~The X-Games~

An X-Files/Hunger Games Crossover Fanfic

DISCLAIMER: All characters from the X-Files are property of Chris Carter, 10/13 Productions, and Fox Studios. The Hunger Games is the property of Suzanne Collins and the Scholastic Publishing Company. I do not own any of the plots, characters, or other material from the aforementioned TV show/books.

Author's Note:

Hi everyone!

Here it is, FINALLY! Chapter two! :D

Also… I know it is inconsistent that this fic is supposed to take place during the middle of the X-Files series but in it the Hunger Games already exists… I really didn't think about that much when I wrote it, but I just wanted to point it out so no one would bash me for it. :) Anyway… hope you enjoy! And also, if you have the time, tell me what you think! :D

- Piper Kalena West

Chapter Two

Underwater Battle

Mulder's POV

Scully is standing a few capsules down, her entire body tensed and her hands clenched into fists by her sides. She has the appearance of a terrified animal, the kind that might lash out at any moment. I swallow the fear rising in my throat, turning toward the expanse of dark water before me. I know what I have to do, and I hate it.

"Win the Games," Rosetta's parting words echoed through my head, "And you'll win your freedom."

Damn. I've really done it this time.

Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and plunge into the sea. It's ice cold. I come up a few second later, bubbles streaming from my open mouth as my head breaks the surface. My hair is plastered flat to my head, falling down into my eyes. My body is quickly getting numb.

Spinning around amidst the waves, I strike out toward Scully's capsule, my breath catching in my chest as the freezing water saturates my clothing and skin.

Scully's head jerks up, her sea-colored eyes widening as I approach. And then she crouches down at the edge of her capsule, extending her hand and mouthing my name.

I catch hold of her hand, my numb fingers barely able to close around hers. She reaches down and puts her other arm around my torso, helping me to haul myself up beside her. I lie there on my side, gasping and shuddering. Sea water streams off my clothes and hair, pooling around me.

"Mulder," Scully's hand brushes the hair out of my eyes, her breath warm on my cheek, "Mulder, we've got to get to shore. These capsules… they're rigged with time-bombs. We have exactly thirty seconds to get away from here."

During the five seconds it takes me to process this; Scully has dragged me off the metal circle and struck out toward land. I try to protest, but when I open my mouth water fills it. I gasp and shudder, struggling against the numbness creeping through me, freezing the blood in my veins.

"Come one, Mulder…" Scully sounds exhausted, and I fight harder to keep myself moving forward. She can't get us both to shore without an effort from me.

We're about sixty feet from the capsules when they explode. Scully ducks under, pulling me with her, as sharp shrapnel from the blasts rain down on us. Bits of metal and glass slice through the water around us, one grazing my arm. I wince as blood seeps out into the dark water.

"Keep… moving…" Scully gasps as we surface together. Her face, pale and bloodless, is inches from mine. She looks spent—exactly how I feel. But as my fingers wrap around hers, I know I can't give up. It's my fault she's here, and it'll be my fault if she doesn't get out. Together we strike out once more.

The shore is getting closer, just twenty meters or more away. So close, and yet so far. Up until now we've been lucky, our only obstacle the freezing water around us. But somehow I feel that luck can't hold out much longer.

"Ouch… Mulder, did you feel that?"

I turn to Scully, who is staring down into the water below. I follow her gaze, puzzled. "No. What?"

"Like… like a tugging, sort of. Or an electric shock. Maybe a combination of both."

I bite my lip, suddenly wary. "Trap?"

"Maybe," she treads water, her blue eyes still fixed downward. And then her body spasms, her head jerking back as she slips beneath the surface.

"Scully!" I dive after her without thought, wrapping my arms tightly around her torso. And that's when I see it. A huge, purplish-grey rope curled around her right ankle, dragging her down into the depths. I blink, the salty water burning my eyes. My first thought is that she has been snared in some kind of contraption, but a moment later the thick rope shifts to reveal a row of hooked suckers. Shit.

Scully struggles against the creature's grip, her breath bubbling from her parted lips as she screams a silent scream. One of her hands catches in my hair, her fingers groping for something to hold onto. In her panic she holds onto me, pulling me down, down, into the depths with her. I grit my teeth, holding my breath even as my lungs shriek in protest. As my survival instincts take over I have a sudden urge to release Scully and return to the surface; to save myself. I fight against it, knowing that I must stay with her until the end. I can't leave her now.

I turn to face her, but her eyes are closed and her lips are parted as she loses consciousness. Her death-grip in my hair loosens, giving me a little more room to think. And suddenly, I have an idea. Pulling off my boots, I let go of Scully and dive deeper until I am level with the tentacle. Gritting my teeth, I grasp one boot in both hands and slap it sharply against the grayish flesh. A ripple passes through the tentacle, the tip twitching. I strike it again, and again, this time kicking at it as well. It writhes, and for a second it releases its iron grip on my partner's leg. With all my strength I push Scully away from me; away from the creature. As I do so, I slip my boot in where her leg was a second before. The creature takes the bait, squeezing tight around the length of the boot.

By this time my lungs are bursting and I'm fast losing consciousness. Black and red spots dart across my vision, but I blink against them, forcing my eyes to stay open. I look around and see Scully, slowly floating downward again, her red hair fanned out around her peaceful face. I propel myself toward her, wedging my shoulder under her left arm and wrapping my other arm around her. I begin the slow but steady struggle upward, my heart-rate frenzied and my vision fading. With the last ounce of my sapped strength, I kick upward, toward the light far above. I'm almost there. Almost… the ringing in my ears rises around me, forcing my body to go limp as my thoughts flee into darkness.

. . . . . .

SCULLY! In my mind I call for her, but there's no answer. The blackness surrounds me, rushing me, making it impossible to breathe…

"Mulder. Mulder, can you hear me?"

Scully? I struggle to reply, but I can't feel my body, let alone move my lips. Her voice echoes through my mind, filling me up until I feel I will burst. Scully!

"Mulder…" suddenly I feel sensation, something hot washing through me as I struggle to take a breath. I blink my eyes open, but close them again as a sudden brightness burns them. Again, the hot sensation runs through me, burning in my arms and legs as they slowly return to life. My eyes open slowly, this time staying that way.

"Scully," I almost mouth her name as her face hovers into view. Her lips are only inches from mine, and for one wild second I expect her to kiss me. But then she blushes and sits back, her wet hair plastered around her white face as she stares at me with wide blue eyes.

"Mulder," she sounds so relieved, "Damn, for a second there I was scared that…"

I try to sit up, but with a groan I fall back onto the sand. Sand? So we made it, then. I feel a sudden rush of relief.

Scully leans forward again, placing her hands firmly on my chest. "Don't move. You've been through hell and back. What happened? All I remember is going under…"

I close my eyes, giving her a tiny nod. "Octopus. Or something. Squid maybe."

"Squid?"

"Electric Squid." Is there such a thing?

"And you saved me?" her voice is quiet now; I hear the gratitude thick in her voice.

"Mmm."

"Well," she says, pausing as if to think this over, "Mulder, you could have been killed…"

"Yeah, what else is new?" I force a small chuckle, "We survived, didn't we?"

Scully gives a sigh. "Yeah, we did. What I want to know is how we got to shore without either one of us conscious."

I think this over for a second. "Must have drifted in with the tide."

"You mean we got lucky."

I nod again. I open my eyes, watching her as she shifts toward me, her face troubled. "Scully, how the hell did you revive yourself without someone to help you?"

A small grin tugs at the corners of her mouth. "I hit a rock on our way in. Knocked all the water out of me. Good thing, too, or we'd both be squid-food by now."

I force a tiny smile. "Are you hurt?"

She shrugs. "I'm…" she stops at the look I give her, "I'm not bad."

I sigh. Over the years, the phrase 'I'm fine' has come to be a sort of joke between us. If one of us says it, it almost always means the opposite. Although she stopped herself in time, I'm almost certain that's what Scully was about to say.

"You?"

I smile. "Never better."

She gives me a 'look'. The kind that tells me this is no time to be messing around.

"So… where are we?"

"About half a mile down-shore from the Cornicopia," she says.

I stare at her, wondering if I heard right. "Er… the what, exactly?"

She sighs. "You never read the books, did you? The Cornicopia is the place where the Gamemakers lay out all the weapons and supplies. First come, first serve. It's the first major battleground of the Games."

"Do you think that…?"

"We've already missed the good stuff, yes. But to tell the truth, it's probably better that we weren't there for the initial frenzy. Especially not after what happened with the squid."

I groan. "Food?"

"Yeah, that might be a problem," she bites her lip, "And pure water. We'll need that too. And medicine…" she grimaces, "Although I'm not entirely sure they had anti-electric-squid-venom at the Cornicopia."

I attempt to sit up again. My head spins, but this time I don't fall back down. My bruised and battered muscles shriek in protest and a dull pounding starts at the back of my skull, but other than that I don't too feel bad. Scully, on the other hand, looks as if she's been halfway sucked dry by a famished vampire. I can tell that breathing is hard for her, although she's doing her best to cover it up. If I didn't know her so well, I'd figure she was just fin… okay, unharmed.

"Scully, you don't look so good. Maybe we should find somewhere to rest…"

She cuts me off, her gaze icy. "No way. If there's anything left at the Cornicopia, I'm going to get it."

I groan, but once she's got an idea in her head it's hard to shake it. And if she's going to risk her life to get a few left-over supplies, I'm not going to let her go alone. With a sigh of resignation, I stagger to my feet. She stands up beside me, swaying dangerously but somehow managing to keep her footing. Our eyes meet. Her gaze is as full of determination as mine is of anxiety. But as she reaches down and takes my hand in hers, I feel a small stirring of anticipation rise inside of me. I can't help but smile at the courage and resolution of my beautiful partner. "Let's go."