A panicked Meena turned around to face the man with the curly, black, salt and pepper hair. He stood there, a gun in one hand and a syringe in the other.
"You look frightened, my dear; let me help you. Let me help you forget what's troubling you."
"Stay away from me; I swear to God, I will kill you."
Meena held the gun in front of her as she pressed her body into the windowsill. The man with the curly, black, salt-and-pepper hair moved towards her, clucking his tounge in mock reproach at Meena's response.
"Now Meena; is that any way to talk to family?"
"You're no family of mine."
"I'm more family than you know," he replied.
Meena extended her arms fully now, her finger inching slowly towards the trigger. "Stay away from me, you sonofabitch! I will shoot you," she said, "without hesitation, I will pull the trigger and blow you straight into hell." "Put the gun down, my dear," he replied.
"You won't shoot me. I only want to help. My only concern is for your well being. You're really not yourself right now..."
"Shut up!" The slight quiver in Meena's voice betrayed her false sense of bravado; a betrayal her persecutor used to his full advantage.
"You're tired now, my dear. You need rest. You've been through a very trying ordeal, and quite frankly, I'm amazed you know where you are; who you are...."
"I know exactly who I am."
"I'm afraid you don't my dear. I can't believe it was never explained to you, your importance in the grand scheme of things. The importance of you and your son, and what your DNA can bring to the world. You must trust me, my dear..."
Despite her best efforts, a tear ran down Meena's face at the mention of her child, and her hands begin to tremble. She didn't want to show him this, she didn't want to show him her vulnerability, but it was too late.
"I never have trusted you. I never will."
"I assure you my intentions are entirely honorable, my dear." He lowered the gun, placing it in his pocket. "I assure you that my intentions truly are for your best welfare. I cannot help you unless you let me help you." Meena stood her ground. "I don't want your help," she said through clenched teeth. "I want you to die."
Meena pulled the trigger. The only sound she heard was the clicking of an empty gun.
"You won't shoot me, Meena," he slowly replied. "You can't. Not without these..."
Jeffrey Spender, the man with the curly, salt and pepper hair, pulled two gun clips out of his jacket pocket. He had taken as an afterthought when he discovered them in the doctor's medical bag.
"These, my dear, are what make the gun go, 'Bang!'"
********************************************************************************
Mulder stroked Scully's cheek with the back of his hand, and let his fingers trail down her neck to the gold cross that hung around it. "We had faith before that our daughter would be alright, Scully" he said gently. "We have to have that same faith now."
Mulder turned to walk down the passageway. "Stay with the baby, Scully. I'm going to look for Meena." Scully started to follow him. "I'm coming with you," she replied, but Mulder stopped her.
"No, Scully..."
"Mulder, you're hurt. You can't do this by yourself."
"I have to, Scully. You have to stay with the baby. In case.... In case we don't make it back. You're the only family our grandson will have should something go wrong. Besides, I've been looking forward to ripping Spender a new one for quite some time."
"Well, make it fast, Mulder, because I'm coming after you if you don't"
Mulder kissed his wife, the pressure of her lips against his giving him the strength to go on.
"I'm going to get Meena," he replied. "We'll be back."
************************************************************************
Meena screamed but she couldn't hear the sound. She felt the air expelled from her lungs as it traveled through her throat past her lips and out into the environment, but there was no sound. Her eyes searched frantically for a place to run, a place to hide, and he eyes fell upon the open stairwell.
"What do they say in the doctor's office?" her persecutor said, "This will only hurt a minute, my dear, and then blissful nothingness..."
He reached out and grabbed Meena by the wrist, dropping the gun clips on the floor. Meena dropped the empty gun and used her free hand to scratch bloody, red tracks across his face. He never let go of the syringe, raising it in the air as he aimed for Meena's arm. Just before he made his mark, Meena saw her chance and took it. She kicked him hard in the groin, and ran into the open stairwell.
The voice she lost came back to her, and she screamed.
"It was only a minor setback," he thought. "She'll realize that once she gets to the top of the stairs."
He took his time, slowly climbing the stone steps one after another. It was only a matter of time, and there was really no need for him to rush. She would eventually see that she only ran from the inevitable; she would eventually see that she was only delaying her fate by trying to escape it.
He found her where he knew she would be. The door at the top of the stairs banged against the doorframe as the wind repeatedly opened and slammed it shut. The top landing was wet from the rain that blew in, and the thunder reverberated throughout the stairwell. She stood outside in the elements; the rain soaking her skin and hair, and the wind whipping her skin until it was almost raw.
There was nowhere for her to go, and they knew it. They stood outside in the middle of the highest turret at the highest point of Sternwood Castle, and there was nowhere to go but down.
"Alright, Meena," yelled the man who would be her doom. "Enough! You have wasted enough of my time, and I am loosing patience."
"Accept your fate, Meena. Accept it now."
"HELP ME!!! PLEASE GOD, HELP ME!!"
**********************************************************************
Meena's blood-curdling screams tore through Mulder and ripped his soul apart. Had he wings at that moment to fly to her side and defend her, he would have; had he the magic of Merlin at his fingertips, he would have spirited his family to safety. He would have moved the earth and the moon, the mountains and hills to get to his daughter, but he had none of these things, and It ripped his heart to shreds.
Mulder frantically ran down the passageway, searching for the source of the sound; searching for his daughter. When he reached the end of the passageway, he saw the gun and the two gun clips. Mulder picked up the weapon and loaded it with one of the clips, placing the other round of bullets in his pocket. To his left was yet another hallway; to his right was a window. Ahead of him was an open stairwell. None of these things provided an answer; none of these things told him where his daughter was.....
There was a sudden bang, like a door had been thrown open against a wall, hard, and then he heard it.
***********************************************************************
"PLEASE GOD, STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!"
The sound reverberated in the stairwell, and traveled down, down, down to Mulder's ears. It was the clue he wanted, it was the clue he needed, and he followed his daughter's voice into the stairwell.
"PLEASE GOD, LEAVE ME ALONE!!!"
Jeffrey Spender, the man with the curly, black, salt and pepper hair, walked toward her. His hand held the syringe poised and ready for the shot. He had made up his mind; he would not be deterred, and this ordeal, this nuisance would be over in a matter of minutes. he didn't care if it worked, and at that moment, he didn't care if Meena lived or died. He had what he wanted in her son; he had what he needed in her son's DNA. Whether the mother lived or died was of precious little consequence to him.
For each step her enemy took toward her, Meena took a step back. She knew that there was no where to go; she knew that there was nowhere run. Darkness was all she could see as she looked behind her past the turret walls; darkness was all that surrounded her. And evil approached her with swift and deadly steps.
"SaintMichaeltheArchangeldefendusinbattle..."
....Meena recited the prayer she learned from her mother; the prayer her grandmother promised would protect her in her hour of urgent need...
"Bemyprotectionagainstthewickednessandsnaresofthedevil...."
Lightening flashed through the sky, and a clap of thunder frightened Meena and knocked her to her knees....
"MayGodrebukehimIhumblydoprayanddothouoprinceoftheheavenlyhostbythepowerofGod..."
Another lightening flash tore across the sky as Meena pushed herself backwards across the ground...
"CastintohellsatanandallhisevilspiritswhowandertheworldfortheruinofsoulsAmen."
The flash of lightening illuminated her persecutor's face as he reached down and grabbed her arm. He yanked her up hard as his hand left bruises on her wrist. "GET UP!" he spat at her, twisting her arm behind her. He pulled her against him hard, and his harsh voice echoed in her ear.
"Get ready, Meena. Get ready NOW...."
"GET AWAY FROM HER, SPENDER. NOW."
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The next flash of lightening illuminated Mulder as he stood in the doorway. Spender turned around, his arm wrapped around Meena's neck in a chokehold.
"Long time, no see, brother dear," Spender replied. "So glad you could make it. You're just in time to say good-bye."
Mulder looked at Meena, but he couldn't tell in the dim light if she recognized him or not. He didn't know if she recognized him as her father, or as the man she had seen in Harrods and in Notting Hill. He just didn't know, but he knew she was scared. He could see it in her face and hear it in her soft, frightened cries.
Mulder held his stance as he pointed the weapon at Spender. "Wish I could say I was sorry to see you go," Mulder replied "but, actually, I don't, and I'm not."
"Delusional as usual, Mulder" Spender replied. "I'm not going anywhere. Not when I've got so much to look forward to. The fruition of so much work over such a long period of time; it's quite exciting, actually. My only regret is the one person who would have truly appreciated all this isn't here to see it."
Mulder's stomach turned on reflex at the thought of CGB Spender. "I wouldn't worry," Mulder shot back. "I'm sure Hell has cable; maybe you can get CNN to carry it."
Spender moved the needle closer to Meena's arm. "Don't do it, Spender; I'll blow your ass straight back into Hell," warned Mulder. "You won't, Mulder," Spender answered. "You can't take the shot. You shoot me, you shoot your daughter. You blow me straight to hell, I take your daughter along with me; it's as simple as that."
Mulder knew Spender was right. The only way he would get a clear shot at he nemesis was to get his daughter out of the line of fire, but Spender's chokehold on Meena prevented any chance of that. He could blow out Spender's arm, but it probably wouldn't prevent him from giving Meena the analytic histamine. His hands were tied; he knew it, and so did Spender.
"So tell me, Mulder," Spender sneered. "How long has it been since you lost someone close to you? Samantha? Scully? You couldn't do anything then, and there's nothing you can do about it now."
Spender pulled his arm back to plunge the needle into Meena's arm; it was this flourish, this dramatic gesture, that gave Mulder the opportunity he needed. He knew it was a slim chance, but Mulder took his shot. The bullet tore through Spender's arm, causing him to drop the syringe. It rolled across the cobblestone floor through a weapon portal carved in the side of the turret, and fell into the moat below. When Spender realized what happened he screamed in anger and frustration.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Mulder was ready to take his next shot when the thing he feared the most happened with Spender's next words.
"SAY GOOD-BYE TO ALL HOPE, MULDER!"
Before Mulder could react, Spender pushed Meena out of the turret. Mulder heard the one word he hoped he would hear again...
"DADDY....!"
.... and the one word he hoped to God he'd never hear in his life.
"NOOOO!"