Part VIII
Alexei's soft voice, sounding young and earnest and scared, echoed in
Alex's head. Alex recognized the voice, it was an exact copy of his own
when he was 15. Soft and melodious, the voice hadn't yet acquired the
smoke and whiskey husk of Alex's current voice. Young Alex had never
tasted hard liquor, or smoked, he'd never been strangled and he'd never
screamed. Screamed until his voice broke, screamed for hours, begging
for mercy, for release...for the pain to stop. Even before the silo...
God! the silo, being locked up, more frightened than he'd ever been in his
life, before or after. Young Alex had never had an alien inside him,
never experienced the terror of another mind inside you trying to take
over. Hell, this Alexei, this scared voice asking him to calm down,
was the alien. A freaking parasite trying to take him over the
minute he let down his guard!
Violent anger surged through Alex, making him twist viciously away from
the constriction of Mulder's warm arms. He stood in a fast, jerky motion
that caused a small tidal wave of tepid bath water to slop over the sides of
the tub.
Mulder sat back against the side of the tub in surprised confusion as Alex
stepped away from him. "Alex? What it is?"
Alex stopped, his back to Mulder. "This was a mistake," he growled over
his shoulder, keeping his gaze and his face turned away from the man
who had just expressed love for him.
"A mistake...?" Mulder repeated in confusion. "What was?"
Alex didn't reply as he walked the few steps to the edge, and climbed out
of the tub.
Mulder stood up, catching his hand on the side of the tub to steady
himself as the water slapped against his thighs in agitated waves that
threatened his footing. "What the hell?"
Alex didn't answer him, he was too busy muttering and mentally telling
Alexei off in five languages as he snatched up a towel. Mulder carefully
made his way to the edge and out of the tub as Alex threw the thick towel
over his head and briskly rubbed his hair dry.
"Alex, talk to me. What the hell is the matter?" Fear and frustration made
Mulder's voice harsh.
Alex's head emerged from the towel, his hair standing up in wild spikes as
he glared over at Mulder. He moved away from the tub, rubbing the
towel over his chest and arms in angry strokes.
Mulder felt his face flame as the anger that was never far from the surface
around Alex flared to life. He strode forward two paces and grabbed
Alex's arm, spinning him around to face him. "Damnit, Krycek!"
Alex's body went rigid, and the face he turned toward Mulder was as cold
and expressionless as a statue. "Why are you here, Mulder?"
A deep crease formed on Mulder's forehead as he frowned. "What?"
"Why are you here, Mulder? What do you want? What do you hope to
gain?" Alex's voice was calm, disturbingly quiet, coming from a
completely blank face.
"We've been through this, Alex, I want to help."
"How? What is your plan? How do you plan on 'helping' me? Something
struck me a little belatedly, Mulder. Less than a month ago you would
have cheerfully shot me on sight, and you would have celebrated at the
thought of me going to prison. Now you want to 'help', you let me..." he
waved a hand vaguely in the direction of the bathtub.
"You've been trying to get proof of aliens for years, so desperate to deal
with a real alien you've almost gotten yourself and Scully killed multiple
times on the slightest chance of meeting one. Hell, I think the damn things
give you a raging hard on. Now, here you've got a prime example. You've
got oh-so-obliging-Alexei. A warm, fuzzy alien of your very own. He's
even a little infatuated with you. On top of that, he's innocent, he's never
knowingly hurt anyone except me." His eyes narrowed slightly, though
his tone never wavered. Years of practice allowed him to project nothing
but a bland and impenetrable facade.
"Now tell me, Mulder, just how willing are you to help me kill him? Your
perfect alien, the answer to so many of your questions."
Mulder saw the pain as if it were visible on the Russian's expressionless
face. He looked at Alex, seeing plainly how the years of torment and
anguish had formed the man he'd become. His face was like stone, his
voice calm and expressionless, but every line, every furrow, concealed an
emotional wound from years past. His own eyes were soft as his chest
tightened in sympathy with the pain and despair he sensed in this 'cold
blooded' assassin.
Slowly, Alex dropped his head, his chin resting on his chest, unable to
meet the empathy and love he saw in Mulder's eyes. Mulder saw his
shoulders rise as he pulled in a deep breath and then pressed the heels
of both hands over his eyes as if they burned with weariness. He was
hurting, Mulder could tell, but he could not stand for the hurt to be
touched.
"Steel tempered by fire," Mulder said aloud without thinking.
"What?" Alex asked wearily.
"You."
"Am I?" Alex moved his hands from over his closed eyes to the back of
his neck, the long, graceful fingers rubbing as if to ease an ache.
Mulder smiled sadly. "Aren't you?"
Alex tightened his grip on the fraying threads of his patience. "Mulder,"
he said. It was question, request and warning all in one, and he knew it.
But Mulder held his ground and his gaze steadily. Alex let out a short,
sharp breath. Swallowed. Closed his eyes in apparent pain. Took in an
audible breath. "Mulder," he said again, and this time it was pure plea.
His shoulders drooped slightly and he stood silent, eyes closed,
unmoving except for the slight rise and fall of his chest as he pulled the
moist bathroom air in.
Mulder risked taking a step closer. "Alex?" He started to reach out, his
fingers stopping just short of the bare shoulder. He wanted to touch him,
to offer comfort, but something in the slope of the shoulders denied him.
He lowered his hand, fingers curling into a fist to stop their trembling.
"I love you, Alex. It doesn't make sense, it's insane and it's damn
inconvenient, but I love you."
Alex raised his eyes to Mulder, the anger and fire were gone from the
deep green eyes, leaving in their wake only the black, aching hollow of
fatigue. He studied Mulder's face for just a moment before lowering his
eyes again. He shook his head in denial, his face twisted in a tight grimace
as he stared at the floor.
"Alex?" Mulder took a shaky step forward, and risked putting his hands
on Alex's shoulders. "Alex, listen to me. Believe me. Please." He felt the
fine tremors going through his lover's body and he lowered his own face
down so he rested his forehead against the soft silk of Alex's hair.
"I love you, Alex. More than the X-files, more than my career, more than
my need for the truth. I love you, and that's not going to change."
His chest ached as he felt Alex take several deep, slightly ragged breaths.
He relaxed slightly as Alex expelled a loud compressed breath and some
of the tension drained out of the tight body in his arms.
"You're full of shit, Mulder." Alex whispered faintly.
"Occasionally," Mulder agreed, "but not this time, Alex."
"Oh, yeah," Alex murmured, "this time you are definitely full of shit."
Mulder wrapped his arms around him, burying his face in the satin
warmth of Alex's neck. "I don't have the answers, Alex. I wish I did, but I
don't have any." He pressed a soft kiss to the damp skin. "All I know is I
do love you, and I will do whatever it takes to save you."
"And Alexei?"
Mulder took a deep painful breath, his eyes tightly closed. "If we can, I
want to save him too. But," he added as Alex stiffened. "If he has to die
to save you...then that's what will happen. I won't lose you, Alex."
He could feel a shiver run through his lover and Alex slumped into his
embrace. "I believe you, Mulder." He whispered. "I've always believed in
you."
Mulder ran a hand slowly through Alex's wet hair, savoring the wealth of
sable silk as it ran through his fingers. He pushed a wild lock of hair back
behind one of the small, neat, and faintly pointed ears. "Your hair is
getting long," he said in a mildly bewildered voice.
Alex coughed out a laugh that held no humor. "I know, Alexei seems to
like it long."
Mulder took a breath, then decided to let it drop. He dropped a soft kiss
on Alex's smooth forehead. "You're exhausted, Alex. We both are. Come
on, things will look better in the morning." He altered his embrace and
pulled Alex around, leading him out of the bathroom and toward the bed
room.
Alex felt a sense of wonder along with his exhaustion as he thought of
how Mulder was handling this, accepting it, accepting him. Yet,
Mulder was holding him as easily as if they'd been lovers for years. As if
he intended to keep on holding him.
His eyes never left Mulder as the older man maneuvered him into bed and
adjusted the covers so he was comfortable. Mulder leaned over and
brushed his lips over Alex's forehead. "I'm just going to make sure
everything is locked down. I'll be right back."
"Mulder..."
"Shh," Mulder kissed him again. "Five minutes tops." Then he was gone.
Alex lay in bed, trying to calm his disorderly mind into it's normal control,
tried to make sure his shields were up to block Alexei "talking" to him
any further. He was just achieving calm as he felt the bed dip. He smiled
without opening his eyes and reached a hand out to Mulder. Feeling his
lover's firm, warm chest, he let his hand caress him slowly, feeling its way
in the dark, fingers spread like a cat's whiskers, sensitive to every nuance
of this best loved of all bodies.
Mulder's hand finally caught his, depositing a kiss on each finger tip
before pulling Alex's arm around him and snuggling into Alex's embrace
like a happy puppy.
Alex's heavy eye lids started to open and Mulder planted a soft kiss
against each. "Sleep, Krycek. That's an order."
Alex's mouth twisted slightly. "Aye, aye, Captain."
"Ha," Mulder slurred in a sleepy tone of deep satisfaction. "About time
you showed proper ::yawn:: respect, youngster."
Alex smiled slightly in the dark and held Mulder, whispering small and
gentle Russian phrases into his sweet smelling hair.
Mulder snuggled tighter against him, his breath warm on the tender skin of
Alex's neck as he murmured something too softly to hear.
"What?" Alex whispered in a soft breath.
"Love you," Mulder repeated.
Alex swallowed and squeezed his eyes shut to keep back the tears
that threatened. He ran his fingers through Mulder's hair soothingly, calming
himself and lulling Mulder asleep.
"You give me peace," Alex whispered. "The only time I ever feel it has been
with you." Mulder didn't answer, his breath even and comforting against
Alex's skin.
Alex didn't understand it, but Mulder said he loved him. He insisted he would
help Alex. Alex didn't understand it, didn't know how Mulder could forgive
the past, but he was sure as hell going to accept it for as long as it
lasted.
The man he had loved for years loved him, and for now, it was enough.
His breathing slowed, evened out, and he let the tightness in his mind gently
unwind as he relaxed into a warm sleep.
Dana Scully sighed in frustration as she sat her packed suitcases next to
the front door. One bag held her "taking care of Mulder" supplies. Her kit
carried more supplies than an Army medic going into battle hauled
around. She had enough bandages, medicines, splints, and instruments to
do rough field surgery if absolutely necessary. When Mulder called saying
he was in trouble, you just never knew what he'd gotten into. Better to be
prepared. Now, in addition to being responsible for keeping Mulder healthy
in mind and body, he expected her to patch up Krycek.
At the thought of the ex-assassin, she slammed her over night bag on top of
the other cases. If she didn't love Mulder so much she would just let the
Russian bastard suffer. He deserved it; Lord only knew how many had
suffered at Krycek's hands.
She paused, remembering the fear in Mulder's voice last night on the phone.
It wasn't just concern because his informant might die on him, she heard
fear.
His voice shook as he described the motorcycle accident. Mulder had been
driving, barely able to see through the pouring rain and a deer had stepped
in
front of them. Mulder had swerved to avoid it and they had both hit a tree.
Mulder's voice shook as he described Krycek's injuries to her over the
phone. He thought the alien inside Krycek could completely heal the
damage, but he wasn't sure. Shaken, he wanted Scully to come. He'd been
adamantly against her suggestion of taking Krycek to the hospital. She knew
she was going when he begged. Mulder never begged.
Shaking her head, she went into the kitchen to retrieve a large bag of
sunflower seeds. She hesitated and then tossed the bag of seeds into the
bulging "Mulder kit".
She froze as she heard a sudden muted commotion out in the hallway. She
ran to retrieve her holstered gun from the coffee table. The hallway was
silent
as she went to the door to look through the peephole. There was a middle
aged woman standing out there, but she wasn't facing Scully's door, she was
looking down and to the left of the door. The woman's long salt and pepper
hair was disheveled, but she didn't appear to be in distress.
Scully opened the door cautiously, her gun ready. "What's going on here?"
The woman straightened slightly in surprise then slowly turned to face her.
Wide green eyes framed by a lovely face stared at Scully without expression.
As she turned further Scully saw a long, sharply pointed object in the
woman's right hand. Scully's gun was up and pointed squarely at the stranger
in an eyeblink. "F.B. I! Drop the weapon!"
"Agent Scully..." the woman started in a soft, husky voice.
"Drop It!"
The dark haired woman opened her hand, letting a bright metallic object drop
to the carpeted hall floor. She slowly raised her hands to shoulder height.
"I
was saving your life, Agent Scully." She nodded her head marginally,
indicating something to the right of her on the floor.
Scully's eyes narrowed and she let her gaze shift enough to see what the
woman indicated. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment. A large man
lay face down on the carpet.. Green liquid was bubbling up from the back of
the thick neck, just at the base of the skull. There was an acrid odor in the
hallway that Scully immediately recognized. It was the smell of blood from
the
men that Mulder insisted were aliens. The incredibly toxic fluid was pouring
out, and the man's back and shoulders seemed to be slumping down as if
liquefying.
Scully turned back to the motionless woman with wide blue eyes. "Who are
you?"'
Some of the tension seemed to drain from the dark suited woman. "My name
is Katarina. Please, it is essential I talk with you."
Scully swallowed past a dry throat, but kept her gaze and her gun locked
steadily on the woman. "Who was he?"
The woman stood still a moment, studying Scully seriously. "He was what
Agent Mulder calls a 'Bounty Hunter' or a 'Tracker-Killer.' He was here for
you, Agent Scully."
"For me?"
The dark woman nodded, "Yes, to take you for questioning in the belief that
you know where Agent Mulder is. Even if you don't know, you would be
invaluable as bait to bring him out or as a bargaining chip. It wouldn't be
the
first time Agent Mulder has turned over people important to him in order to
save you. I've read the reports. He traded Samantha to a Bounty Hunter for
you once."
Scully froze, staring into the woman's dark green eyes. "She wasn't
Samantha," she said carefully.
Katarina nodded. "No. She was a clone. But he believed, Agent Scully, he
thought she was his sister. He took her home to his mother and father as his
lost sister. His father knew she was a clone, but he still abused him for
"losing
her" again. He knew it would hurt his mother, it broke his own heart, but
Mulder made the trade for you without hesitation. There is every reason to
believe he would be even quicker to turn over Alex Krycek to save you."
Scully's eyes narrowed and her gun came up again. "That explains why he,"
she made a slight hand gesture indicating the rapidly dissolving form on the
floor, "was here. Why are you here?"
Katarina leaned forward slightly, her tone giving weight to her words.
"They will stop at nothing, Agent Scully, nothing-to get Alex Krycek and the
alien inside him back in their control." She let her hands drop to her sides.
"And I will do everything in my power to keep both Alex Krycek and the
alien inside of him out of their hands."
"Why?"
Katarina's eyes closed a moment. "The alien inside Alex Krycek is immature,
a child in human terms." Her clear green eyes raised to meet Scully's. "He is
my offspring, my child."
Scully stared at her incredulously. "Your...child ..."
"Agent Scully, we don't have time for this. You aren't the only one that was
targeted. At this moment one of the Colonists has AD Skinner, if we don't
hurry, we won't be able to save him."
Anger flushed Scully, banishing thoughts of alien mothers. "Where is he?"
"Come with me, I'll take you to him."
"Just tell me where he is."
"You can't do it alone. You are no match for a Colonist. You know guns
don't work on the aliens. If you shoot one the retrovirus in their blood will
incapacitate you and won't slow the alien." She indicated the sharp tool
laying at the floor next to the toxic green sludge. "You need one of these to
stop an alien, it must be inserted precisely in the top of the neck."
"Then I'll take that one."
Katarina sighed in frustration. "You can't tackle one of them alone, hand to
hand he'll toss you like you're a rag doll, and then he'll have you as well
as
AD Skinner. You must let me go with you."
Scully's eyes ran over the woman's slender form in silent contemplation,
obviously wondering how this woman could make a difference.
Katarina's face went blank, and then it shifted, a quick blurring of
features,
and then Scully found herself looking into a different face. Where a very
attractive older woman was now stood a wirey and androgynous man. He
spoke with a soft, gender neutral voice. "I told you, Agent Scully, the alien
inside Alex Krycek is my son. I can stand up to a Colonist."
Scully's eyes were wide, her mouth open slightly.
Katarina shifted again, her features again female and lovely. Her voice again
warm and slightly husky. "I need to find Alex Krycek if I am to save my
offspring. I believe you and AD Skinner can help me. I have stopped your
abduction for now, but AD Skinner is still in trouble." Her voice firmed. "I
am
going, Agent Scully. You can come with me or follow me." She leaned down
and scooped up the metal plam on the floor. She offered it to Scully handle
first. "I have another, you can have this one."
Scully paused only a moment. She holstered her gun and grabbed
her "Mulder kit" in an easy motion. She accepted the plam gingerly.
"Take me to him."
The man walking around the foot of the bed was gray. From the top of
his short, steel gray hair, to the soles of his expensive gray leather shoes.
His Brook's Brother's suit was a rich, dark gray, and the eyes he viewed
his prisoner with were a gray so light they were unnerving.
He moved around the bed slowly, twirling a ten pound hammer in one
hand casually. "Really, don't you think you are being a bit ridiculous? I
understand, you think you're being brave, that you are sacrificing yourself
for a higher good, protecting your friends." He shook his head in mimed
sorrow as he looked at the man laying on the bed. "Do you honestly
believe Agent Mulder would endure this for you? Do you think it would
even occur to him to be grateful for your protection? Has he ever been
grateful before, or does he consider it his due? Even worse, why would
you even consider protecting Alex Krycek? You suffer this for him, you
know. Is he worth any of your pain?"
Skinner took a deep, painful breath. "I don't give a rat's ass about
Krycek."
The gray man's eyebrows arched. "No? Then tell me where he is."
"I don't know."
The gray man sighed in disappointment and straightened, his face
expressionless. "I don't believe you."' He shook his head slightly. "I
tried
the other approach AD Skinner. I was going to try to keep human
casualties to a minimum. But I don't have time. My superiors are wanting
results immediately." He cocked his head slightly and stared down at
Skinner calmly. "I'm not human, we don't have the same concerns about
our bodies as your kind does, but I would rather not do this. I'm asking
you... where is Agent Mulder and Alex Krycek?"
"I don't know. I swear, I don't know!"
The gray man's face was completely expressionless again. "I am afraid
this is going to hurt a great deal."
Laying the hammer down on the bedside table, he picked up a glass rod.
Six inches long, and narrower than a pencil, it sparkled in the light. In his
other hand he picked up a rectangular wooden block. He ran his hand
down to place the wooden block between Skinner's thighs, keeping his
pale gray gaze locked on Skinner's dark eyes as he adjusted Skinner's
penis in place over the block.
Walter Skinner cried out in panic and pulled desperately against the
leather straps holding his arms and legs spread eagled on the bed. The
gray man clamped his hand down over Skinner's penis, trapping it against
the block. With his other hand he slipped the glass rod into the penis
through the slit.
"Please, please, don't do this. Please, I don't know."
Skinner whimpered in fear as the gray man walked over to the bedside
table and picked up the hammer again, casually swinging it in his hand.
"Last chance, Mr. Skinner. Do you understand what will happen if I drop
this hammer on you?" His voice again became conversational. "It's
actually quite interesting. Your penis will explode, the glass shards
becoming missiles going in different directions, peeling back any skin in
their path." He shook his head. "Human science is so primitive. There's no
way your doctors could repair it. I can't imagine anything worth that, can
you, Mr. Skinner?"
Skinner whimpered, struggling to make his hoarse voice heard. "Please
... don't."
"Consider your answer carefully. I can tell if you try to lie to me, Mr.
Skinner.
Now," His voice became cold, his tone clinical, merciless, and utterly
inhuman. "Tell. Me. Where. Alex. Krycek. Is."
Walter Skinner stared up at the gunmetal gray eyes through pain induced
tears and swallowed heavily. His face twisted in a grimace of pain briefly
and he held his breath for a moment. When he could breath again, it was
in shallow, panting gasps.
The gray man cocked his head to one side and paused as Skinner closed
his eyes a moment and struggled to speak. "Yes?"
"Fuck. You." Skinner finally ground out.
The gray man's eyebrows rose up in reluctant admiration. He slowly
raised his hammer. Before he could drop the deadly weapon the door flew
back against the wall with a crash.
"F.B.I! Drop your weapon!"
The gray man slowly turned toward the door, lowering his hammer to his
side. He smiled faintly as he recognized Dana Scully standing in the
doorway with her automatic held aggressively in front of her ready to
shoot anyone stupid enough to challenge her.
His grin grew as there was no sign of a herd of F.B.I agents in her wake.
He carefully laid his hammer on the end of the bed. "Agent Scully, your
timing is impeccable as always."
"Get your hands up! You're under arrest!"
His smile didn't change as he took a step toward her. "I am very glad to
see you, Agent Scully."
"Down on the floor! Hands on your head!"
He raised his hands slightly, showing his empty palms, but taking another
step toward her. "Agent Scully, your weapon is no good against me."
"You'll find out if you take another step! Get down on the floor and keep
your hands up or I'll shoot you."
His smirk slipped a fraction as his cold gray eyes took in her studied
glare."No doubt you would," he said softly. "But you would only hurt
yourself and AD Skinner."
"Cut the crap, and get on the floor!"
"Agent Scully, you have experienced first hand what happens to those
who shoot my people. If you shoot me you won't slow me down, but the
virus in my blood stream will certainly incapacitate you and probably kill
AD Skinner."
"Agent Scully has more than one weapon," came a husky female voice as
a dark shape slipped out of the darkness behind Scully and stepped into
the room beside her. The gray man winced as he saw a glint and heard the
unmistakable sound of a plam opening.
Reminded, Scully switched her gun to just her right hand and flicked her
left hand. There was another glint and whisper of sound as a plam
appeared in her left hand.
A dark, angry frown replaced the gray man's smirk. He spit out a word
that sounded as if it should never from a human throat. Out of the corner
of her eye Scully saw the effect on the face of the woman beside her. The
woman's eyes widened in pain and her lips opened slightly as if to deny
the word. The woman faltered only a moment, then her shoulders
straightened as her chin lifted defiantly. "So be it," she said shakily.
The gray man's face darkened in anger and disgust. "You betray not only
me, but every female on our planet. There is a reason females are not sent
on the first ships. They made an exception for you, and you commit
treason. The Penarii singers will curse your name for generations."
The woman flinched, her hand shaking slightly, but again she tilted her
chin up. "For the sake of what we was between us before, I give you a
chance. Leave now. You can't take both of us."
His narrowed eyes assessed the two women's petite bodies and fierce,
stubborn stances and decided on the better part of honor. Without a
word, without hurrying, he turned and walked to the far door.
"Freeze!" Scully called out. He didn't hesitate, but Katarina put her
hand out to stop her.
"Let him go."
"What?" Scully asked angrily, "We have to stop him."
"No. Let him go, Agent Scully." Katarina stepped in front of Scully's gun.
The gray man paused at the door, looking over his shoulder briefly, then
left, pulling the door closed behind him. Katarina kept her green gaze
locked on Scully's face, her eyes dark with pain and sorrow.
"What do you think you're...?" Scully started angrily. She was stopped
by the groan from the bed. She turned and gasped as she really took in
the scene before her.
Walter Skinner was tied spread eagled on a blood and sweat soaked bed.
His chest and abdomen were covered in long, thin cuts. Blood, fresh and
old alike trailed down his chest and abdomen in thin red fingers. The skin
around both nipples had been cut in a circle around each areola and
flapped back with just a thin bit of skin holding it on. Electrodes had been
inserted into the space, clamping on the nerves there. Scully bit her lower
lip as her eyes continued down his body and saw that his scrotum had also
been opened up, and more clamps were inserted to send electricity
through the exquisitely vulnerable nerves there. A sparkle at the end of
his penis drew her eyes and her throat tightened as she pulled the long
thin glass rod from him. A sob he couldn't keep in drew her eyes back to
his tormented face. His eyes were tightly closed, his jaw so tight she
could almost hear teeth breaking as he fought for control.
"Oh, Sir, I'm so sorry." She winced as his face tightened in a grimace and
he turned his face away. She shook herself and reached into her jacket to
pull her cell phone out. Katarina began slicing the leather away from
Skinner's wrists and ankles with a knife from the table.
"Fingerprints." Scully called out to her automatically.
Katarina looked up at her solemnly. "They won't do any good anyway."
"Who the hell was that?"
Before Katarina could answer, Scully turned her attention to the 911
operator on the phone as her call was finally answered.
"Alexei's father." Katarina whispered softly.
The sound of the strange woman's voice and the touch of her hands made
Skinner open his eyes again. The velvet blackness of unconsciousness
seduced him, but he swam up from his personal darkness and stared
out through the distorting pools that shimmered in his eye sockets.
He looked up into a face dominated by dark green eyes framed with thick
dark lashes. Gently prominent cheekbones with slight hollows beneath, a
slim tip-tilted nose, full pink lips, and skin like rose-tinted cream
completed the picture. A mane of dark auburn hair surrounded the pixie
face with extraordinarily rich color as light from behind brought out red
highlights. Without his glasses, and with tears in his eyes, the light
seemed to outline her in a halo.
"Who are you?" Skinner grated out in a hoarse whisper.
Her eyes turned down to meet his. "You're safe now," she said quietly.
As she released the wrist restraints she lowered his arms back down
slowly, wincing in sympathy as he moaned.
Skinner swallowed hard and licked dry lips. "Who?" he insisted.
"You could not pronounce my name, but I go by Katarina."
"Go by...?" he whispered.
She sighed and looked over at Scully, who was ignoring her as she
assessed Skinner as quickly as she could. It was obvious that Scully was
hoping that concentration on the task at hand would ease the choking
sensation in her throat and help melt the large ball of ice in the pit of her
stomach as she saw what had been done to this honorable man. She
removed the electrodes attached to the tortured man with infinite care.
"It's too much to expect he kept medical supplies here," she muttered to
herself crossly as her gaze scanned the room for the supplies anyway.
Seeing Scully was ignoring her, the woman took a deep breath and
turned her somber gaze back to Skinner.
"I am an alien, same as the man who was just here."
Skinner tensed, his eyes wide with alarm. She laid a gentle hand on his
cheek. "No, no, you're safe. I will not hurt you. I'm...." she bit her lip,
then gave a minuscule smile. "I'm on the other side." She withdrew her
hand as he relaxed slightly. "I warned Agent Scully and killed the men
that tried to take her. I brought her here to you." She pulled back slightly
and her face filled with regret as she took in his battered form. "I am
sorry we were too late to prevent this."
He stared up at the compassionate green eyes and gave a weak nod.
As she turned to face Scully again he studied her profile. He felt an odd
sense of familiarity, as though he should recognize her, but his tired mind
couldn't place her. He'd trained for years in recognizing faces, a good law
man had to be able to remember the faces of suspects. But through the
dark fog of pain and exhaustion, he just couldn't pull it up.
"We don't have any time, we have to leave." The woman whispered
urgently to Scully. "Alex needs these nutrients."
Scully looked at her angrily, her eyes flashing. "I am not leaving him here
like this. He needs a hospital."
"You've called your healers, they will take care of him."
"I will not leave him." Scully said firmly.
The dark woman tilted her head quizzically, studying her. "Because he's
too hurt?" she offered carefully.
"That's part of it, yes." Scully looked down to where Skinner lay panting
on the bed and back to the other woman. "He's a friend. I can't leave him
alone."
The women's words, spoken across the top of him, barely penetrated
Skinner's haze of fatigue and pain. All he could do was stare at the
strange woman's elegant profile. He should know. He knew he wouldn't
have forgotten this face, it was so familiar, so beautiful. Her features were
so delicate, her jaw line sweeping back in a graceful arch, her chin looked
like it was made to be cupped in a lover's hand, those lush eyelashes...
suddenly he knew where he had seen these features.
"Krycek!" he gasped.
The two women turned back to him in surprise. The dark haired woman's
brows drew down slightly, causing a line to form a v over her nose as she
looked at him in confusion. Scully's face was tense. She was hurting for
him, and frightened for Mulder, and she absolutely did not trust this
woman who might not even be human.
"What about Krycek, Sir?" Scully asked him carefully.
Skinner turned his head toward her, his eyes only vaguely focused, and
forced his voice to work. "She's Krycek."
Scully glanced quickly at the other woman and saw her looking at him
with an odd look of speculation. Scully turned back to her wounded
boss.
"We have yet to establish her identity ,Sir." She glared at the other
woman in annoyance. "But she is looking for Krycek." Her voice
dropped to a disgruntled tone. "Just like half the civilized world."
The woman looked up, meeting her gaze with wide doe like green eyes.
She studied Scully for a moment then turned back to Skinner.
"Mr. Skinner, the form I have taken is that of Katarina Krycek. I have
taken this form in the hope that I will be able to get close to Alexander
Krycek, and through him, to my son. Please believe me when I tell
you that I wish no harm to you or Agents Mulder and Scully. But it is
very important I find Agent Mulder. I have to help Alex Krycek." She
stared at him, willing his belief, before laying her hand on his cheek again.
Her thumb ran over his cheekbone, her expression pensive. "Please,
believe me, I am on your side."
She turned her gaze back to Scully. "If he were healed, if he was no
longer in danger, could we leave?"
Scully's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I am not leaving him unprotected.
I will not risk his life for the sake of Alex Krycek."
Katarina's eyes closed in defeat and she sighed. She looked back up
with a new resignation on her face. "He will not be unprotected. I will
stay with him, I will make sure no one comes after him again."
Scully opened her mouth to argue, but Katarina interrupted her gently.
"My son needs these nutrients, Agent Scully. Either you tell me where to
find Agent Mulder and Alex Krycek, or you must take it to him. I would
prefer the former, but I understand your concern for Agent Mulder. If
you tell me you will give my son the fluids, then I will believe you."
Scully's suspicious expression didn't ease any. "After AD Skinner is
in the hospital and out of danger..."
"There's no time!" Katarina took a deep breath, calming herself. "You
said that Alex was hurt. We don't have time for your primitive medicine
to heal this man."
She turned her luminous eyes back to Skinner. Decision made, she
rested her hand on his face again to claim his attention. "AD Skinner,
I am going to help you. What hurts the worst?"
He was barely able to keep his eyes open, he hurt so badly. One
corner of his mouth twitched in an attempt at a smile. "If I've got one,
it hurts."
She ran a smooth hand soothingly over his scalp. "I'm sorry. Just
rest, I will try to heal what I can."
He couldn't muster up the energy for more than the faintest of nods.
Biting her lower lip in concentration, the woman carefully laid the nipple
flaps in the proper position and laid her palms over top gently. There
was no light, no sound, but Skinner could feel waves of pleasure
wash through him, and the pain disappeared. His eyes flew open in
surprise as her hands gently cupped his testicles and carefully folded
them into the proper configuration. He felt the satiny warmth flow
through him again, a wave going through him that brought the cleansing
peace, healing, and comfort that normally came only from those that love
you deeply.
He looked down his body and into the intense green eyes that were
looking in his direction but not really seeing him. He felt his cheeks heat
as his cock took notice of the beautiful woman cradling his testicles as the
delightful sensations went through him. Before his body could show its
appreciation too much, he reached down to pull her hands from him.
She blinked in surprise, then flashed him a quick smile. Her tired eyes
skimmed over him briefly then she turned back to Scully. "I have healed
what I can. The worst of the injuries are repaired and he is no longer in
any danger. There is no need for you to remain. He will be fine until the
ambulance gets here." The wail of a siren outside confirmed how soon
that would be.
Scully was staring wide eyed at Skinner's chest and groin. She looked up
and met the other woman's tired gaze. "How did you...?"
"There is no time, Agent Scully. You have to go." She reached into a
pocket and pulled out two small glass vials of dark green fluid. She offered
them to Scully. "I will help AD Skinner, you must help my son. Without this
fluid he will die. He will die just as your daughter Emily did. Please, you
must help him. There are so many trying to kill him, and even his own body
is his enemy now. If you won't take me to help him, I'm begging you, please
help him yourself."
Scully felt a flush of anger at the mention of Emily. How dare this woman
try to manipulate her? But looking into the other woman's eyes her
anger evaporated. She could see that the deep sadness and pain in
the damp green eyes. She reached out and accepted the vials.
"I'll give it to him."
Katarina's face eased with a small smile of relief. "Thank you." She swept
her arm back slightly taking in Skinner's sprawled form. "I'll stay with him,
make sure my people don't give him any more trouble."
Scully's gaze met Skinner's and he nodded, indicating that he was
comfortable with the arrangement. Now that the pain was gone, and with
the medics walking in the doorway, he felt no danger being with this,
admittedly strange, lovely woman. Scully was the one going into danger,
driving out tonight to try and save Alex Krycek. Krycek, an assassin, and
if this woman was to be believed, now an alien as well. It was all more
than Skinner's exhausted mind could deal with. He let the darkness of
sleep take him.
Victim of the Game
by CKing
"It's all right, Alex. Really, it is. Please don't cry. Mulder loves you, he
really does. It's okay, it doesn't matter what you've done in the past...
Mulder doesn't care. He's forgiven you. And don't you see? Having me
around hasn't been so horrible...it's made Mulder really see you, made
him think, and admit the way he feels about you. Please, Alex, we can
work things out. The three of us together can be so much better than
you've ever had it. We can be so happy together..."
A repeat of the soft sound from downstairs instantly dissolved his feelings of comfort. Alex slid smoothly backward and off the bed, ending crouched beside the solid furniture as he silently surveyed the room. He strained to hear past the sound of his own heart in his ears. There, the sound drifted up to him from downstairs, the cadence of soft voices talking, and something...music? Someone had broken into their cabin and was in the living area playing music? Alex shook his head. It made no sense. Bailey or Jaak wouldn't come in unannounced, Scully wasn't due till later in the morning, Spender's men would never...It didn't matter, someone was here that didn't belong. Someone was about to die.
Alex pulled his 9 mm automatic off the bedside table and made his way silently across the room. As he padded fluidly down the stairs the voices came to him slightly louder. The tone, the cadences, indicated two people at ease, there was none of the feeling of trained agents creeping into enemy territory. There were soft hisses, telling each other to keep quiet. Maybe the Lone Gunmen? Then he heard barely muffled giggles. What the hell? Did the Gunmen do drugs? Alex shook his head, he didn't know. He'd never cared enough to do a really thorough personality check on them, just enough to know who and what they were, what they meant to Mulder.
He was part of the shadows as he flowed down the stairs and into a position where he could see the living room clearly. What he saw made him freeze, his jaw opening in surprise, quickly followed by anger. Alexei!
It was the same living room he and Mulder had been in earlier but transformed in a way that indicated it couldn't be real.. The fire they had banked earlier was blazing cheerily now, providing the only light other than the cool light coming in the patio doors. In the far corner stood a Christmas tree, bright fairy lights twinkling away in brilliant rainbows. The fire mantel held two well filled stockings, and the space under the tree was filled to over flowing with gaily wrapped packages. The view outside the patio doors showed a winter wonderland lit by the silver light of a full moon. There was a huge dark shape out on the porch and Alex's jaw tightened in mingled annoyance and reluctant amusement as a reindeer, complete in harness to pull a sleigh, looked in the glass doors. It's breath fogged the glass doors as Alex looked around the room, searching for the source of the soft music in the room.
He stepped out from his dark corner cautiously and paused as he heard laughter off to his right side. He was torn between whether he should march over and confront Alexei or whether he should follow his natural inclination to wait and case the situation before committing himself. The question was taken from him as a pair of men came spinning out of the kitchen, laughing breathlessly.
Alex recognized Alexei instantly, both his laughter and his lithe young body despite the shadows in the room. The man he was dancing with was taller, his shoulders broader, with his long hair draping down between his shoulder blades. The thick braid bounced as the laughing man spun Alexei energetically before pulling him into a tight embrace. The light from the fireplace cast warm shadows on the two as the soft light from the kitchen leaked out just enough to make their features visible in the dark.
As Alex watched in silent anger the taller man raised a hand to Alexei's cheek briefly in a soft touch before lowering it to smooth over his shoulders and down his back, bringing Alexei slowly against his taut body. His head lowered to Alexei's as he pressed his mouth down to savor the sweet hunger of the teenager's mouth.
It was slow, so slow, whispering the faintest of kisses against Alexei's lips until they opened with a will of their own in a soft blend of curiosity and desire. Just as carefully the tall man pulled back, his hand again stroking Alexei's cheek lovingly. He whispered something into an elfin ear and Alexei let out a soft laugh that was half whisper, and lowered his eyes.
"That's pretty," the older man murmured huskily.
Alexei swallowed hard and looked up with shy eyes and flushed cheeks. "What is?"
"Your blush."
Fury burned through Alex as he watched. What in the hell did Alexei think he was doing dragging him into this ridiculous fantasy? And who the hell was this man seducing this young version of Alex. Alex knew that the young alien was curious about human sex and romance. But damnit, he was too young! Even with his accelerated rate of growth the kid was barely the equivalent of a 15 year old human. He had no business messing around with older men. He could be hurt, he could...Alex stopped the line of thought with a fierce snap. He did not care. Alexei was a parasite, that was all. He wasn't Alex's responsibility, wasn't his kid brother, he was ...an alien. The enemy. And he couldn't let himself forget that. Alex shook his head irritably. Hell, he shouldn't be surprised that even alien teenagers were curious about this mysterious and infinitely intriguing rite of adulthood. But what pervert had the innocent alien pulled out of Alex's memories, risking his own innocence, risking...what Alex had endured in real life.
Alex stalked forward angrily, then faltered as he remembered another dream from Alexei, one the alien had used to trap Alex. Alexei was an innocent, but he wasn't stupid, and that was more than Alex could say for himself that day. Alex's fear changed into a glorious, fierce rage as he stiffened and vowed he would not be taken in again. He had been taught better than that. The only times he'd made the same mistake twice had involved Mulder. This would not be one of those times.
As his fists tightened angrily, he felt the pain of the rough grip of the pistol still clutched in his hand. It was unnecessary, but he jacked the chamber of the automatic, letting the deadly metal sound ring through the room.
The two entwined men froze at the sound. The taller man slowly turned to face Alex, subtlety positioning his body to protect Alexei. Alex's sneer froze half formed as he saw the man's face.
"Vassily Vassilyovich." The name grated out in a hoarse whisper as Alex looked into the face of the first man he had ever loved, the man who taught a young Alex Krycek the joys of male love.
"Alexander." Even in the dark Alex could see the brow that arched high beneath the hair that had fallen so rakishly over the other man's high brow as he recognized Alex. The other man's face lit with a slow smile of welcome as he strained to see the assassin in the dark. "It's been a long time, Alex." Despite his smile, he kept his body between Alex and a nervous Alexei. Alexei peeked around one strong shoulder, trying to ascertain just how angry Alex was.
"That's because you're fucking dead!" Alex said in a shout that could have scored steel.
Alexei ducked back behind his human shield, pressing his face against the warm back as he fearfully chewed his lower lip. He hadn't meant to let the shields drop, hadn't meant for Alex to catch him in his solitary playground. Definitely didn't intend for Alex to catch him with Vassily Vassilyovich. Oh Damn! Alex was going to kill him for sure. At the faint whimper behind him, Vassily reached one hand behind himself and patted Alexei's pert rear comfortingly.
"Only my body is dead, Alexei..." he started soothingly.
"Do NOT call me that!" Alex snarled at him, taking a step closer.
Vassily held up his hands placatingly. "Easy, Alexander, I meant no harm. It was your name when we were together."
"We haven't been 'together' in a long time."
"That wasn't my fault, Alex." Vassily said quietly.
"The hell it wasn't!" Alex screamed at him. "What the hell did you think you were doing? You took on a fucking drone by yourself? What the hell did you think would happen, Vassily?" He threw his gun across the room in a rage. He disinterestedly noted the loud thud as it slammed into a wall, putting a dent in the oak paneling. He stalked toward the calm man facing him.
"What the fucking hell did you think you were doing?" He grabbed the front of the other man's Russian dress uniform in both fists and leaned into his face.
Eyes the color of the clearest sky looked into Alex's anguished face with deep sorrow. "I did my duty, Alexander. I did what had to be done, whatever it takes. Just as I taught you."
Furious, Alex shook the other man violently, barely registering the squeak and thump as he knocked Alexei down in the process. "You got yourself shredded, Opesdol! You got yourself shredded, and it accomplished nothing! That's not what you taught me."
"It was not for nothing, Alexander," Vassily said softly. "I was not alone in that chamber, there were three scientists stuck in with that creature. One of them was your father."
Alex shook him again fiercely. "Fuck him! You could have gotten free! You were by the door, you could have gotten out!"
Vassily's gaze was steady as he stared into Alex's face. "I had to try, Alex, I had to try to save them." A hint of pride crept into his voice. "And I did kill it."
"You got yourself killed! I had to watch! You fucking bastard!"
Vassily's hands came up to grip Alex's shoulders gently as Alex's head dropped, his breath coming in gasps. "I'm sorry, moi lyubimyj, I'm sorry."
Alex jerked him by the jacket one more time, then let his head rest on Vassily's broad shoulder. "You left me alone."
Vassily's head bowed slightly and he tried to pull Alex into his arms. Vassily shifted slightly, and his braid of hair brushed against Alex's face. Wait, that wasn't right, Vassily was in his Russian uniform. He hadn't worn it for years before his hair got this long. Vassily was dead, and this was no more than a trick of Alexei's, just as Mulder in the other "dream" had been a trick.
Alex jerked back, shoving against Vassily's chest with both arms and knocking him back toward the fireplace.
Alex rounded on Alexei, his face twisted with anger and pain. "What the hell are you doing? Why would you do this to me?" he hissed furiously.
Alex stared at him with wide frightened eyes. His open mouth moved futilely for a moment before he finally produced a squeak. He swallowed and found his voice. "I...I didn't...I didn't mean ..."
"You didn't." Alex sneered. "You didn't mean to drag him up from the depths of my memories? You didn't mean to tear open my heart and remind me? Remind me of him, and of how he died, of what I lost?" He stalked over and glared down at Alexei's trembling form. "Just what did you mean, then?"
"I... I..."
"Alexander, leave the child alone." Vassily said firmly from by the fireplace.
Alex whirled around and aimed his arm at the other man, pointing one finger at him in warning. "You stay the hell out of this. You're fucking DEAD!"
Vassily's face twisted in pain, but he took a step forward. "I don't have to be dead to you, Alexander. I am alive here, in your memories."
"Don't you dare give me that crap about you'll always be there in my heart! You fucking bastard! You weren't there, you were never there when I needed you!"
"I was there, Alex. You know that. I was there when you remembered my training, I was there when you couldn't see any possible way out of a situation, but you found the strength to keep on fighting. I will always be there, Alex."
Alex's face twisted, rage warring with pain and longing as he fought for words. When none were forthcoming, he spun away from his tormentors with a heartfelt, "Bull shit."
As Alex walked toward the patio doors Alexei reached out a hand to him. "Alex..."
Alex stopped, and let his forehead fall against the cold glass with a thump. He pressed his forehead against the cold pane of the window, eyes tightly closed. He went on speaking, as though to distract himself from the pain. "Don't," he whispered. "Don't give me that crap they always give people at funerals. Don't insult my intelligence like that," he said tiredly.
Alexei took a step toward him. "But Alex," he ventured softly. "He really was in your memories. He was with you. You just had him buried so deep you couldn't remember him consciously. Not even in your dreams."
"Yeah?" Alex asked without enthusiasm. "Then how did you find him?"
"I was..." Alexei paused and swallowed. "I was hurt, after you rejected me so...finally. I was upset, and I didn't know what to do. I knew you didn't want to talk to me anymore. Every time I tried, it just upset you. Normally I'm fine, I just watch things, and play your memories back to keep me company..." he faltered, then tried again. "But it gets lonely, Alex. Just watching, not being able to interact. So I thought...I thought, that I could make my own life here. I mean, I can create any environment you've ever been in, and I thought, with some strong memories, people who you knew well enough, who had strong personalities...I thought maybe I could make myself some friends." He looked down at his shoes, biting his lower lip self consciously. "I never meant for you to see it. I was trying to stay out of your way, I really was!"
Alex didn't move, his forehead still resting on the cold glass. "Yeah? Well, you fucked up, kid."
Alexei stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I know. I'm sorry, Alex."
"Alexei?"
"Yes, Alex?"
"Would you get rid of this damned reindeer?"
Alexei looked up in surprise to see the reindeer standing on the other side of the patio doors industriously licking the glass in front of Alex's face, the thick tongue leaving smears of saliva behind on the glass.
"Sorry, Alex." The reindeer disappeared in mid-lick.
With a deep breath, Alex turned around to face Alexei. The young alien could see that every muscle of his body was tensed, heard and motionless as stone, but pulsing with furious energy, ready to explode into action. "If you didn't mean for me to see this, why the hell am I here?"
Alexei dropped his gaze and chewed his lower lip in thought. "I guess...I guess maybe because I don't have the nutrients."
Alex blew out a breath in exasperation. "Not that crap again!"
He spun and took a angry step toward Alexei. "Get this through your head, kid, I am not going to drink any more of that alien Gatorade. Deal with it."
"But, Alex, I can't survive without..."
"That's the general idea, kid. I want you out of me. You want your alien shit, you get the hell out."
Vassily took a step toward Alex. "Jesus, Alex, take it easy on the kid."
Alex rounded on him furiously. "You stay the hell out of this."
"I damn well won't!" Vassily moved in front of him, his face flushing with anger. "You have no right to treat him like this, he's never done you harm. He's just a boy, Alexander!"
Alex's white teeth flashed in a snarl that would do a wolf proud. "Yes," His took a breath, slowed his breathing, and in halting, painful bits, the words came out. "He is just a boy. What the hell do you think you're doing with him?"
Vassily looked taken back. "He's old enough. He is the same age you were..."
Alex stared at him, his breathing slow and steady, his intense eyes locked on the other man. Vassily faltered and froze, staring into the still, deadly eyes. Alex was standing still, but as a lion is still, part of the grass of the plain, its stare hot and unblinking as the sun. Vassily saw something move in the emotionless green eyes. The telltale twitch of the stalking cat, the tiny jerk of the tuft at the end of the tail, precursor to carnage. Vassily took a step back.
"Alex, please, I never hurt you."
"You left me," Alex's voice held a dangerous calm. "You promised me a life, you promised me a chance at happiness. Then you fucking decided to take on a drone by yourself! You had to be the big hero, you had to prove something. But you left me alone and let Spender take me!"
"Alex, I'm sorry..."
"Do you know what he did to me? Do you know what he let others do, what he made me do?"
Vassily's eyes closed in pain and his head drooped. "Alexander, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave you." He raised his eyes to meet Alex's cold stare. "I didn't leave you. I am here. I will always be here for you."
"You're fucking DEAD!" Alex screamed at him, shoving him back and away.
Vassily stumbled back and caught himself on the couch. He froze, his face paling in fear as he looked up to see a drone looming over him, its lips pulled back to expose its shark like teeth.
Alexei leapt forward to grasp Alex's arm. "Alex! No, don't!"
Alex's face turned to him, and his eyes lost their wild glaze as he looked into eyes exactly like his, twenty year ago.
"Alex!" Alexei sobbed, clinging to him, but it was too late. The drone was every bit as efficient as the creature the memory came from, and this time Vassily wasn't armed. A flurry of claws, a flash of teeth, and Vassily Vassilyovich Pescow was dead.
Alexei wailed, his knees giving out from under him as he clung to Alex. Alex stood frozen, staring at the creature from nightmares that he had brought into Alexei's tiny world.
The creature stood still, staring at them with its lidless, inky black eyes, saliva dripping from its mouth, its slow breathing all that made it seem alive. It hissed, and suddenly Alex could move again. A large silver weapon appeared in his hand in the manner of dreams. The creature took a step back, but Alex's finger closed on the trigger. "Motherfucker!!" The trigger went back and a ball of flame hit the creature in the chest igniting it like the oil its relatives hid in. With a scream, the creature disappeared.
Alex stood still, his breath coming in gasps, his eyes locked on the place where Vassily had stood. His numb fingers dropped the alien weapon to the floor. He wasn't sure how long he stood there, stunned at what he had done. The sound of heartbroken sobs finally pulled him out of his fugue.
Alex dropped to his knees next to a sobbing Alexei.
"God, I'm sorry, kid. I'm so sorry," he forced the words out of his own tight throat as he wrapped his arms around his young copy. Alexei pulled back his fists and hit him, but in the position they held, he didn't have much force behind it. Still, Alex didn't try to stop him as the devastated alien continued to strike out at him. He just wrapped his arms tighter around him, letting the youngster pound his back and sob into his chest as he let his own tears run into Alexei's hair.
"I am so sorry."
