Work Text:
Long Way Off.
by Lopaka Tanu
His heartbeat pounding in his ears, Alex followed the foot prints in the snow. Cold winds blew at his short hair, making his scalp tighten. Alex mentally cursed the fact he had left his hat in the car, but there hadn't been time to think.
As soon as he saw the agent's car, he had grabbed his cameras, jumped out of the car, and ran. The trail was easy to follow as the man was in an obvious hurry. Whatever he was after had to be big, and would probably make one hell of a story. That is, if he got there in time to document it.
For two states now, the agent had eluded him. He and his partner had done everything they could to throw him off the scent. But Alex Krycek was a journalist through and through, there was no hiding the truth from him once his nose got a whiff.
Alex was so caught up in watching the shoe prints, he nearly ran face first in to a tree. As he dodged quickly to avoid it, he raised his gaze to glance about him. He was in a forest now. "Where the hell did these trees come from?"
There was no answer. Not like he expected one.
Shrugging, Alex adjusted the strap of his cameras. He did a quick search ahead to see if he could find Agent Mulder. There were only more trees and blowing snow.
With a growl, he went back to following the foot prints. They were getting deeper the further he went. Deeper and closer together, which meant the man had to go slower. These looked fresher too.
If Alex hurried, he could catch up to the man.
Bracing himself, he stomped through the harsh ice that had formed over the snow. He could feel the frozen top scrape at his shin through the wool of his slacks. A suit was not the best thing to be traipsing about after a crazy FBI agent in. Yet, if this worked out as he hoped, the payoff would be great.
As suddenly as he had entered the forest, Alex found himself on the edge of a clearing. The winds buffeted at his coat, making him squint to protect his eyes from the ice particles. What should have been a bright open space between the trees was a dark field.
Raising a hand to shield his face, he tried to see if he could find Agent Mulder in the field. In the dim light from the forest behind him, he could see little. He started to take a step in to the clearing. A hand on his arm jerked him back in to a snow drift. "Hey!"
"Keep your voice down." The words were whispered, yet seemed to echo in the wind. "I don't have to ask what you are doing here."
"But I do you." Alex looked over to the man kneeling beside him. He had landed on his ass and tried to get up to keep the snow from melting in to his pants. A hand on his shoulder shoved him back down. "Watch it!"
Mulder clamped a hand over Alex's mouth. He jerked his chin out in to the field.
Turning to see what held the man so enrapt, Alex prepared himself for some stupid animal. It would be just his luck to come all the way out here and the man was leading him on a wild goose chase, literally.
There was movement in the center of the field. Whatever was walking there was unhampered by snow.
Alex had a feeling what they were currently sitting in was from the field. He was distracted from his internal grumbling by the figure moving again.
It had an unnatural appearance about it. Something about the way the legs and arms moved was different than a normal human.
A great weight settled on Alex's chest, making it hard for him to breathe. That thing couldn't be real. His jaw dropped, but Agent Mulder needn't have bothered covering his mouth. Alex didn't have the breath to speak, let alone to scream like he wanted to when his mind registered what his eyes had been seeing all along.
He actually jumped when light appeared above the figure. Several more in the field suddenly became visible. His arms going out, Alex latched on to the nearest source of something solid to ground himself. That happened to be Agent Mulder. Tugging the agent closer, he fisted his hands in the man's jacket.
The wind suddenly picked up, violently sending the drifts of snow rolling over the forest around them. Tree limbs above them bowed under the pressure as the exposed grass beneath them swayed.
Alex had to blink to keep the stinging ice from freezing in his eyes.
As they watched, the figure rose up from the ground in to the light. The others soon followed along; their long and gangly limbs waving about. When the last of them had disappeared in to the source, the light shut down.
A deep rumbling starting in the air around them caused Alex to renew his hold on Agent Mulder. He held on for dear life as the world around them shook. When the pressure building became too much, he was forced to close his eyes.
Very slowly, the vibrating air slid away and the winds began to die down. Opening his eyes again, Alex stared up at the sky with tear filled eyes. Disappearing over the horizon was the strangest object he had ever seen in his life. A shout of joy next to his ear caused him to jump.
Whipping his head around to face Agent Mulder, Alex stared at him in shock for a moment. Then his eyes narrowed in anger. "Agent Mulder, what the hell was that?"
"That, Krycek." Mulder swallowed, taking a quick breath. He chuckled, high pitch from the sheer exhilaration. "That was what I've been chasing for the past week. I never thought I'd actually get this close."
Looking back to the disappearing ship, Alex felt himself shudder. "You're a mad man."
Mulder's only response was to chuckle some more.
THE END...............................