The X-Files Episode 12x11: Leander
I'm not convinced this is my best fanfic I've written. I was trying to go for a dialogue-free episode by having it mostly from the point of view of a deaf character, and from Mulder and Scully who aren't exactly speaking to each other.
It's also meant to be a Valentines Day story, something that the show only attempted once.
Maybe the ending doesn't come naturally, but it was where I wanted the story to be at by the end of this one.
Episode 12x11: Leander
CAPE MAY, NJ
10 FEBRUARY 2019
Leanne Casey watches from outside the lighthouse that she keeps.
Her job is a lonely one, but she struggles to live outside of her lighthouse, mostly because she is deaf. She enjoys the solitude that the lighthouse brings.
Many lighthouses now are fully automated, and don’t need anyone to look after them. She is lucky to have been able to keep her job.
The sun has set now, and it is dark. She watches the four female students setting out of the harbour on their little boat, the Madison. She fancies that they look a bit drunk, and hopes at least one of them knows what they are doing.
She watches the boat travel off-course; it appears that the young women are distracted by something in the water.
A few hours later, the Madison has crashed a little way along the shoreline; smashed on the rocks. The only possible use for this boat now is firewood.
The water is quite deep, and the lifeless bodies of the young women are hauled to the surface by the police. The sky above is overcast and ominous, and they work by torchlight. Going out here was a foolish venture, and it has been a tragic loss of life.
No one notices the large fish-like tail vanishing under the water, just metres away from them, creating ripples on the surface.
No-one at least except for Leanne, who is watching from a distance.
XXXXX
CAPE MAY
14 FEBRUARY 2019
Mulder and Scully drive their rental car in silence.
Neither has anything much to say to each other.
Scully feels betrayed by her partner, who refused to tell her the truth about her own brother.
Charles.
Who apparently is now working as an assassin for Cancer Man.
Scully stares at her phone while Mulder drives. She has been trying to get Kersh to transfer her to another division, but being Spooky Mulder’s foil is proving a bit of a stigma for her.
Kersh has hinted that if he finds another person to keep Mulder grounded, maybe he’ll think about letting Scully do something else.
She would ideally like to return to her teaching role at Quantico.
He glances at her, but isn’t sure what to say to her. He’s tried to make small talk, but she has refused to talk about anything other than the case they are investigating.
It seems like a tragic accident to her, but apparently locals are claiming that ‘mer-folk’ might be involved.
It’s the stuff of fantasy; that is something that she and Deputy Director Kersh agree on.
Kersh nonetheless seems to enjoy the fact that Spooky Mulder will be away from the bureau for a few days at least.
Scully stares out of the window at the military base that they pass - Fort Clements - then the large, beautiful, wooden houses that make up Cape May. This is the sort of idyllic place where she would love to have moved with Mulder. The deaths that just occurred have shaken up the entire town.
XXXXX
Leanne sees the man and woman in suits approaching the lighthouse.
The feds.
Or should she be worried that she has MIBs visiting?
As she watches them approach, she can read their lips.
This is a waste of our time, the woman is saying, just like when we searched for Big Blue.
You don’t believe in mermaids?, he replies.
The Fiji Mermaid is the only recorded one, she volleys back, and that was a hoax.
Next you’ll be telling me the Ewoks don’t exist. The man seems to be attempting some humour, but it fails to amuse his partner, who doesn’t respond.
Christopher Columbus was reported to have seen a mermaid; Blackbeard the pirate too. I doubt they were both making the story up.
Seeing Leanne, they flash their F.B.I. badges.
Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.
Those ID photographs don’t seem to have been updated in over twenty years; they look very youthful in them.
Leanne communicates with them in the same way she converses with everyone: International sign language. She makes the signs very carefully, and quickly, having had some fifty years to learn the signs off by heart.
A clenched fist, followed by crossed fingers, then another clenched fist to sign: Are…
You here to ask about those dead girls?
They both look at each other and nod.
Agent Mulder looks unsure, but starts to sign back to her, slower. She can tell he is less used to it.
Yes; we understand that you were one of the last people to see them alive.
Agent Scully also begins to sign.
We got your address from the e-mail you sent after the police sent out an appeal.
Yes, Leanne signs back; that’s correct. I saw them all together; I wondered if they may have been drunk.
Agent Scully stares at her partner; Leanne can tell what she is thinking.
Did you notice anything unusual? Agent Mulder asks, maybe in the water?
Leanne can see the disapproving expression on Agent Scully’s face.
She is unsure if she should mention what she thought she saw in the water by what remained of the Madison. Instead, she raises her hand to sign: I …
didn’t look too closely, the boat distracted me.
Agent Mulder nods, understandingly.
Agent Scully holds up a finger, and then makes a fist: Do …
you live here on your own?
Leanne nods back.
I’ve been the lighthouse keeper for thirty years, she signs back; I only go into town to get supplies.
It seems that Leanne may have been the only person around at the time of the crash.
Thank you, Agent Mulder signs, we’ll stay in touch.
He writes down the address of the lodgings where they are checked in: Andersen Motel.
He writes down two rooms numbers: One for him, and one for Scully. They are at opposite ends of the small complex to each other.
As they turn to go, Leanne signs: I hope you can patch things up between each other.
The two agents stop, looking confused.
I can tell in your body language, she signs, you were in love once, but I sense that you’ve had a fight. Finding true love is always important; I never managed it.
Agent Scully signs: It’s been nice meeting you.
Leanne watches them depart, arguing with each other, but making no sound that she can perceive.
As she walks around the lighthouse, she can’t see Arthur watching her.
Arthur has appeared from under the water, having heard the sound of conversation; he is curious.
He pulls his bare chest into the cool February breeze, and leans on a rock, water dripping off his rugged torso. Physically, he appears to be in his late thirties at the most. His blonde beard and long hair show no signs of going grey.
He has watched Leanne a number of times, and is starting to feel sensations he’s not felt before.
Almost as though he were in love.
XXXXX
Scully looks at the post-mortem results on the dead women; she needs to see if there is anything that could have proven this incident as what it was - a tragic accident.
She and Mulder could be out of Port May that evening if there is a rational explanation.
Alcohol shows up in the blood up to 48 hours after death, but there were no traces found in the blood of the ‘victims’, conducted the following morning. There were also no traces of any known narcotics.
Scully receives a text message from the County Sheriff’s Office. They have contacted the mother of one of the four women, Loretta Walsh, who has confirmed that they all held an International Certificate of Competence in Sailing.
They should all have known what they were doing.
So much for any of Scully’s theories.
XXXXX
The Cigarette-Smoking Man’s television is on mute. He never really likes the sound of the news anchors, all giving their own views on the government. He is also more interested in the book he is reading: Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
He’s distracted by the news article that appears, mostly because he notices his son Fox Mulder being interviewed, alongside Dana Scully. Their body language suggest that they are not getting on.
The Smoking Man always had a crush on Agent Scully, but she has made it clear that she despises him as much as Mulder does.
The text on the screen says: “LOCALS ARE CLAIMING MERMAIDS WERE INVOLVED. FAMILIES OF VICTIMS SAY COMMENTS ARE IN BAD TASTE”.
The Cigarette-Smoking Man isn’t too sure; he has previously encountered a kraken. He isn’t too familiar with the depths of the ocean, despite them having nearly become his grave. The black oil was found under the sea bed; there might be something else there too.
Something worth finding before Mulder and Scully.
Something worth covering up.
XXXXX
Francis Pike looks back at the text his now ex-boyfriend Michael sent him.
He had been dumped; the message simply reads:
I NEVR WANT TO C U AGAIN
Who dumps someone by text? That’s the most cowardly thing he’s ever heard of.
He can’t stop staring at the text, even though it was sent a few days ago. It’s almost like he expects to look at it again, and realise he’s made a mistake.
Or that it’s magically turned into something else, like:
I <3 U
He downs the rest of his beer; taking his small boat out on to the sea near CAPE MAY will help clear his head, maybe give him a better perspective.
Then, maybe he can find another man, one who loves him for who he is.
Francis is still only 25 years old; he has his whole life ahead of him.
Or so he thinks.
He switches on the boat motor; he doesn’t bother with a life jacket, he just wants to enjoy himself.
A few hours later, Francis’ dead body is hauled out of the ocean. He didn’t have time to drown, as his neck was broken upon the collision with the rocks that his boat ran aground on.
Leanne watches from behind the police line as police and paramedics swarm around, seemingly certain that this was more than just a tragic accident.
She is certain that the F.B.I. agents will be back soon.
XXXXX
Leanne puts on her television the next day, and sees that the local news are reporting the incident last night.
She puts on the subtitles, just because she has that option.
She is familiar with the reporter, Skye Leikin; she is almost a fixture on this channel since she moved to the area.
She is interviewing a young African-American man, who from what she can tell is the former boyfriend of the deceased. His name is given as Michael Charles. Leanne reads the subtitles on screen.
SKYE: So, I understand you knew Mr. Pike.
MICHAEL: Yes, I did.
SKYE: Do you have any reason to believe that this is anything other than an accident?
MICHAEL: I did dump him recently…
He looks like he’s about to say something else, but stops, looking guilty.
SKYE: Do you think that might have led him to take his own life?
MICHAEL: Possibly; we had been going out for five years, since we were at college together. I just didn’t really imagine that he would do it in this way, though.
He starts to look emotional; he is choking back tears.
MICHAEL: Sorry, I don’t think there’s anything more I can tell you.
He puts his hand in front of the camera, which turns away from him.
SKYE: Special Agent Fox Mulder is here, along with Special Agent Dana Scully.
Leanne still can’t get over the name ‘Fox’. What sort of parents inflict that on their offspring?
Agents Mulder and Scully are standing slightly apart from each other; Skye stands between them.
SKYE: Is there anything you can tell me?
MULDER: At the moment, we’re not ruling anything out, but with two accidents like this in a short space of time, this is starting to look highly suspicious.
SCULLY: I would suspect some kind of foul play; maybe someone has been sabotaging these boats?
SKYE: Who would do that?
SCULLY: I understand that the first four victims were visitors to the area? Maybe someone in town has a grudge against outsiders coming to Cape May. We understand there are a lot of second homes here now, which often stand empty most of the year. Possibly the effect they have on the economy has ruffled someone’s feathers.
MULDER: Agent Scully and I will be speaking to the locals. However, I’m not so sure that the source is all that human.
SKYE: Thank you, Agents.
As she addresses the camera, and the F.B.I. Agents walk away, Leanne can tell Agent Scully is angry at Agent Mulder, possibly over his last statement. Some people forget when they are on live TV.
She appears to be giving him an earful, but the channel quickly cuts back to the news studio.
XXXXX
Mulder walks past where the victims were dredged out of the sea; there has to be some evidence that backs up his theory.
It is starting to get late; he and Scully have been speaking to townsfolk all day. Because it is winter, the sun is setting in the late afternoon.
He can’t see anyone else around at all.
Apart from…
Is that a figure in the water there?
Mulder whistles, trying to attract the attention of whoever this is.
He looks again; if there was someone, they are now gone.
Mulder stoops down, and looks at the ground; he can see a few tiny bones, which look like they belonged to fish. Either they were dropped by gulls, or something was on the beach eating them.
There are small traces of what might have been seaweed or some sort of algae. It looks like they came out of the water.
Mulder puts them in an evidence bag; maybe he can get a D.N.A. sample from a mermaid off these tiny remains.
He wonders how quickly the people in white coats will take him away.
XXXXX
Back in his hotel room, Mulder Googles What Do Mermaids Eat?
He feels a bit silly, but looking through some of the pages, he sees text that suggests they would eat seaweed, algae, and other aquatic plants, and that they would probably also eat smaller fish.
It seems that the possibility of a mermaid coming up onto the beach to eat might not be within the realms of possibility, but in his head he can just imagine Scully.
“Mulder, this is pie in the sky; you’re living in the world of Hans Christian Andersen”.
He knows her all too well.
XXXXX
Leanne buys a newspaper in town the next day; as she picks it up off the news stand and hands over her money, the headline in the local paper catches her eye.
MERMAIDS IN CAPE MAY?
She can just about make out Special Agent Mulder on the front page, grinning awkwardly.
She signs a thank you to the vendor, and realizes a woman is standing nearby.
Special Agent Scully.
She has also spotted the newspaper headline, and she doesn’t look impressed.
Making eye contact with Leanne, she shakes her head in disbelief.
Leanne signs at Agent Scully: How is your investigation going?
Scully signs back: I can’t really share much.
I understand, Leanne signs.
Agent Scully comes over to Leanne: Off the record, she signs.
Leanne looks her directly in the eyes and nods her head.
Scully continues to sign: It seems that nobody we have talked to saw anything out of the ordinary. They either think my partner is out of his mind, or they get excited at the thought that something of interest may be happening.
Leanne nods; the two women start to walk down the street together.
One man, who shall remain nameless, Scully signs, told us that if we found a mermaid, please could he have his phone number?
The loud snort that Leanne emits shows how amusing she has found this comment.
Scully is wondering if her old friend Melvin Frohike ever had a love child. Mulder recently claimed that the man was visiting brothels almost as soon as he became an adult.
XXXXX
Later that day, Leanne looks down at the beach from the lighthouse.
It is crowded with people.
None of them are interested in using the beach to relax or sunbathe.
All of them are looking intently out to sea.
Most likely they all have binoculars.
It is all so that they can catch a glimpse of the mermaids that supposedly have taken up residence.
All this commotion has been caused by Agent Mulder’s outrageous theory.
Leanne isn’t sure how she’d describe the man. Maybe…
Spooky?
XXXXX
The crowds disperse as it starts to get dark; people are starting to get tired.
With the chaos over, at least for one day, Leanne walks down to the beach.
Did these people never learn about taking your trash home with you?
Beer cans, crisp packets and even hamburger wrappers litter the beach now. Worse still, Leanne can smell human excrement.
People have been using this place as a restroom.
Leanne thinks she is alone, until she spots him.
By the rocks, where the water is deeper.
Arthur.
His naked torso appears from above the surface of the water, and he spots Leanne.
He usually makes himself scarce when there are people around, but with Leanne, things are different.
Leanne signs to him: Who are you? Can you do American Sign Language?
Arthur doesn’t seem to understand, but he nods.
He slowly climbs up onto the rocks.
He doesn’t have a fish’s tail, but two human legs.
He also very noticeably is naked.
He and Leanne smile at each other.
He’s only been in Cape May for the last few weeks.
But it’s felt like an eternity waiting for his first meeting with Leanne.
XXXXX
Scully sits in her room alone staring at pictures of herself and Mulder together on her phone.
All of their selfies.
One that they took in that diner staffed entirely by robots; the ones that chased them across the city.
One taken back at their house, one evening.
One taken with little Tena, who is smiling for the first time.
One taken with her godson Trent and his family, before his wife was murdered.
Those were good times.
She almost feels like she could forgive Mulder for not telling her the truth about Charles.
She looks up his number in her phone address book, and dials it, but quickly cancels the call.
She’s still not sure what she wants to say.
She goes to the bathroom, and doesn’t hear Mulder returning her call.
XXXXX
Leanne and Arthur stare at each other, then just smile back.
Slowly, they grow closer; he taker her in his arms. She can sense his naked loins pressed up against her. It feels like a rod against her body.
Arthur is still unsure, but Leanne moves in to kiss him.
He looks startled, and pulls back.
Leanne hasn’t heard the sound of a dog barking.
Arthur can see a man walking the dog along the beach some distance away.
He signs to her to say that she should find him later.
Then, he dives back into the water.
Leanne is alone except for the newcomer; she didn’t quite get to have that kiss with this mysterious stranger.
As she walks back the way she came from, the man walking his dog nods and smiles at her.
She nods and smiles back.
XXXXX
Leanne visits the beach in the morning, and sees the preacher’s wife approaching.
Pauline Simons.
A middle-aged woman with a large permed hairstyle.
She also loves to gossip.
She knows Leanne well, because she occasionally comes to the church service.
It was because Leanne started attending that they included a sign language interpreter at the services.
Approaching Leanne, she signs: You missed all the excitement earlier.
What happened?, Leanne signs back.
They arrested a guy.
Leanne looks back in surprise.
He was walking around on the beach completely naked; seemed like he’d been out skinny dipping, Pauline signs.
That would have been interesting to watch, Leanne signs.
It certainly put some peoples’ minds off all the recent deaths.
Leanne waves to Pauline to show she needs to leave. As she hurries away, she immediately assumes this is the same man who she saw yesterday. Can she help him?
XXXXX
CAPE MAY POLICE LOCKUP
Leanne rushes in and looks at the female desk sergeant.
The woman starts to speak, then recognizes who she is, and starts to put her sign language skills to use: Can I help you?
Leanne signs back, trying best to ask about the man who was arrested. Insists that she knows him, and is here to pay his bail money.
Eventually, she waves a wad of cash at her.
The woman writes down the amount of bail due, and shows it to Leanne.
It looks like the cost of bail will be more than she expected.
Do you know him?, she signs.
Leanne nods.
She leads Leanne towards the cells, holding up five fingers.
Five minutes.
The sergeant directs a young male cop to lead Leanne down the corridor to a cell in which Arthur is being held.
They have dressed him in clothes that are a little too big for him, and looks like they were items of lost property, unclaimed by their owners.
He gets up, and looks at her through the bars.
He is happy to see her, although he isn’t sure how to communicate.
Leanne tries to grab his hand, but the cop grabs her shoulder.
He wags his finger at her, showing that she can look, but she can’t touch.
Leanne sighs, and looks back at him.
He smiles back at her, knowing he appreciates her being there.
They are interrupted by two new arrivals: Agents Mulder and Scully.
Mulder signs to Leanne: We need to speak to this man.
The cop shakes his head apologetically to Leanne; she has barely had a minute. It seems that F.B.I. business comes first.
Mulder and Scully enter the cell as Leanne departs.
Mulder himself has been getting excited about this encounter.
It seems that he is about to meet his mermaid.
Or rather, his merman.
XXXXX
The Cigarette Smoking Man watches through the security camera as Mulder and Scully interrogate Arthur.
It seems that Mulder has insisted on doing a DNA test on their so-called Merman, but this is just his guess. He saw Arthur spit into a small test tube.
Scully appeared to be rolling her eyes.
The Cigarette Smoking man is fairly certain that Mulder is right. He just needs a chance to get his hands on Arthur.
XXXXX
Leanne watches Arthur approaching the lighthouse, and comes out, pleased to see him.
She hands him a notebook and a pencil; it seems like the easiest way he can communicate with her.
He writes down:
MAN IN SUIT PAY TO RELEASE ME.
HE VERY SPOOKY.
RED HAIRED WOMAN - SHE SEEMED RELIEVED WHEN HE LET ME GO.
Leanne nods; it is good that he is no longer in trouble.
Arthur then writes:
I LIKE YOU.
Leanne nods back at him. She likes him as well.
She gestures towards her lighthouse.
He looks confused for a moment, but then she beckons to him.
She means for him to come inside.
He follows her in; he is very keen to see how she lives.
XXXXX
Back in her motel room, Scully opens her overnight bag. She suddenly spots something.
Sometimes you can stick something in a bag, and just forget its there.
She pulls out the engagement ring that she bought when she thought she and Mulder had more of a future together.
She stares at it, wishing she could forgive Mulder, before putting it away, in her coat pocket.
She switches the television on; the signal is very bad, but through the shaky image, she can make out a news report from Cape May.
There is too much static for her to understand what is being said. Presumably they are talking about how there are no definite leads on the recent deaths, and how these must me considered to be simply tragic accidents.
Something grabs her attention, or rather someone, passing behind Skye Leikin.
She asks herself: Could it be?
Cancer Man?
XXXXX
This is Leanne’s first experience of sex, and it’s amazing.
She feels as Arthur thrusts in and out of her, and she orgasms for the first time.
As he kisses her, she notices his breath. She’d not noticed it before; perhaps she just thought she was smelling the sea.
His breath smells of fish; he could really do with brushing his teeth once in a while.
Still, its one slightly offputting thing about him that she can surely put right.
They lie in bed together for a while, and eventually he gets up.
She watches his naked form as he moves around the bed; he seems to be comfortable in his own skin.
Eventually, he starts to pull his jeans on, and points to his wrist as though pointing to an imaginery watch. He’s starting to feel like he’s outstayed his welcome, and has learned to tell others that it’s time for him to go.
She smiles at him as he zips his jeans up, and then pulls on the T-shirt that was given to him at the police station.
It has the caption: I BELIEVE IN FLUKEMAN
Below it is a grotesque image of what looks like a deformed person.
Leanne is familiar with the urban myth of the “Flukeman” who back in the 1990s briefly terrorised the town of Newark, supposedly laying eggs inside people.
Flukeman was alleged to have been captured in Martha’s Vineyard.
There is also a rumour that Flukeman regrew his entire lower body after being allegedly cut in half.
Arthur pulls on his shoes and socks, blows a kiss to Leanne, and leaves.
She looks out of the window; it is getting dark, but she is able to see him leave.
She sees the man in a suit walking from the other direction; he seems to be smoking a cigarette.
She sees him approaching Arthur, can’t hear what he is saying.
Then, she sees two uniformed soldiers running towards Arthur, and tackling him to the ground.
She runs downstairs, and out of the door, just in time to see a van speeding off.
Arthur must be inside.
She knows who she must turn to now.
Agents Scully and Mulder.
XXXXX
Scully receives a text from Charles that evening.
He’s not exactly been in contact for the last few months.
DANA, I KNOW YOU PROBABLY DON’T WANT TO HEAR FROM ME AND THAT YOURE UPSET WITH ME
Another text message comes through:
DONT HOLD IT AGAINST AGENT MULDER FOR NOT TELLING YOU
I KNOW BILL PROBABLY WOULD HAVE ALL SORTS OF BAD THINGS TO SAY ABOUT HIM
IM SURE HE WAS JUST PROTECTING YOU
Also, a third text:
IM DONE WITH HELPING THAT SMOKING GUY AGAIN
IF THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES FOR WHAT IVE DONE, IM SURE I WILL PAY FOR THEM#
BUT YES, I KNOW YOU AND AGENT MULDER ARE MEANT FOR EACH OTHER
At that moment, she hears the frantic knocking on her door. Could this be Mulder coming back with more proof of the existence of merfolk?
She opens it to find Leanne on the other side.
Arthur’s been kidnapped, she signs.
Scully still doesn’t believe that Arthur is a merman, but maybe this will at least distract Mulder.
We’ll get my partner to help, she signs back.
XXXXX
Mulder is holding up the DNA results, comparing what he found on the beach to Arthur’s DNA.
It appears that they are a match.
He is interrupted from his thoughts by Scully knocking on his motel room door.
When he sees Leanne with her, he realises that it must be something important.
She’s not showing up for personal reasons.
Unfortunately.
XXXXX
Leanne shows Mulder and Scully the spot where Arthur was taken.
Scully notes the fresh tyre tracks on the ground from the vehicle he was taken in.
Scully spots the cigarette butt on the ground, still smoking slightly, and spots the brand name.
Morley.
It seems that one particular person was involved tonight.
She show Mulder what she has found; ne nods.
She signs to Leanne: I think I have in idea of who was responsible.
Mulder resists the temptation to give Scully a big “told you so”. Usually his biological father’s presence means that there is something going on that he wants to cover up.
Or maybe in this case he wants to learn more about this.
Maybe he thinks Arthur is an alien; even one of those ‘super soldiers’ who he ended up on the run from.
He’s spotted something else; it’s some kind of access card.
He holds it up to show Scully; it is emblazoned with the words:
FORT CLEMENTS MILITARY BASE
So much for security.
It’s almost like someone dropped it on purpose for him to find.
Is there a mole in the army, helping out Mulder and Scully? Like their informants in the past, and Marita Covarrubias?
XXXXX
FORT CLEMENTS
Mulder and Scully are becoming quite adept at sneaking into military bases; maybe they should get jobs as international spies.
It seems that with the security pass they have obtained, anyone will trust them.
The only issue will be finding Arthur.
Mulder gestures to Scully to be quiet; he has heard something.
It sounds like singing.
Mulder has come prepared; he pulls out two pairs of earplugs, saved from the plane journey. He doesn’t want the merman’s song to affect him and Scully in any way. Scully rolls her eyes, but puts the ear plugs in.
But no singing that they have ever heard before; they can’t make out words, but there is an almost otherworldly feel to it.
Mulder gestures to Scully to wait outside, and gestures to show that she should wave to him if she thinks there is any danger.
He opens the door of the building where the singing is coming from, and discovers a large tank of water in the room. This is where they have left Arthur; Mulder can see his lips moving, but not hear him.
It does appear that the Merman’s song has had an effect on the soldiers keeping guard, who have fallen asleep.
Arthur is naked inside the tank, which is filled with bubbles. Through the bubbles, Mulder thinks he sees a fish’s tail where Arthur’s legs should be.
Arthur is handcuffed to the side of the tank, but this is no issue to Mulder, who is able to pick the lock, and pull Arthur out tank.
As Arthur walks over to his clothes, Mulder sees that he has two legs.
Two human legs.
Mulder sees Scully waving through the window, and they hurry out, to the car.
Mulder speeds up as he sees three people running towards where they are. He recognizes his own father.
Mulder increases the car’s speed, and breaks down the exit barrier at the military base. They just make it through the main gate as it begins to close.
XXXXX
Back at the base, the Cigarette Smoking Man walks into the room where Arthur was held, as two soldiers jump in a vehicle, to try and catch the agents.
He stares at the empty tank, and the two sleeping soldiers. He pulls out his gun, and shoots both of the men in the head.
XXXXX
Mulder and Scully keep their ear plugs on in the car, and can see the pursuing military vehicle.
Suddenly, Arthur opens the door and jumps out of the door of the moving vehicle, but gestures for Mulder to keep going.
Mulder and Scully watch him run into the trees.
It seems that they have done their job now; all they need to do is escape their pursuers.
XXXXX
Two soldiers are following close behind the agents in a jeep.
It’s then that the singing starts from behind the trees.
It is hypnotic.
Mesmerising.
Irrestistible.
They just have to find out where the singing is coming from.
Deep down, it seems they know that Arthur is the one singing.
It is like the two men cannot control themselves any longer.
The jeep swerves off the road, and crashes into a large rock.
They fly briefly in the air, as the jeep flips over.
The force of the crash is enough to make the fuel tank explode.
Both soldiers have no chance of escaping the burning wreckage.
Scully watches the incident through the rear-view mirror, and taps Mulder on the shoulder. They should do something about this.
It’s the honourable thing to do, after all.
They do turn back and return to the scene, but it does no good.
The scene is like something from a horror film. Both of the jeep’s occupants are dead; the driver was decapitated before the explosion could claim his life.
Mulder and Scully pull out their earplugs.
It seems that they have been saved by a siren song, although Scully will not admit it. She doesn’t know what to believe.
XXXXX
Leanne waits on the beach, and sees Arthur running towards her, in the beam of her torch.
Mulder and Scully saved Arthur, and in turn, he saved them.
They passionately embrace, but Arthur knows what he has to do. It’s not safe for him to be here any longer.
He points at the sea; just looking towards it makes him feel sad.
Leanne knows what this means, but it is for the best.
Better for them to be apart, if it means that Arthur will be free from his erstwhile captors, particularly as the Smoking Man will probably come looking for him again soon.
He just wants to do more of his experiments.
Arthur pulls off his clothes, and stands naked on the beach, feeling the night wind on his skin one last time. Then, he embraces Leanne once again, and they share their last kiss.
Then, Arthur runs into the ocean, and is soon gone, underneath the waves.
Leanne sees the two torch beams coming towards her. Agents Mulder and Scully have returned.
She signs to them: He’s gone.
He’s safe, thanks to you.
Mulder and Scully smile at each other. Scully still does not believe that Arthur is anything but human, but it seems that Leanne is satisfied.
Looking back, they catch sight of a figure in a suit, watching them. Mulder can make out that the newcomer is smoking.
Cancer Man.
Mulder is about to run towards his father, but a ship’s horn distracts the agents.
They look around, and cannot find the Smoking Man in their torchbeams. He has disappeared as mysteriously as he appeared.
Scully puts a hand on Mulder’s shoulder. Forget it, there will surely be another time.
At this point, she gets down on one knee. She’s realized that this is as good a time as any, and Charles’ text has convinced her that she should trust her partner.
She can trust her partner.
As Leanne watches, Scully pulls out the ring from her pocket, and shows it to her partner.
Leanne and Mulder both know that this means only one thing.
Mulder is all too willing to accept.
XXXXX
MARTHA’S VINEYARD, MA
TWO WEEKS LATER
People walk along beside the beach.
It is still off-season, but a stallholder has already set up a kiosk, selling Flukeman plushies.
He is ready to make money off the local urban legend whatever the time of year. Maybe he’ll get some good takings today.
Four young women launch a fishing boat nearby; they are excited about making a short trip; they are not sure what they will see.
As they sail out into the deep water, they sit back and relax.
They do not see the large, fish-like tail just under the surface of the water.
THE END
It's also meant to be a Valentines Day story, something that the show only attempted once.
Maybe the ending doesn't come naturally, but it was where I wanted the story to be at by the end of this one.
Episode 12x11: Leander
CAPE MAY, NJ
10 FEBRUARY 2019
Leanne Casey watches from outside the lighthouse that she keeps.
Her job is a lonely one, but she struggles to live outside of her lighthouse, mostly because she is deaf. She enjoys the solitude that the lighthouse brings.
Many lighthouses now are fully automated, and don’t need anyone to look after them. She is lucky to have been able to keep her job.
The sun has set now, and it is dark. She watches the four female students setting out of the harbour on their little boat, the Madison. She fancies that they look a bit drunk, and hopes at least one of them knows what they are doing.
She watches the boat travel off-course; it appears that the young women are distracted by something in the water.
A few hours later, the Madison has crashed a little way along the shoreline; smashed on the rocks. The only possible use for this boat now is firewood.
The water is quite deep, and the lifeless bodies of the young women are hauled to the surface by the police. The sky above is overcast and ominous, and they work by torchlight. Going out here was a foolish venture, and it has been a tragic loss of life.
No one notices the large fish-like tail vanishing under the water, just metres away from them, creating ripples on the surface.
No-one at least except for Leanne, who is watching from a distance.
XXXXX
CAPE MAY
14 FEBRUARY 2019
Mulder and Scully drive their rental car in silence.
Neither has anything much to say to each other.
Scully feels betrayed by her partner, who refused to tell her the truth about her own brother.
Charles.
Who apparently is now working as an assassin for Cancer Man.
Scully stares at her phone while Mulder drives. She has been trying to get Kersh to transfer her to another division, but being Spooky Mulder’s foil is proving a bit of a stigma for her.
Kersh has hinted that if he finds another person to keep Mulder grounded, maybe he’ll think about letting Scully do something else.
She would ideally like to return to her teaching role at Quantico.
He glances at her, but isn’t sure what to say to her. He’s tried to make small talk, but she has refused to talk about anything other than the case they are investigating.
It seems like a tragic accident to her, but apparently locals are claiming that ‘mer-folk’ might be involved.
It’s the stuff of fantasy; that is something that she and Deputy Director Kersh agree on.
Kersh nonetheless seems to enjoy the fact that Spooky Mulder will be away from the bureau for a few days at least.
Scully stares out of the window at the military base that they pass - Fort Clements - then the large, beautiful, wooden houses that make up Cape May. This is the sort of idyllic place where she would love to have moved with Mulder. The deaths that just occurred have shaken up the entire town.
XXXXX
Leanne sees the man and woman in suits approaching the lighthouse.
The feds.
Or should she be worried that she has MIBs visiting?
As she watches them approach, she can read their lips.
This is a waste of our time, the woman is saying, just like when we searched for Big Blue.
You don’t believe in mermaids?, he replies.
The Fiji Mermaid is the only recorded one, she volleys back, and that was a hoax.
Next you’ll be telling me the Ewoks don’t exist. The man seems to be attempting some humour, but it fails to amuse his partner, who doesn’t respond.
Christopher Columbus was reported to have seen a mermaid; Blackbeard the pirate too. I doubt they were both making the story up.
Seeing Leanne, they flash their F.B.I. badges.
Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.
Those ID photographs don’t seem to have been updated in over twenty years; they look very youthful in them.
Leanne communicates with them in the same way she converses with everyone: International sign language. She makes the signs very carefully, and quickly, having had some fifty years to learn the signs off by heart.
A clenched fist, followed by crossed fingers, then another clenched fist to sign: Are…
You here to ask about those dead girls?
They both look at each other and nod.
Agent Mulder looks unsure, but starts to sign back to her, slower. She can tell he is less used to it.
Yes; we understand that you were one of the last people to see them alive.
Agent Scully also begins to sign.
We got your address from the e-mail you sent after the police sent out an appeal.
Yes, Leanne signs back; that’s correct. I saw them all together; I wondered if they may have been drunk.
Agent Scully stares at her partner; Leanne can tell what she is thinking.
Did you notice anything unusual? Agent Mulder asks, maybe in the water?
Leanne can see the disapproving expression on Agent Scully’s face.
She is unsure if she should mention what she thought she saw in the water by what remained of the Madison. Instead, she raises her hand to sign: I …
didn’t look too closely, the boat distracted me.
Agent Mulder nods, understandingly.
Agent Scully holds up a finger, and then makes a fist: Do …
you live here on your own?
Leanne nods back.
I’ve been the lighthouse keeper for thirty years, she signs back; I only go into town to get supplies.
It seems that Leanne may have been the only person around at the time of the crash.
Thank you, Agent Mulder signs, we’ll stay in touch.
He writes down the address of the lodgings where they are checked in: Andersen Motel.
He writes down two rooms numbers: One for him, and one for Scully. They are at opposite ends of the small complex to each other.
As they turn to go, Leanne signs: I hope you can patch things up between each other.
The two agents stop, looking confused.
I can tell in your body language, she signs, you were in love once, but I sense that you’ve had a fight. Finding true love is always important; I never managed it.
Agent Scully signs: It’s been nice meeting you.
Leanne watches them depart, arguing with each other, but making no sound that she can perceive.
As she walks around the lighthouse, she can’t see Arthur watching her.
Arthur has appeared from under the water, having heard the sound of conversation; he is curious.
He pulls his bare chest into the cool February breeze, and leans on a rock, water dripping off his rugged torso. Physically, he appears to be in his late thirties at the most. His blonde beard and long hair show no signs of going grey.
He has watched Leanne a number of times, and is starting to feel sensations he’s not felt before.
Almost as though he were in love.
XXXXX
Scully looks at the post-mortem results on the dead women; she needs to see if there is anything that could have proven this incident as what it was - a tragic accident.
She and Mulder could be out of Port May that evening if there is a rational explanation.
Alcohol shows up in the blood up to 48 hours after death, but there were no traces found in the blood of the ‘victims’, conducted the following morning. There were also no traces of any known narcotics.
Scully receives a text message from the County Sheriff’s Office. They have contacted the mother of one of the four women, Loretta Walsh, who has confirmed that they all held an International Certificate of Competence in Sailing.
They should all have known what they were doing.
So much for any of Scully’s theories.
XXXXX
The Cigarette-Smoking Man’s television is on mute. He never really likes the sound of the news anchors, all giving their own views on the government. He is also more interested in the book he is reading: Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
He’s distracted by the news article that appears, mostly because he notices his son Fox Mulder being interviewed, alongside Dana Scully. Their body language suggest that they are not getting on.
The Smoking Man always had a crush on Agent Scully, but she has made it clear that she despises him as much as Mulder does.
The text on the screen says: “LOCALS ARE CLAIMING MERMAIDS WERE INVOLVED. FAMILIES OF VICTIMS SAY COMMENTS ARE IN BAD TASTE”.
The Cigarette-Smoking Man isn’t too sure; he has previously encountered a kraken. He isn’t too familiar with the depths of the ocean, despite them having nearly become his grave. The black oil was found under the sea bed; there might be something else there too.
Something worth finding before Mulder and Scully.
Something worth covering up.
XXXXX
Francis Pike looks back at the text his now ex-boyfriend Michael sent him.
He had been dumped; the message simply reads:
I NEVR WANT TO C U AGAIN
Who dumps someone by text? That’s the most cowardly thing he’s ever heard of.
He can’t stop staring at the text, even though it was sent a few days ago. It’s almost like he expects to look at it again, and realise he’s made a mistake.
Or that it’s magically turned into something else, like:
I <3 U
He downs the rest of his beer; taking his small boat out on to the sea near CAPE MAY will help clear his head, maybe give him a better perspective.
Then, maybe he can find another man, one who loves him for who he is.
Francis is still only 25 years old; he has his whole life ahead of him.
Or so he thinks.
He switches on the boat motor; he doesn’t bother with a life jacket, he just wants to enjoy himself.
A few hours later, Francis’ dead body is hauled out of the ocean. He didn’t have time to drown, as his neck was broken upon the collision with the rocks that his boat ran aground on.
Leanne watches from behind the police line as police and paramedics swarm around, seemingly certain that this was more than just a tragic accident.
She is certain that the F.B.I. agents will be back soon.
XXXXX
Leanne puts on her television the next day, and sees that the local news are reporting the incident last night.
She puts on the subtitles, just because she has that option.
She is familiar with the reporter, Skye Leikin; she is almost a fixture on this channel since she moved to the area.
She is interviewing a young African-American man, who from what she can tell is the former boyfriend of the deceased. His name is given as Michael Charles. Leanne reads the subtitles on screen.
SKYE: So, I understand you knew Mr. Pike.
MICHAEL: Yes, I did.
SKYE: Do you have any reason to believe that this is anything other than an accident?
MICHAEL: I did dump him recently…
He looks like he’s about to say something else, but stops, looking guilty.
SKYE: Do you think that might have led him to take his own life?
MICHAEL: Possibly; we had been going out for five years, since we were at college together. I just didn’t really imagine that he would do it in this way, though.
He starts to look emotional; he is choking back tears.
MICHAEL: Sorry, I don’t think there’s anything more I can tell you.
He puts his hand in front of the camera, which turns away from him.
SKYE: Special Agent Fox Mulder is here, along with Special Agent Dana Scully.
Leanne still can’t get over the name ‘Fox’. What sort of parents inflict that on their offspring?
Agents Mulder and Scully are standing slightly apart from each other; Skye stands between them.
SKYE: Is there anything you can tell me?
MULDER: At the moment, we’re not ruling anything out, but with two accidents like this in a short space of time, this is starting to look highly suspicious.
SCULLY: I would suspect some kind of foul play; maybe someone has been sabotaging these boats?
SKYE: Who would do that?
SCULLY: I understand that the first four victims were visitors to the area? Maybe someone in town has a grudge against outsiders coming to Cape May. We understand there are a lot of second homes here now, which often stand empty most of the year. Possibly the effect they have on the economy has ruffled someone’s feathers.
MULDER: Agent Scully and I will be speaking to the locals. However, I’m not so sure that the source is all that human.
SKYE: Thank you, Agents.
As she addresses the camera, and the F.B.I. Agents walk away, Leanne can tell Agent Scully is angry at Agent Mulder, possibly over his last statement. Some people forget when they are on live TV.
She appears to be giving him an earful, but the channel quickly cuts back to the news studio.
XXXXX
Mulder walks past where the victims were dredged out of the sea; there has to be some evidence that backs up his theory.
It is starting to get late; he and Scully have been speaking to townsfolk all day. Because it is winter, the sun is setting in the late afternoon.
He can’t see anyone else around at all.
Apart from…
Is that a figure in the water there?
Mulder whistles, trying to attract the attention of whoever this is.
He looks again; if there was someone, they are now gone.
Mulder stoops down, and looks at the ground; he can see a few tiny bones, which look like they belonged to fish. Either they were dropped by gulls, or something was on the beach eating them.
There are small traces of what might have been seaweed or some sort of algae. It looks like they came out of the water.
Mulder puts them in an evidence bag; maybe he can get a D.N.A. sample from a mermaid off these tiny remains.
He wonders how quickly the people in white coats will take him away.
XXXXX
Back in his hotel room, Mulder Googles What Do Mermaids Eat?
He feels a bit silly, but looking through some of the pages, he sees text that suggests they would eat seaweed, algae, and other aquatic plants, and that they would probably also eat smaller fish.
It seems that the possibility of a mermaid coming up onto the beach to eat might not be within the realms of possibility, but in his head he can just imagine Scully.
“Mulder, this is pie in the sky; you’re living in the world of Hans Christian Andersen”.
He knows her all too well.
XXXXX
Leanne buys a newspaper in town the next day; as she picks it up off the news stand and hands over her money, the headline in the local paper catches her eye.
MERMAIDS IN CAPE MAY?
She can just about make out Special Agent Mulder on the front page, grinning awkwardly.
She signs a thank you to the vendor, and realizes a woman is standing nearby.
Special Agent Scully.
She has also spotted the newspaper headline, and she doesn’t look impressed.
Making eye contact with Leanne, she shakes her head in disbelief.
Leanne signs at Agent Scully: How is your investigation going?
Scully signs back: I can’t really share much.
I understand, Leanne signs.
Agent Scully comes over to Leanne: Off the record, she signs.
Leanne looks her directly in the eyes and nods her head.
Scully continues to sign: It seems that nobody we have talked to saw anything out of the ordinary. They either think my partner is out of his mind, or they get excited at the thought that something of interest may be happening.
Leanne nods; the two women start to walk down the street together.
One man, who shall remain nameless, Scully signs, told us that if we found a mermaid, please could he have his phone number?
The loud snort that Leanne emits shows how amusing she has found this comment.
Scully is wondering if her old friend Melvin Frohike ever had a love child. Mulder recently claimed that the man was visiting brothels almost as soon as he became an adult.
XXXXX
Later that day, Leanne looks down at the beach from the lighthouse.
It is crowded with people.
None of them are interested in using the beach to relax or sunbathe.
All of them are looking intently out to sea.
Most likely they all have binoculars.
It is all so that they can catch a glimpse of the mermaids that supposedly have taken up residence.
All this commotion has been caused by Agent Mulder’s outrageous theory.
Leanne isn’t sure how she’d describe the man. Maybe…
Spooky?
XXXXX
The crowds disperse as it starts to get dark; people are starting to get tired.
With the chaos over, at least for one day, Leanne walks down to the beach.
Did these people never learn about taking your trash home with you?
Beer cans, crisp packets and even hamburger wrappers litter the beach now. Worse still, Leanne can smell human excrement.
People have been using this place as a restroom.
Leanne thinks she is alone, until she spots him.
By the rocks, where the water is deeper.
Arthur.
His naked torso appears from above the surface of the water, and he spots Leanne.
He usually makes himself scarce when there are people around, but with Leanne, things are different.
Leanne signs to him: Who are you? Can you do American Sign Language?
Arthur doesn’t seem to understand, but he nods.
He slowly climbs up onto the rocks.
He doesn’t have a fish’s tail, but two human legs.
He also very noticeably is naked.
He and Leanne smile at each other.
He’s only been in Cape May for the last few weeks.
But it’s felt like an eternity waiting for his first meeting with Leanne.
XXXXX
Scully sits in her room alone staring at pictures of herself and Mulder together on her phone.
All of their selfies.
One that they took in that diner staffed entirely by robots; the ones that chased them across the city.
One taken back at their house, one evening.
One taken with little Tena, who is smiling for the first time.
One taken with her godson Trent and his family, before his wife was murdered.
Those were good times.
She almost feels like she could forgive Mulder for not telling her the truth about Charles.
She looks up his number in her phone address book, and dials it, but quickly cancels the call.
She’s still not sure what she wants to say.
She goes to the bathroom, and doesn’t hear Mulder returning her call.
XXXXX
Leanne and Arthur stare at each other, then just smile back.
Slowly, they grow closer; he taker her in his arms. She can sense his naked loins pressed up against her. It feels like a rod against her body.
Arthur is still unsure, but Leanne moves in to kiss him.
He looks startled, and pulls back.
Leanne hasn’t heard the sound of a dog barking.
Arthur can see a man walking the dog along the beach some distance away.
He signs to her to say that she should find him later.
Then, he dives back into the water.
Leanne is alone except for the newcomer; she didn’t quite get to have that kiss with this mysterious stranger.
As she walks back the way she came from, the man walking his dog nods and smiles at her.
She nods and smiles back.
XXXXX
Leanne visits the beach in the morning, and sees the preacher’s wife approaching.
Pauline Simons.
A middle-aged woman with a large permed hairstyle.
She also loves to gossip.
She knows Leanne well, because she occasionally comes to the church service.
It was because Leanne started attending that they included a sign language interpreter at the services.
Approaching Leanne, she signs: You missed all the excitement earlier.
What happened?, Leanne signs back.
They arrested a guy.
Leanne looks back in surprise.
He was walking around on the beach completely naked; seemed like he’d been out skinny dipping, Pauline signs.
That would have been interesting to watch, Leanne signs.
It certainly put some peoples’ minds off all the recent deaths.
Leanne waves to Pauline to show she needs to leave. As she hurries away, she immediately assumes this is the same man who she saw yesterday. Can she help him?
XXXXX
CAPE MAY POLICE LOCKUP
Leanne rushes in and looks at the female desk sergeant.
The woman starts to speak, then recognizes who she is, and starts to put her sign language skills to use: Can I help you?
Leanne signs back, trying best to ask about the man who was arrested. Insists that she knows him, and is here to pay his bail money.
Eventually, she waves a wad of cash at her.
The woman writes down the amount of bail due, and shows it to Leanne.
It looks like the cost of bail will be more than she expected.
Do you know him?, she signs.
Leanne nods.
She leads Leanne towards the cells, holding up five fingers.
Five minutes.
The sergeant directs a young male cop to lead Leanne down the corridor to a cell in which Arthur is being held.
They have dressed him in clothes that are a little too big for him, and looks like they were items of lost property, unclaimed by their owners.
He gets up, and looks at her through the bars.
He is happy to see her, although he isn’t sure how to communicate.
Leanne tries to grab his hand, but the cop grabs her shoulder.
He wags his finger at her, showing that she can look, but she can’t touch.
Leanne sighs, and looks back at him.
He smiles back at her, knowing he appreciates her being there.
They are interrupted by two new arrivals: Agents Mulder and Scully.
Mulder signs to Leanne: We need to speak to this man.
The cop shakes his head apologetically to Leanne; she has barely had a minute. It seems that F.B.I. business comes first.
Mulder and Scully enter the cell as Leanne departs.
Mulder himself has been getting excited about this encounter.
It seems that he is about to meet his mermaid.
Or rather, his merman.
XXXXX
The Cigarette Smoking Man watches through the security camera as Mulder and Scully interrogate Arthur.
It seems that Mulder has insisted on doing a DNA test on their so-called Merman, but this is just his guess. He saw Arthur spit into a small test tube.
Scully appeared to be rolling her eyes.
The Cigarette Smoking man is fairly certain that Mulder is right. He just needs a chance to get his hands on Arthur.
XXXXX
Leanne watches Arthur approaching the lighthouse, and comes out, pleased to see him.
She hands him a notebook and a pencil; it seems like the easiest way he can communicate with her.
He writes down:
MAN IN SUIT PAY TO RELEASE ME.
HE VERY SPOOKY.
RED HAIRED WOMAN - SHE SEEMED RELIEVED WHEN HE LET ME GO.
Leanne nods; it is good that he is no longer in trouble.
Arthur then writes:
I LIKE YOU.
Leanne nods back at him. She likes him as well.
She gestures towards her lighthouse.
He looks confused for a moment, but then she beckons to him.
She means for him to come inside.
He follows her in; he is very keen to see how she lives.
XXXXX
Back in her motel room, Scully opens her overnight bag. She suddenly spots something.
Sometimes you can stick something in a bag, and just forget its there.
She pulls out the engagement ring that she bought when she thought she and Mulder had more of a future together.
She stares at it, wishing she could forgive Mulder, before putting it away, in her coat pocket.
She switches the television on; the signal is very bad, but through the shaky image, she can make out a news report from Cape May.
There is too much static for her to understand what is being said. Presumably they are talking about how there are no definite leads on the recent deaths, and how these must me considered to be simply tragic accidents.
Something grabs her attention, or rather someone, passing behind Skye Leikin.
She asks herself: Could it be?
Cancer Man?
XXXXX
This is Leanne’s first experience of sex, and it’s amazing.
She feels as Arthur thrusts in and out of her, and she orgasms for the first time.
As he kisses her, she notices his breath. She’d not noticed it before; perhaps she just thought she was smelling the sea.
His breath smells of fish; he could really do with brushing his teeth once in a while.
Still, its one slightly offputting thing about him that she can surely put right.
They lie in bed together for a while, and eventually he gets up.
She watches his naked form as he moves around the bed; he seems to be comfortable in his own skin.
Eventually, he starts to pull his jeans on, and points to his wrist as though pointing to an imaginery watch. He’s starting to feel like he’s outstayed his welcome, and has learned to tell others that it’s time for him to go.
She smiles at him as he zips his jeans up, and then pulls on the T-shirt that was given to him at the police station.
It has the caption: I BELIEVE IN FLUKEMAN
Below it is a grotesque image of what looks like a deformed person.
Leanne is familiar with the urban myth of the “Flukeman” who back in the 1990s briefly terrorised the town of Newark, supposedly laying eggs inside people.
Flukeman was alleged to have been captured in Martha’s Vineyard.
There is also a rumour that Flukeman regrew his entire lower body after being allegedly cut in half.
Arthur pulls on his shoes and socks, blows a kiss to Leanne, and leaves.
She looks out of the window; it is getting dark, but she is able to see him leave.
She sees the man in a suit walking from the other direction; he seems to be smoking a cigarette.
She sees him approaching Arthur, can’t hear what he is saying.
Then, she sees two uniformed soldiers running towards Arthur, and tackling him to the ground.
She runs downstairs, and out of the door, just in time to see a van speeding off.
Arthur must be inside.
She knows who she must turn to now.
Agents Scully and Mulder.
XXXXX
Scully receives a text from Charles that evening.
He’s not exactly been in contact for the last few months.
DANA, I KNOW YOU PROBABLY DON’T WANT TO HEAR FROM ME AND THAT YOURE UPSET WITH ME
Another text message comes through:
DONT HOLD IT AGAINST AGENT MULDER FOR NOT TELLING YOU
I KNOW BILL PROBABLY WOULD HAVE ALL SORTS OF BAD THINGS TO SAY ABOUT HIM
IM SURE HE WAS JUST PROTECTING YOU
Also, a third text:
IM DONE WITH HELPING THAT SMOKING GUY AGAIN
IF THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES FOR WHAT IVE DONE, IM SURE I WILL PAY FOR THEM#
BUT YES, I KNOW YOU AND AGENT MULDER ARE MEANT FOR EACH OTHER
At that moment, she hears the frantic knocking on her door. Could this be Mulder coming back with more proof of the existence of merfolk?
She opens it to find Leanne on the other side.
Arthur’s been kidnapped, she signs.
Scully still doesn’t believe that Arthur is a merman, but maybe this will at least distract Mulder.
We’ll get my partner to help, she signs back.
XXXXX
Mulder is holding up the DNA results, comparing what he found on the beach to Arthur’s DNA.
It appears that they are a match.
He is interrupted from his thoughts by Scully knocking on his motel room door.
When he sees Leanne with her, he realises that it must be something important.
She’s not showing up for personal reasons.
Unfortunately.
XXXXX
Leanne shows Mulder and Scully the spot where Arthur was taken.
Scully notes the fresh tyre tracks on the ground from the vehicle he was taken in.
Scully spots the cigarette butt on the ground, still smoking slightly, and spots the brand name.
Morley.
It seems that one particular person was involved tonight.
She show Mulder what she has found; ne nods.
She signs to Leanne: I think I have in idea of who was responsible.
Mulder resists the temptation to give Scully a big “told you so”. Usually his biological father’s presence means that there is something going on that he wants to cover up.
Or maybe in this case he wants to learn more about this.
Maybe he thinks Arthur is an alien; even one of those ‘super soldiers’ who he ended up on the run from.
He’s spotted something else; it’s some kind of access card.
He holds it up to show Scully; it is emblazoned with the words:
FORT CLEMENTS MILITARY BASE
So much for security.
It’s almost like someone dropped it on purpose for him to find.
Is there a mole in the army, helping out Mulder and Scully? Like their informants in the past, and Marita Covarrubias?
XXXXX
FORT CLEMENTS
Mulder and Scully are becoming quite adept at sneaking into military bases; maybe they should get jobs as international spies.
It seems that with the security pass they have obtained, anyone will trust them.
The only issue will be finding Arthur.
Mulder gestures to Scully to be quiet; he has heard something.
It sounds like singing.
Mulder has come prepared; he pulls out two pairs of earplugs, saved from the plane journey. He doesn’t want the merman’s song to affect him and Scully in any way. Scully rolls her eyes, but puts the ear plugs in.
But no singing that they have ever heard before; they can’t make out words, but there is an almost otherworldly feel to it.
Mulder gestures to Scully to wait outside, and gestures to show that she should wave to him if she thinks there is any danger.
He opens the door of the building where the singing is coming from, and discovers a large tank of water in the room. This is where they have left Arthur; Mulder can see his lips moving, but not hear him.
It does appear that the Merman’s song has had an effect on the soldiers keeping guard, who have fallen asleep.
Arthur is naked inside the tank, which is filled with bubbles. Through the bubbles, Mulder thinks he sees a fish’s tail where Arthur’s legs should be.
Arthur is handcuffed to the side of the tank, but this is no issue to Mulder, who is able to pick the lock, and pull Arthur out tank.
As Arthur walks over to his clothes, Mulder sees that he has two legs.
Two human legs.
Mulder sees Scully waving through the window, and they hurry out, to the car.
Mulder speeds up as he sees three people running towards where they are. He recognizes his own father.
Mulder increases the car’s speed, and breaks down the exit barrier at the military base. They just make it through the main gate as it begins to close.
XXXXX
Back at the base, the Cigarette Smoking Man walks into the room where Arthur was held, as two soldiers jump in a vehicle, to try and catch the agents.
He stares at the empty tank, and the two sleeping soldiers. He pulls out his gun, and shoots both of the men in the head.
XXXXX
Mulder and Scully keep their ear plugs on in the car, and can see the pursuing military vehicle.
Suddenly, Arthur opens the door and jumps out of the door of the moving vehicle, but gestures for Mulder to keep going.
Mulder and Scully watch him run into the trees.
It seems that they have done their job now; all they need to do is escape their pursuers.
XXXXX
Two soldiers are following close behind the agents in a jeep.
It’s then that the singing starts from behind the trees.
It is hypnotic.
Mesmerising.
Irrestistible.
They just have to find out where the singing is coming from.
Deep down, it seems they know that Arthur is the one singing.
It is like the two men cannot control themselves any longer.
The jeep swerves off the road, and crashes into a large rock.
They fly briefly in the air, as the jeep flips over.
The force of the crash is enough to make the fuel tank explode.
Both soldiers have no chance of escaping the burning wreckage.
Scully watches the incident through the rear-view mirror, and taps Mulder on the shoulder. They should do something about this.
It’s the honourable thing to do, after all.
They do turn back and return to the scene, but it does no good.
The scene is like something from a horror film. Both of the jeep’s occupants are dead; the driver was decapitated before the explosion could claim his life.
Mulder and Scully pull out their earplugs.
It seems that they have been saved by a siren song, although Scully will not admit it. She doesn’t know what to believe.
XXXXX
Leanne waits on the beach, and sees Arthur running towards her, in the beam of her torch.
Mulder and Scully saved Arthur, and in turn, he saved them.
They passionately embrace, but Arthur knows what he has to do. It’s not safe for him to be here any longer.
He points at the sea; just looking towards it makes him feel sad.
Leanne knows what this means, but it is for the best.
Better for them to be apart, if it means that Arthur will be free from his erstwhile captors, particularly as the Smoking Man will probably come looking for him again soon.
He just wants to do more of his experiments.
Arthur pulls off his clothes, and stands naked on the beach, feeling the night wind on his skin one last time. Then, he embraces Leanne once again, and they share their last kiss.
Then, Arthur runs into the ocean, and is soon gone, underneath the waves.
Leanne sees the two torch beams coming towards her. Agents Mulder and Scully have returned.
She signs to them: He’s gone.
He’s safe, thanks to you.
Mulder and Scully smile at each other. Scully still does not believe that Arthur is anything but human, but it seems that Leanne is satisfied.
Looking back, they catch sight of a figure in a suit, watching them. Mulder can make out that the newcomer is smoking.
Cancer Man.
Mulder is about to run towards his father, but a ship’s horn distracts the agents.
They look around, and cannot find the Smoking Man in their torchbeams. He has disappeared as mysteriously as he appeared.
Scully puts a hand on Mulder’s shoulder. Forget it, there will surely be another time.
At this point, she gets down on one knee. She’s realized that this is as good a time as any, and Charles’ text has convinced her that she should trust her partner.
She can trust her partner.
As Leanne watches, Scully pulls out the ring from her pocket, and shows it to her partner.
Leanne and Mulder both know that this means only one thing.
Mulder is all too willing to accept.
XXXXX
MARTHA’S VINEYARD, MA
TWO WEEKS LATER
People walk along beside the beach.
It is still off-season, but a stallholder has already set up a kiosk, selling Flukeman plushies.
He is ready to make money off the local urban legend whatever the time of year. Maybe he’ll get some good takings today.
Four young women launch a fishing boat nearby; they are excited about making a short trip; they are not sure what they will see.
As they sail out into the deep water, they sit back and relax.
They do not see the large, fish-like tail just under the surface of the water.
THE END