Addendum GW - Chapter Three: Harbringer sec. Apophenia (Part Two)
textTitle: Addendum GW
Subtitle: Harbinger sec. Apophenia
Author: dracox-serdriel
Word count: 13,076 (total for chapter)
Rating: R
Warnings: medical references, references to sleep paralysis and psychosis, sexual innuendo, disorientation, delusion
Important: This chapter has been broken into two parts because of the length restrictions on Livejournal.
Chapter notes: For common terminology definitions and pronunciation, see end-of-chapter notes.
Mulder took Scully to the little pizzeria. It was cozy and a little romantic, but he doubted she noticed. She might've been sitting across the table from him, but she was a thousand miles away.
He brought up the application process for becoming a secure foster home in Oregon, which was a pleasant enough discussion, but she still didn't really seem present during the conversation.
"Scully, what's wrong?"
"Mulder, don't..."
"I've tried to distract you with charm, wit, and state-required paperwork," he said. "Obviously, none of it's worked."
"It's not you, Mulder, it's this patient of mine," she replied.
"Pythia," he said. "Assuming this is the same future-predicting patient whose recorder you gave. I've been referring to her as Pythia."
"She can't predict the future," Scully said. "And, yes, that's the patient I mean. Pythia, Mulder? Really?"
"The Oracle of Delphi was too long for a pseudonym."
"So you picked Pythia because it's pithy?"
"Actually, I picked it because I wanted to give her a name, especially after listening to this," he said, pulling out the digital recorder. "We can solve this case together, like the old days."
"This isn't an investigation," she replied.
"Not in the traditional sense, but it has all the same components. Physical evidence, a case history, someone who needs help. I might not be a doctor, but I think it's fair to say some of you has rubbed off on me in the past twenty-odd years."
Scully nibbled on her pizza to give herself time to think.
"All right, Mulder, do you have a theory?" she asked.
"First, there are two recordings on here that are different from all the later entries. I can tell from the time stamps, she was in the habit of recording her dreams as soon as she woke up whenever she woke up. Both of these were made around three in the morning. Here, take a listen," he said. He pulled a pair of ear buds out of his jacket pocket.
Scully took one. Apparently she wanted him to listen, too, even though he'd listened to it several times today. He obliged and hit play.
I'm alone and happy. Naked but warmed by the sun and safe. I walk slowly. The earth splits. A great crack that pulls open right to the core of the world.
A roar. So loud, it's deafening but beautiful. Something rises like smoke from the earth. Darkness unformed. A shadow with nothing to cast it.
A dragon made of shadows.
The sun is gone. It is cold and dark. The earth is gone from my feet, and I fly free. No danger to see, none to hear.
It's terrible and wonderful and silent.
I'm surrounded by winding walls. I would climb them, but they're all bone and skulls. I can't touch them. I won't.
The walls move. And then I see from above. I see myself from above, surrounded by walls. A maze, a labyrinth. It never ends, and I want to see it. I want to see why. Who else is here? I want to see.
There was a beep indicating the end of an entry.
"Mulder, what does this prove, exactly?" she asked.
"Jungian dream interpretation sees dragons and similar monsters as the personification of regressive influences in the unconscious that threaten to swallow the ego. It's a common archetypal motif in mythology, Scully. The hero descends into the abyss, dying to be reborn into a new role in life. Fighting a dragon can represent an internal conflict over a major transition, and since they are known for protected treasure, it may also represent the acquisition of a new skill or material wealth. Though, admittedly, the allegory is more common to those facing external conflicts, such as taking the MCATs to get into medical school."
"So you think she's psychic because of her dream?" Scully asked.
"What I'm saying is that these dreams make sense for a young girl coming into a psychic ability," he said. "I have dozens of cases about psychic skills manifesting during puberty of adolescence preceded by signs and indicators such as dreams just like this, filled with savage and terrifying images and events, yet the dreamer, the one experiencing it, isn't frightened by any of it."
"So you agree with her parents. This girl has The Sight, or whatever it's called, and her neurological symptoms are just a consequence of it?" she asked.
"Actually, not at all. For each case I have about extrasensory abilities developing with age, I have three cases of such abilities manifesting as a direct result of illness or physiological abnormality, most of which are brain tumors. That being said, these paranormal aptitudes that appear as byproducts of disease or disorder never have corresponding harbingers like this. In fact, the ability itself is usually the first indicator of disease. Seeing the future - assuming that that's what this is - manifested at the same time as her illness, preceded only by dreams that can be interpreted as a great transformation in her life. Pythia's case is in complete contradiction to everything I know about this kind of phenomenon."
Scully said, "I'm confused, Mulder. What are you saying?"
"What I'm say is... I'm confused, too," he replied simply. "Here, listen to the later entries."
They both returned their ear buds before he hit play.
Round and round... black thorny spies, down, down, down in their hunger. A brimming bog of carrion... where are they going? Why are they here?
Beep!
Shadows infiltrate the sky, infesting the clouds, falling back over us, binding to our lips, teeth, marrow...
Beep!
It's too loud, it won't stop. Make it stop! Make it stop! I can't... I can't hear! It's too loud... I can't hear!
Beep! Beep!
"Those beeps mean it's the end of the audio," Mulder said before he pocketed the ear buds and recorder.
"It sounds to me like she was having nightmares," Scully said.
"I don't think so," Mulder replied. "These are all time-stamped later in the day. I don't think these are dreams at all, Scully. They have almost nothing in common with the other recordings. There's no description beyond the vague, almost poetical, images, not to mention the fear in her voice. It's like it overshadows everything she saw and experienced when she recorded these."
"And what do you think that means?"
"I don't know what it means yet," he said. "If I had a theory, I'd share it. What else do we know about her?"
Scully took a moment before she replied, as if wondering if she should be treating this as an investigation.
"So far every lab I've run on her comes back negative or within normal limits. No trauma to the brain, no tumors or vascular anomalies, nothing. All of her symptoms are neurological: headache, ataxia, aphasia, dysgraphia, logorrhea. She hasn't reported hallucinations, but it's clear she has them because she reacts to them. Her symptoms disappear and reappear, and right now I have no known cause."
"Is there any kind of behavior that causes most or all of those long medical terms you used?" he asked. "If it's not a disease, could it be caused by something she chooses to do, or not to do? Maybe she skips meals or won't eat anything green."
"If it was a vitamin imbalance, we would've caught it," Scully replied. "And I've tested her for drugs and drug abuse. There's no sign of anything like that."
"Is it possible that one or more of her symptoms is something else?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Is it possible that her difficulty writing is actually be a tremor or a tic?" he asked.
"No, her hand didn't show a tremor, but..." Scully began.
"But?" he prompted.
"Her continuous speech. It's like she's saying whatever comes to her without thinking or forming a solid idea."
"That makes sense. Like I said, she was in the habit of recording her dreams. They follow that same pattern. She'd speak in stream-of-consciousness, or rather, stream-of-unconsciousness. That's where the speaker gives impressions, emotions, and images immediately so as to avoid integrating the desperate elements of a memory or dream into a narrative, which many see as an inversion or corruption, an affect of the conscious mind asserting logic and reason where it doesn't belong. She'd describe the dream with as little interpretation or thinking as possible. It's not an easily acquired skill, Scully. She worked for it."
"So maybe her continuous speech isn't the inability to stop talking," Scully said. "Maybe it's a manifestation of disinhibition."
"I thought you got that from drinking alcohol," Mulder said.
"Which means she could be living with an undiagnosed sleeping disorder," she said. "Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to all kinds of neurological symptoms, which can get better or worse under stress, at certain times of day, or for no reason at all."
"So, you think this is a sleeping disorder, doc? Which one?"
"The hallucinations... it's possible that she's been experience hypnogogic hallucinations. Her speech is fractured during these because she's falling in and out of sleep. Her ataxia could be the result of sleep deprivation, or perhaps a manifestation of cataplexy - "
Mulder interrupted, "Cataplexy. I used that word on Skinner the other day."
Scully continued, "Mulder, my patient takes a stimulantto treat her ADHD. It could effectively mask the more obvious symptoms of narcolepsy, both idiopathic and with cataplexy, leaving her with less diagnostic symptoms like sleep paralysis and automatic behavior."
"You sound happy," he said. "I take it that this is a good thing?"
"Well, no, there is no cure, but it's a treatable disorder that doesn't show results on any of the tests I've run. The only way to diagnose it is a polysomnogram and MSLT."
"See, getting the team back together works wonders on a brain fog."
"Which leaves one question to be answered."
"What's that?"
"Why did cataplexy come up when talking with Skinner?" she asked.
"Possible causes of zombies."
She laughed, and for the first time all night, she seemed relieved.
Then her pager went off.
"It's a nine one one from the hospital," she said. "I need to get back."
"Here, take the car," he said, handing her the keys. "I'll get a cab or walk back."
"Thank you," she said, squeezing his hand.
"Scully, one more thing about getting the old team together."
"What?"
"It reminded me that sometimes, you just have to go with your gut, even if the evidence isn't there. I think that holds true for you, maybe now more than ever."
Scully arrived at the hospital less than ten minutes later. Hembree seemed confused and, frankly, cowed.
"Did you page me?" she asked.
"It's Saura," he replied. "She's had a seizure."
"A seizure? What kind?"
"Tonic-clonic."
"What was going on before it happened?" she asked.
"She was fine, talking normally," Hembree said to Scully. "She was saying how she wanted to go back to school because she misses her friends. She had no aphasia or any trouble speaking at all."
"Was she alert and clear?" Scully asked.
"Completely lucid. She didn't say much, but what she did say showed organized thought," he replied. "She also complained of a headache, even though she already had a dose of ibuprofen an hour ago. Then she seized."
"How is she now?"
"She responded well to the antiseizure meds, but all of her symptoms have come back in full force. She won't stop talking, even though the aphasia is back. Doctor Scully, I admit, I was wrong about her case. Do you have any idea what's going on with her?"
Her narcolepsy theory was bust. Saura could have a sleeping disorder and epilepsy, but it was far more reasonable to conclude that the seizure was a symptom of the same illness. Narcolepsy presented with seizure-like sleep attacks, where REM sleep intruded on waking activity, but a sleep attack wouldn't be confused with a tonic-clonic seizure and certainly didn't respond to anticonvulsants.
Without answering Hembree's question, Scully entered Saura's room. Her father was collapsed in a chair, exhausted and defeated, and Saura was sitting up in bed with a blank look on her face.
It was going to be a long night.
Mulder waited up for Scully, even though she told him not to. He feigned sleep when she arrived home, and he continued to do so as she went through her nightly routine.
It was past two in the morning when she finally crawled under the covers.
"I know you're awake," she said.
"Hi," he replied, opening his eyes. "You okay?"
"Not really. What would you tell this girl's father, Mulder? If he asked you about his daughter."
"I don't know. She's so young, Scully. If she does have a gift - and I do believe that she does - she needs to grow into it in her own time," he said quietly. "Chances are, once her illness is treated, whatever ability will go away."
"Mulder, if she's not treated, she could die," Scully said. "If her parents deny her treatment because they think she has an ability, I..."
He interrupted, "You'd never let that happen. Not as long as you could help it."
He reached out and touched her face.
"You should get some sleep," he said.
"I can't, my mind is racing."
He came closer and pulled her into a long kiss.
"How about now?" he asked.
"Still racing," she replied.
He rolled onto his back, pulling her on top, and kissed her again.
"What about now?"
"Not yet."
This time she kissed him, wrapping herself around him, seeking comfort in his eyes.
Scully checked in on Saura first thing in the morning. She was fast asleep, so she left for her office.
A woman of Southeast Asian descent was waiting for her. She was in a hospital gown.
"You are Doctor Scully?" the woman asked.
"Yes, who are you?"
"My name is Manali Teixeira. I am Saura's mother," she said. "I was unwell before, but I have come to tell you that no doctor can treat The Sight. It simply is."
"Mrs. Teixeira, I assure you, I am not trying to treat The Sight - "
Manali interrupted, "If you cannot find what is wrong and soon, we will take Saura home, where she belongs. You cannot treat The Sight, and I refuse to have her locked away like her birth mother."
"Mrs. Teixeira," Scully said. "There are a number of genetic disorders to consider. If I had the name or medical records of the biological parents, I could narrow down the possibilities. Your husband made it sound as if you knew the birth mother."
"I did. Her family was like mine, originally from India," Manali said. "But her name and medical files I will not give you. She had a gift that was smothered here in this country. That is all you need to know."
"Excuse me, Mrs. Teixeira?" said a nurse that Scully didn't recognize. "I don't mean to interrupt, but you really shouldn't be out of bed."
With that, the nurse escorted Manali to the elevator, guiding her back to her room.
Scully dropped off her things and immediately returned to Saura's room. Her father slept soundly in his chair, but she was awake and alert.
"Saura, how are you feeling?" Scully asked, keeping her voice low so as to not wake Goito.
"I guess I'm okay," she replied.
A peculiar look passed over Saura's face. Scully thought it could be an absent seizure, but then she started speaking. At first, her words seemed incoherent, but they became stronger, more logical, as she went on.
"Not a wolf, not a hound, but a pup. Not a bite, a bark, peeling, peeling, rubbing away..." Saura said. In the next instant, she became completely aware and alert, and she looked Scully in the eye when she said, "You think it's your worst nightmare coming to life, but it's actually that dream you've always wanted, finally becoming reality."
"Saura, how are you feeling?" Scully repeated, not sure if she was more stunned or concerned.
"I'm okay," she said. "Doctor Scully, how can I be like you?"
"I'm not sure what you mean, Saura."
"You're not scared."
"What do you mean? Afraid of what?"
Saura said, "Of what you know. You know it, but you're not scared. You keep trying. I want to be like that."
"I don't understand," she said. "What are you afraid of, Saura?"
"Is she awake?" Goito said as he woke up.
"Yes, she's doing well," Scully said. "I'll leave you two so you can have your breakfast."
As she left the room, Nurse Dallon caught up with her.
"Doctor Scully, the lab repeated those tests you ordered. This one came back flagged."
"Flagged?" she asked. "As what?"
"As different from the one they ran two days ago. Not sure if it's because of a previous lab error or the expanded panels you asked for."
"Thank you," she said.
The test was an expanded thyroid panel, which showed Saura's levels were within the normal range, but it showed that she tested positive for thyroid antibodies. That meant that Saura had autoimmune thyroiditis, and while it alone did not explain her symptoms, it had a related illness that explained everything, down to the lack of clinical findings.
"Nurse Dallon," Scully said. "I need one hundred milligrams of prednisone ordered and prepared for Saura Teixeira. I also want tests throughout the day so her white blood cell count can be monitored."
"Yes, Doctor Scully. I don't mean to pry, but what is the diagnosis? I'm just curious."
"Hashimoto's encephalopathy," Scully replied. "She'll need to be monitored to see if we need to increase or decrease the dosage. As soon as Mr. Teixeira is done with breakfast, please bring him to my office so we can discuss her diagnosis and treatment."
Mulder was walking Rex when his cell phone rang.
"Mulder," he answered.
"Is this the expert in paranormal phenomenon?" the caller asked.
"Yes. To whom am I speaking?"
"My name is Goito Teixeira. A doctor gave me your name and said you could help me."
"What is it you need?" he asked.
"My daughter is sick, and today, I heard her talk to a complete stranger so clearly, so... honestly about herself. I wonder, maybe she does not say things to me because I am her father, because she believes that she cannot say them to me."
Mulder replied. "I'm sorry, I'm not following you."
"I would like to talk with you, and then, maybe you speak with my daughter. She refused me and her mother, at least for talking about this. It is important for me that she decides for herself, but she should speak with someone."
"I understand," Mulder said. "I'd be happy to meet with you."
"I cannot leave the hospital. Will you come here?" he asked.
"Absolutely. When?"
Scully had dealt with angry parents before, but usually they came to her upset that their child wasn't getting better or because the diagnosis wasn't clear. This was completely different.
"I tell you you can't keep Saura here, and suddenly you have a reason to keep her!" Manali said. "How do we know that this is not some invention or ruse?"
"Mrs. Teixeira, I assure you, the diagnosis is neither subterfuge nor invention. Rare disorders can be difficult to diagnose, and Hashimoto's encephalopathy is rare. One consideration is her ADHD. She was diagnosed at age twelve, which is much later than most cases. It's possible that her ADHD is related to problems with her thyroid. Most reported cases of Hashimoto's are from young adults with a history of autoimmune thyroiditis - "
"Our daughter has no such history," Manali interrupted.
Scully explained, "That's true. She has no prior history, but I ran tests that confirm she has autoimmune thyroiditis. Saura is only fourteen, so I'm not surprised that she's never been tested or diagnosed with it before."
Goito asked, "Please, Doctor Scully, will our daughter be well again? When will she go home?"
"Saura's prognosis is very good. Hashimoto's is very treatable. She'll need to be on high-dose prednisone, but once her symptoms remit, we can slowly reduce her dosage until she no longer needs the medication. Most cases remain in remission. Her thyroiditis might require additional treatment, but if she responds well, she could go home as soon as Monday night."
"The Sight cannot be cured," Manali said.
"Mr. and Mrs. Teixeira," Scully began politely. "I am a doctor. I'm treating your daughter, not The Sight or any... special ability she may have. I don't know if I've communicated this clearly, but Hashimoto's encephalopathy is a good thing. It's treatable, and in most cases, curable. Saura will live a long and healthy life."
"You don't believe, which means you don't understand," Goito said.
"I have no interest in questioning or insulting your beliefs," she said. "I just want to help your daughter get well if I can."
Manali relaxed a little. It was a start.
Four days later... Fox Mulder knocked on the patient room door.
"Come in."
Saura was dressed in her own pajamas, likely because she would be going home today.
"Hi, Saura, I'm Fox," he said.
"Hi."
"Your father asked me to talk with you," he said. "He was worried you felt like you couldn't tell him or your mom."
"I can't always tell them," she said. "I want to, but I can't."
"If you want, you can tell me."
"Not really."
"I've known people with special gifts," he said. "One of my friends... he can hear thoughts."
"Are you making that up?" she asked.
"No, one of my friends can hear other people's thoughts. He'd reply to things I hadn't said out loud yet."
"Cool."
"Saura, your parents believe you can see the future. According to a lot of people here, you predicted things that came next with a high accuracy," he said. "Do you remember that?"
She shook her head, no.
"Before you were sick, did you see the future?" he asked.
Again, she shook her head, no.
"You want to hear my theory?"
She shrugged.
Mulder could tell that Saura was an introvert and very shy, and she had a kind of innocent wisdom that most adults never possess.
"I think you've been seeing the future for a long time now, in one form or another. And whatever your parents believe about this particular gift, it's not because you're ill, and it doesn't make you sick, either. The one thing I don't understand is... how do you keep it secret? And why?"
Saura looked away for several minutes.
"You remind me of me a long time ago," Mulder said. "I had my own mission, my own plan, and my own gifts I guess you could say. I was so used to people thinking I was some nut to be dismissed that I kept everyone at arm's length. It was pretty rough, and it wasn't until I dared to let someone in that things got better for me. Saura, you don't have to talk to me, but you talk to someone."
"If I could see the future before it happens," she said. "I wouldn't want anyone to know. They might use it to do bad things."
"That makes sense."
"But how can I know whose reasons are good or bad?" she asked. "I wouldn't want anyone to know what I could do, I mean, if I could do it. What if they threatened to hurt me? I heard my mom talking a young boy who could predict the future. He grew up in the same city as my mom in India. She said that people would beat him if he didn't tell them things. So if I could do that, I would keep it to myself."
"That's smart," he said. "So tell me, Saura, if you had this gift, Saura, what would you do with it?"
She shrugged. "I guess, nothing."
"Aw, come on," he said. "Why not play the lottery?"
"That'd be wrong."
"Then, what would be right?" he asked.
"My dad said that people only see what they look for," she said. "Maybe, sometimes, something that needs to be seen, but nobody looking. Maybe seeing what could be coming next is just a way to get someone to look."
Someone knocked on the door.
"If we had had this conversation," Mulder said. "Your secret would be safe with me. I'm glad you're feeling better."
"Thanks, Fox," Saura replied.
Mulder opened the door, and Scully joined them.
"Hello Saura," Scully said. "How are you?"
"Hi Doctor Scully, I'm - "
A blank look suddenly overcame Saura. For a few moments, she seemed absent.
"Can I asked you something?" she asked suddenly.
"Of course," Scully replied.
"When I look at you, I see a boomerang, or something hot and blazing has gone round and round and is coming straight back at you. You see it, and you smile. Both of you. I just want to know why. Why do you smile when everyone else would be too afraid?"
Mulder and Scully looked at each other, confused. He didn't know if she wanted him to answer, but even if she did, he had no idea what to say.
Saura laughed.
"Saura?" Scully asked.
"It's okay, I understand now," she said. "Thanks, Fox and Doctor Scully."
After discharging Saura, Scully went to her office to find Mulder waiting for her.
"Sounded to me like your conversation with Saura went well," she said.
"Actually, I'm pretty sure it didn't happen. Ten to one that girl is gonna be a lawyer," he replied.
"You think Saura will be a lawyer who can see the future? That's terrifying, even for you, Mulder."
"You don't think she can see the future, do you?" he asked.
"You do?" she asked.
"Yes."
"You know, I thought you'd be spending the rest of this week celebrating your last few days of freedom," she said. "Charles left a message saying he'd be here on Saturday with the kids. Life's only going to get busier here on out."
"Tell me about it."
"Mulder, I think you should call Skinner," she said. "Tell him you'll take the job."
"Scully, next week our hands will be so full that I won't even be able to think about - "
"That's my point," she said, interrupting. "If you don't accept now, you might tell Skinner you can't, and we both know you want to."
"Are you yanking my chain, Scully?"
"No, Mulder. I just realized that you're right. We're a great team, but it's hard to remember that when we haven't had something to work on together in a while. So maybe this consulting job will give us a few more reminders."
"Then let me ask you something, Scully, as my partner in crime," he said dramatically. "What do you think that fiery boomerang thing was?"
Personal notes on Patient Number TVH150002:
After high-dose prednisone treatment began, the patient's symptoms went into full remission, though she has reported several side effects from the medication, including dry mouth, flushing, and dry skin. Given the severity of her symptoms during her untreated experience of Hashimoto's encephalopathy, these side effects have been deemed acceptable, by both the patient and her parents. It is my hope that her condition will remain stable as we reduce her dosage over the next few weeks.
As to the question of whether or not Patient TVH150002 could predict the future, I have no answer. There is simply no evidence to support such a theory, and it is my personal hope that no further inquiries will be made now that she has gone into remission.
It is not surprising that the incoherent and broken words that Patient TVH150002 spoke were imbued with additional meaning, with the belief that she was doing more than reacting to an autoimmune disorder. The human brain has evolved to perceive information and identify patterns in the random and chaotic events of life in order to promote survival. One of the side effects of this ability is that humans relentless seek meaning in the events of everyday life and see familiar forms wherever we look. For example, people see faces or animals in clouds, a gathering of dust, or even shadows. The moon has often been believed to be the home of hare because its image is seen on the moon's face. For the same reason, other cultures and traditions identify the inhabitant of the moon as man.
Apophonia, or identifying patterns where there are none, can be indicative of an unhealthy psyche, but any person can fall under the spell of perceiving something desired even when it simply isn't there, be it a harbinger of future events or a curable disease.
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Primary Post: Addendum GW
End of Chapter Notes
Translations and Pronunciation Guide
The following terms and phrases were referenced in this chapter.
aphasia (pronounced "ay-faze-ee-ah") is used to describe a number of language disorders, including difficulty with word finding despite previous knowledge of the desired word.
ataxia (pronounced "ay-tax-ee-ah") is a neurological problem that arises from a lack of voluntary muscle coordination, resulting in movement disorders, including an abnormal gait while walking.
criar malvas (Portuguese) translates literally as "to make/to build mallows," and the expression is an idiom equivalent to the English "pushing up daisies," a euphemism for someone being dead in buried.
dysgraphia (pronounced "dis-graff-ee-ah") is difficulty or deficiency in handwriting.
logorrhea (pronounced "law-guh-re-ah") refers to pathological speech that is incoherent or repetitive, though it can also refer to incessant talking.
não por favor (Portuguese) translates to "no please."
Teixeira (pronounced tey-sher-ah) a common Portuguese and Brazilian surname derived from the Portuguese teixo, meaning 'yew tree.'
Subtitle: Harbinger sec. Apophenia
Author: dracox-serdriel
Word count: 13,076 (total for chapter)
Rating: R
Warnings: medical references, references to sleep paralysis and psychosis, sexual innuendo, disorientation, delusion
Important: This chapter has been broken into two parts because of the length restrictions on Livejournal.
Chapter notes: For common terminology definitions and pronunciation, see end-of-chapter notes.
Mulder took Scully to the little pizzeria. It was cozy and a little romantic, but he doubted she noticed. She might've been sitting across the table from him, but she was a thousand miles away.
He brought up the application process for becoming a secure foster home in Oregon, which was a pleasant enough discussion, but she still didn't really seem present during the conversation.
"Scully, what's wrong?"
"Mulder, don't..."
"I've tried to distract you with charm, wit, and state-required paperwork," he said. "Obviously, none of it's worked."
"It's not you, Mulder, it's this patient of mine," she replied.
"Pythia," he said. "Assuming this is the same future-predicting patient whose recorder you gave. I've been referring to her as Pythia."
"She can't predict the future," Scully said. "And, yes, that's the patient I mean. Pythia, Mulder? Really?"
"The Oracle of Delphi was too long for a pseudonym."
"So you picked Pythia because it's pithy?"
"Actually, I picked it because I wanted to give her a name, especially after listening to this," he said, pulling out the digital recorder. "We can solve this case together, like the old days."
"This isn't an investigation," she replied.
"Not in the traditional sense, but it has all the same components. Physical evidence, a case history, someone who needs help. I might not be a doctor, but I think it's fair to say some of you has rubbed off on me in the past twenty-odd years."
Scully nibbled on her pizza to give herself time to think.
"All right, Mulder, do you have a theory?" she asked.
"First, there are two recordings on here that are different from all the later entries. I can tell from the time stamps, she was in the habit of recording her dreams as soon as she woke up whenever she woke up. Both of these were made around three in the morning. Here, take a listen," he said. He pulled a pair of ear buds out of his jacket pocket.
Scully took one. Apparently she wanted him to listen, too, even though he'd listened to it several times today. He obliged and hit play.
I'm alone and happy. Naked but warmed by the sun and safe. I walk slowly. The earth splits. A great crack that pulls open right to the core of the world.
A roar. So loud, it's deafening but beautiful. Something rises like smoke from the earth. Darkness unformed. A shadow with nothing to cast it.
A dragon made of shadows.
The sun is gone. It is cold and dark. The earth is gone from my feet, and I fly free. No danger to see, none to hear.
It's terrible and wonderful and silent.
I'm surrounded by winding walls. I would climb them, but they're all bone and skulls. I can't touch them. I won't.
The walls move. And then I see from above. I see myself from above, surrounded by walls. A maze, a labyrinth. It never ends, and I want to see it. I want to see why. Who else is here? I want to see.
There was a beep indicating the end of an entry.
"Mulder, what does this prove, exactly?" she asked.
"Jungian dream interpretation sees dragons and similar monsters as the personification of regressive influences in the unconscious that threaten to swallow the ego. It's a common archetypal motif in mythology, Scully. The hero descends into the abyss, dying to be reborn into a new role in life. Fighting a dragon can represent an internal conflict over a major transition, and since they are known for protected treasure, it may also represent the acquisition of a new skill or material wealth. Though, admittedly, the allegory is more common to those facing external conflicts, such as taking the MCATs to get into medical school."
"So you think she's psychic because of her dream?" Scully asked.
"What I'm saying is that these dreams make sense for a young girl coming into a psychic ability," he said. "I have dozens of cases about psychic skills manifesting during puberty of adolescence preceded by signs and indicators such as dreams just like this, filled with savage and terrifying images and events, yet the dreamer, the one experiencing it, isn't frightened by any of it."
"So you agree with her parents. This girl has The Sight, or whatever it's called, and her neurological symptoms are just a consequence of it?" she asked.
"Actually, not at all. For each case I have about extrasensory abilities developing with age, I have three cases of such abilities manifesting as a direct result of illness or physiological abnormality, most of which are brain tumors. That being said, these paranormal aptitudes that appear as byproducts of disease or disorder never have corresponding harbingers like this. In fact, the ability itself is usually the first indicator of disease. Seeing the future - assuming that that's what this is - manifested at the same time as her illness, preceded only by dreams that can be interpreted as a great transformation in her life. Pythia's case is in complete contradiction to everything I know about this kind of phenomenon."
Scully said, "I'm confused, Mulder. What are you saying?"
"What I'm say is... I'm confused, too," he replied simply. "Here, listen to the later entries."
They both returned their ear buds before he hit play.
Round and round... black thorny spies, down, down, down in their hunger. A brimming bog of carrion... where are they going? Why are they here?
Beep!
Shadows infiltrate the sky, infesting the clouds, falling back over us, binding to our lips, teeth, marrow...
Beep!
It's too loud, it won't stop. Make it stop! Make it stop! I can't... I can't hear! It's too loud... I can't hear!
Beep! Beep!
"Those beeps mean it's the end of the audio," Mulder said before he pocketed the ear buds and recorder.
"It sounds to me like she was having nightmares," Scully said.
"I don't think so," Mulder replied. "These are all time-stamped later in the day. I don't think these are dreams at all, Scully. They have almost nothing in common with the other recordings. There's no description beyond the vague, almost poetical, images, not to mention the fear in her voice. It's like it overshadows everything she saw and experienced when she recorded these."
"And what do you think that means?"
"I don't know what it means yet," he said. "If I had a theory, I'd share it. What else do we know about her?"
Scully took a moment before she replied, as if wondering if she should be treating this as an investigation.
"So far every lab I've run on her comes back negative or within normal limits. No trauma to the brain, no tumors or vascular anomalies, nothing. All of her symptoms are neurological: headache, ataxia, aphasia, dysgraphia, logorrhea. She hasn't reported hallucinations, but it's clear she has them because she reacts to them. Her symptoms disappear and reappear, and right now I have no known cause."
"Is there any kind of behavior that causes most or all of those long medical terms you used?" he asked. "If it's not a disease, could it be caused by something she chooses to do, or not to do? Maybe she skips meals or won't eat anything green."
"If it was a vitamin imbalance, we would've caught it," Scully replied. "And I've tested her for drugs and drug abuse. There's no sign of anything like that."
"Is it possible that one or more of her symptoms is something else?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Is it possible that her difficulty writing is actually be a tremor or a tic?" he asked.
"No, her hand didn't show a tremor, but..." Scully began.
"But?" he prompted.
"Her continuous speech. It's like she's saying whatever comes to her without thinking or forming a solid idea."
"That makes sense. Like I said, she was in the habit of recording her dreams. They follow that same pattern. She'd speak in stream-of-consciousness, or rather, stream-of-unconsciousness. That's where the speaker gives impressions, emotions, and images immediately so as to avoid integrating the desperate elements of a memory or dream into a narrative, which many see as an inversion or corruption, an affect of the conscious mind asserting logic and reason where it doesn't belong. She'd describe the dream with as little interpretation or thinking as possible. It's not an easily acquired skill, Scully. She worked for it."
"So maybe her continuous speech isn't the inability to stop talking," Scully said. "Maybe it's a manifestation of disinhibition."
"I thought you got that from drinking alcohol," Mulder said.
"Which means she could be living with an undiagnosed sleeping disorder," she said. "Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to all kinds of neurological symptoms, which can get better or worse under stress, at certain times of day, or for no reason at all."
"So, you think this is a sleeping disorder, doc? Which one?"
"The hallucinations... it's possible that she's been experience hypnogogic hallucinations. Her speech is fractured during these because she's falling in and out of sleep. Her ataxia could be the result of sleep deprivation, or perhaps a manifestation of cataplexy - "
Mulder interrupted, "Cataplexy. I used that word on Skinner the other day."
Scully continued, "Mulder, my patient takes a stimulantto treat her ADHD. It could effectively mask the more obvious symptoms of narcolepsy, both idiopathic and with cataplexy, leaving her with less diagnostic symptoms like sleep paralysis and automatic behavior."
"You sound happy," he said. "I take it that this is a good thing?"
"Well, no, there is no cure, but it's a treatable disorder that doesn't show results on any of the tests I've run. The only way to diagnose it is a polysomnogram and MSLT."
"See, getting the team back together works wonders on a brain fog."
"Which leaves one question to be answered."
"What's that?"
"Why did cataplexy come up when talking with Skinner?" she asked.
"Possible causes of zombies."
She laughed, and for the first time all night, she seemed relieved.
Then her pager went off.
"It's a nine one one from the hospital," she said. "I need to get back."
"Here, take the car," he said, handing her the keys. "I'll get a cab or walk back."
"Thank you," she said, squeezing his hand.
"Scully, one more thing about getting the old team together."
"What?"
"It reminded me that sometimes, you just have to go with your gut, even if the evidence isn't there. I think that holds true for you, maybe now more than ever."
Scully arrived at the hospital less than ten minutes later. Hembree seemed confused and, frankly, cowed.
"Did you page me?" she asked.
"It's Saura," he replied. "She's had a seizure."
"A seizure? What kind?"
"Tonic-clonic."
"What was going on before it happened?" she asked.
"She was fine, talking normally," Hembree said to Scully. "She was saying how she wanted to go back to school because she misses her friends. She had no aphasia or any trouble speaking at all."
"Was she alert and clear?" Scully asked.
"Completely lucid. She didn't say much, but what she did say showed organized thought," he replied. "She also complained of a headache, even though she already had a dose of ibuprofen an hour ago. Then she seized."
"How is she now?"
"She responded well to the antiseizure meds, but all of her symptoms have come back in full force. She won't stop talking, even though the aphasia is back. Doctor Scully, I admit, I was wrong about her case. Do you have any idea what's going on with her?"
Her narcolepsy theory was bust. Saura could have a sleeping disorder and epilepsy, but it was far more reasonable to conclude that the seizure was a symptom of the same illness. Narcolepsy presented with seizure-like sleep attacks, where REM sleep intruded on waking activity, but a sleep attack wouldn't be confused with a tonic-clonic seizure and certainly didn't respond to anticonvulsants.
Without answering Hembree's question, Scully entered Saura's room. Her father was collapsed in a chair, exhausted and defeated, and Saura was sitting up in bed with a blank look on her face.
It was going to be a long night.
Mulder waited up for Scully, even though she told him not to. He feigned sleep when she arrived home, and he continued to do so as she went through her nightly routine.
It was past two in the morning when she finally crawled under the covers.
"I know you're awake," she said.
"Hi," he replied, opening his eyes. "You okay?"
"Not really. What would you tell this girl's father, Mulder? If he asked you about his daughter."
"I don't know. She's so young, Scully. If she does have a gift - and I do believe that she does - she needs to grow into it in her own time," he said quietly. "Chances are, once her illness is treated, whatever ability will go away."
"Mulder, if she's not treated, she could die," Scully said. "If her parents deny her treatment because they think she has an ability, I..."
He interrupted, "You'd never let that happen. Not as long as you could help it."
He reached out and touched her face.
"You should get some sleep," he said.
"I can't, my mind is racing."
He came closer and pulled her into a long kiss.
"How about now?" he asked.
"Still racing," she replied.
He rolled onto his back, pulling her on top, and kissed her again.
"What about now?"
"Not yet."
This time she kissed him, wrapping herself around him, seeking comfort in his eyes.
Scully checked in on Saura first thing in the morning. She was fast asleep, so she left for her office.
A woman of Southeast Asian descent was waiting for her. She was in a hospital gown.
"You are Doctor Scully?" the woman asked.
"Yes, who are you?"
"My name is Manali Teixeira. I am Saura's mother," she said. "I was unwell before, but I have come to tell you that no doctor can treat The Sight. It simply is."
"Mrs. Teixeira, I assure you, I am not trying to treat The Sight - "
Manali interrupted, "If you cannot find what is wrong and soon, we will take Saura home, where she belongs. You cannot treat The Sight, and I refuse to have her locked away like her birth mother."
"Mrs. Teixeira," Scully said. "There are a number of genetic disorders to consider. If I had the name or medical records of the biological parents, I could narrow down the possibilities. Your husband made it sound as if you knew the birth mother."
"I did. Her family was like mine, originally from India," Manali said. "But her name and medical files I will not give you. She had a gift that was smothered here in this country. That is all you need to know."
"Excuse me, Mrs. Teixeira?" said a nurse that Scully didn't recognize. "I don't mean to interrupt, but you really shouldn't be out of bed."
With that, the nurse escorted Manali to the elevator, guiding her back to her room.
Scully dropped off her things and immediately returned to Saura's room. Her father slept soundly in his chair, but she was awake and alert.
"Saura, how are you feeling?" Scully asked, keeping her voice low so as to not wake Goito.
"I guess I'm okay," she replied.
A peculiar look passed over Saura's face. Scully thought it could be an absent seizure, but then she started speaking. At first, her words seemed incoherent, but they became stronger, more logical, as she went on.
"Not a wolf, not a hound, but a pup. Not a bite, a bark, peeling, peeling, rubbing away..." Saura said. In the next instant, she became completely aware and alert, and she looked Scully in the eye when she said, "You think it's your worst nightmare coming to life, but it's actually that dream you've always wanted, finally becoming reality."
"Saura, how are you feeling?" Scully repeated, not sure if she was more stunned or concerned.
"I'm okay," she said. "Doctor Scully, how can I be like you?"
"I'm not sure what you mean, Saura."
"You're not scared."
"What do you mean? Afraid of what?"
Saura said, "Of what you know. You know it, but you're not scared. You keep trying. I want to be like that."
"I don't understand," she said. "What are you afraid of, Saura?"
"Is she awake?" Goito said as he woke up.
"Yes, she's doing well," Scully said. "I'll leave you two so you can have your breakfast."
As she left the room, Nurse Dallon caught up with her.
"Doctor Scully, the lab repeated those tests you ordered. This one came back flagged."
"Flagged?" she asked. "As what?"
"As different from the one they ran two days ago. Not sure if it's because of a previous lab error or the expanded panels you asked for."
"Thank you," she said.
The test was an expanded thyroid panel, which showed Saura's levels were within the normal range, but it showed that she tested positive for thyroid antibodies. That meant that Saura had autoimmune thyroiditis, and while it alone did not explain her symptoms, it had a related illness that explained everything, down to the lack of clinical findings.
"Nurse Dallon," Scully said. "I need one hundred milligrams of prednisone ordered and prepared for Saura Teixeira. I also want tests throughout the day so her white blood cell count can be monitored."
"Yes, Doctor Scully. I don't mean to pry, but what is the diagnosis? I'm just curious."
"Hashimoto's encephalopathy," Scully replied. "She'll need to be monitored to see if we need to increase or decrease the dosage. As soon as Mr. Teixeira is done with breakfast, please bring him to my office so we can discuss her diagnosis and treatment."
Mulder was walking Rex when his cell phone rang.
"Mulder," he answered.
"Is this the expert in paranormal phenomenon?" the caller asked.
"Yes. To whom am I speaking?"
"My name is Goito Teixeira. A doctor gave me your name and said you could help me."
"What is it you need?" he asked.
"My daughter is sick, and today, I heard her talk to a complete stranger so clearly, so... honestly about herself. I wonder, maybe she does not say things to me because I am her father, because she believes that she cannot say them to me."
Mulder replied. "I'm sorry, I'm not following you."
"I would like to talk with you, and then, maybe you speak with my daughter. She refused me and her mother, at least for talking about this. It is important for me that she decides for herself, but she should speak with someone."
"I understand," Mulder said. "I'd be happy to meet with you."
"I cannot leave the hospital. Will you come here?" he asked.
"Absolutely. When?"
Scully had dealt with angry parents before, but usually they came to her upset that their child wasn't getting better or because the diagnosis wasn't clear. This was completely different.
"I tell you you can't keep Saura here, and suddenly you have a reason to keep her!" Manali said. "How do we know that this is not some invention or ruse?"
"Mrs. Teixeira, I assure you, the diagnosis is neither subterfuge nor invention. Rare disorders can be difficult to diagnose, and Hashimoto's encephalopathy is rare. One consideration is her ADHD. She was diagnosed at age twelve, which is much later than most cases. It's possible that her ADHD is related to problems with her thyroid. Most reported cases of Hashimoto's are from young adults with a history of autoimmune thyroiditis - "
"Our daughter has no such history," Manali interrupted.
Scully explained, "That's true. She has no prior history, but I ran tests that confirm she has autoimmune thyroiditis. Saura is only fourteen, so I'm not surprised that she's never been tested or diagnosed with it before."
Goito asked, "Please, Doctor Scully, will our daughter be well again? When will she go home?"
"Saura's prognosis is very good. Hashimoto's is very treatable. She'll need to be on high-dose prednisone, but once her symptoms remit, we can slowly reduce her dosage until she no longer needs the medication. Most cases remain in remission. Her thyroiditis might require additional treatment, but if she responds well, she could go home as soon as Monday night."
"The Sight cannot be cured," Manali said.
"Mr. and Mrs. Teixeira," Scully began politely. "I am a doctor. I'm treating your daughter, not The Sight or any... special ability she may have. I don't know if I've communicated this clearly, but Hashimoto's encephalopathy is a good thing. It's treatable, and in most cases, curable. Saura will live a long and healthy life."
"You don't believe, which means you don't understand," Goito said.
"I have no interest in questioning or insulting your beliefs," she said. "I just want to help your daughter get well if I can."
Manali relaxed a little. It was a start.
Four days later... Fox Mulder knocked on the patient room door.
"Come in."
Saura was dressed in her own pajamas, likely because she would be going home today.
"Hi, Saura, I'm Fox," he said.
"Hi."
"Your father asked me to talk with you," he said. "He was worried you felt like you couldn't tell him or your mom."
"I can't always tell them," she said. "I want to, but I can't."
"If you want, you can tell me."
"Not really."
"I've known people with special gifts," he said. "One of my friends... he can hear thoughts."
"Are you making that up?" she asked.
"No, one of my friends can hear other people's thoughts. He'd reply to things I hadn't said out loud yet."
"Cool."
"Saura, your parents believe you can see the future. According to a lot of people here, you predicted things that came next with a high accuracy," he said. "Do you remember that?"
She shook her head, no.
"Before you were sick, did you see the future?" he asked.
Again, she shook her head, no.
"You want to hear my theory?"
She shrugged.
Mulder could tell that Saura was an introvert and very shy, and she had a kind of innocent wisdom that most adults never possess.
"I think you've been seeing the future for a long time now, in one form or another. And whatever your parents believe about this particular gift, it's not because you're ill, and it doesn't make you sick, either. The one thing I don't understand is... how do you keep it secret? And why?"
Saura looked away for several minutes.
"You remind me of me a long time ago," Mulder said. "I had my own mission, my own plan, and my own gifts I guess you could say. I was so used to people thinking I was some nut to be dismissed that I kept everyone at arm's length. It was pretty rough, and it wasn't until I dared to let someone in that things got better for me. Saura, you don't have to talk to me, but you talk to someone."
"If I could see the future before it happens," she said. "I wouldn't want anyone to know. They might use it to do bad things."
"That makes sense."
"But how can I know whose reasons are good or bad?" she asked. "I wouldn't want anyone to know what I could do, I mean, if I could do it. What if they threatened to hurt me? I heard my mom talking a young boy who could predict the future. He grew up in the same city as my mom in India. She said that people would beat him if he didn't tell them things. So if I could do that, I would keep it to myself."
"That's smart," he said. "So tell me, Saura, if you had this gift, Saura, what would you do with it?"
She shrugged. "I guess, nothing."
"Aw, come on," he said. "Why not play the lottery?"
"That'd be wrong."
"Then, what would be right?" he asked.
"My dad said that people only see what they look for," she said. "Maybe, sometimes, something that needs to be seen, but nobody looking. Maybe seeing what could be coming next is just a way to get someone to look."
Someone knocked on the door.
"If we had had this conversation," Mulder said. "Your secret would be safe with me. I'm glad you're feeling better."
"Thanks, Fox," Saura replied.
Mulder opened the door, and Scully joined them.
"Hello Saura," Scully said. "How are you?"
"Hi Doctor Scully, I'm - "
A blank look suddenly overcame Saura. For a few moments, she seemed absent.
"Can I asked you something?" she asked suddenly.
"Of course," Scully replied.
"When I look at you, I see a boomerang, or something hot and blazing has gone round and round and is coming straight back at you. You see it, and you smile. Both of you. I just want to know why. Why do you smile when everyone else would be too afraid?"
Mulder and Scully looked at each other, confused. He didn't know if she wanted him to answer, but even if she did, he had no idea what to say.
Saura laughed.
"Saura?" Scully asked.
"It's okay, I understand now," she said. "Thanks, Fox and Doctor Scully."
After discharging Saura, Scully went to her office to find Mulder waiting for her.
"Sounded to me like your conversation with Saura went well," she said.
"Actually, I'm pretty sure it didn't happen. Ten to one that girl is gonna be a lawyer," he replied.
"You think Saura will be a lawyer who can see the future? That's terrifying, even for you, Mulder."
"You don't think she can see the future, do you?" he asked.
"You do?" she asked.
"Yes."
"You know, I thought you'd be spending the rest of this week celebrating your last few days of freedom," she said. "Charles left a message saying he'd be here on Saturday with the kids. Life's only going to get busier here on out."
"Tell me about it."
"Mulder, I think you should call Skinner," she said. "Tell him you'll take the job."
"Scully, next week our hands will be so full that I won't even be able to think about - "
"That's my point," she said, interrupting. "If you don't accept now, you might tell Skinner you can't, and we both know you want to."
"Are you yanking my chain, Scully?"
"No, Mulder. I just realized that you're right. We're a great team, but it's hard to remember that when we haven't had something to work on together in a while. So maybe this consulting job will give us a few more reminders."
"Then let me ask you something, Scully, as my partner in crime," he said dramatically. "What do you think that fiery boomerang thing was?"
Personal notes on Patient Number TVH150002:
After high-dose prednisone treatment began, the patient's symptoms went into full remission, though she has reported several side effects from the medication, including dry mouth, flushing, and dry skin. Given the severity of her symptoms during her untreated experience of Hashimoto's encephalopathy, these side effects have been deemed acceptable, by both the patient and her parents. It is my hope that her condition will remain stable as we reduce her dosage over the next few weeks.
As to the question of whether or not Patient TVH150002 could predict the future, I have no answer. There is simply no evidence to support such a theory, and it is my personal hope that no further inquiries will be made now that she has gone into remission.
It is not surprising that the incoherent and broken words that Patient TVH150002 spoke were imbued with additional meaning, with the belief that she was doing more than reacting to an autoimmune disorder. The human brain has evolved to perceive information and identify patterns in the random and chaotic events of life in order to promote survival. One of the side effects of this ability is that humans relentless seek meaning in the events of everyday life and see familiar forms wherever we look. For example, people see faces or animals in clouds, a gathering of dust, or even shadows. The moon has often been believed to be the home of hare because its image is seen on the moon's face. For the same reason, other cultures and traditions identify the inhabitant of the moon as man.
Apophonia, or identifying patterns where there are none, can be indicative of an unhealthy psyche, but any person can fall under the spell of perceiving something desired even when it simply isn't there, be it a harbinger of future events or a curable disease.
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Chapter Four: Feral
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Primary Post: Addendum GW
End of Chapter Notes
Translations and Pronunciation Guide
The following terms and phrases were referenced in this chapter.
aphasia (pronounced "ay-faze-ee-ah") is used to describe a number of language disorders, including difficulty with word finding despite previous knowledge of the desired word.
ataxia (pronounced "ay-tax-ee-ah") is a neurological problem that arises from a lack of voluntary muscle coordination, resulting in movement disorders, including an abnormal gait while walking.
criar malvas (Portuguese) translates literally as "to make/to build mallows," and the expression is an idiom equivalent to the English "pushing up daisies," a euphemism for someone being dead in buried.
dysgraphia (pronounced "dis-graff-ee-ah") is difficulty or deficiency in handwriting.
logorrhea (pronounced "law-guh-re-ah") refers to pathological speech that is incoherent or repetitive, though it can also refer to incessant talking.
não por favor (Portuguese) translates to "no please."
Teixeira (pronounced tey-sher-ah) a common Portuguese and Brazilian surname derived from the Portuguese teixo, meaning 'yew tree.'