Title: Conundrum

Author: Chad Moore

E-Mail: Mulderholic@webtv.net

Feedback: Always welcome

Date: September 24th, 2001

Archive: Yes, please

Series/Sequel: The sequel to "Dangerous Undercurrents"

Status: Complete

Category: M/O

Rating: PG13

Warnings: Violence, Language, Angst

Spoilers: Set after "Existence"

Disclaimers: All familiar characters belong to the
usual suspects; any others were conceived in my warped
imagination. Azathoth and the Great Old Ones are
creations of HP Lovecraft and are now the property of
Arkham House. No infringement intended.

Special mega thanks: To the divine Michele, Vyper,
Neige and Ursula for much valued feedback. And to my
amazing beta Bertina for support and encouragement.

Author's note: Go strap yourselves in. I'm going to
make the jump to lightspeed.



Chapter Fourteen: The Day God Went Mad

A storm brewed high above the arching roof of Avatar.
The wind whipped the first drops of rain into the
windows as the waters of the bay thrashed with the
raging undercurrents.

The temple was built in the very bowels of Avatar. The
scientists and various other workers could have never
guessed of its existence. From Matthew Blair's
specifications, the cavernous chamber filled the
foundations. Large pillars supported the roof. A stone
altar dominated the center, decorated with strands of
ivy.

Shadows began to appear in the torchlight. Eleven
members of the Board of Directors descended a wide
staircase. Each dressed in flowing ceremonial robes,
the Cult of Azathoth immediately formed up into a
circle round the altar and began to chant.

"I-ay, I-ay!" Their words echoed across the chamber.
"I-ay Azathoth! I-ay Azathoth!"

The words repeated, growing louder as more voices
joined the chorus. The Time of the Becoming was near.

* * * * *

Regaining consciousness the two security guards shook
their heads and scrambled to their feet. At that
moment Gordon Stratton arrived on the scene and
quickly surveyed the wrecked guest apartment. The
smell of smoke and leaking gas lingered heavily on the
air.

Alex Krycek!

Matthew had been a fool to allow the traitor to live.
Now he'd escaped and taken the Chosen One with him.
Gordon furiously whirled round on the two stunned men.

"Find Krycek! Find him and kill him!"

* * * * *

Through the advanced Avatar surveillance systems, the
forms of three intruders were being closely monitored
on a color screen. A pair of hard as stone eyes
watched them carefully as the trio walked further and
further...

* * * * *

Stealthily, Mulder, Scully and Skinner emerged from
the stairwell and onto the main floor. There was still
not a soul about and it was making Walter unbelievably
nervous. There was something wrong here. Nobody had
tried to stop them as they strolled through the
facility. Nobody had even appeared to notice them. It
felt like a trap.

Up ahead, Mulder keep his mind focused. He could hear
Scully and Walter keeping a close pace behind. It made
him feel a lot safer just having them here.

"This is gonna work. I know it," he murmured to
himself.

As they hurried on their way Walter asked. "Where are
we going?"

"To find Jamie," Mulder replied. "He won't be far
away."

Dana stopped, hands on hips. "Mulder, come on. Let's
calm down and think where to go next." He was running
on pure adrenalin and she knew it.

"Scully," Mulder suddenly called over his shoulder,
surprising her out of her reverie. "What do you know
about this place?"

This question came out of the blue, especially
considering how broodingly quiet he'd been on the
flight out. Perhaps talking was calming his nerves?

"Just what I've read in some medical journals. Genetic
research, regrowing lost tissue, DNA sampling..."

Mulder nodded and Dana thought she caught an "Ah-ha"
under his breath. She struggled to fit this with the
facts they already had. "You believe they wanted Jamie
for experimentation?"

Mulder bit at his lower lip. "It would be an enormous
coincidence if they didn't."

She sighed and exchanged a worried glance with
Skinner. "We don't even know if he's still alive," she
said, sadly, preparing him for the worst.

Mulder continued on ahead a few paces. "Jamie won't
die," he said, confidently. "Not while they still need
him. Not until Azathoth is free."

They paused on another landing with two options: a
darkened doorway or another flight of stairs. The
building was enormous.

"Where do we start?" asked Walter.

"The gate is always open for believers," an oily voice
called out behind them.

Mulder, Scully and Skinner whirled around to find a
figure in the doorway thrown into silhouette by the
growing storm outside. Two armed security guards
flanked close by. Mulder turned at the sound of booted
feet and two more guards descended the staircase.

Shit! Walter cursed. They were completely surrounded.
If he reached for his gun, the guards were sure to
fire. Sure enough, the four men raised their weapons
and trained them carefully as if to quell any thoughts
of resistance.

Matthew Blair kept behind the two guards, his face
well hidden in shadow. He spread his arms wide. "So
Azathoth's jailer decides to join us at last. I was
beginning to think you wouldn't come. I trust you
brought the box with you?"

Mulder's whole body tensed with anger. "You have no
idea what you're dealing with."

The arrogant Blair threw back his head and laughed.
"How typical. You sound exactly like that blasmephous
Chosen One." He looked thoughtful. "Of course I should
be speaking of him in the past tense."

Mulder's heart sank like a stone in a well. "Is Jamie
gone?" he asked Blair, his voice scarcely audible.

"Not quite. At least, I don't think so."

The crazy fucker was playing games, Walter thought.

"Where is Jamie?" Mulder asked, calmly.

"Safely on his way to a ceremony. I could have him
killed instantly, but I wouldn't want to deprive him
of his moment of glory."

"If you even think about touching him, you sick
bastard!"

"He's quite intriguing, don't you agree? His will
almost admirable. Yes, the study of his genetic
make-up proved quite fascinating." Blair, draped in a
crimson gown, emerged fully into the light and peered
at him closely.

"Oh no," Mulder said quietly. Something cold went down
his spine. He knew there had to be more to this than
just Jamie. "I should have realized."

Walter looked from Mulder to Blair and back again.
"What the hell is he talking about?"

Sickened, Mulder nodded at the figure before them.
"Look at him."

Walter looked. There was definitely something
different about the man. His features were softer,
even younger than he remembered. His eyes were no
longer brown, but a startling shade of green.

"He's somehow managed to combine Jamie's DNA with his
own," Scully explained, somewhat appalled and
intrigued by the process.

Mulder shook his head emphatically. "So he can host
the creature."

Blair nodded enthusiastically, grateful for an
audience who could appreciate the success of his
experiment. "Yes, now the instinct and intuition keyed
to his DNA pattern are mine."

Scully shook her head. She was a doctor, a scientist.
What this man was suggesting was pure science-fiction.
"That's impossible."

"Nothing is impossible," Blair flatly told her.

Blind rage seethed through Mulder at the thought of
what this bastard must've put Jamie through.

"What about Jamie and the people who love him?" Mulder
shouted at him, rapidly approaching explosion point.
"What about his life?" He stepped forward, but Walter
placed a hand on his shoulder to hold him back.
"Doesn't he have a right to live?"

"He has fulfilled his purpose. Through me Azathoth
will be reborn, complete!"

"What good does that do you?" Walter demanded.

"The revelation will be soon. The Time of the Becoming
is now!"

Scully noted the man's particular brand of psychosis.
His voice was quiet, almost reverent. He was babbling
now. "Only the box binds his great power."

"Let me see Jamie!" shouted Mulder.

Blair fiercely turned on him, his face a mask of
madness and evil. "Stop wasting time. Where is the
naga box? If you don't hand over the box you'll watch
him squirm! You'll watch him die!"

Mulder hung his head in defeat. "All right," he said,
quietly. If he had any hope of saving Jamie... Taking
the duffel bag off his shoulder, he slowly opened it
and extracted the whispering naga box.

"Mulder," Scully started, but with a slight smile he
patted her shoulder. He stepped forward and placed the
box in Blair's waiting hands.

A colossal bolt of lightning ripped the sky and the
storm broke.

Blair nodded. "Yes!" His voice was a hiss of triumph.

"You're making a huge mistake," Mulder told him.

"You are of no consequence. Nothing can stop me!"

All but Blair's head turned as Gordon breathlessly ran
down the stairs. He briefly took in the scene before
hurrying to Blair's side. "They're on the move!" he
announced.

"Alex Krycek?" Blair seemed to only half hear.

"Has escaped..." he started.

"Then stop him."

"...with the Chosen One," finished Gordon.

On the other side of the room, Dana shared a hopeful
look with Skinner.

"We must find them!" Gordon added, urgently.

At this Blair finally looked up. "Let me explain again
-- you deal with him!"

In the distance, a shot rang out.

"Now!" Mulder bellowed.

Walter lunged forward and felled a guard with one bone
shattering punch.

Scully grabbed one arm of the nearest guard, Mulder
grabbed the other, and they yanked the man forward
with all their combined strength. Caught off balance
the guard toppled forward and fell, bringing down
Gordon and the remaining guards with him. For a moment
the room seemed full of sprawling bodies.

Walter made a move toward the naga box, but one of the
guards started to regain his feet.

"Come on, Walter," yelled Mulder. He grabbed a brawny
arm and pulled him toward the stairs. A moment later,
all three intruders were disappearing out of sight.

The guards hovered, torn between pursuing the trio and
protecting their bosses. Meanwhile Blair stared at the
box in amazement.

Gordon struggled to his feet. "Don't just stand there
you fools, after them!"

Blair clutched the box close to his chest. "It doesn't
matter. What can they do now?"

"As you say, my lord."

"Well, Gordon," sneered Blair. "Do you still dream of
our success? It will be greater than you can imagine!"

It was clear to Gordon Stratton that Matthew's grip on
sanity was slipping rapidly.

"I have the naga box!" Blair held it up exultantly.
"Now everything is prepared."

* * * * *

Mulder, Skinner and Scully raced onto the next landing
heading away from the guards and toward the sound of
the gunshot.

"It's all right," gasped Dana. "I think we've shaken
them off."

Walter, now with his unholstered pistol, checked
behind them. "If you'd let me steal the box when we
had the chance..."

"And get yourself killed?" Mulder pointed out.
"Besides, it's not as simple as that."

"Why not?"

"We wouldn't be preventing Azathoth's Becoming, only
postponing it. No, we've got to destroy it
completely."

Dana gave him a despairing look. "How?"

"I don't know."

"But won't they go through with their ceremony?" asked
Walter.

Mulder nodded grimly. "Not without Jamie. Come on.
We've got to find him before it's too late."

They reached a junction in the corridor, and Mulder
waved a finger at one of the passages. "This way, I
think," he said, setting off down the other one.

* * * * *

The guard yelped with pain and fell back clutching his
bleeding arm. Krycek was toting the gun in his hand
now.

Alex had lunged, unarmed and apparently unconcerned by
the danger to himself, at the armed guard. He twisted
his gun hand, and they struggled until the gun fired
wildly.

Lashing out, the former double agent sent the injured
man tumbling down a nearby flight of steps. Alex
turned round to find the second guard lying in an
unconscious heap.

Exhausted, Alex staggered over to Jamie. He lay
crouched on the floor, unmoving.

A pair of strong hands gripped Alex by the shoulders
and spun him around. Krycek looked up, expecting to
find the muzzle of a semi-automatic.

"Bloody hell!" he cried.

"Krycek, what happened?" Skinner asked.

"Jamie!" Mulder darted forward, and cradled his head.

"How is he?" Scully asked.

"Mulder," Alex said, quietly. "He's dying."

"I know," Mulder said, briefly.

It occurred to Walter how surreal this all was. That
their mutual concern for Jamie's life had made them
uneasy allies. It also occurred to him that if by some
miracle Mulder did save Jamie's life, would it stop
the cult?

"Now that they have the box, that buys us some time,
right?" Walter voiced his concern aloud.

"Just a minute," Alex interrupted. "You gave them the
box?" He was horrified. Without another word, he took
off through a door.

Exasperated, Skinner followed in pursuit.

"Sir, wait!" Scully called after him, but he'd already
disappeared round the corner.

"Scully!"

Mulder's urgent call made her turn.
Taking Jamie in his arms, Mulder tenderly propped him
up against the wall. Scully moved in to examine him.
Jamie's face was flushed, his temperature incredibly
high, and his pulse weak.

Mulder looked at her expectantly.

"Mulder, I'm sorry," she began. She couldn't look at
him. The hurt in his eyes made her fight back tears of
her own. For Mulder to come all this way and it was
already too late.

He shook his head. "No! I don't believe it..." 

At the sound of his voice Jamie's eyelids flickered
and his lips trembled opened.

"Come on, Jamie," said Mulder insistently, gently
stroking his cheek.

He smiled weakly. "Mulder?"

Mulder beamed. "That's my boy."

A faint sigh escaped Jamie's lips and his eyes closed
once more. Desperately, Mulder shook Jamie's
shoulders. "No, no, Jamie, don't give up. You can't
give up!" he said, encouraging him to hang on.

Jamie's eyelids fluttered and he moaned softly. It was
clear to Mulder that Jamie was sinking ever deeper
into a coma that could only end in his death.

"He still has a chance," he told Scully, frantically.

Dana shook her head. "I still don't understand,
Mulder."

Silence.

She fixed him with a questioning stare. "Is there
something you're not telling me?"

"Scully, I just need you to trust me, ok? Please go
find Walter and get him back here fast."

Dana paused, uncertainly. Then she nodded and stood
up. It broke her heart to see Mulder like this. She
moved away. It was best to let them have these last
remaining minutes together.

Mulder watched her go, then leaned over Jamie. "Can
you try to stand?"

"Mulder," said Jamie faintly, too feverish and weak to
move.

Overcome with emotion, Mulder choked on his tears.
"Jamie, I'm so sorry. Just remember that no matter
what happens I love you." He brushed his fingers
across Jamie's cheek and over his lips. "I'm going to
bring you back. I'm going to fix this," he whispered
reassuringly.

Jamie's half-open eyes burned with a brightness and
intelligence that radiated with intensity; Azathoth
was returning.

Mulder thought back to Tibet. A monk asked him what he
sought. Whatever else had happened since, the answer
he'd given had been undeniable... Jamie was his quest,
his truth.

"I love you," Mulder whispered, kissing Jamie's eyes
closed. Trying hard not to cry, he kissed Jamie again
gently, then stepped back. "Please forgive me for what
I'm about to do."

Scully paused at the intersection, some sixth sense
telling her to turn and look back... her eyes widened
in disbelief.

Mulder began to sob, his heart breaking. Reaching
inside his jacket he pulled out the dagger he'd taken
from Skinner's apartment and...

Dana started to run. "No! Mulder!"

...he drew back the knife and thrust it into Jamie.

Jamie screamed out in pain, his eyes flashing open in
shock. Briefly he reached out before crumpling to the
ground.

Weeping freely, Mulder carefully pulled out the knife.

Jamie's tear-stained eyes flickered shut and a shudder
went through him.

Dana stood over Mulder. Her face was set and she was
glaring accusingly at him. How could he do this to
Jamie -- after everything...

Suddenly Jamie's body convulsed and he gasped aloud. A
thick, black mist trailed out of the wound with a
chilling whispering cry. Then Jamie's body was still
once more.

Dana watched, stunned, as Azathoth's essence trailed
away. 

"Scully, he's still bleeding!" Mulder shouted.

The urgency in his voice caused Dana's medical
training to kick in. Kneeling beside Jamie's body her
expert eye took in the wound. She could only look up
at Mulder wide-eyed as a light of awareness dawned. It
was not a fatal blow! This is why he was so adamant
about her being here. He was determined to save Jamie,
one way or another.

Without hesitation Mulder shrugged out of his jacket.
Scully took it and pressed it against the wound in an
attempt to stop the blood flow.

Something was wrong. She stared at his pale face, then
at his chest. She positioned her cheek close to his
nose and mouth.

"Scully, what is it?" Mulder asked, alarmed. "What's
wrong?"

There was no steady rise and fall. Jamie wasn't
breathing!

"Oh, god," Mulder cried.

He hurried forward, tilting Jamie's head back with one
hand while lifting up his chin with other. Pinching
his nose closed, Mulder pressed their lips together
and gave two full breaths into his mouth.

Scully checked for carotid pulse at the side of his
neck. "Mulder, try again," she said.

Mulder carefully repositioned Jamie's head and
breathed.

Jamie started coughing.

Slowly his eyes opened and looked dazedly around.
Mulder gasped, a huge smile spread as joyous tears
spilled down his face. Then Jamie drifted into
unconsciousness.

"Scully, will he be alright?" asked Mulder,
overwhelmed with concern.

She nodded, still shaken. "Yes, if we can get him to a
hospital."

Mulder leaned in close and kissed Jamie on the
forehead. He looked up at Scully. "I want you to
please take care of Jamie for me," he said, hastily.
"Get as far away from here as you can."

Dana grabbed his arm. "What are you going to do?"

A flash of lightning from outside illuminated Mulder's
determined face. "Take care of some unfinished
business."

"Mulder!" she protested, but he was already gone.

Keeping one hand firmly pressed against Jamie's wound,
she licked her dry lips and fished out her cell phone
and quickly dialed.

Giving the operator her FBI status and waiting for a
response, Dana marvelled at the strength and courage
it had taken for Mulder to free Jamie. She remembered
John Doggett doing nearly the same thing for her when
those cultists placed that creature inside her. She
also understood why Mulder had not confided his plan
to either her or Skinner; it was so dangerous they
would have never let him go through with it.

Dana hovered in anguish over the unconscious Jamie,
waiting on an ambulance, and deeply worried for her
friends.

* * * * *

Having donned the ceremonial mask of Azathoth, Matthew
Blair strode purposefully toward the door of the great
temple with Gordon following on his heels.

Posted outside stood Guard Captain Wilkins and three
of his security team. Blair looked closely. Something
important was missing.

"Where is the Chosen One?" he demanded. Did he have no
sense of occasion?

Wilkins' eyes shifted uncomfortably. He'd been paid
well enough not to question.

"I've receive no word from my men, sir," he said.

"No word? I want him here! Now!"

"Yes, sir," he replied, obediently.

Blair and Stratton turned to the chamber entrance. At
that moment, the essence came floating toward them
with a banshee cry. It sensed the naga box near and
yearned to be reunited with itself.

The guards shrank back fearfully. Gordon turned to
address them. "Hold this position. Let no one
through."

"Sir!" Wilkins answered.

Blair began prowling the hall in a fit of excitement.
Gordon pushed open the door, and together with Blair,
they descended a wide flight of stone steps. The
swirling darkness drifted after them.

Within the chamber the Brethren circled, their
chanting was amplified in the confines of the temple,
echoing off the stone walls like a throbbing
heartbeat.

Blair's smug smile was hidden beneath the mask. He
considered himself very clever. Everything was
proceeding exactly as he had foreseen it. Soon he
would wield absolute power.

Standing before the altar, he raised the long-sought
naga box high above for all to see. The chanting rose
in pitch.

"I-ay, I-ay, Azathoth!"

Blair looked down at the velvet pillow bearing the
ceremonial athame.

"Kneel, brothers" he instructed, his eyes blazing with
triumph.

The black-robed figures complied while the essence
expelled from the unworthy hovered above the altar
like a black cloud.

Blair began to eulogize. "Events since the dawn of
time have set in motion this moment. I have been
chosen to receive our great god's powers."

He raised the box overhead.

"This tiny object bound his great power in darkness.
Which of you shall release him?"

Gordon felt a mixture of excitement and fear. He took
the little carved box and dropped it onto the floor
and brought his foot down hard. Thunder rumbled as
shattered fragments of the box spun across the floor.
The air crackled with a massive energy surge, and a
great wind whipped up in the chamber.

Blair tore off the mask. Eyes wide, face streaming
with sweat, he picked up the sacrifical blade in a
trembling hand and plunged it deep into his chest.

High above, the life essence of Azathoth seethed,
complete and free after millennia. With a scream of
triumph, it swept down and engulfed Blair, invading
the sacrificial cut. The chanting rose to a deafening
crescendo as Blair was thrown back.

* * * * *

A sound reminiscent of a million humming bees reached
Krycek's ears as he descended into the generator
plant. Alex took the metal steps two at a time.
Luckily the huge room was deserted. The room had not
been difficult to find, being built beside the
research facility to power the entire complex. He
passed by a row of huge turbines. He only had one
chance.

He had no doubt in his mind that Mulder had spirited
Jamie away.

Alex recognized something within Jamie's tortured
soul. Just like him it was all confusion. There was
guilt and sorrow and terrible pain. More than
anything, he recognized a will to survive, not to give
in.

If Mulder didn't help him, Krycek would throttle him
himself. That is if he survived all this, he thought
grimly. Trust Fox Mulder to hand over the key that
could end the world!

He proceeded through the maze that led him deeper to
the generator output controls. There wouldn't be a
place on earth to hide if Blair released those ancient
forces. Once again it was up to Alex Krycek to save
his own ass.

* * * * *

Mulder shouldered the duffel bag as he hurried down a
narrow hall leading deeper into the complex. An
unnatural calm had settled over the building. He
quickened his pace as he heard furious chanting. He
strode purposefully toward it, then came to an abrupt
halt.

Before a large wooden door stood several security
guards. Drawing their rifles, the guards moved
forward.

Fox Mulder did not have time for this.

He sprang, grabbing the first man's arm and thrusting
the gun aside. Unfortunately Wilkins was more than a
match for him. Mulder realized it was only a matter of
time before he broke free and used the gun...

* * * * *

In the dim yellow light of the temple, the body of
Matthew Blair lay dead on the floor.

Gordon watched from the steps, horror-struck. Had
something gone wrong with Matthew's insane experiment?

The body twitched. An evil strength filled the limbs.
Suddenly he rose and stood before the altar. His eyes
snapped open, shining with malevolence.

The Brethren shared a gasp of awe. Their prayers had
been answered.

He raised his right hand and flexed his fingers.
Something rippled beneath the glove, which suddenly
split along the seam. Scarlet flesh poured out,
revealing monstrous claws. Scraps of clothing began to
shred and flutter to the ground.

A cackle arose from the dry lips. "Freed from
darkness! My form at last!" His words sounded as
though they were spoken through broken glass.

* * * * *

Alex followed a line of cables to a junction box.
Soon, he found his objective: the generator control
console. If Matthew Blair intended to become Azathoth,
then Krycek was determined to stop him. He would never
be used by anyone ever again.

Quickly, he set to work at the controls...

* * * * *

In the temple, the mutation was complete. It was no
longer the Matthew Gordon had known. Instead he was a
vast and swollen creature -- he was Azathoth.

It turned toward the robed figure of Augustus
Thascales, who knelt in his place in the circle.
Azathoth pointed and smiled cruelly. Augustus gave a
scream of pure terror. The old man sank to the floor
and began to... change. From the remains of his body
rose the writhing shape of a Shoggoth.

Azathoth rounded on another member of the faithful.
The robed figure raised his hands to his god awaiting
his fate. Like Augustus before him, the man fell to
the floor and began to change.

"My strength is growing!" Azathoth proclaimed.

Gordon watched, horrified at the creature his former
lover had become.

A smile spread across Azathoth's bloated lips. He
delighted in the terror around him.

* * * * *

Outside the chamber, the cries of tormented agony
floated through the door. The guards cast uncertain
glances to their superior. Wilkins kept a firm grip on
the struggling intruder's arms.

"You don't understand," Mulder shouted. "They're
awakening something more evil than you can possibly
imagine. You have to listen to me!"

Wilkins hesitated then nodded to his men. "Check it
out," he told them. "I can handle this one."

The three men cocked their weapons and disappeared
down into the room.

A wraith-like fog billowed forth accompanied by a
chilling sound. Mulder tensed. He recognized it
instantly: Leviathans, Elders Things, Shoggoths... the
servants of Azathoth. The air was full of the restless
sounds of heavy, slithering bodies. He had to stop
this before it was too late!

Agonizing death cries reached their ears.

Mulder twisted in the man's grip. "Those creatures are
killing your men!"

Wilkins instinctfully released his hold on Mulder as
another cry floated through the door. Seizing the
opportunity, Mulder broke free and dashed away round
the corner.

Wilkins set off in pursuit, but a third scream made
him move back toward the door. He'd been given strict
orders to guard the entrance at any cost. What the
hell was happening down there?

Cautiously Mulder peered round the corner. The guard
had vanished inside.

* * * * *

Wilkins opened fire into the chamber. The bullets
ripped through the hideous bodies. The force knocked
one of the Shoggoths back, but it didn't fall.

From the altar, Azathoth raised an arm and pointed at
the guard.

The creatures began to advance on the man. In
desperation, Wilkins fired more rounds into the
Shoggoths, but to no effect.

Azathoth smiled.

A wild surge of energy flowed from the feeding
Shoggoths to him. Soon, his power would be restored!

But he suddenly felt a weakness. The gigantic Old One
blurred and pulsed, stretching out with his mind.

"What is happening? Who dares to interrupt the
Becoming?!"

He closed his new eyes and sensed as clear as pictures
the disruptive element.

"Alex Krycek!" his icy voice hissed. "Protect the
generators! Stop him! This time, destroy him!"

Beside the stairs Gordon smiled to himself and moved
out of the temple. A Shoggoth slithered behind him.

* * * * *

Mulder ducked out of sight as someone came up out of
the room. Gordon reached beneath his robes and
extracted a gun. Then he headed off down an opposite
corridor.

"Where's he off to?" Mulder wondered aloud.

Mulder made for the open door, but hurled himself out
of sight when the slithering Shoggoth appeared. Mulder
held his breath. The horrific shape swept its
tentacled head back and forth.

Mulder exhaled loudly when it finally moved off.

* * * * *

In the wind lashed storm, Scully watched as the EMTs
carefully loaded the gurney bearing an unconscious
Jamie into the back of an ambulance. He was now hooked
up to an IV and being fed a steady stream of oxygen.
She was terribly concerned. The bleeding had stopped,
but Jamie's breathing and heartbeat remained
dangerously irregular.

She leaned close to Jamie's ear. "You hang in there,"
she whispered. "You're a fighter."

"Are you riding with him, Dr. Scully?" the driver
asked.

"No," she had to yell to be heard over the rain. "Tell
them that we'll be along soon."

She watched as the red and white vehicle pulled away,
its beacon casting an eerie light over Avatar. Upon
their arrival, she'd given them Jamie's vital
statistics, then been forced to concoct a story about
how he came to be in this condition. She prayed that
he was going to make it. She was determined to see to
his care, for Mulder.

Back inside the building, Dana retraced her steps. She
was not about to leave without Mulder and Skinner...

* * * * *

"Damnit!" Alex shouted at the generator controls.
"Come on!"

"You've run out of time, Krycek."

Alex turned and saw Gordon Stratton advancing,
levelling a gun at him. There was a sick warmth to his
smiled. Close behind, the undulating shape of a
Shoggoth loomed. Gordon moved closer.

"Get away from him!"

Skinner barrelled into Gordon out of nowhere. Alex saw
the Shoggoth raise itself like an enraged cobra and
stalk Skinner.

"Behind you!" he called.

Walter dodged away from the creature.

"Krycek, hurry up!" he shouted.

Alex sighed with frustration. "That's what I'm trying
to do!"

* * * * *

Mulder slipped quietly down the temple steps looking
in silent astonishment at the amorphous creature
towering above the altar. The stench of death and
decay was overpowering.

At the bottom of the stairs a Shoggoth was rising from
the remains of the last member of the Brethren. All
but one of the cult had been transformed now, and in
their place stood a circle of writhing Shoggoths.
Absorbed in the terrible ritual, neither Azathoth nor
his creatures seemed to notice Mulder's presence.

Azathoth's eyes blazed with unimaginable power.

A tremor rocked the building, shaking Mulder off his
feet. "Shit!" His hiking boots lost their purchase and
he tumbled painfully over the steps.

Cracks burst through the surface of the foundations,
running at incredible speed to join each other in the
shape of a pentagram. A strange, glowing light erupted
through the fissures. The pulsating mass of the Great
Old Ones seeped out, searching for a physical form.

Mulder scrambled backward. Once it was free... they
would all die.

* * * * *

Gunshots broke the air of the generator room as
Skinner fired again and again. The Shoggoth never
faltered, driving Walter into a dark corner.

"Run!" Krcyek warned. "You can't stop that thing."

But Skinner stood his ground. Then the gun ran out of
rounds. The legendary monster hissed in triumph. It
lashed out sending the AD reeling. He landed in a
winded heap. The creature prepared to dive down on its
prey.

From the floor close by came Gordon's burst of mocking
laughter.

Alex snatched up Gordon's fallen gun. A shot ripped up
the Shoggoth's carapace and tore into its star-shaped
head. It staggered back.

Gordon struggled to his feet. "You're dead, Krycek!"
he sneered.

The creature roared its fury. Alex ducked clear as the
monster went berserk. Gordon did not move fast enough.
The Shoggoth attached its tentacled maw to him and
bore down. Gordon Stratton became nothing more than an
empty husk. Tossing the broken corpse aside, the
Shoggoth cast about wildly.

Setting its sights on Krycek working feverishly at the
control consoles, the creature reeled.

Skinner suddenly charged, cannoning into the Shoggoth
with all his might. The huge creature toppled sideways
onto the console. In a massive eruption of sparks, the
whine of the generators went wild...

* * * * *

The temple was lit by the glow flooding from the
pentagram. All around were the hissing, snake-like
forms of the Shoggoths.

Mulder reached and tried to pull himself onto the
steps. Suddenly one of the creatures became aware of
him. It swung round, hissing hungrily, and the gaping
mouth lunged down. Mulder fumbled with the duffel
bag...

He hurled the salt container, showering the Shoggoth.
It hissed and slithered back.

Something exploded on one of the upper floors. An
ominous cracking made Azathoth look up.

"No, this is not how it should be!"

Flames and molten metal dripped through the growing
cracks.

* * * * *

The generator room was in flames all around, crackling
fiercely. One of the grinding turbines burst apart and
Alex fell to his knees.

"We've got to get out!" Walter yelled.

He turned and grabbed Krycek, dragging him through the
burning doorway as the roof and walls of the blazing
room imploded inwards in a fireburst.

* * * * *

The ceiling gave way and huge burning chunks of
masonry fell into the center of the temple. A shower
of white-hot sparks drifted down and tiny flames
flickered over Azathoth's scorched flesh.

Shoggoths staggered around, their glistening bodies
alight.

"No, I cannot die!!" Azathoth screamed.

Mulder tried to shut out the sound, but the piercing
scream wouldn't stop. Sweat ran down his face. He
leapt back as the temple smashed apart. Concrete
pillars collapsed, cutting off Azathoth's cries.
Mulder tried to see through the blaze. Was it really
the final end?

The Old One slumped beneath the wreckage and instantly
began to decay. Finally, the scream stopped.

Close by the disintegrating Shoggoths were the same.
The flesh decomposed and burned from their bodies.

Azathoth's life-force was dead.

In a matter of seconds, the ectoplasm seeping through
the floor retreated with an angry roar.

The bodies were still. Nothing remained except smoking
pools.

A cloud of dust and smoke rolled forward, hiding the
hellish scene.

* * * * *

Battered and bruised from having been thrown into the
walls, Dana forged onwards, her throat raw from
calling Mulder and Skinner's names. She followed the
sound of the raging explosions.

She staggered once more as the floor rumbled beneath
her. Dana realized she was in the lowermost part of
the building. Up ahead she could just make out a door
belching smoke and fire. Choking on the fumes, she
covered her face and entered the room.

Scully gagged and stepped over what appeared to be
rotting carrion. Through the rising dust and smoke she
saw that part of the chamber had been smashed
completely open.

"Mulder!" she cried.

From the smoke, a figure emerged.

"Run!" Mulder shouted.

They turned and ran for the steps. Grabbing Dana's
hand they tore along the corridors at frantic speed. A
series of explosions burst behind them, bricks and
debris flew through the air.

Outside, Avatar vanished in a roaring column of fire.


END OF CONUNDRUM