From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org
Date: 21 Apr 2006 23:30:35 -0000
Subject: Alphabet Soup: U is for Undercover by YappiChick
Source: direct

Reply To: yappichick@yahoo.com


Title: Alphabet Soup: U is for Undercover
Author: YappiChick
email: yappichick@yahoo.com
Summary: un-der-co-ver adj. performed or occurring in secret
Website: http://www.geocities.com/yappichick
Feedback: You betcha!
Rating: PG
Archive: Surely! It would be great to let me know!
Spoilers: FTF, The End
Category: MSR, A
Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.  Just borrowing them for a while.
Author's note: This is part of my ABC Soup universe.  You should 
read A-T first to understand what is going on.

Scully walked towards the glass building, trying to ignore the 
butterflies in her stomach.  Despite her earlier frustration with 
Mulder's concern, she would have given just about anything to 
have him with her.  Or her Sig.  Instead she was armed with a 
large metal case that she was able to roll behind her.  Gibson 
had assured her that the bulky box would not cause any extra 
attention; it was the exact type they used to transfer genetic 
material throughout the complex.

When the automatic doors opened she immediately noticed a 
difference between the lobby of the building she and Mulder had 
entered days prior and to the one that was before her.  Unlike 
the other, the lobby didn't have the appearance of being 
friendly.  The industrial look of the room gave the room no 
warmth.  She supposed there was no need for such a smokescreen 
since everyone who entered this building was heavily involved 
with the Project.

She walked into the room and strode confidently to the second 
elevator on the left.  Gibson had given her specific instructions 
on where to go for the quickest route to the blood samples.  
Above the elevator controls, there was a card key reader.  Trying 
to push down any worries she had about her hacked card working, 
she slid it into the slot.  Seconds later, the light turned 
green.  With a small sigh of relief, she pushed the "up" button.

The elevator doors opened, revealing an empty car.  One more 
obstacle down, she thought as she stepped inside.  The ride to 
the fourth floor was brief and soon Scully was deposited to an 
empty hallway.  After making sure no one was coming, she turned 
left and went down the hall.  

Part of her was wondering where the building's staff was.  If 
they were pursuing a vaccine as intensely as Gibson claimed they 
were, she expected to see more people walking around.  However, 
if Fate decided to give her a break, she wasn't going to 
complain.

She passed a second elevator, the one Gibson had told her to use 
when she was ready to leave.  Seeing it gave her hope; she knew 
she was only mere yards from her goal.

Before she could make the next turn, she heard footsteps 
approaching.  She quickly backtracked to where the elevator was, 
and opened the door to the fire stairs.  Quickly, she closed the 
door behind her.  Soon, she could hear faint voices.

"...what should...with the subjects?"

"They are...priority.  Now that Mulder is here we have been 
compromised.  Orders are for us to be out of here in twenty-four 
hours."

Scully quieted her breathing as much as possible.  They were 
right outside the door.

"That's impossible!" 

Scully relaxed as the voices faded.  "I would suggest...way to 
make it..."

As soon as she could no longer hear the men, she opened the door 
and made her way back down the hall.  Her time was more limited 
than she thought.  And now with the knowledge they were trying to 
clean up the mess as quickly as possible, she knew this was her 
only chance of succeeding.

She was tempted to call Mulder, telling him what she had learned, 
but quickly quashed the idea.  There was no reason for him to 
worry when there was nothing he could do about it.  The only 
thing to do was for her to go along with the plan and make sure 
everything worked out.

Soon, she found the door she was looking for and proceeded to go 
inside.  There were four, large refrigeration units; one on each 
wall.  In the center of the small room was a rectangular, metal 
table.  She approached the refrigeration unit closest to her.  To 
her surprise, it was empty.  

Suddenly the conversation she had just overheard played back in 
her mind. What if this room had already been emptied?  She hadn't 
worked on a contingency plan with Gibson; she just went along 
with his instructions with no question asked.  

Before she could allow herself to panic, she walked to the second 
refrigeration unit.  Fortunately, it was full.  Quickly, she 
opened her case and set it on the metal table.

The way Byers had rigged the case up was extremely clever, she 
had to admit.  On the back of the case, he had welded four bars 
to hold the pints of blood like an IV would.  With the way it was 
set up, they figured she could easily retrieve 25 bags.

Putting on her latex gloves, she began placing the bags in the 
case.  Each time she out took a bag, she read the name on it, 
wondering what terrible circumstance allowed for their blood to 
be obtained.  She half-expected to see Mulder's name on one of 
the bags, but was relived when she didn't.

She completed filling the case.  Twenty-eight bags.  That would 
mean Gibson could create over forty antidotes.  She allowed 
herself one brief smile before sealing the bulky box.  She 
glanced at her watch; fifteen minutes had passed since she 
entered the building.  After a brief glance to make sure nothing 
was out of place, she proceeded to leave the room.

The success of her mission so far had made Scully too 
comfortable.  As she turned the corner, she nearly walked into a 
man.  "Excuse me," she muttered, moving away.

The man grabbed her on her shoulder.  "What are you doing here?  
All staff is supposed to be on the fifth floor transferring test 
subjects."

Recognizing the voice as one of the men speaking earlier, she 
knew she had to improvise.  Should she play good cop or bad cop?  
Finally she decided ignorance was always the best choice.  "I 
apologize.  I'm afraid no one updated me this morning."

He studied her face for a few seconds.  Scully refused to squirm 
under his scrutiny.  After a couple of seconds, he nodded.  
"Fine.  Get up to the fifth floor.  You'll receive your updated 
orders there."

"Thank you."  She began walking towards the elevator when she 
realized he was following her.  Damn, she thought.  She pushed 
the "up" button with a forced smile.

Her choices were limited.  If he rode in the elevator, she could 
always incapacitate him and attempt to escape, but she knew her 
chances of success were slim.  However, if she did nothing, her 
ability to leaving undetected was non-existent.  Before she knew 
what she was going to do, the elevator doors slid open.

She walked inside, but noticed the man remained standing where he 
was.  "You coming?" she asked, trying to sound causal.

He shook his head with a small, almost bitter, smile.  "No, you 
go on ahead."

As the doors closed, Scully's stomach sunk.  The smile was the 
give away; her cover had been blown.  Though she was unfamiliar 
with the man, he definitely knew who she was.  There was no way 
she could get off on the fifth floor.  She pushed the "6" button.

She held her breath until the car went past the fifth floor 
without any trouble.  Once she reached the sixth floor, she 
carefully peeked around the elevator doors as they slid open.  
Nobody was there.

As she walked off the elevator car, she pulled out her cell 
phone.  There was only one person who would have a chance of 
helping her escape.  She began walking slowly as the phone rang.  
"Hello?" Gibson answered worriedly.

Forcing her nerves to stay calm, she quietly explained the 
situation she was in.

As always, Gibson's voice was confident.  "It's going to be fine, 
Dana.  I want you to continue down the hall you are walking down.  
Make a right at the first intersection.  About twenty feet past 
the corner, there will be a blue door on the left side.  Go 
through it."

Quickly, she followed Gibson's instructions.  She paused before 
she entered the door.  "Gibson," she whispered.  "This says it's 
a janitor's closet."

She could almost hear his smirk over the phone.  "You, of all 
people, should know everything is not want it seems."

Pushing aside her skepticism, she opened the door to find another 
hallway.  Before she could proceed more than ten feet, Gibson's 
voice came through the speaker in her phone.  "You are going to 
lose my signal soon.  So, follow my instructions.  At the end of 
this passage there will be an elevator.  Take it.  There is only 
one button; it will take you to the underground path that 
connects all the buildings.  When you get off the elevator, go 
right.  You'll go down the tunnel for about 200 yards.  When you 
see a yellow door, go through it.  It will take you to the lobby 
in the second building."

Relief flooded her.  She had a chance to make this succeed.  "Ok, 
thank you."

"One more thing," he said, as she began to walk.  She stopped, 
not wanting to drop the call.  "If we aren't careful everything 
that we have done so far will be compromised.  They will be 
watching every move you make.  I'm not going to be able to 
contact you or Agent Mulder until I produce the vaccine.  It's 
the only leverage we have over these people."

She looked at the case.  "How am I going to get the samples to 
you?"

"When you get home tonight, put the case in a plastic trash bag 
and set it on the left side of the dumpster in the back of your 
building.  I'll get it," he assured her.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Dana, this wasn't your fault.  They knew I was involved the 
moment they knew Mulder was coming out there.  It was just a risk 
we had to take.  I'll contact you in a few days."  With that, he 
ended the call.

She put her call phone away and walked down the hallway, glancing 
over her shoulder every few seconds.  Once she found the 
elevator, she pushed the button.  The five second wait for the 
car was the longest in Scully's life.  She was waiting for men 
with guns to come through the corridor at anytime.

The doors slid open and she walked inside.  She pushed the button 
impatiently, wanting the doors to close and begin her descent.  
Soon, she was sealed in the elevator; the hum of the mechanism 
filling the car.  

During the thirty second ride, she forced herself to focus on 
anything other than the impending doom she believed waited for 
her.  Why hadn't she insisted Mulder go with her?   It had been 
too long since she had been without his backup.  What she 
wouldn't give for him to be in the elevator, watching her back.

Finally, the doors opened, revealing an empty corridor.  She 
began sprinting down the hall, knowing every second that she 
could get ahead of the people pursuing here was precious.  When 
the yellow door came into view, she slowed down, not wanting to 
attract people's attention by being out of breath.

When she got her breathing under control, she opened the door.  
There were a flight of stairs, leading to another door.  After 
climbing the stairs, she opened the door and found herself in the 
lobby.  Making sure no one was paying attention to her; she 
entered the room, closing the door behind her.  She strode across 
the lobby and made her way towards the exit.

As she approached the revolving door, a man walking by on the 
outside caught her attention.  Though he was only in her line of 
vision for a couple of seconds, she could have sworn it was 
Krycek.  He was walking towards to building she had just been in.

Knowing that her time was limited and the danger more than she 
believed, she walked outside the building to the parking terminal 
without a glance back towards the buildings.  She forced herself 
to remain calm when she heard the sounds of footsteps behind her.  
Finally, her car rental came into sight.

She got in the car and drove away as fast as she could without 
causing attention to herself.  Somehow she made it past the 
guard's station without incident.  Once she was on the main 
highway, she relaxed.  She glanced at the case on the passenger's 
seat.  

They had to make it work; so much was riding on the line of its 
success.