "What do you mean 'was'?" he asked. "Dylan Izzo is former FBI but we don't have access to the records that indicate what he's been up to since. "I can get those" Skinner muttered. "He was also a match for a man who was last seen at a small motel outside of Chicago where an Agent Hanson was found dead." Skinner pivoted to look at Franz and Mallory who were still tied to their chairs. They had given him this bit of information earlier and now it was confirmed. "Thanks, Howard" he said softly "Anything else I should know about?" "Nothing right now, but I'll let you know if we find out more." "Thanks, again." "You might want to look into his FBI file, we couldn't get access to it, but a man in your position..." "I know, I know" Skinner said as he disconnected the call. He dialed the home phone number of his personal assistant. "Hello?" she asked groggily. "Kimberly, it's me" he said into the phone. "Oh, sir?" she asked. "Yes, I'm really sorry to disturb you at this hour" he apologized. "It's no problem. Is something wrong?" "I'm sorry Kimberly but I'm going to need you to go into the office and get some information for me." "I thought you were on vacation, sir" she said, slightly confused. "I am, but...something has come up with a case I'm over- seeing and I need to check into it" he lied. "No problem" she said as he heard her moving around "I can be at the office in twenty minutes." "I really appreciate this" he said "call me back at this phone number." He walked over to the two agents and informed them that Hanson had been found and that the man matching the description they had given him was the same man the motel manger had spoken with, and the same man who had tortured Margaret Scully. "So, you believe us?" Mallory asked, happy. "I believe that these things are true" he said back to her grimly. "We're wasting precious time on this" Franz said angrily. "Agent, why don't you let me worry about that" Skinner said through gritting teeth. He paced the floor for the next 25 minutes as he waited for Kimberly to call him back. The phone rang to life. "Yes?" he said cautiously. "Sir?" she asked. "Is this Dinah's phone?" she asked confused. "Yes" he lied, wanting to simplify the situation "Are you there?" "Yes, I'm just booting up my computer." "Thanks, Kimberly, I hope I didn't wake the little one." "No, he sleeps through everything" she laughed. "Good" he smiled. "Okay, what do you need, sir?" "I need you to look at a former agent's file. His name is Dylan Izzo." "I'm checking" she said as she read the screen. "He was discharged 3 years ago form the Bureau. It doesn't cite the reason, I'm just going to open up..." "Does it list the reason for his discharge?" "Uh, yeah. That's strange...he was discharged to the Secret Service. I didn't know we did inter-agency transfers" she said as she read. "We don't" he said. "He had an exemplary record" she said continuing to read "His supervisor was Assistant Director Strickland while he was at the Bureau, and...this is odd." "What?" "For some reason Assistant Director Strickland remained his supervisor even when he was transferred to the Secret Service. It must be a typo." "No" Skinner said as he turned to Franz and Mallory "I think it's exactly right." "But the Bureau doesn't supervise..." "Can you do a quick search into Agents Franz Lutman and Mallory Suharta?" he interrupted. "Lutman and Suharta..." Skinner waited while she accessed their files. "Sir, it looks like something is being drawn up right now to list them as terrorists with all agencies." "Has it reached the certification stage yet?" he asked quickly. "No" she read the screen "it lists them as enemy combatants that need to be taken dead or alive." "Who is behind the order Kimberly?" he asked as he walked toward the two tied up agents. "Assistant Director Strickland" she said. "I have to go" he said as he took our a knife from his pocket "go home to Simon and Wesley. Thanks for all your help." He disconnected the phone and looked at Mallory's eyes grow wider as she caught the gleam of the knife. He walked behind her and she started to squirm. "Sir, what are you doing?" she yelled. Skinner reached her hands and cut the cord keeping them tied "Letting you run for your life." He reached over behind Franz and cut his tie as well. "Why are you letting us go?" Franz asked as he shuffled to his feet. "You have been declared enemy combatants and a warrant will be issued for your arrest, in..." he glanced at his watch "...about 5 hours." "How do you know?" Mallory asked. "My assistant found it on your files" he said taking a step back from them "it'll take that long to get certification at this time of night. You are lucky it's not during regular office hours." "Yeah, we're so lucky" Franz said rubbing his wrists. "I suggest you get out of this country while you still can" he looked between the two of them "you were right about Strickland, he's as dirty as they come." "Mallory, I can get us onto a cargo ship we can..." Franz said looking toward her. "No" she said definitively. "No?" he asked unsure as to whether she didn't want o go, or she didn't want to go with him. "I said no" she replied as she turned from him. "Look Mallory, once we get to Europe, we can go our separate ways and you don't ever have to see me again" he said sadly. "No, Franz. We were a part of this mess and we need to help clean it up, not just take off and let what happens happen" she said as she turned to Skinner "Where's my gun?" "I'll get it" he said as he turned to walk to the other side of the warehouse. "Mallory, we can't stay" Franz pleaded. "And we can't go, either" she smiled at him "Franz, don't you feel you owe this much to those kids?" She had him there and she knew it. He couldn't live the rest of his life knowing he had just walked away. "Then let me go to Kansas, alone" he said grabbing her by the shoulders "you leave for Europe, I can make all the arrangements, you'll be..." "I'm not leaving you" she said dismissively. "Mallory, you need to, you can't..." he lost his words. "I can't walk away" she said lowering her head. "You can, and you will. If you get killed because of me..." "I won't" she said looking him in the eyes. "Mallory..." he started. "Here are your guns" Skinner interrupted. Franz dropped his hands from her shoulders and secured his weapon as she did the same. "You two need to decide what you are doing and do it" Skinner said as he started to walk away. "What are you going to do?" they asked together. "I'm going to make sure there isn't another kid brought to that facility" he said as he walked out the door and it clanged shut behind him. "If we get on a train now, we can be in Kansas by tomorrow" she said grabbing her coat. "You're not going to give in are you?" he asked as he started for the door. "And that's why you love me" she said as she walked ahead of him. ********************************************** The end of part 71