A New World

Series: War of the Worlds, The Equalizer, and The X-Files. Guest appearances in future parts from characters from Due South, The Man from UNCLE, and The Pretender; perhaps from others as the whim takes me.

Standard disclaimers apply. All characters belong to their various creators and the powers that be. Some of these characters belong to Chris Carter, Fox, and 10-13 Productions. I've just invited them over to play for a while, and I promise to send them home when the party's over. Others belong to Universal or Paramount, but it doesn't look like anyone is playing with them at the moment, so I'm going to let them stay as long as they want. Littlehawk belongs to Jan Harley. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jan, for your wonderful story. I hope you don't mind if he comes over to help chaperone the party; of course, he can come home whenever you need him. Tierney, Lainie, and Kira are mine; they live here.

Constructive criticism is welcomed.

By Wesa.

"Never mind why, McCall," Kostmayer said into the telephone receiver, "just get Control, Scott, and Yvette and meet me there." He listened a moment. "No, I'm bringing Sydney and Michel, and Nick is supposed to come, too....Yes....No, I can't tell you why; you'd think I'd gone nuts-Don't bother, I've already heard that one, from Tierney of all people. Just do it, will ya?... Aaughh!" he growled, turning to Tierney and handing her the receiver. "Here, you talk to him. He'll listen to you."

Tierney smiled at him as she took the phone. "Robert?" she said. "Listen to me. We have the combined brainpower of an astrophysicist, a geologist, an archaeologist, and myself. Together, we've decided that's where we want to be in two weeks time. Figure it out yourself... Yes...Yes... So get your loved ones together, grab whatever survival gear and preserved food you can pack quickly, and get on the road before it's too late... Sure, I like him a lot, and apparently so does Mickey....Okay? We'll see you there?....Fine. So why did you have to give Mickey such a hard time?...." She laughed. "Okay, 'bye." She hung up and turned to Mickey. "What on earth have you been doing to that man?" she asked him, propping her hands on her hips.

"Awww, my reputation's just catching up with me," Mickey complained. "Scott must have told him about the sock incident."

"The sock incident?" repeated Michel.

His father grinned at him mischievously. "I'll tell you sometime when your mother can't hear," he promised in a low voice, since he didn't know exactly where Sydney was. "She wouldn't approve."

"Your father has a way of improvising in unexpected ways, Michel," Tierney told him. "It has earned him a reputation among his colleagues of being slightly insane."

"Insane? Papa?" the boy worried.

"Not literally, Michel," Mickey assured him, one hand resting gently on his son's shoulder. "Now, let's get out of here and give Tierney, Lainie, and Kira some privacy so they can call their family. Are you all packed?"

"May I take my puppy?" he asked, referring to the ten-week-old German shepherd Mickey had gotten from the local shelter.

"Sure," Mickey told him. "That's why I got him for you. He's your responsibility; you're his best friend."

Lainie watched them go as she and Kira approached to call their families. "Sometimes I envy Sydney," she murmured.

Kira nodded. "Sydney has done a good job of raising that boy," she agreed, "but Mickey... I don't know. He seems a little..."

"Crazy?" Tierney suggested with a soft laugh. "Don't worry, Kira. He's harmless, at least to anyone he considers one of his friends."

Lainie lifted the receiver and dialed her parents' number. "Mulder likes him," she said. "Hello, Mom?"

After Lainie and Kira had called their parents, Debi tried to contact her father, but at his newspaper she was told that he was unavailable, out covering a story. Suzanne put her arm around her shoulders consolingly. "We'll leave a message on his e-mail, honey," she told her daughter. "He'll join us if he can."

"Will he, Mom?" Debi asked hopelessly.

"I hope so, honey," Suzanne replied, drawing her daughter away. "He's changed some since the last time we saw him. He got kind of a shock that time and he had to rethink what he was doing. He's gone to honest reporting, now, so if they say he's out on a story, I'm sure that's where he is."

"Do you think you might get back together?" Debi asked hopefully.

Suzanne sighed. "Not unless he's changed more than I think he has," she told her daughter regretfully.

Harrison and Ironhorse watched them go. "Did you know that they were going to call Debi's father?" Harrison asked.

Ironhorse shrugged. "Just because I don't like the man doesn't mean she can't," he replied. "I think he's scum; but to Debi, he's her father."

"Have you called your family yet?" Harrison asked.

Ironhorse shook his head. "My mom's well over sixty. I'll call her, but she won't come. If there's time, I'll go visit her. I'll call Emma, but I don't think her husband will want to come either, and she'll stay with him. John - I don't know."

Harrison's lips tightened into a thin line. "So none of them have accepted that you're still alive?" he asked gently.

"You don't need to walk on eggshells around me, Harrison," Ironhorse told him. "I'm aware that you don't have anyone, either."

"What about your uncle?"

"I sent him a letter two weeks ago," Ironhorse told him. "It came back yesterday. Moved, no forwarding address. I don't know where he is, but Littlehawk says not to worry about him."

Harrison smiled. "Must be nice to have him to talk to," he said.

Ironhorse nodded, his eyes gazing off into the distance. "It's not like he's me anymore," he told Harrison. "It's more like having a twin brother. He looks like me, but he's another person entirely. And I don't think of him as a spirit. Sometimes it's hard to remember that other people can't see him."

"Is he still promising you kids?"

Involuntarily, Ironhorse's eyes went to the slender form of their resident archaeologist. "Yeah," he said.

*********

"Got water in there for your puppy?" Mickey asked Michel as Sydney urged their son into Suzanne's station wagon.

"Yes, Papa," the boy replied.

"Okay. Wear your seat belt," Mickey warned, "and remember, I'm going to be in the truck right behind you, so if your mother needs a strong arm to administer discipline, all she has to do is get Suzanne to pull over. So behave yourself."

The boy grinned, not at all threatened. "Yes, Papa," he said happily.

"You too, Caleb," Mickey said, and ruffled the puppy's ears. He grinned at Debi and Suzanne as he closed the door and took Sydney into his arms for a brief kiss. "See you at the first stop," he murmured.

Tierney stood up from the passenger side of the U-Haul truck Mickey was to drive, yelling, "Hey, Kostmayer, keep that stuff behind closed doors! You coming with us, or should I drive this beast?"

Mickey laughed as he turned. "Okay, okay, I'm com-" He broke off, looking upwards, going pale. "What the-"

"Scully!" Mulder yelled excitedly.

Everyone got out of their vehicles, looking up at the strange sight above them.

"I don't believe it," Scully murmured, while Lainie and Kira stared open-mouthed at the opalescent ovoid moving through the sky above them.

"What is it?" Ironhorse wondered, watching as the ovoid moved over to a pair of power poles which stood close together near the gates.

"It's Katara..." breathed Harrison.

"Katara is dead," Ironhorse said firmly. "Malzor sent my clone to kill her."

"He sent one of your clones to kill me, too," Harrison pointed out.

The strange object settled onto the tops of the poles, then seemed to flow from the top to the ground, coalescing into a human form at the bottom. Dressed in black, the pseudo-woman strode toward the group.

"The Quo-Taarn are carnivores!" Ironhorse shouted. "Protect the kids! Suzanne, get out of here!"

Suzanne tried to comply, but her car wouldn't start. "Sydney, get Michel!" she shouted, gripping Debi's arm and starting back toward the Center's buildings.

One of the surviving Morthren stepped out of the door to see what the commotion was about, and the android fell into her firing position, arms cocked into odd positions, fingers perfectly straight and aimed at the hapless alien. A strange warbling accompanied the explosions of light from her fingertips, and the Morthran fell dead.

The group began to run, scattering almost instinctively, except for Ironhorse and Kostmayer, who went directly after the android. She took them out effortlessly, murmuring, "Remember nothing," as she struck each of them on the side of their heads. They both went down, unconscious.