Hole in the Black by PD ARCHIVAL: Gossamer, no thanks. Stories will be housed at my site only. If you'd like to link, I'd love it, but please drop me note with a heads up. DISCLAIMER: Can I borrow the keys to the franchise, Chris? I won't go to any FBI balls, I promise to make a full stop at most clichés, and I will try not to dangle my participles at the nice couple in the unremarkable house. CLASSIFICATION: SRA, MSR, IWTB, TMI, ASAP RATING: R SPOILERS: Through The X Files: I Want To Believe SUMMARY: "I wasn't in the group, Mr. Mulder. I was a tangential part of the project - in league with those few who were adamant on the subject of developing an antidote and a vaccine. He was our man on the inside, but we were not on the side of complicity with the colonists and that meant we were on the outside. Fringe element. We were not highly regarded. We weren't even invited to the group barbecues." He caught himself and smiled. "Ah. No pun intended." ~ Chapter 13 ~ 2:00 pm Driving North on Highway 163 Approaching the Arizona/Utah border They'd, of course, tried getting in touch with Roy before they left - twice. Once, just after breakfast this morning and William's revelation that Roy was still a part of this whether he wanted to be or not, and again after they'd gotten the Jeep packed up. There was no answer on his phone, and, in a moment that didn't really surprise Mulder or Scully at all, a complete veil of ignorance had descended from Luke AFB when they asked who he might be. Certainly, a last name would have helped, but a covert source is a covert source. They just can't be counted on to divulge essential contact information on demand. In a nutshell, Roy was simply no longer part of the picture and they would have to deal with getting into the mine installation when they got there. For most of the drive, the landscape was vast and dry, but as they got closer to the Utah border, they were overwhelmed by the buttes and mesas shooting up into the clear blue - astounding eroded formations rising up from the rich red earth. Once parked in the visitor's center, Scully moved off in one direction, presumably to find a restroom, while Mulder and William made their way to a large wooden map of the valley. When Scully returned with an armful of vibrantly colored fabric, she found William and Mulder eating something that looked sticky. "Look, Dana," William said pointing to the sign as she approached, "'We Are Here'." "What are you eating?" she wondered. "Fry bread and honey," William said, his mouth full. Mulder took one look at Scully's armful. "Wow. Doing your part?" "It'll be cold, Mulder. We don't want to get stuck without warmth." Mulder rummaged through the Navajo blankets. "How many is this?" "Three," she said dumping the blankets into the back of the Jeep. "Three? Jesus, Scully these are expensive. What were they, two hundred each?" "Three." William glanced up at them. "Three hundred dollars?" "Each," Mulder surmised. Scully smiled. "You can keep two of them, William. Give one to your parents when you get back home." "Wow, thanks," he said. Scully eyed Mulder's expression and smiled at him. "Shall we go?" ~:~:~ The drive down into the valley from the visitor's center was bumpy and nothing less than spectacular. The April sun was dropping lower and lower into the sky and bathing the vista in golden shimmers. Shadows under the buttes began stretching out for the long night ahead as they rounded the Three Sisters and finally got a look at the south side of Mitchell Mesa. "That's it?" Scully asked and William nodded his head. "How much farther do you think we can drive in, Mulder?" Mulder leaned forward and rested his forearms on the steering wheel. He peered into the craggy crevice. "It's pretty rocky. I think the Jeep would get at least part of the way in there, but if we get stuck, then we're stuck and I don't know that we want to get messy." He looked at Scully. "Shale and sandstone and a barreling Jeep don't mix. They don't even let you touch Stonehenge anymore." "Okay," Scully said, decision made. "We walk." She turned to William. "Ready to hike for a bit?" "Yep." It was only a mile right to the end of the crevice, but it was slower going than they'd imagined. It was certainly rocky and one misstep and somebody was going to break an ankle. Fortunately, they still had sunlight (though they were losing it fast), so they took it slow and sure. Mulder carried William over some particularly difficult gaps simply because his legs were longer and he could step from rock to rock. Since they could see their destination, they didn't feel it would be necessary to don the small backpacks, so they didn't. They had flashlights and if worse came to worse, they could simply walk back, albeit with some difficulty, to the Jeep. By the time they got to the end, the sun had dipped below the top of the mesa. They weren't bathed in complete darkness, but the flashlights came in handy. What they found was a cave-like entrance completely rocked up with flat shale. "Oh," Mulder observed. William pushed in front of Mulder and Scully and laid his little hands on the rocks blocking the entrance. He grunted in frustration. "No. It's not supposed to be like this." He turned to Scully. "I swear, it's not supposed to be like this." "We believe you, William," Scully said quietly. "Is it possible it's someplace else in this valley?" Mulder wondered. "Maybe the next crevice over?" "No! It's here!" He seemed so sure of himself, so certain he knew exactly where he was leading them. Still, he was only a little boy. Scully chuckled humorlessly to herself and sat down heavily on a rock. It is preposterous, she thought. What have they done? What were they thinking? They allowed their son - helped him, *encouraged* him to prolong and evolve some ludicrous fantasy that he's the savior of the world. What does that say about them as parents? Scully was staring down at her feet as William stepped toward her, his sneakers coming into view. She watched a tear drip onto the dry, red earth between her feet. She looked up and found her son's eyes to be dry. William reached out a hand and touched his thumb to her own damp cheek. "I'm sorry," he said and leaned forward into her arms for an embrace. Scully closed her eyes and rested her chin on William's shoulder. "Um," Mulder said. "Scully?" She opened her eyes to see four men, guns trained on a very surprised looking Mulder.