The long diss goodnight

At long last it was time for Niki to get off the stage and start circulating among the customers. She was a bit nervous about doing so. Thanks to Jessica, she had nothing to wear save for stripper heels, a garter and two pieces of black lingerie and though she kept telling herself that it could be worse -- Jessica could have replaced her black thong with something far more skimpier, for example -- she still felt more nervous than she should have.

It did not help that the first table she came to had two people sitting at it -- a straight-haired white woman and a black gentleman. The woman had short blonde hair and seemed a bit older than Niki expected. She did not seem like the type of woman who would enjoy the sight of a naked female dancer but then Niki knew from experience that most such women did not look like such women.

In any event, Niki had to say something to them or else Jessica might decide to punish her again.

So she said, "Hello. I'm Niki. Would one of you two like a lap dance?"

The woman just shook her head and said, "No. I'm good. But Mitch might want one."

"Hell, no," said "Mitch." "No offense, lady. I'm sure you're a perfectly fine dancer. But it just so happens that Mitch is particularly satisfied with his current old lady -- and she's at home right now. In fact, Mitch only came along because Charly here needed a chaperone."

"As usual, Mitch likes to exaggerate," said Charly. "I do not need a chaperone. In fact, Mitch here is my partner though he does tend to be a bit stuffy at times. One of those Mormons, you know?"

"Yeah, right," said Mitch. "I'm a Mormon. That's why I'm having a beer at a strip club -- because I'm a Mormon."

"So... the answer is no," said Niki, not quite sure if she should feel disappointed or not.

She turned to leave only to feel a hand on her arm.

Niki turned back and saw Charly looking at her in a strange way. Almost as if she was trying to stare into her eyes. No. Not just stare into her eyes. Stare at someone behind Niki's eyes...

"What's wrong?" asked Charly. "Usually my alte -- er -- sister Samantha is good at finding out what's wrong with people but she's not here right now so you'll have to tell me. If you're in trouble, blink twice for yes, and once for no."

"Er, I'm not in trouble," said Niki. "So please let go of my arm."

"Something's wrong with you," said Charly. "I can sense it."

"I'm telling you I'm okay," said Niki. "Now please let me leave."

"Yes," said a male voice behind her. "Let the lady go."

Niki turned and saw a short man standing behind her. He was dressed in a blue suit and had green eyes and brown hair. Standing next to him was an even shorter red-headed woman in a black dress and heels.

As Niki stared at the man with a puzzled look on her face, the man waved a federal I.D. card in her face that identified him as a federal agent.

"Excuse me, miss," he said. "My name is Fox Mulder. This is my partner Dana Scully. We're with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and we've been investigating a series of bank robberies in this area. It just so happens that the main suspect in these robberies is a woman who matches your description. I don't suppose you'd know anything about that, do you?"