*XII*

8:30 P.M. Hoover Building, Fifth Floor

Mingled perfumes, floral and musk, hung in the air of the Assistant
Director's office. Tobacco cut the cloying sweetness, smoke biting through
and hanging a glowing blue-gray in the winter sunlight. Skinner squinted,
eyes stinging at the harsh reek. He couldn't hear the expensive, scuffed
shoes on the carpet behind him, but a ghost's reflection moved across the
plate glass window.
"You've given her the Hill girl." It wasn't a question.
Skinner smothered his irritation and turned to face sharp eyes peering
through blue haze. "Hill may defuse some of her anger when I cancel the
search. At least she doesn't feel cut off cold."
"So defensive, Walter. I think it was an excellent maneuver. Agent Scully
can use an enthusiastic helper."
"Especially one not fully trained for this kind of work?" The AD couldn't
keep the bitterness out of his voice.
The gray man's creased face pulled into a hollow smile. "Your words, Mr.
Skinner. Not mine."
Skinner looked up, hand outstretched to the pile of work in his in-box. The
smoker's expression was enigmatic. "Do you need any more details of
our...investigation into Agent Mulder's disappearance? Or are you
satisfied?"
The implied dismissal drew another yellowed smile. "So hostile. You'll have
an ulcer if you can't relax. Actually, I have an invitation for you."
Skinner felt the tiny hairs on his arms stir. "An invitation to what, exactly?"
A long, slow draw sparked the tip of the cigarette to life. Skinner watched
him spew smoke in a plume. "A review of investment strategies. My
colleagues and I felt your input might be invaluable in handling a
particularly complicated project."
A slow flush of rage heated Skinner's face. His collar felt tight and hot
as he stared back at the man studying him, "I ought to shoot you. You've
lured Mulder into this one all on your own, and you'll have to face him on
your own." The words hurt, forced between his teeth. The quizzical stare
never wavered, filtered through tendrils of gray.
"I think that might be a mistake on your part, Walter. I'm rather
surprised. I thought you considered Agent Mulder somewhat more highly than
that."
"This isn't about Mulder. You bastards aren't going to stop your games
whether I'm there or not. You're not dragging me into it, too, you
sonofabitch. Mulder made his deal with you, whether I like it or not, and
he's going to have to live with it. I couldn't stop him before, and I can't
stop you now. But I'm damned if I'll let you drag me into your Roman
circus."
Colorless lips thinned, pulling creases deep at the corners of the smoker's
mouth. "You're making a mistake. This isn't a game. Your Agent Mulder has
made a very bad deal, but you might be able to help him."
"What the fuck do you care? You've been gunning for him for years--"
The short grunt of laughter startled Skinner. "Believe it or not, I
actually like him. Like his partner, too. If you're there, I think you can
help him. And you helped create this situation. You should be there."
Skinner narrowed his eyes, feeling his fingers tighten on the smooth barrel
of his pen with bruising force. "I didn't set Mulder up for this. If I had
a choice, Agent Mulder would be out doing his job in some safely distant
portion of the United States. And I'm sure that if he had a choice, he'd
agree with me."
"We all have choices, Walter. Agent Mulder made one choice when he accepted
the bargain. I'm offering you a choice to help him now."
"You're offering me the chance of watching your hired monster torture him.
That's a choice I'll decline."
"That's a shame, Walter. I had hoped you would choose to accompany us. That
you liked Mulder more than that."
"You're very good at shifting responsibility. And blame. You pretend you
offered Agent Mulder a choice, just like you're pretending to offer me a
choice."
"Agent Mulder could have declined the offer."
"Bullshit," the low hiss of the word cut through the room's thick air.
"Agent Mulder hasn't had a choice since he was twelve--not where his
sister's concerned. And you knew it. If I go out there, I won't have a
choice either. I'll be stuck in the front row. You can take your imaginary
choices and shove them up your ass."
Narrow, cold eyes studied him. The smoker nodded slowly, deliberately, and
stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray next to the "no-smoking" plaque.
"You've made your choice, Walter. And Agent Mulder will suffer for it."
"Get out." Skinner's hands would have trembled with rage if he hadn't had
them locked on the edge of his desk. "Get the fuck out of my office, you
sonofabitch."
The hollow, meaningless smile played over him again. "Your choice, Walter.
I'll give your best to Agent Mulder."
The door shut quietly behind him leaving no sound in the office but harsh,
angry breathing. It took a long, long time for the smell to clear.
"He refuses to come." The gray man held his breath, listening to silence.
"You seem to have very little success persuading your associates in the
Bureau. Perhaps Mr. Mulder's attitude is contagious?"
"I wouldn't say that." Nicotine stained knuckles were white on the phone,
though his voice stayed dry and even.
"Whether you say it or not, Mr. Skinner's presence was planned on." The
formal tones were delicately barbed. "Object lessons require a subject, as
well."
Narrow, gray eyes studied the ember on the cigarette with an odd mixture of
regret and relief. "The Assistant Director was quite definite about where
he felt his involvement ended. Since the demonstration will be canceled,
I'll--"
"Our appointment is far from canceled. Other arrangements will be made. I
expect to see you later in the week."
A short, unseen nod. "All right. I'll see you there." The phone slipped
back into its cradle. He stared into space for a long time then fingers
tightened, bisecting the tube of tobacco until he dropped it, scowling, and
ground it out in the cheap, Al-Gore-approved ashtray. Cold and dead long
before he stopped smashing it.
--Lisby
lisby@earthlink.net
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Mistress of the Dark Unconscious
Mermaid of the Lunar Sea
Daughter of the Great Enchantress
Sister to the boy in me..." Rush, "Animate"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------