The X-Files: The Truth Revealed

Chapter 16

Boxcar - Outskirts of Colby, KS 

As the boxcars began to pass by, Will reached up hoping there was something he could grab onto, but he was too short. Because of the noise, he didn't hear the shadow man approach him from behind until it was too late. An iron grip grabbed him by the back of his neck and clamped down hard. He fought frantically, panicked by the pressure that began to build in his ears from the lack of blood flow, but there was no freeing himself. He was immobilized. 

Seconds later, he tumbled down the embankment. The shadow man, having been rammed from behind, had temporarily lost his hold. Taking advantage, Will ran back up the embankment, grabbing onto the last box car as it passed. The train's momentum dragged him a number of feet before he was able to pull himself up the ladder. 

From atop the boxcar where the ladder ended, Will looked over the edge to see that the shadow man was in pursuit. Don't they ever stop? Racing along the top, he was certain he'd lose his footing. When he reached the far edge, he stopped, afraid to jump across the aperture to the next car. He was trapped. There was nowhere to run. He turned just in time to see two men closing in. 

*** 

Mulder hit the super-soldier from behind, sending both of them over the edge of the box car. The ground came up fast and hard, forcing his body to kick up dirt and grass, tossing him about like a dust particle caught in the vortex of a tornado. 

When he finally came to a stop, Mulder lay on his back. He didn't move - couldn't have moved even if he had wanted to. The world spun wildly about, and all of his energy was gone. His body ached for sleep. It ached from slamming into the super-soldier. It ached from the cascading force as he hit the ground. 

Lack of food, sleep and an unrelenting throbbing in his skull kept him pressed to the ground. The night closed in around him until the darkness won out. 

X-Files Office 

Kersh turned on the light as he entered the office, fully expecting to find a member of the housekeeping staff stretched out in a chair. Much to his surprise, no one was there. The office looked just as it did years ago when he had given it the final once-over. 

Looking around at the dust covered boxes he tried to find something out of the ordinary that could account for the voices he'd heard several mornings back, but there was no hint of any disturbance whatsoever. Everything was as it had been. Even the pencils in the ceiling tile remained with the exception of a few, which had given way to gravity. 

Satisfied, he exited the room. In the hallway outside he talked briefly with a maintenance man before heading towards the elevator. The man opened the sealed box that contained the new electronic keypad system he'd been instructed to install. Personally, he thought it another example of wasted taxpayer money - to secure an empty office, but what the hell. As long as he was getting paid for it, what did he care? He'd install the keypad, provide the code to Kersh and be done with it. Then Kersh alone would have access to the basement office. 

The man went to work and within a short time, the basement was void of life, with the exception of a few rats that always found their way in. 

*** 

In the sub-basement of the J. Edgar Hoover Building, the Lone Gunmen waited. They had just removed the final load of equipment from the office when Kersh exited the elevator and stepped into the basement. The wall slid closed behind them, and they waited on edge in the dark tunnel. 

Frohike had installed his own monitor in the ceiling tile that held the pencils. Had Kersh thought to check up there, he certainly would have come upon the device. Luckily, he didn't bother checking. And so, the Gunmen watched the screen on the small hand-held monitor that Byers was holding. From the expression on Kersh's face, he seemed fully satisfied that nothing was out of the ordinary and after a brief walk-through, he left. 

Within a couple of hours, the computer systems and electrical system was re-engaged, and everything was up and running. Frohike had already compromised the new electronic keypad so that no matter what code was entered, the pad wouldn't work. He also installed a little security of his own; some good, old-fashioned latches and heavy duty locks. That would stall anyone on the outside from getting into the office. 

The Gunmen knew their time in the old office was coming to a close. Skinner was already working on securing a new location, a mobile unit.

Word was - the RAT was nearly complete.