ETTING   OME   O   LFANDRA

---

Hespa's Story interlude 3 - Evening Encounter

Walking slowly from the FBI building to his car, Fox Mulder stares moodily up at the darkening sky.  How many years has he been searching for his sister now?  How long has he sought the truth?  And what has he found?  Lack of evidence, confusion and dead ends…

Sometimes he felt like he was being played with, eternally thwarted and strung along simply for the entertainment of… someone.

Well, no more.  Enough fruitless searching, enough of this fixation with the paranormal.  Time to leave the unknown alone and focus on the known.  He should have a family by now, or at least a girlfriend.  He should have *friends*, not just a loyal partner and a trio of kooks.  He should have a normal life.  And if that means giving up an abnormal job, well…  Maybe it’s about time.

He smiles suddenly, decisive.  Yes, he will go into work tomorrow and ask for a transfer.  Profiling, maybe – he was always good at that.

Time to take control of his life, get away from the gods that play with him.

Suddenly, a loud screeching noise draws his attention down from the heavens.  The roof of the low building opposite slants towards the road, and *something* is sliding down it at great speed, it’s… claws? …screeching against the building as it tries to get a grip.

He can only see it in silhouette against the nearly-night sky, but that is enough to make out the long neck, the longer tail, the fours legs trying to brace against the roof… the huge wings…

The dragon reaches the edge of the roof and hurtles off still on the same angle, heading directly for Mulder.  He is too stunned to move an inch.  Moments before it hits him, the creature regains control of its wings and pulls sharply to the side.  For a second his vision is filled with shiny green hide, and then it is gone, winging its way over the buildings and out of sight.

For a little longer, Mulder simply stands there.

Then he turns and runs back to the FBI building, his mind racing with details that need to be written down, research and cross-referencing that needs to be done.

This will make one heck of an X-file!

Meanwhile, back in thick air…

**note to self – never attempt to exit thick air without *fully* investigating landing site first**