Starkweather and Sam heard the pandemonium as they raced
down the stairs. "Two more flights to go..." Sam panted.
"HURRY THE FUCK UP!!!" Frohike was screaming, "ITS AT
MULDER'S CELL!"
Starkweather, as she ran down the stairs, shoved the guns
in the back of her pants, grabbed the railing, vaulted over
the rails and landed solidly onto the next flight of stairs
going down.
"STARKWEATHER!!! COME BACK!!!" Sam yelled uselessly as he
ran after her.
She did that trick again on the next set of stairs and
found herself on Cell Block B. She pulled her guns out and
saw Billy Miles pulling the bars away like string cheese.
Over the din of male prisoners she raised her female voice:
"HEY! BILLY BOY!!!!"
Billy stopped his chore and looked straight at her. He
abandoned the bars and walked straight for her.
"Bring it on," she said before she started firing.
Starkweather emptied her clip of her service weapon into
Billy Miles' face. Blood, flesh and skull splattered the
walls and bars of the cell block. Headless, the arms
reached out for her while the body still walked towards
her.
"You're supposed to STOP after I shoot you! What part of
DEAD don't you understand?" she cried as the creature kept
coming forward. She whipped out the Beretta and fired into
his chest, his crotch, his gut and his knees. The thing
flopped over and wriggled its way towards her, flopping
around like a fish out of water.
"MULDER!!" she called out as she kicked at the gory mess
still crawling reaching for her. "Ew ew ew," she said as
she kicked away a reaching hand and quickly stepped over
the dead/alive remains. She reached into her purse that she
still carried and pulled out two clips and reloaded both
weapons, walking backwards, looking for Mulder's cell,
waiting for Doggett and watching the soggy heap of body
part slowly swing itself around and start pulling itself in
her direction again. "Mulder, where are you?"
"Over here!" Mulder stuck an arm out of his cell. "The one
where the bars are pulled away."
Starkweather back-pedalled to where Mulder was being held.
Mulder took one look at her braided hairdo and quipped
"Hello Your Worshipfullness."
Starkweather was examining the bent bars. "Han Solo you're
not... my God... that thing did this?? Jesus..." she tried
pulling on the bar and the bent iron bar defied her,
staying stubbornly bent. She took out the skelton key that
Byers fashioned for her to open the cell. "Shit... SHIT!!!!
Byers!!!" she snapped into the headset. "YOUR KEY'S NOT
WORKING!!"
"Billy must have damaged the tumbler of the lock when he
started to bend away at the bars," Byers' strained voice
filled her ears.
"I don't think we can get the cell door," Starkweather
said, panicking a little. They had twelve minutes to get
out of the jailblock before Frohike's window closed. "Can
you slid through the bars?"
Mulder tried, wedging his body through the bowed bars
created by Billy. "Dammit," he said, "Billy has a more
girlish figure than I."
"Well, we wouldn't be having this problem if someone didn't
sit on his ass all day and eat sunflower seeds." She
grabbed his arm. "YOU! Back there, hiding under the bunk
bed!" Manny, with a hang dog expression on his face,
complied. "You push, I'll pull."
"ARRCCKKK!!" Mulder said as his face was shoved past the
bars. "Don't you have a better way of doing this?"
"Sorry Pooh-bear," Starkweather snapped, "I'm fresh out of
butter and I left my flame-thrower in Byers' other pants.
PUSH!!"
"We're not having a baby," Mulder grumbled as his torso was
forced through the narrow space between the bars. "STOP
STOP STOP I'M STUCK!!" he yelled out in pain when he was
half-way out, his upper body, supported by Starkweather
while Manny was trying to lift his legs up and out. Mulder
looked down, "Starkweather..."
Starkweather, burdened under Mulder's weight, looked down
as well. "Oh damn," she sighed as she tried to kick away at
Billy's body, only a few feet away from her.
Sam made it to the bottom of the stairs and felt his
stomach lurch at the sight of the moving dismembered Billy
Miles slithering towards Starkweather. He could hear the
inmates discussing pleasantly amongst themselves: "WHAT THE
FUCK IS THAT THING!!! WHAT THE FUCK MAN!!!"
Sam took out Doggett's gun and ran towards Starkweather,
unloaded it into Billy's back, severing the back bone.
Billy stopped moving.
"Doggett!" Starkweather said, "help me," she started
pulling on Mulder again. Sam came around to the other side
of Mulder.
"Hold on, his suit's stuck," Sam pulled on a wad of
clothing that had become impaled on a piece of metal.
"No time for that," Starkweather pulled a pocketknife out
of her pocket and both anyone could freak out or protest,
slit away at Mulder's jumpsuit. "Doggett, help me pull him
out of his suit," she ordered as orange material fell away
from Mulder. Together, Sam and Starkweahter pulled Mulder
free, leaving him to stand in the cell block hallway in his
skivvies.
"Didn't know you were a whitie-tightie man," Starkweather
deadpanned.
"They took away my boxers."
Manny, being far more slender than Mulder, hopped through
the bars easily. "Let's get out of here."
"Oh no," Starkweather pointed her gun at Manny. "Get your
law-breaking ass back in that cell."
"We can't leave him here," Mulder protested.
"Mulder, I am already sticking my neck out for your sorry
ass, I can probably kiss my job goodbye for freeing you, I
am not going to add releasing a possible felon to my new
rap sheet!"
"Um, I just snuck into the county without a green card,"
Manny interjected.
"If we leave him here with no protection, he's going to get
killed! We can't leave him you egotisical, self-righteous
bitch!"
"Guys," Frohike broke into their fight through Sam and
Starkweather's earpieces, "You've got seven minutes to get
out before the window closes."
"BITCH!!!" She fumed. "Listen, you spineless, delusional,
arrogant ASSHOLE, I wouldn't be in this situation if your
monumental STUPIDITY on the oil righ hadn't gotten my
husband sucked into this insani-"
"Starkweather," Sam interrupted warily, pointing his gun
down at Billy's remains.
Starkweather looked down. Her eyes widened as Billy's body
parts were slowly coming together. "You," she grabbed Manny
by the collar of his jumpsuit and yanked him over to
Doggett. "Go with him. You're with me, come on," she
slapped her Beretta in Mulder's hand and pushed him towards
the door...
Starkweather pushed Mulder into the nearest restroom while
Doggett and Manny kept running up the stairs. "What are you
doing?" Mulder fumed.
"Trust me," Starkweather said as she unloosened her tie.
Meanwhile, Sam stopped Manny to slap handcuffs on him.
Manny wailed "What are you doing???"
"Trust me," Sam said gruffly.
Meanwhile...
back at the County Jail...
The Front Guard Room -
The guard that Starkweather burned and drugged was slowly
coming too. He looked up and saw the last thing he
remembered, which was that FBI agent...Frank Black, looming
over him. "It's okay, it's okay..." the agent was saying.
The guard was suddenly aware that he was in acute pain. He
tried to speak but his lips were burned.
Sam-in-Doggett-posing-as-Agent-Frank-Black told him, "I've
called the paramediacs. You were attacked, your burns are
superficial but very painfull. I've caught the guy who came
after you and I'm taking him to a pyscheatric facility.
Meanwhile Manny was sitting on a bench, still handcuffed
was wailing, "I didn't DO it!!!! I swear!!!!"
Frohike told the agents through their earpieces, "Okay, the
window's shut. Normal security and video survelliance is
goin' on. Stay cool."
Back down in the bathroom, Starkweather shrugged off the
bulky black purse she was carrying. She stripped off the
suit jacket, pants, dress blouse and tie she was wearing,
leaving her in nothing but a skin-tight tank-top and the
Lara Croft khakis shorts Langly had gotten her. "Get
dressed," she ordered him as she pulled out a pair of black
socks and shoes for Mulder. While Mulder dressed, she also
took out a can of aerosol hair coloring used primarily
during Halloween, a pair of glasses, spirit gum and a
brown-fading-to-gray fake beard and moustache. Once Mulder
was more or less dressed, she dabbed spirit gum on his face
and applied the beard and moustache. Quickly she sprayed
his hair with the coloring, streaking his brown hair with
gray. "Put these on," she said, handing him the glasses as
she crotched down again to put Mulder's disguise material
back in her back and to take out her own camoflauge, a pair
of stylish sunglasses Starkweather normally would never
wear and a white hankerchief she folded quickly into a
triangle. Quickly, she took the hairpins out one by one
until the braids flopped down her back. She tied the
hankerchief around her head and put the sunglasses on.
Standing next to a suddenly aged-Mulder, she looked like
his teenaged daughter. As she put her gun in her purse,
Mulder asked "And how do you plan on getting past the metal
detectors?"
"Like, chill out dad," she said snidely. "Langly's gonna
infect this place with a very obvious computer virus which
is going to wreak hell on their system."
"How?"
"All the doors to the Cell Block B are going to open. The
guards will be so busy, plus with the police that will be
coming with the paramedics for the guard that I um...
roughed up, they'll be so busy, they won't pay mind to us.
Plus, while they're wondering why there's no footage of the
guard being injured, they'll assume it's the same virus
that caused the computer to think the cell block doors need
to be opened."
"You've thought of everything, haven't you?"
Before Starkweather could snap back at him, Frohike told
her, "Virus is in, get your asses out of there."
Mulder and Starkweather could hear the slam of doors
opening below. They crept out of the bathroom and as
casually as possible, got onto the elevator to go above...
Meanwhile...
The upstairs was total bedlam. As the police sirens howled
in the distance, Sam administered first aid while the
minimal security staff ran around like chickens with their
heads cut off trying to round up the prisoners who were
suddenly free. Fortunately, only severe misdeamers and
"special" cases like the Deputy Mayor were kept at the
County, so there really wasn't much of a threat. Most of
the criminals, after watching Billy rebuild himself, were
far too terrified to move out of their cells.
Sam quietly stole away, taking Manny with him. The Lone
Gunmenmobile was parked right across the street next to a
police paddy wagon. It was perfect, it appeared to
onlookers that Sam-in-Doggett was leading a prisoner to be
transferred to a different prison. Instead, the doors to
the Gunmenmobile opened up and Sam tossed Manny inside
before he hopped in. The Gunmenmobile stole away, driving
to Starkweather's and Mulder's meeting point....
Meanwhile...
Mulder couldn't believe it, he and his "daughter" were
being personally escorted out by a police officer. When the
elevator stopped at the first floor, it was total chaos.
The cop didn't even look at him that closely, he just
grabbed Mulder by the arm and said "Sir, you and your
daughter need to evacuate immediately."
And when the metal detector went off, the cop didn't even
flinch, he just assumed it was his own weapons setting off
the alarms.
And Mulder and Starkweather hurried away from the crime
scene virtually undetected. The van was waiting for them
and they hopped into it's cramped security. It was too
easy...
Or it would have been, if Billy Miles hadn't seen them
leave.
Frohike was driving, Sam-in-Doggett was in the passenger
seat. Crammed in the back, Langly was high-fiving everyone
he could reach. Byers, Manny and Mulder were scootched in
together on a bench, Starkweather was watching out the back
window.
"We DID it! We freakin' DID it MAN!!" Langly crowed.
"Mulder, dude, can you believe this? You are totally a free
man!"
"I'm a man totally on the lamb you mean," Mulder corrected
him dryly. "And what's with the bikes?" He rested his palms
on Ben's Suzuki, which was leaning into his knees.
"Well, the game plan is that we are going to go our
separate ways and meet at the round-a-view point so we can
start the search for Mr. Starkweather. As for your status,
we plan on telling the authorities that you voluntarily
surrendered to Agents Doggett and Starkweather and hence in
federal custody." Byers informed him, "Once we find Mr.
Starkweather, all charges SHOULD be dropped, isn't that
correct, Mrs. Starkweather?"
But Starkweather wasn't listening, she was watching too
intently outside the window.
"Mrs. Starkweather?"
Meanwhile Sam was pondering Okay, we saved Mulder,
shouldn't I have leapt by now? Or do I still need to rescue
Ben? What if he's been killed? Am I trapped here then?
His reverie was broken by Starkweather's voice. "Doggett.
Frohike."
"Yeah?" Sam and Frohike unintentionally said in unison.
Starkweather pointed out the window. "He followed me home,
can I keep him?"
Frohike looked into his rearview mirror. "Shit," he
muttered as he saw Billy Miles weaving in and out of cars
in the heavy DC rush hour traffic. "Lock and load boys."
"You guys carry guns now?" Mulder said incredulously. "I
feel safer with Billy."
"He means get wired up," Langly said as he hooked up his
ear piece. "We might get separated faster than we thoug-."
"FUCK ME!!!" Starkweather interrupted, pulling her gun out,
"WHERE DID HE GO!!!"
Then there was the sickening sound of a thud on the roof of
the van. "Oh crap," Frohike said.
"BRAKE BRAKE BRAKE!!!!" Starkweather screamed. "SLAM ON THE
FUCKING BRAKES FROHIKE!!!"
"Hang on!" Frohike stomped on the pedal and watched Billy
go flying into the next car ahead. Then the car behind them
rear-ended them and everyone went sprawling. Starkweather's
gun went sailing out of her hands. Byers and Manny knocked
heads. Mulder grabbed his knees in real pain after the
bikes scraped past him. Sam gasped for breath as the seat
belt choked him. Langly groped for the glasses that flew
off his face and found Starkweather's gun instead. "Here,"
he handed it Mulder. Mulder handed it off to Starkweather
as she reached for it while asking
"WHERE'D HE GO?"
Billy just then lifted his mangled body off of the Volvo he
landed on. As horns honked frantically, he leapt off the
smushed car and onto the hood of the van.
Sam looked death in the eyes and ducked just in time before
Billy smashed the glass of the windshield in.
Sam-in-Doggett, Frohike met up with Langly, Byers and Manny
at the Lone Gunman's secret lair. "Where's Starkweather and
Mulder?" Sam demanded as Langly, Byers and Manny got off of
the sputtering moped.
"We don't know," Byers said. "I could not hail them on the
cell phone."
"Oh God," Sam muttered as he dialled Starkweather's
extension. "You guys," he said, pointed at the Lone Gunmen
and Manny. "Get to work on figuring out where they might be
keeping Ben. And for God sakes, somebody get a hold of
Scully." That had been scaring him all day. He had not
heard a peep from Scully all day.... or Al come to think of
it.
Why haven't I leapt yet? Sam wondered as Starkweather's
cell rang. God, are we too late and Ben's dead? "Pick
up," Sam said aloud, dreading the worst. "Pick up pick
up...."
********
Starkweather couldn't even hear her own phone ringing, the
roar of the construction trucks around deafened her
completely. With Mulder clutching her for dear life, she
used her husband's prized motorcycle as a Motor Cross dirt
bike, whipping around road block signs as fast as she
could. Billy was still gaining on them.
Mulder, meanwhile, had Starkweather's long braids
repeatedly hit him in the face over and over. At the speed
they were going, the thick cables of hair stung his cheeks
like bullwhips. He could hardly hold his head up. He could
hear the honks from the annoyed drivers of the dump trucks
and road graders trying to do their jobs.
Mulder and Starkweather gained a moments advantage when a
dump truck pulled right in front of Billy's truck that
turned into an enormous fireball when the truck plowed
right into it. Starkweather wheeled the bike around in a
perfect one-eighty, throwing gravel everywhere. "Oh my
God!" she cried out as the driver bailed out of the dump,
on fire. His co-workers ran to his aid. "I've got to help
that man," Starkweather started to get off the bike, but
Mulder pushed her back down.
"Starkweather, we've got to go."
Starkweather turned and said ferociously to him, "Mulder
you piece of sh*t, that man is injured and it's our fault.
Besides, that thing could not have survived that!" She
turned to point at the flaming trucks and gasped in horror.
Inside the flames was a lean man, walking calming towards
them. Like Shadrach in the furnace, Billy walked inside the
roaring fires towards them, perfectly calm despite the face
that his flesh was melting off his bones from the heat of
the flames roasting his hair and clothes.
"HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!!!" Starkweather wheeled the bike
around and took off, without looking back. Mulder barely
had a chance to grab onto her again, but he did manage to
yell in her ear "TOLD YOU SO."
"BITE ME-" Starkweather started to say but instead suddenly
applied the breaks. The bike screeched and toppled over,
sliding away. Mulder fell off and rolled but Starkweather
held onto the handle bars, grimacing in pain as the road
tore up her bare leg on the outside and the muffler burning
the same leg on the inside. Despite the agonizing pain, she
clung to the bike so it wouldn't go over the edge of the
bridge that the road crew was working to hard to repair.
Bruised, but not broken and on the first adrenline high
since he left the X-Files, Mulder picked himself up and ran
to Starkweather and helped her pulled up bike up and parked
it safely on the edge. He then examined her wounds. Tears
stood in her eyes but did not brim over. Through clenched
teeth, she told him. "I'm fine." Her leg on the side that
the road was completely scraped up, bits of glass and
gravel lodged into her skin. That same leg had a huge burn
mark on the inside of her calf where the muffler had landed
on.
Mulder helped her up. Starkweather tried to stand but her
knee buckled. She collapsed against him. Mulder supported
her by her elbows. He looked towards the billowing smoke
from the fire and said. "Damn."
"What?" Starkweather turned her head. "DAMMIT!!!" she
screamed at Billy approaching them in the distance, skin
completely burned away, hair still on fire. "DIE!!!"
Mulder picked Starkweather and put her on the motorcycle.
He got on and revved up the engine. She wrapped her arms
around his waist. "What are you doing?"
"Hang on, close your eyes and pray," Mulder said as he spun
the bike around, driving towards Billy.
Starkweather squeezed her eyes tightly shut as Mulder got
some distance from the edge of the broken bridge.
Meanwhile, Mulder was doing some quick math in his head.
The gap between the ends of the bridge that is being
repaired is only about the length of a city block, so I
need to get at least twice the length of that away and have
to hit well over 100 mph to ramp it... oh God... Less
than fifteen feet from Billy, Mulder swerved around and
started back towards the bridge, speeding up. Starkweather,
eyes still closed, heard the engine continually shifting
gears, tightened her arm around Mulder's waist even more
and buried her face into his back. Billy started to run
after them, unbelievably almost keeping up with the
Suzuki...
The edge loomed. Mulder gunned the engine and pulled up on
the handlebars and the motorcycle was airborne.
Less than fifteen feet from Billy, Mulder swerved around
and started back towards the bridge, speeding up.
Starkweather, eyes still closed, heard the engine
continually shifting gears, tightened her arm around
Mulder's waist even more and buried her face into his back.
Billy started to run after them, unbelievably almost
keeping up with the Suzuki...
The edge loomed. Mulder gunned the engine and pulled up on
the handle bars and the motorcycle was airborne. Actually,
the gap in the bridge was only about seven feet but it was
straight down to the mix-master right below, roaring with
speeding vehicles. And seven feet is seven feet.
Fortunately, at the speed Mulder was going, he ramped the
gap quite easily and the two tires touched down on the
other side. Mulder let off of the gas and the bike rolled
to a stop. He wheeled it around again. Starkweather opened
her eyes and peered around Mulder's body just in time to
see Billy Miles jump off the edge of the bridge towards
them, like Agent Smith in "The Matrix." The only different,
Billy missing and went spiralling down into traffic where
he was run over by a Pinto.
Starkweather heaved a big sigh of relief. "I didn't know
you could do stunts," she said.
She didn't see Mulder's face which was stark white and
beaded with nervous perspiration. "Neither did I," he
mumbled as he started up the bike again and headed towards
the Lone Gunmen hideaway.
Meanwhile, at the Lone GunmenLair
***********************
Sam was having certain doubts about letting Frohike drive
Doggett's truck back with Manny in tow, but Sam wasn't
about to do the navigating, being unfamiliar with the DC
area and needing desperately to get in touch with Scully or
Skinner. After nearly missing a couple of cars and
sideswiping a curb and putting a nice pole-shaped dent in
the side of Doggett's F150, Sam neglected getting in touch
with Skinner or Scully or any fo them till after they got
to the lair...just in case final prayers suddenly became
necessary. Manny next to him was more vocal about the
situation, screaming choice Spanish explicatives. If they
hadn't been so nervous about the situation at hand, both
men would have kissed the ground when they finally arrived
at the lair.
"That's it, hombre...next time I'm drivin'." Manny
declared.
"Frohike," Sam began shakily with his face as white as a
sheet once they finally got the lair, "Where did you get
your lisence?"
"We rigged one for him here, Doggett." Byers began
apologetically, giving Frohike a dirty look.
"Well you were gonna drive like an old lady, and we
would've been stuck in ass-to-ass traffic jams and we
would've been S.O.L. if it weren't for my skillfull
offensive driving techniques."
"Your skillfull offensive driving techniques almost made us
tortillas!" Manny yelled. Then he turned to Byers and
Langly, "any you guys got a phone I could use per favor?"
To which Langly responded by opening a drawerful of
wireless phones and cranking up about five of the desktops
that weren't in use at the moment. "Take your pic, man."
"Gracias." Manny said quietly, picked one from the drawer,
and dialed. "Local call...I know people." Then he began
rattling off a spanish conversation, pausing briefly for a
response.
"I understood mi amigo" Langley murmured
"I heard Mulder in their somewhere I think."
Sam, fluent in Spanish, would have been able to understand
what he was saying very well, didn't hear any of the
conversation because he was outside relaying what had
happened to Skinner.
"Guys, something on the squawker." Frohike said quietly,
now frantically keying in the local news channell websites.
"Trafficjam on the freeway."
"WHAT THE FUCK JUST HIT ME?! WHAT THE FUCK JUST HIT ME?!" A
trucker screamed across the CB waves.
"That's our boy." Langly mumbled.
"Oh shit!" A scratchy voice came over the police radio the
gunmen had hooked up and turned on in their warehouse.
"It's like outta that Terminator movie..."
"I'm checking the CB." Byers informed his comrades, and
began hooking it up, putting the headphones.
"I hate to break to you buddy, but this ain't no movie." A
female's voice scratched back. SWEET JESUS WHAT THE F*CK IS
THAT?!"
"There's a Suzuki...a blonde chick's drivin'...with some
old guy...that Ford Truck's chasing it"
"This can't be good." was Manny's grim prognosis.
Frohike went back into a room and got out a bottle of Wild
Turkey Burbon and downed a shot's worth.
Just as Frohike pulled Doggett's sadly abused truck next to
the Lone Gunmen lair, Starkweather and Mulder pulled into
the lot, Mulder driving, Starkweather clinging to him like
the toy clip-on koalas that were so popular in the early
eighties. Both were white as ghosts.
"Mulder!" Frohike cried out as he ambled out of the truck
and scurried to him, Manny and Sam-in-Doggett following.
Mulder lifted Starkweather off the bike, Starkweather
wincing in pain, clenching her teeth. "Hide the
motorcycle," he instructed to no one in particular. "About
every cop in a twenty mile radius is looking for it right
now." Frohike took the initiative and wheeled the bike
inside the lair.
Sam only had eyes for Starkweather at them moment. "What
happened?" he said, urgency tinging his voice. Then he
looked down at her leg and saw the massive abrasions. "Oh
boy," Sam said in horror. "Starkweather...."
"Mulder," Starkweather tugged on his sleeve. "You need to
get inside. You're a fugitive now."
"Been there, done that," Mulder muttered as he carried her
inside, Sam and Manny following.
Mulder began barking orders the minute Frohike locked the
door. "Langly, find some clean, emphasize on CLEAN sheets
and lay them across the table and a pillow. Byers, I need a
pair of tweezers, cotton pads, ACE bandages and sterilizing
solution: iodine, alcohol, hydrogen perioxide, anything
that will kill the germs." After Frohike cleared a table
with the sweep of his arm and Langly threw a sheet over it
and positioned a pillow just so, Mulder put her down.
Starkweather closed her eyes. "God knows, I've have Scully
piece me back together enough times, I think I can handle
this," Mulder said to Sam as he referred to her scrapes and
contusions. "I don't know about this," he moved her injured
leg just enough for Sam to see the blistering burn on the
inside of her leg.
"Oh my God," Sam said in horror. "Mulder, that's at least
second-degree. We need to get her to a hospital."
"Or at least a doctor," Mulder said. "Call Scully." When
his request was met with dead silence, Mulder asked. "Why
is no one picking up the phone?"
Starkweather raised herself up on her elbows. "Because,"
she said wearily, "we haven't been able to get in touch
with her since last night."
Sam was quick to reassure him, "William is fine, he's safe,
he's been guarded by Skinner and Reyes the entire time this
mess began. I'm sure Scully is safe," Sam hoped he sounded
more positive than he felt. "We would have heard if she
wasn't."
"Besides," Starkweather's dry voice cut into the
conversation, "you have bigger problems than the
whereabouts of Scully right now."
Mulder and Sam both turned around. Starkweather was aiming
her gun at Mulder. She ju "Oh crap," Frohike said as Langly
and Byers froze. Manny said something in Spanish that
sounded suspiciously sacriligious.
"Starkweather," Sam said slowly, "what are you doing?"
Despite her injuries, Starkweather managed to sit up, face
Mulder and hold her gun in the perfect FBI grip, aiming
right between the eyes, point blank range. If she chose to
fire, **if she chose to fire**, no vaccine would bring him
back from the grave this time.
"Starkweather, you don't want to do this," Sam said,
inching towards her, prepared to wrest the gun from her
hand... again. I'm getting too good at this... Sam
thought as beads of perspiration collected on his forehead.
"Doggett, shut up," Starkweather said pleasantly enough.
She tilted her head and looked at Mulder straight in the
eye. "Did you kill my husband."
Mulder, who had been completely unruffled the entire time
said without batting an eye "No."
"Do you believe he's still alive?"
"Yes."
"Will you help us find him?"
"I would even if there wasn't a gun pointed at me," Mulder
said in his monotone at its most nettlesome.
Starkweather gritted her teeth, put her weapon back on
safety, set it down beside her, and fainted.
Sam released a sigh of relief. Mulder turned to him and
said, the tiniest hints of surprise and rebuke coloring his
voice, "You didn't really think she was going to fire...
did you?"
Sam looked at Mulder in shock. "She has been on the
Emotional Rollercoaster from Hell, Mulder," Sam snapped on
him. "I'm surprised she didn't fire on me as well." since
part of her still probably suspects I'm not really
Doggett.
Mulder shook his head. "She's in shock from her injuries.
Starkweather's hot headed, but she'll be fine once we get
her stabilized." he said, coming to her and taking the gun
away, hitting the button with released the clip. A full
cache of bullets landed in his hands. He handed them to
Sam. "Still," the mischievious twinkle was back in his
eyes, "better treat her like Barney Fife for a while." He
walked away, whistling under his breath as he went to
scrounge with Byers for more medical supplies.
Sam folded his lips tight. The cocky son-of-a-bitch. he
thought... although... deep down, he knew Mulder was right.
She would have never fired, she was only trying to rattle
him... and failed utterly. Sam went up to Starkweather and
stroked her hair. "Hang in there, Doc," he said softly. "We
can see the light at the end of the tunnel now..."
Mulder propped Starkweather's injured leg on top of a
pillow. Miraculously, Byers found a first aid kit that had
silverdine ointment in it, a wonderful cream used to treat
serious burns. He handed the tube to Doggett and told him
"You do the honors" as he sterilized the tweezers in hot
water.
Gingerly, Sam applied the cream to the burn on the inside
of her leg. "Ben would shoot me if he saw this," he
muttered.
"Starkweather is going to want to shoot me for real once I
start digging the gravel out," Mulder said as he used tongs
to fish out the hot tweezers and set them on the table to
let them cool before he went to work.
"HOW did you know she wasn't going to shoot you???" Sam
burst out.
Mulder shrugged. "She wanted to get my attention. She got
it."
"But you weren't worried?"
"No."
The Gunmen in the back were cooking on something on their
computers. Sam only hoped that it was about the case.
"WHY does she... um," Sam tried to pose his question
delicately as he finished applying the salve and went
around the table to assist Mulder in his dreaded task.
"Hate my guts?" Mulder finished Sam's sentence for him.
"Well... when I was young and stupid, I had gotten a lead
about an abductee named Lynnette Malone. She was a multiple
abductee until she turned nineteen an married a fine young
sailor in the Navy. The source that tipped me off said
there was something very special about Miss Malone that
would affect me personally. Of course, I assumed she had
information about Samantha. I took the address and flew out
there like a bat out of hell. Unfortunately, my source
failed to tell me that Miss Malone was now Mrs. Bailey and
was dying of cancer, leaving behind a husband and a sixteen
year old daughter."
"Starkweather," Sam said, under his breath.
"Mrs. Bailey was perfectly lucid when I met with her and we
chatted for a good ten minutes before I started my
questions. Even in the beginning of my interview, she
opened up just the tiniest bit, but..." Mulder shook his
head as he readied the tweezers. "Mrs. Bailey was suffering
from a rare type of brain cancer, rare in most people, but
common in women who have been abducted, tested and made
sterile due to the tests. Scully nearly died of the same
cancer," Mulder looked at Starkweather. "Good thing she
passed out, this is going to hurt like a b*tch." Mulder
pulled the first piece of gravel out of her leg.
Starkweather flinched, but didn't wake up. "Anyway, Mrs.
Bailey was in the final stages of the cancer and her
lucidity was slipping away. She became frightened,
disorientated. Instead of calling the nurse, I pressed on,
hoping that she'd come back from the hell the tumors were
creating for her just to breath to me the secret I was
convinced she held that would help me find my sister.
Little did I know that Starkweather had been outside,
listening in on every word. Her mother completely collapsed
the next day, slipped into a coma and passed away.
Starkweather never forgave me for not letting her mother
have a peaceful death, and I never forgave myself." Mulder
sighed as he continued to pick out the gravel. "And the
irony was, after all these years, my source WAS correct.
Mrs. Bailey did have something that was intensely
personally to me. She was raising my father's daughter."
Startled, Sam stared at Mulder. "How did you know that?" he
asked cautiously.
Mulder looked up at Sam, a wicked twinkle in his hazel
eyes, "Because," he said lowly, "Al told me, Sam."
Sam exhaled. He had forgotten that he had deployed Al to
Mulder's cell to tell him the happy news.
Where the hell was Al anyway?
"I'm not going to say anything," Mulder continued to speak
sotto voce. "You don't need to be added to their online
newsletter," he subtly nodded his head towards the Gunmen.
Sam, meanwhile was watching Starkweather, "She's waking
up," Sam warned Mulder.
"Damn," Mulder muttered, trying to pull out a very
difficult shard of glass that refused to budge. "Could you
bludgeon her with a heavy object so she'll stay unconscious
for at least five more minutes? I'm almost done."
"I heard that," Starkweather opened her eyes. "Help me up,"
Starkweather asked Sam. "I wanna see what Dr.
Frankenstein's doing to me."
Mulder didn't even look at her, "It's alive, it's alive,"
he said in his monotone. "Starkweather, if there's
something to hold on to or bite on, do it, because, of
course since I don't hold a degree in medicine, I'm making
an assumption, but this is going to hurt. A lot."
"Joy." Starkweather said as she gripped Sam's wrists.
"Bliss." She took a deep breath. "If it's glass, and I
can't believe I'm saying this, but pull it out slow. I
would be slightly on the unhappy side if it broke and a
chunk of glass was still in my leg."
"They look to be mostly flesh wounds though," Mulder said,
"Okay, count of three," Starkweather looked away, "One-
two- deep breath- THREE," and Mulder pulled the last
stubborn piece of glass out of her leg. Starkweather's
nails dug into Sam-in-Doggett's wrists and tried to hold in
the whimpering sounds. "Okay," Mulder held up the glass.
"it's out."
"How much left to do?" Starkweather leaned forward to
examine her own leg. "My God..." she muttered. "Gives all
new meaning to the phrase 'That's gonna leave a mark.'" The
doctor bent forward as far as she could to continue her
topical exam. "I think you got most of it, though. There's
a few big pieces of gravel that should come out, but
anything else will probably work its way out in time." She
leaned back into Sam's belly. "Let's get it over with."
So Mulder was back to work. By the time he was done, tears
were steaming down her face. "I didn't mean to hurt you,"
Mulder said.
Sam caught the double-meaning. He wondered if Starkweather
did.
"I know, I know," Starkweather, feeling like a bawl baby
and hated it, sucked it up and dashed away the childish
tears with a flick of the hand. She watched Mulder put a
sterile cotton pad on her burn and then using clean cotton
bandages, started to wrap her up. "So..." she said wearily,
accepting the glass of cool water Langly brought her.
"What's the master plan of getting Ben out of this
clusterfuck."
Both Mulder and Sam looked at her in shock.
Starkweather opened one eye and said airly "You boys didn't
dream for one second you were going to cut me out of the
action, did you?"
Stammering, Sam said "Your leg..."
"Doggett, obvisiously I never told you about my motorcycle
accident I had when I was stationed at Whiteman AFB in
Missouri. Made this one look like a kiss of a ladybug. I
was almost given a medical disability discharge." She
sighed. "That might be Ben's bike, but I was the one who
taught him how to ride."
Mulder and Doggett believed her.
"Well-" Mulder was about to launch into one of his
profoundly weird but almost always eeriely correct theories
when Byers interrupted.
"There's someone at the door," Byers said, looking through
the peep hole, "Someone," Byers looked at Mulder, "you
probably have been waiting to see." He undid the many locks
and in walk Special Agent Dana Scully, carrying a sleeping
Will Mulder crossed over to her. Typical of their
extremely private, personal relationship, Mulder only put
his hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead, then
kissed the baby. Old habits die hard. Or maybe he was
actually being considerate of Frohike's feelings for once,
since the truculent little man still carried quite the
torch for her. Scully only closed her eyes in relief that
Mulder was out of harms way. She did shift the baby into
one arm and with her free hand, reached for his, which he
grabbed and interlocked his fingers with hers.
"Scully," Starkweather raised a hand in greeting. "
'Sup?"
"What happened to you?" Scully's eyebrows flew up in
concern.
"I'll live," Starkweather side-stepped her question. "Where
the hell've you been?"
Mulder's hand left hers and he had began to put it around
her shoulders, a little more PDA that she was used, than
either of them had been used to, but she welcomed it, until
her shoulder reminded her that she had been shot there.
"Ow," Scully folded her lips together.
"What's the matter, Scully?" Mulder took Will and passed
him off to Sam.
"Mulder, I'm fine." she protested when he pushed away her
coat and tugged at the collar of her shirt gently to try
and see more of her shoulder.
"Scully, when you translate those two words from Scullyese
to Basic English, 'I'm fine' really means 'Something bad
has happened, but I'm going to lie my ass off about it
because I don't want to worry anyone about it.'" He pulled
Scully aside, glared at everyone else. Everyone else
scurried off and became really interested in whatever task
they had been working on. Except for Starkweather, she just
laid back down and started to count the cracks in the
ceiling.
"Scully," Mulder scolded her. "We've been through too much
already for you to start this 'I'm fine' bs again. What
happened? Why is your shoulder bandaged like that?"
Scully sighed. He was not going to take this well. "Mulder,
I was shot at yesterday." She saw his eyes change from the
warm golden hazel to that strange honey-green color
whenever he was enraged.
"Who?"
"Marita Covarubias. She's involved with this. But I AM
fine, Mulder. It was a flesh wound. The worst that it did
was ruin another blazer." She tugged at his hand. "Mulder,
listen to me. There isn't time for this. I've discovered
some new information that clear your name completely and
blow this case wide open. I need to tell you and Agent
Doggett and Agent Starkweather what's going on. I saw Ben,
with my own eyes. He's alive. But unless we do something
soon, I don't know how much longer he'll stay alive. I need
to brief you and the others. Immediately," Scully insisted.
Mulder's eyes never left her face. "Why did you bring Boo
here?" Scully dropped her eyes to her shoes. "Something
must have happened if you did not feel secure enough to
leave him with a sitter."
Now Scully's eyes teared up and Mulder hated himself for
it. He had woken up many a night in a cold sweat because of
very real fears of William's safety. For as long as he had
known her, Scully had always been a meticulous agent. Harm
has never fallen on anyone because of irresponsibility on
her behalf. Whatever Scully had stumbled upon must have
been big, big enough into scaring her to collect Will and
flee to the Gunmen strong hold. "It's okay," Mulder said,
discreetly kissing her cheek, taking her hand again. "Just
tell us what happened."
So they rejoined the group. Byers got a chair for Scully
and then got a chair for himself. Manny came up to the
group apprehensively and hovered on the fringe. Frohike
stayed at his computer. Langly leaned against a table, next
to Starkweather, who had sat up and swung her legs over the
edge so they were dangling. Sam gave Will to Mulder and
flanked Starkweather on her other side. Mulder stood behind
Scully, prepared to memorize every word. They all were.
Scully took a breath, "Agent Starkweather, as of three
hours ago, I can confirm that Ben is still alive."
Now Starkweather took a breath. She fiddled with her
wedding ring. "Tell me."
So Scully started to recant her tale of the past day's
events.
Back to the Future...right after Al left 37C
***********************************************
Al came storming through the chamber door, livid.
"Dammit Goushie! I don't care if I hafta sell my soul to do
it, GET ME BACK THERE!"
"I-I-I would if I could, Admiral...but that's a bit
difficult right now. Ziggy's gotta glitch and I haven't
figured out where it is. Is the handlink uh...up and
running?" Goushie stammerred.
"You know," Al ranted, "you'd think with a time machine,
we'd have all the time in the world on our hands...but
tonight, things could get very very bad very very fast if I
don't get to Sam NOW!"
"The handlink, admiral...is it running?" Goushie persisted.
Al looked down and only nodded.
Then he stormed into the waiting room, and saw Doggett
sedated and unconscious. "Damn stupid marine." He mumbled,
accentuating each word with a bang of his head against the
plexi-glass.
"Verbeena," Al growled as soon as the psychologist was in
view, "please tell me he's just taking a little snooze."
"He's just taking a little snooze..." under Al's
scrutinizing glare, she revised her statement, "...with the
help of some ethanol." Dr. Beeks returned with flat
caution. When Al's glare persisted, she added hastily, "You
gave me orders to sedate him if he became violent
again...and he did. I had no choice in that."
"Verbeena...I don't care if you hafta pump black coffee
through him intravenously...I need what he knows. We've got
a situation back there."
"Al," Dr. Beeks interrupted firmly. "If Goushie can't even
get you back there, what good his Agent Doggett's
information going to be to you until then?"
"Admiral..." Goushie began cautiously, "I'm afraid...you're
gonna hafta sit tight here for a while. We've got a
corrupted component that we won't be able to have replaced
till morning. Besides...I know you're exhausted...I think a
night's sleep will do you good."
"Is there any way you can get the imaging chamber and the
handlink to coordinate without that component?"
"Yes, but there are several possibilities if you do make
contact with Dr. Becket."
"They are?"
"Either you or Dr. Becket will be unable to retain either
visual or auditory links, or everyone in the world will be
able to see you, or you might have trouble with the
handlink."
"Goushie..." Al returned, eyes widening in alarm, "I think
there's already been a glitch in the handlink...now there's
a report of what looks like from the article, Billy Miles,
chasing Diana Fowley and...CBG Spender? on a Kawasaki...at
rush hour? Goush...I don't think folks 'll be too spooked
by me walking through walls if that ain't a tabloid
heading."
"I'll do what I can to get you back there." Goushie
promised, and scurried back to the console. Al went back to
his apartment...but he doubted he'd be sleeping much.
LGM lair
********
"Mulder," Scully began with a sharp, cautious sigh, "I can
also confirm that as of six hours ago Spender is alive
too."
Mulder slammed his fist down on the make-shift computer
desks. "So that's why you had to bring him here...he's
going after you and William to get through me..." his voice
was shaking now, "GodDAMMIT I can't let that happen!
Starkweather...as soon as he finds out our connection,
he'll get to you too."
"An old man dying of emphaszema smoking a cigarette..."
Starkweather deadpanned, "Oooooh...scary...now I'll sleep
with the lights on with that mental picture."
"Frohike," Mulder mumbled only loud enough for him to hear,
"hop online and see what you can do about hacking me a
plane reservation..." Mulder began shakily.
"Mulder..." completely hammered by this point, and glancing
wide-eyed and white-faced over at Scully, "if I get you the
plane tix, promise me she's not gonna blow my ass to
kingdom come."
"Starkweather," Sam warned, "That old man is probably
responsible for that leg...don't write him off so fast..."
"Langly, please..." Mulder hissed cuatiously so as not to
wake up William, "get me a fake birth certificate, SSN, and
ID...Scully...if he's using you and Will to get to me,
we'll be dodging Billy Miles all our lives, that's not fair
to either you or him...I can't let that happen."
"Mulder, just what do you think your doing?" Sam hissed
adamantly, "after all me, Scully, everybody went through to
make sure your kid has a father around, I sure as hell am
not going to sit by and let you run."
"Doggett," Scully scowled, eyebrow raised and jaw clinched
"let me handle this," then she seethed towards Mulder,
"Mulder, You think for one minute he's not going to try to
get to me through you or William, too? That terrifies
me...every damn day I wake up in the morning with that
fear...but what kind of lesson is that to teach him? To run
from everything lurking in the shadow? You really want him
to grow up resenting you the way you resented your father?"
"Scully," now Mulder's jaw was furiously clinched and his
own voice was raspy, if everyone hadn't been there to
witness their conversation, "I'm a fugitive now...not only
from Spender, but from the law. If I stay, I'm a threat to
you and him. What do you think he'll resent me more for?
Making him afraid for his life and yours every day he lives
or my abscence?"
"Saved by the bell, man." Langly nasalled. "That same
trenchcoat I saw walking away that night" Then he looked in
to see a woman holding gun at the cameras "...oh shit.
Boys...we've got company." His Adam'sapple bobbed up and
down as he unlocked the deadbolts one by one.
He opened the door, and heard the c*ck of a gun. Sam drew
out Doggett's government-issued clipper.
Marita emerged in the doorway with Scully's FBI-issued .32
calliber pistol at Langly's head."
"I am NEVER answering the door again, man." Langely
wavered.
"Go ahead, kill 'im...he's annoying as hell..." Frohike
grumbled.
"Relax," Marita purred, "I'm only using the gun for
persuasion. I need your help as much as you need mine."
"I don't know who the hell you are," Sam growled, getting
his own FBI issued gun out of its holster, "we've got our
own persuasions, too."
"You don't belong here, do you?" Marita mused in Sam's
direction.
Am I really that obvious? Sam tried not to make it
obvious that she was right.
"Agent Scully, to show I'm here with good intentions,
here's your weapon." She said, giving the gun to Scully.
"Sorry about the bullet wound, I had no choice in the
matter. I am a desperate woman."
"You almost killed me." Scully hisssed.
"Agent Scully, I'm a better shot than that. If I wanted to
kill you, I would have." Marita spat back.
"You're not exactly what I'd call a Mother Teresa."
Starkweather mumbled under her breath.
"Marita, if you're here to help us, then why did you send a
lawyer to frame me?" Mulder demanded.
"Yes, that was my doing..." Marita answered with a ragged
breath, "but it was for your protection. It was the only
place I could insure that you'd be safe. I had no choice in
sending the replicant to your cell. The old man doesn't see
things the way I do. He thinks that your dynasty should be
destroyed while there is still time."
"Why protect me?" He mumbled, raking a hand through his
hair.
"You and your family," she said, glancing at Will and
Starkweather, "are the only thing keeping this planet from
colonization."
"So what, I get to save the world?" Starkweather smirked.
"Neato." She finished dryly.
"This isn't her fight," Mulder began but Starkweather
stopped him in midthought.
"Look, Big Brother," Starkweather spat back, "Thanks for
sticking up for me on the playground and all but this IS my
fight too. They took my husband...the one part of my life
that is anything close to f*cking normal. If he is still
alive, then I'm going to make damn sure he stays that way.
This is too damn personal for me to back out of now.
Whether we like it or not, I'm in this as deep as you are."
"If we are to succeed, we don't have much time." Marita
cautioned.
"I still don't get it..." Sam began, "If you're trying to
take control of the Syndicate, why help us out?"
"The old man thinks colonization of the blue-collar working
class is the only way to save the few priveledged." Marita
answered quietly,
"What he doesn't get is that they won't take some of
us...they'll take all of us. Destroying both Mulder and
Starkweather professionally and keeping them away from the
area is the only way I can do that. I've let the Old Man
think I'm doing his bidding. Distract his goons by getting
the lawyer out of the warehouse, and I can regain controll
of the Syncidate."
"How the hell do you expect us to take your word now after
all the lies you've told?" Scully seethed.
"What choice do you have?" She answered evenly without
batting an eyelid. "I'm going to take controll of the
Syndicate whether you help me or not. I can find another
way. I realise my actions have been dubious...but you must
realize that it's all done for what's right. I sent the
replicant betting that you'd be able to defeat him. I
didn't count on the regenerative properties to only be
enhanced every time he's destroyed. Make your decision
quickly. Ben is back in the Lincoln Street Warehouse."
With that, she made her exit.
"What the fuck are we going to do..." Mulder mumbled,
ragging his hand in his hair. "We sure as hell can't trust
her. Like I was saying before...I think our safest bet is
for me to leave..."
"What she says does match up with what the detective told
me last night." Scully admitted in between coos to William
who was now very much awake and cranky.
"I can't believe I'm saying this but...Mulder's kinda
making sense here...at least about trusting her. What if
it's a trap?" Sam wondered as Starkweather reached out for
William who wailed at a decible level that should have
broken all the computer screans exposed in the warehouse.
"You wanna play target practice, kiddo?" Starkweather
cooed. Frohike flashed her a dirty look and snatched him
up. "Come on, kid," he grumbled, Uncle Melvin'll show you
how to hack into national security."
"Scully, what did you find out last night?" Scully and
Mulder both glancing nervously behind them at what Frohike
was doing.
William was content with banging on the keyboard. "You
looking for a consultant position with us, Will?" Byers
said as he came out of his room in the back.
"Guys, I found something on my mac you might wanna take a
look at...Mulder, looks like your arresting officer is
buddies with Kersh. You guys might wanna take a look at
this." Frohike hurredly passed William to Starkweather like
a hot potato as he ran to the room as he went to see what
Byers was talking about.
"Yeah, way to treat a cripple, guys!" Starkweather hollared
after them all in protest. "Well Will...looks like it's you
'n me, buddy. You think the guys have survellence cameras
around here?" Will's face started scrunching up again in
aggrivation. "Oh come on, kiddo..." Starkweather cooed,
hoisting him up so that his head was level with hers.
"We're family, I'm not gonna really use you as target
practice...I was just kidding. You know, if you need me to
beat up your Daddy for you, I'll be happy to do that...or
if you need advice about girls, I can do that too...I am
one you know...your daddy took seven years to get your
mommy, so he's not exactly the best person for advice in
that department...or if you want a really cool toy, I'll
see what I can do about negotiating with Santa Claus speed
it up." She glanced nervously back towards the room to see
if anyone was coming out any time soon. Then she did
something thoroughly uncharacteristic.
She began singing.
Unlike her colleagues, her voice was actually a pleasant
sound.
When your down and troubled
and you need some lovin' care
and nothin', oh nothin' is going right
close your eyes and think of me
and soon I will be there
to brighten up even your darkest night
You just call out my name and you know wherever I am
I'll come runnin'to see you again
Winter spring summer or fall
all you hafta do is call
and I'll be there
you've got a friend
If the sky above you grows dark and full of clouds
and that old north wind should begin to blow
you just keep your head together
and call my name out loud and soon,
you'll hear me knockin' at your door
You just call out my name
and you know where ever I am I'll
come runnin, runnin' yeah
to see you again
Winter Spring, summer or fall
all you hafta do is call
and I'll be there yes I will
Now ain't it good to know that you've got a friend
when people can be so cold
they'll hurt you, yes and desert you
and take your soul if you let them
but don't you let them
you just call out my name
and you know whereever I am
I'll come runnin', runnin' yeah to see you again
Winter spring, summer or fall, all you hafta do is call,
and I'll be there yes will
Starkweather was belting it out much to Will's delight, and
Sam heard the commotion from the front room and rushed to
see if Starkweather was in pain or having trouble
controlling Will. He approached cautiously when he realized
she was singing, and at the scene of her with her nephew,
Sam wished almost bitterly that the strange dream he had
had a few nights ago could be true.
Starkweather was belting it out much to Will's delight, and
Sam heard the commotion from the front room and rushed to
see if Starkweather was in pain or having trouble
controlling Will. He approached cautiously when he realized
she was singing, and at the scene of her with her nephew,
Sam wished almost bitterly that the strange dream he had
had a few nights ago could be true.
Starkweather looked up. "Doggett," she said, unabashedly.
"What's up?"
"You better come here," Sam said solemnly. "We're figuring
out a game plan."
"What's the play, Papa John?"
"We're going in."
"'We' as in you and Mulder or 'we' as in you, Mulder and
myself?"
"Starkweather, your leg-" Sam feebly protested, knowing
that it was going to do no good.
She scowled at him. "Here," she thrusted Will at him. Sam
gingerly took the baby. She took a step back, then a step
forward, going head over heels, executing a perfect
cartwheel. "I'm fine. I'm in. Whether you like it or not."
"Doesn't sound like we have much of a choice," Mulder's dry
voice came up from behind Sam.
"Here," Sam handed Will to Mulder. William, since he was a
very young child, could see Sam as Sam. Not sure of
strangers, Will had stared at Sam, his big eyes filled with
terror, his puckered up on the verge of a cry.
"What's with you, Boo?" Mulder asked Will who snuggled as
close to Mulder as he could. "Byers is calling Reyes. He's
giving her the information that Scully collected. That's
enough for a search warrant for Justin Leo and the lovely
Detective Somerset. He liked strip-searching me a little
too much." Mulder droned on, absolutely straight faced.
"Thanks for sharing," Starkweather quipped.
"So while their privacy is being invaded, we're going on a
field trip to a certain warehouse where hopefully Mr.
Starkweather is still in one piece."
"We're going heavily armed, correct?"
Mulder crossed over to his half-sister. "This is no game,
Starkweather. You saw what Billy Miles is capable of." By
this point, everyone else had re-entered the room.
"I know. That's why I asked if we were going to be heavily
armed."
Mulder folded his arms. "Why don't you be in charge of
amunitions?"
"Does anyone have a shotgun?" When Sam and Mulder glared at
her, she replied "I'm serious. Maybe it wouldn't kill him,
but a hole through his gut might stall him. A bit."
"I've got one," Langly ventured shyly.
All turned. "What the hell are YOU doing with a shotgun?"
Scully cried.
Langly shrugged. "I won it in a game of D and D."
"D and D??" For once, Starkweather was stumped.
"Dungeons and Dragons."
"Never mind..." Starkweather said. "When are we leaving?"
"As soon as it's dark," Scully said. "It'll be the four of
us. The Gunmen are staying behind to care for Will," she
reached out to touch William's head.
"What if," Starkweather said, softly now, "what if that
blond bitch is lying?"
"She probably is," Mulder said. "But not about Ben being
dead. Not yet. We don't have a lot of time, but we've got
some."
"Hey Mulder?"
Mulder came closer to her. "Yeah?"
She reached up and tore the fake beard and moustache that
he had been wearing since he left the prison.
"YEOOOOOWWW!!!!" He grabbed his face in pain. Tears came to
his eyes.
"That's for even contemplating the possibilty of being a
coward and running away," she snapped as she reached into
his coat jacket and retrieving her gun. "Let's go."
Meanwhile....
As she crossed the deserted intersection, Marita Covarubias
adjusted her hat, a vintage scooped hat circa 1921. Not
only was it trendy again, but it also hid her face nicely.
Still, they managed to find her.
A sleek black Toyota Supra pulled up beside her. Two men
bailed out of the backseat. The same two, coincidentially,
who kicked down the hotel room down and snatched Benjamin
Starkweather away in the dead of night, snatched up Marita.
They threw her unceremonially into the backseat. Then they
got back into the car and the Supra went forward.
Sandwiched between the two thugs, Marita had no choice but
to sit very still. The interior of the car reeked of
nicotine. The passenger up front didn't need to identify
himself.
But he did anyway.
"You little rat," The Cancer Man pulled out another
cigarette from his pack. He lit it with his little butune
lighter before continuing on, never turning around to face
her. "Did you learn nothing from the death of Alex Krycek?"
"Alex Krycek," she seethed "was murdered by Assistant
Director Walter Skinner."
"I ALLOWED Krycek," he corrected her, "to be murdered by
Assistant Director Walter Skinner. When Krycek became a
nuisance, I lifted his protection. As I will soon to you if
you don't cease this scampering about."
One of the thugs pulled out a long knife. Marita tried not
to look at it. Still, the Smoking Man never turned around.
"What confidences did you share with the Mulders?" he
asked. "Happy little family, aren't they?"
"You're never going to win, old man," she informed him,
still trying to hide her nervousness about the knife. "Not
with your dithering."
Finally the old devil turned around. "Dithering?"
"Kill Mulder, don't kill Mulder. This crap has been going
on since I joined the Syndicate. Time and time again we've
had the chance to get rid of him. Time and time again YOU
have found a reason not to do it. Even you order the hit to
be made yourself, some how, you find a reason not to go
through with it, even though the Old Syndicate was
destoryed because of it."
CSM smiled. It was not a pleasant sight. "And yet, you had
the opportunity of a lifetime tonight, didn't you. To wipe
them ALL out. Mulder. Agent Scully. That new fellow
Doggett. And of course, Mulder's long lost little half-
sister. Not quite his beloved Samantha, but she'll do." He
inhaled deeply. "And you speak of such nostalgia for the
Old Syndicate when the New Syndicate is so much more
powerful. And YOU have so much more power and status in the
New Syndicate than the Old. And yet, you went intriguing
tonight. What was the point of your little adventure
Marita, dear?" The thug with the knife swiftly slashed the
top of her leg. It was not a deep, life-threatening cut,
but it bled copiously and hurt like hell. Marita gasped and
pressed her palm to her wound to stop the flow. "You
wouldn't be foolish enough to share the location of Mr.
Starkweather, would you?" The thug on her other side
suddenly produced a knife and slashed her other leg. This
cut was a bit deeper and hurt a lot more. Marita whimpered
and pressed her other palm into her other leg. Her
periwinkle slacks were turning a deep red. The Cancer Man
sighed. "Silence is the same as consent."
Marita, defiantly, although she was beginning to feel
light-headed, snapped "You'll never be able to wrest
control of the Syndicate this way." She pressed her palms
down on the cuts harder. She watched her own blood ooze
from between her fingers. "No one in their right minds will
follow you again."
"Nor anyone will follow you," Cancer Man reminded her
gently. "So, you see, Marita, we are in the same boat after
all." He snuffed out his old cigarette and lit a fresh one.
"I'll tell you why I always hestitated when it concerned
killing Mulder. I liked him. I've always liked him. I knew
him as a boy, although he doesn't realize, doesn't
remember. But more importantly, I admired his father. Bill
Mulder was my friend. Even when The Project forced us to
take separate paths, I've always admired him. I have always
felt that I at least owed it to Bill to protect his only
son... and his youngest daughter."
"You speak of Starkweather as if she was normal," Marita
knew she was about to pass out. She assumed she was going
to die tonight, so she was determined to die with at least
the truth. The dirty bastard owed her that much at least.
"We both know she is not."
The old man smiled again. "Starkweather is a very special
woman," he said slowly, emphasising 'special.' She was
meant to be a gift to the Mulders."
"How convienient. Take one daughter and replace her with
another. Interesting how you all keep referring her as
Mulder's half-sister. If Bill Mulder is her father... who
is her mother?"
The Cancer Man ignored the second question but answered the
first."No one could replace Samantha, of course, but a
child always has a way of lighting a dark room... similiar
how young William lit up the life of the lonely Agent
Scully." He shrugged. "It was a mistake for us to allow the
existance of Starkweather just as it was a mistake to allow
the existance of William. Two mistakes that will be
rectified soon."
Marita wanted to hear more but she was greying out.
"Heartless monster," she managed to mumble out.
The Cancer Man shook his head. "No," he said. "That's the
problem. If I was truly a heartless man, Fox Mulder would
have been smothered in his cradle as I had been originally
ordered to do. And none of this would be happening now,
would it?"
Marita passed out.
CSM turned around. "Bind her wounds," he ordered the thugs
in the backseat. "And don't let her die. Take her to the
hospital. Let her be arrested. She needs a reminder of her
position with the Syndicate, Old or New. We'll get her out
of prison when we need her again. After the hospital, to
the warehouse," he sighed. "Mulder and Starkweather
probably already have a head start."
He opened the glove box, took out the Glock with the
silencer and checked it over carefully as the driver
cruised on and the thugs attended to Marita's injuries.
The gun was locked and loaded.
The thugs, Zeke and Mick deposited Marita Covarrubias
unceremoniously off at the doors of the hospital. Instead
of getting back into CSM's car, they walked into the nearly
deserted hospital parking garage where a non-descript brown
1985 Celebrity was waiting.
"What do you think the old man's got in mind?" The thug
asked his colleague conversationally before he got into the
car.
He never got an answer. His colleague turned to him and
buried his knife deep into his gut. Blood spurted out of
him mouth. He crumpled to the ground and died. The
colleague picked up his companion and put him in the trunk.
The colleague got into the car and drove away.
As he drove away, he pulled off the fake eyebrows, the fake
beard and moustache. He took off the hat and long curly
brown hair tumbled down. He dug into his pocket and pulled
out a cellphone.
Meanwhile....
The Washington DC Marriott
Room 12754
The cell phone on the table rang startling the Admiral out
of his sleep. "Hello?" he said, rubbing his brow, still
feeling the effects of the hangover.
"Admiral," a light voice said. "It's Jennifer."
"Jennifer." One of his spies. "What did you discover?"
"Ben's alive. Mulder's alive and he's free. And Jerilyn's
safe."
"Thank God, thank God." The Admiral breathed a sigh a
relief.
"It's being assumed that they're going to the warehouse to
retrieve Ben. What are your orders sir?"
The Admiral paused. The Syndicate had ordered him to help
them eliminate Mulder if an opportunity arose. And boy, did
an opportunity arise when Benjamin Starkweather accepted
the Galpex Oil Company case. A case that had been given to
him thanks to that little shit, Justin Leo. The Admiral
knew he owed the Syndicate everything. His wealth, his
career, his daughter.
This was a debt they were expecting to be paid for.
However, they didn't realize that he was a political power
in his own right. He was married to one of the most
powerful senator in the United States who had no ties to
the Syndicate. And perhaps they figured out he had
originally gone to Mulder and Scully to beg for them to
protect Jerilyn... they still didn't know that he was one
of the major bankrollers of the small but strong resistance
group which was beginning to mobilize against the
inevitiable darkness forces hovering in the heavens they
had no right to fly in.
It was time to decide allegiances. He had dithered long
enough. He had lived a long life. He was ready for the
consequences of his actions.
"Call the officer in charge, that Detective Edward Carillo.
Tell him you just received a tip from a secret source of
the location of Ben Starkweather. Tell him that your source
told you that Ben is still alive. Have them hurry."
"Yes sir."
"You're looking at a promotion Jennifer."
And Officer Jennifer Ithenstein, the young rookie cop who
had been called to the impound to investigate the blood
stains in Mulder's trunk, who had been working for the
Admiral since she retired after six years of service to the
Navy, who had risked her life by inflitrating the
Syndicate, disguising herself as a man, slicing open Marita
Covarubias' leg and killing a man tonight, merely said
"Thank you sir."
"Call me the minute Benjamin is found. And I want Mulder
alive. Disregard my previous orders."
"Yes sir."
The Admiral sat down with a legal pad and began to make out
a will. It was witnessed by a maid from housekeeping and a
security guard wandering the halls.
After the Admiral hung up, Ithenstein called Carillo.
But by the time the police and FBI were mobilized, Sam-in-
Doggett, Mulder and Starkweather were being held at
gunpoint, Scully, Manny the Illegal Alien and Ben were
trapped in a locked room and the warehouse was on fire.
In the shadows, the five crept around the building, Mulder
and Manny leaving their flashlights off.
"Looks deserted," Manny whispered.
"If Ben is truly here, there'll be guards," Scully
whispered back, trying the door. "Locked. Dammit."
"Shoot the lock," Manny recommended.
"Not wise to waste bullets on a door," Starkweather
murrmurred, feeling the wood.
"Especially with Billy Miles lurking around here
somewhere," Mulder reminded everyone of that unpleasant
fact.
"I thought he got run over by a Volvo?" Manny asked.
Sam grimaced. He was peering through the dusty window. "I
dunno guys..." he said. "It really looks deserted. Scully's
right. If Ben's here, there'd be guards. I think we were
lead on a snipe hunt."
"No you're not Sam!" Al suddenly popped in. Sam, Mulder and
Starkweather jumped. Scully and Manny looked at them in
confusion.
"Al?" Mulder and Starkweather said at the same time.
Starkweather turned to Mulder and said, panicked "Oh no,
not you too?"
"You too what?" Mulder was completely lost.
"Look, you knuckleheads, there's no time, Ben's in there,
they beat the snot outta him, I'm sorry Starkweather, he
tried to escaped and actually hurt one of the guards badly.
He needs to get to a hospital so quit staring and get your
butts in gear!!!"
"Who are you talking to?" Scully exclaimed.
"'Otra locos mas,'" Manny groaned. "'Cuecha te madre.'"
"Another crazy one," Manny groaned, "'Motherfucker.'"
"Why did you call him Sam??" Starkweather demanded the
hologram.
"Because-" Mulder started to say, but then Sam slugged him.
"Because, honey, I wish I had time to explain, but I can't,
all I gotta say is look me up in about fifteen years in
Roswell, New Mexico. My name is Admiral Al Calvaricci and
I'll explain everything then. Now, go with DOGGETT," here
Al looked pointedly at Mulder. Mulder, for once, got the
hint and shut up. "and go get your husband. He's on the
third floor, second door to the left." Al took out his
comlink and zapped himself away.
He re-appeared in Ben's prison, this time a glorified broom
closet. Ben's plan to escape by burning his captors with a
lit cigarette backfired horribly. His guards beat him until
there was almost nothing left to beat before taking him to
a different warehouse. He wasn't sure if he had really seen
Agent Scully or if he was hallucinating. Now, he lay,
slumped in the corner of the locked closet, face bruised,
lip split, shirt crusted over in blood. The kid was in bad
shape. Al crouched down by Ben. He was out and he needed a
doctor, but he wasn't going to die. Not yet. But he kept
slipping in and out of consciousness. "Come on kid," Al
beckoned to Ben as if he could hear him. "Stay with me. The
Hurricane's here and she's brought the calvary.
"WHAT?!?!?!" Al yelled up to Verbeena. "What do you MEAN
there's going to be a fire?!"
Back in the present…
"What the hell is going on?" Scully demanded.
"You DIDN'T see him then?" Starkweather asked.
"See who?"
"Al?"
Scully's brows furrowed. Al.... why did that name sound so
familiar? She couldn't place her finger on it... and yet,
she almost could. She looked at Doggett, opened her mouth
and shut it.
"There's no time for this," Mulder said. "Starkweather, if
you were ever to trust me, now is the time."
Starkweather looked at Mulder, lips curling down in the
most unpleasant frown. "Okay, then," she consented. She
looked at the door, looked at Mulder. "Cover us," she told
Scully and Sam as Mulder tossed the flashlight to Sam.
Mulder and Starkweather faced the door, guns in hand.
Scully and Sam stood behind them, brandishing their
weapons. Manny stood behind them..... WAY behind them.
"On three," Mulder said. "One- two-, THREE!" At the same
time, Mulder and Starkweather kicked and the door came
tumbling down. Mulder and Starkweather crouched down load
and pointed their guns into the darkness while Scully and
Sam stood above them, guns also out.
There was nothing but darkness and the sound of the rain
pitter-pattering down.
"Well..." Starkweather said. "I feel stupid."
"Look on the bright side," Mulder said, "If this FBI thing
doesn't work for you, you'll always have a future as a
Charlie's Angel."
"Oh shut up."
Sam turned on the flashlight. "What a dump," he muttered.
"Be careful," he said warily as they all slowly entered the
pitch black warehouse. "We don't know what's her-" Sam
never got to finish his sentence.
Despite his brilliance as a physist and doctor and the
wealth of experience he earned from leaping from life to
life, he never underwent the extreme training that FBI
agents experience during their time in Quantico. He made a
mistake that no federal agent worth their salt and alive
today would make.
He forgot to check his blind spot.
Where Billy Miles was lurking.
Mulder had just turned while Sam was talking to check *his*
blind spot and had just opened his mouth to shout a warning
to Sam when Billy picked him up and flung him across the
room like a rag doll. Sam felt his body slam against a
ladder built into a wall and firecrackers of pain were lit
throughout his body. The gun skittered from his hand.
"SCULLY!" Mulder yelled
But Scully had already lifted the shotgun and fired
pointblank range at Billy, ripping away his midsection.
Starkweather, taking advantage of the rigamarole, darted
behind Scully and ran to Doggett's aid.
"Doggett, Papa John, GET UP," Starkweather shook him as she
kept the gun pointed at the replicant.
"Dios mios!" Manny cried, but he did something
extraoridinarily brave and extraoridinarily stupid. As
Billy crumpled to the ground, Manny jumped on top of the
monster and drove his knife into its neck. While Mulder ran
to Sam and Starkweather's aid and Scully kept the gun aimed
at Billy, Manny got up and ran back to Doggett's truck.
"What are you doing?" Scully cried out after him while
constantly watching her and everyone else's back. Mulder
and Starkweather helped Sam up to his feet. "I'm fine," Sam
insisted although he had one hell of a headache.
Manny came bouncing back, carrying the gas can.
"Manny," Starkweather started to say. "What are you doin-"
Manny squirted Billy with gasoline. He then took out the
book of matches and lit them all.
Sam then looked down and noticed the streaks of oil on the
floor of the warehouse. "Oh Jesus, God, Manny DON'T!!"
Manny dropped the book of matches on Billy's gasoline
soaked-back. Billy burst into flames as did the oil
puddles. The entrance was completely blocked by fire.
"SCULLY!!!" Mulder yelled.
The flames had already started devouring the wood in the
building. "You stupid idiot!" Scully shrieked at Manny,
grabbed him by the arm and dragged him up the stairs.
Meanwhile, Mulder swung up on the ladder built into the
wall and started to climb up the catwalk. He hated heights,
but he hated fire more. "Go, go!!!" Sam pushed Starkweather
towards the ladder. Coughing, gagging on the smoke, she
stuffed the gun into her waistband of her pants and started
to climb. Sam followed. The metal ladder was already hot
from the heat.
Mulder helped pull Starkweather up onto the shaky catwalk.
He looked over his shoulder down below to see Scully
dragging Manny up the stairs and disappear through a door.
Sam-in-Doggett was right behind Starkweather. Both
Starkweather and Mulder helped Sam up. Below them was a sea
of fire. The smoke was beginning to billow in the
warehouse. The flames crackled merrily, consuming the many
cardboard boxes and wooden beams. The catwalk swung
precariously on the chains that held it up.
For once Mulder and Starkweather were devoid of any witty
repartie. "Come on!!" Mulder cried, grabbing Starkweather
by the arm and pulling.
"I can't see!" she yelled out, coughing.
"Move it, Starkweather," Sam-in-Doggett yelled. "We got to get out
of here."
Mulder looked down again and said "Oh shit."
Sam looked down and through the flames and smoke, saw the
fiery figure of Billy Miles stand up, tilt its head upwards
and look right at them. "Oh boy," Sam said understatedly.
"Move, Starkweather, move, NOW!!" He pushed her along.
Starkweather blinked the soot and smoke out of her eyes
just enough to see Billy. "DAMMIT!!!" she swore. "DIE
ALREADY!" She followed Mulder across the catwalk, running
backwards, pulling her gun, pointing it at Billy who was
climbing the ladder up to the catwalk, still limping. She
was starting to fall behind Mulder and Doggett.
Mulder stopped, turned around, unceremonially grabbed
Starkweather around her waist, half-carried, half-drug her
the rest of the way to the other side of the catwalk. He
tossed her over the railing of the balcony lining the wall
to the offices of the third floor. Sam was almost there
when Billy got off the top rung of the ladder and swung
onto the catwalk.
Sam and Mulder clammered over the railing. Sam, using his
elbow, smashed the glass of the office door, reached in and
opened the door from the inside. "Come on!" he said and
Mulder and Starkweather ducked inside.
Billy was still coming.
Meanwhile...
Scully, still dragging Manny went up one flight of stairs,
then another. She kicked open the door, still carrying the
shotgun.
"Where are we?" Manny said, scared witless by the
destruction he unintentially created.
"The third floor," Scully said, coughing still. The third
floor was not on fire yet, but smoke was steadily creeping
up from below. "Office space."
Al, meanwhile, was in the broom closet with Ben. Al, upon
hearing Scully's voice, began to scream hysterically at
Ben. "Kid? KID GET UP! THE CALAVRY'S HERE!! COME ON!"
Ben, disorientated, almost unconscious, let his head loll
around, as if it was barely connected to his neck. His eyes
fluttered open then shut.
"BEN COME ON," Al pleaded. "I can't help you kid, make some
noise, get up, get up!"
Ben, raised his head. He did not hear Al, of course. But he
heard Scully ".... must be a fire escape... something...
was right... nothing but a big trap..."
Ben tried his voice. At first, nothing but a croak came
out. The second time, he got results. "Help..." he cried
out as he pulled himself up, his big hand pressing against
his broken ribs.
"Atta boy," Al crowed. "Sportsfans, the kid is UP! COME ON
SCULLY!"
"Somebody... help me," Ben staggered the short distance to
the door. He sank to his knees and began pounding on it.
"Get me out of here."
Scully froze halfway down the hall. "Did you hear
something, Manny?"
Manny turned around. "It's coming from that closet," he
pointed at the door.
"... help... I need a doctor... please..."
"Ben," Scully whispered. Then louder, running down the
narrow hallway, "BEN! BEN STARKWEATHER, WHERE ARE YOU?"
"Here!" Ben said, almost afraid to hope. "I'm in here. Is
that you, Agent Scully??"
"Yes it's me Ben," Scully announced, coughing on the smoke
that was getting thicker. "And Mulder and Doggett and
Starkweather are here too."
"Starkwea- Jerilyn? She's alive? They told me she was
dead."
Scully examined the lock. "Ben, get as far away from the
door as possible," she ordered him. She handed the shotgun
off to Manny and took out her handgun. She fired, blowing
the doorhandle off. She pushed open the door. "Ben!" she
gasped in horror at his appearance.
"Agent Scully, god, it's good to see you," Ben took a step
forward but groaned in pain, collapsing.
"We've got to get you out of here," Scully said, looping
his arm over her shoulder. "Manny! Manny I need your help!!
Dammit!! Where did he go?"
"Here, Agent Scully," Manny said, pale faced, arms over his
head, the barrel of Langly's shotgun to his head.
"Agent Scully, if you and Mr. Starweather would be as so
kind to step out," Justin Leo said pleasantly, despite the
billowing smoke and blasting heat. "And feel free to toss
me your gun while you're at it."
Fuming, Scully tossed her gun onto the floor and walked out
of the broom closet with Ben still leaning on her
shoulders. "Damn you Leo," Scully seethed, "you bastard."
But Leo wasn't looking at Scully, he was staring at Ben.
Hate simmered in his heart, jealousy poisoned his soul.
With a kick, he forced Manny to join the trio. He pointed
the shotgun at Ben's head.
"Who ARE you??" Ben blurted out.
And Leo lowered the gun. This guy, this man that Lily had
married instead of him (or so Leo believed) had no idea who
he was. He was completely clueless.
As the smoke began to build up even worse and the hallway
got hotter, Leo opened the door to an unused storage room.
"Get in," he ordered, still pointing the shotgun at them.
"Hey man, no way!" Manny yelped. "The damn building's on
fire!"
"Then it'll be a nice preview of hell for you three. Get
in."
Ben, still in terrible pain, summoned up all of his
diplomacy skills. "At least let Agent Scully go," he
begged.
"Get in there," Leo came closer to them, shotgun pointed at
Scully's chest.
"For God's sake, she's got a child!" Ben tried one last
time. "Just let her go, man!"
Leo raised the gun to Scully's head.
As calmly as she could, Scully said "It's okay Ben, we'll
do as he says." She slowly began backing into the room.
"Manny, come on, cooperate." Manny, wide-eyed, coughing,
followed Scully and Ben.
Leo flung the door shut, locked it and went off in search
of Starkweather.
There was no light in the storeroom and was becoming
unbearably hot. "Oh my God," Manny said, gagging on the
smoke. "We're gonna die."
"Manny," Scully snapped. "We don't have time for pessimism.
Do you still have that flashlight?"
In the stifling darkness, Manny managed to fumble the
little Mag-Lite flashlight to her. Scully switched it on
and took a look-see. Her heart began to falter. Maybe Manny
was right...
But Ben had a strange silly little grin on his face. "Hey
Agent Scully..." he said, looking up at the low ceiling.
"Yeah..." Scully buried her face in the crook of her elbow
to cough
Ben was just as big of a movie buff as Jerilyn was, one of
the many reasons why they were attracted to eachother in
the beginning. "Ever see the movie 'The Breakfast Club'?"
Scully looked up at the ceiling panels and grinned, knowing
exactly what Ben was talking about.
Meanwhile....
Fleeing into the office, Sam shut the door behind him.
"This isn't good," Starkweather informed everybody.
"Thank you Captain Obvious," Mulder snapped back at her.
"Eat me."
"I lost my gun," Sam told them. "Are you two still armed?"
Starkweather and Mulder both pulled out their guns and
scurried to the door. Sweat poured down Mulder's brow and
he wiped his cheek on his shoulder. When Billy got off the
catwalk and climbed onto the balcony, Mulder and
Starkweather both stepped out and fired point-blank range
at the replicant. Billy staggered backwards. When their
clips were empty, Sam rushed the monster, just like how he
used to rush the quarterback during high school football.
With one gigantic push, Sam forced Billy over the edge of
the balcony and Billy plummented back into the sea of
flames below.
Al popped in. "Nice shot Sam! Now get those kids," he
jerked his head, indicating Mulder and Starkweather, "out
of here."
The heat drove Sam back inside the office. Just then,
enough smoke had filtered upwards to trigger the sprinkler
system. A weak spray of water coated everything, doing
little to alleviate the inferno below. "We've got to find
Scully and Manny!" Mulder told Sam, gagging on the smoke.
"Ben might be here too," Starkweather said to Sam.
"They're okay," Al told Sam. "Scully's in the process of
getting Benny-boy and Manny out as we speak. They're gonna
be fine. You guys are gonna get cooked, literally if you
don't get out of here!"
"Come on," Sam grabbed Starkweather by the arm and took her
out of the hallway through the other door in the office.
Mulder followed.
"Scully!!" Sam cried out. "Ben! Manny, Scully!"
Mulder and Starkweather joined in on the chorus.
Starkweather turned around. "Jesus Jumping Christ, Mulder!"
she pushed Mulder out of the way just as Justin Leo came
out of the shadows and fired Scully's handgun at them. The
shot barely missed them. The three of them started to run.
"Come on, Sam!" Mulder yelled, completely forgetting that
Starkweather had no knowledge of the Quantum Leap Project
and was under the illusion that Doggett was still Doggett.
Not that Starkweather was particularly paying attention.
"Over here!" she cried and darted up a stairwell that lead
to the rooftop. Sam and Mulder followed.
So did Justin Leo.
Meanwhile...
Inside the storage room, Scully instructed Manny, "Lift me
up first."
Manny crouched down, Scully clammered on top of his
shoulders. The smoke was building up. Coughing, Manny stood
up carefully. Ben leaned against the wall, cold sweat
covering his face as he was still in horrible pain. Scully
weaved a bit, got her bearings, then reached for the fake
ceiling panel and lifted it up easily. She reached and
grabbed the pipe that was directly above her head. She
started to pullherself up. Manny gave her a bit of a boost
up and Scully was able to get up. Scootching herself into
the ceiling, she leaned over the edge, reaching her arms
out to down below. "Help Ben up, and hurry!" she yelled,
gagging from the smoke.
Manny went to Ben, "Okay, hombre," Manny said sorrowfully.
"This is gonna probably hurt. Lo siento, lo siento."
"Okay," Ben got up, wincing, clutching his ribs. "Let's get
out of this hellhole."
Manny, despite his wiry, weenie appearance, was actually
fairly strong. He wrapped his arms around Ben's middle and
lifted Ben up. Ben tried to stifle a cry of pain, but
couldn't help it. "Lo siento, lo siento!" Manny yelled out
again.
Scully grabbed Ben's wrists and pulled him up. Once Ben was
up, she reached back down, "Come on Manny!" Just then, she
heard Starkweather cry out "Jesus Jumping Christ,
Mulder!!!" and then a gunshot.
"Oh my God," Scully turned her head towards the sound.
"Manny come on!" Manny jumped, missed Scully's hands.
"Manny, come on!!"
Manny jumped again, this time grabbing Scully's hand.
Scully tried to pull him up, but couldn't get the leverage.
Scully could hear commotion in the hallway with
Starkweather screaming at Mulder adn Sam-in-Doggett to
follow her Follow her where? Scully wondered wildly.
Suddenly, a pair of sooty, bloodied hands clamped down on
hers. Ben, despite his own injuries, had crawled over to
Scully's side to help her pull up Manny. Together they got
him out of their prison.
"Let's get out of here!" Manny suggested and Scully and Ben
decided that was an excellent idea. They crawled through
the ceiling, coughing all the while. The smoke was thick,
almost blinding now.
As they crawled, Scully had a hideous thought. "Guys,
wasn't there a scene in 'The Breakfast Club' where the
ceiling panels colla-"
The ceiling panels collapsed and Scully, Manny and Ben
tumbled down into the hallway.
Starkweather made her way up the ladder.
"SCUUUUUUULLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYYY!" She heard Mulder call out
at the top of his lungs below her.
"Mulder, RUN!!!" Sam was bellowing at top of his lungs
"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" She
emphasized each step back down the latter with a swear, and
drew her gun. "Mulder, don't panick yet. There's a roof up
here, there's a river. We've just gotta get to the river."
Mulder began to protest, but Billy Miles still staggerred
forward, and Leo, who had been firing shaky shots at Sam
and Mulder the whole chase, had just dropped his gun.
"LIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!" Leo screamed,
lurching forward at Starkweather as soon as she had emerged
from the ladder.
"No...Not Lily...me Jeri, you psychoboy."
"They just programmed you to say that..." he stammered,
backing away from her slowly, "they gave you this whole new
identity..."
"Leo," Mulder cautioned in his flat monotone, "I know
people who can help you find the answers you want. I know
you think she's Lilly but it's not her, Justin. It's not
her."
"Mulder duck!" Starkweather screamed, for Billy Miles had
wrenched a pipe free from the warehouse and was about to
swing at him.
"Starkweather GO!" Sam yelled.
Mulder managed to grab onto the pipe in one of his swings,
but Leo pushed the bar out of Mulder's grip and ran up the
stairs.
"STARKWEATHER!" Mulder bellowed after her.
Leo pursued the monster up the ladder, visibly coiling at
the pain in his arm.
"LEO!" Mulder called out futiley. He didn't seem to be in
tune with anything else around him.
"Hang on, Lily! I'm coming!" Leo shouted after
Starkweather.
Billy Miles was inching closer on Starkweather.
"Sam," Mulder said in panicked realization, "That thing is
going after me, Starkweather...and Will."
"Not if we can hit it off at the pass." Sam offered, "Come
on!" he urged unecessarily, and then began the ascent up
the ladder, followed closely by Mulder.
There, they watched as Leo threw his own body in between
Billy Miles and Starkweather. Starkweather, Mulder, and Sam
both watched in horror as the two wrestled their way off of
the rooftop, and down into the river.
Al popped in just in time to see Leo and Billy Miles
plummetting down to the rapids of the Patomac River.
"Agent Starkweather, Ben's ok, you just gotta get off this
warehouse in a few minutes before it blows to kingdom come!
Ben and Scully and Manny are all outta there, and they'll
be just fine! You gotta jump into that river, you here me!
JUMP!"
"Mulder, I hope you know how to doggy-paddle."
Starkweather stared down at the roaring Patomac for a few
seconds, faced down, closed her eyes, and heard Sam's
splash. Then she muttered something and pushed Mulder
forward towards the raging rapids. Then she dove in
herself. Being summer, the water wasn't cold, but the storm
made it colder than usual.
"Starkweather!" Sam was calling out frantically. "Doc!"
"Over here, Papa John!"
"Mulder?!" Sam called out treading water next as
Starkweather scrambled to the banks, watching the building
being swallowed in bright orange flames.
"MULDER!!" She called out as soon as she made it safely to
the bank
Meanwhile...
As they crawled, Scully had a hideous thought. "Guys,
wasn't there a scene in 'The Breakfast Club' where the
ceiling panels colla-"
The ceiling panels collapsed and Scully, Manny and Ben
tumbled down into the hallway.
Buried underneath ceiling crumbles and two men, Scully
mumbled "Could you please get off of me?"
At the sound of the crash, Sam-in-Doggett and Mulder
jumped. They had only started going up the stairs that led
to the ladder up to the roof. Starkweather had already
begun to ascend to the roof. Mulder pushed past Sam. He saw
Leo coming after them with Scully's gun. He also saw Billy
Miles fling open the door and head towards them.
He walked right over Ben, Scully and Manny, not even
noticing them.
"SCULLY!" Mulder cried...
Starkweather, meanwhile had almost gotten to the roof,
heard Mulder's cries. "Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit,
dammit...." she cursed on her way down to retrieve her
partner and her half-brother.
While the chaos with Leo, the monster, the agent, the time-
travler and the Deputy Mayor ensued, Scully, shaken that
she, again, had been so close to the monster who was sent
to steal her child but at the last minute, did not, got up
to chase him. But Manny grabbed her, "Agent Scully, PLEASE,
let's get OUT OF HERE!!! Senor Starkweather needs a doctor,
pronto. Por favor, vamos por la amor del Dios!" Poor Manny
was so frightened, he lapsed into Spanish.
But Scully caught the gist. Plus Ben, after all that
lifting and pulling and crawling and falling with his
broken ribs not to mention the smoke inhalation everyone
was suffering, was in really bad shape.
The doorframe to the staircase leading down to the
mainfloor of the warehouse just caught fire. Scully heard
the building crack and groan, on the very verge of total
collapse. "Help him." Scully ordered Manny, heart pounding
in fear, fear for Mulder, for Starkweather, for Sam-in-
Doggett.
Manny slung Ben on his back, piggy back and made a run for
the open window at the end of the hallway. "There's a fire
escape!" he yelled in glad relief.
Why didn't Mulder and the others go out this way?
Scully wondered. Probably because with a gun-wielding nut
and blood-thirsty replicant at their tails, they probably
weren't thinking very rationally.
"Go, go, go!!!" Scully said.
Manny swung out the window. "Hold on tight, amigo," he told
Ben as he started to climb out. Scully followed...
Meanwhile...
Assistant Director Skinner was in the squad car with
Detective Edward Carillo as they went flying towards the
warehouse. They were still a good half-mile away when they
were able to see the flames. "Holy God," Carillo said.
Skinner sighed. The man didn't even work for him anymore...
how was it still possible that massive destruction of
property occurred whenever Mulder was involved with
something? "Let's just hope that people are still alive,
Detective," Skinner said curtly.
In the distance, the sirens from fire trucks and ambulances
blended into on hellish wail. Skinner felt physically ill
as he thought of the devil's deal he made with that smoking
bast*rd. He hoped there was someone to pull out from the
wreckage.
Half a block away, all the closer they could get, the squad
car squealled to a halt. Carillo and Skinner fairly flew
from the car, guns drawn.
Two sooty figures were running from the building. As they
got closer, Carillo and Skinner realized that it was three
people, one was piggybacked on the other and obviously
injured. As they got even closer, Skinner realized who they
were and his heart leapt in joy.
"DANA!" he cried, holstering his gun. Forgetting propriety,
he engulfed Scully into the bearhug he would have given a
long-lost daughter if he had even taken a break from his
career to have a family. "Thank God," Skinner broke away,
remembering himself. "You alright?"
"I'm fine," Scully said, "but this man needs to get to a
hospital ASAP." Manny slid Ben off his back and laid him on
the ground.
Carillo crouched down. "Well, I'll be damned," he said in
wonder. "Mr. Starkweather, there's gonna be a whole lot of
people happy to see you, sir."
Ben clutched at the detective's jacket. "You're not taking
me anywhere until somebody gets Jeri off that damn roof."
"WHAT?!" Skinner and Carillo unintentionally spoke in
unison.
"Jeri, my wife, she came for me," Ben coughed, feeling the
effects of smoke inhalation. "Jeri, her partner John
Doggett and her brother Fox Mulder-"
"Mulder?" Carillo looked up at the building, almost totally
engulfed in flames. "Mulder was implicated in your
disappearance, Mr. Starkweather."
"Brother??" Skinner was lost, which was nothing new.
"Mulder?" Ben looked completely confused. "What the hell
for?"
"Sir," Scully said urgently, "I strongly recommend you call
a SWAT team. Billy Miles is up on that roof."
"WHAT!??" Skinner squawked. He pulled out his cell phone
and was about to dial when Manny said:
"Not any more," he pointed to two figures plummenting into
the roaring Potomac River.
"Who was that with them?" Skinner asked.
"I don't know, sir," Scully felt panic butterflies
fluttering in her stomach. "I can't see." Smoke curled out
of the windows in thick plumes...
In a non-descript car, much like Nero while Rome burned,
the Cigarette Smoking Man watched the scenario
expressionlessly. He sighed. It was out of his hands now.
If Mulder and Starkweather were killed, problem solved. If
they lived... well... there was always next time. At least
they were able smuggle the vial of Purity out of the
country easily. And he was pretty sure Ben's case with the
oil company would be closed down. At least two of the four
major objectives were achieved. "Drive," he ordered the
driver dryly as he lit a cigarette. The car disappeared
from the scene unnoticed just as the Admiral's car pulled
up. The Admiral got out of his car, saw Scully and Ben with
the others but did not approach them, not yet.
Fire trucks were lining up, hooking up the hoses to the
hydrants, brave men and women in their bright yellow suits
and oxygen masks started to run towards the building. One
of them reached the doorway and turned back, motioning his
fellow firefighters to turn back.
"She's gonna blow!!!!" He yelled.
Just then, a figure leapt from the roof. "That looked like
Doggett!" Scully cried as Sam-in-Doggett hit the water.
Then another male figure plummented into the river please
let that be Mulder! she prayed. And finally a female form
dove into the Potomac. Scully knew that was Starkweather.
Scully left Skinner, Ben and Manny and ran towards the
shore.
"Mulder, I hope you know how to doggy-paddle."
Starkweather stared down at the roaring Patomac for a few
seconds, faced down, closed her eyes, and heard Sam's
splash. Then she muttered something and pushed Mulder
forward towards the raging rapids. Then she dove in
herself. Being summer, the water wasn't cold, but the storm
made it colder than usual.
"Starkweather!" Sam was calling out frantically. "Doc!"
"Over here, Papa John!"
"Mulder?!" Sam called out treading water next as
Starkweather scrambled to the banks, watching the building
being swallowed in bright orange flames.
"MULDER!!" She called out as soon as she made it safely to
the bank. "Oh sweet Jesus," she said, for once, in prayer.
She bellowed again: "**MULDER!!**"
Meanwhile, Sam dove back under the water. He forced himself
to open his eyes underwater, but could see nothing. His
lungs screamed for oxygen so with a kick of the legs, he
swam upwards. He burst up to the surface. "MULDER!!"
Scully saw Starkweather standing on the shoreline, looking
out at the river and starting running. "Agent
Starkweather!" she cried. "Where's Doggett?! Where's
Mulder?!"
Starkweather felt sick to her stomach. She blinked back
tears. "I don't know..."
Scully felt her heart drop. "What do you mean you don't
know?!?" Scully cupped her hands around her mouth, "MULDER!
MULDER!!!"
Starkweather closed her eyes in horror. She put her hand
over her mouth while Scully cried out Mulder's name.
Sam, treading water, turned to his left and gasped
Mulder was floating about three yards away from him, face
down in the water. "Oh no, oh no, oh no," Sam gasped as he
swam towards him. "MULDER!" Sam reached for his arm and
pulled him towards him. He flipped him over to his back.
His eyes were closed, his mouth was open. "Oh boy, c'mon
Mulder, don't do this!" Sam cried as he wrapped one arm
around Mulder's chest and began swimming for shore.
"Starkweather!" Sam cried out. "Starkweather!!"
Starkweather's eyes popped open at the sound of her name.
"Doggett!!" she answered back. "Oh my God!!" she cried when
she saw Sam dragging Mulder to shore. She leaped back into
the river and waded out to them.
Scully followed Starkweather, not noticing the biting chill
of the water. "What happened? What's going on?" She then
saw that Mulder was not moving at all. "Oh God! Mulder!"
"Get help, Scully," Sam yelled at her as he and
Starkweather brought Mulder to dry land and laid him on the
ground. Starkweather put her ear to Mulder's mouth. "He's
not breathing."
"Doggett, do you know CPR?"
"Yes." Sam instantly snapped into doctor-mode and crouched
by Mulder's chest. "Scully go!!" Scully hesitated for the
slightest second, perhaps reminded of that horrible time
when he had been found dead in that field in Montana. But
she ran for the paramedics.
"Start chest compressions," orderd Dr. Starkweather.
Dr. Beckett pressed his big hands into Mulder's sterum.
"One-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand,
breathe!!"
Dr. Starkweather clamped her mouth over Mulder's mouth and
nose and puffed air into his lungs. "Nothing, chest
compressions."
"One-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand,
breathe." Sam pumped Mulder's chest. "Come on Mulder,
dammit."
Starkweather puffed air through Mulder's mouth to his lungs
again. "Nothing. God dammit Mulder," Starkweather yelled at
him as Sam pumped at his chest again. "Don't you fucking
die on us."
"One-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand,
breathe, dammit, Mulder, breathe!!" Sam begged him.
Just as Starkweather was about to bend down to breathe for
him again, Mulder gagged. River water trickled out of his
mouth. He tried to sit up. Starkweather and Sam helped him
up as he started to vomit water.
"Easy does it, easy does it," Starkweather said in her best
bedside manner voice. She smoothed his hair back from his
brow. "My God, you have more lives than a cat," she said,
voice shaking from relief.
Mulder gulped air in great whooshes. He looked at
Starkweather. "You... performed... C... PR?" Starkweather
nodded. "If... this... was.. Arkansas, I'd... I'd be turned
on right now," he grinned at her even as his body was
wracked with dry heaves.
"You asshole," Starkweather gave him a well-meaning thump
to his shoulder. Sam sighed in relief and helped him stand
up.
Scully just came sprinting down the slope again with two
paramedics in tow. When she saw Mulder standing, leaning on
Sam, but still standing up, she flew towards him. "Mulder!!
Mulder!! You're alright!!!" she said joyously as she
approached him.
Mulder stared at her. "Who are you?"
Scully stared, mouth dropping open. Then she punched
Mulder in the gut."Dammit, Mulder, that routine wasn't
funny the first time you did that, and it's not funny now..."
Mulder leaned into Scully and hugged her.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist," Mulder mumbled into her hair.
"Do you need us then?" One of the paramedics asked.
Sam told him. "I think he'll be okay. Probably just needs
bedrest and Agent Scully's a medical doctor, I think she'll
look after him. But maybe you should come and look at Agent
Starkweather's leg..." Sam turned to find Starkweather
standing apart from everyone, holding herself, staring at
the burning warehouse.
"Starkweather," Scully said, supporting Mulder. "We found
Ben."
Starkweather turned around. "What?"
"He's fine, he's hurt, but he's going to be fine, he's with
Skinner..."
But Starkweather didn't wait for Scully to finish her
sentence. She took off towards the flashing lights of the
fire trucks and police cars.
Ben was being loaded up onto a stretcher despite his
protests. He lifted his head one more time to argue with
the paramedics that he wasn't going anywhere when he heard
someone crying out his name.
"Ben!! Ben!!"
"Jesus, guys, stop!!" Ben told the paramedics on last time
as Jerilyn ran to the ambulance. She pushed past the
paramedics. "Oh my God!!" she wept as she took his hands
and kissed him full on the mouth. "Oh my God," she said
again as she ran her fingers through his hair. "What did
they do to you?" she choked out through her tears.
"Broken ribs mostly, lots of bruising, we're taking him to
the hospital to make sure there's nothing else ma'am," the
medic said patronizingly.
"Don't talk to her like she's an idiot," Ben told him.
"She's a doctor and she carries a big gun."
The paramedics backed off, just a little.
"I thought I'd never see you again," she sniffled as Ben
wiped tears off her cheeks. She clutched his hands. "I'm so
sorry, I'm so sorry you got dragged into all of this."
"They told me," Ben nodded his head to Carillo and Skinner,
who had been hovering over him like angry mother bears the
entire time, "that someone was trying to frame MULDER for
my MURDER? Are they serious?"
Jerilyn nodded. "Oh Jesus, Ben. It was insane. This whole
thing... and we don't even know WHY they did this to us..."
She tried to gulp back the tears.
"I don't think we'll ever know," Ben said helplessly. "But
everything's okay now, Jeri. I promise, everything's going
to be okay now." He wiped more tears from Jeri's face even
as his own eyes welled. "Hey. Hey now... big bad FBI broads
don't cry." His voice cracked.
"Neither do Councilors," she whispered as she kissed his
hand. "Oh!" she suddenly realized and started digging into
her pocket. She pulled out his wedding band. "Missing
something?" she said with a teary smile as she slid his
wedding ring back on its rightful place.
"Mrs. Starkweather," the medic told her gently. "We really
need to get him to the hospital. But you can ride along if
you like..."
Ben answered for Jerilyn. "She's got FBI stuff to do
first," Ben said, intertwining his fingers with hers and
giving her a squeeze. "Plus, I'm guessing," he chuckled,
"she might want some dry clothes. Hell..." he grinned,
feeling better by just seeing Jerilyn again, "*I* would
like some clean clothes myself. I've been wearing the same
boxers for about a week now and they're beginning to
chafe."
That did it. Jerilyn smiled spontaneously and joyously for
the first time since the ordeal began. "Are you sure,
baby?"
"I'll see you at the hospital, Jeri," Ben kissed her hand
again. "While you're at it, smuggle me some beers and
Caesar for me."
"Deal," Jerilyn leaned over and kissed Ben on the lips
again. "I love you Counselor."
"I love you too," Ben reached up with his free hand and
stroked her hair. "And I did learn one thing from this
whole clusterfuck."
"What?" Jerilyn finally released his hand and let the
paramedics do their job.
As the paramedics lifted the stretcher into the ambulance,
Ben said "I'm gonna leave this X-File sh*t to the experts,"
with a groan.
Just as the paramedics shut the door to the ambulance,
Scully, Mulder and Sam-in-Doggett approached Starkweather
and Skinner. "Mulder," Skinner asked gruffly "how many
guardian angels do you have???"
Mulder, still leaning on Scully replied in all seriousness.
"It's got to be up in the thousands."
"I don't mean to alarm you, but you should be aware, the
police and federal agents are making a sweep of the area,
but so far, there is no trace of Billy Miles or Justin
Leo."
"Typical," Mulder snorted. "Slipped through our fingers
again."
"I've sent agents to all of your respective homes for
survelliance, just in case one of them rears their ugly
heads. That's all we can really do for now." Skinner said.
"And now," he said impatiently, "can someone explain to me
how YOU," he looked at Mulder "are related to HER," he
looked at Starkweather.
Mulder opened his mouth to speak but whatever he was about
to say was lost for the Admiral finally approached the
group.
"Jerilyn," the Admiral reached for her. Jerilyn recoiled,
anger clouding her face.
"You..." she said bitterly. "You knew about this the entire
time... you had to of..."
"Jerilyn?" The Admiral stole a glance to Scully, who only
glared at him stonily. "Honey, what are you talking about?
I came into town when we thought Ben was gon-"
"Liar," she hissed. The Admiral looked as if she had
slapped him. "You were planning on coming into town before
all of this happened to meet with KERSH, of all people. I
saw it in his planner. I heard your guys' phone
conversation."
The Admiral knew when he was defeated. "Jerilyn," he said
painfully. "Everything I did, was to protect you."
"Then why didn't you tell me the truth when I came to
Sedona last April?"
"The truth would have killed you," the Admiral protested.
Starkweather glowered at him. "It already has."
The Admiral had to make one last try. "Jerilyn, everything
I have done, everything I have lived for was to protect
YOU. I know I haven't been the perfect father bu-"
"My father is dead."
"Jerilyn," the Admiral sighed. "That's a little extreme. I
know you're upset with me bu-"
"NO." Jerilyn took a step away from him. "MY father," she
turned to face Mulder. "is dead. He was murdered by a man
named Alex Krycek." She turned to face the Admiral again.
"Does that ring any bells?"
The Admiral looked to Mulder, Scully, Skinner and Sam-in-
Doggett for help. All he received were unsympathetic, angry
glares. "You were never meant to find out," he said lamely.
"Ben was almost killed tonight," Starkweather said angrily.
"And you know about it the entire time and didn't lift a
finger to stop anything, did you?"
The Admiral could have argued that point, but one look in
her eyes told him that any further debate on the subject
would be an exercise in futility. He lowered his head and
walked away.
Yes, he had saved her life... but he had lost her forever.
After the Admiral had left, Mulder said softly to
Starkweather, "I'm sorry, Jerilyn." Only Mulder could truly
sympathize with how devastating it is, even to an adult
child, to be completely dillusioned by their hero, their
parent that they had adored.
Starkweather turned to Mulder. Despite all of her not-so-
outstanding qualities, her one redeeming characteristic was
that if she was wrong, she admitted it. "No, Mulder.
**I'm** sorry. I should have known better." Everyone
breathed a sigh of relief as Starkweather and Mulder
finally shook hands and ended the duel of wills.
But Mulder continued with the snipe-war as he thumped
Starkweather on the shoulder and said "See you at the
family reunion. Maybe this year you'll get to sit with the
adults."
"As if you have any experience in being an adult."
"Well, I do have at least twelve years on you, baby
sister."
"Oh do NOT start calling me 'baby sister', I will fucking
deck you again."
"Tsk tsk little Hurricane, such foul language from a
pristine lady."
"Hurricane!?" Starkweather spluttered. "Now, listen here,
*Spooky*-"
"Both of you!" Scully snapped in her best "Mom" voice.
"Unless you two want to sit in the corner for the rest of
the night, Enough!"
"He started it," Starkweather whined.
"She hit me," Mulder whined right back. "She broke my nose
when I got arrested."
"It was an easy target, big schnozz that it is."
"Alright you little twerp-"
"You're BOTH sitting at the kids' table for the holiday
meals!" Scully yelled at them. "Maybe William can teach you
two some manners."
"Agent Scully," Detective Carillo, stifling guffaws, said
"since the Deputy Mayor is cleared of all charges, why
don't you take him home before these two tear each other
apart."
"An excellent suggestion," Scully said with a relieved
sigh. "I know there's a certain little boy who's eager to
see you."
"Later Hurricane," Mulder, still leaning against Scully,
limped towards Skinner's car, volunteering him to give them
a ride home.
"I'm gonna buy your kid a drum, Mulder!" Starkweather
threatened.
Mulder, as usual, had the winning shot with "Good, I'll
have him bring it over when you babysit him."
Sam shook his head. As entertaining as the Mulder and
Starkweather show was... he couldn't help but wonder...
If everything's okay now... why haven't I leapt?
Al popped in again. "Well, everything's turning out to be
pretty okay," he told Sam. "The plague, obviously, never
happened and aliens never took over the world." He thumped
his comlink. "Mulder gets reinstated to his Deputy Mayor
job, which he does for another year before... before..." he
hit the comlink and it squawked at him. "Before going to
work for the CIA as a consultant? That's scary. Anyway...
Scully ends up leaving the X-Files in about two years, but
she's still around to help out Reyes, Doggett and
Starkweather every now and again. And... on September 10,
2010, those two crazy kids finally tie the knot in a
private ceremony at Mulder's childhood home in Martha's
Vineyard. And even though they're not with the FBI anymore,
they're both kept on retainer to consult on X-File cases.
So a big shiny happy ending for those two. It only took
them," Al did the math, "met in 1993.... only took them
seventeen years."
"What about Starkweather? Do she and Ben work out their
differences?" Sam asked.
Al consulted his comlink. A look of pain crosses his face.
"I'm sorry Sam," Al said. "Ben's out of the picture by
Christmas time."
"What?!" Sam's shoulder's slumped. "Does that mean I have
to stay here until Christmas to help those two repair their
marriage?"
"I don't think so Sam," Al said quietly. "Believe me,
speaking as a man quite experienced in the ways of failed
relationships, somethings aren't just meant to last."
"Then why am I still here Al?"
"Ziggy?" Al consulted the super-computer. "What's the word?
Why're we still here??" Al looked down at his comlink.
"What the hell...." Al's brow furrowed in confusion. He
chewed on his cigar for a bit. "Well... according to
Ziggy... she says that for you to leap now... you have
to..." he read aloud from the comlink. "say goodbye to
Starkweather and start the Doggett-Starkweather-Relationship.
What the hell does that mean? Ziggy! Translate!"
"She doesn't have to," Sam said, a little sadly, looking at
Starkweather, who was giving her statement to Detective
Carillo. "I know what she means. Al... can you promise me
something?"
"Anything buddy," Al said.
Sam took a deep breath. "Whenever something is going wrong
with a future leap and it looks totally impossible... break
a rule and remind me of Starkweather. Of her strength. Her
loyalty. Her preserverance."
"You got it Sam," Al promised. "Go. Say goodbye."
Sam-in-Doggett went up to Starkweather. He grabbed a gray
flannel blanket from one of the lingering paramedics and
wrapped it around Starkweather's shoulders. "Are you
finished here?" Sam asked Carillo.
"All done," Carillo put his notebook in his jacket pocket.
"Get some rest you two. Good night." And Carillo walked
away, pleased that one of his cases finally had a happy
ending.
"How're you doing, Starkweather?" Sam asked her, wrapping
the blanket tighter around her, making her look like a
papoose.
She shrugged. "Tired. Estatic. Angry. Tired. Thrilled.
Scared. Tired. Did I mention tired??"
Sam laughed. "No. Are you tired?" he teased her.
"I could sleep for a thousand years," she groaned.
"Doggett... you were right. About Mulder. About Ben. About
everything. I couldn't have gotten through this nightmare
without you."
"That's what I'm here for," Sam said.
"And I count on that," she replied. She opened her arms and
engulfed Sam in the world's biggest hug.
"Thank you for helping me find Ben."
"You're a special lady, Starkweather," Sam said in her ear.
"Don't ever forget that. Don't ever forget that I said
that." Sam stepped away. Trying to figure out how to do
what he needed to do. To say goodbye. To lead Starkweather
towards the path where she was meant to go.
To put right what once went wrong.
And Sam realized what he needed to do. It was so simple. It
was safe, and yet not. Everyone had seen Mulder and Scully
do it a thousand times.
He put his hands on Starkweather's shoulders and kissed her
forehead.
Al looked at his comlink and smiled. "Goodbye
Starkweather," Al said as he and Sam vanished in blaze of
blinding blue light.
John Doggett opened his eyes and saw Starkweather standing
in front of him, soaking wet, wrapped in a gray blanket,
smiling at him. I'm back Doggett realized. Then instantly
thought: where did I go??
"Starkweather, what the hell happened to you?" Doggett
turned and saw the blazing building that the fire fighters
were still trying to put out. "Oh my God... what the hell
happened here?"
"Doggett, I think we'll be trying to figure that out for
years," she said, still smiling. "Come on Papa John, you
better come to the hospital with me. It looks like you
might be concussed."
Doggett put his arm over Starkweather's shoulder and
together they walked to his waiting pickup truck.
It never felt so good to hear her call him 'Papa John'
before.
Washington, D.C.
J Edgar Hoover Building
April 27, 2016; 9:14 AM
With another upsurge of paranormal cases on the horizon and
FBI agents' talents being currently directed on security
issues, it was time for A.D. Starkweather to assign the
head of her old division a new partner. Agent Reyes was
talented, and had a high success rate in investigating
paranormal cases, but nobody could work alone in those
conditions for very long. Besides, if she didn't assign
somebody soon, it looked as though she would have to shut
the division down. She made a promise to somebody a long
time ago that she wouldn't allow that to happen as long as
she could do something about it.
One applicant seemed to stand out in the screaning process
for the job. A physicist's daughter who had graduated five
years ago from MIT was an Alabama native, Samantha Jo
Fuller had specialized in quantum mechanics both in
Quantico and in her work with unspecified government
projects. According to her superiors in New Mexico, she had
medical training at Quantico and developed quite a flare
for profiling, and from experience Starkweather knew that
the basement office could use that kind of expertise.
Starkweather was on the phone when the applicant came in.
She motioned the new agent to come in, smiling
apologetically. The young woman, who appeared to be in her
late twenties twirled her honey-wheat hair nervously around
her index finger. She tentatively sat down, and brushed her
one white strand that accentuated her face.
"Yes, I know we need all the manpower we can get on this
case, but I just can't close that office to accommodate
you." Starkweather was insisting. At her next remark, the
girl jumped. "The FBI's investigation into the paranormal
has been justified for nearly TEN YEARS now...no...we need
Agent Reyes in that office. If you have issues with that
you can take it up with Deputy Director Doggett." She
barked, and slamming down the phone, smiled sweetly at the
woman who just came in.
"Before you enlisted in the FBI, what was that project that
you worked on in New Mexico?"
"That's classified ma'am." The new agent said flatly. She
was uncomfortable calling someone who looked her age ma'am,
but she wasn't about to start a new position on a sour
note. Starkweather inwardly grimaced at being called ma'am.
"My sources tell me it had something to do with time
travel."
"Sources?"
"If that's true, you will get along just fine with your new
partner." Starkweather replied not missing a beat. "Were
you informed of the type of cases your division
investigates?"
"If I understand it correctly, the X-Files Division deals
with paranormal and unexplained phenomena." Fuller recited.
"But I didn't think the FBI investigated those kinds of
cases."
"I wasn't aware that the government backed time-travel
experiments either" Starkweather returned with a sly grin.
"Come with me, and I'll show you to your new office. Sorry
I don't have much time to acquaint you with the building,
but I have a flight out to New Mexico on personal business
that leaves in an hour."
Agent Fuller nodded in understanding and followed her
petite superior down the halls of the J Edgar Hoover
building, and wondered why there were mile-long lines of
tourists for office buildings.
"...And this," her new boss said unlocking the door and
handing her a lone key. "Is your office. I hope you'll find
everything you need, Agent Fuller. Call me on my cell if
you need to be in touch with me. If you'll excuse me, I
have a flight to make. Sandy should be in shortly." With
that, her new boss turned and left.
The Agent glanced tentatively at her new surroundings. She
saw a neatly kept office with two desks, and a huge filing
cabinet. The occupied desk facing the door was neatly kept
with photos of a small boy and a girl, her new boss and her
boss's superior, a hazel-eyed man with peppering hair and a
pretty, petite redhead holding a small redheaded boy
standing next to him, next to him, a tall man with a wreath
of white hair, a man with a neatly trimmed beard in a suit
was next, then a shorter, balding, odd-looking man, then a
tall, lanky man with blond stringy hair with thick glasses
perched on his nose all posing uncomfortably around a
Christmas tree. The nameplate on the desk read "A. Gallimore"
The office itself looked like it was barely big enough for
two people. There were rows of filing cabinets, all labeled
"X-Files". There was barely walking space between two
desks, but there were a couple of plants that made it look
comfortable. The walls were sparsely decorated, with the
exception of a yellowed and frayed poster with an obviously
forged depiction of a flying saucer, proclaiming "I WANT TO
BELIEVE." She took the empty desk closer to the door, and
decided it was in her best interest to familiarize herself
with the cases. She opened the "A" drawer and began
reading.
She was halfway through the contents of her first folder
when there was a knock at the door.
"Great, here comes Princess Leia." Fuller groaned, thinking
it was her new boss, and put on her best professional
smile. "Come in." She called out.
Instead of her boss like she expected, a petite redhead
with an FBI guest badge on her lapel. She didn't look up
from the file until the woman spoke. "Ma'am, the senior
partner isn't here yet. Let me redirect you. Just one…" She
went over to the phone and saw that the woman was in the
picture with the family.
"Deputy Director Doggett asked me to come by and introduce
myself and show you the ropes around here. Your senior
officer isn't going to be able to come in till after
lunch."
She smiled apologetically and stood up, extending a hand in
greeting. "I'm sorry ma'am," she flustered, "just doing
some research."
"So what do you think about UFO's after reading that file?"
"To be perfectly honest, ma'am," Fuller answered carefully,
"I'm not quite sure what to think. I am aware of what the
founder of this division seems to believe is a conspiracy,
geared towards covering up a plot of colonization. I need
physical evidence to back that up before I concur."
"Sounds too much like Star Wars?" the woman asked, her lips
curling into a knowing smile.
"There's no documented scientific evidence yet of the
existence of extra terrestrials." At Fuller's answer, the
woman raised a questioning eyebrow, and approached the
desk.
"Twenty years ago," Scully replied, crossing her arms. "I
would have said the same thing. I used to be you, Agent..."
Later on that day
Quantum Leap Headquarters
Roswell, New Mexico
Al left the imaging chamber, rubbing his temple. Now THAT
was one hell of a leap. One destined to go down in the
record books, that was for sure. He looked at Fern "Easter"
Mullens, the new Information and Technology Specialist who
had been hired after Goushie's passing now about five years
ago. "Let me know when Sam's in a new body," he said as he
shuffled towards his office.
"Yes sir," she said.
Al had just sat down in his big comfortable chair when his
phone rang. "I don't want any calls today. I don't care who
it is."
Tina said nervously. "Um... I don't think this person is
going to go away, Al. She said that she made this
appointment fifteen years ago?" Tina sounded completely
and utterly flustered. "She says she's the Assistant
Director for the FBI??"
"I'll be right out," Al said, jumping out of his chair.
Now, to Starkweather, Al looked exactly the same as he did
when she saw him last. But to Al, she had changed,
extraordinarily.
She was still slender and youthful-looking. She still wore
her uncompromising black business dress suits. However, she
no longer had the deceptive guise of a teenager. There were
one or two crow's feet by her hazel eyes. Her hair was no
longer Rapunzel-long and dyed blonde, but shoulder length
and dark brown. Only the gold wire eyeglasses and the few
strands of silver at the temple of her hair betrayed her
age of forty-four years.
Her voice, however, was as strong and yet feminine as ever.
"Admiral Calvaricci?" She still had that Sphinx-smile, that
sense of mystery.
"Agent Starkweather," Al said. "My, you've grown up."
"With all due respect," her smile dissolved into the
trademark Starkweather smirk. "it's Assistant Director
Starkweather now." She held out her hand. As Al shook her
right hand, he noted that her left hand no longer bore a
wedding ring. "Well, Admiral, you said to look you up in
fifteen years and you'd explain everything."
Al clasped his other hand over hers. "Yes, yes I did...
Assistant Director."
"Funny, you don't look any more angelic as you did when I
saw you last." Her eyes twinkled in delight. "I thought I
was ready for the funny farm when you popped in, you know."
"I know, I know," Al groaned. "And I'll explain everything
to you."
"Well... before you start... I'd like to have you meet some
people first... you see... we figured out a lot of things
on our own before coming here... but there's still some
gaps."
We?? Al wondered as he followed Starkweather to the outer
waiting room.
"I found him," Starkweather said to the man sitting on the
couch, reading the newspaper.
And Deputy Director John Doggett stood up. Still tall,
still had those brilliant blue eyes, although he also wore
eyeglasses now. Although he was lucky enough to have kept
his hair, it had faded from it's coppery-yellow hue. He
also now sported a neatly trimmed goatee. He was still a
good-looking man, albeit it, obviously, an older man.
Geez... he's got to be pushing sixty by now Al thought as
he shook Doggett's hand.
"Admiral," Doggett also still never shed that gravelly New
York-Deep South hybrid accent. "Good to see you again...
though I must confess, I really don't remember much of our
first meetin'."
"That's alright," Al said. "I'll remind you of every
humiliating detail."
"Oh good," Doggett deadpanned. "Kids, come here," he
called.
"Kids?" Al asked.
A boy and a girl, both the same age, looking to be about
twelve, left the television set they were avidly watching
and joined the adults. "This is our son," Starkweather put
her hand on the boy's shoulder. "John Benjamin."
"Hi," the boy said brightly. And Al realized that he was
looking at what Mulder must have looked like when he was a
boy. A mop of unruly brown hair, sparkling hazel eyes. No
trace of shyness whatsoever.
"And this," Starkweather put her other hand on the girl's
shoulder. "Is our daughter, Bailey Fox."
"Mom, **please** don't tell strangers my middle name," she
whispered, mortified. "It's embarrassing."
Bailey was the spitting image of John Doggett. Same curly
shiny blond hair, although she wore hers considerably
longer than her father. Same brilliant piercing blue eyes.
She even spoke with the barest trace of a Southern accent.
"Looks like you two have some things to tell me too," Al
said. "Ziggy left some things out in her diagnogstics."
"Ziggy?" Starkweather crinkled her brow in confusion.
Al companionably put his arm through Starkweather's. "I'll
explain... let me give you a tour."
When they got to the "holding" chamber, they all stopped.
"Is this??" Starkweather started to ask, but stopped.
Al answered her unasked question. "Yes. Sam's body is in
there, but not Sam's soul. Sam hasn't found someone to
switch souls with yet, so the body is in suspended
animation, so to speak."
Doggett was looking around. "Some of this looks familiar."
"I wouldn't have believed this if I wasn't here right now,"
Bailey said.
John Benjamin aka JB scoffed at his twin sister "You never
believe anything until you see it anyways. You're worse
than Aunt Dana."
"Gang," Doggett said in his quiet authorative tone--the same
one he used for wayward agents, "zip it." The twins
immediately fell silent.
While everyone else hung back, Starkweather walked up to
the two-way mirror, that Doggett-in-Sam had broken days
ago. It was repaired now. Starkweather looked through the
glass and saw a handsome man with sandy-brown hair with one
lock gone gray.
Starkweather put her hand on the glass. "Thank you Sam...."
she whispered before Al led her away to explain the past to
her and her family.
**THE END**
down the stairs. "Two more flights to go..." Sam panted.
"HURRY THE FUCK UP!!!" Frohike was screaming, "ITS AT
MULDER'S CELL!"
Starkweather, as she ran down the stairs, shoved the guns
in the back of her pants, grabbed the railing, vaulted over
the rails and landed solidly onto the next flight of stairs
going down.
"STARKWEATHER!!! COME BACK!!!" Sam yelled uselessly as he
ran after her.
She did that trick again on the next set of stairs and
found herself on Cell Block B. She pulled her guns out and
saw Billy Miles pulling the bars away like string cheese.
Over the din of male prisoners she raised her female voice:
"HEY! BILLY BOY!!!!"
Billy stopped his chore and looked straight at her. He
abandoned the bars and walked straight for her.
"Bring it on," she said before she started firing.
Starkweather emptied her clip of her service weapon into
Billy Miles' face. Blood, flesh and skull splattered the
walls and bars of the cell block. Headless, the arms
reached out for her while the body still walked towards
her.
"You're supposed to STOP after I shoot you! What part of
DEAD don't you understand?" she cried as the creature kept
coming forward. She whipped out the Beretta and fired into
his chest, his crotch, his gut and his knees. The thing
flopped over and wriggled its way towards her, flopping
around like a fish out of water.
"MULDER!!" she called out as she kicked at the gory mess
still crawling reaching for her. "Ew ew ew," she said as
she kicked away a reaching hand and quickly stepped over
the dead/alive remains. She reached into her purse that she
still carried and pulled out two clips and reloaded both
weapons, walking backwards, looking for Mulder's cell,
waiting for Doggett and watching the soggy heap of body
part slowly swing itself around and start pulling itself in
her direction again. "Mulder, where are you?"
"Over here!" Mulder stuck an arm out of his cell. "The one
where the bars are pulled away."
Starkweather back-pedalled to where Mulder was being held.
Mulder took one look at her braided hairdo and quipped
"Hello Your Worshipfullness."
Starkweather was examining the bent bars. "Han Solo you're
not... my God... that thing did this?? Jesus..." she tried
pulling on the bar and the bent iron bar defied her,
staying stubbornly bent. She took out the skelton key that
Byers fashioned for her to open the cell. "Shit... SHIT!!!!
Byers!!!" she snapped into the headset. "YOUR KEY'S NOT
WORKING!!"
"Billy must have damaged the tumbler of the lock when he
started to bend away at the bars," Byers' strained voice
filled her ears.
"I don't think we can get the cell door," Starkweather
said, panicking a little. They had twelve minutes to get
out of the jailblock before Frohike's window closed. "Can
you slid through the bars?"
Mulder tried, wedging his body through the bowed bars
created by Billy. "Dammit," he said, "Billy has a more
girlish figure than I."
"Well, we wouldn't be having this problem if someone didn't
sit on his ass all day and eat sunflower seeds." She
grabbed his arm. "YOU! Back there, hiding under the bunk
bed!" Manny, with a hang dog expression on his face,
complied. "You push, I'll pull."
"ARRCCKKK!!" Mulder said as his face was shoved past the
bars. "Don't you have a better way of doing this?"
"Sorry Pooh-bear," Starkweather snapped, "I'm fresh out of
butter and I left my flame-thrower in Byers' other pants.
PUSH!!"
"We're not having a baby," Mulder grumbled as his torso was
forced through the narrow space between the bars. "STOP
STOP STOP I'M STUCK!!" he yelled out in pain when he was
half-way out, his upper body, supported by Starkweather
while Manny was trying to lift his legs up and out. Mulder
looked down, "Starkweather..."
Starkweather, burdened under Mulder's weight, looked down
as well. "Oh damn," she sighed as she tried to kick away at
Billy's body, only a few feet away from her.
Sam made it to the bottom of the stairs and felt his
stomach lurch at the sight of the moving dismembered Billy
Miles slithering towards Starkweather. He could hear the
inmates discussing pleasantly amongst themselves: "WHAT THE
FUCK IS THAT THING!!! WHAT THE FUCK MAN!!!"
Sam took out Doggett's gun and ran towards Starkweather,
unloaded it into Billy's back, severing the back bone.
Billy stopped moving.
"Doggett!" Starkweather said, "help me," she started
pulling on Mulder again. Sam came around to the other side
of Mulder.
"Hold on, his suit's stuck," Sam pulled on a wad of
clothing that had become impaled on a piece of metal.
"No time for that," Starkweather pulled a pocketknife out
of her pocket and both anyone could freak out or protest,
slit away at Mulder's jumpsuit. "Doggett, help me pull him
out of his suit," she ordered as orange material fell away
from Mulder. Together, Sam and Starkweahter pulled Mulder
free, leaving him to stand in the cell block hallway in his
skivvies.
"Didn't know you were a whitie-tightie man," Starkweather
deadpanned.
"They took away my boxers."
Manny, being far more slender than Mulder, hopped through
the bars easily. "Let's get out of here."
"Oh no," Starkweather pointed her gun at Manny. "Get your
law-breaking ass back in that cell."
"We can't leave him here," Mulder protested.
"Mulder, I am already sticking my neck out for your sorry
ass, I can probably kiss my job goodbye for freeing you, I
am not going to add releasing a possible felon to my new
rap sheet!"
"Um, I just snuck into the county without a green card,"
Manny interjected.
"If we leave him here with no protection, he's going to get
killed! We can't leave him you egotisical, self-righteous
bitch!"
"Guys," Frohike broke into their fight through Sam and
Starkweather's earpieces, "You've got seven minutes to get
out before the window closes."
"BITCH!!!" She fumed. "Listen, you spineless, delusional,
arrogant ASSHOLE, I wouldn't be in this situation if your
monumental STUPIDITY on the oil righ hadn't gotten my
husband sucked into this insani-"
"Starkweather," Sam interrupted warily, pointing his gun
down at Billy's remains.
Starkweather looked down. Her eyes widened as Billy's body
parts were slowly coming together. "You," she grabbed Manny
by the collar of his jumpsuit and yanked him over to
Doggett. "Go with him. You're with me, come on," she
slapped her Beretta in Mulder's hand and pushed him towards
the door...
Starkweather pushed Mulder into the nearest restroom while
Doggett and Manny kept running up the stairs. "What are you
doing?" Mulder fumed.
"Trust me," Starkweather said as she unloosened her tie.
Meanwhile, Sam stopped Manny to slap handcuffs on him.
Manny wailed "What are you doing???"
"Trust me," Sam said gruffly.
Meanwhile...
back at the County Jail...
The Front Guard Room -
The guard that Starkweather burned and drugged was slowly
coming too. He looked up and saw the last thing he
remembered, which was that FBI agent...Frank Black, looming
over him. "It's okay, it's okay..." the agent was saying.
The guard was suddenly aware that he was in acute pain. He
tried to speak but his lips were burned.
Sam-in-Doggett-posing-as-Agent-Frank-Black told him, "I've
called the paramediacs. You were attacked, your burns are
superficial but very painfull. I've caught the guy who came
after you and I'm taking him to a pyscheatric facility.
Meanwhile Manny was sitting on a bench, still handcuffed
was wailing, "I didn't DO it!!!! I swear!!!!"
Frohike told the agents through their earpieces, "Okay, the
window's shut. Normal security and video survelliance is
goin' on. Stay cool."
Back down in the bathroom, Starkweather shrugged off the
bulky black purse she was carrying. She stripped off the
suit jacket, pants, dress blouse and tie she was wearing,
leaving her in nothing but a skin-tight tank-top and the
Lara Croft khakis shorts Langly had gotten her. "Get
dressed," she ordered him as she pulled out a pair of black
socks and shoes for Mulder. While Mulder dressed, she also
took out a can of aerosol hair coloring used primarily
during Halloween, a pair of glasses, spirit gum and a
brown-fading-to-gray fake beard and moustache. Once Mulder
was more or less dressed, she dabbed spirit gum on his face
and applied the beard and moustache. Quickly she sprayed
his hair with the coloring, streaking his brown hair with
gray. "Put these on," she said, handing him the glasses as
she crotched down again to put Mulder's disguise material
back in her back and to take out her own camoflauge, a pair
of stylish sunglasses Starkweather normally would never
wear and a white hankerchief she folded quickly into a
triangle. Quickly, she took the hairpins out one by one
until the braids flopped down her back. She tied the
hankerchief around her head and put the sunglasses on.
Standing next to a suddenly aged-Mulder, she looked like
his teenaged daughter. As she put her gun in her purse,
Mulder asked "And how do you plan on getting past the metal
detectors?"
"Like, chill out dad," she said snidely. "Langly's gonna
infect this place with a very obvious computer virus which
is going to wreak hell on their system."
"How?"
"All the doors to the Cell Block B are going to open. The
guards will be so busy, plus with the police that will be
coming with the paramedics for the guard that I um...
roughed up, they'll be so busy, they won't pay mind to us.
Plus, while they're wondering why there's no footage of the
guard being injured, they'll assume it's the same virus
that caused the computer to think the cell block doors need
to be opened."
"You've thought of everything, haven't you?"
Before Starkweather could snap back at him, Frohike told
her, "Virus is in, get your asses out of there."
Mulder and Starkweather could hear the slam of doors
opening below. They crept out of the bathroom and as
casually as possible, got onto the elevator to go above...
Meanwhile...
The upstairs was total bedlam. As the police sirens howled
in the distance, Sam administered first aid while the
minimal security staff ran around like chickens with their
heads cut off trying to round up the prisoners who were
suddenly free. Fortunately, only severe misdeamers and
"special" cases like the Deputy Mayor were kept at the
County, so there really wasn't much of a threat. Most of
the criminals, after watching Billy rebuild himself, were
far too terrified to move out of their cells.
Sam quietly stole away, taking Manny with him. The Lone
Gunmenmobile was parked right across the street next to a
police paddy wagon. It was perfect, it appeared to
onlookers that Sam-in-Doggett was leading a prisoner to be
transferred to a different prison. Instead, the doors to
the Gunmenmobile opened up and Sam tossed Manny inside
before he hopped in. The Gunmenmobile stole away, driving
to Starkweather's and Mulder's meeting point....
Meanwhile...
Mulder couldn't believe it, he and his "daughter" were
being personally escorted out by a police officer. When the
elevator stopped at the first floor, it was total chaos.
The cop didn't even look at him that closely, he just
grabbed Mulder by the arm and said "Sir, you and your
daughter need to evacuate immediately."
And when the metal detector went off, the cop didn't even
flinch, he just assumed it was his own weapons setting off
the alarms.
And Mulder and Starkweather hurried away from the crime
scene virtually undetected. The van was waiting for them
and they hopped into it's cramped security. It was too
easy...
Or it would have been, if Billy Miles hadn't seen them
leave.
Frohike was driving, Sam-in-Doggett was in the passenger
seat. Crammed in the back, Langly was high-fiving everyone
he could reach. Byers, Manny and Mulder were scootched in
together on a bench, Starkweather was watching out the back
window.
"We DID it! We freakin' DID it MAN!!" Langly crowed.
"Mulder, dude, can you believe this? You are totally a free
man!"
"I'm a man totally on the lamb you mean," Mulder corrected
him dryly. "And what's with the bikes?" He rested his palms
on Ben's Suzuki, which was leaning into his knees.
"Well, the game plan is that we are going to go our
separate ways and meet at the round-a-view point so we can
start the search for Mr. Starkweather. As for your status,
we plan on telling the authorities that you voluntarily
surrendered to Agents Doggett and Starkweather and hence in
federal custody." Byers informed him, "Once we find Mr.
Starkweather, all charges SHOULD be dropped, isn't that
correct, Mrs. Starkweather?"
But Starkweather wasn't listening, she was watching too
intently outside the window.
"Mrs. Starkweather?"
Meanwhile Sam was pondering Okay, we saved Mulder,
shouldn't I have leapt by now? Or do I still need to rescue
Ben? What if he's been killed? Am I trapped here then?
His reverie was broken by Starkweather's voice. "Doggett.
Frohike."
"Yeah?" Sam and Frohike unintentionally said in unison.
Starkweather pointed out the window. "He followed me home,
can I keep him?"
Frohike looked into his rearview mirror. "Shit," he
muttered as he saw Billy Miles weaving in and out of cars
in the heavy DC rush hour traffic. "Lock and load boys."
"You guys carry guns now?" Mulder said incredulously. "I
feel safer with Billy."
"He means get wired up," Langly said as he hooked up his
ear piece. "We might get separated faster than we thoug-."
"FUCK ME!!!" Starkweather interrupted, pulling her gun out,
"WHERE DID HE GO!!!"
Then there was the sickening sound of a thud on the roof of
the van. "Oh crap," Frohike said.
"BRAKE BRAKE BRAKE!!!!" Starkweather screamed. "SLAM ON THE
FUCKING BRAKES FROHIKE!!!"
"Hang on!" Frohike stomped on the pedal and watched Billy
go flying into the next car ahead. Then the car behind them
rear-ended them and everyone went sprawling. Starkweather's
gun went sailing out of her hands. Byers and Manny knocked
heads. Mulder grabbed his knees in real pain after the
bikes scraped past him. Sam gasped for breath as the seat
belt choked him. Langly groped for the glasses that flew
off his face and found Starkweather's gun instead. "Here,"
he handed it Mulder. Mulder handed it off to Starkweather
as she reached for it while asking
"WHERE'D HE GO?"
Billy just then lifted his mangled body off of the Volvo he
landed on. As horns honked frantically, he leapt off the
smushed car and onto the hood of the van.
Sam looked death in the eyes and ducked just in time before
Billy smashed the glass of the windshield in.
Sam-in-Doggett, Frohike met up with Langly, Byers and Manny
at the Lone Gunman's secret lair. "Where's Starkweather and
Mulder?" Sam demanded as Langly, Byers and Manny got off of
the sputtering moped.
"We don't know," Byers said. "I could not hail them on the
cell phone."
"Oh God," Sam muttered as he dialled Starkweather's
extension. "You guys," he said, pointed at the Lone Gunmen
and Manny. "Get to work on figuring out where they might be
keeping Ben. And for God sakes, somebody get a hold of
Scully." That had been scaring him all day. He had not
heard a peep from Scully all day.... or Al come to think of
it.
Why haven't I leapt yet? Sam wondered as Starkweather's
cell rang. God, are we too late and Ben's dead? "Pick
up," Sam said aloud, dreading the worst. "Pick up pick
up...."
********
Starkweather couldn't even hear her own phone ringing, the
roar of the construction trucks around deafened her
completely. With Mulder clutching her for dear life, she
used her husband's prized motorcycle as a Motor Cross dirt
bike, whipping around road block signs as fast as she
could. Billy was still gaining on them.
Mulder, meanwhile, had Starkweather's long braids
repeatedly hit him in the face over and over. At the speed
they were going, the thick cables of hair stung his cheeks
like bullwhips. He could hardly hold his head up. He could
hear the honks from the annoyed drivers of the dump trucks
and road graders trying to do their jobs.
Mulder and Starkweather gained a moments advantage when a
dump truck pulled right in front of Billy's truck that
turned into an enormous fireball when the truck plowed
right into it. Starkweather wheeled the bike around in a
perfect one-eighty, throwing gravel everywhere. "Oh my
God!" she cried out as the driver bailed out of the dump,
on fire. His co-workers ran to his aid. "I've got to help
that man," Starkweather started to get off the bike, but
Mulder pushed her back down.
"Starkweather, we've got to go."
Starkweather turned and said ferociously to him, "Mulder
you piece of sh*t, that man is injured and it's our fault.
Besides, that thing could not have survived that!" She
turned to point at the flaming trucks and gasped in horror.
Inside the flames was a lean man, walking calming towards
them. Like Shadrach in the furnace, Billy walked inside the
roaring fires towards them, perfectly calm despite the face
that his flesh was melting off his bones from the heat of
the flames roasting his hair and clothes.
"HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!!!" Starkweather wheeled the bike
around and took off, without looking back. Mulder barely
had a chance to grab onto her again, but he did manage to
yell in her ear "TOLD YOU SO."
"BITE ME-" Starkweather started to say but instead suddenly
applied the breaks. The bike screeched and toppled over,
sliding away. Mulder fell off and rolled but Starkweather
held onto the handle bars, grimacing in pain as the road
tore up her bare leg on the outside and the muffler burning
the same leg on the inside. Despite the agonizing pain, she
clung to the bike so it wouldn't go over the edge of the
bridge that the road crew was working to hard to repair.
Bruised, but not broken and on the first adrenline high
since he left the X-Files, Mulder picked himself up and ran
to Starkweather and helped her pulled up bike up and parked
it safely on the edge. He then examined her wounds. Tears
stood in her eyes but did not brim over. Through clenched
teeth, she told him. "I'm fine." Her leg on the side that
the road was completely scraped up, bits of glass and
gravel lodged into her skin. That same leg had a huge burn
mark on the inside of her calf where the muffler had landed
on.
Mulder helped her up. Starkweather tried to stand but her
knee buckled. She collapsed against him. Mulder supported
her by her elbows. He looked towards the billowing smoke
from the fire and said. "Damn."
"What?" Starkweather turned her head. "DAMMIT!!!" she
screamed at Billy approaching them in the distance, skin
completely burned away, hair still on fire. "DIE!!!"
Mulder picked Starkweather and put her on the motorcycle.
He got on and revved up the engine. She wrapped her arms
around his waist. "What are you doing?"
"Hang on, close your eyes and pray," Mulder said as he spun
the bike around, driving towards Billy.
Starkweather squeezed her eyes tightly shut as Mulder got
some distance from the edge of the broken bridge.
Meanwhile, Mulder was doing some quick math in his head.
The gap between the ends of the bridge that is being
repaired is only about the length of a city block, so I
need to get at least twice the length of that away and have
to hit well over 100 mph to ramp it... oh God... Less
than fifteen feet from Billy, Mulder swerved around and
started back towards the bridge, speeding up. Starkweather,
eyes still closed, heard the engine continually shifting
gears, tightened her arm around Mulder's waist even more
and buried her face into his back. Billy started to run
after them, unbelievably almost keeping up with the
Suzuki...
The edge loomed. Mulder gunned the engine and pulled up on
the handlebars and the motorcycle was airborne.
Less than fifteen feet from Billy, Mulder swerved around
and started back towards the bridge, speeding up.
Starkweather, eyes still closed, heard the engine
continually shifting gears, tightened her arm around
Mulder's waist even more and buried her face into his back.
Billy started to run after them, unbelievably almost
keeping up with the Suzuki...
The edge loomed. Mulder gunned the engine and pulled up on
the handle bars and the motorcycle was airborne. Actually,
the gap in the bridge was only about seven feet but it was
straight down to the mix-master right below, roaring with
speeding vehicles. And seven feet is seven feet.
Fortunately, at the speed Mulder was going, he ramped the
gap quite easily and the two tires touched down on the
other side. Mulder let off of the gas and the bike rolled
to a stop. He wheeled it around again. Starkweather opened
her eyes and peered around Mulder's body just in time to
see Billy Miles jump off the edge of the bridge towards
them, like Agent Smith in "The Matrix." The only different,
Billy missing and went spiralling down into traffic where
he was run over by a Pinto.
Starkweather heaved a big sigh of relief. "I didn't know
you could do stunts," she said.
She didn't see Mulder's face which was stark white and
beaded with nervous perspiration. "Neither did I," he
mumbled as he started up the bike again and headed towards
the Lone Gunmen hideaway.
Meanwhile, at the Lone GunmenLair
***********************
Sam was having certain doubts about letting Frohike drive
Doggett's truck back with Manny in tow, but Sam wasn't
about to do the navigating, being unfamiliar with the DC
area and needing desperately to get in touch with Scully or
Skinner. After nearly missing a couple of cars and
sideswiping a curb and putting a nice pole-shaped dent in
the side of Doggett's F150, Sam neglected getting in touch
with Skinner or Scully or any fo them till after they got
to the lair...just in case final prayers suddenly became
necessary. Manny next to him was more vocal about the
situation, screaming choice Spanish explicatives. If they
hadn't been so nervous about the situation at hand, both
men would have kissed the ground when they finally arrived
at the lair.
"That's it, hombre...next time I'm drivin'." Manny
declared.
"Frohike," Sam began shakily with his face as white as a
sheet once they finally got the lair, "Where did you get
your lisence?"
"We rigged one for him here, Doggett." Byers began
apologetically, giving Frohike a dirty look.
"Well you were gonna drive like an old lady, and we
would've been stuck in ass-to-ass traffic jams and we
would've been S.O.L. if it weren't for my skillfull
offensive driving techniques."
"Your skillfull offensive driving techniques almost made us
tortillas!" Manny yelled. Then he turned to Byers and
Langly, "any you guys got a phone I could use per favor?"
To which Langly responded by opening a drawerful of
wireless phones and cranking up about five of the desktops
that weren't in use at the moment. "Take your pic, man."
"Gracias." Manny said quietly, picked one from the drawer,
and dialed. "Local call...I know people." Then he began
rattling off a spanish conversation, pausing briefly for a
response.
"I understood mi amigo" Langley murmured
"I heard Mulder in their somewhere I think."
Sam, fluent in Spanish, would have been able to understand
what he was saying very well, didn't hear any of the
conversation because he was outside relaying what had
happened to Skinner.
"Guys, something on the squawker." Frohike said quietly,
now frantically keying in the local news channell websites.
"Trafficjam on the freeway."
"WHAT THE FUCK JUST HIT ME?! WHAT THE FUCK JUST HIT ME?!" A
trucker screamed across the CB waves.
"That's our boy." Langly mumbled.
"Oh shit!" A scratchy voice came over the police radio the
gunmen had hooked up and turned on in their warehouse.
"It's like outta that Terminator movie..."
"I'm checking the CB." Byers informed his comrades, and
began hooking it up, putting the headphones.
"I hate to break to you buddy, but this ain't no movie." A
female's voice scratched back. SWEET JESUS WHAT THE F*CK IS
THAT?!"
"There's a Suzuki...a blonde chick's drivin'...with some
old guy...that Ford Truck's chasing it"
"This can't be good." was Manny's grim prognosis.
Frohike went back into a room and got out a bottle of Wild
Turkey Burbon and downed a shot's worth.
Just as Frohike pulled Doggett's sadly abused truck next to
the Lone Gunmen lair, Starkweather and Mulder pulled into
the lot, Mulder driving, Starkweather clinging to him like
the toy clip-on koalas that were so popular in the early
eighties. Both were white as ghosts.
"Mulder!" Frohike cried out as he ambled out of the truck
and scurried to him, Manny and Sam-in-Doggett following.
Mulder lifted Starkweather off the bike, Starkweather
wincing in pain, clenching her teeth. "Hide the
motorcycle," he instructed to no one in particular. "About
every cop in a twenty mile radius is looking for it right
now." Frohike took the initiative and wheeled the bike
inside the lair.
Sam only had eyes for Starkweather at them moment. "What
happened?" he said, urgency tinging his voice. Then he
looked down at her leg and saw the massive abrasions. "Oh
boy," Sam said in horror. "Starkweather...."
"Mulder," Starkweather tugged on his sleeve. "You need to
get inside. You're a fugitive now."
"Been there, done that," Mulder muttered as he carried her
inside, Sam and Manny following.
Mulder began barking orders the minute Frohike locked the
door. "Langly, find some clean, emphasize on CLEAN sheets
and lay them across the table and a pillow. Byers, I need a
pair of tweezers, cotton pads, ACE bandages and sterilizing
solution: iodine, alcohol, hydrogen perioxide, anything
that will kill the germs." After Frohike cleared a table
with the sweep of his arm and Langly threw a sheet over it
and positioned a pillow just so, Mulder put her down.
Starkweather closed her eyes. "God knows, I've have Scully
piece me back together enough times, I think I can handle
this," Mulder said to Sam as he referred to her scrapes and
contusions. "I don't know about this," he moved her injured
leg just enough for Sam to see the blistering burn on the
inside of her leg.
"Oh my God," Sam said in horror. "Mulder, that's at least
second-degree. We need to get her to a hospital."
"Or at least a doctor," Mulder said. "Call Scully." When
his request was met with dead silence, Mulder asked. "Why
is no one picking up the phone?"
Starkweather raised herself up on her elbows. "Because,"
she said wearily, "we haven't been able to get in touch
with her since last night."
Sam was quick to reassure him, "William is fine, he's safe,
he's been guarded by Skinner and Reyes the entire time this
mess began. I'm sure Scully is safe," Sam hoped he sounded
more positive than he felt. "We would have heard if she
wasn't."
"Besides," Starkweather's dry voice cut into the
conversation, "you have bigger problems than the
whereabouts of Scully right now."
Mulder and Sam both turned around. Starkweather was aiming
her gun at Mulder. She ju "Oh crap," Frohike said as Langly
and Byers froze. Manny said something in Spanish that
sounded suspiciously sacriligious.
"Starkweather," Sam said slowly, "what are you doing?"
Despite her injuries, Starkweather managed to sit up, face
Mulder and hold her gun in the perfect FBI grip, aiming
right between the eyes, point blank range. If she chose to
fire, **if she chose to fire**, no vaccine would bring him
back from the grave this time.
"Starkweather, you don't want to do this," Sam said,
inching towards her, prepared to wrest the gun from her
hand... again. I'm getting too good at this... Sam
thought as beads of perspiration collected on his forehead.
"Doggett, shut up," Starkweather said pleasantly enough.
She tilted her head and looked at Mulder straight in the
eye. "Did you kill my husband."
Mulder, who had been completely unruffled the entire time
said without batting an eye "No."
"Do you believe he's still alive?"
"Yes."
"Will you help us find him?"
"I would even if there wasn't a gun pointed at me," Mulder
said in his monotone at its most nettlesome.
Starkweather gritted her teeth, put her weapon back on
safety, set it down beside her, and fainted.
Sam released a sigh of relief. Mulder turned to him and
said, the tiniest hints of surprise and rebuke coloring his
voice, "You didn't really think she was going to fire...
did you?"
Sam looked at Mulder in shock. "She has been on the
Emotional Rollercoaster from Hell, Mulder," Sam snapped on
him. "I'm surprised she didn't fire on me as well." since
part of her still probably suspects I'm not really
Doggett.
Mulder shook his head. "She's in shock from her injuries.
Starkweather's hot headed, but she'll be fine once we get
her stabilized." he said, coming to her and taking the gun
away, hitting the button with released the clip. A full
cache of bullets landed in his hands. He handed them to
Sam. "Still," the mischievious twinkle was back in his
eyes, "better treat her like Barney Fife for a while." He
walked away, whistling under his breath as he went to
scrounge with Byers for more medical supplies.
Sam folded his lips tight. The cocky son-of-a-bitch. he
thought... although... deep down, he knew Mulder was right.
She would have never fired, she was only trying to rattle
him... and failed utterly. Sam went up to Starkweather and
stroked her hair. "Hang in there, Doc," he said softly. "We
can see the light at the end of the tunnel now..."
Mulder propped Starkweather's injured leg on top of a
pillow. Miraculously, Byers found a first aid kit that had
silverdine ointment in it, a wonderful cream used to treat
serious burns. He handed the tube to Doggett and told him
"You do the honors" as he sterilized the tweezers in hot
water.
Gingerly, Sam applied the cream to the burn on the inside
of her leg. "Ben would shoot me if he saw this," he
muttered.
"Starkweather is going to want to shoot me for real once I
start digging the gravel out," Mulder said as he used tongs
to fish out the hot tweezers and set them on the table to
let them cool before he went to work.
"HOW did you know she wasn't going to shoot you???" Sam
burst out.
Mulder shrugged. "She wanted to get my attention. She got
it."
"But you weren't worried?"
"No."
The Gunmen in the back were cooking on something on their
computers. Sam only hoped that it was about the case.
"WHY does she... um," Sam tried to pose his question
delicately as he finished applying the salve and went
around the table to assist Mulder in his dreaded task.
"Hate my guts?" Mulder finished Sam's sentence for him.
"Well... when I was young and stupid, I had gotten a lead
about an abductee named Lynnette Malone. She was a multiple
abductee until she turned nineteen an married a fine young
sailor in the Navy. The source that tipped me off said
there was something very special about Miss Malone that
would affect me personally. Of course, I assumed she had
information about Samantha. I took the address and flew out
there like a bat out of hell. Unfortunately, my source
failed to tell me that Miss Malone was now Mrs. Bailey and
was dying of cancer, leaving behind a husband and a sixteen
year old daughter."
"Starkweather," Sam said, under his breath.
"Mrs. Bailey was perfectly lucid when I met with her and we
chatted for a good ten minutes before I started my
questions. Even in the beginning of my interview, she
opened up just the tiniest bit, but..." Mulder shook his
head as he readied the tweezers. "Mrs. Bailey was suffering
from a rare type of brain cancer, rare in most people, but
common in women who have been abducted, tested and made
sterile due to the tests. Scully nearly died of the same
cancer," Mulder looked at Starkweather. "Good thing she
passed out, this is going to hurt like a b*tch." Mulder
pulled the first piece of gravel out of her leg.
Starkweather flinched, but didn't wake up. "Anyway, Mrs.
Bailey was in the final stages of the cancer and her
lucidity was slipping away. She became frightened,
disorientated. Instead of calling the nurse, I pressed on,
hoping that she'd come back from the hell the tumors were
creating for her just to breath to me the secret I was
convinced she held that would help me find my sister.
Little did I know that Starkweather had been outside,
listening in on every word. Her mother completely collapsed
the next day, slipped into a coma and passed away.
Starkweather never forgave me for not letting her mother
have a peaceful death, and I never forgave myself." Mulder
sighed as he continued to pick out the gravel. "And the
irony was, after all these years, my source WAS correct.
Mrs. Bailey did have something that was intensely
personally to me. She was raising my father's daughter."
Startled, Sam stared at Mulder. "How did you know that?" he
asked cautiously.
Mulder looked up at Sam, a wicked twinkle in his hazel
eyes, "Because," he said lowly, "Al told me, Sam."
Sam exhaled. He had forgotten that he had deployed Al to
Mulder's cell to tell him the happy news.
Where the hell was Al anyway?
"I'm not going to say anything," Mulder continued to speak
sotto voce. "You don't need to be added to their online
newsletter," he subtly nodded his head towards the Gunmen.
Sam, meanwhile was watching Starkweather, "She's waking
up," Sam warned Mulder.
"Damn," Mulder muttered, trying to pull out a very
difficult shard of glass that refused to budge. "Could you
bludgeon her with a heavy object so she'll stay unconscious
for at least five more minutes? I'm almost done."
"I heard that," Starkweather opened her eyes. "Help me up,"
Starkweather asked Sam. "I wanna see what Dr.
Frankenstein's doing to me."
Mulder didn't even look at her, "It's alive, it's alive,"
he said in his monotone. "Starkweather, if there's
something to hold on to or bite on, do it, because, of
course since I don't hold a degree in medicine, I'm making
an assumption, but this is going to hurt. A lot."
"Joy." Starkweather said as she gripped Sam's wrists.
"Bliss." She took a deep breath. "If it's glass, and I
can't believe I'm saying this, but pull it out slow. I
would be slightly on the unhappy side if it broke and a
chunk of glass was still in my leg."
"They look to be mostly flesh wounds though," Mulder said,
"Okay, count of three," Starkweather looked away, "One-
two- deep breath- THREE," and Mulder pulled the last
stubborn piece of glass out of her leg. Starkweather's
nails dug into Sam-in-Doggett's wrists and tried to hold in
the whimpering sounds. "Okay," Mulder held up the glass.
"it's out."
"How much left to do?" Starkweather leaned forward to
examine her own leg. "My God..." she muttered. "Gives all
new meaning to the phrase 'That's gonna leave a mark.'" The
doctor bent forward as far as she could to continue her
topical exam. "I think you got most of it, though. There's
a few big pieces of gravel that should come out, but
anything else will probably work its way out in time." She
leaned back into Sam's belly. "Let's get it over with."
So Mulder was back to work. By the time he was done, tears
were steaming down her face. "I didn't mean to hurt you,"
Mulder said.
Sam caught the double-meaning. He wondered if Starkweather
did.
"I know, I know," Starkweather, feeling like a bawl baby
and hated it, sucked it up and dashed away the childish
tears with a flick of the hand. She watched Mulder put a
sterile cotton pad on her burn and then using clean cotton
bandages, started to wrap her up. "So..." she said wearily,
accepting the glass of cool water Langly brought her.
"What's the master plan of getting Ben out of this
clusterfuck."
Both Mulder and Sam looked at her in shock.
Starkweather opened one eye and said airly "You boys didn't
dream for one second you were going to cut me out of the
action, did you?"
Stammering, Sam said "Your leg..."
"Doggett, obvisiously I never told you about my motorcycle
accident I had when I was stationed at Whiteman AFB in
Missouri. Made this one look like a kiss of a ladybug. I
was almost given a medical disability discharge." She
sighed. "That might be Ben's bike, but I was the one who
taught him how to ride."
Mulder and Doggett believed her.
"Well-" Mulder was about to launch into one of his
profoundly weird but almost always eeriely correct theories
when Byers interrupted.
"There's someone at the door," Byers said, looking through
the peep hole, "Someone," Byers looked at Mulder, "you
probably have been waiting to see." He undid the many locks
and in walk Special Agent Dana Scully, carrying a sleeping
Will Mulder crossed over to her. Typical of their
extremely private, personal relationship, Mulder only put
his hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead, then
kissed the baby. Old habits die hard. Or maybe he was
actually being considerate of Frohike's feelings for once,
since the truculent little man still carried quite the
torch for her. Scully only closed her eyes in relief that
Mulder was out of harms way. She did shift the baby into
one arm and with her free hand, reached for his, which he
grabbed and interlocked his fingers with hers.
"Scully," Starkweather raised a hand in greeting. "
'Sup?"
"What happened to you?" Scully's eyebrows flew up in
concern.
"I'll live," Starkweather side-stepped her question. "Where
the hell've you been?"
Mulder's hand left hers and he had began to put it around
her shoulders, a little more PDA that she was used, than
either of them had been used to, but she welcomed it, until
her shoulder reminded her that she had been shot there.
"Ow," Scully folded her lips together.
"What's the matter, Scully?" Mulder took Will and passed
him off to Sam.
"Mulder, I'm fine." she protested when he pushed away her
coat and tugged at the collar of her shirt gently to try
and see more of her shoulder.
"Scully, when you translate those two words from Scullyese
to Basic English, 'I'm fine' really means 'Something bad
has happened, but I'm going to lie my ass off about it
because I don't want to worry anyone about it.'" He pulled
Scully aside, glared at everyone else. Everyone else
scurried off and became really interested in whatever task
they had been working on. Except for Starkweather, she just
laid back down and started to count the cracks in the
ceiling.
"Scully," Mulder scolded her. "We've been through too much
already for you to start this 'I'm fine' bs again. What
happened? Why is your shoulder bandaged like that?"
Scully sighed. He was not going to take this well. "Mulder,
I was shot at yesterday." She saw his eyes change from the
warm golden hazel to that strange honey-green color
whenever he was enraged.
"Who?"
"Marita Covarubias. She's involved with this. But I AM
fine, Mulder. It was a flesh wound. The worst that it did
was ruin another blazer." She tugged at his hand. "Mulder,
listen to me. There isn't time for this. I've discovered
some new information that clear your name completely and
blow this case wide open. I need to tell you and Agent
Doggett and Agent Starkweather what's going on. I saw Ben,
with my own eyes. He's alive. But unless we do something
soon, I don't know how much longer he'll stay alive. I need
to brief you and the others. Immediately," Scully insisted.
Mulder's eyes never left her face. "Why did you bring Boo
here?" Scully dropped her eyes to her shoes. "Something
must have happened if you did not feel secure enough to
leave him with a sitter."
Now Scully's eyes teared up and Mulder hated himself for
it. He had woken up many a night in a cold sweat because of
very real fears of William's safety. For as long as he had
known her, Scully had always been a meticulous agent. Harm
has never fallen on anyone because of irresponsibility on
her behalf. Whatever Scully had stumbled upon must have
been big, big enough into scaring her to collect Will and
flee to the Gunmen strong hold. "It's okay," Mulder said,
discreetly kissing her cheek, taking her hand again. "Just
tell us what happened."
So they rejoined the group. Byers got a chair for Scully
and then got a chair for himself. Manny came up to the
group apprehensively and hovered on the fringe. Frohike
stayed at his computer. Langly leaned against a table, next
to Starkweather, who had sat up and swung her legs over the
edge so they were dangling. Sam gave Will to Mulder and
flanked Starkweather on her other side. Mulder stood behind
Scully, prepared to memorize every word. They all were.
Scully took a breath, "Agent Starkweather, as of three
hours ago, I can confirm that Ben is still alive."
Now Starkweather took a breath. She fiddled with her
wedding ring. "Tell me."
So Scully started to recant her tale of the past day's
events.
Back to the Future...right after Al left 37C
***********************************************
Al came storming through the chamber door, livid.
"Dammit Goushie! I don't care if I hafta sell my soul to do
it, GET ME BACK THERE!"
"I-I-I would if I could, Admiral...but that's a bit
difficult right now. Ziggy's gotta glitch and I haven't
figured out where it is. Is the handlink uh...up and
running?" Goushie stammerred.
"You know," Al ranted, "you'd think with a time machine,
we'd have all the time in the world on our hands...but
tonight, things could get very very bad very very fast if I
don't get to Sam NOW!"
"The handlink, admiral...is it running?" Goushie persisted.
Al looked down and only nodded.
Then he stormed into the waiting room, and saw Doggett
sedated and unconscious. "Damn stupid marine." He mumbled,
accentuating each word with a bang of his head against the
plexi-glass.
"Verbeena," Al growled as soon as the psychologist was in
view, "please tell me he's just taking a little snooze."
"He's just taking a little snooze..." under Al's
scrutinizing glare, she revised her statement, "...with the
help of some ethanol." Dr. Beeks returned with flat
caution. When Al's glare persisted, she added hastily, "You
gave me orders to sedate him if he became violent
again...and he did. I had no choice in that."
"Verbeena...I don't care if you hafta pump black coffee
through him intravenously...I need what he knows. We've got
a situation back there."
"Al," Dr. Beeks interrupted firmly. "If Goushie can't even
get you back there, what good his Agent Doggett's
information going to be to you until then?"
"Admiral..." Goushie began cautiously, "I'm afraid...you're
gonna hafta sit tight here for a while. We've got a
corrupted component that we won't be able to have replaced
till morning. Besides...I know you're exhausted...I think a
night's sleep will do you good."
"Is there any way you can get the imaging chamber and the
handlink to coordinate without that component?"
"Yes, but there are several possibilities if you do make
contact with Dr. Becket."
"They are?"
"Either you or Dr. Becket will be unable to retain either
visual or auditory links, or everyone in the world will be
able to see you, or you might have trouble with the
handlink."
"Goushie..." Al returned, eyes widening in alarm, "I think
there's already been a glitch in the handlink...now there's
a report of what looks like from the article, Billy Miles,
chasing Diana Fowley and...CBG Spender? on a Kawasaki...at
rush hour? Goush...I don't think folks 'll be too spooked
by me walking through walls if that ain't a tabloid
heading."
"I'll do what I can to get you back there." Goushie
promised, and scurried back to the console. Al went back to
his apartment...but he doubted he'd be sleeping much.
LGM lair
********
"Mulder," Scully began with a sharp, cautious sigh, "I can
also confirm that as of six hours ago Spender is alive
too."
Mulder slammed his fist down on the make-shift computer
desks. "So that's why you had to bring him here...he's
going after you and William to get through me..." his voice
was shaking now, "GodDAMMIT I can't let that happen!
Starkweather...as soon as he finds out our connection,
he'll get to you too."
"An old man dying of emphaszema smoking a cigarette..."
Starkweather deadpanned, "Oooooh...scary...now I'll sleep
with the lights on with that mental picture."
"Frohike," Mulder mumbled only loud enough for him to hear,
"hop online and see what you can do about hacking me a
plane reservation..." Mulder began shakily.
"Mulder..." completely hammered by this point, and glancing
wide-eyed and white-faced over at Scully, "if I get you the
plane tix, promise me she's not gonna blow my ass to
kingdom come."
"Starkweather," Sam warned, "That old man is probably
responsible for that leg...don't write him off so fast..."
"Langly, please..." Mulder hissed cuatiously so as not to
wake up William, "get me a fake birth certificate, SSN, and
ID...Scully...if he's using you and Will to get to me,
we'll be dodging Billy Miles all our lives, that's not fair
to either you or him...I can't let that happen."
"Mulder, just what do you think your doing?" Sam hissed
adamantly, "after all me, Scully, everybody went through to
make sure your kid has a father around, I sure as hell am
not going to sit by and let you run."
"Doggett," Scully scowled, eyebrow raised and jaw clinched
"let me handle this," then she seethed towards Mulder,
"Mulder, You think for one minute he's not going to try to
get to me through you or William, too? That terrifies
me...every damn day I wake up in the morning with that
fear...but what kind of lesson is that to teach him? To run
from everything lurking in the shadow? You really want him
to grow up resenting you the way you resented your father?"
"Scully," now Mulder's jaw was furiously clinched and his
own voice was raspy, if everyone hadn't been there to
witness their conversation, "I'm a fugitive now...not only
from Spender, but from the law. If I stay, I'm a threat to
you and him. What do you think he'll resent me more for?
Making him afraid for his life and yours every day he lives
or my abscence?"
"Saved by the bell, man." Langly nasalled. "That same
trenchcoat I saw walking away that night" Then he looked in
to see a woman holding gun at the cameras "...oh shit.
Boys...we've got company." His Adam'sapple bobbed up and
down as he unlocked the deadbolts one by one.
He opened the door, and heard the c*ck of a gun. Sam drew
out Doggett's government-issued clipper.
Marita emerged in the doorway with Scully's FBI-issued .32
calliber pistol at Langly's head."
"I am NEVER answering the door again, man." Langely
wavered.
"Go ahead, kill 'im...he's annoying as hell..." Frohike
grumbled.
"Relax," Marita purred, "I'm only using the gun for
persuasion. I need your help as much as you need mine."
"I don't know who the hell you are," Sam growled, getting
his own FBI issued gun out of its holster, "we've got our
own persuasions, too."
"You don't belong here, do you?" Marita mused in Sam's
direction.
Am I really that obvious? Sam tried not to make it
obvious that she was right.
"Agent Scully, to show I'm here with good intentions,
here's your weapon." She said, giving the gun to Scully.
"Sorry about the bullet wound, I had no choice in the
matter. I am a desperate woman."
"You almost killed me." Scully hisssed.
"Agent Scully, I'm a better shot than that. If I wanted to
kill you, I would have." Marita spat back.
"You're not exactly what I'd call a Mother Teresa."
Starkweather mumbled under her breath.
"Marita, if you're here to help us, then why did you send a
lawyer to frame me?" Mulder demanded.
"Yes, that was my doing..." Marita answered with a ragged
breath, "but it was for your protection. It was the only
place I could insure that you'd be safe. I had no choice in
sending the replicant to your cell. The old man doesn't see
things the way I do. He thinks that your dynasty should be
destroyed while there is still time."
"Why protect me?" He mumbled, raking a hand through his
hair.
"You and your family," she said, glancing at Will and
Starkweather, "are the only thing keeping this planet from
colonization."
"So what, I get to save the world?" Starkweather smirked.
"Neato." She finished dryly.
"This isn't her fight," Mulder began but Starkweather
stopped him in midthought.
"Look, Big Brother," Starkweather spat back, "Thanks for
sticking up for me on the playground and all but this IS my
fight too. They took my husband...the one part of my life
that is anything close to f*cking normal. If he is still
alive, then I'm going to make damn sure he stays that way.
This is too damn personal for me to back out of now.
Whether we like it or not, I'm in this as deep as you are."
"If we are to succeed, we don't have much time." Marita
cautioned.
"I still don't get it..." Sam began, "If you're trying to
take control of the Syndicate, why help us out?"
"The old man thinks colonization of the blue-collar working
class is the only way to save the few priveledged." Marita
answered quietly,
"What he doesn't get is that they won't take some of
us...they'll take all of us. Destroying both Mulder and
Starkweather professionally and keeping them away from the
area is the only way I can do that. I've let the Old Man
think I'm doing his bidding. Distract his goons by getting
the lawyer out of the warehouse, and I can regain controll
of the Syncidate."
"How the hell do you expect us to take your word now after
all the lies you've told?" Scully seethed.
"What choice do you have?" She answered evenly without
batting an eyelid. "I'm going to take controll of the
Syndicate whether you help me or not. I can find another
way. I realise my actions have been dubious...but you must
realize that it's all done for what's right. I sent the
replicant betting that you'd be able to defeat him. I
didn't count on the regenerative properties to only be
enhanced every time he's destroyed. Make your decision
quickly. Ben is back in the Lincoln Street Warehouse."
With that, she made her exit.
"What the fuck are we going to do..." Mulder mumbled,
ragging his hand in his hair. "We sure as hell can't trust
her. Like I was saying before...I think our safest bet is
for me to leave..."
"What she says does match up with what the detective told
me last night." Scully admitted in between coos to William
who was now very much awake and cranky.
"I can't believe I'm saying this but...Mulder's kinda
making sense here...at least about trusting her. What if
it's a trap?" Sam wondered as Starkweather reached out for
William who wailed at a decible level that should have
broken all the computer screans exposed in the warehouse.
"You wanna play target practice, kiddo?" Starkweather
cooed. Frohike flashed her a dirty look and snatched him
up. "Come on, kid," he grumbled, Uncle Melvin'll show you
how to hack into national security."
"Scully, what did you find out last night?" Scully and
Mulder both glancing nervously behind them at what Frohike
was doing.
William was content with banging on the keyboard. "You
looking for a consultant position with us, Will?" Byers
said as he came out of his room in the back.
"Guys, I found something on my mac you might wanna take a
look at...Mulder, looks like your arresting officer is
buddies with Kersh. You guys might wanna take a look at
this." Frohike hurredly passed William to Starkweather like
a hot potato as he ran to the room as he went to see what
Byers was talking about.
"Yeah, way to treat a cripple, guys!" Starkweather hollared
after them all in protest. "Well Will...looks like it's you
'n me, buddy. You think the guys have survellence cameras
around here?" Will's face started scrunching up again in
aggrivation. "Oh come on, kiddo..." Starkweather cooed,
hoisting him up so that his head was level with hers.
"We're family, I'm not gonna really use you as target
practice...I was just kidding. You know, if you need me to
beat up your Daddy for you, I'll be happy to do that...or
if you need advice about girls, I can do that too...I am
one you know...your daddy took seven years to get your
mommy, so he's not exactly the best person for advice in
that department...or if you want a really cool toy, I'll
see what I can do about negotiating with Santa Claus speed
it up." She glanced nervously back towards the room to see
if anyone was coming out any time soon. Then she did
something thoroughly uncharacteristic.
She began singing.
Unlike her colleagues, her voice was actually a pleasant
sound.
When your down and troubled
and you need some lovin' care
and nothin', oh nothin' is going right
close your eyes and think of me
and soon I will be there
to brighten up even your darkest night
You just call out my name and you know wherever I am
I'll come runnin'to see you again
Winter spring summer or fall
all you hafta do is call
and I'll be there
you've got a friend
If the sky above you grows dark and full of clouds
and that old north wind should begin to blow
you just keep your head together
and call my name out loud and soon,
you'll hear me knockin' at your door
You just call out my name
and you know where ever I am I'll
come runnin, runnin' yeah
to see you again
Winter Spring, summer or fall
all you hafta do is call
and I'll be there yes I will
Now ain't it good to know that you've got a friend
when people can be so cold
they'll hurt you, yes and desert you
and take your soul if you let them
but don't you let them
you just call out my name
and you know whereever I am
I'll come runnin', runnin' yeah to see you again
Winter spring, summer or fall, all you hafta do is call,
and I'll be there yes will
Starkweather was belting it out much to Will's delight, and
Sam heard the commotion from the front room and rushed to
see if Starkweather was in pain or having trouble
controlling Will. He approached cautiously when he realized
she was singing, and at the scene of her with her nephew,
Sam wished almost bitterly that the strange dream he had
had a few nights ago could be true.
Starkweather was belting it out much to Will's delight, and
Sam heard the commotion from the front room and rushed to
see if Starkweather was in pain or having trouble
controlling Will. He approached cautiously when he realized
she was singing, and at the scene of her with her nephew,
Sam wished almost bitterly that the strange dream he had
had a few nights ago could be true.
Starkweather looked up. "Doggett," she said, unabashedly.
"What's up?"
"You better come here," Sam said solemnly. "We're figuring
out a game plan."
"What's the play, Papa John?"
"We're going in."
"'We' as in you and Mulder or 'we' as in you, Mulder and
myself?"
"Starkweather, your leg-" Sam feebly protested, knowing
that it was going to do no good.
She scowled at him. "Here," she thrusted Will at him. Sam
gingerly took the baby. She took a step back, then a step
forward, going head over heels, executing a perfect
cartwheel. "I'm fine. I'm in. Whether you like it or not."
"Doesn't sound like we have much of a choice," Mulder's dry
voice came up from behind Sam.
"Here," Sam handed Will to Mulder. William, since he was a
very young child, could see Sam as Sam. Not sure of
strangers, Will had stared at Sam, his big eyes filled with
terror, his puckered up on the verge of a cry.
"What's with you, Boo?" Mulder asked Will who snuggled as
close to Mulder as he could. "Byers is calling Reyes. He's
giving her the information that Scully collected. That's
enough for a search warrant for Justin Leo and the lovely
Detective Somerset. He liked strip-searching me a little
too much." Mulder droned on, absolutely straight faced.
"Thanks for sharing," Starkweather quipped.
"So while their privacy is being invaded, we're going on a
field trip to a certain warehouse where hopefully Mr.
Starkweather is still in one piece."
"We're going heavily armed, correct?"
Mulder crossed over to his half-sister. "This is no game,
Starkweather. You saw what Billy Miles is capable of." By
this point, everyone else had re-entered the room.
"I know. That's why I asked if we were going to be heavily
armed."
Mulder folded his arms. "Why don't you be in charge of
amunitions?"
"Does anyone have a shotgun?" When Sam and Mulder glared at
her, she replied "I'm serious. Maybe it wouldn't kill him,
but a hole through his gut might stall him. A bit."
"I've got one," Langly ventured shyly.
All turned. "What the hell are YOU doing with a shotgun?"
Scully cried.
Langly shrugged. "I won it in a game of D and D."
"D and D??" For once, Starkweather was stumped.
"Dungeons and Dragons."
"Never mind..." Starkweather said. "When are we leaving?"
"As soon as it's dark," Scully said. "It'll be the four of
us. The Gunmen are staying behind to care for Will," she
reached out to touch William's head.
"What if," Starkweather said, softly now, "what if that
blond bitch is lying?"
"She probably is," Mulder said. "But not about Ben being
dead. Not yet. We don't have a lot of time, but we've got
some."
"Hey Mulder?"
Mulder came closer to her. "Yeah?"
She reached up and tore the fake beard and moustache that
he had been wearing since he left the prison.
"YEOOOOOWWW!!!!" He grabbed his face in pain. Tears came to
his eyes.
"That's for even contemplating the possibilty of being a
coward and running away," she snapped as she reached into
his coat jacket and retrieving her gun. "Let's go."
Meanwhile....
As she crossed the deserted intersection, Marita Covarubias
adjusted her hat, a vintage scooped hat circa 1921. Not
only was it trendy again, but it also hid her face nicely.
Still, they managed to find her.
A sleek black Toyota Supra pulled up beside her. Two men
bailed out of the backseat. The same two, coincidentially,
who kicked down the hotel room down and snatched Benjamin
Starkweather away in the dead of night, snatched up Marita.
They threw her unceremonially into the backseat. Then they
got back into the car and the Supra went forward.
Sandwiched between the two thugs, Marita had no choice but
to sit very still. The interior of the car reeked of
nicotine. The passenger up front didn't need to identify
himself.
But he did anyway.
"You little rat," The Cancer Man pulled out another
cigarette from his pack. He lit it with his little butune
lighter before continuing on, never turning around to face
her. "Did you learn nothing from the death of Alex Krycek?"
"Alex Krycek," she seethed "was murdered by Assistant
Director Walter Skinner."
"I ALLOWED Krycek," he corrected her, "to be murdered by
Assistant Director Walter Skinner. When Krycek became a
nuisance, I lifted his protection. As I will soon to you if
you don't cease this scampering about."
One of the thugs pulled out a long knife. Marita tried not
to look at it. Still, the Smoking Man never turned around.
"What confidences did you share with the Mulders?" he
asked. "Happy little family, aren't they?"
"You're never going to win, old man," she informed him,
still trying to hide her nervousness about the knife. "Not
with your dithering."
Finally the old devil turned around. "Dithering?"
"Kill Mulder, don't kill Mulder. This crap has been going
on since I joined the Syndicate. Time and time again we've
had the chance to get rid of him. Time and time again YOU
have found a reason not to do it. Even you order the hit to
be made yourself, some how, you find a reason not to go
through with it, even though the Old Syndicate was
destoryed because of it."
CSM smiled. It was not a pleasant sight. "And yet, you had
the opportunity of a lifetime tonight, didn't you. To wipe
them ALL out. Mulder. Agent Scully. That new fellow
Doggett. And of course, Mulder's long lost little half-
sister. Not quite his beloved Samantha, but she'll do." He
inhaled deeply. "And you speak of such nostalgia for the
Old Syndicate when the New Syndicate is so much more
powerful. And YOU have so much more power and status in the
New Syndicate than the Old. And yet, you went intriguing
tonight. What was the point of your little adventure
Marita, dear?" The thug with the knife swiftly slashed the
top of her leg. It was not a deep, life-threatening cut,
but it bled copiously and hurt like hell. Marita gasped and
pressed her palm to her wound to stop the flow. "You
wouldn't be foolish enough to share the location of Mr.
Starkweather, would you?" The thug on her other side
suddenly produced a knife and slashed her other leg. This
cut was a bit deeper and hurt a lot more. Marita whimpered
and pressed her other palm into her other leg. Her
periwinkle slacks were turning a deep red. The Cancer Man
sighed. "Silence is the same as consent."
Marita, defiantly, although she was beginning to feel
light-headed, snapped "You'll never be able to wrest
control of the Syndicate this way." She pressed her palms
down on the cuts harder. She watched her own blood ooze
from between her fingers. "No one in their right minds will
follow you again."
"Nor anyone will follow you," Cancer Man reminded her
gently. "So, you see, Marita, we are in the same boat after
all." He snuffed out his old cigarette and lit a fresh one.
"I'll tell you why I always hestitated when it concerned
killing Mulder. I liked him. I've always liked him. I knew
him as a boy, although he doesn't realize, doesn't
remember. But more importantly, I admired his father. Bill
Mulder was my friend. Even when The Project forced us to
take separate paths, I've always admired him. I have always
felt that I at least owed it to Bill to protect his only
son... and his youngest daughter."
"You speak of Starkweather as if she was normal," Marita
knew she was about to pass out. She assumed she was going
to die tonight, so she was determined to die with at least
the truth. The dirty bastard owed her that much at least.
"We both know she is not."
The old man smiled again. "Starkweather is a very special
woman," he said slowly, emphasising 'special.' She was
meant to be a gift to the Mulders."
"How convienient. Take one daughter and replace her with
another. Interesting how you all keep referring her as
Mulder's half-sister. If Bill Mulder is her father... who
is her mother?"
The Cancer Man ignored the second question but answered the
first."No one could replace Samantha, of course, but a
child always has a way of lighting a dark room... similiar
how young William lit up the life of the lonely Agent
Scully." He shrugged. "It was a mistake for us to allow the
existance of Starkweather just as it was a mistake to allow
the existance of William. Two mistakes that will be
rectified soon."
Marita wanted to hear more but she was greying out.
"Heartless monster," she managed to mumble out.
The Cancer Man shook his head. "No," he said. "That's the
problem. If I was truly a heartless man, Fox Mulder would
have been smothered in his cradle as I had been originally
ordered to do. And none of this would be happening now,
would it?"
Marita passed out.
CSM turned around. "Bind her wounds," he ordered the thugs
in the backseat. "And don't let her die. Take her to the
hospital. Let her be arrested. She needs a reminder of her
position with the Syndicate, Old or New. We'll get her out
of prison when we need her again. After the hospital, to
the warehouse," he sighed. "Mulder and Starkweather
probably already have a head start."
He opened the glove box, took out the Glock with the
silencer and checked it over carefully as the driver
cruised on and the thugs attended to Marita's injuries.
The gun was locked and loaded.
The thugs, Zeke and Mick deposited Marita Covarrubias
unceremoniously off at the doors of the hospital. Instead
of getting back into CSM's car, they walked into the nearly
deserted hospital parking garage where a non-descript brown
1985 Celebrity was waiting.
"What do you think the old man's got in mind?" The thug
asked his colleague conversationally before he got into the
car.
He never got an answer. His colleague turned to him and
buried his knife deep into his gut. Blood spurted out of
him mouth. He crumpled to the ground and died. The
colleague picked up his companion and put him in the trunk.
The colleague got into the car and drove away.
As he drove away, he pulled off the fake eyebrows, the fake
beard and moustache. He took off the hat and long curly
brown hair tumbled down. He dug into his pocket and pulled
out a cellphone.
Meanwhile....
The Washington DC Marriott
Room 12754
The cell phone on the table rang startling the Admiral out
of his sleep. "Hello?" he said, rubbing his brow, still
feeling the effects of the hangover.
"Admiral," a light voice said. "It's Jennifer."
"Jennifer." One of his spies. "What did you discover?"
"Ben's alive. Mulder's alive and he's free. And Jerilyn's
safe."
"Thank God, thank God." The Admiral breathed a sigh a
relief.
"It's being assumed that they're going to the warehouse to
retrieve Ben. What are your orders sir?"
The Admiral paused. The Syndicate had ordered him to help
them eliminate Mulder if an opportunity arose. And boy, did
an opportunity arise when Benjamin Starkweather accepted
the Galpex Oil Company case. A case that had been given to
him thanks to that little shit, Justin Leo. The Admiral
knew he owed the Syndicate everything. His wealth, his
career, his daughter.
This was a debt they were expecting to be paid for.
However, they didn't realize that he was a political power
in his own right. He was married to one of the most
powerful senator in the United States who had no ties to
the Syndicate. And perhaps they figured out he had
originally gone to Mulder and Scully to beg for them to
protect Jerilyn... they still didn't know that he was one
of the major bankrollers of the small but strong resistance
group which was beginning to mobilize against the
inevitiable darkness forces hovering in the heavens they
had no right to fly in.
It was time to decide allegiances. He had dithered long
enough. He had lived a long life. He was ready for the
consequences of his actions.
"Call the officer in charge, that Detective Edward Carillo.
Tell him you just received a tip from a secret source of
the location of Ben Starkweather. Tell him that your source
told you that Ben is still alive. Have them hurry."
"Yes sir."
"You're looking at a promotion Jennifer."
And Officer Jennifer Ithenstein, the young rookie cop who
had been called to the impound to investigate the blood
stains in Mulder's trunk, who had been working for the
Admiral since she retired after six years of service to the
Navy, who had risked her life by inflitrating the
Syndicate, disguising herself as a man, slicing open Marita
Covarubias' leg and killing a man tonight, merely said
"Thank you sir."
"Call me the minute Benjamin is found. And I want Mulder
alive. Disregard my previous orders."
"Yes sir."
The Admiral sat down with a legal pad and began to make out
a will. It was witnessed by a maid from housekeeping and a
security guard wandering the halls.
After the Admiral hung up, Ithenstein called Carillo.
But by the time the police and FBI were mobilized, Sam-in-
Doggett, Mulder and Starkweather were being held at
gunpoint, Scully, Manny the Illegal Alien and Ben were
trapped in a locked room and the warehouse was on fire.
In the shadows, the five crept around the building, Mulder
and Manny leaving their flashlights off.
"Looks deserted," Manny whispered.
"If Ben is truly here, there'll be guards," Scully
whispered back, trying the door. "Locked. Dammit."
"Shoot the lock," Manny recommended.
"Not wise to waste bullets on a door," Starkweather
murrmurred, feeling the wood.
"Especially with Billy Miles lurking around here
somewhere," Mulder reminded everyone of that unpleasant
fact.
"I thought he got run over by a Volvo?" Manny asked.
Sam grimaced. He was peering through the dusty window. "I
dunno guys..." he said. "It really looks deserted. Scully's
right. If Ben's here, there'd be guards. I think we were
lead on a snipe hunt."
"No you're not Sam!" Al suddenly popped in. Sam, Mulder and
Starkweather jumped. Scully and Manny looked at them in
confusion.
"Al?" Mulder and Starkweather said at the same time.
Starkweather turned to Mulder and said, panicked "Oh no,
not you too?"
"You too what?" Mulder was completely lost.
"Look, you knuckleheads, there's no time, Ben's in there,
they beat the snot outta him, I'm sorry Starkweather, he
tried to escaped and actually hurt one of the guards badly.
He needs to get to a hospital so quit staring and get your
butts in gear!!!"
"Who are you talking to?" Scully exclaimed.
"'Otra locos mas,'" Manny groaned. "'Cuecha te madre.'"
"Another crazy one," Manny groaned, "'Motherfucker.'"
"Why did you call him Sam??" Starkweather demanded the
hologram.
"Because-" Mulder started to say, but then Sam slugged him.
"Because, honey, I wish I had time to explain, but I can't,
all I gotta say is look me up in about fifteen years in
Roswell, New Mexico. My name is Admiral Al Calvaricci and
I'll explain everything then. Now, go with DOGGETT," here
Al looked pointedly at Mulder. Mulder, for once, got the
hint and shut up. "and go get your husband. He's on the
third floor, second door to the left." Al took out his
comlink and zapped himself away.
He re-appeared in Ben's prison, this time a glorified broom
closet. Ben's plan to escape by burning his captors with a
lit cigarette backfired horribly. His guards beat him until
there was almost nothing left to beat before taking him to
a different warehouse. He wasn't sure if he had really seen
Agent Scully or if he was hallucinating. Now, he lay,
slumped in the corner of the locked closet, face bruised,
lip split, shirt crusted over in blood. The kid was in bad
shape. Al crouched down by Ben. He was out and he needed a
doctor, but he wasn't going to die. Not yet. But he kept
slipping in and out of consciousness. "Come on kid," Al
beckoned to Ben as if he could hear him. "Stay with me. The
Hurricane's here and she's brought the calvary.
"WHAT?!?!?!" Al yelled up to Verbeena. "What do you MEAN
there's going to be a fire?!"
Back in the present…
"What the hell is going on?" Scully demanded.
"You DIDN'T see him then?" Starkweather asked.
"See who?"
"Al?"
Scully's brows furrowed. Al.... why did that name sound so
familiar? She couldn't place her finger on it... and yet,
she almost could. She looked at Doggett, opened her mouth
and shut it.
"There's no time for this," Mulder said. "Starkweather, if
you were ever to trust me, now is the time."
Starkweather looked at Mulder, lips curling down in the
most unpleasant frown. "Okay, then," she consented. She
looked at the door, looked at Mulder. "Cover us," she told
Scully and Sam as Mulder tossed the flashlight to Sam.
Mulder and Starkweather faced the door, guns in hand.
Scully and Sam stood behind them, brandishing their
weapons. Manny stood behind them..... WAY behind them.
"On three," Mulder said. "One- two-, THREE!" At the same
time, Mulder and Starkweather kicked and the door came
tumbling down. Mulder and Starkweather crouched down load
and pointed their guns into the darkness while Scully and
Sam stood above them, guns also out.
There was nothing but darkness and the sound of the rain
pitter-pattering down.
"Well..." Starkweather said. "I feel stupid."
"Look on the bright side," Mulder said, "If this FBI thing
doesn't work for you, you'll always have a future as a
Charlie's Angel."
"Oh shut up."
Sam turned on the flashlight. "What a dump," he muttered.
"Be careful," he said warily as they all slowly entered the
pitch black warehouse. "We don't know what's her-" Sam
never got to finish his sentence.
Despite his brilliance as a physist and doctor and the
wealth of experience he earned from leaping from life to
life, he never underwent the extreme training that FBI
agents experience during their time in Quantico. He made a
mistake that no federal agent worth their salt and alive
today would make.
He forgot to check his blind spot.
Where Billy Miles was lurking.
Mulder had just turned while Sam was talking to check *his*
blind spot and had just opened his mouth to shout a warning
to Sam when Billy picked him up and flung him across the
room like a rag doll. Sam felt his body slam against a
ladder built into a wall and firecrackers of pain were lit
throughout his body. The gun skittered from his hand.
"SCULLY!" Mulder yelled
But Scully had already lifted the shotgun and fired
pointblank range at Billy, ripping away his midsection.
Starkweather, taking advantage of the rigamarole, darted
behind Scully and ran to Doggett's aid.
"Doggett, Papa John, GET UP," Starkweather shook him as she
kept the gun pointed at the replicant.
"Dios mios!" Manny cried, but he did something
extraoridinarily brave and extraoridinarily stupid. As
Billy crumpled to the ground, Manny jumped on top of the
monster and drove his knife into its neck. While Mulder ran
to Sam and Starkweather's aid and Scully kept the gun aimed
at Billy, Manny got up and ran back to Doggett's truck.
"What are you doing?" Scully cried out after him while
constantly watching her and everyone else's back. Mulder
and Starkweather helped Sam up to his feet. "I'm fine," Sam
insisted although he had one hell of a headache.
Manny came bouncing back, carrying the gas can.
"Manny," Starkweather started to say. "What are you doin-"
Manny squirted Billy with gasoline. He then took out the
book of matches and lit them all.
Sam then looked down and noticed the streaks of oil on the
floor of the warehouse. "Oh Jesus, God, Manny DON'T!!"
Manny dropped the book of matches on Billy's gasoline
soaked-back. Billy burst into flames as did the oil
puddles. The entrance was completely blocked by fire.
"SCULLY!!!" Mulder yelled.
The flames had already started devouring the wood in the
building. "You stupid idiot!" Scully shrieked at Manny,
grabbed him by the arm and dragged him up the stairs.
Meanwhile, Mulder swung up on the ladder built into the
wall and started to climb up the catwalk. He hated heights,
but he hated fire more. "Go, go!!!" Sam pushed Starkweather
towards the ladder. Coughing, gagging on the smoke, she
stuffed the gun into her waistband of her pants and started
to climb. Sam followed. The metal ladder was already hot
from the heat.
Mulder helped pull Starkweather up onto the shaky catwalk.
He looked over his shoulder down below to see Scully
dragging Manny up the stairs and disappear through a door.
Sam-in-Doggett was right behind Starkweather. Both
Starkweather and Mulder helped Sam up. Below them was a sea
of fire. The smoke was beginning to billow in the
warehouse. The flames crackled merrily, consuming the many
cardboard boxes and wooden beams. The catwalk swung
precariously on the chains that held it up.
For once Mulder and Starkweather were devoid of any witty
repartie. "Come on!!" Mulder cried, grabbing Starkweather
by the arm and pulling.
"I can't see!" she yelled out, coughing.
"Move it, Starkweather," Sam-in-Doggett yelled. "We got to get out
of here."
Mulder looked down again and said "Oh shit."
Sam looked down and through the flames and smoke, saw the
fiery figure of Billy Miles stand up, tilt its head upwards
and look right at them. "Oh boy," Sam said understatedly.
"Move, Starkweather, move, NOW!!" He pushed her along.
Starkweather blinked the soot and smoke out of her eyes
just enough to see Billy. "DAMMIT!!!" she swore. "DIE
ALREADY!" She followed Mulder across the catwalk, running
backwards, pulling her gun, pointing it at Billy who was
climbing the ladder up to the catwalk, still limping. She
was starting to fall behind Mulder and Doggett.
Mulder stopped, turned around, unceremonially grabbed
Starkweather around her waist, half-carried, half-drug her
the rest of the way to the other side of the catwalk. He
tossed her over the railing of the balcony lining the wall
to the offices of the third floor. Sam was almost there
when Billy got off the top rung of the ladder and swung
onto the catwalk.
Sam and Mulder clammered over the railing. Sam, using his
elbow, smashed the glass of the office door, reached in and
opened the door from the inside. "Come on!" he said and
Mulder and Starkweather ducked inside.
Billy was still coming.
Meanwhile...
Scully, still dragging Manny went up one flight of stairs,
then another. She kicked open the door, still carrying the
shotgun.
"Where are we?" Manny said, scared witless by the
destruction he unintentially created.
"The third floor," Scully said, coughing still. The third
floor was not on fire yet, but smoke was steadily creeping
up from below. "Office space."
Al, meanwhile, was in the broom closet with Ben. Al, upon
hearing Scully's voice, began to scream hysterically at
Ben. "Kid? KID GET UP! THE CALAVRY'S HERE!! COME ON!"
Ben, disorientated, almost unconscious, let his head loll
around, as if it was barely connected to his neck. His eyes
fluttered open then shut.
"BEN COME ON," Al pleaded. "I can't help you kid, make some
noise, get up, get up!"
Ben, raised his head. He did not hear Al, of course. But he
heard Scully ".... must be a fire escape... something...
was right... nothing but a big trap..."
Ben tried his voice. At first, nothing but a croak came
out. The second time, he got results. "Help..." he cried
out as he pulled himself up, his big hand pressing against
his broken ribs.
"Atta boy," Al crowed. "Sportsfans, the kid is UP! COME ON
SCULLY!"
"Somebody... help me," Ben staggered the short distance to
the door. He sank to his knees and began pounding on it.
"Get me out of here."
Scully froze halfway down the hall. "Did you hear
something, Manny?"
Manny turned around. "It's coming from that closet," he
pointed at the door.
"... help... I need a doctor... please..."
"Ben," Scully whispered. Then louder, running down the
narrow hallway, "BEN! BEN STARKWEATHER, WHERE ARE YOU?"
"Here!" Ben said, almost afraid to hope. "I'm in here. Is
that you, Agent Scully??"
"Yes it's me Ben," Scully announced, coughing on the smoke
that was getting thicker. "And Mulder and Doggett and
Starkweather are here too."
"Starkwea- Jerilyn? She's alive? They told me she was
dead."
Scully examined the lock. "Ben, get as far away from the
door as possible," she ordered him. She handed the shotgun
off to Manny and took out her handgun. She fired, blowing
the doorhandle off. She pushed open the door. "Ben!" she
gasped in horror at his appearance.
"Agent Scully, god, it's good to see you," Ben took a step
forward but groaned in pain, collapsing.
"We've got to get you out of here," Scully said, looping
his arm over her shoulder. "Manny! Manny I need your help!!
Dammit!! Where did he go?"
"Here, Agent Scully," Manny said, pale faced, arms over his
head, the barrel of Langly's shotgun to his head.
"Agent Scully, if you and Mr. Starweather would be as so
kind to step out," Justin Leo said pleasantly, despite the
billowing smoke and blasting heat. "And feel free to toss
me your gun while you're at it."
Fuming, Scully tossed her gun onto the floor and walked out
of the broom closet with Ben still leaning on her
shoulders. "Damn you Leo," Scully seethed, "you bastard."
But Leo wasn't looking at Scully, he was staring at Ben.
Hate simmered in his heart, jealousy poisoned his soul.
With a kick, he forced Manny to join the trio. He pointed
the shotgun at Ben's head.
"Who ARE you??" Ben blurted out.
And Leo lowered the gun. This guy, this man that Lily had
married instead of him (or so Leo believed) had no idea who
he was. He was completely clueless.
As the smoke began to build up even worse and the hallway
got hotter, Leo opened the door to an unused storage room.
"Get in," he ordered, still pointing the shotgun at them.
"Hey man, no way!" Manny yelped. "The damn building's on
fire!"
"Then it'll be a nice preview of hell for you three. Get
in."
Ben, still in terrible pain, summoned up all of his
diplomacy skills. "At least let Agent Scully go," he
begged.
"Get in there," Leo came closer to them, shotgun pointed at
Scully's chest.
"For God's sake, she's got a child!" Ben tried one last
time. "Just let her go, man!"
Leo raised the gun to Scully's head.
As calmly as she could, Scully said "It's okay Ben, we'll
do as he says." She slowly began backing into the room.
"Manny, come on, cooperate." Manny, wide-eyed, coughing,
followed Scully and Ben.
Leo flung the door shut, locked it and went off in search
of Starkweather.
There was no light in the storeroom and was becoming
unbearably hot. "Oh my God," Manny said, gagging on the
smoke. "We're gonna die."
"Manny," Scully snapped. "We don't have time for pessimism.
Do you still have that flashlight?"
In the stifling darkness, Manny managed to fumble the
little Mag-Lite flashlight to her. Scully switched it on
and took a look-see. Her heart began to falter. Maybe Manny
was right...
But Ben had a strange silly little grin on his face. "Hey
Agent Scully..." he said, looking up at the low ceiling.
"Yeah..." Scully buried her face in the crook of her elbow
to cough
Ben was just as big of a movie buff as Jerilyn was, one of
the many reasons why they were attracted to eachother in
the beginning. "Ever see the movie 'The Breakfast Club'?"
Scully looked up at the ceiling panels and grinned, knowing
exactly what Ben was talking about.
Meanwhile....
Fleeing into the office, Sam shut the door behind him.
"This isn't good," Starkweather informed everybody.
"Thank you Captain Obvious," Mulder snapped back at her.
"Eat me."
"I lost my gun," Sam told them. "Are you two still armed?"
Starkweather and Mulder both pulled out their guns and
scurried to the door. Sweat poured down Mulder's brow and
he wiped his cheek on his shoulder. When Billy got off the
catwalk and climbed onto the balcony, Mulder and
Starkweather both stepped out and fired point-blank range
at the replicant. Billy staggered backwards. When their
clips were empty, Sam rushed the monster, just like how he
used to rush the quarterback during high school football.
With one gigantic push, Sam forced Billy over the edge of
the balcony and Billy plummented back into the sea of
flames below.
Al popped in. "Nice shot Sam! Now get those kids," he
jerked his head, indicating Mulder and Starkweather, "out
of here."
The heat drove Sam back inside the office. Just then,
enough smoke had filtered upwards to trigger the sprinkler
system. A weak spray of water coated everything, doing
little to alleviate the inferno below. "We've got to find
Scully and Manny!" Mulder told Sam, gagging on the smoke.
"Ben might be here too," Starkweather said to Sam.
"They're okay," Al told Sam. "Scully's in the process of
getting Benny-boy and Manny out as we speak. They're gonna
be fine. You guys are gonna get cooked, literally if you
don't get out of here!"
"Come on," Sam grabbed Starkweather by the arm and took her
out of the hallway through the other door in the office.
Mulder followed.
"Scully!!" Sam cried out. "Ben! Manny, Scully!"
Mulder and Starkweather joined in on the chorus.
Starkweather turned around. "Jesus Jumping Christ, Mulder!"
she pushed Mulder out of the way just as Justin Leo came
out of the shadows and fired Scully's handgun at them. The
shot barely missed them. The three of them started to run.
"Come on, Sam!" Mulder yelled, completely forgetting that
Starkweather had no knowledge of the Quantum Leap Project
and was under the illusion that Doggett was still Doggett.
Not that Starkweather was particularly paying attention.
"Over here!" she cried and darted up a stairwell that lead
to the rooftop. Sam and Mulder followed.
So did Justin Leo.
Meanwhile...
Inside the storage room, Scully instructed Manny, "Lift me
up first."
Manny crouched down, Scully clammered on top of his
shoulders. The smoke was building up. Coughing, Manny stood
up carefully. Ben leaned against the wall, cold sweat
covering his face as he was still in horrible pain. Scully
weaved a bit, got her bearings, then reached for the fake
ceiling panel and lifted it up easily. She reached and
grabbed the pipe that was directly above her head. She
started to pullherself up. Manny gave her a bit of a boost
up and Scully was able to get up. Scootching herself into
the ceiling, she leaned over the edge, reaching her arms
out to down below. "Help Ben up, and hurry!" she yelled,
gagging from the smoke.
Manny went to Ben, "Okay, hombre," Manny said sorrowfully.
"This is gonna probably hurt. Lo siento, lo siento."
"Okay," Ben got up, wincing, clutching his ribs. "Let's get
out of this hellhole."
Manny, despite his wiry, weenie appearance, was actually
fairly strong. He wrapped his arms around Ben's middle and
lifted Ben up. Ben tried to stifle a cry of pain, but
couldn't help it. "Lo siento, lo siento!" Manny yelled out
again.
Scully grabbed Ben's wrists and pulled him up. Once Ben was
up, she reached back down, "Come on Manny!" Just then, she
heard Starkweather cry out "Jesus Jumping Christ,
Mulder!!!" and then a gunshot.
"Oh my God," Scully turned her head towards the sound.
"Manny come on!" Manny jumped, missed Scully's hands.
"Manny, come on!!"
Manny jumped again, this time grabbing Scully's hand.
Scully tried to pull him up, but couldn't get the leverage.
Scully could hear commotion in the hallway with
Starkweather screaming at Mulder adn Sam-in-Doggett to
follow her Follow her where? Scully wondered wildly.
Suddenly, a pair of sooty, bloodied hands clamped down on
hers. Ben, despite his own injuries, had crawled over to
Scully's side to help her pull up Manny. Together they got
him out of their prison.
"Let's get out of here!" Manny suggested and Scully and Ben
decided that was an excellent idea. They crawled through
the ceiling, coughing all the while. The smoke was thick,
almost blinding now.
As they crawled, Scully had a hideous thought. "Guys,
wasn't there a scene in 'The Breakfast Club' where the
ceiling panels colla-"
The ceiling panels collapsed and Scully, Manny and Ben
tumbled down into the hallway.
Starkweather made her way up the ladder.
"SCUUUUUUULLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYYY!" She heard Mulder call out
at the top of his lungs below her.
"Mulder, RUN!!!" Sam was bellowing at top of his lungs
"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" She
emphasized each step back down the latter with a swear, and
drew her gun. "Mulder, don't panick yet. There's a roof up
here, there's a river. We've just gotta get to the river."
Mulder began to protest, but Billy Miles still staggerred
forward, and Leo, who had been firing shaky shots at Sam
and Mulder the whole chase, had just dropped his gun.
"LIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!" Leo screamed,
lurching forward at Starkweather as soon as she had emerged
from the ladder.
"No...Not Lily...me Jeri, you psychoboy."
"They just programmed you to say that..." he stammered,
backing away from her slowly, "they gave you this whole new
identity..."
"Leo," Mulder cautioned in his flat monotone, "I know
people who can help you find the answers you want. I know
you think she's Lilly but it's not her, Justin. It's not
her."
"Mulder duck!" Starkweather screamed, for Billy Miles had
wrenched a pipe free from the warehouse and was about to
swing at him.
"Starkweather GO!" Sam yelled.
Mulder managed to grab onto the pipe in one of his swings,
but Leo pushed the bar out of Mulder's grip and ran up the
stairs.
"STARKWEATHER!" Mulder bellowed after her.
Leo pursued the monster up the ladder, visibly coiling at
the pain in his arm.
"LEO!" Mulder called out futiley. He didn't seem to be in
tune with anything else around him.
"Hang on, Lily! I'm coming!" Leo shouted after
Starkweather.
Billy Miles was inching closer on Starkweather.
"Sam," Mulder said in panicked realization, "That thing is
going after me, Starkweather...and Will."
"Not if we can hit it off at the pass." Sam offered, "Come
on!" he urged unecessarily, and then began the ascent up
the ladder, followed closely by Mulder.
There, they watched as Leo threw his own body in between
Billy Miles and Starkweather. Starkweather, Mulder, and Sam
both watched in horror as the two wrestled their way off of
the rooftop, and down into the river.
Al popped in just in time to see Leo and Billy Miles
plummetting down to the rapids of the Patomac River.
"Agent Starkweather, Ben's ok, you just gotta get off this
warehouse in a few minutes before it blows to kingdom come!
Ben and Scully and Manny are all outta there, and they'll
be just fine! You gotta jump into that river, you here me!
JUMP!"
"Mulder, I hope you know how to doggy-paddle."
Starkweather stared down at the roaring Patomac for a few
seconds, faced down, closed her eyes, and heard Sam's
splash. Then she muttered something and pushed Mulder
forward towards the raging rapids. Then she dove in
herself. Being summer, the water wasn't cold, but the storm
made it colder than usual.
"Starkweather!" Sam was calling out frantically. "Doc!"
"Over here, Papa John!"
"Mulder?!" Sam called out treading water next as
Starkweather scrambled to the banks, watching the building
being swallowed in bright orange flames.
"MULDER!!" She called out as soon as she made it safely to
the bank
Meanwhile...
As they crawled, Scully had a hideous thought. "Guys,
wasn't there a scene in 'The Breakfast Club' where the
ceiling panels colla-"
The ceiling panels collapsed and Scully, Manny and Ben
tumbled down into the hallway.
Buried underneath ceiling crumbles and two men, Scully
mumbled "Could you please get off of me?"
At the sound of the crash, Sam-in-Doggett and Mulder
jumped. They had only started going up the stairs that led
to the ladder up to the roof. Starkweather had already
begun to ascend to the roof. Mulder pushed past Sam. He saw
Leo coming after them with Scully's gun. He also saw Billy
Miles fling open the door and head towards them.
He walked right over Ben, Scully and Manny, not even
noticing them.
"SCULLY!" Mulder cried...
Starkweather, meanwhile had almost gotten to the roof,
heard Mulder's cries. "Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit,
dammit...." she cursed on her way down to retrieve her
partner and her half-brother.
While the chaos with Leo, the monster, the agent, the time-
travler and the Deputy Mayor ensued, Scully, shaken that
she, again, had been so close to the monster who was sent
to steal her child but at the last minute, did not, got up
to chase him. But Manny grabbed her, "Agent Scully, PLEASE,
let's get OUT OF HERE!!! Senor Starkweather needs a doctor,
pronto. Por favor, vamos por la amor del Dios!" Poor Manny
was so frightened, he lapsed into Spanish.
But Scully caught the gist. Plus Ben, after all that
lifting and pulling and crawling and falling with his
broken ribs not to mention the smoke inhalation everyone
was suffering, was in really bad shape.
The doorframe to the staircase leading down to the
mainfloor of the warehouse just caught fire. Scully heard
the building crack and groan, on the very verge of total
collapse. "Help him." Scully ordered Manny, heart pounding
in fear, fear for Mulder, for Starkweather, for Sam-in-
Doggett.
Manny slung Ben on his back, piggy back and made a run for
the open window at the end of the hallway. "There's a fire
escape!" he yelled in glad relief.
Why didn't Mulder and the others go out this way?
Scully wondered. Probably because with a gun-wielding nut
and blood-thirsty replicant at their tails, they probably
weren't thinking very rationally.
"Go, go, go!!!" Scully said.
Manny swung out the window. "Hold on tight, amigo," he told
Ben as he started to climb out. Scully followed...
Meanwhile...
Assistant Director Skinner was in the squad car with
Detective Edward Carillo as they went flying towards the
warehouse. They were still a good half-mile away when they
were able to see the flames. "Holy God," Carillo said.
Skinner sighed. The man didn't even work for him anymore...
how was it still possible that massive destruction of
property occurred whenever Mulder was involved with
something? "Let's just hope that people are still alive,
Detective," Skinner said curtly.
In the distance, the sirens from fire trucks and ambulances
blended into on hellish wail. Skinner felt physically ill
as he thought of the devil's deal he made with that smoking
bast*rd. He hoped there was someone to pull out from the
wreckage.
Half a block away, all the closer they could get, the squad
car squealled to a halt. Carillo and Skinner fairly flew
from the car, guns drawn.
Two sooty figures were running from the building. As they
got closer, Carillo and Skinner realized that it was three
people, one was piggybacked on the other and obviously
injured. As they got even closer, Skinner realized who they
were and his heart leapt in joy.
"DANA!" he cried, holstering his gun. Forgetting propriety,
he engulfed Scully into the bearhug he would have given a
long-lost daughter if he had even taken a break from his
career to have a family. "Thank God," Skinner broke away,
remembering himself. "You alright?"
"I'm fine," Scully said, "but this man needs to get to a
hospital ASAP." Manny slid Ben off his back and laid him on
the ground.
Carillo crouched down. "Well, I'll be damned," he said in
wonder. "Mr. Starkweather, there's gonna be a whole lot of
people happy to see you, sir."
Ben clutched at the detective's jacket. "You're not taking
me anywhere until somebody gets Jeri off that damn roof."
"WHAT?!" Skinner and Carillo unintentionally spoke in
unison.
"Jeri, my wife, she came for me," Ben coughed, feeling the
effects of smoke inhalation. "Jeri, her partner John
Doggett and her brother Fox Mulder-"
"Mulder?" Carillo looked up at the building, almost totally
engulfed in flames. "Mulder was implicated in your
disappearance, Mr. Starkweather."
"Brother??" Skinner was lost, which was nothing new.
"Mulder?" Ben looked completely confused. "What the hell
for?"
"Sir," Scully said urgently, "I strongly recommend you call
a SWAT team. Billy Miles is up on that roof."
"WHAT!??" Skinner squawked. He pulled out his cell phone
and was about to dial when Manny said:
"Not any more," he pointed to two figures plummenting into
the roaring Potomac River.
"Who was that with them?" Skinner asked.
"I don't know, sir," Scully felt panic butterflies
fluttering in her stomach. "I can't see." Smoke curled out
of the windows in thick plumes...
In a non-descript car, much like Nero while Rome burned,
the Cigarette Smoking Man watched the scenario
expressionlessly. He sighed. It was out of his hands now.
If Mulder and Starkweather were killed, problem solved. If
they lived... well... there was always next time. At least
they were able smuggle the vial of Purity out of the
country easily. And he was pretty sure Ben's case with the
oil company would be closed down. At least two of the four
major objectives were achieved. "Drive," he ordered the
driver dryly as he lit a cigarette. The car disappeared
from the scene unnoticed just as the Admiral's car pulled
up. The Admiral got out of his car, saw Scully and Ben with
the others but did not approach them, not yet.
Fire trucks were lining up, hooking up the hoses to the
hydrants, brave men and women in their bright yellow suits
and oxygen masks started to run towards the building. One
of them reached the doorway and turned back, motioning his
fellow firefighters to turn back.
"She's gonna blow!!!!" He yelled.
Just then, a figure leapt from the roof. "That looked like
Doggett!" Scully cried as Sam-in-Doggett hit the water.
Then another male figure plummented into the river please
let that be Mulder! she prayed. And finally a female form
dove into the Potomac. Scully knew that was Starkweather.
Scully left Skinner, Ben and Manny and ran towards the
shore.
"Mulder, I hope you know how to doggy-paddle."
Starkweather stared down at the roaring Patomac for a few
seconds, faced down, closed her eyes, and heard Sam's
splash. Then she muttered something and pushed Mulder
forward towards the raging rapids. Then she dove in
herself. Being summer, the water wasn't cold, but the storm
made it colder than usual.
"Starkweather!" Sam was calling out frantically. "Doc!"
"Over here, Papa John!"
"Mulder?!" Sam called out treading water next as
Starkweather scrambled to the banks, watching the building
being swallowed in bright orange flames.
"MULDER!!" She called out as soon as she made it safely to
the bank. "Oh sweet Jesus," she said, for once, in prayer.
She bellowed again: "**MULDER!!**"
Meanwhile, Sam dove back under the water. He forced himself
to open his eyes underwater, but could see nothing. His
lungs screamed for oxygen so with a kick of the legs, he
swam upwards. He burst up to the surface. "MULDER!!"
Scully saw Starkweather standing on the shoreline, looking
out at the river and starting running. "Agent
Starkweather!" she cried. "Where's Doggett?! Where's
Mulder?!"
Starkweather felt sick to her stomach. She blinked back
tears. "I don't know..."
Scully felt her heart drop. "What do you mean you don't
know?!?" Scully cupped her hands around her mouth, "MULDER!
MULDER!!!"
Starkweather closed her eyes in horror. She put her hand
over her mouth while Scully cried out Mulder's name.
Sam, treading water, turned to his left and gasped
Mulder was floating about three yards away from him, face
down in the water. "Oh no, oh no, oh no," Sam gasped as he
swam towards him. "MULDER!" Sam reached for his arm and
pulled him towards him. He flipped him over to his back.
His eyes were closed, his mouth was open. "Oh boy, c'mon
Mulder, don't do this!" Sam cried as he wrapped one arm
around Mulder's chest and began swimming for shore.
"Starkweather!" Sam cried out. "Starkweather!!"
Starkweather's eyes popped open at the sound of her name.
"Doggett!!" she answered back. "Oh my God!!" she cried when
she saw Sam dragging Mulder to shore. She leaped back into
the river and waded out to them.
Scully followed Starkweather, not noticing the biting chill
of the water. "What happened? What's going on?" She then
saw that Mulder was not moving at all. "Oh God! Mulder!"
"Get help, Scully," Sam yelled at her as he and
Starkweather brought Mulder to dry land and laid him on the
ground. Starkweather put her ear to Mulder's mouth. "He's
not breathing."
"Doggett, do you know CPR?"
"Yes." Sam instantly snapped into doctor-mode and crouched
by Mulder's chest. "Scully go!!" Scully hesitated for the
slightest second, perhaps reminded of that horrible time
when he had been found dead in that field in Montana. But
she ran for the paramedics.
"Start chest compressions," orderd Dr. Starkweather.
Dr. Beckett pressed his big hands into Mulder's sterum.
"One-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand,
breathe!!"
Dr. Starkweather clamped her mouth over Mulder's mouth and
nose and puffed air into his lungs. "Nothing, chest
compressions."
"One-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand,
breathe." Sam pumped Mulder's chest. "Come on Mulder,
dammit."
Starkweather puffed air through Mulder's mouth to his lungs
again. "Nothing. God dammit Mulder," Starkweather yelled at
him as Sam pumped at his chest again. "Don't you fucking
die on us."
"One-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand,
breathe, dammit, Mulder, breathe!!" Sam begged him.
Just as Starkweather was about to bend down to breathe for
him again, Mulder gagged. River water trickled out of his
mouth. He tried to sit up. Starkweather and Sam helped him
up as he started to vomit water.
"Easy does it, easy does it," Starkweather said in her best
bedside manner voice. She smoothed his hair back from his
brow. "My God, you have more lives than a cat," she said,
voice shaking from relief.
Mulder gulped air in great whooshes. He looked at
Starkweather. "You... performed... C... PR?" Starkweather
nodded. "If... this... was.. Arkansas, I'd... I'd be turned
on right now," he grinned at her even as his body was
wracked with dry heaves.
"You asshole," Starkweather gave him a well-meaning thump
to his shoulder. Sam sighed in relief and helped him stand
up.
Scully just came sprinting down the slope again with two
paramedics in tow. When she saw Mulder standing, leaning on
Sam, but still standing up, she flew towards him. "Mulder!!
Mulder!! You're alright!!!" she said joyously as she
approached him.
Mulder stared at her. "Who are you?"
Scully stared, mouth dropping open. Then she punched
Mulder in the gut."Dammit, Mulder, that routine wasn't
funny the first time you did that, and it's not funny now..."
Mulder leaned into Scully and hugged her.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist," Mulder mumbled into her hair.
"Do you need us then?" One of the paramedics asked.
Sam told him. "I think he'll be okay. Probably just needs
bedrest and Agent Scully's a medical doctor, I think she'll
look after him. But maybe you should come and look at Agent
Starkweather's leg..." Sam turned to find Starkweather
standing apart from everyone, holding herself, staring at
the burning warehouse.
"Starkweather," Scully said, supporting Mulder. "We found
Ben."
Starkweather turned around. "What?"
"He's fine, he's hurt, but he's going to be fine, he's with
Skinner..."
But Starkweather didn't wait for Scully to finish her
sentence. She took off towards the flashing lights of the
fire trucks and police cars.
Ben was being loaded up onto a stretcher despite his
protests. He lifted his head one more time to argue with
the paramedics that he wasn't going anywhere when he heard
someone crying out his name.
"Ben!! Ben!!"
"Jesus, guys, stop!!" Ben told the paramedics on last time
as Jerilyn ran to the ambulance. She pushed past the
paramedics. "Oh my God!!" she wept as she took his hands
and kissed him full on the mouth. "Oh my God," she said
again as she ran her fingers through his hair. "What did
they do to you?" she choked out through her tears.
"Broken ribs mostly, lots of bruising, we're taking him to
the hospital to make sure there's nothing else ma'am," the
medic said patronizingly.
"Don't talk to her like she's an idiot," Ben told him.
"She's a doctor and she carries a big gun."
The paramedics backed off, just a little.
"I thought I'd never see you again," she sniffled as Ben
wiped tears off her cheeks. She clutched his hands. "I'm so
sorry, I'm so sorry you got dragged into all of this."
"They told me," Ben nodded his head to Carillo and Skinner,
who had been hovering over him like angry mother bears the
entire time, "that someone was trying to frame MULDER for
my MURDER? Are they serious?"
Jerilyn nodded. "Oh Jesus, Ben. It was insane. This whole
thing... and we don't even know WHY they did this to us..."
She tried to gulp back the tears.
"I don't think we'll ever know," Ben said helplessly. "But
everything's okay now, Jeri. I promise, everything's going
to be okay now." He wiped more tears from Jeri's face even
as his own eyes welled. "Hey. Hey now... big bad FBI broads
don't cry." His voice cracked.
"Neither do Councilors," she whispered as she kissed his
hand. "Oh!" she suddenly realized and started digging into
her pocket. She pulled out his wedding band. "Missing
something?" she said with a teary smile as she slid his
wedding ring back on its rightful place.
"Mrs. Starkweather," the medic told her gently. "We really
need to get him to the hospital. But you can ride along if
you like..."
Ben answered for Jerilyn. "She's got FBI stuff to do
first," Ben said, intertwining his fingers with hers and
giving her a squeeze. "Plus, I'm guessing," he chuckled,
"she might want some dry clothes. Hell..." he grinned,
feeling better by just seeing Jerilyn again, "*I* would
like some clean clothes myself. I've been wearing the same
boxers for about a week now and they're beginning to
chafe."
That did it. Jerilyn smiled spontaneously and joyously for
the first time since the ordeal began. "Are you sure,
baby?"
"I'll see you at the hospital, Jeri," Ben kissed her hand
again. "While you're at it, smuggle me some beers and
Caesar for me."
"Deal," Jerilyn leaned over and kissed Ben on the lips
again. "I love you Counselor."
"I love you too," Ben reached up with his free hand and
stroked her hair. "And I did learn one thing from this
whole clusterfuck."
"What?" Jerilyn finally released his hand and let the
paramedics do their job.
As the paramedics lifted the stretcher into the ambulance,
Ben said "I'm gonna leave this X-File sh*t to the experts,"
with a groan.
Just as the paramedics shut the door to the ambulance,
Scully, Mulder and Sam-in-Doggett approached Starkweather
and Skinner. "Mulder," Skinner asked gruffly "how many
guardian angels do you have???"
Mulder, still leaning on Scully replied in all seriousness.
"It's got to be up in the thousands."
"I don't mean to alarm you, but you should be aware, the
police and federal agents are making a sweep of the area,
but so far, there is no trace of Billy Miles or Justin
Leo."
"Typical," Mulder snorted. "Slipped through our fingers
again."
"I've sent agents to all of your respective homes for
survelliance, just in case one of them rears their ugly
heads. That's all we can really do for now." Skinner said.
"And now," he said impatiently, "can someone explain to me
how YOU," he looked at Mulder "are related to HER," he
looked at Starkweather.
Mulder opened his mouth to speak but whatever he was about
to say was lost for the Admiral finally approached the
group.
"Jerilyn," the Admiral reached for her. Jerilyn recoiled,
anger clouding her face.
"You..." she said bitterly. "You knew about this the entire
time... you had to of..."
"Jerilyn?" The Admiral stole a glance to Scully, who only
glared at him stonily. "Honey, what are you talking about?
I came into town when we thought Ben was gon-"
"Liar," she hissed. The Admiral looked as if she had
slapped him. "You were planning on coming into town before
all of this happened to meet with KERSH, of all people. I
saw it in his planner. I heard your guys' phone
conversation."
The Admiral knew when he was defeated. "Jerilyn," he said
painfully. "Everything I did, was to protect you."
"Then why didn't you tell me the truth when I came to
Sedona last April?"
"The truth would have killed you," the Admiral protested.
Starkweather glowered at him. "It already has."
The Admiral had to make one last try. "Jerilyn, everything
I have done, everything I have lived for was to protect
YOU. I know I haven't been the perfect father bu-"
"My father is dead."
"Jerilyn," the Admiral sighed. "That's a little extreme. I
know you're upset with me bu-"
"NO." Jerilyn took a step away from him. "MY father," she
turned to face Mulder. "is dead. He was murdered by a man
named Alex Krycek." She turned to face the Admiral again.
"Does that ring any bells?"
The Admiral looked to Mulder, Scully, Skinner and Sam-in-
Doggett for help. All he received were unsympathetic, angry
glares. "You were never meant to find out," he said lamely.
"Ben was almost killed tonight," Starkweather said angrily.
"And you know about it the entire time and didn't lift a
finger to stop anything, did you?"
The Admiral could have argued that point, but one look in
her eyes told him that any further debate on the subject
would be an exercise in futility. He lowered his head and
walked away.
Yes, he had saved her life... but he had lost her forever.
After the Admiral had left, Mulder said softly to
Starkweather, "I'm sorry, Jerilyn." Only Mulder could truly
sympathize with how devastating it is, even to an adult
child, to be completely dillusioned by their hero, their
parent that they had adored.
Starkweather turned to Mulder. Despite all of her not-so-
outstanding qualities, her one redeeming characteristic was
that if she was wrong, she admitted it. "No, Mulder.
**I'm** sorry. I should have known better." Everyone
breathed a sigh of relief as Starkweather and Mulder
finally shook hands and ended the duel of wills.
But Mulder continued with the snipe-war as he thumped
Starkweather on the shoulder and said "See you at the
family reunion. Maybe this year you'll get to sit with the
adults."
"As if you have any experience in being an adult."
"Well, I do have at least twelve years on you, baby
sister."
"Oh do NOT start calling me 'baby sister', I will fucking
deck you again."
"Tsk tsk little Hurricane, such foul language from a
pristine lady."
"Hurricane!?" Starkweather spluttered. "Now, listen here,
*Spooky*-"
"Both of you!" Scully snapped in her best "Mom" voice.
"Unless you two want to sit in the corner for the rest of
the night, Enough!"
"He started it," Starkweather whined.
"She hit me," Mulder whined right back. "She broke my nose
when I got arrested."
"It was an easy target, big schnozz that it is."
"Alright you little twerp-"
"You're BOTH sitting at the kids' table for the holiday
meals!" Scully yelled at them. "Maybe William can teach you
two some manners."
"Agent Scully," Detective Carillo, stifling guffaws, said
"since the Deputy Mayor is cleared of all charges, why
don't you take him home before these two tear each other
apart."
"An excellent suggestion," Scully said with a relieved
sigh. "I know there's a certain little boy who's eager to
see you."
"Later Hurricane," Mulder, still leaning against Scully,
limped towards Skinner's car, volunteering him to give them
a ride home.
"I'm gonna buy your kid a drum, Mulder!" Starkweather
threatened.
Mulder, as usual, had the winning shot with "Good, I'll
have him bring it over when you babysit him."
Sam shook his head. As entertaining as the Mulder and
Starkweather show was... he couldn't help but wonder...
If everything's okay now... why haven't I leapt?
Al popped in again. "Well, everything's turning out to be
pretty okay," he told Sam. "The plague, obviously, never
happened and aliens never took over the world." He thumped
his comlink. "Mulder gets reinstated to his Deputy Mayor
job, which he does for another year before... before..." he
hit the comlink and it squawked at him. "Before going to
work for the CIA as a consultant? That's scary. Anyway...
Scully ends up leaving the X-Files in about two years, but
she's still around to help out Reyes, Doggett and
Starkweather every now and again. And... on September 10,
2010, those two crazy kids finally tie the knot in a
private ceremony at Mulder's childhood home in Martha's
Vineyard. And even though they're not with the FBI anymore,
they're both kept on retainer to consult on X-File cases.
So a big shiny happy ending for those two. It only took
them," Al did the math, "met in 1993.... only took them
seventeen years."
"What about Starkweather? Do she and Ben work out their
differences?" Sam asked.
Al consulted his comlink. A look of pain crosses his face.
"I'm sorry Sam," Al said. "Ben's out of the picture by
Christmas time."
"What?!" Sam's shoulder's slumped. "Does that mean I have
to stay here until Christmas to help those two repair their
marriage?"
"I don't think so Sam," Al said quietly. "Believe me,
speaking as a man quite experienced in the ways of failed
relationships, somethings aren't just meant to last."
"Then why am I still here Al?"
"Ziggy?" Al consulted the super-computer. "What's the word?
Why're we still here??" Al looked down at his comlink.
"What the hell...." Al's brow furrowed in confusion. He
chewed on his cigar for a bit. "Well... according to
Ziggy... she says that for you to leap now... you have
to..." he read aloud from the comlink. "say goodbye to
Starkweather and start the Doggett-Starkweather-Relationship.
What the hell does that mean? Ziggy! Translate!"
"She doesn't have to," Sam said, a little sadly, looking at
Starkweather, who was giving her statement to Detective
Carillo. "I know what she means. Al... can you promise me
something?"
"Anything buddy," Al said.
Sam took a deep breath. "Whenever something is going wrong
with a future leap and it looks totally impossible... break
a rule and remind me of Starkweather. Of her strength. Her
loyalty. Her preserverance."
"You got it Sam," Al promised. "Go. Say goodbye."
Sam-in-Doggett went up to Starkweather. He grabbed a gray
flannel blanket from one of the lingering paramedics and
wrapped it around Starkweather's shoulders. "Are you
finished here?" Sam asked Carillo.
"All done," Carillo put his notebook in his jacket pocket.
"Get some rest you two. Good night." And Carillo walked
away, pleased that one of his cases finally had a happy
ending.
"How're you doing, Starkweather?" Sam asked her, wrapping
the blanket tighter around her, making her look like a
papoose.
She shrugged. "Tired. Estatic. Angry. Tired. Thrilled.
Scared. Tired. Did I mention tired??"
Sam laughed. "No. Are you tired?" he teased her.
"I could sleep for a thousand years," she groaned.
"Doggett... you were right. About Mulder. About Ben. About
everything. I couldn't have gotten through this nightmare
without you."
"That's what I'm here for," Sam said.
"And I count on that," she replied. She opened her arms and
engulfed Sam in the world's biggest hug.
"Thank you for helping me find Ben."
"You're a special lady, Starkweather," Sam said in her ear.
"Don't ever forget that. Don't ever forget that I said
that." Sam stepped away. Trying to figure out how to do
what he needed to do. To say goodbye. To lead Starkweather
towards the path where she was meant to go.
To put right what once went wrong.
And Sam realized what he needed to do. It was so simple. It
was safe, and yet not. Everyone had seen Mulder and Scully
do it a thousand times.
He put his hands on Starkweather's shoulders and kissed her
forehead.
Al looked at his comlink and smiled. "Goodbye
Starkweather," Al said as he and Sam vanished in blaze of
blinding blue light.
John Doggett opened his eyes and saw Starkweather standing
in front of him, soaking wet, wrapped in a gray blanket,
smiling at him. I'm back Doggett realized. Then instantly
thought: where did I go??
"Starkweather, what the hell happened to you?" Doggett
turned and saw the blazing building that the fire fighters
were still trying to put out. "Oh my God... what the hell
happened here?"
"Doggett, I think we'll be trying to figure that out for
years," she said, still smiling. "Come on Papa John, you
better come to the hospital with me. It looks like you
might be concussed."
Doggett put his arm over Starkweather's shoulder and
together they walked to his waiting pickup truck.
It never felt so good to hear her call him 'Papa John'
before.
Washington, D.C.
J Edgar Hoover Building
April 27, 2016; 9:14 AM
With another upsurge of paranormal cases on the horizon and
FBI agents' talents being currently directed on security
issues, it was time for A.D. Starkweather to assign the
head of her old division a new partner. Agent Reyes was
talented, and had a high success rate in investigating
paranormal cases, but nobody could work alone in those
conditions for very long. Besides, if she didn't assign
somebody soon, it looked as though she would have to shut
the division down. She made a promise to somebody a long
time ago that she wouldn't allow that to happen as long as
she could do something about it.
One applicant seemed to stand out in the screaning process
for the job. A physicist's daughter who had graduated five
years ago from MIT was an Alabama native, Samantha Jo
Fuller had specialized in quantum mechanics both in
Quantico and in her work with unspecified government
projects. According to her superiors in New Mexico, she had
medical training at Quantico and developed quite a flare
for profiling, and from experience Starkweather knew that
the basement office could use that kind of expertise.
Starkweather was on the phone when the applicant came in.
She motioned the new agent to come in, smiling
apologetically. The young woman, who appeared to be in her
late twenties twirled her honey-wheat hair nervously around
her index finger. She tentatively sat down, and brushed her
one white strand that accentuated her face.
"Yes, I know we need all the manpower we can get on this
case, but I just can't close that office to accommodate
you." Starkweather was insisting. At her next remark, the
girl jumped. "The FBI's investigation into the paranormal
has been justified for nearly TEN YEARS now...no...we need
Agent Reyes in that office. If you have issues with that
you can take it up with Deputy Director Doggett." She
barked, and slamming down the phone, smiled sweetly at the
woman who just came in.
"Before you enlisted in the FBI, what was that project that
you worked on in New Mexico?"
"That's classified ma'am." The new agent said flatly. She
was uncomfortable calling someone who looked her age ma'am,
but she wasn't about to start a new position on a sour
note. Starkweather inwardly grimaced at being called ma'am.
"My sources tell me it had something to do with time
travel."
"Sources?"
"If that's true, you will get along just fine with your new
partner." Starkweather replied not missing a beat. "Were
you informed of the type of cases your division
investigates?"
"If I understand it correctly, the X-Files Division deals
with paranormal and unexplained phenomena." Fuller recited.
"But I didn't think the FBI investigated those kinds of
cases."
"I wasn't aware that the government backed time-travel
experiments either" Starkweather returned with a sly grin.
"Come with me, and I'll show you to your new office. Sorry
I don't have much time to acquaint you with the building,
but I have a flight out to New Mexico on personal business
that leaves in an hour."
Agent Fuller nodded in understanding and followed her
petite superior down the halls of the J Edgar Hoover
building, and wondered why there were mile-long lines of
tourists for office buildings.
"...And this," her new boss said unlocking the door and
handing her a lone key. "Is your office. I hope you'll find
everything you need, Agent Fuller. Call me on my cell if
you need to be in touch with me. If you'll excuse me, I
have a flight to make. Sandy should be in shortly." With
that, her new boss turned and left.
The Agent glanced tentatively at her new surroundings. She
saw a neatly kept office with two desks, and a huge filing
cabinet. The occupied desk facing the door was neatly kept
with photos of a small boy and a girl, her new boss and her
boss's superior, a hazel-eyed man with peppering hair and a
pretty, petite redhead holding a small redheaded boy
standing next to him, next to him, a tall man with a wreath
of white hair, a man with a neatly trimmed beard in a suit
was next, then a shorter, balding, odd-looking man, then a
tall, lanky man with blond stringy hair with thick glasses
perched on his nose all posing uncomfortably around a
Christmas tree. The nameplate on the desk read "A. Gallimore"
The office itself looked like it was barely big enough for
two people. There were rows of filing cabinets, all labeled
"X-Files". There was barely walking space between two
desks, but there were a couple of plants that made it look
comfortable. The walls were sparsely decorated, with the
exception of a yellowed and frayed poster with an obviously
forged depiction of a flying saucer, proclaiming "I WANT TO
BELIEVE." She took the empty desk closer to the door, and
decided it was in her best interest to familiarize herself
with the cases. She opened the "A" drawer and began
reading.
She was halfway through the contents of her first folder
when there was a knock at the door.
"Great, here comes Princess Leia." Fuller groaned, thinking
it was her new boss, and put on her best professional
smile. "Come in." She called out.
Instead of her boss like she expected, a petite redhead
with an FBI guest badge on her lapel. She didn't look up
from the file until the woman spoke. "Ma'am, the senior
partner isn't here yet. Let me redirect you. Just one…" She
went over to the phone and saw that the woman was in the
picture with the family.
"Deputy Director Doggett asked me to come by and introduce
myself and show you the ropes around here. Your senior
officer isn't going to be able to come in till after
lunch."
She smiled apologetically and stood up, extending a hand in
greeting. "I'm sorry ma'am," she flustered, "just doing
some research."
"So what do you think about UFO's after reading that file?"
"To be perfectly honest, ma'am," Fuller answered carefully,
"I'm not quite sure what to think. I am aware of what the
founder of this division seems to believe is a conspiracy,
geared towards covering up a plot of colonization. I need
physical evidence to back that up before I concur."
"Sounds too much like Star Wars?" the woman asked, her lips
curling into a knowing smile.
"There's no documented scientific evidence yet of the
existence of extra terrestrials." At Fuller's answer, the
woman raised a questioning eyebrow, and approached the
desk.
"Twenty years ago," Scully replied, crossing her arms. "I
would have said the same thing. I used to be you, Agent..."
Later on that day
Quantum Leap Headquarters
Roswell, New Mexico
Al left the imaging chamber, rubbing his temple. Now THAT
was one hell of a leap. One destined to go down in the
record books, that was for sure. He looked at Fern "Easter"
Mullens, the new Information and Technology Specialist who
had been hired after Goushie's passing now about five years
ago. "Let me know when Sam's in a new body," he said as he
shuffled towards his office.
"Yes sir," she said.
Al had just sat down in his big comfortable chair when his
phone rang. "I don't want any calls today. I don't care who
it is."
Tina said nervously. "Um... I don't think this person is
going to go away, Al. She said that she made this
appointment fifteen years ago?" Tina sounded completely
and utterly flustered. "She says she's the Assistant
Director for the FBI??"
"I'll be right out," Al said, jumping out of his chair.
Now, to Starkweather, Al looked exactly the same as he did
when she saw him last. But to Al, she had changed,
extraordinarily.
She was still slender and youthful-looking. She still wore
her uncompromising black business dress suits. However, she
no longer had the deceptive guise of a teenager. There were
one or two crow's feet by her hazel eyes. Her hair was no
longer Rapunzel-long and dyed blonde, but shoulder length
and dark brown. Only the gold wire eyeglasses and the few
strands of silver at the temple of her hair betrayed her
age of forty-four years.
Her voice, however, was as strong and yet feminine as ever.
"Admiral Calvaricci?" She still had that Sphinx-smile, that
sense of mystery.
"Agent Starkweather," Al said. "My, you've grown up."
"With all due respect," her smile dissolved into the
trademark Starkweather smirk. "it's Assistant Director
Starkweather now." She held out her hand. As Al shook her
right hand, he noted that her left hand no longer bore a
wedding ring. "Well, Admiral, you said to look you up in
fifteen years and you'd explain everything."
Al clasped his other hand over hers. "Yes, yes I did...
Assistant Director."
"Funny, you don't look any more angelic as you did when I
saw you last." Her eyes twinkled in delight. "I thought I
was ready for the funny farm when you popped in, you know."
"I know, I know," Al groaned. "And I'll explain everything
to you."
"Well... before you start... I'd like to have you meet some
people first... you see... we figured out a lot of things
on our own before coming here... but there's still some
gaps."
We?? Al wondered as he followed Starkweather to the outer
waiting room.
"I found him," Starkweather said to the man sitting on the
couch, reading the newspaper.
And Deputy Director John Doggett stood up. Still tall,
still had those brilliant blue eyes, although he also wore
eyeglasses now. Although he was lucky enough to have kept
his hair, it had faded from it's coppery-yellow hue. He
also now sported a neatly trimmed goatee. He was still a
good-looking man, albeit it, obviously, an older man.
Geez... he's got to be pushing sixty by now Al thought as
he shook Doggett's hand.
"Admiral," Doggett also still never shed that gravelly New
York-Deep South hybrid accent. "Good to see you again...
though I must confess, I really don't remember much of our
first meetin'."
"That's alright," Al said. "I'll remind you of every
humiliating detail."
"Oh good," Doggett deadpanned. "Kids, come here," he
called.
"Kids?" Al asked.
A boy and a girl, both the same age, looking to be about
twelve, left the television set they were avidly watching
and joined the adults. "This is our son," Starkweather put
her hand on the boy's shoulder. "John Benjamin."
"Hi," the boy said brightly. And Al realized that he was
looking at what Mulder must have looked like when he was a
boy. A mop of unruly brown hair, sparkling hazel eyes. No
trace of shyness whatsoever.
"And this," Starkweather put her other hand on the girl's
shoulder. "Is our daughter, Bailey Fox."
"Mom, **please** don't tell strangers my middle name," she
whispered, mortified. "It's embarrassing."
Bailey was the spitting image of John Doggett. Same curly
shiny blond hair, although she wore hers considerably
longer than her father. Same brilliant piercing blue eyes.
She even spoke with the barest trace of a Southern accent.
"Looks like you two have some things to tell me too," Al
said. "Ziggy left some things out in her diagnogstics."
"Ziggy?" Starkweather crinkled her brow in confusion.
Al companionably put his arm through Starkweather's. "I'll
explain... let me give you a tour."
When they got to the "holding" chamber, they all stopped.
"Is this??" Starkweather started to ask, but stopped.
Al answered her unasked question. "Yes. Sam's body is in
there, but not Sam's soul. Sam hasn't found someone to
switch souls with yet, so the body is in suspended
animation, so to speak."
Doggett was looking around. "Some of this looks familiar."
"I wouldn't have believed this if I wasn't here right now,"
Bailey said.
John Benjamin aka JB scoffed at his twin sister "You never
believe anything until you see it anyways. You're worse
than Aunt Dana."
"Gang," Doggett said in his quiet authorative tone--the same
one he used for wayward agents, "zip it." The twins
immediately fell silent.
While everyone else hung back, Starkweather walked up to
the two-way mirror, that Doggett-in-Sam had broken days
ago. It was repaired now. Starkweather looked through the
glass and saw a handsome man with sandy-brown hair with one
lock gone gray.
Starkweather put her hand on the glass. "Thank you Sam...."
she whispered before Al led her away to explain the past to
her and her family.
**THE END**