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Somewhere in a room with very sparse furniture-and we mean sparse. Like two chairs, two cabinets, a rug, no lamp, no window, and a desk-sparse.-sat Mulder, tied it a chair, his hands cuffed, his feet cuffed, and a resolute look on his face. Across from him, in the only other chair situated on the rug, sat a man, smoking a cigarette, a cigarette from a brand we like to call Morley's'' Lights.
"Don't you know that that stuff causes cancer?" Mulder said for the 6th time that hour.
Smoking Man took no notice, just took another light.
"What do you want?"
"Are those the only two statements that you know?"
Mulder glared intently, and quite reverently.
"You know, Mr. Mulder, that you were brought here for the purpose of----"
"Cut to the chase." He was loosing his patience. Rather, it was lost. He'd lost it a looonnng time ago.
"Well, it's like this. You wanna know the truth, and I'm willing to give it to you, for a price-----"
"-----Haven't I heard that line before?" Then he leaned forward, and practically shouted aloud. "ITs a lie! Whatever your going to tell me! ALL YOU SAY ARE LIES!"
"Oh, the terrible lies we must endure. It is a part of life, and yet some people refuse to accept them!" Cigarette Smoking Man shot Mulder a look that would have chilled anyone else's blood.
"Why should we ever accept anything less than the truth? Why ever give into something you know you can defeat?"
"Because sometimes that lie is all there is. And you must accept or accept the consequences."
"But why face the consequences when you know there are more ways than one to uproot the lie. And expose it for what it really is?" A friendly voice echoed in the room.
"Mulder. You didn't tell me you had company." Smoking Man said indifferently, lighitng up yet another Cigarette.
"If I knew she was coming I'd-a baked a cake." Mulder said, smiling broadly.
Federico nudges Smoking Man, and pointed to the wall with a simple gesture from her gun and her head. He heaved a sigh, and promptly followed.
"Care to tell me where Scully is?" She bent down, keeping the gun on him, pulled a knife from her sock, backed up, cut Mulder's wrist loose from the chair he was sitting on, and left him with the knife, then went back to Smoking Man, where he had yet to move.
"So long as I have an option." Smoking Man smiled, moving for his right pocket.
"No options, just fate. Where is she?" Federico demanded, holding him until he put his hand back into view.
"Kill me and you kill Scully's last chance of escape."
"I was thinking more like life in prison than death."
"She's in the closet." Mulder called.
"Could you get her?" Federico called over her right shoulder. "Please, do me the honors."
Mulder promptly undid the lock. Mulder smiled at Scully who gave him a glare, and then he helped her out.
"What you going to do now? No one's gonna believe you."
She undid her safety lock.
"Kill me, and you're dead yourselves. After all, someone's gonna notice soon. Like Krycek. Then you're really dead."
Federico halted, thinking quietly.
"Safe passage. For everyone existing this building tonight. No one is to be followed. No one is to get hurt, nor their families, nor their friends, and this whole incident will be forgotten, do you understand?"
"Perfectly."
Federico hesitated, then allowed Smoking Man to leave. As he was about to leave the corner, a shot rang out.
Federico was evidently a sharp shooter, and had put a whole through his sleeve, although the bullet never touched him.
"Merry Christmas." She called out to him quietly.
He nodded, then turned the corner.
She turned to her companions. "You guys okay?"
"We're fine." Scully answered.
Federico smiled, then motioned for them to leave.
In the car, Federico dialed the Gunmen's cell phones. Byers answered.
"Byers?"
"Federico! Where are you?"
"We're in the car."
"We're?"
"Yeah. I've got them. Just get out. Leave now."
"But--"
"We'll explain in the car."
Somewhere in a room with very sparse furniture-and we mean sparse. Like two chairs, two cabinets, a rug, no lamp, no window, and a desk-sparse.-sat Mulder, tied it a chair, his hands cuffed, his feet cuffed, and a resolute look on his face. Across from him, in the only other chair situated on the rug, sat a man, smoking a cigarette, a cigarette from a brand we like to call Morley's'' Lights.
"Don't you know that that stuff causes cancer?" Mulder said for the 6th time that hour.
Smoking Man took no notice, just took another light.
"What do you want?"
"Are those the only two statements that you know?"
Mulder glared intently, and quite reverently.
"You know, Mr. Mulder, that you were brought here for the purpose of----"
"Cut to the chase." He was loosing his patience. Rather, it was lost. He'd lost it a looonnng time ago.
"Well, it's like this. You wanna know the truth, and I'm willing to give it to you, for a price-----"
"-----Haven't I heard that line before?" Then he leaned forward, and practically shouted aloud. "ITs a lie! Whatever your going to tell me! ALL YOU SAY ARE LIES!"
"Oh, the terrible lies we must endure. It is a part of life, and yet some people refuse to accept them!" Cigarette Smoking Man shot Mulder a look that would have chilled anyone else's blood.
"Why should we ever accept anything less than the truth? Why ever give into something you know you can defeat?"
"Because sometimes that lie is all there is. And you must accept or accept the consequences."
"But why face the consequences when you know there are more ways than one to uproot the lie. And expose it for what it really is?" A friendly voice echoed in the room.
"Mulder. You didn't tell me you had company." Smoking Man said indifferently, lighitng up yet another Cigarette.
"If I knew she was coming I'd-a baked a cake." Mulder said, smiling broadly.
Federico nudges Smoking Man, and pointed to the wall with a simple gesture from her gun and her head. He heaved a sigh, and promptly followed.
"Care to tell me where Scully is?" She bent down, keeping the gun on him, pulled a knife from her sock, backed up, cut Mulder's wrist loose from the chair he was sitting on, and left him with the knife, then went back to Smoking Man, where he had yet to move.
"So long as I have an option." Smoking Man smiled, moving for his right pocket.
"No options, just fate. Where is she?" Federico demanded, holding him until he put his hand back into view.
"Kill me and you kill Scully's last chance of escape."
"I was thinking more like life in prison than death."
"She's in the closet." Mulder called.
"Could you get her?" Federico called over her right shoulder. "Please, do me the honors."
Mulder promptly undid the lock. Mulder smiled at Scully who gave him a glare, and then he helped her out.
"What you going to do now? No one's gonna believe you."
She undid her safety lock.
"Kill me, and you're dead yourselves. After all, someone's gonna notice soon. Like Krycek. Then you're really dead."
Federico halted, thinking quietly.
"Safe passage. For everyone existing this building tonight. No one is to be followed. No one is to get hurt, nor their families, nor their friends, and this whole incident will be forgotten, do you understand?"
"Perfectly."
Federico hesitated, then allowed Smoking Man to leave. As he was about to leave the corner, a shot rang out.
Federico was evidently a sharp shooter, and had put a whole through his sleeve, although the bullet never touched him.
"Merry Christmas." She called out to him quietly.
He nodded, then turned the corner.
She turned to her companions. "You guys okay?"
"We're fine." Scully answered.
Federico smiled, then motioned for them to leave.
In the car, Federico dialed the Gunmen's cell phones. Byers answered.
"Byers?"
"Federico! Where are you?"
"We're in the car."
"We're?"
"Yeah. I've got them. Just get out. Leave now."
"But--"
"We'll explain in the car."