From: Amatia Date: Wed, 7 Apr 1999 15:36:53 -0500 (CDT) Subject: "Avatar" Series, Part Nine: "The Avatar of Glory" (1/1) by Amatia (disclaimers/notes/ all that stuff in part 0) Author's Note: The character of Greg Galf is property of Ladyhawk. She was kind enough to let me borrow him so he could make a guest appearance in here. This series assumes that LH's "Thunder" book didn't happen in this universe...but maybe in another, close universe. :-) Spoiler: Tiny one for (eerily enough) "Avatar" :-) "Avatar" Series by Amatia ******** "The trembling finger of a woman Goes down the list of casualties On the evening of the first snow. The house is cold and the list is long. All our names are included." - Charles Simic, "War" "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed on the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned, The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. Surely some revelation is at hand...." - W.B. Yeats, "The Second Coming" ******** "Avatar" Series, Part Nine: The Avatar of Glory Despuesamerican Northwest Territory, Despuesamerican Northern Territory Summer, 2010 For a month, Galf followed Skinner and me through the varying landscape of the Northwest Territory. We didn't see him the entire time, only the occasional burst of upward lightning at might. I suspected that Galf was using the lightening for another purpose besides showing us that he was still there - something more sinister - but I didn't voice my concerns to Walter. Despite his sun-bronzed skin, Skinner was looking increasingly tired and worn out. He was still as fit he'd been in his Bureau days, but he'd lost the rest of his hair, making him look older than he was. He'd asked to stop for breaks several times as we got closer to Canada, and I'd obliged, hoping that he would make it the rest of the way. We found the compound exactly where Sam Waters had pinpointed it, on the edge of a forest along the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. My heart was pounding so heavily as we approached that I thought I'd die from excitement. A single building, the size of an outhouse, made to look dilapidated. I raised my hands to show that I carried no weapons as Skinner and I approached. A dark-haired man opened the door, and stepped out. "You have to be Fox Mulder." "I am." I replied. "Name's Jarod," he said, holding out his hand. "I've heard a lot about you." I clasped his hand. "From Scully, I hope?" "Yes." "Is she here?" Jarod smiled. "She's here. Follow me." Galf appeared behind Skinner, who spun around. "Galf, you scared the shit out of me!" "Sorry," Galf apologized, grinning. We followed Jarod down a flight of stairs. "Who are your companions?" "Walter Skinner," Skinner said. "Mulder's right hand man." "Weren't you his boss?" Jarod asked with a chuckle, hitting a buzzer. "Once upon a time," Skinner said. "Password?" came a voice through the intercom. I knew that voice. It was Scully's voice. Jarod looked at me, his eyes twinkling. "The Fox is found." "Mulder!" I heard Scully shout through the intercom, just before Jarod pulled the door open. She was a familiar blur as she flew into my arms. I hugged her tightly. "Scully..." I whispered, sliding a hand into the heavy mass of her hair, and feeling a wet spot grow where her face was pressed against my shirt. "I thought I'd never see you again," she murmured, her thin body shaking with sobs. "I thought so, too," I replied, feeling tears well up in my eyes. Scully stepped back, but not out of the circle of my arms. "You look older," she said, then laughed. "Of course, it's been ten years." She saw Skinner then, and I let go of her so that she could hug him. "You been taking good care of him?" she asked him of me. "He's been the one taking care of us, Dana," Skinner replied. "Mulder runs our Outpost." She reached out and took my hand. "Did my letter carrier find you all right?" "He said that we were right where you said we'd be," I said. "You know me too well." A smile lit her face. "It was a gamble I had to make." Jarod opened the door again. "Why don't we go inside?" I followed Scully inside. She was positively glowing, and I was sure I was, too. Introductions were made all around, and Jarod departed with Skinner and Galf to show them where they could stay. Scully and I were left, still holding hands, in the hallway. "Come on, we can talk in my quarters," she said after a moment. Her room was right next to the Ward - Medbay, she called it. "How long were you in the Institute?" I asked once we'd sat down, her on the bed, and me in a chair next to it. "Five years, before I escaped. I helped invent an apparatus they called the Biobrace." "Alex Krycek wears one," I said. "I thought he was only missing one arm. It's for quadruple amputees." She frowned. "Hosting program," I replied. "But he rejected the embryo, so they tossed him out to die. He's at OP4 now." "Behaving himself?" "If he doesn't, I'll kill him, and he knows it." Scully nodded. "How did you escape going to IPPABS?" "Skinner and I stole a car, and drove until we couldn't safely get gas anymore, then we found an abandoned underground military base, and renovated it." I grinned. "That's the two minute version." "How many people?" "When we left, about fifteen. Our population has decreased." "Ours, too. Heightened security." "You said in your note that Spender was here?" I asked. "He's here. His quarters are just down the hall. He was brought in about two years ago, badly beaten. His right hand is almost useless now because of it." She sighed. "I never did get him to tell me the entire story of how he survived his father's attempt on his life." "Krycek saved him," I replied. "Yes, he told me that...but nothing else, except that Krycek would leave him alone in a cabin in Idaho for years at a time." "They were lovers." "What?" she exclaimed. I nodded. "Weird." A bell dinged. "Dinner time," she explained. "If you want to see Jeff, here's your chance." I followed her down the hall to the cafeteria. Skinner and Galf were already there, sitting with Jarod. Jeffrey Spender stood up when he saw me, an expression of almost disbelief on his face. He extended his hand as Scully pulled me over to him. "Agent Mulder." I shook his hand quickly. "Agent Spender. It's been a long time." "Indeed it has," he replied, sitting down again. "Please, have a seat." Scully squeezed my hand. "I'll get you a plate." I watched her walk up to the counter, then looked back at Spender. He gestured to the chair across from him, and I sat down. "How did you do it?" I asked. "We all thought you were dead." "Alex was five steps behind my father," he replied. "The moment he walked out of the room, Alex walked in with a medical team. They saved my life." "He's still alive, you know. At my Outpost in the Southwest Territory." "I was afraid he was dead," Spender admitted. "Last I saw of him...years ago. He made me a promise he couldn't keep." Scully set a sandwich down in front of me. "Thanks," I said to her. "What was the promise?" I asked Spender. "To come back," he admitted frankly. "But it was a rather stupid promise, considering his line of work." "He almost did die," I told him. "So you can't entirely blame him." There was a clatter from the table beside us, and I looked over. Skinner was looking very angry, and Galf was looking very calm. "How do you know that?" Skinner was demanding. "What's going on?" I asked. "Mr. Skinner is upset that I know the nature of his near-death experience," Galf said. "And how do you know?" I continued. Galf leaned back in his chair, and I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. He smiled at me, showing his sharp teeth. "Mr. Mulder...there is much I know." He stood up, and all eyes followed him. Including mine. "You see, I have many more powers than the one I demonstrated to you and Mr. Skinner. I know what you're thinking right now, Fox. I know what you're thinking, Miss Scully." He raised his hand, and pointed it at a nondescript young man in the corner. His eyes flickered to me, and shot the same sparks he'd used to put me to sleep the night we'd met him, and I knew he could feel my fear. Sudden lightning shot from the man in the corner, and into Galf's outstretched hands. His head flew back, and his eyes closed as light enveloped him. Scully's hand gripped mine, and I heard gasps around the room. Galf opened his eyes, and looked straight at me. I cringed at the look on his face. "He's not dead, my dear Dr. Scully. He'll survive. But now you see what I have the power to do." He continued his slow pace around the room for a moment, then stopped, and turned to me, his eyes shooting sparks again. He leaned against the wall of the cafeteria, lanky and at ease. "I'm going to make you a deal, Fox Mulder." My heart clenched as he spoke, and my hand clenched on Scully's. "You give me your most prized possession, and I will end Colonization." "No one man has the power to end Colonization!" Spender cried, before I could say anything. Galf extended his arm, and pointed one long finger at Spender. A bullet made of light seemed to fire from the tip of his finger, and it hit Spender in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards and crash against the wall. "What do you say, Mr. Mulder?" "I have no possessions," I replied, helplessly. "I have nothing to give you." "On the contrary." Galf smiled, a chilling smile. "You give me her!" He pointed at Scully, who had fled my side, and was kneeling over Spender's dazed form. I looked at her. Her eyes met mine. "No..." I whispered. "I'll go, Mulder," she said softly, "No!" "It's your choice, Mr. Mulder," Galf continued. "She can't make the choice to come with me and rid the world of the Colonists, or to stay here, fearing every day that her home will be raided by men who will drag her away to a work camp. Men who will work her to death, possibly even rape her. Could you live with that on your mind? I won't hurt her. But you'll never find her again." The chilling smile spread over his face again. "Everyone always said you would be the one to end it. Here's your chance." Time seemed to stop as I stared at Scully, her expression pleading with me. My Scully, always the one willing to give in order to save others. I remembered Krycek's words, two years ago..."I told you years ago that you were the one who could stop it, but you didn't believe me. Don't you get it? You're the saint!" Could I sacrifice my best friend, who I'd spent years searching for? Sacrifice her to save the world? Galf's voice reached my ears, distorted by my slow perception. "Save the world, Mr. Mulder..." Skinner's voice. "The list is long..." "And the house is cold...." Jarod's voice now. I closed my eyes, unable to tell if they were real or hallucinations. "End it, Mulder. Please?" Scully, asking, seeking... I covered my face with my hands, unable to look at them. Hands touched my arm, then took hold of mine, gently pulling them away from my face. Scully's hands...small, but strong. "Mulder, look at me." I looked into her eyes, calm and independent. "I can't make the choice for you," she said softly. "It's up to you." "Will you be upset with me if I tell him yes?" I whispered. "Never." I pulled her into my arms, holding her close, as I should have done all those years ago when they tore us apart. But it was too late now to stay together...too late to become one. I let her go, holding her at an arm's length. "Are you afraid?" "No." I looked at Galf, and saw that he had known what my answer would be all along. "You promise you'll end it?" "You have my word." "And you won't hurt her?" "I swear it." I looked at Scully again. "Forgive me." "I already have, Mulder." I let go of her wrists, and she turned to look at Galf. He reached out a hand to her. She took it without hesitation, though I could see she was trembling. "Don't I get to say goodbye?" she asked him. "We must go now. There is a patrol approaching, and they will find the compound if we don't stop them," Galf replied. "Come." Scully looked at me. "Think of me," she said, and then a blinding white light filled the room, obscuring my view of her... ***** Are you still with me? Shocked at what happened? Mad? I want to know! If you've read the series, so far, please email me, and tell me so. I'm afraid no one has been reading them... One more to go, then "Avatar" is done. :-) violinst@pitnet.net violinst@pitnet.net Site X - http://personal.pitnet.net/london