Night Terror: The Other Side

Date: Wed, 03 Jun 1998

TITLE: Night Terror: The Other Side

AUTHOR: Tanya Larissa Chang

DISCLAIMER: The X-Files and associated characters included within this
work of fiction belong to Chris Carter, Ten-Thirteen Productions, and
the Fox Network. No infringement is intended.

RATING: PG

CLASSIFICATION: SA

SUMMARY: Mulder becomes imprisoned by a man set on revenge against
both Mulder and Scully.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This story is a companion piece to "Night Terror" which
was written with a focus on Scully's feelings. "The Other Side"
explores the same time frame and incidents, but from another
perspective. While both stories can stand on their own, this one might
be easier to understand if you've read "Night Terror" first. This is my
first attempt at writing a companion piece to anything, and I also
realize that this is not a "mainstream" type of X-file fanfic, so please
be gentle with your feedback. Thanks. - TLC [98/06/02]

=============================
NIGHT TERROR: THE OTHER SIDE
=============================
by Tanya Larissa Chang

Mulder couldn't remember how he had gotten here, wherever "here" was.
There was something not quite right about this place, and yet, hard as
he tried, he just couldn't get his mind around even the simplest
thoughts. He had to focus, and for the hundredth time he reminded
himself again who he was. "Fox William Mulder, special agent with the
X-files Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Washington,
DC. I was born October 13, 196...? 19...?" Damn! Why couldn't he
remember?

Hot... It was so hot. He was sure he had never before experienced such
sweltering heat, but then comfort seemed a distant and impossible memory
as much as anything now. All that there was was this burning presence
which surrounded him. For the longest time, Mulder had been afraid to
open his eyes since this surely had to be Hell, and he had always feared
as a child that something he might do would land him here. He wished he
had Scully's faith that all creatures would be welcomed into God's
kingdom, a haven and heaven for even the lowliest of low: the FBI's most
unwanted.

Wait! He was starting to remember... Only bits and pieces of some life
almost completely alien to him, but with the images there was a face,
the beauty of which was only marred by the look of worry.

He remembered Scully, his partner.

They had known each other for a long time, and he trusted her. There
was no one else on earth (wherever that might be now) whom he trusted
more. Maybe if he opened his eyes he'd find that all this was just a
nightmare and that she'd be right there by his side, always there to
hold his hand and keep him in line so that no one else could criticize
and hurt him.

It had seemed an eternity since he had last opened his eyes and he found
at this moment that it took all his strength and courage. How long had
he been in this darkness, knowing only the burning heat and the sound of
crackling thunder in his ears? If he had been able to, he would have
covered his ears for what little amount of comfort that might have lent
him, but he was chained with heavy iron shackles and could only move
enough to find yet another equally uncomfortable kneeling position. His
arms hurt, his back ached, and his legs had cramped long ago.

Slowly, painfully, bright light found its way past his opening lids and
he squinted against it. If he had been able to judge time, he might
have guessed that it was taking an eternity before he could finally open
his eyes enough to take in his surroundings.

What he saw was not worth the effort except that it was a change from
the nothingness of before. All around him glowed orange and yellow, the
way he imagined it might look if he could have placed himself at the
very heart of a flame. He could see now that he was not alone here, but
the other people - were they people? - in this place were just as
surreal as the surroundings. The ghostly figures walked in a
trance-like state, all heading their respective ways. Many appeared to
give him a wide berth, but some ventured close by.

He watched in rapt and morbid curiosity as the faces of the spectres
passed by. He was suddenly surprised to see that one of the ghostly
entities was heading directly towards him and, although he wanted to
run, he couldn't. He wondered what the ghost's intent was, but, just as
he thought it would collide with him, the figure passed right through
him, filling him with the sense of a tranquil breeze. It only lasted an
instant, but it was a gift from somewhere, giving him just an ounce of
hope among all the despair. He was going to find a way out of this
place, but he was going to need help.

Mulder closed his eyes again and concentrated past the heat and the
blazing orange wall before him. He now remembered that he had been
chasing someone. He had followed the man to a barn where the pursuit
had led them to a hayloft. But Mulder had only just barely registered
what was around him when he had been blind-sided by the force of a
pitchfork. He had heard his partner call out his name, but then the
darkness had enveloped him and, the next thing he knew, he had woken up
here.

Now he felt a sudden weight pushing down on him and he opened his eyes
sharply as he realized what had happened. At one point, he had known
how he had arrived here, but he had grown so tired that he had forgotten
everything until now. At that moment when he had slipped into
unconsciousness, Mulder had seen the horrific events which had led to
his current situation. The man who he had been pursuing (his name had
been Adam Travis) had sworn before him and to Scully that they hadn't
seen the last of him. Then, with a ferocity that could only be
attributed to pure evil, he had flung himself off the hayloft to his
death, a wire noose nearly severing his head completely from his body.
It was at that moment that Mulder had seen a great flash and realized
with a fear so intense he could never describe it that Travis's spirit
had somehow invaded his body. In his own weakened state, Mulder could
not fight back, and so he determined to do all that he could to rebuild
his strength and reclaim what was his.

The deafening sounds around him seemed to fade at the realization and
Mulder looked around to see what might have caused this sudden relief.
There, as in a dream, he could see a figure, more real than any of the
wispy souls to which he had now become accustomed. She was beautiful
even as the look of confusion and concern wrinkled her brow. This
vision before him was to be his saving grace... She had to be. He
called out Scully's name and now remembered that he had gone through
this exact scenario several times before without success. But this time
was different. This time she turned her head towards him, and their
eyes met.

In that moment, Mulder remembered all that this woman was to him. To
call her his partner wasn't enough. She was his friend, and the one
person who truly believed in him. It didn't matter that she didn't
always agree with him and that she sometimes (well, most of the time)
questioned his theories, because she had faith in Fox Mulder, the human
being. He regretted now so many moments when he had ignored her or
dumped her or simply failed to show his appreciation for her. He took
her for granted when she was truly his guardian angel. Any other woman
be damned; Scully was the one he couldn't live without. If not for her,
he surely would have been dead long ago, whether by some evil force or
by his own pathetic hand.

But now she was here, and he had to make her understand what had
happened to him. But how could he explain so that she would believe
him? It seemed impossible even to him that someone had been capable of
taking over his body, but when he had last seen Scully as she sat by his
bedside hoping his head injury was not too severe, he had known. He had
watched from an out-of-body vantage point and seen the evil in his own
eyes as Adam Travis watched Scully with only one thing on his mind:
revenge.

Somehow Travis had continued to function as Fox Mulder without drawing
too much suspicion, but perhaps that was because he had escaped back to
Virginia, leaving Scully to take care of all the loose ends back in
Washington State. If he concentrated hard enough, the real Mulder could
follow the actions and thoughts of the man who controlled him, but he
was powerless in this spirit world to do anything about it. He needed
an ally in corporeal form, and that was why it was so important that he
speak to Scully now as she wandered so close, yet in a dream state. She
had told Mulder on many occasions of messages she had been given from
spiritual visions she had witnessed, but he had always brushed them off
as fatigue and overwork just as she sometimes tried to brush off his
theories of extra-terrestrial beings and government conspiracies as wild
and fanciful. The only difference was that she would try to understand
whereas he would stop listening. Now he had to believe that this vision
before him was really Scully, and that she would understand that her
dreams were more than real.

"Scully." His voice was weak even to his own ears, as though he had not
used it for decades, but somehow Scully heard his cry and rushed to his
side knowing, perhaps, that this meeting could be their last.

"Mulder, who did this to you?"

Mulder winced as she touched his forehead. He had been concentrating so
hard on trying to sort out all his confusion, and had been so annoyed by
the incessant heat, that he hadn't realized the extent of his bodily
injuries until now. It was odd how the body could suffer in such a
three-dimensional way even in a spirit world. He now saw that he was
covered in bruises, gashes and blood, and he ached all over. But seeing
Scully's face helped to ease the pain. He wished he could lift his
hands against these shackles just to touch her, but that would have been
a luxury he couldn't afford even if he had been allowed it.

"Scully, he's here." Speaking was taking all his energy and he could
sense an approaching presence. He felt as though he were being crushed,
but he knew the feeling would only last long enough for him to feel he
would surely die. Then he'd be left alone again, to recuperate only
enough so that the torture might begin again.

Scully's eyes were filled with tears, but, admirably, she fought to keep
them under control. Mulder respected this woman so much more knowing
that she was braving this lucid nightmare for him.

"Who's here?" she asked, glancing quickly about, wanting to see what
Mulder could see.

Mulder saw a black shadow approaching just behind Scully and he began to
fear that she might get caught in this hell if she didn't leave soon.

"Mulder... who's here?" she asked again, more urgently.

Mulder grabbed Scully's wrist and drew her close. She was his last and
only hope. What could he say to her now? "Trust me only in your
dreams," he whispered finally, and then she was flung aside by the
monster who was Adam Travis. Mulder screamed as the pain enveloped him
again, leaving him once again in a state of utter hopelessness.

*****

Travis considered breaking down the door to Dana Scully's apartment, but
if anyone were to hear the noise, he would never have a chance to avenge
his own death. His body had met a violent end because of Agents Mulder
and Scully, but thanks to a strange turn of supernatural events, his
soul had somehow entered Mulder's body and been allowed to continue on.
He could tell that Mulder was still somewhere in this mind that he now
controlled, but the presence was so weak as to be only an annoyance.
Mulder's weakened state would give Travis enough time to eliminate Agent
Scully and then discard this body. He'd die in peace, knowing his
revenge had been complete.

He knocked on the door several times, checking the hallway to make sure
none of the neighbours woke up. He knocked again and then heard the
sound of chains and locks being released. Scully opened the door,
looking sleepy but still radiant. Travis wondered for a moment what it
would be like to have his way with her - to touch every inch of her body
- but he pushed those carnal wants aside for his needs.

"Mulder, what are you doing here?" the petite redhead asked as she let
Travis into her apartment.

He walked past her and stood with his back to her so that she wouldn't
see in his eyes that this was not the Mulder she knew.

"Mulder, what's wrong? Why are you here?"

Travis stood there, frozen for just a moment. The room started spinning
around him and he wondered briefly where he was. He looked down at his
hands, disoriented... but they weren't his hands. No, these hands were
better because they were the hands of the man he hated more than anyone,
and they were the hands that would kill the woman who now waited for
some kind of answer. He remembered again who he was and why he was in
this apartment, and he turned to face Mulder's partner. His eyes were
filled with fire and rage, and he knew Scully could see right through
him. This woman was definitely someone special, and it would be his
pleasure to see her die.

Scully's instincts were sharp, and she pulled her gun without any doubt
that there was something very wrong with the man she had first thought
was her partner. "Don't move."

How could she be so certain that she was not wrong to pull a gun on her
partner? Travis realized that he had to behave differently to earn her
trust. He looked at Scully and forced his anger back to a deeper part
of his mind... Mulder's mind. His features softened and he spoke just
above a whisper, hoping to convince Scully that he was someone else,
someone she knew. "Dana, it's me... Mulder."

There was a brief glimpse of confusion, but the FBI agent stood her
ground. "Don't get any closer or I'll shoot," she warned, backing
towards the kitchen.

Travis knew she wanted to call for help, but the only person who could
help her now was trapped in a place where only Travis could get to him
and he wanted to laugh aloud. Ah! The pleasure of it all. After he
had his way with Dana Scully, Travis would let Mulder see through his
own eyes at the broken body of his partner. Then he could feel the
guilt of having been the vessel by which this woman had died.

Travis lowered his voice. "You wouldn't shoot me, Dana. It's Mulder...
Your friend."

Suddenly, Travis saw a blinding flash as some unknown force broke
through to his subconscious. God, he had never felt such a force before
even in all his own madness, and try as he might, he could not ignore
the presence that pushed on his every thought.

As he refocused on the woman before him, he saw her move as in slow
motion and he reached behind his own back for the gun which he knew was
there, the weapon which would destroy these people who had led him to
his death.

He felt the warmth of the gun in his hand and brought it forth,
releasing the safety, but before he could squeeze the trigger, he felt a
fiery blast tear through his shoulder. The gun flew from his grip and a
second shot rang out as the weapon hit the wall behind him.

Travis fought to scream, but something had a hold of his mind... no,
Mulder's mind. It was Mulder, but how? It was as though he was being
torn into a million pieces, and then all he could see was a blazing
inferno which engulfed him. As his spirit was consumed in flames,
Travis screamed one last time for an eternity, but no one was there to
hear.

*****

"Mulder?"

Scully's voice broke through Mulder's haze and he could only think that
it sounded like a choir of angels. Despite the excruciating pain his
shoulder and the burning sensation behind his eyes, Mulder felt
wonderfully alive and there was a warmth and a sense of relief in his
eyes where there had been fire only moments ago. Mulder grinned weakly
at his partner and was rewarded with a few tears. Scully tried to hold
them back, but Mulder knew they were there and he was glad for it.

Pain shot through his arm as he tried to move, but it was a good pain
because it was proof that he was back among the living.

"I'm glad you're a better shot than I am," he whispered as he closed his
eyes again.

Mulder thought of all the things that he wanted to tell Scully once his
shoulder was on the mend, but for the moment he chuckled as he thought
about what would happen the next day.

"What are you laughing about?" Scully asked softly as she smoothed
Mulder's hair from his eyes.

Mulder opened his eyes and looked again at this woman who had saved him
not just this time, but countless times before. "I was just thinking,"
he said with another soft laugh.

"What?"

"Shooting me once was bad enough. How are we ever going to explain
this?"

Scully let herself smile at the thought. "We'll think of a way," she
replied.

And there was no doubt that, together, they would.

THE END