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Rated: NC-13
Category: MT, ST, Adventure, Story, UST
Spoiler(s): Season 7
Feedback: patfiler2016@outlook.com
Archive: Gossamer. Others please ask before taking, as I
am easy to get along with.
Disclaimer: All things Mulder, Scully and X-Files belong
to Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox Studios.
Anything else belongs to my imagination. There is no
profit in this hobby, and no intentional copyright
infringement.
For several hours, 11 hours and 4 minutes to be exact,
Mulder and Scully had been making their way through
forests, marshes, and dense brush wherever their captors
had dropped them. Yes, they did drop them.
Mulder had his suit jacket wrapped around his waist and
was using his tie as a sweat band. "I don't know about you
Scully, but I think they could have had the decency to tell
us this was a casual affair."
"Yeah, well, we didn't know we were gonna screw up and
they'd drop us from a plane into Too Damn Hot and Sticky
Nowhere." Her face was splattered with mud, and her navy
blue jacket had been shredded in a scuffle.
"Isn't that a town in Louisiana we once passed through? At
least they got the plane over a marsh. Scully, I know we
screwed up. How was I to know Santino was a damn turncoat?
We were at the Academy together. Damn, my kingdom for a
cell phone. Aw GEEZ!" His arm had been scraped by a thorny
bush.
"Well, watch where you're going instead of looking at me
every five seconds," Scully shouted. "These past three
days have been THE most embarrassing days of our careers,
Mulder."
"You can't say I don't take you anywhere. What's got you
so extra crispy angry?" Mulder sat on an old log in a small
clearing they had reached and patted it. "Sit down, Queen
of the Frown."
Scully reluctantly took her place beside Mulder and pulled
twigs from her pant legs and hair. "I'm sorry, Mulder.
That really wasn't called for. Any idea where we are?"
"We're lost, but at least we're in America. Maybe." He
looked at the ground a moment, then turned to face her.
"Scully, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let them get to you.
I knew the alley was a dead end, and I let you take it."
"No, Mulder. I was just following the rules. I should have
just shot Delgado when I had the chance. So... No phones,
no guns and no compass."
"Moss."
"Mulder?"
"Moss grows on the north side of trees. We can try going
north until we get to a town, highway, even a back road.
C'mon."
Mulder extended his hand, but Scully stayed put. "Mulder,
it's been a long day, and you're exhausted. So am I. It'll
be dark soon. I think we should make camp and try to find
something to eat, maybe a clean source of water." She had
to plead with her eyes. She was thinking, *My feet are numb,
damn you!*
Scully was right, he thought. Reluctantly he sat again.
"I have to agree with you, Scully. We need the rest. Maybe
with clearer heads tomorrow we can find our way out of
here. Wherever 'here' is. I bet they think we're dead."
Scully dropped her shoes and rubbed her left foot. "Who?
Delgado and company, or the Bureau?" She sounded serious.
"Uh, I think the Bureau would consider us alive until
proved otherwise." Mulder's feet were in no better shape
than Scully's. They were wet and swollen. Off with the
shoes and socks. "Guess we should start looking for some
dry wood. If my watch is right, it'll be dark around 8.
We must be on the east coast. Either that or an island."
Scully handed Mulder her jacket.
"No thanks, Scully. It's about 90 degrees and I'm not
even shivering. Let's look for some food."
"Well, if you'll look in the pockets, maybe you'll find
the wild raspberries I've been eating and saving for you
back where you scratched your arms."
Mulder had to smile. "I guess you're the survivor in this
outfit. Honestly... I didn't see them."
"That's because you spent most of the day talking about
how pissed off you were at Delgado, Santino, Kersh, the
Knicks, your Dad, the... "
"Yeah, okay. I've been a downer. Thanks, Scully. I don't
suppose you found anything else? Like a cell phone?"
She shook her head. "I wish." She stood and looked around.
"Let's get some wood and we'll at least have some light.
Maybe there's a stream somewhere around here."
"Scully, if we're lucky, maybe we can find some garbage."
"Sunstroke, Mulder. Lie down."
"No. I mean, like take out food containers, cups, anything
to hold water. Wait." He dug into his jacket. "This
should do."
"So should the sunflower seeds in it. Well, at least we'll
get our fruit and grains. After seven years, I think you've
taught me a few things, and maybe even started to believe a
few things."
"Me? Surely you jest."
"Yeah, like 'trust no one'. And, I hate to admit it, but I
think we may have to face the idea that maybe Kersh won't
have the Bureau out looking for us."
"Have we changed roles? I'm supposed to be the one who's
paranoid." Mulder started looking around for kindling
wood.
Scully stopped dead in her tracks. "Mulder, you know Kersh
has had us on a tight leash since they closed down the
X-Files. And he's never been a fan of yours. I wouldn't
put anything past him or whoever else made those decisions.
But, I'm not going to let you die out here and give up the
ghost, so let's just think of right now. Tomorrow we can
move on."
Save for the flickering campfire, there was no light. The
moon wasn't overhead either. It was a hot, sticky, windless
night. The kind of night when sweat doesn't evaporate and
every piece of clothing clings to the skin.
"Well, I guess if we're still out in the middle of nowhere
tomorrow, I'll have to learn how to hunt," Mulder muttered.
"It's even hotter tonight." He had his shirt hanging from
a nearby tree.
"What shall we have, Mulder? Squirrel or oppossum? Racoon?
I'm afraid all three carry rabies, and racoon is especially
dangerous." She added some wood to the fire and poked
around the spent wood.
"Fruit, if we don't get out of here. Maybe we'll find a
road, a house, anything. With our luck, probably the old
Clampett house without a telephone. "We're out here,
Jethro!" he shouted.
Scully smiled. "Don't you wish... "
"Made you smile. That's a good sign. Hey. Have you ever
really had to rough it?"
"A couple of times, when we were kids. Nothing really like
this. Remember the Jersey Devil case?"
"You're going to sing to me, right?" Mulder had his jacket
rolled up, ready to use as a pillow. "Because if you are,
there may be a way out of here really fast... " Scully threw
a few weeds at him and he ducked. "May I remind you I'm a
Federal Agent, and throwing things at me may be deemed a
threat?"
"Mulder, I think my singing would be 'deemed a threat', but
this isn't like the Jersey Devil case. People knew where we
were. Those were the days, though. Missing that seminar was
something I don't regret."
"Team building. We work as a team very well, most of the
time. We communicate well."
"Most of the time," Scully admitted. "You'd think we'd see
some city lights reflected in those little clouds up above."
Mulder looked up along with his partner. "That doesn't seem
to be the case. I think we have a long hike ahead of us
tomorrow. We should get some sleep."
"It's only 9:30, Mulder. I'm tired, but I couldn't sleep
yet. It should get a bit cooler in a while. Word
association?"
"Dunno, Scully. I think we should save that for the office
and those long drives. How about trivia? Nothing too
advanced. General knowledge. Roll up your jacket and lie
down."
"Good idea. Okay, who goes first?"
Mulder picked a coin out of his pocket. "Call it, Scully."
"Tails."
The coin turned up heads. "Sorry. Okay... " Mulder tapped
his fingers on his knee. "Who was buried in Grant's Tomb?"
"Ulysses S. Grant, and you were'nt born when You Bet Your
Life was on TV. Nice try. Let's see... This popular game
show host is definitely un-American."
"Who is Alex Trebek?"
"You are right, Your turn, Mulder. Make it hard."
"Well, we are alone... "
"Not that!" Scully laughed. Was she feeling almost giddy?
"C'mon, a trivia question."
"All right. Who sang the rock song, 'Joy To The World?'"
"Three Dog Night."
"That's right."
"And Dana Katherine Scully," she blurted with a laugh.
Just then a bat flew over her head and she ducked.
"See what you get for claiming that one? You're just trying
to cheer me up. Either that, or your raspberries were
fermented. Your turn."
"How many airplanes does it take overhead before you can
hear them?" She asked, dead seriously.
"Only one." Mulder stood. "And let's try to get him to see
us. "HEY! Down here!"
"WE'RE DOWN HERE!" Scully's heart sank as she realized the
aircraft probably hadn't spotted them, even though the fire
was bright.
"Well, so much for that." Mulder knew his partner wasn't in
the mood for any more trivia. "Maybe they saw something.
It's not as if we know for sure, Scully."
"Maybe we should get that sleep, Mulder. I usually turn in
around ten anyway." She rested her head on her jacket, on
the opposite side of the fire. "Good night, Mulder."
Mulder grabbed his shirt and did the same. "Good night.
Don't worry. We will get home."
"I'm not worried, Mulder. We're well-trained, intelligent
people. I know we'll get home." She looked straight into
his eyes, and he nodded in agreement.
"Scully?"
"Mmm hmm?"
"Sing to me?"
"No!"
"Just checking." As he closed his eyes, Mulder hoped they
could make progress by noon the next day.
NEXT DAY
6:21 AM
Mulder awoke to the sun shining brightly. Scully wasn't
there. "Scully!?"
"I'm out here. Don't worry. Just getting washed. I'll
bring you some water."
That was a relief. She was safe. He was safe.
"Found some blueberries," she shouted. "Nice, clean and
juicy!"
Somehow, that wasn't comforting to Mulder. He hoped they
would be eating processed fast food by sundown. Make that
noon.
Scully arrived with the little bag of water and some
berries heaped onto her jacket. "How did you sleep?"
"Not that well. You were out of it after about 11. I think
if I get washed up now, and eat the berries along the way,
we can put this place behind us as quickly as possible
before it gets too hot. Maybe we can afford to slow down
then."
"I'm sure we can, Mulder. I think I heard a jet a while
ago, and it wasn't that high in the air. We might be near
a city."
"That's a good sign, Scully." Mulder drank some of the
water. "But just in case, get another drink before we go,
and see if you can get some more berries. I'll be back in
a minute."
NOON
The sun was high in the sky, and once again Mulder and
Scully had been wading through marshes, woodlands, marshes
and woodlands.
Sweat was pouring down Mulder's body. "Time to rest,
Scully." His skin was brutally sunburned.
"I couldn't agree more. I don't know how far we've come,
though. You really should cover up, Mulder. That must be
painful."
"Oh, it is. Damn painful. Looks like you got it big time."
Scully carefully touched her face. "I did, didn't I?"
"Well, we are heading north, and we've found water, so
we're doing well considering... "
Scully sat on a large boulder. "Considering we don't know
where we are or where we will be in the near future? You
don't need to cushion the truth about our situation,
Mulder."
"I'm not. If you'll let me finish, I was going to say that
we're doing well considering those storm clouds moving in."
"My God, no. Well, I heard another plane a while back, and
I think it was actually at a lower altitude than the one I
heard earlier."
Mulder joined her on the boulder. "That's good news,
Scully! Unfortunately, I don't know if I have enough
frequent flyer points."
Scully turned her head, her eyes filled with angry tears.
"You have to make a joke out of everything, don't you!?
Well, I'm not laughing. It's not funny! Its... "
Mulder put an arm around his partner and she disolved into
tears. "Hey, I'm sorry. I know I get out of hand sometimes.
I think it's a defense mechanism."
"No, it's not the joking. Tomorrow would have been my Dad's
64th birthday, and we were going to have a small gathering,
I miss him, and I didn't shoot Delgado. I let my family
down and I let you down."
Mulder held Scully's head in his arms, and rocked her as
rain began to fall. After a while, Scully pulled away and
lifted her head. "You celebrate his life just by being,
Scully." He continued to rock her. After several minutes,
he lifted her head again. "Better?"
"Yes. We should get going. Those clouds are thunderheads."
Mulder nodded and they were on their way through what
looked to be a jungle. After a long stretch of mud,
pouring rain and silence, Mulder broke the void that
seemed to be there.
"Scully?"
"Yeah?"
"You haven't let anyone down, your family knows you can't
always get away, and your Dad would be very proud of you.
You found food and water for us, to keep us going. No one
expects the impossible from you."
"Maybe not. I guess I do. So, what country, Mulder? Cuba?
Mexico? Tahiti?"
"From the time we were on the plane out of Boston to the
time they let us off, I'd say Mexico. But don't hold me
to that. Don't worry, though. There aren't any hurricanes
expected if this is Mexico. What I want to see is some
sign of civilization."
Scully nodded in agreement, and the two soggy agents
plodded along through the thunderstorm.
4:43 PM
The rains had subsided, giving way to sunshine and hotter
air. They definitely need a rest, and sat on a couple of
rocks beneath what appeared to be very large banana trees.
"Mulder? Looks like we've lucked out. If you're tired of
berries, we have bananas right above our heads."
"Well, change is good. But nothing's changed our situation.
We're still out here, God only knows where. I sometimes
wonder if it's... "
"Quiet," Scully whispered. "Do you hear that?"
"Sounds like we have company."
"I don't think it's animals, Mulder."
Before they could stand, there were four men in camouflage
aiming rifles at their heads.
One of the men spoke in a Spanish accent. "Do not move.
I tell you when to stand."
"Buenas dias," Mulder offered his hand. "We're lost here
and... "
"Silencio! You will not speak now. Stand up and be silent."
Scully stood and her hands were bound by the man closest
to her. She looked at Mulder in disbelief, and hoped he
wouldn't say anything to anger the men. "Move!"
Mulder's hands were tied and they were pushed along by
two of their captors, as their apparent leader and the
other man led them through the jungle.
"If you'll just let us explain our problem... " A punch
to the jaw promptly ended that.
"When I want to question you, then you will speak," the
leader shouted. "Now move! Juan Domingo knows CIA when
he sees them."
"Not CIA," Scully quietly shot back, feeling the rifle
on her back.
"Americanos I find here are CIA. No more. My camp is not
far from here."
Mulder looked resigned to the fact that saying nothing was
better than getting them both killed. He looked at Scully
with empathy and mouthed, "I'm sorry."
"Domingo," she whispered. "You know... "
Mulder nodded.
FBI HEADQUARTERS
WASHINGTON, DC
5:30 PM
Contrary to what Mulder and Scully had been thinking, Kersh
had been working with other agents to locate his wayward
pains in the butt. It was late in the day, but Mulder and
Scully were missing, and FBI Agents don't leave their own
for dead until they have investigated all the possibilities.
He sat at his desk preparing for a meeting with agents who
were assigned to find out what had happened after the
Delgado case had gone sour.
His agents were late, and the phone rang. "Yes. Yes, Sir.
I have several people on this one. We will. I'll notify
you immediately once we hear anything. Yes, Sir, It is.
You too. Have a good evening."
Where the hell were Dixon and Kaufman? Kersh hailed his
assistant.
A tall brunette with long hair and a beige suit entered
the inner office. "Yes, Sir?"
"You can leave, Katie. It's been a long day for you, and
I only have one more appointment."
"Thank you, Sir. Don't stay here all night." She smiled
and was on her way.
Agents Dixon and Kaufman made it into the office about
fifteen minutes later. Dixon was a tall, sandy haired
man, Kaufman was of average height with black hair.
"Sorry we're late, Sir. Sources say Delgado and Santino
made it all the way to Guatemala before landing, and
there were no other passengers. We're trying to get a
special order to extradite them."
"Good work, Dixon. Kaufman, I hope you can tell me you
know where Mulder and Scully are."
"No, Sir. We did locate their belongings in the motel in
Boston, and we're going over any evidence the FAA has on
the flight path. They may be in the ocean, for all we
know."
"Look, just keep the others looking, and get me some
answers. Dismissed."
Dixon stood, but Kaufman remained seated. "With all due
respect, Sir, if they haven't been spotted yet, they could
very well be dead."
"That's not for you to say," Kersh retorted. "Just bring
me the facts, and Mulder and Scully."
By nightfall, the missing agents and their captors had
reached a ramshackle cabin. Mulder and Scully were bound
to rickety chairs with hemp rope.
"You know," Mulder began, "CIA agents wouldn't let
themselves be captured like this. We're FBI agents."
"Yeah," Domingo laughed, cigar dangling from his mouth.
He pounded his fist on a make-shift table. "Why is CIA
in my territory? You got something you want to find?"
Scully wasn't all that afraid of the man. After all, she
reasoned, he was probably some Mexican Army reject with
delusions of grandeur, as she had whispered to Mulder
while they were still marching with rifles at their backs.
"Senor Domingo, we're not here on official business. We
were abandoned by men we were supposed to arrest."
"Lies! You are here to invade!" He approached them with
sheer bitterness in his eyes.
Even his underlings thought that a bit strange, and eyed
each other suspiciously.
"Why would two FBI Agents want to come here unarmed,
messy as hell, and invade your little madman's camp?"
Mulder asked. "What would we do with this over-sized
outhouse?"
Delgado's eyes darkened as he held a seven-inch knife to
Mulder's face, and made a three inch cut along his right
cheek. Scully shuddered and cringed. "You do not ask
the questions! I ask! You answer! Why do you invade
my territory?"
Scully remained calm on the outside, but in the inside,
she was imagining worst case secenarios. "Senor Delgado,
if we were here to invade, wouldn't we have weapons?
Wouldn't we be wearing battle fatigues? Wouldn't we have
a lot more people behind us?" She looked at the blood
slowly running down Mulder's already dirty face, silently
praying he wouldn't suffer a nasty infection.
Domingo thought that over a moment. "You are spys. You
fool Delgado with no weapons." He walked over to Scully.
"Pretty woman, but you are here to deceive. Who wants to
make fun with this woman? Portillo!"
One of the men stepped forward smiling and swallowing.
"You leave her alone!" Mulder snarled. "You have already
assaulted us! Now you want to add another crime to your
list."
The other two of Delgado's men held their commrade back.
"Is not worth it, Juan!" he whispered. "We are already
wanted by government. Portillo has no brain to think, but
we do."
Domingo lashed out at his men. "You challenge Domingo's
authority!?"
"No," a third man replied. "The woman might carry... "
"She has a bad disease," Mulder interjected. "She is not
clean!"
Scully hung her head. "Mullderrr... No, I am not clean.
I am... I am very ill." She could play along with this,
but whispered, "You are going to be so-- "
"Shut up! Domingo is going to ask again. Why do you
invade?"
Mulder just shook his head. No answer was going to satisfy
this man, and another sarcastic remark might get both of
them killed.
Domingo poured some water into a cup and drank. "Ahh. The
body cannot go without water for long in this place, so I
hold it until you are ready to tell me about your purpose."
"What about you?" Mulder asked. "Are you regular Army? Do
you answer to someone?"
"I answer to no one but me!"
"What about you guys? Do you Three Amigos answer to
Domingo? Or do you get orders from someone else?"
"We answer to Domingo," one replied, and not in a heartfelt
tone, which intrigued Mulder. He shot a glance at Scully,
who raised an eyebrow, signalling she understood that her
partner was beginning to see a weakness in this little
group.
"That's what I wanted to know. Thanks." Mulder could see
that one weak link in the chain could set them free. "Eh,
Portillo? How do you like being led by a man who is
loco?"
That prompted a hard slap on the face by Domingo. "You do
not question my men. Vargas, Enriquez, take Portillo
to see God."
Scully watched the three men go outside. "To see God?"
A shot answered her question.
Vargas and Enriquez returned to the hut.
"Now, we will eat," Domingo decided. He opened a crate
and passed fruit to his compadres and saved the best for
himself. He eyed Mulder and Scully for a second. "Hey,
you want food, so tell why you invade."
"C'mon, we are not invading your territory," Mulder
laughed. "You think the two of us could do that? Well,
you are loco, Mr. Domingo."
"Okay. You're not hungry. I understand. And you are not
thirsty. So sit until we are finished, and then you will
sleep on the floor. The orange is so juicy and sweet..."
WASHINGTON, DC
1:31 AM
As Mulder and Scully tried to sleep with their hands and
feet tied on a filthy floor, FBI Agents were gleaning any
information that would lead to their possible rescue. Kersh
had fallen asleep on his sofa, having waited for any news
at all from Dixon and Kaufman.
Finally, the phone rang. Kersh adjusted his glasses and
answered. "Kersh."
"Sir, it's Dixon."
"This had better be good, Agent."
"They've located Delgado and Santino. Mulder and Scully
were apparently abandoned in Mexico. We've called the
Mexican government, and they have witnesses who believe they
saw the plane, and they claim to know where they were left."
"Good. You and Kaufman get a team together and get down
there."
"Already done, Sir. We're at the airport now, and the plane
leaves in ten minutes."
"Good. Anything else?"
"We believe they may have been captured by some renegade
Army outfit. It's might get a bit... Well, their leader,
Juan Delgado is a paranoid, violent man, with a low
boiling point."
Kersh pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just work with
the locals and get the agents back, Dixon. Let's hope
Mulder and Scully know how to handle him. He probably
wants something."
"We will, Sir. I'm being waved over. I think it's something
you might want to hear about. Some document."
"Hurry."
"Yeah. This Domingo has been saying he's going to radio
his demands soon. Gotta go. I'll get back to you."
After Dixon hung up, Kersh dialed out again. "It's me.
Yes, Sir. Domingo will make his demands clear shortly.
No, I know she can't be... I realize that, Sir. Mulder,
too. Right." Alvin Kersh would find no further sleep that
night. Not only did he have to answer to the Bureau, there
were others who made his life a nightmare. He felt sick to
his stomach whenever they contacted him, and he had no idea
what they wanted with Mulder and Scully. These things were
not his to question.
MEXICO
DOMINGO'S CAMP
3:02 AM
The sticky night heat did nothing for Mulder's comfort.
That, along with duct tape that was immobilizing his hands
and feet made sleep impossible. It was amazing Scully was
able to sleep under these conditions, but then, he wasn't
surprised. In the shadows cast by a small lantern, he saw
Domingo hailing someone by radio.
He could barely make out what the man was saying, but he
was also well aware that Enriquez had that watch, and was
wide awake. As he feigned sleep, bits and pieces of Spanish
could be heard. Something about asylum. The mention of
money. 'Aeropuerto'. An airport. Finally, the Spanish
word for 'kill'. *Santino and Delgado were amateurs
compared to Domingo*, he thought. *But then, his elevator
doesn't exactly go to the top, either.* He closed his
eyes, thirsty, hungry, and pretending to be asleep, and
eventually sleep did come.
7:01 AM
Scully had had enough sleep, and the three remaining
renegades gorging themselves on fruit and water. She
glanced at Mulder, who shispered, "It's about time."
"I'm sorry." She looked at his wrist watch. "I really did
sleep in! So, what's happening?" she whispered.
"Nothing much yet. Did you know we're being held hostage?
Apparently for amnesty somewhere and mucho dinero. I didn't
get much, but Domingo was on the radio in the night."
"So, Mulder? I hope you're going to say he's decided to
free us when he gets what he wants... "
"Not exactly, Scully. I wish I had better news." He had
been fighting a losing battle with duct tape all night,
and his wrists were beginning to bleed.
"I don't think you're going to get that off by yourself.
Maybe if we sit back to back... "
"Ah, they are awake, I see. Are you hungry, my friends?"
"I think you know the answer, Domingo. The least you could
do is offer the lady some water."
"Wish I could, but... well, you have to live for a while
longer, so Enriquez will hold the glass for both of you."
"Wow, water. So, just how do you expect anyone to pee
tied up like this?"
"Heh heh! Eh, you two look like you trust each other. Be
inventive." Vargas and Enriquez laughed with their leader.
Mulder shook his head, and Scully turned away. "Tell me
this is a nightmare," Scully begged. "Well, we may as well
take a swig, Mulder. We're way past dehydrated."
They drank their water as quickly as possible, as if there
was no tomorrow, and they may well have been thinking that.
Mulder decided to get some information on their situation.
"So, Domingo? How much money did you ask? I mean, you
are holding us for money, aren't you?"
"Let's just say enough to get me and my friends far away,
and never again to want for food or... entertainment! So
you see, you are worth something to Domingo."
"What happens after that?" Scully asked. "You just shoot
us and leave us for the animals to eat?"
"Well, that had occurred to Domingo. But then, Domingo
thought no, he would not do that. Maybe you will be okay
after we leave. If you ever get untied."
Helocopters could be heard overhead, and Vargas and
Enriquez rushed to shoot at them. They were downed by
gunfire from two separate helicopters. Domingo grabbed
his rifle and stood in front ot Mulder and Scully. "Now,
I untie you, Mister, and you make no bad moves when you
untie your partner. We will go outside to have a talk
with our visitors."
"Yeah, company. We're not dressed for the occasion."
Mulder's remark was met by a punch to the stomach.
"Do not say any more, American. Just do as I tell you,
I will take you outside."
"Mulder, please don't... I mean try to... "
"I know, Scully. Shut up." His eyes turned dark and his
voice was raspy but loud. "Well, I'm not going to shut
up! I hope the little dictator gets shot to pieces
and... " With that, Mulder kicked Domingo in the derriere
and straight into the arms of an American Army officer.
Scully was shocked, and smiling. "I guess I was wrong,
Mulder!"
"No. See, you got me mad enough to wanna kick some ass.
Thanks, Scully."
She looked at him with some doubt. "Thanks. I think."
Agents Dixon and Kaufman ran into the hut as Domingo was
being led to the Mexican officials.
"You two okay?" Dixon enquired, as he removed the tape
from Scully's hands, and Kaufman did the same for Mulder.
"Yeah," Mulder answered. "It's about time, too. What about
Delgado and Santino? Did you find out where they were?"
"Yeah. Guatemala. Our people are talking to their people
now, so we'll be have a stronger case against them since
your kidnapping."
"Speaking of the time that's passed." Kaufmann said, "How
long since you've... I mean, judging by the... "
"Too long," Scully answered. "No food, no soap and heated
towels. Believe me, I know what you're talking about."
"We'll get you straight to clean clothes, showers and food.
Kersh was very worried about you."
Mulder laughed. "What? He doesn't give a rat's ass about
us."
"No? Seriously, he wanted us to get you two out of here
as soon as possible."
"For who?" Scully wondered. "Him or us?"
HOOVER BUILDING
WASHINGTON, DC
A.D. KERSH'S OFFICE
10:52 AM
Kersh waited with hands folded, wondering just what would
transpire if Mulder and Scully were not brought home alive.
He grabbed the phone on the first ring. "Kersh." He wiped
sweat from his brow. "That's good to hear. What hospital?
Good work. I want your report as soon as possible. What was
that? I guess I'd say the same things under the same
circumstances. Let me know when they're cleared to leave."
Now, it was time to call someone else. Someone who held
a sword over his head...
Agents Dixon and Kaufman turned in the following report:
"Agents Mulder and Scully were kept in hospital several
days for observation. The dehydration and sunburn had
taken a toll on their bodies. As for Domingo and his men,
they were charged with murder, kidnapping, and a number
of other crimes in Mexico alone. They were Mexican Army
deserters and are facing the judgment of their peers.
"The partnership between Agents Mulder and Scully remains
intact. As they operate now with mutual trust, and are
doing an exceptional job, we feel that continued operation
of the X-Files Office would be in the best interests of
all, with close supervision."
END
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