I did find, however, that my suspension of disbelief wavered a bit around Mulder being so thoroughly convinced that Scully was actually his enemy. It was a very wise decision on the author's part to leave this part mostly up to our imaginations, but I do struggle to think of anything that would make him completely lose his trust in her the way he has here- something that would make him doubt her, okay, but this scenario is just so extreme that it was a little hard to swallow.

I think if you can't accept the basic premise of the story then, well, it isn't going to work for you.

I don't think we are supposed to try to imagine what the evidence was--obviously it was fabricated--we are only supposed to believe that Mulder believed.

What is disturbing to me is that even if he did believe Scully was his enemy, would he then be able to justify his abusive treatment of her, his stated intent to ignore her reservations.

At least for the purpose of this story, Mortimer convinces me he would, just as she convinces me in The Sin Eater that Mulder would sell himself out for the chance of saving Scully's life--in another universe.

In that story, the spiritual redemption is real. In this one, it's an illusion.