Date: Fri, 23 Jun 1995 19:29:15 -0700 Reply-To: Naomi Hayashi Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Naomi Hayashi Subject: X-File #A274-D33 part 9 of 17 This is being posted for the author, who currently doesn't have internet access. Please direct all comments you want to be passed on to the author or requests for missing parts to nhayashi@sfsu.edu X-File: #A274-D33 Part 9 of 17 by Albert Low Scully burst out of her room the moment Mulder stepped out of the car. "Where have you been, Mulder? I've been looking for you for the last half hour." "Sorry. I guess I left my phone in my room," he said sheepishly. "That still doesn't tell me where you've been." "I'll explain it when we get inside," Mulder told her, leading the way to his room. Scully was a little puzzled, but she didn't say anything until they were inside. "All right, what's going on, Mulder?" He tossed a manila envelope onto the table. "I had a meeting with our mysterious friend in the FBI." "I want to know everything," she demanded. He nodded and told her what had transpired. She was silent for a few seconds after Mulder had finished. Scully was even more skeptical about this mysterious informant than he was, perhaps because she'd never even met him. She hadn't even fully trusted Deep Throat, a fact that shamed her as she recalled how he'd been executed before her very eyes. Now she asked him the question that was foremost on both their minds. "Do you believe him?" Mulder hesitated for a second. "Yes." "All right, then. Let's see what he gave you." The matter now behind them, Mulder emptied the envelope onto the table. The first item was a copy of the police report on the murder of the bounty hunter, Mako. Next was a classified report on Mako's background, a search that revealed he had no verifiable history. Then there were a number of photos of Mako, photos in which he wore clothing that looked as if they were from different time periods. Scully picked up a photo in which he wore a long coat she thought was a duster. A notation on the back identified the man as a federal marshal assigned to the Washington territory during the 1880's and '90's. Another picture was identified as a FBI agent who had served during the 1930's and '40's. Both men were named Mako. She looked at the photos in confusion, then rifled through the rest of the documents, which included dossiers of the federal marshal, the FBI agent, and three or four law enforcement agents who had served in various U.S. cities during the last two centuries. All were named Mako. She tried to reconcile what these pictures and documents represented but couldn't even come close. Scully turned to Mulder to ask his opinion but fell silent as she saw his expression. He was looking at three of the photos intently, so focused he probably wouldn't notice if she left the room and came back. Scully recognized the signs immediately. Mulder was putting all the clues together to form an answer to what was going on. She'd seen it before; the only problem was that his theories almost always bordered on the outrageous, usually with little or no scientific basis. He flipped through all the new documents quickly, then looked up at her. "I think I know what's going on here, Scully." "Well, are you going to tell me or keep it to yourself?" "You're not going to believe me," he warned. "Probably not. But that's never stopped you before." Her dry response drew an amused chuckle. "From the beginning it's been obvious we aren't dealing with a series of random, unrelated murders. There's some purpose, some reason behind it all. I'm not sure about everything that's going on, but I've figured out some of it. "First, there's a reason why all of the victims have been in such perfect condition. They're all part of a group of genetic mutants." "Genetic mutants?" "Right. We've encountered some before. Eugene Tooms and Cecil L'ively, to name a few. It's just that these mutants are a bit more unusual. I think they all possess highly efficient, almost perfect, regenerative abilities as a result of a constant, accelerated cellular reproduction rate. This would account for their organs being in perfect shape. The tissues that make them up are being constantly regenerated." "You can't be serious?" "Why not? Isn't it possible that could explain the perfect condition of the corpses?" "Theoretically," Scully conceded. "But your theory isn't practical, Mulder. A genetic aberration is just that, an anomaly. Even granting the possibility of such a mutation, there might be one or two such mutants, but not dozens." "Why not?" he repeated. "The world population is over five billion, Scully. A couple of dozen, or even a couple of hundred, genetic aberrations would be only a fraction of one percent, statistically negligible. And that doesn't included the billions who have lived and died." "Why would it?" "Because I think these mutants have been around for centuries, maybe longer. I think their accelerated rate of cellular production has greatly retarded the aging process, maybe even stopped it, making them virtually immortal." Scully looked at him incredulously. "Mulder, what you're suggesting is impossible!" "Is it? We've seen the aging process reversed, with Barnett. It's not only possible, Scully. It's happening." She didn't say anything, knowing nothing would deter him. It would be better to hear him out before raising any more objections. "Take a look at these pictures," he said, indicating the photos supplied by his source, "and tell me what you see." "I know what you're getting at, but these must be members of the same family. Perhaps father, son and grandson. That would explain the resemblance." "Resemblance? Scully, all the photos are identical. And consider this: All these men were in law enforcement, and," he said, cutting her off before she could object, "according to these reports, _none_ of them had histories that held up under scrutiny. "It all fits, Scully," he said excitedly. "The murder victims had to manufacture histories because they couldn't use their real backgrounds. This Mako, he was at least a hundred and fifty years old, maybe more. The sword found near his corpse was almost six hundred years old. Think about it, Scully! They've been living among us for hundreds of years, probably discarding an identity every few years before someone suspects their true nature. "Even the use of swords as the murder weapons makes sense." "Do I dare ask why?" "If they really have the regeneration abilities I believe they do, then the only way they could die would be if they suffered a massive trauma like an explosion. Anything else, like being knifed or shot in the heart, it's theoretically possible their organs could regenerate. The only sure and fast way to kill each other would be decapitation." Scully thought about what he had just said. "Mulder, you're saying they're killing each other?" "I think so." "But why would they kill each other? And how could these so-called immortals even locate each other?" "I can't answer your second question, but I've got a couple of ideas about the first." "Now why doesn't that surprise me?" Mulder flashed a small grin. "First, despite their abilities, they're still human, and humans have been killing each other out of fear, anger, jealousy, and a host of other reasons for thousands of years. It's very likely that some of these deaths are the results of long held grudges being settled. But there's something else. "About half of the victims were wearing watches. _All_ of them stopped working at approximately the time of death. It's as if they were exposed to a massive electrical charge or powerful magnetic field." "I noticed that, but there was no plausible explanation offered. I assume you have a theory." He nodded. "It's a known fact that a great deal of energy is released when cells break down and die. Now these immortals have lived for decades or even centuries, so it's possible that their bodies' cells have built up a huge reserve of energy. I think this energy is released after death in a discharge of energy resembling electricity." She gave him another incredulous look. "Mulder, that's really stretching, even for you. To begin with, their cells wouldn't build up energy, because, according your theory, they've constantly dying and being replaced. And, even if their bodies did store this amount of energy, it would only manifest in a faster rate of cellular degradation or maybe," she admitted, "a strengthening of the bodies' natural magnetic field." "There's evidence to support my theory. Two witnesses, one in New York, the other here in Washington, testified to seeing something resembling lightning in the immediate vicinity of a decapitation. The witness in New York claimed the energy was flowing from the corpse and striking the killer, apparently not injuring him." "You're forgetting that psychiatric evaluations revealed that both men were suffering from a host of mental disorders. The New York 'witness' was diagnosed as having a severe case of paranoia. He was carrying an automatic rifle on some sort of patrol when he stumbled onto the murder." "But the police reports state that other people in the area reported seeing some sort of pyrotechnic display. And these X-Files contain numerous instances in which nearby light bulbs and electrical equipment appeared to have been overloaded." "Assuming any of this is possible, how does it fit in?" she asked, curious despite herself. "I think it's one reason why they kill each other. The killers somehow absorb the energy released by the corpses. The influx of energy might somehow help maintain the rapid rate of cellular reproduction in their bodies." He paused. "Or maybe not. I don't have _all_ the answers." Mulder stopped and looked at her expectantly, his explanation apparently finished. Scully thought about everything he had just said. His explanation was like many of his theories. They seemed to fit the facts, but his conclusion were reached without any scientific basis, something that Scully was unwilling to do. Unfortunately, in this case, she didn't have any better explanation. Not that she was going to accept his theories, of course. "You were right, Mulder," she told him. "I don't believe you. What you're suggesting is impossible. It's science fiction." "You have any better theories?" "Not at the moment. But, even if you're on the right track, we don't have any proof. It's all supposition. Skinner won't believe any of it. And don't," she raised a hand to forestall him, "tell me the information your source provided is proof. For all we know, it's all fabricated." "Why would he do that?" I don't know, but, if there's one thing we both should have learned by now, it's to not take anything at face value." To her mild surprise, Mulder actually seemed to reconsider what had just been said. "You're right, Scully. Come on." He tossed all the photos and files into his briefcase and got up. "Where are we going?" "To get your proof," he said simply. =========================================================================