Cassidy scrutinized her coolly, but she didn't take note of the other thing Scully had brought back with her from Texas. Beneath the young agent's mass of auburn hair a bee crawled, as though stretching its legs from the long journey. It hovered momentarily against the navy fabric.
"You've been to Dallas?"
Scully met the other woman's challenging gaze. "Yes."
"Are you going to let us in on what, exactly, you're trying to prove?"
"That the bombing in Dallas may have been arranged to destroy the bodies of those firemen, so that their deaths and the reason for them wouldn't have to be explained—"
U
Cassidy's eyes narrowed. "Those are very serious allegations, Agent Scully."
Scully stared at her hands. "Yes, I know."
There was a hush of murmured responses to this, the panel members turning to confer with each other in low voices. In his chair, Assistant Director Ski
Cassidy leaned back and regarded Scully. "And you have conclusive evidence of this? Something to tie this claim of yours to the crime?"
Scully met her gaze, then dropped her eyes, "Nothing completely conclusive," she admitted grudgingly. "But I hope to. We're working to develop this evidence—"
"Working with?"
Scully hesitated. "Agent Mulder."
At Jana Cassidy's knowing nod, the other panel members all shifted again in their chairs. The assistant director looked at Scully, then indicated the door.
"Will you wait outside for a moment, Agent Scully? We need to discuss this matter."
Very slowly Scully stood. She picked up her satchel and walked to the door, glancing back in time to see the look Ski
• • •
CASEY'S BAR
SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON, D.C.
It was late afternoon when Fox Mulder pushed open the door to Casey's. Inside, it might have been the middle of the night. The same few, bleary-eyed regulars sat and talked. Mulder ignored them all, sca
"You found something?" Kurtzweil wheezed.
"Yes. On the Texas border. Some kind of experiment. Something they excavated was brought there in tanker trucks."
"What?"
"I'm not sure. A virus—"
"You saw this experiment?" Kurtzweil broke in excitedly.
Mulder nodded. "Yes. But we were chased off."
"What did it look like?"
"There were bees. And corn crops." Kurtzweil stared at him, then laughed with ner-vous delight.
Mulder opened his hands in a helpless gesture. "What are they?"
The doctor slid from his seat. "What do you think?"
Mulder looked thoughtful. "A transporta-tion system," he said at last. "Transgenic crops. The pollen genetically altered to carry a virus."