From: "Richard E. Wahlquist" <74720.1275@compuserve.com> Date: Fri, 8 May 1998 18:53:17 -0400 Subject: The Return of Krycek(1/1) By Kirsten Wahlquist and Ruth Burr Title: The Return of Krycek Authors: Ruth Burr and Kirsten Wahlquist E-Mail: dkscully@softhome.net Distribution Statement: Go ahead! Spoiler Warning: None, I don't think Rating: PG-13 for potty mouth language and violence Content Warnings: None. Classification: T, possibly H Summary: Teamed up with the newly reinstated Krycek, our favorite agents head to Issaquah, Washington to deal with a communist plot involving an English teacher. Disclaimer: Not ours! Not ours! See? Not ours! Authors Note: Ruth: Many, many in-jokes, you wouldn't understand. Kirsten: Sorry about Ruth, she just feels taller that way . I'll try and explain some of it, because there is a *big* backstory to this. Mrs. Watson really is our English teacher. Everyone in this story really exists, except for Comrades Ofoffonover and Anteater. Well, George, Pat, and Ruth would argue that one all day. We grew to . dislike . our English teacher because she had a tendency to be touchy (Mrs. Watson, if you're reading this. George did it!!). George, Pat, Ruth and I came up with this whole conspiracy. For anyone who's wondering, yes, Ofoffonover was named after four prepositions in alphabetical order(*long* story). Yes, I have seen 'Grease' fifteen and a half times, until my VCR broke last week. The 'whale' joke refers to a quote from David Duchovny, for anyone who has read "The Duchovny Files." I won't type it here, in the interests of those who aren't perverts. Oh, and *yes* that is *the* Issaquah High School, for those of you who watch CNN, and we're really not prejudiced like that. It was *not* a hate crime. Just had to get that out. Well, enough rambling. Read on, and, as always, comments are welcomed with open arms at dkscully@softhome.net! The Return of Krycek By Ruth Burr and Kirsten Wahlquist "Agent Mulder, could you come in here?" Skinner said into the intercom. He turned to the men standing at his desk. "I really don't like this," he said. One man just smiled and lit his cigarette. The other muttered what sounded like the Russian equivalent of "screw you." Skinner waited patiently as Mulder entered the room. A surprised look flashed across his face when he spotted the dark-haired man sitting in front of the desk. It quickly faded to a scowl as Skinner motioned for him to have a seat. "Agent Mulder, I'm sure you remember Alex Krycek." Mulder muttered something that ended in 'bastard,' then said, "Yes, sir." Skinner tried not to smile. "We've decided to reinstate him. He'll be working with you and Agent Scully on that Seattle case. Understood?" Mulder let out an audible sigh and looked down at his hands. All of a sudden, his head shot up. "Sir, why is he being reinstated? He killed my father and Agent Scully's sister!" Skinner leapt to his feet. "Agent Mulder, I am your Assistant Director! It is not for you to question my judgment or that of my superiors! Now, I ask you one more time, *do you understand*?" Clenching his teeth, Mulder looked indignantly at his boss. "Yes, sir," he growled, his eyes flicking back and forth between Skinner and Krycek. He groaned inwardly at the thought. In the elevator, he surreptitiously studied his new 'partner.' In his suit and tie, he looked almost exactly like the na‹ve rookie agent he'd once been. Almost. The look in his eyes was harder, less trusting. His stance was more confident. he thought, following Krycek to the office. As he pushed open the door, Mulder saw Scully sitting at his desk. She looked up at him, and set down the file that she was looking over. When she saw Mulder's clearly angry face, she frowned in confusion. "What's wrong?" Before he could reply, she saw Krycek. Her blue eyes got very wide. She turned pale, then red. "What the *fuck* is he doing here?" Without waiting for an answer, she got up and started advancing on Krycek, who looked a bit scared. "Did that tar-sucking son-of-a-bitch set this up? Is this some kind of twisted joke?" She was practically yelling. Mulder blocked her path as her hands curled into fists. She was ready to fight, an extremely rare thing for her. Mulder grabbed Scully forcefully by the arm to hold her back. It seemed odd having to restrain the person who usually had to keep him in line. "Scully," he said, trying to keep his voice even. "Agent Krycek will be working with us when we go to Seattle. He's been reinstated, and our superiors think his expertise in teen psychology would be helpful on our case. Remember? The high school in, um, Issaquah?" Scully let out a long-held breath and glared steadily at Krycek. "Yeah, I remember," she spat, trying to control her anger. Krycek swallowed hard and took a step backward. "Look," he said. "I don't pretend to think you like this, or me. And I know that what apologies I may make, neither of you will ever forgive me. But we're stuck with each other. We may as well make the best of it. Now, what's the deal with this case? Something about communist freshmen and alien abductions?" With a sigh of resentment, Mulder picked up the case file. "In Issaquah, Washington, there has been a report of an alien abduction. From what's been discovered, a teacher and several students are communist." "Something I'm sure you know a lot about," Scully said. To her surprise, Krycek agreed. "Yes, my time in Russia gave me adequate means for study." He grinned, proud that he'd deflected her insult. "Shall we go?" Scully narrowed her eyes angrily and stalked out of the room. Mulder ran after her. With an amused shrug, Krycek followed them out and shut the door behind him. Five tension-filled hours later, they arrived in Seattle. After checking into their hotel, they made their way to Issaquah, or more precisely, Issaquah High. As they walked toward the spacious entrance, they passed four teen: a blonde girl in the arms of a tall boy, and two other girls, a blonde and a redhead. The single blonde let out a low whistle at the sight of the handsome agents, and the redhead licked her lips. The other blonde whispered, "pretty, pretty men" to the dismay of her boyfriend. Mulder and Krycek tried to suppress smiles. Scully pursed her lips and walked on, but several catcalls erupted from a group of boys. They made their way to the main office. Posters lined the walls, advertising activities and other pertinent information. Students milled everywhere; school had just let out. "We're supposed to see the vice principal," Mulder said. "A Zena Ingles." "Her name is *Zena*?" Scully and Krycek said in unison. "Yup." They entered the office, and Mulder approached the desk. In the car, they'd decided to only say they were from the FBI if they really had to. "I'm Fox Mulder, this is Dana Scully and Alex Krycek. We're here to see Ms. Ingles." "I'm Ms. Ingles," said a short blonde woman. "You must be the FBI agents. Follow me." She led them to classroom #P-5. A grey-haired woman and several students were waiting for them. Mulder groaned inwardly to all the three girls from outside, as well as another Asian boy and a really short boy. "Are we in trouble?" the redhead asked. "This is Alex Krycek, Dana Scully, and I'm Fox Mulder." Someone there muttered something about bring a fox under her breath, and Mulder's face turned a nice shade of scarlet. Inside, Scully was thinking the same thing. "Hey!" the shorter blonde said, pointing at Scully. "She's got one!" Not bothering to explain, she ran behind Scully and tried to look at the back of her neck. "Come see this, guys!" Scully squirmed away, and the grey-haired woman's face grew red. "Ruth, sit down!" she roared. Ruth shuffled back to her desk and sat sheepishly. "I'm Mrs. Watson," the woman said. The Asian boy snorted, and she glared at him. "These are my students, Genevieve-" she pointed to the redhead-" Kirsten-" the other blonde-"Patrick-" the short boy- "George-" the Asian boy- "and you already met Ruth. Now, what can I do for you?" "I know what I'd like to do for him," Genevieve muttered. The girls burst out laughing. When Mrs. Watson shot them a warning glance, they silenced immediately, although they were still grinning maniacally. Mrs. Watson returned her attention to the task at hand. Krycek cleared his throat. "We'd like to ask your students some questions." "Okay." "Um, we'd prefer that you leave." She stormed out in a huff. Krycek sat on the edge of Ruth's desk. "Now, Ruth-" "Yes?" she asked, batting her eyelashes. "Tell me about your-um-*abduction*?" he said, staring at the report he'd been reading in disbelief. Ruth gave him a funny look. "You're not one of those people who will make me tell my story then laugh at me, are you?" Krycek snorted softly and shook his head. "No," he answered truthfully. "I just want the facts." "O-tay," she said cheerfully. "I was walking home from the bus, on, um, I think it was a Monday, and I was by myself. All of a sudden, there was a big, flashy light thing-" she waved her hands to illustrate-"and I blacked out. When I woke up, I was on a ship, and they made my stomach really big for awhile, until they cloned me. They changed my hair to match my clones' hair. Then, they sent my clone to be in my place for awhile, but Patrick noticed, didn't you, Patrick?" The short boy nodded vigorously. "So, Comrade Anteater decided that I didn't have to die, so he sent me back. I got this implant in my neck, but it's made of synthetic fibers, so it doesn't set off metal detectors, not like hers," she concluded pointing at Scully. Scully instinctively brought her hand to the back of her neck, then dropped it at her side. She bit her lip and looked at Mulder. His eyes were focused on Ruth. "How do you remember all this?" he queried. She shrugged. "It's a gift. Comrade Ofoffonover says-" "-Now, really, that's enough," said Mrs. Watson, bursting through the door. "George, didn't you have something to say about Ruth's so-called abduction?" George shrugged and looked down at the desk. "What about it?" Mrs. Watson continued, her face portraying the fact that she had said something she probably shouldn't have. "I think you said something about it and was asking you to share it." "No, I don't think so," George said. Mrs. Watson turned the same color as a radish. "Ok," she said angrily. "Well, said Mulder, sensing that something was being hidden, "we'll be in touch. Please make yourself available for further questioning." The students nodded, grabbed their backpacks and rushed out the door. Mulder snorted, remembering how eager he'd always been to get out of school. With a curt nod, the agents followed them out. Krycek, though, stayed behind for a moment. "You know, you remind me of a woman I heard about when I was in Russia. Her name was Comrade Watsoff." Mrs. Watson went white. Krycek noted her reaction and grinned. "Nice meeting you, Mrs. Wat*son*." ~~~~~ As Mulder and Scully walked to the car, Mulder shook his head. "I don't believe her, Scully." Scully remained silent for a moment. "I do," she said softly. At Mulder's surprised glance, she continued. "How else would she know...?" Her voice trailed off. Krycek came running up. "Where were you?" Scully asked. "Oh, nowhere," he replied cryptically. A scowl swept over Scully's face and she looked away. Mulder dropped the subject. "So, Krycek, What did you think of Ms. Burr's story?" "Well, I don't know, I mean, she did know about Scully, but her story was kind of...silly." "Yeah, no kidding," Mulder said. "But I do think that teacher's hiding something. Besides, she was so cute, it's hard to believe she'd make that up," Krycek finished. Scully didn't say anything, but she was thinking At that point, they had reached the front of the school. Ruth, Kirsten, and Genevieve were left, waiting for their rides home. Ruth and Kirsten had broken into song. "We go together, like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong!" Scully rolled her eyes and looked at Mulder, who was obviously trying to keep from laughing out loud. The three girls watched them until they got into the car before turning to each other. "So what do you think?" Gen asked. "Oooh, hello sweeties!" Ruth exclaimed. "I have never seen such tight asses in my whole life!" "Did you see that one guy?" Kirsten asked. "I bet he's a *whale*!" They giggled. "They didn't believe me, though," Ruth said morosely. "The woman did," Kirsten reminded her. "Yeah." "Hey," Kirsten continued, "at least they didn't call you a liar outright." "That's true." They fell silent, waiting for their rides home. ~~~~~ "Hello, Comrade Watsoff," Comrade Anteater said. "I'm sure you remember my colleague, Comrade Ofoffonover." "Hi," Comrade Watsoff said nervously. "What's the problem?" he asked, not bothering to return her greeting. "Well, um, Ruth and Comrade Carlisle and Comrade Huang and Kirsten are prepared to tell the agents everything. And, um, one of the agents recognized me." "Who?" they said in unison. "Agent, um, Kry something..." "*Alex* *Krycek*?" "Yeah." "As in, Aleksandr Samyanovich Krycek?" "Yeah... oh, *shit*," Comrade Watsoff said, recognizing the name of the KGB's most infamous defector. Comrade Anteater glared at Watsoff. "You *let* him get away?" he roared. Watsoff took a step back. "I want you to bring him to me alive... or dead." Comrade Watsoff grinned. "When I bring him to you, what will you do to him?" "Oh, the usual," Ofoffonover said nonchalantly. ~~~~~ The next day, Mulder and Scully went shopping while Krycek headed back to the school. He wandered amongst the classrooms, looking for Mrs. Watson's room. It was fairly quiet, only the occasional talking or footsteps pierced the silence since class was in session. The weather was actually nice, contrary to Seattle's usual grey, rainy sky. Suddenly, he heard a noise. He whirled around, hand on his weapon. He could see Ruth and Kirsten standing together. They were chanting something. he thought. He crept closer, until he could hear what they were saying. "Rama lama lama, ka dinga da dinga dong! Shoo bop shoo wadda wadda yippidy boom de boom! Chang chang, a-changity sha bop! Dip da dip da dip doo-wop da boom de boom! Boogity boogity boogity boogity shoobie doo wop sha bop! Sha na na na na na na na yippity dip de doo! A Wop bop-a-loo-bop, a WOP BAM BOOM!" They laughed, and Krycek relaxed. It was just a song. Just then, a petite, sandy-blond woman with wavy hair walked by. "Oh, no. Not again," she moaned. Ruth and Kirsten broke into peals of laughter as the woman rolled her eyes. "How many times have you seen Grease?" "Fifteen and a half!" crowed Kirsten. "Four," Ruth said. "You learned that from just four times?" "No, I learned it from Kirsten!" More laughs. Krycek chuckled and started to turn away. "Hey!" he heard Kirsten yell. "You're that guy from yesterday! Hi!" He walked back toward them. "Can you tell me where Com-er-Mrs. Watson's room is?" "Sure." Kirsten and Ruth started off, Krycek just a step behind. "We were just going back to her room." Soon, the lone portable was in view. "We have her for English this period." He followed them inside and was about to approach the teacher when a blast of music came over the intercom. Following it were a bunch of miscellaneous weird announcements. By the time they were over, Comrade Watsoff had started class. Krycek waited until second period was over, then walked into the classroom. When Mrs. Watson saw him, she looked startled, then smiled craftily. "Mrs. Watson, I have a few more questions for you, if you don't mind." "Of course, *Aleksandr.*" He raised his eyebrows at her. "It's Agent Krycek, please." "Whatever you say. Oh, could you do me a favor?" "Sure. What?" She pulled out a gun and pointed it at him. "Put your hands above your head." Taken aback, Krycek slowly lifted his hands into the air. "What are you doing?" he asked nervously. "Shut up," she hissed. Krycek could hear students going by outside, and wished someone would stumble into the room right then. "Turn around and put your hands against the white board. Take it slow." He did so, wishing fervently that he had told Mulder and Scully where he was going. Comrade Watsoff frisked him, removing his sidearm and the knife in his boot. Then, she grabbed his handcuffs and secured his hands behind him. "All right, let's go. No sudden moves." She threw his coat over his shoulders, concealing his cuffed hands. "Where are you taking me?" Watsoff began to shove him toward the door, then stopped. "Don't make a move," she ordered. Striding to the phone, she picked it up and dialed the office. "Hi, this is Lavonne Watson. I'm not feeling too well, I'm going to need a sub for the rest of the day." She finished the arrangements, and started back to Krycek. With a nod of her head, she urged him forward, out the door. As they walked to her car, they passed Ruth, Genevieve, and Kirsten. "Hi, Mrs. Watson, Hi, Mr. Krycek." "Hi, girls," Mrs. Watson said, jamming her concealed gun even harder into his back. He smiled weakly at them. "Where are you going?" "Oh, Mr. Krycek just remembered some questions he needs to ask me. You'll have a sub in fifth period, Ruth. We'd better go." "Nice seeing you again," he said, looking at them pleadingly. When they had left, Ruth turned to Kirsten. "Something was wrong." "Yeah, we'd better follow them." The three girls began to tail the two adults, trying to be as subtle as possible. When they climbed into a car, Ruth and Kirsten grew frustrated. "How are we going to follow them?" Kirsten exclaimed softly. Her face portrayed her clear annoyance. Ruth was about to suggest calling the police when the adults got out of the car, Mrs. Watson carrying a bag. From their hiding place behind a blue jeep, the three could see their teacher shoving the handsome agent around and caught a glimpse of a gun. Genevieve let out a small squeak at the sight of the weapon. The girls followed the unlikely pair onto, of all things, a bus. "Why would they take a bus?" Kirsten muttered after they had boarded a bus and crouched behind a seat. They could barely make out what Mrs. Watson was saying to the agent. "...Anteater ...my superiors... traitor..." The three girls looked wide-eyed at each other and huddled down, well out of sight. "Traitor?" Kirsten mouthed at Ruth, a question on her face. "George was right!" Genevieve exclaimed, wide-eyed. "I bet Krycek used to work for Ofoffonover just like Mrs. Watson!" Ruth explained. "So if he's a traitor, that must mean he left them to work with the fine guy and the abductee woman!" Kirsten and Genevieve nodded. "So, if she's got him," she continued, "then they're probably gonna..." They looked at each other, pale. "We gotta help him!" Genevieve whispered. Kirsten and Ruth nodded vigorously, and they sat in thought for quite some time. They could hear Mrs. Watson and Krycek shuffling around. How were three high school girls going to fight off a horde of communists? They weren't even armed, except for hairclips and a sick sense of humor. Mrs. Watson and her prisoner got off the bus in the U. District and walked a couple blocks to an office building. The girls got in the doors just in time to see the elevator doors close. They looked above the elevator. "Eighth floor!" they exclaimed. "Let's go!" "Wait!" Ruth said. "I gotta make a phone call." She dug a quarter out of her pocket, along with Mulder's business card. She could hear the phone ring twice before Agent Mulder picked up. "Mulder." "Agent Mulder? This is Ruth Burr, we met at I.H.S.? Well, umm..." she told him what had happened. "...And we're here in this building and we think they're gonna kill him..." "Hang on. We'll be right there." Ruth heard him hang up, then hung up and went back to Kirsten and Gen. "Mulder's on his way," she informed them. Kirsten smiled weakly and tried to crack a joke. "Pretty, pretty man." "Yeah. Speaking of which, we should go up and keep an eye on Mr. Krycek. He's way too hot to die," Genevieve said, grinning nervously. They took the elevator to the eighth floor. They stepped off into a long hall with doors all along it. "Where do we go?" Kirsten asked, frustrated. Her questions were answered by the sound of a slap and a harsh cry from about three doors down. "I'm guessing there." Before any of them could move, the door opened and a middle-aged man stepped out. "I thought I heard something," he said. "Won't you come in, girls?" Gulping with fear, the trio walked into the room. The only other people in the room were Mrs. Watson and Krycek, who was tied to a chair and bleeding from a cut high on his forehead. Genevieve was shaking, but Kirsten and Ruth managed to bottle their emotions. Krycek looked up at them, surprised that they had followed them. "Well, look who's paying us a little visit," Watson sneered. "Aren't your..." she glanced at the clock,"...fourth period teachers going to miss you?" She paused, thinking. "Oh, and what will Ben think?" Kirsten was taken aback, she hadn't realized that Mrs. Watson knew about Ben. She opened her mouth to answer, then shut it quickly. Watson was smirking with pleasure. "Comrade Ofoffonover," Ruth said, "What do you think you're doing?" "*That's* Comrade Ofoffonover?" Genevieve asked. "Yeah." "I thought he'd be taller." A tall, henchman-type person shoved them into a corner. "Stay there and shut up." Comrade Anteater sighed impatiently. "Where were we? Ah, yes. Alex." Krycek's eyes widened with fear as the older man walked toward him. "Now, my friend," Anteater said. "I know you've been working with Mulder and Scully. And I know you told them something, or they wouldn't have come snooping around. The question is, how much did you tell them? And what, exactly, was it?" "Nothing," Krycek said, his voice trembling, "I swear, I didn't tell them anything." Comrade Anteater punched him in the face. "I swear!" Krycek yelled. "I said *nothing* to them!" The girls winced as he hit him again. "Oh, really?" Anteater let loose with a hard punch to Krycek's ribs. "And I bet you had these three-" he gestured to Ruth, Kirsten, and Gen-"follow you to save your sorry ass>" The three girls swallowed hard. Kirsten thought, terrified. They watched in utter horror as Anteater hit Krycek again and again. "Oh, come now, Anteater," said Ofoffonover. "He couldn't have had them follow him." Anteater stopped hitting Krycek long enough to inquire. "Why not?" "We would've known," he said, gesturing toward Ruth, who fingered the back of her neck self-consciously. "Which means," Anteater said darkly, "that these three did it on their own, free will." He stepped menacingly toward them, and they backed up against the wall. Anteater's face was twisted into a snarl, and Genevieve made soft whimpering noises as he took a step forward. "Anteater," Watsoff said warningly. "What? We'll have to kill them anyway. They know too much." He advanced on them again, his hand raised. "Now, you little bitches," he snarled, "who else knows you're here?" Several things happened at once. Ruth screamed, Genevieve ducked, Kirsten hid behind them both, Krycek shouted "Don't do it, Anteater!" and Mulder and Scully burst through the door. "What the *hell* is going on?" Scully asked, noting Krycek's bruised and bleeding face and three girls huddled together on the floor. Upon seeing the intruders, Ofoffonover launched himself at Mulder and Scully. Scully yanked her gun out, but not quickly enough. Ofoffonover knocked her over, pinning her to the ground. Mulder, seeing his partner in trouble, yanked Ofoffonover off her and pointed his gun at the Comrade's head. Scully stood gingerly, aiming her gun in the direction of Watsoff and Anteater. "You all right?" she questioned, looking at Ruth, Kirsten, and Genevieve, who were still cowering in the corner. They nodded, pale but physically unscathed. Suddenly, the henchman-type person came from behind the agents, knocking Mulder over. Scully yelled "Freeze! Federal Agent!" and waved her gun in his face. He tackled her. The two wrestled with the burly man, finally restraining him. But they were too late. Anteater, Watsoff, and Ofoffonover had escaped. Scully read the man his rights as Mulder untied Krycek and helped him up. "Are you okay?" Krycek winced and leaned heavily on Mulder. "I think they broke my ribs." Kirsten, Ruth, and Gen looked at the fine men in awe. Then Gen spoiled it. "You know, they'd make a cute couple." Kirsten rolled her eyes. "Gen, they're guys." "I know, but still..." "Shut up, Gen." THE END