From: Shaun Reich Date: Wed, 19 Jul 2000 19:34:39 -0400 Source: direct From str22@drexel.edu Summary: Krycek must protect the agents from a Russian assassination attempt. Spoilers: References to Tunguska, Terma, Patient X, and The Red And The Black Timeline: Occurs during Season 5 between The Red And The Black and The End Classification: Adventure Rating: PG-13 Disclaimer: The characters and situations of the television program "The X-Files" are the creations and property of Chris Carter, Fox Broadcasting, and Ten Thirteen Productions, and have been used without permission. No copyright infringements are inte nded. This work is not to be forwarded or distributed to any newsgroup or WWW site without the permission of the author. I give permission for it to be put on atxc. ******************** Double-Cross By Shaun Reich March 27th, 2000 ******************** New York City Sunday March 1, 1998 3:15 am Alex Krycek was having trouble sleeping again tonight. The horrible nightmares of his life returned to haunt him. Alex tried to forget his past; the crimes he committed against other human beings. He tried to reason with himself he was just doing his job. Being a hitman is not an easy life, and certainly does have consequences. Covered in sweat, Krycek jumped awake from the nightmare and felt for his right arm. It was no longer there any more. He lost his arm when a fanatical group of Russian revolutionaries brutally removed his limb to 'save' him from the tests. He slowed his b reathing down to relax a little. His arm was gone, he had to accept that fact now. The prosthetic arm that he now used was nowhere near as handy as the real thing. Krycek rolled off the black sticky couch and headed to the sink for some water to wash his face and clear his throat. He gargled a few times to get rid of the mucus crap that built up during the nightmare. Crushing the paper cup with his left hand, Krycek glaned up at the digital clock displayed above the mirror. It was 3:15 am. Christ! Now he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. He'd be a walking zombie tomorrow. Not wanting to bother attempting sleep again, Alex plopped himself down in front of the tv. He knew nothing good was on, so instead he popped in an old porno movie. The heated passion on the screen made Krycek remember the last time he made love to a woma n. It was several months ago when he and his old flame Marita Covarrubias made love in the bowels of a Russian vessel. The fond memories of that session brought a tear to his eye, which he quickly brushed away. It was that same day that Marita double-crossed him for Agent Mulder's enduring quest. For her treachery to the syndicate and the project, Marita was subjected to cruel and inhumane experimentation. The ringing of the phone brought Krycek out of his vivid flashback. Grunting to himself, Alex reached over for the annoying receiver. "Krycek" he said, not knowing who would call this late at night. A brief pause followed the greeting, and he listened keenly as the caller spoke to him in a deep Russian tone, "Krycek, eh. So that's what you're calling yourself now, Arntzen" Replying back in Russian, "Peskov? Is that you?" Krycek answered back. "I'm glad to see you still remember your old comrade" the old man coughed gruffly as he spoke, signifying a serious illness. "How have things been over there since the project was terminated?" Krycek asked the elderly assassin. "Not good. That is why I'm calling you. The investigation into the project is over. The decision has been made." "What's the decision?" "They're going to eliminate Mulder and Scully of the FBI. And they're also going to destroy the X-Files once and for all." Shocked at the decision, Krycek replied shakily "Why the agents? They're no threat to the Russians anymore." "On the contrary, the exact opposite. Mulder is the only remaining specimen of the experiments. Scully and the X-Files will be targeted as well, due to Mulder's close connection to them both." "When?" "Beware the ides of March, Arntzen. That is when they will occur." Click. Followed by the monotonous dialtone. Krycek replaced the receiver slowly and thought deeply to himself about the situation. Despite the trouble Mulder constantly caused, they realized Mulder's importance in the role of shaping the future. He had to be protected from the assassination. Picking up the phone again, Krycek dialed in a familiar number and spoke to the well-manicured man on the other end of the line. "It's Krycek. We've got a situation. Assemble the members." Mulder's Apartment Complex Saturday March 13th, 1998 11:59 pm Krycek was surprised at how quickly the Syndicate moved in to protect Mulder upon learning of the impending assassin. They hastily arranged to move Krycek in next door to Mulder in the empty apartment. They then moved all their sophisticated surveillance equipment inside so Krycek could closely monitor the entrance to the building as well as the apartment complex across the street. Now all he had to do was wait. The Syndicate also feared for Scully's life as well. Krycek had informed the group that Mulder and Scully would probably be killed simultaneously by two assassins. He opted to protect Mulder while another operative would protect Scully. The X-Files, howev er, were not going to be protected from the assassins. The Syndicate always feared the X-Files and the secrets they could unleash. Krycek glanced at his wrist watch. It was midnight now. The assassin could strike now, or 24 hours from now. Krycek made sure he had enough sleep the previous night as to not let the assassin succeed. He activated the infra-red sensors of his goggles and scanned the opposite building for a possible shooter. Seeing none, Krycek rechecked the line of sight on his sniper rifle, making sure it was straight on. Alex knew Mulder wouldn't wake up for another seven hours. A long seven hours. It was almost 6:00 am when Krycek noticed a mysterious looking-man in a large trench coat enter the apartment complex across the street. The man was carrying an unusually large briefcase. With the aid of the night scope, Alex watched as the man handled th e case with care while opening the doors. Fearing the worst, Krycek kept a stringent eye on the dark rooms across from him, hoping this man was the intended assassin. He saw a glimmer of light on the fourth floor of the complex roughly two minutes after the man entered. Krycek observed the man quickly move about the room. He then opened the large briefcase. Alex couldn't quite tell what was inside, although the methodo logy and movement the man used could only signify the expertise of an assassin. The Russian hitman quickly finished assembling his sniper rifle. He lined up the rifle with his intended target across the street. His target, a man named Mulder, was walking about his apartment. The Russian loaded a bullet into the chamber and prepared t o fire. However, a shot rang out before he had the chance. The hitman died instantly with another bullet striking him square in the forehead. Agent Mulder recoiled in fear and dropped to the ground. The gun shot sounded very close, like next door. He located his issued Sig-Sauer and stepped into the hallway to find the shooter. Mulder pressed his ear against the door of the empty neighboring ap artment. He could hear somebody rustling inside. Without hesitation, Mulder kicked in the door with force and aimed his weapon at the shooter. His jaw dropped in anger and shock to discover the evil Alex Krycek within. Mulder's Apartment Complex Sunday March 14th, 1998 6:45 am "You sonuvabitch! What're you up to this time, Krycek?" Mulder yelled while brandishing his weapon shakily in front of his old enemy. "Watch it Mulder! I just saved your ass!" he replied cautiously. "And how am I supposed to believe you? From the looks of it, you've been spying on me with all this surveillance equipment" he said pointing. "I had to spy on you Mulder. If you wanna hear the whole story, then put your gun down and I'll tell you." The dispute was shortlived as an angered Mulder dragged Alex Krycek handcuffed into his apartment to hear the story. Tossing the assassin on the couch, Mulder pulled up a chair across from him with his gun close by. He listened closely as Krycek told Muld er the Russian situation. "I got this call two weeks ago from my Russian comrade. He said the Russian syndicate was going to target you for your meddling affairs last year. I was then assigned to protect you from the hitman, who I knew was going to strike today" he explained in on e breath. "How can I substantiate your claim Krycek?" Mulder asked aggressively. "I killed the suspect. He was going to shoot you from across the street. His body'll be discovered soon. If you manage to identify him, you'll probably discover he's a Russian VIP with diplomatic immunity." "Not bad Krycek. Seems you might be useful to me yet. Anything else you want to feel like telling me why I have you here?" "Yeah. You weren't the only target my friend mentioned. Scully is going to be hit as well." "You sonuvabitch! Why didn't you say that in the first place?" Mulder lashed out and struck the arrogant assassin. He quickly picked up the phone and dialed Scully's phone number to make sure she was okay. "Don't worry Mulder. I had a man surveilling her as well. He probably took out the assassin already." Mulder disregarded Krycek's insistance, and worried with every passing ring. He finally got the answering machine. Mulder left a quick message detailing the situation to her should she return soon. Slamming the receiver down, Mulder announced they were go ing to head to her place to make sure Scully was okay. Scully's Apartment Sunday March 14th, 1998 7:30 am Mulder could feel it deep down that something bad happened. The sight of police cars and ambulances made his gut feeling sink even harder. He hoped Scully was still okay. Not even bothering to park his car, Mulder dashed out of the car over to the scene o f a crime. He managed to catch a glance of AD Skinner being interrogated on the lawn. "Sir, what happened here? Is Scully okay?" Mulder asked his superior. "Scully's missing. Someone broke into her apartment and nabbed her early this morning. They've found an unidentified dead guy behind the bushes. Forensics are already on the scene trying to find some clues. Do you know what happened here, Agent Mulder?" S kinner asked him. "I don't. But I have someone with me who does" Mulder explained to him. On the way back to the car, Mulder saw Krycek standing over at the ambulances identifying the dead man for the paramedics. "This wasn't supposed to happen. My guy wasn't supposed to be the target" Krycek explained to the two distraught FBI men. "What're you saying, Krycek? Where's Scully?" Skinner demanded from his ex-agent-turned-traitor. "I don't know. This doesn't make sense. It's all screwed up." "Yeah, I'll say!" Mulder yelled at grabbed for Krycek's throat for his act of vengeance. Skinner tried to restrain Mulder from causing a scene. "Mulder, for now we need Krycek alive. I want you two to think up any possible spots where Scully might've been taken. I'll stay here and call you if we find any clues that might help us out. Now, get going. We might not have that much time" Skinner order ed the angered agent. Mulder stepped on the gas pedal harder than he should have as he and Krycek sped away from the crime scene. Pissed off, Mulder glared over at his odious passenger and yelled coldly to him, "Where would they take Scully? Back to Russia? To some abadoned wa rehouse?" "I don't know Mulder. This whole situation stinks. All I know is my comrade said you and Scully were going to be killed by Russian hitmen today.... Oh wait! Shit! The X-Files were going to be targeted also!" "And you just remembered that now. Shit!" Mulder exclaimed as he swung the car hard to the left causing them to make a fast u-turn on the empty road. Stepping even harder on the gas, Mulder sped down the road and got on the first ramp headed for Washingto n D.C. "How are they gonna destroy the X-Files? FBI Headquarters is well really guarded" Mulder asked him. "You wouldn't believe how easy it is for people like me and the Cigarette-Smoking Man to get in there. If we can do it, the Russian hitmen can also. Where's your phone Mulder? We can get security to guard the X-Files til we get there." "I forgot it at home. Well be there in a few minutes anyway." FBI Headquarters Sunday March 14th, 1998 9:00 am Mulder parked the car in the fire zone outside the J. Edgar Hoover building. He raced up the steps with Krycek right behind him, both intent on stopping the impending doom. Being Sunday, the thoroughfare through the building was light. Mulder informed sec urity about the possible burglary, and then escorted Alex to the basement office to discover the validity of his claims. Mulder drew his gun as he neared the bottom of the steps to the basement. Peering cautiously around the corner, he noticed his door was open ajar and a single light was on inside. Readjusting his fingers, he turned to Alex, who gave him a nod of his head. Alex moved around the corner first and peeked into the office. There wasn't enough light to make out anything inside. There was only one choice left if he wanted to catch the Russian by surprise. Without even telling to Mulder, Alex Krycek bolted quickly into the office. Krycek quickly scanned the room for the hostile. What he discovered was who he never would have suspected. Agent Scully was bound and gagged in a chair in the back corner, rigged with enough explosives to destroy the room. But what made Alex Krycek's jaw drop in amazement was her captor. It was his Russian confidant and comrade, Vassily Peskov. However, Peskov looked gravely sick. His skin was full of dreadful scars and painful lesions. His breathing was erratic, followed by the fact his eyes looked so red and sore. The sick man sat next to the unconscious Agent Scully, with a Dostova pistol in his left hand and the explosives trigger in his right hand. "Peskov. What's going on? What's happened to you?" Krycek asked him. "You happened, you sonuvabitch. When you destroyed the gulag, they captured every comrade you associated with and tortured us. I was subjected to the black cancer for the next few months, when finally they offered me the chance to redeem my usefulness in seeking vengeance. Upon you, upon these annoying agents, and these blasted X-Files." Krycek stood there speechless as he pondered the credibility of his old friend's story. Mulder observed the bizarre conversation and entered his darkened office with his gun drawn. Krycek reacted quickly and slammed his fist into Mulder's gut, causing him to lean forward. And with a sharp chop to the back of his neck, Mulder was out cold. Krycek removed Mulder's Sig-Sauer pistol and tucked it away as his own. Coughing gruffly, Peskov continued with the unpleasant conversation. "Arntzen, I do not have much time left. The black cancer has drained me. I knew this would be my last mission. Whether I accomplish it or not is of no concern to me. However, I will give you the opportunity to stop me. Its real simple. I'm going to count to three. You have until then to shoot and rid me of this painful disease. Otherwise, we all die right here by these explosives." Krycek cringed at his comrade's request for a quick death. But he didn't have much choice in the matter since Peskov started to count after he was done speaking. "One." "Two." Closing his eyes, Krycek pulled the gun out and shot Peskov right in the head. The explosive trigger fell clumsily from his clammy hands. The mission was over. Krycek dropped Mulder's gun next to him in shock. He felt absolutely awful for having to kill h is comrade. Not wanting to stick around for security to arrive, Alex Krycek made a quick exit through the well-fortified FBI Headquarters. FBI Headquarters Sunday March 14th, 1998 12:25 pm Scully sagged back in Mulder's desk chair while holding the melting ice pack against the bruise on her forehead. All she could remember was answering her door early in the morning, thinking maybe it was Mulder surprising her. She scolded herself for not c hecking through the peep hole first. But that was all over now. The would-be assassin was dead and the bombing attempt of the X-Files was averted. Mulder came into his office, half-surprised to see the number of forensic experts examining the office for clues to Krycek's whereabouts. Feeling there would be no solid leads to follow, Mulder considered the matter closed, temporarily. Instead, he sat hi mself down on the edge of his desk and discussed the situation with his injured partner. "Did they find Krycek yet?" she asked him optimistically. "Nope. However, the man shot across the street from my building was identified as a Russian diplomat. And the man found murdered at your place has been identified as an ex-marine, who mysteriously disappeared three years ago. Probably went to work undergr ound. Seems like all the details of Krycek's story fit together, in a bizarre sort of way." "So basically the double-crosser was doulble-crossed in his own game." "Yep. That's just about it. C'mon Scully. Let's let the forensics finish up in here. I'll treat you to some ice cream" Mulder said with a grin.