From: enigma806@aol.com Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2000 00:43:10 EDT Subject: xfc: NEW: Wonderchild (WIP) (1 of 1) {Kate Mulder series} Source: xfc AUTHORS: Kate Mulder, Alexa Krycek, Samantha, Sabalore, Hanna, Mel FEEDBACK TO: Enigma806@aol.com. I'll fwd it to the others. TITLE: Wonderchild SUMMARY: The Kate Mulder series begins with the saga that started it all! RATED: PG-13 to be safe. CATEGORY: Kind of an angsty humor, M/S married (although not present) DISCLAIMER: We don't own the regular XF crew. We own our own characters. It's late, I'm not in the mood for this. SPOILERS: None for Requiem, buncha little ones for season 1-6. ARCHIVE: Ok, just send the link. NOTES: This is the transcript of an RPG played out on the Official XF Forum at Delphi. The above authors were all participants. Each wrote their own character's part. I (Kate) translated it all into a fic, since this is essentially what started Kate Mulder. She was a character created for RPG and evolved from there. Since this was the first game I used her in, the character was still evolving. I only post this as a WIP because I have yet to find all the posts on Delphi. What I have here is up to the famous "Kate gets high" scene. The game was never finished, but I wrote an ending for it. The fic is written from Kate's POV because it's her series, and also because some of the game needed some background. No other reason. :) ----------------------------- Samantha Kate Mulder (Kate to everyone who knew her) was growing rather impatient. She had awoke four days earlier to find her mother's gold cross necklace sitting on the table with a note. "Kate-- We had to run, sorry there was no time to say goodbye. It shouldn't be long, just a day or two. You can take care of yourself, or you can go stay with Lyda if you want. Love you, sweetie--here's the necklace. We'll call. Love, Mom" This wasn't unusual around the Mulder household. Kate's parents were FBI agents, working for a rather...unique division of the Bureau. So they would often leave with little to no warning for a case. If it was much longer than a couple of days, they'd make arrangements, but since Kate had turned 16 they'd pretty much trusted her to watch out for herself and not burn down the house. Not that Kate burning down the house would be too likely...she was pyrophobic. No one was sure if it was inherited from her father or if it was just happenstance. Most people suspected the former...she was just like him in every other way. Whenever her parents would leave, Kate would wear her mother's necklace. It was a tradition between them, dating back to when Kate was three. No matter what happened, no matter how long they were separated, Kate would always have that link to her mother. It had been three days since her parents had left. It had been two days since she'd heard from either one of them. They weren't answering their cell phones. Kate was worried, especially since she'd tried to contact her usual information sources. Nothing there. Alex Krycek was rumored to have reappeared in the Southwest, which gave Kate the most concern. It was time to take matters into her own hands. She sat down at her computer, logged into her email, and began to type. She'd been something of a lurker on the particular list she was posting to now, but there was no time for apologies. It was a local area list...and people in the local area were likely to have heard of her parents, and possibly know them. And their story. "My name is Samantha Kate Mulder, and I am truly coming to you for the first time. With a plea. Call me Kate, though. My parents always have. I believe you might be aquainted with them--Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. I have generally been regarded as something of a miracle of modern medicine, my mother's "miracle baby", but that's irrelevent. What is relevent is that I'm 16 years old, and working out of Crystal City, Virgina. For now. Through their association with X-Files, my parents seem to have gotten themselves into trouble yet again. But I don't think they can get out of it alone this time. The Lone Gunmen (who have nicknamed me the "Wonderchild", considering my parentage)are strangely MIA. I fear for their safety as well. Walter Skinner cannot be reached. A man you might have heard of--Alex Krycek--is back, and I feel that he has to be involved somehow. I have no one. No one except you. Will you help me? I can't do this alone. If my parents are to survive this ordeal and not have it become their last, we must join forces. Who's with me? Kate" Ok, she'd lied. She was in Silver Spring, Maryland. But she didn't need anyone to follow her tracks right about now. And in that case, it could be more of a...campaign of misinformation. A hour later, Kate checked her email. There was a message! "I am! I am! --Samantha" Samantha...hmm. Ironic that help should come from someone with that particular name. But then, it could just be coincidence. She hit "reply" and began typing again. At least this wasn't a reply-all list. That simplified things somewhat. "Samantha-- Thank you. You have no idea how much it means to me. I have to find them...even if it's just the two of us...two's better than one. I do hope others will join my cause--I'm sorry, *our* cause now. But we can't wait forever... Kate" She left the computer on and the connection open, and went back upstairs to search the kitchen for some sunflower seeds. She had barely gotten there before she heard the cheery announcement, "Incoming Mail". (Langly had messed with the computer years ago to set this up. If AOL could pull the trick off, so could Ringo Langly.) For one of the first times, Kate regretted the computer being in the basement area. She flew across the kitchen and down the stairs, only stopping to click on her new message. It was then that she realized it might have simply been "Samantha" replying. It wasn't. It was help from a rather unexpected source. "You have me. Allow me to introduce myself. Alexa Krycek. Married to Alex Krycek, though he'd never admit to it. Nor would I, truth be known. Only thing our marriage has resulted in is our six year-old twins, Kita and Alexander, Jr. They'll be seven in October. I know I could be killed for this. I don't care. I believe that Mulder and Scully are the ones I must work with, and nothing will get me to align myself with my husband's twisted causes. I wish you luck, Kate. You have my assistance. Alexa" Kate sat down in shock. Not only was Alex Krycek married with children, his wife was working against him. A tiny voice in her mind told her this could be a trap, but she honestly didn't believe so. Kate had learned to trust her instincts over the years. She typed out an answer to Alexa's letter. "You have no idea how much I appreciate this, Alexa. You'll be most helpful--after all, I could really use the perspective of someone who knows Alex Krycek. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. This is a somewhat covert operation to begin with. My parents are in grave danger, I believe." She paused for a moment, and clutched at the cross hanging at her throat. She hoped that God--if he was listening--would see fit to protect them. She continued with her reply. "I'm getting nervous, very nervous. Perhaps I'd feel better if I knew were the Lone Gunmen were. Part of me wants to believe that they've just run off on some crazy adventure out near Roswell or something--but I don't think that's the case. I'm going to wait a little longer...see how many others join our quest...but then we have to go. We have to hurry. Because, frankly, if anything happens to my parents...I'm not sure what I'll do. Kate" Alexa's reply came minutes later. "Don't worry, Kate. We'll win. We have no choice but to believe that. If we don't, we're dead already. As for the Lone Gunmen, last I heard, Byers was somewhere in Maine, Frohike was in Alaska, and Langly ran for Hawaii about a week ago. I can probably get in touch with them if you need me to. I have a bit of a past--oh, all right, former relationship and a sixteen-year-old daughter with Byers. Maybe I should introduce you and my daughter. But I digress. We will find your parents, and we will save them, and we will win. I promise. Alexa" Kate began to feel a tiny bit better. While she was reading Alexa's letter, another came from Samantha. "I just realized, I didn't even tell you who I am. I met Mulder about 17 years ago--he and your mother (whom I've known since birth) solved an interesting little ghost story with me and my friend Shanda in '00. You probably don't remember me, but I was there when you were born. Actually, most everyone was there when you were born. You're an anomaly, my young friend. Langly (who *was* in Hawaii--with me) Byers, and Frohike are right, you are a wonderchild. Don't worry, sweetheart. We'll find your parents... or die trying. Never fear. ~~Samantha " Kate replied to both of them, and got them in contact with each other. Now things were getting underway. She also began to feel a glimmer of hope. Minutes later, her inbox was hopping again. Alexa's and Samantha's next messages came within minutes of each other. Kate was trying to figure out a battle plan before she sent her next email. "I just got a call from Byers. Left a message on my machine. At least, I think it was Byers. I had to run the message through several filters just to get rid of all the static. If it was a fake, we are in deeper trouble than I first thought and must move now. But how would the person--if it was a fake--have known about Byers' daughter--my daughter--Alexis? I'm worried now. Alexa" "According to Langley, Byers hasn't told anyone about his involvment with you, except him and Frohike--I didn't even know until you told us. Where are you? Maybe we should set up a meeting. There's saftey in numbers. ~~Samantha" "I'm hopping around the country. Actually, I just hopped out of Maine. I should be in Chicago for a few days, but if we have to leave, I'll be heading back to D.C. Byers has his reasons for keeping it a secret. Suffice it to say I was far too young for him, but it was just one of those attractions that is not meant to be denied--sort of like Mulder and Scully's. Alexa" The next letter surprised Kate. It wasn't from Samantha or Alexa--but rather a different ally. "Hi, Katie-- I'll join your cause I am one of the ones who were present when you were born. I was there with my husband Charles Scully. I believe you know him? :) I know your mother pretty well, Kate; we're very good friends. I'll stick to the phone for the news of the Lone Gunmen and I will join and help trying to find your parents, or--as the others have said--die trying. My name's Hanna, for everyone else. Sincerely, Me" Kate was rather surprised. Her Aunt Hanna? Who knew? Alexa replied quickly. "Welcome, Hanna. It's good to have another person helping us. And, Kate, see? You are not alone. You have others willing to fight for you. I confess, though, that my motives are not completely pure. I am fighting for you and your parents, of course, but I am also fighting for my children. I have to apologize for lying, but I trust you can understand my motives. I knew your mother, as well. We never were the best of friends. We were never particularly close, though, and that was something we both regretted. But Alex wouldn't let me befriend your mother, though I desperately wanted to. It was his way of telling me who *our* (really his) enemies were. I hope we can find them. And I'm trying to get in touch with my daughter Alexis. She may know something about her father. I'm also trying to get in touch with my twins, Nicky and Kita. They're both in college now, so...If I said they were just little children, that was a lie. I have to be so careful of who I can trust. Alexa" Kate wasn't about to argue with those motives. She smiled and hit "reply all". "Thank you. I'm an anomaly, huh, Samantha? Somehow Mom never told me about that... Thank you all again; I can't say it enough. I'm glad you at least know something about my background. It helps. I believe that with your help, and anyone else who may join, we'll find them. Or, as you said, die trying. I also want to know more about this whole business with Langly! Hanna! Good to have you with us. Don't give Charles too much information about what we're doing though--we don't need him worrying. I'm worrying enough for us all, thankyaverymuch. I'm glad you're with me. Strength in numbers. We can't delay any longer--unless anyone has any major objections, we should leave in the morning. Everyone, meet me in front of FBI Headquarters. I need to pick up a few things--and, besides, it's one of the few places I can guarantee our relative safety. I understand your motives, Alexa. No good deed is without ulterior motives. Deep Throat told my father best--TRUST NO ONE! I understand. In fact, I haven't been completely honest myself. I don't live in Crystal City, but Silver Spring, MD. Small lie, but necessary to throw those who would oppose us off track. It's like Daddy always told me, you resist 'em, or you end up serving 'em. God, I hope they're okay. Contact LGM for me if you can...I think we'll have a secure connection. I'm using a few tricks Langly taught me a few years back. And is it just me, or was *everyone* there when I was born? Mom's tried to shelter me from the worst of the stuff most of my life--please, if you know something I don't, let me know. It may just prove vital." She looked at the clock. A whole day almost, gone already. It was nearly 8:00 p.m. She sighed, and closed her letter. "I must go for the night. I need to do some research, make travel plans. Feel free to leave messages, I'll pick them up later. If you know of anyone else who wants to join our cause, just let me know. I'd be more than happy to have you. Even still, I need all the help I can get. We all do! Kate" Kate went upstairs to the main area of the house, grabbed a suitcase, and started packing. Mainly she just threw clothes and other needed items in. After everything was taken care of, she went back down to check her email. There were a few messages pertaining to the current situation...everything else, she ignored. "I'll be there. If we need to, we can use my office. Yes, I work for the FBI. I also have a few--ahem--*non-legal* sources we can use should the need arise. Like Terry Edward Mayhew. He's a Virginia militia leader. Your father met him for all of ten minutes once...the point is, he'll help us no matter what. I dated him once, but that's a long story. With my life, isn't everything? Alexa" "Well, thanks for letting me know. I won't tell Charles anything...I'll tell him I've just gone to visit a friend or something. See you in the morning. Hanna" "I'll be in my office early in the morning, if you want to stop by before we all meet up. Alexa" "I'll be there... and I assume I'm bringing Langly. He's anxious to see you and he thinks he can find Frohike. ~~Samantha" Kate thought about these messages, and sent her reply before going to bed--not that she really thought she'd sleep. "Let's meet in Alexa's office; it'll be safer. You'll find me fairly easily...I'll be the nervous-looking short brown haired chick. My father's looks, my mother's height. Figures. I'll email Charles and Bill, give them the usual "hi how ya doin' we're all ok" line...I think my grandmother (Margaret) is already onto us. But she won't care--much. As long as everything works out. And it will; I have to believe it. I don't think this link is as secure as it once was, though. As Frohike so often warns me, "Big Brother might be listening." The truth is definitely "out there"--out there being wherever my parents are. Yeah. Bring Langly and Frohike. Please. We'll need them. I'll try to find Byers--unless you know how to contact him, Alexa. If any others want to join us, we'll take 'em as we get 'em. We need to hurry. We've wasted too much time already. I'll return in a few hours. And then we can figure out which direction to start out in. New Mexico's a little obvious, I'm thinking... Kate" She sent the emails to Charles and Bill, then headed upstairs again. It was going to be one very long night. XXXXXXXX Before catching a ride to the J. Edgar Hoover building the next morning, Kate checked her email. She also grabbed her mother's laptop--there was a good chance they'd need it. "Hey guys I think I got something big. I have a letter from a source and we're meeting in a place called Culiacan. It's in Mexico, so I won't be able to be with you in like two weeks. I'm leaving tomorrow and I hope I can get here before two weeks but I am not sure. I'll do my best searching for your parents, Kate--and the truth. Well, bye. I'll come back--hopefully with very good information that would help us. We're going to make it. Hanna" Hmm...Hanna was going to Mexico to meet an informant. Kate wished her luck, and went on to the next message. "New Mexico IS a bit obvious, but as a...contact...of mine once said, 'Sometimes the obvious is the best thing to hide in.' Anyway, don't worry. If my partner Daniel does recognize you, it's nothing. He's cool. Your mother and father did work with him for a short time, and your father seemed to like him. If we need someone inside the Bureau to help us--you never know, we might--he would be our best bet. Besides, ever hear of Ribisi International Electronics? His family owns it, so if we bring Daniel in, or ever need his assistance on something, we'll be set. I trust him. Hell, even that SOB I call my husband trusts him. Hanna? I wish you luck. Take care of yourself. Alexa" Kate sent a quick reply before leaving. "Alex Krycek TRUSTS someone? Whoa, who knew? I say we bring Daniel in, if possible. I need all the help I can get. WE do. Hanna's going to Mexico for us...I'm sure Charles will be thrilled. The strangest thing just happened to me, though. I was doing some research, like I said--and then I got a phone call. On my cell phone (yes, I'm my parents' child on that one...hopelessly addicted to the wonderful little technology miracles...). Thing was, it sounded JUST like my mother. And she knew stuff. Like that my birthday's September 25...that I have her necklace while she's away...even the address and directions to the house! I'm scared. Sure, a lot of this stuff could be public knowledge, but it couldn't have been her...the line was staticky...Mom has never once in all my 16 years of life called me from the absolute middle of nowhere just to chat. And she told me to hurry. How would she know I was coming? That's why I don't think it was her. And, besides, Mom always tells me where she's at...I got nada. Zip. Zilch. NOTHING. I think you might be right, Alexa. I think the most obvious place may be where we need to look. And if I know my father, he's probably dragged my mother out somewhere near Roswell. But we need to move, and quickly. I'll be there shortly. Kate" She headed out the door, locking it behind her. She'd been sure to turn everything off before she left. It might be a long time before she got back. XXXXXXXX Kate reached Alexa's office in record time, considering she was depending upon public transportation. Her parents had one of the cars with them, and had taken the spare keys to the other. Probably to keep her from trying to brave the Beltway on her own (as if she hadn't before, but she appreciated their concern). The two women she assumed had to be Alexa and Samantha looked up as she walked into the room. "Kate, I presume?" the taller of the two asked. Her brown hair was about shoulder length, and she had a distinctly Russian look to her. "Alexa?" Kate asked. "Well, we've got each other straight now, this is Samantha." Alexa hopped off the edge of the desk. "I tried to call Daniel, he's out of town. If we really need him, though, he can be reached. I see you've brought your things, good. We should leave soon. If my husband really is involved, we're not going to have a whole lot of time. My stuff and Samantha's are in the car." The blonde-haired woman, Samantha, smiled. "Don't worry, we'll find them." Kate smiled back at her and nodded, then turned back to Alexa. "So you're driving?" Alexa nodded. "Good. We've gotta hurry, I've got a bad feeling about this. Keep in mind, I *am* Fox Mulder's daughter. I've got nothing on the 'master', but they never called me 'Lil' Spooky' for nothing." She sighed. "I *would* drive, but I was recently informed that my 'little feet' might not reach the pedals." If only she could figure out why her mother had started laughing so hard when her father had said that... "I'll drive," Alexa said, "but to quote Morris Fletcher--the most annoying man I know, but a good friend to those he deigns to talk to--'Damn, woman, you're gonna get us killed!'" She noticed Kate and Samantha's twin looks of alarm, and chuckled. "Don't worry, I was only driving that way to make him mad. And it worked." "Thanks for driving," Kate answered. "And I'D probably get us killed. We should leave now--it'll take us all night to get to Roswell. At least. And that's not counting stops for food and gas and other *necessities*--maybe afternoon, we'll get there. I dunno. I'm getting in the car, don't mind me if I sleep on the way. You can have the front seat, Samantha--it'll leave me more room in the back." She shrugged. "Which I don't take much of." "How tall are you, anyway?" Samantha asked, sizing her up. They were in the parking garage by now, and only had to find Alexa's car before their trip was underway. Kate looked back at her. "I'm 5' 3 and 3/4", and I'm proud of that 3/4 inch!" She sighed. "Hanna's probably on her way to Mexico right now. I don't think that was my mother on the phone, but on this day and age, ya never know." They'd found the car. Kate, Alexa, and Samantha climbed in and buckled their seatbelts. Alexa grinned. "Let's get this show on the road." Kate nodded, setting up her mother's laptop. "Yeah, let's go. I'm gonna access Daddy's email account and email the school office--let them know I won't be in for a few days. At least. I've got more important stuff to worry about than geometry and grammar!" "Yeah," Alexa said, only half-joking, "you're about to get a lesson in Government Conspiracy 101." Kate glanced up from the computer screen. "You know, it's funny you should mention Morris Fletcher...I was thinking that if we didn't have any luck in Roswell, we should try Dreamland..." "Sure," Alexa agreed, "but if we have to go to Dreamland, lemme handle Fletcher. I've kicked his ass a few times--long story. I'll tell it later. He respects me, if nothing else. I'll e-mail your school office for you if you need me to." "That's okay," Kate responded, "I'm almost fnished, but thanks. Are the Lone Gunmen meeting us in Roswell or are we picking them up?" "I know Langly's meeting us there," Samantha mused. He said something about sightseeing...Maybe Alexa's heard from Byers..." "All Byers has said to me is that he'll meet us there," Alexa answered. She sighed. "John never was much for talking...oh, wait. That's personal." A wicked grin crossed her face. "Have either of you heard anything from Frohike?" Samantha asked. "I'm starting to get kind of worried about him." "I know, Samantha, I'm worried about Frohike too" Kate pulled her chestnut-brown hair out of her face. "I only hope he hasn't run off trying to save my parents himself. I don't care who you are, that's the surest way to get yourself killed." She glanced back up. "Oh, and Lexa? Morris Fletcher? You're welcome to him." Kate shut down the laptop, and curled up. She hadn't gotten much sleep before, and she had a long trip ahead. It made a reasonable amount of sense. "Wake me when we stop for lunch..." XXXXXXXX The rest of the trip to New Mexico was fairly uneventful. Samantha and Alexa switched off on the driving, and one catnapped while the other one drove. Kate went to sleep a few times, but occupied much of her time trying to access her mother's passoword-protected files to see if she could gain any insight into the disappearances. About 11:00 the morning after they'd left, Kate glanced around out the car window. " Oh--finally, we're in Albuquerque. That's, what, another hour and a half outta Roswell? Jeez, what'd we do, speed? Not that this is a problem--with the proper FBI credentials... " She shrugged, and got out of the car--they'd stopped to buy gas. She streched her legs, short as they may have been. "I'm just glad we stopped at this gas station. I needed to get out of the car for a few minutes..." She headed inside. Samantha was just waking up...Alexa smiled at the teenager as she headed in. Kate came out with a small package in her hand. "I can't believe they were out of sunflower seeds! But you guys might want to go inside. There's a real nice Indian guy running the place along with this other Mexican guy...he's pretty nice too. I brought a little chow." She noticed Alexa's amused expression. "Okay, it's a brownie. So sue me. I'm not a health food nut. It's pretty good." She took another bite and shrugged. "Kinda got a little zing to it, but it's pretty good." XXXXXXXX Twenty minutes later, Alexa and Samantha exchanged a glance with each other as Kate giggled uncontrollably. "Whoa, man--sorry, woman, this is cool...you know, the colors in the desert are so vivid..." Kate was pretty much rambling by this point. "Maybe taking a break before goin' on to Roswell wasn't so bad...LET'S KICK SOME ALIEN BUTT!" She sighed melodramatically. "If only Daddy could see me now..." Alexa sighed herself. She hadn't thought of the fact that the brownies could have been laced, what with the Mexican drug cartels in the area. She was now seeing the effects of that. She figured it was peyote--that's what they were using recently. And, besides, she'd seen a peyote high firsthand before. Of course, the personality types were vastly different... Kate went on, coming over to sit down next to her newfound friends. She looked Alexa straight in the eyes and began to tell her story. "C'mon, Lexie, you gotta listen to this. It's very important." "Go ahead, Kate," Alexa said, wondering what was possibly to come next. Kate leaned over. "You know, I'm kinda tired of just sitting on this rock! I want to SING! And, wouldn't you know, Daddy told me once about this song Mom used to sing out in the woods--I think it was about an alcoholic frog. Yes, it was about a very happy little alcoholic frog. His name was Jerry Myuh--or something like that. And he loved to bring joy to everyone, boy or girl--especially his dear friends, the little fishies. Who, coincedentally, lived in the deep blue sea. I can't remember how the song goes or even the name...but, dang, that was a nice little frog." Samantha was nearly beside herself with laughter at this point...Alexa even had to chuckle. She kept a close eye on Kate as the teenager pushed away, and began to wander off. She'd started to sing. "Frosty, the snowman...something, something, hmmm, hmmm, la de dah...baby sharks ate him, or maybe they didn't, but, hell, I don't know the words..." Alexa chuckled. "Kate, girl, you are so much your father's daughter. He used to annoy me and your mother by doing goofy things like that all day." She considered this. "Course, he wasn't high at the time, but it was still...oh, never mind." She had to get this kid somewhere relatively safe--before she hurt herself. Noticing the looks Samantha and Alexa were giving her, Kate allowed herself to be led back to the car and helped into the backseat. Alexa smiled at Samantha as she started the car, as Kate declared herself Queen of Nice Little Alcoholic Frogs Named Jerry. She passed out a few moments later. Alexa continued to grin at Kate, then looked back to Samantha. "I learned something back in 2003 after a road trip with Byers and Frohike. I'm actaully not sure where Langly was... Moral of the story? Quickest way to get Byers to loosen up? Feed him a steady stream of peyote. Frohike and I fed it to him from here all the way to Bangor, Maine. The man was higher than a freakin' kite by the time we got him to Maine." Samantha laughed. "Why were you guys going to Maine?" Alexa thought about it. "You know, I don't remember, really..." XXXXXXXX