Moon Reyes/2

Moon Reyes Chapter 2
Aids to the reader: list of characters in the X7 Trilogy and a glossary.

Keri

September 28, 2005

FBI Special Agent John Doggett strides into the X-Files office and mournfully looks at the desk of Monica Reyes, untouched since her disappearance in Mexico. Doggett throws some file folders on his own desk and then pulls open a filing cabinet. After five minutes of searching for a particular file, he realized he is in the wrong cabinet. He crosses the room to another cabinet and quickly finds the file.

Returning to his desk, he glances at his watch. He has slightly more than an hour to get ready for his meeting with Skinner. Skinner has requested a summary of Doggett’s investigation into the employees of Champion Research. Doggett turns on his computer and pulls up the spreadsheet he has been using to track the information he has collected about the employees. Some have disappeared, others claim to know nothing about Gary Seven or his projects, but they also show signs of memory disruption. All are young and have minimal family connections.

The phone rings. “Doggett here.”

It is Skinner. “John, can you come to my office now?”

Doggett is surprised and nearly asks Skinner when their meeting was scheduled for, but Doggett does not care. “Sure, I’m on my way.”

Skinner's assistant waves Doggett into Skinner's office. Skinner points to a chair, "Pull up another chair, John, and meet your new partner, Dr. Wold."

Doggett picks up a a chair from near the door and sets it next to the chair where Dr. Wold is seated. She turns, holds out her hand, smiles at Doggett and says, "Hello."

Doggett shakes her hand and tries to recover from the shock of Monica being replaced so soon after her abduction. He demands of Skinner, "What's going on, sir? Surely we are not giving up on Monica this soon!"

Skinner tries to be patient with Doggett, but a note of irritation creeps into his voice. "Sit down, John." He waits until Doggett complies with the order. "Don't start jumping to conclusions. Nobody is giving up on Monica."

Doggett has started thinking about Dr. Scully. "Well, I don't see why there is a big rush to replace Monica with a doctor. Really, sir, what's going on?"

Dr. Wold says, "I should be able to help with your continuing investigation into Champion Research. I'm a scientist and can help sort through the high tech details of the bioengineering project Scully became involved with."

Doggett is skeptical, "I've already requested that I be allowed to use Dr. Scully as a consultant. I don't understand why that request was denied. With all due respect, the FBI can't just throw some other doctor at this case and expect to replace Scully's special skills and knowledge."

Skinner does not want to explain why he is keeping Scully at arm's length. He sighs, "Nobody is trying to replace Scully. Dr. Wold is not a medical doctor."

Dr. Wold explains, "I have a Ph.D. in electrical engineering."

Doggett asks, "What do you know about genetic engineering and branched DNA?"

Wold asks, "What's branched DNA?"

Doggett says to Skinner, "This is crazy, sir. We need to bring Scully back, even if it is just as a temporary consultant. Why throw away her special knowledge and try to make do with....no offense intended.....a replacement who has no idea what is going on?"

Skinner replies, "Our hostage debriefing team spent a whole day with Scully. Take my word for it, she's not going to be as useful as you think. Forget about Scully. We have to find other ways to move ahead on this investigation."

Doggett is surprised. "Come on, sir, Scully spent months working on this genetic engineering project in Mexico. She must have tons of leads for us-"

Skinner orders, "Stop! John, you cannot let your wishful thinking and desire to find Monica prevent you from accepting the facts. Anyhow, Scully has enough troubles without the FBI bringing more attention to her."

Doggett stands up and pounds his fist in the middle of Skinner's desk, "I'm not going to accept some idiotic staffing decision that compromises our investigation into Monica's abduction. I don't care if Dr. Wold's name reached the top of some list in personnel, we need Scully-"

Skinner jumps up and shouts, "Sit down, Doggett!"

Dr. Wold is impressed by the testosterone festival. "I volunteered for the X-Files, Agent Doggett."

Skinner and Doggett both sit down. Skinner says, "It's not like joining the X-Files office is some prize with a waiting list in personnel. Doggett, you will work with Dr. Wold and be thankful for her help. Consider that an order. Now, give give us an update on your investigation of Champion Research."

Doggett explains all of the investigations into Champion Research employees and funding sources. Skinner grows impatient, "Your investigation is not leading anywhere. Somebody set that company up for a single purpose and wanted there to be no way to trace anything back to who was in control." Skinner dismisses Doggett and Keri Anne Wold.

Walking back to the X-Files office, Doggett asks Wold, "So what's your background? I've never heard your name before."

She says, "I'm not surprised you never heard of me. This is my first assignment with the FBI."

Doggett is shocked. Wold looks too old to be a new agent. "Are you transferring in from another agency?"

Wold shakes her head, "No. After 9/11 I decided I should help defend our country. I've completed FBI training, but I have no previous law enforcement experience."

Doggett nods, "Okay, I get it. Ya, we are starting to get a new crop of technical experts, but I thought they were all going into counter terrorism. What made you decide to volunteer for the X-Files?"

They reach the X-Files office and John helps Keri pack Monica's things into some boxes. Doggett gestures to the less than glamorous basement office, "Well, this is what you volunteered for. I still don't understand why you volunteered for this."

Wold explains, "I've studied the FBI investigation into the events of 9/11. I wonder if you remember that for a brief time there was an X-File investigation of unexplained material found at the Flight 93 crash site."

Doggett scratches his head, "That wasn't really an investigation. There was no evidence. It went no where." He goes to a filing cabinet and finds the correct file folder. "Look, there was nothing to investigate. The Flight 93 investigative team claimed that they sent is some debris from the crash site, but we never saw it."

Wold nods, "Yes, I've seen their reports on the matter. Heads rolled over this loss of evidence." She takes the folder from Doggett, sits down at Monica's desk and starts reading the report. "Monica wrote this report. It's very good."

Doggett can't get used to the idea of someone else sitting at Monica's desk. For a moment he again tries to remember something useful from San Felipe, but he has no memory of being there with Monica. His memories end with the frantic trip from San Diego to Mexico. He remembers driving in a rental car with Monica towards San Felipe...then nothing.

Doggett sits at his desk and tries to get back to thinking about the Champion Research investigation. He has to admit that Skinner's conclusion seems valid. All his work has led nowhere. What he really wants to do is talk to Scully. He cannot believe that the FBI has been unable to learn anything useful from her. But now he has to figure out what to do with Keri. He does not want her reporting to Skinner that he has gone behind Skinner's back to talk to Scully. Doggett suggests, "I have to run down some corporate details about Champion Research." He puts a pile of folders on her desk. "Why don't you spend some time familiarizing yourself with the files."

Keri is totally engrossed in the Flight 93 report and does not even look up. "Okay."

Doggett shrugs and leaves the office.

Dealing

Doggett arrives at Scully's house in Damascus and is not surprised to see Mulder's car in the drive way. He wonders once more if he should call first, but decides once and for all to just walk up to the door and ring. Mulder opens the door, "Doggett, what are you doing out in the neck of the woods?"

Doggett holds up a six pack of beer. "Social call."

Dana peers around Mulder, "John! What a surprise! Come in."

Doggett notices a new computer on the desk where months before he had taken Scully's hard drive from her old computer. They sit down and Doggett answers their questions about his unsuccessful attempts to learn who had set up Champion Research and the genetic engineering project in Mexico. Finally Doggett gets a chance to probe into how much Mulder and Scully remember from Mexico.

Doggett asks, "Dana, what happened when Monica and I arrived at the research station in San Felipe?"

Dana has been able to discuss with Mulder everything he saw at the research station, but it has been a frustrating experience since she cannot share with him everything she knows about Gary Seven. Even worse has been her debriefing sessions with the FBI at which she found it impossible to tell them anything about either Rupert or Gary or the space craft that took Monica away. Now Dana tries to answer Doggett's question, but can only say, "It's the same group that previously abducted me. They wanted to take me again, but they had to settle for Monica." She wants to say more, but cannot.

Doggett sees Scully start to sweat and is reminded of Monica's past inability to talk freely about her previous abduction. He sets down his beer and says, "Okay, Scully, don't push it. I think I know how we can beat this thing. Monica called it playing "reverse twenty questions". When you cannot answer, I know I'm asking the right question. What about you Mulder? When did you get to San Felipe?"

Mulder replies, "I was not far behind you and Monica."

Doggett asks, "What did you see?"

Mulder shakes his head, "It's no use, John. We tried everything. Hypnosis. Drugs. The hostage debriefing team is very skilled, but...."

Doggett says, "Okay, then this goes for both of you. I'll ask questions. Try to answer even if it causes you pain to do so. I'll use your reactions to guide my questions. I did this with Monica and was able to figure out some of what she knew but was unable to reveal about her first abduction."

After an hour Scully is exhausted and whimpering in pain, but Doggett is closing in on a fact. "Okay, the I'm going to assume that a clone, Rupert, shot me."

Scully nods weakly. Doggett shouts with joy. "Finally! I should have known! Both Skinner and Monica tried to tell me to trust Rupert, but the bastard shot me with the knockout drug again. He turns to Mulder, "Am I right? Did you see Rupert shoot me?"

Mulder is tired of this game and watching Scully suffer. He shrugs, "It's not worth it John. You've tortured Dana for an hour and all you have done is reveal what you should have known all along. So what if Rupert shot you? Does that really surprise you?"

Doggett replies, "Skinner had some kind of deal with Rupert. Now I have evidence that Rupert double crossed Skinner. We are making progress!"

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Doggett," a new voice says.

Doggett jumps to his feet. "Who are you?"

Gary Seven walks into the room. "It's better the less you know, John."

Doggett notices that both Skully and Mulder have slumped into unconsciousness. He pulls out his gun and points it at the intruder. "Stop right there!" Doggett feels a maddening itchiness on his neck and face which he tries to ignore. "What did you do to Scully and Mulder?"

Gary Seven replies, "What needed to be done. You've proven the point that there are now just too many humans on Earth with knowledge of Rupert's bumbling abductions. Rupert's bumbling around is now an inconvenience for me, so I had to act."

Doggett suddenly feels weak, slumps to the floor and drops his gun. "What's happening to me?"

Gary replies, "Just relax. I'm going to replace Rupert's memory blocks with something better."

Later, Doggett wakes up in his car. His first thought is that he has fallen asleep on a stake out then he remembers the drive to Damascus. How did it get dark? He figures that he must have dozed off. True, he had been working almost non-stop since Monica's abduction. He checks his watch: it's only 9:30. He looks at Scully's house and sees no sign of motion inside. Well, no sense in coming all this way and then do nothing.

He gets out of his car and walks up to the door, past Mulder's car in the drive way. He rings the door bell and waits. After a long time Scully looks through a window then opens the door. She seems half awake and is only half dressed. "John, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

Doggett smirks, "Middle of the night? It's only 9:30."

Mulder comes stumbling down the stairs, pulling on a shirt. "Doggett! Come in. I thought you were still in California."

Doggett has a strange sensation of déjà vu and notices a new computer on the desk where he had once taken Scully's hard drive from her old computer. He has a memory of having stopped to buy beer, but decides he must of just thought about it and then forgotten. "I just got back today. And you won't believe this, Skinner already brought in replacement for Monica."

Scully and Mulder flop down on the sofa and hold hands. Scully rubs her eyes with the back of her hand and says, "That's rude! Do you have any leads? Did you find out who is behind Champion Research?"

Doggett shakes his head, sinks down into a comfortable chair. He's surprised at how tired he is and glad he did not bother with the beer. He replies, "Not yet. I was hoping you could help with that since you worked with them for several months."

Skully frowns. "Strange. I feel like there was something I wanted to tell you about that, but.....you know, I thought I was working for the Marine Sciences Research Institute. There were several contacts Roberta had, but..."

Doggett waits for Scully to say more but she seems lost in thought. Doggett prompts, "What can you tell me about this mysterious 'Roberta'? We have not been able to match her to an actual person with a social security number and life history. Her name was all over the paper work at the research station in San Felipe, but beyond that she seems not to exist."

Scully shrugs, "I only knew her as an employee at the research station."

Doggett asks, "So what exactly were you working on for all those months?"

Scully replies, "I'm not really sure. It was Roberta's research project. Or maybe she was just following orders. She mentioned someone...Dr. Bernak, I think his name was."

Doggett mutters, "Another dead end. I interviewed him. The only thing he could tell me was that there was something odd going on, that he had heard of Roberta, but he thought it was some crank trying to pretend to know him."

Scully says, "That's strange. Anyhow, I never knew him, but it seemed like Roberta was working with him or for him. But it all seems like a dream, anyhow....like a long vacation in Mexico."

Doggett feels like there was something more important he wanted to ask but all he can think of is the question of how Scully ended up in San Felipe. Scully has no memory of that. "There is a gap from when I was driving to the MUFON meeting in Ashville....then I just remember being in San Felipe and working with Roberta."

Mulder lifts Scully's hand to his lips. "I'm just glad you are back and that I got to San Felipe in time. There was something odd going on there. I think Rupert would have taken Scully, too, if I had not shown up."

Doggett says, "Skinner was of the opinion that we could trust Rupert. Did you actually see Rupert abduct Monica?

Mulder shakes his head. "No, Rupert asked Scully to go with him, but then he just left. Maybe Skinner is right."

Doggett asks Mulder, "What did Rupert say? Why did he expect Scully to go with him?"

Mulder rubs his forehead, "All I know is what Scully told me." He looks at Scully.

She shakes her head, "I remember that Rupert was telling me about something, about someone, trying to convince me to go with him. But it's all a blur now. Maybe I did not know what he was talking about so he just gave up and left."

They are all confused and tired. Doggett stays the night and then drives back to Washington. Doggett is pleased to know that Scully and Mulder seem happy together. How had Skinner put it? Scully had been through enough? Maybe so. Apparently Rupert had decided that it was time to leave Scully behind....had Rupert also decided that Scully had been put through enough? Would Monica end up being used by Rupert in some way similar to how Scully had been used? Doggett shook his head. It made no sense. Doggett still hoped that Monica would just be returned like the last time.

As Doggett nears Washington his thoughts turn from Monica to Keri Wold. Was there a chance that her technical expertise could open up a lead? He calls the office and Keri picks up, "X-Files."

Doggett is amused, "I just saw a little green man!"

Keri laughs, "John? John Doggett?"

He says, "Ya, it's me. How are you doing?" Doggett hopes that she might report that Monica has been released.

She replies, "I think I found something interesting."

Doggett waits to hear what, but Keri remains silent. Doggett prompts, "Something about Champion Research?"

Keri replies, "Champion Research? No. I've been working on the Flight 93 file. It looks like you and Monica were out of town when the debris from the crash site was sent here. Someone else signed for the delivery, the form is a mess but it looks like maybe....an Agent Hariston?"

Doggett says, "Maybe that's Agent Harrison. We had some help from her at times back then. Ya, if we were out of town she might have signed for a delivery to the X-Files office."

Keri says, "Great. Ya, I see her name in the database. I'll check this out."

Doggett is upset that Keri has not been working on the Champion Research case. He almost complains, but realizing he just wasted most of a day ignoring Skinner by going to talk to Scully, he decides to say nothing. Maybe it is a good deal if she is distracted and not paying attention to his foolishness. "I'll be back to the office in about an hour, as long as traffic does not get bad."

Keri seems distracted and just says, "Okay." And then cuts the connection.

Leyla

Keri sees that Agent Leyla Harrison works in the Evidence Analysis Division. She shuts off the computer, places a few sheets of paper along With Monica's report on the missing evidence into a file folder and leaves the X-Files office. Five minutes later she is knocking on the door of the Explosives and Chemical Analysis Laboratory. Nobody comes to the door so she tries pushing the handle of the door and finds that it is not locked. She enters the lab and a technician looks up from a microscope. "Can I help you?"

Keri replies, "I'm looking for Agent Harrison."

The technician takes off his ear protection. "Sorry, did you say Harrison?"

"Yes."

The technician signals for Keri to follow and he leads the way back into the depths of the lab. They find Leyla adjusting a test charge of an explosive on a work bench. The technician looks at Keri's ID and then calls loudly to Leyla, "Dr. Wold is here to see you!"

Leyla turns her head and pulls an ear plug out of her left ear. "What?"

The technician goes back to his work and Keri says, "I'm Keri Wold, from the X-Files office."

Leyla takes off her gloves, pushes her glasses up to rest above her forehead and smiles. "X-Files?" She approaches Keri and shakes her hand. "You work on the X-Files?"

Keri replies, "I just started yesterday."

Leyla takes out her other ear plug. "Wow, that's fantastic. How do you like working with John and Monica?"

Keri can sense that Leyla has a deep emotional attachment to John or Monica or the entire X-Files. She says, "You might want to sit down."

Leyla says, "Oh, no! What is it?"

Keri explains, "Monica was abducted. John is fine, except for being rather frantic in looking for leads in the case."

Leyla looks confused. "I thought Monica was recovered months ago?"

Keri nods, "Yes, but now she has been taken again, apparently by the same group."

Leyla can't believe it. "This is crazy! Serial kidnapping? How is this possible? John must be beside himself. How long has she been missing this time?"

"Four days now."

"Only four days? And you have already replaced Monica? Oh, my!"

Keri explains, "Well, I was doing a research project in Records Division, and I had come across an interesting reference to the X-Files. I learned that the quickest way for me to get the needed security clearance to view X-Files records was to volunteer for the project. So I requested re-assignment as soon as I heard that Monica was missing."

Leyla thinks back to her own rather silly reasons for joining the X-Files. She says, "You just want access to the files? That's not a very good reason to volunteer to join the X-Files project. They get into some might tricky situations."

Keri nods, "Yes, I'm kind of nervous about that, but my hope is that Monica will be back soon and I will have completed my research in the files. With luck, I might not even have to do any field work."

Leyla reads from Keri's ID, "Dr. Wold? What's your specialty?"

Keri replies, "I have a Ph.D. in electrical engineering."

Leyla shakes her head, "Skinner must be loosing his marbles. You should be in one of the technical divisions. I thought for sure Skinner would never, well, you know, I did not exactly set a good precedent."

Keri is confused, "Do you mean....you worked on the X-Files?"

Leyla nods, "Just for one assignment. I nearly lost my vision and I've been stuck in technical ever since."

"Wow! I did not know. I came across your name on an evidence routing document from 2002." Keri opens the folder and hands Leyla the form with her signature.

Leyla takes the form and pulls her glasses back down on her nose. "Oh! I remember this. I was still working in the Records Division." She looks at Keri. "What does this have to do with Monica's abduction?"

Keri replies, "Nothing. This is a case that I got interested in. The FBI still considers Flight 93 and open mass murder case." She takes the form back from Leyla and waves it in the air. "I'm trying to track down this lost evidence."

Leyla says, "I see." She bites her knuckle.

Keri asks, "Is there a problem?"

Leyla replies, "I was rather naive back in those days."

Keri says, "Really? That's hard to imagine!"

Leyla shrugs. "I know, I'm still the same way. Ten pounds of enthusiasm for each ounce of common sense. But I have gotten better over the years. They wouldn't let me in here if I totally lacked common sense."

Keri is impatiently waiting for Leyla to say something useful about what might have happened to the missing evidence. "So, you signed for the Flight 93 evidence and then...."

Leyla says, "I haven't thought about this for years." She looks questioningly at the file folder Keri is holding. "What did you find in the files?"

Keri replies, "There isn't much." She pulls out Monica's report. "John and Monica spent a significant amount of time looking for the lost evidence, but they never saw it."

Leyla flips through the report and then grabs the folder. "This isn't the original folder for the case."

"No, I left that in the office."

Leyla immediately starts walking while reading Monica's report. "I don't think Monica and John ever found the original folder. And Monica never mentions that I signed for the evidence."

Keri realizes that Leyla is leading them back to the X-Files office. "No, I only just found this form with your signature today. I found it in a computer search. It was part of a batch of old records that was finally digitized last year. I'm sure it was missed back in 2002 and 2003 when people were still looking for the lost evidence."

Leyla shakes her head, "Hard to imagine that we are still trying to get into the digital age."

They reach the X-Files office and Leyla looks dubiously at the file cabinets. After a moment of reflection she goes to one of the file cabinets and pulls open a drawer. After five minutes of looking through the files she closes that drawer and pulls open another. After a minute she closes that drawer and walks to another cabinet. Keri asks, "What are you looking for?"

Leyla shakes her head but says nothing. A minute later she holds up a folder, "Here it is! I'm not crazy." She looks through the contents of the file. "Now I remember!" She hands the folder to Keri and then goes back to digging through another file cabinet.

Keri looks through the folder, "Not much here. What does this mean? Called FM. Called LGM. Is this your hand writing?"

Leyla turns and hands Keri a much thicker folder, "This is the case John and Monica were on at the time. A huge case. Scully was involved. There's even a sworn affidavit in there from Skinner. It's the best documented parapsychology case of the X-Files."

"Parapsychology?"

Leyla taps the thick folder, "It's all in there. Well, except for Scully's computerized report. But we can pull that up, too. A guy named Fogelman."

Keri quickly thumbs through the thick folder. "What does this have to do with Flight 93?"

Leyla says, "Nothing. It just explains the missing evidence. First, John, Monica and Dana were all out of town. Then when they came back to Washington everyone was in a tizzy with this Fogelman floating in the air and-"

Keri asks. "Floating? You're serious?"

"It's all in the file." Leyla looks back at Monica's report on the lost evidence. "See? It was two months later that before anyone on the Flight 93 case checked in with John and Monica. By then, the evidence was long gone and the trail was cold."

Keri holds up her hands, "Okay, okay, let me see if I have this straight. 'Called FM.' I assume that means that since John, Monica and Dana were out of town on this Fogelman case, you called Fox Mulder. But then what is this LGM? Little Green Man?"

Leyla laughs. "Close, but no. That means Fox's friends, The Lone Gummen."

"The lone gunman?"

"The Lone Gunmen. Conspiracy theorists."

Keri sits down and rubs her temples. "Fox did not even work for the FBI anymore in 2002, did he?"

Leyla looks embarrassed. "Look, I said I was naive. I knew that Fox had been working some X-Files cases even though he was no longer with the FBI. I called him. I told him about the evidence from the Flight 93 crash. It was just some electronic circuits and stuff. Fox did what he always did in such situations, suggested the Lone Gunmen."

Just then Doggett comes in, "The Lone Gunmen?"

Leyla gives John a hug, "How did it happen, John? Monica gone again? Is it really the same kidnappers?"

Doggett replies, "I don't know. Scully and Mulder seem to think it's the same group, these clones we've been chasing, like the one I nailed. But what's this about The Lone Gunmen?"

Keri explains what they have found in the files and Leyla turns on a computer. Soon they are all looking at The Lone Gunmen website. With a few more clicks Leyla initiates a video connection. Langly appears, "Hey, Leyla, long time no see. Doggett? And...?"

Leyla says, "This is Dr. Wold, now working on the X-Files." Frohike and Byers come into view and say hello. "We have a question here about an old case, back in 2002. Some missing evidence, debris from the Flight 93 crash site."

All three of The Lone Gunmen start to perspire. Byers leans away from the camera and starts to vomit. Doggett is reminded of Monica. "Damn! I take it from you reactions that you do remember the case. Did you actually see the crash debris?"

The loud retching ends and Byers comes back into view, he mutters, "MIB." The connection goes dead.

Later, Doggett, Wold and Harrison are at The Lone Gunmen office, gathered around Byers. Langly is explaining, "Sometimes Byers can remember things....we think it has to do with the medication he takes. It seems to block the drugs that the clones use to interfere with memory."

Byers wipes sweat off of his face. "I haven't thought about this for years....Mulder brought over the circuits, debris from the crash site. It was hopeless....just smashed microcircuits. Very high density circuits. Then the clones came. It was like a scene from Men in Black. They took the circuits and did something to erase our memories."

Doggett says, "That's it? That's all you remember?"

Beyers says, "One more thing. I remember one more thing." He bends over and vomits on Doggett's feet. A few minutes later he wipes his mouth and gasps, "There's a trick. There were no markings on the circuit...no conventional markings. But some frustrated circuit designer had put his mark into the circuitry. CGS."

Langly asks, "CGS? Centimeters, grams, seconds?"

Keri says, "No. CGS is a stock exchange code. Cognite Systems. It's a leading nanotechnology company. It fits. It's just the kind of company that might have been able to make VLSI circuits that even the FBI would not be able to ID."

Without any further words Keri starts walking back to Doggett's car. A minute later Doggett and Harrison catch up to her by the car. He says, "Are you sure about this? What does it mean if Cognite Systems was the source of those circuits?"

Keri shrugs. "I don't know, but I haven't told you everything. I'm not sure I can."

Later, about 10:00 pm Skinner returns to work and meets Doggett and Wold. He says, "What's this all about?"

Wold says, "I need to talk to you in private. I'm not sure if Doggett has clearance to hear what I have to say."

Skinner takes Wold into his office. Ten minutes later they come back out. Doggett can't take it any more. He demands, "What is this, sir? What's this nonsense about clearances? How does some newbie agent have more clearance than I do?"

Skinner looks stunned. "I'm not sure I have clearance for what I just heard. For now, work this Flight 93 case with Wold. Follow her lead, John. I'll be back as soon as I see the Department of Homeland Security Secretary."

Doggett numbly watches Skinner walk away the turns to Wold, "Well, I'm at your service, Agent. I wish I knew what the hell is going on."

Keri smiles, "It's okay, John. This case has been waiting years, one more night is not going to make any difference. Go home. Get some sleep. We'll start fresh in the morning."

End of Chapter 2

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