Scully took in a deep breath, waiting for some sort of response from Harry. She'd just finished recounting to him the entire saga of Krychek– his betrayal, his chain of criminal activity, and ultimately his supposed death.
During the entire thing, Harry had remained silent, his face completely blank. Finally now, he blinked and raised a hand to his face, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "So you're saying this man–Alex, Krycheck, whatever his name is– is a liar and a murderer, that he'll use and manipulate people and ultimately discard them once they've fulfilled their purpose."
Scully cleared her throat. "Well, yes, that pretty much sums it up."
"And he's with Hermione now," Harry continued, his voice maddeningly calm, "For all we know he's been using her for months, and now he's planning a way to murder her."
"We don't know that," Reyes spoke up, exchanging a glance with Scully. "Krychek has no idea we're on to him. So we have to assume that he has no motive yet to hurt Hermione."
Harry nodded at this, though his mind seemed to be occupied somewhere else. "Yes, yes, of course. We'll have to contact Hermione, make sure she's all right."
"Does she have a cell phone?" Doggett inquired.
Draco, who had been lurking in the background, snorted at this. Seeing he had everyone's attention, he frowned. "Sorry, just...cellphones to wizards are kind of like telegrams to Muggles. Incredibly out-dated."
Harry rose to his feet. "Hermione and I can communicate through our minds if there's an emergency," he informed them.
Draco looked up, surprised. "You had that new surgery done, then? Does it work?"
"Brilliantly," Harry turned, still sounding rather distracted. He closed his eyes. "Hold on, I'm trying to contact her now."
A moment later, he rubbed his eyes and looked up again. "She's not answering." He moved over to the fireplace. "Draco, do you mind?"
"No, go right ahead."
Harry threw some sort of powder into the fireplace and muttered an incantation. A moment later, there was a patch of green flames and what appeared to be a disembodied head floating in the midst.
Scully drew back, appalled, until she realizedthe headwas Harry's friend Ron they'd met the other day. He grinned at Harry. "Hey, what's happening? Any news on your mum?"
"We've sort of had a bump in the road," Harry informed him. "Have you seen Hermione?"
"Not since the last time I saw you." Ron frowned. "Why, is she okay?"
Harry folded his arms. "Turns out Hermione's boyfriend is sort of a homicidal maniac. Can you contact all of our friends, see if anyone knows where she is?"
"Sure thing."
A moment later, the head was gone. Doggett leaned over to Scully. "I'm not the only one who saw a floating head, right?"
"Right," Scully confirmed, still hardly believing it herself. "Seems like a telephone would be a whole lot more convenient..."
Harry turned back to them, his face completely expressionless. "Well, it seems that Hermione is nowhere to be found just a few hours after going to pick up an unkillable alien from the airport."
Reyes exchanged a glance with Scully and looked back to Harry uncertainly. "I'm sure she's all right, Harry."
Harry pressed his eyes shut. "I know she's still alive. I can feel it." When he opened them again, there was pure and unadulterated rage in his eyes, so much so that Scully found herself stepping away from him. "And if Krychek does anything to hurt her, I'll tear him limb from limb."
Mulder paused just outside of the cave, making certain that no one was watching. As he moved closer to the entrance, he wondered to himself why it was that aliens seemed to choose caves and abandoned buildings as their bases.
"If they were really smart," he mused to himself, "they'd hang out right in the middle of Vegas, where no one would notice them."
But then, the supersoldiers never asked his opinion on that sort of thing.
Confident that he wasn't being trailed, Mulder entered the cave. He moved silently along the rock floor, his gun secured firmly in his hands, his heart pulsing with adrenaline. As much as he had hated the fight with Scully earlier, she'd been right about some things–namely, that he missed the excitement of the alien hunt. Being cooped up in motel after motel was definitely not his style.
But I'd do anything for her, he reminded himself, and knew it was true. Scully couldn't see that, but everything he did was motivated to help her, even if it was indirectly. By finding the truth and exposing conspiracy, he could make the world safer for her and their son.
He pushed the thought from his mind, knowing that he'd have to be completely aware of his surroundings to avoid capture. Of all the nasty oogly-booglies he'd encountered in his time, the supersoldiers were by far the most formidable of opponents. One slip-up and he was a goner.
As he neared the heart of the cave, Mulder heard the hum of machinery and the low murmur of voices. He pressed closer to the walls, careful now to stick to the shadows and only move when he knew the way was clear. Twice, supersoldier guards passed right by him, not noticing him amidst the shadows playing against the rock. Silently, he thanked the powers that be for prompting him to choose dark jeans and a black t-shirt earlier that morning instead of the neon green he'd been considering.
Finally he found himself in sight of the base. In a twenty foot incline below, a group of supersoldiers stood lined up against a wall of rock, staring blankly out ahead of them. There was a medical gurney in the middle of the incline on which a woman was strapped and bound. One man stood at the front, giving orders to the other men.
Mulder inched closer, squinting to make out the faces in the darkness of the room. As he recognized not one but two of the people, he clamped his mouth shut to keep from crying out. The woman on the gurney was Hermione, and the man giving the instructions was none other than Krychek.
It was all Mulder could do not to rush down there and attack Krychek then and there. Even before Krychek had alligned himself with the supersoldiers, Mulder could hardly stand to be in the same room with the man without punching or kicking or shooting at him. Scully had always joked it was a constant testosterone display between them, but it was more than that: he hated Krychek with every fiber of his being for betraying him, for pretending to be his friend and confidant and then stabbing him in the back.
"...is complete," Krychek was saying, his hands clasped behind his back. "Now we can move on to phase two. You know what to do."
The supersoldiers nodded their assent and then began to scale the walls of the incline. Mulder moved back into the shadows, watching warily as they passed him by. None seemed to notice. Finally, it was only Krychek and Hermione.
Mulder crawled back to his earlier vantage point. It was even more difficult to keep himself from attacking Krychek now, but Mulder knew he was no match for him with his supersoldier strength. Krychek seemed completely unaware of him as he leaned down to Hermione, stroking her hair.
"It's been fun–really, it has," Krychek murmured, staring intently at the witch, "but we've learned all we need to know from you. Sorry it had to end this way."
Hermione spat in his face. "Bite me."
Krychek merely laughed at this, wiping at the spittle. "I always admired that about you, Hermione–your spunk. But unfortunately," he grabbed her hair roughly, lifting her head off the table, "been there, done that."
With that, he slammed her head back against the metal. Hermione gave a little moan and then her body slumped down, unconscious. Krychek stepped back, staring at Hermione for a moment longer, then moved to climb up the side of the wall.
Mulder scrambled back into the shadow, waiting in silence. Krychek moved past him, stopping a few feet away. He turned his head back and stared into the shadows, his eyes seeming to bore right into Mulder. Heart racing, Mulder held his breath.
Krychek stared a moment longer and then turned and exited the cave.
When he was sure he was gone, Mulder moved over to the incline and climbed down the wall, coming to a stop beside Hermione. He examined her quickly. There were some bruises on her face, as well as some cuts and dried blood, but she didn't seem to be too injured. Still, she was unconscious, and her arms and legs were bound which meant she wouldn't be able to climb out herself.
"Come on, Hermione," Mulder urged quietly, "I could really use some of that magic right now."
Hermione's eyes fluttered open. She looked at him, dazed. "Harry?"
"Not the last time I checked." Mulder helped her sit up, which was a feat in itself; she seemed scarcely able to hold up her head. "Don't suppose I'm gonna get any of that magical help, am I?"
Hermione only smiled at him. "Harry, I'm so glad it's you. I thought I'd never see you again..."
Mulder sighed. "Okay, here we go." He took her shackled arms and placed them around his neck; the chain connecting her hands caught around his neck, allowing him to carry her while simultaneously freeing his hands.
Making certain that she was secured, he moved to the rock wall and began to slowly climb up. "Glad I've been going to the gym," he grunted as he began to climb.
Now he only wished he'd actually worked out when he was there instead of spending all the time looking at the fitness magazines...
Reyes slipped out of the room, sucking in a huge breath of relieved air. It had been two hours since Harry had contacted Ron and no one had seen any sign of Hermione. And as each minute ticked by without any word from his friend, Harry seemed to become more and more ominous. He was currently pacing the room, refusing to talk to anyone, mumbling to himself as his eyes flashed and the scar on his forehead throbbed.
Reyes had watched all she could take and then finally played her "I need to go to the bathroom" card, knowing it was her only chance to escape. Out in the hallway, she leaned against the fireplace mantle, steadying herself.
"Not a pretty picture, is it?" a familiar British voice inquired.
Reyes turned to see Draco standing a few feet away, smiling sympathetically. She smiled in return, glancing back toward the doors that now separated her from Harry. "I've never seen anyone so distraught before," she admitted, "it's a little--"
"Terrifying?" Draco nodded. "Take it from a former enemy of the Boy Who Lived– I would have done pretty much anything to make his life miserable, but even I knew that it wasn't wise to mess with Hermione. Harry could put up with an awful lot, but she was always his limit. The second you crossed her, the beast inside came out."
Reyes hugged herself, shivering. "I hope she's all right. For her sake, and for his."
Draco nodded. "Me, too."
A moment of silence passed between them. Reyes turned to Draco, tilting her head to study him. "You were really once Harry's enemy? I mean, he told us you were a bully, but enemy seems like an awfully strong word."
Draco met her gaze, smiled. "Let's just say I wasn't always such a gentleman. Time was, I was part of a group that was trying to destroy the world as we know it."
Reyes thought back to their confrontation the night before, to the rage she'd seen in his eyes. She shrugged. "Every teenager goes through a phase."
He blinked in surprise at this, and actually laughed. "That's a very open-minded way of looking at things."
She smiled in return. "I'm a very open-minded girl."
They remained like that for a moment, and Reyes reflected on how strangely handsome Draco was. He wasn't the sort that could be called conventionally handsome– he didn't have the squared chin or the broad shoulders–but there was something oddly beautiful about him. And also incredibly attractive.
As though he could read her mind, Draco stepped in closer, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly. "Does that open-mindedness extend into all aspects of life?"
Coyly, Reyes leaned back against the fireplace. "I suppose you could say that..."
There was a rumbling and suddenly the wall behind Reyes began to shift. Draco grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the way as the wall behind her fell back, revealing a secret passageway.
"What the...?" Reyes turned to Draco. "Did you know about this?"
He shook his head. "Never saw it before in my life."
Together they stared, uncertain of how to proceed. Finally, Draco cleared his throat. "Well, should we?"
Reyes smiled, motioning to the entryway. "After you."
Pulling out his wand, Draco ducked his head and climbed inside. "As you wish..."
Scully watched as Harry continued to pace the room. He'd been pacing for nearly two hours now and she feared he'd become ill if he continued at it. She hesitated, then rose to her feet and crossed over to him. "Harry."
Harry continued mumbling to himself, scarcely seeming to have heard her.
Taking in a deep breath, Scully reached out and took him by the shoulders, forcing him to stop. "Harry, look at me."
Harry obediently stopped, staring uncomprehendingly at her for a moment before his eyes finally focused on her face. "We could send out Hedwig," he said.
Scully blinked at him in surprise. "What?"
"We could send out Hedwig," he repeated, as though it was perfectly obvious.
Scully glanced back at Doggett, wondering if this made any more sense to him. He shrugged his shoulders.
"I think he's lost it," Scully mouthed to him.
"It's his owl."
Scully whirled to see that Ron's head was in the fireplace once again. Doggett let out a yelp and fell off the sofa. He picked himeslf up a moment later, looking rather embarrassed. "I wish you'd warn us before you did that..."
"Sorry." Ron turned his gaze to Scully. "Hedwig is Harry's owl. If you send out a message to Hermione with Harry's owl, he'll find her if she's anywhere to be found."
"Well, I suppose it's as good an idea as any." She turned to Harry. "How do I...send a message with the owl?"
"Just write something on a piece of paper and give it to him," Harry murmured, staring somewhere beyond her. "Hedwig'll find her."
Scully moved to write out the note, then turned back, touching Harry's arm. "Harry. Harry. She'll be all right."
The rage inside of Harry's eyes dwindled for the briefest moment. He nodded at her, giving a half smile.
Satisfied with this, Scully moved over to the table to write a note. She searched her pockets for a pen but came up empty.
"Here."
Gratefully, Scully took the proferred pen from Doggett and began to write out a note.
Something inside Doggett's suit coat began to buzz. "Excuse me." He pulled it out, frowning at the displayed name. "It's Mulder."
Scully felt her heart leap at the sound of the name and watched anxiously as Doggett flipped the phone open. "Agent Mulder? Yeah. Where have you been?" Doggett paused, frowning. "What? Yeah, we've been looking everywhere for her."
Harry crossed the room anxiously. "Has he seen Hermione?"
Doggett moved the phone away from his mouth. "He's on his way back with her, says they're about twenty minutes away." He looked to Scully. "He found her at the supersoldier base, along with Krychek. They were able to sneak away."
Harry's hands were trembling violently. "Is she okay? Did he hurt her?"
Doggett repeated the question into the phone, then looked back up. "Mulder says she's a little beat up but she'll be okay."
The relief on Harry's face was almost palpable. He sunk to the ground, covering his face with his hands. "Thank God...thank God."
From the fireplace, Ron let out a whoop of joy. "I knew she'd be okay!"
"All right, Mulder. We'll see you then."
Scully let out a sigh of relief, exchanging a smile with Doggett. She had just moved to offer some comfort to Harry when the doors opened and Reyes and Draco entered the room.
"Good news," Doggett informed them, "Mulder found Hermione. She's all right."
Harry rose to his feet, his face determined. "We'll have to get things ready for her, make sure she can be treated if she has any substantial wounds--"
Draco held up a hand. "Hold off on that for just a minute. There's something you need to hear first."
Harry shook his head. "Whatever it is, it can wait. Hermione's first priority."
Reyes took in a deep breath. "With all due respect, Harry, I think you'll want to hear this."
Scully turned her gaze to Draco and found that he was even more pale than usual. He looked at them grimly. "While out in the hallway, Agent Reyes and I came upon a secret passageway that I've never seen before. I think it must have been a secret to everyone but my father. Anyway, we followed it down to a back room where my father had stored everything he wanted to keep secret– documents from his Death Eater meetings, plans to attack the Muggles, things like that."
"Bloody hell," Ron muttered from the fireplace.
Reyes shook her head. "That's not the least of it."
"Unfortunately not." Draco cleared his throat. "Most of the books were marked, categorized by what was inside– my father was a horrible neat freak, I'm afraid. But one of the books was blank, unmarked. Naturally, that was the one that attracted my attention first."
Harry was clearly growing frustrated. "Can we get to the point? Hermione and Mulder will be back any minute."
Draco met his gaze levelly. "The point, Harry, is that the book was a wedding album. The groom was my father...and the bride was your mother."
Oh, I'm so evil. Review!