�I don�t know where she�s hidden him.� Krycek reluctantly replied.
Spender smiled. �You really expect me to believe you can�t read it from her mind?�
�Not with all these goddamn tranquilizer�s you�ve got shooting through my system.�
�I don�t believe you, Alex.�
�I don�t know where she�s hidden him.� Krycek repeated, trying to keep from trembling.
�Alex�� Spender sang teasingly. �Do you really think I can�t see the fear in your eyes? Do you really think I can't see that you�re shaking? Do you really think I don�t know what she means to you?�
Krycek raised his voice to a shout. �She fucking shot me, you moron.�
Spender suddenly yanked Scully to her feet and pressed the gun harder into the back of her neck. �You want to play poker with me, son?�
Krycek swallowed and tried to clear the turmoil from his mind. The incessant emergency panic alarm was going off in his head, distracting him.
�Where is he, Alex?� Spender asked softly.
�I don�t know.� Krycek replied.
Spender grasped Scully by the back of her neck and pushed her in front of him as he walked, pushing her towards Krycek. He stopped when she was at his arms length, a mere four feet from Krycek.
�Her blood will get on you, Alex.� Spender said. �I know blood itself doesn�t bother you, but maybe hers will. Her brilliant mind reduced to grey matter all over your face. How would that be?�
Krycek finally met her gaze. She was trying to be strong, silently telling him that it was okay. That she would do anything to keep Cade out of their hands. That she was willing to die to keep him safe.
Tears sprang to Krycek�s eyes at the thought and he spoke softly. �She�s not going to tell me.�
�You can get it from her.� Spender said.
Krycek shook his head. �I can�t.�
�Then say goodbye.�
Krycek suddenly glared at his father. �I will kill you for this.�
�That may be true.� Cancer Man cocked back the hammer.
Krycek immediately held up his hands. �Okay.�
�Okay?� Spender asked, raising an eyebrow.
�Just take the gun away from her head.�
Spender hesitated before suddenly shoving Scully at him. Krycek caught her, kept her from falling. He left his hands on her waist as she looked up at him. Her eyes were terrified when she rested her hands on his shoulders.
What do you want me to do? He silently asked her. I can�t watch you die.
You may have to. She replied, meeting his eyes. We can�t let them have Cade.
I don�t think I can do that, Dana. I can�t watch you die.
Scully gave him a tiny grin, her bottom lip shaking. It will only suck for a minute, Alex.
I can�t.
�What�s it going to be?� Spender asked.
Scully leaned against Krycek�s side and he put his arms around her waist. She linked her hands over his shoulder.
Alex, we can�t let them have Cade.
I know, he thought back at her, his face solemn. Dana, this really sucks.
Spender took a few steps towards them and their eyes swiveled in his direction as he spoke. �Shall I just shoot you both?�
Krycek tightened his grip on Scully and smiled humorlessly. �I think you�re going to have to, Dad.�
Gibson�s eyes lit up as his voice penetrated their thoughts. Your partner�s coming. The Smoking Man and Cooper are waiting for him.
Scully slowly looked over at Cooper just in time to see him casually glance down at his watch.
As if on cue, Mulder and Koskie burst through the doors behind him, their guns drawn. In response, Kaslo, the two men from Naval Intelligence and a guard immediately stood up and drew back on them.
�It�s the Knight�s of the Round Table!� Koskie exclaimed.
The room was deadly silent as everyone tried to get a handle on the situation. Scully tried to get some kind of indication from Mulder on what he was planning on doing, but she couldn�t sense much with all that was going on around her.
Mulder�s eyes sought his brother out and he grinned. �Alex.�
�Fox.� Krycek said in response.
�Agent Mulder, what a surprise.� Spender said. �I can only assume you�re not exactly here to wish us luck in our genetic endeavors.�
�I seem to remember the two of you dropping in on us before.� Kaslo said. �Literally, dropping in on us.�
�Gentlemen,� Cooper said, �Please allow me to introduce one of the key members of the Verein.�
�I�d really love to meet everyone�s acquaintance.� Mulder said. �But I�m afraid I may wear out my welcome. We�re leaving, Scully, you want to help Gibson with Alex and get over here?�
�Nobody�s going anywhere.� Kaslo said. �I suggest you put the guns down.�
Koskie piped up in a perfect imitation of Beavis. �Are you threatening me?�
Kaslo looked at Cooper. �Who the hell is this?�
�I am the great Cornholeo.� Koskie went on. �I need TP-�
�It�s done.� Skinner walked in behind them, gun held up by his ear. �Let�s go.�
�Assistant Director Skinner.� Cancer Man stepped on his cigarette. �You�ve made a very poor choice. I don�t expect you�ll be able to return to the Bureau after this.�
�Scully, you planning on hanging your hat here, or what?� Koskie asked. �Come on, get a move on.�
She looked up at Spender, half expecting him to suddenly sprout horns and a pointy tail and consume the three of them with putrid flames from his mouth. Something weird was definitely going on. She could tell by the ambivalence that the damn smoker was feeling that something was cooking.
She tightened her grip around Krycek�s waist as he leaned on her and Gibson. She couldn�t tear her eyes from Cancer Man. Barely trusting her legs to work, she began to move towards Mulder and Koskie, feeling like she was walking through water.
Spender smiled before lighting another cigarette. �Maybe you should have shot him in the arm instead.�
�Funny.� Krycek said. �I was just thinking the same thing.�
�Come on.� Mulder said. �Let�s go.�
�Keep on rollin�, rollin�, rollin�.� Koskie sang as Scully, Krycek and Gibson made their way over to them.
�Fox, you�re making a huge mistake.� Cooper said.
�If I had a dollar for every time I�ve heard that�� Mulder said. �We�re leaving, Chip. Pick a side.�
There was the sound of a door slamming shut. Everyone jerked their heads over to see that Spender had disappeared. Kaslo took advantage of the distraction and dove under the table while discharging a round from his firearm. Scully immediately threw herself on the ground, pulling Krycek and Gibson with her. Skinner and Koskie both dropped to their knees. They both fired back at Kaslo and the men from Naval Intelligence.
She caught a thought from Mulder, as clear as if he�d said it out loud, as he fell to the ground clutching his chest.
That wasn�t supposed to happen.
�Fox!� Krycek exclaimed, crawling across the floor to him.
Cooper pulled Scully back behind a column and Gibson followed her. Koskie had taken refuge behind the entryway wall across from them. She saw Mulder lying on the ground and bleeding.
Krycek had reached his side. She assumed he was going to try to heal Mulder. The heroic idiot, she thought wildly, what was he planning to do? He can�t drag Mulder away with his leg like that. They were both wide out in the open. Did he think he wasn�t going to get shot while healing his brother? Doesn�t he ever give a moment�s thought to anything before dashing out into danger? The answer was no. She knew Krycek better than that. He never thought about himself. He was always just selflessly doing stupid things that endangered his own fragile existence.
Scully sat on the ground, her arms held by Cooper, staring over at Krycek and Mulder. After a decade of wondering what the hell was really going on, she was sitting by as bullets flew back and forth. After wondering why she kept finding herself involved in all this idiocy, she was sitting here stunned and scared and not knowing what to do. After wondering what part she was really playing in the �universal game of chess�, she�s finding herself huddled in a corner with Gibson Praise and some guy from the NSA.
If all things were leading to this moment, she�d be damned if she was going to sit idly by while all hell broke loose around her.
�Let me go.� She hissed at Cooper.
She saw Krycek take a bullet in the arm and completely ignore it. She glared at Koskie, trying with everything she possessed to get a thought to him.
Koskie, I need cover. Koskie, do you hear me?
His head snapped towards her, his face confused, shocked.
Do you hear me, Koskie? I need some goddamn cover.
He nodded back at her.
�Cooper,� she said, �I�m going.�
�If anything happens to you, Mulder will kill me.�
�Mulder is going to get killed if we don�t do something.� She said. �Now let me go!�
Her eyes met Koskie�s again. He nodded at her and stepped out behind the wall, firing across the room as he sidestepped over to Skinner. Scully took that moment and ran over to Krycek and Mulder. She slipped in the puddle of blood, arms flailing, and went down hard. Her elbow jarred in pain and she knew when she tried to pick up Mulder�s gun that her right arm was broken.
Cooper was at her side, pulling Mulder up while Krycek picked up the gun she�d been desperately fumbling with. Gibson managed to get Krycek to his feet and in turn, Krycek pulled Scully up by her left arm. He pushed her behind him while firing back across the huge table. Skinner took a few steps towards them as they stumbled back towards the exit that he and Koskie were protecting. He took careful aim and fired and Kaslo went down.
�Mulder!� Scully said, taking a hold of his arm as they exited the room. �You okay?�
He nodded in response. �I think so. I guess so.�
Krycek dropped the clip out of the gun and looked at Mulder. �You okay?�
�I think so.� Mulder looked down at his chest. There was blood on his shirt, but he felt fine. Scully yanked his shirt open. The skin was unbroken. Mulder looked back at his brother. �Gimme the gun. You need to work on walking without looking like you�re on a sailboat.�
Scully looked up at Krycek as he handed the gun to Mulder. �You okay?�
�Your arm�s broken.� He said.
�Thank you, Dr. Logan.� She managed a small grin. �I think I�ve already reached the same diagnosis.�
�Go, go, go.� Skinner said as he and Koskie flew around the corner.
�Prisa para arriba!� Koskie was spewing nonsense again. �Arriba, arriba!�
�Where the hell did my father go?� Krycek asked as he tried to hobble after them down the corridor. He looked over his shoulder to make sure Gibson was close behind.
�I don�t know.� Mulder answered, slamming another clip into his gun. �How�s the leg?�
�It�s coming along.� Krycek answered, grinning lopsidedly as Scully got her good arm around him.
�Fine pair we make.� She mumbled as Gibson took his post on Krycek�s other side. �Bum knee and bad arm.�
�We�ll manage.�
They turned another corner and went down a back stairwell, Krycek painfully fumbling down the stairs.
�Ba-Kak!� Koskie clucked softly.
�You�re dead-on.� Cooper said. �This is the chicken coop.�
�I can tell by the smell.� Koskie wrinkled his nose.
Skinner frowned. �What the hell are you-�
�Yeah.� Mulder interrupted. �Look at all the rubber skin.�
�There�s got to be a chicken around here somewhere.� Koskie said. �Oh my, how I�ve missed these days. Are you sticking your hands in weird places again?�
Mulder was examining a slimy substance that covered his hand.
�If I was a chicken,� Koskie continued, �and I saw this motley looking crew walking around, I wouldn�t mess with us.�
�Keep the delusions of grandeur alive, my friend.� Krycek said. �We�ll hope that keeps them away.�
�This is the cage.� Cooper said. �Since Skinner turned off the power, they were able to tear their way out.�
The seven of them stood in silence and looked at the steel that was bent beyond recognition, almost abstract art at this point.
�I�m suddenly reminded of Jurassic Park.� Koskie said. �You know the part where the Velociraptor�s get out, and the bars are all twisted.�
�Thanks, Steven.� Skinner said. �I really needed to make that connection.�
�Can we go?� Scully asked. �I don�t want to hang around and meet one of these things.�
�They�re all gone.� Gibson said softly.
�Scully, I thought you wanted to believe.� Mulder joked as they began their journey again.
�I�m not sure what I believe in anymore.� She replied. �But I don�t think I want to believe in an eight foot rubber chicken with claws.�
Cooper entered a code on a numeric keypad and the door clicked. He pushed it open. �My car is right there, what are we planning on doing?�
Mulder looked at Skinner and Koskie. �You guys take Gibson and go get Cade and Maggie, bring them back to Marie�s place. We�ll meet you there.�
Krycek turned and looked back the way they�d came. �How come half of the building isn�t on our ass?�
�Who cares?� Scully asked, shoving him into the back seat ahead of her with her good arm. �Just get in the car so we can get out of here.�
�No way.� Mulder said as Cooper opened the driver side door. �I�m driving.�
�He can get a little protective about that.� Scully climbed into the backseat.
Krycek shifted in his seat to face Scully as Mulder quickly jumped in and started the car. He reached over and gently took her arm. She grimaced as Mulder hit a speed bump.
�Ow!�
�Sorry.� He looked at her in the rearview mirror and pulled out onto the street.
�Fox?� Krycek asked, looking at the pain on Scully�s face.
�What?�
�Please tell me you weren�t listening to this on purpose.�
��Get on the bus�Pay your fare�Then tell the driver that you�re going to a double-dutch affair��
Scully burst out into laughter
Mulder grinned. �What�s wrong with Frankie Smith?�
�You can�t be serious.� Krycek responded, wrapping both of his hands around Scully�s arm.
She laughed. �It reminds me of Saturday night�s at Skateway when I was a kid.� She said before singing along.
��I missed my bus, I know I�m late�I gotta do something I know I hate�I gotta walk to work, fifteen blocks��
�And I share a kid with you?� Krycek asked, releasing her arm and meeting her gaze. �Better?�
Scully experimentally flexed her fingers and bent her elbow. She beamed a smile at him. �Like new.�
Mulder and Cooper sang along with the song from the front seat. �I say ssssssssugar��
�That�s it.� Krycek said. �Let me off this double-dutch bus.�
Cooper changed the station and Black Sabbath began to play as a police squad car cruised by on the opposite side of the street.
��Finished with my woman cause she couldn�t help me with my mind�People think I�m insane because I am frowning all the time��
�Don�t turn around.� Mulder said, looking at the cop car in the rearview mirror. �Don�t turn around.�
The lights on top of the car lit up red, white and blue and the cruiser flipped a U-turn.
�Shit!� Mulder swore violently and stomped on the accelerator as Ozzy�s voice droned on.
��All day long I think of things, but nothing seems to satisfy�Think I�ll lose my mind if I don�t find something to pacify��
The rear windshield suddenly cracked as a bullet lodged itself in the middle, causing Krycek and Scully to duck down.
��Can you help me�Occupy my brain��
�Fox, give me your gun.� Krycek reached up to take the offered nine-millimeter. He shot at the back window twice, causing a spider web pattern to cover it; then he swiveled around and kicked it out with his good leg.
�Cooper,� Scully asked, �don�t you have another gun in here? What kind of government agent are you?�
�The non-violent kind.� He replied, rolling down his window.
�It�d be easier if you gave me your gun instead of hanging out the side like a renegade cowboy.�
Krycek was still upside down in the backseat singing along with the radio.
��I need someone to show me the things in life that I can�t find�I can�t see the things that make true happiness, I must be blind��
�Alex, are you singing back there?� Mulder asked while sliding the car around a corner.
�He seems right at home.� Scully grinned, reaching up towards Cooper. �Kicking out widows, singing in a speeding car while hanging upside down in the backseat with a gun in his hand. It�s his forte. Mr. Big, Bad, Hit Man, Tough-Guy.�
�It helps me relax. Forces your mind to calm down.� He replied, twisting his body around to sit hunched over in the backseat. Scully had Cooper�s gun and they looked at each other.
Ready?
They both sat up and leaned across the back dash to take careful aim. Scully took out one front tire and Krycek got the other. The car weaved back and forth across the road before landing in a ditch on the side of the street.
He grinned at her. �Spasiba.�
�Pazhalsta.� She responded.
�That was easy.� Cooper said, using the side mirror to look behind them.
�A little too easy if you ask me.� Krycek said, slumping in the corner of the backseat. He was tired from the pain in his leg and the sedatives in his system.
�You okay?� Scully asked, gently putting a hand on his damaged knee.
He gave her a grin, his eyes cloudy. �You know me.�
��Make a joke and I will sigh and you will laugh and I will cry�Happiness I cannot feel and love to me is so unreal��
�You know the name of this song, Mulder?� Scully smiled at the back of his head. �Paranoid. You must have written it.�
He met her eyes in the rearview mirror. �You picking on me?�
�You should know by now that I�m only playing.�
Krycek suddenly sat up fast and pressed the barrel of the gun against the back of Murder�s neck.
��And so as you hear these words telling you now of my state�I tell you to enjoy life, I wish I could but it�s too late��
�Alex!� Scully exclaimed. �What the hell are you doing?�
�He�s setting us up.� Krycek replied, an odd look on his face. �Stop the car, Fox. Let us out.�
�Have you lost your mind?� She asked loudly.
�Put the gun down, Alex.� Cooper said. �You�re confused.�
�I�m not confused.� He replied. �He�s setting us up. He�s going to take Cade.�
�Alex, listen to me.� Scully said. �You�ve been heavily sedated, you�re exhausted, you�re hurt.�
�You and Gibson have been getting injections of Thioridazine.� Cooper said. �To mellow you out, calm you down, impair your ability to focus, hampering your cognitive abilities.�
�Some of the side effects of Thioridazine are confusion, paranoia and psychotic reactions.� Scully said quickly. �Think of the logic, Alex. Isn�t it a possibility that you�re experiencing one of these symptoms?�
When he didn�t answer, she continued, tried a different approach. One that she knew he�d listen to.
�Alex,� she said softly, �you know I�d never lie to you. You know I�d never do anything that might hurt you. You know you can trust me. And I trust Mulder.�
�Alex.� Mulder finally spoke up from the front seat. �I am only trying to help you.�
�Give me the gun.� Scully said, holding out her hand.
He looked from Mulder to meet her eyes. Confusion and uncertainty filled them, reaffirming her belief that he was suffering from the powerful sedative.
�We�re done, Alex. It�s over.� She said, giving him a small grin. �Everything is wonderful now.�
�I just don�t understand how you can smile with all those tears in your eyes and tell me everything is wonderful now.� Krycek said, his expression unreadable. �I forgot about that song. We used to think about Cade whenever we heard it.�
�We always said we�d never let him end up like that.�
He suddenly laughed. �I�d say everything�s been pretty screwed up for him so far.�
�I�ve seen the tapes.� She said. �It doesn�t look like he was lacking in anything.�
He met her eyes again. �Except his mother.�
She felt the lump that was always lurking around, waiting to hop up into her throat. �And then his father.� She said softly. �But here you are and we�re going to get our son.�
Tears filled Krycek�s eyes. �He�s probably so big now.�
�Give me the gun, Alex.�
He hesitated, looking at Mulder again.
She leaned towards him. �It�s over, Alex. Trust Mulder. Trust me.�
�I guess I�m going to have to.� He said, laughing through his tears. �You guys are all I have now.�
��Sometimes I feel�Like I am drunk behind the wheel�The wheel of possibility�however it may roll��
He slowly put the gun in her hand as Fastball played. �I used to love this song.�
�I remember.� She said, handing the gun up to Cooper.
Krycek put his hands over his face. �I�m sorry, Fox.�
�It�s okay.� Mulder looked straight ahead. �We�re all on the edge.�
��Give it spin�See if you can somehow factor in�You know there�s always more than one way to say exactly what you mean to say��
Scully took his hands away from his face. �You�re fine. I�m fine. We�re all fine. It�s over.�
Krycek stared back at her. �Then why do I feel so strange?�
�Because it�s over.� She laughed. �I feel strange too. What am I going to do now?�
�That�s not the strange I feel.� He said softly. �I feel like it�s over, but not in a good way.�
She took his hands and held them. �We�re going to get Cade and we�re going to get out of here and we�re going to decide what to do. It�s over. We made it.�
��Was I outta my head, was I outta my mind�How could I have ever been so blind�I was waiting for an indication�It was hard to find��
Krycek finally returned her smile, but it didn�t reach his eyes. He didn�t believe it.
��Don�t matter what I say�Only what I do�I never mean to do bad things to you�So quiet, but I finally woke up��
Mulder stared at them in the rearview mirror as they pulled up in front of Marie�s house.
It�s almost over, he thought. It�s almost over. Just a little longer. Then everything will be done. Everything will be fine.
�Everything will be wonderful.� He said out loud.
Mulder didn�t know who he was trying to convince more, Krycek or himself.
He watched as Cooper opened the front door and walked inside. Scully was helping Krycek up the front walk. He was trying to keep a little distance between them but they both turned to look at him.
�What�s wrong, Fox?� Krycek asked his brother.
�Nothing.� Mulder responded. �It�s just weird to see you, that�s all.�
