Chap 5
Mulder awoke, muscles aching from lying on the cold cement floor. As he stirred, he felt a vague sense that he needed to do something. What was it? He ruminated for a few seconds more, overcoming the dull feeling that sedatives always produced. Finally, he remembered. Skinner! He thought, leaping to his feet. Where is he? The small room that he was in couldn't hide a child, the florescent lights leaving almost no shadows on the whitewashed walls.
"Skinner!" He screamed, voice echoing in the small space. No one answered.
Mulder ran his hands along the walls, looking for some doorway, some egress. I had to get in here, so there must be a way out! As he finished his thought, his fingers found a small crack, almost invisible. He ran the tips of his fingers along the crack, tracing it. It ran about three feet wide and taller than he could reach. He pulled at it, but his fingers couldn't get enough leverage. Finally, he pushed.
The entire doorway turned on its spine, leaving a foot and a half clearance on both sides. Peering in, Mulder saw that it led to an identical room, except this one had a door. The solid wood looked strong enough to handle a tank and gave Mulder little hope. Half-heartedly he walked into the room.
Movement to his left surprised him, and he could do little but try and protect his aching head with his arms. He was thrown backwards and slammed into the wall, knocking the breath from his lungs. He slid to the floor, head buzzing.
"Oh, crap! Jeez, Mulder, I didn't know it was you! Sorry." Skinner said apologetically as he helped Mulder stand. Mulder brushed him away.
"Nice way to thank a guy trying to come to your rescue." He said halfway smiling. Skinner shook his head apologetically. "So, you have the big room, huh? I think I'm jealous." Skinner rolled his eyes and gestured towards the door.
"It might as well be Fort Knox. I can't even make a dent, although it has made a couple of dents in me." He rubbed his shoulder painfully. Mulder shook his head.
"Maybe there's another way out. Did you check the walls?"
"No, I just woke up a few minutes ago, I focused on the door."
Mulder nodded and started to repeat his search. Skinner started on the left side, Mulder on the right. Skinner was only beginning when he felt a crack.
"I've got something!" Mulder joined him, and they pushed at the crack. The hidden door swung open. Mulder expected another small room, but instead saw a huge clearing and, beyond that, a forest.
"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." He murmured under his breath.
"I've been to Kansas. This isn't it." Skinner said dryly as he pushed past Mulder to go outside. Before he could step foot onto the inviting earth, Mulder grabbed his arm to stop him.
"Isn't this a little too easy?" Mulder asked.
"Mulder, you're being paranoid."
"You know what they say, Sir. Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean someone isn't really out to get you. Just be careful." Skinner sighed but nodded.
Their first steps were uneventful, and the farther away from the nondescript cement building they went, the safer they felt. About ten meters away from the building, Skinner stopped abruptly.
Mulder was lagging behind, still a little suspicious, so he didn't see the look of horror that flitted over Skinner's face. What he did see, however, was the change in posture. Skinner had just gone from a wary FBI agent to a fully trained Marine. That alone sent a chill through Mulder's body.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
"Don't move. Stay right where you are." Mulder's first instinct was to ignore the order and go see what was wrong, but something in Skinner's voice persuaded him to listen.
"Okay. Now what?"
"Now, very carefully, look around you. Do you see any unusual protrusions or black objects on the ground?" Mulder looked all around but didn't see anything unusual. Confused, he stepped towards Skinner.
"I said freeze, Agent!" Skinner ordered loudly. Mulder stopped but crossed his arms and tried to be sensible.
"What, exactly, am I freezing for, and what 'black object' am I supposed to find?" He asked insolently.
Skinner muttered something, not looking up from his shoes.
"What?" Mulder asked impatiently, fed up with this game. Skinner threw him a hard edged glance of experience and regret.
"I said a land mine."
Mulder's face instantly lost all color.
"Tell me you're kidding." Skinner didn't move, staring at his shoes.
"What should I do?" Mulder asked, overwhelmed. Skinner drew himself up and locked eyes with his wayward agent.
"Keep your eyes on the ground. Look for loose soil, or anything that doesn't belong. Once you reach the woods, you should be okay." Mulder nodded, and then realized what he had said.
"Once I reach the woods? You mean we, don't you?" Skinner shook his head and looked away.
"It's too late. I'm standing right on top of one."
"Well, we can do something, right? I mean, there's got to be some way to disable it!"
"No. You can make it to the woods, if you watch your step."
"I'm not going to leave you here! Are you crazy?"
"Not crazy, just experienced. I know what land mines can do. Now, get moving. That's an order, Agent!" Skinner looked at him, steely eyed.
"With all due respect, Sir, I think you know what you can do with your orders. Now, let's take a look." Mulder worked his way to Skinner's side to get a closer look. Skinner glared down at him.
"If you don't leave immediately, I will suspend you!"
"It's kind of hard to suspend me when you're dead. Now shut up and help me, or we'll both end up hamburger meat. Besides, if I come home without you, how will it look on my resume? Loseing my boss to a land mine? Tut, tut, tut." Mulder joked as he examined the ground around Skinner's shoe.
Skinner was going to press the issue, but Mulder cut him off.
"So, how about one of those tricks you always see in the movies? Can we do an Indiana Jones and trade you for a bag of dirt?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Let's slide you off of this thing and replace you with something heavy."
"Brilliant, Sherlock. That's never been tried."
"You got a better idea?"
Skinner sighed and shook his head.
"What are you going to use?"
"Um… Here, this will work." Mulder said, grunting as he picked up a basketball sized stone.
"On three. One…" Mulder lowered the stone to the ground beside Skinner's right foot.
"Two…" Skinner prepared himself for a sprint, taking deep breaths.
"Three!" Skinner leapt, sailing a good eight feet before rolling across the ground, covering his head. Mulder shoved the stone over the trigger the instant Skinner vacated it. One quick push, then Mulder leapt away, flying through the air to land a few feet to Skinner's right.
A moment's silence was followed by a muffled thud, like a firecracker buried in earth. Dirt flew, raining down on the two huddled figures. The dirt shower slowed, and the men braved a quick glance towards each other, assessing the damage.
Slowly, they stood, brushing off dirt.
"Well, that went well. I think?"
"Mulder, I may have been infected by your paranoia. There's no way that should have worked." Skinner picked his way towards the crater left by the explosion. As he bent to examine the surrounding area, he noticed something.
"No metal shrapnel." He muttered.
"What's that mean?" Mulder asked, confused.
"It means that the mine probably wouldn't have killed me, anyway. Wounded me, certainly, but I would have survived."
"Why put in mines that don't kill?" Mulder asked rhetorically. An idea suddenly came to him.
"What was the last thing the UNSUB said? An adventure? That's what this is all about! The men we found, they had signs of exposure and non-lethal wounds, right? It's all a game!"
"And we're the toys, aren't we? Well, we're not going to end up the next victims with 'One More' scrawled on our chests in our own blood." Skinner said distastefully.
"Not if I have any say in it. Let's go. Wherever we are, there has to be a way out." Mulder said. Skinner nodded, and they carefully set off, eyes open for traps.