The RR-Files, part one. 
By Chris Silva, John Pesterfield, Robert Knaus, and Karl Schenk. 
Final proofreading and editing by Robert Knaus. 
"The truth is out there."
-Chris Carter. 
*************
"The Ranger's where flowing a leaded of break-ins...jeez!" 
  Chip stared at the television screen with frank amazment. *Last
time I let Dale write up our daily log*, he thought with a mixture of
annoyance and amusement. 
   
He was using the new internet terminal that Gadget had set up in the
Ranger H.Q. living room, and was checking up on Dale's promise to type
up the Rangers' daily case load. With a sigh of resignation, Chip set to
the arduous task of spell-checking Dale's well-meaning but wholly inept
attempt at secretarial duty. Just as Chip was finishing up, a message
came into the Rangers' E-Mail box. Gadget had also set this up, so the
Rangers' various contacts could keep them up-to-date on the latest
underword gossip. Chip clicked on the message and began to read it. As
he read, his expression changed from mildly curious to mildly confused.
He leaned back on the sofa and pursed his lips, pondering the odd
message. After a few moments, he bent to the keyboard again and began
typing out a response. A minute later he hit the "send" key, then
deleted the original message. He then turned off the television and
grabbed a scrap of paper from the end table and began to hastily scrawl
a note to the other Rangers, who were out testing one of Gadget's new
vehicles. Chip finished the message and placed it under the small rock
he favored as a paperweight. He then went to the door and grabbed his
trusty fedora off the hat rack. As he left the H.Q., he pondered the
content of the strange E-Mail message. 
  *Ahh, a fresh mystery!*, he thought with a twinge of excitement as
he set out into 
the brisk fall morning. 
********* 
Agent Fox Mulder waited for Chip's reply to his email. His partner,
Agent Dana Scully, did not look especially happy to be spending her day
off in a sleazy motel. 
  "You're right, Mulder, I DO think you're crazy. You sent an E-mail
to a chipmunk crime fighter?" 
Mulder smiled. 
  "I just got his reply, he's on his way." 
Mulder looked at Agent Scully with amusement.   "You still don't
believe me do you? It took you six years just to believe that aliens
exist, now it's time to learn that animals are sentient. This case is
the perfect time to see the truth." 
Scully stared at her partner. "Of course I don't believe you.", she
said. "You're saying that animals are as 
smart as humans, drive vehicles, wear clothing and have a civilization
and we just don't notice it?" 
Mulder chuckled. "I've always known, now I'm letting you in on it. For
your 
question, the reason they don't see it is that they don't want to see
it. They block it out. When your eyes are opened you'll see unbelievable
things. Maybe you shouldn't be here when Chip arrives, you might not be
able to handle it." 
Scully crossed her arms. "I'm staying right here. I have to see this
chipmunk in a hat." 
*********** 
Chip made his way through the ventilation system of the hotel to the
room that Agent Mulder had given him. He went up the the vent and
observed the two humans in the room. 
Scully checked her watch. "It's been almost an hour, Mulder. When is
your little woodland friend going to show up? How are you going to
communicate with this chipmunk?" 
  "He can speak and understand english, so there won't be any
problem.", Mulder replied. 
Agent Scully only sighed. 
Agent Mulder closed his laptop computer, stored it with the rest of his
gear and continued waiting. 
Chip decided that it was time to make his presence known. He opened the
grate, 
dropped to the floor and immediatly walked over to Mulder. Chip spoke
first. 
"Good morning agent Mulder, you look well. But I did like you better as
a fox." 
Mulder pointed at his partner. "She isn't supposed to know that about
me." 
  Luckily, all Scully heard was chipmunk chatter and her partner
appearantly acting like an idiot. 
  "She can't understand me. It's the
frequency, remember?", Chip stated. 
  "But how do I understand you, and how can Scully?", Mulder
replied. 
"You have a part of your brain which acts to adjust the difference so
you can hear me." Chip explained. "Everyone has it but few can actually
use it. As for your partner, maybe I could write to her?" 
    "I have just the thing.", Mulder said as he pulled out his
laptop again. Agent Scully stood imobile as she watched the chipmunk
begin typing a message on the computer. 
"There... is a chipmunk... wearing clothes... typing on your computer.",
She managed to say. 
"You can see the hat and jacket?", Agent Mulder asked. "That's good.
Most humans wouldn't be able to see that. If someone else walked in
here, all they would see is a regular chipmunk. You're halfway there,
Scully,but your mind won't let you accept it all yet. That's why you
can't understand 
him. You're still resisting the truth. Perhaps by the time this day is
over you'll be able to understand animal speak." 
  Chip waved to them. Mulder turned the computer toward Scully. On
the screen was the message Chip had typed: 
Hello, Agent Scully. I'm Chip Maplewood. How can the Rescue Rangers help
the FBI? 
"I think I need to sit down," Scully said. 
Mulder grinned. "You ARE sitting down." 
*************** 
Meanwhile, back at RRHQ, Gadget was the first to get in, and also the
first to notice the note. In neat pawwriting, it read:    
'Come to the Hilton, we are needed,
explanation later. Signed Chip'. 
  "We have a case guys!" Gadget yelled 
out the door as she went to the desk to pick up her laptop, she felt a
little guilty about using Nimnul's last size reduction ray before
destroying it, but at least some good could come of it. She ran back out
the door to see the Wing ready for flight, with Dale at the controls. 
*************** 
As the Rangers left their H.Q, a shadowy human figure watched from a
nearby Ford Sedan. He watched the Ranger Wing flying away, and when it
was out of sight, he got out of the car and strolled casually towards
the oak tree that the Rangers 
called home. He stopped at the base and craned his neck back to get a
better glimpse at the branch from which the amazing vehicle had emerged.
He then produced a walkie-talkie from one of his coat pockets and spoke
softly into it, even though the park was nearly deserted, and the
chances of anyone overhearing his conversation were slim. After a few
whispered words to the party on the other end of the line, the
middle-aged man returned the walkie-talkie to his coat pocket. From his
other pocket, he took out a pack of cigarettes, removed one, and placed
it in his mouth. He lit it and inhaled the smoke into his lungs,
savoring the sensation. His removal team was en route to the park,
alerted to the presence of the Rangers' H.Q. by agent Mulder's foolhardy
E-Mail. The Cigarette Smoking Man allowed himself a thin smile as he
continued to study the old oak tree. 
  *How long have they been evolving 
alongside of us?*, he pondered, as the removal team van pulled up beside
his car and the three agents inside prepared their testing equipment.
They didn't have much time to get as much data on the animals' lair as
possible before they returned from their rendezvous with Mulder and
Scully, so they had to be swift. CSM dropped his half-smoked cig to the
ground and crushed it beneath his shoe as the first agent walked up to
him. 
  "Which branch, sir?", he asked. 
  "That one", CSM said blandly, gesturing towards the Rangers'
entrance, as he 
coaxed another cigarette from his nearly empty pack. As the young agent
looked up at the area he had indicated, CSM lit the fresh cig and gazed
at the tree through a haze of smoke. 
*Soon*, he thought with a sliver of 
excitement as the other agents came towards the tree carrying a folding
stepladder. 
*Soon* 
------ 
The CSM crushed out his cigarette. 
Two agents stood at the base of the ladder, CSM walked over to them. 
"I'm going in also," He said with authority. 
The younger of the two agents looked at the CSM with some doubt. "Are
you sure, sir? We've experienced this before," 
"We're wasting time," CSM replied. 
The third agent emerged from the van carrying an armored box. He brought
it over to the tree and unlocked it, Inside was an unusal looking gun.
He readied the device and aimed it at the team. There was a burst of
energy and a moment later the team had been minaturized. The agent moved
toward them with a tray. The team quickly climbed onto the tray and the
Agent carried them up the ladder to the branch where the Ranger Wing had
taken off from. The two agents with the gear raced for the door to
Ranger HQ, the CSM walked slowly behind them. He had thought there was
nothing left in all that world that could surprise him, he had been
wrong. Despite his jaded and cynical nature, he entered HQ with a mix of
curiosity and wonder. One agent was busy video taping the HQ and the
other was examining all of Gadget's technological devices. 
**************** 
At the hotel the other Rangers had made their entrance. Agent Scully was
still having a hard time accepting all that was happening. 
  "More animals in clothing...", she muttered. 
  Mulder smiled when he saw Scully's reaction. 
  "Scully, meet the rest of the Rescue Rangers." He pointed them out
as he introduced them. "Meet Monterey Jack, but he says you can call him
'Monty'. This is Dale, he says you can call him 'Dale', this is Gadget
and the little green guy is Zipper. Rescue Rangers, I'm FBI Special
Agent Fox Mulder and this is my partner, Dana Scully." 
Gadget walked over to Agent Scully and smiled up at her. "Golly, it's
great to meet you Agent Scully. It will be an honor to work with agents
of the FBI." 
Scully looked down at the blond mouse wearing lavander overalls. The
mouse had a pleasant smile on it's face and it squeaked cheerfully at
her. 
"I can't understand you, but I guess it's nice to meet you," Scully said
with a notable lack of animation in her voice. 
"Scully, the Rangers are the greatest group of crime fighters the animal
kingdom has ever produced.", Mulder said. "In a sense, they are our
peers." 
Scully closed her eyes as she listened to the animals' chattering and
squeaking. Mulder could understand them perfectly and they could
understand him. Her head began to hurt as she listened, but strangely it
was only the left side of her head that hurt. 
  Mulder looked at the assembled Rangers and smiled. "I suppose
you're all wondering why I've called you here?" 
Gadget smiled back at the FBI agent."Well, it would be nice to know, not
that we're complaining it was a slow day not that we don't usually have
a lot of work but there just wasn't much crime today well there was
crime just not around where we were working today..."   Monty gently
put a hand over Gadget's mouth. For a while they could still hear
Gadget's muffled talking, but she finally trailed off. 
  "She does this occasionally," Monty explained. "we just get used
to it." 
Mulder chuckled, and then spoke. 
"Well the reason I called you here is so that you can take a look at
this file I recieved this morning." 
With this, agent Mulder took a slim folder from his jacket pocket and
slid it across the table towards the Rangers. Chip opened the file and
began to leaf through it. As he looked at the folders' contents, his
expression turned from eagerness to puzzlement. He glanced up at Mulder
and asked, "Where did you get this?" 
"It was slid under my office door this morning," replied Mulder. "No one
saw anyone put it there. I read the note placed on the cover, then
contacted you." 
"What note? Do you still have it?" 
Mulder produced a crumpled post-it note from his jacket pocket and
handed it to Chip, who smoothed it out on the tabletop and began to
read: 
Dear Chip: 
I have sent this file to agent Mulder in the hope that it will find it's
way to you. I have stumbled across something terrible, and must talk
with you at once. Please study the files contained within and use the
E-Mail address provided to contact me. 
P.S; Please do not read the contents of this file, agent Mulder. It is
for Chip's eyes only. 
Chip finished the note and let out a sigh. 
"What is it?", Mulder asked with curiosity. 
Chip looked up at the FBI agent and grimaced involuntarily. "It's a wild
goose chase, is what it is," he replied cryptically. 
    "I beg your pardon?" 
  Chip walked over to the folder again and flung it open for all to
see. It was full of completely blank pages. 
Mulder looked at the blank paper, then back at the chipmunk on the
desktop. 
"I don't get it," he said with obvious puzzlement in his voice. "Why
would someone send you a folder of blank paper? And use me to get it to
you?" 
Chip took off his fedora and ran his hand through the fur on top of his
head. 
"Don't you see? Whoever sent this knew about us, but didn't know where
our headquarters was stationed. They must have had your E-Mail tapped,
Fox." 
Horrible awareness dawned in Mulder's eyes at Chip's words. Agent Scully
sat up in her chair at Mulder's reaction to the chipmunk's chattering (
which still meant nothing to her ). 
"What is it, Mulder?" 
Mulder turned to his partner. 
"I'll explain on the way." 
"The way? The way where?" 
Mulder was already halfway to the door as he answered.   
 "Central Park!" 
************* 
Tammy quietly made her way up the side of the tree to the Ranger HQ's
front door. She had been watching the humans' actions from afar, but
curiosity had overpowered her common sense, and she decided to
investigate. 
----- 
  CSM looked over the Ranger living room as his team was preparing
to leave, when suddenly an angry figure stood at the door, taking them
all by surprise. It was a young squirrel wearing jeans and a pink shirt. 
  "I'm an honorary Rescue Ranger, and you better have a good reason
for breaking into their headquarters!" Tammy demanded. 
 CSM and the two agents all drew out guns and pointed them at Tammy.
She froze in place. 
  "You're coming with us.", CSM stated coldly. 
---- 
  Shortly, Tammy was taken down to the ground with the tiny humans.
The normal sized agent picked her up and put her in a cage in the back
of their van, then he took the odd gun from his pocket and aimed it at
the miniaturized humans.Tammy watched in amazement as the humans were
rapidly returned to their normal size. 
CSM took the gun from the younger agent's hand and placed it in his own
pocket. 
"We've got what we came for, as well as a little bonus", he remarked to
the agent as they all walked over to the van. They all got in and pulled
out of their parking space, heading for the heart of the city.
Meanwhile, a pair of horrified eyes watched as the vehicle pulled away. 
    "My baby!", Tammy's mother exclaimed. 
************** 
  Several minutes after the van had left, the Rangers entered the
park in the Ranger Wing, followed by Mulder and Scully driving. As the
Rangers touched down on the HQ's landing strip, Tammy's mother ran out
of the front door, tears streaming down her face. 
  "They took her!", she wailed as Chip stepped forward to meet her.
Chip held her to his chest as she continued to sob uncontrollably. He
glanced fearfully at the other Rangers. 
"Monty, you and Gadget go look inside", he said softly, mindful of the
hysterically weeping woman he held in his comforting arms. 
  "Right", Monty replied with a tense anger in his voice as he and
Gadget went into their HQ. The other Rangers stayed behind and tried to
comfort Tammy's mother. A few minutes later, Monty and Gadget emerged
from the tree with identical looks of despair. 
"The place was ransacked Chip.", Gadget said in a bitter voice. "My
workshop, our rooms.... they even went through the kitchen." 
  "And Tammy has been kidnapped," Chip informed them. 
  Gadget clasped her hand over her heart and gasped, while Monty's
already angry expression became even more thunderous. 
"If they 'urt just one hair on 'er innocent little head....", He
growled. 
Chip held up his hand for silence. 
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. luckily, we have a complete
description of the getaway vehicle." 
Tammy's mother smiled wanly at the Rangers gathered around her. 
"At least Tammy's desire to be a detective has rubbed off on her
mother.", she said in a watery voice. 
****************** 
"I should have smelled a rat from the very start!", Mulder proclaimed
angrily after Chip climbed back down from the tree and relayed the grim
news. 
"You can feel sorry for yourself later, but right now Tammy needs us!",
Chip snapped back at the distraught FBI agent. "The van left only a few
minutes before we arrived. We can still catch them!" 
Mulder glanced down at the small chipmunk, it's words cutting through
the guilt clouding his mind like a surgeon's scalpel. "You're right.
I'll get an APB out on the van, and Scully and I will go search for the
men who kidnapped your friend." 
At this, Scully held out her hands in a warding-off gesture. "Wait a
minute here, Mulder, this is insane! First talking animals with bomber
jackets, then tapped E-Mail messages, and now government agents
kidnapping a common squirrel? This has gone far enough. I'm taking you
in for a psychiatric evaluation!" 
As Scully spoke, Chip scurried over to her and quickly began to scramble
up her pant leg. He made his way to her shoulder and shouted directly
into her ear: 
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME NOW?!!!" 
Scully flinched visibily at the chipmunk's yell... then her eyes grew
wide with shock. 
"Yes," she whispered softly. "I do." 
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Mulder could not prevent a
thin smile from forming on his lips. 
"Welcome to the club Scully." 
**************** 
As Mulder and Scully drove to the FBI's New York branch office, Scully
decided to ask the question which had been bothering her from the start
of this case. 
  "How did it happen Mulder? What lets us understand them while
other humans cant?" 
  "Well," Mulder began, "Many think everyone could at the beginning.
But for some reason, some time after the destruction of the Tower of
Babel, most lost this ability. Over the years, many have been able to do
it. Usually, it starts as a child." 
"How did it start for you?" Scully asked. 
Mulder glanced across the front seat at his partner, then began to
speak.    
"I spent some time in the country when I was a kid, and there was a den
of foxes near by. That was when I first learned of the animals'
civilization, and that I could communicate with them."   He smiled a
bit at his next words. 
    "My first crush was a vixen. For obvious reasons, it didn't
work out." 
  He turned the car into the parking lot across from the FBI branch
office, as Scully looked at him with shock and surprise. She would have
prefered not being given that partcular insight into Mulder's mind. 
    They exited their car and walked across the street. Once
inside the office, Scully   went to the front desk and began talking
with the secretary. Mulder watched her efforts with concealed
exasperation 
*She can be so naive at times*, he thought. 
  The van they were looking for didn't exist, it's license number
wouldn't be on file, the people inside the van had no identities, and
the organization they all worked for didn't exist. While she made her
inquiries, Mulder went to the bank of pay phones at the far wall of the
lobby, working on a hunch. 
******** 
  The Ranger Plane flew above the city. 
Gadget manned the controls, while Chip scanned the streets below with
his binoculars. Monty sat in the back seat next to agent Scully's
cell-phone, which she had left with the Rangers so that they could
remain in contact in case of a lead. 
Chip placed his binoculars in his lap and rubbed his eyes tiredly. 
"Any luck, lad?", Monty called from the back. 
  "No.", Chip replied. "Not a single van matching the description
Tammy's mother gave us." 
Gadget turned to him. 
"Well, we've just got to keep at it, then!" 
Chip nodded, then picked up his binoculars again and trained his gaze
upon the streets far below. 
**************** 
  meanwhile, inside the van the Rangers were so frantically
searching for, Tammy looked up at the man smoking the cigarette. 
    "You're not going to get away with this!", she said. "You
can't beat the Rescue Rangers. They're going to stop...whatever it is
you're doing!" 
  The man leaned over her cage and blew smoke at her. Tammy coughed
and waved her arms. 
"If I wanted the Rescue Rangers stopped, their tiny broken bodies would
already be at my feet," he replied. 
"Then why are you doing all this? And what are you going to do with me?"
Tammy asked nervously. 
The man just smiled. 
----- 
The van pulled into a parking structure and drove down to the lowest
level. 
There a nondescript station wagon sat parked in a far corner. The van
slid into the empty slot besides the wagon and turned off it's engine.
CSM exited the van carrying Tammy's cage in one hand and a freshly lit
cigarette in the other. The other shadow agents opened the van's rear
doors and swiftly began to transfer the testing equipment and videotapes
from the back of the van to the station wagon's trunk. As they finished
their task, one removed a bleach bottle filled with an amber-colored
liquid and began to splash the contents over the van. The odor from the
liquid assaulted Tammy's sensitive nose: 
Gasoline! 
CSM watched the operation with a distracted air. he had the demeanor of
a man who wanted to be elsewhere. As the young agent finshed his task,
CSM climbed into the wagon's passenger seat. The agent climbed into the
driver's seat, turned on the engine ( despite the car's rusty exterior,
it started on a dime ), and expertly pulled out from the space. As they
passed the dripping van, CSM casually tossed his nearly spent cigarette
out the passenger window, igniting the gasoline puddled around the van's
tires. It went up like a tinderbox, flames shooting out of the windows
in a spectacular fireball, instantly incinerating any evidence that may
have been left behind. Tammy watched this highly professional operation
with a growing sense of dread. 
*If these guys are this good, how will the Rangers ever find me?*, she
thought. 
CSM glanced down at her cage and let a rare smile crease his face. He
had considered his next move very carefully, and had finally reached a
decision. 
First things first. 
He would take her to Nimnul. 
------ 
Tammy glanced up with fear at the exterior of Professor Norton Nimnul's
lab. She had heard of Nimnul from the other Rangers, but had never had
the misfortune to meet him. 
*Until now*, she thought. 
The CSM had exchanged cars fifteen minutes ago, leaving his agents to
store the information they had gathered at the Rangers' HQ. Now
(carrying Tammy's cage) he walked up to the lab's front door and took a
card from his jacket pocket. He swiped it down the security lock on the
door. There was a harsh burr, then the door swung open. The CSM entered
the lab and walked into the center of the large open work space, where a
short, pudgy, balding man with thick glasses was hunched over a table
littered with 
electronic parts. 
"Greetings Professor. I have a surprise for you.", the CSM announced. 
"Oh, goody.", Nimnul muttered. 
CSM placed the cage on Nimnul's table. Nimnul's eyes went to the cage
and widened with surprise. He stole a quick glance at the CSM, then
returned his gaze to Tammy, a wide and unpleasant grin blooming on his
face. 
  "One of the vermin.", he whispered. "I finally have one of those
miserable vermin at my mercy." His voice climbed registers into a
triumphant cackle. 
"Now, revenge will be mine!" 
Suddenly, Nimnul's gloating was cut short by a cultured Russian voice.
  "Whatever you do will end in her death correct? I certainly hope
it will." 
CSM crushed out his spent cigarette, then lit a fresh one, as the owner
of the voice made his prescence known. It was an extremely burly man,
with a cruel expression on his face. Nimnul cringed back involuntarily. 
  "O-of course.", he stammered. 
CSM turned to Nimnul, his face framed by a haze of smoke. 
  "Have you been keeping your end of the bargain?", he asked
colorlessly. 
Nimnul glanced down at the floor. "Yes.", he replied softly. 
  CSM smiled. "Then consider this rodent as payment for services
rendered." 
Nimnul looked up at the CSM. 
"At least tell me where they live.", he pleaded. "Then I can find them
and kill them myself. I was there once before, but I was sorta out of
sorts at the time and I was never able to find it again." 
  The man with the cigarette hesitated, then dropped his cigarette
and stepped on it. After a few moments of thought he spoke. 
    "The location of their headquarters is classified.", He
said, and
then he turned and walked out of the room. 
---- 
  Tammy glanced fearfully at Nimnul. 
"W-What are you going to do with me?", she stammered. 
  Nimnul chuckled, his momentary fear lifting as he considered his
rodent captive. 
"Don't you want to know how I got out of the looneybin? Or why I can
understand you? Or my dealings with our nicotine-addicted friend?" 
  "Not really", Tammy replied. 
"Well tough beans! It's in my evil scientist contract to reveal my evil
schemes to my enemies right before I destroy them!" 
Tammy rolled her eyes and settled in for a load of contrived exposition. 
  "After I exchanged heads with that diseased fly, ( Nimnul began )
I found I could still understand 'animal-speak' even after being
restored to my beautiful body. However, this didn't stop the men in the
white coats from hauling me off to the looneybin. Months later, the
cigarette smoking fellow visited me at the mental hospital, and made me
an offer I couldn't refuse. He agreed to sign the papers that would
allow me to walk out of that nuthouse a free and sane man....if he and
his...orginization....could have all of the blueprints for my
inventions. Naturally, I jumped at the chance....on one condition."
Nimnul broke off and stared into space, a frightened expression forming
on his ruddy face. He glanced fearfully over at the Russian man, who had
returned to the chair where he had been sitting before the smoking man
had arrived. Tammy noted this and immedately understood Nimnul's
situation. 
*They're keeping tabs on him.*, she thought. *Making sure their pet
science 
wiz doesn't fly the coop.* 
  She sat down on the cold cage floor and folded her arms across her
chest. 
*Oh, Chipper, where are you?* 
************* 
Even as Tammy thought of him, Chip was still relentlessly scanning the
city streets. The late afternoon light was beginning to fade to gold,
heralding the coming of sunset, and yet Chip refused to give up the
search. 
"Maybe we should head back, Chip.", Gadget said reluctanty. "We're
beginning to lose the light." 
Chip fetched a sigh from deep within his chest, and lowered his
binoculars. 
"Maybe you're right, Gadget. Just flying around like this isn't
helping." 
  Chip thought for a moment, then turned to Monty in the back seat. 
  "Call Mulder and have them meet us back at HQ. Maybe they had some
better luck than us." 
Monty gave a thumbs-up, then began punching in Mulder's cell-phone
number on Scully's phone, which is not an easy task when said phone is
larger than your entire body. As Gadget turned the Ranger plane around,
she gave Chip a worried glance. 
"Golly,Chip,", she said, "I sure hope they found SOMETHING." 
"Yeah,", Chip replied as he watched the spectacular sunset. "Me too." 
*************** 
  Mulder and Scully sat down at a park picnic table. They looked
absurdly out of place in their trenchcoats, but luckily the park was
nearly deserted as twilight began to descend over the city. 
"A report came into the field office shortly before you called", Mulder
began, chewing on a fast-food burger as cover in case anyone was
watching. "A van matching the make of the one that took your friend was
found torched in a nearby parking structure. Nothing was left but a
burned-out shell." 
Chip grimaced at the news. He and Monty sat under the table, listening
to Mulders' debriefing. Gadget, Dale and Zipper were currently staying
with Tammy's mother, desperately trying to allay her fears. Chip and
Monty came to the bench alone. In case things turned out for the worse,
they didn't want Tammy's mom here to hear the bad news. 
  "Don't worry", Mulder continued, "there were no bodies found in
the vehicle....human OR animal" 
Chip and Monty relaxed slightly at the findings, but Chip still was on
edge. 
"NOW what?", he lamented. "That van was our only lead. Without it, how
can we possibly find Tammy?" 
Scully broke into their conversation. 
"Don't worry mister...ah, Chip, was it? We have the FBI's finest working
on this. It's only a matter of time before we find your   friend
Tammy." 
  Mulder glanced over at his partner and sighed. "Face it Scully,
we're not going to get results using the 'official' channels. That's why
I made some calls to track down an informant of mine. In fact, I told
him to meet us here." 
"Who?", Scully replied. 
"Me." 
Both agents turned at the sound of the voice as a trenchcoat-wearing
black man emerged from the growing pool of shadows forming under a
nearby grove of oak trees. Scully only looked perplexed, but Mulder let
a quick smile flash across 
his features. 
"Mr. X, we've been expecting you", he said as the black man sat down on
the opposite side of the picnic table. 
He glared at the younger agent. 
  "You know I don't like meeting like this. In the open.", he said.
He gave a furtive look around the park, then returned his angry gaze
upon Mulder. 
"I'm sorry,", Mulder stated. "but time is of the essence in this matter.
Do you have the information I need?" 
Mr. X took a manila envelope from his coat pocket and handed it to
Mulder. 
"Here it is", he said."Every last known possible place where our
cigarette-smoking friend has been known to frequent." 
Mulder made as if to thank the older man, but Mr. X held his hand up,
stopping him from speaking. 
"Now, if you'l excuse me, I'll take my leave of you, agent Mulder. Never
ask me to do this again." 
With this, the mysterious man got up and walked in the direction of the
parking lot, eventually being swallowed up by the increasing dusk. 
    "You can come up now", Mulder said to the Rangers hidden
under the desk. Chip and Monty scrambled up to the tabletop and looked
hopefully at the envelope held in the FBI agent's hand. 
  "Is that what I think it is?", Monty asked eagerly. 
  "I don't know", Mulder responded truthfully as he shook the
contents of the envelope onto the Tabletop. 
  "But we're going to find out." 
----- 
Mulder took a flashlight from his pocket, and they pored over the
pictures looking for places that the CSM and the Rangers both had
contact with. Finally, they found one. 
"This lab is where our old foe Norton Nimnul used to live.", Chip said,
pointing at one of the pictures. 
Mulder looked at the chipmunk.
"USED to?" 
Chip glanced up from the picture and looked at agent Mulder. 
"Before he was locked away in that mental institution, that is." 
Mulder arched his eyebrow. 
"Long story.", Chip replied. 
Mulder bent to the picture again and pursed his lips. 
"It's odd.", he began. "What kind of dealings would the smoking man have
with your old 'friend'?" 
Chip contemplated the strange connection. Then, he snapped his fingers. 
"What is it, Chipper?", Monty asked. 
"Ever wonder how Nimnul always managed to get back on the streets every
single time we sent him to jail?", Chip quizzed the Australian mouse. 
Monty looked puzzled. "Yessss....", he said hesitantly. 
Chip had that look he always got while reading a good Sheerluck Jones
novel. He stabbed a finger at the photo of Nimnul's lab. 
"Because 'someone' keeps signing the papers that get him out.", he
stated. "Someone we know." 
Monty nodded his head. "Sound theory, lad, but why?" 
Mulder looked thoughtful, then spoke. 
  "A secure lab the police won't even touch? It seems to me they
aren't touching it because someone higher up has told them not to." 
Monty interrupted. "Even if Tammy IS being held there, it's not like we
can just waltz right in there and take 'er back." 
Chip rubbed his hands together, a sly grin forming on his face. 
"I have a plan.", he announced. 
**************** 
Tammy's sense of fear was fading a little bit. 
  As clever and brilliant as Nimnul had claimed to be, the "torture"
he had threatened her with so far had only consisted of placing a desk
lamp close to her cage, making it uncomfortably hot, and poking at her
from between the cage bars with the eraser end of a pencil. The Russian
man watched Nimnul's actions with barely concealed comtempt. He held a
deep dislike for Nimnul, pondering how such a brilliant scientific mind
could never grasp the fact that he could make ten times as much money
selling his inventions to the government than he did with his inept
robbery and extortion schemes. He hated this assignment with a passion,
and hoped to be transferred soon. Suddenly, there was a knock at the
door. Nimnul looked up from Tammy's cage with a frown. 
"Who could that be?", he muttered, miffed at having been interrupted. 
The Russian man stood up and took his gun out from under his jacket.
Nimnul saw this and blanched. 
"Stay there.", he ordered Nimnul as he walked over to the door. 
--------- 
The Russian man looked through the door's peephole that Nimnul had
installed years earler. What he saw puzzled him. 
A tall man in a trenchcoat stood waiting outside the door. Next to him
stood an attractive redhead clad in a similar trenchcoat. They were
alone. The Russian man thumbed the intercom switch next to the door. 
"Who are you?", he asked briskly. "State your business" 
The angular man looked up at the speaker installed above the door, then
returned his gaze to the peephole. 
"The smoking man sent us to deliver something for the professor.", he
said to the door. 
"What?", asked the Russian man mistrustfully. 
The man bent down and picked up something that had been hidden from the
Russian man's sight until then. He held it up to the peephole for him to
see. 
It was a cage containing a small chipmunk. The rodent looked nearly
paralyzed with fright. The Russian relaxed slightly, but kept his gun
out as he swiped his entry card into the electronic lock. 
***********
The RR-Files, part two. 

By Chris Silva, John Pesterfield, Robert Knaus and Karl Schenk.

Final proofreading and editing by Robert Knaus.

 "Trust No One." 
-Chris Carter. 

*********** 

Mulder and Scully entered the lab, Mulder carrying the cage containing
Chip. Nimnul saw the cage, and his fear was immediately forgotten.

 "Another vermin!", he exclaimed triumphantly. He began to step forward,
but a curt gesture from the Russian man stopped him in his tracks.

 "Wait." he said in Nimnul's direction. 

Nimnul got a pouty expression on his face. "What is it?", he whined. He
wanted to get right to work devising an appropriately agonizing demise
for his new captive. The Russian man pointed his gun at the agents.
Mulder took an involuntary step back. 

"Hey, what's the deal?", he sputtered. 

"No sudden moves you two.", the Russian man growled. "Take out your guns
and kick them over to the balding fellow." 

Nimnul bristled at the Russian's words. 
"I'm not bald! I'm.....folically challenged!" 

"SILENCE!", the Russian bellowed, and Nimnul wisely didn't decide to
pursue the matter. Mulder and Scully carefully took out their guns and
slid them across the floor to Nimnul, then stood with their hands raised
slightly.

 "You going to tell us what this is all about?", Mulder asked with a
tone of annoyance in his voice. 

The Russian man glared at them. 

"Where is your I.D. card?", he demanded.

"Accidentally left it at the office.", Mulder quipped.

The Russian man smirked. 

"I see.", he began. "You expect me to swallow that?"

 "It's true. The smoking man sent us to deliver this rodent to you",
Mulder said evenly. "The order signed by his hand is in my pocket. If
you'll just let me get it..." 

Mulder's right hand stole towards his jacket pocket. The Russian man
pointed his pistol at Mulder's head and he froze in mid-movement. 

  "I think not, my friend", the Russian said. "I will take whatever
surprise you had concealed in your pocket". 

The Russian walked over to Mulder and pressed the cold steel of his gun
barrel to his temple.

 "No tricks", he hissed. 

"Wouldn't dream of it", Mulder replied. 

With his free hand the Russian dug into Mulder's coat pocket....and let
out a scream of surprise and pain. He yanked his hand out of Mulder's
pocket to find a large mouse in what appeared to be a jacket and aviator
goggles biting down savagely on his fingers.

   "NOW!", Mulder yelled, and levelled a fist into the unprepared
Russian's face. He let out another shriek of agony and reeled backwards,
his nose broken. Before he could regain his senses, Mulder sank his fist
into his considerable midsection, letting out his breath in one
explosive gust. He sank to the floor, his gun slipping nervelessly from
his hand. 

Nimnul shrank back from the agents, holding his hands up.

 "P-P-Please,", he stammered, his eyes growing wide.

 Mulder had taken the Russian man's gun, and he trained it on Nimnul.

 "You going to be trouble?", he asked. 

"No.", Nimnul whispered. 

"Then sit over there.", Mulder demanded, gesturing to a chair next to an
instrument panel. Nimul complied meekly, cringing away from the gun.
Scully walked over to their guns and picked them up, tossing Mulder's to
him. She then bent down to Chip's cage and released him. He smiled up at
her as he emerged. 

"Great work, you two!", he exclaimed as Gadget climbed out of Mulder's
other pocket. Dale and Zipper had agreed to stay with Tammy's mother
back at Ranger HQ..

 "It was your idea, Mr. Maplewood." Scully replied.

 "Please, it's Chip."

 "Chip, then.", Scully said. 

Monty walked over to them, a rather sour expression on his face. "You
okay, Monty?", Chip asked. 

"I'm fine, Chip,", he replied. "but sleepin' beauty over there might
think about washin' his hands every now and again." 

Chip briefly smiled, then got down to business. "Let's find Tammy and
get the heck out of here."

 "Too right.", Monty replied. Agent Scully held out her hands, and the
two of them stepped into her palms. She carried them over to the work
table and set them down next to Tammy's cage. She ran to the bars and
let out a whoop of joy. 

"I KNEW you'd come!", she exclaimed happily. Chip reached through the
bars and took her hands in his own.

 "Hey,", he said smoothly. "Friends don't abandon friends."

 Tammy lowered her eyes and blushed, both at Chip's words, and the feel
of his hands holding hers. Monty smiled at her reaction, then remembered
where they were.

 "One side, Chipper.", he said, laying a hand on his shoulder. Chip
pulled his hands back through the bars (to Tammy's slight
disapointment), and Monty stepped forward and grasped the bars in his
immense hands. He strained at them, cords pulling taut in his neck,
until two of them began to bend outward. Finally, there was just enough
room for Tammy to squeeze through. She immediately flung herself into
Chip's arms, hugging him tight.

"Thank you.", she whispered in his ear, and then kissed him on the
cheek. Now it was Chip's turn to blush. 

"Y-You're welcome.", he stammered.

Monty dropped him a wink. Chip gulped. 

------- 

Mulder looked over towards the table. 

  "Did you find your friend?" Mulder asked. 
"Yeah, we have her," Chip replied. 

"Good.", Mulder said. "Then lets get out of h-"

Suddenly, the Russian man reared up behind Mulder and, with a bellow of
rage, tackled him. Caught by surprise, Mulder was forced to the floor by
his opponent's superior body mass. Scully took her gun off of Nimnul and
aimed it at the two wrestling men, but could not risk taking a shot.
Unseen by Scully, Nimnul began to dig around frantically in one of his
drawers.

"STOP, OR I'LL FIRE!", Scully shouted. 

The Russian man ignored her and continued to grapple for Mulder's gun.
Suddenly, it went off, sending a bullet into one of the control panels.
There was a shower of sparks, one of which alighted on a pile of dirty
workrags, setting them ablaze. The Russian grabbed Mulder by the throat
and picked him up, keeping his body between himself and Scully's line of
fire. 

"LET HIM GO!", Scully demanded, her voice reaching a powerful register. 

"You want him?", the Russian snarled. "Then TAKE him!" 

He put his hand on Mulder's chest and literally HURLED him at Scully,
his nearly unconcious body knocking the petite female agent to the
floor. As the Rangers looked on in dismay, the Russian ran to the door
and quickly swiped his entry card. 

*The hell with this*, he thought bitterly. *Let the smoking man deal
with these two himself!* 

He ran out into the night, leaving the door hanging ajar. 

------- 

Scully took Mulder's face in her hands and began to gently shake him.

 "Mulder, can you hear me?", she asked with great concern in her voice.
The Rangers and Tammy had jumped down from the table and tenatively
approached the two agents. 

"Is he-", Tammy whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

 "No.", Scully repied, peeling back Mulder's eyelid and checking his
pupil. "He's just unconcious. I need to get him to a hospital."

 "NO ONE IS GETTING OUT OF HERE!", a voice shouted. Scully and the
Rangers turned to see Nimnul, who they had forgotten in the excitement,
pointing a strange-looking gun at Scully. She attempted to aim her own
weapon at him, but was too slow, as Nimnul pulled the trigger.

 "NO!", Chip shouted.

 There was a brilliant flash of light, momentarily blinding the Rangers.
As their vision returned, they were witness to an astonishing sight.

 Both Scully and Mulder had been reduced to the size of rodents. Scully
looked around in a dazed manner. 

"W-what?", she murmured, her senses dulled.

 "Crikey, 'e's got another Gigantico gun!", Monty shouted. 

Nimnul grinned with delight. 

"Just a little something I've been working on for the past few months.",
he gloated. "I had planned on using it on the Russian while his back was
turned, but he never gave me the chance." 

Nimnul slipped the gun into his pocket, and began to stride towards the
Rangers. 

"But now that you've removed him for me,", he continued, "I can finally
have my revenge on you miserable vermin, for what you did to me!"

 With this, he raised his boot above the two miniaturized FBI agents,
ready to deliver a crushing blow. 

Suddenly, there was a loud bang. Chip wheeled around, looking for the
source. 

The fire, gone unnoticed by the room's occupants during the struggle,
had engulfed one of Nimnul's work tables. The loud noise had been caused
by one of the test tubes shattering in the increasing heat. Even as he
watched, another one exploded with a report like a gunshot. 

Nimnul had stopped his foot in midair at the sound of the shattering
test tubes. The look of crazed triumph was slapped from his face,
immediately replaced with terror. 
"NOOOOO!", he wailed. "MY LIFE'S WORK!" 

He ran to the flaming table while removing his lab coat, which he used
to beat frantically at the rapidly spreading flames. 

Chip ran over to the still slightly dazed agent Scully. She looked up at
him with a sense of wonder. 

"How is this possible?", she whispered. 

"I'll explain later." he said urgently. "But right now we've got to get
out of here!" 

Scully stood up. "What about Mulder?", she asked.

 Monterey Jack stepped forward. "I'll handle it, lass.", he said. He
bent down and picked up Mulder's unconcious body, slinging it over his
shouder. 

As the Rangers bolted for the door, which had been left hanging open by
the Russian man's hasty exit, Chip took one last look back, and what he
saw haunted him for the rest of his days. 

Nimnul had been completely encircled by the flames. As Chip looked on,
Nimnul backed into the corner, dropping his badly charred coat. His eyes
glanced across the burning room, and then locked on Chip's own. 

Chip felt a shudder wrack it's way through his body. Suddenly, he felt a
hand grasping his arm. He turned and saw Gadget's concerned face.

 "We can't save him.", she stated sadly. 

Chip hesitated, then allowed Gadget to lead him out, the sound of
roaring flames filling his ears. 

---------- 

"Mulder, can you hear me? MULDER!" 

Mulder slowly swam up from the depths of unconciousness, prodded by
Scully's insistent voice. He sat up with a wince, his hand going to his
throat, where ugly brownish-yellow bruises were already forming. 

Scully smiled. "How you feeling, partner?" 
"Like I ticked off Xena.", he said hoarsely. 

Scully couldn't help but chuckle, but quickly regained her bedside
manner. She held up two fingers before Mulder's eyes. 

"How many fingers?", she asked. 

Mulder blinked. "Two?" 

Scully let out a sigh of relief. "No neurological damage.", she
diagnosed. 

Mulder glanced around, and froze. 

Monty and Tammy were standing a short distance away, watching the two
agents with concern. 

"Are you all right, Mr. Mulder?", Tammy asked hesitantly. 

Mulder stared at them for a few seconds, then turned his shocked gaze
back upon his partner. Scully only shrugged. 

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.", he muttered. 

-------- 

As the others tended to the confused FBI agent, Chip continued to watch
the lab, which was almost completely engulfed in flames. Gadget walked
over to him and took his hand in her own. 

"Don't blame yourself.", she whispered to the distraught chipmunk. Chip
turned to her and let out a heavy sigh. 

"We should have done something.", he said, hanging his head in shame. "I
should have done something." 

Gadget placed her finger under his chin and gently prodded him to look
her in the eye. 

"If we had stayed we all would have died." she bluntly stated. "Nimnul
made his own bed. There was nothing we could do." 

Chip stared into her beautiful blue eyes and felt his chest loosen. He
nodded. 

Gadget favored him with a smile and gave his hand one last squeeze. 

"Now, let's see how agent Mulder is doing and get out of here before the
fire department arrives.", she said. 

-------- 

Chip and Gadget rejoined the group, where Mulder had come to grips with
their bizarre situation with surprising swiftness. 
"Scully and I have seen some inexplicable things during our assignment
to the X-Files,", he said. "but this takes the cake." 

Chip stepped forward. "I think we should head back to Ranger HQ and
think about how to restore Mulder and Scully to their normal size.", he
said. 

"Good thing we brought the Ranger plane with us.", Gadget added as the
group began to walk towards the agents' rental car, which they had left
parked under the cover of a nearby grove of trees. Suddenly Mulder came
to a halt, a look of dawning awareness forming on his features. 

"What is it?", Scully asked with a puzzled tone to her voice. 

Mulder took the car keys out of his pocket and held them up for her to
see. Scully then groaned as the same realization came to her. 

Chip looked at the two of them quizically. 

"What?", he ventured. 

Mulder turned to the chipmunk.

"I locked your plane in the trunk."

There was an awkward moment of silence following Mulder's pronouncement
as the group considered their options.

"Looks like we're walkin', mates.", Monty interjected.

Mulder was staring glumly at the car keys when he suddenly got an idea.

"Hey Scully, do you still have your gun?"

Scully reached over to her holster and pulled it out. "Yeah, I do. Why?"

Mulder took the gun from his partner's hand and began walking towards
the car again. Mystified, the group began to follow him.

"What is it, Mr. Mulder?", Tammy asked as the car came into view.

Mulder grinned. "You'll see."

-------- 

They reached the car and went around to the rear bumper. Mulder turned
to Monty.

"Give me a boost?", Mulder asked.

"Sure thing.", Monty replied, and interlaced his fingers. Mulder placed
his foot into Monty's hands and was effortlessly boosted up to the car's
bumper. He hauled himself up and went over to the trunk's lock. 

"Plug your ears!", he warned, and jammed the gunbarrel into the locking
mechanism. He pulled the trigger six times in rapid succession, the
gunshots muffled by the lock. At the sixth shot, there was the sound of
metal snapping inside the lock, and the trunk swung open.

"Bravo, mate!", Monty said with admiration. Mulder peeked over the side
of the bumper and smiled.

"Our chariot awaits.", he said with a floursh. 

--------

Everyone climbed into the Ranger plane. Scully's cell phone had to be
left behind to make room, but after the crazy events of the past day,
she could'nt care less. Scully sat in the front seat between Chip and
Gadget, while Mulder sat next to Tammy and Monty in the back. The plane
lifted out of the trunk and Gadget made a beeline for Central Park.
During the journey, Tammy snuggled up to Mulder.

"You were SOOOO heroic back there, Mr. Mulder.", she purred, batting her
eyelashes flirtaciously at him.

Mulder was clearly embarrased by the young squirrel's advances. "Just
doing my job.", he muttered.

Chip looked out over the city to hide his grin from the others.

*Welcome to the club*, he thought with a mental chuckle as the Ranger
Plane flew through the crisp fall night, headed for home.

********

The RR-Files, part three. 

By Chris Silva, John Pesterfield, Robert Knaus and Karl Schenk. 

Final proofreading and editing by Robert Knaus. 

"Apology is Policy." 
-Chris Carter. 

************* 

"You cheated!" 

Dale threw his cards down in disgust as Zipper buzzed happily. The other
Rangers had accompanied agents Mulder and Scully in their rescue mission
several hours earlier, leaving the two of them behind to keep Tammy's
mother company. She sat across from the both of them, holding her own
cards. As Zipper flew over to the pile of peanuts they were using as
poker chips, she held up her hand. 

"Hold on a minute.", she said. 

Zipper paused and looked at her. She then laid her cards on the table
for the two of them to see. 

"Gin.", she stated, with a thin smile. 

Zipper stared at her cards for a second, then blanched.

 "Looks like we both lose, buddy.", Dale said with a grin as Tammy's mom
reached over and took a peanut. She took a bite and smiled at them both.

 Zipper took off and headed for the kitchen, letting out a series of
disgruntled sounding squeaks and buzzes. Tammy's mom swallowed her bite
of peanut and asked Dale what Zipper had said. 

"You don't wanna know.", he replied, still amused by Zipper's reaction.
He reached over to the cards and began to clumsily shuffle them again.

 "What now?", Dale asked. "Old Maid? Rummy?" He arched his eyebrow in a
hammy manner. "Strip Poker?" 

Tammy's mom blushed and gently slapped Dale's arm. "Mind your manners,
young man!", she proclaimed with mock severity.

 Dale grinned again, and was going to make another risque statement when
the familiar sound of the Ranger Plane's mechanical wings flapping came
to his ears. Tammy's mother's gaze was immediately rivited to the front
door as the Plane came to a halt on the runway outside. Dale reached
over and gave her hand a squeeze as Zipper flew in from the kitchen. She
gave him a nervous smile, then returned her penatrating gaze to the
door. There was the sound of running footsteps outside, then the door
burst open. Tammy rushed in and came to a momentary halt as she locked
eyes with her mother. There was a few seconds of silence, then Tammy's
mom leaped up from her chair and ran to her daughter, crushing her to
her chest. 

"My baby, oh my precious baby....", she whispered, tears of joy oozing
out from behind her tightly shut eyelids. Tammy was also crying, so
overcome with emotion that she could muster no words at all.

 Dale and Zipper watched their reunion with identical smiles of relief
on their faces, then turned their attention to the door as the other
Rangers entered, followed by- 

Dale sucked in his breath. stunned by who had followed the others into
the tree. 

It was FBI agents Mulder and Scully, who had both been reduced to the
Ranger's size. Mulder saw Dale's jaw hanging down around his chest and
gave him a tentative wave. Dale shut his mouth with an effort and stood
up, looking to Chip for an explanation. 

"Dale, Zipper,", Chip began, "I'd like you to keep an open mind about
this situation." 

Tammy's mother had opened her eyes as Chip began to speak, and her
joyful expression turned to one of horror. 

"HUMANS!", she shrieked, causing Tammy to jump. She grabbed Tammy and
sheilded her with her body, backing away from the two surprised agents.

 Scully stepped forward, holding her hands up in a non-threatening
manner. 

"Please, Mrs. Squirrel, we mean you and your daughter no harm!", she
pleaded. 

Chip stepped forward and paced his hand on Scully's shoulder. "Agent
Scully is right!", he proclaimed to the terrified mother Squirrel.
"These two helped us rescue your daughter."

 Tammy stepped from behind her mother and spoke up. "It's true, mom. If
it weren't for Fox and Dana, The Rangers would have never found me." 

Tammy's mom glanced at her daughter, then back at the two miniaturized
FBI agents. She slowly brought her fists down. 
"I-I dont know what to say.", she said confusedly. 

"How about THANKS, mom?", Tammy prodded.

 Everyone in the room goggled at the young squirrel's words, then
exploded with laughter. As the laughter began to taper off, Tammy's
mother went over to Mulder and tenatively took his hand. 

"Thank you.", she whispered softly. 

Mulder smiled and patted her on the shoulder. 

"All in a day's work.", he deadpanned, causing a fresh eruption of
laughter from everyone. 

------- 

"So.....what now?", Scully asked. 

Mulder and Scully were sitting on the Ranger's couch. Tammy and her
mother had left a few minutes earlier, but not before Tammy had given
Mulder a peck on the cheek, drawing another amused smile from Chip. Now
the two agents sat staring vacantly into space, the hopelessness of
their situation sinking in. 

"Er, buck up mates!", Monterey Jack ventured. "We'll find some way of
puttin' you back th' way you were!" 

"We will?", Dale uttered, earning a bonk on the head by Chip.

 Gadget frowned at the two chipmunks, then began to pace. 

"I could attempt to re-create the Gigantico gun.....", she began,
thinking out loud. 

Mulder and Scully visibly brightened at her words. "You could do that?",
Scully asked. 
Gadget stopped pacing and faced the agents. "I think so. If I had the
correct materials, it SHOULD work!" 

Monty had a loud coughing fit. Chip placed his hand on Gadget's arm and
gave what he hoped was a convincing smile. 

"Er, maybe we should wait on that a bit, Gadget. Mulder and Scully have
had a rough day." 

Gadget looked into Chip's eyes, and shrugged. "That's okay, Chip. I need
to get some raw materials from the dump anyway. Let's see, I'll need a
calculator, some toaster parts......" 

Continuing to rattle off her mental checklist, she headed for her
workshop to work up some blueprints. Scully looked at Monty with
concern. 

"Are you alright, Mr. Jack?" 

Monty's spasm of coughing had tapered off, and he gave Scully a strained
smile. 

"Right as rain, lass.", he said. "It's just that when young Gadget says
something SHOULD work...."
 
".....It's time to duck and cover.", Chip finished.

 Scully looked from Monty to Chip with puzzlement, then shrugged. 

Mulder was about to ask about their sleeping arrangements, when the
quiet of the living room was shattered by the familiar burr of Mulder's
cell-phone. 

Mulder stared at his pocket, having forgotten all about it. The Rangers
stepped closer, their curiosity aroused. 

"If we left your phone at the lab....", he said to Scully as he brought
the phone from his coat pocket, "then who is this?" 

Scully only shrugged and replied "Only one way to find out."

 He pressed the recieve key, held the phone to his ear, and said,
"Mulder." 

"Ah, agent Mulder. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to reach you.",
a familar, smoke-roughened voice issued from the earpiece. 

  "You.", Mulder hissed. 

"I suggest you keep a civil tone, agent....at least if you don't want to
spend the rest of your life foraging for nuts with your little woodland
friends." 

Mulder grimaced. "What do you mean?" 

The voice at the other end of the line paused. The Rangers crowded
around the couch, listening to Mulder's conversation. 

"I am in possession of the shrinking ray technology.", the Smoking man
stated. "The only one in possession of it since the unpleasantness at
the lab. That's where I found your car. A quick search of the vehicle
turned up agent Scully's cell phone. You were on her speed-dial. I am
calling you to offer a deal. I will return you to your normal size, in
exchange for something you have in your possesion." 

Mulder gripped his phone a little tighter. "What?" 

  "All I ask for is the folder that your informant gave you at the
park today.", CSM said. "It contains too much about me to be out in the
open." 

Mulder took the crumpled folder from his coat pocket and stared at it
thoughfully. 

"Where do we make the exchange?", he asked the voice on the other end of
the line. 

-------- 

Mulder listened for another minute, then shut his phone off. Scully
looked at her partner with a mix of nervousness and hope. "What did he
say?", she asked. 

Mulder held up the folder for all to see. "The Smoking man wants this in
exchange for returning us to our normal size.", he said.

 Chip frowned. "That's it?", he said.
 
Mulder looked at the folder with a comtemplative expression. "There's
SOMETHING in here that he wants to keep buried,", Mulder mused. "but
WHAT?" 

Chip shook his head. "That's not important right now. Where did he want
us to meet him?" 

Mulder looked at Chip again. "Someplace called the 'Happy Tom Cat Food
Factory'. He said you'd know where it w-" 

He broke off as Chip reacted strangely to his words. "What?", he asked.

 Chip took his fedora off and ran his hand through the fur on top of his
head. He then looked at Mulder. 

"The Happy Tom Cat Food Factory is where our old enemy Fat Cat set up
his criminal empire.", Chip said. "His casino is on the roof." 

Mulder opened the folder and began to rapidly page through it. He came
across a picture of an abandoned factory and took it out. 

"Is this it?", he said as he handed it to Chip. Chip examinied the
surveilance photo and nodded. Dale looked over his shoulder at the
picture. 

"Does anyone else find it strange that this guy hangs out around Fat
Cat's place?", Dale asked the group huddled around the couch. "What
business do they have in common?" 

"I don't know about you, mates, but this is starting to smell like a set
up.", Monty warned. 

As the group considered the odd connection between CSM and Fat Cat,
Gadget wandered back into the living room. 

"Has anyone seen my sprocket collection?", she asked, then came to a
halt as she noticed the tenson in the room.

 "What is it, you guys?", she asked. 

---------- 

After Gadget had been filled in on the CSM's phone message, Chip began
to pace around the room, considering their options carefully. As Chip
continued his pacing, Monterey offered the agents a snack. 

"As long as it's not acorns", Mulder quipped.

 Monty grinned. "Well, we got some fruit slices in th' fridge....or I
could heat up some of me world famous ch-ch-chHHHHEEEESSSEEEE....." 

Monty's eyes glazed over and his moustache twisted in knots at the
mention of the sweetest edible substance known to mousekind. Scully
leaned forward on the couch, an expression of alarm forming on her face. 

  "Oh my god, I think he's having a seizure!", she exclaimed. 

Dale reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. 

"No need to worry, agent Scully. This happens all the time with Monty.
He'll snap out of it in a second." 

Even as Dale finished speaking, Monty's moustache returned to normal,
and his eyes slowly cleared. 

".....flapjacks!", he finished, then gave a start at the expression on
agent Scully's face. 

"What is it, luv?" 

Scully opened her mouth, closed it again, then exclaimed, "What just
happened to you?" 

Monty looked puzzled for a minute, then let out a chuckle. "Oh, I musta
had a minor cheese attack fer a second there!" 

"CHEESE attack?", Scully repeated uncertainly. 

"Yeah. Ever since I was a lad, I've had 'em whenever I get even a whiff
of th' stuff. Sometimes even hearing the WORD 'cheese' is enough to
bring on a small one. When th' desire gets too strong, I'm off like a
bloomin' rocket....and woe be to those unlucky enough to be in me path
when I get a 'big' one!" 

"He can sure say that again!", Dale added. 
"Well....as long as you say you're alright...", Scully replied with a
look of wonder on her face. 

"So", Monterey said with an air of joviality. "What'll it be?" 

"What'll WHAT be?", Scully repeated. 

"Er, you wanted somethin' to eat?" 

Scully blushed slightly. "Some fruit woud be lovely. Apple, if you've
got it." 

Monty turned to Mulder. "And you?" 

Mulder considered for a second, then replied, "Got any sunflower seeds?" 

Monty shrugged. "Sorry, mate." 

"Apple then." 

"Be back in two shakes of a dingo's tail.", Monty said as he headed for
the kitchen. 

Meanwhile, Chip was still musing on their situation, when he suddenly
came to a halt, dawning awareness filling his eyes. 

"How did the Smoking man know Mulder and Scully were shrunk?", he asked
the room. The two agents looked up at him, 
as the realization hit them as well. 

"You're right.", Scully said. Mulder then moaned. Scully turned to him. 

"What is it?", she asked. 

Mulder silently got up from the couch and began to walk around the room.
He started to pull pictures off the wall and look behind them. 

"Hey!", Chip exclaimed. 

Suddenly, Mulder stopped and stared behind the portrait of Gadget's
father Geegaw. He reached up to the wall and ripped off something
imbedded in the wood. He then turned and held the object up for all to
see. 

It was an audio receiver of some kind. faint static could be heard
eminating from the speaker. Mulder held his finger to his lips for
silence, then brought the speaker close to his mouth. 

"Nice try.", he said into the receiver, then he dropped the device to
the floor and stomped down hard on it. There was a cracking sound, then
silence from the speaker.  

As everyone stared at the monitoring device, Monty returned from the
kitchen with a plate heaped high with apple slices. 
"Here we go!", the Aussie mouse proclaimed as he set the plate down on
the living room table. "Plenty for...." 

He trailed off as he noticed the pictures off their hooks and Mulder
standing over a broken electronic device on the floor. 

"What is it, you guys?", he asked. 

--------- 

As Gadget studied the impressive monitoring device, Chip began to
outline a plan for the others. As he came to a finish, Mulder nodded and
slipped the folder back into his coat pocket. 

"Dale, get the Ranger Wing ready.", Chip instructed. "We're going to
need it's speed if this goes south on us."

"Roger!", Dale exclaimed, and headed out to the hangar.

Mulder studied Chip's face. "I hope you know what you're doing.", he
said with apprehenshion.

Chip adjusted his fedora and smiled uneasily.

"So do I.", he replied.

Gadget finally joined the group, and placed the shattered remains of the
listening device on the table. 

"I have to admit, I'm impressed.", she stated, prodding the device. "The
workmanship on this is first-rate."

As Chip stared at the device, a bleak thought came to him. He looked up
at the others crowded around the table and cleared his throat for
attention. Everyone immediately turned to him.

Chip wrung his hands nervously, then began. 

"I don't know how to say this, Rangers, so I'll just spit it out."

Gadget placed her hand over Chip's. "What is it, Chip?", she asked
softly.

Chip looked down at Gadget's hand holding his, and felt the strength to
say what needed to be said surge into him.

"If the plan I suggested doesn't pan out...... I'm afraid we may have to
leave Ranger HQ for good".

There was dead silence around the table for a few seconds. Then,
Monterey Jack spoke up.

"Ye can't be serious, lad!", he sputtered. "This is our bloomin' home!"

Chip winced at Monty's outburst, then replied quietly.

"What else can we do?"

The room fell silent again as everyone comtemplated Chip's awful news.
Then, Dale wandered back into the living room, humming tunelessly under
his breath.

"The Ranger Wing is all set up!", he said jovially. "We can leave any-"

He stopped as he noticed the silence of  the others.

"What is it, you guys?", he asked.

Chip slapped his forehead and let out an involuntary chuckle.

"I feel like I'm in an episode of 'Fraiser'", he muttered.

************

The RR-Files, part four. 

By Chris Silva, John Pesterfield, Robert Knaus and Karl Schenk. 

Final editing and proofreading by Robert Knaus. 

"Deny Everything."
-Chris Carter. 

************* 

The Ranger Wing touched down across the street from the Happy Tom Cat
Food Factory. The Rangers and the two FBI agents hopped out and studied
the seemingly deserted building. Chip took out his binoculars and
focused on the rooftop cat statue, which housed Fat Cat's casino. 

"It's strange...", he mused as he lowered the magnifying lenses from his
eyes. 

"What's strange?", Mulder replied. 

"There are no lights on up there that I can see. None at all." 

The group pondered this development for a moment, then Monterey spoke. 

"Well, no time like the present, eh pallys?", he said with what he hoped
was a confident tone. 

Chip nodded and placed his binoculars back in the glove department of
the Wing. 

"Let's go.", he stated as he began to walk across the street. "Rescue
Rangers, Away!" 

------------ 

The casino was deserted. 

The Rangers looked around in amazement. The handful of times they had
been here (usually under less-than-ideal circumstances) the place was a
riot of activity and noise. Now, with no one to fill the huge empty
space, the cavernous, dimly lit room seemed distinctly forboding and
eerie. 

"Zowie.", Dale whispered. "Must be a holiday or something." 

"More like the smoking man wanted some privacy.", Chip replied. 

  He sounded more confident than he felt. The empty casino had
spooked him more than he cared to admit. 

"Come on, Rangers.", he continued. "Let's check out Fat Cat's off-" 

Chip was cut off by a ratcheting sound that filled the silent casino
with a hideous echo. Scully wheeled about, aiming her gun in the
direction the sound had come from. 

Dale had placed a spare coin in one of the slot machines and had pulled
the lever, causing the loud noise they had heard. 

Scully lowered her gun with a sigh of relief. Chip stalked over to Dale
and pinched his ear between his fingers. 

"OW!", Dale shouted. Chip gritted his teeth and clamped his hand over
Dale's mouth. 

"What-are-you-DOING?!", he hissed. 

Dale stared at Chip with wide eyes. He tried to speak, but Chip's hand
muffled his words. 

"Are you going to be quiet?", Chip admonished him. Dale nodded, and Chip
removed his hand. 

"Just tryin' my luck.", Dale said in a small voice. 

Chip sighed heavily and released Dale's ear, which he immediately began
to rub. 

"You didn't have to PINCH me!", Dale pouted. 

Chip resisted the urge to strangle his teammate, which wasn't easy. 

"Come on,", he said to the group. "Let's go up to Fat Cat's office. That
seems like the most likely place." 

Everyone followed Chip to the elevator, Dale grumbling and massaging his
sore ear. 

---------- 

The elevator door slid open. 

Chip exited first, backed up by Scully and her gun. Everyone else
followed in a little group. The office was every bit as dimly lit as the
casino downstairs. A pair of small but unmistakably human figures stood
by Fat Cat's desk. As Chip and Scully began to walk slowly towards them,
there was the sound of a match ignting. The brief glow of the match
illuminated the face of the smoking man, who used the match to light one
of his seemingly endless series of cigarettes. 

Chip and Scully came to a halt a few paces before the CSM and his
shadowy companion. 

"We're here.", Chip announced. 

The CSM glared at the chipmunk through a haze of smoke. 

"You were not invited to this meeting.", he said with a hint of malice. 

Mulder stepped forward and confronted the smoking man. 

"You never said I COULDN'T bring them.", he countered. 

The CSM pondered this, then shrugged. 

"No matter. It doesn't change anything. Do you have the folder?" 

Mulder took the wrinkled folder from his pocket and held it up for the
smoking man to see. 

"The shrink ray plans first.", Mulder demanded. 

The smoking man stared at Mulder with contempt. "You are in no position
to be making demands, agent Mulder.", he said menacingly. He then
reached over to his mysterious companion and placed his hand on his
shoulder. 

"Turn on the lights.", he said. 

The shadowy (but oddly familiar) figure walked over to the wall and
flicked a switch. A series of Klieg lights set up behind the CSM burst
into life, filling the room with harsh, blinding light. 

Mulder blinked back momentary tears as his eyes adjusted to the new
level of brightness in the room. As his vision returned, he finally got
a good look at the smoking man's henchman. 

It was the burly Russian from Nimnul's lab. His nose was heavily
bandaged, and the first two fingers of his left hand were splinted. He
broke out in a large, unpleasant grin as Mulder recognized him. 
"Er...no hard feelings?", Mulder said weakly as the Russian returned to
the CSM's side. His right hand was in his pocket, and it was no great
deductive feat to figure out that he was concealing a gun in there. 

The Russian gave him a murderous glare, and remained silent. 

The smoking man looked smug. "My associate here failed me at the lab,
but will not be making the same mistake twice." He held his free hand
out. 

"Give me the folder.", he said tersely. 

Mulder made as if to hand the folder to him, then drew his hand back. 

"Not that it will do you any good.", he said to the smoking man. 

CSM's brow creased in confusion. 

"What do you mean?", he asked. 

Mulder opened the folder and began to leaf through it. The CSM grew
agitated by his silence. 

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!", he shouted, causing the Rangers to jump. Mulder
did not react at all, fueling CSM's rage. 

Finally, he closed the folder and redirected his gaze upon the enraged
smoking man. 

"Did you think we would just waltz in here without a backup plan?", he
began. "Trust you to keep your word? I wouldn't trust you as far as I
could throw you. That's why we set up an insurance policy." 

"Insurance policy.", the smoking man repeated, the fury draining from
his face. The Russian looked from his boss to Mulder, growing steadily
more confused. 

"That's right.", Mulder continued, warming up as he spoke. "Just a
little 'wrongful death' policy I set up with the Rangers' help. We had
your little file here photocopied, and now a full set of the contents of
this folder resides with an associate of the Rangers." 

The CSM's face had gone an alarming shade of gray. "You lie.", he
whispered breathlessly. 

"Do I?", Mulder shot back. "Have Igor there take out his little toy, and
we'll see." 

The CSM let the cigarette fall from his suddenly nerveless lips. It hit
the floor and let out a burst of sparks. The Russian felt their control
of the situation slipping away. and mentally cursed the young agent and
his diseased friends. 

Mulder smiled. 

"Now that I have your attention,", he said. "here's the deal. You pull
off your surveilance of the Rangers' HQ. You forget you ever set foot in
their home. You forget that the Rangers exist. You provide us with the
shrink ray technology......and in exchange, that copy of the file will
never see the light of day." 

The smoking man gritted his teeth and hissed at Mulder, "Agreed." 

Mulder handed over the folder to him. CSM immedately took out a match
and proceeded to burn it, letting it drop to the floor when it grew to
hot to hold. 

Mulder held out his hand. 

"And?" 

The CSM reached into his pocket and took out a roll of film. He tossed
it to Mulder with a sneer. 

Mulder held the roll up.

"You wouldn't be trying to double-cross us, now would you?", he said to
the smoking man. 

CSM took another cigarette from his nearly empty pack. He lit it and
inhaled deeply.

"I cannot afford to play games with you now, agent Mulder.", he replied.

Mulder nodded and put the roll of film in his pocket.

"Then I guess our business here is complete.", Mulder said with
authority. He turned and began to walk towards the elevator, the others
preceeding him. Suddenly , he stopped and turned to face the smoking man
again.

"What was it?", he asked. "What was in that file that was so important
to keep hidden?"

CSM considered the young agent's question, smoke curling up from the tip
of his cigarette. The Russian glared at Mulder with hate-filled eyes.
Finally, the smoking man spoke.

"If any of my.....associates, let us say? If any of them knew about my
dealngs with the animal kingdom, and, in fact, if animals were sentient
in the first place, my life expectancy would be shortened considerably."

"But why?", Mulder asked, fascinated by his glimpse into the cancer
man's world.

CSM gave him a thin, humorless smile.

"I have been consolidating power for myself in the animal kindom for
several months now, ever since I learned of the sentience of animals
from the late professor Nimnul."

Chip winced slightly at the smoking man's words.

"After I accuired the shrink ray technology from the professor, I
decided to monitor the animal population of the city.", the CSM
continued. "This is when I learned that Mr. Fat Cat had his paws in
nearly every shady deal in the city. I sent him a note asking to meet
me. Naturally, when he saw who I am, it took a bit
of......convincing........ to get him to see that an alliance with me
would be profitable for us both."

"But more frofitable for you, I'm guessing.", Mulder countered.

CSM looked at him evenly. "Call it what you will.", he said vaguely.
"After going into business with Mr. Cat, we struck  a deal. He would
provide me with all the inside information I needed, and I would provide
him with protection." 

"Protection from what?", Chip interjected.

The smoking man smiled.

"The city is a dangerous place.", he replied. "Every day there are
thousands of unsolved murders, burglaries.....and even fires."

His gaze dropped meaningfully to the pile of charred ash that was once
the folder. Chip felt a chill race up his spine.

"So,", the CSM continued. "One of the pieces of information he passed on
to me concerned you Rangers. After hearing of your many meddlings in
human affairs, I decided to investigate. I had Central Park staked out
in the hope that you would be careless, but that never happened."

CSM paused and took a drag from his cigarette, then went on.

"Then, as luck would have it, one of my men managed to follow your plane
to a hotel. He stayed outside to see who would come out."

Mulder gritted his teeth as he anticipated CSM's next words.

"It was Mulder and Scully who came out.", CSM said. "A few minutes
later, your plane took off from the roof. There are no coincidences in
my line of work. It was simple to connect the agents with you."

The smoking man paused and took another drag. Mulder looked enraged.

"Then, I got an idea.", the CSM continued. "It was I who had the folder
delivered to agent Mulder's office. From there, it was simple to trace
his E-Mail message to you and pinpoint your location."

Mulder finally found his voice. "But now you can't touch them.", he
stated.

CSM nodded. He dropped his nearly exhaused cigarette and crushed it
beneath his shoe.  

"That was the agreement", he replied to Mulder. 

"Then our time here has drawn to a close.", Mulder said.

He turned again and headed to the elevator with the others. They entered
and the doors slid shut. 

The Russian slammed a fist into the side of Fat Cat's desk, nearly
breaking the fingers on his right hand as well.

"Damn them!", he bellowed. "Damn them all!"

The smoking man ignored his enraged companion and studied the pile of
ashes on the floor. He took the final cigarette from his pack and
crumpled it, letting it fall to the floor. He lit the cigarette and
inhaled, pondering agent Mulder's claim to have copied the folder.
Finally, he headed for the elevator, which had just returned to the top.
The Russian followed, shaking his bruised hand. 

As the doors opened, the Russian entered. CSM hung back.

The Russian turned and noticed that the smoking man had not entered the
elevator with him.

"What is it, sir?", he asked.

CSM only smiled.

The Russian's eyes widened with terror.

CSM swiftly took a silencer-equipped pistol he had concealed in his
jacket pocket and shot the Russian man point blank in the chest. He was
hurled back against the far wall of the elevator by the bullet, then
began to slowly slide down to the floor.

The smoking man returned the pistol to his pocket and settled down on
his haunches, studying the Russian's face.

"Why?", the Russian wheezed faintly.

CSM stood up and pressed the elevator button for the casino floor. The
doors slid shut and began to transport the dying man down to his doom.

CSM walked over to Fat Cat's desk and took a note from his pocket. He
pinned it to the side of the desk with a thumbtack and began to walk
towards the rear exit, where he had arranged for a pickup earlier.

"No hard feelngs.", he said softly as he exited the office, leaving only
the scent of charred paper and cordite hanging in the air.

************

The RR-Files, part five.

By Chris Silva, John Pesterfield, Robert Knaus and Karl Schenk.

Final editing and proofreading by Robert Knaus.

*****************

It was a week after the confrontation with the smoking man at Fat Cat's
casino. The air this early in the morning had a distinct bite to it now.
Fall was giving way to winter once again.  

Mulder and Scully had accompanied the Rangers to a secluded patch of oak
trees. 
Gadget had completed her Gigantico ray using the plans provided by the
CSM, and the others agreed that they should return the two humans to
their normal size before anything else could go wrong. 

Mulder shook Chip's hand and recieved a friendly pat on the back by
Monty (which nearly sent him sprawling flat on his face).

"It's been surreal, you guys", Mulder quipped. "But I think that the
whole 
Central Park scene should be left to the professionals."

Scully shared a hug with Gadget. "While this whole thing has been just
crazy," she said, "I'm still glad to have met you all."

"Golly, we were glad to lend a hand!", Gadget replied.

Chip looked at the agents and shrugged.

"Well...... no time like the present.", he stated.

Scully and Mulder nodded, then stood shoulder to shoulder.

Gadget pulled her goggles down over her eyes.

"Shield your eyes, everybody!", she warned. The Rangers quickly clapped 
their hands over their eyes, as did the two agents. 

She pulled the trigger of the gun, and a dazzlingly bright glow lit up
the small 
clearing.

 An early morning jogger passing by saw the flash of light from the
corner of his eye and paused, glancing at the grove of trees. He then
shrugged, and continued on his way, whistling a snatch of classical 
music from between his teeth.

----------------------

Mulder and Scully blinked, the afterimage from the blast of light
filling their vision with black dots.

"Scully, you okay?"

"Yeah. I-I think so."

As their sight returned, they suddenly realzed that they could see over
the small bushes surrounding the clearing they were standing in. 

Mulder looked down and saw the Rangers standing in a small group,
glancing up at them in wonder.

"Golly.", Gadget stated simply.

Mulder grinned, then bent down on one knee to get closer to the Rangers.

"Thanks for everything.", he said. "If you ever need any more help from
the FBI, just give me a call."

Chip walked over to Mulder and gave him a sharp salute. "Will do, Fox."

**************************

Mulder and Scully walked slowly through the park, savoring the stillness
of the cool morning air and the fact that they were finally back to
normal.....that is, as normal as their lives ever got.

As they walked, Scully began to speak.

"Will I be able to understand animals from now on?", she asked.

Mulder stopped and looked at Scully.

"It all depends."

Scully frowned. "On what?"

Mulder glanced around at the park, perfectly tranquil and pristine this
early in the morning. He then returned his penatrating gaze upon his
partner. 

"On whether or not you want to believe."

With this, he continued to walk, leaving Scully to contemplate the new
door which had opened in her life....and if she 
wanted to enter it.

****************************

In a highly secretive room deep within the bowels of the Pentagon, a man
walked along a seemingly endless row of shelves looming high above him.
Each one of the shelves was crammed with file boxes. He carried a file
box of his own under one arm. He stopped at the section of one of the
shelves marked "R" and placed the box on it. He took off the top and
peered inside.

The box contained a series of videotapes, as well as a handful of tiny
mechanical devices, each one with meticulous attention to detail.

The man studied the contents of the box with a sour expression. He then
replaced the lid and pushed the box back onto 
the shelf.....where it now resided with thousands of identical boxes.

The man then took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and, in direct
defiance of the "No Smoking" sign posted at the door, lit up.

CSM stared at the box for a few more moments, considering the
information concealed within.

He then walked to the door and closed it behind him, sealing away the
Rangers' secret for all time.

******************

The greyhound bus came to a halt at the station in a cloud of choking
exhaust. It was nearly midnight. As the passengers for the next stop
began to file up the stairs, a short, heavyset man with a bandaged arm
hobbled across the station and entered the bus. The bus then pulled out
of the station with the squeal of it's air brakes filling the air.

The heavyset man settled into a spare seat with a grunt. His left hand
went to his bandaged right arm and began to massage it.

The businessman sitting across the aisle from him folded his newspaper
in his lap and studied the odd looking fellow. The bandage on his right
arm looked mighty slipshod......almost as if he had done it himself.

The businessman finally could not hold his curiosity any longer.

"Excuse me, sir,", he said with concern in his voice. "but are you
alright? You look rather pale."  

The heavyset man looked up at him. 

The businessman recoiled slighty at what he saw, or what he THOUGHT he
saw, flash through the heavyset man's eyes.

Murder.

The businessman picked up his paper again and bent studiously to it,
avoiding the other man's gaze.

------------ 

The heavyset man watched the nosy bus patron return to his paper, then
gazed out the window, studying the dark landscape as it flashed by. His
hand went to his badly burned arm again and continued to massage it, his
thoughts burning themselves.....with visions of revenge. 

He smiled unpleasantly.

The greyhound bus continued it's journey  into the dead of night, taking
Professor Norton Nimnul with it.

***************

THE END.

"I made this!"
-Chris Carter.