SHIPWRECKED
Just off the southern Florida coast
March 21, 2000
11:30am EDT
"I can't believe I let you talk me into this."
"Relax, sir, where's your sense of adventure? You're 52 years old; it's high time you get over your fear of flying. Trust me; I never liked flying, either. Still, this isn't so bad, is it?"
"I'm not afraid of flying, but did we have to go up in this crop-duster?" Skinner leans over and looks out the window briefly before recoiling back again with a shudder. The small plane feels too rickety for his taste; nothing will please him more than to be safely back on the ground.
Scully can't help somewhat enjoying her superior's distress. He had clung to his seat for dear life all through takeoff, and it doesn't look like he's about to let up any time soon. Skipping out on the last day at the retreat to have a little fun was the best idea Mulder ever gave her. She was actually strangely pleased that A.D. Skinner had come along this time to 'baby-sit' them. Whether he likes it or not, he's part of the team. There was a place right on the Florida coast that offered flying lessons for beginners, and now the training wheels had finally come off. She'd already taken Mulder up with her, so now it seemed only polite to extend the invitation to Skinner. She contemplates dipping the plane into a dive just to scare him, but thinks better of it. The last thing she needs is an airsick passenger.
"Isn't it just a beautiful day for this? You have to admit, the view is spectacular," Scully coaxes him to take his eyes off his feet and actually look at where they are. He has to admit that she's right: he'd never seen such cloud formations back home, the way the light played against the ocean, the shadow of their plane…over the ocean…
"Skinner, breathe, just breathe! I'll turn it back around, okay? Looks like you've had enough." While she begins the procedure of adjusting their course, Scully can't help but wonder why exactly Skinner had agreed to come along, since he obviously wasn't having a good time. She looks up from the controls to see that the previously benign cloud formations are now shifting into thunderheads. Storm clouds swirl menacingly around them, and flashes of lightning are seen tearing through the sky.
"Uh, sir? Better hang on. It might get a little bumpy," Scully advises, trying to sound calm. The plane is then jolted roughly up and down, and ends up taking a hard right which flips the plane in a gut-wrenching 360. As Scully struggles to right the plane, she and Skinner are both cursing fluently. "Just hold on; I'll try to find a place to land. Dammit, they didn't cover this in the class!"
"What exactly are you saying, Agent Scully? I thought you said you could fly this thing!" Skinner growls.
"Look, the weather isn't my fault! We just have to do what we can. Keep an eye out for land, alright?"
After over an hour of flying blind, the engine splutters ominously and falls into a sharp decline.