ALEX? Part 6 Conclusion (Disclaimer and headings in Part 1)
By the time Alex and Marita arrived, Cornwall had everything set up. The monitors were ready, the defibulators prepped, and the two syringes full. Two tables were set up, one empty, the other holding an exact duplicate of Alex Krycek.
Alex looked at his clone. "He never gained consciousness, did he?"
The doctor scoffed. "No not yet. Not that it would matter if he did. Like I said before, without the proper brainwave manipulations, these things are like vegetables when they wake up."
"And like I said, you just worry about the body." He turned to Marita. "You ready?"
"As much as I'll ever be."
He held her by the shoulders. "You're clear on what you have to do?"
She nodded. "Inject you with the syringe, then wait two minutes, and inject the other body. Wait 3 minutes, and then bring your new body back. If anything goes wrong we start trying to bring back both bodies. You should be able to get back into one of them."
"Good." He took off jacket and gun, and placed them in the bag they'd brought with his clothes. He placed the bag under the table that held his new body.
"Let's get this over with."
The tires screeched as Mulder turned the corner to the road leading to the warehouse.
They finally pinpointed Krycek's location, and just in time too. Based on the information Stevens acquired from Skinner's observations, today was their last chance to get Skinner's body back.
He could see the warehouse up ahead. He pushed the gas pedal down further, and sped to the gates.
Marita Looked down at Alex on the table, syringe in hand.
"Ready?" She asked.
Alex took a deep breath and nodded. "See you over there in a few minutes."
She stuck the needle in him and watched him code. When the monitor showed no heartbeat, she hit the timer, and walked over to the other body.
The lights began to flicker. The humming from the template chambers and controls grew louder.
"What the hell was that?" Cornwall asked.
"It doesn't matter." Marita said. "What ever happens, we stick with the plan."
She pulled out the IV, and looked at the time. One minute and thirty seconds to go.
Alex looked down at Skinner's body. Shadows moved around him. He didn't look. He went over to the other body beside Marita.
"Krycek!"
He turned, and saw Skinner glaring at him. He should've known this was going too smoothly. He looked down at Skinner's body and said. "What do you think you're going to do? Hurt me? Kill me? I'm already dead!"
The lights flickered.
Alex looked at Skinner, and then down to his body.
"I wouldn't do that! You need the power in here as much as I do if you want to get back!"
The lights flickered again,
one of the template chambers shattered. The lifeless body oozed to the floor,
staring upward with its colorless eyes.
"What the fuck is going on!" yelled the Cornwall. The humming had turned into a scream.
"Stick with the plan!"
Another chamber blew.
One minute to go.
"Fuck this. I'm getting out of here." The doctor ran towards the exit.
"What are you doing?" yelled Alex.
Skinner didn't respond. He face was full of rage.
Another chamber blew.
"Are you crazy!" Screamed Alex. "Are you actually willing to sacrifice yourself for revenge?"
Alex saw Mulder approaching with the doctor.
"Stop what you're doing Marita!"
Marita turned, and saw Mulder, holding his gun on Cornwall.
30 seconds left.
"No!"
Mulder pointed the gun at her, "I said stop what you're doing!"
20 seconds
"I said, no! If you want to stop me you'll have to shoot me, but your running out of time." She gestured to Skinners body. "You have a decision to make, you can take a life or save one. Either way, I'm not stopping."
10 seconds
Mulder looked behind him at Skinner's body.
5 seconds.
Marita took the syringe.
Mulder looked back at her.
"You're choice, Mulder!"
She stuck the needle inside the clone, and watched the flickering monitor.
Mulder pointed the gun at Cornwall, and gestured to Skinner's body. "Bring him back, now!"
The doctor went over to the table and grabbed the defibulator.
Alex saw the opening in Skinner's body.
Skinner was close enough to enter but he didn't move.
Alex yelled. "What are you waiting for? Right there's your doorway back!"
Skinner looked down to the opening, and headed towards his body.
Another light appeared.
Alex had never seen anything so amazing.
The spirit of the clone exited the body. It was an untouched soul, completely innocent. It looked like it was made of pure light. The being looked back at the body it left, and then at Alex. It smiled, and floated upwards.
Alex was mesmerized. He couldn't take his eyes off it. Everything else seemed to disappear.
The spirit started radiating, the light was everywhere, but it wasn't blinding. Slowly, the light faded until there was nothing left.
Alex stared at the spot where the spirit just was, and realized the doorway was closing.
Marita shocked the body again.
Nothing.
She saw Skinner's monitor spike a heart beat. Was Alex there?
She tried again.
Nothing.
Again.
She got a pulse.
Something came back. The question now was: what?
"Alex?" She asked.
It opened its eyes.
"Alex, is it you?"
It looked up at her.
"Alex, say something."
"You won't believe what I saw."
She put her hand to her mouth. "Oh, my god. We did it."
She kissed his forehead and placed her head on his chest.
He put his arm around her. "It was amazing. It was almost like it just gave it to me, like it was happy to go."
She gave him a quizzical look.
He shook his head. "I'll tell you later."
They heard the click of a gun.
Skinner was standing over them, with Mulder's gun in his hand.
"I can hurt you now." Skinner said.
Marita leaned over Alex.
Skinner started to pull the trigger. Mulder pushed the gun down before he finished.
"I don't think you should do that." Mulder said.
"Are you kidding? You expect me to just let him get away with this?"
"I don't like the idea either, but I think that if you shoot him, there's a possibility all this could start over again."
Skinner shook his head. "What, they just walk out of here?"
"No, I'm not saying that. You can arrest Marita on attempted murder, Krycek as an accomplice. We can at least hold them until we think of something better."
"It's not right."
"It may not be right, but do you want to go through this again?"
Alex looked at Marita, and motioned to his bag.
While Mulder and Skinner argued, Marita leaned down to the bag, and grabbed the gun.
She came up and pointed it at Skinner before he could react.
"Hand over the gun."
Skinner started to raise the weapon, Marita shot above him.
"I said hand over the gun."
Skinner looked at Mulder. Mulder nodded. He handed the weapon to Marita.
They sat, cuffed in Mulder's car, watching Krycek and the doctor scatter gasoline around the warehouse.
"When's Scully suppose to get here?" Skinner asked.
"Not for a while. I called her when I arrived, and she was just boarding the plane."
"I can't believe the three of them are going to just walk away from this."
Mulder smiled sadly. "The three of them aren't"
They heard the shot, and saw the doctor fall to the ground.
The two of them drove off, leaving Skinner and Mulder to watch the fire show.
She couldn't stop staring at him. He actually seamed happy. He had a smile on his face she hadn't seen for years.
"I still can't believe we did it." She said. "I can't believe it's over."
He stopped smiling. "It's not over. There's still all that other shit going on out there. We haven't done anything to stop that."
She slumped back in her seat. He hadn't been back for more than two hours, and already he's thinking about colonization. After everything they'd been through, she hoped they could have a little break.
He saw her reaction, and put out his new arm to her. She moved closer and nestled in.
"Of course we do have a bag full of money. I suppose a little vacation is in order, after all that work. Where do you want to go?"
She closed her eyes. "Anywhere, just as long as you come with me."
He smiled, ignoring the flicker of a shadow he saw in the rearview mirror. Marita was right, eventually he would have to go back, but it didn't matter right now. Now he was here, and he intended to enjoy it for as long as he could.
END
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