The Night Shift Series - Part 5 The Night Shift Investigates by Mulderslady DISCLAIMER: They don't belong to me, wish they did. RATING: P.G.-13 later stories maybe P.G.-13 to mild R CLASSIFICATION: S, Alternative Universe, X-file KEYWORDS: UST/MSR, Minor Mulder and Scully angst, AU SPOILERS: From All seasons URL: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Capsule/5160/Nightshift.html FEEDBACK: Please!!! at damacia@home.com ARCHIVE: Oh yeah, anywhere!! SUMMARY: Off-Kilter veteran Paramedic Fox Mulder meets the new Medical Examiner for Georgetown Medical Center, Dr. Dana Scully. A deep friendship instantly develops as they have numerous X-file like adventures on the night shift. Fifth part of the Night Shift series. June 93 Morgue 3 am "Hey Scully, got a fresh one for you." "Hey Mulder, where have you been? Oh my god what happened to your eye it's all red?!" "I don't know, I can't remember. Strange huh? I just woke up in my ambulance with this one in the back and a policeman looking at me real weird." "You blacked out?? Have you been checked for diabetes, did you hit your head, do you have a history of epilepsy? Do you . . ." "Whoa, slow down doc, I'm fine. I probably just broke a blood vessel in my eye and I haven't had any sleep for the past 3 days." For some one as smart as him, he should really take better care of himself, Scully thought as she gave him "The Look". "I'm fine Scully." Mulder said insistent, "But I am definitely going to crash on your couch till breakfast." Scully watched him as he went to her office and closed the door. She pulled back the sheet on the body and said "WOW!!" then she realized she had shouted rather loud. Mulder came running back out. "What?! What's wrong?!" "Oh sorry Mulder, it's just this man was definitely killed by liver extraction, but it wasn't cut out." Mulder moved closer and snuck a quick peek at the body. "How'd the liver get out then?" "See here it looks like claw marks, like it was taken out by bare hands or paws." "Most likely hands, I was in the city." "Oh my god, do you know what this means?? There is someone out there strong enough to poke his hand through a person's skin and wrench out there liver." "Need a profile?" "Please, wow me wonder boy." "This person is one sick puppy." Scully smirked and playfully slapped his shoulder with her clean hand. "Ow what?!" "Go to sleep Mulder, I'll wake you when it's time to go." Next night 11 p.m. "Hey kiddo, fresh one think it's our psycho from last night." "What do you mean?" "Hole in his chest and no liver." Mulder said uncovering the body. Scully nodded in agreement then Mulder motioned for her to follow him. "What Mulder?" "I had my buddy's look up all the murders in the past that dealt with liver extractions and they came across a couple, but then they found something interesting. In 1933 there were 5 liver extractions, same as last night, bare hands, In 1963 same thing 5 livers, bare hands." "What are you implying there copycat murders?" "No, they are the same killer." Scully snort laughed then stopped when she saw he was serious. "Your serious?" "Very, look the guy suspected in all this was an Eugene Victor Tooms." "In each case? They must be related." "That's what I thought till they found pics of the man and his birth certificate. Same guy, each year, born in 1903. No other Eugene Victor Tooms born after that." "The same guy? How, why what?" "All good questions, but the one's we really need to know are where and who. Where is he and who's going to be next?" "So they got his last known address?" Scully said removing her gloves quickly. "Yeah why?" "Well they've questioned him, now I want to examine him. Why does he need the livers? Does he live off the bile or something?" "Us? You and me go find him?" "Well if he hibernates or something for all those years and lives off 5 livers like I think you believe and he's got two that I've seen, we don't have much time now do we?" When she's right, she's right, he thought as he nodded in agreement. Scully glanced at the body again and wrote on his chart, liver extraction Mulder smiled "What's that called?" "Drive-thru autopsy, 55 seconds or less. Come on lets go, they won't miss me." Tooms place "Its abandoned Mulder, what gives?" "I don't know let's check it out." They went inside and Mulder flicked on his high powered flashlight. "Gee what else do you have on your 'utility belt' Batman? Your knife, gun, walkie-talkie, flashlight . . ." "Jacuzzi and a foot massager." Scully giggled and reached for his hand as they headed deeper into the building only to release it and cover her nose. "That smell, it smells like . . ." Mulder walked up to what looked like a nest of newspapers and touched it slightly. It was held together by a sticky foul smelling substance. Mulder looked at the substance and rolled it on his fingertips. "It's some sort of nest." "It's smells like bile." Mulder cringed "Is there anyway I can get it off my fingers without betraying my cool exterior?" He said as he shook it off his fingers and rubbed them on the ground. "Come on Mulder, let's get out of here." Outside "That was fun." Scully said, Mulder looked at her strange. Strange woman, beautiful but strange. He watched her reach for a bag under the ambulance seat. "Liverwurst sandwich want some?" Mulder smiled and reached for the sandwich. "How appropriate. You know you could get in trouble for sitting in this car right now, leaving your office and all. I would hate to be the cause of getting you reprimanded." "Mulder, I wouldn't put myself on the line for anybody but you." They locked eyes for a moment. That was better than I love you, Mulder thought as he smiled and said "If there's an ice tea in that bag, could be love." Scully smiled and handed him a drink, Mulder held it in his hand a moment. "Must be fate." His eyes widened, is it iced tea?? "Root beer." Scully said. Mulder threw her a wounded look, secretly glad. He wasn't ready for a relationship with her yet. Not that he wouldn't want one with her, but he was too screwed up right now to be the man she needs, the man she deserves. "10-15 Spooky, you're needed over off Grace. Break in at the mall." "I'm not a policeman" "Yeah but the guard is down." "Okay going ETA 5 mins." Then to Scully "Hold on." As he sped off towards the mall. Mall Cops were everywhere. "Medics! Move!" Mulder's eyes widened when he saw the man, a hole in his chest, no liver. "Scully, Scully come here." "What? Oh my god he's here!" "Who?" the cop in charge asked "Eugene Victor Tooms. Mulder and I believe he is responsible for some murders that ran through my morgue." "Here?" "Yes, his calling card is extracting the liver with his bare hands." "Found some blood in here!" a cop inside the mall said and they ran inside quickly. "Under the escalator, only big enough for one person." The cops backed up and Mulder looked up, pointing to himself "Me?" "Well he's your murderer. I'm not getting my liver yanked out." The cop said then adding, "Need a gun?" "No I got one thanks." Scully turned to the amazed cop and said "Standard equipment." Mulder smiled and took off his jacket and belt "Here hold my 'utility belt'." Scully smiled and feigned a look of overwhelming adoration. He rolled his eyes and climbed into the small space and crawled a little ways on his belly. The smell hit him immediately then he saw it, a nest! Mulder pushed at it with his gun and a hand reached out followed by a bile-covered man with yellow skin and glowing yellow eyes. "AAIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Mulder screamed, backpedaling out of there, inadvertently kicking Tooms in the face. Mulder crawled out of there faster than a centipede. "Mulder grabbed my hand." A small hand reached down as Mulder crawled towards the light . He reached up grabbing her hand and they pulled him out. Mulder was breathing hard as he backpedaled away from the opening. Tooms, where is he? Mulder thought and was answered quickly by an animal like cry and a yellow hand distending for the opening. Scully quickly hit the button for the escalator, it started and sucked an unprepared Tooms under, crushing him. "You okay Mulder?" Mulder nodded, his eyes still wide as saucers. She helped him off the ground. "We'll need your statements before you go. So how did you know it was Tooms?" Scully smiled and looked at Mulder "Your case Sherlock." Mulder smirked and breathlessly explained their involvement. After questions and forms, Scully and Mulder returned to his ambulance. "Man, he came out of there like Jason, no Freddie , Freddie Kreuger." "I know, we heard you scream." "No? You did? Well that wasn't a girly scream, that was a scream of pure horror." "Are you sure it wasn't a girly scream Mulder?" "Positive." "Well it sounded like a girly scream." "It did not!" Scully smiled and looked at him amused "It did not!" Mulder insisted as he started the ambulance. "Sure it didn't and I'm not a natural red head." "Are you a natural red head Scully?" That was greeted with a hard slap on the shoulder and a pissed off look as they drove back to the hospital.