Mulder woke with a start. He was disoriented and had no idea where he was. Most importantly, his body ached all over. His head was throbbing and he felt pain all through his back and legs. He couldn't quite remember what had happened, and then it all came back to him. He had called and told Scully not to expect him back for a couple of days. He'd wanted to check out a story he had read about in the local paper. Several people had reported seeing lights in the sky just east of Skykomish. He was approaching the location of the sightings when he had noticed a jeep pulled over to the side of the road. At first he had thought that the woman was there, like him, to see if she could spot the lights. When she told him that her jeep had broken down he had been more than happy to give her a hand. It was an opportunity to find out more about this woman. There was something about her that seemed so familiar.
And then it happened. If he'd glanced up a second later it would have been a second too late. As it was, it hadn't made a difference anyway. He had knocked her cap and sunglasses off and finally realized why he had found her so familiar. And then nothing; she had taken him out with a single blow. One moment of hesitation was all she had needed. Now, here he was. From what little light there was coming from a dirty window, it looked like he was in a cellar. The floor was covered in dust about an inch thick and the only thing in the room was the mattress that he laid upon.
Looking around, he saw what most assuredly were the drag marks left behind by his own body. He followed the trail to where the door should have been but the trail ended in the middle of the floor. As Mulder moved to get up, he heard the slight clink of metal against metal. Before he could discern the sound's origin, he heard the sound of a bolt being slammed open and a bright light shone down from an opening that appeared from the ceiling. Blinded by the sudden glare, Mulder could only raise his arm up to shield his eyes. He moved his arm slightly, just in time to see a ladder being lowered from the opening and the silhouette of a woman climbing down. He didn't need to see her face to know who it was.
"What's going on, Samantha?" Mulder demanded through clenched teeth. "You pissed off because you let your triple 'A' membership expire?" He couldn't help but feel a sense of betrayal at being nabbed by his own sister, even if she were just a clone.
"Why, Fox, aren't you glad to see me?" she asked, as she stepped off the ladder and faced him. "How do you feel? When I dropped you down the ladder I was sure that I'd broken your neck. No such luck I'm afraid."
Those few words were enough to tell Mulder to tread lightly. He wasn't sure what she had planned for him but he was sure he'd find out in the next few moments.
"I suppose you're wondering why you're here. Well, let me tell you. I have brought you here to correct a grievous wrong that was done many years ago. It is because of you that my life has been nothing but hell from the day I was created."
"Me?" he said in disbelief. "I wasn't the one who created you. The Syndicate's responsible for that. If there is anyone to blame it's them."
"You don't get it, do you?" she hissed, coming closer. "Samantha should never have been the one to be taken. You were the one that they wanted, not I . . . not Samantha. You were her favorite, though. Her first born. So they had to settle for Samantha instead." She had begun pacing the floor now. Spitting out her words like daggers. "I wasn't good enough, though. They trained me to be the perfect killing machine. To be like a Hunter, but I wasn't good enough for them. They said I was flawed. They said I was unstable."
"Whatever gave them that idea?"
"You go to hell, Fox!" she shouted, stopping dead in her tracks pointing her finger at him. "They had planned on terminating me and replacing me with The Other. Even she had her flaws. Yet, they considered her salvageable. She didn't have the power that I possessed," she said as she placed her hands upon her chest. "Not even the killer instinct that they wanted. They were willing to let her live, though. Don't you see? I was again considered second rate. Subject to seeing lesser versions of myself as nothing but pitiful, unthinking drones."
"That's not my fault." Mulder whispered.
"It doesn't matter if you think it's your fault or not! All that matters is that you will pay for it. I will show them what a great asset I can be by destroying you." Samantha once again began to pace the floor. Her hands would go up to her head every once in awhile and she would shut her eyes tightly, as if she were in pain. "Your partner is near, Fox. She came looking for you like I knew she would," she said, opening her eyes and focusing on Mulder. Then, closing her eyes once more, "And she's brought someone else with her. It's The Other. I believe you think of her as your sister, am I right?" she asked smiling. "Wonderful, two for one."
"You leave them alone!" Mulder shouted, bracing his hands at the edge of the mattress. "If you're going to kill me, kill me! Just leave them out of this!"
"Oh, but dear, dear Fox, when I said I was going to destroy you, I didn't mean that I would kill you. No, sweat brother, I plan on killing everyone you love and having you watch. And the first one up will be the one you hold most dear. Your partner Scully."
"You Bitch!" Mulder shouted. He lunged forward only to nearly choke himself and fall flat onto his back. He now realized what had made that clinking sound. It had been the chain that connected the leather strap he now felt around his neck, to the wall behind him. He had been in too much pain before to pay much attention to the weight around his neck, but its presence had become all too clear to him now.
"Did I forget to mention the chain, Fox? Don't worry," Samantha said, "it won't matter to you once I'm through with Scully. I'll so enjoy making her suffer before your eyes. I plan to make it last for hours. I hear she's a strong one. Hard to kill. All the better," she smiled, and then headed for the ladder. "See you later. I'm off to catch me a couple of birds."
Mulder could do nothing but lie on the floor and gasp for air as he watched the clone climb the ladder.
"If . . . you touch them . . ." he hissed, "I will . . . kill you . . . no matter the cost." Her only reply was the closing of the door and the sound of the bolt sliding into place. All he heard was sound of her laughter as he listened to her walk away.
Mulder gradually rolled to his side trying to get some slack on the chain. His only hope was to figure out a way to get out of there and warn Scully. If he couldn't escape, he prayed that Fox could hold her own against Samantha, because if what she said was true, the clone was more powerful than his she was.