Chapter 7
As Mulder came in his supervisor held up two papers. "You
and Scully are both way overdue for vacation time!" he
announced. "But I DO wish you'd give me a little bit more
notice, next time, Agent Mulder! However, where neither one of
you are assigned at the moment, and as I said, you are overdue,
your request for a week's leave is granted. TRY TO STAY OUT OF
TROUBLE, AGENT MULDER!"
Bewildered, Mulder came over and took the forms. He saw his
signature on it, though he was sure he had never made the form
out.
He returned to his office to find an envelope on his desk,
containing airline tickets and reservation confirmations for a
resort hotel in Bimini in The Windward Islands.
As he left his office Scully met him, holding an identical
envelope. To her unspoken question Mulder answered, "You'd
better go pack. We've got six hours to make the airplane."
The flight was pleasant, the weather all the way was beautiful.
As they were coming in to land, Mulder noticed four black planes
setting off at the far end of the runway. They looked like Leer
jets, but had no markings. As they were leaving the airport he
had the cab driver stop and went up to the fence, looking at the
planes. Scully joined him.
"Solid black," she remarked, "you can hardly see
the windows, or, the doors!"
They got back in the cab and Mulder spoke to the driver.
"Are those new planes?" he asked.
"Oh, no no!" the driver answered, Monsieur Lockhard's
planes. He owns much in all the islands. Very rich. He does not
like people to know where he is coming from, or, going , or his
guests. So the planes have no markings, so no one knows which is
which. He has a lot of friends in the government so no one says
anything."
"Let's go!" Mulder snapped. The hotel wasn't a hotel.
It was a series of secluded cottages grouped around several
swimming pools. Mulder and Scully were led to their cottage.
Scully whistled, looking in her room. "Who's going to pay
for this?" she asked.
"Your bill has been prepaid," the manager with them
announced. "If you lack anything just call room service. It
will be provided."
"May I ask who paid the bill?" Mulder inquired.
The manager took out his cell phone and asked the desk who was
paying the bill.
"Mr. Starr," the manager finally answered, "an old
acquaintance of ours who often sends us guests. Now, if you will
excuse me..." He quickly departed.
"Well, I don't know about you," Scully remarked,
"but seems we're here I'm going to slip into a swimsuit and
and try out that pool!"
"If I had a suit," Mulder complained, "I'd join
you!"
As he entered his bedroom he found a swimsuit laying on the bed.
"I should have known!" he muttered.
He changed and followed Scully out to the pool. There was a girl
of perhaps twelve, and a boy of nine splashing in it. Scully and
Mulder joined them, and they soon talked it out of them that they
were FBI agents. When the woman came and sat in the chair beside
the pool, Mulder barely noticed her until he got out to dry off.
He began to stare at her and then to the little girl in the
water, and, back again.
"Yes, Fox," the woman finally muttered, holding out her
arms. Mulder fell to his knees and his arms slowly went around
the woman. They held each other for a long time. Scully watched
nervously from the pool, the two children smiling at her.
"Maybe we'd better go somewhere for awhile," the girl
finally announced, "and leave mother and Uncle Mulder alone
for awhile. They've got a lot to talk about."
Scully looked at her young companions. Her concerned look slowly
turned to a smile. "Yes," she agreed, "let's go
find something to do."
When Mulder could regain his composure he managed to say
"How?"
"We come every few years," his sister explained.
"The children like Earth, though it's not home to them. But
the government, OUR government..." she pointed up in the
sky, "asked him to drop by early. It's quite a trip, Mulder,
even at the speeds we travel. It takes six months to get
here."
"Are you happy?" Mulder asked.
"They're a wonderful people, Fox. It's a beautiful world.
But they're an old race, and their genetic lines are giving out.
The only way they can continue to survive is to bring in new
genetic material, to strengthen their gene banks.
They take us when we're young so we have time to adapt. But no
one is kept against their will, Fox. Once we understand how great
their need is, we decide to stay on our own accord.
See, they know who to take, Fox, and they don't brainwash us or
anything."
"There were some others here on Earth," Mulder put in.
"They looked like you but there was something wrong with
them."
Page 7