CHAPTER 13

Gunnison, UT
7:22 PM MST

"Hungry?"

Mulder's jaw flexed, feeling his stomach grumble at the mere suggestion of food. It had been twenty-four hours since his last meal and what felt like forever since he had been given water that he reluctantly drank. He could smell the bread even from the distance that separated him and Joy, his mouth instantly salivating over the otherwise less than appealing section of the loaf. Still weakened from the third round of sedatives he was administered, he felt his arms collapse down away from the pole as his cuffs were unlocked by a large replacement behind him. Mulder rotated his wrists, feeling the burn of the raw skin as it moved. His ankles were unclasped next, Mulder too weak to raise immediately from his kneeling position as Joy slid the tray forward with her foot so that it rested about a foot in front of him. "Eat, Fox," she said softly. "Though I wouldn't recommend you do anything else. I'd hate to hurt you more than I already have."

At this point, Mulder understood it was futile to fight Joy and the other replacements in the room. His heart wanted to push forward, to escape his imprisonment, but his mind told him it wasn't the best course of action. "I want to give my food to Scully," Mulder said quietly, standing as his knees cracked, his feet shaky under him as the pins and needles sensation overcame them.

"How thoughtful," Joy commented, not moving.

"Let me see her," Mulder continued, looking at Joy.

"Why should I?"

"I just … want to make sure she's okay."

Joy stepped closer to Mulder, pouring through his thoughts like a paperback. "You really are worried for her, aren't you?" she asked softly; Mulder was confused by the genuine tone to her voice.

"It's all I ask," Mulder said softly. "Do whatever you want to me otherwise. I just need to make sure she's alright."

For a moment - and maybe only a moment - Mulder was convinced that he had managed to appeal to Joy's human nature, hoping that there was at least a bit of humanity in her to appeal to. He knew she knew he was psychoanalyzing her as they stood in silence; she didn't seem phased by his study. "Follow me," Joy said, smiling, Mulder's heart dropping when he saw the familiar darkness in her eyes return.

Through the dusky pathways of the warehouse, Mulder winced as he walked behind Joy, his body wrought with pain, his feet and fingers still tingling as the blood resumed fully circulated through them. He clutched the bread and glass of water he retrieved from the tray, feeling the eyes of the three replacements behind him as they arrived at the unmarked door. His eyes widened when he saw Scully's nervous push up from her seat on the floor as soon as the entrance was tampered with, her defenses readied against the enemy though she hadn't much left to give. Her mouth opened at the sight of Mulder, her eyes locked on him as the replacements behind him shoved him forward. Joy laughed. "I'll pick you up in the morning, Fox. Enjoy your last night together."

"There's still time," Mulder said softly, looking at Joy.

"Not anymore," Joy replied, knowing she had stunned both Scully and Mulder. "You never asked me what it would cost to see Dana, Fox. The price is a deadline shift for William. Don't worry, I'll call him soon to let him know."

The door slammed behind Joy as she left, Mulder's eyes closing as he processed what it meant for Will - less time to find Cara. Though he had begged his son to focus only on Cara, he knew Will wouldn't be listening to him any time soon, opting to stretch himself impossibly thin to achieve everything, risking accomplishing nothing in return. He opened his eyes, his gaze shifting to Scully, who stood frozen as she stared at Mulder. "Mulder," she whispered, taking a hesitant step. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said, crossing toward her. After resting the food on the floor near her feet, he drew Scully into his arms, freezing as he heard her wince. "Shit," he whispered, "what did I do?"

"It's my ribs," Scully explained, pressing herself carefully against Mulder's chest. "I think some are at minimum fractured."

"Jesus."

"I'm fine, Mulder," Scully said, her motions slow as her hand found his face. "How are you?"

"I'm empathizing with Rocky Balboa at the end of his fifteen rounds with Apollo Creed," Mulder joked dryly, his grin making her smile. He tilted his head toward the small portion of bread. "You hungry?"

"You eat it. You need it."

"We can split it into three," Mulder said, looking at the adjoining wall. "How's Doggett? Is he over there?"

"Yes. He's sore, but he's alright. I think I heard him sleeping a minute ago."

"Yeah, my internal clock is completely screwed up."

"It's seven thirty just about," Scully said, showing Mulder the watch in the dim light.

"Is there a hole or something?" Mulder asked, moving toward the wall.

"Not that I have found."

"Well," Mulder said with a sigh, dividing the bread into thirds, "we'll keep it just incase." He handed Scully her piece, knowing it was best to try to savor the little bit of food rather than shove it in his mouth like his stomach begged him to. Scully slid down the wall, wincing at the bottom as Mulder joined her on the floor. He pressed his back into the wall, drawing Scully between his legs as he carefully rested her back on his chest. "I'm getting too old for this shit," Mulder murmured, his face nestled next to Scully's left ear.

"Me too," Scully agreed, tearing a tiny piece of her bread and pressing it to her tongue.

"You're not old," Mulder said as he chewed. "I robbed the cradle."

"It's happening, isn't it?" Scully whispered, feeling Mulder's arms wrapping around her as he finished eating, pressing an extra chunk of his portion into her hand as she protested. "No, Mulder."

"Eat," he ordered, his hands rubbing her arms. "It's been happening, Scully," he added, pushing his nose into her hair as he kissed her neck.

"No," Scully corrected softly, "I mean, there's … there's such darkness in William right now, Mulder," she confessed. "I saw what his mind was like. It was terrifying."

"Did he speak to you?" Mulder asked, surfacing from her skin.

"No, but I tried to speak to him. I don't know if he listened." She sighed, giving in and eating the extra piece of bread Mulder gave her.

"What did you see?"

"It was like I was looking through his eyes. Everything was distorted, dark and just … frightening." She paused. "Mulder, Cara isn't meant to be found."

"I know," he replied. "But I trust that William is using his resources."

"Gibson?"

She felt him nod against her. "Maybe it'll help."

Scully finished her bread, resting her head against Mulder's chest as she felt him kiss her cheek. "Did you ever ask why, Mulder?" she whispered, staring ahead at the closed door across from them. "I mean, we know the 'what' … but not the 'why'."

"For colonization?" Mulder asked, her nod confirming. "A whole other planet to infiltrate and rule is appealing for those seeking domination."

"It's just … so …"

"No, Scully," Mulder whispered, gingerly tightening his arms around her. "Don't try to assess it. It's not something that can be qualified, categorized or easily understood. Not without delving into the darkness."

"Do you think that's why William is so consumed? Because he's chosen to confront it instead of resist it?"

Mulder sighed, resting his chin on her head. "If he has, I just hope he hasn't succumbed to it," he whispered.

En route to Virginia
9:40 PM EST

Will was relieved in more ways than one as he stood on the side of the darkened highway in the nearby treeline, his back to the car. The warmth of the summer air coasted over his skin; it didn't do much to take the incredible chill from him, but it was far nicer than the cold air conditioning Skinner had on in the sedan. He zipped his fly, rubbing his hands with some sanitizer Reyes gave him as he made his way back to the waiting vehicle. It wouldn't be long, now. They were about ten minutes from Virginia, only another ten minutes to the base after they entered. The weight of finding Cara crushed down on Will, his heart so consumed that his mind couldn't focus on much else, including the necessary functions like eating and bathroom breaks. It was Gibson who called for a stop, Will taking advantage of the opportunity to gain warmth and solitude from the other three.

His phone chirped in his pocket and he fished around for it in the black night, holding as it glowed in his hands. With a terribly painful jolt to his mind as he sought the reason for the call, he took a deep breath and answered. Reading the minds of those not meant to be read wasn't an exact science - at least, he hadn't developed the aptitude for it fully yet. Joy's mind, though, seemed to be an easy subject to pick up. "I want to speak with my parents," he instantly demanded, not feeling the need for any exchanged formalities.

Joy smiled, pacing as she held her phone to her ear. "Mmm," she purred, "now this is a William I could get used to."

"Do it," Will growled, feeling the strange urge of the darkness overtake him.

"Why should I?" Joy asked.

"Put them on," Will snapped.

"You don't even want to know why I called?"

"I know why you called."

"Ooh, baby," she teased, laughing. "You really have crossed over, haven't you?"

"I don't have time for your bullshit," Will snarled. "Let me talk to them."

"Does it hurt?" Joy asked, twirling her hair around her finger. "I mean, it's not natural to us. It's got to hurt to be able to see so much. I know I can never have the pleasure. That's why you're so special, William."

"Put them on," Will repeated.

"We will make a great team, William," Joy whispered. "Nothing can stop us."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Bumping things up? Well, your father wanted to see your mother, so that was the price he unknowingly made you pay." Joy smiled. "I can't wait to see you tomorrow, William. I've got a lot planned for you when I do."

The line went dead; Will's eyes focused on the grass underfoot as he reviewed the timeframe. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, he thought, shaking his head slightly as he silently made his way back to the car.

When he deposited himself in the front seat roughly, slamming the door, Skinner turned to him, observing him. "What is it, Wiliam?" he asked gently, knowing he was troubled deeply.

"Timeline's changed," Will murmured, examining his hands.

"What do you mean?" Reyes asked.

"It means … I've got twelve hours to find Cara," Will shuddered.

"What?" Reyes gasped.

"She changed the fucking time!" Will yelled, slamming his palm into the dashboard. "She axed an entire day. I need to be in Gunnison by 7:30 their time tomorrow night. It takes about nine hours to get to Utah by plane, so that means I have until nine tomorrow morning to find Cara. Son of a bitch! Mother-"

"Easy," Skinner said, holding his hand up before taking Will's shoulder. "Easy, son." He swallowed, feeling Will's ragged breath as it jostled his body. "Let's go, alright? Let's get there." Releasing his grip on Will's shoulder slowly, Skinner turned on the ignition, directing the car back onto the highway as Reyes and Gibson sat in silence.

"I can't see any damn thing either," Will continued, unmoved by Skinner's attempt at reassurance as he painfully tried to preview any connection to Cara that he could from the future.

"William, you shouldn't …" Reyes began softly, fearing what Gibson had said earlier about Will's newfound ability.

"I'm fine," Will snapped, knowing his tone wasn't at all convincing.

"She's right, William," Skinner insisted.

"I said, I'm fine," Will growled.

Reyes glanced over to Gibson, whose face didn't reflect either concern or an opinion of Will's erratic behavior or dangerous actions. She remembered his words to her and Skinner earlier. Don't get in his way. Will was like a runaway train, the brakes cut out and the track it was on ending abruptly as he charged forward without a second thought.

For Will, there wasn't time to debate the cost of things. He knew the price that needed to be paid - the cost didn't matter. He had to see the future. There wasn't any time left to be wrong.

Outside of Fort Myer, VA
10:02 PM EST

Everyone knew their positions and responsibilities; Will had drilled into Reyes' head to stay behind no matter what, to protect Gibson at all costs, even if it meant abandoning them. He had heard the silent resistance that flowed through her mind, weighing what he had instructed against what she felt was right. He knew, though, that she would ultimately follow his instruction, thanking his mother for the bit of logical reasoning he inherited from her. The hierarchy of life value placed Gibson at the top of the chain, only challenged by Cara.

The dark jeans he wore were ground into the dirt at the knees as his black tee shirt rippled gently in the breeze, Will's eyes focused on the base as they sat at the perimeter. "What's it look like?" Skinner whispered as he crouched next to him, knowing Will was scanning all available minds to be read.

"Five humans I can see at nine o'clock," Will murmured, peering through the binoculars.

"No replacements?"

"None so far."

"How confident are you?"

"Pretty."

Skinner sighed. "I'll go left."

"They're all at the left," Will argued softly.

"There's bound to be a replacement on the right, and you can handle him. I'll distract the others."

With a nod, Will handed the binoculars back to Skinner, feeling the weight of the gun he carried. There were a limited amount of shots he had, given he only recovered one extra clip of magnetite bullets from the bounty hunter in Hoboken. His large knife was tucked into his boot as an alternative weapon. "Alright," Will breathed, giving Skinner a nod, holding his fingers out in an "OK" sign. He mouthed a silent countdown. Three … two … one … He jammed his index finger out, dividing quickly from Skinner as they covertly scaled the grade downward into the base hidden from view.

Seeing a quick nod from Skinner at the bottom, Skinner crept toward one officer, easily knocking him out with little noise as Will watched from his cover point. Another officer nearby went down, Skinner like a silent thief in the night as he claimed the consciousness of his prey. Will bolted toward the empty area when he saw an opportunity, now hearing Skinner's swift and stealthy fight against the remaining three officers behind him.

Will pressed himself against an outside wall of a building, his face twisting in pain when he received the transmission of a replacement's mind. With a mute breath, Will lunged into an attack, his strength still superior to the superhuman he tackled to the ground, two magnetite bullets to the heart finishing him cleanly as Will slipped inside, Skinner on his heels. "Good call," Will whispered, taking the lead as they made their way down the darkened hall of the seemingly empty space.

With a quick shove against the wall, Will blocked Skinner as he heard two voices drifting through the air. Their tones quickened, picking up volume as they rushed nearer to them. Replacements, Will immediately knew, given how fast they realized he and Skinner were there. Will held up two fingers, allowing Skinner to know how many men were approaching. As he waited for the opportune moment to attack, Will honed in on their thoughts, feeling slightly less pain than he had before. Interesting, he noted. Moving quickly, he easily took down the two officers as they came in sight, his gun claiming their lives, much to their surprise. Guess no one sent them the memo about magnetite bullets.

They wove further through the dimly-lit corridors, peering into doors to check for any signs of life, particularly Cara's. After a while, they reached the end, unsuccessful in finding anything. Out the exit on the opposite side they went, Skinner attacking more humans as Will took down more replacements. All that Will kept thinking was how incredibly easy the search had been thus far. The last twenty minutes hadn't barely been active enough for him to even break a sweat. Something's off, he concluded.

The rest of the buildings were combed, Will and Skinner managing to avoid as many humans as possible, not encountering any more replacements. Those who they crossed paths with were neatly, temporarily silenced, giving them enough time to peer through more doors that led to nothing.

Forty-five minutes in, Will froze, his heart stopping as the blue and yellow light shone harshly in his mind. He crouched in silent pain, the image frightening him. "Cara's not here, but Miles is," Will whispered.

"Where?" Skinner asked.

"Back at the car," Will said, tearing off for the vehicle. The future Will saw didn't have a happy ending for Reyes or Gibson. He picked up his pace, seeing he was just in time to intercept Miles, who he tackled, blasting him through the dirt on the ground. Will stood, breathing deeply as he held his gun up at Miles, who stood and eyed him. "Check on them!" he ordered Skinner, who tore back to the car where Reyes and Gibson were. He kept his eyes on Miles. "Where is she?" Will snarled, cocking the gun.

"You won't find her in time," Miles replied, sensing Will's ability to jump into his mind was still sketchy.

"You're going to die tonight," Will said, stepping closer, "so tell me where she is."

"She's where she needs to be."

His anger rose to uncontrollable heights, Will's hands tossing Miles backwards against a tree with ease. "Where is she?" he growled, grabbing Miles by the arm as he lifted him up, slamming his head into the trunk of the tree.

"Everyone knew you'd cross to our side," Miles said with a cool smile, feeling Will's grip tighten around his arm as he pressed back against him. "I certainly didn't think you'd resist this long."

"Tell me where she is," Will growled, pressing harder.

"You know," Miles said, "I thought you would have figured things out by now, but I see you're a little late to the dance."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Why don't you reach inside my mind and find out?"

In a moment, Will dove into the depths of Miles' head, the murky evil he encountered leaving him disgusted. "I enjoyed killing Tonya and Martin," Miles said with a smile. "Normally I don't get the pleasure of such a personal task. I've been trying to rid the world of you for quite some time." He paused, trying to gain a physical advantage over Will, who didn't back down. "You haven't even gotten to the best part, my personal favorite," Miles taunted, pressing with equal force against Will, their mutual strength seeming to cause them to freeze in place, cancelling each other out. "Go on. Dig deeper. I'll know if you did."

Will's lips parted as he came to know Miles' horrid secret, he felt his heart stop as he looked into Miles' eyes. His primal rage boiled over uncontrollably. His anger, though, left him weak for defense, clouding his reaction time. Miles gained the edge slightly, allowing him to throw Will onto the ground, both palms flat as he tossed Will violently against a large boulder with his invisible force. Will groaned, his gun skittering away as his back slammed into the stone.

Miles shoved Will harder into the rock, feeling Will challenge his strength. "I had a lot of fun," Miles taunted suggestively, seeing Will go wild at his words as he struggled under Miles' power. "I'd volunteer to do it again," he continued, pleased with the hatred he saw in Will's eyes. "You think it'll help, your new talent - but you're cutting your nose off to spite your face."

Will managed to wrestle Miles' invisible energy off of himself, standing as he felt the pain of the boulder's impact from the continual weakening of his body. Will lifted the gun he dropped in the air with his mind, snatching it back in his hands. During his recovery, in a fraction of a second, he fully submerged himself in Miles' head, ignoring the voltages of pain from doing so. Will now could see his enemy's actions before they were committed, he firing several rounds into Miles' arms and legs before Miles could knock him down, injuring him with the painful magnetite but not killing him. Miles collapsed to the ground, Will driving his boot into his stomach repeatedly as he was filled with incredible strength from the surge of dark adrenaline that coursed through him. He hovered over Miles, pressing his foot onto Miles' throat, who squirmed under him in pain. "Where is she?" Will demanded, his voice dark and husky as he growled.

"I'll see you in hell, William Mulder," Miles said, smiling.

Skinner soon approached, having been delayed by checking on Reyes and Gibson, hearing the six rounds fired that came after the last five a moment earlier. "William!" he shouted, running toward him as he saw Will's long right arm over Miles' lifeless body, his finger repeatedly squeezing the trigger of his gun though he was out of bullets. "Stop, William!" Skinner said, grabbing Will's arm as he plucked the gun from his hand. Will lunged for Miles' dead body, pounding on his face with his fists, his pulse racing as he replayed the images he stole from Miles' head as Miles breathed his last breath. He felt Skinner pull him off of Miles, his eyes locked on Miles as his stomach lurched.

Will bolted away from Skinner, disappearing into the thick night; Skinner watched helplessly from a distance as he heard Will vomit. When silence fell over him, Skinner timidly approached Will, seeing his body crouched down on the ground, his hands in his hair. He swore he saw him shaking. "What did you see, William?" he asked hesitantly, knowing whatever Miles had inside of his mind had caused him to go over the edge.

"She was never here," Will managed, his voice low. "This was a set-up to lead us away from her. They knew we'd come here." He stood, his back still to Skinner. As he headed back to the car, his right arm brushed Skinner's, Skinner closing his eyes as he understood Will was keeping a terrible secret, one he wasn't ready to reveal.

"Where is she, William?" Skinner asked, turning toward Will.

Will paused, looking over his right shoulder slightly at Skinner. "I don't know," he said darkly, spitting on Miles' disfigured body as he walked away.