He turned the car's engine on, leaving the lights off. Quickly, he drove back to Kroner.

Finally, he thought, a victory for the good guys.


R is for Research
re-search n. diligent and systematic inquiry or investigation into a subject in order to discover facts

The Lone Gunmen
Saturday, 8:35 a.m.

Gibson sat at the breakfast bar, eating the last of his cereal as he flipped through an old copy of The Lone Gunmen. He was surprised at the accuracy most of the articles contained; many of their theories on what the government was covering up were correct. It was suspicious to him that the guys had never caught the attention of the people in power with their stories. Then, he skipped to the next page and read "Pamela Anderson's Chest Sends Out Alien Communication Signal." OK, maybe they didn't have the insiders that Gibson had originally thought.

So far, Gibson enjoyed his time with the three men. While most people would consider them odd with their paranoia and extreme security measures for a place most would consider a dive, the boy knew that he was in the safest place he could find. It was interesting to see them interact; Gibson had yet to meet a group of people that were so different from each other yet had the same set of goals.

Langley was definitely the most fun out of the three men. Sure, he was one of the best hackers Gibson had ever been in contact with, but he had an athletic side as well. Earlier in the week, he had snuck Gibson down to the parking lot to show off his latest trick on his skateboard. On the way up, Langley told Gibson one of his deepest secrets: he had even beat Mulder in a game of one-on-one. "Dude, just because I'm a nerd doesn't mean I don't rule the courts like the pretty boys," Langley said as he put his skateboard away and hopped on the "Xena is HOT!" chat room.

Byers reminded Gibson of himself. Very laid back and easy going. He was always thoughtful and never spoke something unless he thought it out first, which, to Gibson, made him sound very redundant. There was a sadness about Byers, as if the source of his happiness would never be found. Gibson understood that feeling quite well. He knew that Byers was the one who was manly responsible for his well-being; if it was left up to the other two, Gibson would have had Mr. Singh's Chinese food all week long.

Finally, there was Frohike. He was the kind of person that parents feared their children to be around. Gibson had learned more from him in the five days he had been there than the years he spend with more...savory people. Despite his lust for the smutty, Frohike's heart was purer than most. He was true in his words and actions. What he said and what he thought were virtually identical and that was something Gibson rarely found in people.

He knew the guys would sleep in late. They had been up until the wee hours of the morning, waiting for Mulder to confirm he had destroyed the crops. Slightly before three, they received a call that the work had been done and Mulder had returned to the hotel safely. The four of them gave each other high-fives as they congratulated Mulder on a job well done.

Gibson had stayed up with the men, but needed only a fraction of the sleep a normal person did. It was just one more thing that made him unique. That was another thing he appreciated about the Gunmen: none of them acted oddly around him. They accepted who and what he was without any qualms or demands. It gave Gibson a sense of freedom that he hadn't experienced before.

Today they were going to take him to the lab where Scully was working so he could assist her on her research. This would be the first time since he arrived in D.C. that he would leave the apartment and it would be the first chance he would have to help create a vaccine for the virus. After seeing the horrors in Texas, Gibson knew he would do whatever it took to help Scully succeed.

"Hey, Spud," Frohike said, putting on his glasses. "Anything interesting in there?"

Gibson pointed to the picture of the scantily clad Pam Anderson. "I take it this was your idea."

Frohike's answer was a grin.

"You know, I told Mulder that he had a dirty mind. But, his is nothing compared to yours," Gibson said.

His eyebrows went up. "I don't know whether to be offended or impressed. I know what he likes."

Langley walked into the room. "Frohike, if Scully hears you talking to Gibson like that, she'll kick your butt."

Frohike raised his hands up. "If that's how the lovely Doctor Scully feels the need to teach me a lesson, I'm not one to complain."

"Just because I hear all of your thought doesn't mean I want to listen to you say the words out loud," Gibson complained. Luckily, Byers walked into the kitchen. The other two were always on their best behavior when he was around.

"Good morning," Byers greeted, unaware of the previous conversation.

"Hey Byers," Gibson said, glad for the interruption. "What time are we going to meet with Dr. Scully?"

Byers glanced at the wall clock. "She should be here in twenty minutes, but you should have already known that." He narrowed his eyes at Frohike. "Is there something going on that I should know about?"

Gibson didn't want to get his friend in trouble, only to break his lustful train of thought. "No, not at all," he lied. "Sometimes I just like asking people like a normal person, that's all."

A look of guilt passed over Byers' face. "I'm sorry, Gibson. You are welcome to ask any questions you want."

Behind him, Frohike looked relieved that the boy covered for him. As Gibson left the room he whispered to Frohike, "The next time you think of Doctor Scully like that, I'll tell the guys who you dreamed of last night."

Frohike shook his head in disbelief. "You wouldn't!"

Gibson patted the older man's shoulder. "Hey, thinking of Judge Judy presiding her courtroom in a string bikini is nothing to be too ashamed of."

"Fine, you win. Besides if Mulder knew what I was thinking, he would kill me," he said as Gibson left the room. "But she is still hot."

* * * * *

Retrac Laboratories
10:26 a.m.

Gibson watched Scully read the printouts Mulder had stolen from the facilities the previous weekend. "Doctor Scully-"

"Gibson, please call me Dana. Doctor Scully is too formal and Scully, well, it just doesn't sound right coming from a kid's mouth." She looked at his frown. "No offense."

It was ironic, Gibson thought, that the person most would consider cold and emotionless was the one who treated him most like a son. It was irrelevant to her if Gibson did have amazing mind-reading powers; he was still twelve years old. And Scully did everything in her power to make sure he was treated as such. That protectiveness was a feeling that Gibson craved; therefore, he loved to spend anytime he could with her.

"None taken, Dana. It's just most people I'm around think of you as Scully in some shape and form," he replied.

"I suppose that's true. So, where should we start?" she asked, changing subjects.

"When I was there, they were trying to work on a way to develop a vaccine that would destroy itself." He closed his eyes and saw the test subjects suffering on the exam tables. "It wasn't very successful."

"Gibson," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "If you don't want to be here, I understand. I already feel guilty enough bringing you here in the first place."

He looked up at her. "I'm ok. Really."

"All right, but if you want to leave, just tell me and I'll take you back to the Gunmen's no questions asked," she reassured him.

"Thank you," he said, giving her a half-smile. "Anyway, they were just starting the process of introducing the virus to a hostile environment about a week before I left. It was beginning to show some promising results."

"What do you mean, hostile environment?"

"There are two types of strands of this virus: natural and artificial. When you were stung by the bee, it was the virus in its natural state. The vaccine that you were given was nothing more than the artificial reproduction of the virus. When the two are exposed to each other, they attempt to reproduce. Because of the genetic incompatibility, the virus cannot multiply. The only problem is that there is only a 96 hour window of opportunity to introduce the foreign virus. After that, the original virus evolves past the point of reproducing with its own kind and moves to attacking human tissue," Gibson explained.

"So, how does the reproduction process help cure people?" she asked, intrigued.

"What happens is that the artificial virus attaches itself to the natural virus. When it makes contact with it, the original virus becomes sterile. The progression of the...transformation ceases," he answered.

"So, I still have the virus inside of me?"

"Yes. However, the vaccine is what will keep you alive. If the virus was to enter your body again, the same cycle would continue," he answered.

"How did they make the artificial virus in the first place?"

Gibson licked his lips. "What did Agent Mulder tell you about Tunguska?"

"Tunguska?" Scully gasped. "Nothing much. And that's what always scared me the most. Why? What happened there?"

Gibson hesitated. He heard of the horrors of how many people suffered there and did not want to portray Mulder as weak. As far as he heard, Mulder was one of the very few who managed to survive. However, in order for them to make headway on the vaccine, Gibson knew he had to reveal what happened to Mulder.

"They infected people with the natural form of the virus. The Russians were attempting to find their own vaccine to no avail. What they learned, however, was some people had a natural immunity to it," he replied.

"And Mulder was one of the subjects?"

"Yes and he was one who was immune to the virus. It was people like Agent Mulder that led to the creation of an artificial vaccine. Their body is able to produce an antibody to the virus. It is produced in their blood," he continued.

"So, the answer is inside Agent Mulder?"

"And you, Dana. And anyone else who has been exposed to both the virus and the vaccine or has a natural immunity to it."

"Then why is the vaccine so rare?"

"Because the process to separating the antibodies from the blood is laborious and does not produce much. One pint of blood will yield one tenth of what is needed for a dose of the vaccine," Gibson answered. "That's where I came in."

"What are you talking about?"

"Due to the refining process, much of the antibodies are destroyed. The men in power were trying to find a way to separate them more effectively. That's why they were trying to teach me how to move things with my mind." He could tell she didn't understand the magnitude of which he was speaking. "I'm not talking about moving a book across the room, Dana. I'm talking about changing things on a molecular level."

"But that's impossible," she whispered.

"So is reading people's minds," he said, not unkindly. "It's going to take me some time to develop this skill. They were having me practice on things like salt water, milk and having me separate them into different elements: salt and water, curds and whey. I've been continuing to try at the Gunmen's. It's slow going, but I know I can do it."

She thought about his words for a few seconds. "Ok, even if you can do what you are saying, where does that leave us? Mulder and I can only give so much blood."

He shrugged. "I don't know, Dana. I guess you should do what you would have done if I wasn't here. Perhaps with the two of us working at different angles we'll be able to come up with something definitive."

She nodded. "All right, I'll work on testing my blood work and we'll see where that leads us."

"I know this is hard for you, hearing things that conflict with your science. But, thank you for taking this, taking me seriously," Gibson said.

"Gibson, if what you say is true, you may hold the key to saving humanity. I would be a fool not to listen."


S is for Strategy
strat-e-gy n. a plan, method or series of maneuvers for obtaining a specific goal or result

Scully waited on her couch with a sense of anticipation. Or perhaps it was dread. Twenty minutes ago, Mulder called her, asking if he could stop by for a few minutes. Although they made casual visits to each other more frequently, there was something in his tone of voice that put her on edge.

Over the past two weeks, Gibson had been steadily improving his ability to separate molecular components from each other. It was amazing for Scully to see the process. Though it took him a while to master, Gibson was now able to pick specific components from whatever samples Scully provided. She knew it wouldn't be long until Gibson was successful in retrieving the antidote from her and Mulder's blood samples.

Scully, for her part, used the information the Gunmen hacked for her to find potential blood donors who had the vaccine in their blood. Unfortunately for her, most of the names on the list were people in the government or their wealthy contributors, not exactly the kind of people who would be willing to give Scully a pint of their blood so they could produce the vaccine for the general public.

Also, she and Mulder had made some progress in their relationship. While they hadn't moved much further in the physical aspect, she had learned how to rely on Mulder emotionally, a huge step for her. Regularly, she found herself tearing down the walls she had constructed for herself during the course of her life and allowing Mulder within. Never had she trusted any man to take care of her like the way she did with Mulder.

At times, her independence would encourage her to flee, not to give Mulder that much power over her. But, she knew that as much influence he had with her, it was an equal relationship. She had as much sway over his life. It was that balance that made their partnership work so well and made her believe a personal relationship would be just as successful.

She heard Mulder put his key in the lock. He opened the door and saw her on the couch. "I was hoping to catch you in the shower," he leered.

"You'll have to stop by before three in the afternoon, Mulder," she responded dryly.

Despite his playfulness, there was a sense of seriousness about him. His smile didn't reach his eyes, which were staring at her, trying to read her thoughts. After a few seconds, he blew his lips in frustration. Scully was right; something was going on.

"A penny for your thoughts," she said.

"Come on, Scully, with the way inflation is my thoughts are at least worth twenty bucks."

She didn't respond as he crossed her living room to sit on her couch. Instinctively, she reached over and grabbed Mulder's hand, offering him support.

"I just got a call for them Gunmen before I came over here. Last night, Gibson was able to separate the antidote from your blood sample," he blurted out.

Her eyes widened. Despite her excitement for his achievement, she felt out of the loop. "Why didn't they call me then?" she asked. She knew she was acting petty, but it was she, not Mulder who spent hours in the lab with Gibson.

He avoided her question. "According to Gibson, the pint of blood you provided resulted in 1.5 mg of the artificial virus."

She let her question go unanswered for now. Obviously there was something bigger that was going on. "That's great. That much of the vaccine can make one and a half doses," she said. Throughout their research, Gibson had provided Scully with the dosage that the Consortium had used. Between she and Mulder, they could vaccinate all three of the Lone Gunmen.

"I understand your enthusiasm, but Gibson is a bit concerned with the lack of reserves we have. After all, you and I can only give so much blood."

"But, if we give the vaccine to the three of them, within a week we could have..." she slowed as she did the math. "Four and a half doses." Gibson informed her that the incubation period for a person to produce enough of the artificial virus to make it potent enough for others to use was between seven to ten days.

"Exactly."

She understood the boy's worries. With that kind of timetable, the apocalypse would come and go. "What does Gibson want to do?"

His grip on her hand tightened. Whatever was upsetting him had to do with Gibson's proposal. "Apparently, the guys and he came up with a plan to retrieve more blood samples. Gibson convinced Frohike to leave an anonymous tip with the FBI about the location of the Nature's Best Corn Oil facilities. According to our little psychic friend, Colton and I are going to be assigned to investigate the lead tomorrow."

Her gut tightened. The idea of Mulder going back to Texas, without her, did not play well in her mind. "How does sending you out there help put Gibson’s mind at ease?" she asked.

He put up his hand. "Wait, it gets better. Over the past few days, he and Langley have been working together on providing access to the building for experimenting on the test subjects. Gibson said there is a room used for storing genetic material of those people known to be immune to the virus, including blood samples. He wants you to retrieve as many samples as you can."

"Me?" she asked with disbelief.

Jaw clenched, he nodded. Ever since Byers had told him of their plan, his stomach felt like it was on a roller coaster. There was no way he was comfortable dragging Scully across country with no weapon and no backup to a facility that was crawling with Them. "It seems as though Gibson would like to take advantage of your three days off and give you an all-paid vacation to the wonderful town of Cobb, Texas."

His sarcasm was becoming more bitter the more he spoke. She squeezed his hand, trying to calm him down. "And where does Tom fit into all of this?" she asked, hoping to shift his focus. "I mean, there's a chance he may see me if we at the facility at the same time."

He rolled his eyes. "Byers assured me that Gibson has confidence that Agent Colton will be an ally to you and me once he exposed to certain elements of the project," he answered.

Scully could tell Mulder was beginning to get tired of Gibson and his "confidence". Because of his seemingly countless connections to knowledge, he made plans without trying to include the people involved.

She understood his frustration. Over the years, they had been played by the evil powers that be; now they felt betrayed by those people they supposedly trusted. Logically she knew they were trying to make things work out, but there was something disconcerting about being blindsided by the people who are on the same side as they were.

"So the plan is for you and Tom to 'investigate' the facilities while I'm breaking into another building, stealing blood samples so Gibson can produce more of the vaccine?" she asked.

"It sounds even worse when you say it out loud, doesn't it?" He pulled away from her, standing up. "I mean, come on. Sending you inside that building with no backup? One wrong move and they'll have you strapped to a table, drawing your blood."

She winced at his bluntness. Standing next to him, she caressed his cheek. "Don't worry. I know how to take care of myself, Mulder," she reminded him.

Suddenly, Mulder's lips were covering her own. Unlike their other kisses, this one was frantic. It was as if he was trying to crawl inside Scully through her mouth. His tongue caressed her lips, encouraging her to let him inside.

To his surprise, Scully pulled away. "Nothing is going to happen to me, I promise. We don't have to act rashly," she said softly.

He opened his mouth to object, but realized what she was saying. His kiss stemmed from desperation. It was as though he feared he would never see her again.

"Hey," she said softly, seeing his discomfort. "Don't think I'm not interested. I just want the circumstances to be good ones, not because you think you have no other options."

Despite his lingering embarrassment, he felt a small smile on his lips. She was right. So many of their advances in their relationship had come from negative events: her abduction, the murder of his father and Melissa, her cancer, the loss of Emily. It would be a welcome change not to allow another potential catastrophe be a catalyst for a change in their relationship.

"You're right, Scully."

"I've been waiting years to hear you say that," she said playfully. She surprised him by planting a firm kiss on his lips.

He moved his hands into her hair, keeping her lips on his. Her hands creped up his chest circled around him. She pulled away from him with a slight "pop!" and leaned on his chest.

"Oh yeah, there's one more thing, Scully," he said. "You have to dress up in your disguise again. We don't want you getting caught."

Her head whipped up and saw the big smile on his face.

"I had you big time, Scully."