CHAPTER 20

Will approached the white door that concealed the muffled voices with caution, and he held his breath as he listened to the muttered conversation coming from the room behind it.

"We're at 22 percent."

"Continue with the exsanguination."

"She won't survive beyond 35 percent."

"It's of no consequence to me. We merely need the blood."

"What do we do with the body?"

"Burn it."

Now or never, he thought, tightening his jaw and throwing open the door. His eyes went wide at the sight of Cara strapped to a bed, red blood being pulled away from her body as four men with the same cold faces watched, three in lab coats parading as doctors and the remaining bounty hunter in civilian clothing. It seemed as though the last bounty hunter was anticipating Will's arrival, which instantly made Will realize it was the original bounty hunter who tried to kill him in Hoboken.

Immediately Will shoved two out of the three in lab coats against the far wall with his invisible force, praying he had the strength left to defeat them all. Will approached the one who had escaped his block; that alien went down easily, Will wielding Cara's knife with fury as he stabbed him viciously in the back of the neck at its base. As Will's energy was used on the first, the second and third aliens charged him, the third being knocked away by the twist of Will's left hand. The second bounty hunter took advantage of Will being preoccupied, overpowering him with a single forceful blow to the wall behind him, the medical cart he was knocked into crashing to the floor loudly. Will winced in pain as his increasingly weakened body was brutally compressed against the wall by the alien above him. His right hand sought the fallen medical tools on the floor as he fought to block the bounty hunter above him with his left arm, his fingers finally grasping a scalpel nearby. Will's eyes fell on Cara, her eyes shut and lifeless as she laid on the bed, her body battered and beaten. His anger surged through his pained body, a rush of adrenaline allowing him to gain the advantage over the bounty hunter above him, and he hastily shoved the scalpel in the back of his neck.

As the alien dissolved at Will's feet, the last bounty hunter moved toward Cara, reaching for her neck and taking it into his hands. Will saw his intention to kill her, and tackled him, grabbing him and pulling him off of her. Shit! Will thought suddenly. It was then he realized he had nothing to use to kill the last alien in the room with him. With an exhausted heave, Will shoved the bounty hunter further down the floor away from him, the alien's body sliding on the floor as he scrambled toward the medical tools for a weapon of defense. The last bounty hunter slammed into the wall, the white plaster crumbling around him in the impression his body made. Will knew he was weakening rapidly from the energy he exerted, and he frantically tried to arm himself with something to take out the last alien. He was too slow, however; he groaned in pain as the bounty hunter blasted him through the open doorway into the corridor Will had just come from. Will's back and head slammed ferociously against the hallway wall; it felt like every bone of his body was breaking, the magnetite in the wall behind him continuing to draw out the life from inside of him.

He slumped to the floor, his head splitting as the magnetite continued to threaten to suck every last ounce of life out of his body. His knees were weak, and he was too slow to take back the advantage over his opponent. With a look of pleasure, the bounty hunter grabbed Will easily, lifting him as his inhuman hand clamped down on Will's neck, pressing him against the wall. Will's eyes widened in horror as he now found himself in the same position as Dr. Weitz had been before he died in Hoboken. Will's airwaves were forced shut by the alien, whose lips turned up at the corners at his victim's obvious suffering. While trying to find even a half of an ounce of oxygen to take into his lungs, Will's eyes fell on Cara, who hadn't moved an inch during the battle between him and her captors. He knew being at least partially human, he could potentially be rendered useless without sufficient oxygen, leaving Cara unprotected if he were to collapse. His eyes watered as he pressed against the alien's arms, trying to unclamp his throat from the bounty hunter's skilled, strong hands.

Will's heart jumped at the gunshot that rang through the hall, a bullet expertly aimed for the alien who was trying to take his life. Will gasped as the bounty hunter released his hand from his throat, the air pouring into his lungs with pain. "GET BACK!" Will choked, seeing it was Mulder who had taken out the last bounty hunter that was in the room with Cara, the body disappearing into fluid in front of him. He knew his parents would die should they inhale too much of the acid. They had to wait to approach until the acid dissolved. He assumed because of his supernatural powers, he was immune.

Will's eyes fell on the open room in front of him. "CARA!" he yelled, stumbling into the room when he realized she might not have been so fortunate to survive the acid. He had no idea where to start, seeing the various equipment she was hooked up to, her blood continuing to travel into a large bag next to her on the medical pole next to the bed. He ducked under the bed, releasing the webbing that held her to it, grimacing as her raw wounds under it were exposed. "Shit!" he whispered, seeing the paleness of her face and the quantity of blood that had been taken from her body.

"William!"

Mulder and Scully both yelled simultaneously, bursting into the room after the coast was clear of deadly acid. Scully's eyes widened when she saw the medical equipment, and Cara's lifeless body on the table. Will gripped the bed Cara was on in desperate pain, shutting his eyes and groaning as his body felt it would be destroyed that instant. "You've got to stop the bleeding!" Will yelled over his shoulder to Scully, his knuckles white as he held onto the bed through another episode of aching and pulling of his body.

Scully worked quickly, stowing her gun in her waistband as she searched frantically for supplies. With heaps of cotton, medical tape and items to act as tourniquets, Scully slipped on gloves and carefully withdrew the exsanguination lines, expertly plugging them to capture the blood Cara had been drained of. "Mulder! Hold this here!" she ordered, seeing Will barely able to move as his body was assaulted by the magnetite they were under. Mulder quickly pressed the compress on Cara's incisions as Scully fashioned a tourniquet on Cara's leg, taping the three incisions from the removed lines securely.

Scully pressed her fingers against Cara's throat. "Her pulse is low. She's in hypovolemic shock!" Scully shouted, wrapping Cara with expert speed. "She's near a class three hemorrhage."

As Scully continued to work quickly, Will looked at Cara's chest, realizing there was no movement. "She's not breathing," he whispered fearfully. He clawed his way to her, fighting against what he felt as he pulled himself over Cara, holding her nose and covering his mouth with hers. His hands frantically performed CPR, pushing against her chest as he tried to revive her heart. "Come on, damnit! Breathe, Cara!" His mouth covered hers again, pushing what felt like his last bit of life-giving oxygen into her lungs, willing her to survive. "Now's not the time to be stubborn, Cara! BREATHE!"

Cara's body lifted forward as she gasped hoarsely, her eyes opening wide as life re-entered her body. Her eyes locked with Will's; he did everything he possibly could to stand next to her despite his body's breakdown. "Will!" she choked out, coughing as she breathed heavily. Her skin was pale, and for the first time, Will saw the effects of the abuse she had taken, her right eye swollen black and blue and the skin on her face raw and torn.

As her breathing very slowly evened, Cara felt Will's grip on her hand loosen and her eyes went wide as she recognized the way he looked. He was pale, as he had been before, and his skin, though visibly wet, showed absolutely no sign of warmth. He was turning into stone before her eyes. With everything she had, Cara weakly reached to her bra, pulling out the small vial from Dr. Yarborough with a sudden realization - the medicine inside of it was never intended for her. Rather, it was intended for Will to survive the effects of the surrounding magnetite.

Her fingers worked sloppily against the bottle's lid, her strength barely enough to support herself as she opened it. She shoved it roughly into Will's mouth, and he gulped the liquid down, his eyes shutting as he groaned against the unbearable pain he felt. They both heard Mulder and Scully's voices in what sounded like the distance, a hazy fog settling on them as they each clung on to life, one just being given it once again and the other losing it rapidly. Will's eyes opened after he swallowed the liquid, and he looked at Cara, who slumped back onto the bed, her breath shallow and weak. Once again, it was Cara and her mysterious vials of liquid that revived Will, and instead of finding himself tangled in passion with her, he found himself willing her just to live.

With renewed strength that was obvious to Mulder and Scully, Will grabbed a nearby sheet and wrapped Cara's body in it, lifting her into his arms. She was cold; she needed to get to a hospital. He knew the danger of the magnetite was still present so long as he was underground. He needed to get out of the gorge while he had the strength. "William!" Mulder shouted. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he breathed, clutching Cara in his arms, her head resting in the nook created between his arms and his chest. As he scanned the room, seeing three distinct acid burn marks on the floor, it was then that Will realized there was at least one more bounty hunter unaccounted for. His eyes flicked to the bag of Cara's blood, which Scully was now trying to collect. As she attempted to remove the bag, the ground under them shook violently, causing all three to stumble. Will leaned on the bed, holding Cara against his chest. "What the hell was that?" Will shouted.

The ground quaked again, and Mulder grabbed on to the wall for support. "They're setting off charges. We've got to get out of here!"

"The blood!" Scully exclaimed, still trying to collect it.

"There's no time!" Mulder yelled. "Come on!" He grabbed Scully's arm, pulling her toward the door as they felt the earth under them groan and shift with force, almost as if it was threatening to consume them. Mulder pulled Scully out of the room, Will following behind with Cara in his arms; Cara weakly gripped Will's coat as he carried her out of the room, her legs dangling over Will's arms as he fled with her.

Though he felt renewed with strength, Will's flesh still stung as they passed through the winding corridor toward the place they entered. BOOM! All three were nearly thrown to the ground when an explosive surge in the ground rocked the entire corridor, a loud crashing sound coming from the entryway they were headed toward. "They're sealing us in!" Mulder yelled, pushing Scully forward. "Back the other way!"

Will, now in front with Cara, raced down the winding corridor, frantic as he searched for an exit. The lights blew out rapidly, first one by one, then as a collective whole as the floor quivered underneath them, rendering the corridor dark. Mulder took out his small flashlight, the beam it casted barely giving them enough perception of what was ahead. Each door they passed was to a room, some white with medical equipment, and some dark and haunting. It seemed endless and even hopeless as they raced through the underground passageways, too blinded by their desire to survive to question how the building got there or what the rooms were all for.

Overjoyed, Will squinted as he saw the first sign of light other than their own in the distance, bracing himself as the ground shook. He assumed they were charging the cave from the inside, collapsing it to hide the many secrets it held. The small light ahead of them was their only hope, and Will became perplexed as it danced around rather frantically.

"Mulder!" Will finally heard Doggett's voice yell in the distance.

"Down here!" Mulder yelled back, pushing Scully in front of him as they raced down through the darkness, only guided by Mulder's small Maglite.

"They're blowing the cave!" Doggett yelled. "Come on!"

With energy that could have only come from adrenaline and their instinctual will to survive at that point, Mulder, Scully and Will clutching Cara reached Doggett, continuing to follow him out of the corridor. Mulder breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the natural light spilling in from above through what looked like a ladder up and out of the gorge. As they reached the rounded opening, Mulder pushed Scully up the ladder first, then grabbed for Will. "Dad, get up there!" Will yelled, shoving his father ahead of him.

Following closely behind, Will groaned as he began to climb the ladder, Cara now slumped over his shoulder as he fought against the returning pain of the magnetite's presence. At the top, Mulder reached down with both arms, taking Cara's limp body into his arms and pulling her up with a groan as Doggett, Scully and Monica helped at the top. Will clung onto the ladder as the gorge shook, and his lips parted as he realized the entire rock they were all standing on was threatening to cave in. "GO!" Will yelled, waving the others forward. "GO! GET OUT OF HERE!"

"WILLIAM!" Scully screamed.

"GO!" Will shouted, holding on to the ladder as he slowly pulled himself up. "I'm right behind you!"

Mulder grabbed Scully's arm, dragging her toward an area of safety he saw not too far from the ladder entrance; the rock there seemed to be stable still, perhaps enough to be able to descend into safety further down the river. As he carried Cara in his arms, he looked back at Will, who was now reaching the surface. "Go!" Mulder ordered Scully, shoving her into forward into Monica's arms and laying Cara in Doggett's arms. "Go!"

"MULDER!" Scully shouted as she saw him bolt the opposite direction, returning to the sinkhole to Will, who was struggling to stay afoot.

Doggett forced the two women up to safety, holding Cara tightly as he glanced over his shoulder at Mulder, seeing him grab Will's arm and drag him along. It was then that the earth under them began to sink inside of itself, each step they took away from the center of the explosion barely enough to stay above it. Doggett was relieved when he saw Mulder dragging Will steadily closer, knowing Will was severely weakened from the magnetite and didn't have the strength to continue alone. Come on! Doggett thought in a panic. He knew if Will could get far enough away from the magnetite, his strength would return.

As he reached the point of safety, Doggett laid down Cara on the ground, running a bit back toward Mulder. "Grab my hand!" he yelled, reaching out to Mulder and Will, who were sinking lower by the millisecond. With an exhausted leap, Mulder clung on to Doggett's hand as Doggett dragged him up, Will being dragged behind his father. The three tumbled onto the area of safety successfully, but Doggett didn't waste any time. "Come on!" he yelled, continuing to pull Mulder and Will further away from the sinkhole.

With exhausted sighs of relief as they made it to steady ground, Mulder and Doggett collapsed near Scully and Monica, and Will crawled toward Cara on his elbows, pulling her against his chest protectively and shielding her as they all braced the final impact of the rubble. It tumbled violently down the gorge into the river, stone crushing plants and destroying trees as if they were toys as it cascaded into the raging waters of the river below. A resounding BOOM echoed in their ears, walls of river water spraying up from below as it was rerouted from the collapsing rock.

Each catching their breath, Will turned his attention to Cara, who barely moved in his arms. "Cara?" he whispered, feeling her skin was cool to the touch. His strength slowly filled his body as the magnetite in the rock crumbled below them.

Cara stirred, her face against Will's dampened coat. "This isn't what I had in mind for when I saw you again," she joked faintly, her eyes meeting his.

Will managed a small smile; he was still filled with worry over her condition. "Me either."

Pulling Scully up by her waist, Mulder stood, holding on to her as he watched the last bits of rock tumble below them into the current. "We need to get out of here," he directed, his eyes finding's Doggett, who nodded as he pulled Monica to stand. "William?" Mulder asked, watching his son stand slowly, Cara draped in his arms.

"I'm fine," Will reassured, his joints becoming stronger with each passing moment. "I've got her."

Mulder nodded, and he and Scully led the way east toward where their car was parked on the overlook, the rest following behind as the hidden building in the earth crumbled behind them.

It didn't take the group too long was to descend to lower ground, finding a small, shallow portion of the river to pass through as it wound through the thick vegetation. Their bearings weren't quite in tact, given the maze the cave turned out to be, but they were relieved when they finally spotted the clearing Mulder, Scully and Will first arrived at. As they propelled up the opposite side of the gorge, their relief turned into panic as they saw Mulder and Scully's car in the distance was accompanied by several police squad cars and nearly two dozen police officers, all yelling with weapons aimed at Will, ordering him to lie on the ground in surrender.

Will froze, his hands tightening around Cara, whose eyes fluttered open, the noise the police's barking voices made waking her from her weakened slumber. "Will?" she said faintly, still in a haze as her hands gripped his damp coat. She heard a man's voice that she didn't recognize yelling, as well as Doggett's and Monica's. She also heard another woman's voice; hers was pained with sorrow, the tone beyond desperate.

As Will looked at the officers who now began to move in his direction, he knew though he had two choices, there was really only one to be made. He knelt slowly, carefully laying Cara down on the ground, tucking the sheet tightly around her to protect her from the cool air; he felt her eyes searching his, though his focus was ahead on the officers. "Will?" she said again, her voice a little stronger as her hand found his and squeezed it.

Will looked down at Cara, his heart tightening in his chest as she pulled herself up, still holding onto his coat. With a pained sigh, Will dipped his head and captured her lips in a kiss, the taste of her completing him in a way he never imagined possible. The kiss was both sensual and fevered, his heart aching at the reality of the circumstances as the screams around him rang through his ears. He lost himself in her, tasting her and savoring every bit of her as he wove his fingers into her hair, holding her head gently. He committed the kiss to his memory, letting it burn into his soul and take residence. As they parted, their foreheads touched and he cupped her face, his thumb brushing over her swollen lips to feel their smoothness. He swore his heart was audibly breaking, the pain he felt knowing what he was about to do destroying him. Before he could change his mind, Will leaned in and he pressed a lingering kiss onto Cara's cheek, whispering gently in her ear:

"Jabberwocky."

Cara's eyes widened in shock and her lips parted as Will stood, his hands reluctantly sliding off of her and lifting into the air in surrender as the officers descended onto him like a hungry pack of wolves.