Dark Angel's Fire by Megaera Part VII Powerbase "What one has to do is create disorder, throwing the state into a turmoil, so that one can win secure control of part of it. This proves very easy to do....." Machiavelli—The Prince At first there was nothing out of the ordinary to be seen, a dark and cold underground car park, with a few lonely cars parked on its distant sub-levels. Most of the day to day traffic of office workers and ordinary shoppers was concentrated closer to the mall areas and few people would risk a mugging by parking far from the security of well lit, close circuited parking bays. Perhaps, if someone had been close to the epicentre, they might have had time to issue a warning. Then again, they might have been the first to die. Fox Mulder, with his recently acquired expertise, could have quoted statistics to them, about how well over fifty percent of demon incursions start in a lonely underground area. But not this time. And no one could have anticipated the form of the intrusion. The first sign many of the shoppers in the Delaware mall had that anything was wrong, was when the uproar began, and men, women and children began to run, screaming from the entrances to the parking area. Some of them were bleeding from what looked like claw marks, but all looked universally terrified. The three security guards on duty on the lower floor that day hadn't a hope of stopping the mad rush, as the panic spread. Survival instincts in the human organism, like in sheep, call for herding together and fleeing in a group away from the danger, then scattering in all directions where space and the absence of trampling feet allowed. And again, it wasn't enough. The explosion rocked the building to its foundations, and with a great sigh of tortured metal and crumbling concrete, the mall building collapsed down into the same sub-levels where, moments before, wild gate energy had surged through the foundations in a huge detonation of power. And as the vast mushroom cloud of dust climbed into the sky above the city, its police commissioner put into action the emergency terrorist initiative, calling in the F.B.I. "Three hundred and seven people dead, in one of the worst terrorist atrocities ever, on the U.S. mainland. And we have no clues, no suspects, and not even a cause of the explosion!" Assistant Director Kersh of the F.B.I. was more than a little irate, by the time he had finished reaming out the room full of over fifty investigators, forensic experts and assorted personnel who had been assigned to the case, and who had made absolutely no progress in the past three days. "You all know that if we don't catch these guys soon, the trail will start to go cold. They'll have got away with it!" He sighed. "I want every piece of evidence checked over again! And again! Until we get ourselves some leads and catch those bastards." Even Kersh had been moved by the media pictures of the pathetic victims who had been pulled out of the wreckage. More than one coach load of children had been attending an event at the sports centre which formed part of the mall's entertainment complex. And there had been no phoned in warning, though plenty of groups had attempted to claim the credit for the massacre. "Sir, what about the reports some witnesses gave about demon attacks, just before the explosion? Have you taken statements from any of them about that?" Half the agents in the room turned to stare at the speaker. Fox Mulder, the bane of serious investigation everywhere, often a laughing stock among his colleagues. "Give it a rest, Mulder!" one of the agents shouted. "Yeah! Haven't those people gone through enough, without being questioned by a crackpot like you?" someone else muttered. Kersh frowned. Unlike his agents, he knew that Mulder had an unsurpassed knowledge of demons. He was one of the few people in the F.B.I. who knew about Kulain's real nature. "If you want to ask the survivors about it, go ahead" he said, surprising many of his investigators. Mulder nodded and turned to leave. Someone threw a wadded up piece of paper at the agent, and he stopped suddenly, when it bounced off the back of his head. He swung round to stare at the small knot of men who were still glaring at him, and just for an instant, the temptation was too much. He let his eyes flare into green anger, and had the satisfaction of seeing most of them blanch and hurriedly find something else to occupy their time. He smiled tightly as he left. Some things, at least, were changing for the better. Mulder couldn't get over the feeling that something was badly wrong here, as he donned his protective overalls, and obtained permission from the site forensic supervisor to enter the blast area. Not just the wreckage of building and lives that the bomb had created. Something more, that prickled at the edges of his senses, some demon enhanced instinct that was trying to warn him to beware. He had noticed it the first time he had approached the mall. He wished, for the millionth time, that Kulain could be there. But his partner had claimed to have pressing business with his government contacts, something about a new weapons system he was developing. Well even demons had to pay the bills on their new house. Alex had been seconded to Quantico, to give a series of talks on the Spook Squad. Oddly, Kulain had supported the idea, muttering something about Alex making himself useful to Amara. So Mulder was once again in his career, working on his own. The first thing Mulder noticed, entering the site, was the silence. Normally, at a crime scene, the investigation team would crack jokes and try to keep their spirits high, and incidentally, keep themselves sane. But this place was literally, like a morgue. He could smell death in the air, the scent of undiscovered bodies under the rubble, and for the first time, cursed his demon enhanced senses. Forcing his mind onto work, he began to work his way round the site, looking for something, anything, to connect this place with demons. He knew somehow, that they were involved, and not in any benevolent way. But after two hours, he had found absolutely nothing, and the quiet, almost sinister atmosphere of the place was making his mind play tricks on him. He shivered. Eddies of wind had begun to stir the pathetic wreckage around him, the countless papers, pieces of debris and the ever present red dust. It was like the dead were trying to warn him about something. Red dust? "Have you found out what all of this dust is?" he queried the forensic examiner who was working on an analysis of various samples around the site, looking for traces of chemical explosives. He poked at some of the rusty coloured dust, which coated much of the rubble in a fine gritty layer. The examiner gave a snort of contempt, he didn't like amateurs who tried to tell him how to do his job. "It's just a brick residue. We analysed it and there were no traces of any explosive chemicals in it at all." He turned to carry on with his work. Mulder frowned. He knew the team wouldn't have failed to analyse such an obvious source of evidence, but it just didn't seem right. His instincts were prodding him to look into this further. For instance, how had the bricks been vaporised by the explosion, and not the surrounding concrete. Because he couldn't think of any other way the dust would be so omnipresent over every part of the site. Perhaps it would help him pinpoint the source area of the explosion. He pulled a sample container out of his pocket, and took a sample. Sudden, loud yells from another part of the rubble mound attracted his attention. "We need help now! We've found survivors under here!" Mulder and half a dozen other agents ran over to the disturbance, and found two agents standing over a hole they had just uncovered in the rubble. It looked like the remains of a stairwell, and appeared to descend in an unbroken passage down into the depths. Then Mulder heard what had so excited the rescuers. A low moan emerged from the gloomy darkness below them. The younger of the two agents had already grabbed a flashlight, and was lowering himself gingerly into the hole, whose edges were dangerously lined with unstable debris. "You ought to wait for the emergency services, Phillips!" the agent's partner looked worried. "One false move, and you'll bring this lot down on you and whoever you find alive down there!" The younger man was scathing in his contempt for staying safe. "They've been down there for three days now. You know as well as I do, that they're going to need medical attention right now!" He disappeared down into the hole. Seconds later his voice came floating up out of the depths. "Looks like there's a pretty big cavity down here. I think part of the sub-basement must have collapsed into the sewers, the smell is unbelievable!" There was a pause, while the waiting group heard him scrambling on a pile of concrete scree. "There's a woman alive down here! Pass me down that rope." Then he screamed in absolute terror. "Pull me up! Now, goddammit, now!" Mulder grabbed hold of the rope behind the man's partner, and lent his considerable strength to the task. The young agent had gone ominously silent, and the rescuers soon saw why, as they pulled what seemed like a dead weight up out of the ground. There was indeed a survivor, a young woman who clung tightly to the legs of the agent as the rope pulled them up out of the depths. But her eyes glowed a luminous red and her fingernails had sprouted long talons, which had been used to good effect on Agent Phillip's throat. With a mad cackle, she launched herself at the group of men and tore at them with her clawed hands. Mulder instinctively shifted, this was one problem he knew how to deal with. He flung himself forward, and tackled the woman round her waist, bowling her to the ground. And as she tried to claw him, he seized her wrists with his own clawed hands and held them with demon strength, until he could use the set of special restraints Kulain had given him, the ones the Consortium had invented. The worst thing of all was not just that he had showed a group of gaping and far from reassured fellow agents that he was not exactly normal, but that he had been able to capture and hold the demonic creature. His cuffs were only supposed to work in the vicinity of a gate, which meant they were effective in Washington, where Kulain was. So why did they work here? This case was beginning to appear dirtier and dirtier. Bombs, gates, demonic possession of some kind, and that damned dust that raised his hackles. What the hell was happening here? Alex had just given one of the least conventional lectures that any of the final semester F.B.I. agents had ever heard. How to tackle a variety of supernatural beings you might encounter, whilst on an investigation. It had also been quite an education for some of them on how to fight dirty. And for that matter, the young agent's choice of vocabulary during his talk had been diverting. Alex had never been one to care much for convention. There was somewhat reluctant applause at the end of the talk, Alex had been an entertaining speaker, but had left many of the agents wondering about their choice of career, if they were going to end up as blase about killing, and seemingly unbothered by legally questionable acts as Krycek. Alex watched his young audience departing. For a moment, he remembered how it had felt to be that young and impressionable, fresh out of the academy. He was only a few years older than his audience, but he felt so old and worldly in comparison. Sighing, he picked up his lecture notes and headed out the door of the lecture theatre, intending to work out a little in the gym, then have a quick meal later. A movement of someone in the gallery above him drew his eyes upwards, and he found himself staring into familiar grey eyes that gleamed with amusement. Amara descended the side stairs slowly and drew level with him, her movements oddly sluggish and wearied. She smiled at Alex and moved to link her arm with his in an uncomfortably familiar gesture. "You can take me to lunch, Alex, I feel in need of stimulating company today!" The young man opened his mouth to protest then decided against it. The Destroyer was not someone you wanted to piss off, just for the sake of a ten dollar meal. Then, when they moved out of the darkened lecture theatre, into the brightly lit corridor outside, he realised why her movements felt so awkward. She was pregnant, and looked to be about half way to term, not desperately ungainly yet, but advanced enough to slow her formerly graceful body and force her to take care. Alex realised that he had stopped still, and was staring at her. He knew her tastes didn't run to men, she had even flirted with Scully once, for fucks sake, but she had such a formidable air about her. Who would have the guts to..... er.... She laughed openly at Alex's bemused expression. "Come on Alex. You can buy me a very rare steak, then we can talk, if you can close your mouth long enough." Damn, but she could make him feel like a schoolboy so easily. Reluctantly, he escorted his uninvited guest towards the closest of the site's eating areas. The food was generally good but plain, not too institutionalised, thank goodness. There were a few more expensive items on the menu, and she had, of course, chosen the highest cost item! As they walked, she began to lean more heavily on his arm, and by the time they had covered the few hundred yards between the two buildings, she was gasping heavily, and the grip on his arm was almost fierce enough to draw blood. He paused, and looked at her in concern. He was shocked by what he saw. Amara's face was twisted in pain, and she looked unnaturally pale. She clung unsteadily to him and swayed dizzily. She gave a pitiful smile. "Part of the penalties my kind pay for children, Alex. Our bodies strong for everything except this! That's why there are so few of us. And why we choose to prolong our species in other ways." A small hand closed around his, gently pressing on his fingers so that the retractable claws emerged on his left hand. Impulsively, Alex slid his arm round her waist, to support her more easily, and helped the small woman into the restaurant area. "You're giving fuel to the gossips around here, Alex." Amara looked amused, as she picked at her meal with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. "It's been a source of rumour for some weeks, who am I having a relationship with?" She saw the spark of interest in his eyes. A long finger reached over to stroke away a stray lock of hair from the young man's face. "If you ever find out, I'll kill you, so don't even think about it! My privacy is not to be invaded on this issue." "You want them to think it's me!" Alex said softly. "You should know Kulain doesn't like stupidity in his lovers. I walked in here with my arm around you, so by now, everyone between here and Washington has us secretly married by now. Why else did you ask me to lunch?" "I'm sorry." She sounded sad. "I have few friends here. It protects me from their constant questions. I grow too tired to cope with them sometimes." "Why not just give them a taste of your own special talents?" Alex said sarcastically. He didn't like being played for a fool by anyone, least by anything demon. He was still more than a little uneasy about their real intentions. He didn't expect the despair she showed, when she finally responded to his question. "I have no powers while I carry my child! If I were even to touch gate power while pregnant, I would kill the child, or cause it to be born deformed. I choose for her to live." A slow tear ran down her cheek. "So here I am, alone, with only my son's lover to call upon for help." Kulain was in another long and boring meeting about the specifications for his new "invention", if truth be told, a long-standard design in some places he had visited. A miniature laser pulse gun, the goal of all light weapons research since Star Wars, though whether that meant movie or defence project, he wasn't certain. These odd quirks of human culture. But he had important reasons for choosing now to release the design to them. It consolidated his power in Washington,. It gave him access to extended resources, money and scientific experts, and though the first samples would probably be claimed for the Consortium, they would all need demon killing weapons soon enough. So Kulain sat back in his chair and pretended not to care that he was betraying his own species for the sake of a pair of green eyes, and their hazel companions. Mulder had spent the rest of the day after hospitalising the mad woman, in tracking down the half a dozen witnesses to the alleged demon encounters in the mall. He found that most of their statements had been ignored or marginalised by the other investigators, so he had to personally visit each witness in turn to check the facts. By the time he had faced six frightened and traumatised people, two still seriously injured and in hospital, he had only a few more facts to work with: The security guard had seen a woman emerge from the underground parking area, covered in claw marks, seconds before the explosion. The manager of a restaurant and one of his staff had seen something with red, glowing eyes, a few minutes before the disaster, when they had unloaded their supplies in the service area. Two shoppers had heard screams underground, but had thought some kids were playing, as they drove out of the mall. A drunk had seen a group of grey devils as he lay, half hidden in an alcove at the back of the mall. But he had also seen pink elephants and a flying tree, so not much faith could be put in his story. Mulder was feeling tired and irritable, by the time he made it back to his hotel room that night. Another day in the F.B.I., another cheap motel! And he had suffered another cheap bar meal to go with it. He wished he could have someone to bounce ideas off, but he had noticed a distinct tendency of the other agents to avoid him, since this afternoon's incident. Word had got around then. He was even more of a pariah now, than when he had been in charge of the X files. Still, at least he could look forward to going home now, when his part in this case was over. The happiness of living with his partners, and the dubious pleasures of Alex's cooking and home decorating skills. He grinned in recollection. He still wasn't sure whether the purple bedroom decor was meant to be taken seriously. Especially not with mirrors. A bit too lush for his taste. Alex had wanted a water bed, but both his partners had pointed out the disadvantages of living with claws. It was a point well taken. When Mulder pushed open his hotel room door, he didn't bother to switch the light on, just pushed his way into the room and leaned his head for a moment against the wall. His mind was going round in circles at the moment, trying to process all the information he had absorbed. He wasn't expecting the low chuckle that sounded behind him. Mulder spun round, and stopped, stunned , gazing at the sight before him, as the small bedside light was switched on. Alex reclined naked on the bed, lips curved in a welcoming smile. He leaned back sinuously against the pillow, stretching one arm sensuously above his head, which was calculated to display the play of his muscles as he moved. The other hand strayed down to stroke his cock gently, and gold gleamed on one of his fingers as it caught the light. Mulder caught his breath, suddenly feeling very hot, and not at all tired any more. In fact, the tightness of his pants suggested that his body was all too ready to begin a different type of activity. Alex was stunningly beautiful, and the shadows cast by the planes of his body only enhanced Mulder's desire. Alex smiled in satisfaction at the effect he was having. It had been worth the long drive from Quantico and the problems he had met whilst shopping, now that the mall was destroyed. He had two very special purchases to make the night memorable. The first he now put to good use. A long fingered hand extended a champagne glass towards Mulder, and his lover sank down next to him, his eyes shining. "To my brilliant, beloved Fox!" Alex toasted his lover, and saw the appealing blush that coloured Mulder's cheeks as he sipped at the ice cold liquid. Mulder just looked at him for a long moment. "My Alex!" he responded tenderly, and drank more of the champagne. "Careful!" Alex said softly. "There's something for you at the bottom of the glass!" Mulder cautiously emptied the glass, then his eyes widened, as he saw the second of Alex's purchases inside. A gold ring, the match to the one he had given Alex recently. He drew it out and slipped it on. The joy on his face was all that Alex could have wished for. "Come here Foxy!" the younger man whispered, and drew his lover down on top of him. His clothes didn't prove much of an obstacle to delicately wielded claws, though they would never be the same again. Mulder didn't even notice. Mulder was enfolded in strong young arms, and felt the trace of Alex's lightly unsheathed talons slide erotically down his back. He held his lover's face in his hands and kissed the younger man gently, covering the slightly moistened lips with his own, tasting the dry perfume of the champagne as his tongue slowly penetrated Alex's parted lips. Alex responded warmly, his own tongue joining the enticing dance Mulder had started. Mulder found that he couldn't get enough of the sweet taste of his partner, his mouth was pressing down harder against Alex, opening his lips wider, tongues tangling together, lost in the pleasure of making love to Alex Krycek, his hands pulling Alex closer, as he instinctively rubbed his body against his lover. It was his partner's moan that finally broke the spell. "God, Fox, if you kiss me like that again, I'm going to come." And Mulder could feel what an effect he was having on Alex. He laughed softly, though his own breathing had quickened considerably. Alex was clutching at him, hands resting lightly against his shoulder blades. Mulder ran his fingers lightly down Alex's chest, then lowered his attention to the younger man's swollen cock, that was pressing demandingly against his belly. Looking into Alex's eyes as he gripped the swollen shaft firmly, he saw the green eyes widen and a look of ecstasy flash into them. He felt his own cock leap in response, and nudged the younger man's thighs further apart with his other hand, which began to tease Alex's tight opening. His partner made a delicious small whimpering sound, and his hips thrust helplessly against Mulder, but the older man wasn't ready to give Alex what he so obviously wanted, just yet. Alex Krycek was being delightfully and expertly brought to the edge of orgasm by the ministrations of his lover, and he was in heaven. Mulder knew him so well now, what would make Alex writhe and buck in desperate yearning pleasure. And Mulder loved to tease him. He gasped, involuntarily, as Mulder's mouth closed round the swollen head of his cock, licking the glistening pre-cum from the small slit. Mulder tormented his lover for what seemed like forever, swirling his tongue around his prize, until Alex was sobbing in need, jerking towards the excruciating, wonderful mouth that was driving him insane. Mulder took in at a glance, Alex's condition, and grabbing the lubricant Alex had conveniently left on the bedside table, he squeezed some into his fingers, and began to thrust first one, then two fingers into his lover. Alex was staring at him, his face open and unguarded, in mute plea, his green eyes glowing with desire. Mulder grinned at him, then abruptly, swallowed Alex's cock as deep as he could then he began to suck on its smooth length. His fingers continued to fuck the younger man, determinedly rubbing and pressuring his prostate. Alex lost control completely. His hips lifted into the air, and with a scream of rapture, he came, jetting down Mulder's throat, as the older man rode his partner's orgasm. Even as Alex moaned and sank bonelessly back onto the bed, Mulder turned him onto his stomach, and plunged his own tumescent cock deep into his lover's body. It felt so good, to be deep within the man who loved him, their bodies so intimately connected that nothing could come between them. Mulder knew that there were few moments in his life that could compare with the bliss of lying between Alex Krycek's widely spread thighs, fucking him in long smooth thrusts that drove his cock deep into the younger man's hot depths. Alex started to respond, pushing himself back onto the impaling cock, whimpering as he was taken so fully. As often happened these days, Mulder could feel his control beginning to desert him, as he felt the tightness enclosing him begin to overload his senses. Alex cried out, as the man within him shifted, demon energy pounding into him, talons sliding in the sweat that slicked his back. He reared back screaming, again and again, letting Mulder be the dominant one this time. Then the older man climaxed, biting Alex on the neck with surprising gentleness, in his moment of orgasm. The combination of sensations brought him too, over the edge, and he was barely aware of ripping at the sheets with his own claws, as he too came. Still locked together, the two of them entwined fingers, as Mulder held his lover, and they drifted into exhausted sleep. Alex lay curled up in Mulder's arms later that night. He could sense that Mulder was awake now, though the older man lay still and silent. Finally, Alex turned in the enclosing arms and rested against Mulder's chest, his head in the crook of Mulder's neck. "What is it, love?" he whispered softly. Mulder softly kissed Alex's forehead. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep you awake. It's just this case bothering me. I keep getting this feeling that there's more going on than anyone realises. Call it instinct if you like. Something is terribly wrong, and I don't know what it is! It scares me Alex, and I don't frighten easily, these days." Alex gently stroked Mulder's face, feeling his lover kiss his fingers in response. "I don't have to get back to Quantico until Monday morning. I can come round the site with you tomorrow, and take a look." He sensed Mulder's relieved smile, in the darkness. "I'd appreciate that. Maybe I'm wrong.... I need an objective opinion, and you always did have a better instinct for danger than I do." There was a distinctly chilly atmosphere, when Mulder and his partner walked into the morning briefing session. Many of the agents edged away from Mulder, as he sat down on an empty chair. "You're Mr. Popular this morning," Alex whispered, with a grin. "Someone spreading rumours that you have a body odour problem?" He ignored his lover's glare. "I guess the rumours are spreading about yesterday. I had to shift to catch that demon woman. It scared some of them witless." "That'd be pretty hard in some cases, nothing there to scare," his partner responded, and was rewarded with a quick grin. Casually, Alex leaned his arm against Mulder's shoulder, with just a suggestion of intimacy. Kersh frowned at Mulder and his partner, as he began the briefing. As on the day before, the man was irritated by the fact that no more leads had turned up. He did however glance at Mulder. "We found a woman yesterday who was deranged by being buried alive, who killed one of our younger agents. I'm sure you'll join me in expressing condolences to Agent Phillip's family after this tragedy. We plan to fully explore the underground areas later today, after the structural engineers have checked they're safe." "Wait a minute!" Mulder called out. "You can't be sure there are no more demons down there!" Kersh scowled. "I've read the report you handed in yesterday, Agent Mulder. I hardly think your pet theories on the supernatural apply in this case, however valid they may be elsewhere. Have you any firm evidence to offer me?" "The woman....." Mulder protested. "I'm sorry, agent Mulder, we have a problem there. The woman does appear to have unusual abilities, but you displayed the same faculty." Kersh had effectively ignored Mulder's evidence. "I've had a number of requests for you to be taken off this case. Nothing personal, you understand. It's just that people feel uncomfortable working with someone with supernatural abilities... and we all know that you have them by now. Perhaps your colleague can take over for the moment?" Alex grimaced. "Wow, demon prejudice!" he whispered. "Alright," Mulder said coolly. "I have some lab samples to take to Quantico anyway." He rose to his feet, then looked at Alex, whose eyes reflected his own dismay. "Call me if you need anything, Alex." His partner gave a nod. "There's something really important I need to discuss with you, Fox," Alex murmured. Mulder quirked an eyebrow, but Alex shook his head. "Later," he said. Mulder felt the other agents' eyes on his back as he left the room. They would have a big surprise if they gave the volatile Alex any problems. He wouldn't hesitate to scare the shit out of them. Mulder had driven for hours to get to Quantico, a hellish journey, as the weather seemed to be playing up again. There seemed to be a storm front centred on the Delaware peninsula, and driving had been hard work, as rain and high winds began to lash the car. He had hit the Washington area just in time for the midday rush hour, and it took him another couple of hours to drive down to Quantico. The weather seemed to follow him all the way, and the sky made it seem as dark as night, by the time he arrived at Scully's lab facility. He had managed a quick call to ask her to meet him there, and immediately passed over his precious samples, a blood sample from the deranged woman, and of course, the enigmatic dust sample. He sat and watched her, as she began to examine them. Scully smiled in welcome, as she began to process his samples. "It's been a while, Mulder. At least three months since we were on a case together! Are you still living an interesting life of debauchery with your two rather eccentric partners?" Mulder grinned back at her, determined not to think of his present problems. "And have you seen anything more of a certain A.D. we all know and love? Alex keeps me posted on the gossip these days!" Scully smirked. "Interesting you should mention Alex and gossip. The latest news around here is that he was seen having dinner with Kulain's friend Amara, who doesn't often lower herself to talk to men. At least not at the moment." Seeing Mulder's questioning look, she laughed. "She's about five months pregnant Mulder, and not having an easy time of it on her own." From Mulder's incredulous expression, Scully could tell she had scored a hit. "You don't suppose Alex......" "Like hell!" Mulder retorted, "Alex doesn't even flirt with women these days, he's kept fully occupied at home!" He glared fiercely at Scully. She shrugged, unrepentant. "To tell you the truth Mulder, she's been doing some impressive work round here. She's reorganised the rather hit and miss affairs of our few psychic investigators on a more scientific basis, and I understand her computer programming skills are spectacular!" Mulder shook his head at the unexpected remark. It often amazed him how at home with advanced technology some of the demons were. Even the seldom vocal Pasht had an incredible grasp of medical advancements. "I didn't get the chance to speak to Alex much, the last time we met," he replied. "We were busy at the time!" He held up his ring for a wide eyed Scully to inspect. She seemed approving, and kissed his cheek affectionately. "It's about time he made an honest man of you!" Then the conversation turned to Mulder's involvement in the Delaware bombing case. Scully hissed for silence as she examined the red dust under the electron Microscope. "Oh my god, Mulder, you say this is all over the site!" He nodded. "It isn't from the building at all, it's biological! You're looking at some kind of viral spore." She looked aghast as she raised her eyes from the scope. "To get the kind of distribution you describe, some kind of biological weapon must have been detonated in that blast. The whole city must be contaminated by now!" Mulder looked grim. "And now that it's raining so hard, it'll be in the water supply as well!" "That's not all,"Mulder said slowly. "Half of the world's media are camped out in the city, and most of Washington have been down on sightseeing tours, a case like this always brings out the ghouls. And the President and half his staff came to inspect the damage and meet survivors two days ago. Even the Director of the F.B.I. has been to check on progress in the investigation. All of us, even me and Alex, must be contaminated by now! We need to know if it's harmless or not!" "We display our supernatural powers, and use our magic to turn the old world upside down, smash it to pieces, pulverise it , create chaos and make a tremendous mess, the bigger the better. We are bent on hewing out a new world....." Chairman Mao—Dazibao of the Cultural Revolution Kulain was not in the happiest of moods. It may have been part of his master plan, to widen his contacts in this country, and gain advantage where he may, but arriving at an ambassadorial dinner offered by the U.N. wasn't quite what he had in mind. Pretending to eat human foods and drink their foul beverages was nothing short of torture. If he needed to, he could tolerate those things for a short time, but he would be irritable, and he hadn't even sat through the endless boring speeches and the pre-dinner cocktail party yet. He supposed that he was an ambassador of sorts, being the only representative of his species that these fools would ever see, but the contrast between him and these half- wits was marked. They stood around like sheep, babbling inane nonsense, and concluding pointless alliances between themselves. No wonder there were so many wars between them, if they were so secretive and duplicitous. His kind preferred open combat, although manoeuvring for advantage was commonplace. As Kulain sipped from a glass of water, the only thing on his mind was to conclude the deal that his Washington associates wanted, and leave. It had been pointed out to him by the Secretary of Defence himself, that bringing their British counterparts into the weapons program would be to everyone's advantage. The technical expertise that they would bring to the project was second to none, and it hadn't escaped Kulain's strategically brilliant mind, that developing a second base of operations on this world would be to his benefit. A predator always left himself a way out of a trap! It had been no surprise to him to see several members of the Consortium in attendance tonight. They were all powerful and highly placed men who were comfortable in this stratospheric level of society. The Smoker was there, of course, and the one they called the First Elder. Perhaps he was more at home among this back-biting lot than he had first thought, because his sharp eyes had seen the immediate enmity the two men had displayed for the Russian ambassador and his retinue. Interesting! In the mean time, he allowed the Secretary of Defence's aide to introduce him to a number of the British specialists who had been invited to the dinner, and let them engage him in pointless polite conversation. And meanwhile, his other plans would have to wait. Sean Worrell was a body guard in Her Majesty's Diplomatic Protection Squad. Not quite police, but not military either. Just faced with the problems of both. He had been given the less than appealing job of guarding the British Ambassador at this dinner. Which basically meant standing around looking tough, and watching everyone around him for security breaches. He was connected to his control centre by an ear- piece and a miniature transmitter, and had half a dozen colleagues in and out of the building who worked in coordination with him. As a mark of his expertise, he was the one actually assigned to the person of the Ambassador, not a bad position for a man in his early thirties. At least he was out of the rain and got to listen to their gossip, pity he didn't get to eat. He wasn't expecting too much danger in this crowd of socialites, although he was always alert for the unexpected, particularly since the recent bombing. But security in the U.N. building was pretty tight tonight. Sean was just relaxing slightly, anticipating an easy night, when HE walked into the room, with a group of Americans. Sean's instincts immediately went on alert, even before he knew why. Perhaps it was the way he moved, a sleek grace that somehow gave the impression of being utterly deadly. Or the swift glance that he gave round the room as he entered, that Sean knew, took in everything and assessed it dismissively. Whoever he was, Sean felt his hackles rise. This one was dangerous, and he edged close to his charge, hissing a query into his microphone. He noticed one of his Russian counterparts doing the same, although the Americans merely glanced at the dark haired man, then looked away uncomfortably. He was known to them then, though that fact didn't make Sean relax at all. Kulain followed the herd into the reception room, a wonder of mock eighteenth century elegance. Not that he cared. The scientists had been predictably vague. Didn't they understand how urgent this matter was, he had dropped enough hints to the Smoker. Now he had to sit through a meal and be polite to the British Ambassador. He could imagine how funny Alex would find this. Sean's heart sank, when he saw who was sitting opposite his charge. The dangerous one! His guest list claimed that the seat was taken by someone called K. Lane. Supposedly an F.B.I. agent and scientific entrepreneur. No way! This man was a killer, pure and simple. He wasn't going to relax until the man was miles away from here. Kulain had noticed the dark haired young bodyguard almost immediately. It would have been hard not to, when the human had stationed himself against the wall opposite him, and he only had to lift his eyes slightly to meet the young man's steely blue eyed gaze, which, interestingly, never left him. A fellow killer then, who recognised his own kind. Deliberately Kulain lifted his eyes to stare back at the human, enjoying the game a little, it relieved the boredom. He let his green eyes flare slightly, and narrowed his slit pupils, showing a hint of the predator he was. The young human frowned for a moment, not quite comprehending what he was seeing. Then came realisation, and his face blanched satisfyingly. Kulain smiled at him mockingly, and then tauntingly, refused to look at him for the rest of the meal. As it happened, the dinner wasn't quite a dead loss. The ambassador was a shrewd old man, who was even a little entertaining, when he realised that his dinner companion had a good grasp of military strategy. At the end of the meal, he invited Kulain to join him for a brandy, and they stood up together, and began to walk through the hallway, to another of the reception rooms. Kulain sensed the young bodyguard glaring at him, and flashed a brief grin at him. Sean was more than a little annoyed. Lane had picked up on his surveillance almost immediately, and was visibly taunting him. And just for a moment, early in the meal, he had thought he saw.... well, no. That would be impossible. His mind refused to accept the possibility that Lane wasn't an ordinary man. He glared at the American agent's back as he followed the Ambassador. Then Lane abruptly stopped, and his head was flung upwards. Sean saw an expression of open astonishment on his face, then something darker that had him reaching automatically for his gun. One moment Kulain was talking to the shrewd human, then he felt it. The hum deep in his bones of a gate activating. He lifted his head, trying to pinpoint it, then he realised what the enemy's intention was, as the power from it began to overload. Instinct took over, and a swift glance round told him where the safest place was. Then, faster than a human could react, he flung himself at the Ambassador and the young bodyguard, colliding with them both, knocking them down the stairs to the basement. The Smoker saw Kulain attack the British ambassador with a sense of disbelief. Then he heard what the demon yelled, as he moved with such incredible speed. "Down!" With remarkable agility for one so old, he followed down the stairs, and saw his Consortium colleague and some of the Russians follow. Then the ground heaved beneath his feet, and the world dissolved in a tremendous explosion. There was nothing that Fox Mulder could do except let Scully notify the authorities of their suspicions. Neither of them knew whether the spores were dangerous, or who had committed such a flagrant act of terrorism on an American city, but Mulder's brilliant mind could quite see the logic to their choice of sites. Not only was there a big military base nearby, central to the defence of the Washington region, but there was a massive factory nearby, that produced most of the explosives used in American weapons today. Also, because of the unusual tax laws in Delaware state, thousands of businesses had headquarters there, to take advantage of the lenient laws. It was quite a shrewd choice of target, and argued that his unknown opponent was no mean strategist. But why a virus? Logically, a bio-weapon would need to be of a fairly powerful nature, with rapid onset of symptoms and death, so that it burned itself out fairly quickly. Otherwise it could spread quickly into the general population, and move past the limits of the target country. But no-one had gotten sick yet. So it wasn't intended for wiping out the general population..... Visions of alien black oil viruses and their effects filled his mind. But it was useless to speculate past this point, until Scully had performed some more tests on the red dust. Mulder decided to drive back to Washington; he could spend the night there, then get back to Alex tomorrow. If there was going to be any trouble, he didn't want to be separated from his lover, behind a quarantine barrier, and fuck the F.B.I! The drive up to Washington was hellish, the storm seemed to have centred itself offshore, and was affecting most of the North-eastern seaboard, and he pulled up to the new house in a flurry of hailstones. So he didn't really notice that the ground floor of the house was lit up, until he had entered the hallway, and shook the ice from his clothes before it could melt and soak into the cloth. No-one should be home at the moment, except perhaps the feline Pasht, who seemed to have taken a liking to their basement, but rarely entered the main part of the house. And she preferred semi-darkness. Walking cautiously into the warm and well lit room on his left, where he and his partners liked to spend most of their time, outside of the bedroom that is, he saw a sight that amazed him. Amara was reclining on the new black leather couch, half naked, and totally relaxed. As if she owned the place! And she had lit a roaring fire in the grate, as if the powerful central heating system wasn't enough. It was like a sauna! "What the hell are you doing here?" Mulder stared at her. Scully had said that she was pregnant, and with her body only half covered, her condition was flagrantly obvious. Her belly was taut and rounded, and her otherwise pale skin was lightly patterned in faintly green scales. As if it was harder to hide what she was, in that state. Odd, scaly markings also made bands around her wrists and ankles, and as she sat up, he saw the line of them that ran down her spine. She smiled, and moved her body so that she could sit more comfortably upright. And Mulder was shocked at the effort it seemed to take for the small woman to accomplish the slight movement. For a moment, she had to stop, panting hard, before she could reply. "Alex offered me the hospitality of your warm house. Did he not tell you?" "No!" Mulder was more than a little annoyed at his partner. "She shrugged. "It was necessary to be with one of my own kind. I am finding this child a hard burden, and Pasht can help me when it is time for the birth. "Exactly how long were you planning on staying?" Mulder shook his head in disbelief at her audacity. The demon woman smiled again, this time in open amusement. "A few months only. But you are of Kulain's family unit, are you not! So you have inherited his obligations to me.... And did you once not promise me the Earth when he needed help!" Mulder sank down onto the chair opposite her, and groaned, holding his head in his hands. Out manipulated by a master. The next few months were going to be interesting Domestic bliss didn't exactly come naturally to any of his partners. Well, at least the heat in the room was pleasant. Alex Krycek and the other agents had spent a pointless and utterly wasted day on the bomb site, With the weather so bad, the structural engineers had forbidden anyone to enter the site today, and any fool could have seen why. Water was falling from the sky in torrents, and just being outside for a few minutes was like standing under Niagara Falls. The site was awash, and the hole into the basement was rapidly filling up with water. Perhaps it was connected to the storm drains. Also, at the edge of the hole, debris continually slipped down into the rushing waters below, so just walking over the site was dangerous. Who knew what the water would undermine, or whether any other cavities would open up. Even Kersh could appreciate the logic of that. So he asked the agents to work late into the night instead, correlating witness statements and going through the personal belongings of the dead. So it was with surprise that Alex and his co-workers saw the AD walk into the main work area, and call all the agents into the conference room. He looked pale and afraid, for the first time that Alex had seen, and he was accompanied by a couple of men who could only be Government Agents of some kind, maybe CIA or Shop. Alex remembered the type so well, he got a bitter taste in his mouth just thinking about them. "I'm afraid I have a few pieces of very bad news for you. We have reason to believe that the whole site has been contaminated by some kind of biological material. So we'll require blood samples from all agents who have been on site. And any unusual symptoms, or illness is to be reported to us immediately." There was an immediate murmuring among the group of men and women. "We have no reason to suppose anything harmful is present , this is just a precaution for your safety!" Yeah, sure "There's a second piece of news that many of you won't have heard yet. Switch on the t.v." He instructed one agent. Alex watched the horrific images come on screen. Kersh continued. "The U.N. Building in New York has just been bombed! There were many diplomats present tonight, at a large banquet, so casualties are going to be high. Early indications are that the same biological contamination has occurred. Virtually a fingerprint of our bomber. I don't have to tell you how serious the situation is. All leave and recreation time is cancelled for Agents of the F.B.I. from this moment. We need to catch these madmen." Alex could only stare mutely at the building he knew Kulain was in. The pile of rubble that covered his lover's body. Because Kulain would have called to reassure his two humans, if he was still able to. He was still alive. That was Sean's first thought as the pain in his head and body finally receded enough to rouse him to consciousness. It could have been moments since the explosion, for he could still hear rubble settling distantly, or hours. But where he was, or how he had got there was less clear. He could remember Lane lunging at him, faster than he had ever seen anyone move in his life, then he was falling down the stairs, helplessly. He could also remember the jarring impact, his own body cushioning the ambassador's. Then an immensely strong arm had swept them through the door at the bottom of the stairs, throwing him like a rag doll. And the world had exploded into a place with no up or down, no stillness. Only a heaving, roaring chaos that had signalled the world going mad. The ground had heaved upwards at one point, slamming into his ribs, and then something had impacted with his head, and the world had darkened. He knew enough about the likes of the IRA and Libyans to realise what had happened. A bomb! And his killer friend had known beforehand. But why had he tried to help them? Lying on his back with one leg twisted under him, but seemingly fairly unscathed, Sean tried to sit up. And instantly realised that the heavy weight he felt on top of his chest was a body. Still warm, and from the slight movement it made when he shoved at it, someone else still alive. Sean felt a moment's claustrophobia, then cautiously felt across the body, trying to identify it. When he felt the head, he had his answer. A small hoop in one ear. He had stared at it often enough that night. Lane. Sean shoved at the man again, trying to free himself. The man gave out a groan, that had a half curse in it, but in no language that Sean recognised. Great! Trapped beneath the dead weight of Kulain's body, he had little choice but to lean back and wait for the man to wake. The space they were trapped in was too tight to push him away. Sean closed his eyes. He could hear the distant noise of machinery, the rescuers were probably already on site. Damn Lane, Sean wasn't in the habit of coming so close to another man, near enough to smell the faintly masculine scent of him. With undertones of something else, heady and potent. Such an oddly stimulating fragrance, that seemed to weave its way deep into his brain. He moaned softly, his body reacting to the demon pheromones, and as Kulain finally stirred and lifted his head, Sean pulled the demon's head down and kissed him. It was an unusually pleasant way to wake up, with a hot young body ready beneath him, utterly his. The distinct scent of a human male roused to sexual readiness by his body. And one of the rare genetically flawless humans that were so indispensable to his kind. For a moment, Kulain thought the strong arms belonged to Mulder or Alex, and he kissed the willing mouth back fiercely, plundering it deeply, and wringing another submissive moan from the sweet lips. Then he remembered where he was. With more than a little reluctance, he drew back from the prey, and forced down the hunger. The biological urge to set his mark on the compliant human, to thrust into him, infect him, and imprint the human's DNA with his own, in the oldest possible way. To reproduce. Mulder listened with a growing sense of disbelief, to the news that had broken on the t.v. that morning, when he had casually switched it on over breakfast. Amara had watched his face, as he digested the news. She didn't seem to have moved since last night, and her face was still very pale. When she saw how worried he was, she laughed quietly. "Kulain can take care of himself against a mere bomb. And he can always gate out of a dangerous place if he needs to!" "You don't understand!" Mulder all but yelled at her. "There's some sort of virus contaminating the bomb sites. And I think gates are involved somehow?" Her gaze turned speculative. "Describe your virus!" "There's a sort of red dust that's covered everything on the site. No- one's got sick yet, but we don't know what it does!" She laughed long and hard, and ended up clutching her side in pain, as a punishment for her loss of control. "Fox, that infection was tailored only to affect humans. What have you to worry about?" Mulder was reduced to speechlessness, for the first time, by her response. "The infection will not harm your little human friends. Don't let it bother you. You may even benefit from it. But as for who would commit the bombings, that is a different matter. Alex should be careful. You suspect an open gate, don't you?" He nodded. "Then Kulain will also have difficulties. He can not open another gate so close to an active site. The resulting explosion would make your bombings look small in comparison!" She was resigned to waiting now. Kulain had promised her certain help, as her pregnancy grew closer to term. Her body was already reaching the limits of its tolerance for the small intruder, and this pregnancy was far harder and more dangerous than her last. The years of using gates had seen to that, it was their main curse on her species, although they had brought other problems. Kulain would help her to incubate her child safely. Fox Mulder, though, would never agree to help her, if he knew what it would entail. The agent was far too ethical, he would never countenance what was necessary. A live female host for the child in its last months of development. Alex was growing a little tired of the repeated innuendo and hostile questions that the other agents in the case bothered him with. Fox Mulder had become the Bogey Man. Someone different from the herd, to be ignored at best, or criticised and gossiped about by most of them. If one more person asked him if it was true that Mulder was a monster or witch, he would lose his temper big time! It didn't take long in coming. Bill Andrews was a bluff ex football player who wasn't particularly tolerant in his politics or his morality. He had taken pleasure in baiting Alex for days, and today was no exception. "I hear Mulder is a close personal friend of yours, Krycek. Is it true that he turns into a ravenous beast when you don't feed him raw meat?" So Mulder's taste for rare steak was provoking comment now. "Shut the fuck up!" Alex felt his temper flare. "What the hell do you know about him anyway. He's one of the best investigators the F.B.I. has, and he's the most ethical man I know!" "Yes Krycek, we've all heard how well you know him! Tell me, doesn't it bother you to do it with someone who has claws? Or do you just like being with animals, you damn pervert!" Alex Krycek's eyes flared green, his control was beginning to slip. Several of the wiser agents who had gathered to listen, hastily made themselves scarce. "Why don't you go take a flying leap out of that window, Andrews! Your shit is beginning to get on my nerves!" An odd look came over the other agent's face, then he whimpered, turned stiffly on legs that seemed to fight him at every move. He walked to the window and flung himself through it! A dead silence spread through the office as the other agents all began to back away from Alex. Then, like a flock of sheep, they all turned and fled. Alex stared at the shattered window in disbelief. Then he grabbed his jacket and hastily made his way to an exit. He hadn't survived this long without knowing when it was time to get out of there. When those fools got their courage back, they would be looking for his blood, and he would never solve the mystery of why Andrews had jumped. He had made it about three blocks down the street, towards his hotel, when his mobile phone rang. It was his beloved Fox. "Alex, any progress on the case down there?" The young man had to laugh. "Kind of. If they thought you were bad, they're going to think I'm the devil incarnate!" and he explained to his lover what had happened. "I think I have an explanation Alex. But you're not going to like it! I don't myself, but from what Amara has told me, it's the only possible solution. The red dust is a demon virus, but it doesn't affect us. We've been with Kulain too long." No need to distress Alex with the implications of that "I think it makes people more controllable. So it was the virus that killed Andrews, not you! I'm coming there today, I'll meet you at that drive-in movie place just up the road from the site, at 8 p.m. Watch your back love, someone is doing a fairly good job of manipulating us all, and I don't think they're very friendly to humans!" Sean wasn't quite sure what was happening to him. He felt so dizzy, and there was a strange singing in his blood, as if he was drugged and something was making him high. There was the most incredible urge to masturbate, to rub his hands across his body and satisfy the strange cravings that seemed to be pulsing over his body in waves. He decided it wouldn't quite be proper for an employee of Her majesty's Government to be caught like that in public, like a certain Labour politician or Conservative minister, but several times, he caught his hand straying down to rub at his nipples, and once, deliciously, lower. Someone next to him was digging away at the rubble, tunnelling a way through it with a considerable expenditure of energy, but he couldn't seem to care that he was trapped in the wreckage of a bombed building. It took all of his energy not to engage in the most secretly arousing fantasy he had ever had. To pull the man down on top of him and spread his legs wide, offering himself. Some part of his mind, the recently divorced family man, was totally shocked at his actions, but he let it gibber away to itself in some dark corner. With a shout of triumph, Lane pushed at one final piece of debris, far larger than any Sean could have moved, and they had a way out of the wreckage. The agent pulled himself out of the tunnel he had made, then reached back and tugged Sean after him. Almost immediately, the bodyguard found his head clearing, as fresher air surrounded him. Dazed, he stared at Lane. What the hell had happened to him. As he began to breathe air uncontaminated by Kulain's heady scent, he found it increasingly difficult to understand his own actions. He had kissed.... And, god, how it had been returned! No-one had ever made him feel so intensely aroused, so blissfully acquiescent. Shocked and in denial, he backed away from Lane, and saw understanding and a little regret on the man's face, in the dim light that filtered through the rubble from somewhere. "So Kulain!" The gravelly voice behind him startled the bodyguard, "I'm not at all surprised that you survived the explosion. Considering how good your instincts are. But did you realise you also saved the rest of us?" The speaker flicked on his lighter, and the flame illuminated a small group of men, sitting in the rubble of the underground room. The ambassador was there, and three other men besides the speaker. Sean recognised at least two of them to be Russians. All were cut and bruised, but none seemed badly hurt. "Your survival instincts were, as usual, superlative." "It was a gate overloading!" Kulain said softly to the Smoker. "You ought to know I can sense them quite well." He glanced towards the source of illumination that flickered beyond the rubble. "It's still open! Which means my opponent must have a use for it, and it is probably guarded." He gave one of the most evil smiles Sean had ever seen. He held a hand up, and before their shocked eyes, it altered to display his green scales and wicked, long talons. "Shall we use the exit they have so courteously provided, gentlemen?" Alex was doing his best to blend in to the crowd when Mulder arrived at the drive-in theatre. It wasn't easy in a suit, surrounded by a crowd of teenagers buying burgers and fries, while awaiting the next movie. Gratefully Alex climbed into Mulder's rental car, and he drove it to the furthest corner of the parking lot, so they could talk undisturbed. Alex leaned back against the headrest, and sighed softly, watching the play of light on Mulder's face, as the main show started. A horror special. Something about a plague of killer rats. "I could watch you forever!" Alex smiled slightly at his lover. "I just want you to know that I love you. Always, no matter how crazy things get!" Mulder stared into the darkness. "I know, Alex. And I want you to know. It was always you! Kulain's like a force of nature, I always needed the strength he gave me. But I love you more. I'd die for you! I'd kill for you!" The two of them just looked into each other's eyes for a time. Alex suddenly grinned. "Let's make out like a couple of teenagers! If we're going to fuck up our lives big time with the F.B.I, I want to fuck for real first." "Back seat?" "Yeah!" At first they just held each other, Alex leaning against Fox, resting his head contentedly on his lover's shoulder. Mulder's arm was round his waist, and Alex could hear the strong, slow beat of his partner's heart. In the cool evening air, their shared warmth felt good. And Mulder rested his head against Alex's head, enjoying the softness of the other man's hair against his cheek. Shrieks sounded from the young audience, as the rats began to flood out of a rail tunnel. Alex turned his head and captured Fox Mulder's lips in a sweet kiss. He felt Mulder's smile melt into something far more passionate and then they were locked together, fiercely kissing each other like it was their last time, or their first. Alex slowly licked his way down Mulder's neck, nipping and biting with his teeth after that. His hands pushed their way under the agent's shirt, enjoying the play of firm muscles beneath his caressing hands. He gently unbuttoned Mulder's shirt, and slid his hands down over Mulder's body. The last two years had seen many changes in their bodies, and Alex could feel the firm, lean strength of the hunter under the silken skin of his torso. Mulder's hands were dragging at his pants as they kissed. A single agile movement of effortless grace, and he was astride Mulder, facing him, naked from the waist down, kissing deeper and deeper, those full lips and tasting the warm mouth. He grabbed Mulder's shoulders and pushed him down onto the back seat, and they both had to laugh at the awkwardness of their positions. Mulder's cock was rigid and pointing towards Alex, and the younger man didn't bother with much preparation. He wanted his sex hot and hard this time. He wanted to know that he was alive. With a groan of pleasure, he lowered himself onto his lover, biting his lower lip, as the slight pain came, then he was moving up and down on the stout shaft, his body aching to be filled. As his movements became more vigorous, Mulder heard him give out little sobs, as he completed his downward movements, and he felt himself enclosed by the most incredible closeness. The friction was doing wild things to his hips, he felt them lift, and Alex yelped, as his head clattered against the car roof. They both started laughing, and the vibration of Mulder's body against his made Alex see stars, as he came explosively, gasping. Mulder spilled himself deep into Alex as the contractions of the younger man's body pulsed around him. Alex grinned. "Pretty damn good, Mulder!" "Well, we certainly steamed up the windows!" Mulder grinned back at him. Alex leaned against him lovingly, wrapping his arms around Mulder as he sat up. They leaned towards each other and kissed again. The knock on the window interrupted them. With a glance of surprise at Mulder, the younger man hastily pulled up his pants, and Mulder straightened his clothes. The knock repeated itself. Mulder raised a hand, and wiped the steam away from the glass. He found himself staring at a police uniform, and a service revolver. Cautiously, he opened the door, as indicated by the cop, and exited. He and Alex both cautiously leaned against the hood of the car, as the cop's partner frisked them, and pulled out his handcuffs. "Indecency in a public place. And do you know what a check of your car registration turned up! An F.B.I. agent and his partner, both wanted for questioning by your own bureau, on a murder charge." "Someone's been busy!" Mulder said quietly. The suspicion of all things demon had tainted Mulder, as well as his lover. They could probably escape any time they wanted to, but it would not settle the issue. Then Mulder had a revelation. "Let us go!" he said to the cop. To Alex's astonishment, the cop slowly unlocked the cuffs he had just put on, and stood waiting. A strained look wrinkled his forehead, then when Mulder pointed to his cuffs, he whimpered softly. "Do it! Cuff yourself to your car door!" Sobbing, the man did as he was instructed. The second cop watched in disbelief, then a similar look of despair showed in his eyes, as Mulder repeated his quiet command. Quickly, the agent, took their weapons and pushed them in the back of his car, then he and Alex drove quickly away. "What did you do?" Alex said in bewilderment. " "The virus!" Mulder suddenly shocked his lover by punching his hand violently against the dashboard. "They were exposed to it, like everyone in this city. It lets demons master humans, they're forced to obey, whether they want to or not. Some kind of genetic control chip. And we're far enough away from humanity that we can operate it too. Think of it, Alex. The perfect victims. They can't fight back or run if they're told not to. This city is a giant flesh market." Sean was in shock. As the being called Lane led the little group towards the shining light he called a gate, he had seemed to alter. There was no concealing the almost reptilian green eyes, and the suggestion of scales across his skin, though he still looked relatively human. But his hands, with those wicked claws, would give Sean nightmares for months. And less than half an hour ago, he had lain beneath that powerful body, legs spread, offering the creature whatever he wanted, up to and including sex. Why hadn't he taken advantage of the young man? He had certainly kissed Sean as if he wanted the human. Sean kept as far away from Lane as possible, bringing up the rear of the group so he could watch for stragglers. And perhaps because he was so intent on avoiding the creature, he was careless in negotiating the rubble. As he jumped over one particularly large slab it tilted crazily and came crashing past his legs. Something smashed agonisingly into his knee, and he went down. He knew straight away that it was broken. And worse, something stirred in the darkness behind him, as Kulain and the rest of the party drew further away from him. A low snorting noise and the scrabbling of more than one set of feet on the rubble. More than one predator had made it through the gate, though the threat Kulain posed was more than enough to keep them away. But a lone, injured human..... Sean screamed as something shaggy furred and black launched itself at him from the shadows. He saw hugely curved teeth, and claws, felt the air stir as something swept past him. Then incredibly fast, a second set of talons flashed past him and the thing lay twitching, decapitated and half disembowelled. Immensely strong arms were lifting him, and he felt the extraordinary sensation of scales as he clutched at Lane's arm. "It seems you are destined to end up in my arms, little one!" A half- laughing voice said softly. Then Sean fainted. "Leave him behind, he'll only slow us down. Especially if we need you to fight!" A gravelly voice spoke coldly nearby, as Sean struggled through the mists of pain that seemed to fog his mind. That smoking American, he thought. Sodding bastard! Sean tried to open his mouth to protest, but only a moan came out. His leg hurt so much! Then a stronger voice came, one he recognised as Lane. "I will not leave him. And if the choice came to it, I would certainly save him before you". Score one for our side the young bodyguard thought muzzily, then he was being lifted again, and the pain flared impossibly fierce, like a white hot poker burning into his leg. He screamed and the horrendous pain seemed to black out the light. The Smoker stared dubiously at the gate, as they approached. He didn't particularly like to be adventurous at his age. But he had little choice. Kulain was right in his supposition that the gate was guarded, but he seemed blase about the possibilities of going through it. When the frightened humans had asked how he was going to get them through it, he had just smiled mysteriously, and lifted the unconscious bodyguard over his shoulder, so Sean's limp body dangled over his back. Kulain's behaviour towards the young bodyguard was puzzling the Smoker. For a cold blooded son of a bitch, he was behaving in a remarkably benevolent way. It was almost as though something was rousing his protective instincts. The Cigarette Smoking Man's gaze turned speculative. Perhaps the young bodyguard was worth his interest, after all. Kulain advanced towards the glimmering light of the open gate, and stood before it. Then there was a shimmering disturbance in the light. A red eyed demon stared at them coldly, its horned head and squat body far different from the more human seeming Kulain. His eyes flared green, and the demon stepped aside, with a mocking little bow, and it gestured towards the gate. "Follow. Do not speak, or you will lose my protection!" His order was firm. The terrified humans trailed after their strange protector, and stepped through the gate. There was a moment of dizzying transition for the Smoker, then he screamed as he saw what hell was really like. Thousands of the squat demons waited on the other side, in a landscape that seemed to be the fever dream of a twisted imagination. Strangely coloured rocks and a "sky" of shimmering, nauseating blue, that bore no resemblance to their own. And above it all, a huge spinning black diamond, miles high. All of the men instinctively fell to their knees, knowing humans had no place here. The Smoker cringed, he felt like gibbering in fear. This was the place Mulder and Krycek had visited, and spoken about with such bland disregard. Then a huge demon stepped forward. "The Mistress will see you now, Lord Kulain!" A shimmering light appeared, and out of it stepped a tall, powerful woman, thin and sinuous, with a cascade of red hair. "Do you like my human form, Kulain?" She purred, and pirouetted before him. He grinned at her. "Get rid of the tail and spines, Fiamma. They're a little out of place. Humans certainly don't have spines running down their backs and arms!" She hissed in disappointment, and displayed a forked tongue, and longer than human canines. "A pity. They are my best feature. I had hoped to look good when I take my ruling place on the human world!" Kulain shook his head. "Hardly a subtle way to conquer a people!" She smiled maliciously. "You seem to have made little progress in two years! My armies are ready. They will soon take over this place. And all you have are two feeble drones, half human, I am told!" "I have more than that," Kulain said. He indicated the Smoker, the British Ambassador and the Russian diplomats. "Representatives of three of the most powerful human governments!" The Smoker realised immediately, how well he had been manipulated. Kulain could indeed turn any situation to his advantage. "I can arrange for the humans to give us territory without great loss to either of our species." "You want peace!" Fiamma was outraged. "We wish for conquest, and the taste of blood, we are hunters, not cowards who surrender themselves to humans!" Many of her demons hissed in agreement. Kulain laughed. "Then you'll destroy the only thing that can give us hope!" He lowered Sean's body to the ground in front of him. The human moaned feverishly. "Take a look at him! One human in a thousand carries the genetic sequence we need We have a chance to rebuild our race, and you want to hunt them down and kill them." Fiamma gave a reluctant nod. "I will listen." "The humans will give us land where we wish to build our citadels. But hunting must be limited only within a five mile radius of them. A pact, before any other demon lords come here!" He stared at his little collection of humans. "Tell your governments they must agree, or there will be war! You can see how ready we are for it." His sweeping gesture took in the thousands of soldier demons. This is only one army, and your weapons are feeble. And there are many more of us coming to your world. If you refuse to negotiate, it will mean countless deaths" He gestured again, and the gate shimmered. "Washington!" he said. "Take this one too." He indicated Sean. One of the Russians shouldered the limp body, and the horrified humans disappeared through the gate. Kulain smiled. He studied Fiamma for a moment "And I claim Washington as my own!" "There are thousands who are in opinion, opposed to slavery and to the war, who yet in effect do nothing to put an end to them; who esteeming themselves children of Washington and Franklin, sit down with their hands in their pockets and do nothing...." Henry Thoreau—Civil Disobedience. Rachel Nichols had the best contacts in Washington, or so her producer kept telling her. As a news reporter, she had to keep her finger on the pulse and seek out all of those juicy political scandals. On rare occasions, she even enjoyed a stint at crime reporting, when some politician went bad, or got caught with his hand in the till, or his dick somewhere it shouldn't be. So she wasn't that surprised when the rats, as she liked to call the lobbyists and congressmen of her acquaintance, began to scurry for cover. Something big was in the wind. She hadn't seen so many scared looking bureaucrats since the time when three big arms manufacturers had been caught selling nuclear weapon schematics to Iraq, and the previous administration had fallen. One of her insiders, a secretary for a Senior White house aide, had rung her last night with the news that the president had called a top secret meeting with all of the top defence staff, and the ambassadors of several NATO countries. And who should be among them, but a certain darkly handsome man, who the secretary had referred to as Lane! Now how many people did she know, who fitted that description. Well, just one, but he was enough on his own to scare most small countries. Perhaps it was a bad idea, she viewed Lane with more than a little unease, but she decided to try and talk to him that morning. Problem one—he wasn't in his office at the F.B.I. when she called in person. The little secretary she had met before indicated that Lane might be talking to some of the directors, so she stationed herself in a suitable spot, hoped security would not catch up with her too soon, and waited in the corridor outside the relevant office suite. Half an hour later, she was ready to give up hope, when a sound of voices came through an open door, and Lane himself emerged, as handsome and disturbing as ever. His eyes flickered round, surveying his territory, she thought, and he saw her. He smiled, and to her surprise, approached her. "Ms. Nichols, this is a surprise! Did you want to see the Director?" "No!" She faltered for a moment, uncertain, under the gaze of those piercing green eyes. "Look, can I buy you lunch?" He seemed surprised, then a warmer smile replaced the polite expression he wore. "An expensive steak would be suitable, if you have no objection." Walking through the corridors of the F.B.I. building next to this man was one of the more surreal experiences of her life. He was tall and graceful, and deadly. Men and women seemed to move aside for them without conscious thought, and she caught more than one apprehensive glance directed towards him. And surprise or perplexity at her. As if no-one had ever socialised with him. Well, after all, he wasn't human, so maybe he wasn't invited to parties! Dinner, too, was strange. He delicately picked at his extremely rare steak, and she got the impression that it was only for politeness sake that he was making the effort to eat it. He spoke easily on the subject of crime and his F.B.I. employers. Then she finally worked the conversation round to politics. Kulain's eyes sharpened, and a wolfish grin was his response. "So you've heard something that interests you, Ms. Nichols. Why doesn't that surprise me? Do you really want to know how much influence I have in government circles at the moment? I don't think you'd like the answer." "Are you trying to threaten me, Agent Lane?" He laughed. "If I wanted you dead Rachel, I could have left you to die in a certain hospital basement. You owe me a life. Perhaps the time has come for you to pay for it!" He deliberately reached out, and caught her hand, drawing her closer. Green eyes seemed to flare and Rachel felt herself falling into their immeasurable depths. Scully's report had been devastating, and the members of the President's staff were still reeling with shock. Her hasty call, to a friend of hers who worked for the world health organisation, had got the wheels moving on Capitol Hill. Now she had taken up the unpleasant task of reporting on the mystery virus she had discovered. The news was bad. "You're sure of your facts, Agent Scully?" One of the Presidential advisors was blunt in his questioning. "I'm afraid so. The virus is highly infectious, and adds a piece of genetic code to human DNA. We don't know exactly what it does, but that particular area of a human's gene code has been shown, in recent studies, to be responsible for the development of the brain. Specifically, the areas controlling aggression and behaviour. We also calculate that within a month, most of the population of the Northern Hemisphere will be infected. Less, if any more bombings occur." "Have you told anyone outside this room about your findings? Even Agent Mulder?" "I have no desire to start a panic sir. When I realised the implications, I told no-one. There's something else though. When Mulder came back from Delaware, I took a sample of his blood to cross check for infection. Mulder shows no sign of the new DNA. I tried to research why he was immune, and I found..... Mulder has been exposed to something else. His genetic code is now less than 30 percent human! I'd guess that it's impossible for him to catch human diseases any more." She seemed slightly distressed by her ex-partner's problems, but struggled to regain her composure. "Thank you Agent Scully. We'll consider your report carefully." When Scully had left, the door to the Oval Office opened, and the President emerged, flanked by the Cigarette Smoking Man. The two of them joined the group at the table. "You realise the implications sir! Our demon friends have caught us off guard again. They have inserted their control genes into the general population before we were ready for them. Kulain warned us it would be soon. We should have trusted him more!" The Smoker realised with irony that his worst enemy would probably turn out to be the only thing between humanity and extinction. All of the advisors turned to the President as he spoke. "We face a grim choice gentlemen. To allow ourselves to be enslaved by the Demons, and take their protection, when we are threatened with Alien invasion. Or to fight, kill most of our population, and be weakened and ready for the Aliens to reap their deadly harvest in only a few years. Always presuming our soldiers aren't infected, and liable to the demons' mind control!" He rested his head tiredly in his hands. "Kulain's proposition. Do you think it's viable?" The Smoker reluctantly nodded. "It gives us the only option we have for survival. Negotiate with the Demons, and cede some of our territory, population included. Circular, five-mile-radius zones in which Demon law rules. Hunting grounds! At least our people will have areas of safety. Kulain guarantees Washington as a protectorate within his administration. The Reds, led by Fiamma, have demanded Delaware and New York as their price for peace. And a couple of zones in Russia, England and China." The President nodded. "So be it, and may god forgive me. The needs of the many have to come first! Tell them we agree to their terms. One week from today, they can take control of their zones. But I want all Area 51 personnel to be checked for viral contamination, and we continue our weapons research there. Our other priority is a vaccine for the damned virus. We need a little time to prepare our population for this! Have my media consultants briefed." The Consortium watchers who had been assigned to spy on Kulain, since electronic surveillance was so problematic, had an interesting snippet to report to their boss that evening. While Mulder and Krycek continued to evade F.B.I. scrutiny in Delaware, Kulain had taken the extraordinary step of taking a woman home with him. The Cigarette Smoking Man was more than a little surprised, especially when the woman did not re-emerge from the house in the following days. Why would the demon risk everything now? It didn't make sense. But so many of Kulain's actions could be re-interpreted later as moves in a great game of diplomacy. Seeking advantages and power in the conquest of humanity. He would await developments. Amara smiled in satisfaction. It felt good to be able to move her body without being weighted down in the middle by the child. Her body was almost back to normal now, the invader was reposing in the body of the female Kulain had procured. She had come dangerously close to the limits of her strength this time, and another pregnancy would be impossible. Using the gates so much had so altered her body chemistry and genetic structure that it would certainly kill her, a terrifying prospect for a species with their longevity. The female, Rachel, was oblivious to the procedures that made use of her womb. The stress of having a conscious and agitated host would threaten all Amara had achieved. But the ability to hold a mind under her control was a familiar one to the Destroyer. So Rachel would passively fulfil their needs, and would remember nothing afterwards. Convenient for Kulain to find a suitable host with the genetic tolerances for demon DNA, and reserve it for her. Fox Mulder and Alex Krycek were sitting in a small cafe, overlooking the main street of the small city, when the latest trouble began. They had spent most of their time evading the patrols of increasingly beleaguered law enforcement officers, not wanting to spend hours explaining their innocence on a murder charge. But as repeated rioting broke out among the good citizens of the state of Delaware, caution became less necessary. Somewhere along the line, rumours had begun that the city was subject to a plague, and terror made even the most law abiding citizen into a self seeking renegade. Mulder thought that it wouldn't be long before the national guard was called out. Alex watched the running figures pass by outside and shook his head. "Crazy, just crazy! And we'll never find the demons among all the confusion this causes!" Mulder looked thoughtful. "Don't you feel this has a little too much convenience to be spontaneous. I think whoever set the bomb is organising this too. If we can find out who it is, we can stop this cold!" "Even if it is a demon, Fox? Why don't you try Kulain's number again, we need his expertise!" Sighing, Mulder picked up his phone, and made the call. A familiar beloved voice answered. "Fox! Are you and Alex safe? I had to deal with something in New York, so I had to leave you alone. Come back to Washington straight away. There's something I need to discuss with you.....!" Mulder put his cell-phone away, and frowned. "He wants us to come home, Alex! Just drop everything in Delaware, and run back to the fold, as if nothing was wrong here." The younger man shrugged, not as bothered by the violence on the streets as Mulder. "He'll explain his reasons, no doubt. One night at the house won't kill us, Fox. It's not as if we can stop the riots all by ourselves. And if demons are inciting the people round here to kill each other, we need Kulain to crack the case." Mulder shivered. "It's more than that Alex. He sounded almost.... guilty!" The Cigarette Smoking Man stared thoughtfully at his English colleague on the Consortium. They were, of course, great rivals, even as the Smoker had been with his predecessor. But some things were worth the annoyance of co-operation, and this was one of them. "If I had known how important Kulain was going to turn out, I would never have let Mulder get close to him." The Cigarette Smoking Man said with some regret. "That young man's social conscience may result in disaster for us all!" "You were directly responsible for adding Krycek to the equation! His unpredictability is an equal threat!" one of his colleagues said bitterly. "Krycek will always back Mulder!" the Smoker said. "But on his own, he has the moral sense of an alley cat. We can live with that. And Kulain takes direction from them both on how to behave towards humans." He sighed. "Having Mulder and Krycek at the right hand of one of the leading powers in this country today has given me more than one headache in the past. But I think I have a way to break up that little partnership." He had his colleagues attention now. He indicated the Englishman again. My plan depends on gaining the assistance of one of your Washington embassy employees. Sean Worrell, a member of your diplomatic protection squad. Kulain's reaction to him was most intriguing. Find out whether the bodyguard is the type who'll spread his legs and think of England!" He smiled at his own little witticism. "I think a spot of jealousy will do wonders for Mulder's principles." Mulder had spent half the night driving through endless road blocks and traffic jams, getting back to Washington, and was more than a little irritable, as a consequence. It seemed like not just Delaware was going to hell, there was a stream of cars heading out of the city, to such an extent that all but one of the lanes on the road were being used by traffic out of the Capital. "Rats leaving the sinking ship?" Alex mused thoughtfully. "What do you think they've heard, that we haven't?" The English member of the Consortium shook his head at his despised smoking colleague. Worrell is a loyal employee of Her Majesty's Government. But he's as straight as they come. Divorced, and never even a hint of homosexuality. He's also a decent and ethical man, according to his co-workers, who wouldn't get involved in the sort of covert operation you propose, though he's been known to disobey orders on a few occasions, when he disagrees with them. Fortunately for him, he was proved to be right about those decisions. Some mental stress reported, when he divorced his wife and had to stop seeing his daughter regularly. The Cigarette Smoking Man was satisfied. Kulain wouldn't be such a fool as to fall for an obvious set-up. The bodyguard's innocence was part of his appeal. A delectable morsel for Kulain to pluck. But Worrell would be easy to manipulate. The man's ethics, and of course his child, would prove to be his own weakness. Skinner's office was the first port of call for the two agents when they got back to Washington. They had to face the humiliation of being escorted by a security detail, since both men were technically fugitives. But the sudden kid-glove treatment which they were receiving surprised Mulder and his partner. No handcuffs, no interrogations, not even a search for weapons! Though the security detail knew they were armed, since the guns set off the metal detectors at the entrance. Skinner rose to his feet when the two men entered his office. "Sit!" he said coldly. "I suppose you think everything's forgiven now. Well it's not! You screw up again, and you're both out! Permanently!" Alex exchanged glances with Mulder, bewildered. "What the hell? We expected to face a murder charge! How can everything be forgiven!" Skinner's face softened slightly. "You mean, your green eyed friend didn't tell you!" Seeing their obvious puzzlement, he continued. "We know all about the control virus in Delaware. What it can do! And we also know who's responsible for it. High level negotiations are going on at the moment for a settlement between the Red Demons and the United States Government." "That's outrageous!" Mulder exclaimed. "You have to know that we would never side with terrorists of any kind. And neither would Kulain!" Skinner showed amusement mixed with contempt. "Your friend is the one who opened the negotiations. And persuaded the President to give in to their demands! And he probably saved tens of thousands of American lives because of it. Don't you understand? We've lost, and the demons have won!" He bowed his head for a moment. "And we'll pay the price for our carelessness." Skinner saw the shock and disbelief the two men showed. He laughed harshly. "And all your demon friend wanted in payment was a little city called Washington! He's now the most powerful man on Capitol Hill, which probably means you're the second and third. Enjoy it while you can!" Kulain looked tired, when the two humans finally tracked him down, in his peaceful basement office. He smiled in welcome, then frowned when his greeting wasn't returned. "I take it you've been informed then!" Mulder glared at him. "I knew you were ambitious, but this......! How could you do that to us, to humanity?" "To save you! Without my intervention, there would be a bloodbath, and humanity would eventually die..... It's happened before on worlds we took. This way you have a chance to survive, you have so much potential, it would be wrong to waste it! Hard choices, but in the end, the President agreed with me." He sighed wearily. "I could use a little help here. You ought to know by now, that I favour humans more than my own kind. They hate me for it. So I'll have to rely on you two to help me keep this city safe!" Mulder glanced at Alex. His lover shrugged. They had little choice, and Kulain did generally follow their suggestions, where humans were concerned. Mulder made his decision. "Alright, we'll help you. But if I think you're wrong about something, I'll make sure you know about it! Big time!" "Good. I never doubted you'd do that. Now maybe you can go get me the files that the White house has sent over, they should be delivered in the next half hour." The two men exchanged exasperated looks and went to the delivery area. Some instinct told them that the paperwork was going to be a bitch! Sean limped slowly in the direction of the Spook Squad's group of offices, in the basement of the F.B.I.'s giant Washington building. Three operations had been performed on his damaged knee, and walking was still painful, although the therapist had ordered him to exercise it frequently. One thing about the medical service provided for him by his employers, it had been superb. As if they couldn't do enough to see to his every need. It would still be at least a month, though, before he would be fit for active service again. When he had made his request for an interview with Lane, he had wanted more than anything else in the world, to thank the man who had saved his life. He was more than a little surprised at how easily the permission had been granted, which was why he was slowly dragging his heavily bandaged knee as he walked along the gloomy corridor. He noted the numbers on the doors, until finally, he came to door 19, Lane's office. He paused, uncertainly. He wanted to do this, but an unwelcome memory of another time in New York kept intruding. The way Kulain had kissed him. He forced the unwanted thought away, and raised his hand to knock. The door opened, even as he reached out, and his hand collided with a hard muscled chest. He found himself staring into the greenest eyes imaginable, and felt the betraying blush flood his face. And his hand against the powerful chest didn't want to move, but stayed locked in place, as the light warmth of Lane's body seeped into it. Kulain looked with amusement, at the young human bodyguard who had chosen this moment to visit him. He was as attractive and had as much potential as ever. If he hadn't already had two beautiful humans to satisfy him...... This one wanted him so much, it was an aphrodisiac in itself, even though the human did his best to deny his body's desires. "I.... er... I came to thank you...." Kulain drew away from the human, and gestured for the bodyguard to enter his office. It was easier to ignore the mixed signals of arousal and fear, both so erotic to his species, when he was further away from the human, with the desk in between them. A look of relief showed on the human's face. "I wanted to say thanks, for saving my life! You chased away that thing, then you refused to leave me!" Sean paused awkwardly. "I owe you, big time!" Kulain watched his visitor. Sean shivered slightly, then the question came out of his mouth, before he could stop it. "What are you?" Green eyes seemed to glow. "Don't you know, Sean?" Lane's tone sent a thrill of desire along Sean's spine. "I'm the U.S. Governments top secret. In terms that you can understand, I'm a demon." Kulain felt the human's dread increase enormously, and the delicious scent of his fear sent a wave of arousal through the demon's body. It had been such a long time since he had indulged himself in that particular pleasure, to force a human to do his will. Power was such an aphrodisiac. And Sean would even cooperate in his own ravishment. He rose silently from behind the desk, and moved towards the man. Sean's eyes went very wide, and a moan half of desire, half of dread went through him. Lane advanced and placed his hands on Sean's shoulders. Then his mouth covered the young man's and he began to plunder it. Sean tried to push him away, and he caught the human's hands with effortless strength, pinning them behind Sean's back, as he kissed the human a second time. Sean could only cling to him weakly, as he was pushed up against the wall, hard, and Kulain ripped his shirt open, his hands digging into the younger man's waistband, as he began to loosen Sean's pants. Kulain stroked the velvety skin across the smooth belly and chest. The human tried to shake his head, tried to fight the waves of unwilling arousal that assaulted him. "Please.... don't do this!" he begged desperately, even as he felt himself spreading his legs wider, in response to the rubbing hand that slipped between his thighs. Sean distantly heard the office door open, and there was a strangled sort of gasp from the doorway. Feebly, with the last of his free will, he tried to push Kulain away. And the demon moved this time, his attention suddenly elsewhere. Mulder had opened the office door, carrying the dispatches, unthinking. He had never needed to knock before, his lover was usually alone. Alex followed behind him, carrying a stack of paperwork. And bumped into Mulder, as his partner stopped dead still, staring in disbelief at the sight of Kulain passionately kissing another man. A very handsome man, about Alex's age, who had a luscious mouth and a dazed expression on his face. Kulain turned, obviously startled, as if he had been too deeply involved in what he had been doing to notice his latest visitors. Green eyes glowed with something dark, that Mulder had never seen before in his lover's eyes. Mulder felt his world crumble. Later, he would cry about it, but he could only stand in stunned silence, staring at his betraying lover. "What's the hold up?" Alex said, struggling behind the pile of papers he was carrying. He awkwardly balanced them on his arm, and moved closer to Mulder so he could see what had so dismayed his partner. A half-naked delectably attractive man in Kulain's embrace. The papers fell, with a crash, onto the floor, scattering in all directions. "You bastard! You double crossing son of a bitch!" Alex lunged past Mulder, launching himself at Kulain, claws fully extended. Despite his shock, Mulder still retained enough presence of mind to grab the younger man as he flew past, and held a struggling Alex round the waist as he tried to storm towards Kulain. Alex gradually ceased his efforts, as he realised that he wasn't succeeding, and suddenly sagged back into Mulder's arms, sobbing desperately. Kulain's new found power in Washington could be accepted, they could live with it. But this! Sean barely saw the two men in the doorway. He felt so dizzy, his thoughts so confused. Despite all of his best efforts, he had again been on the point of surrender to Lane. It had only taken minutes in the ....oh god.., the demon's presence, to make him a willing slave. He fled, pushing past the two men in the doorway, unaware that he was crying too, tears streaming down his face. Or that Mulder let him go, because he felt a strange pity for the man Kulain had been using so roughly. It was obvious that Kulain hadn't been gentle with him, his mouth looked bruised and his clothes were torn. "Why?" Mulder said with deceptive calm. "We would have done anything you wanted, if you needed sex..." He had faced too many shocks today, he felt like he was walking on quicksand. Demon eyes gleamed. Kulain watched him for a moment. "Because he was there, and I wanted him!" Mulder glared at his partner. "He didn't look exactly willing....! You, of all people, should know what I think of that! I hate you for it!" Kulain fastened his disarrayed clothing. "Stay in the house, it's yours now. I can move out tomorrow. I've been developing the property next door anyway!" He paused, "You can't always deny a biological need, Fox. Remember that, if you forget everything else I've taught you." Sean fled. He had to get away from Lane. Away from the insistent demands, that even now, made him burn with longings he didn't understand, couldn't cope with. He ended up in his quarters in the embassy residence, locking the door, then leaning against the wall, panting, not sure how he had even got there. His colleagues must have thought he had gone mad. He looked as if he had been in a fight or something. He vaguely remembered mumbling something to them as he passed, about being mugged.... Perhaps it wasn't so far from the truth. He slid down the wall, and ended up on his knees, shivering with reaction. That kiss, that touch! He realised that his hand had once again found his bulging cock, and he had started to jerk himself off. With an inarticulate moan, he flung himself into the shower, and cried out in pain, as the jet of icy water shrivelled his erection to nothing. He stayed there long past the time when his skin was numb with the chill, until the heat had receded to a distant memory. Then he swallowed a couple of sleeping pills he had been given by the doctor, for when his knee was painful. He didn't want to dream that night! Sleep was still a long time in coming. Sean found himself tossing and turning, as the events of the day replayed in his mind. Gradually though, exhaustion, and the drugs drew him down into an uneasy slumber. He was being stroked by familiar, sensuous hands. It was too hard to fight this time, so he let the hands do what they wanted. He was being lifted, drawn away. Distantly, he felt strange sensations of heat and cold, and then the hands were removing his boxer shorts. Then he was kissed with a dreamy intensity that made him arch into the touch in longing. "No, little one. I'm sorry. Not this time. Not yet!" Cool fingers stroking his forehead, then he was sinking deeper into a restful sleep. Kulain laid the deliciously tempting naked body down on his bed and sighed. The kidnapping had been easier than he had anticipated, but it was taking all of his resolve not to indulge his desires. That would spoil everything. Manipulative though he was, this plan would take all of his cunning, and required a delicate though ruthless touch. And if it succeeded, he would have all three of them! Conquering the world was easy, compared to taming humans! Megaera@Megaera.demon.co.uk Part VIII—Dominion

DATE January 1999 E-MAIL Megaera@Megaera.demon.co.uk FEEDBACK is life RATING NC-17 SLASH SPOILERS None, but I'm sure demon babies will come into it somewhere. SUMMARY Mulder and Krycek encounter some unusual terrorists. Kulain gets ambitious. DISCLAIMER All X Files Characters belong to Chris Carter and Fox, I've just borrowed them for a while. I am not making any profit out of this, it's just for entertainment. The character of Kulain is mine but you can use him if you like, Mr. Carter COMMENTS This story is set in an Alternate Universe where demons can interact more freely with humans and can shapeshift. If you don't like my laws of physics, go find your own. THANKS to Orithain, Nonie and everyone who sent feedback. Also thank you to the guys at university, who inspire me when I think of vicious predators with big teeth, not to mention backstripping and fish net stockings (the Eighties were SUCH an interesting time for men's fashion). Yes you, Dave Latin! back to top

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