The 'X' In The Matrix

Chapter 1

One Friday evening in July, Mulder sat at his desk in his X File office, editing and connecting old reports together, as well as updating them.

It was 8pm, and Scully was at home, resting. She was on her maternity leave and was now seven months pregnant. Which is why Mulder was alone in his office as he looked through the files. He knew Agent Doggett had gone home, and that it was Doggett who was running the X Files now.

But Mulder couldn't resist going over old X Files again. It was kind of like Déjà vu, Mulder thought. He couldn't understand or explain why he felt the need to look through these old files - he simply had a feeling that made him need to. So he had waited for Agent Doggett to go home earlier that day, and when the coast was clear, Mulder entered the office.

So there he was, sitting back in his old chair, with an X File in his hand, when it happened. Mulder thought he must have been reading the file very deeply because he didn't hear the door open and close. "Special Agent Fox Mulder, I presume," a deep voice said. Mulder jumped and looked up, startled. For, standing in front of him was a tall man. He looked like he meant business. He was an African American man, and he wore dark sunglasses along with a heavy leather trench coat. "Can I help you?" Mulder asked, a little baffled. He had never seen this man in his life. "Thank you, but it is I can actually help you," the man replied.

Mulder stood up. "Do I know you?" He asked. Again the man smiled. "No, but we know you," he said. "Who are you? CIA? MI6?" Mulder demanded.

"I thought you'd make a more educated guess than that, Mr. Mulder," the man said, before closing the door behind him. Mulder felt cornered, so he picked up his phone. "Well, sorry to disappoint, but if you don't leave right now then I shall have to call security," he threatened in defense.

The man smiled. "They already know I'm here," he told Mulder. Mulder saw what this man was saying was somehow the truth. With a sigh, he put the phone down and folded his arms across his chest.

"What do you want from me?" Mulder asked. "I want," the man began, "to give you the choice," he said. Mulder looked at him suspiciously. "Are you threatening me?" He demanded. The man shook his head. "No," he said. "I just want you to have a choice. We feel that you are a very important man, Mr Mulder. So we want to give you the opportunity to know the truth," he said.

"OK, so you want me to know the truth. What choice is it that you want me to make, Mr...," Mulder's voice trailed off, not sure what to call him. "Morpheus. My name is Morpheus," Morpheus told him. "OK, Mr Morpheus," Mulder began, but Morpheus held up his hand. "Please," he said, "Just call me Morpheus," he told him.

"Fine. Morpheus," Mulder said. "Before I do anything with you, I would like to know who you are and who you work for," he said sternly.

Morpheus smiled calmly. "That's exactly the choice that I want you to make, Mr Mulder," he said. "I want you to choose about control. Who it is that's controlling you, and what you yourself have the potential to control.

You think It's just the government that has control over everything?" Morpheus asked. Mulder gave a curt nod. "Hmmm. Interesting," Morpheus mused.

"So I want to give yourself the chance to set you free," he continued. "Set me free?" Mulder repeated. "Free from what?" He asked. Morpheus peered at him through his sunglasses. "Free from the Matrix," he replied. "I can tell you who is really controlling you. And us," he said.

"Who's us?" Mulder asked. Morpheus smiled. "You are so curious. That's what we like about you," he said. He then held out his hand to lead Mulder out of the office.

"Mr Mulder, if you want to have the opportunity to learn the truth about our world, then you can follow me. However, if you feel content and secure with everything you have here, I will simply leave, and you'll never see me again.

You will go back to your life here, to your partner, your unborn child, your office, and your...," Morpheus paused as he raised an eyebrow at Mulder's Babes calender - "your taste in women," he added.

Mulder gave him a look. Then, after a long pause, he nodded. "OK," he said, pulling on his jacket and walking in the direction of Morpheus' hand. "Let's talk," he said, and Morpheus grinned in reply before following Mulder out of the office and closing the door behind them.