Subject: NEW: I Believed the Lie ** NOT POST-GETHSEMANE **
From: rkacat@aol.com

Date: 26 Sep 1997

Disclaimer: The idea for this story was given by SA DScully. Fox Mulder,
Dana Scully, Walter Skinner, Cancerman, Well-Manicured Man, Alex
Krycek, that little short guy in the consortium, Elder, Mulder's cell mate
in Tunguska/Terma, and others I forget to mention are the property of ** Oh
boy, here we go! ** : David Duchovny. Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi,
William B. Davis, John Neville, Nick Lea, and all the other people that I'm
not familier with, CC, 1013 Productions, and FOX. I don't want to get
sued, please, this is just a fun little angsty story!

Rating: PG for some language. Nothing major.

Category: Very little UST. LOTS OF ANGST!!!!

Archive: Yes, except to ATXC. I'll do that on my own.

Author's Note: This story is dedicated to a few people. First this story
is dedicated to my friend, Rachel, who's work I will once again be "peeking
at" in school. Just her luck that she's in my class! It's also dedicated
to my friend who has recently announced that she is becoming hooked on
X-Files. It took a long time, but I finally did it!

Ok, I know a lot of people are thinking " Where did she get this strange
idea?" Well, it wasn't my idea; it was actually a MUFON challenge, and it's
the first challenge I have ever responded to. When I first read about the
challenge I was skeptical, " Yeah right, Mulder still in Tunguska. Sure. Fine.
Whatever" but then when I read it again I was thinking, " You know, this
has some possibilities!" So, I hope everyone agrees.

My other stories include Breath of Heaven, A State of Drunkeness, and I
Changed. Thank you to all who supported Breath of Heaven since that was
my first story. I seemed to get a greater response to ASOD, I guess a lot
of people like Mulderangst. I Changed has been my most memorable fanfic,
and I assure all of you who have written me in the past about the ending,
I do plan to write a sequel as soon as I get my lazy behind off the couch and
type one up :-) Thanks again to everyone who wrote comments and
suggestions to any of my fanfic. I love you all ** that sounded like an award
speech, huh? ** LOL

Time Frame: About a month after Elegy, before Demons took place.

Spoilers: You don't have to have seen Elegy, but it would be better for
you, the reader, if you had seen Tunguska/Terma. I do put a few flashbacks to
Terma into this story, but it would help to have some backround on the
scenario. I'll also say, to those of you new X-Philes, if the name Alex Krycek
means nothing to you then you should disregard this story. Now, if Fox
Mulder or Dana Scully don't ring a bell, I would call you a freak
** I'm just so sweet! **

Summary: After Tunguska we all assumed that Fox Mulder escaped from the gulag,
but what if he didn't? This story is inspired by a MUFON challenge given
by SA DScully.

I Believed the Lie
Christina Ortega

( About a week after Elegy, Dana Scully's apartment )

She was frightened beyond belief. What was happening to her? Was she
dying? " I can't die, damn it!" Dana Scully told herself, pacing through her
apartment. She was deep in thought. Why had she seen that aparition? Was
it showing the fact that she was going to die? Soon? Sooner than she had
expected?

Mulder had snapped at her; said that she was working against him, or so he
implied. He didn't understand; she didn't want to be seen as weak in his
eyes! She wanted to remain strong, almost invinsible, but that could no
longer happen, " I can't die!"

Why couldn't she die? Did she feel she owed it to Mulder to continue, to
be with him when he found the truth? No... yes... she didn't know anymore.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
( Tunguska, Russia. )

" Prisoner.. hey! Prisoner.. hey!" The raspy voice called through a crack
in the wall of the cell.

Fox Mulder heard him and proceded to sit up, despite his throbbing head,
aching stomach, and the bile that was burning in the back of his throat, "
Did I break my 8 hour unconciousness record?"

The man who had identified himself only as a well known geologist to
Mulder chuckled, "No. This time it was about 4 hours."

Mulder smiled, despite his sick feeling. Besides the fact that he knew he
was going to die, Mulder also knew that he had caught an illness about 3
months earlier ( He had no record of time ) and he still wasn't sure if it
had fully gone away. Forntunetly, the sickness seemed to have departed for the
moment, leaving him to only feel the after effects of the black cancer tests.

He was about to say more to the mysterious prisoner in the next cell, when
the door to his cell opened, revealing two well-clothed Russian guards.
One of them signaled for him to stand, so he did, not wanting to risk the
chance of once again being beaten.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
( The office of AD Walter Skinner. )

" Agent Scully, please have a seat."

Scully proceded to sit across from her supiriors's desk, " Yes, sir, I was
informed that you wanted to see me."

" Agent Mulder did not report for work this morning, and I was hoping that
you could give me information on his wherebouts."

" I don't know where he is, sir, are you sure he didn't leave a memo or
any notice that he would be taking a leave of absence." <Gosh, what has
Mulder gotten himself into now?>

Skinner's frown seemed to deepen, " You have no idea where he might be?"

" No, sir. If you want I'd be willing to check for him in his apartment.
He may just be sick, and wasn't able to call in, or there might have been a
family
emergency." < Yeah, right>

" Thank you, Agent Scully. That will be all."

Scully exited the room, confused. Where could Mulder have gone? Why didn't
he inform her of his plans?<Not that it was a first>

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(Tunguska, Russia. Mining section of the camp)

Mulder was cold. As his squadron reached the mining site the rain, that
was now falling hard, had drenced his body, leaving him soaking wet. His
mysterious friend was right behind him, and, luckily, had caught him as he
almost slid on the wet soil before the gurads had noticed and decided to
beat him on account of his clumsiness.

The Russian guard in charge of the group of prisoners shouted out some
commands, which Mulder had come to learn was the signal to begin digging.
"Fuck it all," He muttered under his breath. Mulder found it ironic that
all the prisoners were made to collect the very specimens that would be the
source of their deaths.

He picked up his pick, and began digging into the mountain. Mulder
remembered the first time that he was made to mine along with his squadron.
Even though the tests had weakened him, he had still been very strong, and
was able to dig very fast. Now, as he watched his pick fall lazily into the
soil, he realized just how damaging the tests had been to his health.

His friend, who's name was still classified to him, turned to him as the
guard on watch went to chat with another guard down the path from the
mountain, "Holding up well?"

Mulder smiled, " If you call this holding up, I guess I am."

The man grinned, " I feel my body weakening, and I know my time is soon,
young friend. You, I can see, will continue for a long time."

" How can you be certain that I'll live for so much longer?" Mulder asked,
not wanting to think of the man beside him dying anytime soon. Since at the
camp, he had been like a father to Mulder, as well as a best friend.

The man's grin faded, and he became very serious, "I just know that you will."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

( Office of AD Walter Skinner )

" What do you want?" Skinner asked, stiffening as the man Mulder had
dubbed Cancerman entered his office.

Cancerman smiled as he normally did. Walter Skinner amused him, which was
probably the reason he was still alive, " That's no way to treat a guest,
Mr. Skinner."

" Guest, no. Uninvited visitor, yes. Now what?"

" I understand that Agent Mulder didn't show up for work this morning.
Where is he?" Cancerman asked, still pretending that nothing was out of the
ordinary.

Skinner frowned, " I don't know where he is, but I think you do. Where is he?"

" As I recall, that was my question to you, Mr. Skinner. I have no idea
where your agent is; in fact, no one does. Now, if you do know where Agent
Mulder is, I'm assured that you'll inform me as soon as possible."

" Don't I always?" Skinner asked, sarcastically.

Cancerman took that oppurtunity to light a cigarette, take two long puffs,
and exit the room.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Apartment of Fox Mulder)

<Mulder, where are you?> Scully had looked all around Mulder's apartment
for any clue that would show her where Mulder had gone. There wasn't
even any plan of travel on his computer, nor any messege telling her that
he would be fine without her

After the death of X Scully had nowhere to turn to find out about
Mulder's whereabouts. His new informant was still a mystery to her, and she had
no idea how to contact this person, whoever he/she was.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
( Tunguska, Russia. One week later )

Screams echoed throughout the halls in the Tunguska prison camp, but
Mulder just ignored them. During the first month that Mulder was in the camp
the anticipation of the torture to come had frightened him, but now he did
not care. In fact it was actually pleasent to be knocked out by the needle in
order to enjoy a few hours of darkness before the torture began.

Mulder heard the door to his cell open, and sighed as the guard clutched
his arm and forced him to lie on his stomach. He had been beaten so many
times that the strength of the man's grip didn't even faze him.

There was a small pinch in his arm as the needle was injected into him,
but it was forgotten as Mulder quietly drifted into the comfortable darkness.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
( Dana Scully's apartment )

Scully found her mind to be cluttered by a whirlwind of hectic thoughts.
Mulder had been missing for a week, and no one had heard anything from
him. She had stopped by his apartment every night, and sometimes she would
enter and search it for the slightest hint of where he might have gone,
but it was to no avil.

Her phone rang, and she ran to answer it, " Scully." To her disappointment
it was Assistant Director Skinner making sure that she hadn't heard
anything from Mulder.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
( Tunguska, Russia the next day )

Mulder's head was spinning as he forced his arms to continue digging. The
pick felt like it weighed one hundred pounds instead of ten. The test had
taken more out of him than usual, and the man in the next cell told him
that they had recieved twice as much of the black cancer than usual.

As he glanced over at his mysterious friend he noticed that he was gasping
heavily. At first he supposed that he was still suffering the after effects of
the test, but when the man fell, he knew that something was wrong.

" You ok?" Mulder whispered. He got no response. The guards noticed, and
the squadron leader came and began to hit him, yelling at him in Russian.
He reached out his hand to Mulder, and as Mulder took it he brought him
close and whispered, " Live for me."

As Mulder was about to try and pull his friend to his feet his hand fell
limp, and the mysterious stranger that had been Mulder's best friend for what
seemed like an enternity died as his feet.

Mulder didn't want to accept the death, and hoping that the man had just
fainted, he got on his knees and began shaking him, hoping for a miracle.
Nothing.

The guard who had been hitting the now dead man turned to Mulder and began
shouting at him in Russian. Mulder wouldn't budge.

A few more guards saw Mulder's "resistance" and took that moment to grab
their whips and beat Mulder's back. Mulder didn't want to move; he
wanted to stay with his friend, but as the blows to him came harder and
harder he collapsed onto his back, where he felt feet kick at his sides until he
blacked out once again.

TO BE CONTINED...

I Believed the Lie
Christina Ortega

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
( Tunguska Russia. Fox Mulder's cell that night )

Pain. His head was throbbing, and when he tried to sit up he winced as his
muscles protested. Instead, Mulder forced himself to crawl over to a wall
where he propped himself up.

He felt a wave of nausea roll over him, and swallowed hard in order to
stop himself from throwing up. Then, in a moment of complete despair, Fox
Mulder cried. He didn't only cry for himself, he cried for the man that
had taken care of him while he had been ill, the man who had argued with the
guards and had been beaten numerous times just to get him an extra blanket
after he had been working in the cold rain. He cried for the man's fate,
which would eventually be his own, and he cried for Scully, for not being
there for her. Mulder wept for what seemed like an hour before he finally
passed out due to exhaustion.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
( Somewhere outside of New York, in an unknown building )

" Gentlemen, I believe we have a very serious problem."

The Well-Manicured man took that opportunity to clear his throat before he
asked, " What problem is that?"

An unidentified man; tall and slightly on the chubby side, turned to face
the Well-Manicured man, " Mulder is missing."

" Do we know where he is?"

" Not at the moment."

A short man stood up from his seat at a table, " What about our contact in
Washington? Does he have additional information?"

The Elder shook his head, " He's found no information on Mulder's
whereabouts, nor has he found any evidence that Agent Scully knows his location
either."

The Well-Manicured man stood and grabbed his coat from behind his chair, "
Please keep me informed, but at the moment I have a meeting with the
director." He stood, nodded his farewell and left the room.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
( Location Unknown )

Mulder awoke, his face dry from the tears that had stained his face the
night before. He was cold, however the temperature of his surroundings was
so hot that he felt that he would melt. Adjusting his eyes, Mulder
realized that he was not in his cell, but was instead in a large room.

Sitting up, Mulder saw that there seemed to be a big glass table to his
right. He was sitting on dull red carpeting, and as he took in his fancy
surroundings Mulder also caught a wiff of a fragrence that smelled
somewhat like chicken. His stomach growled at the thought of food, for at the
camp the prisoners were given barely anything to eat and he had not eaten
the previous day.

As he looked around, still awed by the splendor of the room, he became
very alert as a shadow appeared from over his shoulder. Tilting his head
back, he looked up into a very familiar face. The man smiled, " Comfy,
Mulder? Believe me, I had the decorators fix up the place before you came. I
wanted everything to be perfect."

" Krycek! What the hell is going on, where am I?"

" That's no way to treat your host, Mulder. You should be thanking me. I
got you out of Tunguska, after all."

Mulder was about to stand, wanting nothing more than to punch Krycek's
lights out, but it was at that moment that he realized his hands were cuffed
together.

" You left me there, you bastard! You left me to die; to be tortured!"

Krycek chuckled, " Yes, I did."

" You sonofabitch!"

" Temper, temper. Mulder, you really need to learn how to control your
anger," Krycek said, his voice still calm, " I've done so much to prepare for
your coming. There's food on the table cause I knew you'd be hungry, and a
bed has been made for you. I even made the guards out there bathe you
before you were brought in here, although that was more for my benefit
than yours."

Mulder said nothing, but stared longingly at the table from which the
sweet aroma had grown stronger as Krycek was talking. Krycek looked puzzled,
but grinned devilishly as he followed Mulder's gaze, " Hungry?"

Mulder thought for a minute. Krycek was his enemy, and the food could be
poisoned or worse. However, the aroma seemed to be beckoning
Mulder, and he nodded reluctantly.

" Very well. Although I have one rule, Mulder. If I uncuff you, you have
to promise me, no verbal arguments or physical abuse to me while eating."

" I promise. Besides, I can always punch you after I eat."

Krycek uncuffed Mulder, and was almost surprised when Mulder obidiently
walked over to the table, sat down, and began eating whatever he could
get his hands on.

Krycek watched in amazement. Never in his life had he seen anyone eat so
much so fast,
"You have excellent table manners, Mulder, but you should know that you
could choke if you swallow food without chewing."

" Shut up," Mulder murmured before sinking his teeth into another chicken leg.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mulder was led on a chain up a flight of stairs into a large bedroom. With
the moon reflecting light through the window the room seemed to be out of
some sort of lovely dream. Mulder took in his surroundings. Somehow, he
felt out of place. If he were still at the camp he would be lying in his cell
talking to his friend through the secret slot in the wall. He felt a small
wave of sadness rush over him as he thought of his lost companion.

Krycek, however, was acting rather boastful as he entered the room and
began modelling it to Mulder, " Isn't it beautiful? We wanted to make sure
you would be comfortable. Of course, my room is much better, but I'm sure
this will suit you more than that dreary cell."

" Who's we?"

" My supiriors and I."

" Who are your supiriors?"

" Now what kind of agent would I be if I gave away classified information,
Mulder?"

" A bad one," Mulder retorted

Krycek smirked, " A key to the cuffs is on the table. Don't even try to
get out of this door because it will be locked and tightly guarded all
night. You
know, Mulder, there used to be a time when I thought we could get along
and be friends."

Mulder glared at him fiercly, " Yeah, after you kidnapped my partner!"

" I wasn't part of that. If it hadn't been for you exposing me to Skinner
I might not be in this damn dilemma! Shit, Mulder, it wasn't even my fault!"

" Sure. Fine. Whatever, Krycek. Just let me sleep."

Krycek merely nodded and closed the large door, making sure to lock it
before retreating to his bedroom down the hall.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

( Tunguska, Russia. Approx. 5 or 6 months earlier )

Mulder walked slowly on the dirt road. He knew that he had to escape, but
he didn't know how yet. Suddenly, he felt a hand touch his, and glanced
backwards to see the man that he had just met walking behind him. His hair
was hanging in dirty knots, and his cloths were covered in dirt. He
motioned towards the platform in front of them, " Prisoner, is that your
friend?"

Mulder glanced towards the platform just to see Krycek with the man who he
supposed was the leader of the camp. They were hugging, and Krycek
lit the man's cigar. The bastard! He had trusted the little weasel. Krycek
must have known that Mulder would want to go to Russia. He must be
working for the Russian government.

Anger burned within Mulder, and yet, he found himself feeling betrayed. He
had begun to trust Krycek again, and, just like that, Krycek had gone and
betrayed him. < So what else is new?>

His thoughts were interrupted as the man behind him spoke again, " You'll
have but one chance,"

A Russian guard walked over to them and yelled some command in Russian,
and the man from the cell next to his nudged him onward.

One chance. Could he do it in one try? More importantly: what could he do?
One against about one hundred guards. Great odds.

Finally, he made is choice, and in a great adreneline rush, Fox Mulder
pulled the knife from his pocket, ran up the platform, and lunged at Krycek,
punching him twice in the face before climbling into the truck and driving
as fast as he could away from the camp.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
( A house located outside the Tunguska camp, 5 or 6 months prior )

" I have to go now," Mulder told the Russian woman who was looking at him,
concerned.

The woman seemed to grow pale, " No!"

" They'll coming looking for me, they'll come looking for you!" Mulder
exclaimed, trying to reason with the woman.

" No!" She cried once more, " There are other ways."

Mulder heard the woman call out a name that he couldn't make out. From the
doorway behind the woman came a young boy. Looking him over,
Mulder realized, to his horror, that the boy was missing his left arm.
Surely she didn't mean that he would have to...

" No arm. No test," the woman stated tersely.

" You don't understand," Mulder said, exhausted and still in a lot of pain
from the test that he'd been subject to, " These tests... this vaccination scar
on your arm is some kind of tag. You have to help me escape, I'll help you
escape, and you have to help me get to St. Petersburg." The woman
stared at him, her face expressionless.

Just then, the door burst open, and the woman's husband returned carrying
a knife.

Mulder stared at it, not knowing what to expect from the tall intimidating
man that stood before him.

He spoke softly in Russian, and Mulder looked to the woman for an
explanation, but she offered none. Instead she jumped to her feet, yelling
hysterically in Russian. He was able to make out the word " America" but
nothing beyond that.

The Russian man, in one step, had moved towards his wife and struck her,
sending her falling to the floor. She cried out, but then became still,
sprawled out in a unconcious pile at Mulder's feet. He looked frightfully
at the Russian man who was yelling something at the one-armed boy. The boy
nodded quickly and ran off.

The Russian Man turned his head until his eyes rested on Mulder. " Get
up," he said, softly.

Mulder didn't move, still trying to piece together what was going on.

The Russian Man walked speedly over to Mulder and pounded his back with
his fist. Mulder's back arched, and his teeth clenched together, which
muffled his pain-filled cries. " I said, GET UP!" the man shouted.

Mulder obediently got up, and walked out the door as the man pushed him along.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
( Location Unknown. Present time )

Mulder awoke with a start. He was lying in the large King size bed in the
fancy room Krycek had made for him. Dressed only in black sweat pants,
Mulder still found himself drenched in sweat. He had been experiencing
flashbacks to the time where he was brought back into Tunguska. Closing his
eyes, Mulder recieved a clear picture of the horrible memory.

The Russian Man had pushed him along wordlessly, and Mulder had dared not
speak. In the distance he had heard a loud cry. Mulder hadn't been
able to figure out what could have caused a man to shout that loud, and at
that moment he had been too exhausted to care.

The two men walked in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Then,
suddenly, Mulder heard footsteps approaching them. As the steps grew nearer
the Russian Man had grabbed Mulder's arm and simply said, " I'm sorry."

That was when about 30 Russian guards had surrounded the two. Four of the
guards stepped forward, grabbing Mulder and dragging back into the
camp.

Mulder rubbed his eyes, and slowly pulled the white bed covers over him,
deciding that whatever "fun" plans Krycek had in store for him, he might as
well be rested.

The Krycek thing desturbed him. What did Krycek want with him? Why had he
kidnapped him? Who exactly did Krycek work for? Mulder
pondered these things until he fell asleep.

TO BE CONTINUED...

I Believed the Lie
Christina Ortega

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(Location undeterminable)

The Well-Manicured Man rubbed his hands together and watched as his breath
turned to smoke in the cold night air. He had been waiting for his
associate to show up. Whatever that man had, it better be good. He was
beginning to feel numb due to the frosty air.

At that moment Cancerman walked over to him from across the tree filled
park. The Well-Manicured Man sighed, " What excuse do you have for
being late this time?"

Cancerman shrugged, " None, actually. I simply wanted to see you wait."

The Well-Manicured Man was growing more irritated with the man than he had
ever been, but decided to let his feelings subside, " I've heard about
this business with Mulder. Where is he, and why hasn't he been found?"

" No one knows where he is. It's like he's vanished without a trace. No
one can find him, and believe me, we have units all over the US looking for
him."

" Could he have left the country?"

" Not likely. We have men posted at all area airports, and constant video
surveillance being run at all airports across the country. Nothing has come
up."

The Well-Manicured Man flushed with anger, " So, are you saying that he's
outsmarted us; that we don't have the power to control this situation."

" Not at all. I'm merely saying that we haven't located him as of now.
He'll turn up sooner or later."

" For your sake, it better be sooner," The Well-Manicured Man threatened.
He turned and walked away.

Cancerman watched his comrade disintigrate into the mist before taking a
cigarette from his pocket and taking a long refreshing puff.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
( Morning )

Knock. Knock.

Silence.

KNOCK. KNOCK.

Mulder heard the annoying banging on his door, and groggily called out: "
What?"

What he heard was even more irritating. It was at that moment that Fox
Mulder found himself faced with an even bigger dilemma than being trapped in
an unknown location with Alex Krycek: Being trapped in an unknown location
with Alex Krycek who was, no doubt, a morning person.

" Aw, Mulder, aren't you up yet? It's almost 6:00am, and we have such a
wonderful day ahead of us!" Krycek innocently exclaimed from the other
side of the door.

** Little annoying bastard ** Mulder murmured, reluctantly rolling out of
the warm bed and onto the cold wooden floor. Groaning, he forced himself
to stand and walk over to the door, " What'll be wonderful about it?"

Mulder heard Krycek chuckle before replying: " Mulder, you're such a poor
sport. C'mon, get ready, and maybe we can relive some of those days
when we were partners! It'll be fun!"

" You want to go tracking down people that haven't slept in 24 years??"
Mulder sarcastically remarked.

Krycek shrugged on the other side of the door, " Sure, why not?"

Mulder cursed under his breath and began searching for some clothes. What
he found didn't exactly please him...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
( Later that morning )

Krycek sat silently at the large glass dining room table in his grey suit
and dark read tie. He was trying to think of what he actually wanted to do with
Mulder. Now that he had kidnapped him, what exactly did he want? He had
thought of just beating the shit out of him, but that wouldn't be much fun.
He'd most likely have to clean up all the blood.

Then, Krycek had thought of rape, but he had quickly dismissed that idea.
No matter what all those Russian perverts believed, he was not
homosexual, and just the thought of having sex with another man sent
chills up his spine. Then what? ** That outfit I got for him was a good start **
Krycek thought with a smile as he watched Mulder enter the room... wearing
a charcol suit. In addition to the suit Mulder was wearing a charcol tie...
with little pink pigs all over it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
( Outdoors at around noon )

"... and so I got this wooden arm and have worn it ever since."

Mulder glanced once again at the fake arm and stifled a laugh, " It looks
awful."

" Thank you. I think so, too," Krycek replied tersely.

Mulder studied Krycek for a moment, wiped the sweat from his brow, pulled
down on the grey sweatshirt he was wearing, and continued to pull
weeds out of the fertile ground, " So really, Krycek, what do you want?
Why did you take me out of Tunguska?"

" What do you mean? I have you doing something. You're weeding," Krycek
replied. He was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and blue jeans. His
infamous leather jacket was draped over his right shoulder.

Mulder sighed, " Whatever you plan to do with me you might as well just
tell me what it is."

" Did you know that Cancerman is looking for me? He's trying to kill me!"

" I know that," Mulder replied, annoyed, " Stop changing the subject. What
are you going to do with me?"

" Do you have a preference?"

" I prefer fast death over slow, so if you do kill me, do it quick."

Krycek grinned stupidly, and after five seconds the grin turned into
laughter. Soon, Krycek was laughing hysterically, clutching his side.
Mulder just
glared at him, confused.

Finally, Krycek regained control, " You think I'm going to kill you?"

" Hell yeah. Why wouldn't you? I'd kill you."

" That's the difference between you and me, Mulder. I wouldn't hurt a fly."

Mulder smirked, " Yeah right. You, Krycek, the murdering sonofabitch
ratboy, wouldn't hurt a fly."

" That's right. I actually plan to get you back to the USA, then you can
go get together with that partner of yours, what's her name, Scully."

Mulder just stared at him, not sure if Krycek was just fooling with his
head. He appeared serious!

Krycek motioned for Mulder to follow him, " C'mon," he began to walk away;
Mulder following him. Krycek stopped suddenly and turned back
towards Mulder, " Ratboy?"

" You look like a Ratboy. Especially with that stupid-ass haircut." Mulder
replied, curtly. Krycek shrugged, and the two continued in silence.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
( FBI headquarters, 1 week later AD Walter Skinner's office)

" Sit down, Agent Scully."

Scully did as she was told. Mulder had been missing for more than two
weeks, and she was really beginning to get scared. Where could Mulder be,
and was he alright?

" Agent Scully, still no word from Agent Mulder?"

" No, sir."

" Well, we're all starting to get worried, Scully, and I'm ordering a full
investigation," Leaning closer to Scully, Skinner added, " We will find him.
Mulder is strong."

" I know, sir," Scully replied. She felt her eyes begin to fill up with
tears, and quickly excusing herself, she ran to the nearest bathroom and
let the tears
that she had been holding in for the past weeks flow freely.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
( That night, Apartment of Fox Mulder )

Scully parallel-parked her car at the side of Mulder's apartment building
and exited her vehicle, intending to just walk around Mulder's apartment:
maybe find something that she had missed.

After riding up the creaky elevator, Scully slowly, almost mournfully,
unlocked Mulder's door and entered, silently closing it behind her.

Suddenly, Scully stopped. She heard breathing. She wasn't alone.

Pulling her gun, Scully tip-toed into the living room. Nothing seemed out
of order. Then, she heard it. There was a rustling coming from the other side
of the apartment. She silently crept closer to the noise, gun still drawn,
her grip harder than before.

Making her way over towards the noise, she heard footsteps coming in her
direction. Positioning herself, she jumped from behind a wall and pointed
her gun straight at...

Mulder. He stuck his hands up in alarm and froze when he realized who the
gun belonged to. Scully, too, was in shock, and the two seemed to stick in
the exact same position for what seemed like forever.

Scully broke the silence after withdrawing her gun, " How could you?"

Mulder continued to stare at her. How could he do what??

" How could you just take off like that!? Damn it, Mulder, you scared me
to death, and now Skinner even has people looking for you! Where did you
go that made it so important not to tell anyone? Where the hell were you
anyway?" Scully yelled, raging with anger at the man that stood before her.

Mulder simply stared. What could he say? " I've been in Tunguska."

" Tunguska, Russia? What were you doing? Why didn't you tell me you were
going? You scared the hell out of me, Mulder!"

" They kept me prisoner. Krycek... he saved my life, Scully. I probably
would have been in there forever," Mulder explained.

Scully's face softened. She couldn't stay mad. She was just so happy he
was back, " Why didn't you tell me?" Her face took on an expression of
guilt, " Was it about that conversation after Harry Spuler died?"

Mulder looked at her, puzzled, " Who?"

" Harry Spuler. I wasn't hiding the truth from you, Mulder. I just... I
just didn't want to give in to the fact that my cancer is really... it's...
I don't know,
but it's weakened me in a way. I just didn't want to feel inferior,"
Scully admitted, once again feeling tears stream from her eyes as she
watched to see
how Mulder would react.

Mulder was confused. Harry Spuler? Cancer? Scully has cancer? That's not
possible, is it? " What's going on, Scully? I-I don't know what you're
talking about."

Now it was Scully's turn to be confused. What did Mulder mean? " Mulder,
why did you go to Tunguska?"

" Scully... how long have I been missing?"

Uh oh. This wasn't a good sign, " You've been gone for almost 3 weeks."

3 weeks? " Scully, I've been in Tunguska for more than a few months.
Didn't you notice that I was missing?"

A few months? " Mulder, that's impossible! You- You've only been gone for
about 3 weeks. We just finished the Spuler case. You were mad at me.
We even," Scully's voice grew soft, " fought. You have to remember it, Mulder!"

Mulder shook his head. A wave of sadness rushed over him, and finally the
lonliness he felt at Tunguska and the pain of not having Scully was too
much to bear, and he let himself break down and sob.

Scully welcomed Mulder into her embrace, and they stood in that position;
in eachother's arms, for what seemed like an eternity.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
( A dark room, early the next morning)

A man wearing a white medical outfit wrote some calculations onto a chart.
The door to the room opened, and a second man entered dressed in a
charcol suit.

The man with the chart looked at the man that had just recently entered, "
He has returned?"

" Yes," The second merely replied.

A third man joined the others, " Then our work is done?"

From behind a desk, a fourth man walked forward, " No. We must keep our
guard up. `They' know we exist, now, and we have to make sure that
the truth gets out before `They' can send someone to destroy us."

Looking at eachother, it can be easily noticed that all four men look
exactly the same. Behind the man with the chart stands a large container
filled with
a green liquid. Farther back are many large tanks filled with water, each
containing one human hooked up to many moniters.

The third man held up a file, and opening it, the label be read: Mulder,
William Fox

There is a picture of Fox Mulder within the file,and all 4 men look at it,
smiling as they realize that they are exact duplicates of him.

Continuing to grin, the men look at eachother and chanted in one voice, "
He is me."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The end? Or is it just the beginning? Well, I'll say end for now.

Ya like it? Ya don't like it? Inform me! Oh yeah, I'm at Rkacat@aol.com