Fire Dweller
Chapter 3
Disclaimer: I OWN nothing & CLAIM nothing!
They only made it a quarter of the way down before they heard a massive explosion from behind them that shook the ground so violently that they lost their footing, Mulder grabbed Scully around the waist but he couldn't reach Dr. Peters in time before he went tumbling down the side of the mountain.
Mulder awoke to Scully gently shaking him, he sat bolt upright & foundthey found themselvesat the base of the massive mountain. He looked to Scully, but her expression mirrored his ofconfusion. "Don't ask, I don't know." Scully said as Dr. Peters sat up rubbing his head. "The last thing I remember,Iwas tumbling down the mountain side." He said as they all stood bewilderedly to their feet. "Well, somethingmust've saved us." Mulder said as he eyed the top of the volcano.
Scully lay in her bed in her hotel room staring at the ceiling, her mind filled with worrisome thoughts. Since their strangeexperience at the mountain the previous day; Mulder had become consumed with finding what had been responsible for their survival, even if it jeopardized his own. It always worried her when he became fixated like this; somewhat reckless by nature, Mulder becameconditionally blind to his personal safety when he was on the verge of the truth.
"Scully, I want you to stay here, Dr. Peters & I am going back up to see if we can set up a special heat-resistant camera to try & catch this thing on film.I don't want you to risk your safety, too." Mulder said to her the next morning over the phone, she gave the phone a nasty look as he hung up before she had a chance to disagree. "Scully I…" He began when he & Dr. Peters found her sitting in the passenger seat of Mulder's car at the research center. "You should know better then trying to ditch me when things get hairy, Mulder. Almost eight years together & it hasn't worked yet." She said, Mulder found that he could not argue; Dr. Peters smiled to himself as he slipped into the back seat.
"Okay, that should do it. This camera is able to withstand temperatures up to 1200 degrees. Only time will tell if that'll be enough." Dr Peters said as they cautiously made their way back down the mountain. "How long until we can expect results?" Mulder asked, unable to completely hide the eagerness from his voice. "I'll leave it up there for a week or so, until then may I suggest taking in the beautiful scenery?" The doctor replied, Mulder said nothing, but his expression of boyish disappointment in wake of the long wait was easily readable.
"Mulder, when Dr. Peters said 'take in the sights' I don't think this is what he meant." Scully said as she entered Mulder's hotel room to find him out on the balcony with a pair or binoculars fixed on the mouth of the volcano. He didn't answer her & he didn't so much as bat an eyelash when his hotel phone began to ring, so Scully picked it up instead. "Agent Scully? I've got the video feed back; you & your partner are going to want to get down here." Dr Peters said excitedly over the phone.