Title: Conundrum
Author: Chad Moore
E-Mail: Chad_Skywalker@webtv.net
Feedback: Always welcome!
Date: July 8th, 2001
Archive: Yes, please
Status: WIP
Category: M/O
Rating: R
Series/Sequel: This story is a sequel to "Dangerous
Undercurrents."
Fandom: The X Files
Spoilers: Set after the TV story "Existence."
Disclaimers: All familiar characters belong to CC and
1013; any others were conceived in my warped
imagination. Azathoth, the Great Old Ones and the
Necrnomicon are creations of HP Lovecraft, and are now
the property of Arkham House.
Huge Beta Thanks: Bertina.

Chapter Five: An Infinity Of Surprises

"This isn't possible." Walter Skinner's statement
lingered in the air. He swallowed hard to moisten his
dry mouth. Alex Krycek, the man he shot down a few
months ago, was standing alive and in the flesh before
him.

Alex threw back his head and laughed heartily. "And I
thought Scully was the eternal cynic."

Walter shook his head, ostensibly denying the reality
of his vision. Mulder! Mulder claimed to have seen
Krycek many times. Was the ghostly apparition haunting
him as well?

Krycek frowned. "Man, you don't look well. Maybe you'd
better sit down."

Something wasn't right. The former double agent no
longer possessed his hard edged tone. No, his words
were almost... caring.

"Why? How?" he stammered. "Why aren't you dead?"

"Too many questions make you sound a bit egotisical,
Walter. That's much more Mulder's style." Alex
casually flipped through an address book on the desk.
"By the way, where is the errant Fox?"

A trillion questions flowed through Walter's mind.
Absolutely no one, not even Alex Krycek, could survive
a bullet through the brain. He'd seen his share of
death in his time, but never had it made him more sick
to gun down Krycek. As hard as he tried to rationalize
the 
events, the more futile it became.

Alex's voice broke into his thoughts. "Still
speechless? My my, I can assure you that I'm very much
alive." He stretched out an arm. "Go ahead, feel."

A part of Walter was terrified to breathe in the same
room with him. With a sudden burst of nervous energy,
he reached and gripped Krycek's arm, hard.

"Ouch!" Alex cried, then grinned. "See, told you."

"How is this possible?" he demanded.

"I would've thought that even you would realize that
nothing is impossible."

"Don't give me that bullshit, Krycek! I shot you! You
were dead!"

Alex smiled, his green eyes sparkling like a cat's in
the gloom. "Are you certain?"

"I don't know how you survived, Krycek, but I want you
out of here -- now!"

Krycek sat down in a nearby chair, resting his legs up
on Mulder's desk. "Not until I've seen Mulder."

Anger, confusion, and worry surged through Walter's
mind. "Why? What are you going to do, try and kill him
again?"

"On the contrary," he began with a snicker. Alex
started to reach inside his black leather jacket.
Daggers flashed in Walter's eyes, he didn't care if
Krycek had a gun, he didn't care if Krycek was about
to bring out the dreaded palm pilot and send the
deadly nanobytes straight to his heart. He lunged for
him.

"You're not going to get another chance!" he roared.

Taken by surprise, Alex toppled backwards as Walter
steamed into him. The two men went rolling across the
floor of Mulder's apartment. Alex groaned, his back
contacting with a table. It rocked back and forth
precariously, a lamp shattering.

"Would you listen to me for a minute?!" shouted Alex
through clenched teeth. A part of him found the brawl
exhilirating. How he'd missed the physical contact.
Walter hammered down on him once more, and he realized
that the AD just might kill him out of a sense of
loyalty to Mulder.

Walter braced himself as Alex struggled for release
beneath him. He held down the Russian's good arm,
locking the strong flailing legs within his own.
Staring down into a pair of bright green eyes, Walter
felt himself being sucked in. Those eyes that had
haunted his dreams for years. Oh yes, Alex Krycek was
100% alive.

Krycek was a bundle of unrestrained power, but Walter
had the upper hand. Surprisingly, the younger man was
not offering up much resistance. Krycek slid beneath
him, and Skinner felt their groins connect inch by
inch. Walter felt a shock of heat coursing through his
blood. He forced himself to blink and keep focused on
holding Alex. No, he wasn't going anywhere.

Then, Alex's left arm lashed forward sending Walter
reeling. Struggling to his feet, Alex gripped his
muscular shoulders and slammed Walter up against a
wall.

"Your arm," gasped Walter in shock.

"You'll find I'm full of surprises," he replied,
cryptically.

Walter inhaled deeply. "Just get it over with,
Krycek!"

Alex laughed, but it was not dripping with its usual
sarcasm, instead it was a laugh of mirth. The
playfulness in his voice caused Walter to freeze.

"You never change, do you?" Alex asked, his grip
becoming firmer against Skinner's throat. "Look at the
two of us. We've been pining after a man who'll never
love us back."

Walter found swallowing difficult, especially with
Krycek's arm resting against his neck. "I-I don't know
what you're talking about," he insisted,
unconvincingly.

Alex's exotic features loomed in close. "I can sense
the guilt in your heart. Let it go," he whispered.
"You did me an enormous favor."

"What, I..." Walter didn't understand. What was he
implying now? Before 
he could question further, he gasped as a pair of
sensuous lips pressed against his own. The kiss was
bold and searingly hot. Alex held him firmly,
confident and in charge. Instinctively, Walter closed
his eyes and parted his mouth slightly.

After that, Alex let go and leaned back. His eyes,
unreadable and piercing.

Walter coughed a little, and straightened his very
rumpled shirt. "If you're not here to kill anyone,
exactly what in hell do you want?" he asked, sounding
breathless.

Walking over to the fallen chair, Alex bent to pick it
up and Walter was given a full, glorious view of his
rounded buttocks held tightly in dark jeans. Walter's
lips still tingled from the kiss, and he began to
wonder if he'd lost his mind. This was Alex Krycek, a
man who had tried to kill him and his friends numerous
times. And now? There was definitely something
different about him. Krycek sat down, and extended a
hand to Mulder's sofa. Well, whatever has changed
Alex, he still possessed the same 'I own the place'
attitude, Walter noted.

"I have something that the little Fox has been looking
for," he explained.

"Maybe you'd better start at the beginning," Walter
said.

"It's a very long story."

~oo0oo~

Mulder stepped out of the elevator and into the
hallway leading to his apartment. He finished a
coca-cola to wash down the Chinese food he'd consumed
on the way home. He hadn't eaten a full meal in days,
and it had been like ambrosia. He'd spent most of his
time at the Lone Gunmen's HQ, waiting rather
impatiently for his friends to translate Professor
Wickham's copy of the Necronomicon, and the scribbled
symbols from the Oxford cave walls.

He remembered seeing the book in Professor Wickham's
flat. It prophesised Jamie's sacrifice. He just had no
idea at the time that it was the accursed
Necronomicon. The professor must have known something
had escaped from the caves before his death, and he'd
entrusted Mulder with the book and the naga box. A
year had passed since the old man's death. Was he too
late?

Mulder had never been good with waiting. Frohike,
Byers and Langly eventually shoved him out, saying
that they couldn't concentrate with his constant
hovering. Well, it was something he couldn't help. If
there was any clue to learning what happened to Jamie
after the avalanche, then he was going to find it.
Come hell or high water. He would not believe that
Jamie was dead; not until he saw a body, and even
then...

His mind was clearer than it had been in some time.
The visions had ceased their torments. A part of him
had been tempted to get on a plane for Georgia. He'd
reasoned that if Jamie was indeed alive, certainly he
would head home. But then why hadn't he ever contacted
him over the years? If Wickham knew to send the book
and the naga box to the Hoover building, certainly
Jamie would've found him the same way.

'Maybe I'm just clutching at straws,' thought Mulder.
No, something had been unleashed to cause the deaths
of both Wickham and Inspector Winston. The same
something that killed anyone who came into contact
with Jamie back in 1983.

Ditching the disposable cup into a nearby trash bin,
Mulder focused on this last thought. Approaching his
apartment, he figured he'd better call Scully. She was
probably tearing her hair out wondering where he'd
been. Then, there was Skinner... Walter, he corrected
himself. Maybe he'd had better luck with finding out
more about Avatar's mysterious involvement.

Pushing a key into the lock, Mulder was surprised to
find the door opened. He clearly remembered locking it
after Walter left two days ago. Scully must've used
her spare key. Yes, she was probably inside, arms
crossed, tapping her foot, with a disdainful look on
her face.

Cautiously he opened the door, and peeked inside.

"Hello?" he called, venturing within. "Scully, I'm
sorry I didn't call 
but I--"

Mulder stopped mid-sentence.

Seated on the living room sofa was Walter Skinner,
looking a bit shell shocked and as if he'd been in a
scuffle. What froze Mulder in his tracks was the
person sitting across from him... Alex Krycek!

"He's back," Walter said, standing.

"And it's about time," Alex finished, with a smug
grin.

"No," Mulder's voice was a terrified  whisper. He
couldn't believe he was seeing things again! "Get out
of my head!" he shouted fiercely.

"Mulder, take it easy," Walter said, gently. He moved
forward, and began to talk slowly. "I know it's hard
to believe... I couldn't at first, but he's alive."

"What?"

"It's true. You're not dreaming."

Mulder stared across at the person who had been a
taunting figure in his visions. There was a major
difference here. This Alex Krycek did not sport a
gaping hole through his forehead. Just for a moment,
Mulder felt lightheaded.

Alex stood up and threw his arms wide open. "See for
yourself," he smirked.

With a rough shove, Mulder pushed Alex back down into
the chair. "Oh, Fox. You do play hardball, don't you?"
He winked across at Skinner, who cleared his throat
awkwardly.

"You're not going anywhere until we get to the bottom
of this," Mulder told him, through gritted teeth.

Alex shrugged away from his grasp. "Well, then, maybe
you'd better have a seat. You're not being a very
gracious host."

Mulder's mouth dropped open. "I'm glad I don't have
your nerve in my tooth! You come in here back from the
dead as if nothing ever happened!"

"Takes one to know one," Alex pointed out.

"Why you little..." Mulder began. Nearby, Walter
noticed that his friend's blood pressure might burst.
He stood up to intervene.

"Come on, Mulder," he said, leading him to the sofa.
"I really think you should listen to what he has to
say."

Grudgingly, Mulder sat down. "I want to know right now
how you survived," he ground out through clenched
teeth.

"Ever heard of a company called Avatar?"

The simple question left Mulder completely cold. "What
do you know about them?"

Alex sat forward, clasping his hands as he explained.
"Some time ago, the Consortium got wind of the
research facility's rather suspicious dealings. They
sent me in to check around. I did a small job for
them, 
stealing some top secret computer equipment."

"Typical," Mulder murmured.

"What did they want with it?" Walter cut in.

Alex shrugged. "Never found out. It's what I
discovered when cracking into their secure files that
caught my attention. They had a complete file on you,
Mulder. Plus records on someone you knew a long time
ago."

"This is ridiculous!" shouted Mulder.

"I think that this might grab your attention," said
Alex. From an inside 
jacket pocket, he fished out a crumpled photograph and
tossed it over to him.

Catching it, Mulder stared at the wrinkled film and
felt his heart skip a beat. It was the picture of him
and Jamie taken soon after they'd met. He'd stored it
away in an X File... an X File he'd made on Jamie's
disappearance... an X File he thought had burned up...

He leapt to his feet and grabbed Krycek by the collar.
"Damnit, where did you get this?"

Walter forcibly pried Mulder's fingers loose and held
him back.

Alex rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at Fox,
wounded. "When we were partners, I found your file and
took it," he admitted.

"Why? To give those Consortium bastards something to
use against me?" he asked, hostily.

Alex shook his head. He couldn't reveal his true
reason for taking the file. When he'd first discovered
it back in '97, he felt a sharp twinge of jealousy.
Fox Mulder was a conflicting object of admiration,
desire and affection from day one. He wanted to know
what kind of person Mulder could love. He wanted to
know more about this Jamie Grayson who had been
Mulder's first love.

"No," he finally answered. "I wanted to keep the
information from them, if you must know."

"Yeah, right," Mulder broke in.

"And I thought maybe I could help."

"Help me?" he scoffed. "That's the best joke I've
heard all week."

"Think what you like, but a year ago that photograph
changed my life."

Mulder became very quiet. "A year ago?"

Alex nodded, his voice becoming a little distant as he
remembered the events. "Avatar was searching for
Jamie. I recognized him from the photo and offered to
help them, but for a price."

"Of course," Mulder scoffed. "It's not as if you'd do
anything out of the kindness of your heart."

Walter noted the pained statement on Alex's face.
"Mulder, let him finish," he advised, anxious for Alex
to get to the point. "What price?" he asked.

Alex smiled faintly. "I needed to hide, to disappear.
I'd made many enemies over the years, ones who would
relish my death. I knew exactly how well-connected
Avatar was, so they offered to construct a clone."

"A clone?"

"As an example, this is what they did for me." Taking
off his jacket, Alex rolled up his sleeve and showed
them his completely healthy new arm.

"That's incredible," Mulder conceded.

He flexed his arm proudly. "So they made a clone. It
served my purpose and theirs."

"Theirs?"

"They needed a guinea pig for their experiments to see
how successful 
the process would be. Turns out, a clone becomes
gradually unhinged."

"Unhinged?" In that moment, the pieces all fell into
place. "Is that why you -- I mean he -- went raving
mad in the parking garage?"

"Suppose so," shrugged Alex, indifferently. "I was
nowhere near it."

"Then where were you?"

"I was in England last summer. On the trail of three
unexplained murders," he laughed at the memory. "In a
way, it was like being back on the X Files."

Mulder, growing increasingly impatient with Alex,
clenched his fist. "What happened? What exactly did
you find out?"

"Nothing, at first. Then, I was in a market near
Oxford..."

"Oxford?" Mulder questioned sharply.

Alex continued. "When I saw someone who looked exactly
like the boy in your picture."

"What are you saying?" Mulder narrowed his eyes,
wondering what kind of game Krycek was playing.

Across from him, Alex sat back and his eyes became
sad. "He was very ill and seemed to have been living
on the streets. He didn't know his name, where he came
from or anything. He was literally someone without a
past. I had this feeling about him. I took care of him
and we traveled 
together for some time. Slowly, he regained bits and
pieces of his memory."

Walter reached out and squeezed Mulder's shoulder.
Alex had related the story to him, and he knew what
was coming. How would Mulder take it?

"Mulder," Alex said, sitting up. "Jamie is alive."

For one brief, shining moment Mulder's eyes radiated
hope. Then, he exploded. "You sorry son of a bitch!
First you make my life a living hell, and here you
turn up back from the dead claiming that someone I
lost is alive?"

"Listen to him, Mulder," Walter suggested, gently.

Mulder couldn't believe his ears. "Are you serious?
Have you forgotten what he's done to me? I think he
defied death just to come back and torment me."

"Oh, would you get over yourself? I'm not doing this
for you, I'm doing it for Jamie. He needs you,
Mulder."

Mulder nearly jumped on Krycek had it not been for
Walter's restraining grip. "I don't want to ever hear
you mention his name again!"

Alex ignored the harsh insults. "He started asking for
you. Mulder, he's still very sick and I," he hesitated
for a moment. "I'm afraid of what might happen if
Avatar discovers him."

"Why?!" Mulder shouted, breaking free of Walter. "Why
did Avatar go to such great lengths to excavate that
cave? What do they want with me and Jamie?"

"Mulder," Walter said quietly. "I believe Krycek."

Mulder turned, confusion dancing in his eyes. "You
what?"

"After I left yesterday, I went to the Avatar facility
in San Francisco," he explained.

This revelation caused Alex to balk. "That's the worst
thing you could have done!" He stalked toward the
window and peered through the blinds.

"I don't understand," Mulder confessed.

"Are you ready for this?" Walter asked. "Avatar is run
by Matthew Blair, the son of Oxford university's
deceased vice chancellor."

"What?!" Mulder gasped.

Walter nodded grimly. "He and his VP gave me some cock
and bull story about funding the excavation to find
Blair's body."

"And you didn't believe them?" Mulder pressed.

"No," Walter said. "Not only was it their strange
attitude, but also what I saw flashing on a computer
screen."

"You saw it, too?" Alex asked, interrupting.

Mulder looked between them, feeling like the odd man
out. "Saw what?"

"Images of you and Jamie with the words 'Find the
Deliverer' between them," Walter told him with a sigh.

Mulder sat back down heavily. He rubbed a hand over
his mouth, thinking furiously. 'My god, if Krycek is
actually telling the truth...'

"Mulder, what is the Deliverer?" asked Walter, taking
a seat beside him.

"It was the name that cult gave to their chosen one,"
he explained, sadly.

"And the chosen one was Jamie," finished Walter.

Both men snapped their heads up as Alex bolted for the
door. Mulder quickly beat him to it and gripped his
arm, causing Alex to cringe.

"Just where do you think you're going?" he fiercely
demanded.

"With all of your poking around, you're going to bring
Avatar straight to your door. I've got to get Jamie
away from here," he told him, yanking loose.

Mulder studied the look on Krycek's face. The Russian
was a master of deception, but if there was even a
chance... Love, his mother once told him, was
sacrifice.

"I'm going with you," he announced.

Alex started to protest, but Walter moved toward them
to defuse another potential brawl. "I'll drive," he
offered. He wasn't about to let either one of them out
of his sight.

Holding up his hands in mock surrender, Alex complied.
Mulder opened the door and Walter walked out into the
hallway. As Krycek made to follow, Mulder twisted him
around.

"I swear if you're lying, I'll kill you with my bare
hands!"

~oo0oo~

The ride into the country began in solemn silence.
Walter drove with Alex relaying directions from the
passenger side while Mulder remained in the back.
During the drive, Alex scooted in the seat over to
Walter to point out an imperceptible country road.
Switching on the air conditioner, Walter loosened his
collar. He decided that he was feeling a long
repressed sexual need, that was all. Things would
return to normal when this was over. But he wasn't
completely convinced. He was ready to admit that maybe
something had changed Krycek.

The car bumped and bounced along the uneven dirt track
which lead deep into the woods far from the city.
Jostled, Mulder stared out of the window, his heart
pounding nervously. He mulled over the disturbing
dreams and visions he'd been experiencing for a year
now. As sure as the world, a sixth sense had been
trying to make him understand. He just wasn't
listening. In the dreams, Krycek appeared near Jamie.
His eyes cut forward to peer at the back of Alex's
dark head. Mulder wanted to believe, oh God how he
wanted to believe this was true.

"Why did it take you so long to tell me about Jamie?"
he wondered aloud.

Alex turned in his seat. It was still startling to see
him alive. "Because he's been in shock. He only just
started to remember you."

'Is it my imagination, or is Krycek relishing this?'
Mulder thought, disturbed that his supposed former
enemy had such power over him still.

"Turn here," instructed Alex.

Walter found a path just big enough for a car to get
through. It was naked to the human eye. If Krycek
wasn't with them, they'd never find it. His eyes
wandered over to study the masculine shape of Alex's
legs. The car skidded a bit, and Walter returned his
attention to the road.

Overhanging limbs and tangled vines brushed against
the vehicle, like a 
bizarre car wash. Finally the pathway opened up onto
several acres of land. The car pulled up to a quaint
little log cabin, built out of a creamy brown wood.
Mulder thought it would like right at home on the
cover of Home And Garden. An expensive woodcarved gate
surrounded the house. It reminded Mulder of the
peaceful gompa back in Tibet, tucked away and
secluded.

Parking under a grove of shady trees, Walter unbuckled
his seatbelt and was grateful to step out into the
fresh air. "Nice place," Walter opined.

"We like it," Alex replied.

"We?" Mulder cringed. "Exactly how long have you been
living here?"

"Not long," he replied.

A sudden thought struck Mulder. Perhaps he really did
see Jamie on the streets of DC. He quickened his pace,
eager to find out the truth. He began to talk
nervously. "I'd hate to learn where you found the
money for a place like this."

Alex merely shook his head. If Mulder only knew how
well Avatar had paid him... The three men walked up a
twisting stone lane and onto the front porch.
Unlocking the front door, Alex stepped inside. Mulder
shared a knowing look with Walter.

The interior of Alex's cabin was beautifully
furnished. Mulder's eyes 
flashed around the surroundings, briefly noting an
intricate Russian tapestry hanging on the far wall. He
felt heartsick; there was no one inside waiting.

"Jamie?" Alex called. No answer. "He must be out
back."

As Mulder headed for a set of double screen doors,
Alex gripped his arm. "Hey, take it easy. He still
doesn't remember a lot of things."

Mulder shrugged loose. How dare Krycek tell him how to
behave! A sickening thought lurched through his system
as he walked outside and down stilted steps. This
could all be some trap schemed up on Alex's part. He
certainly felt safer with Walter Skinner's reasurring
presence 
nearby.

The back yard opened out onto lush grounds, and what
must have been farm 
land at some point, complete with a sparkling pond.
Surrounding the pond were a row of majestic willows,
leaning in toward the water.

Mulder turned round in a full circle, searching for
any sign of life. A cool breeze ruffled his hair. He
sensed something. From the corner of his eye, he could
just make a figure moving along the edge of the pond.
The branches obscured his vision.

"There he is," Alex's voice came from behind him.
Mulder was barely aware that the two men were standing
close by. Walter held his breath, watching the look on
Mulder's face, when he moved closer to him. This was
something that Mulder wanted to be true more than
anything else in the world.

Taking a few steps Mulder paused, staring at the
figure's back. His heart was beating so fast that he
thought it might burst out of his chest at any moment.

Very slowly, the figure turned and their eyes met for
the first time in eighteen years. Thunderstruck,
amazed disbelief filled Mulder's face.

"Jamie," he whispered.

[Next Episode: The Trick Is To Keep Breathing]