From: Scully eXtremis Date: Mon, 10 Jul 2000 18:55:56 -0700 (PDT) Subject: FF Submission: Title - 1026 Source: direct Ten Minutes, Twenty-Six -xXx----------------------------------------------------------xXx- TITLE: Ten Minutes, Twenty-Six AUTHOR: Scully eXtremis RATING: PG CATEGORY: Deep Abiding Love (DAL) mainly Mulder Romo / MSR. DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: Archive wherever, however you must notify the author (Scully eXtremis) first! To do so, send request to e-mail below. FEEDBACK: [ e-mail: scully_mulder_fightthefuture@yahoo.com ] [ website: http://X-files.Xs3.com ] [ icq: 29024516 ] SPOILERS: None. SUMMARY: With Ten Minutes remaining into the Night, it's amazing to where one thought can lead you, as Mulder discovers. AUTHOR'S NOTES: This story takes place in a matter of Ten Minutes. Written entirely in the thoughts of Mulder, this seems to be the centre of the story. The X-file case in which Scully refers to has nothing whatsoever to do with the story line! So if you are thinking "What? I don't understand what she is talking about!" - it doesn't matter. What does matter is the point that Mulder obviously isn't paying attention... DISCLAIMER: Ok, the usual. I don't own Mulder or Scully or whatever else relating to the X-files and references in this story. However the train in the story is mine. And the Ten Minutes. Entirely my idea! Cheers to you CC and Fox! -xXx----------------------------------------------------------xXx- Ten Minutes, Twenty-Six The placid neon light bathed the grey slate with a pale blue electric glow. Everything it touched sparkled with the dull fluorescence. The rhythmic vibrations shuddered beneath the soles of my feet; the monotonous routinely ten-minute cycle had flashed before my eyes at least twelve times without my recognised acknowledgment as to where I had passed the time. The stainless steel park bench, a cold conductive against my touch, was the lone survivor of the up-market renovations in the isolated under- ground world of the monorail-subway system that ran a haywire network of tunnels beneath the city, one in which I was located at this present moment. There was a certain calm nonchalance about such constructed schedule. The slick silver liners screeching to a halt, idly waiting to fill a hungry emptiness with people who had tracked their destinations elsewhere, until it swept away into the night of a tunnel. Disembarking from the vivid movement of life at the subway-station to plunder in the darkness with perpetual motion, leaving behind nothing marred only by a brief white flash of tail-lights and an unoccupied space which, come ten-minutes, would swallow yet another gathering of oblivious people. I sighed, tapping my finger on the nestle of my jaw, my other arm loosely draped over the back of the steel backbench in an all-too-relaxed posture. Unobtrusive music hung in the air, drifting from the distorted speakers that were positioned well above eye-level in all corners possible throughout the station. Ads screamed for attention, the melodramatic D.J voices all strived for originality that would catch an ear or two; colourful posters posted with a tacky glue-substance blared to open eyes, and wandering eyes - like mine. The sharp clicking of heels against the ground of slate alerted my attention, as I shifted my focus towards the approaching figure; a questioning forward lean, eyes in contact. "Mulder, I've been giving some thought as to what you said before." With her head titled slightly to one side, Scully's brilliant blue eyes transfixed onto mine. Her red hair had settled around the nape of her neck from her sashayed journey of moving from one subway terminal to the next; her arms crossed gracefully across the bust of her black jacket revealing a pastel blue collared shirt concealed beneath the top garment. One leg poised slightly away from her object direction, Scully held this position waiting for my response. "I had figured as much." I replied, an idle smile creeping across my face. "You are right." I leaned back, slightly bemused at Scully's approach, also taken aback by her words. A rarity indeed it was that she agreed with me on many matters. To place a figure to such a quote: one to one million per accounts of my acclaims and her agreement with my acclaims would be almost just. As for the rest of the nine hundred and ninety nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety nine accounts, I'll say plainly that they would be counted under disputes. I let my mind chew over this ponderous thought, nodding slightly. My silence justified my approval, but words would bite the bullet. "I..." I should have known better than to even begin. Her mind worked like a prowling tiger on the verge of the hunt. She had waited for my told-you-so prose before hitting me with what I knew I should have waited for. Scully predicted my reactions all too well. She was my partner after all. "I said you were right. I didn't say you were right about everything." "Explain?" I watched Scully purse her lips in thought, her blue eyes remained staring at me, but not to me, rather she was intently searching her word vocabulary to place words to a meaning. I was in for yet another rebuttal of what had been my previous attempt in persuading her to believe what I knew to be the answer, the truth to an unanswered question of yet another X-file case which had eased its way into my office, into my lap. I thought I had her swayed. I let out a protruding sigh, resigning my consciousness to her hands as she would explain her rationale of the supernatural; rationalising which I would take into account but never - or rarely - be persuaded by to change my opinions. Once I had found my conclusion, it was set in my mind and I would stand by it. Scully placed a hand on her hip with such unconscious effort; it caused me to flip through several recollections I had stored at the back of my mind of moments where I had been right here like this many times before: the rational skeptic against the determined believer. In fact, it was more than several recollections; it was literarily more than one thousand, once more. "I'm open to your opinions, you know I always am." I added. Sometimes I felt that I showed a bit too much disregard for her opinions, however quite the opposite was true. I ultimately depended on them, and had grown to such dependence over the seven years of having known Scully. Her rationalism equalises my unfoundedness. She was the complimentary Ying to my Yang. Her self-inflicted judgement was my ground support when I had none - which was quite often. She pulled me down when my egotistic drive pushed my head too high above a cornfield of a regulated standard crop height. But it was not only my career that depended upon Scully, it was my life. Our work went beyond the office. It breathed into our dwellings. It drifted on our dream-scape. It whispered from upon our shoulders. This sentimental balance, this consistent dependence - a feverish need - coursed through my veins. It was a hopeless heroin addiction that would never cease - even with death and beyond. And though I had never come to terms with death itself as of yet, I knew it would lurk in the shadows from time to time, waiting for the moment. A chance I would fight against just as much as I fight now in this search for truth. All tangled in the endless web of my life. One string would begin where another would end. "How can you reason that these manifested electromagnetic creations had a life of their own? Are you saying that they are responsible for the re-connections throughout the numerous facilities in this state?" Scully leaned forwarded, eyebrows raised in disbelief. "It's what I was saying. And no, they didn't walk." I replied. "I don't believe that they did either. But how do you explain the re-connections? That is a matter of physical effort." "They moved Scully, I just don't know how. And yes, it may be a matter of physical effort, but with the apparent electromagnetism designed within the structure, I wouldn't be so fast as to dismiss that physical effort isn't the only reason." "I'm not the one dismissing anything Mulder. I agree the electro-wave interference is a key, but I don't believe in your Artificial Life theory." She looked at the clock above the platform, massaging her forehead before returning to her attentive appearance. It was 10:54pm. "Technology isn't advanced enough to generate artificial life or intelligence as you previously suggested, nor is it advanced enough for terminals to take advantage of the non-existent artificial life and develop its use to use against the proposed intentions of the creators who wanted to shut the project down..." I knew Scully held this case with intense disinterest. She was just a bored as I was rapidly growing to be. Two Scientists, four computer technicians and three software developers were dead. That was the assignment we had been called into investigate. Or so we had originally thought. "... nine people are dead, all of whom were highly regarded members of the project Liaronombus. Which as you know is a reversed acronym for 'Subway Monorail Express'. Also our reason for being here..." Scully stopped. "Mulder." Two people, who believed that life could be diversified into electronics through Artificial Intelligence, had designed the Liaronombus Project. They had wanted to be the Adam and Eve of this newly discovered generation of AI. Their love for this passion, this desirable achievement had spawned the quest Liaronombus, which ultimately killed them before they had seen the unexplored world. They had tasted the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden, but had eaten too soon and were banished along with their such acquired wisdom of the Good and Evil. They could have lavished in the less desirable but more numerous fruits and just as good of quality and importance. But the motor driven selfish desire to know the truths to the quest towards the unknown was where they had failed. They had missed the importance of the journey, missed the savour of balance and opportunities. For them, only one path mattered, many left untrodden. At the end of their chosen, ignorant, introverted path, they were greeted with death. It reminded me of my own conquests that drove my search for the truth behind my quests and reasoning to my aroused interests in the X-files. More than enough times at the crossroads of my life, I would glance down the paths I know I would never take, always looking back to wonder whether things have been different, had I taken those paths not walked upon. And would it be too late if I chose to turn around and take them. How much longer did I want to tread the darkest path into the woods, tangled with over growth, hidden in shadows that winded for ever with the promise of answers just around each bend, and never delivering? For the longer I trod the path I had been on for the past seven years, the more it grew into a battling struggle of overgrowth and weeded lies with scraggly trees clawing at my body, holding me back from my journey to the end. Perhaps an end I would never reach alive for as long as I continued choosing the same path at each crossroad, ignoring only one other, which was always in my mind. And now standing front of me so as I speak. Or listen. Or pretend to listen. "Mulder? Did you hear a word I said." I returned my blatant stare as I leant forward once more on the edge of the seat. I had often studied her appearance to fine detail. Scully was stunningly attractive to more people than I cared to count - myself included - and whether she knew this or not, it awed me how she appeared more beautiful with each passing day. There were moments when she left me breathless. But what remained important, was that I had to be honest with myself, and come to terms that apart from the fact that I was, after all, male and that it was perfectly normal to be somewhat provoked by the presence of females, Scully was completely off limits. But, like Eve in the Garden of Eden, I am only tempted further by what is forbidden to explore, despite what banishment or regulations there would be in return. As they say, curiosity kills the cat. I was at the mercy of Pandora's Box. Leaning my chin on an arm propped on my knee, I let my gaze fall to the ground, resting on the sight of Scully's defined legs, which were within less an inch from my reach. Her skin, revealed and uncovered by the cropped just-above-the-knee skirt I had seen her wear in several other styles and colours before, had a sleek, silk like appearance. That of which I had grown intensely resistant against because of the allured desire to reach out and run my fingers along the smooth surface, to feel the soft texture beneath my fingers. "Why was Eve seduced into eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden?" I asked. "What?" "Eve. Why did she eat the fruit?" I repeated, still staring. "Mulder..." Scully began. "No, I'm serious." She paused. "Well, I guess apart from the fact the that the serpent tricked her into committing the only forbidden crime, Eve was seduced by her humane instinct, her curiosity." Scully paused once more. "Imagine spending a life time in a Garden, so perfect yet so restricted and insanely shallow that you knew only what was contained within the garden because it was the only world you saw from day to day, nothing more, nothing less. Would you not choose to trek and seek your life's purpose? To seek the truth or knowledge as she did? To take the untaken path as opposed to the one destined for you? And of course take with you, your Adam?" "Exactly." I replied, smiling. I gave in. I plucked the forbidden fruit from the tree. Her skin tensed slightly as my fingers brushed over the surface. But knowing that this was not enough for me, my hunger had been aroused by the anticipation of actually tasting the fruit which I, like Eve, held in the very palm of my hands. But I was no Eve, and never would be. I was more the devil, who was seduced by the idea of meddling with a world I knew was not mine to interfere with. Too late for that now though, for I had stepped past the restricted barriers I had so assiduously built years ago and was inviting this new untaken path I had surpassed also years ago with open arms. Slowly rising to my feet, I almost greeted the look of astonishment-cross- confusion that Scully had pasted on her face. Merely centimetres apart, I looked directly into her widened eyes, her scent mingling with my own, almost to the extent that it drove me crazy. I knew she was looking into my eyes, at the insanely-possessed look of a lover awaiting the anticipating events of a nightly encounter, I was obviously showing. Indeed, I was not a lover but she could see I was not afraid to admit that it was the exact topic which occupied my mind presently and what I intended to do with such thoughts that were coursing through my blood, even though no words were spoken. She knew. Perhaps slightly afraid by my lack of fear in such confrontation with an issue that had remained unspoken but unsettled between us for a number of years, she pushed against me, taking a step back. A step back away from me and a step back into her comfort zone. But I was not about to let this slip by, not just yet. Nor was I about to let her have time to collect her thoughts. The choice would be obvious: if she honestly felt the same way as I did, it would be an automated response towards the open invitation I was handing out. If she did not feel the same as I, that too, would be blatantly obvious, as much as I hated to admit. Wrapping my fingers around her wrist where her hand still rested against my chest where she had pushed against me, I slowly drew her closer, trying to catch her down cast gaze with my bewildered eyes. When she raised her eyes to meet mine, I knew her decision had been made. She looked straight back at me with the same love-sick seductive gaze that my devilish imposed eyes were giving to hers. Both our minds were possessed by the same cursed humane instinct of that of our more animal behaviour; our blood poisoned by the heroin that once taken, is an addiction inescapable. A kiss was what I wanted. It was the sealed promise of more to come, something that only I could give to her if she opened her heart to me. And she did. So it was that we left the Garden of Eden and were now in revelation of our exposure and open to the banishment. But unlike the story of Genesis, we were not banished to hardship of life on Earth. For we were already Earthly bound. We instead had died, and entered heaven. As our lips parted, I caught a glimpse of a smile from Scully. "Is this your idea of taking the untaken path, Mulder?" "Explore the unexplored, that's my new theory." I returned the smile. "I have no objections against it. Except one." She paused. "My train has arrived." "F--k." I swore under my breath. Damn cursed train. I'd have to wait until tomorrow night when I arrive back to DC before I'd get even the slightest chance of coming within reach of her again. Life was cruel. But then again, I quickly decided, the anticipation would be intoxicating and far more exciting. "I guess you'd better go then Scully." I said between kisses, which would sustain my satisfaction enough for the next two days. "You sure have a way with procedure Mulder." "Acting out of line is a habit, you could say. But then again, you would be used to that by now, wouldn't you Scully?" I stood and watched her turn to leave, her fingers slipping one by one from my grasp. Scully flashed one last look into my eyes before being swallowed by the growing crowd entering the opened carriage. My longing followed with her, her scent still lingering in the air. I sighed, smiling at my final contentment. I had chosen well having followed what I knew to be true in my heart as opposed to the nagging conscience of my mind and the insistent truth seeker that I am. But I feel now, that I have always known deep down some how that this was meant to be, no matter what the risks are at present or continue to be now that we have trespassed into the forbidden. Why I call it the forbidden, I can't say, because it isn't any longer. Scully and I are one. I am hers, and she is mine. The doors of the train slid shut. And as they did, a realisation clicked. That's what I had been once. Closed, reserved. Scully had opened me, just as I had opened her. Our lives were like doors, like boxes - you only need someone to open them, someone to set you free. Our lives had been like the doors on the Monorail. And although closed now, going our separate ways, we would be opened once more in a matter of time. The train slowly pulled out from the station, venturing into the dark tunnel and into the night of stars on a journey of its own. The time was 11:04. Ten minutes had passed. "Goodnight Scully." I whispered, blowing a kiss. -xXx----------------------------------------------------------xXx-