"Umbra" 15/?
                             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. No infringement of any copyright is intended. Characters
created by the author remain his property.

Original Post  :  June 4, 1997
Archive Entry  :  Book I, Chapter 15
Classification :  Action Adventure, MSR
Rating         :  R (Adult Themes, Violence, Adult Language, nudity)
Notes          :  None
Antishipper    :  1 on a scale of 1-10.
Shipper        :  9 on a scale of 1-10.
Casting        :  Michael Ironsides, "Admiral Mike Watts."
               :  Tommy Lee Jones, "Captain Kauffman"
	       :  J.T. Walsh, "Commander Armfield"
Timeline       :  4th year, prior to anything having to do with cancer.

Enjoy!

------------
Oahu Holiday Inn
Oahu, Hawaii
0645 Hours Local Time

	Scully closed her eyes as she felt Mulder's hands on her shoulder. 
He held the bar of soap in one hand, a plush terry washcloth in the 
other. He moved with the patience of an artist, soaping her neck and 
shoulders slowly, carefully, as if he were polishing a marble statue. 
The shower was big enough to comfortably double as a sauna, but they 
occupied the area directly under the showerhead, letting the hot, steamy 
water cascade down on them, a personal, private waterfall.
	Mulder bit his bottom lip in concentration, all his attention 
focused on Scully. Her body looked so small, so petite when she was 
naked; it was an image that would be forever burned in his mind. He 
studied the series of small freckles that dotted her shoulder blades and 
grinned. He closed his eyes for a moment and thanked whatever higher 
powers that were governing the universe that he would have the chance to 
memorize each and every freckle; it's position, it's relation to the 
others.
	Leaning down, he placed a soft, gentle kiss on Scully's neck and 
felt her shiver in response. She turned under the spray to face him, her 
wet hair plastered to her scalp. 
	Mulder thought he'd never seen a more beautiful sight in his life.
	"My turn," she said, taking the soap and washcloth from his hands. 
He stood there and let her work, closing his eyes against the waves of 
pleasure that zigged and zagged across his body as her small, delicate 
hands touched and washed him. She paid careful attention to his chest, 
making sure that he was scrubbed clean. He supposed it was the anal 
retentive doctor inside her that made Scully pay particular attention to 
his nipples.
	Then again, he thought, maybe not.
	"Now me," he said, reclaiming the soap and washcloth. Scully's 
gaze rose to meet his, and he saw something there, something he had 
never seen before. It was a combination of emotions...she was tentative, 
scared, almost. In the bright light of the bathroom, she looked 
vulnerable, open. 
	He smiled, letting it reach his eyes, telling her without words 
that she could trust him, that he would never hurt her, that he wanted 
to do this with her as much as she so obviously did. She nodded almost 
imperceptibly, and then lowered her head slightly, watching his hands as 
he began to wash her body.
	
***
	Mulder reached around Scully to crank the handles off, and she 
took the opportunity to wrap her arms around his neck. She kissed him 
full on the lips, her tongue wriggling into his mouth. It so surprised 
Mulder that he almost slipped and fell in the soapy water. Placing his 
hands flat against the shower wall, he pressed into her, letting her 
feel his need, his hunger pressing against her belly.
	Scully looked down and then back up, raising a hand to her mouth. 
She was never one to giggle, Mulder knew, and it looked suspiciously 
like she was about to. 
	"All that because of me?" she asked.
	Mulder thought back to all the nights he had spent on his couch 
staring at the ceiling, thinking very un-partnerlike thoughts about 
Scully.
	"You don't know the half of it," he admitted.
	"Soon, Mulder. I promise."
	He nodded. On the one hand, speaking strictly as a man, it could 
never be soon enough. He'd wanted Scully in this way for as long as he 
could remember, and the waiting had been driving him slowly insane. But 
now, with the possibility of such a relationship with her not only a 
reality, but the consummation of years worth of lust merely days away, 
he knew that he could wait, and that the anticipation would only add to 
the pleasure when that day did finally arrive.
	"Take as long as you want, Scully."
	She reached down and grasped him. "This is quite long enough, 
Mulder." 
	He grinned at her naughty joke and closed his eyes, thrilling to 
her touch. She released him and kissed him again. "We need to talk," she 
said, uttering the four least favorite words of any man on Earth.
	He nodded again, wondering what was on her mind. 
	He thought he knew.
	They exited the shower and found towels, wrapping themselves up, 
hiding themselves from each other. Re-entering the bedroom, they moved 
to their respective overnight bags and started yanking out the clothes 
for the day.
	Mulder watched Scully dress as he searched for socks in his bag. 
She moved with such efficiency, like a cat on the prowl. "So what did 
you want to talk about?" he finally asked.
	"Last night. This morning," she said softly, peering into the 
mirror over the dresser as she donned her earrings. Her eyes caught his 
in the mirror's reflection and she smiled. "I don't regret a thing, 
Mulder. Get that thought out of your head."
	He smiled.
	She turned from the mirror, placing her hands flat on the dresser. 
"There is...however...something we do need to talk about."
	She walked over to where he sat on the bed, using her knees to 
spread his legs. He did, staring up at her with the wide-eyed wonder of 
a little boy. When he looked at her like that, there was nothing she 
could deny him, and she felt evil for what she was about to do to him.
	"When we're on the road, Mulder, we can't do this every night. 
Here, in Oahu, in the Penthouse...maybe. But the chances of us... 
getting caught are just...the repercussions would be too severe for 
either of us to take."
	He grinned. "Sure, you say that now. Now that you got yours!" She 
saw the teasing glint in his eyes and leaned down, capturing his face 
with her hands. She kissed him again. "You bet I did," she whispered. 
"My God, Mulder...where did you-? No...forget I asked that. I know I 
don't want to know."
	She started to move away, and then he moved, using his hands to 
capture her face this time. He brought her closer, reaching out with his 
mouth to nibble on her bottom lip. "No, Scully," he whispered. "Believe 
it or not...I never did that before. To anyone."
	She granted him an arched eyebrow and a tilt of the head.
	"Men don't get to have many firsts, Scully," he whispered. "That 
was one I wanted to save...for you."
	His words were so naked in their honesty, so totally revealing 
another facet of his character that Scully almost cried. She felt the 
heat and the pressure behind her eyes and tried to blink it away.
	"Well then," she said, her voice hoarse with emotion, "you're a 
natural, Mulder."
	"No," he said. "Just properly motivated." He released her and she 
stepped back, watching him stand as he turned to find his suit. She took 
the time to enjoy watching him dress, finding herself a little saddened 
when he buttoned his dress shirt.
	"You can pick the tie," he offered, motioning towards his 
overnight bag. Taking the challenge, Scully moved to the bed again and 
quickly riffled through the selection he had brought. "Marvin the 
Martian, Bugs Bunny, Tweedy Bird, that damn French skunk, Foghorn 
Leghorn-"
	"Oooh, Scully," Mulder said, slipping his arms around her waist 
from behind, "I love it that you know who all those characters are!"
	"I was a little girl once, you know. I did watch Saturday morning 
cartoons."
	"Here," she said, finding one that didn't have a cartoon character 
on it, but was no less garish. "This can do the least damage to my 
sanity, I suppose."
	He motioned for it, but she stepped close again, holding it out of 
his reach.
	"Let me," she whispered. Flipping his collar up, she threaded the 
tie around his neck and quickly worked it into a double Windsor. "When 
we're on the road, this is about as much physical contact as we can 
risk, Mulder."
	His eyes were dark, stormy. His hands found hers and stilled them. 
"I disagree, Scully." She opened her mouth to protest, and he used a 
finger to silence her. "Let me explain, and then you decide. I'll abide 
by whatever you wish, Scully."
	She knew that he would.
	"Our apartments are probably bugged. At the very least, we are 
under intermittent physical surveillance. It would take them longer to 
get something set up like that when we're on the road. If we were to 
change motels every night, and still get two adjoining rooms, and make 
sure to mess up the unused bed...I think we'd actually be safer from 
discovery on the road than at home."
	Scully thought about it for a long moment, and then found herself 
nodding. "It make sense...on the surface. But, if someone starts 
noticing a pattern of us changing motels every night, wouldn't that tip 
them off?"
	"I thought about that, Scully. All we do is tell Skinner that 
we're sick and tired of having evidence stolen from our hotel rooms all 
the time, and that we're doing it for security reasons. He knows what 
kind of demons we have tormenting us. He'd take it at face value."
	"Or become more suspicious," Scully commented, resuming her tying 
motions. Finished, she smoothed the tie down. "I love being next to 
you," she whispered. "Do you know how much it affects me just to be next 
to you?"
	He nodded. "Probably as much-"
	"Let me finish," she said, tapping his chest. When he fell silent, 
she continued. "How are we going to work together, Mulder? We've crossed 
so many boundaries these last three days and nights. How am I supposed 
to look at you when we're out there, working a case, and not think back 
to what it's like to be in your arms, to feel your body against mine, to 
feel your lips and hands on me?"
	He grinned, that lopsided, bad-boy smirk that made her want to 
kiss him and punch him at the same time. "Tell you what," he said 
softly. "When we're working a case...out there, as you said, I'll just 
be the same lovable jerk I've been for the last four years. That way, 
you'll be so mad at me that making love with me will be the furthest 
thing from your mind. I'll still insist on always driving. I'll tease 
you about snapping on the latex and pouting when I don't get to choose 
the restaurant." His hands found her face again. "It'll be a game, 
Scully. I'll make you hate me out there and love me in here."
	"Promise me one thing," she asked quietly. He inquired with his 
eyes. "The next time you ditch me and I save your ass, don't run into my 
arms and kiss me in front of all the nice police officers, ok? Just make 
some wiseass remark so I can get you back to the hotel and tear your 
clothes off."
	There was something to be said for an aggressive woman, Mulder 
thought.
	"Well, since I'm not going to ditch you anymore, sure, Scully. 
That's a promise I can make."	
	They kissed again and broke apart.
	"Well, off to breakfast, and then Pearl Harbor," Scully said, 
collecting her briefcase.
	"I have a question, Scully...why do you always take your 
briefcase? You always pack it away in the trunk!"
	"Where do you think I keep my latex, Mulder?"

***
Naval Station Pearl Harbor
0900 Hours Local Time

	Once again, they were stopped at the gate by a guard. They both 
held up their credentials. 
	"Agents Scully and Mulder, FBI."
	If Mulder expected the guard at Pearl to be as informed as the one 
in Groton, he was mistaken. The guard looked at him blankly, as if 
waiting for Mulder to complete a sentence.
	"We're here to...we're here to go aboard the Chicago." The 
Marine's face communicated his disbelief of that statement, but he 
nodded anyway and returned to his shack. The partners watched as he 
lifted a phone and waited, and then spoke a few words. Nodding, the 
guard came back out holding a clipboard.
	"Before you go to the Chicago," he started, "Admiral Watts would 
like to speak with you."
	"Who is Admiral Watts?" Mulder wanted to know.
	"Rear Admiral Watts is COMSUBPAC's Chief of Staff, Mr. Mulder. He 
wishes to speak with you before you board the Chicago. And since he's 
the biggest dog in this here house, I strongly suggest you do as he 
asks."
	Mulder nodded and accepted directions to Watts' office and then 
the berthing space of the Chicago. 

***
Office of the Chief of Staff,
Commander, Submarine Forces, Pacific (COMSUBPAC)
Naval Station Pearl Harbor
Oahu, Hawaii
0917 Hours Local Time

	Mulder slid the car into the slot marked "Visitors Only" and 
killed the engine. 
	"I wonder what he wants to see us about," Mulder said.
	"I think he wants to know what we want with one of his boats, and 
more specifically, which member of the crew we want to talk to and why."
	"Gee, Scully, you really think so?" Mulder's tone was light and 
teasing, and she gave him an arched eyebrow for a reply.
	Entering the building, they got directions from yet another 
stiffly-starched, armed Marine and took the two flights of steps leading 
to Watts' office.
	Entering the outer office, they saw a Yeoman seated behind a desk. 
"Special Agents Mulder and Scully to see the Admiral," Scully said.
	"Please go right in," the yeoman said.
	Scully walked up to the door and knocked twice, hard.
	"Come!" the voice said.
	They entered the office.
	Scully practically marched into the office, Mulder noted with some 
amusement. She stopped precisely eighteen inches from the front edge of 
the desk and...
	Saluted.
	Standing in the doorway, Mulder felt his jaw drop. Her next words 
made his eyes bug out.
	"Sir, this Seaman Apprentice would like to point out that the 
Admiral has both the countenance of an ox, and the grace of a cow on ice 
skates, sir!"
	The man seated behind the desk didn't look the part of an Admiral, 
Mulder thought. He looked way to young. The pair of stars on his collar 
points and the four and a half rows of ribbons above his left breast 
more than testified to the fact that he'd earned his rank.
	The admiral pushed back from his desk and regarded the saluting 
Special Agent. Slowly, way too slowly for Mulder's taste, the admiral 
returned the salute. Only then did Scully lower her hand.
	"Sailor, you had better be armed if you're saluting me indoors!" 
he bellowed.
	"Sir, yes, sir. I am, sir," Scully said, the laugh in her voice 
threatening to overpower her.
	Admiral Michael Watts stood and moved around the edge of the desk, 
grabbing Scully in a huge bear hug. "God, Dana, it's good to see you!"
	Mulder closed his mouth and stepped into the office, closing the 
door behind him. "I suppose this means you two know each other," he 
remarked dryly. Scully turned to face her partner, mirth dancing in her 
features.
	He asked a question with his eyes, and got a response. Just 
because I wanted to see the look on your face, she thought.
	The admiral returned to his seat behind the desk. "So, Dana... 
what are you doing here? I have an appointment in-"
	"I'm your appointment, sir." 
	Watts frowned. "Excuse me?"
	Scully proudly held out her ID. "Special Agent Dana Scully, 
Federal Bureau of Investigation."
	Watts stood again, and studying her face closely, slowly reached 
out for her leather credentials folder. He dropped his gaze to the 
shield and matching ID cards, and then returned it to Scully's face.
	"But..."
	"I'm a woman, yes, sir. We just arrived from Groton; I've already 
been aboard the Georgia, sir."
	Watts folded the ID back up and handed it back to Scully. "I see." 
He sat down and reached for the phone. "Hold my calls," he barked, 
"Unless it's the Admiral."
	Mulder knew without having to be told that "The Admiral" was in 
this case the four-star Flag officer who was currently serving as 
CINCPAC.
	Watts slowly hung the phone up and regarded Scully. "Care to tell 
me why you're here?" he asked.
	Scully turned and motioned Mulder closer. "I'd like to introduce 
my partner, first. This is Special Agent Mulder, sir."
	Watts stood again, as men of his generation were wont to do, and 
offered his hand. "Partner, huh?" He looked at Scully, who was looking 
at Mulder, and had a private thought. He's more than her partner.
	"Thank you for seeing us, sir," Mulder said, because it was the 
only thing he could think of to say.
	"No problem. I asked for this meeting, if you remember. Why don't 
we all take a seat?"
	Scully and Mulder took seats in the leather wing chairs facing 
Watt's desk.
	"Now then," Watts started, "why don't you tell me why you both are 
here? What's up with the Chicago? And now that I have you here -- why 
isn't NIS involved?"
	Scully shifted in her seat, leaning forward. "Sir, the exact 
reason we are here is...classified, I'm afraid."
	Watts favored her with a tolerant smile. "Dana, I'm sure that 
whatever it is, I am cleared for it."
	Scully shook her head. "Sir, in this case I'd have to disagree. 
Only CINCNIS is cleared for this, unfortunately."
	Watts' expression changed in the space between two heartbeats. 
"We'll see about that," he said. He reached over to another phone on his 
desk and lifted it, dialing quickly.
	"Admiral Watts for Admiral Karn," he said. There was a pause. 
"Jake? Mike Watts out at Pearl. I have two-" He got no further. There 
was a prolonged, uncomfortable silence as Karn read Watts the riot act 
across several thousand miles of telephone cable. Watts said, "No, sir," 
twice, and then a final, "I understand, sir."
	He hung up.
	"I haven't had a chewing like that since the Academy," he said 
stiffly. "It appears that you were right, Dana...or should I call you 
Special Agent Scully?"
	"Dana is fine, sir," she said softly.
	Watts stiffened even further. "I think that under the 
circumstances, Special Agent Scully would perhaps be better suited to 
the task before us."
	Scully bit her lip, thinking about what she wanted to say. "Mike," 
she finally began, "...if I could tell you, you know I would."
	Watts said nothing, letting her finish.
	"I can promise you that I won't embarrass the Navy. And we only 
need to speak to one or two people aboard the Chicago. And it has 
nothing to do with anything that you'd be concerned with."
	"Anything having to do with one of my submarines or one of my men 
concerns me, Dana."
	Good, Mulder thought. They were back to Dana and Mike.
	"That's just it, sir...it has nothing to do with the Chicago. It 
has to do with...something that happened with one of the officers while 
he was on shore duty a few years ago. That's all."
	Watts studied her for a long, silent moment. "Can you at least 
tell me which officer?"
	Scully slowly shook her head. "But when this is all over, Admiral, 
I will tell you as much as I can."
	Watts thought about this for an even longer moment. Turning his 
attention to Mulder, he said, "As you can probably guess, I have known 
Dana since before she was born. Her father and I served together aboard 
more than one ship. Captain Scully was a good friend of mine, Mr. 
Mulder. I was almost Dana's godfather. I won't ask you to confirm what 
I'm about to say, but it's more than obvious to me that you two have 
more than partner-like feelings for each other. Man to man, I ask you, 
Mr. Mulder...is Dana in danger?"
	The partners exchanged glances, the same question on both their 
faces. Are we that obvious?
	Mulder looked Admiral Watts straight in the eye. "Every federal 
agent is in danger in one form or another every day, Admiral. You may 
still remember Scully as a little girl in a dress and pigtails, but I 
can tell you that not only is she the best partner that I've ever had," 
he said, leaning on the word `partner,' "but she is probably the single 
most capable FBI agent I've ever known, including myself. That question 
is insulting, sir. To think that the FBI would only send _Agent_ Scully 
on missions that were `safe enough' for a woman is frankly offensive."
	Scully's eyes were wide by the time Mulder finished his speech, 
and he knew he was going to pay for it later.
	Watts' next words changed all that, however.
	"You are correct, Mr. Mulder." Turning back to Dana, he said, "And 
I want to apologize to you, too."
	"There's no need-" Scully started.
	"Yes, there is. Please accept my apology."
	Scully sighed. "Accepted."
	"Well then!" Watts said. "I guess we have no more business to 
discuss. I assume the guard at the gate gave you directions to the 
Chicago?"
	Both agents nodded.
	Standing, Watts continued, "Well, Dana, I hope you can find time 
in your schedule to say good-bye before you leave Hawaii. I know that 
Betty would love to see you before you go."
	Scully smiled primly. "If I can find the time, sir, you know I 
will."
	Watts held out his hand for Mulder and Scully to shake, and then 
he escorted them to the door. "If there's anything I or my staff can do 
for you, please don't hesitate to ask."
	Scully and Mulder exited the Admiral's office, nodded to the 
Yeoman, and descended the stairs to the ground floor.
	Rear Admiral (Upper Half) Michael Watts returned to his office, 
shut the door, and moved behind his desk. Ignoring the two phones on his 
desk, he opened a drawer and found the cellular he was looking for. He 
dialed the number from memory, a vague disquieting feeling rumbling in 
his stomach.
	"They just left," he said.
	The voice laughed. It was a mad laugh, Watts thought. "Did they 
reveal any information?"
	"No."
	"Perfect. Then they still have no idea what's going on. I assume 
the Chicago is waiting for them?"
	"As instructed."
	"Good. Maybe Commander Armfield can shed some more light on the 
issues for our two agents. You've done well, Admiral. You will be 
remembered."
	If the man on the other end of the phone was waiting to be 
thanked, he'd have a long wait, Watts thought.
	"Any further instructions?"
	"Not at this time. Mulder may call Karn to have the boat returned 
to sea duty, or to have Armfield transferred off. You are to make a 
token protest to any such action, but go no further. Is that clear?"
	"As a bell." Watts' voice was flat, emotionless. "What if Armfield 
lets it slip?"
	"Cheer up, Admiral. In four days, none of this will matter. You 
will have what you've always wanted, as will I."
	Watts disconnected the call without a further word.

***
USS Chicago (SSN-220)
Berthing Space 17
Naval Base Pearl Harbor
Oahu, Hawaii
0935 Hours Local Time

	Mulder parked the car and killed the engine. Scully had been 
silent most of the way over, apparently lost in thought. 
	"How long has it been since you've seen him?" he asked.
	Scully flashed him a glance, and then a gentle smile. "Since 
before I joined the FBI," she answered.
	"Remind you of your father?" he prodded.
	Scully nodded, and then understanding his question, shook her 
head. "No, that's not it. I mean, he does remind me of Ahab, but that's 
not what I was thinking about."
	"What, then?"
	"I don't know. There's something wrong. He wasn't...his usual 
self."
	"Scully...he's a big, important Admiral now. Maybe the stress of-"
	"No, Mulder. Mike was...different. There's something going on 
here, Mulder. Something that we're not aware of."
	"Well, that's nothing new."
	Scully nodded. "That much is true. But...this time, Mulder... this 
time it's different."
	You mean it's personal, Mulder thought but wisely didn't say.
	"Well," he said instead, "we'd better get aboard." Scully just 
nodded and got out of the car. Joining her, Mulder put his hand at the 
small of her back and guided her towards the ship. Remembering their 
conversation from earlier that morning, he hastily pulled his hand away.
	Scully stopped.
	"No," she whispered.
	Mulder turned to her, a question on his face. She motioned with 
her hand for him to lower his head so she could whisper in his ear. 
"Mulder, don't change the way you did anything...just don't _add_ to it. 
I like your hand there. I've gotten used to it."
	She gave him her famous enigmatic smile, and for a moment he 
thought she was going to kiss him. Then he straightened, replaced his 
hand where it belonged, and together they walked towards the gangplank 
of the USS Chicago.
	Yet another of what was turning out to be the ubiquitous Marine 
Corps guards was standing his post at the bottom of the gangplank. He 
turned with a steely gaze, his hand hovering near his holstered pistol.
	"Can I help you, sir?" he asked.
	"Special Agents Scully and Mulder, FBI," Scully said. "We have an 
appointment aboard."
	This guard reached behind him to a small box mounted on a metal 
pole and returned with a clipboard. Checking it quickly, he nodded. "Of 
course. Please go aboard."
	This time, Mulder called out to the Officer of the Deck.
	"Permission to come aboard?"
	"Permission granted."
	Together, they ascended the gangplank, Mulder's hand still at the 
small of her back.
	The OOD looked as if he was going to salute them, so Mulder stuck 
his hand out. "Mulder," he said. 
	"Scully," she added.
	"The captain is in his cabin," the OOD said. "I will escort-"
	"We can find it," Scully replied, trying to hide a smile. "We just 
left the Georgia."
	The OOD's eyes widened, but he said nothing, turning to let Scully 
and Mulder pass. They found the forward weapons-loading hatch again and 
descended into the depths of the USS Chicago.
	Once below, they were assaulted by the same sounds and smells as 
those aboard the Georgia. The Chicago wasn't running any kind of 
exercise, but there seemed to be the same purpose of motion amongst the 
crew members. No one meandered anywhere; they all seemed to be barely 
restraining themselves from running.
	More than one member of the crew gave Scully a longing, wondrous 
glance as she passed. Scully didn't notice a single one, a fact that 
never ceased to amaze Mulder: she had absolutely no vanity about her 
incredible good looks. It was just another thing that made him love her 
that much more.
	They found the Captain's cabin right in the same place that the 
Georgia's was. Considering the Chicago and the Georgia were both 688I-
class boats, it wasn't _that_ much of a surprise.
	Scully knocked.
	"Come!"
	They entered to find a man that looked very much like Captain 
Newton, only a little bit smaller. A brass plate above his right breast 
revealed his name to be "Kauffman."
	"Tom," he said, standing, offering his hand. "Tom Kauffman."
	"Mulder," she said, hooking a thumb at her partner. "And I'm 
Scully. How are you today, Captain?"
	Even though the twin silver oak leaves on the man's collar points 
indicated that he was a Commander and not a `real' Captain, Scully had 
given him the courtesy all Commanding Officers of ships of the line 
expected.
	"What can I do for the FBI?" he asked, ignoring her question. His 
attention was totally focused on Mulder.
	"_We_ are conducting an investigation into very sensitive 
matters," Scully said. 
	"Is that so?" Kauffman asked, his attention never deviating from 
Mulder's eyes. Mulder took the opportunity to look away, not wanting to 
witness was about to happen. He'd felt more than seen Scully stiffen, 
and he knew that Commander Kauffman was about to be on the receiving end 
of the infamous Scully temper.
	"Is there some sort of problem that I should be aware of?" Scully 
asked.
	Kauffman finally turned his attention towards her. "I hadn't been 
informed that they were going to let a girl on board."
	Uh-oh, Mulder thought, wincing.
	"First of all, Commander," Scully said, revoking the privilege she 
had shown him only moments ago, "I am not a girl, and have not been one 
for several years. I am a woman, Commander. Just as you are a man, and 
not a boy. Is that clear?"
	Kauffman said nothing. The only indication that he'd heard what 
Scully had just said was a tightening around his eyes.
	"Secondly, this a federal investigation, and failure to cooperate 
is a federal felony. Just think how wonderful that would look on your 
record when you get posted for Flag." Her casual use of Navy terms was 
not lost on Kauffman; Scully was not a woman to be trifled with.
	"Have I made myself clear?" Scully asked, just a little sharply.
	"Perfectly, Agent...Scully was it?" Scully nodded. "Well, then, 
perhaps you'd better tell me what this is all about."
	"All you need to do is ask Commander Armfield to report to this 
cabin and then excuse yourself. The rest of it doesn't concern you."
	Kauffman opened his mouth and took a step towards her. He saw 
Mulder tense, and stepped back. "Now you listen to me, lady. This is my 
boat, and what happens on my boat is my business. If you don't tell me 
exactly why you need to see Commander Armfield, I will have that armed 
marine guarding the gangplank drag your pretty little behind out of here 
in chains. Is _that_ clear?"
	Scully studied the man for a long moment, chewing her lip. He 
wanted to play hardball? Fine; she knew the rules better than he ever 
would.
	She stepped past him to the MC1 on the wall and pressed the TRX 
button. "Radio to the Captains' Stateroom."
	There was a very long pause, and then a very confused voice said, 
"Uh..aye, Radio." A few seconds later there was a knock on Kauffman's 
door. 
	"Come!" Scully called. The door opened and the Officer of the 
Watch peered in. 
	"Sir?"
	Scully glanced over her shoulder to get the man's rating. 
"Lieutenant, please open a line to the Chief of Staff at COMSUBPAC 
immediately, and pipe it in here?"
	The OOW looked at Kauffman for confirmation. The captain gave it 
with a short, curt nod. The door closed, and the next twenty seconds 
were passed in tense silence.
	"COMSUBPAC on Six for you, Skipper," a voice from a hidden speaker 
called.
	Scully pointed to the MC1. "Do you want to? Or should I?"
	Kauffman made a motion with his hand. Nodding, Scully stepped back 
to the MC1 and lifted it. "Mike? Dana. Tom Kauffman is apparently not 
able to read a simple TWX. Would you mind...? Thanks." She offered the 
handset to Kauffman, who reluctantly took it. 
	"Sir?"
	The next thirty seconds passed in equally tense silence, as the 
roar of Rear Admiral (Upper Half) Mike Watts could be heard in the 
confines of the small cabin, even though Kauffman kept the receiver 
clapped to his ear.
	Scully was facing Mulder, and she caught his gaze the moment 
before she mouthed, "Asshole." Mulder had to look away to keep from 
laughing. 
	"Yes, sir," Kauffman said. He slammed the MC1 down and turned to 
face Scully.
	"You didn't mention that you knew Admiral Watts personally."
	Scully didn't even blink. "You didn't give me a chance, 
_Commander_."
	Kauffman looked like he wanted to say something about that, but 
instead grabbed the MC1 again and pushed a few buttons. "Weapons, this 
is the Captain. Commander Armfield, please report to my cabin at once."
	Slamming the MC1 down one more, he turned to face Scully again. 
"Commander Armfield is reporting. You know that as soon as you depart 
this boat, I will know what your conversation was about?"
	Scully stepped closer, looking up at the towering man. "Are you 
insinuating that you will demand that Commander Armfield inform you as 
to the subject of our conversation?"
	"If he knows what's good for him, he will," Kauffman said, rather 
smugly.
	Scully lowered her voice to almost a whisper, forcing Kauffman to 
lean forward to hear her. "Sir, if you do that, I will personally call 
Admiral Lee at BUPERS and have a word with him."
	"You know Lee?"
	"Hank Lee has eaten four Thanksgiving dinners at my mother's 
table, Kauffman." 
	Kauffman knew when he was beat. He made to leave, but Mulder 
blocked his way. "Good thing you didn't really piss her off, Captain," 
he whispered in his ear.
	"Why?" Kauffman asked.
	"I've got a bullet wound in my shoulder from the last time _I_ 
pissed her off, and she at least pretends to like _me_."
	Kauffman turned his head and saw the truth in Mulder's eyes. 
Grunting, he tore the door open and left. Scully smiled at Mulder.
	"What did you tell him?"
	"I told him that the last time I pissed you off, you shot me."
	Her eyes widened. "You didn't!"
	"Sure...put the fear of God into him, didn't it?"
	Scully just shook her head. A moment later, another officer 
appeared in the doorway.
	"Uh..Commander Armfield, sir? Ma'am?"
	"Come in, Commander," Scully said, her face split by a wide, open 
smile. "Mulder?"
	Mulder shut the door.
	"Commander," she started, "We're not going to beat around the 
bush. We know that you've been in contact with Commander Jenkins aboard 
the Georgia, and that he has informed you that he would tell us 
everything about the Article 32 investigation regarding Matthew Stone."
	Armfield nodded, but did not say anything.
	Scully pulled the three blank pieces of paper from inside her 
jacket, still folded, and held them up. "This is the paperwork for an 
Article 16. I'm quite sure you know what one of those is."
	"Remand to civilian custody," Armfield confirmed.
	"Correct," Scully said. "Now, I want you tell us exactly what 
happened during that Article 32. Assume we know nothing. Tell us 
everything."
	Armfield glanced over his shoulder. Mulder was leaning against the 
door, arms crossed, just as Scully had aboard the Georgia.
	"Those proceedings are sealed. It's a violation of regulations to 
reveal-"
	"Commander, do you need me to call Admiral Karn, the commanding 
officer of NIS, to get your cooperation?"
	Armfield looked back and forth between the two agents, visibly 
wondering exactly which hard place and which rock he was between.
	Sighing, Armfield nodded. "What do you want to know?"
	"Everything," Mulder said.
	Armfield moved to the tiny chair in front of the Captain's desk 
and sat.
	"The Article 32 board was convened because someone squealed to NIS 
about what happened in Libya. The charge was unlawful taking of human 
life, which is different from murder under UCMJ. Basically, it was not 
debated whether or not Stone had killed Graves, just whether or not he 
had legal authority to do so. Under certain circumstances, the... 
actions that Stone took are allowed."
	Mulder said nothing, but he could feel his insides recoiling. 
Sanctioned murder. That's all it was, he thought. Officially approved 
murder.
	"We were in the investigative portion of the board when... well, 
this is hard to explain. Basically, we were told to drop the entire 
thing. A civilian court might call it an acquittal. An Article 32 board 
can have what's called a `non-judgmental finding.' What that means is 
that we have no finding at all. It's been put in place so that the 
double-jeopardy provisions of the Constitution don't apply. If NIS or 
CID or someone finds more evidence later, another board can be called. 
It's not a Court Martial, but the step previous to it.
	"Anyway, we were told-"
	"By who?" Scully demanded.
	"The president of the board. Sort of like the chief judge. He told 
us that we were going to find that there was no official finding, that 
Stone would be returned to duty, his record swept clean."
	"Was any reason given for this action?" Mulder asked.
	"No. But we were told that the orders came from very high in Naval 
Intelligence. That it was a matter of national security, that NIS hadn't 
cleared the prosecution with Intelligence, and that there were things 
that we didn't know that were overtaking our events, so to speak."
	"Is that common?" Scully wanted to know.
	"No, not that I'm aware of," Armfield admitted. "I've never heard 
of it happening before."
	He paused, obviously wanting to say something more.
	"What?" Scully prompted.
	"I left my briefcase in the hearing room. After the investigation 
was gavelled to a close, myself and Commander Jenkins decided to go out 
for a drink. I was all the way to the car before I remembered, so I 
headed back up.
	"When I got to the hearing room, I heard voices. So I stopped and 
listened. I didn't want to interrupt another hearing, even though I knew 
there weren't any others scheduled for that day." He paused again, 
obviously wanting the story dragged out of him.
	"What?" Scully prodded.
	"Stone was in there. With the president of the board, and two 
other people. I didn't know one of the two, but I did know the other 
one."
	"Who?" Mulder asked.
	"Admiral Miles. Larry Miles."
	"The Deputy Chief of Naval Operations?" Scully asked, astonished.
	"Not then. Then he was Deputy Director of the Defense Intelligence 
Agency. He was a one-star back then. At 37. One of the youngest ever."
	"And?" Mulder prompted.
	"They were talking. And laughing. I cracked the door, and Miles 
was pounding Stone on the back, laughing about something. I heard 
something, something that still doesn't make any sense."
	He paused once again. "They said that the liberty bell would be 
free to ring again. And then they laughed about it."
	Mulder and Scully exchanged a glance. It seemed like an odd 
comment.
	"What's the significance of that?" Mulder asked.
	Armfield shrugged. "Well, I got to thinking..." 
	Oh, jeez, Mulder thought. Another one. Just like Jenkins.
	"...and?" Scully asked.
	"What if it's the name of a project? LIBERTY BELL? So, I made a 
few calls, and came up dry. But then..." He trailed off again.
	"What?" Scully asked. This was like pulling teeth.
	"Well, I ran into the president of the board about four years 
later. In Annapolis. We were at the same bar, and I decided to have a 
little fun with him. I went up to him and asked if he remembered me, and 
he did.
	"Then I asked him if the Liberty Bell was still ringing." Armfield 
paused and looked directly at Scully. "You should have seen the look he 
gave me, Miss Scully."
	"Describe it."
	"Like he wanted to kill me. If he'd had a gun, he would have shot 
me dead right there. Of that I have no doubt."
	He paused, and then continued. "About four days later, I got a 
visit from two men in suits who didn't identify themselves. My CO at the 
time told me to cooperate with them, answer any question they had, the 
whole deal. They grilled me for three hours about my contact the board 
president. They asked me over and over again what I had meant when I 
asked about the Liberty Bell. I told them everything I knew.
	"When that happened, I was teaching at Annapolis. I had a dream 
slot. I was up for command of my own boat, at 31. One of the youngest in 
the fleet, ever. I'm almost 48 now, Agent Scully, and I'm still a 
Weapons Officer. I'll never have command of my own boat. In another few 
years, I'll have my thirty in, and I'll pull the pin. Retire. But I'll 
never know what `liberty bell' means."
	He sighed, and then finished. "They told me never to tell anyone 
what I told them, never to mention liberty bell, whatever the hell it 
means, again to anyone, no matter what. Highly classified, they said. 
Intelligence related. National Security. And so, until I got that note 
from Jenkins, I'd thought it was over." Grinning weakly, he added, 
"Guess I was wrong."
	"TLG?" Scully asked, looking at Mulder. He nodded, reaching for 
his cellphone. He dialed quickly. 
	As soon as the line picked up, Mulder spoke. "No names. Do you 
know who this is?"
	Frohicke's voice came through the line. "Of course."
	"Do you remember that time we all went out for sandwhiches?" 
Mulder asked.
	A short pause. "Yes."
	"Remember the city those come from?"
	Again, a short pause, and then "Yes."
	"There is only one national landmark in that city. Those two 
words. Start sniffing."
	Frohicke didn't pause. "Any general direction you want us to 
sniff?"
	"Military intelligence. An operation of some sort. Past, present 
or future. Get back to me fastest." Mulder hung up.
	"Who did you just call?" Armfield wanted to know.
	"Why?"
	"Because if they can find out what this is all about, I want their 
number. There's a few questions about the JFK assassination I'd like 
answered."
	Scully turned away, biting the inside of her cheek to hide her 
smile.
	Mulder grinned. "Well, these guys could probably answer those 
questions. But it's better if you don't know." Mulder opened the door. 
"Thank you for your cooperation, Commander. I think we're done here."
	Scully nodded and watched as Armfield made his way out of the 
cabin. The officer stopped halfway out. "Aren't you going to tell me not 
to tell anyone?"
	Scully grinned. "I thought that went without saying, Commander, 
but yes, please keep this under your cover for now."
	Armfield nodded. "My CO is going to want-"
	"I don't think so," Scully said, smugly.
	Armfield nodded again and left them alone.
	"Well," Mulder said, after shutting the door, "we got a little 
more. What next?"
	"You're asking me?"
	"Well, I could just ditch you and take off on my own-"
	"Watch, it Mulder."
	"Ok...I think we need to go back to the hotel, check out, and get 
a plane back to DC. Then I think we need to find Stone and run the 
phrase "liberty bell" by him and see what happens."
	Scully nodded, obviously not very comfortable with the idea of 
facing Stone again.
	"Scully, I can do it by my-"
	"Forget it, Mulder. You know better than that."
	He nodded. He did.
	"Ok, then, I'll call Karn and see if we can find Stone. Maybe he's 
still in the Annapolis City Jail."
	Mulder pulled out his phone again and dialed.
	"Karn."
	"Mulder."
	"Is Stone with you?" 
	Mulder frowned, looking up at Scully. "No, sir."
	"I got a call from a Commander King over at BUPERS," Karn said. 
"She told me that she'd been in contact with Stone, and she gave me a 
message from him."
	"What was the message?"
	"`Everything is not what it seems.' I'd ordered him back here 
after he was released from jail. Nice trick, by the way. I'll have to 
remember that. Anyway, I ordered him back to Little Creek, but he's 
vanished."
	"Vanished?" Mulder almost shouted. Scully's interest perked up at 
that.
	"Well, King mentioned that he'd said something about San Diego, 
but I've been unable to confirm that he's there. He hasn't gotten 
transport on any MAC flight, or flown commercial under his own name. And 
knowing Stone, he probably threw that bone to King so she'd tell me and 
we'd spend time looking for him at the wrong end of the country. Or, he 
could think that we think that and go to San Diego anyway."
	"What's in San Diego?"
	"God, Mulder, I have no idea. Several Marine and Navy bases, 
that's all that I personally know about."
	Mulder grunted. "Ok, Admiral. Scully and I have some new 
information. I don't want to talk about it on an open line. I'll try and 
find a secure phone and give you a yell."
	"Understood. Mulder...if you find Stone, do me a favor and bring 
his ass back to me in chains, ok?"
	"You got it, Admiral. Thanks."
	Mulder disconnected.
	"What?" Scully asked.
	"Well, we have to find a secure phone, and our travel plans have 
changed. We're going to San Diego." He gave her a trademark leer and 
added, "I hope you packed your bikini!"
------------------------------------------------------------
END CHAPTER 15