Sorry about not posting this sooner, but I couldn't get on last night. Okay, I want to say a couple of things before I actually write the beginning. I trust you guys will come up with some great ideas, and I can't wait to read them. Also, I'm starting out the Mulder/Scully relationship right where it left off in the last episode, (for those of you who aren't in the know, Mulder and Scully are the proud parents of a cute little bundle of 100% human baby. No alien genomes attached, as far as we know). Geesh, that was a mouthful. So don't be shocked and don't forget Doggett, whom my college friend has decided has very tempting ears -- for nibbling, of course!

Let's get this show on the road!

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Part One-

It was a dark and stormy night at Quark Industries. Dr. Ericka Slate was working late on a new computer chip when she heard a strange noise coming from the lab across the hall. She went to investigate, only to find one of the lab rats had gotten loose and was chewing on an electrical wire. She quickly scooped the animal up, seeing as she was used to handling the lab rats quite often, and took it back to its cage.

"You really shouldn't do that, Fluffy," she said in a kind voice. "You'll get more of a shock than you bargained for."

She carefully locked Fluffy's cage, and walked back to her own lab to finish her project. Just as she passed through the door, the lights went out.

"Great," she muttered. "Fluffy must have chewed farther than I thought." As she made her way in the pitch black to find the breaker box, a strange light began to glow in the middle of the room. She looked up to see a pulsating orb of lightning-blue energy forming near the ceiling of her lab.

"What the....?" Dr. Slate began, but as she said this, the pale blue glow intensified into a blinding flash of light that burned her retinas and forced her to squeeze her eyes shut. Just as soon as it started, the flash was gone, leaving nothing but a pair of wirerimmed glasses, and confused and frightened rats, in its wake.

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Part Two: The Next Day

Dana Scully hurried down to the office that she and Agent Doggett shared. It once had been Mulder's office, stacked with books about voodoo ceremonies and alien encounters. However, Mulder had been fired several months ago, taking most of his clutter with him. Now it enclosed a very different kind of personality.

"Agent Doggett," she thought as a wry smile formed on her lips. "The name describes the man."

She rounded the corner to find John Doggett sitting in the chair that used to be Mulder's. He was on the phone -- she assumed, with their direct supervisor, Assistant Director Skinner. He hung up just as she entered.

Scully dropped a manila folder that she had been carrying on the desk. "We have a case," she said in her characteristic let's-get-down-to- business manner. "A very strange one."

"Don't tell me," Doggett said. "Aliens and cow mutilations again, right?"

Scully rolled her eyes. "No," she said, ignoring his sarcasm. "We have bigger fish to fry. Quark Industries took a hit last night. Apparently, one of their scientists disappeared along with the projects she had been working on."

Doggett opened the file and browsed through it. "So what's this got to do with the X-Files?" he said, with a confused look on his face.

Scully took the file from Doggett and turned to the last page. "Security videocameras picked up an incredibly bright flash of light, and then, the woman was just gone. Local cops and the F.B.I. team there couldn't figure out what had happened. So they called us."

Doggett stood and moved from behind the desk. "Well, it must be our lucky day. Personally, I'd rather do this than deal with grievous and irreparable injury to farm animals."

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(Uncle Sam wants YOU to add on to the story. Go get 'em, tiger.)