TITLE: Acima Das Estrelas
AUTHOR: Spooky Jr.
EMAIL: CuteAndCudly@Yahoo.com
DISTRIBUTION: It goes to Gossamer through me. HFTFBISMU is can
have it. Anyone else, if I havn't sent it directly to you, you
can have it. Just e-mail me and let me know and keep my name and
addy attached.
SPOILERS: extremley small one for Emily. Blink and you'll miss it.
RATING: PG
CATEGORY: S/A
CLASSIFICATION: M/S Friendship. MT/Mulder and Scully angst.
SUMMARY: Mulder and Scully follow a case, which leads them to
Colorado. When their plane crashes, they are left stranded and
hurt on a mountain in the middle of a blizzard. A young girl who
supposedly survived the crash is found seemingly unharmed.
Toughing it out with the agents, it's now a fight for their lives.
But there's something about this young girl the agents are
unaware of...
DISCLAIMER: There not mine. Never have been, never will be. Mulder
and Scully belong to Chris Carter and Co. Anyone other than
Mulder and Scully belong to me and are the sole property of my
imagination.
FEEDBACK: Is DEEPLY appreciated. I really want to know what you
think of this one!
SPECIAL THANKS: Thanks to my editor's Melinda and Melissa. Melinda
this story was made possible because of you! Thanks to
Vickie Moseley and one of my best friends Sarah for beta-reading
for me. I would also like to thank my good friends Kat, Randi, and
Tiger Country DJ's Jimmy Brooks and Devan Adams.
Author's notes follow at the end.
"Acima Das Estrelas"
by Spooky Jr.
FBI HEADQUATERS
JANUARY 18
BASEMENT OFFICE
8:32 A.M.
Taking off her reading glasses, Dana Scully
sighed as she closed her laptop.
She looked up to notice Mulder still engrossed
in the same file he had been reading almost an hour ago.
"Mulder, we really need to get going," she said,
rising from her chair, "we're going to miss
our flight."
"Yeah, I'm coming Scully."
Closing the file, Mulder stood, grabbing his
coat off the back of his chair.
"Explain to me again why we are going on this wild
goose chase?" Scully inclined, her arms crossed in
mock Scully fashion.
"I already told you, Scully--"
"Yes, Mulder, you *told* me, but you didn't
explain anything."
Mulder leaned back against the edge of his desk,
"Two teenage girls disappear from their homes over
the course of a week, no phone calls, no ransom
note and they're found dead days later just miles from
their home."
"Mulder, tragic as it is, I still fail to see
the X-File in it."
"No ransom note Scully. I believe the killings may
be connected--"
"How?" Scully questioned, cutting him off, "how are the killings
connected? Mulder this is a locals case."
"I didn't say they were connected, I said they *may*
be. Big difference there."
Scully let out an exasperated sigh, sometimes this
man was just impossible to work with.
"Fine Mulder, how may the killings be connected?
Please note I said 'may' 'ol wise one."
Ignoring her smart-ass comment, he jumped into his
conclusions, "the girls went to the same high school. Neighbors
reports describe the same man being seen last with the two
girls just prior to their death. Now I believe that he
could have doings with a local occult group, which would explain
the ritual-like symbols burned into the skin of the girls'
backs."
"See, right...here," Mulder said, opening the file,
presenting her with gruesome photographs of naked flesh
burned with an object in the shape of a star with-in
a circle. "It's as if he's branding them, labeling them."
'Back to square one, here we go,' she thought to herself.
"Mulder, I still say this is a locals case. I see no indication
of our aid being needed in this case."
"It is Scully. There is something here that the locals won't
see. A connection of some sort. I'm telling you Scully, I've
seen this type of thing before. They're going to find
the killer at the expense of a lot of lives that CAN be spared."
Sighing, Scully resigned on trying to argue any further.
It was no use, once he was set into a mode he never
backed down. 'Head like a rock,' she thought ruefully.
"Fine, but we really need to go. Our flight is at 10:30,
and to be honest I don't feel like being late for it.
Also I have to stop by my place to pick up a few things and
I'm sure you need something from your apartment as well."
"Actually I already have everything. We're set to go as soon as
you're done."
Grabbing her coat and belongings, Scully headed
towards the door, Mulder right behind her, his hand
unconsciously taking its place on the small of her back.
DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
GATE 2
AMERICAN AIRLINES
FLIGHT 1007 TO DENVER COLORADO
9:42 A.M.
Making good time to the airport, Scully now sat
in the waiting area, being thankful for the ample
time to review the case before they were to board.
Mulder sat beside her in one of the rock hard chairs
munching silently on a pack of sunflower seeds.
He had insisted they stop in the gift shop
and buy a bag before they left.
As Scully sat waiting, her eyes wondered around
the terminal building. People were
everywhere, it was quite a crowded evening.
Most were sitting at the same gate they
were, waiting for their flight.
Two children, who Scully assumed were brother
and sister, ran up and down the floors
ignoring their mother's protest to sit down and
behave.
Scully smiled slightly to herself as she watched
them play, giggling and laughing happily.
She wondered if she were to have had a chance
to bare children what kind of mother she
would've been. 'Loving,' she thought,
'and very over-protective.'
Her thoughts were cut short as the attendant
over the loudspeaker announced their flight was
boarding.
After baggage check they made their way
up the ramp and onto the plane, finding their
seats fairly easy.
Shocking enough the seats were in first class,
'must've done something right.' Mulder thought,
setting their carry-on bags in the over-head
compartment.
Once settled, Scully reclined back into her seat,
being thankful for the extra leg room. Even being
short like she was, some of the seats still weren't
all that roomy.
She looked over, catching a glance at her partner
looking out the window.
"See anything interesting, Mulder?"
"Yeah. I never noticed how beautiful
some of these landscapes are."
"It's not until you've seen them from 40,000 feet
in the air, that you've seen beauty," Scully quipped.
"I never really cared to look though," she inclined,
leaning her head back against the rest, "not that
I have a fear of heights or anything," she added.
"Oh, of course not." Mulder replied, a devilish grin
crossing his features.
"Mulder I do NOT have a fear of heights!"
"Oh, I'm not saying you do Scully. I'm just agreeing
with you," Mulder said playfully, throwing his hands up
in the air in mock surrender.
"Then get that smirk off your face." Scully spat out, trying
to act mad, 'but when you're around this man it's nearly
impossible,' she thought, as the corners of her mouth
curved into a gentle smile.
Lying her head back, Scully closed her
eyes hoping for once that maybe she'd
be able to catch a few moments rest.
Plane rides had not always been the high
point in her life, but taking as many
as she had in the past seven years
she'd learned to get used to them.
If she was lucky, she was usually able
to sleep through most of them comfortably.
Mulder always seemed to have a knack for
sleeping in the oddest positions and
strangest places, 'must've caught on,'
she thought ruefully.
Mulder sat quietly pouring over
the file, flipping pages as he went
and mentally taking in details.
An occasional cracking of a sunflower seed
was the only sound that emanated from him.
A girl was reported missing on December
31st and it took the local PD almost
three weeks to finally admit they needed
the help of the FBI.
The mother of the girl explained
that her daughter had gone out that evening
to meet some friends at a gathering and was
supposed to call when she arrived.
When she failed to call, the mother contacted
one of her daughter's friends whom claimed
that she had never shown up.
A search was immediately put underway, neighbors getting
involved, searching the local areas, but coming
up empty handed.
The second incident came three days later.
Jessica Wilson was on her way home from school,
her mother claimed after her daughter
failed to show up she contacted the police.
The police booked it as a run-away case
for the first week or so. Due to the mothers
desperate pleading that their daughters were
not the kind that would run away and lack of
evidence there of, they labeled it as a simple missing
persons case. At first they suspected one or both
of the mothers and then foul play,
but lack of evidence again
made is almost impossible to point
to them. The local PD questioned
friends and classmates of the girls as well
as the family of the friends and some of the relatives
of the missing girls.
A vague description was given of the apparent
suspect who was last seen with the two girls.
All claim that not much could be seen. Having on a black
hooded over jacket, faded black jeans and a pair
of white jogging shoes. Height was around 6'2"
and medium build.
After doing a quick once over of the file,
Mulder closed it, reaching his arms in
the air in vain attempt to stretch.
He glanced over and down the aisle
of the plane, noticing four rows back a young
girl with golden blond hair and delicate
features. Her hair hung loosely around her
shoulders, coming down just past shoulder length.
She was only around the age of 14 or so, Mulder noted.
She had soft brown eyes and soft
skin. Her face was almost like that of
a porcelain doll. She was clothed in
dark black jeans and a white pullover.
She wore a thin gold cross, a lot like that of Scully's.
The young girl looked up, smiling sweetly when she
noticed Mulder looking her way. Mulder waved,
throwing a gentle smile her way.
Memories of his sister floated into his
mind. Doing a comparison, noticing that his
sister would look a lot like the young girl
at that age, except for the blond hair.
Her teddy bear brown eyes were just like Samantha's,
he remembered.
Averting his attention back out the window,
his gaze dropped onto his sleeping partner.
Moving his hand gently across her face, he
brushed away an errant strand of hair hanging
haphazardly across her face. Trying his
best not to wake her he quickly removed his
hand before she woke, but it was too late.
Her eyes were open and staring up at him.
"Evenin' sleepy head," Mulder replied smiling.
"Mmm," she mumbled, "what time is it Mulder?"
Mulder looked down at his watch, reporting it
was a bit past 12:40. "We're only a little
over two hours into the flight," he replied.
"Going back to sleep?" He asked, staring down
at her.
"Doubtful," she replied, rubbing the sleep
from her eyes with the backs of her hands.
A sudden jerk of the plane snapped her to full
alertness. Jerking to one side
and then to the other, the plane continued jostling
a few times, before finally turning back on
track.
Big bumps and bad turbulence
hit the plane hard as the cries
of children and the panicked voices of
passengers floated through the air.
The over-head intercom click and induced
static for a few moments before the
voice of one of the flight attendants
filtered through loud and clear,
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we're sorry
for the inconvenience, we've run into
some slight turbulence. We ask that you stay
calm and please remain in your seats.
The seat belt sign has been illuminated and
will remain that way until the turbulence has
passed."
Mulder and Scully exchanged glances.
Scully leaned over and whispered into
Mulder's ear, "SLIGHT turbulence?"
Gripping the arm rest on the side,
she clenched her eyes shut and
waited for the frenzy to subside.
Mulder grinned, "I'd hate to see what
real turbulence is."
Rocking back and forth a few more
times for good measure, the plane finally settled
back down as the attendant came through on
the speaker again.
"Sorry about the turbulence, you
may unbuckle your seat belts and
resume your activities."
Scully looked towards Mulder,
her knuckles sheet white and still
gripping the armrest.
"Mulder, remind me next time
we're on a case to drive!" She hissed.
"Awwww Scully," Mulder said,
imitating his best puppy dog face,
"it's not that bad."
Scully just looked away laughing
slightly. Her eyes wondered to the young girl
Mulder had noticed a while ago.
Memories of Emily surfaced. Her delicate blond
hair and sweet face.
She took in girls' elegant looks and threw
a sweet smile her way. The young girl
returned the smile waving Scully's way.
The young girl was sitting beside another woman,
whom Scully assumed was her mother. 'Splitting
image, like mother like daughter,' Scully mused.
Suddenly an involuntary shiver ran through her body and
down her spine.
She pulled her jacket tighter around her arms, in effort
to warm herself.
"Cold?" Mulder asked.
"Just a little bit." Scully inclined.
The plane began rocking, slightly at first.
Causing some of the passengers to become uneasy.
More turbulence followed as it jerked
harshly to the left and then to the right.
Lights in the cabin began to flicker,
off and then back on.
Static once again flowed through the intercom,
as the voice of a different attendant filtered through.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, once again we
have run into some turbulence. Please
remain in your seats and we'll
get through this as quick as we can."
Scully looked over towards Mulder,
exchanging glances.
Speaking with their eyes, having no use for
words, conversation silently flowed between them.
'Mulder, I don't like this.'
'It's nothing Scully, just some turbulence.'
'Some?' Scully intoned with her eyebrows, arching
them high almost into her hairline.
Another jerk, hard. Throwing passengers
who were not buckled in, slamming onto
the floor of the plane.
More flickering lights, off and on, flashing harshly.
Static from the intercom floated through, but no voices
came on explaining that everything would be
fine. That it was just a little turbulence.
The lights in the cabin flickering out, shouts from
passengers emitted into the air, screams of scared children,
frantic voices and people fearing for their lives exploded
everywhere.
A sudden pull from the front of the plane sent
passengers jerking forward in their
seats. The plane careened towards the mountain
terrain below. Snow covered hillsides
dotted the ground below. A loud explosion from the rear
end of the plane burst in the air. All went silent before
a second explosion, bigger and closer erupted.
The plane was crashing Mulder and Scully realized just
before all went black.
CRASH SITE
GRAY WOLF MOUTAIN
OUTSIDE DENVER, COLORADO
ELEVATION 8,000 FEET
47 MINUTES AFTER CRASH
A fog was blocking her brain from
thinking straight. Her eyelids felt
droopy and heavy as she tried to open them.
On third try, she finally succeeded.
Sitting up slowly the last moments came floating back
to her like a bad dream. Looking around she took in her
surroundings. The plane had crashed near the top of
a mountain. Debris and parts of the
plane were scattered everywhere. She noticed she
was laying, in what used to be the aisle of the
plane. Looking up, she noticed that the roof of the
plane had been totally pull off and was now
missing.
Windows were blown out and glass now lay
shattered everywhere. She looked around
frantically searching for Mulder. He was
no longer in the seat beside her.
She slowly lifted herself off the floor,
a sharp paining in her wrist making her yelp.
Cuts covered her hands and
legs. A trail of blood ran down the side of her head.
Reaching up to feel the damage, a medium size
gash covered the side of her forehead.
People were scattered everywhere. Laying up
and down the aisles, in seats. Some had even been
thrown outside of the plane and now lay on the dirt
covered terrain.
Surveying the area, still searching for Mulder,
she made her way towards the back of the plane.
She gruesomely noted that the plane had crashed
head first. It had made a beeline straight
for the mountains.
Nearing the end of the plane she spotted a prone
form lying on their side. Stepping closer she
noticed with horror that it was Mulder.
Quickly kneeling down, she turned him
over on his back. He had a bad cut of the side
of head, which was bleeding pretty badly.
His pulse was a bit rapid, but was other
wise ok. His left arm was badly swollen
and she was almost certain it was broken.
As she inspected the rest of him, he started to
stir and mumble.
"Mulder?" she asked, leaning down to close
to his head in order for him to hear her.
His eyelids slowly started to rise.
First the left, then the other.
"Mulder, wake up." She said, gently
rubbing the left side of his face, careful
of his injuries.
Moaning once more, he started to raise
his head. Scully positioned herself
behind him, sliding an arm behind his
back, she slowly helped him into
a sitting position.
"Mulder, are you hurt anywhere?" she question,
weaving her hands gently through his hair,
looking for any bumps or signs of trauma.
"Yeah, my arm is killing me."
"Yeah," she said, gently grazing his left
arm with her fingertips, "I think it's broken.
There's no way of telling for sure, but
I'm pretty certain it is."
Mulder just nodded, directing his gaze to the floor,
upon which he was sitting.
"Mulder, I'll be right back. Just stay here,
I'm going to take a look around. See if there
are any other survivor's."
She walked her way to the pilot section of the plane.
Captain and co-pilots were both dead.
Seats were trashed. Cargo, luggage and baggage,
strewn up and down, what once was the isle
of the craft. Checking bodies, she made
her way to the front part of the plane.
An older man sitting more towards the middle of the
plane was barely alive, hanging on to the
last thread of life he had left.
A young woman lying on the floor, her body
curled up in a fetal position laid breathing heavily,
drawing in some of her last breaths. Her clothes were
covered in life-giving blood. Pumping it
through her body only to be coursing out
onto the floor of her final resting place.
A solemn tear trickled down her face,
leaving a dampened trail in its wake.
This is a bad dream. She kept repeating the phrase to herself,
thinking that she was going to just wake up any moment
now and this would all be over with.
It wasn't. As much as she wished and hoped
for it to be, this was reality. Without
help or any medical supplies, she was to no use
to the people, she realized sadly. Resigning she
made her way back to where she had left Mulder.
"Is everyone...?" He didn't have to finish the question.
"Yeah, I believe so Mulder. We need to get out of here.
Go someplace up higher in case someone comes looking for us."
Mulder nodded in agreement, there was
no sense in staying there. The crash site
had done turned into a graveyard for the
passengers of the flight.
Wrapping an arm around his waist, she gently
guided him to his feet. Keeping her arm draped around
him, they walked their way to the middle section of
the plane.
An opening, where the side of the plane had been ripped off
and discarded, made an escape out of the plane.
Stepping over the sharp shards of glass, they stopped
just inside of the opening. Daylight streaming in through
all the broken windows and shining brightly through
the opening. Scully put her hand of to her eyes, shielding
them from the bright sun.
She untangled her arm from Mulder's waist and replaced it
back on the side of his arm, still giving him some support.
He rested his good arm against the side panel of the
plane, leaning heavily on it.
Scully stepped outside of the plane, Mulder right behind
her. Glass and debris covered ground. Looking around,
they took in the sight before them. A mountain range.
They had crashed on a damn mountain. The mountain ascended
steeply upward. They were already elevated at least 7000 feet,
Mulder noted. Trees as far as they could see, and freshly fallen
snow occupied the ground.
It was freezing, at least 30 degrees, and they didn't have
any jackets on. Scully had a coat on over her business
suit. Mulder sported a dress suit as well, only a suit coat
protecting him from the fierce cold invading them.
Luckily they had brought extra coats in preperation
for the cold weather, but now it would do them no
good as their bags were somewhere in the rummage of the crash.
Mulder looked over in Scully's direction, noticing for the
first time the extent of her injuries.
"You're hurt," he pointed out, almost as if a question.
"I'll live, it's really not that bad," she explained, a ghost
of a smile pursing her lips.
Mulder gave an imperceptible nod, leaving it at that.
They started the journey up the hill, watching
rocks and tree stumps as they went. The cold weather,
making the tedious task that much more difficult.
Looking up towards the sky, impending gray clouds loomed
overhead. The weather situation turning from winter storm
to near blizzard conditions. The harsh wind blowing hard against
their bodies, having no windbreaker protection on them.
Tree branches swayed roughly above, threatening to break
any moment under the weight of the blowing wind.
Looking up ahead, shrubs and trees lined the ascending
hilltop. Walking against the wind, gusts prevented them from
keeping a good pace.
Working their way towards the top, snow began to fall harder,
making the scenery look like that of a winter wonderland.
Finally finding a place with a good surrounding
of trees, they stopped and decided to reside there
for the time being. Scully gently let go
of Mulder's arm, which she was holding to help guide him
up the steep.
Mulder slowly knelt and turned around, leaning his back
up against the side of a large tree.
He ached. His body ached everywhere and he had a major headache
to add to the list of problems.
Once Mulder was settled for the moment, Scully stood,
looking around at the horizon of imagery. Shaking from the
cold she quickly knelt back down beside Mulder, occupying the
spot just to the right of him.
Scanning him over with her eyes, she noticed he was
shaking violently from the cold as well. She could almost
inaudibly hear his teeth chattering, but god bless him he
wasn't saying a word of complaint.
"Mulder, I have to set your arm. If I don't do it soon
it can lead to damage. Also the longer it stays without
being set the harder it'll be to fix," she stated.
He looked up, meeting her eyes and just nodded.
"Mulder," she said, breaking the frosty silence, "will you
be alright if I leave you here for a few minutes? I'm going to go
back down the plane and see if I can find any blankets that
weren't damaged. Maybe I can find some of our luggage as
well. I need some string to use to set your arm."
Off his silent nod, she rose. The freezing gusts' of
wind hitting her like a hard blow the stomach, making her
wrap her arms tight around herself. She chanced a quick glance
at Mulder and noticed that he was already exhibiting the
early signs of shock. He was shaking almost uncontrollably.
She walked down the hill, slipping on rocks and tree roots.
Dress shoes were just not made for these conditions, she mused.
The plane was in clear sight, even from where they were sitting.
Trying to remember the one section of the plane where the luggage
was stored. No easy task, since no particular section of the plane
was tangible.
Remembering that the cargo area was usually near the back,
she looked for the smaller sets of wings that were
attached to the plane in that section. Making
her way closer the plane, being extra careful as to the
shards of glass on the ground, she made her way to
what she assumed was that area.
She climbed in the plane through an opening. It was
more of a small square shaped hole in the middle of the side
of the plane. Lifting one leg and putting it
through the hole, she grabbed the wall of the hole in the front
of her, leveling herself. Once steadied, she lifted
her other leg, turning around and quickly jumped onto the floor.
A flashlight would've been helpful at the moment, but the
absence of one left her with having to adjust to seeing in
the dark. Only faint shimmers of light made their way into the
interior of the plane. Once her eyes were focused
she looked through the plane, trying to spot any blankets that
were in useful condition, or any blankets at all for that matter.
Outside she could hear the wind howling in a threatening
manner. The storm was drawing closer.
She directed her attention back into her
search, feeling around in the dark with her hands.
Something soft came in contact with her hand.
A blanket. A faint sense of hope washed over her.
Grabbing the blanket the wrapped it around her
arms, trying to protect whatever body heat she had left.
Walking further back into the plane, another blanket
came into view, lying on the floor amongst a pile
of intangible trash.
She knelt down attempting to pick it up and dust off
some of the debris. Their luggage. If she could
only find some of their luggage. In vain attempt she
began looking around. The suitcases and both of their bags
were black in color. 'Perfect,' she thought, 'just perfect.'
She caught a small, silver gleam
out the corner of her eye. About six feet away,
something metal and shiny. Her bag! The small metal
name tag, shining its way through the dark.
Grabbing the strap, she slung the bag on her
shoulder and tried to keep balance of the two blankets.
The cold air was more than she could take. Turning
around, she began her journey to what she
thought was the front of the plane. Dark, black
clouds made nightfall rise and impend on them
at an early hour. Because of this she could no longer see
anything. Even her hand in front her face was no longer visible.
Her mind reeled. The fear of leaving Mulder up there
alone with no warmth provider and being stuck in this plane
almost brought her to her knees.
Looking up, something white peered its way through the
dark. Fabric. White fabric... kind of like a shirt.
A piece of cloth. Thinking it was someone's clothes,
Scully drew closer. That was until the fabric moved.
Stopping dead in her tracks, Scully began to step
backwards.
Continued in Part 2.
AUTHOR: Spooky Jr.
EMAIL: CuteAndCudly@Yahoo.com
DISTRIBUTION: It goes to Gossamer through me. HFTFBISMU is can
have it. Anyone else, if I havn't sent it directly to you, you
can have it. Just e-mail me and let me know and keep my name and
addy attached.
SPOILERS: extremley small one for Emily. Blink and you'll miss it.
RATING: PG
CATEGORY: S/A
CLASSIFICATION: M/S Friendship. MT/Mulder and Scully angst.
SUMMARY: Mulder and Scully follow a case, which leads them to
Colorado. When their plane crashes, they are left stranded and
hurt on a mountain in the middle of a blizzard. A young girl who
supposedly survived the crash is found seemingly unharmed.
Toughing it out with the agents, it's now a fight for their lives.
But there's something about this young girl the agents are
unaware of...
DISCLAIMER: There not mine. Never have been, never will be. Mulder
and Scully belong to Chris Carter and Co. Anyone other than
Mulder and Scully belong to me and are the sole property of my
imagination.
FEEDBACK: Is DEEPLY appreciated. I really want to know what you
think of this one!
SPECIAL THANKS: Thanks to my editor's Melinda and Melissa. Melinda
this story was made possible because of you! Thanks to
Vickie Moseley and one of my best friends Sarah for beta-reading
for me. I would also like to thank my good friends Kat, Randi, and
Tiger Country DJ's Jimmy Brooks and Devan Adams.
Author's notes follow at the end.
"Acima Das Estrelas"
by Spooky Jr.
FBI HEADQUATERS
JANUARY 18
BASEMENT OFFICE
8:32 A.M.
Taking off her reading glasses, Dana Scully
sighed as she closed her laptop.
She looked up to notice Mulder still engrossed
in the same file he had been reading almost an hour ago.
"Mulder, we really need to get going," she said,
rising from her chair, "we're going to miss
our flight."
"Yeah, I'm coming Scully."
Closing the file, Mulder stood, grabbing his
coat off the back of his chair.
"Explain to me again why we are going on this wild
goose chase?" Scully inclined, her arms crossed in
mock Scully fashion.
"I already told you, Scully--"
"Yes, Mulder, you *told* me, but you didn't
explain anything."
Mulder leaned back against the edge of his desk,
"Two teenage girls disappear from their homes over
the course of a week, no phone calls, no ransom
note and they're found dead days later just miles from
their home."
"Mulder, tragic as it is, I still fail to see
the X-File in it."
"No ransom note Scully. I believe the killings may
be connected--"
"How?" Scully questioned, cutting him off, "how are the killings
connected? Mulder this is a locals case."
"I didn't say they were connected, I said they *may*
be. Big difference there."
Scully let out an exasperated sigh, sometimes this
man was just impossible to work with.
"Fine Mulder, how may the killings be connected?
Please note I said 'may' 'ol wise one."
Ignoring her smart-ass comment, he jumped into his
conclusions, "the girls went to the same high school. Neighbors
reports describe the same man being seen last with the two
girls just prior to their death. Now I believe that he
could have doings with a local occult group, which would explain
the ritual-like symbols burned into the skin of the girls'
backs."
"See, right...here," Mulder said, opening the file,
presenting her with gruesome photographs of naked flesh
burned with an object in the shape of a star with-in
a circle. "It's as if he's branding them, labeling them."
'Back to square one, here we go,' she thought to herself.
"Mulder, I still say this is a locals case. I see no indication
of our aid being needed in this case."
"It is Scully. There is something here that the locals won't
see. A connection of some sort. I'm telling you Scully, I've
seen this type of thing before. They're going to find
the killer at the expense of a lot of lives that CAN be spared."
Sighing, Scully resigned on trying to argue any further.
It was no use, once he was set into a mode he never
backed down. 'Head like a rock,' she thought ruefully.
"Fine, but we really need to go. Our flight is at 10:30,
and to be honest I don't feel like being late for it.
Also I have to stop by my place to pick up a few things and
I'm sure you need something from your apartment as well."
"Actually I already have everything. We're set to go as soon as
you're done."
Grabbing her coat and belongings, Scully headed
towards the door, Mulder right behind her, his hand
unconsciously taking its place on the small of her back.
DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
GATE 2
AMERICAN AIRLINES
FLIGHT 1007 TO DENVER COLORADO
9:42 A.M.
Making good time to the airport, Scully now sat
in the waiting area, being thankful for the ample
time to review the case before they were to board.
Mulder sat beside her in one of the rock hard chairs
munching silently on a pack of sunflower seeds.
He had insisted they stop in the gift shop
and buy a bag before they left.
As Scully sat waiting, her eyes wondered around
the terminal building. People were
everywhere, it was quite a crowded evening.
Most were sitting at the same gate they
were, waiting for their flight.
Two children, who Scully assumed were brother
and sister, ran up and down the floors
ignoring their mother's protest to sit down and
behave.
Scully smiled slightly to herself as she watched
them play, giggling and laughing happily.
She wondered if she were to have had a chance
to bare children what kind of mother she
would've been. 'Loving,' she thought,
'and very over-protective.'
Her thoughts were cut short as the attendant
over the loudspeaker announced their flight was
boarding.
After baggage check they made their way
up the ramp and onto the plane, finding their
seats fairly easy.
Shocking enough the seats were in first class,
'must've done something right.' Mulder thought,
setting their carry-on bags in the over-head
compartment.
Once settled, Scully reclined back into her seat,
being thankful for the extra leg room. Even being
short like she was, some of the seats still weren't
all that roomy.
She looked over, catching a glance at her partner
looking out the window.
"See anything interesting, Mulder?"
"Yeah. I never noticed how beautiful
some of these landscapes are."
"It's not until you've seen them from 40,000 feet
in the air, that you've seen beauty," Scully quipped.
"I never really cared to look though," she inclined,
leaning her head back against the rest, "not that
I have a fear of heights or anything," she added.
"Oh, of course not." Mulder replied, a devilish grin
crossing his features.
"Mulder I do NOT have a fear of heights!"
"Oh, I'm not saying you do Scully. I'm just agreeing
with you," Mulder said playfully, throwing his hands up
in the air in mock surrender.
"Then get that smirk off your face." Scully spat out, trying
to act mad, 'but when you're around this man it's nearly
impossible,' she thought, as the corners of her mouth
curved into a gentle smile.
Lying her head back, Scully closed her
eyes hoping for once that maybe she'd
be able to catch a few moments rest.
Plane rides had not always been the high
point in her life, but taking as many
as she had in the past seven years
she'd learned to get used to them.
If she was lucky, she was usually able
to sleep through most of them comfortably.
Mulder always seemed to have a knack for
sleeping in the oddest positions and
strangest places, 'must've caught on,'
she thought ruefully.
Mulder sat quietly pouring over
the file, flipping pages as he went
and mentally taking in details.
An occasional cracking of a sunflower seed
was the only sound that emanated from him.
A girl was reported missing on December
31st and it took the local PD almost
three weeks to finally admit they needed
the help of the FBI.
The mother of the girl explained
that her daughter had gone out that evening
to meet some friends at a gathering and was
supposed to call when she arrived.
When she failed to call, the mother contacted
one of her daughter's friends whom claimed
that she had never shown up.
A search was immediately put underway, neighbors getting
involved, searching the local areas, but coming
up empty handed.
The second incident came three days later.
Jessica Wilson was on her way home from school,
her mother claimed after her daughter
failed to show up she contacted the police.
The police booked it as a run-away case
for the first week or so. Due to the mothers
desperate pleading that their daughters were
not the kind that would run away and lack of
evidence there of, they labeled it as a simple missing
persons case. At first they suspected one or both
of the mothers and then foul play,
but lack of evidence again
made is almost impossible to point
to them. The local PD questioned
friends and classmates of the girls as well
as the family of the friends and some of the relatives
of the missing girls.
A vague description was given of the apparent
suspect who was last seen with the two girls.
All claim that not much could be seen. Having on a black
hooded over jacket, faded black jeans and a pair
of white jogging shoes. Height was around 6'2"
and medium build.
After doing a quick once over of the file,
Mulder closed it, reaching his arms in
the air in vain attempt to stretch.
He glanced over and down the aisle
of the plane, noticing four rows back a young
girl with golden blond hair and delicate
features. Her hair hung loosely around her
shoulders, coming down just past shoulder length.
She was only around the age of 14 or so, Mulder noted.
She had soft brown eyes and soft
skin. Her face was almost like that of
a porcelain doll. She was clothed in
dark black jeans and a white pullover.
She wore a thin gold cross, a lot like that of Scully's.
The young girl looked up, smiling sweetly when she
noticed Mulder looking her way. Mulder waved,
throwing a gentle smile her way.
Memories of his sister floated into his
mind. Doing a comparison, noticing that his
sister would look a lot like the young girl
at that age, except for the blond hair.
Her teddy bear brown eyes were just like Samantha's,
he remembered.
Averting his attention back out the window,
his gaze dropped onto his sleeping partner.
Moving his hand gently across her face, he
brushed away an errant strand of hair hanging
haphazardly across her face. Trying his
best not to wake her he quickly removed his
hand before she woke, but it was too late.
Her eyes were open and staring up at him.
"Evenin' sleepy head," Mulder replied smiling.
"Mmm," she mumbled, "what time is it Mulder?"
Mulder looked down at his watch, reporting it
was a bit past 12:40. "We're only a little
over two hours into the flight," he replied.
"Going back to sleep?" He asked, staring down
at her.
"Doubtful," she replied, rubbing the sleep
from her eyes with the backs of her hands.
A sudden jerk of the plane snapped her to full
alertness. Jerking to one side
and then to the other, the plane continued jostling
a few times, before finally turning back on
track.
Big bumps and bad turbulence
hit the plane hard as the cries
of children and the panicked voices of
passengers floated through the air.
The over-head intercom click and induced
static for a few moments before the
voice of one of the flight attendants
filtered through loud and clear,
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we're sorry
for the inconvenience, we've run into
some slight turbulence. We ask that you stay
calm and please remain in your seats.
The seat belt sign has been illuminated and
will remain that way until the turbulence has
passed."
Mulder and Scully exchanged glances.
Scully leaned over and whispered into
Mulder's ear, "SLIGHT turbulence?"
Gripping the arm rest on the side,
she clenched her eyes shut and
waited for the frenzy to subside.
Mulder grinned, "I'd hate to see what
real turbulence is."
Rocking back and forth a few more
times for good measure, the plane finally settled
back down as the attendant came through on
the speaker again.
"Sorry about the turbulence, you
may unbuckle your seat belts and
resume your activities."
Scully looked towards Mulder,
her knuckles sheet white and still
gripping the armrest.
"Mulder, remind me next time
we're on a case to drive!" She hissed.
"Awwww Scully," Mulder said,
imitating his best puppy dog face,
"it's not that bad."
Scully just looked away laughing
slightly. Her eyes wondered to the young girl
Mulder had noticed a while ago.
Memories of Emily surfaced. Her delicate blond
hair and sweet face.
She took in girls' elegant looks and threw
a sweet smile her way. The young girl
returned the smile waving Scully's way.
The young girl was sitting beside another woman,
whom Scully assumed was her mother. 'Splitting
image, like mother like daughter,' Scully mused.
Suddenly an involuntary shiver ran through her body and
down her spine.
She pulled her jacket tighter around her arms, in effort
to warm herself.
"Cold?" Mulder asked.
"Just a little bit." Scully inclined.
The plane began rocking, slightly at first.
Causing some of the passengers to become uneasy.
More turbulence followed as it jerked
harshly to the left and then to the right.
Lights in the cabin began to flicker,
off and then back on.
Static once again flowed through the intercom,
as the voice of a different attendant filtered through.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, once again we
have run into some turbulence. Please
remain in your seats and we'll
get through this as quick as we can."
Scully looked over towards Mulder,
exchanging glances.
Speaking with their eyes, having no use for
words, conversation silently flowed between them.
'Mulder, I don't like this.'
'It's nothing Scully, just some turbulence.'
'Some?' Scully intoned with her eyebrows, arching
them high almost into her hairline.
Another jerk, hard. Throwing passengers
who were not buckled in, slamming onto
the floor of the plane.
More flickering lights, off and on, flashing harshly.
Static from the intercom floated through, but no voices
came on explaining that everything would be
fine. That it was just a little turbulence.
The lights in the cabin flickering out, shouts from
passengers emitted into the air, screams of scared children,
frantic voices and people fearing for their lives exploded
everywhere.
A sudden pull from the front of the plane sent
passengers jerking forward in their
seats. The plane careened towards the mountain
terrain below. Snow covered hillsides
dotted the ground below. A loud explosion from the rear
end of the plane burst in the air. All went silent before
a second explosion, bigger and closer erupted.
The plane was crashing Mulder and Scully realized just
before all went black.
CRASH SITE
GRAY WOLF MOUTAIN
OUTSIDE DENVER, COLORADO
ELEVATION 8,000 FEET
47 MINUTES AFTER CRASH
A fog was blocking her brain from
thinking straight. Her eyelids felt
droopy and heavy as she tried to open them.
On third try, she finally succeeded.
Sitting up slowly the last moments came floating back
to her like a bad dream. Looking around she took in her
surroundings. The plane had crashed near the top of
a mountain. Debris and parts of the
plane were scattered everywhere. She noticed she
was laying, in what used to be the aisle of the
plane. Looking up, she noticed that the roof of the
plane had been totally pull off and was now
missing.
Windows were blown out and glass now lay
shattered everywhere. She looked around
frantically searching for Mulder. He was
no longer in the seat beside her.
She slowly lifted herself off the floor,
a sharp paining in her wrist making her yelp.
Cuts covered her hands and
legs. A trail of blood ran down the side of her head.
Reaching up to feel the damage, a medium size
gash covered the side of her forehead.
People were scattered everywhere. Laying up
and down the aisles, in seats. Some had even been
thrown outside of the plane and now lay on the dirt
covered terrain.
Surveying the area, still searching for Mulder,
she made her way towards the back of the plane.
She gruesomely noted that the plane had crashed
head first. It had made a beeline straight
for the mountains.
Nearing the end of the plane she spotted a prone
form lying on their side. Stepping closer she
noticed with horror that it was Mulder.
Quickly kneeling down, she turned him
over on his back. He had a bad cut of the side
of head, which was bleeding pretty badly.
His pulse was a bit rapid, but was other
wise ok. His left arm was badly swollen
and she was almost certain it was broken.
As she inspected the rest of him, he started to
stir and mumble.
"Mulder?" she asked, leaning down to close
to his head in order for him to hear her.
His eyelids slowly started to rise.
First the left, then the other.
"Mulder, wake up." She said, gently
rubbing the left side of his face, careful
of his injuries.
Moaning once more, he started to raise
his head. Scully positioned herself
behind him, sliding an arm behind his
back, she slowly helped him into
a sitting position.
"Mulder, are you hurt anywhere?" she question,
weaving her hands gently through his hair,
looking for any bumps or signs of trauma.
"Yeah, my arm is killing me."
"Yeah," she said, gently grazing his left
arm with her fingertips, "I think it's broken.
There's no way of telling for sure, but
I'm pretty certain it is."
Mulder just nodded, directing his gaze to the floor,
upon which he was sitting.
"Mulder, I'll be right back. Just stay here,
I'm going to take a look around. See if there
are any other survivor's."
She walked her way to the pilot section of the plane.
Captain and co-pilots were both dead.
Seats were trashed. Cargo, luggage and baggage,
strewn up and down, what once was the isle
of the craft. Checking bodies, she made
her way to the front part of the plane.
An older man sitting more towards the middle of the
plane was barely alive, hanging on to the
last thread of life he had left.
A young woman lying on the floor, her body
curled up in a fetal position laid breathing heavily,
drawing in some of her last breaths. Her clothes were
covered in life-giving blood. Pumping it
through her body only to be coursing out
onto the floor of her final resting place.
A solemn tear trickled down her face,
leaving a dampened trail in its wake.
This is a bad dream. She kept repeating the phrase to herself,
thinking that she was going to just wake up any moment
now and this would all be over with.
It wasn't. As much as she wished and hoped
for it to be, this was reality. Without
help or any medical supplies, she was to no use
to the people, she realized sadly. Resigning she
made her way back to where she had left Mulder.
"Is everyone...?" He didn't have to finish the question.
"Yeah, I believe so Mulder. We need to get out of here.
Go someplace up higher in case someone comes looking for us."
Mulder nodded in agreement, there was
no sense in staying there. The crash site
had done turned into a graveyard for the
passengers of the flight.
Wrapping an arm around his waist, she gently
guided him to his feet. Keeping her arm draped around
him, they walked their way to the middle section of
the plane.
An opening, where the side of the plane had been ripped off
and discarded, made an escape out of the plane.
Stepping over the sharp shards of glass, they stopped
just inside of the opening. Daylight streaming in through
all the broken windows and shining brightly through
the opening. Scully put her hand of to her eyes, shielding
them from the bright sun.
She untangled her arm from Mulder's waist and replaced it
back on the side of his arm, still giving him some support.
He rested his good arm against the side panel of the
plane, leaning heavily on it.
Scully stepped outside of the plane, Mulder right behind
her. Glass and debris covered ground. Looking around,
they took in the sight before them. A mountain range.
They had crashed on a damn mountain. The mountain ascended
steeply upward. They were already elevated at least 7000 feet,
Mulder noted. Trees as far as they could see, and freshly fallen
snow occupied the ground.
It was freezing, at least 30 degrees, and they didn't have
any jackets on. Scully had a coat on over her business
suit. Mulder sported a dress suit as well, only a suit coat
protecting him from the fierce cold invading them.
Luckily they had brought extra coats in preperation
for the cold weather, but now it would do them no
good as their bags were somewhere in the rummage of the crash.
Mulder looked over in Scully's direction, noticing for the
first time the extent of her injuries.
"You're hurt," he pointed out, almost as if a question.
"I'll live, it's really not that bad," she explained, a ghost
of a smile pursing her lips.
Mulder gave an imperceptible nod, leaving it at that.
They started the journey up the hill, watching
rocks and tree stumps as they went. The cold weather,
making the tedious task that much more difficult.
Looking up towards the sky, impending gray clouds loomed
overhead. The weather situation turning from winter storm
to near blizzard conditions. The harsh wind blowing hard against
their bodies, having no windbreaker protection on them.
Tree branches swayed roughly above, threatening to break
any moment under the weight of the blowing wind.
Looking up ahead, shrubs and trees lined the ascending
hilltop. Walking against the wind, gusts prevented them from
keeping a good pace.
Working their way towards the top, snow began to fall harder,
making the scenery look like that of a winter wonderland.
Finally finding a place with a good surrounding
of trees, they stopped and decided to reside there
for the time being. Scully gently let go
of Mulder's arm, which she was holding to help guide him
up the steep.
Mulder slowly knelt and turned around, leaning his back
up against the side of a large tree.
He ached. His body ached everywhere and he had a major headache
to add to the list of problems.
Once Mulder was settled for the moment, Scully stood,
looking around at the horizon of imagery. Shaking from the
cold she quickly knelt back down beside Mulder, occupying the
spot just to the right of him.
Scanning him over with her eyes, she noticed he was
shaking violently from the cold as well. She could almost
inaudibly hear his teeth chattering, but god bless him he
wasn't saying a word of complaint.
"Mulder, I have to set your arm. If I don't do it soon
it can lead to damage. Also the longer it stays without
being set the harder it'll be to fix," she stated.
He looked up, meeting her eyes and just nodded.
"Mulder," she said, breaking the frosty silence, "will you
be alright if I leave you here for a few minutes? I'm going to go
back down the plane and see if I can find any blankets that
weren't damaged. Maybe I can find some of our luggage as
well. I need some string to use to set your arm."
Off his silent nod, she rose. The freezing gusts' of
wind hitting her like a hard blow the stomach, making her
wrap her arms tight around herself. She chanced a quick glance
at Mulder and noticed that he was already exhibiting the
early signs of shock. He was shaking almost uncontrollably.
She walked down the hill, slipping on rocks and tree roots.
Dress shoes were just not made for these conditions, she mused.
The plane was in clear sight, even from where they were sitting.
Trying to remember the one section of the plane where the luggage
was stored. No easy task, since no particular section of the plane
was tangible.
Remembering that the cargo area was usually near the back,
she looked for the smaller sets of wings that were
attached to the plane in that section. Making
her way closer the plane, being extra careful as to the
shards of glass on the ground, she made her way to
what she assumed was that area.
She climbed in the plane through an opening. It was
more of a small square shaped hole in the middle of the side
of the plane. Lifting one leg and putting it
through the hole, she grabbed the wall of the hole in the front
of her, leveling herself. Once steadied, she lifted
her other leg, turning around and quickly jumped onto the floor.
A flashlight would've been helpful at the moment, but the
absence of one left her with having to adjust to seeing in
the dark. Only faint shimmers of light made their way into the
interior of the plane. Once her eyes were focused
she looked through the plane, trying to spot any blankets that
were in useful condition, or any blankets at all for that matter.
Outside she could hear the wind howling in a threatening
manner. The storm was drawing closer.
She directed her attention back into her
search, feeling around in the dark with her hands.
Something soft came in contact with her hand.
A blanket. A faint sense of hope washed over her.
Grabbing the blanket the wrapped it around her
arms, trying to protect whatever body heat she had left.
Walking further back into the plane, another blanket
came into view, lying on the floor amongst a pile
of intangible trash.
She knelt down attempting to pick it up and dust off
some of the debris. Their luggage. If she could
only find some of their luggage. In vain attempt she
began looking around. The suitcases and both of their bags
were black in color. 'Perfect,' she thought, 'just perfect.'
She caught a small, silver gleam
out the corner of her eye. About six feet away,
something metal and shiny. Her bag! The small metal
name tag, shining its way through the dark.
Grabbing the strap, she slung the bag on her
shoulder and tried to keep balance of the two blankets.
The cold air was more than she could take. Turning
around, she began her journey to what she
thought was the front of the plane. Dark, black
clouds made nightfall rise and impend on them
at an early hour. Because of this she could no longer see
anything. Even her hand in front her face was no longer visible.
Her mind reeled. The fear of leaving Mulder up there
alone with no warmth provider and being stuck in this plane
almost brought her to her knees.
Looking up, something white peered its way through the
dark. Fabric. White fabric... kind of like a shirt.
A piece of cloth. Thinking it was someone's clothes,
Scully drew closer. That was until the fabric moved.
Stopping dead in her tracks, Scully began to step
backwards.
Continued in Part 2.