Title: A Fungus Among Us or When Mushrooms Attack! Author: Frances Hayman Date: July 1, 1999 E-mail: FrankieH@aol.com Classification: S, A (post episode) Rating: PG Spoilers: Field Trip, The Unnatural Summary: Field Trip post episode. The agents spend time recovering from the fierce fungus of Brown Mountain. Disclaimers: The ones you recognize aren't mine. I just borrowed them. (I'll give them back to CC, Fox, and 1013 when I'm done!) The ones you don't are mine. No money made, no infringement intended. Just having some fun! Distribution: Ok to archive and post. Just keep my name with it and let me know where it goes. Author's notes: The coroner in this episode didn't have a name that I could find, so I gave him one: Dr. Grant. A big thank you to Vickie Moseley for challenging me to do this one! A Fungus Among Us or When Mushrooms Attack! by Frances Hayman He reached for her hand. She reached for his, and they met, fingers touching. A lifeline that couldn't be severed. Even by giant fungi intent on deceiving and devouring them. "Scully?" "Yeah, Mulder?" "THIS is real. Isn't it?" "I feel too gross for this to be a fantasy. It must be real." Mulder snorted. "That's what I thought." "How ya' doing' over there?" asked Scully, still clutching his hand, hoping her words were making sense. "I, I, I think I'm doing pretty good. What about you?" "You mean, aside from this yellow goo, acres of dirt in my hair, and a fuzzy, slightly anesthetized feeling?" "Yeah, aside from that." "Oh, I think I'm pretty good, too." The ambulance lurched to a stop. The doors were thrown open and suited figures rushed in. Scully thought they were asking her something, and she couldn't quite make out what it was, but she did hear Mulder's slurred voice just before she was whisked out of the vehicle and into the ER. She looked up at a masked figure above her. "You, you have to get this stuff off of us," she said. "It's some kind of digestive, um, acid." "We know, Dr. Scully," said a familiar voice. "Dr. Grant?" Scully asked. She thought she had recognized the coroner's voice. "Yes! Glad to see you're with us. We're all ready to get you cleaned up." "An' I don't even have my bubble bath," sighed Scully. Dr. Grant laughed. Scully jerked her eyes open. "Mulder!" "He's being taken care of, Dr. Scully. Just relax." Scully sighed again, and let the darkness close over her. * * * * * Skinner burst into the ER and stormed the desk, badge in hand. "I need to know where my agents are and I need somebody to tell me what condition they are in." The man at the desk eyed the badge, and looked at the imposing man in front of him. He did not seem impressed. "If you'll have a seat --" "I will NOT have a seat until I find out what's going on with my agents!" "Is there a problem here, Will?" asked a short woman with curly brown hair. "Dr. Lacey," said Will. "This man wants to know about the FBI agents that were just brought in." Skinner held his badge and ID out again. "Agents Mulder and Scully. How are they?" "Well," said Dr. Lacey, "Mr. --" she looked at the ID again, "Mr. Skinner, they arrived a few moments ago. We're in the process of getting that yellow goo off them." "What condition are they in?" "As I said, they were just brought in. The first order of business was to get that chemical off of them to prevent any further burning --" "Burning?" "Yes, chemical burning. It seems a significant portion of that stuff is hydrochloric acid, which is extremely caustic. Hopefully, we'll only be dealing with first and second degree burns." "What else?" asked Skinner. "We'll try to determine if the fungi did indeed produce hallucinogens, and what we need to do to combat it's effects. Of course, respiratory complications are a big concern as well." "Why is that?" "They've very likely inhaled some kind of fungi spores, as well as whatever else might have been in that dirt. Hopefully they didn't inhale any of the goo." She paused. "Look, Mr. Skinner, all of this is pretty much supposition and guesses until we can see what's actually going on. And that will take time." "When can I see them?" "I'm not sure. Depends on what happens in the next few hours." "Would you take some advice?" Dr. Lacey frowned. "What would that be?" "Agent Scully is a medical doctor. She'll want to know Mulder's condition before she asks about her own. And she'll know if you gloss over anything, so I wouldn't unless absolutely necessary. And don't keep them separated. As soon as you can, put them in the same room. Unless they're both unconscious, they'll start asking for each other, and if able, Mulder at least will go looking for Scully." Dr. Lacey raised her eyebrows. "Oh really? I was under the impression these two were just work partners, not spouses." "They are. Partners, I mean. But they are pretty protective of each other. Believe me when I tell you that if they are together, you'll all be much happier." "I'll take that under advisement," said Dr. Lacey. * * * * * Mulder opened his eyes. He blinked in an effort to focus, but everything remained blurry. A shadowy figure appeared above him and he thought it was saying something, but he wasn't sure what. He took a breath to ask the figure what was going on, but instead of producing words, he started coughing. "Dr. Anderson," said the nurse standing beside Mulder. "Agent Mulder seems to be having some respiratory distress." "Damn! I sure hope he didn't inhale any of this acid stuff. Sheila, get an O2 mask on him now. And lets get some chest films." Dr. Steven Anderson watched as his patient calmed down and began to breath better. He looked carefully at the man's face. His forehead, cheeks, and nose were covered in red blotches that would blister. The top of his head was a mess, and his lips were already beginning to peel. He pulled the mask back to open Mulder's mouth. His tongue had ulcerated areas, but the rest of his mouth looked pretty normal. If he had swallowed or inhaled any of this goo, it could mean real trouble. Or at least worse trouble than they already had. "He seems to be breathing better now," said Sheila. Anderson sighed. "Good. Let's keep that mask on him for now. Keep working on cleaning him up. At least the stuff didn't penetrate his clothing." "It went down his collar and some got on his back, chest, and shoulders though," said Sheila. "But those areas don't look as bad as the completely exposed areas." Anderson nodded. "Like a bad sunburn. At least most of this is first degree. Only a few are second degree. Now we just have to worry about this possible hallucinogen. Any word on that yet?" "No, sir. Dr. Grant said he should have more info for us soon. But it looks like it has some narcotic as well as hallucinogenic properties." "No wonder he's not hurting too much right now." Anderson paused. "You did get the ointment in his eyes, didn't you, Sheila?" Sheila nodded. "Right after I flushed them out." "Good. Where's that x-ray machine? We still need to see what his chest looks like." * * * * * Dr. Lacey looked carefully at the woman in front of her. She and her partner would have a matching set of burns, from what little she had seen of the man. The woman moaned and moved. "Easy, there, Dr. Scully," said Lacey. "We're going to take care of you." "Burns," croaked Scully. "I know it burns. We've got most of it off." Scully turned toward the voice. "You may not be able to see too well. That's the ointment we put in your eyes to help protect them after we flushed them out." Scully blinked and nodded. "Mulder --" "He's in the next room. We're taking good care of him." Scully swallowed and blinked again. "What condition?" "Your partner?" Scully nodded. "You don't need to worry about him right now --" Scully started to sit up. "Hold on. Where do you think you're going?" "Mulder." Dr. Lacey stood in front of Scully, remembering Skinner's words. She sighed. "Chemical burning. Mostly first degree, some second on exposed areas of skin. We're still trying to see just what kind of stuff that fungus produced to subdue you, though." "Hallucinogenic. Sedative," said Scully, her strength rapidly waning. "We know, Dr. Scully," said Lacey. "Just rest for now. Are you in much pain?" Scully frowned, as she tried to think. She knew she should be in pain from the burns, but she didn't seem to be. "Um, no. The fungus?" "You mean is it an effect of what the fungus produced?" Scully nodded. "I don't know. Probably." Scully sighed. "Lucky. I guess." Dr. Lacey laughed. "I guess. Just let us know if it does start hurting more." Scully relaxed and let exhaustion claim her. * * * * Mulder slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times to clear them and tried to look around. Another hospital room. Damn! What had he done this time? He closed his eyes, trying to remember. Wallace and Angela Schiff. The cave. The gray. The goo. He opened his eyes again. The goo. "Well, Mr. Mulder," said a voice off to his right. "Glad you could join us." Mulder looked toward the voice. "I'm Dr. Anderson. How are you feeling?" Mulder sighed and tried to take stock of himself. His hands were bandaged, he could feel other bandages on his neck and shoulders, and his lips felt cracked and dry. He felt heavy, exhausted. "Tired." "Are you in much pain?" "Um, not really. Should I be?" Dr. Anderson laughed. "Probably. Just let us know when it starts to hurt, okay?" Mulder nodded. "Where's Scully?" "Your partner is just down the hall, and she's doing well." "Need to see her," said Mulder as he sat up and attempted to swing his feet down. "Whoa there. You're not going anywhere," said Anderson as he gently pushed Mulder back. "Need to see her," said Mulder again, but this time he nearly whispered it. "You will soon enough. As I understand, her doctor's had a devil of a time keeping her in bed, too." "I told her to put them together," said a voice from the doorway. Mulder looked over to see Skinner's bulk occupying the space. "Sir," said Mulder. "You've seen Scully?" Skinner walked into the room to stand next to Mulder's bed. "I was just there, Mulder. She's going to be fine. Just listen to Dr. Anderson." Mulder grinned as much as his lips would allow. "I'll try." And he closed his eyes and drifted away. Anderson looked at Skinner. "Dr. Lacey didn't like your suggestion to put them in the same room?" "Apparently not. But I believe she's rethinking it now. The only reason Scully's not in here right now is that I showed up and promised her that I would come check on Mulder myself." "I'll talk to Dr. Lacey later and see what we can do." * * * * Scully's eyes were glued to the door of her room. Where was Skinner anyway? How long did it take to walk down the hall? There must be something wrong. She sat up and was about to begin disconnecting things when Skinner walked in. He saw what she was about to do and frowned. Scully slumped back into her bed. "Did you see him?" Skinner nodded. "He's doing fine, Scully. About the same burns as yours. And all the same equipment too," he said motioning to the monitors and IV line. "Did he seem to be in a lot of pain?" "I don't think so. But I assume they're giving him pain medication. They're giving it to you, aren't they?" "No, sir. I haven't really needed any yet." She looked thoughtful. "It's probably an effect of the fungus, but Dr. Grant is still trying to analyze it." "Isn't that a little unusual?" "What?" "That a fungus would produce such a powerful pain killer?" "Maybe not this one. It had to immobilize it's prey for a long time to digest it. And burns are painful. We may be looking at a new pain reliever here. One that works exceptionally well on burns," said Scully. She sighed and closed her eyes. "Scully, you and Mulder both need to rest." Scully nodded without opening her eyes. "Thank you for checking on Mulder." Skinner smiled. "You're welcome." He turned to leave, then looked back. "Almost forgot. Your mother is on her way." Scully's eyes popped open. "My mother? You called my mother?" "Actually, she called your office. When she couldn't reach you or Mulder at all, she called my office." "Well, at least she can help me keep tabs on Mulder." Skinner laughed. "A full time job in itself." He paused. "Dr. Anderson, Mulder's doctor, said he'd talk to Dr. Lacey about putting you both in the same room." "Thank you, sir," sighed Scully. "You're very welcome," said Skinner softly. But Scully was already asleep. * * * * Sun streamed in the window, barely breaking through the gloom in Mulder's room. "Fox, stop sulking," said Margaret Scully. "I'm not sulking." "Yes, I believe you are. And so is Dana, if you must know." She shook her head. "Hopefully you'll both be out of here soon." "When?" "Dr. Anderson said he'd come by sometime this morning to discuss that." Mulder snorted. "Probably be at 11:59 this morning. And I don't see why they couldn't put us together. It would sure save you a lot of time," said Mulder. "And us a lot of headaches from listening to you whine," said a voice from the doorway. "Dr. Anderson," said Margaret. Dr. Anderson walked over to Mulder's bed. "And it's only 9:15! My, I guess I'm early." Mulder looked down at the suddenly very interesting blanket. "Um, sorry. Just impatient I guess." Dr. Anderson laughed. "I guess." He picked up Mulder's chart. "How are you feeling this morning?" Mulder sighed. "Fine. Now can I go?" "Not that fast. We've got to change your bandages again, and do some more bloodwork, and --" "So, when, then?" "Not before this evening. More likely sometime tomorrow. But I did manage to get Dr. Lacey to agree to put you and Dr. Scully in the same room." Mulder tried to smile. "Gee -- ow!" His cracked and peeling lips reminded him just why he was here. He put a bandaged hand to his face. "In some pain now?" "Only when I try to smile." "Let's get some of those bandages off, shall we." Dr. Anderson began unwrapping Mulder's hands. The skin revealed was red and blistered. Mulder hissed in pain as the bandages pulled free. "That hurts too." Anderson shook his head. "All you have to do is ask, and we'll give you something for pain." Mulder shook his head. "I'm just getting rid of that fuzzy feeling. I don't want anything else like that." "There are other medications that won't make you so sleepy. Guess I'd better let Dr. Lacey know that the fungus is wearing off. I'm sure Dr. Scully will be needing something soon as well." He turned Mulder's hands over. "Not too bad. Now let's look at the rest of you." Mulder sat forward as Anderson pushed the hospital gown away from his shoulders to bear his chest and removed the bandages. He looked shyly at Margaret. "Um, I think I'll go check on Dana," said Margaret as she picked up her purse. Anderson smiled at her. "I'm sure she'd like that, Mrs. Scully. We'll only be a few more minutes." He looked back at Mulder to see him biting his lip, eyes squeezed shut. He shook his head. "You really should have let us know it was hurting this bad." "Wasn't," said Mulder through clenched teeth, "until you started doing that." "Well, they look good, if that's any consolation. Even the ones on top of your head." He paused as he looked closely at Mulder's face, pale, with red blotches. "Just take deep breaths. Don't want you passing out on us." Mulder took a slow breath. "Not going to pass out." He closed his eyes and shook his head a little. "Please, just tell me I'm not going to look like Skinner." Anderson frowned, then smiled. "Oh, you mean are you going to lose your hair?" Mulder nodded. "You may lose some, but it should grow back." "Should?" "Will. Now, if those were deeper burns, that destroyed the hair follicles, it would be different." Mulder sighed. "Good. What about Scully?" "She's doing well. Her burns weren't quite as extensive as yours, I assume since she wasn't exposed for as long, but she seems to be affected more by the narcotic effect of the mushrooms, probably due to her smaller size." "But she's going to be okay? Right?" Anderson smiled. "You'll be able to see for yourself in just a little while. Now, let's get you bandaged back up." * * * * * Margaret Scully crept into her daughter's room. She sat down in the chair next to the bed and looked closely at its sleeping occupant. Dana murmured something, then her head began moving and her breathing became fast as the murmur turned into a moan. "Noo, Mulder, noooo." Margaret stood and gently shook her shoulder. "Dana, honey, wake up. You're having a bad dream." Scully blinked and took a shaky breath. "Mom?" "I'm right here, honey. You were just having a bad dream. You're okay now." She rubbed Dana's arm. "Want to talk about it?" Scully bit her peeling lip and shook her head. "It was about Fox, wasn't it?" Scully looked up at her mother. "I talked. What did I say?" "You just called his name, but you seemed terribly upset. What happened in your dream?" Scully looked away, tears clouding her eyes. "He, he, was dead, Mom." "Fox?" Scully nodded. "All I found was a skeleton, like that couple, the Schiffs." She paused and took a hitched breath. "He was gone, and there was nothing I could do." Margaret moved to embrace her daughter. "Dana, it's okay now. Fox is going to be fine. You're going to be fine. It was just a bad dream." Scully shook her head. "No, Mom. It was what I saw. A hallucination caused by this, this, fungus thing." She paused. "I don't think I'll ever get that sight out of my mind. Or that feeling." "That empty feeling?" Scully nodded. Margaret hugged her daughter tighter. "He really is okay, Dana. And Dr. Lacey said they'd move you to a room together in just a little while." Scully pulled away. "Really?" She smiled as much as her cracked lips would allow. Then she frowned. "But that must mean that we aren't getting out today." "I just heard Dr. Anderson tell Fox it would probably be tomorrow." Scully released the breath she was holding. "Okay. I think I can deal with that." * * * * * Mulder lay back in his bed. How changing bandages could be so exhausting was beyond him. He sighed and let his eyes drift shut. If he just took a little nap, when he woke up, Scully would be here. Or he would be where ever she was. Whatever. What seemed like only a moment later, he awoke with a start. Something had disturbed his nap. When he didn't see Scully in the room, he frowned, then listened. It sounded as if someone was in the bathroom. He sat up a little, expecting a nurse to come out with some new torture device. He waited. A few minutes later he shook his head, sure his imagination had gotten the best of him. He looked toward the window, then quickly back when movement registered at the corner of his vision. He turned, and gasped. Before him stood a gray. It turned it's head and looked at him with large, curious eyes, then picked up it's hand and wiggled long fingers at him. Mulder's gasps became wheezes as the gray calmly turned, opened the door, and walked out. As he stared at the door, alarms started to go off all around him. When the door opened again, he expected to see the gray waving at him again, but this time it was Dr. Anderson and a nurse. "Did you see it?" wheezed Mulder. "You had to have seen it. It just walked out the door." Anderson rushed to his bedside and pulled out an oxygen mask. "Just take it easy Mr. Mulder. Take slow, deep breaths." "It was here. Right here in this room!" said Mulder, his voice muffled by the mask. Anderson looked over at the nurse. "Did you see anyone come out of this room?" "No, sir. No one." "But it was here!" cried Mulder as they pushed him back down on the bed. "You're okay, now. Just relax," said the nurse in a soothing voice. Mulder glared at her. "How can I relax when there was just an EBE in my room?" He closed his eyes as he continued to try to breath. "EBE?" asked Anderson. Mulder nodded. "Extra-" he took a breath, "terrestrial --" "Biological Entity," finished Skinner from the doorway. Mulder nodded again and pointed at Skinner. "What's going on here?" asked Skinner. "You saw an EBE?" "It was here," said Mulder as he pulled the mask down. Anderson put it back on. "You need to leave that on for a while. Just lie back." He looked over his shoulder at Skinner. "I take it you know what he's talking about?" "I think so," said Skinner. "Was it a --" he paused. "Was it a gray?" Mulder nodded vigorously and pointed to the bathroom. "Was in there, then went out." His eyelids were starting to droop as his breathing slowed. Skinner walked into the bathroom and looked around. "Nothing here, Mulder." Mulder looked toward the door into the hall. Skinner sighed. "I'll take a look around. Okay, Mulder?" Mulder finally closed his eyes and sank into the pillows. True to his word, Skinner walked up and down the hallway, checking under desks, and empty stairwells. After getting some strange looks from nurses, he went back into Mulder's room shaking his head. "I didn't see anything." Mulder, barely awake now, turned toward him. "Figures." And then he drifted into sleep. Dr. Anderson motioned for Skinner to follow him out to the hall. "Did you really understand what he was talking about?" Skinner laughed a little. "Actually, yes." At Anderson's questioning expression, Skinner continued. "Agents Mulder and Scully investigate, ah, lots of strange things. Paranormal stuff, alleged monsters, and, yes, aliens and UFO's." "He thought he saw an alien?" Skinner nodded. "You'd be surprised what he's seen." "I'll bet," said Anderson. "But aliens?" "It's a very long story, Doctor." Skinner rubbed a hand over his face. "Could it be a hallucination from the fungus?" "That would be my guess," said Anderson. "He was probably figuring that out for himself before he went to sleep." "He did tell me that was part of the hallucination while he was trapped," said Skinner. "Aliens?" "Well, one alien, anyway." * * * * * Scully sat beside Mulder's bed, waiting. She knew if anyone caught her out of her own bed, which now sat across the room instead of down the hall, there would be hell to pay. At this moment, however, she just didn't care. Skinner had told her about Mulder's hallucination. She had not told him about her dream. So now she sat. Waiting. As she had done so many times before. Mulder moved his head and took a deep breath. Scully stood up, and touched his shoulder with her hand. She had been able to exchange the bandages for a kind of glove, but Mulder's hands were still bound. "Hey, sleepyhead," said Scully. Mulder opened his eyes. When he focused on Scully, he smiled and sighed. "Scully. You're here." "Of course I am, Mulder." She paused. "Feeling any better?" "If you mean do I see a platoon of grays doing a line dance behind you, the answer is no. So, I guess I do feel better." Scully smiled. "So, you think it was a hallucination?" "I sure hope it was," said Mulder, closing his eyes. "But it was so, real." "I know what you mean," said Scully. Mulder's eyes popped open. "You've been having hallucinations too?" Scully shook her head. "Not hallucinations. Just very, very vivid dreams." "About what?" "You." Mulder's jaw dropped. "Me?" he squeaked. Scully smiled and playfully poked him in the chest with her finger. "Not like that!" She sat down and looked intently at her gloved hands. "I found you. Like the Schiffs." She looked up at him, eyes bright with tears she was determined not to let fall. "There was nothing I could do, Mulder. You were just, gone." Mulder sat, stunned for a moment before he held out his arms to Scully. "I'm right here, Scully. And I'm not going anywhere." She bit her lip then looked up at him. When she saw the outstretched arms, she couldn't resist the invitation. She stood up and carefully hugged him as he held her. Taking a deep breath she tried to collect herself, then pulled away reluctantly. "Hey, we're going to be just fine," said Mulder. "I thought that was my line," said Scully, lightly rubbing his arm. She looked at his face, and noticed he looked flushed. Or was he blushing? She stilled her hand for a moment and noticed that his arm did feel warm. Warmer than it should have been. "Mulder, tell me how you feel, really." "Really?" he asked. She nodded. "I'm tired, even though all I've done is sleep. But the burns don't hurt too bad unless they change the bandages." "What else?" "What do you mean?" "I mean, what else? Spill it, Mulder. I can see you're running a fever." Mulder took a deep breath. And coughed. He looked sheepishly at Scully. The Look urged him to answer her question. "Um, my chest feels sort of tight," he said and paused. The Look was still there. "And, um, my head hurts, and I just feel kind of achy." "Is that everything?" Mulder nodded. "Why didn't you tell Dr. Anderson?" "It really wasn't that bad until now. And I was afraid they'd keep us separated. Or, keep me here longer." Scully sighed. "Mulder, you will stay here as long as is necessary." When he started to protest, she put a finger over his cracked lips. "Don't say anything, Mulder. Not a word. We were exposed to who knows what when we were underground. We don't know what will happen. Anything could be significant." She reached over to Mulder's call button. "And we need to find out how significant this is." * * * * * "San Joaquin Valley Fever," said Dr. Anderson as he stood beside Mulder's bed. "What?" asked Mulder. "San Joaquin? Isn't that somewhere out west? I don't think I've ever been there." Anderson smiled. "Well, this is LIKE San Joaquin Valley Fever anyway." "Isn't that also called coccidioidomycosis?" asked Scully. "Yes, Dr. Scully, it is. I'm having the lab check soil samples for the presence of that fungus, and, of course, we'll test you and Mr. Mulder for it, but my guess is that we won't find it." Scully nodded. "That one lives in a totally different climate and soil type. This new one probably causes a similar syndrome." "Would either of you care to tell me what you're talking about?" "Sorry, Mulder," said Scully. "This fungus may produce something besides hallucinogens and digestive acids. Other fungal organisms can cause systemic diseases when the spores are inhaled. San Joaquin Valley Fever is one caused by a different fungus." "What does it do?" asked Mulder, biting worriedly at his lower lip. "Most of the time," said Anderson, "people are exposed and have no symptoms. Sometimes we'll see a flu-like illness 10-30 days after exposure. No specific treatment, just rest and supportive care. Much less often, mostly with immunocompromised people, it can become a chronic pulmonary or disseminated disease." "But it hasn't been that long," said Mulder, concentrating on the first part of what Dr. Anderson had said. Anderson nodded. "I noticed. Probably just a shorter incubation period for this one. I'll bet this thing has been causing clinical and subclinical disease in people of this valley for a while." "So, I guess you'll call this one Brown Mountain Valley Fever," said Mulder. Anderson nodded. "We have a lot to work out about this organism. Find out just what it does and how. It certainly seems to have a complex life cycle." "You may have to fight with a lot of people to get to it, Dr. Anderson," said Skinner from the doorway. "Why?" asked Scully. "What's going on?" Skinner strode into the room. "We've got people from the EPA, Fish and Wildlife, and scientists from everywhere trying to get to this thing." "EPA?" asked Mulder. Skinner nodded. "Seems they're concerned about the acids getting into the ground water. They want to destroy it all." Scully shook her head. "They can't do that! We may be looking at a new drug to treat pain in burn victims. And it could be responsible for disease in people and animals in the area for months or years to come. We need to research it, not kill it." "I don't think they could kill it all if they wanted to, Scully," said Skinner. "At least not without trashing the whole area. It goes on and on and on. About 200 acres so far, and they haven't finished looking." Mulder lay back in his bed and sighed. "No wonder I stumbled into it." "Wasn't much way you could avoid it, Mulder," said Skinner. "If it's so big, why hasn't anybody noticed it eating people before now?" asked Mulder. "It probably ate smaller wild animals. And the occasional hiker whose remains were found much later. Maybe it grew into more traveled areas only recently," said Scully. "At any rate," said Skinner, "we know about it now. The affected area will at least be quarantined. And, agents," he said pointing at Mulder and Scully, "leave this part of the investigation to the proper people. You're hospital bills are high enough as it is." Mulder sighed loudly. "Okay. Besides, I have a stack of files on my desk that should keep us busy for a while." "Glad to hear it, Mulder," said Skinner. "Agent Scully, let me know when the two of you are released for work. Take as much time as you need." "Thank you, sir," said Scully. Mulder laughed. "What's so funny, Mulder," asked Scully. "I was just imagining the next Fox special -- 'When Mushrooms Attack'!" Skinner laughed and shook his head, then turned and left the room. As he approached the elevator, he passed by the nurses' station, barely registering that anyone was there. A woman sat at the desk, phone to her ear. She waited until Skinner rounded the corner before continuing her conversation. "He just left," she said. The man on the other end of the conversation breathed out a cloud of smoke. "Good. Are you sure Mulder saw you?" The woman laughed. "He nearly went into an asthma attack! Took quite a while before he calmed down." "So, he believes it was a hallucination caused by the fungus?" "Yes." "Good." "Sir, may I ask why you wanted him to see me in that form? Hasn't he seen us before?" "He has seen, some forms. The reasons are not for you to concern yourself with." He took another pull on the cigarette. "Will they be released soon?" "Scully tomorrow, Mulder as soon as his temp goes back to normal." "Excellent. We should have some other business wrapped up by then. Let me know if there are any further developments." "Yes, sir," said the woman (?). The smoking man sat back in his chair, holding the cigarette thoughtfully. The decision to have one of the aliens show itself to Mulder had been almost an afterthought. He smiled. How he liked to play with minds, especially intelligent ones. Mulder and Scully would never suspect he had really seen a gray. And that their every move was being watched as closely now as ever before. He needed to keep them out of the way whenever possible, for their own good, as well as the good of the Project. THE END More Author's Notes: As a veterinarian, medical lingo comes natural, but I learned about emergency human medicine where most everyone else did: "E.R." on Thursday nights! So, any inaccuracies, medical or otherwise, are all my own fault. Thanks for reading. Feedback appreciated! FrankieH@aol.com