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Title: Rescue Mission 2: Mercenary Summary: Why does Alex Krycek do the things he does? Even he isn't sure. RESCUE MISSION 2: MERCENARY
He sat in the car, in the dark. He wasn't exactly sure why. He should've been gone two days ago. Hell, he should never have come in the first place. He was still trying to figure out why he did it. Guilt, maybe. What he'd said to her before, it was true. He'd fucked them both over so many times, right from the beginning. If pressed, he'd say he was just following orders then -- even if those orders sometimes left a bad taste in his mouth. He didn't know when things started to change for him -- Bill Mulder, maybe, or the debacle that resulted in Melissa Scully's death. Somewhere along the line, he'd started to see these two in a different light. They were both so goddamn resilient -- they kept fighting, kept searching for answers, no matter the cost. He came to admire them. Maybe that's why he did it. He admired them, he liked them. Now that Spender was dead, there was no reason for them to continue to suffer. Movement in the room caught his eye. Scully, turning out the lights. She wouldn't have much longer to wait -- Mulder was scheduled to wake up in the morning. He'd be none the worse for wear, the bounty hunter had promised that much, and the only gap in his memory would be the six months he was gone. He shook his head, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that the bounty hunter had changed sides. Guess everybody's for sale, he thought. He knew that having Mulder had been invaluable to them. His blood chemistry, his unique DNA, the way his brain worked... Everything about Mulder was a lesson in how to defeat the colonists. The rebels were pleased that he'd been able to steer Mulder to them -- so much so that he was easily able to convince them to accept the Praise kid in exchange. They didn't know about the baby. If they'd known... nothing could've stopped them from taking Scully, too. As he sat in the car, in the dark, he debated telling her all this -- or at least, more than he'd already told her, which was damn little. He considered that he should at least ease her mind about when Mulder would wake up. In the end, though, it wasn't a difficult decision to make. He couldn't tell her, couldn't say anything to her, couldn't even see her again. He couldn't let her see him as anything less than the cold-blooded killer she'd always believed him to be. But that didn't mean he couldn't protect them. He pulled out his cellphone and dialed. "Skinner." It was after midnight in Idaho, after two in Washington, but the Assistant Director didn't sound sleepy at all. "Do you know where your favorite agents are?" He couldn't resist fucking with Skinner's head. The voice at the other end of the line grew hard and reckless."Krycek, if you've done anything to her, so help me -- " "Agent Scully is fine. And in about eight hours, Agent Mulder will be fine too." He could almost hear the man grit his teeth. "Where?" "Pocatello, Idaho. Motel 6 on the north edge of town," he could hear rustling in the background. "Do not get on a plane and come out here." "You're with them?" "Couldn't let her go in alone, could I? Give her another day. If she doesn't call you tomorrow, call her." He broke the connection and tossed the phone on the seat next to him, then started the car. He glanced in the rear view mirror and froze at what he saw. The bounty hunter. He turned off the ignition and got out -- cautious as always, fingering the weapon in his pocket. They were supposed to be done, no more contact -- they each had what they wanted, they were going their separate ways. This sudden appearance worried him. "You're satisfied?" "He's not awake yet, but yeah." "And Agent Scully?" His eyes narrowed -- did they know? "What about her?" "She's pleased to have him back?" "She will be." "Good. She's important to us. As is the child." Fuck. They knew. He felt his blood run cold but controlled his reaction -- it wouldn't do to let the bounty hunter know he was rattled. "You think it's his?" The bounty hunter smiled. It was humorless, that smile. "Don't try to bluff us, Mr. Krycek. We know the child is theirs. But we have no use for him at this time." He chose not to question that last part and just nodded, hoping to keep his alliance with the bounty hunter intact. Just in case. "We will not meet again, Mr. Krycek." He nodded again and turned away -- a show of trust. He didn't look back until he'd gotten back in the car. When he did, the bounty hunter was gone. Letting out a shaky breath, Krycek started the car and pulled away. They were safe for now. End Author's note: Thanks to IWTB for inspiration and feedback. |