From: rogueangel10@juno.com Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 20:45:17 -0700 Subject: xfc: Revised: "Accumulation" Story Five "The Awakening" 1/4 Source: xfc TITLE: Accumulation, Story 5 "The Awakening" Author[s]: Riva and Alien Girl E-mail: for Riva: rogueangel10@juno.com for Alien Girl: comixgirl@juno.com Rating: PG Category: S, Mythology, MSR, UST, Angst Archive: Spooky's *YES*!! Please!! Everyone else please email so we can visit and give you a link on our pages. See part ONE ("Backfired") for Summary and Author's Notes. DISCLAIMER: WOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHOOOOOO!!!!! Last Disclaimer for the series!! Aren't you all just *thrilled*?? Again (and again, and again, and...) these characters are not ours. The X-Files and everything related to it belongs to Chris Carter, king of the TV, and 1013, his empire of choice. Don't sue us!! Besides, you wouldn't get much. We are not making any money off this!! Other than that, the usual extra characters -specifically Troi, Alyssa, Jacob, Gerrett, and Obsidian- are ours, and other fan-fic writers are asked to PLEASE get permission from us if you want to use them! Song Disclaimer: The Intro and Exits songs are not ours either. "Wait" belongs to Sarah McLachlan, and "To Get Me to You" belongs to an unknown female country artist. Thank you, and no infringment intended!! Archive: PLEASE!! Just drop one of us a e-mail first, letting us know where you put it so we can send the updates directly to the site. FEEDBACK: A must. You must. Now. WARNING: Angst, DAL and such ahead. No-Romos bail out now!! [or we will throw you out ourselves] Tissue Warning for the first part. AND NOW....... RIVA STAR PRODUCTIONS AND ALIEN GIRL ANIMATION PRESENTS............ ------------------------------------------------------ ------------- T H E X - F I L E S ------------------- ***************** ACCUMULATION *********************** ..........."T H E A W A K E N I N G"................. ------------------------------------------------------ Wait Under a blackened sky Far beyond the glaring streetlights Sleeping on empty dreams The vultures lie in wait You lay down beside me then You were with me every waking hour So close I could feel your breath When all we wanted was to dream To have and to hold that precious little thing Like every generation yields The new born hope unjaded by their years. Pressed up against the glass I found myself wanting sympathy But to be consumed again Oh- I know would be the death of me And there is a love that's inherently given A kind of blindness offered to deceive And in that light of forbidden joy Oh- I know I won't receive it When all we wanted was the dream To have and to hold that precious little thing Like every generation yields The newborn hope unjaded by their years. You know if I leave you now It doesn't mean I love you any less It's just the state I'm in I can't be good to anyone else like this When all we wanted was the dream To have and to hold that precious little thing Like every generation yields The newborn hope unjaded by their years... ------------------------------------------------------ Fox William Mulder 11:21 P.M. Friday, May 28th, 1999 //...I stand here silently, watching her sadly like the guardian angel I've become...caught in a sleep that I enforced on her against her will, a deep sleep only I can awaken her from...and I keep telling myself that it is only so I can tell her. I have to let this go...// //...And yet I ask myself why. Why? Why am I doing this to her? Why do I keep trying to make her understand when I know she will only wake up screaming, panting, terrified? It does no good, it hurts to see her so fearful...I can sense her fear. I don't want to believe it, but I know it's true. She is afraid.// //Whenever I come close, I feel her tense up, become alert, search for the cause of this unnatural feeling. Every time I call, she ignores...every time I try to come close, she pushes away....// //I know that sometimes my pain and longing outweigh my good sense to stay away, and for a moment, I embrace her, and whisper her name in her ear, hoping she will hear, she will understand...and I try not to notice how much she shivers within my grasp...// //It hurts so much to know that I can't provide her with the warm embrace that she wants, that she needs...she shivers at my touch, and there is no warmth left, they took the warmth from me...// //Fear. I never see hope, I never see relief, I only see fear. Why can't she trust her feelings, why can't she understand what I've been doing to her? No, I shouldn't blame her. None of this is her fault, none of it ever was. It was me who dragged her through six years of searching, and she was unwilling, and yet I didn't let up, I didn't give her time to breathe. She has a right to push me away, she has a right to shut me out forever.// //Why? Why am I doing this?// //...And then I think back to a few days ago, when she was trapped, and I took her...gained control, just because I didn't know how else to save her...and I remember how it felt, even if she doesn't.// //...I remember struggling, and then...a force, a bond came and I didn't feel like we were two different souls anymore...but *one*. Two halves of a whole put together. I felt such strength, strength and ability and passion and perfection like I've never felt before, becoming her. It took all my will to leave, to separate the one into two again...to leave part of me behind.// //I think back over it all and I suddenly realize why I am doing this. There is a reason why am here, why I am not where I should be laying, cold silent...// //I know why. And I have to tell her. This is the only way I know how, and I have to make sure she doesn't wake in the middle...I have to tell her.// //Why? I know why....// //So I stand here now, her sleeping, oblivious to everything. I stroke her hair, and she twitches just a little in her sleep...// //I feel reluctant. I don't want to do this to her anymore. And yet, I do....// //I cannot let anything stop me from letting the truth be known to her. Not anyone else, not her, not myself...With that knowledge I will myself to begin the process of getting inside her head...her thoughts...the only avenue of communication now left open to us. If I am here, like this, now, I know that it is not only to save her...but to save myself.// //And if I am destined to walk this earth as nothing more than a shadow for the rest of eternity, then I know I will be her shadow, and no one else's......// "Scully?" Dana Katherine Scully 11:30 P.M. Friday, May 28th, 1999 And she dreamed..... Slowly, Scully opened her eyes, finding herself in a dreamscape she had never seen before. It was dark, and she felt cold pavement under her feet, rough and hard. It was raining, the drops fell slowly, like tears, unreal in their drifting patterns. She began to walk, a unseen need pulling her foreword as she moved across the black landscape toward...something. The rain continued to fall, staining her cheeks with icy drops that seemed to freeze as they slid off her. She could hear a whispered hissing all around her, as though cars whizzed by somewhere nearby, but she couldn't see them. From somewhere close by, she heard the sound of a sigh, and suddenly a cold wind touched her shoulder, blowing around her and chilling her through. She spun, following the wind as it blew past her. And the wind carried her name. //scully....daaana....sculllly...dana// Her name hissed by her, barley audible over the rush of the wind in her ears. //scully....// "Scully?" She heard his voice, loud and clear, slicing through the darkness like a beacon. She turned, not knowing where his voice was coming from. It seemed to be all around her, everywhere at once. She turned again, her eyes searching, suddenly desperate to find him. "I'm here. Mulder, I'm here." She turned again, and this time, she saw him. Standing under a dim streetlamp that hadn't been there a moment ago. "Mulder..." His name came out of her like a choke. She moved toward him quickly, knowing this was only a dream, but not caring, not thinking, only needing his arms wrapped around her, protecting her from the terrible cold that threatened to consume her. He stood there, watching her come towards him, gazing at her with sorrowful hazel eyes, eyes that spoke of a hidden mystery. Had to reach him. She couldn't let him go, not now, not ever. She had to touch him one last time....one last time.... She stretched out a pleading hand to him as she stepped into the circle of light the streetlamp cast about them. And suddenly hit a wall. Her palm struck up against it, painfully jarring her. She moved foreword again, but once more was stopped by an invisible wall of glass, unseen yet binding. "No..." she whimpered, "Mulder," He stepped closer to the barrier as well, bringing up a hand as though to reach out to her, but stopped. Scully stepped back, staring at him through the glass, a raw longing in her eyes. Her raised his eyes to her, and locked his gaze with hers. "Scully..." Her throat let loose a small whimper at the sound of her name on his lips. "Scully, I had to come back. I had to tell you. I-" He took a slow breath. "I couldn't...go...without you...knowing." Scully was silent. "I- I'm in a place I don't understand. I'm living side by side with you everyday, but I can't speak to you...you can't see me. I had to make you hear me. That's why I'm here," He gestured to the surrounding darkness. "You can only see me in your dreams." "Why?" Scully asked, voice full of unshed tears. "I don't know. But Scully...you have to listen to me. I have to tell you." He moved foreword, placing his hands against the glass, his voice imploring, needy. She stood still, her eyes still locked with his. "As I...walk this place, this bridgespan between life and death, I suddenly see things like I've never seen them before." He laughed bitterly, looking down at the street, his face breaking into a sad smile. "Everything is so much simpler now...even as they've never been more complicated." "The truth has been revealed to me Scully," He said, looking back up at her quickly. "But not truths of conspiracy, or truths of the vast unknown, but the truth within myself." He looked away again, as if in shame. "I hope you can forgive me," he said. "They say one never sees anything in it's true light until they look back on it from a unconquerable distance, unable to change what they now see." "Scully..." He continued, looking up at her again, his eyes searching hers. "I never said this...because I was a coward, I was afraid of ever telling you what you really meant to me. But," He stopped, his voice thick. "You have no idea...how much-.....The Syndicate made it's greatest mistake ever when they sent you to spy on me," He smiled. "Little did they know you would become my savior." A lone tear trickled down Scully's cheek. "I was so alone before you." He continued, his voice earnest, pleading. "I was standing at the edge of a precipice, staring over the edge, daring the dark abyss below me with the recklessness of one with nothing to lose." His voice softened, tinged with wonder. "But then you came." "Through your friendship, you pulled me back to solid ground, gave me something in my life that I thought was worth while....really, you gave my life meaning. Oh sure, I said it was all about Samantha...but really, at that point Samantha had become an angel to me, something hopelessly unattainable...not a real faith at all. But being your partner suddenly made it all worth while again. The quest, my beliefs,...myself. It was us against the world, Scully...and for the first time in my life, I felt that the world had it's work cut out for it. I felt that as long as you were with me, we were invincible. You gave me the one thing I needed most......the missing half of my soul." "I love you, Scully. I love you more than anything. More than life, more than Samantha, more than eternity. Even now, I can't leave you. You're a drug, addictive, consuming. There's not much left of me now that doesn't carry a part of you." He looked at her, his hazel gaze pinning her with it's fiery honesty. "They may have murdered the truth, Scully. They may have taken our work. But there is one thing they cannot touch. One thing they can't take away from us. Our Love." "This, nothing can destroy." She stood there, unable to answer, unable to stare as he looked at her, expectantly, longingly. Slowly, as though in a trance, she lifted her hands, smoothing them over the glass where his hands rested against the opposite side. She leaned foreword, pressing her forehead onto the cool surface, hot tears running down her cheeks and falling silent to the ground. Mulder also leaned against the barrier in defeat, their hands and foreheads mirroring each other. He was there.......He had always been there..... Her eyes closed slowly, pushing out more tears, and holding even more inside. So close.......so far...... Abruptly, the world around her began to fade, darkening, shrouding the street and the glass and Mulder as it pulled her farther away from it. She watched helplessly as everything around her faded into the wind, and rushed away from her in breeze, like a fleeting memory. Leaving her to no choice but to wake up. Subconscious darkened into consciousness as Scully cried out. She grasped for Mulder, but she touched only the comforters of her bed. She could not adjust her eyes to the darkness around her, the tears were still wet and glistening on her cheeks. She sat upright, searching hopelessly for Mulder, but he was gone. Gone. She shivered without the covers over her shoulders. The darkness that filled the now-familiar hotel room was silent, empty, cold. She was alone. Alone. Scully buried her head in her arms. She couldn't cry, could think, it was too painful to even breathe. It all came together now, so painfully clear it overwhelmed her. For the first time, Scully wanted to feel the cold wind, wanted more than anything to feel that breeze, that breathing, that presence that was Mulder. Mulder. Mulder was a dream, a memory, a ghost, intangible, she couldn't touch him as he touched her. Mulder... Her breathing was like a deafening noise against her hands. She was alone, he was gone...Mulder... gone..... "Mulder," She whispered into the darkness, "I love you........." The phone rang. She didn't remember picking it up. She moved her lips to say her name, but her voice failed, no sound came out. The caller didn't hesitate. "Dana, it's Byers." No reply. "Meet us at the first warehouse just outside of D.C. in an hour. We got it." She hung up. 3:34 A.M. Saturday, May 29th, 1999 Somewhere outside Washington D.C. A thick, misty rain blanketed the world in a cold, gray calm. The mist respectfully moved aside to allow the twin pools of soft yellow light that were the headlights of Dana Scully's car to pass through the curtain. The windows of the car were fogged over with silver breath. Scully drove the car through the mist in silence, thinking of nothing, concentrating only on the road. She saw only the misty droplets of liquid dance in the nothingness. She heard only the beating of her own heart and the soft swish-click of the windshield wipers. Swish-click. Swish-click. Swish-click. Her heart seemed to beat in time with the wipers, swish-click, slow, steady, dull. Trying to push away the noiseless rain that hit the windshield. Trying to push away the noiseless rain that hit her heart. Both were in vain. She closed her eyes briefly, the memory of the dream springing to her mind. Darkness, the feel of a street beneath her feet, the cold, wet feel of the rain in her hair and sliding down her back. Rain like tears. Tears for what she had lost. And what she had found. She banished the thought even as she felt for his presence. She had never felt so alone. Alone. She slowed the car as the dim outline of the warehouse they were meeting at came into view. As the routine swish-clicks died with the hum of the car's engine, so it seemed her heart stopped for a minute. She stepped out of the car quickly and pulled his leather jacket tighter about her to shield her from the rain. His leather jacket. (No.) She thought with effort. The thought vanished like a ghost. Squaring her shoulders, she strode up and tapped her knuckles on the metal door. "What's the password?" A gruff voice came from within. "Frohike, I'm cold, and it's raining. Let me in or I'll shoot you." "That'll do." The sound of an old, heavy bolt being drawn back followed. The door opened to reveal Frohike's grim face. Scully nodded and stepped inside, shutting the tears outside. Everyone else was already there when she walked in. Skinner, Holly, Frohike, Langley, Byers, Alyssa, Garrett, Grant, Gibson, her mother, Tina, Samantha and Troi all looked up at her appearance. Troi stood quickly, wanting to give Dana a hug, just for seeing her again. Scully didn't even react. She couldn't force herself to move foreward, or even speak to Troi. She stared at her blankly for a moment, then took a seat, leaving Troi dumbfounded. She looked at Gibson hopefully for an explanation. He shook his head. He wasn't talking. Scully swallowed and looked expectantly at her friends. "So what do we have?" There was a brief silence. Then Byers was the first to speak. "We were able to decode the document that we got off the computer the other day when we were hacking into the Syndicate's systems. It took us a while, but we got ahold on some of the proper equipment and were able to decipher it. Actually, surprisingly, the original disk with the list helped a lot...it provided us with some code-cracking information that was apparently also inscribed into the data with the hidden message." Scully became interested. "What does it say?" "Well, a lot of it is just describing certain facilities and units that are evident in each of the bases. Some of these things include contamination checks, pod storage, conference rooms, even things like operation rooms, we think. All of this stuff is contained in each Base, although we weren't able to get any blueprints," Langley launched into his explanation. "However, it also tells the *location* of each of the Bases...you were right, there was one in Antarctica. The one that Scully was at. There's an identical one at the North Pole. The rest of the Bases are scattered around the world, most of them underwater or underground...there's one near Easter Island, another somewhere in Greenland, another near Siberia, and there's even one in the Red Sea in the Mediterranean." "But which one has the Killswitch?" Garrett persisted. "That's the best part," Langley said, grinning. "From what we were able to get off this document, the Killswitch is located somewhere within Base 3. And Base 3 is located right above us, beneath Lake Michigan." "That's only about a day's drive away!" Maggie said. "Exactly. If we leave immediately, we should arrive in Michigan around the 30th. Base 3 can be reached by means of an underground tunnel that begins at a military base in Arcadia, Michigan. We should be able to get through the Base, go through to the tunnel, and end up in Base 3," Byers finished explaining. "That's the easy part. The hard part will be once we actually get inside the Base...if this is anything like the place Scully was in Antarctica, we're going to have a whole lot of space to cover when we're looking for the Killswitch. We know that it's in Base 3, but we don't know *exactly* where it is." "And once we find the Killswitch..." Samantha started. Scully nodded, still a little bit shocked at what they had to do. "Alright then...we'll leave right away. As soon as we can get things that we need together, that is. We can't just walk on in there in our street clothes...we need weapons, protection." "Already done," Skinner announced. "The Gunmen called me earlier before the meeting and told me everything. I've been able to scrounge around with some people I know, and they've lent me almost everything we need...including bulletproof vests and other attire we may need." "Bulletproof vests?" Maggie sound worriedly. "Are there guards there? Do you mean that one of you could get..." "Mom, there shouldn't be anything to worry about," Scully tried to reassure her. "They're just precautions. I don't think you're going to be going down there, anyway." "Yes," Samantha added. "Some of us are staying outside the Base with the cars and things. It's too dangerous for all of us to go in together. And the ones staying behind are the ones who are the least able to...perform physically in the conditions we may be in. Mom, Maggie...you're probably staying behind. So will Gibson and Troi." Troi frowned with resentment. "There is absolutely *no way* that I am staying behind while you guys all go in there!" "Troi, you are going to stay with my mom, and that's final," Scully shot back. "I am *not* going to let you go in there!" "But I..." "We'll finish this conversation later," Scully interrupted. "Right now I think we need to get ready...we don't have any time to waste. Now that we know where to go and what to do, we need to do it." "Supplies we can use are being kept in a storage facility down the street," Skinner said. "We need to go and get them. Then we can leave immediately." "Look, it's evident that where we're going will probably be very dangerous. We won't know what to expect or what will happen until we get there. So anyone who wants to back out now or not participate, please step forward now." No one moved. "I know I speak for all of us when I say that we're with you, Scully," Skinner said. "We're going to finish this together, just like we promised. We're all ready." Scully breathed in heavily, looking at the faces that surrounded her, all of them loyal, ready to help her in any way they could. She nodded, and made her final decision. "Alright...let's go." 10:10 A.M. Saturday, May 29th, 1999 Somewhere else in Maryland... Cancer Man paced the room like a caged animal, his cigarette being chewed rather than smoked as he clenched his teeth with ferocity. "That's all I know," One of Them said. "We didn't get the trace when they hacked in. Only now I got a call that Skinner got some artillery and defense supplies from someone in the military." "I knew it," First Elder growled from within his throat. "I knew they would find something out...they know where the Killswitch is. They're getting ready, they're going to go down there and find it." "I think we're all aware of that!" Cancer Man snapped back, inhaling smoke and trying hard not to cough with sheer rage. "Why do you think we've been sending out men to kill her?" "Obviously, that didn't work," Another broke in. "Your best man Krycek got a bullet to his head. And your other two *invaluable* hit men ended up the same." "Shut up!!" Cancer Man shot back at the speaker. "I'm well aware of all of this...and I've had enough of it!" Cancer Man launched straightforward into his rage. "We are going down there after them...right now! We're all going, I'm going there, and we're bringing a swat team that's loyal to us. We'll bring the whole army if we have to. We're going to hunt them down, and *kill* them, kill *her*...even if I have to shoot her myself!!!" The rest of the Syndicate sat silent, somewhat shocked at Cancer Man's furious outburst. Someone coughed on the cigarette smoke. "I'm serious," Cancer Man said, his voice a bit lower. "No more fooling around, picking them off with stupid, useless snipers. We HUNT THEM DOWN. And when we find them, we ELIMINATE them. For good. The Project *will* be completed...we did not work on it for a full 50 years to have it blow up in our faces just *days* before the Date! We *will* go through with it...no matter what." "Why are you so adamant about the Project's completion?" The voice of one of the younger members said suddenly. The Smoking Man turned on him. "What do you mean?" "Just what I said. If the Killswitch actually exists, wouldn't that eliminate the *need* for the Project? Wouldn't it make our deal with the colonists unnecessary? Can't we just *let* them use the Killswitch? Or even more than that...why didn't we use it ourselves a long time ago?" "Because we don't know where in Base 3 it is," Cancer Man snarled. "And we were never sure -STILL aren't sure- it will work. And if the colonists find out that we have betrayed them..." He trailed off, letting the ticking clock in the background do his speaking for him. "It is the only way," First Elder said calmly. "We must ensure their success if we are to hope to live. The chances of Agent Scully succeeding are *very* slim, and even then, we would be condemned to execution by our country and world for high treason. With the colonists we live, and they will have special places open for us in the New Order." The younger Syndicate member fell silent. "Do you want me to call the general in charge of the forces, tell him our plans?" Strughold asked from the back of the room. "Do that," Cancer Man snarled. "I want all the men we can muster. And I want weapons and attire for all of us, too...cause we'll be leading them down there." 11:21 A.M. Saturday, May 29th, 1999 Phoenix Naval Base Phoenix, Arizona Lieutenant Charles Scully sat in the front row of the small conference room, shifting about nervously in his seat. James sat next to him, trying to stifle a cough. The general tapped on the microphone in front of him for complete silence. The conference room was filled with approximately 50 or more soldiers, and Charles was aware that there were two more conference rooms where other soldiers would be receiving the same speech. The general spoke. "Gentlemen. As you are all aware, we, as soldiers of the United States of America, have a task before us at this time. Word has gotten through to our contacts that the small rebel group headed by former Agent Dana Scully, that we have been trying to track down, has planned on infiltrating one of the outposts stationed for the Syndicate group." Charles swallowed nervously at hearing his little sister's name. "However, we have also received word that the Syndicate group has made their own plans on intercepting the rebel group once they reach the outpost. They may have their own branch of former military personnel who are going with them." "This is the enemy that we are assigned to capture. If the Syndicate's men capture the rebel group, we lose the chance of the possibility of destroying the alien colonists who are still present. Our own military is unaware of how the rebel group plans to carry out this plan of theirs, but we intend to rendezvous with them so that the information can be learned. But our main task is to stop the Syndicate group that will be arriving at the supposed outpost within the next 24 hours or so." "We will travel to the outpost in divisions of 50 men each, and we will travel my means of air so to ensure that we arrive at the outpost first. You will all be supplied with proper attire and weaponry to assure our control on the situation. Your captains will divide you into your segments and give you further instructions on carrying out your duties." "I thank you all for your patience, and I will see you at the front lines when we arrive at the outpost with the other divisions. You are dismissed." The general got down from his podium, and all of the soldiers in the room stood to go to their different captains. Charles shook his head with amazement as he got up from his chair. "We're looking for my sister. I can't believe it." "I thought we're going down there to stop those alien guys," James said. "Wow, never would've thought that by joinin' the army I'd get to fight aliens from space..." They headed out the door to the conference room. "Something big is happening. I can feel it," Charlie said. "There's a lot of people involved in this...and it's going to be a big mess when we all come together." "Well then, lets hope they give us a warm welcome when Player Number Three shows up." "I just hope the good guys make it out alive." 5:45 A.M. Sunday, May 30th, 1999 Denver, Colorado Floral Jacobson woke with a start, a screaming ripping through the night around her and echoing in her ears. "IT'S THEM!!!!!!" "What the-?" Her husband, Marc, demanded in sleep-slurred voice. Footsteps from the apartment above her clattered in her ears and she heard the sound of slamming doors, crashes, and more screams. She heard people swearing, yelling, panicking. (Oh, dear God,) Floral thought, (it's starting.) "Oh, shoot." Marc got out of bed quickly, throwing on a pair of pants and grabbing his jacket. "Florie! Get the kids! Get them to safety!" With that, Marc was gone. The young woman lept to her feet, throwing off the covers as she scrambled out of her bed. Somewhere in the dark, she heard the baby cry, a piercing, lonely sound that sent fear stabbing through her heart. (please God, please God, please God,) she prayed over and over as she raced into the nursery. Inside the nursery, little Benjamin was standing in his crib, nose running, eyes screwed up as he screamed in fright. Floral ran straight over to the crib, pausing to grab a blanket and diaper bag before scooping up Benjamin in one arm and before turning on her heel and running out of the room, headed down the hall, carrying the still sobbing baby. "Mommy? Mommy?" The scared little voice of 5 year old Nicci was thin and reedy in the dark. Floral rushed into her daughter's room, a hand out, frantically searching for Nicci in the blackness. "Mommy's here, baby. Where are you?" "It's dark, Mommy. Where's the light?" "No time for the light sweet thing. Come on, baby, give me your hand. Remember that place we talked about? We have to go there right now." The little girl stretched out her hand, and her mother grabbed it, clutching tightly as she pulled her toward the door of the room. "Wait," Nicci cried. "Mr. Beans!" Nicci struggled out of her mother's grasp, turning back to snatch up a faded green bunny from the floor of the room. Floral gasped as her daughter's hand left hers, but quickly regained it as her daughter grasped up Mr. Beans in her right hand. Floral ran out of the hallway, dragging her daughter behind her. She reached the door, fumbling with a set of keys on the key rack by the door. The keys clattered to the floor, and she picked the up again with shaking hands as she tried to bounce Baby Benjamin up on her, and shush him in an attempt to soothe his frantic cries. Throwing the door open, Floral clutched the keys tightly in the hand she held Benjamin with, and with the other kept a tight hold on Nicci as she ran down the hallway of the apartment complex, reaching the end of the hall, she turned to a barred, locked door on the right. Momentarily letting go on Nicci's hand, she grabbed the set of keys from her other hand, floundering for the right key as Nicci clung to her nightgown. Finally, she came up the a large silver key and inserted it into the lock, hastily opening the doors and flipping the switch next to it, revealing a steep, dusty staircase. "No, Mommy, I dowanna go down there. 's scary!" Nicci whined, pressing her face into her mother's leg. "We have to Nicci. Come on, hold mommy's hand." The threesome ventured down the stairs quickly, and Floral ushered Nicci into a small crawlspace behind the stairs. Floral and Nicci sat on the cold floor of apartment's the boiler room, shivering and listening to the panic in the streets outside. Floral had shifted Benjamin, and now had him in her lap, pressed up against her chest tightly. "What's happening Mommy?" Nicci asked. "Some very bad men are coming," Floral answered her. "And a lot of people are getting very scared and are doing not nice things because they are scared." Floral pulled her daughter close. "But don't worry honey, you're safe here." "Listen!" Nicci cried suddenly. "Daddy!" Floral strained her ears, and heard her husband's voice outside, coming from the tiny boiler room window that had been splintered from the exterior. "Hold baby Ben for a sec, honey." Floral gave the baby to his older sister as she stood up and made her way anxiously to the window, listening for Marc. She stood next to the window, peering outside. All she could she was several pairs of feet, but she could hear Marc's voice clearly. "Okay, now let's just be reasonable about this. I don't have a safehouse and not going to tell you guys. If I did, why would I be out here?" "Yeah, you're out here Jacobson, but where are your wife and kids? I've got a family too." "That's no reason to put a gun on me, Wilson." Floral gasped. (Oh no!) "IT SURE AS HELL IS!!" Wilson yelled. "LOOK!" He screamed. "LOOK! THEY'RE HERE!" Marc said nothing. Floral heard Wilson mutter a cuss word, and then suddenly the air rang with a loud clap of a gunshot. BANG! The sound seemed to ring in Floral's ears as she screamed, backing away from the widow in horror, as she watched her husband's lifeless body fall to the ground before her. She choked back another scream as she scurried away from the window, running back and throwing her arms around her children, clutching them close and rocking as she sobbed. For a long time they stayed like that, listening to the screams and crashing and a fire raging outside. "What's going to happen to us now, Mommy?" Nicci asked in a tiny voice. "I don't know, baby." Floral said in a thick voice, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I just don't know." "Grandma says when we're afraid we should pray." Nicci whimpered. Floral nodded, her eyes turning up toward heaven. "Yes, baby. We can pray. God is all we have to take care of us now." 11:36 P.M. Sunday, May 30th, 1999 Arcadia, Michigan "Hey...hey Dana! Wake up!" Scully opened her eyes groggily as she felt Samantha shaking her shoulder. She blinked and tried to sit up, feeling her head spin. "You need to stop dozing off like that," Samantha said as she held her up. "We're getting ready to get dressed. Then we're going down the hole." Scully groaned, feeling her neck crack. She realized that she was still in Samantha's stolen military jeep, she had fallen asleep in the backseat. "Where are we?" "We're still in that military fort. We've been here for the past two hours." Scully sat up, remembering the events that had happened before. They had spent the entire day driving from Washington D.C. to Arcadia, Michigan, and Scully was still tired from the driving all day. They had decided that it was too dangerous for them to travel by plane...they needed to be as secretive as possible. It had taken two days instead of just one to get to Michigan because they got stuck in bad traffic at least three times...traffic from people still leaving their homes with the threat of alien invasion. They had arrived in Arcadia sometime that evening, where they stopped for a break and some food. Scully remembered hazily sitting in the restaurant next to Samantha and Troi, too sleepy to even look at her food. But right now she was starving, she hadn't eaten for days. She also remembered how after they had eaten, they had drove to the fort that would lead to the tunnel they needed to access. They had found the military base to be empty, deserted, so they had decided to suit up and prepare to go down the passageway to Base 3 from within the military installation. Scully got up and stretched, feeling her muscles strain from laying in the car's backseat for so long. Samantha handed her what looked like a black body suit. "Come on...we've got a place to suit up." Scully nodded in agreement, and crawled out of the jeep, following Samantha in to the small officers lounge just inside the base, where the others we already waiting. Scully entered a small side bathroom and began to strip off her clothes, then put on her new attire. The clothes that Skinner had got for them were combat suits, with black and heavy material. She first put on the bulletproof vest that had been provided for her, then she put on the rest of the material. She strapped on a pair of thick combat boots after the pants, feeling very heavy and slow with her protection. Samantha entered, carrying her own concoction of armor, and nodded to her. "Lookin' good." Scully rolled her eyes. Samantha also provided her with a large utility belt, which she strapped around her waist. On the belt was a holster for her gun, a long, coiled wire with an attached grappling hook for climbing, a second holster for a large knife that came with the belt, and part of the radio communication system that they were all going to have. Scully attached the radio headpiece around her head. They had already gone over what all their materials were needed for, and Scully had a feeling that everything they had would come in handy. She fit on a pair of black leather gloves for hand protection. She stood, dressed in her black, dangerous- looking outfit and faced Samantha. "Am I missing anything?" Samantha pointed to the leather jacket that Scully had been sleeping on. "You want Fox's jacket to keep you warm?" Scully stared down at the jacket carefully, feeling something inside her rise to the surface, moisture in her eyes. (...I'm alone.) (No.) (He was here the entire time...) (No...) Scully swallowed back an unbidden sob, hoping Samantha didn't notice. She hesitated, then picked up the jacket and put it around her shoulders. She felt her heart contract as she fit the leather on her body. (I can't do it...) (You have to.) "Alright," Scully breathed heavily. "I'm ready." Samantha nodded, and together the two entered the common room. The Lone Gunmen, Skinner and Grant were already dressed in similar combat clothes. "Hey, black and sexy...I like," Frohike joked. Scully gave him a look. "Have we got anything to eat?" Troi handed her two bagels, and orange juice. "Hope you like orange stuff. We grabbed it from the store just before we left." Scully nodded, and munched on the first bagel, knowing she would need the nourishment for when they went down there. The apprehension of their mission began to build up inside her as she chewed. She knew that what they were doing was very dangerous... life-threatening. There was no telling what they would find once they entered that large Base...she remembered Antarctica. (Mulder...you don't know how much I wish you were here...) "Where's my other boot?!" Samantha's frustrated voice shouted from the military vehicle, interrupting her thoughts suddenly. She fingered the black material that clothed her carefully, chewing thoughtfully. (Protection. We're doing something dangerous. We're going to save the world. We're going to destroy a whole race of alien invaders. And we're going to do it just by flicking a switch.) (I should be happy. I should be thrilled that we're going to stop Them. I should be excited, like Troi and Samantha, they realize the magnitude of what we're doing. I should be happy.) (But I'm not.) (Not after what he told me. Not after what I now know that he was here, that everything I've ever wanted to be true has been revealed to me, that everything I've hoped for and wished for and lived for is so close, and yet so far away...) (I'm living for him...) (...And yet I can't live without him.) From: rogueangel10@juno.com Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 20:45:39 -0700 Subject: xfc: Revised: "Accumulation" Story Five "The Awakening" 2/4 Source: xfc "Accumulation" Story Five "The Awakening" 2/4 Spooky's Archive!! Grand finale! Be sure to read Stories 1-4 first! -------------------------------------------------- 2:00 A.M. "Time to go!" Skinner announced at 2:00 sharp. Scully looked up from where she was sitting beside Samantha's jeep. She paused for a moment, letting Skinner's words sink in, before slowly standing up and looking around for her mother. Maggie found her first. She quickly approached her daughter, enveloping her in a hug, undaunted by the various protective gear her daughter wore. Scully found herself, for the first time in months, hugging back. She clutched her arms around her mother's neck fiercely, moisture springing unbidden to her eyes. "I love you." Maggie Scully said firmly. "Always know that. I love you, and I'll be praying for you." She pulled back to look her daughter in the eye. "Live by faith, Dana. You can do this." "Thanks mom." She smiled through her tears. "Your dad would be so proud of you, baby." Her mother said softly, wiping Scully's tears off her cheeks. She hugged her again, more quickly this time. "I have to go, there are others who want to say goodbye," Maggie nodded at Troi, who stood nearby. Scully nodded, and her mother moved away from her, only to be replaced by Troi as she flung her arms around Dana's neck, grasping her tightly. "I want to go with you Dana!" Troi said emotionally. "I don't want you to go alone!" "Troi...Troi.." Scully tried to pull out of the teen's tight grip to look her in the eye. "Troi, I'm not going alone...I have a team of the best allies one could ask for." "Yeah, but you-" Troi stopped. "Never mind." She looked at the ground. "Come back? She said in a small voice. "Yes, I'll come back." Scully told her resolutely. "I promise." Troi looked back up at her longingly, and then threw her arms around her once again. "Last call!!" Skinner called from the entrance to the military building that would lead them to the sub-marine hall to Base 3. "I have to go now," Scully said, extracting herself from Troi. "But I'm coming back." Scully looked over at her mother, "I'm coming back," she repeated. "I promise." Scully turned, and faced the door to the abandoned base. Samantha stood at the opening, waiting for her. "Come on," Samantha said, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. "Let's finish this. For Fox." Scully nodded, as the two women entered the building together. And the stay-behinds were left alone. Maggie Scully sighed heavily, and turned back to the vehicles to tend to a distraught Mrs. Mulder who sat sobbing in the front seat of the Taurus. Holly immediately started packing the stray supplies and food into the back of the jeep, and Gibson and Troi were left staring at the door to the building. Suddenly, Gibson looked up at Troi, a frown permeating his young features. "Don't even think about it, Troi." "Oh, shut up, Praise." Troi snapped. "And what are you going to do anyway? Go tell? Admit it, you want to go too." "I'm no tattletale." Gibson retorted indignantly. "And, yes, I want to go. But you heard Scully," He said imperiously. "There's nothing we could help with." "Maybe there's nothing *you* could help with," Troi said, her feet suddenly drawing her closer and closer to the door. "But I'm not a child. I can help." "Don't, Troi." But Troi wasn't listening. 2:46 A.M. Nine people dressed in black strode up to two large, metallic doors that stood at the end of the hallway. Two enormous floodlights illuminated the doors with an eerie, greenish essence, making them seem larger and more forboding than they were in reality. The doors were black, slippery in the bad light, like shining obsidian. It was like standing at the gates of hell. "How do we get in?" Samantha's voice echoed over and over in the dark tunnel, as if several people had said the same thing at once. Skinner stepped forward. Now the rest of the people could tell that both the doors were sealed with a huge bolt that ran through them both. He motioned to a thin line that ran right between the bolt that locked the door. "Garrett...shoot that line right there." Garrett took aim with his gun and fired, the sound of the shot echoing painfully in the ears of everyone present. There was something like a metallic TWANG, and the entire huge bolt split in two, snapping into two pieces. "Shooting off the lock has always been my method of choice for making an entrance," Garrett grinned. Scully stepped forward, and leaned her weight against the door. She felt it yield slightly as she pushed... "Here, I need everyone to help me push this thing open," She commanded, still pressing her weight against the heavy door. The other eight people came forward beneath the floodlights and added their strength to Scully's, pushing at the solid object blocking their path. And the two doors swung open. Scully felt a sudden blast of cold wind blow against her from the inside, a frigid draft that aused her to shiver. Her hair was blown back from the burst of wind, then settled again as Base 3 lay before them. There was a hallway. Just a simple hallway, black in color, the hallway was illuminated by grated lights hanging from the ceiling. The lights swung back and forth from the draft from within, causing their shadows to stray on the black walls. Scully was the first one to step inside. The hallway was large, very wide, probably wide enough to fit at least four tanks side by side. She noticed that the hallway was slanted, indicating that they only had one way to travel.....down. "Let's go." Scully motioned at the rest of the group with her gloved hand. They followed her in silence down the dimly-lit hallway, sloping down, down into the ground. Scully's heart raced as they tread down the black hole, not knowing what to expect, and not really wanting to find out. They walked down for at least 15 minutes before they found the end of the hallway. It appeared to be a sort of lobby, a complex with many different paths leading off in different directions throughout the Base. There were two turbolifts, each large enough to fit at least one tank, stationed on either side of the room. There were two staircases as well, one on either side of the room, next to the elevators. And there were four smaller hallways branching off from the main room, each one going in a different direction. Scully gazed around at the black, cold room for a moment before speaking. "We're not going to split up. Separation is probably the worst mistake we can make. We need to stay together at all times, watching out for one another." "So where do we go?" There was silence for a moment. Scully's eyes focused on the hallway on their far right. "We go down that one. I don't want to go down any levels yet, let's stick with this first level for now." "It's not as bad as I thought it would be," Samantha said nervously. "Well, we haven't seen everything yet. Let's keep moving." They stared down the far right hallway slowly, cautiously, watching the metallic walls move by them in silence. The grated lights still swung from the ceiling, their only illumination other than their flashlights. "Do you think anyone else knows we're here?" Grant said out of nowhere. "I don't think so. I hope not," Scully replied. "If someone does...we either fight them or make a run for it," She put a hand on her gun. "But we're definitely not backing out on this." They continued down the hallway, deeper into the Base. Scully became aware of strange sounds in the background...a constant, droning hum. And sometimes, a high-pitched squealing. The sounds pounded in her ears, reminding her of the danger they were descending into, but she didn't care. They kept going. "Look," Skinner pointed up ahead. The hallway continued on, but now they noticed that there was a door in the wall, indicating that there was a room ahead. Scully got to it first and tested it. It was unlocked. She led the group inside. It looked like any regular war room, like the kind one would find in the Pentagon or at a military base. Several maps were tacked up on the wall, and an enormous table with a map of the world sat in the center of the room. "This must be the map room," Samantha suggested as they slipped inside, still feeling the cold of the draft outside. She gestured about at the war-like maps covering the entire room. Scully studied them all, hoping for something like a blueprint of Base 3, so that they knew where to look for the Killswitch. But instead they just had maps of the world and specific sections in general, certain areas marked off with tacks. One of those tacks was on Antarctica. Another one was on Lake Michigan. "Part of their plans..." Skinner realized. "To carry out colonization." "Not if we can help it," Scully glowered, heading back for the door. "We've got a whole Base to explore and a Killswitch to find. Come on, let's get moving." And they continued to travel down. 3:20 A.M. They had entered the second level. Samantha looked around her, sucking in a breath at the sight that met her eyes. "Not exactly as homey as level one, is it?" Alyssa asked in a shaky voice. The entire group had stopped dead in their tracks as soon they had exited the turbolift, gaping at the eerie landscape before them. All around, them walls lifted and rose upward, rounded and black as ink, shining as though polished to a unearthly sheen. The ground was hard, and yet at the same time seemed almost porous, as though the room itself lived. The level was a maze of complex structures, suspension bridges, turbolifts, ladder- like staircases, and hundreds of hallways branching off into the emptiness. In the middle was a large hole, completely black, as if there was nothing beneath it. Suspension bridges cris-crossed across the empty, black hole, as if they were holding up the entire Base itself. Samantha didn't even want to think about how far a drop it was down into that enormous abyss. Icy smoke and steam rose from the porous openings all over the level, thickening the air with it's choking density. "Keep walking." Scully commanded. Samantha looked at Scully as the group moved foreword, obeying her command. Dana seemed to have gained a strange new confidence and purpose in the last few hours. It was eerie really, how she had almost become a whole new person. (oh Fox,) Samantha thought (is this the Scully you knew? This strong, unbending woman who can command armies at the sound of her voice?) Samantha looked at Scully again, watching the way she moved foreward confidently, her fiery hair shimmering in the strange light, her blue eyes reflecting a determined glint. (I think you loved her,) Samantha told her brother silently, (Now I think I know why,) Samantha stepped foreword with reassurance, newly convinced that no matter what happened, they had a worthy leader. Even as they descended into madness. 3:24 A.M. ...Even as Scully spoke, another group entered the Base. Two large, double-metal doors slid open with a unanimous thud, the light from the outside pouring its purity into the darkness within. The sounds of shouting and many heavy footsteps echoed down the black halls stretching before them. Cancer Man stood at the head of the group, dressed in warm, thick clothing, the ashes from his cigarette dropping down onto the metal floor below him. He placed his fingers reassuringly on his own gun in his holster. The small army of loyal military men swarmed around them, already well aware of their deadly task. The rest of the Syndicate stood behind Cancer Man, also ready to follow their leader's orders, if not reluctant. It had been a long time since Cancer Man had been to this Base. He recognized the chilling cold, the background humming and squealing, the black, foreign machinery that lay before them. He knew what was down here. What was down here growing, maturing, waiting for it's moment of escape. And it's moment of escape was now. Cancer Man had never thought that this day would come. This day when all their plans would come to a dramatic conclusion, when the world would see the truth face to face, when the ones that would be saved would be separated from the ones that would be destroyed. And Cancer Man was certain that he was one of the saved ones. The rest of the army filed in front of the Syndicate, and the back doors to Base 3 were closed, shutting the enemy army in darkness. Cancer Man spoke. "You all know what to do. I want Dana Scully's group found and captured as quickly and efficiently as you are capable of doing. I want them all dead before this day is over. No excuses, no mistakes," He set his face in a hard, commanding glare to ensure that his word was law. "Now do it." The Syndicate's army filed down into the twisting passageways of Base 3, with Cancer Man in the lead. (I killed Fox Mulder here...) (...and I'll make sure I kill his partner here, too.) 3:45 A.M. Skinner opened the door to let the group into the next room. A few broad ceiling lights were already on in the room, providing some relief from the impending darkness they had just been traveling through. Scully stepped in behind Skinner and squinted at the floodlights, casting her eyes around the room. "Looks like an electrical generator complex or something," Scully heard Samantha say from behind her. Inside there was a computer correlation system, with large bunches of wires leading out of a centerpiece computer in the middle of the room. Six different huge generators were evident in the room also, smeared over with grease and slime, just like the rest of the Base. Scully tread carefully into the computer room, she saw that the floor was littered with papers of some old, incomprehensible diagrams. The computer systems themselves seemed large, complex, unknown...alien. The rest of the rebel group followed her into the computer room. "Generators could mean a good thing," Byers suggested. "We destroy the generators...we destroy the ships." "It's worth a try...there's gotta be something in here that'll be the Killswitch," Scully said, beginning to poke her away around through the computer systems. "I just wish I understood what on earth all these things meant..." "You got us," Frohike said, shrugging. "We've never seen anything like it. This stuff is definitely extra-terrestrial." Scully shook her head with amazement, her breath coming in puffs of steam from the frigid air. Her attentive blue eyes scanned the dashboards carefully, searching for anything that could resemble a self- destruct switch... "Hey, this looks like it!" The cry came from Alyssa. She pointed to what resembled a large, disfigured switch on one of the panels of the generators. The switch was marked off with red tape, indicating it had to be of some importance.... Alyssa closed her fist over the switch, and looked at the rest of the group. "Here goes nothing..." "Wait...STOP!" Skinner's voice suddenly cried out. SCHUNK. The floodlights blinked out, plunging the entire room into total blackness. There was a silence for a moment. Then Alyssa's voice called, "What happened?" Grant fumbled around until he found the door they had come through, and reopened it. Outside there was no response, just the same cold blackness and constant humming. Scully shook her head with disappointment. "That's not the Killswitch, Alyssa. It must have just been something else..." "Maybe it flushes all the toilets," Frohike grumbled with annoyance. Scully cleared everyone out of the room by waving her hands foreward. "Alright...we were wrong. There's nothing in here that'll help us. It was probably just a minor computer area or something. All we did was shut down those six generators." The nine people returned to the smoke-filled hall they had come from. Alyssa looked at Skinner. "Why did you tell me to stop?" "I just realized something," Skinner replied. "If...WHEN...we throw the Killswitch, it won't only destroy all of the other UFO Bases on the ground and in the sky...it will destroy this one as well. Or at least a good portion of it. I think we'll have to figure out some way to clear the blast radius once we find the Killswitch." "I hadn't thought of that." Sam commented. Scully obviously felt that they had no time to stand around and chat. "We don't have time...let's keep moving. Every minute we waste is another minute closer to THEM invading. We need to keep going." Scully headed them forward, deeper into the Base, the other eight people following her cautiously. She pushed her way through the smoke and pipes and strange grease-covered apparatuses in her path, her mind set only on what they had to do. They may have guessed wrong this time, but there was still a lot of area to explore. 3:47 A.M. Troi was starting to think she had made a mistake. All around her, the walls seemed to shift in a ever changing kaleidoscope of blackness, taunting her, daring her to admit that she was lost, that she didn't know where the others were....had lost their trail. She swallowed convulsively, her green eyes darting back and forth as she looked at the walls nervously, Gibson's words echoing in her ears..... (Don't go Troi...) She was starting to see his point. A few moments later, Troi come to a dead end, a spiraling staircase descending into a eerily greenish room, her only option on going forward. Troi hesitated, looking back and considering turning around. But she was so completely disoriented she wasn't sure if she could find her way back even if she *did* go back. (I came this far, and darn it, I'm going the rest of the way) She thought stubbornly. (I'm no coward. If Dana can face this, so can I. I'm not going back now.) Clinging to her brave thoughts, she clutched the slick railing of the staircase and descended in the haze..... Reaching the bottom of the stairwell, Troi stared with a mixture of horror and amazement at the long hallway that stretched out before her. It was long and dark, with unidentifiable gases and smells swirling all around her. She squinted, trying to distinguish the tall, tomb-like cylinders that seemed to be suspended from the walls. Troi walked foreword quickly, her high-tops making soft squeaking sounds on the moisture-slicked ground. Arriving at the first row of cylinders, she peered into it, wiping condensation of with her hand so as to peer inside. What she saw caused her to jump back in surprise. Inside the slickened cylinder, there lay a *person*, obviously dead and decomposing, hanging suspended in liquid, with a white tube stuck haphazardly down its throat. But what was even *more* disturbing was the sight just below it....where a black and angry looking creature thrashed and squirmed within the remains of the person's abdomen. Troi backpedaled several steps, giving a little cry of shock and disgust. She quickly turned, a realized that *all* the surreal pods held the same grotesque visage. Suddenly, Troi head a deafening crash that shattered the uneasy silence like fine crystal. She snapped around, searching wide-eyed for the source of the sound. SSSSSSSSKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!! The shrill shriek caused Troi to jump, and run foreword a few jittery steps. Then she saw it. One of the pods had been smashed open from the inside, its contents spilled out on the ground in a greenish puddle. Troi gasped, looking around in fear. She heard a small skittering noise coming from her left, and then a squealing sound that echoed from the right. Troi jumped at each sound, moving foreword faster and faster in fear and agitation. SSSSSSSSSSKKKKKKKKKKKIRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEE!!!!! The sound reverberated around her, causing her to panic and her quick footsteps broke into a run. Turning a corner, Troi skidded on the slick flooring, her Nikes causing her to slip and partially fall against the hard floor. She scrambled to pick herself up, but froze when she noticed a black shape barely moving against the floor at the end of the hall. The figure suddenly rose, lifting its massive bulk off the floor, stretching to it's full 10 foot height. It was horrific, dripping a black oily substance from it's long claws and smooth face. It turned and looked at her, blinking its inky eyes...sideways. "OH SH--" Troi cried. And she ran. 3:50 A.M. Scully ducked beneath one of the large, metallic overhangs as they continued down the very narrow hallway, the black metal feeling slippery and wet against her gloved fingers. She brushed away the steam that blew in her face. She wasn't sure how long they had been down here, searching for the Killswitch in this alien environment...but she didn't let it bother her. She had one goal, one mindset, and she refused to let herself think about anything else. They didn't have time to think of other things. The world didn't have time for them to wander without direction. "See anything else that could be the Killswitch yet?" She heard Langley say from behind her. "Not yet. Just keep looking." There was a moment's worth of silence and walking before someone spoke again. "That could be something." Skinner pointed above them, to a large structure hanging from the ceiling. Two different ladder-stairs led up to the structure, which resembled a misshapen black pillar with connecting wires and pipes. A strangely-pitched whining seemed to be emitting from the structure. And on the structure was what looked like a drop-down switch, a bar around the pillar. "Do you think it's worth a try?" Frohike gulped nervously. Scully gritted her teeth, staring upwards at the bar on the black pillar. "Who knows. With the way everything has become more alien, anything could be the Killswitch now." "Let's try it," Samantha said. "Scully, you get on the other side," she indicated to the two ladder- stairs leading up to the pillar. "What about the reaction?" Byers reminded them. "Do you think we'll be able to clear it in time?" "I think so," Samantha squinted into the darkness. "It'll circulate up to the other ships above and below before it actually gets back down to here. By that time we should be out of the way, I think." Scully nodded in agreement. She and Samantha started up the twin ladder-stairs on either side of the strange pillar. Scully had trouble getting up the ladder, the steps were narrow and slippery, very easy to slide down. She and Samantha reached the top of the pillar at the same time, and they were high enough to see the entire group and a good bit of the Base, including the black hole and the twisting passageways. She and Samantha grasped the handles on either side of the large, black bar. "On three," Samantha said, shaking. "Okay...one...two...three." They threw the bar down with one large CLANG! A brief silence. SHA-THUNK-THUNK-THUNK. SKWIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG....... Samantha and Scully both stumbled down the stairs as the whining coming from the structure suddenly stopped, and was replaced by the sound of metal retracting, groaning. Scully gazed in shock all around the level as large structures began to back away from the walls they were attached to, the huge, black supporters retracting back down onto the ground. Smoke hissed from the openings that the supporters had once been encased in. The walls continued to move, as if alive, and steam hissed from all around and filled the dark air. "What did we do?!" Alyssa shouted out. "I don't know," Samantha gasped. "I think we just separated the middle section from the rest of the ship." SHA-THUNK-THUNK-THUNK...... "How can you tell?" Samantha pointed to the still-retracting supporters. "I think those structures connected the middle section with the large hole to the outer rim of the ship. We just caused the supporters to move back down, so the middle section is now disconnected from the outer rim." Scully wiped sweat from her forehead as she watched the supporters finish their agonizing chorus of sliding back to the ground. "That wasn't the Killswitch then," She breathed heavily. "That wasn't it. We have to keep looking..." SCRAK. "What was that?" Scully cast her eyes around the level, searching for the sound that Skinner had just noticed, realizing that it was not the sound of retracting metal. It was the sound of footsteps. Scully's head snapped up to a floor above them, and she saw several shadows appear on the black, porous wall... "IT'S THEM!!!" BRAM!!! A single gunshot sounded from above, ricocheting off of the black metal. "RUN!!!" As soon as the shout ripped from Scully's throat, the group ran, ran from the sounds of the Syndicate's group tromping above. More gunshots sounded from the upper floor, accompanied by the shouts of the men having spotted them. She heard the enemy army thundering down the staircase, right behind them. "GO GO GO GO GO!!!!" Scully commanded the rebels with her voice, sprinting down the dark hall, the smoke swirling around them. Their footsteps echoed around the blackened air, as Scully's eyes searched all around them, searching for a means of escape from their pursuers. "THEY'RE THERE! SHOOT THEM!!!" One of the voices rang out again. "DOWN HERE, DOWN HERE!!" Scully stopped suddenly as she spotted a tunnel-like ladder-staircase leading down, out of the main hall. She dropped herself down the hole, and heard the sounds of the other eight people following her example. Scully was crawling on her hands and belly down the hole, the smoke swirling through her fiery hair, her fingers growing numb against the cold metal. Her heart pounded, her breath came in gasps of steam, hot sweat soaked her protective clothing. She could see a light at the end of the tunnel. "KEEP MOVING!! GO GO GO!!!" Scully reached the end of the tunnel, and dropped out of the hole a few feet onto the hard, metal floor. She moved aside as Samantha landed next to her, then Skinner, then Alyssa, then the Lone Gunmen and the rest of her followers. "I think...we lost them," Samantha panted breathlessly, clutching her knees. "Let's hope so," Scully whispered back, gazing around at their new surroundings. "Where are we?" Langley whispered in awe. They were in some sort of narrow hallway, black, and very, very cold. The hallway was lined with what looked like...*chambers*, pods, black containers filled with a greenish fluid. The hallway was completely silent. Scully shivered. She motioned with her hand slowly for them to keep moving. They began to walk down the hallway tentatively, as if the floor would drop out beneath them if they tread too heavily. Scully gazed into the greenish pods. There was something inside them.... Scully gasped with surprise and abhorrence at what was inside. She saw...what looked like a person, suspended in the liquid, only they were...rotting, dead, like a slowly decaying corpse. The person's eyes were glazed over in death, the skin white and bloated, nauseating... Then she saw something else. Taking up most of the bottom half of the pod, where the person's abdomen had once been, was a creature... humanoid in structure, but different, black, slimy...alien. The creature stared back at her with black, unblinking eyes. Scully watched, stupefied, as the creature *moved*, scraping enormous claws against the glass with a squeal. It snarled at her from within the pod, revealing black teeth. Scully backed away from the pod with the alien quickly, her heart rate doubling. The smoke swirled. "Dana..." Samantha pointed at one of the other pods. The glass had shattered from the inside out, the greenish fluid had been spilled all over the floor. The decaying body was still laying grotesquely in what remained of the pod...but the alien that had been growing inside was now gone. "They're waking up," Scully whispered in horrid realization. "Let's go," Skinner said nervously. "Let's get out of here." They began walking down the hallway again, faster, eager to get out of the death-filled chamber. Scully's eyes were wide as she stared to her left, right, seeing more alien pods, some of them still closed with their contents within, some of them already broken. (I've been here before...) Something dripped from the ceiling above. (Mulder...is this the kind of place I was in? Is this where you went to bring me out? Did you go into this kind of place by yourself, with no idea on what you were getting into...just to save me?) Scully closed her eyes as she continued to tread down the black hall. (Thank you, Mulder......) They reached the end of the hallway. Scully stumbled out into another main hall, where similar alien-pod hallways branched off into other areas of the Base. The humming here was louder for some reason, and Scully could see complex alien machinery evident on the walls and structures. "We need to get out of here," Samantha shuddered from the cold. "If some of those aliens are already awake, they could be around here somewhere, we could meet up with them..." "Let's keep moving," Scully commanded, forcing herself to get over her initial shock. "There's no telling where we could fi--" "THERE!!!!!!!" Scully was cut off by the sound of Cancer Man's voice, shouting from somewhere, from one of the hallways. The sound of thunderous footsteps came from one of the hallways. "Oh, SHOOT!!! RUN!!!" Scully screamed. Too late. The Syndicate's group burst in on the rebel group from one of the connecting hallways, blue- clothed military men aiming their machine guns at the nine people in the centerpiece hall. Scully saw Cancer Man, coming in from behind, aiming his own gun in her direction. BRAM!!! Scully leaped at the gunshot, and dodged, feeling the bullet vibrate beneath her feet. Without a second thought, she ran, ran down another one of the alien hallways, ran from the group, separated, her heart knocking in her chest and her breath escaping in terrified pants. (RUN.) "DANA!!! COME BACK!!!!!!" Samantha screamed to Scully's escaping form as the Syndicate swarmed around them. She felt Skinner's hands pushing her from behind. "RUN!! THEY'RE GOING TO KILL US!!" Samantha shot one last glance at Scully's retreating shape before she plunged herself headlong into another of the alien pod hallways, Skinner and the rest of the group behind her, her boots echoing out a steady rhythm on the floor. "WHAT ABOUT SCULLY?!!" "WE CAN'T GET HER NOW!! JUST RUN!!!" Cancer Man saw Scully escape by herself down a different tunnel. He released a snarl of rage, his only thoughts on destroying his enemy. "HALF OF YOU, GO AFTER THEM!!! THE OTHER HALF, FOLLOW ME!!" He commanded with a shout. The Syndicate's army split, a good majority going after the larger rebel group down one of the alien pod hallways, the remaining soldiers following Cancer Man as he plunged after Scully. From: rogueangel10@juno.com Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 20:46:02 -0700 Subject: xfc: Revised: "Accumulation" Story Five "The Awakening" 3/4 Source: xfc "Accumulation" Story Five "The Awakening" 3/4 Spooky's Archive! Grand finale! Be sure to read Stories 1-4 first! --------------------------------------------------- Samantha headed the rebel group down the alien pod hallway, commanding her friends to follow the sound of her voice, even as the Syndicate's bullets ripped past their heads. She absolutely hated the fact that they had been separated from Scully, and she wished more than anything that she could turn around and go back to get her...but it was too late for that now. They were running for their lives in this cold, black hell, and there wasn't anything they could do about it. They reached the end of the hallway, and Samantha leaped through the opening, only to land about ten feet on the ground below. Now they were in a different place, what appeared to be a place where the ship's temperature systems were controlled. "JUST JUMP, WE NEED TO RUN!!!" She called to her friends above. The remaining seven rebels followed her out of the hole, and into the systems control. "Where do we go?!" Byers asked in a panic, hearing the Syndicate's army right behind them. Samantha shook her head at the surrounding coldness. "I don't know..." She spotted a suspension bridge leading out to a similar controls section above the below floor. "Let's go that way!" Just as they started to run towards the suspension bridge again, the Syndicate's army burst through the hole, their heavily-armed soldiers thundering down in a deadly chorus of weaponry. BRAM! BRAM! BRAM! BRAM! BRAM! The blue-clothed military men aimed their machine guns and fired, bullets showering the frightened rebel group. Frohike felt something glass shatter under his foot, and instinctively turned around and pointed his gun to return fire. BRAM!!! Alyssa, who was in front of Frohike, spun around fast as she heard him release a shout of pain. Alyssa let out a strangled gasp as she saw red liquid stain Frohike's pants, just below the knee. Frohike twisted his face in an expression of pain as he clutched his hand to his left leg, gritting his teeth. Alyssa dropped to the floor, hooking her arms around Frohike's shoulders. "FROHIKE'S BEEN WOUNDED!!!!!" This caused the rest of the rebel group to stop mid-way across the suspension bridge, Langley and Byers both turned back, sprinting towards their friend with panicked looks on their faces. More bullets screamed overhead. "AUUGGHHH!!!" Alyssa let out an agonizing outcry and dropped on the ground next to Frohike, the pain screaming up her nerves to her brain. She had been shot twice: one of the bullets had hit her bulletproof vest. But the other buried itself into her left shoulder. The rest of the rebel group stopped on the suspension bridge, the two wounded people laying on the bridge in terrible pain, as the realization set in that there was no escaping now. The Syndicate's army was well aware of their predicament, and stopped, a dozen of them raising their machine guns at the cornered rebels. "Grant....get outta here...." Alyssa groaned weakly, seeing Jacob Grant cradling her head and shoulders. "No way, Sprite! This is one time I'm not listening to you..." Grant said thickly, choking on his own words as he watched Alyssa double up with pain. "We're not leaving you guys!!" Grant looked up through tears as the Syndicate crowded around them silently, pointing their guns directly at them. "FREEZE!!!! UNITED STATES MILITARY!!! PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN!!!!" The loud voice of Charles Scully echoed over and over throughout the black, twisted caverns. Skinner and the rest of the group looked up in utter amazement as the entire area around the cavern came alive with movement, with green-clothed soldiers pouring in through the alien pod hallways. At the front of the USA soldiers was Charles Scully, speaking into a chest microphone so his voice reverberated all over for everyone to hear. The Syndicate's much-smaller army stopped in angry shock. A few quick glances around the cavern revealed the fact that they were easily outnumbered. They looked to their leaders to an explanation. First Elder, who had led the first Syndicate group when they had split, snarled with furious resentment and lowered his hand. The Syndicate's army slowly lowered their weapons. Charlie waved his arm, and the green-clothed soldiers began pouring in from the tunnels above, then closed in on the Syndicate's army. They snatched their weapons from them, forced them to the ground, and began rounding them up, all of them kept heavily guarded by the US soldiers. The first Syndicate group had been captured. Charlie Scully and a small group of the officers with him headed down amidst the confusion until they made their way to the rebel group on the suspension bridge. He took quick note of Frohike and Alyssa, both of them wounded, but still alive. "We need medical officers over here!" He commanded some of his men. "Get these two people outta here...I want stretchers and medical support systems up and running, and I want them now! We need to get these two topside..." "I'm fine," Frohike grumbled, attempting to stand. "Just got some glass in my leg or something..." "That's enough of that, Frohike," Byers said disapprovingly. "Don't worry, we'll take care of the rest...just go with these guys for now. I think things have finally turned in our favor." Alyssa watched as some medical officers came to the front, materials ready for working. One of them stepped forward and examined both her and Frohike. "These two'll be fine. We just need to get them up to the vehicles so we can stop the bleeding." "See, I'm *fine*. Now help me up so we can go search for Scully..." Frohike whined. Charlie directed more medical officers as they came in with travel stretchers to transport the wounded to the military's above stakeout. Grant helped Alyssa onto one of the stretchers, squeezing her hand as they applied some temporary bandages to her shoulder wound. "Love you," He told her as she and Frohike were taken away. Skinner watched in amazement as the military worked quickly and efficiently, rounding up the captured Syndicate group, lowering ladders so they could climb back up the tunnels. Skinner made his way to Charlie in the middle of the rebels. "I think you saved our lives, sir," Skinner said, his voice filled with gratitude. "How did you know that we were all down here?" "It's a long story, sir," Charlie said, shaking Skinner's hand. "Trust me, we've got a lot of information on you and the Syndicate's gang. I think we got here a little bit after you guys did, and we came here specifically to capture the Syndicate. Don't worry, we're the good guys." Another one of the officers tapped Charlie's shoulder. "We've got them all here...we'd better get the rest of these guys up above." "No," Samantha said suddenly. All eyes turned to her. "Dana got separated from us, she's still lost somewhere in here...and I am *not* leaving until we find her." Charlie appeared surprised. "Dana? You mean Dana *Scully*?" "Yeah...how do you know her name?" Skinner asked. "My name is Charles Scully...I'm her brother!" Samantha nearly choked on her surprise. "Dana's still down here?" Charlie said with horror. "Yeah...when that Syndicate gang started chasing us, she got separated from us. I think half of the Syndicate's men went after her." "Alright," Charlie turned back to the rest of the officers awaiting his orders. "We're not leaving just yet. Dana Scully is still somewhere down here, and there is still half of the Syndicate after her as well. Some of you take the wounded ones topside for treatment and take the prisoners up as well. The rest of you, come with us...we're going to find her!!!" 4:35 A.M. The Dana Scully in question was busy running. She ran on nothing put pure adrenaline, feeling the remarkable hormone pump through her veins until she was certain that was all that he blood was made of. She had no energy, no strength, no determination left to push her onward...nothing except the pure fear, the fear for her life. Her lungs were like overfilled water balloons ready to explode the moment they were dropped, her heart pounding in her chest until she felt like it would collapse from sheer exhaustion, her legs pumping like pistons against the cold black floor, as if she were a horse on a racetrack. But this was no race for honor or a crown of flowers...it was a race for her life. She didn't know where she was running. She had long since escaped from the black hallways of the alien pods, and had run through a confusing, winding maze of passageways, bridges, rooms and structures, all of them black, cold, foreign, alien. She had been shot at several times, but all the times They had missed, and she had even managed to return fire once or twice. But mostly she had just ran, ran, hoping that sometime within the course of her never-ending flight that they would lose track of her and stop chasing her. (What happened to the others?) The thought pounded in the back of her mind as she ran. She wished that she could go back to them, make sure they were alright. She wished she hadn't left them there at all. (They could be captured by Them now. They could be dead.) Scully pushed the sickening thought out of her mind as she continued to run. Cancer Man, still behind her, was beginning to slow down. It was very apparent that he, being an old, graying, unathletic chain-smoker, was obviously not going to easily catch up to an adrenaline-pumping Dana Scully, that tiny, remarkable woman who could run down criminals in her high heels, who could save the world but not her own soul. But he was going to try anyway. Scully threw herself over behind a large metallic dashboard just as Cancer Man fired her gun at her, and she twisted around, pointed her own gun and returned fire. One of the soldiers next to Cancer Man fell to the ground with a grunt of surprise at the bullet that grew out of his chest. Cancer Man snarled with anger and ducked down, wondering just how many bullets were left in his gun. He was beginning to understand why even his best assassins could never seem to get ahold of this woman. She fought back like a mad animal, running constantly on absolutely no energy and not even flinching when the bullets ricocheted past her. After making sure that her pursuers were down, at least for a few seconds, she got up and sprinted forwards again, her feet beginning to ache with each step she took on the cold, black metal, her hair whipping about in her face. (I don't know how much longer I can keep this up...) BRAM!!! She ducked instinctively as another one of Cancer Man's bullets streaked past her. She had become so good at bullet-dodging she could almost sense when the bullets were going to come before they were actually fired. (He can chase me as long as he wants...but I'm not giving up until they've shot me dead.) (Which will never happen as long as I'm the one ahead.) 4:48 A.M. "What was that?" Samantha's voice called out above the clamor of the humming, which had become increasingly loud as they continued to head deeper, deeper into the Base. The rebel group had been searching for Scully for as long as they could remember, only this time they were being escorted by Charlie and his group of military officers. They marched fast, around the structures and down the black halls filled with alien pods. But the deeper and deeper they went into the confusion, the more and more pods they noticed had been burst open. On either side of them, all around, were large, greenish-glowing pools of liquid contained in large metal vessels, like alien-style swimming pools. "What?" Skinner replied, glancing all around them at the surrounding blackness and humming. "I thought I heard something," Samantha shook her head. (Dana, where could you be?) "Don't forget, we still need to find that Killswitch," Byers interjected as they marched downwards. "Does anyone know what time it is? It could be the Date already, they could already be invading..." "It's not the Date yet," Samantha replied. "Otherwise, all of the aliens would be out of the pods by now. There's only a few waking up so far." "Waitaminute!" Langley shouted out. "Right there!! That looks like the Killswitch!!" Everyone followed his indication, to where he was pointing above them. Sticking out of the high, porous ceiling was what *appeared* to be a retractable switch, or more like a large button. Apparently, there were many wires, pipes and other structures sticking out of the object, as if it were the centerpiece of everything. "Langley, I'm not sure if..." Byers started to say. "Let's just try it!" He insisted. Langley pulled out his large knife and ran over to one of the wires attached to the switch-like structure. With three saws, he snapped the large, black wire in two. There was something like a groaning squeal, and the ground beneath them shuddered. Then, all at once, all of the alien floodlights that partially illuminated the entire second level flickered out of existence, plunging the entire level into total darkness. "Oops." A silence, the scuffling of boots on metal. "You idiot, Langley!!" Skinner bellowed at the frightened computer hacker. "You just shorted out the entire electrical system for this whole level!!" "Get your flashlights out," Charlie commanded the group. Both the soldiers and the rebel group pulled out a multitude of powerful flashlights, providing some relief from the sheer blackness. They swept the area they were in with the flashlights, still trying to decide where to go from there. "I think we should *all* agree on what we think the Killswitch is before one of us pulls the darn thing," Samantha muttered crossly. "Nothing happened. All Langley did was turn out the lights," Garrett observed. "Never mind, let's just keep moving. We don't have any time to lose..." Skinner said, urging them onward. "Wait, I just heard it again!!" Samantha exclaimed, shining her flashlight around her, searching for the source of the disturbing noise. She shined it up to a parapet just above their heads, which led to another tunnel. The entire group stood, frozen, as a frantic, gasping, panic-filled Troi Anne Carter burst out of the tunnel, screaming at the top of her lungs, with a slimy, deadly, ten-foot black oil alien clawing its way right behind her, a raptor-like shriek emanating from it's throat. SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!! Troi took a running leap and sailed out over the parapet, the alien slashing it's three-inch claws just inches from where she had been. For a moment, Troi was suspended in the air, and then she dropped, shouting, and landed with an echoing splash in one of the pools of green liquid on one side of them. "TROI!!!!!!" The alien bounded it's way to the edge of the parapet and stared down hungrily at the group of people standing below, oily slime oozing from it's body, and let out a shriek of rage. The thing crouched, and then pounced. SSSCREEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!! BRAM!!!!! Samantha raised her gun with a blinding speed and fired. The bullet hit the alien between it's black eyes, right in mid-pounce. The thing let out one last agonizing scream as it fell, crashing against one of the black structures with a bang before it tumbled like a dead weight down into the nothingness below. Troi gasped loudly, and collapsed with relief against the edge of the greenish pool, clinging to the dark metal. Garrett and Langly rushed forward to pull her out. "Troi!" Samantha cried in horror "What- Why- How are you here?!?" Troi coughed, looking up at Sam who had come to place her hands on the girl's shoulders, as if to reassure herself that she was all there. She smiled weakly. "Uh....I got lost?" 4:56 A.M. The smoke swirled in twisting, unsettling patterns around the Base as Dana Scully staggered onward, refusing to stop, refusing to let herself give up. Her legs hurt so much she could hardly feel them, her protective bullet-proof vest and boots and utility belt were like dead weights that she carried on her back. Her teeth chattered as the cold moved around her, and she ran, deeper, deeper, always deeper into the heart of the alien ship. (Have to...run...have to...keep going...can't... stop....) She had been running forever, it seemed. And still Cancer Man's men were on her trail, still they shot at her, still she dodged him. (He's a madman to go after me like this! He won't stop until I'm dead!!) Scully felt like she was crazy for not giving up and letting them shoot her right now. Every step shot a blow of electric pain through her body, every breath she took weakened her lungs to the point of collapse, until she was disillusioned, deranged, running through an insane, nonsensical blackness that threatened to swallow her in its never-ending black throat. She heard Cancer Man behind her once again, he was at the front of the men chasing her now. Gasping for each breath, she jumped down a ladder-staircase two rungs at a time, landing on the cold metal floor. (Run...run...run...run...run...) (Get out of here...find the others...find the Killswitch...) She looked ahead through blurry eyes, and saw that she was right at the edge of the large black hole that she had seen earlier, when they had first come down to the second level. She saw one of the thin, metallic suspension bridges that stretched across the endless abyss before her, leading where she didn't know. "SHE'S DOWN THERE!!!!!!!" Hearing Cancer Man's angry cry, she forced herself to her feet once again, forced herself to keep running. Without thinking, she ran out onto the suspension bridge above the black hole, hoping that they wouldn't dare to follow. Cancer Man and his men dropped to her level just as she reached the bridge. Something like a mad, raving hate burned in Cancer Man's eyes as he watched Scully sprint across the bridge. He had had enough of chasing this woman all throughout the entire alien ship. He had had enough of shooting at her and miss her as though enchanted. He had had enough...and he was going to end it. With a burst of energy he surged forward after her, his charred lungs pumping, his gun already in his hand. Scully stopped momentarily on the bridge, completely frozen with fear. The suspension bridge's black metal rungs appeared to be rotting, weak, barely strong enough to support her weight. Below her there was...*nothing*. Nothing but a vast, empty, measureless expanse of blackness, stretching down, down, down into nothing. The wind here was strong, like a storm, and whipped through her hair as if to throw her from the bridge the moment she lost her balance. The cold force attacked her entire body, making her feel dizzy, sick, staring down into a bottomless hell-hole that threatened to swallow her up. She turned around fast as she heard a sound behind her. Through the smoke and pitch-blackness, she saw Cancer Man's hard, steeled, enraged face. She froze, suddenly, as if not remembering how to move. Cancer Man raised his gun, seemingly in slow- motion, the barrel pointing directly at Scully's head. He squinted to aim, his teeth grinding, the continuous mantra playing in his head... (Kill her.) (Kill her now.) He fired. And then something happened. Cancer Man felt a cold wind rush up upon him suddenly from behind, chilling, fast and forceful. The cold wind engulfed him as he aimed, and built up on top of him, until it exploded in a burst of energy...and it PUSHED. The invisible force touched him and *pushed* his arm, as if someone were coming up from behind and knocking his arm out of the way. A memory surfaced, from somewhere in the back of his mind, something someone had said what seemed like an eternity ago.... //I swear to you with every fiber of my being, THAT YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HER, NO MATTER WHAT!!// The force pushed him as he fired. BRAM!!! And he missed. The single gunshot echoed over and over and over in the emptiness of the abyss, ringing in the ears of both Cancer Man and Scully. Cancer Man stumbled foreward at the force, still holding his gun, still hearing the shot. The bullet, instead of hitting Scully's head, struck the narrow suspension bridge that she stood on. Scully felt the bullet ricochet beneath her feet, and the metal groaned, squealed in pain... ...And then collapsed. The bridge shook, then sagged, and splintered into two pieces under Scully's feet. She had no time to run, no time to scream as the floor dropped out from underneath her, and plunged her into the endless blackness below. The fall lasted forever. She found herself at first plunging, and then spinning, shards of glass and metal floating in the air beside her, her body completely weightless, as if she were floating. Scully tried to scream, but no sound came out as her breath was snatched from her lungs, leaving her throat dry and soundless. Her arms flailed, grasping out for something, anything to catch her fall, but there was nothing there. She was falling faster than the metal shards, falling, falling. The world spun constantly, so that she no longer knew where the ground was and where the ceiling was. She was in the middle of nothing, nothing but an empty blackness, with nothing above her and nothing below her but the yawning, hungry abyss, with gravity's deadly pull making the hole swallow her whole in its constricting grip. She squeezed her eyes shut as she plunged, feeling nothing, hearing nothing, seeing nothing, as she was falling, falling very slowly, just falling, falling, falling, falling, falling, falling, falling, falling........... She landed, hard, and bounced, as if having landed on rubber, the sound of her body smacking the cold surface sounding like a gunshot, and then she was in the air again, her limbs useless, she felt like a broken doll. She landed again, the vests and layers of protective clothing doing nothing to absorb the shock of the surface. The ground seemed to wobble as she landed on her stomach, feeling unsteady, and stopped. And she lay still. Scully opened her eyes slowly, hearing the beating of her own heart thundering away inside the layers of clothing and tissue. The world was still black, she could see nothing. (What happened?...) She had fallen, she was certain, and had landed on something. But, now that she felt it, she noticed that it wasn't hard. She could still feel all of her body parts, nothing had been broken. The ground felt... *stretchy*, rubbery, like a trampoline, like thick black tarp, slick and elastic. She felt the material of the black net she had landed on, and discovered that it *wasn't* the ground at all...it was something like a vast expanse of alien-like tarp, black and not shiny, and she could tell that the tarp was suspended above something, for she could feel air below her. She closed her eyes again as she tried to breathe normally, tried to get over her shock, tried to concentrate on the amazing fact that she was still alive. (I'm alive...I'm alive...I'm alive...) She didn't dare move, at least not yet, she was still unsure of how stable this tarp was that she had landed on. She could feel the material sagging a little beneath her weight. In fact, it was sagging too much. Scully's heart rate doubled again as she felt the tarp stretch, then make a sound beneath her, like a ripping, tearing, desperate sound beneath her...the hole got larger, she twisted her head to see what was happening, when..... She fell through again. THUNK. She fell three feet and landed again. The fall hurt. She had landed on something *hard*, and...cold. Very cold. Scully groaned, turning her head to one side as she blinked, trying to clear the sudden starburst that exploded across her vision. Turning her head again, she tried to identify what she was lying on. It appeared to be another pod.....and yet, this one wasn't like the others. It lay on its back, more like a coffin than a pod, and seemed to be devoid of the oozing liquid that filled the other pods, instead simply having a dry, cold, frozen quality to it. The room, she noticed, was full of them, but they were empty, cold and silent. Scully shook her head, trying to clear the last remnants of disorientation from her mind, as she looked down on the tomb, trying to see what was inside it. Unlike the others, she realized, this one was *NOT* empty. She quickly swiped at the condensed moisture from her own warm breath that had gathered on the thick glass surface. And she froze. Time suddenly seemed to stand still. Time, the universal invariant that Scully had been sure stopped for no man suddenly slammed to an unstoppable, screeching halt as Scully looked down on the figure in the cold, glass coffin. Mulder. Mulder. Mulder. It was unreal, impossible, unbelievable. But there he was, trapped inside the icy tomb's grasp, eyes shut, mouth open as though trying to gasp for air, hands pressed against the glass......lying perfectly matched with Scully's own. Just as in the dream. Scully simply stood there for a long moment, staring in complete disbelief, her jaw slack. Mulder. Dead? The thought seemed to jolt her out of her reverie. She rolled off the top of the glass tomb, tumbling on the ground when her limbs failed her from the fall.....and the complete and utter shock at finding Mulder. Here. Alive? She looked at him again, her hands coming up to press against the impenetrable barrier that held them apart. She stared at him, searching for signs of life. She could find none. His chest was perfectly still, as the rest of him, trapped, as though frozen in ice. But then, from below her on the side of the ice tomb, a warm, flashing light caught her eye. It was a gridded control panel, with a exact representation of Mulder's body displayed on it. And, in the center of the display, the heart still beat. Scully focused her attention on that panel, the lights and status reports on it suddenly becoming her whole world. She noticed a date on the side of the diagram. 4.2.99. The day Mulder had left. The day they said he had been killed in the explosion. Suddenly, it all made sense to Scully. The unrealness and *wrongness* of his death, the nagging feeling of falsity and denial she had had since the day she received the call. It all made sense, because it was all a lie. Mulder was alive. And she was going to get him out. It became an obsession, a desperate obsession that pounded in her skull and filled her entire head with the one thought...get him out. She searched about desperately for something that could open the tomb, something, a handle, a lock, anything. She saw nothing. She thought about breaking the glass...but no. If she did, she may kill him, or be unable to free him at all. The black glass was too thick to break. She grasped at his helpless face from within the ice in a panic. She had to get him out! She saw it. A small keypad, on the top left side of the tomb. Twelve different keys: numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, and two symbols: alpha and omega. A code. That was it. A keypad code was what locked the tomb. She knew that she shouldn't try and break the keypad, or she could trap him inside forever. She just had to think of a code. Just a simple code, six digits, a code, and she could free him. Alive. She led her trembling, gloved fingers to the keypad. She closed her eyes in concentration. She had o think. She could do this. She'd done it many times before, she'd figured out passwords, she'd thought up codes off the top of her head. It was just a simple code. (Come on, Dana, think of a code!) Think of a code. She opened her eyes again, and punched in the first thing that came to her mind... Alpha-1-0-1-3-omega. It was no good, the access light stayed red. Her head pounded. No, this was no good. She couldn't think, she couldn't concentrate. No, she *had* to think. She pushed her fingers down, trying again. 7-3-1-3-alpha-alpha. Still red. No, no, it wouldn't work! Why couldn't she concentrate, why couldn't she think?! It was just a stupid, six-digit code. But she couldn't think reasonably. She could think only of Mulder, and of the possibility; no, the fact, that he was alive. She stared down at him through the ice, he needed her, no, she couldn't think! She began punching on the keys desperately, her eyes filling with helpless tears, random numbers formed from her fingers. 6-8-8-8-2-5. Red. 1-omega-3-7-9-0. Red. 0-0-4-5-2-3. Red. 7-7-1-4-alpha-3. Red. Why couldn't she think!? Scully clawed at the glass like an animal, her body aching with the pain of her fall, the helplessness of the situation. She couldn't concentrate, couldn't think! A million thoughts were pounding in her brain, Mulder, trapped, smoke and ice. He was dead, a ghost, a shadow, a memory, a dream, no, he was alive, help, alive, save him! Mulder, alive, Cancer Man, running, running, separation, the others, where were the others? They could be trapped, injured, dead, no, Troi, dead, she need her, no, he needed her, Mulder. Alive. Think of a code! Concentrate, think, a code, a stupid, simple code. No, where were the others? The Syndicate chasing them, somewhere, running, they were lost, lost somewhere in this madness, this horrible, cold, black madness. Black oil aliens, cooperation, colonization, a planned apocalypse. The countdown, how many hours were there left? She didn't know, she didn't care. She needed to find the Killswitch, she needed to stop the apocalypse. No, she didn't know where to go, she couldn't think. Think of a code! Think!!! Scully keeled forward, clutching her head, hearing the rumbling, humming, squealing, the pounding obsession in her skull. Think of a code, no, can't think! Mulder, trapped, Troi's dream, cold, dead, no, alive, inside her dreams, dream, Troi, the others, gone, no, apocalypse, the world coming to an end, find the Killswitch, no, think of a code, think of Mulder! A code, panic, think, concentrate, no, world coming to an end, stop it, no, the Date, invasion, cold, humming, pounding, Mulder, dead, no, alive, cold, dark, black, no, think, cold, no, Mulder, no, no, no no no no no......... "MULDER!!!" Scully screamed into the darkness. He answered. Scully froze as she felt a cold wind come out of nowhere, behind her, a presence touched her. She felt it all around her, it surrounded her completely. She closed her tear-filled eyes as she felt it encircle her, and take the form of a person, a person behind her. She shuddered from the cold. She saw him below her...but she *felt* him behind her, as a wind, and she heard him whisper her name... /Scully......../ Still frozen, she watched in shock as an arm came up from behind her, reaching forward, the hand coming towards hers. The hand was pale, transparent, ghostly...it was Mulder's hand. She watched through her tears as his hand came forward to rest on hers, very gently, and then...seemed to melt into her own skin, passing through her, and she felt it inside her. /Scully......./ She continued to watch as her hand suddenly moved forwards, but not of her own will. Mulder was guiding her, slowly, his hand interlocked with her own, two souls in one. She could feel him behind her, his breath on her neck, his other arm around her waist. "Mulder......" Her hand, still locked with his, came to rest carefully on top of the code keypad, she felt her fingers touch the soft metal. And slowly, very slowly, he guided her fingers along the keypad, pressing down on numbers, punching out a code...... Five.... Three... One... Nine... Nine... Omega. Silence. Green. Clik. Hiiiiiiiiiiiisssssssssssssssssssss.............. Mulder's hand raised out of her own, and disappeared completely. And suddenly he was gone, the presence was gone entirely, as she felt a cold wind rush through her and then disappear into nothing. She moved off the tomb as the two glass doors slid open slowly, and smoke poured out in a hissing of released steam. She barely moved, and pushed aside the smoke, as the coldness from within was released. She could barely see Mulder's form through the blanket of thick smoke. And he moved. Scully heard the sound of a loud gasp, and saw his chest rise and fall once, but he was breathing....breathing.... Scully moved foreword on unsteady legs as the rest of the mist cleared around her, showing him distinctly now. He still lay in the tomb, eyes closed, but his body now shook with racking coughs as his newly freed lungs attempted to breathe. For a moment, Scully could not move, she simply stood there, frozen in awe, as one standing before the holy grail they have been searching for all their lives. "Sch-...Scul-" The sound was barely audible, but it was enough. Suddenly Scully was galvanized into action, moving foreword and grasping him, her hands running over his chest and neck, searching for a pulse, her doctor's instincts guiding what her numb mind did not know what to do. Suddenly Mulder's hands came up to grasp hers, and his eyes opened, locking with hers instantly. "Scully." It was one word. One simple word. And yet it blew away Scully's barrier of non-belief and sense of unreality like chaft in the wind. With a sob, Scully threw herself against him, clutching him desperately, afraid he would vanish into thin air. He was cold, the aftereffects of the stasis- chamber still clinging to him, but his blood was pumping through his veins, quickly warming him again....he was solid, he was real. He was not a dream or a ghost....and he was holding her, he was pressing his face against her neck, clutching her back as tightly as she held him, whispering her name into her ear......he was alive....alive....alive... Slowly, Scully helped him sit up. For a long while they stood there, Scully on her knees, Mulder sitting on the flat surface of the opened tomb, as they held each other, foreheads touching, content to listen to the sound of each other's breath, to feel the touch of their arms on each other. The feeling of life. The feeling of contact. "Mul-" Scully attempted to speak, her vocal cords unresponsive. "Muld- Mulder...are..are you okay?" She pulled away from him shaking, putting her hands on his forehead, checking him for trauma, for injury, her hands finding nothing but a strong pulse, and rapidly returning warmth to a seemingly healthy body..... ...It wasn't possible.... ...He'd been dead for two months.... "Scully." Mulder spoke her name insistently, his voice still rough and a bit horse, but growing with strength each minute. "Scully!" His hands came up to cup her face. "Look at me." She looked at him. Blue eyes locked with hazel in a eternal moment that seemed to stretch across space and time. Partners, two halves of a whole, a single working unit that was destined to find each other....no matter what the odds, no matter if heaven and earth conspired to keep them apart. His eyes talked to her, the communication unspoken and perfect. His eyes told her so many things.....(I'm here. I'm alright. I'm alive...I didn't leave you....I was there....I remember....I know....Trust me.....) (I love you.) Suddenly, without either one seeming to have crossed the distance, their lips met, the contact sudden, irrevocable, suspended in time. A thousand thoughts, sensations, and words rushed to Scully's mind, but each seemed inadequate for this, this perfection. Something that had been aching in her soul for what seemed like an eternity was suddenly healed....something broken, now rebuilt....something caged was suddenly free. The contact suddenly broke, but her heart remained full, as she stared into the face of her partner, her other half....the only one that completed her soul. "Come on...." Mulder told her softly. "We've got a world to save." From: rogueangel10@juno.com Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 20:46:27 -0700 Subject: xfc: Revised: "Accumulation" Story Five "The Awakening" 4/4 Source: xfc "Accumulation" Story Five "The Awakening" 4/4 Spooky's Archive! Grand Finale! Make sure to read Stories 1-4 first! ---------------------------------------------------- 5:25 A.M. Within Base 3 "Can you stand?" Scully asked, lifting his arms and trying to steady him after a few moments. "I- yeah, I think so," Mulder staid, lifting himself to his feet, his muscles and joints still adjusting to their suddenly re-animated state. He weaved unsteadily, and Scully tightened her grip on him, balancing him. He shivered. "Here." Scully let go of him for a moment, making sure he could stand on his own. She quickly stripped off the leather jacket, throwing it around his shoulder. He put his arms through, and she slowly smoothed down the lapels, staring at him as he watched her. "You- you forgot this." She said in a tiny voice. "Dana I-" Mulder stopped as the ground beneath them shook once again. Scully grabbed onto his arms again as they steadied each other, feeling the Base shake, steam hissing, reminding them of their desperate urgency. "I- I know where the Killswitch is, Scully." Mulder insisted. "I found it when I was....Just help me, I lead you to it." Scully hesitated, then slipped a arm beneath his shoulders, supporting him, pressing him closer so as to warm up his body more. Mulder stared around at their surroundings as though to reorient himself, to remember how it had been before. "There." He said, pointing. "That way." Scully nodded, and together they headed for the door, Mulder doing his best to regain his strength and walk on his own. Scully pushed against the door until it opened and led them both out into a hall. This level looked very similar to the one Scully had fallen from....dark, smoke and gases, the constant thrumming in the back ground and the strange black structures that were suspended from the ceiling, stairwells and turbolifts along the side. Mulder cast his eyes all around the level, as if he were searching, trying to find the right road at a intersection. The ship thrummed with life again. "Mulder.." "Go down." Mulder said suddenly, pointing to a slippery looking ladder-staircase. "It's down there." Scully obeyed. Mulder became a little firmer on his feet as the continued through the half-light and smoke. Scully dived down the ladder-staircase with Mulder close behind her. They reached the bottom in a matter of minutes, Mulder landing hard. "Which way now?" Scully asked. His eyes darted about desperately. "I'm....not sure. Can't remember..." He stopped. "Wait. You go around this structure.." Now walking again, he led Scully around one of the ceiling supporters. He licked his lips in concentration. They stood in a large area, which branched off in two directions on either side of a large wall. "Then you go through here." Mulder said, putting his hand against the cold, solid wall. "Mulder...it's a wall." Scully pointed out. "Ugh...I know," Mulder groaned slightly, staring around at the darkness and smoke. "But that how I found it...I went through this wall." "There's got to be another way in," Scully decided, looking down the hallway to their left. "A door, a opening of some kind..." Tugging on Mulder's arm for him to follow, she ran down the left tunnel. They ran through the blinding steam, side by side, through the throat of black slippery metal, searching for an opening in the wall. Scully found it. A large door dominated one section of wall, black, greasy and complex. Scully pulled on the door's handle. Miraculously, it opened easily. She took one last look at Mulder before heaving the door open, revealing what lay inside. The room opened up to a expanse of empty area, a blank room but for eerie flickering lights covering the walls on all sides of the room. Scully realized with a start the lights on the expanse of black walls were star charts, detailed maps of star systems and galaxies, surrounding the huge circular room, covering the walls from floor to ceiling. She gasped. "Mulder-" "There." Mulder said, pointing. Scully's eyes darted back to where he directed. There, in the center of the room, surrounded by a translucent wall of green was a large iron switch, seeming to grow out on the pedestal it stood on. Suddenly, from somewhere, they heard a loud thump, and a angry shout. Scully sucked in a startled breath. "Mulder, it's Them!! They know! They're coming!" Mulder grabbed her hand and they ran foreword, stopping in front of the Killswitch. Mulder slapped a palm against the translucent barrier. "Damn!" He muttered. "This wasn't here before. It must be a security measure that went down when you broke the lock upstairs!" Scully looked back at the entrance fearfully, hearing the sounds of loud angry footsteps coming toward them hastily. She turned back to Mulder, giving the protective wall around the Killswitch a good hard look, before pulling out her gun and aiming it at a crack in the ancient barrier. BLAM! With a crash, the green-tinted alien glass shattered, breaking apart and gurgling as though it had contained a liquid of some kind. Mulder lost no time. As soon as the container shattered, he was there, using the leather jacket to cover his hands as he ripped the shards of glass away. "Mulder!" Scully's voice was tinged with panic. "They're almost here!" "Almost....almost....Got it!" Mulder yelled in triumph as the last large shard snapped and fell to the floor, revealing the Killswitch. Just then, The Smoking Man entered the room, followed by three of his henchmen. Scully quickly raised her gun and shot the access panel to the door, the large metal crashing shut again with a scream and a thud, shutting out the Syndicate's soldiers. But Cancer Man had already gotten through. "Scully!" Mulder yelled urgently. Scully quickly backed up to stand next to him by the Killswitch. Cancer Man lifted his gun, but suddenly froze. He stared at Mulder, his face suddenly going ashen. "No..." he whispered in horror. "No...It can't be." He began to shake convulsively, his gun dropping to the ground with a clatter as he stared at the man he thought he'd killed. Mulder said nothing, just looked straight at Cancer Man, glaring at him with a cold hatred. Slowly, he raised a hand to the Killswitch until it was poised over it. Scully saw what he was doing, and raised her hand as well, until it rested over his on the Killswitch. Suddenly, the world seemed to go in slow motion. The Smoking Man's face distorted in horror, a wordless roar erupting from his throat. "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" *********THUNK********** The sound of the Killswitch being slammed down reverberated through the alien ship like the sound of judgment day being heralded. Cancer Man recovered his dropped gun, mad with rage, raised it toward Mulder and Scully.......and fired. 5:55 A.M. THE REST OF THE WORLD.... The morning sky, which was beginning to become warm and pink with the sunrise, was still black. The panic that had been evident in all the world, from the East to the West, from Los Angeles to New York, from Paris to Bombay to Tokyo was now perfectly silent. What number of people still left out of doors were silent, standing perfectly still, all eyes turned upwards, toward the sky, eyes filled with awe, disbelief, raw fear, disillusioned panic. From out of the billowing storm clouds in the vast, endless sky, They came. Huge ships, several miles wide and some even larger, moved out of the sky soundlessly, causing a noiseless vibration to echo in the air. All around the world, the forty ships descended, targeting their destinations. The hulls were smooth, and yet complex, with layers of intense extra- terrestrial machinery. The bellies of the ships were illuminated with a eerie, unreal green lights shining brightly against the black metal. The world stood still, watching. And then...suddenly....the ships stopped. All over the world, in all the countries and cities and towns, the people watched in wonder as the ships groaned, as if finding themselves too heavy to support their own weight; a shuddering ripple passing through them, and a rumble, deep within that shook the foundations of the world, growing louder, and louder and louder......... The ships suddenly came alive with a fierce, white-hot glow, as if they were hovering, suspended coals, growing hotter until...... KKKKAAAAABBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!! Every ship suddenly blossomed into a ball of fire, red and consuming as they fell into a chain reaction and exploded, one by one all over the globe. The ships were swallowed whole by the deadly fire that devoured and destroyed every scrap of metal that held the ships together. The explosion rang in every person's ears, over and over, until They were completely eradicated, and only ash fell from the sky. The Apocalypse had been canceled. A sound rose up, soft and low at first, and then growing in intensity until it became a continuous, unstoppable roar of noise. It was the sound of redemption. Shouts, screams, cries, yells, whoops, cheers, bellows and shrieks sounded from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic, as all the people in all the nations of the world exploded in a eruption of unsurpressed and uncontrolled joy. They exclaimed their praise, relief and hope as the impossible took place, the remains of the Alien Ships scattered to the ground like broken flies, no longer capable of carrying out their planned destruction. The black metal and fire rained down upon the earth as it celebrated, again assured of the certainty that life, -while it may never be the same- would indeed go on........ 5:55 Inside Base 3 Third Level **TWANG!!** The Smoking Man's bullet ricocheted off the depressed Killswitch bouncing frighteningly close to Scully as she and Mulder dropped to the ground. Cancer Man roared again in a mad rage, running on pure adrenaline as he raised himself to shoot again. Suddenly, a horrific screeching noise assaulted the ears of the people in Base 3, followed by a deep rumble that shook the ground, knocking the threesome in the Killswitch room to the floor with it's violence. The screeching continued, the sound of ripping metal and tearing fissure heralding a coming destruction. The sound of large pieces of falling metal issued from outside, one falling close to the door they had come through, a scream that was cut short from out side telling them that the last of the Syndicate soldiers had been killed by the falling debris. Mulder dragged himself up, steadying himself against the still shaking ground, grabbing Scully's hand, and focusing on his one goal. GET OUT. Scully lept to her feet as well, sharp eyes scanning the room as they searched for an alternate escape route, both knowing through unspoken communication that their way in had been effectively blocked. "There!" Scully shouted, pointing to a tiny crawlspace, just visible at the back of the room. The bluish light from the outside shone through it, guiding them away from the deathtrap they now stood in. Their hands grasped tighter as they ran to the opening, bending down to squeeze through. "Scully, hurry!" Mulder pushed against her as she pulled herself through the opening. He looked back to see Cancer Man rousing himself, heading for the gun that had been knocked across the room. Just as he reached it, Scully yanked herself free, turning to grab Mulder and pull him through, just as The Smoking Man's bullet buried itself in the metal where he had crouched a moment before. Mulder and Scully stood up to look around at the level they now stood in, realizing that it was the same they had entered the Killswitch room from. They turned, looking back to see that the Killswitch room had been a large circle. They glanced at each other, then turned and ran, passing by the entrance that had been crushed by a large piece of falling metal, running back the way they came. Footsteps sounded behind them, and Scully and Mulder doubled their speed, clamoring up the ladder and pulling themselves back into the room full of tombs, racing as they knew that Cancer Man was still following them. The ship rumbled again, the ground stuttering and buckling beneath their feet, knocking them both to the ground momentarily. 5:55 A.M. Second Level. "What the?!!?" Skinner yelled as a violent shockwave threw him off his feet, slamming the entire group of searchers and US military to the ground. They quickly picked themselves up, startled shouts and oaths echoing around with the retreating aftershocks. The ship rumbled again, but this time they managed to stay on their feet. "Sir!" A solider standing by a balcony over looking the slowly collapsing lower level bellowed at Charlie. "It's all going to-----" The last part of the soldier's yell was cut off as another piece of the metal ceiling and equipment wrenched itself loose and fell to the ground with a crash. "The Killswitch!!" Samantha cried. "Scully must have found the Killswitch!!!!" "Come on!!" Skinner roared. "We have to get out of here NOW!!!" "No!!" Samantha and Troi yelled in unison. "We can't leave until we find Dana!!" "THERE'S NO TIME!!" Skinner bellowed as another piece of the ship crashed. Samantha broke free of the group and began to head down the dark hallway. "No!" Byers yelled, running after her. "Samantha, you can't!" He told her, grabbing her arms. "God knows I want to find Scully too, but we can't!! We don't even know how far from the exit we are!! She could be closer than us!!" His eyes bored into hers. "We *have* to go *now*." He told her. "Dana wouldn't want you to stay and risk your own life. This is *her* destiny. Let her make it for herself." Samantha looked down the hall, then back at the group. "Alright." she said hoarsely. "Let's go." The group turned back, and began running the direction they had come, frantically trying to find their way through the twists and turns of the corridors that stretched out before them. Finally, they found a room that looked familiar; it was the room where Langly had made the third attempt. But their way back to the first level was blocked. The entire group ground to a halt, not knowing what to do. The ceiling of the passageway before them had collapsed, causing a avalanche of crushed metal to block the path. Troi groaned, throwing herself against a wall in frustration as the others stood there in shock. Suddenly, Troi jumped back in surprise, shouting as the wall against her suddenly lit up, displaying a detailed map. "Look!" she yelped. "It's a map of the base!" Samantha ran over, excitedly searching for their position. "Woohoo!!" She yelled. "We're not far from another exit!! This one will take us above ground on the other side of the lake bout 5 miles from our original point of entry!! Look!! We just need to follow this hallway!!" Suddenly, another rumble seized the ship, causing it to shudder violently with it's intensity. 6:03 A.M. Third level "WE NEED TO GET ABOVE!!" Scully's voice cried out above the vibrating explosion and the ripples in the ground. They picked themselves up and she started to sprint towards one of the nearby turbolifts when Mulder stopped her. "NO! THE ELEVATORS WILL COLLAPSE!" He shouted, pointing to a spiral staircase to their left. Feeling the heat of a impending explosion behind them, they ran as one, legs pushing them onward to safety. The ragged, deranged form of Cancer Man stumbled far behind them. He had lost all hope, in the Project, in salvation, in everything. Now it was nothing but a panicked run, a unthinking need to escape the destruction that all his careful plans were raining down upon him. Seeing Mulder and Scully running ahead of him, he followed them doggedly, forcing himself to catch up, a vicious consuming hate pounding where cold calculation had been just hours before. Mulder and Scully reached the stairwell, spiraling upward to their safety above. Scully pushed Mulder onto the stairs first, and they ran up the twisting escape route, feet pounding out a steady rhythm on the black metal steps. A terrible screaming roar caused them to look back quickly. They saw the centermost section of Base 3 collapsing into itself, smoke and flames pouring out of the hole as the twisting metal screeched out its agony, as if hell itself was opening below them. The explosion sent shockwaves throughout the ship, causing every scrap of metal to vibrate with the heat. Mulder and Scully quickened their speed as the doorway at the top of the staircase came into view, a beacon of escape from the vibrating, expanding destruction, even as the fire circle grew with bursting rings of energy. The reached the top of the stairwell, Mulder shielding Scully as she burst the door open. Cancer Man was ten steps behind them, bounding up the stairs in desperation as the collapsing center expanded to the edge of its radius, where the wall supports had been retracted. Scully gave a cry as the door flew open, and she grabbed Mulder by the shoulders and pulled him through, away from the staircase, feeling the heat energy burst in a brilliant ball of white light. They watched as Cancer Man clawed his way up the stairs after them.....too late. The entire center section of Base 3 collapsed in on itself in a heat-filled explosion, the sound of millions of tons of heavy metal falling on top of each other in layers. In the midst of the collapse, the Smoking Man's last cry escaped his throat as he plunged with the level of glass and metal crashing down, returning to the realm from which his black heart had come. Mulder covered Scully with his body, shielding her from the searing heat that shot up like a spout from the collapsed level beneath them, the ground shaking fiercely, hot smoke pouring out of the collapsed hole, the air echoing with the thunder of destruction. And when the smoke cleared and the rumblings lessened, they still held each other, escaped, free. Alive. Together. 6:10 A.M. Second Level "Come on Scully!" Mulder pulled her along the corridors as they made their way through the winding passages, still trying to escape the destruction that they knew would soon begin to overtake the rest of the Base. "I know another a way out. It's not far. We have to keep going!" Scully redoubled her efforts on running, the two of them pounding side by side down the seemingly endless hallways. The tunnel ahead of them suddenly made a sharp turn to the right. Scully was the first to reach it, coming around the corner fast.............. ..............and running straight into Walter Skinner. The contact sent both reeling, Scully suddenly getting knocked to the ground with the force of the impact. Skinner stared in shock at the figure that dropped before him. "Scully!!?!!?" But then his ecstatic surprise transformed into all out shocked awe as he recognized the figure that had lept foreword to help Scully up. "MULDER?!!?!" Mulder turned back to look at the former Assistant Director as he pulled a dazed Scully to her feet, grinning cheekily at his dumbfounded expression. "Ah, no time to chat I'm afraid sir.....Let's just suffice to say I couldn't resist coming back to be a pain in the a** some more." "Anytime, Agent." Skinner said in a stunned voice. "Anytime." "KEEP MOVING!!!" Charlie's voice bellowed from somewhere behind them, as renewed shockwaves quaked the ground. "Charlie?!?" Scully craned her head in amazement at the sound of her brother's voice. "You heard the man," Mulder said loudly, turning Scully around and continuing their frantic pace down the hallway, running toward the enormous exit, just becoming visible at the end of the dark tunnel. "Keep moving!!!" 6:25 A.M. It was just a ordinary looking hillside. Rocks, grass flowers. Plain really. Unnoticeable. Just another hill beside the lake. Except this hill concealed a long forgotten exit to Base 3, and was even now begging to shudder and thunder as the huge metal doors tore the hillside apart as they opened. Bushes and trees were uprooted as the mammoth doors yawned open, causing a avalanche of rocks and dirt to be plowed out of the way for the cavernous doors. All was silent for a moment. But not for long. Suddenly the doorway seemed alive with people scrambling to get out. Mulder and Scully were in the lead, followed by Skinner, Garrett, Grant, and half of Charlie's military team. Coming out of the chasm with the second half of the military group was Langly, Byers, Troi and Samantha, followed in the rear by Charlie and his friend, Lieutenant James Corrier. The group did not stop running once they had exited the doorway, but continued on, knowing that the final detonation of Base 3 would not be long in coming. *****BBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!*** A huge booming crack issuing from behind them confirmed this suspiscion. "GET DOWN!!!" Mulder yelled, grabbing Scully by the waist and dragging her to the ground with him. The entire group hit the dirt just as a tremendous roar issued from the gateway and a rush of fire and steam and smoke collapsing in on itself proclaimed the ultimate destruction. Another boom issued from the heavens, and a enormous water spout shot up from Lake Michigan, flooding its banks and washing away docks and boats as it collapsed in on itself. Slowly, the people stretched out near the crushed hillside lifted their heads and looked around at the early morning sky and suddenly silent field. They hesitantly picked themselves up in a bit of awe, as if not quite ready to believe that they were really alive. A sudden yell from one of the soldiers seemed to break the spell everyone was under, and soon the entire group was cheering, crowing their triumph to the sky. Mulder let loose a loud whoop and pulled Scully into a unexpected kiss, hard and full on the mouth, leaving her breathless as he pulled away. "Scully!!" He cried excitedly. "We did it!!" "We did, didn't we?" She asked in a unsteady voice, bring her shaking hands up to clasp his face. "We really did." Suddenly, Skinner was over to them, grabbing Mulder by the shoulders and pulling him away from Scully, looking hard at him. "It's really you isn't it?!?" Skinner muttered incredulously. Scully laughed with pure joy at his expression. "Yes," she said, eyes shining. "It's really him." "Why you son of a-" Skinner exclaimed, drawing Mulder into a unexpected hug. "How DARE you, Agent!! Letting us think you were dead!" Skinner backed away, his eyes becoming suspiciously moist. "I could have you prosecuted." "MULDER?!?!?!" Mulder turned when he heard the remaining Lone Gunmen burst out in surprise. Byers and Langly rushed over to him and clasping him in enthusiastic hugs and backslaps, asking him a million questions. Soon they were joined by Garrett Corban and Jacob Grant. "Hold on guys.....It's a long story..." Mulder protested. "I'll bet!!" Langly exclaimed. "...But it's gonna have to wait I think." Mulder finished. "DANA!!!" Scully barely had time to turn before she was nearly bowled over as an enthusiastic Troi threw herself into Scully's arms. "Troi?!?" Scully pulled back and looked at the teen incredulously. "How did you get here?... Where...?" Scully suddenly looked at Troi in horror, realization dawning. "You *didn't*....." Troi smiled weakly. "Sorry?" "She must'a gotten lost," A deep voice from behind Scully's chuckled. "Charlie!" Scully exclaimed, pulling half out of Troi's embrace to allow her brother to evelop her in a hug. Suddenly, Troi went stiff. "Mulder?" She asked in a tiny, scared, hesitant voice. Mulder turned to her. "Hey, kid." He held out his arms. "Mulder." Scully said a few moments later, realizing something suddenly. "Mulder," she tugged urgently on his arm. "What is it, Scully?" He asked, turning to her immediately. "There's.....someone else....you need to see." She said cryptically, her eyes glittering at him, a secret held in them. Scully drew Mulder away from the small cluster of eager friends, pulling him across the spongy ground wet with the early morning dew. Scully's eyes searched the crowed until she saw the face she was looking for. Mulder stood there beside Scully, watching where her eyes scanned the crowd until the stopped, her gaze resting on a young woman who stood about 10 feet away, staring back and then with a shocked look on her face. Scully leaned over, her mouth near Mulder's ear. "I found her," was all she said. Mulder looked at the woman for a moment, unreality descending upon him, as he noticed the shape of her face, her high cheekbones, her wide hazel eyes that now stared at him with the mixture of recognition and wonderment that he knew must echo his own expression. Her hair was dark and curly, close-cropped now, but he knew it was hers. Her face, although older and smeared with dirt from the ground, was one he would know anywhere. He remembered the day Scully found her. He had nearly forgotten. How could he have forgotten? Samantha. A low moan suddenly ripped from his throat, and he was across the distance between them before he knew it, dropping to the ground in front of his long-lost sister, hugging her tightly around the waist as she gripped him back, tears of amazement and thankfulness running down her face as she knelt down to look into her older brother's eyes for the first time in 27 years. Scully stood a few paces away, tears openly flowing down her own face as she witnessed the fruition of a quest that had begun nearly a lifetime ago. A quest the had changed him, had changed her, and now, in finality, had changed the course of human history. 11:21 A.M. July 1st, 1999 4 WEEKS LATER......... FBI Headquarters, Washington, DC Section General Walter Skinner was taking the long route to the basement. He walked down the long dusty halls slowly, a rare smile passing over his lips as he let the memories play over him. He fully intended to relish his walk down here.....after all, this may very well be the last time he made the trip. Skinner made his final turn as he reached the end of the hallway, pausing as he peered in the doorway of the now-famous basement office of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. He raised a hand to knock, but stopped when he saw Mulder exit the small attached closet-room. "Agent Mulder?" Skinner cleared his throat. Mulder spun on his heel, box in hand. "Well, if it isn't the Section General come to visit the peasants!" Mulder said good-naturedly. "Come on in." "As I understand it," Skinner stepped inside. "I'm not the only one that will be coming down here to visit from a spacious 5th Floor office." He smiled at Mulder. "Any idea who is going to inherit the place?" He gestured around. Mulder sighed, a brief look of sadness and regret passing through his eyes. "No one as far as I know. More than likely they'll consecrate the place as a holy shrine," He smiled, gestured at the box he was packing. "When they offered Scully and I the new memorial wing, they told me that I could take any of the stuff I wanted with me, but they want all the rest of it," He shrugged with amazement, "All of it, from sticky notes to pencils. They want it all for some type of memorial museum or something. Pretty crazy if you ask me." "Well," Skinner said. "You did do more than your share of changing history, Fox Mulder." Mulder sat down in the chair at his desk, surveying the half empty office, now full of moving boxes. "Ironic isn't it?" He said musingly. "You have no idea." Skinner deadpanned. Both men were silent for a moment, staring at the tiny office that so much of their lives had revolved around for the past six years. "Well, I have to get going." Skinner told him. "I'm meeting a friend from my early days in the Bureau for dinner. She's being transferred here from the field office in Los Angeles. Your new division actually, I'll expect you to look out for her." "What's her name?" Mulder asked. "Kathy Dallas." Skinner responded. "Hmmm..." Mulder stared at his friend for a moment. "Do I detect a intrigue of romance in the air??" Skinner gave Mulder a dry look. "If there were any it would be none of your business." He said acidly. "But.." He amended, "Perhaps. I know that Sharon would want me to get on with my life, especially after all that's happened." Mulder smiled. "Yeah, it seems to be a big trend. All of a sudden, people are getting lives!" He eyebrows raised in mock horror. "It's shocking really." "Speaking of which," Skinner said. "Do you and Agent Scully have any plans on "getting a life" anytime soon?" "Ah..." Mulder hesitated. "I- At the moment? Not really. Other than this crazy trip her mother planned." "Ah yes." Skinner chuckled. "I heard about that." "But beyond that?" Mulder shrugged. "I hope so." He said quietly. "In fact, I'm banking on it." Skinner looked at the younger man for a long moment. "You had better, Mulder. That's all I've got to say. You have something incredibly amazing in that woman." "Believe me, sir, I *know*." Mulder told him. Skinner nodded. "Well, I'm off. Remind me when you are heading off on that trip of yours....I want to be sure to come send you all off." Skinner left, leaving Mulder once again alone in the basement. He turned back to the shelves behind him, carefully sorting through the items and depositing the ones he selected into the box on his desk. He worked in silence for awhile, pausing once the shelves were cleared to take another look around the room. It was scary how empty it looked. He walked over to the file cabinets, opening one to peer at it's barren interior. The Files had all been transferred to the new offices the day beforehand, and Mulder had nearly broke down like a baby and blubbered as he watched them being moved. But....he knew it was for the best. For one thing, his new office would probably be a lot better for his lungs. Just then he heard the sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway. Mulder suppressed a smile, recognizing the purposeful click of high-heels against the solid floor. Gradually, the footsteps slowed, and a soft knock sounded against door. "Nobody down here but the FBI's most unwanted." Mulder called towards the door. "You sure about that?" Dana Scully opened the door casually, raising a eyebrow at him. This time, nothing could stop the grin that engulfed his face. "What'd you do to get stuck with this detail?" He asked her. Scully strode across the room toward him, her arms crossed over. "Actually, I'm looking foreword to working with you." She responded, leaning against the desk. "So, *Scully*," He said, stepping closer to her, invading her personal space with the ease of long practice. "*NOW* do you believe in the existence of extraterrestrials??" Scully grinned back at him. "Boy, you sure know how to sweet-talk a girl don't you?" "Oh, I haven't even gotten started," He leered at her and leaned in closer. Her eyebrows lifted again. "Are you making a pass at me, Agent Mulder?" "Don't you mean Division Director Mulder?" He parried. "And yes I am, Director Dana Katharine Scully, M.D. of the new Paranormal Forensic Pathology Division." Scully sighed. "You'd think they could've found me a shorter title, wouldn't you?" Mulder laughed. Scully's expression grew thoughtful as she looked around at the near-deserted office. "You know, I'm really going to miss it..." She said suddenly, her eyes growing misty. Mulder sighed and leaned against the desk next to her. "Me too." He said. Scully reached out a hand, lacing his fingers with hers, and they sat there for a moment in silence, ghosts of the past pervading the room and passing silently before their eyes. "Amazing." Scully sighed. "Just six years." Mulder nodded reverently. "Well," Scully sucked in a breath and rose from the desk. "I was sent down here to tell you you were taking too long, we're going to be late for dinner at mom's tonight, and here I am getting sucked in again." "This place seems to have that effect." Mulder smiled at her affectionately. She returned his gaze. "Must be a X-File." A few heartbeats passed before Scully finally turned and headed for the door. "I'm almost done," Mulder told her, moving back around to the other side of the desk. He looked up to see her standing silhouetted in the doorway. "Wait for me." "Always." Scully responded. She left, and Mulder turned back to his box, sticking the last few items on his desk inside. He stopped, his eyes making a final circuit of the room. They stopped, landing on a certain item tacked up to the back wall. Mulder walked over and carefully removed the poster, tossing the tacks into the box as he walked back over. He smoothed the fading paper, and placed it gently in the box. His fingers traced the words that were emblazoned on the surface, feeling their power. I WANT TO BELIEVE. And he closed the box. ------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------FINIS.-------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------ EXIT SONG: To Get Me To You Well I, I still can remember times When the night seemed to surround me I was sure the sun would never shine on me And I, I thought it my destiny To walk this world alone But now you're here with me Now you're here with me And I don't regret the rain Or the nights I felt the pain Or the tears I had to cry Some of those times along the way Every road I had to take Every time my heart would break It was just something that I had to get through To get me to you To get me to you Well I, I still can recall the days When I had no love around me Makes me glad for every day I have with you And I, I look in your eyes and know I'm right where I belong And I belong with you Always belonged with you And I don't regret the rain Or the nights I felt the pain Or the tears I had to cry Some of those times along the way Every road I had to take Every time my heart would break It was just something that I had to get through To get me to you To get me to you And if I could I wouldn't change a thing Wouldn't change a thing baby Because your love was waiting there for me Waiting there for me baby And I don't regret the rain Or the nights I felt the pain Or the tears I had to cry Some of those times along the way Every road I had to take Every time my heart would break It was just something that I had to get through To get me to you To get me to you ------------------------------------------------------ INSERT TRUMPET FANFARE TA-DAAA!!!!!! YES!!! YOU HAVE REACHED THE *END* OF THE SERIES!!!! First off...congratulations on having the courage...not to mention the *patience*...to read the ENTIRE thing!!! Yes, we know it's long...but we certainly hope that you thought it was worth it!!! Which is why we are PLEADING AND BEGGING for **FEEDBACK**!!!! Please send gobs and gobs and gobs with everything you can think to say and we will be eternally grateful and e-mail you many many thank yous and thank yous!!! (So I'm exaggerating...it helps for effect! :)) Soooooooooo.......... Just for those of you who can't get enough of it.... It's SEQUEL TIME!!! That's right, Mulder and Scully are going global!!! I am already in the process of creating the TWELVE-part sequel series for "Accumulation", titled "Around the World in Twelve Months". Expect much humor, lightheartedness, and other good stuff from yours truly. I (being Alien Girl) am going to be doing the sequel solo, so wish me luck. We hope that you enjoyed this series...and hope that you like it enough to check out the sequel!! :) Other such forth...secret little "project" of mine...lovers of MulderAngst, pay attention!! I'm *also* doing this short little "Accumulation" extra, which is basically several lost scenes, as well as several important scenes...all told from Mulder's POV. Sound interesting? I wasn't really planning on putting in on the 'net, but if enough people e-mail me back saying they'd like to see it, then I'd do it! It's titled, "Memories of Shadows", and may help explain a few missing pieces of info for those of you who are slow. ;) Otay, I think that's it...... YES, THE SERIES IS OVER!!!! Once again...thanks for taking the time to read it!! Please please please please please please please please send feedback and say if you'd like to see "Memories of Shadows" and read the sequel 'cause it really rocks and shameless babbling and so forth and so forth 'cause we're FINALLY DONE!!!!!! ROLL CREDITS!!!!!!!!!! (FADE OUT) Visit the Offical "Accumulation" Page! www.geocities.com/Area51/Atlantis/5498/Accum Visit Our Sites! Riva's "The Power of Two" - www.geocities.com/Area51/Atlantis/5498 Alien Girl's "Alien X-ing" - www.geocities.com/Area51/Underworld/1113