UMBRA 2:ELLIPSIS
CHAPTER 8
By Dawson E. Rambo

Disclaimer : Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Walter Skinner and any 
other tangentially mentioned characters created by Chris 
Carter remain his copyrighted property, the property of 1013 
Productions, and the property of Fox Television, a unit of 
20th Century Fox, Inc. The author believes that the use of 
copyrighted characters in the forum known as "Fan Fiction" 
is protected under the "Fair Use" statutes of US Copyright 
law. No infringement of any copyright is intended.

Characters created by the author remain his property.

Archive Title           : ELLIPSIS 8/?
Posting Date            : 1 August 1998
Classification          : SRA/MSR[m]
Overall STORY Rating    : NC-17 (explicit sexuality, violence)
CHAPTER Rating          : R
Keywords                : UMBRA, Mulder/Scully, Thriller
Summary                 : Withheld at author's request.
Spoilers                : Umbra.


NOTE: Once again, I owe a deep debt of gratitude to my 
editors. Without them...I shudder to think what this would 
look like. Tamara, Hank, and especially Scott: Thank you.

NOTE: This chapter goes back and forth on the timeline, 
folks, so please note the section headers.

+=+=
Andrews Air Force Base

	Mulder pushed the door to the VC-20 open and waited 
for the hydraulics to lower it gently to the tarmac. 
Grabbing his overnight bag, he carefully stepped out only to 
find Pete Nelson waiting on the tarmac, a guarded look on 
his face.
	Goddamn him, Mulder thought.
	"I thought I told you--"
	"I thought you'd need a ride," Pete started, and then 
stopped. Mulder watched the man carefully, and sure enough, 
after a moment Pete's eyes left Mulder's face and began 
searching behind him, looking for Scully.
	Looking for my *wife*, Mulder fumed. 
	Scully exited next. "Pete," she said, smiling gently. 
"You didn't have to come and get us."
	He shrugged. "Better than taking a taxi," he offered 
lamely.
	Mulder, suddenly uncomfortable, glanced at his wife, a 
question on his face.
	[Mulder,] he heard, [no time like the present. Make 
yourself scarce.]
	"I'm going to go, uh, I have a..." Mulder stopped 
talking, realizing that the young Navy officer wasn't even 
listening to him. [Good luck,] he thought, wandering off 
towards the Operations Office.
	Scully reached back inside the VC-20 and grabbed her 
bag. Turning and walking towards Nelson's car, she glanced 
over her shoulder to make sure Pete was following her.
	Like a puppy, she thought.
	She climbed in the front passenger seat and waited for 
him to join her.
	"Pete," she said softly, "I think we need to talk."
	"He told you, didn't he?" Pete asked forlornly.
	Scully nodded. She resisted the urge to place a 
reassuring hand on Nelson's arm. She knew it would send 
absolutely the wrong signal.
	"Do you want to tell me about it?" she asked.
	"No," he said, the word almost a moan. "It's 
embarrassing."
	"Feelings are nothing to be embarrassed about," Scully 
said carefully. "They're perfectly natural, perfectly human. 
I just think that you're...mistaking one set of emotions for 
another, Pete."
	He turned to face her, confused. "What do you mean?"
	"Well, I've been doing this sort of thing for a while. 
You've been in the Navy, what...ten years?"
	"Eleven."
	"Right. And most of that time, you were with the 
teams. All-male teams, if I need to point that out. You know 
what it's like, those bonds you form with the other members. 
You once told me that you were closer with your boat crew in 
Team Six than you are with your own family, and that your 
swim buddy from BUD/S is closer to you than anyone in the 
world."
	She waited for him to make the connection, and when he 
didn't she continued. "Pete, I'm the first woman you've 
served with in the same way that you've served with men. The 
intense pressure, the closeness, the interdependency...all 
of that contributes to a feeling of closeness that's easy to 
mistake for...other emotions during times of stress."
	"You're saying I'm not in love with you?" Pete asked.
	Scully shook her head. "Pete, you only know me in this 
one specific way. As your XO. As a fellow team member. You 
don't really know anything about me at all. You don't know 
what kind of music I like, what books I read, what my 
favorite color is, all those little things."
	Nelson considered this, chewing on his lip.
	"Makes sense," he said after a long silence. "Mulder 
wants to reassign me."
	"No, he doesn't. He's not used to being in charge, 
that's all."
	"Two years of this, and he's not used to it?" Nelson 
asked, smiling.
	"No," Scully said, returning his smile. "He's always 
been sort of a lone wolf. I was the first partner he had who 
lasted more than a year."
	"The wolf found a mate," Nelson whispered.
	"And wolves mate for life," Scully added gently.
	"When did you know?" Nelson asked. "I mean, when did 
you know he was the one?"
	"Why do you ask?" 
	"Well, now that you've explained it, I think you're 
right. I just...I guess I'm looking for something, and when 
I think about what I want, I look to people that I admire 
and respect for an example of what that might be. And, Boss, 
don't take this the wrong way, but when I do find someone, I 
hope she's a lot like you."
	"I'm flattered, Pete. That's nice to hear."
	"So...how did you know that he was the one?"
	Got a year? Scully thought. "It's...complicated. For a 
long time, almost five years, Mulder and I were just 
friends. Partners. We didn't...pursue a relationship. The 
case that started all this... it was during that case when 
we finally admitted what we both knew had been happening for 
a while."
	Nelson nodded.
	"So what happens now?" he asked.
	Scully sighed. "Well, the first thing we have to do is 
get you some liberty. We've obviously been pushing all of 
you just a little. I'll talk with Mulder tonight and explain 
it to him the same way I did to you. He'll understand." She 
paused, and then told Pete what he really needed to know. 
"Now, I have to warn you, for the next few days, maybe a 
week, Mulder will be cold and distant. Try not to take it 
personally. He can be...territorial at times. Possessive."
	Well, duh, Pete thought. I would, too, if I were him.
	"Understood," Pete said. Glancing through the 
windshield, he asked, "Where is he, anyway?"
	[Mulder?]
	[Yo.]
	[We're done. Ready?]
	[On my way.]
	"He's coming," Scully said. A moment later Mulder 
appeared from the Operations office and began walking 
towards Nelson's car.
	"How the hell does he do that?" Nelson wondered aloud.

+=+=
Sterling, VA

	Mulder had been quiet the entire ride home. Scully had 
tried twice to engage him in conversation; each attempt had 
failed, increasing the tension in the car by leaps and 
bounds.
	[Mulder?] she finally tried.
	[Later,] had been her only response.
	Now, finally home, they were in their shared office, 
making notes and finishing up the thousand details that went 
along with UMBRA operations.
	"OK," Scully finally said. "Let's get this over with."
	"Get *what* over with?" Mulder asked.
	"Nelson."
	He shrugged. "You said you took care of it. You took 
care of it, right?"
	Scully nodded.
	"Fine. It's over."
	Exasperated, Scully sighed. "Mulder, it's *me*. Talk 
to me."
	Mulder matched Scully's sigh with one of his own, 
massaging his forehead with one hand. "Ok, you're the XO of 
our merry little band of killers, right? Talk to me like an 
XO. Can we trust Nelson?"
	"Of course. He's probably the most stable member of 
the team, *Colonel.*"
	"Knock that crap off," Mulder said sharply. "You know 
I hate it when you call me that."
	"Hey, if you want me to talk to you like an XO, then 
you have to deal with the military aspects of your rank, 
sir."
	"Fine. Talk to me like an ASAC, then."
	"Well, sir-"
	"Scully!"
	"When you want me to talk to you like your *partner*, 
let me know."
	They locked eyes for a long moment. Mulder had an odd 
thought: When they'd decided to get married almost six years 
ago, his imaginings of what the marriage would be like had 
*never* included conversations like this. He'd imagined that 
Scully would be...
	Sweeter.
	Shaking his head, a smile slowly formed on his face. 
"You are one incredible piece of work, *Agent* Scully, you 
know that?"
	"Thank you," she said primly, and then burst out 
laughing. 
	"So, partner, do I have to worry about him making goo-
goo eyes at you on our next mission?"
	Scully quickly recapped her conversation with Nelson.
	Mulder nodded, obviously agreeing with her tactics. 
"Very effective," he finally admitted. "And he probably 
thinks I'm going to be a grouch for the next few days, 
right?"
	"Right, so don't let him down, Mulder. He's counting 
on you."
	"Well," Mulder mused, "can't say that I blame him."
	"Oh, really?"
	"Really, Scully. I mean, look at us. I fell in love 
with you when we were partners."
	"That was different," Scully said.
	"How so?"
	"It just was," she insisted. "And I'm very, very glad 
that Pete didn't pick up on that particular aspect of our 
relationship."
	"Me, too. I'd hate to have to kick his ass."
	Scully put a hand to her mouth, ostensibly to cover a 
yawn. In reality, she was trying to hide a smile and the 
laugh she knew was threatening to burst from her lungs. The 
mental image of Mulder kicking Pete Nelson's ass was 
hilarious. Nelson was a trained SEAL, six four, almost two 
fifty, and looked like he could bend steel with his pinkies.
	Then again, Scully thought...remembering...

+=+=
Gymnasium "C"
Fort Bragg, NC
August, 2001

	"Some of you," Mulder said to the assembled UMBRA 
members, "are very fond of your various weapons. Your MP5's 
or CAR-15's, your Barettas and Colts and Glocks. Some of you 
are even pretty good with a knife."
	Mulder was standing on a gym mat, walking in a small 
circle with his hands behind his back, speaking softly, 
slowly. 
	"However, in some of our missions, it may be 
unfeasible to go in armed. You may have to go in covered as 
a civilian. And civilians, at least outside the deep South 
and Montana, rarely go to the 7-11 with an MP5. Thus, we are 
going to talk today about hand-to-hand combat."
	A few of the team members exchanged a glance, sharing 
secret smiles. They were all, to a man, trained military 
operators, all of them having taken extensive courses in 
hand-to-hand combat given by the best instructors the US 
Military had to offer. What could this beanpole of an FBI 
agent teach them about Close Quarter Battle?
	"Sergeant Cruz. If you would, please?"
	Ramon Cruz jumped to his feet and approached the mat. 
"What do you want me to do?"
	"Whatever you'd like," Mulder said mildly, dropping 
his arms to his side.
	Cruz circled to Mulder's right, pinning the shorter 
man with his eyes. Cruz lunged with a forward punch, aiming 
for Mulder's throat.
	Almost before Cruz moved, Mulder had stepped to the 
side, easily slapping the arm away and hooking a foot behind 
Cruz's ankle.
	Cruz fell to the mat, stunned.
	The rest of the team shifted on the floor, suddenly 
interested.
	"Again," Mulder said.
	Cruz stood, rolling his head on the column of his 
neck, face flushed in embarrassment.
	Cruz tried a spinning back kick.
	Mulder ducked before Cruz began moving, dropping to 
one knee and using a half-speed closed-fist punch to Cruz's 
groin.
	Cruz dropped as if he'd been pole-axed, groaning 
softly.
	"Someone want to help Cruz off the mat?" he asked. 
Pointing to the team, Mulder continued, "Vance."
	Oz Vance stood and walked to the mat, helping Cruz sit 
back down with the rest of the team.
	"Mr. Vance," Mulder said. "I believe that your jacket 
said you posses a black belt in...what was it?"
	"Karate, Sir," Vance replied.
	"Oh, that's right," Mulder said, smiling softly. "Why 
don't you try?"
	Vance nodded, moving back to the mat.
	They circled each other slowly, Mulder's hands at his 
side.
	Vance exploded into a flurry of kicks and punches.
	None of them landed.
	Mulder leaned from side to side at the waist, easily 
ducking everything Vance threw at him.
	"Ok, quick physics lesson. Mr. Vance, would you say 
that you're in reasonable shape?"
	Vance looked down at his own body, hardened by years 
of physical training. "Yes, I'd say that."
	"How much would you care to bet that I can impede all 
of your forward motion with one finger?"
	"One finger?" Vance asked doubtfully.
	"One single finger. And you can even choose the 
finger, Sergeant."
	The team was excited now.
	Scully, watching from the floor, shook her head. She 
knew where Mulder was going with this.
	"Pinky," Vance said, now eager to begin.
	"Fine," Mulder said, moving to Oz's side. Standing 
perpendicular to Vance, Mulder extended his right hand at 
head level. Turning his hand, Mulder laid his pinky against 
the strip of skin between Vance's upper lip and nose.
	"Move forward," Mulder commanded.
	Vance tried to take a step.
	He couldn't.
	"If you know where to push," Mulder said, twisting at 
the waist, "you can do almost anything." The movement 
flipped Vance flat onto his back.
	"One finger," Mulder said, holding it up.
	Scully watched as Vance got to his feet, his face 
flushed with anger and embarrassment. Silently, he crept 
towards Mulder from the rear. Scully resisted warning 
Mulder.
	Vance's left arm went around Mulder's neck.
	Quicker than anyone had even seen, Mulder ducked into 
it, reaching down with his own right hand and finding 
Vance's crotch. Squeezing, Mulder rotated out of the move, 
bringing Oz's arm with him, releasing his scrotum and 
twisting, stepping back and pushing forward with the free 
hand while holding Oz's elbow.
	Vance fell and Mulder rode him to the mat, his knee in 
the middle of the other man's back.
	"And," Mulder said, "you people telegraph your moves. 
It's almost as if..." He paused, glanced at Scully and 
winked. "Almost as if I can read your minds."

+=+=
Sterling, VA
April, 2003

	...which, of course, was exactly what Mulder had done, 
Scully later learned.
	So, if it came down to it, she thought, I wouldn't 
necessarily automatically put my money on Nelson. Mulder can 
be a mean SOB when he wants to.
	Or when he feels threatened.
	"When will you have the results from the tissue 
samples you took?" Mulder asked.
	"Tomorrow morning, noon at the latest," Scully 
replied. "Do you have any idea when we're going to be needed 
again?"
	Mulder shook his head. "I have to talk to our friend 
again."
	
+=+=
The Next Day

	The Plumber moved slowly, carefully.
	Utilizing a cutout in Naval Intelligence, he quietly 
arranged for the transfer of Lieutenant Commander Michael A. 
Watts, Jr from his current assignment to OP-06UT, the 
Unusual Tasks section of the Office of Plans and Policy at 
the Pentagon. From there, he would be seconded to a 
classified unit that The Plumber had access to through a 
series of contacts. 
	Tomorrow, Watts' 201 file would be pulled from general 
circulation and reclassified at a much higher level.
	The day after that, Michael A. Watts, Jr would sign 
his resignation from the US Navy. By then, the Plumber 
planned to have Watts hired by an obscure intelligence 
agency that didn't appear on any Congressional appropriation 
bill. 
	Mike Watts Jr would vanish into the gray world of 
covert ops.
	Exactly as planned.

+=+=
UMBRA Headquarters

	Scully stood over the sink in her lab, quickly and 
efficiently washing her hands, her thoughts elsewhere.
	The samples she had collected from Danny Koss had 
proved inconclusive at best and discouraging at worst. The 
contaminant was present, but in levels small enough to be 
almost undetectable.
	Mulder entered the lab and glided over to the sink. 
"What's the word?" he asked.
	"Inconclusive," Scully said softly.
	"Details, Scully. We have a meeting with Matheson and 
Skinner in about an hour."
	Scully shook her hands, drying them. "Well, several 
possibilities. First, this contaminant is not what's causing 
the actions that we're attributing to it. But I doubt that. 
Second, different people need different levels of the 
contaminant to experience the same effect. Some people may 
be more susceptible, in other words. Third, we need to take 
one of these kids alive."
	"Best guess," Mulder said.
	"To be safe? We do what we've been doing. Eliminate 
the threats as they occur, and hope that more research gives 
us the information we need. Quick? We take one alive. If the 
levels are the same as in Koss and the Phoenix bodies, then 
we know for sure. If the levels are higher, we enter into a 
new set of problems. How to keep these kids alive long 
enough to perform the necessary research."
	Mulder grunted. "I just took a call. Skinner heard 
from the Pave Creek Sheriff's office. They found Danny Koss' 
parents."
	Scully didn't ask.
	"Butchered," Mulder said. "Like the others."
	"How are they handling it?"
	"Quietly, per Skinner's...request."
	Scully smiled. She knew how forceful Skinner's 
"requests" could be.
	"What do you recommend?" Mulder asked.
	"I'm not sure yet," Scully admitted. "I want to think 
about it some more."
	"We may not have as much time as we need," Mulder 
said. "I spoke to our friend while you were busy in here. 
We...we know where and when the next...occurrence will be."
	Scully turned to face her husband. "Where?"
	"New York City. In five days, Shawn Hopkins is going 
to take a subway train hostage." He paused. "And that's not 
all."
	"What?"
	Mulder leaned against the sink, folding his arms. "The 
NYPD has its' own SWAT unit, something called the Emergency 
Services Unit. They're notorious about not allowing federal 
intervention. So we can't go in there like FBI agents, and 
we can't go in as a military unit. The New York press will 
eat us alive."
	"So what are we going to do?" Scully asked.
	"I'm not sure yet," Mulder admitted. "I want to think 
about it some more."
	
+=+=
The White House

	The meeting was short, brief and to the point.
	Mulder briefed Matheson about the Montana mission.
	Skinner informed everyone present that Sheriff Adams 
was cooperating thus far. He'd asked for some federal 
assistance in modernizing his department.
	"I think that can be arranged," Matheson said as he 
wrote himself a note.
	Scully brought everyone up to date on the state of 
research.
	Mulder then began speaking about the upcoming New York 
problem.
	"So," he finished, "I'm not sure exactly how to run 
this one. Up until now, the incidents have mostly occurred 
in relatively rural areas, or in areas that we have a strong 
influence in. The LAPD cooperated because of the Bureau's 
presence due to the bank robbery problems. But I doubt the 
NYPD is going to be as cooperative."
	The room fell silent as they all contemplated the task 
that lay ahead.
	"We want to keep the White House as distant from this 
matter as we can for as long as possible," Matheson mused. 
"Otherwise, I'd call the New York City Police Commissioner 
and have a few words with him. He's loyal to the Party, and 
he'd go along with me...to a point. The first time he sensed 
political gain, he'd fry me in a heartbeat."
	"Let's think about this," Mulder said. "The basic 
problem is that Scully thinks we need to take one of these 
kids alive, in order to further her research. If the NYPD 
arrests this kid, which we doubt they'll be able to do, 
there is no way they're going to let us alone with him long 
enough for us to collect the samples. And we have no idea 
how the...kids...will react once they realize we're onto 
them. Whatever it is that's inside them may jump from person 
to person. We still have no concept of what the route 
of...infection is. Since we can't send Scully in there in a 
biocontainment suit..."
	"Undercover," Skinner finally said.
	"What?" Matheson asked.
	"We create a legend for a team member. My suggestion 
would be Nelson or Vance. A good, hard legend that can't be 
broken. He's a diamond courier or something like that. 
Something that gives him a good reason to be armed. This kid 
takes the train down and your team member pops him. That 
way, we reduce the chance of this...infection jumping from 
person to person. When the NYPD investigates, the team 
member will come up smelling like a rose. A hero. Then he 
fades into the background."
	"It'd have to be clean," Matheson warned. "No military 
firearms or ammunition, nothing on him that connects to us."
	"That smells like a cover-up," Scully observed.
	Mulder shifted in his seat. "Not really. It's a 
classified operation, and we are all aware of the 
circumstances that require it. In the fullness of time, to 
turn a phrase, I'm sure that people will understand why we 
had to do it that way."
	Scully wasn't sure, but she said nothing, choosing to 
bring it up later with Mulder when they were alone.
	"So you're saying we write the New York situation off? 
We call it a loss since we can't get what we need without 
calling attention to ourselves?" Scully asked.
	Mulder thought about it for a moment and then shook 
his head. "I hate to admit it, but Director Skinner is 
right. There's too high a chance of compromise otherwise. If 
it were somewhere else, hell, almost anywhere else, Scully, 
I'd be for going in like we did in Phoenix and Pave Creek 
and taking over the situation. But New York is just too 
visible for our needs."
	"Which is exactly why they're using it," Scully 
pointed out. "They want to see how we're going to react when 
things get complicated."
	Mulder nodded, seeing her point. 
	"Preemptive strike?" Skinner offered.
	"What?" Matheson asked.
	"We...take him *before* he takes the train down."
	Mulder shook his head again. "Impossible, for several 
reasons, sir."
	"Such as?" Skinner demanded.
	"First, we have no idea where Shawn is at this moment. 
He's been in training...indoctrination...hibernation, 
whatever the exact mechanism of change is, up until the 
moment he strikes. I wouldn't be surprised if he's on the 
missing persons list." Mulder glanced at Matheson.
	The President stared back.
	Almost imperceptibly, Matheson nodded.
	"The second reason is that when this team was first 
created, the President and I took a private meeting."
	Mulder suddenly felt another pair of eyes focusing on 
him. He turned and shrugged at his wife.
	"The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the Rules 
of Engagement for certain situations. There are times when 
we can act presumptively. This is not one of them. The 
country, as yet, is not at stake. There is no clear and 
present danger. There is only suspicion and speculation. 
Until the danger is established beyond a reasonable doubt, 
we have to act primarily as law enforcement officers. And 
that means, we can't just take this kid out before he does 
something.
	"That would be cold-blooded murder," Mulder finished.
	

+=+=
New York City

	The group was meeting again.
	The Smoker began the meeting, as it had been he who 
had called them together.
	"We have a situation," the Smoker said. "It has come 
to my attention that Mulder is aware of our pending...test 
in New York City."
	"We must abort," John said immediately.
	"No," the Smoker replied, holding up a hand. "I have a 
better idea."
	The low buzz that had settled over the room dissolved 
into silence.
	"We're waiting," John prodded. 
	"If we abort, we reveal that we, too, have sources 
inside Mulder's operation. The man is already paranoid to an 
extreme that we have never seen before, and that makes him 
dangerous. If we tip our hand, he'll descend deeper into his 
own world, and we may never learn his ultimate plans."
	"This makes sense," John allowed.
	"Our tests are designed to accomplish several things," 
the Smoker pointed out. "First, to see if our needs are 
being met. If we can count on these operatives in the coming 
battles. If they are trustworthy, dependent."
	"We know this," John said, irritated. "Please, get to 
the point."
	"Second, to determine the operational life of a 
converted entity. We are constantly adjusting the dosages to 
create the optimal unit. Once we discover that, we can move 
beyond these little experiments, and on to issues that 
address the larger picture."
	The Smoker took a drag off his cigarette and 
continued. "And the last reason is to test Mulder and his 
unit. His leadership. To see how much of a problem he will 
be in the coming months and years." The Smoker paused. "Our 
original psychological evaluations indicated that he would 
have problems ordering the deaths of children. Even if he 
understood the outlines of what we are undertaking, he would 
still, we thought, hesitate."
	The men around the table exchanged troubled glances.
	They'd badly underestimated Mulder, and they knew it.
	"Mulder has proven that given the proper training, 
motivation and support that he is capable of things far 
beyond what we predicted. That, coupled with the stabilizing 
influence of his wife, and the support of the President and 
Admiral Karn, has created quite a situation for us."
	John interrupted, holding up a hand to silence the 
Smoker. "As you know, we're taking active steps to remove 
the Mulder problem."
	"A course that you are also well aware that I do not 
agree with, in principle or implementation," the Smoker 
replied. "What I think you still fail to see is that while 
we wait for the Plumber to work his magic, Mulder is 
developing intelligence on our network, our personnel, our 
future plans. What if he stumbles across something, 
something that gives him enough information to allow others 
to follow in his steps once he has been removed? Then what? 
All of this will have been for naught. You are all 
suspicious, as am I, that we have a mole somewhere inside 
the organization. Mulder is able to anticipate our every 
move, to be there when we strike to neutralize our plans."
	The room was silent as the men around the table 
contemplated the Smoker's words.
	"What do you suggest?" John asked stiffly.
	"I suggest that we add a little pressure to Mr. 
Mulder's life," the Smoker said.
	"And exactly what form should this pressure take?"
	"What did the Romans teach us about war?" the Smoker 
asked. Getting no answer, he hid his disgust and continued. 
"Divide and conquer."
	"You want to drive a wedge between Mulder and his 
wife?" John asked. John's tone made it clear that he 
believed it might be easier to move a small mountain.
	"No," the Smoker said, thinking: You fool.
	"What I propose is this. We move on two fronts at 
once. The UMBRA team is small, tightly knit. But it is led 
from the *front*, by Scully and Mulder. They are the nucleus 
of that team. I doubt that the other members could operate 
as well if Mulder or Scully were not on site to give them 
direction and leadership. Therefore, since we have several 
dozen more...operatives in various stages of development, we 
make some changes to the schedule. What do you think will 
happen if three teams strike at once?"
	Again, no one had any idea.
	"Mulder will have to either sacrifice one or more 
groups of hostages, or he will have to split his own team 
up. Either way, we reduce his effectiveness, and if things 
go well, we might even gain an advantage."
	John stood and walked to the window, hands behind his 
back, staring at the world outside the room. "This idea has 
merit," he declared. "I must admit that it has very 
attractive implications for our mission. Mulder has always 
been a very focused individual. If we can manage to shift 
his focus away from what he perceives to be his ultimate 
goal, we gain a time advantage. If he sacrifices the other 
two sets of hostages...what do the evaluations say that 
might do to his mental state?"
	The Smoker paused. This was the delicate part.
	"One of two things. It will either cause him to doubt 
his ability and the way he has chosen to run his missions, 
or it will redouble his efforts against us."
	"Which do you think is more probable?" John asked.
	"The former," the Smoker said, after hesitating just 
for a moment. "Mulder has always been delicate. You have all 
seen how easy it has been in the past to manipulate him. He 
acts first and thinks later."
	John nodded.
	"Where?" he asked.
	"Chicago, I think. And Hawaii."
	"Why Hawaii?" someone else asked.
	"Time," the Smoker said, smiling. "Distance. Getting 
any of his team in place to do something would be next to 
impossible. That will add pressure and complicate matters in 
the extreme."
	"Make it so," John said.
	The meeting was adjourned.

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END CHAPTER 8