Title: Sizzle Summary: Mulder and Scully encounter meteroites and rattlesnakes on a desert reservation. Fun times abound. Spoilers: None, this is early first season. Read that twice. This is very early season one. Early. Category: S, A, MT, UST and Scully on a motorcycle Rating: PG tops. Very clean. Disclaimer: Go ahead, arrest us. We've done it again. But this is so early on in the series that we didn't really mess with the mythology or anything, not even romance. So, why not give us a break, if we promise not to make any money off it? Thank yous and neat stuff: Sally first: "I had a dream.....ah no, actually that's not true. It was just an idea, but it needed a plot so I wrote to Vickie and guess what? She had the plot. So we combined the two and now you have Sizzle. But nothing comes for free and Vickie made me work for this. She encouraged me to go in new directions, but not without a compass. She was always there guiding, and suggesting ways I could find information on topics I knew nothing about. Thankyou Vickie. And thanks to Ten who towards the end when the doubts set in said, "You can do it, I've got faith in you." Thanks guys." Vickie's turn: Well, St. Vickie, here. Honestly, I had this story lying around on my harddrive since 95 and it was getting seriously moldy. Then, Sally writes me that she wanted to do a desert story, but didn't have a plot. TaDa! Instant plot! But toward the end, my job actually starting requiring 'work' out of me and I sort of fizzled. I knew Sally would come through and finish the story. I think it came out pretty darned good, if I do say so myself. Of course, we ran it past a few people, Ten, Susan, and Jenniferanne and thanks to all of them for their help. You guys are the greatest! We say some more stuff at the end, but for now, on with the story. Comments to: Sally Bahnsen bahnsen@alphalink.com.au and Vickie Moseley vmoseley@fgi.net We love comments. We frame the really nice ones Vickie Come visit my web page, brought to you by the fabulous Shirley Smiley! http://vickiemoseley.freeservers.com "When you start, you make certain choices, and those choices accumulate and create a number of [other] choices. The story starts to tell itself, and that's been very exciting in a way. There's so much that has come and been told that you are, in a way, a slave to the facts you've created, and it's a really fun way to tell stories. That's not to say it's simplified. In fact, it becomes complicated, but it all starts to make sense, and that's been a really wonderful thing." Quote from Chris Carter on development of The X Files Sizzle by Sally Bahnsen bahnsen@alphalink.com.au and Vickie Moseley vmoseley@fgi.net disclaimer in part 00 Arizona Painted Desert March 30, 1992 Four teenage boys in a beat-up truck skidded to a halt in the middle of the Arizona desert. Laughing, and each brandishing a fifth of whiskey, they trudge off the road and into the open countryside. One boy, a little taller and somewhat older than the other three, calls out that he will catch up. He bends down to examine a small white flower, too delicate for the desert. The flower appears to be growing out of a piece of glass. The boy reaches out and picks the flower, brings it up to his nose and smells its aroma. He is about to put a petal into his mouth when a scream from one of the other boys causes him to stop and look up. Shoving the flower in his pocket, he runs off in the direction of the others. One of the other flowers is crushed beneath the heel of his boot as he runs. FBI Headquarters Washington DC April 3, 1992 8:35 am Dana Scully wove her way past the stacks of boxes and crates, through the narrow hallway. It was an obstacle course just getting to the office, she thought to herself. The door was partway open, but the lights were off. This did not stop her from calling out "Mulder?" as she pushed the door open. "Right here, in the dungeon," came the reply from across the room. Mulder was looking intently at a slide projected on the screen at the far end of the room. "It would be less of a dungeon if you would occasionally turn on the lights," Dana shot back. "Ouch!" she added as she ran her knee into an open file drawer. "Dungeon is an accurate description!" "I am doing my part to save taxpayers dollars, Scully. Besides, you can't see the slides with the lights on. Come here and look at this." He was circling an area on the screen with a light pencil stroke. "What is that, the desert?" Scully asked. "Very close, it's an Indian Reservation about 15 miles north of Painted Desert National Park. Notice anything unusual?" "Mulder, I've only seen the Painted Desert in books. Everything in the picture looks unusual," Scully replied dryly. "Oh, that's right. A Navy brat wouldn't have much use for a region with only 2 inches of rainfall a year. But look right here in this corner. Now you have to notice something!" Dana scowled at the corner. It looked like the rest of the slide--sand, a few sparse plants, a lizard--nothing that wasn't thought to be in a desert. Then, suddenly, she saw what he was referring to. In the shadow of a rock, there was a glint of light right next to a desert flower. "That glint. But that's not that unusual. It could be silicon, or obsidian. Or a tab from a beer can, for that matter." Scully straightened and crossed her arms. "Not exactly X-file material, Mulder. Even you have to admit that." "Except, Scully, look at this." Mulder clicked in a new slide. It was of a different area, all the rocks were different and the vegetation was a different color. And in the middle of the picture was another glint of light and another desert flower. This time, however, it looked like the flower was growing out of whatever was reflecting the sun. "I've never know obsidian to support plant life. But then, I once knew an entire fraternity who lived for weeks off beer cans." "Mulder, I hardly think a flower growing out of a piece of metal is a punishable offense. Exactly why is this something the Bureau should get involved with, since I know that's where you're headed with this," Scully said, bracing herself for the worst. It seemed at these times that she was more of a den mother than a partner--trying to make sure the scout didn't glue himself to a table. "We'll have to ask the Bureau of Indian Affairs for that one, Scully," Mulder smiled in satisfaction. "They're the ones who sent the slides and asked for our assistance." He switched the slide and showed four cattle, apparently dead. "They've been losing cattle left and right during the last week and just two days ago a teenager from the reservation came up sick." "So why call us?" Scully asked. "It sounds like a job for either the EPA or Centers for Disease Control." "Apparently someone out there has heard of us. They requested our section by name. And we," he added triumphantly, "are going to spend a couple of days in the gloriously warm southwest and out of this ice-box! Don't ya just love this job?" he added, patting her arm. The flight to Arizona was quiet, if a bit cramped. "I don't mind standby, but this is tax-saving too far," Mulder grumbled as they followed the long line to the baggage claim. "Taxes have nothing to do with, I'm afraid," answered Scully. "I overheard one of the attendants saying that a third of the pilots are out sick. The entire east coast has the flu. Over half the clerical staff at the office are out with it. You would know that if you ever climbed out of the basement and looked around." "If over half the secretaries have the flu, I think I was pretty smart to STAY in the basement!" muttered Mulder. The small town on the edge of the reservation looked like a ghost town waiting to happen. The one main street had every other building vacant and boarded up. The cars, except for their rental, were of 70's vintage, and not because they were collector's items. It was a quiet and somewhat depressing sight. The motel was a single story affair at the north end of the main street. Parking was on the main street. As Dana waited for Mulder to unlock the trunk and give her the luggage, she casually looked around. "Oh, my God," she muttered in surprise. "I don't believe it!" She immediately started toward the other side of the street. Mulder, who was left holding the bags, was obviously confused and a little concerned. "Scully, where are you going?" By this time, Scully was all but running across the little two lane road and calling someone by name. Mulder couldn't make out what she was saying, but was close on her heels when a young woman in a white lab coat twirled around. It was obvious that she heard Scully's call and the look of recognition on her face was replaced by a huge, warm smile. "Dee! Dee Scully, is that really you?" The two were hugging and laughing when Mulder caught up. "I don't believe this! What in the world are you doing here?" the young woman asked. She was about Dana's age and size, her blond hair streaked by the sun and a healthy tan on her cheeks. "I want to know what YOU are doing here!" Dana demanded. "I thought you were assigned to Nome, Alaska or something." "Well, I was, but then I heard they needed someone in Arizona. It was a real hard decision mind you--12 months of snow and ice or 12 months of sunshine. I must've lost 15 seconds of sleep over it." They both laughed. "But Dee, what are you doing out of that fortress in DC. Did you finally wake up and escape the Fibbies?" "Actually, the 'Fibbies' have ventured forth," Mulder said over his partner's shoulder. "I guess you have contacts among the locals, huh, Scully?" "Oh, Mulder, I'm sorry," Dana said apologetically. "Annie," she said to the young woman, "meet Special Agent Fox Mulder, my partner. Mulder, this is my roommate from medical school, Annie Sullivan." "Pleased to meet you," Mulder said. "I'll leave you two to chat. I have some pressing business," he said, holding up both bags. "Oh, Mulder, let me help you," Dana started to insist, but was stopped by Mulder shaking his head. "Scully, it doesn't take two of us to check in. Stay. Talk. I'll be back with your key in a couple of minutes." With that, he hefted the bags onto his shoulders and headed back across the street. Annie stared after him and smiled. "So, Dee, do you get to pick your partners out of a line up or did you just get incredibly lucky?" "Annie!" Dana exclaimed. "You haven't changed one bit! But watch out, Mulder is taken." "Ahh, married?" the disappointment was thick in her voice. "In a way," Dana answered, watching Mulder struggle to hold both bags and open the door to the office of the motel. "He's married to his work." "Worst kind." Annie said, shaking her head. "And a darn shame, too. I like the way he walks away." Dana shoved her in the shoulder and both women laughed. "Well, the least I can do is make dinner for the two of you." She reached into her pocket, took out a pen and a notepad and scribbled. "My house is just down the road, 1.3 miles, on the right. You can't miss it." She impulsively hugged Dana again. "God, I just don't believe it! I'll see you at 6:00, OK?" Scully caught up with Mulder in the office. He was hanging up the pay phone. He saw her puzzled look. "I wasn't able to get hold of the BIA. They close at 4:30, so we'll have to run over first thing in the morning." "All right. Oh, by the way, we've been invited to Annie's for dinner. Six o'clock." Mulder glanced at his watch. "Just enough time for a run." "Mulder, it is 110 out here! You can't be serious!" Dana said in disgust. "Scully, you're soft! No stamina." "Oh, yeah," she retorted. "Well don't come crying when your brain is fried like an egg on a sidewalk. I'll scrape you off the floor about 20 till 6." Annie's house was a small four room clapboard with a porch across the front. She greeted them at the door with large glasses of lemonade. The house was neat and pleasant inside and delicious smells floated out of the back, where the kitchen was. "Make yourself at home," she said. "For that matter, Dee, I bet you recognize most of this stuff. It was in our dorm." She disappeared through French doors into the kitchen and returned carrying a small silver tray. "Stuffed mushrooms, just like you like 'em" Scully scooped up a mushroom and popped it into her mouth. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. "Annie, I've really missed you!" she sighed. "Yeah, right!" Annie laughed. "You missed my cooking! Well, wait till I serve the main course. I thought a little coq au vin appropriate for the occasion." Sensing Mulder's questions, but not bothering to open her eyes, Scully explained. "Annie studied at the Cordon Bleu before she decided on medicine. My first semester rooming with her I gained 15 pounds. It took the next three years to work it off, but it was worth every second of it!" "Now I see why you were so anxious to get to dinner on time tonight," Mulder mumbled around a mushroom. Annie, sipping her lemonade and popping mushrooms into her mouth like peanuts, sat in a wicker rocker. "So, is it a matter of national security that brings you here, or do you just like to count rattlesnakes?" "Do you work for the reservation?" Mulder countered, successfully avoiding the question she had posed. "I work for the state, but I work with the reservation," Annie replied. "I am one of those 'indentured servants'. I work in under served areas for 6 years and the loan sharks don't come and take my firstborn, if I ever have one. I'm on staff at the hospital here in town, and I also have a clinic at the res." She rocked for a minute "and I guess it must be a matter of national security or you'd tell me why you're here. Am I right?" "You're mistaking us for the CIA," Mulder said smiling. "We 'investigate'." "So, what are you investigating?" Annie asked, still sipping her drink. "In your work at the reservation, have you heard anyone talk about a meteor falling in the desert?" Mulder asked. "Yeah, it was a big rock. Fell out of the sky. Just like that. So how come you answer every question with a question?" Annie asked, a bit annoyed. "Do I?" Mulder asked, still smiling. "Dee, I have to hand it to you. If he wasn't your partner, I would have killed him by now!" Annie exclaimed. Then, she quickly recovered. "OK, Mr. Federal Bureau of Investigation, yeah, I heard tell of the meteor. It was the major topic of conversation for over a week. Sky falling and all that hocus-pocus. But that was over two months ago. You gonna tell me what you're doing here now or do I take the rest of the mushrooms back out to the kitchen." Her face was a determined smile as she reached for the tray. Scully opened her eyes and sat up. "Annie, the Bureau of Indian Affairs thinks there's something strange going on where the meteor fell. Apparently some livestock have died and recently some people have taken ill. Are you treating anyone that may have come in contact with the meteor?" "When did you get this call from BIA?" Annie asked pointedly. "It came in to the office two days ago," Mulder answered. "We were assigned to it yesterday." Annie got up from her chair. "This really takes the cake! I told them to call CDC and they call the FBI! No wonder the Indians have negative population growth rate--the BIA is trying to exterminate them!" "Annie, what are you talking about?" Dana asked. "OK, straight story. No games. A week ago, a few of the teenagers on the res decided to try to make a spirit journey. Except they had no idea what they were doing. But armed with a couple of fifths of Jack Daniels and very little common sense, they ventured into the desert in search of 'a spiritual experience.' Well, one of them stepped in a rattlesnake nest and was bitten pretty good. The other three, scared out of their wits, wake me out of a sound sleep. While I'm working on the snake bite, one of the other boys gets a headache. I hand him the bottle of ibuprofen and go back to work." "I finished with the first kid about half an hour later. He was cut up from the bites and a little sick from the venom, but he was OK. The second kid, the headache, was looking really bad. I took his temp. It was over 104 and he was throwing up his insides. I put him on an IV, started pumping antibiotics and stayed up with him the rest of the night. He was doing a little better in the morning, so I handed the chart over to the day shift and went home to collapse. When I called about 4:30 in the afternoon, he was in a coma. He died the next morning. Exactly 36 hours from the time of the headache." Annie stopped and stared off into space for a moment. "I called BIA and told them I had never seen anything like this, even in Alaska and that they should get CDC in here pronto. I took biopsies and blood work and shipped it off to the state university for testing." She looked at Mulder and Scully. "Apparently, somebody over there doesn't know the difference between a microorganism and a kidnapper." Mulder turned to Scully. "The rocks with the flowers." Dana shrugged her shoulders. "Is that some kind of weird code?" Annie asked, confused. "No, it's from some slides the BIA sent us. They were pictures of rocks with flowers growing out of them," Dana replied. "Dee, this is a desert. All the flowers grow out of rocks. There isn't any dirt to grow from. But what does this have to do with a meteor that fell two months ago? Have I missed something? What do you guys really investigate?" Mulder looked at her for a moment before answering. "OK, straight story. No games. We're here to investigate unexplained phenomenon. Lights in the sky, things that go bump in the night or glow in the dark. That meteor probably carried an organism from somewhere else, somewhere out in space. And it's deadly, from the sounds of it." Annie sat staring at them in complete amazement. "You mean my tax dollars are being spent to pay you guys to chase little green men?" "Only when a crime is involved," Scully was quick to add. "And we investigate to eliminate the possibility that there is a abnormal explanation." She shot a glare at Mulder. "I imagine the BIA think there may be more to this than it appears. But that also explains why we got the assignment. The Bureau wanted someone with medical experience." "Well, all I know is four kids went out into the desert. One almost died, and one did die. And I did everything I could think of to save him. I just want someone to tell me I didn't screw up and he died because of it." "If we're dealing with an extraterrestrial organism, I doubt you could have done anything to save the boy," Mulder said shaking his head. "Has anyone else come down with the same symptoms? Any of the other boys?" "Not yet, but that doesn't mean anything. I've looked through every book I own and I can't find anything like it. This organism may have a long incubation period. I'm keeping tabs on the three of them." Annie stood up and motioned them toward the kitchen. "Look, enough shop talk. I invited you to eat, so let's eat. Coq au vin waits for no one!" Half way through a dessert of white chocolate cheesecake drizzled with raspberry sauce, the phone rang. Annie excused herself, talked for a moment and came back to the table with her lab coat on and her keys in her hand. "Well, it looks like we have a case for you to look at, after all. That was the hospital. A forty year old man and his twelve year old daughter were just brought in. Headaches started about 5:00 this evening, fevers approaching 104. Looks like the same bug," she said grimly. "I'm heading over. You two are welcome to finish dessert and join me after I see if they're stable." "Mind if we just tag along, now?" Scully asked. "Frankly, I'd like to get a handle on it, first. Give me an hour or so. They aren't going anywhere and if they are in the same shape as the first boy, they aren't ready to answer questions, yet, anyway," she said as she headed for the door. "Look, if you really want to get the information straight from the horse's mouth, why don't you go over to the gas station and talk to the kids. One of them works over there and the other two hang out there all the time. That's where I always go to find them," Annie added. "I'll see you in an hour." And she was out the door and in her car before either of them could say a word. Mulder and Scully stood in the doorway as Annie's car did a u-turn in the middle of the road and peeled gravel as her Bronco sped toward town. "Well, I guess we go get the oil checked, eh Scully?" Mulder asked. Annie was right about the teenagers. Three teenage boys were sitting under a small awning at the only gas station in town. Mulder and Scully introduced themselves and showed their identification. The tallest boy in the group spoke first. "Whadda ya want with us? We didn't do anything!" The uniform shirt he wore showed his name Ed. "It's not like that, Ed," Mulder replied, trying to put the boys at ease. "We're just here to ask a couple of questions. I understand that you were with the boy who died three days ago." Ed looked hesitantly at his friends and finally nodded in agreement. "You guys went out to the desert?" Mulder asked. "Do you go out there often at night?" Ed was still uncomfortable doing all the talking, but neither of the other boys spoke up. Finally he answered, "Yeah, we went out to the desert. And we've been out there before," he stopped before adding, "but that was before that rock fell outta the sky! We ain't goin' back there, now, man! No way!" "Did you see the rock?" Mulder asked. One of the other boys, with a faint scar on his cheek, finally spoke up. "We didn't get close to the thing. It left a trail of junk for about a mile when it came down." "Yeah," agreed Ed. "And the weirdest thing is the flowers. These flowers are growing outta the pieces of junk. And they ain't like anything I ever seen before. My grandfather's an old healer and he never saw 'em before, either. He told us to stay away from them, the rocks and the flowers, that they were 'bad medicine' or something. But that didn't stop Mike." "Who is Mike?" Mulder interrupted. "Mike EagleFeather. The guy who died." Ed shook his head. "Mike thought the flowers were some kinda peyote or something. He was pickin' 'em when Dave here stepped in the rattler's nest." Scully was suddenly interested. "Did any of the rest of you touch those flowers?" "No way, man!" Ed replied and the others nodded enthusiastically in agreement. "We figured we'd stick to bottled peyote, if you catch my drift. Only Mike messed with them." Ed hesitated a minute. "We kinda figured that's what killed him--those flowers, I mean. It was the only thing he did different that night. And we've been drinking like that tons of times before. Nobody ever died over it," Ed added solemnly. "Would you be willing to take us out to the place you were that night?" Scully asked. "No way, man! That place is totally off limits as far as I'm concerned! I can draw you a map, if you want, but I wouldn't go messin' around it, if I were you." Ed grabbed a piece of paper towel and quickly charted a map of the local roads. He handed the map to Scully. Mulder pulled a card out of his wallet and handed it to Ed. "There's a pager number on this card. If you remember anything else about that night, will you let us know?" All three boys nodded yes. As they got into the car, Mulder considered the options. "Well, do we try to find flowers in the desert on a moonless night, or do we go to the hospital and see what we can get out of the latest victims?" "I think we'd be better off at the hospital," Scully replied. "Annie's a good doctor. I know she's found out some things by now that she didn't know with the first boy. And I want to take a look at the lab results from him. Besides, I don't think the meteor or the flowers are going to disappear. We can take a drive out there in the morning when there's light." "Works for me," Mulder said turning the car in the direction of town. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The hospital was small and not very modern. It took them no time at all to find Annie, her hair tied back and glasses perched on her nose, reading a chart at the nurse's station. She looked up as she heard their footsteps. "Dee, you gotta look at this," she said, handing over the chart and pointing to the middle of the page. "This patient is diabetic. What about it?" Scully asked. "No, he wasn't! Mike EagleFeather was as healthy as a horse! There was absolutely no history of diabetes in his entire family, either side! And look at the next page. I just got it from the coroner's office." "Cause of death: diabetic coma." Scully read out loud. "This bug attacks the pancreas! I gave Mike glucose in the IV--I was killing him and I didn't even know it. I could kick myself for not doing a 'stick' test here, myself, but I wasn't looking in that direction." Annie took the chart back. "But I'm a fast learner. I put the two that just came in on sterile water and insulin." "Have you got any lab equipment here?" Scully asked, looking around. "Yeah, but it's not too sophisticated. I still have to hunt down a rabbit to do a pregnancy test. What are you thinking?" Annie asked in return. "Well, I always liked lab better than you did. Would you let me see what I can come up with from the two patients you have now?" Scully asked sheepishly. Annie laughed and pointed across the hall. "Very diplomatic, Dr. Scully. You were the person who pulled me through lab. The room is yours. The candles for the microscope are in the top drawer. Knock yourself out!" Painted Desert Medical Center 3:15 am Dana Scully had been hunched over the lab's lone microscope so long that her back creaked when she stood up and stretched. She glanced at her watch and the lateness of the hour only made her realize how tired she was. But the slide under the 'scope would not let her rest. Scully had studied the blood sample drawn from the father and the young girl. As she watched, the cells were changing, white cells devouring red cells and then dying themselves. It was very interesting, but very confusing. In some respects, it explained the run away fever, but not the attack on the pancreas and the resulting diabetes. She was in a complete quandary and knew that only one thing would clear her mind--4 or 5 hours of sleep. She took off the borrowed lab coat, hung it on the back of the chair and left the room to search for Mulder. Mulder had been waiting to interview the forty-year-old man. Annie had agreed to let him see the patient when the older man's fever had leveled off at 100. The interview had only taken 10 minutes--that was all the time Annie would allow. But during the course of the conversation, Mulder was able to ascertain that neither the father nor the daughter had come into physical contact with the fragments of the meteor or the strange flowers. They did, however, live downwind of a range where several cattle had died in the last week. Mulder made a note to visit the ranchers in the area and inquire about the cattle in the morning. Once the interview was finished, Mulder found a quiet corner in the hospital and opened his brief case. Inside were all the files in the basement that had to do with meteors and strange occurrences. There were at least 50 files, some he knew very well and some he had only glanced at as he looked for similar circumstances. He now sat down and read each one thoroughly. Scully found him while he was finishing number 35 in his stack. "I don't know about you, but I am ready to call it a night--at least for a few hours," Scully said wearily as she sat down across from him at the table. Mulder took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yeah," he agreed, "I could use a few hours of sleep. And a large bottle of aspirin." "Headache?" Scully asked, trying not to sound alarmed. "Scully," Mulder said tiredly, "the human body can only take so much. I've been reading old files for the last 5 and a half hours and we've traveled over 2000 miles today. Mrs. Mulder's little boy has had a very busy day and his body is doing its best to let him know it's time to sleep. I really don't even need the aspirin. I just need sleep." He stood up and pulled her to her feet. "Come on, Annie left about an hour after Mr. Gooden stabilized. You can catch up with her in the morning. She'll be in at 8:30. If we leave now, that gives you 4 hours of sleep." Drive-on Inn Motel 7:30am Mulder opened his eyes, quickly closing them again as the sun's morning rays assaulted him through an inadvertent gap in the curtains. The previous night's headache was still thudding insidiously behind his eyes. Mulder rolled over onto his side, burying his head into the pillow and groaning. That quiet groan set off a chain of events in his body. A dry scratchy feeling burned at the back of his throat, followed by a tickle in his chest that soon erupted into a series of coughs. He could barely breathe through his nose at all it was so congested. "Oh God," he moaned himself, "I knew I shoulda stayed in the basement." He threw back the bed covers, swinging his legs over the side. He gave himself a few seconds, waiting for the pounding in his head to subside before making his way to the bathroom. The hot water and steam from the shower helped clear his head and sinuses. He took a couple of extra minutes, luxuriating in the warmth of the water beating down on his shoulders and back, relaxing stiff muscles. By the time he stepped out of the shower he was feeling almost human again. Mulder was just putting the finishing touches to his tie when there was a knock on the door. On opening the door he was greeted by the sight of his partner. She was dressed in a maroon suit and perfectly groomed, looking fresh and ready to meet the day. "How do you do that, Scully?" he asked cryptically. "Good morning to you, too, Mulder. And do what?" She asked in confusion. "How do you manage to look so bright eyed and bushy tailed after only four hours sleep?" He queried, closing the door and returning to the task of fixing his tie. "Mulder I have already had my first cup of coffee. It's no secret, you know, no mysterious x file." She tossed back at him while moving further into the room. "God Mulder, it's like the 'Bat Cave' in here," she accused and headed over to the curtains, pulling them apart. Mulder squinted at the sudden onslaught of brightness from the sun which reminded him none too kindly of the dull ache behind his eyes. He wasn't sure if it was the dust from the curtains, or the sun, but he was suddenly caught in a bout of sneezing, which soon grew into a full blown coughing fit. Scully peered at him through narrowed eyes, only really noticing for the first time the dark circles under bleary eyes. His haggard, drawn features. She was gripped in a sudden rush of fear as she thought back to the victims of this unidentified organism. "Mulder, are you feeling all right?" She asked unable to keep the growing concern out of her voice. It would just be Mulder's luck to catch this bug. "I think I'm getting a cold," he replied while reaching for a tissue to blow his nose. Warning bells were ringing in Scully's head as she recalled the symptoms of the patients back in the hospital. "Do you have a fever?" She asked, gently placing her hand on his forehead. "Scully I have a cold." He insisted, pushing her hand from his head as he spoke. "Is it any wonder? The majority of the East coast has the 'what-ever-Asian-Country-they-named-it-after-flu'. I, however have a common, garden variety, cold. See what happens when I come out of the basement. I always knew there was method in my madness," he pouted. On the face of it Mulder seemed to have a reasonable explanations. But she knew she would feel a lot more comfortable if she could run a blood test, just to make sure. It seemed like too much of a coincidence that Mulder should get sick in a town with an unknown deadly organism lurking in its midst. "Mulder I'd like you to come down to the hospital. I'll take some blood and run a couple of tests. It'll only take a few minutes, and then we'll know for sure that it's not something more serious." She looked him in the eye, trying to add strength to her argument, but in her heart she knew Mulder wasn't going to go with this. "Scully. I appreciate your concern, and I know you don't have a lot of live patients to practice on, but I am not going to the hospital for a cold. I have an appointment with the BIA, which I fully intend to keep." With that he gathered up his wallet and ID off the dresser and moved to the door. He held the door for Scully and bowing slightly at the waist, waved her through, "After you ma'am." Scully walked past and looked at him with a mixture of concern and annoyance. Once outside she seemed to come to a decision. "Okay Mulder. No hospital, but on one condition. We, and by that I mean -both- of us, get breakfast first. Deal?" She negotiated this knowing full well that if Mulder didn't eat now, he wouldn't give food another thought once he was caught up in the thrill of the chase. Mulder sighed in resignation. He figured it was a small sacrifice to make to stay away from the hospital. "Deal." He said, and flashed her one of his most charming smiles. Diner 8:30am The agents were seated at a table. Mulder had some of the files from the night before spread in front of him. The waitress arrived with coffee and filled their cups. "What'll it be?" She inquired, pencil poised above her note pad. Scully spoke up first, "I'll have some granola, yogurt and fruit salad. Oh and a regular orange juice, please." The waitress turned to Mulder expectantly. "Umm, coffee's fine thanks." He said absent mindedly, face still buried in one of the files. Scully's head shot up. "Mulder! Coffee does not constitute breakfast. Eat something or the deal's off." She turned to the waitress and placed an order for Mulder. "He'll have 2 eggs over easy, toast, a side order of hash browns and an orange juice." "And would that be a regular or large juice for your husband?" the waitress asked innocently. Mulder just looked at Scully, eyebrows raised in anticipation, wondering how she was going to handle that little blunder. Scully just sat there, mouth open, momentarily stuck for words. Mulder turned from Scully and addressed the waitress. "My wife usually lets me make that decision myself," he smiled. "I'll have a regular thank you." The waitress wrote down the order and headed back to the counter. Scully was staring down at her hands, fiddling with a napkin and smiling in embarrassment. Little patches of red glowed on her cheeks. She could see the funny side though and if she was honest with herself she could understand how the waitress would have jumped to that conclusion. She chose not to comment to her partner, instead she just looked at him, shaking her head in amusement. Breakfast arrived, but no matter how hard he tried Mulder just didn't have the appetite to eat it. He pushed the food around on his plate, the fork puncturing a hole in the egg yolk and sending a slow river of yellow trickling under the hash browns. The sight was enough to turn his stomach. Pushing his plate to the side he opted for the orange juice. It was cool and soothing on his raw throat and he regretted not having ordered a large. "So what do you think Scully? What's going on here?" He asked, placing the empty glass along side his plate. He reached for his files as Scully answered him. "I don't know Mulder. Previously healthy people, with no history of diabetes, presenting with flu-like symptoms, then slipping into a diabetic coma. We know this organism attacks the pancreas but not why. And this type of organism is something I have never seen before. It doesn't exist in anywhere I can find." Scully shook her head in frustration, "Hmmm, interesting." Mulder pondered. He pulled at his bottom lip as he considered what Scully had just said. "Mulder? You're not going to offer a theory?" Scully asked, leaning forward on the table. "I think it's extraterrestrial and somehow involves those flowers growing out of the rocks." He looked at Scully waiting for her to shoot down his theory. He wasn't disappointed. "Mulder that's a pretty big leap, even for you. We haven't even run any tests on those flowers or the rocks. We don't even know if those rocks are part of the meteor yet." She argued back. "That's what I intend to find out." He countered, then stood, indicating he was ready to leave. He glanced at his watch. "I'm gonna drop you at the hospital and head on down to the BIA, see if I can find the person who sent me these slides." He moved to the counter and paid the check. As the they headed out into the bright sunlight Mulder was seized by a bout of sneezing, which brought the forgotten headache to the forefront again. He groaned and rubbed at his eyes. Mulder felt a gentle hand on his arm and looked down to see the worried face of his partner. "You okay?" She asked softly. He hated it to cause her to worry like that. Hated it on one hand but enjoyed the fact that she cared enough to be worried on the other. "I'm fine Scully, the sneezing hurts my head but it's nothing I can't handle." Concern was bubbling in Scully's stomach and she tried to swallow it down when she spoke, "Mulder I'd feel a lot better if you got checked out at the hospital." "Hey, we had a deal, remember? Breakfast and no hospital. Now come on Scully or I'm gonna be late for the BIA." With that he unlocked the car, headed for the driver's side and climbed in. Scully sighed, remembering his plate of food that had hardly been touched. "Going through the motions of breakfast doesn't really count, Mulder," she murmured to herself, before joining him in the rental. Painted Desert Medical Center 9:15am Mulder pulled the car up at the hospital entrance. Scully grabbed her briefcase off the back seat and opened the door. A blast of hot air made its way into the car, an unpleasant reminder of their whereabouts. "Call me on my cell phone if you find anything new, anything...." He was cut off by a sudden fit of coughing. His nose ran and his eyes streamed. He reached for the tissues again and wondered if he was going to have enough to last the rest of the day. "Mulder.." Scully began. "No Scully, I'm fine, really, I do feel okay. It sounds worse than it is. Now go help Annie find a cure for this thing and I'll call you later when I've had a chance to talk to the BIA people." He assured her, sending her what he hoped was a convincing smile. Scully returned the smile but it didn't disguise the worry in her eyes. She shut the car door and watched as he drove off. "Be careful, Mulder." She whispered to herself and turned to go into the hospital. Scully found Annie at the nurse's station going over some charts. She looked worn out. Her hair which was normally pulled neatly behind her head had wayward strands hanging loosely around her face. As Scully got closer she could see the dark circles under her eyes. "Annie?" Scully asked softly, not wanting to startle her friend. "Dee, glad to see you." She came over and gave Dana a quick hug. "We had 4 more people admitted last night, well early this morning actually. A mom, dad, and their 2 kids. Off the reservation. I'm administering the same treatment as the other patients but they don't seem to be responding as well. I think they were sick for a couple of days before another family member brought them in." Annie poured her story out to Scully, glad to have someone she could talk to. "What was the delay in seeking treatment?" Scully asked astounded. She couldn't comprehend why someone would wait so long to get help. "Dee I know it's difficult for an outsider to understand. But the people on the res have their customs. Turning to traditional medicine to heal themselves is still very important. They all know me out at there, hell I've treated most of them at the 'Reservation Health Clinic.' But tradition comes first, then as a last resort they turn to the 'white man's magic.'" Scully couldn't believe what she was hearing. In this day and age of modern medicine and technology, the Indians were still looking to 'medicine men' to heal them. Annie could see the shock on Dana's face, it was the same look all city folk got when confronted with the reality of tribal laws and customs. "I know it sounds archaic but I have actually seen a lot of their herbal remedies work. One thing I've learned out here is not to dismiss the seemingly implausible." Annie explained. Scully had to suppress a smile at what she was hearing. Mulder should have been there to listen to it. "Anyway," Annie continued, "I'm just grateful that they saw fit to bring them to the hospital when they did. I just hope it's not too late," she added quietly. "Annie why don't I go back to the lab and continue working on the blood samples. See if we can't come up with something to knock this thing out. Mulder's going out to the BIA and then I suspect he will head out to take a look at the area where the meteor went down." Scully put her hand on Annie's shoulder, offering comfort. "He's very good at what he does. If there's anything out there to be found, Mulder will find it." "Thanks Dee. But I think I'm gonna go ahead and call the CDC anyway. We can't just wait around while people drop like flies. This is threatening to reach epidemic proportions. I'm running out of room here. Since that family came in, I've had to set up a makeshift ward in one of the hallways." Annie reached for the phone, not wanting to delay any longer. "I'll go set up in the lab, I know the way. And Annie, call me if you need anything okay?" Scully gave Annie one last smile and left. Bureau of Indian Affairs 9:30am Mulder found a parking space in the street in front of the Bureau. The building itself was in good repair compared to the rest of the town. Being made of brick, it stood out in stark contrast to the other buildings that were made of clapboard and sorely in need of a coat of paint. It was a small building in comparison with other government offices Mulder had dealt with, but this was a regional office, with only a handful of employees. Mulder stepped out of the air conditioned car and was immediately confronted by the desert's oppressive heat. He left his jacket in the car and gathering up his brief case containing the files, made his way into the BIA offices. He sighed with relief as he entered the air conditioned building. Mulder soon realized that the outside bricks were only a disguise for a building that cried out for maintainable on the inside. The walls were scratched and dented, with paint peeling from them in most places. The floors looked like they hadn't been cleaned in years. There were brown stains embedded in the linoleum all through the foyer. Mulder headed to the reception window which housed a lone desk behind it, and a man sitting there, face buried in a magazine. He held a cup of coffee in one hand, beside him was an obviously forgotten cigarette burning in an ashtray, sending a thin trail of smoke billowing skyward. Mulder cleared his throat to get the man's attention, "Excuse me sir?" The man lifted his head from the magazine and leaned back in his chair. His expression making it clear he was annoyed at being interrupted. He took a sip from his cup and regarded Mulder suspiciously before speaking. "Yeah, what can I do for you?" "I'm special Agent Fox Mulder with the FBI. Maybe you can help me. I'm here investigating the meteor that hit this area about 2 months ago. I was sent some slides from this office, along with a request for help. You wouldn't happen to know who sent the slides and that request?" Mulder asked the man. "Now why would I be able tell you that? As you can see I'm a very busy man." He indicated to the stack of files resting in his 'in' tray, as a means of explanations. Mulder felt his hackles rising. He'd heard about these guys, they were the worst bureaucrats the government had to offer, and they really had to have pissed somebody off to pull a posting with the BIA. Mulder drew a deep breath. It was too early to upset the locals, he still needed information from them. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." He announced politely. Scully would be so proud of him. "That'd be because I didn't give it to you." The man sneered. So it's like that is it? Mulder thought to himself. "Look, I can see you're flat out here, perhaps you could just point me in the direction of some one who is not as -busy- as you." He replied, sarcasm creeping into his voice. "Well you could try Steve Turner, he fancies himself as a bit of a 'do gooder'. Always sticking his nose where it's not needed. I heard he tried to get in to the 'eff, bee, ayeee', but bombed out on the medical, or somethin'. Yeah, he's probably the guy your lookin' for." The man looked thoughtful, then shrugged, reaching for his magazine. "And where would I find Steve Turner?" Mulder asked, biting back the anger that was threatening to spill all over this imbecile. "Could try his office down the hall a ways," the man tossed back casually, his eyes never leaving the magazine. "Thanks for your help," Mulder ground out, and headed off down the hall in search of Steve Turner's office. It wasn't too difficult, there was only one other door in the hallway, not including the 2 doors at the end with the 'Ladies' and 'Gents' signs on them. Mulder knocked on the door and waited. A muffled voice called out. "Come in." Mulder opened the door and peeked in. "Steve Turner?" "That's m' name, don't wear it out," the man replied smiling. Mulder liked the look of this guy straight away. He guessed him to be about 40 years old, a little overweight around the middle, a decent head of hair which might have been blond once, but now a silvery gray. His face was open and friendly with fine lines around his eyes and mouth which Mulder took to be laughter lines rather than lines of worry. The office matched up with the rest of the building. Old and run down. It was sparsely furnished. A desk with a chair behind it and one in front. In the corner stood a filing cabinet with a bunch of files stacked on top. Steve's desk was scattered with an array of papers, files and magazines. Mulder noticed a photo of Steve with a woman and 3 little kids which he presumed to be Steve's family. He walked all the way in and held out his hand. "I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder with the FBI." Steve Turner stood and gripped Mulder's hand, shaking it enthusiastically. "Agent Mulder. I'm so glad to meet you. It's such a relief to have the FBI here to help out. Especially someone of your expertise." Steve smiled again. "Please, have a seat." Mulder was a little taken aback by the man's enthusiasm and the fact he seemed to know him or at least of him. "I'm sorry, Mr. Turner, you seem..." He was cut off by Steve. "Please, none of this Mr. Turner crap. I start looking around for my dad when I hear that. Steve, call me Steve." He chuckled, amusement glistening in his eyes. "Ah, Steve. You seem to have me at a bit of a disadvantage. Have we met before?" Asked Mulder warily, afraid his memory was letting him down. "Fox, no we.." It was Mulder's turn to interrupt. "Sorry Steve. Mulder. Everyone calls me Mulder. " He smiled apologetically. "Ok, Mulder, a name's a name. Now as I was saying, no we haven't met but I've got some friends at the bureau. I nearly joined myself you know, but that's another story." He paused, and for a fleeting moment Mulder thought he saw sadness in his eyes, but he quickly recovered and continued. "Anyway I was talking to my buddy in DC about this meteor crashing and the strange flowers and rocks in the desert. I also mentioned the young fella from the Reservation getting sick and dying so suddenly. He recommended you, said you had a special interest in 'unexplained phenomena'. This should be right up your alley. So what do you think?" Mulder sat back in his chair and considered what Steve had said. Someone at the bureau had recommended him? That was an X file in itself. "Steve, first thing I'd like to do is go out and check out the site of the crash, then take it from there. Do you think you could draw me a map how to get there?" "I'll do better than that. I'll draw you a map how to get to the reservation. You can meet up with Jack Yellowhawk, he's part of the tribal police. He's a good man, knows his stuff, and that area like the back of his hand." Steve grabbed a pen and paper and started drawing. Something seemed to cross his mind and he looked up at Mulder. "A lot of people round here resent the Indians out at the res. A good example is that asshole manning the front desk, but I've never had any problems with them. I respect them, they respect me. That doc, down at the hospital, she's another good one. The Indians like her too, which is a good thing the way they've been getting sick the last 2 days." He returned to his map drawing, added the finishing touches and handed it to Mulder. They shook hands again and Steve wished Mulder luck as he left the office. Mulder took a minute to study the map before walking out into the desert's heat. Painted Desert Indian Reservation 11:00am It was about a forty -five minute drive from town to the Indian reservation. There was only one road leading there and it was a dusty, bumpy ride. If Mulder had thought the town was in a state of ill repair, it was nothing compared to what he saw here. The place reeked of poverty. Yeah, there were houses but they were practically falling down around the inhabitants. Bare footed children played in the street, riding tricycles and chasing one another. The adults sat outside their houses, a lost, faraway look haunting their faces. As Mulder slowed the car, looking for Jack Yellowhawk's office, he could sense the resentment and apathy surrounding these people. Mulder checked the map again and realized he should be arriving at the tribal law office by now. Up in the distance he could see a building standing apart from the others. It didn't look like a house so Mulder figured that must be it. As he drew closer, Mulder could just make out a sign hanging from the roof. He supposed it used to be on top of the roof, but now it was dangling down one of the sides, held there by a piece of frayed wire. The words weren't clear but he could read them. 'Painted Desert Reservation-Office of Tribal Law.' Mulder guessed this was the right place and pulled the car up in front. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Mulder guessed this was the right place and pulled the car up in front. Dust settled quietly around him as he walked up to the door and started to knock. The second his fist hit the ancient wood, the door swung open on creaking hinges. "Mr. Yellowhawk?" Mulder called out as he moved into the darkened office. An old electric fan, metal blades whirring softly, created the only disturbance in the fetid air of the office. A lone desk sat near a window, where two of the glass panes had been replaced with plywood. The telephone was the old rotary type, and black. Mulder wondered idly if it even worked, it belonged in a museum. "He's out on patrol," came a voice behind him. "Jack said he might go over to the Hendricks place. You might catch him there." The message was being delivered by a young boy, Mulder judged to be about 11 or 12. The boy stuck out his hand to Mulder in an attempt at introduction. "I'm Davie. I'm the deputy," he said proudly and seriously. Mulder held back his obvious amusement. He took the boy's hand and shook it firmly. "Nice to meet you, Davie. I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder. I'm with the FBI." The boy's eyes widened to saucers. "Wow! FBI! You here to arrest somebody? A serial killer or a bank robber?" Mulder chewed on his lip to keep from chuckling. "Not today. I just need to find Officer Yellowhawk. You wouldn't happen to know the way to the Hendricks place, would you?" Davie was only too happy to give him the directions before scurrying out to rejoin a impromptu soccer game in the middle of the street. Mulder got into his car and pulled out his cell phone, punching in the numbers. He waited only a moment before it was answered on the other line. "Scully." "It's me. I've been to BIA, guy was nice but not very helpful. I'm trying to hook up with the local law, a reservation cop named Yellowhawk. I'm heading out to one of the ranches now." "Mulder, there's been more people brought in. Last night a family of four showed up in the ER, in pretty bad shape. Apparently they're traditional Native Americans and tried to treat with home remedies. And we've had two more people from the reservation come just since I've been here. Annie's called the CDC." "How long till they show up?" Mulder asked, taking a turn down another dirt road as Davie had directed him. "An hour or so, I figure. LA isn't that far. I think they have some virologists coming in from Atlanta. They should be here by mid-afternoon. Are you coming back here?" "No, I'll see what I can find out with the ranchers and this cop. I wouldn't be much good to you in the lab. I get bored real easy and play with things I shouldn't," he teased lightly. "Yeah, I've noticed that about you," she replied dryly. "Just don't go playing with anything in the desert until we know more about this. Unfortunately, the family from last night were unconscious on arrival, but the two from this morning say they had some of the flowers growing not far from their house. I think the flowers are connected with the illness, somehow." "Flowers from Mars?" he teased. "Don't even go there with me, Mulder. Just be careful. And call me if you find anything." "I will. And let me know when the other 'suits' show up. Maybe we can have an interagency volleyball game while we're all here together," he said sarcastically. "Mulder, there are two of us and there will be about 40 of them. It wouldn't be fair," she shot back. "So I'll sit on the bench and even the odds," he returned and heard her attempting to stifle a laugh. A sudden bout of sneezes caught him off guard and she got the full brunt of it over the phone line. "Are you getting worse?" she accused in a low voice. "No, actually, the sun is helping a little. My head's clearer and the headache isn't as bad. I'm fine, Scully. Really," he said, sneezing again, but this time moving the phone out of range. "Really, I'm fine." "Just be careful," she reminded him tersely, and disconnected the line. He disconnected the line and put the phone back in his pocket. He could see the gate for the ranch he'd been looking for just up the road. Already, the heat was shimmering off the asphalt, and it was only a little after 10 in the morning. His headache reappeared with a vengeance. Mulder never liked the desert. It was as foreign to him as he'd teased Scully about being foreign to her. But it was more than that. It was the unearthliness of the place, the landscape without a hint of green or color. Just yellow and red and brown. No grass, no trees. Just the occasional sonoro cactus standing tall and alien-looking. No, Mulder admitted to himself. Few places on earth reminded him just how much he was a child of a lush, temperate island than the middle of the desert. He pulled the car off the side of the road and searched for any sign of life. The house, even though surrounded by four outbuildings, looked lonely in the desolate place. Two rocking chairs sat next to a small wooden table on the porch, but Mulder imagined they were only used in the evening or at night. Even the shade cast by the porch roof did not dispel the wilting effect of the merciless sun. Mulder killed the engine to the car, and felt the heat start to battle the cooled air almost immediately. He opened the car door and made his way to the porch as quickly as he could, trying to escape the sun's rays. A woman in her mid-forties answered the door, drying her hands on a white cotton towel. Her husband was checking on some of the herd, so she gave Mulder directions to go about 4 miles further up the asphalt and look for a beat up, red Ford pick up truck. Wishing him good day, she closed the door and Mulder forced himself back out to the car, which had already reverted to a furnace. The four miles turned into six, but finally, Mulder came across a truck bearing a slim resemblance to a red Ford. He parked behind it and headed out, keeping an eye on the dirt and watching for footprints. "Watch out there, rattler's aren't real happy today," a man's voice called to him. "Mr. Hendricks? I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder, I'm with the . . ." "FBI," Hendricks completed the sentence, holding up a cell phone. "My missus called me, told me to look out fer ya. What kin I do ya?" "I'm out here investigating these deaths. The cattle, the boy from the reservation. I don't know if you're aware of this, but almost a dozen people have taken ill from something and I'm trying to find out what's causing it." Hendricks motioned for Mulder to join him under an outcropping from one of the buttes surrounding them. He pulled out a canteen and offered some to Mulder. "Better not, I'm carrying cold germs from back east," Mulder said regretfully. "Suit yerself," Hendricks said, taking a big gulp. "I'm glad somebody's lookin' into this. I've lost four head so far and if it's a sickness, there'll be a lot more. I don't want to lose the whole herd!" "Did you notice anything unusual around the dead cattle? Anything that might connect them together?" "Such as?" Hendricks asked, suspiciously. "Such as something they might have had contact with, a flower. One that you might not have seen before," Mulder suggested. Hendricks gave him a hard look. "A flower that grows outta black glass?" "Possibly," Mulder said, trying hard to contain his excitement. Hendricks looked at Mulder again, as if to size the agent up, then motioned for him to follow. They walked about two hundred yards to the carcass of a dead steer. Hendricks pointed to the ground and Mulder followed his finger. In the dirt was a piece of black rock, clear and smooth. The stem of a flower stuck out of the surface, like the proverbial sword in the stone. Mulder reached into his pocket to withdraw a latex glove while crouching down for a closer look. He was so intent, he didn't hear the noise behind him until it was too late. The sound of a child's rattle, followed almost immediately by the sound of a rifle going off. The noise startled Mulder enough to knock him back into a dead sagebrush bush. Hendricks stood narrow-eyed, staring just to the left of where Mulder had been standing when he examined the flower. Mulder's gaze was drawn there and he forced a swallow down his now tightened throat. A very dead rattlesnake lay just a foot from where he had been standing. Hendricks dropped the rifle and hurried over to help Mulder out of the bush. "You awright? Did he git ya?" he asked anxiously. Mulder shook his head, still a little dazed. "No, he didn't. I didn't, . . . I mean, he was just there, I didn't even know . . ." "I told ya them snakes was spooked!" Hendricks chided. "When they's threatened, they don't give much warning. Now, are you _sure_ he didn't get ya? Not even a scratch?" Mulder felt down to his leg, pulling a few pieces of sagebrush straw from the fabric of his pants. "Nah, I'm fine." In his haste to brush the dirt off his suit pants, he failed to notice the tiny pin points of red blood now dripping into the black nylon of his dress socks. Hendricks regarded the dead rattler thoughtfully. "Well, we's right lucky, then. I 'spect we best be gittin'. Luck like that kin run out fast in these parts." Mulder nodded, his stomach doing a slow roll. Snakes. He wasn't terrified of them, but they certainly weren't on his list of favorite zoo animals, either. The poisonous ones just plain gave him the shakes. He looked longingly over at the rock and flower stem. "Just let me get this . . ." Hendricks grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Look, city fella. I ain't gonna have ta explain to the sheriff how some hot shot FBI agent dropped dead of a rattlesnake bite on my property. Jist leave that rock be. The snakes seem to wanta protect it, and I, fer one, don't see no reason to bother it. Let's just leave in peace, before we end up leavin' in pieces, if'n ya catch my drift." On the way back to the car and truck, Hendricks kept giving Mulder a steely glare. "You know the signs a' snakebite?" he asked, when they reached their vehicles. Mulder shrugged. "Dizziness, headache, difficulty breathing. Pain and swelling in the area of the bite." He might not have liked snakes, but he remembered his Indian Guide training in first aid. Hendricks nodded. "You start feeling any of that stuff, you high tail it to the clinic, ya hear? Rattler bites don't take long to take ya down." Mulder swallowed. "He didn't get me, I would have felt it," he assured the older man. Hendricks nodded again. "Hope you figger out what's killin' off my cattle. If I see any more 'a them flowers, I'll be callin' ya." He hopped into the cab of his truck and pulled out and off down the road. Mulder was soon following him to the main road. He had nowhere to go besides back to the reservation. Mulder thought idly about calling Scully, but was certain that she wouldn't have anything new to report and he didn't want to bother her if she was in the middle of something. He remembered the dead steer in the hot sun and his stomach rolled a little. He reached down to his ankle and scratched, coming up with more of the sagebrush, which he tossed into the back seat of the rental. In his rearview mirror, he saw the car. It was big and rather beat up and he didn't notice the 'bubble lights' on the top until the siren started up and the lights went on, faint in the bright sun. He glanced at his speedometer and noted he was going 60 miles per hour. He shook his head and pulled over to the side of the road. Mulder didn't bother to look at the policeman getting out of the squad car. He waited impatiently for the tap at the window and when it happened, he jumped slightly with surprise. He rolled down the window, still perplexed. "License and registration, please," said a man with long dark hair, flowing past his shoulders. A worn Stetson with a leather band and silver buckle sat on his head, and the leather vest he sported also held a small silver badge. Mulder read 'Tribal Police' on the badge and noted wryly that the badge number was '4'. "It's a rented vehicle," Mulder supplied, handing his driver's license and the rental agreement over to the officer. "You wouldn't happen to be . . ." "Local law, yessir, that would be me. You were clocked at 61 miles per hour. This stretch of road is 55." "I didn't see a sign," Mulder interrupted. "Oh, we don't bother with signs, much," the officer said with a devilish grin. "Waste of tax payers money." He wrote out the ticket and handed it to Mulder. "You can pay that at the office or mail it in." He started to walk back toward the squad car. Mulder jumped out of the rental, noticing the stiffness and soreness in his left ankle, but ignored it as he chased after the officer. "Hey, wait! Are you Jack Yellowhawk?" The officer stopped, then slowly turned toward Mulder. "Yeah," he nodded. "I'm Agent Fox Mulder, with the FBI. I'm here to investigate . . ." "Dead cattle, yeah, I heard that, too. Don't forget to mail that in, I'd hate to issue a warrant on a fellow officer of the law." Jack proceeded to get back into the beat up squad car. Mulder put a hand on the door, to keep the officer from driving off. "Hey, you don't have radar in this thing!" Mulder exclaimed, eyes searching the dashboard. "More waste of tax payers money," Jack replied with another stunning smile. "Besides, don't need it. You were going 61, I could tell by the dirt you were kickin' up." "My speedometer said 60," Mulder intoned dryly. "Better get it checked," Jack retorted and started the engine. "Wait a minute! I need to talk to you," Mulder protested as Jack put the car into gear and seemed fully prepared to drive off with Mulder still hanging onto the door. Jack had both hands on the steering wheel, looking intently at the back of the rental car. He seemed to be coming to a decision. "Look, you're the Eff-Bee-Eye," he sneered, glancing over at Mulder over his wire rimmed sunglasses. "You don't _need_ me. It's all there, right out in the sun. If you can't find it, I sure can't help you." "Then you know about the meteorite. And the flowers." "I'd have to be deaf, blind and stupid not to know about the rock and the flowers. And the deaths. But there's nothing we can do about it. It's not in our hands." Mulder hit the car door angrily. "People are dying! Your people! I can't believe you won't help me figure out what is happening here!" Jack angrily threw the car into park and opened the door. When he stood, he came just a couple inches short of looking Mulder nose to nose. "Look, I don't care where you come from, I don't care how you got here. You are the invader, got that? And as soon as you get your answers, you'll take off just like the rest of them and leave me to clean up the mess. Sorry, I don't feel like playin' Tonto to your Lone Ranger, chief. Now, you just get in your fancy rental car and head on back to town. Tell your boss about the crazy Indian you found who won't help you in the investigation and just leave it at that. We'll both be a whole lot happier!" "You know something," Mulder accused, holding Yellowhawk's angry glare with one of his own. "I know a lot of things. Like you better get that sprained ankle looked at or it'll swell." Jack pointed down to Mulder's foot and then started to get back in the car. "No, I mean you know more about this meteorite. So far, I've only heard about fragments. You know something else. You found a bigger piece. Maybe the main part." Mulder wasn't sure where any of this was coming from, but he was as sure of what he was saying as he was sure of his own name. Jack hesitated, took in a deep breath and let it out slowly in a whistle. "You're still not gonna help. You'll get what you want and take off." "Look, Yellowhawk, my partner is over at the clinic right now, working with the doctors, waiting for the CDC to try and figure out what is killing these people. If we could bring them the source, the original meteorite, it might make the difference. It might just save some lives. Most of the people being brought in are from the reservation." He stopped for a breath. "We can't stand by and watch them die without trying to find the answers." Jack's eyes still looked veiled, but he had stopped getting into the car. "What's an FBI agent gonna do at the clinic. Arrest the damned bug?" "She's a doctor. A good one. If the answers can be found that way, I know Scully'll find them. But we have to help her out. We need to give her something to go on." Jack chewed on that a moment, literally taking his bottom lip between his teeth. Then, he shook his head. "All right. I'll show you something. But we take your car. My a/c's shot." Mulder smiled. "Besides, it'll save the tax payers money," he said, leading the way back to the rental car. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Mulder shifted restlessly in the driver's seat trying to find a comfortable position for his left foot. One that would ease the ache that had started to build over the last ten minutes, since Jack had joined him in the car. He was thinking back, trying to figure out a reason why his ankle should start to throb like this. Had he rolled it? No, THAT he would remember. He'd suffered enough sprained ankles to know that it didn't happen without you being well and truly aware of it. He had to admit to himself though, it was starting to feel like the aftermath of a sprain. He shifted again in an attempt to relieve the pain. Right then Mulder didn't have time to deal with a sprained ankle, not when he was so close to uncovering something that could finally give him the concrete proof of an extraterrestrial life form he had so desperately been seeking. He mentally shrugged the pain off and turned his attention to the case, hoping it would distract him from his ankle. Mulder stole a furtive look at the man sitting beside him. He had what Mulder could only describe as one of those ageless faces. Jack Yellowhawk might have been anywhere between thirty and forty-five years of age. The weather beaten features and the air of wisdom the man exuded gave Mulder the impression of age. Yet the jet black hair had not a trace of gray in it. The man's physique and the deep timbre of his voice were that of a younger person. "So where are we going?" Mulder asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. "To the Reservation." Jack replied without further explanation. "I was just out there. I didn't see anything unusual," Mulder replied, a touch of annoyance clinging to his words. "Good. Then I won't have to show you the way." With that Jack reached over and adjusted the air conditioning vent to blow directly onto his face, before settling himself back in his seat, making it clear to Mulder that the conversation had finished. Mulder sighed in frustration as a little spark of anger began to fuel itself in his stomach. He couldn't shake off the feeling that Jack was pissed at him, but was at a loss to figure out why. Must be a record Mulder, he chided himself, you got this guy ticked off and you haven't even told him your theory yet. He gripped the steering wheel a little tighter and gave the engine some more gas deciding to concentrate on getting to the reservation as fast as possible. As the car approached the reservation gate Jack sat up in his seat. "Okay Mr. FBI, follow the road up about 2 miles, take a right at the first dirt track, then keep on going. You'll know when we're there." Painted Desert Reservation 11:00am When Mulder pulled the rental to a halt at the end of the road, he was hard pressed not to sit there with his mouth gaping. There, in front of him, about 300 yards away was what had to be the main section of the meteorite. It was embedded amongst some tall rocks about 100 feet above the ground. It was made of what looked like black quartz, resembling the smaller pieces of rock that Mulder had seen in the slides and out at the Hendricks ranch. Of course this was much larger, Mulder guessed it to be about 150 feet in circumference. It was jagged and broken around the edges. There were no pieces scattered on the ground which made Mulder think it must have approached the earth from the opposite side and that he was viewing it where it had reached the end of its trajectory. Mulder looked at Jack. "I think this is what you've been looking for Mr. FBI." Jack said as he opened the door. Mulder climbed out of the car and stood. "Shit!" He gasped to himself. He wasn't sure what caught his attention first. The incredible pain that engulfed his left ankle as he put his foot to the ground, or the sudden attack of dizziness that washed over him, threatening to bring him to his knees. He clung to the car door with one hand, and the roof with the other. He was hanging on for dear life, his left foot raised above the ground in some feeble attempt to relieve the burning, throbbing ache in his ankle. Mulder squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to ride out the wave of dizziness, resting his head on the arm that was slung over the car door. It was only a few seconds before the earth decided to stop playing see-saw with the horizon, and Mulder's vision began to clear. He felt something on his shoulder and lifted his head. An action he immediately regretted. His head was now in direct competition with his foot to see who could get the most attention. Mulder could hear someone speaking to him. "Hey. You all right there?" Mulder stared at the face of Jack Yellowhawk swimming before him. He blinked his eyes and gradually the face came into focus. "Hey! I said, 'Are you okay?'" Jack's voice was laced with concern as he tried to get Mulder's attention. "Yeah, sorry," came Mulder's raspy reply. He cleared his throat and tried to swallow, but that too was becoming difficult. It felt like he was trying to swallow around two golf balls. This cold must be starting to take a hold on me, he thought to himself. Maybe I _am_ getting that East Coast flu. Up in the distance he could see what he'd come to find and he wasn't about to succumb to a few bodily aches and pains, something he could deal with later, when he had this piece of evidence in front of him. He cleared his throat again and this time his voice didn't let him down. "I'm fine. Sorry. I have this cold coming on and I skipped breakfast this morning. I guess with that and the heat," he shrugged, then smiling wanly added, " I got a little dizzy. It happens sometimes when I don't eat right. I'll grab a bite to eat after we finish up here." If this had been Scully by his side instead of Jack he knew the weak argument he'd just offered for his defense wouldn't cut it. He was pleasantly surprised though when Jack just took it on board and let it rest. "Don't s'pose you brought any water with you Mr. City Boy?" Jack enquired. He looked long and hard at Mulder's guilty expression. "Thought not." He reached for a canteen hanging from his shoulder and unscrewing the lid, shoved it in Mulder's hand. "Aren't you afraid you'll catch my 'city bug'?" Mulder asked as he eyed the canteen longingly. "That's not high on my list of worries, no. Just drink it." he ordered. Mulder didn't need to be told twice. He took a long swig of the water. It had that slightly tainted taste of canvas, but right then it tasted as good as the clearest spring water, sliding down his dry, swollen throat. The next thing Mulder knew he was being slapped hard on the back, caught by surprise in a coughing fit. It was only a few seconds but it felt like a life time before his breathing was under control. "Thanks." He offered hoarsely. "Better get that cough _and_that ankle looked at." Jack suggested, a hint of warning creeping into his voice. "I'm fine now, thanks." Mulder replied warily. He felt anything but fine. Years of trying to hide his injuries from his family, especially his mother, had conditioned him to never admit how bad he really was. And right then he felt lousy. Okay, he could blame that fact on the flu bug he'd picked up but he still couldn't work out what the hell was wrong with his ankle. Jack thought he'd sprained it, so for now that cover story would have to do. He had to check out that meteorite, that was all that mattered to him. Mulder straightened up and released his death grip on the door, choosing instead to lean against the car's body. That way he had his hands free while still keeping the weight off his foot. His intention now was to call Scully and let her know how things were progressing "You coming?" Jack asked, heading off in the direction of the crash site. "I'll be right along, I'm just gonna call my partner." Mulder explained. He waved Jack on and hit Scully's number. He didn't have to wait long for an answer. "Scully." came the distracted response on the other end. "Hey, it's me." Mulder winced at how raspy he sounded. Scully would be on to him straight away. "Mulder? Is that you? You sound worse." She stated, no sign of the previous distraction in her voice. "Yeah. That cold I picked up is starting to feel more like the flu." Mulder wheezed out. "Mulder listen to me. The CDC team from LA has arrived. They're talking about putting the hospital under quarantine. I want you to come back _now_. You might have whatever it is that's killing people here." Scully's voice was urgent, the worry evident in every word she spoke. "Scully, I can't. I'm here at the crash site, ground zero. It's huge." He paused to catch his breath. "I'm finally getting a chance to gather some real evidence." He stopped again, his breath catching in his chest. He held the phone away from his face while he worked at getting his breathing under control. When he eventually returned the phone to his ear he heard Scully frantically calling his name. "I'm okay. Look, I need to take . . . a look at this thing, . . . see if I can collect some samples. It might help . . . in determining what is causing the deaths. I can't just walk away now." He pleaded. "Mulder . . ." "Scully, I promise to . . . come by the hospital . . . as soon as I'm done here. Deal?" There was a moment's hesitation as Mulder waited on the line for her answer. "Mulder." This time Scully's voice was gentle. "There's a first aid kit in the trunk of the car. Go take some aspirin, it might help with the headache at least." She offered. He could hear the concern in her voice and was overwhelmed at the trust she was putting in him. Trusting him to come up with what was necessary to help the people back at the hospital. Willing to let him get on with his job even though it went against all her instincts as a doctor. "Thanks Scully, I'll call you when I'm about to leave here." "Just be careful," she warned. They disconnected the line and Mulder slid the phone into his back pocket. He spotted Jack already scouting around the rocks that encased the meteorite. By the time Mulder caught up with Jack he was limping heavily and panting like he'd just run a marathon. He bent over resting his hands on his knees. Jack was eyeing Mulder suspiciously, his mouth set in a grim line. "You're not looking too good there Mr. FBI." "My . . name . . . is . . . Mulder. You . . can . . . quit . . . calling . . . me . . Mr. . . F . . . B . . . I," Mulder gasped out while peering up at Jack from his hunched position. Jack was beginning to change his opinion of the man before him. He was obviously unwell and yet still determined to help find a cure for the people back at the hospital, mostly reservation people. "Okay, Mulder. You want to tell me what's wrong with you?" Jack asked at last. Mulder pulled himself to his full height and was about to answer when pain exploded in his ankle sending a muscle spasm tearing up his leg to his thigh. Mulder dropped to the ground like a sack of wheat, clutching helplessly at his left leg. He wanted to scream, he wanted to let loose, long and hard and loud. But his voice had forgotten how to work, so had his lungs. This all consuming pain had robbed him of any coherent thought he might have had. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't talk, he couldn't think. He wanted to die. All he could do was lie there, his eyes were squeezed shut so tight they hurt and his lower lip was lost as he bit down hard enough to cause a slow trickle of blood to course its way down his chin. Then, as suddenly as it had come on, it stopped. Mulder lay on the ground, chest heaving with the effort of trying to get air into his oxygen starved lungs. His body felt spent, boneless and totally drained of energy. Jack was kneeling on the ground beside the fallen agent. He knew there was something seriously wrong. This was not a flu bug. He didn't bother asking permission but moved straight to Mulder's left ankle and pulled back his dress sock. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Painted Desert Medical Center 12:00 pm "We're out of room," Annie said flatly as she walked into the lab. "I have four beds in the ER and we have 'em stacked like cordwood in the lobby. Total of 9 people have come in just in the last hour and a half." Scully closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. "At this rate, will you have enough IV's for the sterile water?" she asked, remembering that supplies were low to start. "Oh, that's not a problem anymore. Apparently there's a shipment, being _air dropped_ in about an hour," Annie said, pulling up a stool and joining Scully at the lab table. "Air dropped? Why air dropped?" "Because, old chum, we are in 'lock down'. Complete quarantine. Nobody in, nobody out. If you make it to town, there are National Guard troops standing there with guns to make sure you don't go any farther." She crossed her arms with a grim expression. "But the reservation? Most of these people are coming from the village at the reservation? What are they supposed to do?" "CDC is setting up a mobile unit over closer to the village. They'll treat people there. But if you don't have the bug, you're on your own." "What do you mean?" Scully asked, a dark seed of dread forming in her stomach. "What I mean, Dee, is that this is the only medical facility in 75 miles, any direction. But if we are quarantined, and the CDC is only taking flu-like symptoms, if somebody gets in a car accident, falls off a horse, gets shot cleaning their gun, goes into labor . . ." "They have to drive over an hour to get help," Scully finished the thought, closing her eyes. Suddenly, she opened them and searched her pockets frantically. "Mulder! I have to call him. I have to get him back here!" Annie put her hand on her friend's arm. "Did you just hear what I said, Dee? There is no 'getting him in here'. The doors are locked." "But what if he has the disease? Annie, I just talked to him a couple of minutes ago. He sounded horrible. Coughing, headache. He says it's a cold, but I think it could be worse. I think he might be coming down with it. He went running yesterday afternoon before we came over to your place. If he ran by any of the flowers, even if he didn't see them . . . the virus seems to be carried in the pollen. He could be infected!" "All right, all right, just calm down. If he is infected, he'd be better off getting over to the CDC site at the res. They'll have the better equipment and they can treat him there. Here, we're Old Mother Hubbard and the cupboards are basically bare. Call him, tell him to get over to the res immediately and they can take care of him." Painted Desert Reservation "Are you just plain loco?" Jack demanded as he stared at the swollen ankle and the two very visible, angry red fang marks standing out against the pale skin. "I didn't . . ." Mulder gave up even trying to explain himself. It would only have been something incredibly lame, like 'I didn't think it was a rattlesnake bite' and he really didn't want to waste the effort on such banality at the moment. All he wanted was for the pain to go away, for his lungs to start working again. Scully was probably right, he finally decided. He should have gone back to the clinic with her. "Shit, when did this happen, chief? How long since you got bit?" Jack asked, grabbing a faded blue handkerchief and wrapping it around Mulder's leg, just below the knee. Mulder noted that it was tight, but didn't cut off all circulation. Next, Jack pushed the agent flat on his back and elevated the ankle by placing it on the seat of the car. The position was fairly uncomfortable, but since he was well beyond 'comfortable' anyway, Mulder hardly noticed a difference. "At Hendricks' place," Mulder was finally able to gasp out around shallow intakes of air. "Half . . . an hour. Forty . . . five minutes." Another spasm of pain hit and all talking was rendered impossible. Almost on cue, Mulder's cell phone rang in his pocket. It was obvious that the agent was in no condition to answer the phone, so Jack grabbed the offending object out of the other man's suit pocket and answered it for him. "Yeah." There was silence for a beat, and then a woman's voice, sounding very authoritative, came back. "Who are you and where is Agent Mulder?" "I'm Officer Jack Yellowhawk, Tribal Police and Agent Mulder is indisposed at the moment. Listen, I gotta go, you can call him later." "No, wait a minute!" the woman said anxiously. "I'm Agent Dana Scully, I'm Agent Mulder's partner. What's wrong? Is something the matter with him?" "Lady, Agent, whatever, this man has been bitten by a rattlesnake and I need to get a doctor on the line fast, now if you'd just hang up . . ." "Wait!" Scully shouted and Jack winced as the sound came through to assault his ear. "I'm a doctor and I'm at the hospital right now. What did you just say bit him?" "I said a rattlesnake! But he was too dumb to notice," Jack said. He looked down at Mulder, who was nodding his head, and reaching for the phone. The pain seemed to have subsided a bit, so Jack handed him the phone and went back to examining the leg. "Scully . . . it's me." "Mulder, what the hell are you doing? How did you get bitten . . . No, don't answer that! How bad is it? What are the symptoms?" He could hear the panic in her voice. It caused his own panic to jump up a notch. He hadn't known Scully long, but aside from some mosquito bites on her own back, she didn't seem to get panicked unless there was a damned good reason. "Pain . . . Lots . . . of pain, Scully," Mulder rasped into the phone. He couldn't seem to hold it up to his ear anymore, it was too exhausting. He let it slip from nerveless fingers. He looked up at the tribal cop, resignation in his face. "She . . . wants . . . symptoms," he explained in a breathless whisper, then clenched his eyes shut as more pain radiated up his leg from the ankle. Jack quickly retrieved it from where it had fallen in the dirt and put it up to his own ear. "This is Jack again. I'll give you his symptoms. Pain, localized to the ankle, so far. Swelling, shit, there's a lot of swelling. Twice, maybe three times it's normal size, I'd say. Dizziness, trouble breathing. He's in bad shape. As soon as I can get him in the car we're heading back to the hospital." Back at the clinic, Annie, who had been looking at some of the slides, heard the distressed tone in Scully's voice and raised a questioning eyebrow. Scully moved the phone out from her face for a moment. "Mulder's been bitten by a rattlesnake," she explained. "A tribal cop is bringing him back here." Annie's eyes grew wide. "Damn, Dana, they won't let him in," she hissed in a whisper. Scully's eyes flashed with anger. "They sure as hell _will_ let him in! His life is in danger!" "Dana, these guys play for keeps. They're National Guard and they've been told _nobody_ gets into town. They'll shoot first and ask questions later." Scully's stomach dropped as she realized the truth of her friend's statement. "Well, then they can go over to the CDC operation at the res," she said hopefully. Annie shook her head sadly. "Dee, they'll be turned away there, too. They can't risk him getting infected by the virus." "But he'll die of the venom!" Scully cried in anguish. The phone in her hand started talking again. "Hey, lady FBI! Hey, you still there?" "Yes, I'm still here," Scully said, feeling every ounce of hope drain from her body. "Listen up. I heard all that. If the suits from Atlanta are here, we're screwed, big time. I was around here during the hanta virus thing. Those people have very little imagination and absolutely no sense of humor," Jack said grimly. "But I gotta tell ya, he won't make it to Albertsville," he added, naming the next closest town with a hospital. Scully was silent, not trusting her throat to open enough for her to speak. "Hey, don't worry. We occasionally ran into this problem before you educated white folk came out here and taught us the wonders of civilization," Jack said with half mocking cheerfulness, trying to lighten the gloom that had suddenly descended. "Let me handle this." He disconnected the line before she could object. "Well, chief, looks like we do this the old-fashioned way." Mulder was in too much pain to comment. Jack stood, thinking for a moment. Then he opened the door to the back seat of the car and half lifted, half dragged Mulder into the seat, pulling the man after himself and getting out the other side. Considering the situation, he noticed Mulder's briefcase lying on the floor of the back seat, and used it to prop the infected leg. When he was done, he slammed both doors shut and hurried to the driver's seat. "Hi ho, Silver," he muttered as he turned the ignition and threw the car into drive. Scully stared at the phone in her hand for several minutes before Annie took it from her and replaced it on the base. No sooner had Annie's back been turned than she heard Dana's heels clicking in a run down the hall. Annie had to put on a full burst of speed to catch up to her friend and spin her around. "Where do you think you're going?" Annie demanded. "Let me go, Sullivan," Scully hissed and pulled her arm out of Annie's hand. "I'm going to my partner." "And get shot in the back? What good will that do him?" Annie retorted. "Now, just calm down and think a minute." Scully was shaking her head, still looking out the doors of the hospital. Two armed men stood in hazmat suits right outside the door. She sighed and chewed on her lip. "He could be dying right now. You don't understand . . ." "Look, Dee, I'm not a monster. I know this has got to be killing you right now. You said a tribal cop was with him. Was it Jack Yellowhawk?" Scully nodded absently. "I figured. He's the only tribal cop we've got. Look, he was trained in San Diego. He used to be an MP in the military. He knows his stuff." "Maybe we could get Mulder on a chopper, fly him to the nearest hospital?" Scully said, looking at her friend and hating the tears that were burning her eyes. Annie drew in a deep breath. "How long since he was bitten?" Scully shook her head. "I don't know. It couldn't have been that long, I just talked to him about an hour ago." Now Annie was chewing her lip. "The window is two hours. If he doesn't receive some form of anti-venom within the first two hours after the bite . . . It could take longer than that to arrange for the chopper. But Jack knows that, Dee. What did he say to you? Did you talk to Jack directly?" "He said he'd handle it. That's all, just that he'd handle it." "Then we have to believe him. Jack's a smart guy. We're lucky to have him around. Now, are you going to be OK? Because I really need you back in that lab to figure this sucker out. We don't have to look outside that door to find people who might be dying. We've got 'em all around us." Scully looked longingly at the doors one more time, then closed her eyes in resignation. "You're right. You're right," she murmured. Slowly, she turned and headed back down to the lab. She couldn't completely tamp down the feeling that she was abandoning her partner when he needed her most, but until another opportunity presented itself, at least she could be of some help to somebody. Four miles from the site of the meteorite "OK, Kola, you still with me?" Jack asked as he pulled the rental car off the main dirt road on to a pockmarked cow path. Mulder groaned. It was the most he was capable of at that moment. The ride had only taken about 10 minutes, but it had felt like an eternity. His whole leg, from the knee down, felt like it was on fire. His head was splitting and he didn't know how he'd managed to remain conscious, because the little air he was getting into his lungs was certainly not sufficient to maintain awareness. Nausea had decided to join the list of maladies and he wondered idly if he'd have the strength to roll over if he did throw up. Maybe it would be better just to die and get it over with, he'd decided. "OK, I gotta leave you here for a minute, chief. Just hold tight, I won't be gone long." Mulder heard the car door open and then slam shut. It allowed a harsh breath of searing heat to enter the compartment of the car, but he welcomed it. Suddenly, he was getting very cold, lying in the backseat with his leg propped up on his briefcase. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Mulder waited, barely clinging to consciousness. He was only vaguely aware of Jack returning. The car door opened and strong hands grabbed Mulder under the arms, pulling him from the car. The movement sent pain shooting through his body. Speech had deserted him, all he could manage was a quiet groan as he was hoisted upright. The movement caused the throbbing in his ankle to hit with renewed vengeance. "Where..?" It was nothing more than a whisper as he tried to find out where they were taking him. "Hang in there, chief. I'm gonna show you how we did things before you white fellas arrived to save the day." It was only when Jack spoke that Mulder realized he was one of the men holding him up. "You ever seen a sweat lodge before?" Mulder could hear the words but they made no sense to him. Jack continued. "This is where you get to sample healing without technology, the way it's been done for hundreds of years." Mulder tried to get a better look at his surroundings but his neck wouldn't hold his head up. All he could make out was the dirt path as he was carried to his destination. Without warning his body dipped and he was helped through an opening in what appeared to be a tee pee. But what had Jack called it? A sweat lodge? God, that was the last thing he needed, he could feel his own sweat running down his back, his face and his legs. Yet he was so cold, so damn cold. Inside it was warm though, and dark. Mulder noted a strange pungent odor hanging in the air. Jack and his assistant laid Mulder on a blanket on the ground. He felt totally helpless, his body was not co-operating at all. Mulder searched for Jack through hazy eyes but saw he was pre-occupied, talking quietly with two other men off to the side. He could hear their voices but not what they were saying. Jack was in deep conversation with an older man, who was dressed in traditional costume. From his prone position it was easier for Mulder to turn his head and look around. There was a small fire burning in the center, a clay pot sat in the middle of the fire, its contents bubbling furiously. Mulder could just make out steam rising from the pot. The strange odor he'd smelt earlier seemed to be coming from there. Mulder had seen pictures of lodges before, but this was much smaller and appeared to be a frame of sticks with animal skins and blankets used as covering. He closed his eyes and wondered idly if the Indian's medicine could save him. He felt so weak, his breathing reduced to shallow gasps. He forced himself to concentrate around the agony in his head and leg. Afraid that if he passed out he wouldn't wake up again. The earlier warmth he had felt on entering the sweat lodge was quickly diminishing. His shirt was damp and clinging to his body, which was shivering in an effort to keep warm. Mulder attempted to roll on his side, the mind willing but the body unable to obey. He groaned as a wave of nausea washed over him. The sound alerted Jack and he returned to Mulder's side. Putting a hand on Mulder's shoulder he spoke gently to the agent. "Hey, relax chief, we're going to have you feeling better real soon." Mulder tried to answer, but the effort required too much energy. He could feel someone taking his shoe and sock off, then hitching his trouser leg up around his knee. The air felt cool and soothing against his leg but the relief was short lived. A wet cloth was pressed against the bite area on Murder's ankle. It was boiling hot. As the liquid from the cloth seeped into the wound, the heat penetrated deep into the infected leg. The pain hit like a freight train, sudden, and full on. Mulder threw his head back, mouth open in a silent scream, his body taut and trembling. Still the cloth was held against his ankle and the torture continued. It was more than he could bare and the darkness that had been nipping at his heels finally took him. His body fell slack on the dusty blanket. Jack looked over at the older man sitting quietly in the corner, worry evident in his eyes. He knew the ways of the 'medicine man' and he knew they worked, but it had been a long time since he'd sat in on a 'healing' and watching the FBI agent suffer like this made him uneasy. The older man nodded slowly, his face set like stone. His eyes held a comforting wisdom and this alone was the reassurance Jack needed that he was doing the right thing. "Your friend must wake up. The poultice on his leg is only part of the healing. He needs to drink as well." The man rose from his position in the corner opening a leather pouch hanging from his waist. Jack watched in interest as the man shook some herbs into a small clay bowl. Next he scooped some of the boiling liquid from the large pot on the fire into the herbs, stirring the mixture with a stick. He handed the bowl to Jack saying "He must drink this. Wake him." Jack looked down at the agent's pale face, noting the little rivulets of sweat running from his brow and pooling in the hollow of his neck. Jack gave Mulder a light slap on the cheek, trying to rouse him into consciousness. "Hey! Mr. FBI, wake up!" No reaction. He tried again this time slapping a little harder. "Come on chief, wakey, wakey." Still nothing. Jack decided to try something different. "Hey MULDER!" he shouted and shook his shoulders. This seemed to have the desired effect. Mulder stirred, groaning as his eyes fluttered open. "Scully?" He mumbled. "Mulder it's me, Jack." Not quite the words Mulder was expecting, but for now it was enough to bring him back to awareness. He looked up at Jack, grinning weakly. "What the hell are you grinning at Mr. FBI?" Jack growled. "Nothing," he whispered. Jack ignored him, motioning instead to the young man who had helped him earlier, to come and give him a hand. The man helped Jack support Mulder's upper body . "Here, I want you to drink this." Jack ordered, holding the bowl up to Mulder's mouth. Mulder's nose wrinkled at the smell. He took a small sip, but his throat still wasn't working right. He couldn't swallow and the liquid remained in his mouth. Mulder's stomach heaved as the foul taste of the liquid set off his gag reflex. The herbal mixture spraying all over the front of his dress shirt. But Mulder's stomach didn't stop at the expulsion of the liquid. It had it's own agenda, and at the top of the list was it's intention to escape from his body. He'd eaten nothing all day so there was nothing to bring up. Dry retching soon turned into painful stomach cramps and had he had the strength he would have curled into a ball and just waited to die. Eventually the heaving stopped and the cramps eased. Mulder opened his eyes, and looked up at Jack apologetically, too exhausted to speak. The old medicine man knelt beside Jack. "He must drink." His tone making it clear there was no room for argument. Jack held the bowl to Mulder's mouth, the smell almost causing a repeat performance of earlier. "Come on, you gotta drink this no matter what it tastes like. I don't want to be the one to have to explain to your doctor partner why you didn't pull through." At Jack's urging and the mention of Scully, Mulder opened his lips and allowed a little of the liquid to trickle into his mouth. Squeezing his eyes shut, he made a conscious effort to let it slide down his throat, fighting his body's reaction to get rid of it. As he drank the herbal mixture he could feel it burning a trail down his throat and into his stomach. The burning sensation spread through his arms and legs, up his neck and behind his eyes. Mulder squirmed in Jacks embrace, swatting weakly at the hands that were holding him. God, he was so hot. In his confused state all he could think was to get away from the heat, the fire. Suddenly he was gripped with an all encompassing, totally unreasonable fear. He had to get away. Mulder's mild squirming grew into desperate struggling. Who the hell was holding him down. The panic grew as he thrashed about, trying to free himself from the hands wrapped tightly round his upper arms. "No..No..NO!..NOOOO! Let...Me...Go!" He ground out through clenched teeth. Mulder dug deep and found the strength that had been eluding him. It was the strength of a man lost in pain and delirium. With one mighty shove he sent Jack and the other man sprawling to the floor. Mulder sensed freedom within his reach and he lurched to his feet, ready to run. He almost made it but the instant he put weight on his injured ankle, pain went ratcheting up his leg. This time he did manage a scream. Just like his strength, it came from deep within. It was long and loud, filled with anguish and agony. Mulder lay in a heap on the ground, both hands clutching his ankle. He was oblivious to everything else going on around him. His world had narrowed to one singular existence. The resounding throb in his foot. Once again Jack found himself at Mulder's side. He observed the the red flush on the agent's cheeks, standing out against the pallor of his skin. Mulder's face was bathed in sweat, his body trembling as his muscles tried to adjust to the stress they had just been put through. Mulder could feel himself being rolled onto his back, forcing him to release the hold he had on his foot. He didn't bother opening his eyes to see who it was, quite frankly he was past caring. Everything hurt or burned. He thought he could hear Jack's voice, but it seemed to be floating above him or around him or both. There was a strange buzzing in his ears. His hands felt like they had pins and needles, his lips tingling and his tongue felt thick and awkward in his mouth. Everything around him was fading out, withdrawing into the distance. It slowly began to occur to Mulder that the pain was fading too, in fact if he didn't know better he'd swear he had been given the 'good stuff', the 'REALLY GOOD STUFF'. As his muscles began to relax, so did his mind, and before he knew what was happening, Fox Mulder was fast asleep. Painted Desert Medical Center 2:13 pm Scully looked at her watch and realized it had been about two hours since she'd heard from Mulder. Her stomach dropped as the implications flooded her. If Jack had been successful in finding anti-venom or even just a simple snake bit kit, Mulder would have called her already. The silence seemed to her to be the endless moment before the tolling of a death bell on a ship at sea. Angrily, she scrubbed at the tears pooling in her eyes and punched in Mulder's number. Why hadn't she thought of that before? She realized that the whole situation, the quarantine, the meteor, the flowers, and most distressing, her partner falling prey to a rattlesnake in the middle of the desert, was threatening to overwhelm her. She tamped down all emotions as she waited for the phone to ring. It took some time, but finally there was an answer. "Yeah." It was Jack again. That did little to assure her. "Jack, this is Dana Scully. How is Mulder?" There was a grunt, and then some discussion in words she didn't understand. Finally, when she was beginning to lose any hold she had on her patience, Jack's voice came back to her. "He's sleeping." "Oh God!" she shouted. "He's in a coma? What did you do to him? I thought you were going to help him!" "He's not in a coma. That's not what I said," Jack replied calmly. "He's sleeping. Look," he added, somewhat indignantly. "Grandfather knows what he's doing. It's an old cure, but it works. Right now, your partner needs to sleep. He'll need to rest for a couple of days. But he's gonna be all right, so don't get on your high horse, lady FBI!" "I want to know everything you did to him," she seethed through her clenched teeth. "I don't think that's a good idea," Jack answered in a wary tone. "It's not something they teach at Johns Hopkins." "How do you know he's not in a coma?" she growled. "Well, do most people in comas snore?" Jack shot back angrily. In a moment, she could hear something on the line. It did sound like Mulder, Mulder when he would fall asleep on airplanes and end up with his head leaning heavily on her shoulder. Immediately, she felt relief at the sound. She was disappointed when Jack took the phone again. "There. Satisfied?" "Not really," she said, her anger still not quenched. "Where are you? I'm coming to bring him back here." "You and the Fifth Armored Division, lady," Jack huffed. "If I could have got him into the town and the hospital, don't you think that's the first place we would have gone? We were headed off at the pass. They've circled the wagons and nobody's goin' in or goin' out." "We'll see," Scully said succinctly. "Now, how do I find you when I get out of here?" Scully hit the end button on the phone and slid it into her pocket. The hallway was deserted as she stepped out of the lab. She thought for a moment about leaving a note for Annie, but decided against taking the time. She'd call her once she was outside of town. Transportation? There was no way she could drive out to find Mulder. The National Guard had roadblocks and were nervous enough as it was. She didn't need a weekend warrior using her back for target practice. Maybe there was something smaller that she could use, a motorcycle or something. A thousand thoughts were running through her head when a hand reached out an grabbed her arm. "Agent Scully, I presume. Mind telling me where you're going in such a hurry?" Scully spun on her heel and regarded the man holding her arm in a tight grip. "Excuse me, and you are . . . ?" she asked with forced calm. "Captain Jacob Turner, USAMRID. We just got here and I was told you know more about this bug than anyone else. Let's go back to the lab and you can update me." Scully blinked. "I wasn't aware the Army's Infectious Disease unit had been called in. I thought CDC was handling the operation." Turner smiled without humor. "CDC knows when they're in over their head. We have a threat to a civilian population, but it's likely that it comes from a foreign source. Recon is saying that's a downed Soviet satellite in the desert, carrying a bio-weapon." Scully frowned. "Have they found the satellite?" Turner shrugged. "Don't know. Suppose not, considering they're still searching and I've not been informed of the find. I want to see exactly what the delivery system was for this thing. But in the meantime, what hurts it?" Scully shook her head slowly. "Nothing." Turner looked skeptical and the image almost caused Scully to smile. "Take a look. I've been conducting tests since last night. Nothing seems to have an effect." "Well, it's understandable that radiation isn't going to affect it, since its delivery system puts it outside the protective atmosphere," Turner said dismissively as he looked over the notes Scully had made. He went back, flipping pages and reading more slowly. By the third time through, Scully was beginning to lose her patience. "Look, I told you, there is nothing to stop it. All we're managing to do at this point is keep it at bay." Turner nodded appreciatively. "Well, Agent Scully, I'm sure we'll have need of your chosen field in good time. I'd be grateful if you'd assist with patient care, in the meantime." Scully narrowed her eyes and found her hands on her hips. "Excuse me?" she said, with no intentions of being polite. "We'll be taking over the lab work from now on. Your early work will prove helpful, but we'll be conducting our own tests on the virus." The man smiled and put a hand on her shoulder, effectively ushering her out of the lab. "I'm sure Dr. Sullivan could use a hand in the hospital. Thanks for all your help and we'll let you know when we have a serum developed." He shut the door the minute she was all the way out in the hall. She stood there for several minutes, fuming. The audacity of the man amazed her, but that was the least of it. Not only was he obviously going to disregard her work, she was more certain than ever that the meteor was _not_ a downed Russian satellite. Annie was waiting for her next to the nurses' station in the patient wing. "Our friends in orange have arrived," she said dryly, referring to the men and women in hazmat suits now roaming the halls. "Hard to tell who's Army without the stripes," Scully retorted. "When did USAMRID arrive?" "About half an hour after the guys from Atlanta. Apparently, CDC decided to defer to them when it became known that this isn't just a meteor." Scully frowned. "It fell almost two months ago, Annie. Wouldn't Strategic Air Command have noticed it before now? And if they suspected it carried a bio-weapon, which would have been fairly common knowledge in the intelligence community, why are they just now getting around to looking for it?" Annie shook her head. "Don't look at me, I'm just a poor country Doctor. You're the Fed," she grinned. Her grin faded when she saw her friend's continued scowl. "Dee, what are you saying? What's going on here?" "I wish I knew, Annie. I really wish I knew." ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The smell, that's what it was. It invaded his sleep and assaulted his senses. A God awful smell that reached all the way down to his stomach and sent it rolling and grumbling. The familiarity hit him and he wondered why on earth something so disgusting would be known to him. Awareness returned. Mulder clamped down the urge to vomit, his mouth set in a tight line, breathing through his nose. Even though this did nothing to dispel the odor, he wasn't game to open his mouth. Eventually curiosity got the better of him and he carefully opened his eyes, afraid of what he would find. What greeted him was the late afternoon sky peeking through a frame of criss crossing sticks. Straining to look a little further he saw a wall of animal skins and blankets. Mulder lay there for a minute, contemplating his situation. Where the hell was he? And what was wrong with him? Everything from his toe nails to his hair just plain hurt. He lifted his head to get a better look around, but the sudden movement exaggerated the dull ache behind his eyes, turning it into a violent explosion of pain. "Arghhh." It was a low groan, deep in his throat. He rested his head back down on the ground and closed his eyes. Within seconds of groaning Mulder felt a flurry of activity around him, then a hand gently shaking his shoulder. "Nooo." He pleaded as the shaking set off a new round of pounding in his head. "Hey! FBI, you with me?" Once again he forced his eyes open, trying to focus on the face hovering above him. "Come on, sleeping beauty, time to wake up." He recognized that voice. "Jack," he croaked. His throat was dry and his mouth tasted like the bottom of a bird cage. "Here, sit up and drink this." Jack urged. OH YES! He was so thirsty. But the last thing he remembered drinking tasted like that horrible smell that was threatening to make him throw up all over himself. He pushed Jack's hand away. "Come on chief, you need water. You've had nothing to drink for hours." Jack insisted. Water? Now that sounded promising. He made a move to get up but his arms refused to support him. He felt two sets of strong hands lift him into a sitting position. Jack held a bowl to Mulder's lips and he drank greedily. "Hey, ease up there chief, or you'll make yourself sick gulping it down like that." Mulder started coughing and spluttering. His stomach heaving once or twice, but he managed to keep the water down and get himself under control. Jack and his helper lowered him back to the ground. "What happened to me?" Mulder asked. His voice still weak. "You don't remember?" "Not a lot, no." Mulder admitted. "You got yourself bit by a rattler, and you were too damn stupid or pigheaded or both to know it," Jack growled at him. With Jack's words vague memories started to come back to him. The excruciating pain in his ankle, which he was now relieved to notice had died down to a dull ache. The headache and the dizziness were still with him, but not as bad as before. "I thought it was just a cold," he explained. But even to him that sounded lame, given the pain he had been experiencing in his foot. Jack just snorted, cursing the out and out foolishness of 'city folk'. As Mulder became more lucid, memories of the meteorite, Scully back at the hospital, the possible quarantine and the need for a cure came flashing back at him. He jolted upright, grimacing as another sharp pain shot through his head. "What do you think you're doing?" Jack snapped at him. "The crash site," he panted. "We have to get back there." "Uh-uh, Mr. FBI. Your body has just been to hell and back. YOU are not going anywhere. You need rest and plenty of it." Oh god, that's all he needed, an Indian version of Scully. Scully! Shit, he had better call her, she'd be going out of her mind by now. "Where's my cell phone?" He asked, patting himself down. "I've got it. What do you want it for?" Jack demanded. "Scully, I've gotta call her." He replied, agitation in his voice. "Relax, I was just talking to her, or rather she was talking to me. I thought she was gonna try and climb through the phone to get to you." Then with a wry smile he added. "Or my throat." A smile played at the corner of Mulder's mouth as he imagined Scully giving Jack an earful. "Any news from the hospital?" Mulder asked. Jack filled Mulder in on what had been happening at the hospital. Mulder nodded slowly as Jack told him about the quarantine, and the CDC operation out at the reservation. "That settles it," Mulder said. "We have to get back to the crash site." "Are you deaf or just plain stupid? Didn't I tell you, you need to rest?" Jack was becoming angry now and didn't bother trying to hide it. "Yeah. I need rest and people are dying from an unidentified 'alien virus'. How do you make sense of that?" The look of determination on Mulder's face halted Jack from pushing on with his lecture. As Mulder's words sunk in he realized that perhaps his priorities had gotten screwed up here. Before he could reply, Mulder continued. "Look Jack. I'm going back with or without you, it's your choice. But right now I'm not operating at my best and I would really appreciate your help " Mulder saw Jack's expression soften as he seemed to come to a decision. "Well it would be damn neglectful of me to get you cured of a snake bite only to have you go off half cocked and get yourself killed in the desert. Besides, I don't want to be the one to have to face your partner if something else happens to you." Mulder grinned openly, relieved to have Jack on board. Jack handed Mulder the shoe and sock that had been removed during his healing. He squeezed his foot in. Most of the swelling was above the shoe line so it wasn't too uncomfortable. Mulder rose on shaky legs, Jack giving him a hand. Once upright Mulder began to sway as the world tilted precariously before him. Jack tightened his grip on Mulder's arm to steady him. "You okay?" Jack asked. "Yeah, yeah. Just give me a minute." Mulder whispered, still holding Jack for support. The dizziness passed and Mulder took a tentative step away from Jack. As he put weight on his left foot he was rudely reminded of the snake bite. A sharp pain shot up his leg but it was nowhere near as bad as it had been. He took a few more limping steps testing out his leg. Yeah it was sore but he'd manage. He turned back to Jack and noticed he was involved in earnest conversation with an older man. Mulder had fuzzy memories of seeing him before he fell asleep. The two men were very animated but Mulder couldn't make out what they were saying. He stood by, waiting, not sure if it would be wise to interrupt them. One look at his watch decided it for him. It was 5.30pm and he was eager to get to the site before nightfall. He cleared his throat,"Jack we need to get moving." "We're taking Bill with us." "What? Who's Bill?" "He's the man who saved your life. Bill Longarrow, the grandfather of one the boys that was out here with Mike Eaglefeather, the kid who died." The man who saved his life. He wondered about that and made a mental note to ask Jack exactly how that had happened. But now there were more urgent things to take care of. "And why is he coming with us?" Mulder wanted to know. "He says there's something out there. Something that wasn't there when the meteorite first crashed. He wants to make sure you know where to find it." Jack explained. "Why? What is it?" Mulder pressed. "Look, Mr. FBI, if old Bill says he's got something to show you then I suggest you take his word and let him show you. He thinks it's important and that's good enough for me. You want to get going? Then let's do it." The three men headed out to the car, leaving Jack's assistant - as Mulder had come to think of him - back at the 'sweat lodge' to clean up. Mulder was still weak and moving very gingerly so was more than willing to let Jack drive them out to the site. Meteor Crash Site 5.45pm As harsh as the desert was during the day with its heat, at night it was just as cruel with its cold. Although daylight was still with them, the sun was starting to set behind the sheer rock walls that surrounded the canyon. Mulder shivered as he stood by the car, just staring at the huge meteorite. He had been there earlier but his memory was sketchy and vague. Jack and the old man stood by the other side of the car. They, too, seemed to be captivated by what they saw. The pink and orange from the setting sun reflected off the black, shiny surface of the meteorite. To Mulder it looked like a giant glowing spaceship, ready to take off. He shivered again, but it wasn't the cold. The old man moved off in the direction of the meteorite. Jack glanced across at Mulder then followed after him. Mulder pushed himself away from the car, staggering slightly on weakened legs. Jack paused, waiting for the limping agent to catch up. Bill Longarrow stopped at the base of the meteorite and stared at it as if mesmerized. Mulder followed the old man's gaze. On one side of the giant rock were the white flowers, still growing out of the black fragments that littered the ground. On closer inspection though, Mulder could see something else. There appeared to be some kind of orange mass that had attached itself to the side of the meteor. It was pulsating, and oozing towards the ground. Some of it had spread to the flowers and where it had made contact, those flowers had shriveled up in a dry, dead heap. Could this blob-like substance be what killed the flowers? And if it killed the flowers might it not have a similar effect on the virus? These thoughts were running through Mulder's mind as he shifted his gaze to the old man and Jack. Jack looked as surprised as Mulder felt. But the old man's eyes told him something more. Bill Longarrow knew what this stuff was, knew it's capabilities. "You know." Mulder directed this at the old man. But there was no shift of emotion on the man's face. He just held Mulder's stare and didn't move a muscle. Mulder felt an unreasonable surge of anger rush through his body. "How long have you known?" It was low and menacing. "How long have you known about this and not bothered to tell anyone? This is the cure isn't it?" Mulder's voice was rising with his anger. "How can you keep this thing a secret when your OWN people are dying?" For the first time the old man's expression changed. There was a narrowing of the eyes, but when he spoke it was calm, no hint of the anger reflected on his face. "You do not understand the Indian ways. You think I kept this thing a secret? No. You are wrong. Yes I knew about it, but not the way you think." "What are you saying?" Mulder asked. "I had a dream. Last night. I was told of this cure and how to use it. I dreamt about you too. It wasn't until Jack brought you to me that I knew you were the one. This time white man, we need to work together. The cure has to be made by the medicine woman, at the hospital." Mulder swallowed tightly. This man had saved his life and he'd just accused him of withholding vital information when in fact he'd been helping him. "I'm sorry." Mulder wiped his hands across his forehead, rubbing at his eyes with the heels of his hands. He looked up at Jack and the old man, " I had no right to say those things." Mulder felt like a jerk, but there was nothing to be gained from self recrimination. They needed samples of this blob substance to take back to Scully and Annie. The sooner the better. "I've got some evidence bags in the car. I'm gonna go get them, then we can collect the samples." Mulder suggested. Jack spoke up. "You're forgetting one little thing chief. The hospital's locked up tighter than Fort Knox. Between the National Guard, CDC, USAMRID and whatever other government agencies they've managed to rope in, we ain't gonna get to the Doc." "Once we tell them what we've found they'll have to let us through." Mulder reasoned. "You got more faith in the government than I have Mr. FBI." Jack said. "Huh! Don't be so sure of that." Mulder shot back as he headed off to the car to get the gear. Mulder returned to the other two men and handed Jack a pair of latex gloves, and an evidence kit. "Let's get samples of the orange substance and the dead flowers. Don't go near the live ones though, we're still not certain how the virus is spread." Mulder said. As he turned back toward the meteorite Mulder's attention was drawn to something in the distance. Back along the road they had driven out on. There was a dust cloud and it seemed to be getting nearer. Painted Desert Medical Center 5:35 pm Scully felt someone pull at her sleeve. She tugged her arm away and a hand came down on her shoulder. "Dee, where the hell are you going?" demanded an angry whisper. Scully sighed in relief and turned toward her friend. "Mulder's out there, Annie, with no one to help him. I'm going to do my job!" Annie rolled her eyes and muttered a curse, then sighed in resignation. "Well, you won't get far without a car," she reasoned. "A car wouldn't make it through the roadblocks. I need something that can go cross country. A truck or a jeep." A gleam came to Annie's eyes. "We could jack one of the National Guard hummers," she offered with a sly wink. "Getting shot in the back is _not_ in my job description," Scully retorted sourly. "No, we need something smaller. More inconspicuous." Annie stood in thought, chewing her lip. Then, her eyes lit up. "Meet me in the nurses' lounge in 20 minutes. I think I'll have our problem solved." Scully made good use of her time. She gathered ampules of anti-venom and epinephrine, syringes, bandages, and other odds and ends she might need into a small plastic bag. She wished she could put together some blankets, but didn't want the bulk. She would be traveling light. The nurses' lounge was actually a patient room without the bed. It was now fitted with a couple of chairs appropriated from the waiting room and an ancient kitchen dinette set. The room did boast a private bathroom, complete with a window that opened and allowed for some side stepping of the hospital's 'no smoking' policy. When Annie arrived, moments after Scully, the young doctor quickly ushered her friend into the small bathroom and locked the door behind them. Scully needed no further direction. She opened the window as far as it could go and leaned out to look around. They were at the back of the building, out of sight of either the front or emergency entrances. Since there were only fire exits equipped with alarms on that side of the building, no guards were posted there. Scully did see a couple of guards turning the corner at the side of the building. She surmised that they were on patrol. The dumpsters for the cafeteria were just below the window, and parked in between them was a beat up black motorcycle. Upon seeing the cycle, Scully turned to Annie with an upraised brow. "Born to be wild, Dee," Annie said with a wink. Scully shot her a disapproving look, but said nothing. Annie went through the window first, dropping easily to a crouch behind the nearest dumpster. Scully came next. The gathering darkness was working for them as they rolled the cycle away from the building. It was about 100 yards to the nearest structure, a metal utility building. They made it a split second before the guards rounded the corner for another patrol. A curfew had been ordered for nightfall, so the streets were quiet. In hushed tones, Scully warned against starting the cycle until they were well out of the village limits. Annie nodded in agreement. They pushed the cycle for the eight blocks to the edge of the village and stayed hidden behind an old barn. "I don't see anyone," Annie commented, still keeping her voice low. Scully surveyed the area. Cliffs and outcroppings rose up from the desert floor on the horizon, but in the growing darkness, it was impossible to say if the cover was one mile or twenty in the distance. She knew the reservation, where Jack had told her Mulder was 'sleeping' was on the other side of the cliffs. They could go around them using the main road, and be exposed, out in the open, or . . . "How far are those hills?" Scully asked. Annie frowned in concentration. "Ten minutes by car if we use the road. Maybe a little sooner cross country." Scully sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Something in her gut was telling her to head for the cliffs. "OK, here's what we do," she said, choosing her words carefully. "You go back to the hospital and I make a run for the hills." Annie had been focused on the distance of flat land before them and Scully's words almost didn't sink in. When they finally did, she protested loudly. "Oh no, girlfriend!" she shouted, shaking her head angrily. "There's no way . . ." She was cut off from her tirade by a pair of headlights bouncing across the side of the barn. "There's a curfew in effect," came a voice enhanced by a loud speaker. "Show yourselves and we'll escort you to your residence." "Shit!" Scully muttered. In an instant, she was on the bike, pulling Annie along behind her. "Keys!" she demanded, and Annie reached around her to jam the key in the ignition. "I repeat. A curfew is in effect. Come forward and we'll escort you to your residence." They were still hidden by the barn, but Scully knew that wouldn't last for long. The echo of the last word was drowned out by the roar of the motorcycle's engine. Dirt and rock flew up into a cloud behind the two fugitives as Scully adeptly popped the clutch and sped out across the desert. "Where'd you learn to dirt bike?" Annie asked in awe as they pulled away from the village. "Two brothers, base housing, the usual," Scully explained, her words all but lost in the wind. "Hope that education included alluding the military police," Annie shouted, then turned her head to view the National Guard jeep, fast approaching. "Nah. That's something Mulder's taught me," she said lightly and slammed into the next gear. The cliffs were growing on the horizon, reflecting the light of the three-quarter moon. Scully didn't bother looking behind her, Annie's knees in her thighs were giving ample evidence to how close their pursuers were. Just don't start shooting, she prayed silently. The almost immediate crack of rifle fire answered her. "Uh, Dee? They can't shoot civilians, can they?" Annie shouted into her ear. At Scully's answering terse nod, Annie's knees dug deeper into Scully's thighs to the point they were going to leave bruises. The crackle of another rifle shot spurred Scully to jam forward the throttle. The rocks were just ahead, if they could live long enough to reach them. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Box Canyon 6:03 pm As he turned back toward the meteorite Mulder's attention was drawn to something in the distance. Back toward the town. There was a dust cloud and it seemed to be getting nearer. Mulder narrowed his eyes, squinting in the fading light, trying to get a better look at what was causing the dust. From this distance it was impossible to tell. Mulder felt Jack and Bill at his side. Jack's expression showing confusion, Bill's told him nothing, the man's features were set like granite as he stared off into the distance. "What do you make of that, chief?" Jack asked quietly. Mulder shook his head slowly. "I don't know. But I have a bad feeling about it. I'll be right back." Jack watched Mulder head off to the car again and open the passenger side door. He noted Mulder was still favoring his left foot and couldn't help but wonder what drove the man to keep going. When Mulder returned he had a pair of binoculars in his hand. With only the last rays of sunlight coating the sky and the faint glow of the rising moon to light the area, making out anything in detail was difficult. The only thing that was obvious was that there were two vehicles making their way along the road. The one in the lead seemed to be smaller and traveling in an erratic manner. Mulder's mouth was suddenly dry and an uneasy feeling was growing deep down inside. The desert evening had taken on an unearthly stillness only adding to Mulder's feeling of dread. A shiver ran down his back and goose bumps were standing to attention along his arms. "Let's make this quick guys. Look's like we're about to have company, and I don't think it's the kind that just drops by for a friendly chat." He pulled the evidence bag from his pocket and made his way over to the meteorite, Jack and Bill following suit. Navigating their way amongst the debris scattered alongside the meteor was proving difficult in the shadows cast as nightfall drew closer. They picked their way carefully through the pieces of black rock housing the deadly white flowers. Once they reached the side of the meteorite they split up. Jack and Bill moving off to collect samples of the dead flowers while Mulder worked his way over to the area where the blob-like substance was attached to the meteorite. Mulder looked up at the rising moon, both thanking and cursing it. Thanking it for the extra light it was offering as the sun disappeared, and cursing it for exposing the area to whomever was high tailing it out to their location. Mulder had become engrossed in the task at hand. Up close the orange blob resembled what he could only describe as a glutinous sago substance. It was moving and pulsating like some kind of living entity. As Mulder watched in fascination it seemed to be multiplying before his very eyes. It would move and undulate, emitting a sucking sound followed by a quiet pop. It reminded Mulder of the sound plastic bubble wrapping makes when you squeeze it between your fingers. It was after the popping sound that Mulder noticed more of the substance came oozing from within. This seemed to be the process it went through to regenerate itself. He opened the evidence bag and took out what looked like a popscicle stick, a little device used to collect samples. He was just about to make contact with the substance when all hell broke loose. The sound of a roaring engine caught his attention first. As yet the source of the noise wasn't visible. There was something else too. An all too familiar sound could be heard over the engine whine. The unmistakable clap of gun fire and the ping as the bullets ricocheted off the surrounding rock. He saw Jack and Bill pause in their action of collecting the flower samples and move from a squatting position to a standing one. "Get down!" Mulder yelled out to them. He caught a glimpse of Jack grabbing the old man's sleeve and bringing him back down to a squat. At the same time Mulder was seeking some cover for himself. Just to his left, not far from Jack and Bill he spotted a boulder jutting out of the cliff face. If they could make it over there, it would provide enough shelter to hide them from the intruders. Mulder took one last look around, the engine roar was getting closer. The revving noise was rising and falling as the driver worked the throttle. Who ever was heading their way was in a hurry and they weren't worried about the finer points of discretion. With head down and still in a semi crouch position he weaved his way over to Jack and Bill. The ground was rocky and uneven, more than once he had to pick himself up before reaching Jack. "Follow me!" He yelled, but Jack was already on his feet, the old man in tow as he caught up with Mulder. The overhang was still some 20 feet away when Mulder's left foot landed awkwardly on a smooth rock. His foot slid off the side of the rock, wrenching his ankle as it twisted beneath him. Mulder hit the ground on all fours cursing under his breath at the sudden stabbing pain. He didn't have the luxury of time to wallow in the agonizing ache that now engulfed his foot. He was beginning to wonder if he'd ever walk normally on his left leg again. Mulder forced himself to his feet and took a couple of staggering steps before his ankle refused to carry him. Just as he was about to hit the ground again he felt someone grab his arm and sling it over their shoulder. "Too much more of this, chief, and I'll be hitting the FBI for my chiropractor's bill." Jack gasped out as he half dragged, half carried Mulder to the waiting shelter. He eased Mulder down on the ground and leaned him against the rock wall. Mulder lay there panting and cursing, trying to get his breath back and cope with the new agony in his foot. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw, riding out the waves of pain. On a scale of one to ten it was rating up there at ten, but Mulder knew they all did at first. All he had to do was wait it out, he figured it would even out at a five or six. He'd had worse. "Did you say your partner was a doctor?" Jack asked, his own breath coming in ragged gasps as he too fought to get his breathing back to normal. "Uh huh," was all the speech Mulder was capable of. "Wise choice." Jack replied sardonically. He was perched at the cave's entrance, keeping watch for their visitors. The engine noise grew louder and one of the vehicles pulled into view. A motorcycle, revving and kicking up dust as it burst through a narrow canyon in the rock wall. "We've got a motorcycle. There's no sign of the other vehicle though. Who do you suppose they are?" Jack turned to face Mulder again. Mulder couldn't see a thing from his position against the wall. He gritted his teeth and crawled towards Jack, keeping his foot off the ground. After the darkness of their hideout it didn't take long for Mulder's eyes to adjust to the outside. He pulled himself into a kneeling position to get a better look at the intruders. What he saw almost stopped his heart. Shoving the pain in his foot clearly to the side, Mulder launched himself to his feet and was half way through the exit when he felt himself being yanked backwards and sat on his ass by Jack. "What the fuck do you thing you're doing FBI?" Jack hurled at him. But one look at the haunted expression in Mulder's eyes, and the despair on his face quieted his anger. Jack stole a quick glance outside, then shifted his focus back to Mulder. "Who *are* they?" Jack asked. Mulder's shoulders slumped and when he spoke it was more to himself than to Jack. His answer little more than a whisper. "Scully." ****************************************************** Scully felt a bullet whiz past her left ear, making a sound like a mosquito on steroids. She flinched to the right, leaning the motorcycle, and Annie, with her. "Could you go a little faster?" Annie whined into her ear, shouting to be heard over the motor and the gunfire. "Faster than a bullet? I don't think so," Scully said with a shake of her head. "Just a few more yards . . ." To make her point, the bullets started to ricochet off the granite of the cliffs ahead. "Annie, is that an opening up there?" Scully took her hand off the handlebars just long enough to point to a position to the right and ahead of them. "It's a crack in the rock face. Probably too tight to fit through," Annie said doubtfully. "Guess we're about to find out," Scully said lightly, and gunned the cycle once again, heading straight for the rock wall. It was indeed a tight fit, the handlebars scraped against the rock and took chunks of dirt with them, but after about ten feet, it opened up in to a canyon of sorts. The Jeep, considerably wider than the motorcycle, was forced to go around the rock formation, seeking another entrance. Scully slowed the motorcycle and looked around. They might as well have been on the moon. It was dark and stark gray and yellow in the lunar light. Scully sat on the cycle for a moment, considering their options. "This canyon bends to the right up there. Maybe that's a good thing," Annie suggested. "Mulder's nearby. I'm sure of it. Where are our 'friends'?" Annie stretched behind her, then turned around again. "Not back there. Maybe they went away," she offered. "Doubt it," Scully returned. "The canyon gets too narrow, we should leave the motorcycle and walk it from here." "You say that like you know where we're going," Annie muttered. Scully's expression grew determined but Annie didn't see it in the poor light. "I know exactly where we're going." Her Mulder radar is beeping full bore and she was certain they were going to find him. With renewed purpose, Scully strode off towards the opening at the end of the narrow passageway. Annie watched her for a moment, then ran to catch up. Annie and Scully broke into the clearing, pausing to make sure their 'friends' weren't waiting to greet them. "Where do you think they've gone?" Annie whispered. "I don't know. But you can be sure they haven't taken their ball and gone home." Scully replied, her brow creased in a frown as she scanned the area stretched out before them. "What's that over there?" Annie followed the direction of Scully's outstretched arm. The whole clearing was bathed in the golden glow of the huge desert moon. Off in the distance a little way Annie could clearly see a huge dark object rising out of the ground, glistening in the moonlight. "I know what it looks like to me. And considering you're feeling the presence of your partner I would hazard a guess that we are at the meteorite crash site." Annie replied. "Annie are you sure you wouldn't like to consider a career in the FBI?" Scully teased. "If partners that look yours are standard issue, I could be swayed." Annie grinned back. "Although I'm beginning to think he's more trouble than he's worth." "He can be hard work sometimes but he's a good agent. And a good friend. I know he'd be out here trying to find me if I was in trouble." Annie made a mental note to question her friend on that more closely sometime. "Come on Dee, let's go find this partner of yours." The two women picked their way carefully to where the meteorite lay, keeping a watchful eye out for the return of the soldiers. As they got nearer Scully gripped Annie's arm. "Look! Over there. It's Mulder's rental." Not bothering to wait for Annie's reply, Scully took off at a run, leaving Annie to follow. When Annie caught up, Scully already had the driver's side door open and was inside the car. She rummaged around in the glove box, and pulled out a flash light. "Might come in handy." She mumbled to herself then turned her attention to the back, where Mulder's suit jacket lay abandoned on the seat. She climbed out of the car, the jacket still in hand and searched the pockets. His cell phone was missing, maybe if he still has it she could call him. "Ladies." A deep voice from behind interrupted her train of thought. It only took Scully a split second to react to the sound of the voice. She discarded the jacket and had her service revolver out and aimed at the man's face in one smooth motion. "Federal agent! Put your hands where I can see them." She ordered, before she'd had a chance to see who it was. "And that would be Agent Scully, yes? I've got someone you might be looking for." Scully shuffled her feet and eyed the man in front of her suspiciously. Annie stood at her friend's side, shifting her gaze between the gun in Scully's hand and the face of the man it was aimed at. "Who are you?" Scully's voice was loud, betraying her fear and her worry. "Dee, it's okay. I know him. It's Jack Yellowhawk, the reservation cop." Annie reassured her friend. "Where's Mulder?" No mucking around, Scully got straight to the point. She could only assume the worst if he hadn't come himself. "What's his condition?" "He's over there and he's okay, in a manner of speaking. We took cover when we heard the car engines and gunfire. What the hell was that all about anyway?" Jack asked as he guided the women to their temporary hideout. "Good question. They must be protecting something pretty important if they felt it was necessary to open fire on us." Scully mused. Jack ushered Annie and Scully through the opening of the small cave. There, slumped against the back wall with his eyes closed lay Mulder. "Oh my god." Scully gasped. "We are too late. I knew it. I should never have wasted so much time getting here." "Hey relax, lady FBI. Unless you can die of a sprained ankle your partner is fine. A little messed up maybe, but he's not dead." "What do you mean a sprained ankle? I thought he was bitten by a snake." Scully had had enough of being kept in the dark about Mulder's condition. Worry and weariness were shredding what was left of her patience. She dropped beside her partner and placed her fingers against his neck searching for a pulse. It was a little rapid and not as strong as she'd like but it was there. Scully sat back and had a good look at Mulder. He certainly looked like he'd been through the wringer. His once white dress shirt was covered in dirt and a murky brown stain ran its way down his chest and across his stomach. His hair was standing up in all directions and his face was streaked with sweat and dust. She leaned forward and placed her hand on his forehead. And a fever thrown in for good measure. She remembered the cold he'd been suffering from this morning and wondered if it had gotten worse. As she removed her hand Mulder shifted and stirred in his sleep. His eyes fluttered open and focused on Scully's face. "Hey Mulder. I can't leave you alone for a minute can I?" Scully teased, giving him a smile. "Scully. You're here? Are you all right? Where's Annie?" He pulled himself up straighter and winced as the movement jarred his ankle. "Mulder, you're in pain." Scully announced as she moved to his feet to examine the damage to his ankle. "Annie would you hold the flashlight so I can see? Keep your body between us and the opening. We don't want to be sending an open invitation to our friends." Scully didn't need to ask which foot was injured, it was clear from the swelling surrounding the joint and shin area. She pulled the plastic bag containing the anti venom, bandages and other bits and pieces from inside her suit coat, and went to work. She removed Mulder's shoe and sock and hissed when she saw the angry red fang marks where the snake had bitten him. A shiver ran up her spine when she thought how differently this could have turned out. She ran her hands gently over the swollen area just to make sure it wasn't more than a sprain. Satisfied that it wasn't too serious she set about wrapping the ankle in an ace bandage. Mulder sat quietly through Scully's doctoring, but the look on his face told her he was hurting. "I don't suppose anyone has any water?" Scully asked as she fished around in the plastic bag for the painkillers. Jack unslung the canteen from his shoulder and passed it to Scully. "Thanks, Jack." Then turning back to Mulder she handed him three pills, the water and the Snickers bar she'd grabbed for herself earlier in the afternoon. "Here Mulder, you're gonna have to be able to walk if we need to move quickly when those guys figure out a way to get through." "What's with the candy bar, Scully?" Mulder asked as he threw back the pills and took a long swig of the water. "When was the last time you ate?" Scully asked, glaring at him and daring him to lie to her. "Scully, I think we have more important things to worry about than my dietary habits." Mulder returned, sitting up straighter. "We don't need you passing out from low blood sugar, now eat the damned candy. You'll need the energy." With that Scully packed up her supplies and shoved the plastic bag back inside her jacket. "So, what did you find out here, Mulder?" Scully asked. Mulder went on to explain his theory on the orange goo at the meteor, and Scully and Annie in turn filled Mulder in on what had been happening at the hospital. "You guys are the Feds, any ideas how we're gonna get out of this mess?" Jack interjected. "I have an idea but I'm not sure it won't land us in more hot water." Mulder said carefully, looking around at the small group and reading the concern on their faces. "What are you thinking, Mulder?" Scully had a bad feeling about this. "Okay. This orange goo could contain the cure to the virus. I think we should get a sample and take it back to the hospital. My car is still out there so we have transport. Once we explain to the military or CDC what we've got they'll let us through. They'll have to," Mulder said, hoping he sounded more convincing than he felt. "Mulder, those guys were shooting at us. They're not going to let us just wander back there and say we're sorry. They are acting like this meteor is vital to National Security. The whole thing is verging on the ridiculous." Scully countered. "Well do you have a better idea?" "Dee?" Annie spoke up. "Look, I'm not familiar with all this gung ho stuff but I've got people dying back at the hospital. If this organism can cure them I'm willing to risk it. Surely they'll listen when we explain. We're all on the same side after all." Mulder locked eyes with Scully for just a second. Both sets of eyes reflecting how far from the truth that statement had been for them in the past. Her gut instinct told her there was only danger in the plan, but she knew that Annie was right, this breakthrough might save lives. And the thought of getting her partner back to the hospital, under decent medical care was appealing. She turned back to Mulder, about to answer him when the beam of approaching headlights swept across the opening of their cave. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Scully turned back to Mulder, ready to answer him when the beam of approaching headlights swept across the opening of their cave. Whether it was the result of the pills taking the edge off his pain, the energy from the candy bar or just plain adrenalin, Mulder was starting to feel his head clear and some strength seep back into his body. "Okay guys, looks like the party's about to begin," he quipped, but his expression was grave as he stared at the group gathered around him. "It'll only be a matter of time before they either find us or send for back up. Let's try and buy ourselves some time. They've more than likely discovered my car by now so they know about me and they definitely know about Scully and Annie. Jack, you and Bill are our trump cards." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "Now, what if Scully, Annie and I make our way down to the meteor. We'll approach it from the exposed side and try and collect a sample of the orange goo. Jack, you and Bill go around the back of it, the side that isn't visible from where you enter the canyon." He paused again to make sure everyone was following what he had said. "Go on." Jack encouraged. "Okay, you and Bill try and take a sample from that side and then make your escape, maybe via the same way Annie and Scully entered the canyon. I'll leave that to you though, you'd know this area better than me. If we are seen or stopped before we can get a sample we can act as a distraction while you make your get away. I don't think we'll be in any danger but it's hard to say. Just the fact that they were shooting at Scully puts doubt in my mind. We are Federal agents after all and if we co operate with them then I think we will be okay. The important thing is to get that sample out of here so it can be tested. Any questions?" Everyone nodded their understanding. "Okay, we'll go down first and when everything looks clear, Jack, you make your move." Mulder made a move to get up. Stiff muscles protesting as he got to his feet. Scully sidled up to him and spoke quietly. "Mulder are you sure you're up to this? You've been through a lot today. How's the ankle holding up?" "It's okay, Scully, really. The pain meds are helping and so is the bandage. We don't have a lot of choice anyway so I'm going to have to be fine." He gave her a crooked smile, one she was hard pressed to see in the gloomy darkness of the cave. Mulder, Scully and Annie made their way back to the meteorite, sticking to the shadows created by the moon and the rocks. Mulder was still a little unsteady on his feet. Scully stuck close to him just in case. Just as they rounded one of the large boulders near the meteor a shot rang out of the darkness sending splinters of granite into the air. "Shit! Get down!" Mulder hissed, grabbing both Annie and Scully and pulling them back behind the boulder. Mulder's heart thumped loudly as it pushed the latest release of adrenalin through his body. "What the hell are they playing?" "Whatever it is, they're playing for real." Scully offered. "Any other ideas?" "Yeah. You two wait here." And before Scully had a chance to react Mulder was on his feet and heading towards the jeep, ID held up high in his right hand, his left held up at shoulder height in the universal offering of surrender. "I'm a Federal Agent. Hold your fire. I'm coming down to talk." Mulder called out as he advanced on the soldiers. A bullet whizzing past his ear was his reply. Followed immediately by another that ricocheted off a nearby rock catching Mulder in the side of his head, spinning his body, and sending him to the ground. "Mulder!" Scully's scream echoed off the cliff walls in the sudden silence that followed the gunfire. " God, Mulder." Ignoring caution Scully was at his side in an instant. He was hanging on to consciousness by a thread. His eyes fluttering open, then closing as he fought to focus on Scully's face. "Scully?" He reached out blindly with his hand trying to touch the image swimming above him. "It's okay Mulder, I'm here." Scully pushed his hair back, her hand coming away slick with his blood. "What the hell do you think your doing? Who are you?" Scully's voice shook as she yelled her anger and frustration into the desert night. There was no reply though, just an eerie silence broken only by the sound of her own harsh breathing and the pounding of her heart. "Scully, go. Take Annie and run." Mulder's pleas were coming in short gasps as he tried to push himself up. "Stay still Mulder. I'm not going any where..." "And neither am I." Annie said as she arrived at her friend's side. "How bad is he?" She asked nodding her head toward Mulder. "It's hard to say in the dark. He's bleeding but I don't think it's deep. It looks like the bullet has glanced off something and grazed him on the way past." Scully explained. Suddenly the group were bathed in a bright light coming from the direction of the jeep. Both Annie and Scully were using their hands to shield their eyes. It was impossible to see anything, all traces of their night vision gone. As Scully squinted into the light, two dark figures appeared from nowhere. Stepping from the darkness, their bodies were silhouetted against the glare. One with his gun cocked and aimed at Scully's head. "Ma'am. I'm going to have to ask you to stand up and move away from the casualty." At first glance Scully could see he was a relatively young man, but that was merely an idle observation. First and foremost in her mind was the insatiable anger that burned deep down in the pit of her stomach, spreading up her chest and running down her arms, eventually pooling in her hands. She stood and worked her hands into fists, clenching and unclenching her fingers. If she could just get her hands around this man's neck she felt sure her anger would be appeased. A hand on her arm quickly brought her back to her senses. "Dee, take it easy. Let's hear what they've got to say." Scully glared at her friend, nostrils flaring, her eyes glinting as if made of steel. She may have returned to her senses but her fury still raged against what was happening. In a fleeting second of rationalism she realized her anger was aimed in the wrong direction. Turning her attention back to the soldiers Scully stood quietly, her hands gripping the fabric of her jacket in an effort to maintain some semblance of control. Someone who didn't know her well could easily have mistaken Scully's demeanor for cooperation, but those that knew her better would see she was wound tighter than a spring. "Do you realize you have just shot a Federal Agent." she seethed at the young soldier. Scully took one more moment to look closely at the man, noting his rank, a sargent. Quite low in the chain of command. She wondered about the son of a bitch who was feeding him his orders. "Ma'am, I'm going to ask you one more time. Step away from the casualty." The man's face wore no emotion, the perfect picture of a man ready to die for his country, to follow orders to the letter. A man committed to his duty, no questions asked. "He's not a fucking casualty." Growing up in Naval compounds and hanging around with two brothers had taught Scully how to swear with the best of them and when the need arose she felt no compunction at proving it. "We are not in a god damned war zone. He is a federal agent, my partner, and thanks to your twitchy trigger finger he is hurt. I am going to tend to him." With that Scully ignored the rifle muzzle aimed at her face and returned to her rightful position, cradling Mulder's now unconscious form in her arms." The soldier who had been speaking, the one without the gun hesitated only a second before unslinging his own weapon from his shoulder and taking up aim shooting at a target just above Scully's head. "Ma'am I suggest you take me seriously. If you do not comply with what I am saying I have orders to shoot to kill. Now move away from the casualty." For the first time since this encounter Scully's anger was being replaced by fear. She stole a nervous glance at Annie and saw that same fear reflected in her eyes. What the hell was going on here? This was overkill to the nth degree. Scully swallowed hard against the lump in her throat, rose quietly to her feet and taking careful steps came to stand beside Annie. Her fear became terror as she watched the soldier lower his gun and adjust the point of its aim in the direction of her partner, just below his left breast. Scully's sharp intake of breath was echoed by Annie's. Time seemed to slow down, sound lost in a muffled cocoon somewhere off in the distance. Scully held her breath and fixed her gaze on the finger locked around the trigger of the gun. She looked on in unadulterated horror as the sinews and tendons in that same finger began to tense in anticipation of firing the bullet that would end their partnership forever. Scully and Annie jumped in unison as a loud report rang out from the night. Slowly and surely all strength left the muscles in Scully's legs, her knees ceased to support her and she sank to the ground as if preparing to offer a prayer to God. A lonely tear tracked its way along the smooth plain of Scully's jaw, tucking itself under her chin before dropping silently onto the collar of her shirt. She stared at Mulder's prone body, steeling herself against the sight that would greet her; Mulder's blood pumping through the wound in his chest. But wait. Where there should have been a gaping hole sucking out the very existence of her partner, there was nothing. Feeling slowly returned to Scully's numb limbs and sluggish mind as a tiny glimmer of hope sparked itself to life within her. A hand on her shoulder snapped her all the way back to the here and now and the sounds that were a blur to her ears began to take on meaning. "Dee. Dee, look at me." Annie implored her friend. There was enough in the tone of Annie's voice to snap Scully out of her stupor. "Dee, something's happening. Look. Up there. Along the top of the cliffs. I think the cavalry just arrived, so to speak." Annie looked at Scully, offering a wry smile. Scully allowed two more seconds to reassure herself that Mulder was still breathing and not spilling his blood onto the rocky ground. Once satisfied that he had not been shot she lifted her eyes to follow the line of Annie's outstretched arm. Lights glittered all along the edges of the cliffs that created the box effect of their canyon. Scully edged her way out of the spotlight, sparing a quick glance at the soldiers who had threatened their lives. One man stood massaging his right hand with his left, weapon lying at his feet. The other's weapon hung loosely from the strap slung across his shoulder. Both wore expressions of shocked disbelief. Scully moved further out into the darkness, squinting in an attempt to focus on the lights, dancing and twinkling above them. She watched on in fascination as a group of these lights bobbed and wove their way down an unseen path leading from the top. They momentarily disappeared from sight only to reappear again at ground level with Scully. As Scully's eyes grew accustomed to the dark she could see the lights were actually fiery torches, flames hissing and flickering, held high above the heads of the men who were carrying them. Scully took another tentative step forward. "Doc?" The breath wooshed from Scully's lips and her knees threatened to give way again, but this time in relief. "Jack!" "You okay?" Jack spoke as he circled Scully, and came around to face the soldiers, lifting his rifle higher and keeping them in his sight. The men that had accompanied him down the path took up position on the other side, their stance aping Jack's. He flicked his eyes in Mulder's direction, "Dammit. Is he hurt again?" He didn't expect a reply, the answer was obvious. "You won't get away with this. You are breaking martial law." The sargent spoke with a false sense of bravado in an attempt to regain some control of the situation. "On the contrary, my friend, it is you that are threatening to cause a full scale national incident. Just where do you get off shooting at FBI agents and endangering the lives of innocent civilians?" Jack asked, nodding his head in Annie's direction. "Our jurisdiction gives us the power to act in the best interests of national security, and you sir are hindering us from performing that duty." With each word the sergents confidence grew in the certainty that he was right. "Now I suggest you be on your way and let us get on with our job." "Son, I don't know who's been filling your head with these delusions of grandeur, but let me assure you, your job here is done. Unless you and your government are willing to wipe out a whole Indian tribe, then I would strongly advise you to get on your bike and get the hell out of here. But first I think we're just gonna pass the time of day a little while longer while these good folks here take their leave." Jack indicated in the direction of Scully, Mulder and Annie. Scully had moved back to Mulder's side. She was worried about the length of time he'd been out of it. Maybe the wound wasn't as superficial as she'd first thought. She examined him more closely, the bleeding had stopped. She checked his pupils and sighed in relief as they contracted in the bright glare of the spotlight. If he had a concussion it was mild. "Mulder. Come on wake up." She shook his shoulder and was pleased to see him stir and then moan quietly, his eyes flickering open. "Scully. Ah shit." He slammed his eyes shut against the onslaught of bright light. He brought his hand up to act as a shield. "Come on, Mulder. I need you all the way up. The party's started and you're missing the best part." She urged, as she got her hands under his shoulders and helped him sit up. Jack edged his way over to stand behind Scully, never taking his gun off the soldiers. "How is he? Can you get him to the car?" Jack asked. "I don't know. How are you Mulder?" Scully asked as she tried to read the level of discomfort in the expression on his face. Mulder's heart sank as he recognized Jack standing next to them. He'd really pinned a lot of hope on Jack getting out with the sample. But confusion beat the disappointment away as he noticed the rifle in Jack's hand and the soldiers quietly standing in submission surrounded by five or six other Native Americans, all with theirweapons trained directly at them. "Help me up, Scully." Annie joined Scully at Mulder's side. Her friend had always been strong and tough, but lifting a man Mulder's size up off the ground was stretching it a bit far. Together they heaved Mulder to his feet. Both women supporting him on either side as he began to sway and tip dangerously toward the ground again. "Easy, Mulder." Scully suggested as he made an attempt to shake them off and stand on his own. "I'm okay." He panted. "What the hell's going on?" "Don't worry about that, chief. I've got things under control. Now take your personal physician and Annie and get out of here." Jack spoke as he reached into his pocket, palming a small bottle inside a plastic bag. He held his hand out to Scully who in turn took the offering from Jack and slipped it into her own pocket. "Now get out of here. Go!" Scully and Annie didn't have to be told again. Each taking hold of one of Mulder's arms they led him off in the direction of the rental car. He stumbled along blindly, dependent upon the women supporting him. His head pounded and his knees felt like jelly, and just to make sure it wasn't forgotten his ankle shot little jets of pain along his leg with each step he took. Mulder felt himself being pushed down and forward, then felt something soft and inviting under him. He sank gratefully into the back seat of the rental and felt himself slipping sideways until his head met something softer, and warmer and something that smelled a whole lot better than he did at that moment. Scully climbed into the back on the other side of Mulder and pulled his head onto her lap, wrapping one arm across his shoulders, the other resting lightly on the back of his neck. "Dee! Keys! Where are the damn keys?" Annie called urgently from her position in the drivers seat. "Shit." Scully shook Mulder's jacket listening for the jingle of his keys. Nothing. She moved her hands over his pants, patting down the pocket in the side of his pants that was facing up, still nothing. She reached under his body to try the other one, feeling her way along his hip. Bingo! She scrunched her hand and wiggled it into the confined space, gripping the keys and maneuvering her hand free. "Oooh, Scully. Not now, I'm really not up to it..." "Shut up. Mulder." She tossed the keys to Annie, who in turn wasted no time shoving them into the ignition and sparking the engine to life. She threw the gear stick into drive, hit the accelerator almost simultaneously and took off leaving dust and gravel whirling through the air in their wake. "Where to? " Annie asked as she hugged the steering wheel in an effort to keep the car on the narrow path. "I want medical facilities. I don't like the way Mulder is still so drowsy, and I haven't had a good look at that snake bite yet. I'm not convinced that what Jack did has completely healed him." "I'm fine Scully." Mulder pushed himself upright to prove it and immediately regretted the action as everything before him started to spin. "Scully, I take that back. I feel like shit." And his eyes promptly rolled back in his head as he slid slowly along the back of the seat, his head coming to rest once again in Scully's lap. Scully pressed her fingers gently to his neck to check his pulse, rapid and shallow. She ran her hand across his brow, it came away damp, and tinged with red as the blood from his head wound mixed with the perspiration on his forehead. As Scully pulled his body closer to hers she could feel him trembling. "Dammit. Annie can you get this thing moving any faster? He's going into shock." Scully reached around Mulder's body and retrieved his jacket that had come to rest on the floor. She draped it over his shoulders, trying to get some warmth into his body. "The res clinic is just round the bend up ahead. It's not as well fitted out as the hospital but I've managed to keep supplies up to date by appropriating the odd piece of equipment when it became what they considered to be unserviceable." She smiled knowingly at Scully in the rear view mirror, but her friend's attention was focused on the man cradled in her arms. Minutes later the car came to a screeching halt in front of the small clinic. There was a strange quietness surrounding the old clapboard building. Both Annie and Scully had been half expecting CDC people to be patrolling the area. But there was no sign of life at all. Annie turned in her seat. "What do you think's going on?" Scully's brow drew itself together as she considered the situation. "There's no sign of life. In fact it doesn't look like anyone has even been here. But that doesn't surprise me. These people are good at covering their tracks" Scully gently eased herself from under Murder's body and pushed the car door open. "Let's take a look. You didn't happen to procure a gurney did you? He doesn't look like he's going to wake up any time soon." "Not a problem." She grinned at her friend. "One gurney coming right up!" Then with some seriousness returning to her voice she said, "Dee, you stay here with Mulder. This is my turf, if anyone gives me a hard time, I'm supposed to be here. It looks deserted though so I should be back in a sec." Scully watched as one by one the lights inside the clinic came to life. And true to her word, Annie was back with a gurney in a matter of minutes. "All clear Dee. Let's get him inside" ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Indian Reservation Medical Clinic Painted Desert 10am the next day. Would someone please turn off the damn lights? That was Scully's first thought as awareness began to wind its way into her sleep addled brain. Her next thought was to wonder if she would ever be able to stand straight again as she felt the crick in her back and stiffness in her neck. As yet she hadn't got round to opening her eyes. When she did that she would have to face reality, and with reality came responsibility and she just hadn't had enough sleep to feel she could deal with that right now. Then she remembered where she was. Mulder! She sat up straight and her eyes flew open. A long drawn out groan escaped her lips as the morning sun shone in her eyes through the curtainless windows. The sudden movement sent protesting muscles into a flurry of rebellion. She raked her fingers through her hair then continued the path to rub her eyes. With her other hand she reached behind and massaged the back of her neck. After a second to regain her equilibrium she stood and arched her back first to one side then the other. She bent down to touch her toes, missing by some six inches but she didn't care. The stiffness in her back was eased and she stood all the way up. Scully covered the space between her and Mulder's bed in two small steps. She rested a hand on his head, no fever and there was a little more color in his face. She moved to the IV needle, making sure Mulder hadn't dislodged it in his sleep. She ran her hands up the line and checked the flow of liquid. Satisfied that all was as it should be she went in search of a bathroom or Annie or both. The bathroom won. Annie was her next target but there was no sign of her. She remembered Annie telling her during the small hours of the morning that she was going back to the hospital. Despite Scully's pleas that it might not be safe she could well understand her friend's urgency to get back to her patients. So Annie had gone with promises of returning as soon as things were stable. That had been some five hours ago and Scully was losing the battle to control her fear. She reached for her cell phone and wondered at the wisdom of trying to call her. Would it endanger her more, or alert someone to their whereabouts? Sighing she returned the phone to her pocket, deciding to trust her friend for a while longer. Scully moved back to Mulder's room, taking up guard beside his bed again. She sat there watching him as he slept. Basically he'd been suffering from exhaustion and dehydration, in the end his body had just given up waiting for him to let it rest, so taking matters into its own hands, had put itself to sleep without his permission. As she sat watching her partner, she wondered how Jack had fared with the military. She had a strong feeling the man could take care of himself. She smiled quietly to herself as she recalled the look of shock on the soldiers' faces when they saw themselves surrounded. She noticed her hands had curled into fists as she thought about the little weasel aiming his gun at Mulder. Thinking of Jack reminded her of the sample bottle of orange goo he had handed her before they left. She reached for the inside pocket of her jacket and pulled out the bottle. She turned it around and around in her fingers, examining it from all angles. She held it up to the light, wondering what secrets it held. Where it had come from? Scully was pulled from her thoughts by a tingling feeling in her spine. She was overcome by a strong sense of being watched. She turned quickly and jumped in fright as she came face to face with a man standing in the doorway. "I know what that is." Bill took three or four steps into the room and pointed at the substance in the sample bottle. "What?" Scully asked a little more tersely than intended, but she didn't appreciate having people sneak up behind her. The Indian moved all the way into the room. He came and stood next to Scully at Mulder's bedside. "How is he?" Bill asked, directing his gaze at Mulder. "After everything he's been through in the last twenty-four hours and all things considered he's doing fine. With a little rest he should make a full recovery." She adjusted the covers on the bed as she spoke, then turning herself to look Bill in the eye, she said, "Tell me what you know about this stuff, what is it?" "Let me tell you a story. Sometime ago there was a rock that fell from the sky, much like the one you saw last night, only smaller. It didn't cause much fuss, it just lay in the desert, no real harm done. A few small desert animals lost their lives but there were no human deaths." The old Indian seemed to withdraw into himself, his eyes glassy as he recalled the past. "I remember something though. There were white flowers, same as the ones that appeared this time. Not long after the flowers started to grow some men from the city came. The flowers were dead by the time they got there. They asked some questions around the res, but no one had anything to tell them. They spent some time camped out near the rock. Digging and collecting things. Then, as quietly as they had come, they left again." "You have no idea what they wanted?" Scully asked. "Oh yes, I have an idea." Bill paused and stared at Scully. "And?" Scully encouraged. "They were after the magic in the flowers. But the orange stuff you have there in that bottle had covered them, and killed them." "But what is it? Where did it come from." Scully asked, fingering the bottle she held in her hand. "From the desert." Bill stated. "What? What are you talking about?" Scully's hope for answers to this puzzle seemed to be diminishing the more she spoke with Bill. "It is a desert plant. It comes and goes. Usually it appears when the earth is in trouble. I saw it once many years ago near a mining town. A truck had overturned on the road, its contents spilling onto the ground. Poisonous fumes were making people sick. In one night the orange plant had covered the poison on the ground, by the next day all traces of it gone." "You're telling me this is just a desert plant. Nothing more?" Scully looked at the old man incredulously. "Earth has a way of protecting herself, lady FBI. Is that so hard to believe?" Bill moved towards the door. Before leaving he turned back to Scully. "Take care of your young man. He is the chosen one." Bill left the room, his cryptic message still hanging in the air. Scully watched the man's retreating form. Not sure if she was really any the wiser after that encounter. Her attention was caught by a soft stirring behind her. "He knew, Scully." Murder's voice was scratchy from sleep. He worked to clear it but that just tickled his throat and sent him into a bout of coughing. Scully poured him some water from the jug beside his bed and handed it to him. He drank greedily then placed the glass back on the bedside counter. "How much did you hear Mulder?" Scully asked as she checked the IV again. "Pretty much all of it. I think he knows more than he's telling us Scully. There's gotta be more. The way the military reacted, even for them that was extreme." Mulder laid his head further back in the pillows. Speaking had set off a new round of pounding in his head. He reached tentatively up and touched the bandage covering the wound where the bullet had grazed him. There was something else, too. A dull ache in his left foot. Mulder lifted the covers and eyed his foot, wrapped and propped up on a pillow. "Looks like you've been busy, Scully. Or I have. The ankle I remember but what happened to my head?" He asked a little puzzled. Scully went on to explain the chain of events that had occurred the night before, that had led them to the reservation clinic. "Where's Annie now?" Mulder asked, squinting in the bright sunlight streaming through the window. "She went back to the hospital to check on her patients. I haven't heard from her Mulder and it's been five hours." She paused in her speech, then added, "I'm worried about her." As if on cue there was a knock on the door. Both agents turned and watched as Annie entered the room. Her face was drawn, dark smudges circled her eyes, evidence of her lack of sleep, but her body language spoke of a person far more relaxed than she should have been. Scully crossed the room and took her friend in an appreciative hug. "You made it. How did things go at the hospital?" Scully asked taking a step back to give her some room. "Dee, it's the strangest thing. When I got back to the hospital it was as deserted as this place. Except for the patients and other staff members. No sign of the Military or CDC people. If I didn't know better I'd swear it had all been a bad dream." She shook her head in confusion. "And the weirdest part, every one of the patients is improving. Dramatically so." Mulder and Scully exchanged knowing glances. Scully saw something in Mulder's eyes that she'd seen a hundred times before. She saw a fire smoldering behind his gaze, a look that spoke of a quiet determination to uncover the truth behind this latest conspiracy. She knew he was not about to let this issue be swept under the carpet. "We have to get back out to the site Scully. I need to know what they were covering up." Even as he spoke he was throwing the covers back and readying himself to climb from the bed. "Oh no you don't." Annie and Scully chorused together, both sets of hands landing on his shoulders and pushing him back down. "You are not going anywhere, even if I have to drug you or put you in restraints or both. Mulder do you have any idea what you have put your body through, how close you came to dying? Not once but twice. I know you need to find the truth about this. But not now." She softened her tone and took his hand in both of hers. "You'll get your chance Mulder, but now, your body needs to heal." Scully watched as he held his body stiff in resistance to what she was saying. She held his eyes with her own though trying to convince him of the sense in what she was saying. He seemed to come to a decision, the fire in his eyes remained but his body relaxed and he sank his head back into the pillows. He looked at Scully through hooded eyes. "I hear you, Scully. No restraints and no drugs necessary." He paused and then added, "I could really use some tylenol though. I have a killer headache here." He pleaded as he brought his hands up to massage his temples. "You still got that partner of yours doctoring you?" A familiar voice rang out from the doorway. "Jack! Hey you made it!" Mulder grinned at the Indian. "Damn straight I made it. You didn't think a couple of trigger happy young pups like that were gonna stop me?" Jack grinned at him, and moved closer to the bed. "Well you look a whole lot better than you did last night Mr. FBI, but that's not really saying much. Whatever they're paying that partner of yours, it's not enough. She has a full time job just looking after you." "Hey, I had a bad day. It's not always like this." Mulder pouted. Scully clamped a hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle the small cough of disbelief that had escaped. "Scullleee, it's not. Tell him." Mulder had actually managed to bring a whine to his voice. "Annie would you show me where the pain meds are?" Scully swiftly changed the subject and taking Annie by the arm left the room. Mulder had turned more serious as he addressed Jack. "I didn't get a chance to really thank you for saving my life. And from what Scully tells me on more than one account. Bill too, for that matter. I don't remember much about what happened back in the sweat lodge but I know that whatever Bill gave me for the snake bite, it saved me. Thank you." Mulder reached out his hand to Jack who in turn clasped it in his own and shook it." "Don't mention it, Agent Mulder." "Oh, Agent Mulder? Not 'chief', not 'Mr FBI'? What did I do to deserve that?" Mulder asked his eyes twinkling in amusement. "Don't push it, chief. You seem like a good guy to me. Not like the other suits we've had out here throwing their weight around, waving their jurisdiction in our faces. I like you, Mr. FBI. Maybe we'll have a beer sometime and I'll tell you how we sent the two Military fellas packing last night." Jack patted Mulder on the leg then headed for the door. "Take care of that lady partner of yours, I have a feeling you're gonna need her." With that Jack winked at Mulder and left the room. It was only a minute later that Annie and Scully returned. "Where's Jack?" Annie asked. "He left. He's an interesting man." Mulder mused as he stuck his hand out to accept the pills Scully was offering him. "Well, people, I'm going back to the hospital to check on things. There have been no more cases brought in and a few of the patients have improved enough to be released. I don't know whether it's divine intervention or the CDC that had something to do with it. Whatever it is I'm just glad this thing seems to be under control." Annie moved to where Scully was standing. She took her friend into her arms and gave her a hug. "I'm glad this turned out okay, Dee. I've gotta tell you, I had my doubts last night. You're good at your job. I'm glad you chose the FBI over medicine. It's kind of comforting to know there are people like you and Mulder out there fighting for us." "Thanks for all your help, Annie. You handle yourself pretty well in an emergency. How does Special Agent Annie Sullivan sound to you?" Scully grinned at her friend. "Uh-uh. Oh no. You two have given me enough excitement in the last 24 hours to last me a life time. A nice country hospital with nothing more than the odd stomach flu or snake bite sounds pretty darn appealing right now." Annie gave Scully's arm one last squeeze, then turned to face Mulder. "Take care of yourself, Mulder. The human body can only take so much you know." Then planting a small kiss on his cheek she turned and left the partners alone "So Mulder, what's your theory? What do *you* think they were covering up?" Scully asked as she inserted herself back in the chair beside the bed. "I've been thinking about that Scully. What use would deadly flowers have to the military or our government? I can think of only one thing. Imagine it Scully. If they could get their hands on the flowers and somehow process the virus it contains, develop it and use it as some sort of biological weapon. If it is extraterrestrial, imagine the power those people would have. They could virtually hold the world to ransom. "What if they've already got some of those flowers? They gave up in the end without a lot of fight. I don't trust them Scully. When we get back to DC I want to do some more digging around." He watched his partner take in what he'd just said. Scully reached for the sample bottle again. She passed it to Mulder. "We still have this Mulder. Jack took a sample before he escaped and gave it to me last night. I want to test it when we get back. Run it through the FBI lab. The facilities here just won't cut it." Mulder stared at the little sample bottle, willing it to give him the answers. In the end he handed it back to Scully, his head becoming heavy as the pain meds kicked into action. "Get some rest Mulder" She squeezed his hand. "We can't do much till we get back." He nodded his head and shifted himself down in the bed to a more comfortable position. His eyes closed and his breathing evened out to slow regular breaths. In a matter of minutes he fell asleep, his hand still resting in Scully's. the end. Endnotes: The authors would like to acknowledge some movies that were used as reference works and sources of inspiration. First on the list is 'Thunderheart' with Val Kilmer and Graham Greene. You might recognize a little of Graham's character in Jack. Next was 'Billy Jack' and if you've never seen that one, what is wrong with you? And finally, to the best movie or book every produced which dealt with downed spacecraft and their resulting toxic impact, 'Andromeda Strain'. If you haven't seen these great works, or haven't seen them lately, well, now you have something to do while we wait for Season 7. Thanks for your indulgence. Vickie ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "You know the prickling feeling you get at the back of your neck? . . . That's them." Cole to Malcolm The Sixth Sense ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^