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Connected
by Lovesfox
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lovesfox@rogers.com

Headers in Part 1

***
Part 11 of 12

Unknown Location
Tuesday


She heard Mulder's angry protest through the haze of her
mind, and tried to find the energy to tell him to stop
before he was punished.  But by the time Scully forced her
eyes open, it was too late.

Nerves thrumming unpleasantly and heart still pounding a 
furious beat, she watched in angry sympathy as he writhed 
and lurched against his restraints.  The tendons in his 
neck stood out in sharp relief, and his face was twisted 
in a grimace of pain.  She fought the tremendous and 
instinctive urge to cry out, knowing it would do neither
of them any good -- and in fact, could actually endanger
them further.

When the pulse ended -- Scully dazedly realized each one 
was no longer than a few seconds though they felt and 
appeared to be far longer -- Mulder collapsed back with 
a grunt, his face pale and his eyes squeezed shut.

They opened quickly when the Doctor's voice once again 
demanded their attention.  "If there are no further 
complaints, Agent Mulder...shall we proceed?"

Fear coiled in her stomach, made her palms go damp and
brought tears to her eyes, which she rapidly blinked
away.  Clenching her hands into fists to hide their 
trembling, she lifted her chin, her eyes clear.  If she 
was going to go down, it would not be cowering and 
sniveling.

With hands likewise fisted, Mulder looked down at the
screen.  Scully concentrated on his face as he studied 
the image before him, worked on keeping her breathing 
slow and steady, her mind focused only on him.

Though several seconds soon passed, he still did not look
up at her, the signal that he was sending his thought to
her.  He was taking much longer with this one, and she 
suddenly knew he was buying her time.  

Time she desperately needed.  For her mind was completely 
blank.  

The fear magnified, grew in intensity, until she was close
to hyperventilating.  In her escalating panic, her eyes 
had slid shut, so she forced them open and found Mulder
again -- the look in his eyes grounding her, helping her
find the calm she needed.  Sucking in a lungful of air, 
she held it for several seconds, and slowly released it.  
Repeated the action twice more, until her breathing had 
regulated and she felt ready to go on.

"Agent Scully."  The low-voiced warning from the Doctor 
had the fear fluttering anew in the background of her 
mind.  She willed it away, concentrating only on Mulder.

It was odd, but she no longer seemed able to 'hear' him.
Instead, she was trying to 'see' what he saw.  Whether
intentionally or not, or perhaps because their ability 
was waning, she did not know.  

She wondered, given that the elements of the drug they 
had been injected with were completely unknown, if it 
could be possible that there was a property contained 
within that caused their ability to manifest itself 
differently, more literally, as in images rather than 
words?  That it somehow altered their perceptions of 
their ability?

It sounded fantastical, yet she had already been forced
to suspend her beliefs when she and Mulder had discovered
they could read minds.

Mulder was staring at her quite intently, one eyebrow 
raised just slightly, and Scully abruptly realized she 
had completely lost her focus.

Angry at herself for risking them both, she applied 
herself fully, trying desperately to 'hear' or 'see' the 
image.  There was absolutely nothing.  The flutter grew 
into a pounding, yet her voice was remarkably steady when 
she said, "Nothing.  I'm not getting anything at all."

Mulder flinched, a barely perceptible movement, and she 
cringed in apprehensive anticipation for the jolt.

None came.

The Doctor turned to one of the technicians and murmured 
in the man's ear.  The technician bobbed his head in a nod 
and hurried from the room.

"Proceed, Agent Mulder," was all the Doctor said.  

It took a moment for the message to be received by her
brain -- her muscles relaxed gradually, and she let out
a shaky sigh of relief.  With nothing to do but try,
she breathed in and out, deeply and slowly, and once
again concentrated on Mulder, eyes losing focus as she 
desperately attempted to read him.

Pessimistically she expected nothing, and that was 
exactly what she got.  Lips parting to bitterly announce 
her latest failure, she was barely able to contain a 
startled gasp when she heard Mulder's voice faintly in 
her head.

<<Scully>>

Despite the surprise she felt, her eyes quickly refocused,
and she responded instinctively, mind-speaking his name 
in return.  There was little time to marvel at the ease 
with which she did so.

<<Mulder>>

Gaze locked steadily on hers, the expression on his face 
was one of understanding, though there was an undercurrent 
of strain there.  Despite this, and the brevity of their 
exchange, both were enough to bolster her.

Her mind cleared, and an image immediately filled it.  
Irony at its best once again, she thought with a brief 
flare of anger, and struggled to keep that anger from 
her voice as she spoke.  "The Hoover Building."

Mulder's minute reactions -- the brief flash in his eyes,
the barest tilt of his head, things no one else but she
would pick up on -- told her that she had identified it 
accurately.  His reactions had been her barometer or gauge 
for her success or failure throughout the testing.  The 
tightening of his lips and a blank expression had told her 
when she was wrong.  

For some reason her eyes flicked from her relieved partner 
to the Doctor, though she quickly averted her gaze before 
her notice could be brought to his attention.  If she were 
not mistaken, the man had been caught off-guard by her 
correct response.  As if he had expected them to fail.

With a flash of insight, Scully realized that They were 
fully aware of the limits of the mind-reading drug.  It 
did not, however, explain the necessity of the testing.
But it could explain why Their controls for the variables 
were rather limited -- normally in a testing situation 
such as this, she and Mulder would not have been able to 
see each other, thereby negating any visual cues.  It was 
as if that variable had not mattered.

Whether the revelation threw her off or not, she missed
the next three images completely, drew complete blanks 
each time.  Yet she was jolted only once, the first time 
she missed -- a brief stab of electricity that was over 
before it really began.  Mulder was spared.

There was no rhyme or reason, no discernible pattern to
the punishment.  It was an extremely unpredictable and
therefore effective method.

The return of the technician interrupted her musings.  She
noted with fear-heightened curiosity that he was carrying
a black case, similar to the one that had borne the truth
serum.  

As before, the case was brought immediately to the Doctor.  
He wasted little time unzipping it and unfolding the two 
sides, apparently to inspect the contents.

Scully's glance at Mulder showed he was equally focused on 
the proceedings, his face wearing the blankness that denoted
tension or fear.  But her gaze seemed to pull his attention
to her, and they shared a look, shared unvoiced sentiments 
and feelings for all too brief a moment.

A moment that was ended when the Doctor removed a syringe
from the case and stepped over to Mulder's right side.  The 
technicians joined him, one beside the doctor, and the other
at Mulder's feet, completely blocking her view of her partner.

Sitting up as straight as she was able, fighting the bonds
that held her at wrist, waist and ankle, she craned her head
at an unnatural angle in an attempt to see Mulder.  

Desperation had her crying out hoarsely, "Damn it, what the 
hell are you giving him?"

Ignorance was policy -- she did not receive a reply.  She
heard Mulder hiss in a breath, and knew he had been injected.
And then it was her turn.  She caught a glimpse of Mulder,
his head once again lolling to one side, his eyes closed 
and mouth open slightly, when the trio came to stand by her
chair.  The only reassurance she could glean was the steady
rise and fall of his chest.

Arm prepped, Scully bit her lip to hold back another angry 
query.  Her eyes widened slightly as she watched the needle 
bite into her skin with a tiny prick, and fluttered when
the plunger was depressed.

Her body immediately felt like a stone, and she was completely
incapable of lifting even a finger.  Eyes closing against
her will, she surrendered to the effects of the unknown drug.

But not before she hazily heard the Doctor's voice snap with 
anger, "We waited too long for the testing!"

And then she was gone.

***
End Part 11 of 12