Military Base Imperial
Mulder looked up and saw some sunlight gleaming in through the small window at the side of the small room he was being kept in. His arms and legs were tied to a wooden chair and he sat, tired and hungry with them bent back uncomfortably round the back of the chair and the ropes were so tight that he could hardly feel his fingers anymore.
They had taken his coat, boots and ski trousers which had kept him warm on his arrival. He was left in thin thermals which hardly did the cold justice. Mulder was shaking continually and he felt as if he was fading away, and he felt faint, and passed out many times. His eyes were aching painfully and he had been brutally beaten when he had been found. Mulder sighed and let out a cough as he remembered how he had got captured.
He had made it to the bottom of the cliff, and he had been running across the side of the wall, hiding from snipers at the top on the lookout. The air had been thick with fog and he could hardly see anything, which was an advantage as they couldn't see much either. A few guards had seen him but he had shot them if they came to near or had punched them so that they could not follow him. But word got around, he had been seen, and just as he made it to the main building, he had been captured from behind and knocked unconscious. After that he had woken up and was beaten so badly that he had to tell them where he came from, or they would have killed him, and it would have been with a blunt knife.
Mulder frowned as his head ached with pain and his body begged for food or nourishment, he needed warmth but they wouldn't give him any. They had forced some water down his throat earlier but he had coughed most of it up because of the way they stuffed the bottle down his throat. Mulder closed his eyes and tried to imagine he was somewhere else, he imagined his apartment in Washington and his warm sofa. He nearly cried for it at that point, he could have died for it. At times he just wished they would kill him so that he would not have to live in humiliation in the FBI. Only Scully would have sympathy for him, he was sure to lose his job.
'Hey, Mulder.' A man said from in front of Mulder. He stood in front on him where bars were used as a door and it really made the room look like a cell, though it was not its real intention. Mulder winced and looked up slowly and tried to see the man. 'We've been told that you are to be killed tomorrow. Do you know that?' The Russian guard said gruffly. Mulder felt fear in his stomach. He felt like he was going to faint again. 'We've been told by the FBI to keep you alive and not to hurt you before then.' The man said with a smirk. Mulder looked up in confusion. He had heard the word FBI, and it made his spirits lift. Suddenly he thought of Scully at the FBI, in the office, working without him…
'One of our men was sent to ask them what to do with you, but I don't think they can do anything and they haven't, so I think that you are definitely going to die tomorrow.' The man said. Mulder closed his eyes and tried to breathe steadily.
'They… won't… help me?' Mulder asked painfully. Every word hurt his chest.
'No, they won't. But they want you to be looked after more so we are going to give you a little check up, clear up those wounds you have there.' The man said with a laugh. Mulder felt terror run through his blood.
'I… just want some food… and water. Please, you need to contact… Agent, Agent Scully.' Mulder said between breaths. 'I don't want you helping me, you… you won't look after me.'
'Oh yes Agent Scully, well our man said that he met her. Agent Tristan said she was rude, is that the one you mean Agent Mulder? I don't think she tried to come to an agreement, I think she was just very rude, I don't think she tried to help you.' The man said smiling. Mulder coughed and hung his head in despair. The idea of Scully not caring was the end of the world to him. He realised that there must be a mistake, and that the man didn't know the details, but he couldn't help worrying that Scully didn't get the right message. May be she didn't know that he was going to be killed. May be she thought that he was all right. Mulder felt faint again and closed his eyes. He felt the pain sting in his chest and felt so faint. He wished he could get out of the chair and lie on the floor, so he could stretch his muscles.
'I… I don't believe you… she's coming… to help me.' He rasped; then coughed again.
'Yes, whatever you say Agent Mulder. Anyway we will see you later for your check up yes? Sweet dreams.' The man said, and walked off laughing. Mulder coughed more and more until he felt like he was bringing up his insides. Trying to catch his breath he started to taste something strange in his mouth and realised a moment after that it was blood.
Scully arrived in Russia in the early hours of the morning. She was exhausted, she couldn't sleep. Scully picked up her hand luggage and made her way along the gangway and out into the cold air. Some of the passengers looked at her and smiled politely. She looked out to the airport and saw the lights flashing on the buildings and the light from the building windows. It was all like a blur to her, she was so focused on Mulder that she couldn't think of anything else. Scully looked up to the sky and saw a distant snow flake fall down in front of her. It blew sideways in the wind then flew down onto the steps she stood at the top of. Scully looked up again and saw more of them start to fall, and one fell on her nose. Scully brushed it off and started down the steps. It was so cold, but she had a huge coat on keeping her warm. She didn't look much like an FBI agent at the moment. But of course, that was the idea. Her coat hood was pulled up over her head and she tied her hair back tight to keep her identity from being found out. The fur around her hood caught the snowflakes but they didn't melt it was so cold. She made her way off the steps and followed the passengers into the terminal. Scully looked around for someone to meet her, and to her left she saw a man who looked at her expectantly. Scully put down her large back pack and reached into her coat pocket as the people around her pushed past and walked on busily to baggage reclaim. Scully looked at the photo she pulled out of her pocket and saw that it matched the face of the man. She smiled a little and walked towards him.
'Hello, Miss Knight?' He asked. Scully smiled and nodded.
'Yes, nice to meet you Sir.'
'Call me Alex. My name is much longer and difficult to say in Russian, so you can just call me Alex.' The man said with a smile and Scully laughed. He put his hand out for Scully to shake it. 'I'm here to be your guide to the mountains, is that right?' He asked politely in a Russian accent. Scully nodded while shaking his hand and felt relieved that somebody wasn't trying to catch her out for a change.
'I'm very excited about it, I've never been to see them before and it's actually my first time in Russia.' Scully said with a smile which looked innocent. The man let out a small laugh.
'It's cold isn't it, come on I'll take you to baggage reclaim.'
'That's all right I don't have any. I just need to go through passport checks.' She said politely. It was strange being treated like a normal citizen again. Scully smiled and followed Alex to the passport control desks. She walked up to the man and held her head low, taking out her passport with the name Jamie Knight on it. Scully looked at it one last time and put it through the hole. The man took it and looked at her with a serious expression. Scully's heart pumped loudly in her chest in suspense as she waited for him to stamp it. Alex came up behind her.
'That's a good picture for a passport.' He said with a laugh. Scully smiled and looked back at the man. He stared at her then sighed, Scully frowned with confusion as she couldn't read what he was thinking; she just hoped that he would let her through. To her relief he took the stamp and pushed it down on the passport.
'Welcome to Russia.' The man said with a miserable, bored tone. Scully took it back quickly and breathed a sigh of relief. Alex walked with her from desk then they made their way out of the airport into the cold air again where cars speeded past on the road in front of them.
'Is it always this cold?' Scully asked, shivering.
'Always!' He said with a smile. 'We'll go and find a bed for the night then we'll start preparing to go in the morning.' He said holding out his hand for a taxi. Scully frowned.
'Preparing? I thought we were going tomorrow?' She said. Alex turned to her.
'We need to prepare for it first, we need supplies.'
'I need to go tomorrow morning.' Scully said suddenly, her voice getting harsher. Alex frowned in confusion at her remark. She sighed and forced a smile. 'I'm sorry I just really want to see the mountains. I'd like to go tomorrow morning, please.' She said quickly; her innocent expression back on her face. Alex shrugged.
'We'll just have to wake up early then, we've only got a few hours sleep left.' He said awkwardly. 'It's one o'clock already.'
'We leave when the sun comes up.' Scully said forcefully. Alex sighed and frowned with confusion.
'You must really love the mountains.' He said. A taxi pulled up in front of them and they made their way to the passenger doors. Scully nodded and felt her heart pound loudly again with suspense.
'There's something up them that I really need to see.' She said looking out across the road and into the night as with wind blew a strand of hair from her ponytail and froze the tip of her nose.
The next morning at dawn, Scully jumped out of her bed as quickly as she could. They'd both had about four hours sleep. Alex was already up and packing his bag. Scully pulled her coat on over her winter clothes which she had slept in and pulled on her walking boots. She opened the door of the little motel and stepped out into the freezing morning air. The wooden flooring outside her door had frozen and she lost her footing in surprise and slipped a little.
'Careful there, you'll have an accident before we go.' Alex said with a smile, walking towards her. Scully blushed with embarrassment and took hold of his arm as he helped her off the flooring and onto the ground.
'Thanks.' She said.
'So, what is your first name?' He asked in a friendly manner.
'Err, Dan… Jamie.' She said, nearly tripping up on the word Dana and forgetting her false identity. Alex smiled and laughed at her.
'It's early, we've hardly had any sleep are you sure you still want to go? I have finished the preparing.' He said. Scully smiled and nodded, happy that he had been so courteous. He could have easily refused.
'Thank you very much, I'm sorry to be so keen.' She said, feeling guilty. Alex smiled and shrugged.
'I know how beautiful the mountains are, so I can understand your need to go and see them.' He said. Scully looked at him for a moment and felt emotion run through her. She suddenly felt so guilty that she nearly cried. She knew what she had to do when she got near the military base, and suddenly, even though she was so determined to find Mulder, she didn't want to do it. She was going to have to hurt him, knock him down to get him out of the way, or ditch him. Scully felt tears well in her eyes and looked down quickly to hide them.
'I won't be needing your guidance from the top of the north cliff face. I can go on from there on my own.' She said slowly with difficulty. She couldn't look up at him, she knew that he was looking at her with confusion and it would make her feel awful.
'What do you mean? That is one of the most dangerous points, that it where the atmosphere changes. You will need me if anything happens to you, the air will change and you will find it harder to breathe when you are that high Jamie…'
'I'm sorry, I can't agree with you. You can't make me come back with you.' She said quietly. Alex moved towards her.
'What do you really want to go up there? I am starting to get suspicious of you. What do you want to do? Kill yourself?' He asked, panic ringing in his voice. Scully looked up at him and met his gaze.
'No. I want to find someone that I am looking for. I have to help him, and it's very important. I just need your help to get me to the cliff face.' She said, tears catching in her throat.
'I have heard many stories of people throwing themselves off that cliff…'
'I'm not one of those people.' Scully said quickly, her voice getting higher with emotion. There was a silence between them and the cold wind rustled the trees. Alex turned round and looked up the hill. 'I'll still pay you for the whole journey…'
'I'm not bothered about the paying, I worry about you. Have you ever been up any mountains? Put yourself in dangerous situations?' He asked in an angry tone.
'Yes, I know a lot about how to survive in difficult conditions.' She said. Alex looked at her with confusion.
'But you told me that you were inexperienced…'
'Please, just take me up the mountain?' She said slowly, realisation growing in her gut. She was going to have to get rid of him herself, he wasn't going to let her go on her own.
'Let's go.' He said angrily. Scully sighed and felt hot tears sting her eyes. Alex started to make his way up the hill and she followed behind, desperately thinking of a way to get rid of him that wasn't too harmful.
Scully looked to her left and right and saw the trees swaying in the breeze. There were large and had dark leaves, and they seemed to bend towards her. Scully frowned with confusion and looked at them for longer, and she felt as if they were coming down to touch her. She felt the hazy air fill with moisture of the morning dew and felt her nose start to get colder.
'Alex? How cold does it get up here?'
'It's going to feel like you can't feel your feet, so you have to be careful. You would be crazy to go alone.' He said, turning to look at her. Scully swallowed nervously as he glared at her accusingly.
'I'm sorry Alex, I won't. It was a crazy idea.' She lied innocently. Alex nodded and turned back to look ahead of him, continuing up the hill.
'That's more like it, come on, we have a long way to go until we reach the mountain. Over this hill you will catch the first glimpses of it; I hope you have brought your camera with you.' He said in a tourist guide tone of voice. Scully let a small laugh out as she tried to imagine the situation like a holiday, but it was too ridiculous to even think about. She felt fear and suspense grow in her chest as her thoughts went to Mulder, cold and alone at the base, waiting to be killed. Scully closed her eyes as the tears threatened to fall again as she feared the worse, that he had been killed already.
'Please God no.' She pleaded silently under her breath as she made her way over some rocks. She looked around at the trees again and saw them swaying in the wind, some of their leaves fell down to the ground. Scully sniffed and tried to sense her nose, but she couldn't feel it.
They reached the top of the hill and Alex took a deep breath and marvelled in the view. Scully looked out and saw how magnificent it was. She sighed and nodded.
'It really is marvellous.' She said softly. Alex nodded.
'We have a two more hills to climb until we get to the north cliff face, there you will see an unimaginable view, however we are not allowed to go on the left side.' He said looking across as her. Scully frowned in suspicion.
'What's on the left side?'
'A secret place, we do not know. We are just not allowed to go there, that is all.' He said in a low voice; then turned to carry on. Scully felt a glow inside, that must be it, she thought.
Scully looked to see Alex making his way over the last hill. She put a coat and felt around for her torch. She followed him over the hill and saw him walk forwards to the cliff face. She looked and saw the mountains to the right, they were towering and looked fierce and angry and seemed to frown at her. Scully took the torch out of her coat slowly. Looking ahead of her she saw Alex standing alone and looking out to the surroundings. He was lost in the moment, and Scully saw this as an opportunity. She had to do something, quickly and efficiently. She felt guilt in her stomach again, and moving slowly towards him she clutched onto the heavy torch with all her strength. Scully crept up behind him until she was close enough then took a deep, determined breath. She frowned in concentration and with one large flowing motion she brought the torch up and over her head then with a cry she thrashed it across his head.
Alex cried out and fell forward onto his knees, then down onto his side unconscious. Scully looked down at him and stared at his resting body. She bent down and looked at his head, checking that it wasn't badly hurt. She felt guilt run through her blood and her heart was pumping with fear and anxiety. She looked down at him and felt tears cloud her vision.
'I'm sorry.' She said softly, and got out a scarf from her bag. She put it wrapped it up like a pillow and put it under his head. He would wake up in about an hour, and he would be fine.
Scully stood up and looked around her. She took her binoculars out of her bag and ran to the left side of the cliff face. She pulled them up to her eyes and looked down, and through the morning mist she made out the big tall grey buildings of the base. She looked around her as she heard the trees rustle, but no one was there. Her heart pumping with fear she turned back to the cliff face and took her gun out of her bag. She put it into her belt and slipped the safety on. Taking one last look around her she bent down and sat on the cold ground. Her feet were starting to lose their feeling, and her hands were turning numb. She shivered violently and blew on her hands. Her breath was coming out in large clouds of wet steam. Scully blinked as she tried to get the cold mist out of her eyes. She turned onto her front and edged her way down the cliff face. Her breathing was starting to get heavier and she found it hard to catch it. Scully tried to calm herself for a moment, and closed her eyes trying to get back to focus. She found foot holes and started to make her way down slowly, holding onto anything she could.
She was about half way down when she heard the shouting. Scully felt panic in her blood and she turned to look down to the base. She couldn't see anything and her eyes opened wide in fear as she tried to make out anything through the mist. She started to shake, but didn't let it mess her up. Scully pushed frightened tears away from her eyes and found her footing again. She couldn't quite feel her fingers, so it was hard to know where they were going, but she used her eyes to see what she was holding onto. She edged her way down again, trying to be quicker this time, but suddenly she lost her footing and with a cry she fell.
Scully felt her body fall and in a panic she tried desperately to catch something. After a few seconds she caught hold of a root of a tree and she stopped falling suddenly. Scully took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She heard more shouting from below and turned to look down. She could see the ground now it was about six foot from her. She let herself go from the cliff and landed carefully at the bottom.
Looking around her she carefully moved forward. The mist was clearer down here and she jumped as she saw a soldier move across along the side of one building just left of her. Scully's skipped a beat and she felt fear rise in her throat from being caught. Thinking back to all her FBI training she got her brain in gear and ran across silently to the building and backed herself up against it, checking around her carefully. Ducking lower she made her way along the building and took a look round the side. She saw another building just to the right. Scully took a deep breath and waited until the soldiers were out of her way. She saw they held large guns, and fear rose in her chest as she realised how important it was to get across. She waited for the right moment then ran as fast and as silently as she could across the open space and to the other building.
Her heart was pumping so fast she felt the blood rush to her head. Scully looked around her frantically to check that she hadn't been seen. She moved further along the building keeping herself out of sight, then turned round the corner and caught a glimpse of another soldier right next to her round the other side. Scully had to stop herself from crying out in fright, and she put a hand to her mouth and took a deep breath. She slowly lowered her hand and gathered herself. Taking her gun out of her belt she held it up to her side. She carefully went round the side of the building and took another nervous breath. She waited for the right moment; then looked round the corner to see the soldier was walking away from her. Feeling confident, she moved out behind him then raised her gun and hit it over his head hard.
The soldier cried out and held his head in pain. Scully grabbed his coat and pulled him back behind the building violently. She threw him to the ground and kicked him hard then forced her foot down on him. His eyes looked up at her angrily, and she stared with mad, determined eyes. He opened his mouth to speak and she pointed the gun to his head.
'Don't speak a word.' She whispered dangerously. The solider frowned at her angrily; then said something in Russian. 'Shut up!' She said louder. The man sighed then grimaced in pain as he moved his head. 'Do you speak English?' She asked him angrily. The soldier didn't answer. 'Hey!' She cried angrily and then shot the ground next to him. Scully watched the dust move up from the ground as the bullet hit it, but only a small noise escaped. She was glad that she had decided to use a silencer.
The soldier jumped and stared up at her with a scared expression. 'You think I won't kill you? Now tell me, where's Fox Mulder?'
'Who are you talking about?' The solider said, his voice wavering. Scully pushed on is chest harder with her boot so he couldn't breathe.
'The FBI man, Agent Mulder.' She said through gritted teeth, keeping her gun steady. She quickly looked around her to see if anyone was watching.
'He… he's going to be killed today…' The man rasped. Scully pushed harder on her foot, hot tears stinging her eyes.
'I know that, tell me where he is.'
'In that building, over there.' The man rasped, pointing over to a small run down building. Scully looked, frowning then looked back down at him. 'Please… don't…' he coughed. She realised that he was turning blue. Scully pushed harder on his chest and felt all her anger seep out of her mind and into her body. She held onto her gun so tight that she could have crushed it. The man stared up at her, pleading with his eyes for her to stop. He started to struggle, but she kept her foot where it was, her eyes wide with madness. Scully waited until he fell limp and unconscious. She lifted her foot off and moved backwards up against the building.
She felt her heart pound against her ribcage and she closed her eyes for a second to calm herself down, she needed to think logically now. Scully clicked her gun into place again and moved out from behind the building to where the soldier had been. She moved slowly and looked around for any movement. She moved across to another building to her right quickly, and heard voices through the wall. Scully moved forward and saw that it was all clear. She heard the voices in the building and looked back at the door across from her to the warehouse. Her heart called out to Mulder, she could almost sense him there. Scully took one last look around and when she felt ready; she pelted across the open space and to the door, and flung it open.
Suddenly she was plunged into darkness.
Something smelt awful. Scully coughed and put a hand to her mouth to stop herself from being sick. She tried to get her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Looking to her left she saw a small beam of light coming through a window. It was dusty and dirty everywhere. The light showed up the hundreds of molecules of dust floating in the air. She moved along slowly towards it and tried to be as quiet as possible, keeping her gun ahead of her. Suddenly a door crashed open and there was a voice of a Russian man. Someone came crashing towards her out of the darkness. Scully cried out and reacted in fright firing her gun twice to where the sound came from.
He fell to the ground. There was more silence. Scully held her gun ahead of her, her eyes wide open with surprise. She moved forward a little further and stepped over the body which lay at her feet. She moved slowly, preparing for someone else to come out of the darkness and grab her. Scully's eyes squinted in the light that emerged from the room the man came from. She slowly made her way to the door and edged her way through, keeping her gun steady. Scully turned and as she looked into the room she couldn't believe her eyes.
The room was full of huge electronic devices which stretched to the ceiling. Scully felt her heart beat loudly and she let out a gasp of disbelief. Scully blinked as lights switched on all around her and the room was full of white light, as if it was a science laboratory. Scully opened her mouth in shock and she moved further into the room, keeping her gun steady. Suddenly she heard something behind her in shock she swung round getting ready to shoot and there was a huge flash as if something had taken a photograph of the whole room. Scully let out a small cry at the huge flash as it hurt her eyes and she cowered as she blinked heavily, trying to get her vision back. She managed to regain it, but a large white dot lingered in her vision. She slowly made her way further into the room and turned to see a large glass container which reached all the way to the ceiling. Scully opened her eyes wide in amazement as she saw a green substance bubbling inside it. She moved closer towards it and reached her hand out to touch the glass, but suddenly there was a crash from the corridor and she turned in fright. Scully quickly dug into her bag and brought out a camera she had packed. She switched it on and took another look towards the doorway to check if no one was there, then took two pictures of the room and the large glass container. Scully heard another crash and put the camera away quickly then ran to the doorway.
When she left the room she slowly entered the corridor again, but couldn't see anyone. She saw the window with a long ray of light spilling out of it and looked around.
In the corner of her left eye, she saw something which looked like a black mass. Scully frowned and stared at it more closely. She reached into her pocket and took out her torch. Taking a deep breath she switched it on. The smell was awful and suddenly Scully saw what it was. A dead human body lay to the left of the doorway. Scully put a hand to her mouth to stop herself being sick. Insects crawled all over it and flies were attracted to it. Scully turned and pointed her torch to the left corner. Her eyes saw what looked like a man sitting on a chair. Scully squinted and felt her heart pound louder. She frowned in concentration then suddenly, she realised.
Her eyes opened wide with shock and a tear ran down her cheek as Mulder moved his head over to the light and blinking, looked across at her.
'Mulder!' She cried out. Mulder tried to back away from the light weakly and he closed his eyes. Scully's heart ached with sorrow to see him like that. She scanned the area for a way in, but there were only bars. Scully grabbed onto them, they were cold to touch. She pulled on them with all her might, but nothing happened. Crying out she tried to move them. Scully gave up, exhausted, and turned her head to the right. Suddenly she saw a padlock. Scully went up to it, her heart near her throat with panic, and tugged on it trying to break it. She took a step back, brought up her gun and shot at it.
The lock broke in two and fell from the bar. Scully tugged on the bars and they creaked open. They were so heavy that she felt her body try and give up on her, but she was determined to get in, she had to.
Scully entered the room and ran across to Mulder, through the shadows. She shone her torch onto him and nearly fell to her knees with shock at the state of him. He sat, tired and beaten, with his legs tied unnaturally back to the chair and his arms tightly wrapped behind it. Scully felt the tears start to fall and she started to shake with shock. Frowning with concern she knelt down next to him and touched his face, pulling it over to look at her.
'Mulder?' She said loudly in a panic. Mulder didn't respond. She brushed away her tears angrily. 'Mulder can you hear me? It's me!' She said desperately. Mulder opened his eyes slowly and blinked at her. He tried to pull himself away from her and Scully sensed that he was scared of her.
'Leave me alone, go away.' He said weakly.
'Mulder, it's all right it's me.' She said softly, and stroked his cheek. Mulder turned back to her slowly and stared into her eyes, blinking fast. Scully reached round the back of the chair and started to undo his hands.
'Mulder these are so tight, I can't believe they did this to you.' She said, tears rolling down her cheek. Scully sniffed and tried to put on a confident face. 'Come on…' She said angrily, trying to undo the ropes, but they wouldn't undo. Scully took off her back pack and reached into her bag to take out a knife. She brought it out and held it up to the light from the window. It shone as she turned it, checking it was sharp enough. Scully went back to the rope and started to slice it through.
'Scully? Scully is it… is it you?' Mulder mumbled.
'Mulder… Mulder it's all right, I'm going to get you out of here.' She said. Mulder frowned with confusion and coughed.
'Scully… oh god I feel like I'm going to die… Please help me…' He said weakly. Scully let the rope fall and she took it off his hands carefully. She felt his hands, they were freezing. Scully took off her own gloves and slipped them on his hands.
'How long have you been like this?' She asked softly with concern.
'About two… two days.' He said weakly. Scully took hold of his hands and slowly pulled them round in front of him to the natural position. Mulder grimaced in pain and Scully nearly cried for him.
'I'm sorry Mulder.' She said softly, and placed his arms down on his knees.
'Scully… I… I'm so hungry.' He said weakly. 'I can't feel my legs.'
'I know, it'll be all right. We're going to get out of here.' She said, reassuring herself as well as him. Scully had to move quickly, she was sure they were going to find her soon. She went to the ropes at his feet and started to slice through them. When she was on the final strand she pulled it up quickly and through the rope. The knife came dangerously near her face, Scully pulled back in shock. Mulder's legs fell down immediately and he groaned in pain.
'I know this is going to really hurt, but I have to get your legs back round.' She said softly. Mulder nodded in exhaustion and closed his eyes, preparing himself. Scully took hold of his feet and brought them back round to the front slowly. Mulder cried out in agony. As she put them back on the floor in front of him naturally she took hold on his hand.
'Mulder, you're freezing.' She said sadly. He nodded and grimaced. 'I think you may have torn some muscles in your legs; that is so wrong for them to force them back like that.' She said softly. Mulder took a deep breath then started to cough violently. Scully frowned with concern and put an arm around his shoulders and held him near. Suddenly she caught sight of some blood on his front. She frowned with concern and felt fear hit her quickly.
'Mulder, have you been coughing up blood?' She asked, frightened tears stinging her eyes. She looked at his face with concern. He was coughing violently and his eyes were tightly closed. Scully stroked his face softly. Mulder stopped for a minute and nodded weakly.
'It…it started last night.' He said rasping and trying to catch his breath. Scully felt a wave of despair flow over her and noticed he was wheezing heavily. Suddenly she remembered what she had packed.
'I've got some medicine with me, I thought you might need it. We're on the run here Mulder, we can't get to any hospitals.' She said with a small nervous laugh. Mulder looked at her with sad eyes and she met his gaze for a minute. Mulder swallowed heavily and closed his eyes weakly.
'Thank you Scully.' He managed to say weakly. Scully nodded and fought back tears. Her heart ached so desperately she wished she could break down and cry with him, but she had to stay strong. She moved close to him and kissed his forehead softly. Pulling away from him she reached into her bag and brought out a first aid kit. She opened it and brought out a syringe and a bottle of medicine. She put the needle in the bottle and filled it up.
'This is for your chest… it'll make you feel a lot stronger for a while.' She said softly and turned his arm over. His chest rose high slowly as he tried to catch the air. Scully gave the injection to him and he flinched for a second. Pulling it out she rubbed his arm affectionately.
'Here, have some of my water.' She said softly. Mulder coughed again.
'I…I don't know if I can.' He said so quietly she could hardly hear. Scully brought out her bottle and held it to his lips carefully. She put her arm around him again and held him close.
'Yes you can, open your mouth and swallow it Mulder, come on.' She said forcefully. Mulder coughed and then open his mouth weakly. Scully tipped the bottle and it fell gently into his mouth. Mulder took huge gulps. Scully felt him swallow the water quickly and realised how thirsty he really was. She kept it for as long as he wanted then he started to cough again and she took it out. 'Careful Mulder.' She said softly and she made him lean over a little as he coughed. Scully held him close and ran her hand through his hair affectionately.
When he'd finished she made him sit back in the chair again. 'Come on Mulder, we have to get moving now.' She said, panic rising in her throat as she heard voices. 'Come on, you're going to have to be strong.' She said louder, into his ear. She wasn't sure if he could hear her properly. She took hold of his hand and he nodded weakly. Scully pulled him up with all her strength and when he got to his feet he fell sideways onto her. Scully grabbed him and gritted her teeth taking his weight and pushed him back up straight. 'Come on Mulder, we're going to have to do better than that.' She said, exhausted. Mulder nodded and held onto her tightly.
'I'm sorry, I just haven't stood up for a while, and I can't feel my legs.' He said weakly. Scully nodded.
'I know.' She said softly. They made their way over to the window and Scully suddenly had an idea. She took out her torch and threw it through the window. Mulder blinked as the morning sun shone strongly in his eyes. Scully moved with him towards the window and kicked the rest of the glass out.
'Scully…I…I'm cold.. so cold.' He said shivering. Scully frowned with concern and let him lay down on the floor. She opened her bag again and found a blanket. She pulled it out and went down to him. She wrapped it round his shoulders and then put an arm around him and pulled him up again. Mulder managed to keep his balance this time and he took a step forward.
'That's better, take it easy Mulder.' She said softly. Suddenly her heart jumped in her throat as she heard the voices getting louder and someone was shouting. Scully looked up out the window and saw a small hill and in the distance, another side of the forest. She looked at Mulder then back at the door behind her. 'Come on!' She said forcefully as she made it to the window. Mulder sat on the ledge and painfully lifted his legs over. He stumbled but made it over. Scully jumped out as quickly as she could and grabbed Mulder and pulled him up quickly.
'Mulder… come on.' She said, panicking. Mulder forced himself up and grabbed onto her again. They started to run up the hill. Mulder was feeling a little stronger now, the medicine Scully had given him had made him feel better but he started to cough as the thick moist air caught in his throat. They were nearly at the top when Scully felt a bullet hit the ground behind him. She shouted out in shock and held Mulder closer, and ran as fast as she could. 'Come on Mulder!' She shouted to him as more bullets fired over them. Scully held onto him tightly as they ran into the trees, her determination was burning inside her. Just to feel him next to her again was such a relief. Mulder felt his knees start to buckle, but he couldn't stop. His legs felt free again, but they were still so painful. They turned right and went into a large gathering of trees. Mulder saw a small gathering of rocks ahead of him and he took a look behind him to see no one there. 'Come on Scully, we'll stop here.' He shouted, but he stumbled and fell to the ground, hitting his head on a rock. Scully turned back to see him lying face down on the ground. 'Mulder!' She shouted in surprise. Mulder raised his head and grimaced in pain.
'Scully…' He said weakly. She went over to him and bent down next to him taking his gloved hand. Throwing the blanket which she had given him over her shoulder she grabbed Mulder and lifted his arm up over her shoulder again. 'Come on keep moving!' She shouted.
She could hear voices echoing around the forest. Scully pulled him near and ran as fast as she could towards the rocks. She took a sharp left and Mulder stumbled a little. Mulder had found a wall of rocks which were almost like a shelter. Scully ran behind them and slowed down carefully. She fell to her knees, exhausted, and let go of Mulder carefully. Her lungs ached and she closed her eyes for a moment and tried to get some air back in her lungs. Scully lay him down on his back on the ground. Mulder opened his eyes and his head spun painfully and his vision swayed. He put a hand to his head in pain. Bringing it away he saw blood on his fingers. Scully grabbed her gun up again and taking a breather she went up the side of the rock wall and peered over the top, to see if anyone was coming. The sun glittered through the trees and she frowned in concentration as she scanned the trees as they swayed in the wind.
After a few minutes when there was no sign of anyone, she looked across at Mulder with worry and saw that he lay on the ground, taking huge wheezing breaths. Scully frowned with concern and moved towards him putting her gun away. She stroked his cheek softly. Mulder shivered violently.
'Mulder? You ok?' She asked softly. He nodded slowly. Scully picked up the blanket from the ground and lay it over him. She moved close to him and put her hand on his chest feeling the heavy rise and fall. She put her ear to it and heard the painful rasping.
'I don't.. don't know...' He said weakly with confusion. Scully frowned with concern and she took his hand. 'How's your head?' She said softly. Mulder sighed and tears stung his eyes for the first time.
'It's all right.' He said adding pressure to her hand. Mulder stared into her eyes sadly and she squeezed his hand reassuringly.
'Look at you…' She said sadly, feeling emotion tie her stomach in knots. 'You'll be fine.' She said strongly and took hold of her rucksack and took out her first aid kit. She took out some surgical wipes and dabbed it on his head. Mulder winced as the antiseptic stung the wound. 'I'm sorry.' She said softly. He sighed and closed his eyes. Scully cleaned the wound then got out a large band aid and dressed it. Mulder sighed heavily and shook his head.
'I'm sorry for being such a nuisance Scully.' He said. Scully smiled weakly and felt a tear run down her face. Mulder looked up at her and frowned with concern when he saw her crying. He lifted a hand to her cheek. Scully closed her eyes and melted into his touch. 'I'm sorry I upset you, I didn't want you to get hurt.'
'You would have died today if I hadn't come Mulder. I wish you wouldn't put your life at such a risk.' She cried. 'Mulder, look what's happened to you, look what you're done to yourself!' Mulder stroked her face slowly.
'I'm sorry Scully.' He said sincerely. Scully nodded and brushed the tears away angrily, trying to stay strong. He clasped her hand as she was about to pull it away. Scully stared into his eyes with surprise and they looked at each other for a moment. 'You're cold.'
'I'm all right. You've got my gloves on.' She said quietly. Mulder squeezed her hand and smiled weakly.
'Thank you for coming to get me Scully.' He said with adoration.
'I had to come.' She said, tears falling heavily down her face now. Mulder brushed them away and looked at her sadly. 'I had to come and get you because I thought I was going to lose you. I don't know if I can help you that much now Mulder, we can't go to a hospital and you're chest is really hurt, you're coughing up blood…' She said quickly, panicking. Scully felt her breathing get heavier and she couldn't control herself. Mulder slowly got up from lying down and painfully sat up next to her. 'No, Mulder don't get up.' She said trying to help him back down but he wouldn't let her and with all his strength he pulled her close to him and stared into her eyes. Scully felt her tears fall hopelessly and she wanted so much to hold him. She looked up at him sadly with eyes which searched for his comfort and understanding. Mulder's eyes were soft and caring, and Scully let herself smile weakly as he held her, contradicting her heavy tears. He smiled back slowly but then frowned with concern as she hung her head. Mulder kissed her on the forehead and put an arm around her slowly. He felt a little stronger now.
'You've done everything you could. I'll be all right.' He said softly. 'Come here.'
Scully fell into his warmth and he pulled her into his chest into a tight embrace. Scully felt her body taking great comfort in his embrace and she held onto him tightly, taking refuge in his warmth. Mulder felt his heart beat loudly with concern for her; seeing her like this was heart breaking. He stroked her hair softly and kissed it.
Scully felt his soft lips touch her hair and head and felt her heart race with excitement and passion for her best friend and her partner, her one companion who could always be there for her. Mulder shifted his weight a little and moved his arm to her shoulder and caressed it slowly. Scully sighed and closed her eyes and fell into a dream like state. After a few minutes she spoke.
'Mulder…' She whispered.
'Yes?' He answered in suspense.
'Are… are you all right?' She asked softly and sat up to face him. She looked at him and saw that he was shaking and she saw how weak he looked. She put a hand on his cheek caringly. Mulder stared into her eyes in a questioning glance and wondered what she was thinking. He saw how beautiful they were in the evening light and how comforting she was to look at, after being held captive and without her.
'I gotta be honest with you, I don't feel so great.' Mulder said weakly and grimaced in a moment of pain. Scully frowned in concern and moved to face him, and sat between his legs to help spread the warmth. Mulder let out a long breath as she sat closer to him and faced him. Scully stroked his cheeks and put her forehead to his slowly and she felt her emotions run wild for him with concern and adoration. She felt him shiver and rubbed his shoulders with her hands.
'It's all right… it's all right.' She said softly and caught his gaze. Their eyes pierced into each others. Scully felt a feeling of surprise take over her as she felt the urge to kiss him, but she didn't know if it was the right thing to do. She didn't want to surprise him or upset him. She felt his eyes bore into her soul and even though they knew each other inside out, they seemed to get even closer in that one moment. Scully felt the cold air catch in her chest in surprise as she puzzled about her strong feelings, and as she was about to blink and pull away, Mulder moved in to kiss her on the lips.
Their lips met softly and with care, and they kissed for a moment. Scully's mind was suddenly put on a freeze frame and she didn't know what to think. She was lost in the romance of the moment.
They parted and looked at each other with surprise. Mulder seemed to look worried and Scully noticed this and ran a hand through his hair and to his cold ear, making it warm and she managed a smile.
'Mulder…wow.' She gushed and let out a small laugh. To her great relief Mulder's worried expression broke into a smile too and they smiled at each other for a moment. He opened his mouth to speak but she put a finger to his lips. 'Shh, don't say anything. You don't need to explain.' She said softly, and kissed him again, this time longer and more passionate. Scully felt her body warm up a lot more. They parted again and smiled at each other, but it was less casual than before.
'You're so beautiful.' Mulder said quietly and Scully smiled happily. 'Scully, I've always had this feeling inside… always…' He said softly. Scully nodded and rested her forehead on his again. 'Well that definitely made me feel better.'
'This doesn't change anything.. right?' Scully said softly and stroked his cheek softly. Mulder paused for a moment and then shook his head.
'No, no it doesn't.' He managed to say, however his heart was hurting inside. Somehow, he felt that Scully's feelings weren't quite as strong as his, however he didn't want to start that now. The moment was too wonderful to ruin. Mulder sighed and felt her body enclose on his and she pulled him into an embrace. They stayed like that, so happy to be in each other's company, until the sun started to go down.