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Gothic Spook: YAY! I'm glad you're enjoying it.
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"And if I bleed, I'll bleed knowing you don't care."
~Evanescence, Missing
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Chapter 11: The Living and the Dead
Kyle walked outside into the smoking area. Several scientists were sharing a box of Morley's and talking about the day, discussing about their tribulations in the higher level labs. They were lucky. The other scientists weren't allowed above the surface of the earth, and if they so much as put a hair over the threshold they were shot on sight. But those were just the professionals working with the breed and other such nonsense. These were probably unaware of the trouble their department was getting in.
He moved through the alley to the fenced in parking lot and pulled out his cell phone, making occasional checks over his shoulder to see if he was being followed. He looked like a mental patient, twitching involuntarily at the slightest sound whether it was animate or inanimate. Ridder had spies everywhere, or at least that was the rumours going around. Everybody knew he was powerful enough to do so.
The news about Ridder's 'Gestapo' had been circulating since the arrest made seven years ago. One of their soldiers got too 'friendly' with an Agent in the FBI and released news of their Chloramine project. As far as anyone knew, she was serving time in a underground prison, submitting herself to testing of highly dangerous viruses and used as a product for (once again) the invasion. Her name was 227, but her old name was Shannon McMahon.
Ridder's secret police had been watching her for some time, monitoring her movements before finally believing that she could be trusted. And then she pulled the Agent from a tank, seduced and killed one of their most trusted officials in the water treatment business, and was later found in England, seeking the protection of government representatives. All this time, Ridder had someone watching her, tracking every footstep, moving in for the kill.
His assassin was too young to be doing stealth work seven years ago. She had been hired two years before, as a seventeen year old, but none the less a killer. At first she was handled by Jason Sharp, the lowly technician on Level One, but after she was decided to be trustworthy, she was released like a rabid animal into the city and had only Ridder for a handler since then.
Kyle had never been privy to her file, but he knew a couple things just from eavesdropping Louis in his office. He knew about a twelve hour poison that could have already been released, a possibility Louis was currently exhausting with his long reach across the city. They were coming up with nothing, and were slowly coming to the conclusion that the X-Files had something to do with it.
He hit the speed dial button for Mulder and got inside his car, keeping low. He lit a cigarette, more to calm him down than look more naturally. The phone rang and with every ring his heart kept pounding faster and faster. It was only subdued when Mulder picked up the phone.
"Yeah?" He was quiet, trying to avoid being heard by someone. Kyle took a deep breath.
"Louis is beginning to think that she's been poisoned." He said quickly. "If the breed is threatened inside her body, it releases a biological toxin that hits the body from the inside. It's slow, painful; I think it takes about twelve hours to kill her. If it's been released I'm not sure what you can do to stop it."
"Well I'm with her right now."
Kyle's heart nearly stopped beating.
"You're what?"
"She's locked up here."
"Where's here?"
"I can't tell you that. All I can tell you is that she isn't looking good."
"Mulder I can't tell you enough how dangerous that is. She's not just some runaway guinea pig from a lab she's a bred killer."
"We're being careful, Kyle. I want to know how you can tell if the poison's in effect."
"I don't know." Kyle said. He looked around the car a little, seeing Louis and another operative walk out of the building, murmuring to them selves and hardly regarding each other. "I have to go."
He hung up, putting the phone back in his pocket.
The barrel of a gun was at his neck, pressed against his spine and pointing up, straight to his brain.
"One shot, and you're dead." The voice said. "I would suggest that you don't move until I say."
Kyle tried to see who it was. He couldn't.
"Get up and out of the car slowly." Kyle could hear a second gun pulled from another holster the man in the back seat had strapped to his side. They moved out of the car, Kyle shaking and nearly pissing himself at the feeling of the gun against his head.
"Set the cell phone on the car." The man ordered. Kyle did so, and his only link to Mulder was taken from him.
"Now walk."
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She didn't say anything. Silence was her only defense at the man looking at her. She knew him of course. There was nothing she didn't know about Fox Mulder. Hell, she could probably tell him things he didn't know about himself. He was a graduate at Oxford, top of his class. His sister was abducted and cloned. His father was murdered by that moron Alex Krycek. He died temporarily eight years ago. And now he was watching her, asking her stupid questions about who she worked for.
This was nothing. He hadn't even started hitting her yet.
There was something about him that seemed familiar though like the remnants of a memory coming back to haunt her. She prayed that the poison would take her quickly. She made a glance at her watch, looking at the timer displaying another eleven hours of nothing but Fox Mulder. She switched her thoughts to unconsciousness, hoping it would take her again.
But it didn't. The breed had awoken not long ago and prevented her from doing so.
He stopped talking. He had been on the phone a moment ago, speaking quietly. She couldn't imagine who he was talking to.
He hung up the phone. She looked back at the wall. It would be the longest day of her life, and it would only be eleven more hours, twenty-six more minutes, and a large amount of seconds that weren't ticking fast enough for her.
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Morgan had followed the Agent to her house, but couldn't get close enough to get a good look anyways. She was left waiting in the parking lot, nothing to do but wait for her to leave and hopefully see her carrying something that would end this little escapade. She was hoping for too much, and she realized this, but it was always worth a try to hope that someone would throw her some kind of bone on a case like this.
Finally, the red haired Agent walked out of the apartments and into the parking lot, something held in the crook of her arm. Morgan squinted and saw the cream coloured file folder in the arms of the agent.
She grabbed her cell phone, called Trent, and told him to have her money ready by the time the sun went down. This would be the easiest hour of her life.
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Ridder had Kyle in a chair in his office in a matter of moments. The man who had arrested him brushed a hand through his dusty blonde hair and smiled coyly, collecting a handsome sum of money on the spot for his work. Kyle knew who he was now. His name was Aidan Thompson, an agent in Ridder's division as he had been for the last four years.
Aidan left quickly and Ridder took the cell phone that had been collected from Kyle. He pressed the memory button and hit redial. Kyle's heart was pounding and he couldn't breathe.
"What?" The man on the other line said. Ridder hung up, eyes going a little wide as he looked at the number that was just dialed. He opened his mouth like he was going to yell. Instead, he kept his cool and reached into the desk drawer.
Kyle didn't even time to scream as Ridder took two shots at his head. He called in the secretary to dispose of it however she pleased. She called in two janitors who bagged it up and disposed of it in the dumpsters. While they mopped up the blood he called up Louis and set him to work tracing the cell phone number.
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Jason Sharp was nobody in the eyes of the government, completely expendable in any case. He had been a handler, but those days were over now. His jobs were few, and they included purchasing air line tickets, clothes, guns, and any other necessities for Ridder's personal killer. They could have trained a chimpanzee to shop for trench coats and things like that.
It was unfortunate that they paid his rent.
He knew that Kyle was in trouble when Aidan walked him in. There was nothing worse than having Aidan Thompson walk you back into the building.
But to have been called by Ridder once again was an honour.
"What can I do for you sir?" He asked as he tried to give Ridder the impression he would do anything as long as it meant that Aidan didn't pay him a visit.
"Louis has just gotten the address for where she is. I want you to go and over see the operation and bring her back." Ridder said, but Jason said nothing. You never said anything to Ridder unless you were asked. You never interrupted him. And you sure as hell didn't hang up on him. Especially if you were as expendable as Jason Sharp. "Mark my words Sharp no one touches her but you. If anyone so much as lays a finger on her you won't forget to follow that order again."
And then Ridder hung up. Jason gave a sigh of relief. He would live for a little while longer.
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Louis was already prepared and ready to go when he got news of Kyle's betrayal. Before he could leave, he got an additional order which he passed on to his men: Kill everything with a pulse in that house and then burn it. And if you don't, it will be your funeral.
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Mulder was sure to lock the door when he left the room. Scully was already coming down the stairs, clutching the folder to her chest. He didn't know how to act around her now, seeing at how distraught she looked. She didn't say anything, holding the file like a lifeline. It looked like if she dropped it the world would end and her life would be over. But she didn't say anything until she finally handed him the file, releasing it with a longing look.
"Emily Simm." She said finally, breaking the awkward silence between them. Mulder opened the file and looked at the pictures and the case file, then back to his wife.
"Don't do this to yourself." He said to her, but she was ignoring him. "This isn't her."
"It is her Mulder! I'm sure of it! Have you taken a good, long look at her?"
"Scully…"
"I'm serious Mulder that is her, in that room!" She seemed so certain, the tone of voice she was taking so strong willed and purposeful, tainted by the sadness that was creeping up on her. "I don't know how, but it is, and I'm sure of it."
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She heard that name. She was sure she heard it, ear pressed against the wall as the pain started to build in her throat. She was crying and she didn't know why. It was that voice. It was that presence that called to her in the darkness, summoning her back to the sunlight and fluorescent bulbs of the hospital room.
Hospital room. I could smell you. I could hear you crying.
No, it's not true! They're lying to you! They're trying to destroy you.
I remember you. I remember you. I know I remember you! You're some where in my head, but…but…but…
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The sounds of the door upstairs and the gun firing signaled Mulder and Scully from their conversation.
"Mulder I'm unarmed."
"Wait here. I'll go and check it out."
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Doggett was on one side of the door and Monica was on the other, their backs pressed against the walls and their breath rapid. They were both armed now, taken by surprise at the dark haired woman who had waltzed in and started firing. They were thinking about the upstairs where Meredith and William were playing but summoned their thoughts back to the foyer where the woman stalked in.
The sun was setting and finally disappeared into the night sky, making the only light coming in from the kitchen and the living room. There was still a silhouette, quickly coming towards them with her gun drawn. They could hear the footsteps coming into the kitchen.
And then there was the sound of windows breaking, and darkly clad soldiers rushed into the house.
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Scully could hear the footsteps upstairs now, but heard the door open quietly and footsteps come downstairs. She kept close to the wall, the basement fairly dark say for a few lamps lit on the walls. There was nothing there, but she knew there was something.
She turned back around and something tackled her into the wall heavily, knocking her senseless momentarily.
Aidan grinned, pushing her against the wall. He came close to her ear and whispered mercilessly.
"Where is she?" He demanded, pressing his gun against her head. Scully coughed and pointed limply at the locked door. Aidan grinned and knocked her out cold, tossing her to the floor.
Scully watched him unlock the door. He opened it slightly and was suddenly thrown back as a wooden board crashed against his head. There was a flash of red hair and the sound of growling as she leapt out of her prison cell and on top of Aidan, snatching his gun and firing two bullets into his body before standing again.
She briefly regarded Scully, green eyes flaring to life. Scully knew she was looking at Emily now, the intensity of her stare piercing through her. 'Emily' walked over to the fuse box on the wall, briefly over come with vertigo. With quick expertise she flipped the switches to the power in the house and everything was sealed in darkness.
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Well, R&R!