. . .August 10th . . . 1992. . .

. . .FBI building. . Assistant Director Skinner's office. . . .

Scully and Mulder sat in their respective chairs in front of the Assistant Director's desk who in turn had eyes on them. Mulder had his eyes on the balding man, puzzled really, contemplating what the matter they are here for. Skinner leaned back into the chair as his eyes darted to a door right across.

The door opened.

"Director, why are we here?" Scully asked.

"I want to be sure of who is helming these cases." Skinner said.

"As do I." Came the smoking man's voice.

"You can be sure we are." Scully said.

Mulder had not budged.

"I agree." Mulder said.

"I am not certain that one of you is not who you say you are." Skinner said.

Scully was baffled.

Mulder showed no emotion what-so-ever.

"What do you mean?" Scully asked as the smoking man got closer.

"What is the definition of paleontology?" Skinner asked.

"Paleontology is a rich field, imbued with a long and interesting past and an even more intriguing and hopeful future," Mulder said. "Many people think paleontology is the study of fossils."

"What is the plot of Terminator?" Skinner asked.

The smoking man blew smoke out of his recently lit cigarette.

"Disguised as a human, a cyborg assassin known as a Terminator travels from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor. Sent to protect Sarah is Kyle Reese who divulges the coming of Skynet, an artificial intelligence system that will spark a nuclear holocaust. Sarah is targeted because Skynet knows that her unborn son will lead the fight against them. With the virtually unstoppable Terminator in hot pursuit, she and Kyle attempt to escape."

"And are you a Terminator?" The smoking man asked.

"No." Mulder said.

"Director, what is the meaning of these questions?" Scully asked.

Skinner glanced over to the smoking man as though he was convinced by something he ha said earlier. Skinner then looked over to Agent Scully.

"One more question. . ." Skinner said. "Just to be sure. . . When was Dana Scully assigned to the X-Files?"

"January 1st, 1992." Mulder said.

"Agent Scully. . ." Skinner said. "You are excused."

Scully looked at the two oddly then left the room.

It was odd for Mulder to be acting this way. Usually he would just give them crap rather than just answering the questions posed by his superiors. She seen it for herself. Mulder was quite the complex and unique person. He was quite the detective. His determination. She honestly missed that aspect of Mulder when he was gone.

She waited outside the door.

That lasted for thirty minutes.

Scully sighed then she went out the waiting room to the elevator. There were people in the hall going in different directions, some were standing there engaging in a conversation relating to a normal case featuring a human being the culprit, there she went into the empty elevator, turned around, and faced the hall. She saw Mulder headed her direction covering his right hand looking over his shoulder. She pressed the 'lobby' button then stopped the doors for him.

After Mulder entered the elavator, she let go of the doors.

"Thanks, Scully." Mulder said.

Scully smelled blood.

"Mulder, what's wrong with your hand?" Scully asked.

"Nothing." Mulder lied.

"Let me see it," Scully said, grabbing his hand. "I am the most reliable doctor here."

She pulled back his sleeve to see a bullet wound dug into his hand surrounding by what appeared to be metal shards and his skin was acting as though it was peeling off. Mulder yanked his hand out of her loosend grip. Scully looked up at Mulder in shock, then her face twisted into fury.

"Is this some kind of sick joke, Mulder?" Scully asked. "Are the Assistant Director and the smoking man working with you to freak me out?'

"No." Mulder said.

"Then why do you have a bullet in your hand surrounded by metal?" Scully said. "I deserve to know why!"

Mulder stared at her.

"You want to know why?" Mulder asked, dead serious.

"I want the truth." Scully said.

Then Mulder said something never did say before, "You can't handle the truth."

"Try me, Mulder." Scully said.

Mulder pressed a button halting the elevator then he pushed back his sleeve and ripped his skin off his right hand. The skin was peeled over to reveal a metal endoskeleton covered in blood. He dropped the skin at her shoes then dug out the bullet and let it fall to the floor out of his servo. Scully stepped back with eyes wide.

"Mulder. . . What happend to you?" Scully said.

"They transferred me into a new body," Mulder said. "And I really, really, I mean really like it." Mulder had his trademark smile. That smile partially relieved Scully to know there is Mulder still there in front of her. "I got shot by the smoking man because he wanted some proof that I was a human!" He rolled down his sleeve then put on a pair of gloves. "Stay out of this, Scully."

"Your body. . ." Scully said, in shock.

"They destroyed it shortly after the torture. . . Well. . . I don't know which came first; dying or being transferred. It was like looking outside my body. Terrified, really, and so was I. All that time I was thinking of my sister. My real body had gone through rigerious torture. Once I was inside my new body; they put commands in my head." He closed his eyes. "I can't sleep,Scully, and there are some things that . . . I find myself a passenger in. The first thing I remember is calling you. No memory what happened after the first commands. I was actually in control after . . .I got on the X-File with the Barney Toy being posessed."

Then Mulder pressed a button starting the elevator.

"Do you always walk around with gloves in your pockets?" Scully asked.

"I thought it would be relevant to getting ice to pretend I broke my leg when I jump out a window," Mulder said. "No. . . I didn't mean that . . . I just thought 'why not?'." He had a shrug. "I have my memories. . . But it feels like I am not really here. Like I am dead. Like I am not really me."

"Mulder, you are still the same man. . ." Scully said. "No matter what you are. . . You are Special Agent Fox Mulder."

Mulder smiled.

"You are softening me," Mulder said. "You don't have to do that."

The doors opened.

"I gotta go, Scully." Mulder said.

Mulder went out the door right past a man.

That man, stopped, screamed, then fainted at the sight of blood on the floor.