X-Files: The Next Generation

A Familiar Space

Charles poured over the files, page after page of yellowed and flaking paper he couldn't believe what he was reading. Stories and reports of shapeshifters, men hundreds of years old and believe or not vampires graced the pages.

He was so invested in the reports that he hadn't noticed a woman come into his office. Now sitting, seeing how long she could keep up the game, she let out a small cough.

"Oh!", Charles exclaimed. Looking up from his thin brimmed glasses he saw her, hand extended. "I'm Agent Aria Shale, I've been asked to assist you with you work".

"Well, well. Welcome to my humble abode, the basement. I hope it's up to your standards and meets expectations", Charles said with a smirk handing her a file. He knew Agent Shale from her success as a medical professional and expertise in genealogical forensics. He also knew that she was an Ivy League educated woman, someone who would probably rather be on any other assignment than what he suspected was babysitting and spying coming from the higher ups.

"Look I have a few ground rules", Charles lowered his voice and leaned over the stack of papers in front of him. "Go with the process, respect my work and trust no one".

Agent Shale shot up from the papers. "Look Agent...". "Charles, I go by just Charles", he said.

"Charles, I'm not here to spy on you or babysit. Trust me there are about 15 other assignments including trailing tax frauds that I would take gladly at this point. But I'm here now and we might as well make the most of it. The quicker I can observe your work, the quicker my report gets made and the quicker you're out of my hair and I'm out of yours", she extended the report back into Charles' nose.

"Well on that note", Charles exclaimed taking back his report, "let's get started". He grabbed a remote from his desk and powered up the small projector in the room. Suddenly three pictures appeared on screen. Three women all in their mid-20s, all with the same hair, same colored eyes, same everything. It was as if they were looking at a set of triplets.

"Three women have been found over the last three months. Maria Sterring, Tonya Lansing and Lorna Deavers. All the same age, 25, and all found in this rundown home on the outskirts of Tacoma, Washington."

Charles, looking away from the blinding screen, peered over to Agent Shale. He paused for a moment. He hadn't noticed her looks. Tan skin, perfectly styled curly hair. She was tall, but still the perfect height and from the short sleeved turtleneck she wore, he could tell that she was toned.

It was a stark contrast to his looks. Short, yet shaggy, dark brown with a hint of red when the light hit it the right way. A neatly groomed mustache, olive skin, gold thinly brimmed round glasses. He was tall, he thought maybe 3 to 4 inches taller than Agent Shale. He was an avid runner, always taking jogs around the national mall. He was the perfect mix between toned and incredibly muscular.

"Uhh, Charles you were saying...". He snapped out of his trance. How long had he been staring? It felt like minutes but it could've been seconds. "Yes sorry. Um so the main concern with this is that these women all look exactly the same but have absolutely no relation".

"No adoption or even a small chance of their mothers using fertility clinics or sperm banks?"

"That's the best part, DNA tests came back and nada, not even a distant cousin relation. And there's another wrinkle, all of the women killed their male partners and then turned their murder weapon on themselves".

"Okay well I'm not following there has got to be some explanation for this. Three identical women don't just pop up out of nowhere and all happen to murder their partners". Agent Shale knew Charles' reputation. Incredibly bright, gifted agent. Solved some of the toughest drug cases. But recently he had become obsessed with these x-files, but no one could figure out what drew him to them.

"Well I've been looking over these old files and I think I've got our answer. About 20 or so years ago there was a man who donating his sperm to this fertility clinic, only he didn't really tell anyone he was donating. Three babies were born and it turns out that he was a shapeshifter". Charles started to go on about the case when he saw Agent Shale rubbing her brow.

"I'm sorry, someone must've put something in the coffee pot this morning did I just hear you say, 'shapeshifting'. That's impossible I mean medically, scientifically, evolutionary, humans can't just change their bodies like that", Agent Shale removed her hand from her brow and stared at Charles.

She knew he was weird and had a spooky way of figuring out his drug cases but this, this was something else. She was ready to march up to the AD's office and demand a change.

"Look I understand it's a far fetched idea but it's all we've got. So I suggest you pack your bags cause we're headed to Tacoma tonight", he handed her a plane ticket. Rolling her eyes and letting out a sigh, she took the ticket.

She turned on her heels and headed for the door when Charles shouted, "and oh before I forget, I suggest you read up on some of that old case it's got some interesting bits to it". Aria slammed the door and rushed up the stairs heading out to her car.

'Read up on the old case', he had to be kidding. She knew what this was, someone overlooked something somewhere and there was a perfectly solid explanation for this. She got to her car when she noticed a small envelope addressed to her stuck in the door handle.

As she opened it she noticed it was hand written, "protect him at all costs, he has no idea what's he's getting into. cross him or put him in danger and you'll have to deal with me".

She frantically looked around trying to find who had left the note.

"Woah are you okay you look like you just saw a shapeshifter", a familiar voice snickered behind her.

"Very funny", she quickly crumbled the note into her jacket pocket, "I just thought I forgot my keys in the office but turns out there right here". She jingled the key ring in Charles' face. "I'll see you at the airport".

Getting into her car she waited until Charles was out of sight to let out a giant sigh. Who had left the note and how did they know her or Charles for that matter?