The X-Files: The Truth Revealed

Chapter 25

Atlanta/Boston Flight 

Exhausted, Mulder waited at the back of the plane for William to exit the lavatory. The resonant drone of the plane's engines beckoned him. He peered down at Gibson, fast asleep across the three back seats, his small pack serving as a pillow beneath his head. Even Skinner, seated a few rows forward, uncomfortably cramped between two elderly women, was dozing when they'd passed him by. It was all Mulder could do to keep his own eyes open. 

A passenger exited the lavatory behind him. Politely, Mulder stepped forward against Gibson's seats, allowing the man room to pass by. Without warning, he lost his footing when his body was jerked backwards by a garrote looped around his neck. Desperate, he tried to slip his fingers beneath the restricting wire. Had he the opportunity to call for help, his plea would have gone unnoticed - drowned out by the engines. 

The super-soldier pulled Mulder against the back wall. Fighting for release brought no success against the wire as it began to cut into his skin. Another man moved towards them, eyes fixed on the lavatory door in a stare that showed no emotion. As he neared, William started out of the lav, but one look at Mulder and the approaching shadow man was all the warning he needed. Pulling the door to and locking it from within did little. The shadow man simply pulled it from its hinges, tossing it into the cabin where it skipped across the seat tops like a flat rock on water. Passengers reacted immediately. Women screamed, men looked back while others stood to see what the commotion was. A number of passengers on the right side of the aircraft had been hurt - beaned by the dislodged door. 

William struggled, trying to hold onto anything that would keep him out of the shadow man's grasp. He felt the power rise inside of him but as he was yanked out the lavatory, a damp cloth covered his nose and mouth. 

The last thing he saw before the fog enveloped him was the wire cutting deeper into Mulder's neck. 

Underground Facility 

The sergeant unlocked the door to the cell, pushing it inward, forcing two meal trays away from his path. A muffled sound to his right, followed by a jingling of metal on metal behind the privacy screen caught his attention. Drawing his sidearm, he cautiously headed towards the noise. 

Rounding the screen, he took a defensive posture, directing his handgun in front of him. He quickly holstered it when he saw the guard handcuffed to the pipe beneath the sink. The guard was not happy when the tape was ripped from his face. 

"Report," the Sergeant ordered. 

"McMenemy jumped me. He and the woman escaped. Get these things off me," he complained, referring to the handcuffs. 

The sergeant stood up, turned his back on the guard and took a few steps away, ignoring the guard's curses. Removing his cell phone from the case on his belt, he notified his superior that the prisoner had escaped and was being aided by Sergeant McMenemy. After a brief moment, he nodded and then closed the phone, returning it to the case. Without emotion, he removed his pistol, pulled back on the trigger and send two rounds into the Sergeant. 

Atlanta/Boston Flight 

"Skinner!" Gibson screamed above the noise. 

The FBI agent was already making his way through the crowded aisle. As he pulled out his gun, a male passengers intercepted him. Skinner fought with the man and as he did, another passenger joined in to assist. They wrestled him to the floor, loosening the gun which slid towards the back of the plane. 

Gibson didn't hesitate. He dropped to the floor, feeling for the fallen weapon. By the time he found it, Skinner had worked his way free. 

"Gibson!" Skinner yelled, nearing the young man and grabbing the gun the moment he was within reach.