Chapter 2
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"Oh my god." Scully said as she discovered that the man's leg had been torn clean off. "Get him into the hut, I'm going to need a tub of hot water & whatever herbs you can find that will act as a disinfectant." Jaci relayed the translation to the villagers & they tore off in different directions. "Can you save him?" Mulder asked as he took the pot of boiling water off the fire & set it down beside the man's cot. "I don't know. He's lost so much blood & there's no way to give him a transfusion." Scully replied as she used the herbs brought to her by the villagers to clean the wound as best she could before stitching it.
Mulder watched with great interest as she skillfully used fishing line to close the wound. "You're improvisationalskills never cease to amaze me." He said, remembering how skillfully she had treated the deputy when they were stranded in Florida during a hurricane. "I'm glad that you think so highly of them, but I'd always rather have sophisticated medical equipment at my disposal." She replied as they exited the hut.
Against all odds, the man survived his ordeal & was now asking for Mulder & Scully. "He wants to tell what happened to him." Jaci said as they joined her at the man's bedside. "He says that he was grabbed from behind by what he first thought was a caiman he turned to fight it off & saw a snake's head latched onto his leg instead. Before he could do anything, the snake retreated, taking his leg with it." She said. "But to do that the snake would have to be…" Scully trailed off. "…upwards of fifty feet? Scully we're going to have to go back out there & hunt this thing down before it injures anyone else." Mulder finished for her.
"Mulder I have to say that youhave me pleasentlysurprised; here you are venturing out into the forest with a small army of men instead of rushing off impulsively by yourself, perhaps there's hope for you yet." Scully said. "Yeah, I'm starting to think rationally, I think there might be something wrong with me." He replied with a laugh as he glanced back in her direction. "Besides, I'll have much better luck in finding this thing with these guys then if I went gallivanting out here on my own." He added. "Wow, not only are you acting rationally but you're thinking strategically as well…wait a minute… who are you & what have you done with my partner?" She chortled; Mulder threw her a wide grin over his shoulder. "Acrimony looks good on you, Scully. You should try it on more often." He replied.
After a day of searching the setting sun forced them to head back. "Don't look so disappointed, Mulder. The Amazon rainforest is a vast place; you didn't really expect to find it the first day, did you?" She said as they trudged back to camp. "I was holding out some hope that we would find at least one shred of proof that this thing exists." He said, suddenly there was a shout from the front of their group, Mulder & Scully ran toward the panicked voices. "Oh my god!" Scully said as her hand went to cover her mouth in front of them was a massive snake skin, coiling towards the water. "Whatever shed this must be fifty feet long at least." Jaci said, more to herself then anyone else as she gently collected the skin careful not to tear it.
"I can't believe it… I was so sure something like this couldn't exist." Scully murmured as they lay on their cots, watching the outlines of dragonflies hunt mosquitoes through the fabric of the tent against the light of the full moon. "Well, like you said, the rain forest is a vast place where new species are being discovered every day." Mulder replied placidly as he put his hands behind his head. "Think of it this way, you could be on the verge of a find that could rock the scientific community. Most scientists debunk the fact that a reptile of this magnitude even could exist." "& I bet that if we do find solid proof, then you'll make sure you're there to thumb your nose at them." Scully interjected. "Come on, Scully put yourself in my shoes. If you'd been laughed at & dismissed as a freak & a whack job for as long as I have, I think you'd jump at the opportunity to give the bastards a big fat 'I told you so'." He replied as he dialed out on the satellite phone. "Mulder? Do you have any idea what time it is over here!" Cody's slurred voice lulled into Mulder's ear. "I'm sorry Cody, but we've gotten a little situationover here, is there any way you could come out here?" Cody let out a long, suffering sigh over the phone. "Let me wake up Mike & fill him in & see what flight I can get at this hour." He said as irritably as he hung up.