As the car drew to a halt, Krycek sprang out, slamming the door behind
him.
Mulder sighed heavily as the afternoon sun beat down upon them. He had
spent the last 30 minutes feeling Krycek's eyes burning into the back of
his head, desperately wanting to turn around and capture them with his
own.
"Should have rented one of those Fan boats. We'd have been here in 10
minutes."
The Institute was situated on a band of solid ground only a few miles
beyond the border of the town of Christchurch but the area in between was
swamp, filled with alligators. They had to travel a fair distance to reach
the small bridge which traversed a narrow stretch of the swampland.
The temperature was already beginning to rise above what he would consider
comfortable so Krycek stripped off his light denim jacket, holding it over
his shoulder like a model in a fashion magazine while he waited for the
others before deciding it would be better to dump the jacket on the back
seat of the rental.
Mulder stared as Krycek walked ahead of them into the building, marvelling
at the way the tight black denim jeans contoured against the man's rear
and legs but could not help noticing the missing arm. Krycek was not wearing
a prosthetic. He wanted to ask why but shied away from initialising a conversation
on such a personal level. He didn't want to get personal with Krycek—or did he?
The interior was several degrees lower and seemed too cold compared
with the outside temperature. Mulder marched passed the reception desk,
noticing that it was still the same person on duty.
"Don't bother to get up, we know the way."
Krycek threw a sweet yet menacing smile over his shoulder as he followed
the two FBI agents along the corridor and up the stairs to the Doctor's
office, ignoring the outburst from the receptionist. She caught up with
them just as they reached the office, her cheeks bright red from the exertion,
her breath coming in short gasps.
"Dr Hudson... is at lunch. You'll have..."
"That's OK, we'll wait in here."
"I'm sorry...you can't go in..."
With a malicious grin of deep satisfaction, Mulder waved the search
warrant in front of the woman's nose and then tried the door handle.
"Key?"
When there was no reply he glanced at the stubborn set of the woman's
jaw and decided to take matters into his own hands. With one swift kick
the door opened and they marched inside. The receptionist turned on her
heel but Krycek grabbed her arm.
"I think you'd better stay with us."
He pointed to the comfy chair in the corner by the window and watched
as the woman hesitated before moving over as ordered. Scully frowned but
then realised it was better to keep the woman away from the telephone so
she could not warn the Doctor should she know of her whereabouts.
Mulder reached forward to flick the switch that brought the desktop
computer to life. He relinquished the seat to Alex Krycek with a wave,
knowing the man had greater ability with computers than himself but decided
to watch over his shoulder just in case Krycek was working to a different
agenda. Armed with a list of names taken from the Coroner's office, they
began to search through the directories for any relevant files while Scully
started a manual search of the desk and cabinets but there was nothing
to be found, not even a file on Jennifer Lewis. The computer had been purged,
the cabinets emptied.
"Very clever. She's run a program to write to every byte of the hard
drive. Most people format the drive not realising that the data is still
there and can be rebuilt if you have the know- how. Her program has effectively
destroyed everything."
Mulder slammed his hand down on the desk in frustration before turning
to the Receptionist.
"Where's Dr Hudson?"
"I don't know. She left this morning, just after your meeting."
"Mulder!" Scully showed her partner the document she had found between
the cabinets. "This must have slipped down here when she was clearing out.
It looks like a biopsy report."
"Can you make sense of it?"
"No, not without knowing what they were testing for although..... Mulder,
there's something wrong with the tissue sample, its...."
"Scully?"
"I... don't know. It's wrong but I'm not sure...why." Scully looked
up from the report, her eyes narrowed in puzzlement. "The tissue sample
may be down in the laboratory—that's where we should head next."
Mulder took a step back as if he had been struck across the face. Of
course the Doctor was hardly likely to practice complicated medical procedures
in her office. Why had he not thought of this himself. The reason presented
itself almost immediately as Alex Krycek swept one hand through short brown
hair and brought those beautiful green eyes up to capture his own. Mulder
felt his mouth go dry and turned away, forcing his thoughts back to the
job in hand. He turned to the Receptionist with a questioning expression.
She grimaced before giving them directions.
"Scully, you wait here while I check out the lab. See if Dr Hudson left
anything else by mistake. Krycek, you're with me."
Alex Krycek smiled. Obviously, Mulder did not want to leave him with
Scully and judging by her reaction in the car earlier, it was a wise decision.
He followed the lanky frame out of the office and down the staircase.
"Just like old times..."
"Don't think for one moment I've forgotten who and what you are, Krycek.
Your 'friends' may have managed to pull some strings to get you on this
case but you're not my friend."
Mulder swung open the door to the laboratory, his attention still on
his ex-partner and frowned as Krycek's eyes widened. Moments later he heard
the report of a gun and saw splinters fly out from the woodwork close to
where his head had been. He landed with a crash, the weight of Krycek's
body driving all the air out of his own. Krycek rolled off and was up in
one smooth movement. By the time he reached his feet he had a Glock 9mm
targeting their assailant. He let off two rounds and then checked back
on Mulder. The FBI agent was still lying on the floor, winded by the fall,
so Krycek counted him out of the action. He broke cover and leapt for a
safer position behind a long bench by the wall, bullets ricocheting off
the floor marking his path. With his back to the wall, Krycek paused to
bring his breathing back under control, the Glock held barrel up before
him. He stared down at the debris on the floor behind him. Broken glass
lay scattered amongst numerous paper reports—probably those missing from
upstairs. A colourless, odourless liquid saturated the mess and he realised
Hudson was preparing to destroy all the paperwork from both her office
and the laboratory. He had to prevent her from completing this task if
he was to complete this assignment successfully. According to her military
records she had never received formal weapons and combat training so she
was likely to consider surrender as a viable option.
"There's no way out," he yelled. "You may as well put down the gun and
come out."
A moment passed where he thought he may have misjudged her determination
but then a gun clattered along the floor stopping only a few feet from
his position. Cautiously, Krycek came out from behind the bench. He recognised
Doctor Hudson from his files and, using the gun, he motioned the woman
to raise her hands where he could see them and move to one side. As he
went to kick her gun further out of reach her features dissolved, reforming
into someone else.
The moments hesitation was enough for 'her' to grab a set of test tubes
from the bench and hurl them at him. As he ducked, bringing the gun up
to shield his face, the shape-shifter struck a match and threw it beyond
Krycek. Behind him, Mulder, who had only just managed to regain his feet,
yelled out a warning as a wall of flames burst into life between them,
cutting him off from Krycek.
The FBI Agent could only watch in frustration through thickening smoke
as the indistinct shape of the attacker grabbed Krycek, hurling him through
the glass panel that separated the laboratory from an operating theatre
and then escaped by smashing and climbing out of the ground floor window.
Scully arrived having heard shots being fired and quickly grabbed an
extinguisher but could not get the fire under control. There were too many
highly combustible materials in the laboratory.
"Alex!"
The billow of air through the window rewarded Mulder with the sight
of a bloodied but mobile body climbing back into the room through the panel
but, try as he might, Mulder could see no way through the curtain of flames.
His own fear of fire, although largely dissipated following the case with
Cecil L'ively, came back full force as he watched Krycek throw himself
to the floor as the flames became too fierce.
"The window."
Krycek held his chest with his one good arm as acrid fumes filled his
lungs, coughing hard as Scully's higher voice penetrated air thick with
smoke and he realised the window was his only escape route. He dragged
himself along the floor using the bench to lead him to the window and calling
on the last of his strength he hauled himself up and through it, barely
managing to put out his good arm to break his fall.
By the time he pulled himself to his knees on the ground outside there
was no sign of 'Doctor Hudson' but Krycek could see Fox Mulder racing towards
him.
Mulder dropped to his knees beside Krycek, his arms grabbing the younger
man around the shoulders as Krycek coughed and wheezed, trying to clear
his lungs of the acrid smoke.
Alarm bells ringing and the distant sound of sirens approaching mingled
with the raised voices of men, women and children as they followed Fire
drill instructions and evacuated the burning building.
"You OK?"
Krycek nodded but did not resist when Mulder hauled him to his feet.
Looping Krycek's arm over his shoulder he half carried, half dragged him
away from the burning building, settling him back down on the verdant grass
several metres distant. Mulder dropped to the ground beside his one-time
partner and handed the man a handkerchief to stem the blood flowing from
a gash in his forehead.
"Did you get a good look at who it was."
Krycek coughed, trying to take deep breaths in between to drag clean
air into his abused lungs. The question gradually sunk in and with it the
realisation that Mulder had been in no position to see their assailant,
first because he had been badly winded and then because the smoke had quickly
become too thick. Despite all this, he didn't want to lie to this man so
he told a half-truth by conveniently leaving out the shape-changing.
"Doctor Hudson."
Scully came over, her face, hands and clothes smudged by soot. She was
accompanied by a Fireman carrying oxygen equipment. The Fireman knelt down
beside Alex Krycek and strapped a mask across his face while Mulder and
Scully looked on. Krycek found his breathing ease and the desire to cough
lessen as pure oxygen filtered through.
"The lab's gone, Mulder. We can bring in a field team but..."
"Damn it!"
"There's worse. The fire crew have just intercepted another call. Doctor
Hudson's home has been raised to the ground."
"This man should go to a hospital for a check-up."
Mulder flopped back onto the grass, his eyes closed tightly. He brought
his hands up to his face, pushing the palms against his forehead before
dragging them down across his face. After a few moments of staring up into
the bright blue, cloudless sky, Mulder pushed himself back up onto his
feet.
"I ought to go to Hudson's home. See if there's anything salvageable."
"Take the car. I'll stay here and hitch a lift back with the Deputy."
Scully glanced down at Krycek who had made no attempt to move. "What about
him?"
Krycek dragged off the mask, thrusting it back at the Fireman as he
turned to Fox Mulder.
"I'm going with you."
15:00
Mulder picked his way through the rubble but it was obvious there was
nothing left. The two storey building had been reduced to a pile of blackened
bricks although parts of the wooden structure were still visible. These
were smouldering but were quickly dampened down by the Firemen on the scene.
He made his way back to the rental where Krycek waited in the passenger
seat with the air conditioning full on. Krycek coughed and swallowed painfully
as Mulder opened the driver's door and climbed in.
"There's nothing worth waiting here for. I'll drop you back at your
motel."
"I'll make my own way."
Mulder stared at the other man in disbelief. In truth he had no idea
where Krycek was staying and had hoped to lull him into revealing his bolt-hole
but Krycek had not fallen into the trap. Despite the obvious discomfort,
Mulder realised Krycek was fit enough to find his own way and decided not
to push the issue.
"Fine." He watched as Alex Krycek climbed out of the car and pulled
on his jacket.
"Krycek!" The younger man glanced back over his shoulder. "Thanks."
Krycek stared for a moment into the sincere hazel eyes and nodded, a
slight blush creeping across his face at the unexpected show of gratitude
for saving Mulder's life in the laboratory. As he walked away, his voice
was even more husky than usual.
"I'll catch you later."
Mulder watched until Krycek had disappeared round the corner before
pulling out his cellphone.
"Scully, anything?"
There's very little left except some scorched labels on a couple of
vials: BioTechnics Ltd. I've run a background check but there's nothing
unusual. A moments pause. How's our 'partner'?
"He's gone but I get the impression he'll be back. I expect he's gonna
contact the Group for more instructions."
Krycek called a cab as soon as he reached a phone booth, standing out
of view as he waited for the cab to turn up just in case Mulder should
happen to pass this way but nothing happened. He chose a circuitous route
back to his motel, stopping off at a diner on the way.
The phone booth at the back of the Diner was surprisingly private. He
pushed in the code and waited speaking only when he recognised the voice
on the other end of the line as that of his Employer.
"The Doctor has gone over to the others. How do you want me to proceed."
You must delay Agent Mulder in his quest. Keep him away from BioTechnics
until we have the chance to deal with the Colonists. By tomorrow the subsidiary
will have been stripped clean. Take him there.
Krycek hung up the phone, replacing it in its cradle and returned to
the booth he had selected earlier. He called the waitress over and nursed
another mug of coffee as he considered his options.
17:25
The Well-Manicured Man checked himself in the mirror, hands moving to
correct the angle of his tie. He was as impeccably dressed as ever and
knew that he could allow no sense of elation to become apparent to any
around him. Bonita would be avenged. He turned back as the First Elder
spoke.
"How could this happen?"
"Someone has betrayed us. "
"Who?"
The Well-Manicured Man barely stopped the astonishment from reaching
his face. It was obvious who had betrayed them. It had their Cigarette-Smoking
associate's fingerprints all over it. Of all those present, this man had
the most to gain by allowing the Colonists to continue with their plans
unabated. He craved power—and that was what he had been offered. However,
there was no proof as yet so he remained silent.
The First Elder understood the silence and, with a certain amount of
regret that his own man had failed in the attempt to assassinate the Cigarette-Smoking
Man, he continued.
"And Mulder?"
"It is too late to prevent his intervention. Agent Mulder is already
in Florida." The others muttered in concern. "However, I may be able to
delay him while we clean-up this mess. It appears the good doctor may have
to suffer an accident after all."
21:50
Krycek eventually reached his motel without incident late in the evening.
He gave up trying to control the urge to cough as he wandered into the
bathroom for a glass of water. A soft click warned him that someone had
entered his room and he pulled out his gun, holding it before him as he
edged back towards the bedroom. He sucked in a deep breath and then swung
himself into the room just as the smell of a cigarette reached his olfactory
senses.
"What are you doing here?"
"Is that any way to treat a guest, Alex."
"I don't recall inviting you in."
The Cigarette-Smoking Man inhaled deeply then flicked ash onto the carpet.
He patted the bed beside him, an obvious invitation that raised a storm
of anger into the sea-green eyes. Krycek had wondered when his ex-employer
would try to resume their affair, recalling the way he had been pawing
him on the flight back from Quebec. He raised his chin defiantly.
"Get out."
"Why, Alex, that's not what you used to say."
"Get out before I kill you."
Cancerman smiled and dropped the remainder of the cigarette onto the
floor, adding another hole to the threadbare carpet as he ground it beneath
his heel.
"I was hoping we might... renew our association. You're still a good
looking man despite the... accident."
Krycek snorted in disbelief at the gall of this man. How he could possibly
believe he would wish to renew their affair after what he had done.. and
it was not as if he had ever loved the man. Hell, despite everything he
didn't even know Cancerman's real name.
Krycek thought back to the day when the man had first contacted him.
He had been majoring in Eastern Block Politics and was very proactive in
the student union. His outspoken views on Communism and the American way
had drawn attention. This, added to his natural fluency in Russian as a
first generation American from Cold War immigrants, had made him a desirable
target.
He had not lied to Mulder when he had told him that he loved this country.
America was his home and Cancerman had played on his ardent patriotism.
The young agent had been taken under Cancerman's wing and his eagerness
to please had been exploited to the fullest extent.
At first he had idolised the older man, willing to let himself be led
in whatever direction this man wanted. Cancerman had taken full advantage,
even taking him into his bed, using and abusing his willing young protégé
but it had all changed after he had been assigned to partner Fox Mulder.
The increasing exposure to Cancerman's inhuman plans and the camaraderie
he had enjoyed with the FBI Agent had soured his view of the relationship
- or had he already started to grow out of the adolescent fanaticism. Whatever,
he had started to see his employer in a different light and Krycek often
wondered whether Cancerman would have ordered his execution had he not
made it clear a few weeks earlier that their sexual relationship was over.
"Get out. I'm not going to ask again."
The Cigarette-Smoking Man stood up and walked towards the door, opened
it but stopped on the threshold. He turned to face his former lover.
"By the way, Alex. When I leave here I shall be giving the order to
have Agent Mulder removed permanently. If you leave now you might just
reach him in time to warn him... but next time..." The man gave a predatory
smile, letting the threat hang in the air. "However, with a little... intimate
persuasion, there need not be a next time." He turned and walked away.
Krycek stared at the retreating figure in horror, knowing all too well
what Cancerman meant by 'intimate persuasion'. He rushed passed the loathsome
man.
The Cigarette-Smoking Man lit another Morley, filled his lungs and then
exhaled a blue-grey plume of smoke as he watched his former lover race
to his car. The rental headed off in the direction of Mulder's motel, accelerating
quickly. He smiled, enjoying the little mind games he played. Alex Krycek
was going to warn Mulder of the threat to his life, thereby confirming
that he valued that life. He let ideas flow into his head, accepting and
rejecting future moves in this new game, pleased with the way he had manipulated
events to his own end.
He punched out a number on his cellphone.
"After they have left the motel wait five minutes then carry out the
assignment."
He was about to disconnect when his agent replied.
What's the point if they're long gone?
"They will know."
He switched off the phone and shook another cigarette out of the pack,
placing it between lips that were creased with age. Once lit, he took a
deep drag, holding it in his lungs for several moments before allowing
the smoke to drift back out. More to the point, Alex will know, he
thought to himself and smiled as the second part of his game plan swung
into operation.
22:10
The screeching of tyres outside his room brought Mulder out of a light
doze but it was the frantic banging on the door and the sound of equally
violent banging on Scully's door that brought him to his feet, gun in hand.
Whoever it was had returned and was back outside his door. Mulder clicked
off the safety.
"Mulder!"
"Krycek?"
The FBI agent flicked on the light and opened the door. Alex Krycek
pushed passed him and started to throw Mulder's few belongings into his
case, grateful the man preferred to live out of his suitcase rather than
use the motel drawers.
"Get Scully in the car."
"What?"
"Don't argue, there isn't much time."
Mulder grabbed Krycek's arm and was taken aback by the determination
written across the handsome face and by the fear reflected in the wide
eyes.
"What's going on, Krycek."
Krycek huffed in annoyance. "I'm trying to save your lives. Now get
Scully."
Mulder stood still for a moment before deciding to follow the frantic
instructions and when he turned he found Dana Scully standing by his door,
gun raised and pointed at Krycek.
"Let's do what he says."
He forced her out and back into her own room where he grabbed the laptop
and quickly helped her to throw her belongings into her suitcase. Outside
he could hear the sound of his own suitcase being thrown into the trunk
and hoped Krycek had been more careful with his laptop... then Krycek was
at the door.
"No more time, take what you've got."
Krycek's anxiety broke through and moments later they found themselves
frantically shoving Scully's belongings into the trunk. Mulder slammed
down the tailgate as Krycek started the car and was given barely enough
time to get in before it began moving. He pulled the door closed just as
they exited the motel parking lot and glanced over his shoulder to where
Scully had been thrown sideways along the back seat by the sharp cornering
onto the highway.
"Where're we going?"
"I don't know."
Mulder glanced at the display on the dash. Only four minutes had passed
since that first frantic bang on his door and here they were speeding along
the highway. Mulder looked down at his bare feet.
"I hope you packed my shoes."
After driving for the almost three hours northwards along Interstate
95 Krycek spotted a sign advertising vacancies. He reduced their speed
and then turned off, following the road down to a small motel.
"Where are we?"
"Somewhere near Melbourne."
The two FBI agents waited in the car while Krycek went into Reception.
He came out a few minutes later clutching two keys.
"We're in luck. They've got two vacancies. So... who wants to share?"
"I could use a beer." Krycek gasped through another light coughing fit.
His throat still felt a little raw from the smoke he had inhaled earlier
that day. To be honest he would have preferred something much stronger
than a beer, like a tumbler filled to the brim with a 'good' Russian Vodka...but
he needed to keep his wits about him.
"I spotted a drugstore as we came in. Looked like a 24 hour place. Want
me to go check it out?"
Krycek nodded but yelled out as Mulder started to close the door behind
him.
"Pay by cash. They might trace a credit card."
Mulder walked back into the room.
"I've only got 20 bucks on me—and I don't intend to waste them on
you."
Krycek dug deep into his jeans pocket and produced a 50 dollar bill.
"Will that do?"
"Is it genuine"
Krycek sighed in exasperation.
"I may do many things but I don't handle counterfeit. Too risky."
Mulder snorted in disbelief but took the offered money and disappeared
out the door.
Krycek took advantage of the other man's absence and contacted his associates.
He scowled when told the news, realising he had played into Cancerman's
hands... but he had been given no choice.
When Mulder returned he found Alex Krycek sprawled across the double
bed watching a report on the local news. Scully had met him just outside
having seen a slightly earlier local news- break but it hadn't truly registered
until now as he viewed the flowery wallpaper, shot full of bullet holes.
He dragged his attention from the screen and looked at Alex, wanting to
say 'thanks' but, at the same time, balking from accepting that the other
man had probably saved his life yet again. He decided it was better to
say nothing.
"There was Bud or Rolling Rock, your choice."
Krycek grimaced imagining what he would do for a decent Czech lager
or British pint of mild. In his mind, America may one of the richest countries
in the world but it knew nothing at all about the brewing let alone the
distilling of alcohol. Either that or the Americans didn't have the stomach
for the kind of gut-rot his father's countrymen preferred.
He grabbed the can of Budweiser from Mulder's outstretched hand, gulping
down the liquid as if it were water. He belched loudly and wrinkled up
his nose in disapproval. That was the other thing he hated about these
beers, always so gassy but the cool liquid gave blessed relief to his parched
throat.
"I noticed you were travelling light so I picked you up some toiletries
and a T-shirt."
Mulder threw the long-sleeved T-shirt at the reclining form and waited
for a reaction but was slightly disappointed. A slight crease across the
bridge of his nose was all he got as Krycek unfolded the black shirt to
reveal the words 'Failure is not an option' printed in vivid green across
the back. Fortunately, the front had only the small Apollo 13 logo.
"Gee, thanks Mulder." He retorted sarcastically, inwardly grateful of
the consideration given.
"Actually, it was a choice between that and Minnie Mouse. So where do
we go from here?"
Krycek glanced across at the FBI Agent before responding.
"Shower. Bed."
Mulder blushed as the innocent words took on a whole new meaning in
his own mind but turned away before Krycek looked up and wondered what
was going on. Krycek grabbed the bag containing the toiletries and retreated
to the bathroom. Mulder found himself reclining on the bed listening to
the small noises of movement as Krycek used the facilities, brushed his
teeth and started his shower. His imagination began to feed him images
of Alex Krycek standing naked under the hot spray, head tilted back as
the water splashed across his face. He could visualise Krycek soaping his
body, his one hand massaging across taut muscles and down.....
"What am I doing?" he whispered to himself and reached for the TV remote,
turning up the volume to drown out the imagined sound of skin sliding against
soapy skin. Krycek reappeared about 10 minutes later looking clean and
refreshed wearing the new T-shirt and a pair of boxers. He scrubbed at
his damp hair.
"It's all yours."
Mulder edged passed the other man, going into the bathroom and closing
the door behind him. As he stood under the shower he thought back to their
arrival. It was obvious now that Alex Krycek had paid for the rooms either
in cash or by using one of his 'counterfeit' credit cards.
'So, who wants to share' he had said.
Deciding who should share rooms had been relatively easy. Mulder could
not imagine Scully and Krycek sharing a bedtime ritual which left him with
either Scully or Krycek. The thought of sharing with Scully had not alarmed
him in any way—they had been forced into each other's company more than
a few times over the last few years but Mulder hoped he would be able to
prise more information out of the taciturn ex-FBI agent. However, now that
it had come to the crunch he found himself reluctant to start a dialogue
- and there was one other problem that needed to be resolved; there was
only one bed in the room and Mulder wondered how they were going to decide
who would have it.
The decision was taken from him moments after he left the bathroom when
Krycek clambered in. Mulder sighed at the uncomfortable looking chair,
pushed aside the urge to shove Krycek out of the bed and began to reach
for the spare blanket he had spotted earlier.
"There's plenty of room in here—unless you're one of those restless
sleepers." Krycek smiled at the worried look on his ex-partner's face and
added, sarcastically. "Don't worry, your virginity's safe with me."
But is yours safe with me came the silent reply. Mulder drew a deep
breath, shucked his clothes and scrambled into the bed beside him, the
need for sleep overpowering his reluctance to share the bed with this man.
Twenty minutes later Mulder was still wide awake—and so was Krycek. They
lay next to each other staring up at the ceiling, neither wanting to break
the silence but, eventually, sleep overtook them both.
The first light of dawn found a crack in the floral curtains that lay
a stripe across Mulder's left eye bringing him slowly back from the depths
of a restful sleep. The temperature had already started to climb but, at
that moment, was languorously comfortable. He could feel the heat of another
body along his right side, the heaviness of a head against his shoulder
and he smiled. Such a perfect day. Too perfect for reality. So many of
his dreams had been filled with the sight, smell and touch of Alexei Krycek
but it had been a long time since he had dreamed of waking with this warm
body beside him.
He turned his head slightly so he could see the short, mahogany hair
with hints of red and gold where the pale morning sun caught it. Dark lashes
fanned below the closed eyes and Mulder marvelled at them, smiling as he
imagined Scully's jealousy. There were plenty of women who would kill for
lashes like these. He sighed and raised his hand to finger the silken strands
that spilled across the tall forehead, slightly miffed that his dream lover's
hair was so much shorter than the last time. He dreamed his eyes closed
then re-opened them but the long mahogany hair remained a distant memory
of an earlier fantasy. His fingers brushed across the lightly stubbled
cheek before tracing a path around the curve of one perfect ear, stroking
down the side of Krycek's neck to the collar of black T-shirt.
As the body stirred in his arms Mulder's eyes returned to the soft lips,
slightly parted, the barest hint of white teeth showing through. The lips
curled slowly upwards and a soft moan escaped as the warm body stretched
leisurely, the head moving back to give Mulder room to brush the lips with
his own. He sighed and closed his eyes again as the mouth opened beneath
his. Yes.... he could stay in this dream forever. His hand moved to catch
the back of his lover's head, deepening the kiss. He could feel a tingling
sensation spreading through his body, centring in his groin. He drew back
and opened his eyes, wanting to see this demon that had captured his soul,
and fell headlong into green eyes, darkened with passion.
A small noise caught his attention and he turned his head away, his
eyes widening as reality crashed in. The thumping on his motel door, the
long drive through the night. This was no dream. Mulder pulled his hand
back as if it had been burned, his body stiffening in shock at the thought
of what he had been thinking and doing only seconds before.
"Don't stop, that felt so good," came a mumble.
Mulder looked back down as Krycek pulled away until he could meet Mulder's
eyes. The soft expression and easy smile brought confusion but comprehension
followed the hand that reached across to cup his face.
"I want to kiss you... again." Krycek's hand stroked along the cheekbone
then moved until he could trace the outline of Mulder's generous mouth
with his thumb. "Here."
Mulder hesitated but could not deny the surge of lust that jolted through
his body at the thought of touching this man. He shot backwards, letting
the hand drop to the bed. His eyes studying the other man's face, looking
for... what? The expression was a shock all by itself. Never had he seen
Krycek so open, so vulnerable with no trace of malice or deceit just pure
desire and... Mulder frowned but backed away from the word his mind tried
to supply. Surely there was no place for love in their relationship? But
desire... yes, he could understand desire.. and lust.. and the need to
touch this man and to be touched by him. Alex Krycek had fuelled his fantasies
and filled his dreams for so long that he could feel himself succumbing
to the temptation of turning it all to reality but... But what? A thought
leapt into his head. Perhaps reality was what he needed to rid himself
of the vivid images of this man that haunted him both night and day. With
this new resolve he found himself relaxing.
Krycek had turned his head away, his forearm covering his eyes to hide
the bitter disappointment that came with the realisation that he would
never fulfil his own fantasy of making love to Fox Mulder. Mulder pulled
away the arm and smiled teasingly as eyes, dulled by loss, met his own.
He shifted his weight until Krycek lay half beneath him then he lowered
himself gently until their lips touched. For a moment the mouth beneath
his remained firm and unyielding but, as hope flared, Krycek's hand reached
up, hesitantly, before looping behind his head and pulling him down harder,
crushing their mouths together. Mulder moaned as he felt Krycek's tongue
force it's way into his mouth, battling with his own before sucking hard
to draw it across into Krycek's own mouth. The pressure eased and he felt
himself free to explore the wet haven, his tongue skimming across strong
white teeth and soft inner cheek.
By mutual agreement they parted and Mulder was exhilarated by the fine
trembling and shallow breathing of the man beneath him and by the light
that danced once more in the green eyes. He leaned onto one side before
lowering down again, nipping at the bruised lips before trailing kisses
like liquid fire along the strong jaw bone and onto the soft throat. His
hand reached out to stroke the stubbled cheek before following a parallel
path down to the junction of shoulder and neck, his fingers digging into
muscle, massaging away the tension he felt beneath the silky skin.
Krycek pulled Mulder's head up gently by the hair until their mouths
met once more. Hands moved lower to push away his T- shirt allowing the
sensation of skin upon skin. Thrusting his tongue deeply into the other,
Krycek moaned softly into Mulder, his back arching with the stimulation
of fingers rubbing against one puckered nipple before moving lower, across
the flat muscular stomach and along his flank. His own hand trailed under
Mulder's T-shirt, down his back and side, revelling in the feel of muscle
moving languidly beneath the smooth, warm skin.
The mouth drew away leaving Krycek gasping for air and he stretched
back, exposing his throat as Mulder's mouth followed the path his fingers
had taken, moving down the body that had haunted his dreams. He tongued
the tight nub before drawing it between his teeth, raking the sensitive
flesh, relishing the response of the body beneath him before licking a
path down the rib cage and across the flat plain of Krycek's stomach. Krycek
lifted his hips as hands grasped the waistband of his boxers, enjoying
the feel of cotton sliding down his thighs as he was exposed to Mulder's
passion-filled gaze. He kicked them off as Mulder continued his oral assault
of the body beneath him.
Krycek moaned in frustration as the tongue skimmed passed his rigid
penis to lave the inner thigh. He froze, eyes screwed closed as Mulder's
fingers and tongue left his body, sobbing when he felt a slight shift followed
by cool air breathing over his taut flesh, suddenly afraid Mulder was going
to leave him in this state and barely containing a cry when a hot mouth
descended to engulf him.
Mulder's tongue eased beneath the foreskin to lick across the glans,
tasting the pre-cum sending a frisson of heat radiating through Krycek's
body. As he began a gentle sucking, his hands held down Krycek's hips,
preventing them from bucking beneath him. Slowly, he increased the pressure,
taking the cock deep into his mouth, almost gagging as it touched the back
of his throat. He could feel the climax building in other body, sense the
control slipping away until Krycek stiffened, his back arching off the
bed as he came, crying out Mulder's name. Fox Mulder swallowed but continued
sucking until the trembling eased and he had drained the other man then,
reluctantly, released the spent organ.
He raised his head and found eyes, darkened with pleasure gazing down
at him. Krycek smiled and pulled Mulder down to his side before rolling
on top of the older man.
"My turn," he said breathlessly, his husky voice sending a shiver down
Mulder's spine as the clear green eyes captured his own. Krycek swiftly
coaxed Mulder into discarding his clothing and then, without a word, he
reached into the drawer beside the bed and pulled out a tube. Mulder raised
his eyebrows.
"I thought they only put bibles in those."
Krycek smiled predatorily. "They do."
Intensely satisfied by the embarrassment that filled the hazel eyes
as realisation struck, Krycek squirted a generous amount of lubricant onto
his fingers and began to stroke the gel thickly onto Mulder's engorged
cock. Hazel eyes locked onto teal green as Krycek positioned himself above
his lover. He lowered himself carefully until Mulder's cock was pressing
against the tight ring of muscle then closed his eyes, tipped back his
head and let the weight of his own body force the rigid organ inside, gasping
at the pleasure and pain of an unprepared entry. Beneath him, Mulder groaned
as he felt his cock engulfed by the tightness and heat of Krycek's body,
throwing his head from side to side as he fought back the urge to thrust
up into that inferno.
"Alex", he whispered over and over again as he felt his lover's body
sink around him until Krycek's ass was pressed against his thighs.
He reached over and grabbed the slim hips, holding the man in place,
never wanting to lose that physical contact. Alex opened his eyes, his
breathing gradually slowing as the pain eased away. He smiled widely at
the man held captive below him then raised himself up until Mulder thought
he was going to be left high and dry, before dropping back down.
Mulder sobbed as the friction sent a burst of sensation radiating throughout
his entire body knowing that he could not hold back much longer and he
watched in awe as the strong muscular legs repeated the action over and
over to send his mind and body hurtling towards an explosive climax.
As his spinning senses slowed, Mulder pulled his lover into a crushing
embrace, not trusting words to explain how good it felt. He cried out softly
as his spent organ slipped from Krycek's body feeling an immeasurable sense
of loss, realising with dismay that the reality of this body had been far
more intoxicating than his fantasies.
They remained that way for what seemed a lifetime before Krycek shifted
in obvious discomfort. Mulder allowed the man to roll to his side, their
legs entwining to maintain the contact. He stared into the beautiful face,
a hand raising involuntarily to caress the lightly stubbled cheek before
he lowered his mouth to take Krycek's in a deep but gently possessive kiss.
Breaking free with a sigh, Mulder shifted position to make both of them
more comfortable.
The silence stretched between them as the warm afterglow slowly dissipated
but, as the time passed, thoughts encroached reminding him of who this
man was. Mulder picked up his watch. 6:45am. He stroked his fingers through
the soft hair not wanting to break the pleasant atmosphere but there were
anomalies, questions that needed to be asked and Mulder wondered if there
would ever be a better time.. and if there was any veracity in the old
adage about sex and the truth. He spoke softly to the man in his arms.
"Why did you lie about your connection with the paramilitary group?"
Krycek shifted, his eyes narrowing in puzzlement at the sudden question
and then he recalled the conversation he had with Scully and Mulder after
he had betrayed the group to the FBI by sending receipts anonymously to
the Agent.
"I didn't lie..."
"You said they found you while on a 'salvage hunt' but Mayhew says you
approached them with supplies and details of how to lay their hands on
some sophisticated weapons."
Krycek stared at Mulder for a few moments before taking a deep shuddering
breath. "I didn't lie..."
Mulder huffed sarcastically and looked away. He had hoped to be told
some of the truth or, at least, a better story.
Krycek pursed his lips as he realised he would have to tell Mulder everything
or the man would believe he was spinning yet another lie to cover up the
truth. He sat up, drawing his knees close until he could wrap his arm around
them.
"OK. I'll tell you but you've gotta promise to hear me out." He looked
across at his lover. Mulder didn't turn to face him but he didn't object
either.
"They were on a 'salvage hunt' and, yes, I did approach them with supplies
and information but, just as I said, that is how they 'rescued' me from
the Silo. I spent two months in that Silo with no heat, no light, no water
and no food. Do you want to know how I survived?" He waited to see if Mulder
would give any indication that he was interested and took the slight movement
as Mulder half-turned back as confirmation. "The alien."
Mulder turned the rest of the way to face his ex-partner as the mention
of the alien piqued his curiosity..
"Three days after being locked in that room I was lying by the door,
my throat dry and raw, too weak and dehydrated to even sit up.... and then
there was a light that blinded me and I felt my body being lifted. My next
memory was of lying in a small, bright room, my arms and legs like lead.
There was something above me then I felt the alien slide across me, filling
my nose and mouth... just like in Hong Kong. When I next had control I
was back in the dark by the door but I was no longer thirsty or hungry.
I don't know how long it had kept me shut away from my own body. Hours..
days...? It was impossible to measure time in the dark.
The next time I collapsed from dehydration it happened again but this
time I remained aware a little longer before it crawled into me... probably
because I wasn't so weak from thirst and hunger.. but it was long enough
to register an examination. The next time it performed a few simple tests...
and the next time.... It didn't seem to care that I knew what it was doing.
It knew I was trapped, that I wasn't going anywhere. Then, one day, I woke
up to find the Silo door open and the alien gone. I made a run for it just
in case it came back—not so easy in the pitch black when you haven't
a clue where you are or where you're going. All I knew was I was out of
that room.
I must have spent hours wandering around in the dark like a rat in a
maze before I noticed a light up ahead but I reached the exit to find there
was nowhere to go. You must have noticed those Silos are out in the middle
of fucking nowhere but I couldn't stay at the installation. Without the
alien I would either starve to death or the Consortium's men would return.
Either way I was a dead man so I decided to try and walk out.
Well, as luck would have it I stumbled on their encampment a day later
and I bought my life and a ride back to civilisation with the outdated
supplies I discovered inside the installation—and the promise of more
sophisticated weapons and explosives."
Mulder looked deep into the pleading, green eyes and knew he had been
told the truth.
"So who's Arntzen?"
Krycek smiled, remembering how he had used the name in his dealings
with Mayhew.
"When I first knew him he was a high level KGB agent in Krasnoyask.
He was subsequently promoted to Camp Controller at Tunguska but not at
the time we were there. I used his name because I didn't want anyone to
know I had escaped from the Silo."
He sank back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling as he held back
part of the truth. It was not just anyone that he feared—it was someone;
The Cigarette-Smoking Man. Cancerman had made two attempts on his life
and he had survived both through sheer good fortune. He had missed being
blown apart by seconds just because he had happened to glance towards the
store as the thought of a cold beer had trickled into his mind. His escape
from the Silo was even more miraculous and it gave him a chance to lie
low for a few months with Cancerman convinced he was dead. Also. it gave
him time to lick his wounds and renew contacts within Russia.
Mulder sank back next to him as he tried to imagine what it must have
been like for Krycek.
"Did the tests hurt?"
"Yes, sometimes, but I suffered them because it was keeping me alive."
The green eyes turned to chips of ice. "Do you want to know what really
hurt? I thought, having used this body, that it actually 'cared' whether
I lived or died." Krycek pulled himself up and stared at Mulder. "It opened
the Silo door. It could have opened that door anytime. It used me to reach
its ship then it used me again... and once I was no longer of any use it
left me to die. I'm just surprised it didn't do the job itself."
Mulder wrapped his arms tightly around the taut body and felt Krycek
relax against him.
"I was tipped off and went there that first day. I knew you... the Alien,
was there because of the irradiated bodies in the corridor but you weren't
alone. Cancerman was there. I'm still not sure why he let me live but he
posted enough military around the place to deter any further attempts.
You know, I finally got back inside over two months later. Silo 1013.
That's where the craft had been—a FOO fighter, they said, shot down during
World War 2. It was gone." He paused with embarrassment before continuing.
"I hated you so much I never really thought nor cared what had happened
to you. I just assumed Cancerman had taken care of you. I'm sorry."
"What about now?"
Mulder looked away. He'd walked straight into that one.
"I... don't know."
Krycek smiled softly. At least Mulder had not told him he still didn't
care or that he still hated him. A rap at the door brought the present
crashing back.
"Mulder?"
"Scully!" he gasped softly.
There was a scrabble of limbs as Mulder untangled himself from the lithe
body beside him. Mulder stared down at Krycek and his breath caught. He
looked so young, so vulnerable... so beautiful.
"Mulder?! Are you OK?"
"Scully! I'm fine. I was in the..."
Mulder decided not to bother finishing the sentence and after throwing
the blanket and a pillow over the uncomfortable easy chair to give the
impression someone had slept there he opened the door. He heard soft laughter
from behind him and felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment as he realised
he'd forgotten his clothes.
Scully stood just outside the door and tried to peek in as it opened
a sliver. She raised her eyebrows as Mulder prevented her.
"Krycek's not exactly dressed for company... and neither am I."
The interested look on Scully's face would have earned her a come-back
under normal circumstances but only served to increase Mulder's embarrassment.
"I'll be in the Diner across the way."
"OK. I'll meet you there shortly."
When Mulder sauntered in 15 minutes later, his hair still damp from
his shower, Scully found herself smiling into her coffee. For someone who
liked to joke about his vast pornographic video and reading collection
he could be extremely embarrassed when caught unprepared. Mulder sat across
from her having already run several scenarios through his mind with answering
responses, expecting her to have guessed what had happened between him
and Krycek and to remonstrate with him for his actions. However, she remained
silent.
He started a conversation about where they were and what they could
do next and was relieved to find no sign of knowledge in those blue eyes.
He felt the tension leave his body as he realised Scully must have taken
the whole thing at face value. As far as she was concerned, the only thing
Mulder and Krycek shared was a room—and a few moments of panic when Scully
woke them up.
"I checked in with AD Skinner. It was our motel rooms that were broken
into last night. Both rooms were peppered with gunshot. If we'd been in
there, we'd be dead."
Mulder nodded. It seems they had cheated Death by minutes thanks to
Alex Krycek.
"I hate being indebted to him." Sparks flew from Scully's eyes. "And
I want to know why he did it. Not that I'm not grateful... but him!"
Mulder sipped at the coffee that had been brought over by the waitress.
"I just don't get it, Mulder. One minute he's waiting in my apartment
ready to kill me, the next he's rushing us out of our motel to save our
lives."
Mulder carried on sipping allowing Scully to get this off her chest.
"You're right about one thing though."
Mulder tilted his head in inquiry.
"He's no psychopath, which makes him unpredictable... and dangerous.
He knows a lot more than he's telling and that makes me wonder about his
motives. Is he back working for them? Is there some hidden agenda? Mulder?"
Mulder had stopped sipping his coffee, his eyes taking on a faraway
look as her words touched upon his inner fears. Was this all a game? What
if the vulnerability was just a ruse? What if Krycek used sex as a weapon,
another means to an end? As deadly as a bullet in the back.
"Mulder? Are you sure you're OK?"
"Uhh, yeah. I'm fine. Just fine."
Scully waited but nothing more was forthcoming and she knew from experience
how close-mouthed he could be when it suited him.
"Well, if you're sure then I'll head back to the room and make a few
more enquiries on BioTechnics."
"Yeah, I'll wait here for Krycek."
Krycek appeared a little later. He gave Mulder a wide grin as he sat
down beside him in the far booth at the Diner but let the smile slide when
he read the black-look in the hazel eyes. Regrets. Oh well, he knew he'd
have to take what was offered while he could, knowing it may never be repeated.
At least he would have some good memories to carry with him. Krycek forced
an almost sneering smile having decided he was not going to let Fox Mulder
know how much this rejection hurt.
"Got anything, Mulder?"
Mulder pouted in annoyance and, out of intuition rather than sound judgement,
he reeled off a name, waiting to see the reaction it caused.
"BioTechnics Ltd."
The agent was not disappointed as the hard smile turned to stunned astonishment.
"How did you...?"
"Scully found the name on some vials." But they checked out clean....
or so we thought, he added to himself. "What do you know about them?"
"They supplied Dr Hudson with certain experimental drugs.....and other
material."
Mulder waited but when nothing more was forthcoming he slammed his fist
down onto the table surface before retorting angrily.
"That's it, Krycek? That's all your going to say? What is this? Challenge
TV? You just gonna hand out the clues one by one and give us marks out
of ten for performance? Well, how did I do this morning?...."
"Oh, I'd give you a...."
"If this is just a game then you can go back to that Cancer- ridden
bastard and tell him we're not playing."
Krycek looked away, licking suddenly dry lips. "I don't work for him.
Not anymore."
Mulder was taken aback by the vehemence in the softly spoken words and
dropped his voice accordingly.
"So who do you work for?"
"Who isn't important. It's what that matters."
"OK, I'll bite, what do you work for?"
"Freedom." Krycek took a deep breath before continuing. "Look, we both
fight for what we believe in, Mulder. It's just the method that differs."
"Yeah, well my methods don't involve killing innocent people..."
"Neither do mine."
"Are you trying to tell me you never killed an innocent person? What
about the tram operator? What about Scully's sister?"
"I didn't kill them...and before you ask, I didn't shoot your father...."
"I suppose he just happened to fall in front of your gun as it went
off ...."
"I don't deny I was there but he was alive when I left him....
"He was alive when I found him, you bastard. Why did you have to...?"
"What do I have to do to prove to you I didn't kill him? Not that he
didn't deserve a bullet... and if that had been my orders I would have
done it. He was the worst form of traitor, as dirty as they come..."
The hostility that sprang into the hazel eyes and the tensing of muscles
proved to Krycek that he was standing on unstable ground as Mulder fought
against unleashing his anger and pummelling that beautiful face. Krycek
braced himself as he continued, aware that he had to reach Mulder, try
to make him understand even if it meant taking another beating.
"His mistake was in wanting to assuage his guilt by going public...but,
whether you choose to believe it or not, all I did was explain the consequences.
While they remain unsubstantiated they will stick to their timetable and
that buys this planet time to prepare. If they accelerate their invasion
plans before our defences are in place then you can kiss the human race
goodbye."
"And is it any safer in the hands of your Masters?"
Krycek laughed derisively and looked away, a disbelieving smile on his
face. Inwardly, he wished he could explain to Mulder that the consequence
his father faced had been the loss of far more than just the Planet. Cancerman
had held the son's life to ransom for father's silence. Krycek remembered
the way Bill Mulder's troubled expression had faded into the calmness of
a decision made but had not been prepared for the sudden lunge to seize
the gun from his hand. Bill Mulder had chosen to try and end his own life
rather than live with himself and had pulled the trigger before Krycek
could stop him.
Knowing Fox Mulder was in the house, Krycek had panicked. He had grabbed
the gun and was out of the bathroom window and running within moments.
He hadn't realised the shot had been fatal until much later when Mulder
had been prepared to shoot him. On that occasion Scully had intervened,
saving his life.
"What is it with you, Krycek? Blind patriotism or blind ignorance?"
"Me! You're the one with the problem, Mulder. So determined to find
'the truth' and parade it throughout the known universe at any cost; even
if it leads to the extinction of all human life on the planet." Krycek
turned back to look into the beautiful hazel eyes. "No-one cares how many
'monsters' you reveal: Yeti's, Vampires, killers like Tooms, but, for all
our sakes, you must let this go."
"This?"
"The Black Oil, the Experiments ....the Consortium." Krycek closed his
eyes as Mulder continued his tirade, wishing he had been gifted with the
ability to persuade others without resorting to violence.
"What they are doing is wrong. Innocent people are being subjected to
torture and mutilation, they've had their rights stripped away from them
from the most basic right of freedom to the right to have children. Did
you know they strip the ovaries of women abductees of every egg, drill
holes in their teeth, infect them with cancers, all in the name of experimentation."
"I don't have all the answers..."
"What about Tunguska? What has it achieved? Hundreds have innocent men
have died there. And for what?"
"Tunguska has ceased those experiments....."
"And knowing that is supposed to make everything better..."
"OK, Mulder. I do agree that some of the methods used were, are...inhumane
and the end doesn't always justify the means but they achieved what they
set out to do. They have a cure for the Black Cancer albeit a weak one
but that antidote is already being mass produced and sent out through various
pharmaceutical companies..."
"Like BioTechnics..."
"...to be ready when its needed. I'd have thought you of all people
would be interested in that cure. They ran the test on you—infected you
with the Black Oil virus—and destroyed it with the antidote."
"I don't need this shit."
"Oh yes you do. It's time you stopped shouting about human rights and
started listening. WE ARE AT WAR and the survival of the Human Race depends
on the results of those experiments. And maybe it's true that in the race
to save the planet some of those scientists have become immune to the suffering
they inflict but it's those people we hand to you on a plate when the time
is right." The anger dropped out of the voice as Krycek continued more
softly. "You have to realise that some of those people are untouchable
while the end result is so vital to our survival but only until then...and
every effort is made to curb their enthusiasm along the way."
"And Dr Martha Hudson...."
"Has outlived her usefulness."
"If she is one of these once-important scientists then why is she being
handed over to me. Why am I not investigating her death or disappearance?"
"Just because she was working for the Consortium didn't mean she knew
what was.. is going on or knew anyone at the top level in the Group but
she had become a liability, asking too many questions, taking too many
risks which threatened to expose everything we are working towards. They
want her to get taken down for unethical Genetic experimentation. The word
'Extra- terrestrial' would never have got a mention." Krycek grinned cheekily.
"And don't you think it will be a little suspicious if too many top scientists
get offed. You know, for such a clever man, you can be incredibly dense,
Mulder."
"You're not exactly a Chess Grand-Master yourself. Speaking of which,
where's Gibson Praise?"
Krycek looked away. This was getting them nowhere.
"I don't know. The Consortium have him, alive, but I don't know where."
Mulder nodded slowly, his anger abating as he recognised the truth.
"Can you find out?"
Krycek snorted. "I'm not that big a player, Mulder. I'm not privy to
all their plans...hell, I'm surprised I'm still alive."
"So am I."
Scully slid into the seat next to Mulder aware from the body language
that she had missed a confrontation between the two men. She waited but
neither seemed willing to air their grievances.
"What's going on?"
A moment passed before Mulder answered reluctantly.
"We were just debating modus operandi."
Krycek looked away, ignoring the puzzled expression on Scully's face.
As far as he was concerned if she wanted to know what Mulder was talking
about then she would have to speak to her partner. Scully decided not to
pursue that avenue; it could wait until later when she and Mulder were
alone but one question did need to be asked.
"So where do we go from here? BioTechnics?"
"Yes."
"No."
Scully looked from one man to the other as Mulder and Krycek stared
at each other across the width of the table. Eventually it was Krycek that
broke the deadlock.
"Hudson is not with BioTechnics Ltd. They're a Consortium company and
she has 'left' the Consortium."
"Then where is she?"
"With... BioTechnics."
"Krycek, if this is your idea of a joke then you'll notice I'm not laughing."
Krycek took a deep breath. He had contacted the Well-Manicured Man soon
after Mulder left their shared room to meet Scully. His new orders were
to delay Mulder and Scully by taking them to the, by now, stripped and
cleaned out subsidiary of BioTechnics. Part of him hated the idea of hindering
Mulder's investigation by leading him on a wild goose chase but his Employer
was quite explicit. He felt his feelings for Fox Mulder battle against
his desire to help his Employer defeat the Colonists but knew he had to
put the future of Earth ahead of his own desires. If only he had iron-clad
proof that the Well-Manicured Man was trustworthy.
"BioTechnics have a subsidiary about 45 kilometres north of here. They
call themselves BioTechnics Supplies. The Consortium has been a little
concerned at the way they have 'altered' their working practices over the
past two months. We believe they have been taken over by a 'less friendly'
faction."
"Less friendly to whom?"
"Obviously the Consortium but also to us."
"Colonists?"
Krycek looked up and into Mulder's inquisitive hazel eyes. Keeping secrets
was impossible where this man was concerned; it was one of the reasons
why he was considered to be so dangerous and yet, at the same time, so
necessary. That incisive mind seemed able to pull the facts from the scantiest
of information. The phrase 'damned if I do, damned if I don't' trickled
into his mind but Mulder forestalled his reply.
"We've encountered Colonists before...."
"And they managed to convince you they're the good guys, no doubt, while
they stepped up their colonisation plans. Where do you think the Black
Oil comes from? It's part of them. They use the oil as a medium until they
can integrate with a host. Without full integration they can only take
over the body on the surface level. The host remains, subjugated but still
present. Once fully integrated they can destroy the host's individuality
while still making use of the mental pathways—the memories. If the Colonists
win this war then the Human Race will be no more than slaves or shells
for the Alien's. As you can imagine, I've become quite an expert on these
things."
Krycek sighed. He had contacted the Well-Manicured Man just before meeting
Mulder and the man had requested that he try to convince Mulder to drop
the case but Krycek could have told him that it would not work. It would
only increase Mulder's determination. The option was to use the Subsidiary
as a delaying tactic, somehow convincing Mulder it was more important than
BioTechnics Ltd.... but if that did not work
"They sent you here to take Hudson into custody but.... things do have
a way of gettin' out of control when you're around." He paused, contemplating
their options. "Look, if she's gone over to them then it's probably already
too late to take her in. Even if we caught her neither side will let her
live. Not now. Let it go, Mulder. The Truth will wait."
"You expect me to believe that? I've seen how your people operate. While
we're hanging around here they'll be stripping down that place to the last
bolt. No, we're going now. Scully, I'll meet you round front with the car
in ten."
Krycek sighed as if he had been beaten into a corner rather than managed
to manipulate Mulder in the desired direction.
"It should take us just over an hour to get there if we use the Inter..."
"I don't recall inviting you along for the ride."
"You need me, Mulder. Remember, I'm your guardian angel. And anyway,"
he added as an afterthought, "it's my car."
10:15
When they arrived at Bio Supplies Mulder hissed in annoyance and slammed
his hand against the steering wheel. The place looked empty. He turned
an accusing look on Krycek who merely shrugged in reply. They climbed out
of the Taurus and walked toward the open gates. No security guards were
posted in the gate-house and no-one tried to stop them as they walked across
the small parking lot to the main entrance. The door was padlocked but
it took only moments for Krycek to pick the lock with Mulder's assistance.
It fell open with a clang and he dropped it to the ground before pushing
open the door.
Inside the room seemed cavernous due to its emptiness. Not a single
piece of equipment remained, not even a bench and there was not a speck
of dust to be seen. The whole place had been cleaned as thoroughly as a
hospital Operating Theatre. Mulder wandered off into the nearby office
space but found it as sterile as the outside area. He walked from room
to room but could only guess at what each could have been used for.
"There's nothing here."
He targeted an angry look toward Krycek before turning on his heel and
stomping back to the car.
Scully waited for a moment, staring around the empty room in the hope
that something would present itself to pull Mulder out of his black mood,
until her eyes found Alex Krycek. The Consortium Agent seemed to be doing
the same but his expression was blank. She pushed back her hair in annoyance.
"Mulder's right, there's nothing here but then, you already knew this
place would be deserted."
Krycek turned to face the perceptive woman, stared at her for a moment
and then nodded.
"Was this just a wild goose chase? Keeping us out of the way while the
Consortium cleans up its mess."
"I knew they would be gone by now but I could hardly expect Mulder to
believe me...."
"Don't feed me that trash, Krycek. You cleverly manipulated him, convinced
him to come here by telling him it wasn't worthwhile."
Krycek smiled wryly. It was true and they both knew it—probably Mulder
knew it too but...
"I had half-hoped there would be some clue left behind to appease him
but they've been as thorough as ever."
"So where do we go from here?"
"I don't know. It's a mess. If Hudson has learnt about the Colonists
then the Consortium cannot afford to let her live in case she exposes the
Plan."
"I don't understand one thing, Krycek. If she was working with the Black
Oil then she must know of its extra-terrestrial origins."
Krycek smiled at Dana Scully.
"Mulder has a habit of jumping to conclusions. Often he's right but
not this time. I never said she was working with the Black Oil, that was
Mulder's assumption. She's a Genetic Engineer. She was working on a serum
to counteract a new strain of the Variola virus at the genetic level; the
virus developed by Dr Charne-Sayre before her sudden demise, but she proved
herself to be as ineffective and as unethical in her approach as her fellow
scientist. She refused to curtail her experiments even after the Consortium
found a serum through other means... so she became a liability."
"I don't understand the relevance of the Variola virus although it seems
to play an important role..."
"It's the only virus we know of that can attack the Black Oil—successfully
- time and time again. The problem is, it kills the host as well. Charne-Sayre
was adapting its genetic code to target only the Black Oil virus. Hudson
was working on a serum to destroy the Variola virus once it's done its
job."
During her stay in prison for Contempt of the Senate she had spent many
hours reading Dr Charne-Sayre's treatise on Variola Viruses and knew the
woman would have been capable of developing a new strain. However, she
still could not bring herself to believe in Mulder's extra-terrestrial
invasion, a theory Krycek seemed to encourage, preferring to believe Charne-Sayre
was working on Bio-weapons. Something Mulder had said about Tunguska came
back to mind.
"By why continue the research when the Russians have developed a vaccine?"
"It's weak. The vaccine protects for only a few weeks. Once its effects
have worn off the host can be re-infected by the Black Oil... and humans
can only handle a few exposures to the vaccine before the immune system
produces enough antibodies to kill it before it can destroy the invading
alien virus."
He turned away to stare through the window at the car parked just beyond.
"The Variola virus offers more permanent protection."
He could see Fox Mulder sitting on the bonnet, gazing out into the distance
probably winding himself up into the deepest, darkest mood he could manage.
Krycek was not looking forward to joining him and, judging by her reluctance
to leave the deserted factory, neither was Dana Scully.
"As far as I can see, this case is closed. Even if we find Dr Hudson
alive they will never let her live long enough to face trial. Her actions
have proved she knows more than she let on but, for all I know she might
be dead already."
"And what about us?"
"Us?"
"Mulder and me."
"It would be 'healthier' if you returned to DC." Krycek stared again
at the slumped figure outside. "But I doubt Mulder will let it go."
Scully sighed, almost angry with herself that she agreed with him.
Krycek walked out into the sunshine and, seconds later, Dana Scully
followed. As they approached Mulder moved into the driver's seat and once
they were in the car he moved off.
The Cigarette-Smoking Man watched the car pass by, barely acknowledging
the man who slid into the rear seat beside him.
"Did you fit the tracking device?"
"Yes."
The man fiddled with a laptop until he received the signal and then
ordered the driver to move off once the target vehicle had moved far out
of visual range.
Cancerman smiled as he exhaled another plume of grey-blue smoke, leaning
back into the seat. Sometimes it was too easy. They would soon locate the
place where Krycek and the FBI Agents were 'hiding' and then the next part
of the game could begin.
11:15
They were halfway back to the motel when Mulder saw a sign directing
them to Spaceport USA. With a tight smile he turned off onto Highway 50.
Both of his passengers looked puzzled until the next sign brought understanding
to one but left the other still perplexed. Scully remembered their earlier
conversation and realised Mulder could think of nothing worse than returning
to the motel to stare across a table top at Scully and Krycek with no clues
and no idea of what they should do next. He needed time to think and where
better than amid all the rockets, shuttles, space art and films.
After parking the car he threw the keys at Scully and wandered off leaving
her to lock up and deal with Krycek. They stood by the car in silence,
watching the tall figure stride off into the distance and out of view,
each debating internally what to do next. Scully glanced sideways at the
tall frame, taking in the red and gold highlights in his hair as the Florida
sun beat down upon them. She had never really stopped to look at him before,
seeing only a murdering traitor but her eyes narrowed as she took in the
strong, well-defined body. Considering his disability, there was not an
ounce of fat on the muscular frame which showed he must spend a fair amount
of time working out to keep himself fit. He was almost as tall as Mulder.
Her FBI training started to provide her with details: 6ft 1 to 2, 170 to
180lbs. Her eyes fell on his face, cataloguing his wide- spaced, green
eyes, high cheekbones and narrow chin. She noticed, from his profile, the
way the tip of his nose lifted. Her eyes were fixed on his mouth, the fullness
of the bottom lip, the fairly pronounced cupid's bow of the top when he
turned and broke the silence.
"I've never been here before."
She almost blushed with embarrassment at being caught staring but Krycek
had not seemed to notice—or had not been bothered. Memories flooded into
her mind at his words.
"I came here once as a kid with my family."
The thought brought tears welling up into her eyes. It had been a bright,
hot day and she had ran among the rockets with her brothers and sister
while her parents looked on in exasperation. It could never happen again.
Her father was dead. Melissa was dead. She pushed the sudden surge of hatred
down. It would accomplish nothing especially as it was obvious Mulder wanted
her to keep Krycek in full view.
"Doesn't look like Mulder is going to come back real soon."
Scully sighed. "Let's take a look around."
They wandered through the Rocket Garden marvelling at the sheer size
of the ones on display. Every now and then they would catch sight of Mulder
wandering along by himself or sitting on the grass staring into nothing.
Once, when Scully made a move toward him she felt a light touch on her
arm.
"Perhaps it's better to leave him alone."
She reddened in anger, partly at him for saying what he did and partly
at herself because she knew he was right. For a moment she considered pulling
away and walking right up to Mulder out of sheer spite but instead she
smiled tightly and turned away wondering how someone who had spent such
a short time with Fox Mulder could know him so well.
They paused by a hot dog stand and grabbed something to eat as well
as some strange stuff that looked like tiny balls but was in fact ice-cream.
A little more wandering found them at the Space Mirror where they decided
to stop and eat. The highly polished surface engraved with the names of
those who had died in the name of Space Exploration moved slowly as it
followed the Sun's path across the sky.
"Tell me about your abduction."
Scully looked across at the unexpected question, half-prepared to find
the bright, green eyes fixed on her face but he was staring off into the
distance.
"Why? Feeling a little guilty."
He turned, a small smile playing about his lips.
"Despite what you may believe, I didn't give Barry your address. I didn't
have to. They knew where you were because you had the locator chip. Whoever
helped Barry escape from the hospital gave him that information."
"So why do you want to know?"
Krycek shrugged. She looked away and, for a moment, he thought she had
decided to ignore both him and his question but then Scully spoke, her
voice lapsing deeper into her native drawl as emotions, normally kept well
hidden, were brought back to the surface.
"I can't remember anything at all about Skyland Mountain except being
held up to a bright light by Duane Barry. After that I have conflicting
memories. Regression hypnosis revealed little grey men yet I can recall
seeing Dr Zama standing over me. I was missing for several months which
might explain why some of my memories are of a room similar to that found
in a train carriage while the rest show a large room with other women being
subjected to the same tests."
"That fits the facts. Zama started off like Mengele, the Auschwitz doctor,
experimenting on Chinese prisoners and then British POW's during the war.
He was one of the first scientists to start the smallpox 'tests' back in
the late forties. They would have moved you by rail to..." His voice petered
out.
"To where?"
"Mulder knows. He went there when he went searching for a cure for your
cancer."
"How do you know all this?" Krycek looked away. "Do you know what they
did to me?"
He looked back into pain-filled, blue eyes. Tears pricked the back of
his eyes as he thought of this tiny woman being subjected to the drugs,
hormones and operations.
"Yes. I know.. too much... seen too many things.. more than any man
should...." His voice had dropped to a whisper as his own memories flooded
into his mind but he pulled himself up, mentally and smiled tightly. "You're
a lucky woman, Dana, having someone so determined looking out for you."
The Cigarette-Smoking Man scowled as the blip took then onto Highway
50 and into Spaceport USA. His companion frowned as the blip came to a
halt, probably in the Parking Lot.
"Maybe they're just taking in the sights..?" he stated, nervously, hoping
the older man knew what the hell was going on. He watched as the man lit
another Morley, wishing he had the guts to open the window and let in some
fresh air but afraid of offending this powerful figure.
"Pull into the Parking Lot but keep us a fair distance away. I don't
want them spotting us."
The driver nodded his agreement and followed the route markers until
the Tracking Agent gave him instructions to avoid coming too close to the
FBI Agents.
The Cigarette-Smoking Man lowered his window a few inches, flicked out
the still-smoking butt and then took out a pair of high-powered binoculars
from the door pocket. He raised the glasses to rheumy, blue eyes and scanned
the distant facilities. He could not see Agent Mulder but spotted the figure
of Alex Krycek walking with Agent Scully towards the entrance. He change
the zoom on the lens until Krycek's face came into sharp relief.
Krycek had been a young man when he had first recruited him, barely
out of adolescence. His features and figure had a boyish quality then which
he had found most agreeable especially as Krycek had looked younger than
his years making him feel as if he was doing something very illicit when
he bedded the infatuated man-child. Now, those features had matured; age
and experience had added strength, reshaping the musculature making him
an even greater prize.
The Cigarette-Smoking Man scowled as he trained the glasses down the
handsome frame, noting anew the loss of Krycek's left arm. On one level,
it gave him pleasure to see the young agent had not escaped his actions
unscathed yet on another more personal level it angered him to see such
perfection destroyed. He made a silent vow that he would ensure those responsible
for taking his arm paid heavily, not realising that they already had.
Krycek and the woman disappeared from view but it looked as if they
were in no hurry so he turned to his operative. He had never used the man
in the field before so the chances of Mulder, Scully or Krycek recognising
him were very slim to non- existent
"We may be here some time. I suggest you obtain us some refreshment."
The man nodded, eager to be out of the smoke-filled interior.
As he walked away, Cancerman hoped he had the good sense to avoid attracting
any attention to himself, especially near Fox Mulder who had an uncanny
ability to remember faces and details.
After lunch, Scully and Krycek wandered around once more until they
came to the Galaxy Theatre.
"I've never seen IMAX. D'you fancy taking in a film? I hear they're
fairly short."
Scully raised her eyebrows at the domesticity of their forced association.
She'd never seen one either but decided it was worth a go, mainly because
then she wouldn't need to talk to him. Krycek paid for the tickets, reminded
at the same time that Mulder had never given him any change from the $50
note. Fortunately, money was not a great problem right now. The Well- Manicured
Man had insured he had plenty stashed away that he could call upon at a
moment's notice.
As they sat down towards the top of the high theatre, Krycek spotted
Mulder about half a dozen seats below them but gave no indication of his
presence to Scully, feeling quite sensitive to Mulder's need to be alone.
The film was stunning as all their vision was taken up by the beauty of
Planet Earth as seen from space and after it had finished Scully was grateful
for Krycek's suggestion.
When they re-entered the sunlight, Fox Mulder bounded up to them like
a puppy, having seen them leave the theatre.
"Wanna go on the tour. Krycek's paying." He gave Krycek a look that
left no room for argument.
"Sure."
Having watched the Vehicle Assembly Building loom into view then paused
beside one of the Crawler Transporters, mouth agape at the sheer immensity
of both, Mulder found himself with his back to the Atlantic Ocean staring
at the distant launch pad where a Shuttle was waiting to be launched. He
turned to say something to Krycek and found the man staring out to sea.
"Thinking of home?" he asked sarcastically.
Krycek turned and met his eyes. Is any place home? he thought to
himself and then realised that he never felt more at home than when he
was by Mulder's side.
"Russia's that way." Mulder pointed off into the distance and Krycek
found his eyes drawn in the direction indicated before turning back to
face his lover of a single night.
The Tour Guide called them back to the air-conditioned bus for the final
leg back to the centre and they clambered back on board in silence. The
silence held until their reached the centre.
"I promised something from here." he threw over his shoulder as he wandered
into the Gift Gantry. Scully hesitated for a moment but decided not to
follow and Krycek couldn't see the point of buying anything, his lifestyle
precluded the collection of too much clutter. They headed back to the Taurus
to wait for Mulder.
Twenty minutes later Mulder arrived and threw a package onto the back
seat. He reached out for the keys but Krycek snatched them off Scully's
palm and climbed into the driver's seat.
"My car. I drive."
Scully waited to see Mulder's reaction and frowned when the expected
explosion did not occur. Whatever Krycek had done or said to upset Mulder
had still not been resolved as, obviously, Mulder was on a slow burning
fuse today. She watched as he climbed into the back and decided to take
the front passenger seat rather than join him, her hostility towards Krycek
dampened by their closeness of the past few hours.
As the car pulled away she wondered how Mulder and Krycek were going
to cope together in the same small room that night—unless Mulder had
already decided to give up and take the first available flight back to
DC. She hoped she would be able to pull him aside as soon as they reached
the motel to ask his intentions, not wanting to discuss anything in front
of Krycek, despite their truce.
The Cigarette-Smoking Man had made his driver wait several minutes until
the Agents car was well out of sight before giving him the order to follow.
The blip came in strong indicating that they were no more than 3 miles
ahead as the second car headed back onto the highway away from Spaceport
USA.
The day had given him plenty of opportunity to think about his ex-lover
and his own intentions.
He knew Krycek was reporting directly to his own nemesis within the
Consortium, the Well-Manicured Man and, unlike the others, he had already
figured out what that man was doing. All that remained was to give him
enough rope so he would hang himself. With luck he would be the one to
arrange the execution. He mused for a moment over all the possibilities:
lethal injection, poison... a car bomb. Another option presented itself.
Perhaps he would be able to convince Krycek to do the killing for him by
bringing a certain amount of pressure to bear. That thought made him smile
malevolently. Mulder was the key.. to both Krycek and the Well-Manicured
Man. All it required was a little patience—and he could be a very patient
man.
That patience had been apparent over the past 24 hours. First he had
overseen the clean-out of BioTechnics Supplies. He had been secretly hoping
Dr Hudson would be there when the Consortium Agents arrived as he had hoped
to leave her body behind as a justification for continuing with the investigation
- captured alive the case would come to a natural close. He would not even
be going against his 'comrades' wishes as the order to terminate her had
finally come, just as he knew it would, for wasn't he the one who put her
in contact with their Russian comrade, Arntzen and then with the Colonists,
thereby sealing her fate?
He took another drag from the Morley clenched between his lips. Yes,
the Well-Manicured Man had reason to hate Dr Martha J Hudson and he had
used that to great effect. Once Krycek discovered this, and how he and
Mulder had been used, his trust in his new Employer would be seriously
dented leaving him open to the possibility of renewing his allegiance to
his former patron. 'Better the Devil you know....'.
That still left Fox Mulder but if the agent continued his pursuit of
Dr Hudson as planned then the order would come to have him eliminated,
an order he could find reasons to postpone given the right incentive—an excellent bargaining position.
He glanced at the man seated next to him, hunched over a portable PC
and smiled at the discomfort he saw. Krycek was the only employee who had
ever challenged him over smoking in his presence. It was one of the traits
that made him such a desirable conquest.
17:15
To her surprise, Mulder made no attempt to pack up his belongings when
they arrived back. Instead, he headed for the Diner and ordered a large
meal. Krycek and Scully joined him but the meal dragged on in silence until,
as she finished a last cup of coffee she finally gave up.
"So where do we go from here?"
"Bed."
She sighed in exasperation.
"OK, I'll report in to Skinner and see you in the morning."
With that she pushed herself up from the table and walked away leaving
the two men alone. Mulder finished his coffee and then stood up. He didn't
wait for Krycek, leaving the other man to wonder whether he was going to
find the door locked when he reached the room.
When he entered their room, Krycek found Mulder sitting fully clothed
on the bed. Despite what they had shared earlier that day he felt awkward.
He passed Mulder without a word and closed the bathroom door behind him.
When he returned 20 minutes later Mulder was still sitting on the bed but
he had stripped down to his T-shirt and boxers. The TV was on and a glance
revealed a sitcom with its almost obligatory fake audience hysterics.
He waited for Mulder to shift before reaching to pull back the covers
but as he did so a hand snapped out to grab his arm and he found himself
pulled off balance and, with no other arm to prevent the effects of gravity,
he fell onto the bed face first. A body slammed on top of his, driving
the air out of his lungs.
"Is this what you want?"
The cold, angry voice whispered into his ear and seconds later he felt
his boxers being pulled roughly down his thighs. He tried to raise himself
off the bed as the weight left his back only to feel a fist impact with
his temple stunning him momentarily but before he could regain his senses
the weight returned. The sensation of hot skin against his own told its
own story but he struggled more violently at the feel of a hard shaft along
the cleft between his buttocks.
Mulder pulled the slim hips back to gain a better angle before driving
his shaft into the exposed body.
Krycek bit through his lip as he stifled the scream of agony that fought
for release. He tried to relax, his body shaking in pain with each dry
thrust. The body above drove harder and faster until Mulder cried out,
his semen spilling into the abused flesh bringing both stinging pain and
welcome lubrication.
Krycek held his breath as the older man's body collapsed upon his own,
waiting for Mulder to pull free before bucking backwards to dislodge his
attacker. Mulder quickly regained his footing and moments later they were
a tangle of kicking, punching limbs. Eventually, they ended up on the floor
on opposite sides of the bed, both with murder filled eyes.
"You bastard!"
"The only lying scum bastard here is you, Krycek. How could I have been
so stupid? Every time I end up trusting you I get reminded what a stinking,
double-crossing, murdering bag of shit you really are. What was the plan,
Krycek? Fuck me 'til I forgot what you are and then set me up. Who were
you planning to kill? Who was I gonna be the fall for this time?"
Krycek dragged his hand across his chin to wipe away the blood seeping
from the bitten lip.
"You're full of shit, Mulder. You're nothing to them; a slight irritation
that gets annoying now and then. If they wanted you out of the way then
you'd get a bullet through the head."
"Well, if not your Consortium buddies, then who wanted us dead last
night?"
Krycek stared hard at the FBI Agent, his breath coming hard. How did
he answer that one? How could he explain that Cancerman had orchestrated
that event for purely selfish reasons, that the man was willing to use
Mulder as a pawn to coerce Krycek into resuming a former relationship.
Mulder would never believe it.
Krycek had no illusions. Cancerman felt no love for him just the desire
to show who was in control. Power was the only thing that mattered and
woe betide anyone or anything that usurped this. Krycek was only too aware
that he had caused Cancerman great embarrassment over the past year and
had wondered in what form the man would take his revenge but he had never
feared death. No, that would have limited his pleasure. He would want to
see humiliation first. He would want Alex Krycek on his knees before him,
to revel in the power he had over the other man. Death would come once
Cancerman had tired of the game.
Mulder snarled at the other man. "I should never have trusted a psychopathic
murdering scumbag..."
"Despite what you think, I can count the number of people I've killed
on one hand."
"Well, that's fortunate."
Krycek pursed his lips in anger, the loss of his left arm was still
a raw wound to his soul as well as his body and the anger he had contained
within him for so long spilled over.
"You did this to me," he hissed vehemently. "I had everything under
control but you couldn't wait. I have never lied to you but still you couldn't
trust me."
"And why the hell should I? We weren't exactly buddies, Krycek. All
I saw was a lying rat bastard saving his own skin and leaving me to die
in that hellhole."
Krycek glared at Mulder, both of them breathing heavily from the barely
controlled rage. He took a deep shuddering breath and released it slowly
as the truth of Mulder's words slowly sank in, suddenly aware that his
own perception of what had happened since their very first meeting must
have been so different from Mulder's. How could he have been so stupid
to believe that a few days in each other's company on the way to Tunguska
would have swept away all the years of distrust.
"Oh, shit."
He cursed himself. He should have found some way to warn Mulder of his
intentions and for the first time he realised what a cruel sight it must
have been for Mulder to find Krycek laughing and hugging the camp controller
while he trudged through the mud towards the waiting work trucks. How was
Mulder supposed to know that Krycek's position had been quite tenuous up
to that point and that his reason for being by the trucks was to point
out his 'compatriot' and gain Mulder's freedom but it hadn't worked out.
Mulder had attacked him, thrown him to the base of the truck and they
had 'escaped'. The horses could not catch the truck and by the time they
found the overturned vehicle both Mulder and Krycek was lost in the woods.
When he was found by the locals he had no idea of their misguided intentions
until they pinned him down and produced the knife. He wished, somehow,
that he could have convinced them otherwise but what could he have said?
If they knew of his connection to the camp then the knife would have slit
his throat rather than cut off his arm. Krycek stared at Fox Mulder, bitterly
angry that the man had managed to escape intact. He had to know.
"Why not you?" he said harshly, nodding towards the FBI agents left
arm.
As they stared across the bed at each other, Mulder saw resentment widen
the bright, tear-filmed eyes before they narrowed in painful remembrance.
His breath caught as his own mind raced through memories of Tunguska and,
now, unshackled from the all-consuming bitterness, he realised how wrong
he might have been.
With his mind no longer clouded by hatred he remembered there had been
plenty of occasions when Krycek could have escaped from him on the way
to Tunguska yet the man had remained by his side. He had believed it was
because Krycek knew the fate that was awaiting him, not expecting to get
caught up in it at the same time yet now he was not so sure. Perhaps Krycek
had been working to get him free but, with anger fuelled by the words of
the other inmate, he had blown it.
The other words came back to haunt him. It was true. Krycek had never
lied to him outright; he had bent or concealed the truth but had never
lied.
He found all the rage draining out of him and he collapsed against the
side of the bed, turning away from eyes bright with unshed tears. Mulder
looked down at the ground in misery, biting into his bottom lip as if he
hoped to transfer some of Krycek's pain into himself by that action. Once
he stopped to think clearly, most of Krycek's crimes could be explained
away or negated.
He had sworn he had not killed his father and, on reflection, his explanation
was plausible. Luis Cardinal had killed Scully's sister. The man had admitted
to it and the forensic evidence bore that out. The autopsy on Duane Barry
had shown that, depending on the quantity ingested, the poison could have
been administered as much as two hours earlier... perhaps by the very people
who had taken Scully from Skyland Mountain or even in the water given to
him by the Paramedics. As for the Tram Operator, Krycek had admitted to
knocking him out but insisted the man was still alive when he left the
control room, yet the body had never been recovered. Had someone else removed
the man permanently after Krycek had left for the summit?
That still left several question marks but Krycek had just admitted
to, at most, five killings—but were these premeditated murders on behalf
of the Consortium or just unfortunate incidences? Certainly he knew of
two; Augustus Cole and the right-wing terrorist truck driver that had been
shot through the head.
He had witnessed the death of Augustus Cole and, instinctively, he knew
it had been the first time Krycek had ever killed anyone. Only a consummate
actor could have faked the horror that had crept into the young man's face
and turned his stomach. Krycek had been pale and shaken as he climbed unsteadily
into the car following the incident and Mulder had handed him a tissue
to wipe away the vomit after his stomach had rebelled.
Once he had accepted the possibility that Krycek was not the cold-bloodied
assassin he had taken him for, Mulder started to wonder what had happened
in the cab of the Ride-Rite truck. The driver had been the deputy leader
of the terrorist group. Perhaps he had decided to try and escape with the
bomb which was still inside the truck. They had found a second gun on the
floor beneath the driver's seat. Had the driver pulled the gun when Krycek
told him to stop? Had Krycek fired in self-defence?
He glanced back at the other man who was still waiting for an answer
and when he finally replied to Krycek's question his voice was so soft
the triple agent had to strain to hear the words.
"I was found by our Russian truck driver... the one who took us to Tunguska
and I convinced him it was better to leave the area than lose an arm. And
I bought him another truck when we reached Krasnoyask."
Mulder raised his head and turned back to face his ex-partner. More
blood flowed freely down Krycek's face and Mulder saw the fine trembling
the man was unable to conceal. He reached out mutely... but hurt, angry
eyes narrowed in distrust and Krycek pulled back, his voice cold and emotionless.
"Get out of here, Mulder. You can call this quits for all the wrongs
you think I've done to you but if you ever touch me again.... I'll kill
you."
Mulder rose to his feet and moved around the bed until he stood above
the shaking figure. After a moments hesitation while he considered whether
to do as Krycek asked, he dropped to his knees in front of him and before
the other man had a chance to strike out, pulled him into a strong embrace.
Krycek struggled for a moment before stilling. He remained rigid against
the warm chest as Mulder began a litany of soft words, rocking their bodies
gently.
"Shh, it's OK. I'm sorry. I'll never hurt you again. I'm sorry. I'm
so sorry..."
Several minutes passed before Krycek gave a shuddering sob and relaxed
his head against Mulder's shoulder, his arm reaching around to hold them
tightly pressed together. They remained that way for several more minutes
until the body in his arms stopped shaking. Mulder raised his head from
where it had lain atop Krycek's and pulled back from the embrace. He gazed
into tear filled eyes and reached up to brush at the wetness that stained
Krycek's face then rose to his feet, pulling his lover up with him before
gently pushing him back onto the bed.
"I'll get some warm water to clean you up."
When he returned with a flannel and bowl of water he found Krycek sprawled
exactly as he had left him as if the man had been too afraid to move lest
Mulder turned back into the savage attacker. Mulder sat on the edge of
the bed by his lover's side and dipped the flannel into the lukewarm water.
Gently, he cleared away the blood and tears, dabbing softly at the torn
lip, wincing in sympathy as Krycek hissed in pain.
"That's gonna need some attention. I'll get Scully to look at it once
I've cleaned you up."
Mulder went back to the bathroom to get fresh water and then, with some
trepidation, he moved his attention to the other abused area, grateful
when Krycek made no attempt to pull away from him. There was blood but,
fortunately, nothing extensive, just a few tears that would hurt like hell
until they mended. Once he had finished, Mulder pulled the covers over
Krycek and replaced the bowl in the bathroom.
"I'll get Scully..."
"No." Krycek sighed. "I've been hurt worse. It'll heal."
"OK, but I'll get you some Tylenol at least."
Krycek nodded and watched as Mulder left the room, returning moments
later with a packet of painkillers. He popped out two and watched as Krycek
swallowed them with a mouthful of water. Krycek lay back down and closed
his eyes, opening them as he felt Mulder tug the second pillow off the
bed. He had thrown a blanket over the easy chair and was preparing to climb
in.
"You can sleep here."
Mulder turned back looking for revenge but finding only calm acceptance
in the green eyes. Part of him was afraid to lie too close to the body
he had abused only a short time earlier but the rest of him wanted to prove
how much he had changed in such a short time, to prove how much he loved
the other man. He gazed deeply into the green eyes looking for any sign
that what had been offered was done so out of generosity rather than need
but saw no sign of wariness, just acceptance. He nodded and moved back
to the bed, clambering in but keeping his distance from the other body
despite an intense desire to reach out and gather Krycek to him. Alex reached
out to extinguish the overhead lights leaving only the flickering of the
TV to illuminate the room and then rolled over until he was lying along
Mulder's side.
After a moment's hesitation, Mulder pulled the younger man into his
embrace feeling the last vestige of hatred and resentment fade away with
the feel of the strong body in his arms.
They talked softly into the night, laying the remaining ghosts to rest
before falling asleep, exhausted as much by the violent emotions as by
the revelation of truth.
Waiting for the Axe to Fall
Part 2
14:48
Christchurch Institute for Children with Special Needs
Christchurch, Florida
1314 West Drive
Christchurch, Florida
East 46th St
New York
A Motel near Christchurch, Florida
Dawson Motel
Christchurch, Florida
BioTechnics Supplies
Oak Hill, Florida
Spaceport USA
Florida
A Motel near Melbourne, Florida
