From: shawntaw@hotmail.com Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 20:03:57 -0000 Subject: xfc: Safe Harbor Part VIII by shawntaw Source: xfc Title: Safe Harbor Part VIII Author: shawntaw Category: MSR, Mulder/Scully/Skinner friendship, ProfilingMulder Rating: PG, maybe R Disclaimer: Not mine. They belong to someone who doesn't really appreciate what wonderful, deep characters he has created. Oh, and I obviously don't own the U.S. Post Office, UPS, or Federal Express. If I did, I'd be rich. As it is, I had to scrounge around my house for change to buy a Coke this morning. Dang, I mentioned Coke, didn't I? *sigh* I don't own them either. Duh. Summary: What does the future hold for Mulder and will Scully and Skinner be able to put the clues together to find him in time? NOTES: MULDER'S SAGA CONTINUES...AND THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR THE FEEDBACK:) WARNINGS: CHILD ABUSE DEPICTED. ***************************************************** The spare, short man entered the hotel room a moment after Scully left. He knew he had no time to spare. He leaned over and checked Mulder's pupils. Dilated. "Get up and follow me," he ordered Mulder in his sing-songy voice. Mulder climbed to his feet and staggered after the man as he exited the room, quickly and quietly. ***************************************************** *"Where's your sister, Fox!? Where is she?!"* He was hearing his father's voice again. *His teeth clacked together as he was dragged roughly by the shirt. "What's wrong with you, boy? ANSWER ME!" His father saw the gun lying on the floor. "What the hell-" He picked it up and spun to face the trembling, mute, gangly boy. "What did you do, Fox?!" He was waving the gun wildly in his son's direction. "Bill-" his mother grabbed his father's arm and pleaded tearfully with him. "Get off me! This is your fault! You and that bastard!" His father pointed at Fox with the gun. Fox trembled uncontrollably. "D-D-Dad, Sam's g-gone.." "I can see that! Where is she?!" his father dropped the gun and grabbed Fox by his upper arm, shaking him - hard. "D-Don't know...Th-Th-They took her...took her...I tried to stop-p-p them..your gun...couldn't...just froze...so sorry...so sorry...sorry...sorry.." Fox was sobbing now, hanging limply in his father's grasp. "You FROZE?!" his father threw Fox from himself as though he were rubbish and the thin boy landed against he edge of the couch. "You're not my son," he had said, disowning him. "I'm sorry..I'm sorry.." Fox had kept muttering, lying on the carpet, eyes shut tightly. His father had mostly called him 'boy' after that day, only occasionally gracing him with 'son' or 'Fox.' But, mostly, he was just 'boy.' ****************************************************** "..'m sah.." Mulder trailed off at the sound of his own voice and swallowed the familiar tears. *I'm just dreaming again* He cracked his eyes open and was greeted with a dull haze. His head pounded. *hangover?* His mouth was dry and thick. He swallowed several times and cleared his throat to soothe it. Mulder's vision began to clear and what he saw confused him. He was in somebody's basement.. He turned his head slightly. The dim light came from small, high windows. There were a set of narrow, concrete steps leading up to a door. *definitely a basement. I should know..* He smirked at his own weak attempt at humor. *How the heck did I get here?* Mulder continued to look around. He was restrained by the shackles around his ankles and attached to the cinder block wall by long chains. He had limited movement, but was able to reach the perimeters of the room. But, of course, not the stairs. Suddenly it all became clear. *The killer* "So, figured it out yet?" Mulder looked up. A small, thin man peered down at him from the door. "I took you a little earlier than the others and we wouldn't want you checking out too soon now, would we? So, here-" he chunked a small bottle of water and a granola bar down at his captive. The killer suddenly grinned. "You still haven't figured it out yet, have you? Well, I'm not gonna tell you." He backed to the door and Mulder heard locks being engaged and a heavy, scraping sound. And he was alone. ******************************************************* Scully and Skinner had spent the day interviewing suspects. The list of delivery employees was much more extensive than either had expected it to be. Mr. Bernard, the owner of the mail-order vitamin company, used several different delivery companies, depending on who would cut a better deal. The larger his order, the more the companies would barter for his business, or the better already- established specials they could offer him. If all else failed, he used the U.S. Postal Service. There was also the matter of the high turnover rate of a couple of the local delivery businesses. So, looking at the Post Office, UPS, Federal Express, and a couple of locally-owned delivery services - Scully and Skinner spent their day narrowing down the list of suspects and thinking about Mulder. ******************************************************* Using the working profile Mulder had left them, they were able to narrow down the list to five females. All either current or former employees of the delivery companies. They scheduled interviews with the women - three had been conducted that day and two were scheduled for tomorrow morning. Scully's hand tremored slightly as she took notes in her notebook, Skinner noticed as he manuvered the car in the city traffic. He realized he hadn't seen her eat anything that day. She had picked at breakfast and pushed her lunch around on her plate. Skinner opened his mouth to gently chastise her for this and had a revelation. Mulder. The killer had starved and dehydrated his victims before executing them. Probably without even meaning to, she was doing the same to herself. *When was the last time I even saw her drink a glass of water?* Skinner shifted his focus back to his driving and scanned the businesses ahead for a convenience store. Seeing one, he switched lanes and turned in to the parking lot. Scully looked up as they parked. Skinner didn't say a word. He just got out of the car and stalked purposefully into the store. Scully frowned, sensing something amiss, but shrugged her shoulders and went back to her notes. In a few minutes, Skinner reappeared with a small sack. "Scully?" "Hm?" She didn't look up. A bottle of water and a package of crackers were shoved under her nose. "No thanks, I'm not hungry," she politely declined, still not looking up. "Scully, look at me." She did. And Skinner had his "boss" face on. "I want you to drink the water and eat the crackers, Agent Scully. I will not have one of my agents passing out because she did not bother to take care of herself." "But, sir-" "Drink. Eat." Skinner said firmly, pointing at the water and crackers. She sighed. Slowly she opened the water and took a drink. It felt good, actually. She took another. Skinner was still staring at her, but the wrinkle between his eyes had eased a bit. She opened the crackers and put one in her mouth, crunching loudly for Skinner's benefit. The wrinkle between Skinner's eyes vanished, and he smiled slightly. "Ok, Scully, I'll leave you alone. I just don't want you neglecting yourself while we look for Mulder. He wouldn't want that either, you know." Her mood turned somber again, "I know." She made herself eat another cracker and drink some more water. But, suddenly, her stomach felt sick. Skinner's cell phone rang, breaking the heavy quiet that had settled in the car. "Skinner." Scully watched his face tense up again, the wrinkle reappearing between his eyes. "We'll be right there." He turned to her. "That was a detective with the local P.D. One of the kitchen employees at our hotel has been found dead and stuck in one of the hotel dumpsters." The knot in Scully's stomach tightened. ******************************************************* I'm still working....just thought I'd better post what I had so far...More Mulder POV on the way...:)