Chapter 8: Conflagration
A *safe* house
Somewhere in California
11:59 AM
Mulder’s head felt as if there were a dozen tiny men inside operating jackhammers. He opened his eyes and was blinded by overwhelming white light. He screwed them up tightly closed again – he didn’t want to see what was responsible for the light. <Calm down> He told himself, and the words echoed loudly inside his head. <It’s not aliens – you’re just drunk> He forced his eyes to open and get used to the light. The warm body lying next to him shifted slightly as if to remind him of it’s presence. <Scully> He smiled and looked down at her. At some point in the night he had moved onto his back and she had curled herself against his side. They were still fully clothed – a fact for which Mulder was glad considering that he could remember little after coming into the room with the tequila. Carefully he extracted himself from Scully’s arms – she murmured something incomprehensible as he did so – and attempted to stand up. The world swayed around him and he stumbled over to the door. Then he stumbled downstairs.
The aroma of fresh coffee drew him into the kitchen.
“Good morning.” Andy said and the sound reverberated through Mulder like a gong. He groaned. Andy smiled. “Fun night?” he asked.
“I don’t remember.” Mulder replied.
“Then it must have been good.” Samantha answered from behind him. She picked up a pot of coffee and offered it in his direction.
“Should I take some of this up to Dana?” She asked. Mulder shook his head.
“I’ll do it.” He answered.
**********
Scully awoke to the smell of coffee and wanted to be sick. She opened her eyes and the light streamed in. She gasped and closed them again. A rich chuckle reverberated the air around her. <Mulder> She tried again to open her eyes but the light was too bright. She felt a hand place something onto her nose and made another attempt. The light was muted this time and she realised that Mulder had placed his sunglasses on her nose.
“How are you feeling?” He asked quietly but the sound was still too loud for her and she put her hands over her ears. “That bad.” She heard him murmur.
“I’m never drinking with you again.” She told him.
“Fine. Not drinking sounds like a good idea.” He smiled weakly at her.
“How are *you* feeling?” She asked him.
“Somewhere around the way you look, I’d guess.”
“Uh.” She groaned. “No one could feel this bad.”
“I brought coffee.” He told her and she shook her head. “Come on, you’ll feel better.”
“Mulder – it’s an old wives tale that coffee is a hangover cure.”
“See, you’re feeling more like your old self all ready.” He teased and Scully managed to summon up a smile.
XXXXXX****
The man looked up at the house and smiled. This was the right place. Katherine was here alright – her presence was easily detectable to her own kind. The little girl was ready to be disposed off as per orders.
XXXXXX****
*Safe* House
Somewhere in California
6:50 PM
Mulder & Scully still hadn’t made it downstairs. It wasn’t that they were still feeling hung over but rather that they had been making up the time that they had lost the previous night.
Scully sighed contentedly and rested her head on Mulder’s bare chest. The pendant that Amanda had given him was still around his neck. Mulder was fast asleep and Scully was just enjoying the satisfied expression on his face. When he was asleep it wasn’t hard to imagine him as a young boy – before his quest for Samantha had changed him into what he had become. His eyes moved underneath the lids and Scully knew that he was dreaming. <What does Mulder dream about?> She wondered and touched her hand to his cheek gently. The memory crashed into her head with the force of a sledgehammer.
////
Scully took her hand away from Mulder’s cheek as the footfalls sounded behind her.
“What’s going on Dana?” She turned to face the man. He was wearing a dark suit and his hair was neatly slicked into place.
“You tricked me!” She told him bitterly. “You said that it wouldn’t hurt him.”
“Have you gone soft? We’re talking about Fox Mulder here. Just shut up and do your job.”
“This *wasn’t* in the job description!”
“I knew that you were the wrong person to assign to this. You’re falling for him aren’t you?”
“Of course I’m not.” She denied vehemently. “I don’t owe you an explanation – you used me.” The man smiled nastily.
“We had a camera set up Dana. You still say that you’re *not* falling for him?”
“You’re a bastard Thad.”
////
The flashback ended as suddenly as it had begun. Scully moved away from Mulder and lay flat on her back staring at the ceiling. She felt drained of all feeling. When had that happened? What had she been assigned to? And what did it have to do with Thad Narcote? Was it something to do with this ‘test’ that had been carried out on Mulder? Narcote’s name was mentioned several times in the file that her uncle Daniel had given her but the matter of his involvement had remained ambiguous. Scully closed her eyes and tried to remember but nothing came to her mind. Absolutely nothing about the time that the test was supposed to have taken place. <Nothing? How come I can’t remember *anything*?> On impulse, Scully reached out and shook Mulder awake. He was immediately on edge.
“What’s wrong?” He demanded anxiously. Scully shook her head and spoke calmly.
“Nothing.” She shrugged. “I just wondered if you could tell me everything that you remember about when that test was supposed to have happened.”
“You have to know right now?” He asked and she nodded. “Are you okay?”
“I’m not sure. Just tell me what you remember.” It was Mulder’s turn to shrug.
“It was after that business with Tooms – the second time. Skinner assigned us to the case. It was in Washington State. Um..we flew – you hated it.” He laughed.
“Wait a minute Mulder.” Scully interrupted. “You said ‘um’.”
“Yeah?” He didn’t understand the relevance.
“You can’t remember it clearly?”
“Not clear . .” It dawned on him. “You’re right!”
“You have a photographic memory.” Scully said quietly and Mulder nodded incredulously. “What *do* you remember?”
“The case was a mystery illness.” He said, thinking hard. “Thirteen dead men. Their blood samples had gone missing. There were no leads. We went to see Narcote.”
“Narcote?” Scully questioned incredulously.
“Yeah.” Mulder replied, he was worried by her responses and his own lack of memories. “I don’t remember anything after that until I woke in the hospital and you told me that I’d contracted the same illness as the other men had.”
“But, then what about that videotape?” Scully asked. “You couldn’t have done that when you were ill?” Mulder smiled.
“Done what Scully? You’ve watched the rest of the tape?” Scully blushed.
“Of course I did.” She replied indignantly. “It’s evidence. I thought it might give something away.” Mulder’s smile grew wider.
“Did it?”
“Only the fact that I loved you then and I love you now.”
“I love you too.” Mulder replied and kissed her. For a few hours they forgot about the test.
*********
10:13 PM
A loud knocking on the door woke Mulder and Scully up with a start.
“Fox. Dana. You have to get out *now*. The house is on fire.” Andy’s voice screamed from the other side of the door. Mulder and Scully dragged on the most easily accessible clothes and left the room.
The corridor was filled with smoke but there was no fire visible. Scully’s eyes shot to Mulder’s face and she saw that he was sweating profusely.
“Are you okay?” She demanded and he nodded nervously. “Let’s get out of here.” She said and began walking down the corridor towards the stairs. Mulder didn’t move. Scully reached back and took his hand – she had to drag him down the corridor to make him follow her. From somewhere beyond the smoke came the thin wail of a child. Andy appeared through the smoke carrying the source of the noise – Katie. Scully let go of Mulder’s hand and reached out to take Katie from him.
“Where’s Samantha?” Scully yelled out to him over the sound of the fire.
“Just take Katie and get out.” He yelled as he handed the squirming child to her. “I’m going back in for Sammy.” Andy looked over Scully’s shoulder at Mulder, who was glancing around himself looking terrified. “Is he okay?”
“He’s scared of fire.” Scully told him. Andy nodded and gestured to Katie.
“Get them both outta here!” Scully nodded and watched Andy disappear back into the shifting smoke.
“Come on Mulder.” Scully yelled and began advancing through the haze. Mulder stood frozen to the spot. “Mulder.” She yelled and struggled to keep hold of Katie with one arm as she reached out to Mulder with the other. They made slow progress, but managed to advance down the corridor.
*****
Andy ran through the smoke, always cautious that he may find the source behind the next corner. He nearly tripped over something and stopped to see what it was. He’d never seen it happen before but he had been told what happened to their bodies when the base of their necks were pierced. He was grateful that the features had corroded completely and that he would never know whose body it was. Still, it gave him a useful piece of information as to who had started the fire and it put him on his guard.
He turned into his and Samantha’s bedroom and found what he had been seeking. He was just in time to see Samantha being thrown violently against the wall. Her face was already covered in livid bruising and blood flowed from several nasty contusions. The man who had inflicted the injuries turned his face to Andy. The man’s image appeared to shift and change before his eyes. Andy gasped and knew this to be the creature’s true image. A woman – a face he knew yet didn’t know.
“Who the hell *are* you?” He demanded.
“Where is she?” The woman demanded in return. “Where’s Katherine?”
“Why should I tell you?” Andy yelled at her. The ‘woman’ pulled a gun and pointed it at the prone figure of Samantha. “No!” Andy screamed and started to move forward. The ‘woman’ turned the gun on him and he stopped in his tracks.
“Where is she?” The ‘woman’ asked again and returned her aim to Samantha. Andy swallowed.
“She’s with Fox and Dana. They’re trying to get out of the building.” He said in a resigned tone. The ‘woman’ smiled and pulled the trigger.
“No!” Andy screamed and rushed forward again. This time a bullet slamming into his chest stopped his charge. The ‘woman’ turned calmly and went out into the corridor.
*****
Scully led her two charges along the corridor. They had encountered a lot of smoke but – thankfully – no fire. They made it unhurt to the stairs. Mulder saw it first and a strangled gasp was wrung from him as he dropped Scully’s hand and backed away. The downstairs of the building was a scorching pool of fire. They were trapped upstairs. Mulder retreated into a corner in a state of paralysed fear. Katie was screaming and squirming in Scully’s arms and she had to put her down. The child ran over to Mulder and looked into his eyes. She placed a hand to his temple and Mulder immediately calmed. When she took her hand away a tiny burn mark was apparent in it’s place. Scully’s eyes widened as her young daughter turned back to her and smiled. Katie took Mulder’s hand and looked at Scully curiously. Scully pulled herself together – she would have time to analyse what had just occurred if they got out of the building alive. Scully led the way into one of the rooms, with Katie following dragging a zombie-like Mulder behind her. Scully slammed the door. Katie let go of Mulder and he stood frozen in the middle of the room as if under a spell. The little girl moved to the bed and pulled off the covers, which she shoved against the gap at the bottom of the door. Scully looked on in astonishment as her two year old daughter, then walked over to the window and pointed outside.
“Jump.” She said. Scully looked out of the window and saw firemen outside. She quickly set about opening the window.
“Over here!” She yelled as loud as she could. Mother and daughter waved and yelled until they had caught the attention of the firemen. The catching blanket was quickly set up underneath the window and Scully turned to Mulder, who was still standing as if frozen.
“Come on Mulder.” Scully said as she encouraged him in the direction of the window. He walked over zombie-like and stood still. “Mulder?” Scully asked in concern. Then she felt Katie pull at her trouser leg.
“Jump.” The little girl said. “Jump.” Suddenly her eyes darted to the door and her face took an expression of terror. “Jump.” She insisted in a more determined voice.
“Jump Mulder.” Scully said as she pushed him towards the ledge. Katie touched him and looked into his eyes.
“Jump.” She said and Mulder climbed out of the window and jumped. He was caught by the men at the bottom and moved away to the waiting ambulance. His movements were stiff and forced.
“Your turn.” Scully told her daughter as she helped her to climb over the ledge. The little girl stopped and looked up at her. She smiled.
“Mommy.” She said in that determined little voice, as she indicated towards Scully. Her heart melted, who had told the child and how had a two-year old understood? “Sammy.” Katie indicated towards the door.
“Andy’s getting Sammy.” Scully told her – assuming that she was worried about them. The little girl shook her head.
“Carrie – dead.” She indicated towards the door again and Scully frowned. Katie looked out of the window at the people down below her. The firemen yelled up for her to jump. Katie looked back at Scully. “Jump.” She said one last time and launched herself off the ledge. The men caught her and hustled her off the ambulance to sit next to Mulder.
Scully looked back at her the door and wondered what it was that Katie was trying to tell her. For a reason she couldn’t explain Scully was overcome with an incredible sensation of pure fear. She watched the door as the handle began to turn and someone tried to forced their way into the room. Scully backed away towards the window. Her back hit the sill and she turned in shock. She contemplated drawing her gun and facing whatever it was but she heard Katie’s voice in her head.
“Jump.” The voice said. Scully sat on the ledge, swung her legs over the sill and fell through the air in a, reasonably, graceful descent. She landed on the mat with a thump that shook her to her bones. She looked back up at the window and saw a face leaning out looking at her. It was the older Katie – from the future. Scully’s eyes widened and she blinked to clear the image. The face remained.
“Someone’s still up there!” One of the firemen yelled.
“No!” Scully said a little too forcefully and drew everyone’s attention to her. “There’s no one else up there.” She said more quietly. “Andy and Samantha were on the other side of the house.” Scully wasn’t sure why she’d lied, but she knew that the person at the window would be able to get out without any help. The thought scared her and she dismissed it. A shiver slid down her spine – she diagnosed it as shock.
When Scully looked back up at the window, the face had gone. She crossed to the ambulance and found Mulder and Katie sitting in the back. As she sat down, Mulder reached out to her and took her into his arms desperately. Scully smiled and hugged him back just as enthusiastically. The kiss they shared was long and desperate. They broke apart and Mulder buried his face into her hair.
“Dana. Thank God.” Mulder’s sighed words were muffled. They moved a little apart and stared into each others eyes.
“Are you okay?” Scully asked him.
“I’m fine. Sorry I froze up there.” Scully shook her head.
“It was strange. You were like a zombie.” She reached up and touched the tiny mark on his forehead. It looked as if a fingerprint had been burnt onto the skin. “Katie touched you and you went strange.” They turned as one to look at their daughter. She was examining the medical equipment in the ambulance in great detail, as if she where remembering it.
“Katie?” Scully called and the little girl trailed over to her. She reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair off of her face. “Are you alright?” She asked and Katie nodded sadly.
“Sammy.” She said quietly and shook her head. “Andy.” She continued shaking her head. “Other one.”
“What other one darling?” Scully asked curiously.
“Carrie.” Katie answered and Scully glanced over her shoulder at Mulder.
“Who’s Carrie?” Mulder asked.
“Other one.” Katie answered and they knew that they would get no better answer. Just then a fireman appeared at the ambulance door.
“Mr Mulder, I’m afraid we haven’t found your sister or her husband. I’m sorry but it’s not likely we’ll find anyone alive in there now.” He apologised again and walked away.
Mulder looked over at Scully with a thin film of tears covering his eyes.
“I’ve lost her.” He said quietly. A tear slid down Scully’s cheek. “I’ve lost her again.” The tears spilled out of Mulder’s eyes and he began sobbing. Scully immediately sprang over to him and took him into her arms. He sobbed violently into her shoulder and she rocked him gently.
Katie watched from a small distance as her parents cried. Her physical form was that of a child but her mental faculties were already well developed. It was frustrating sometimes not to be able to express yourself in more than small words and basic gestures. Katie had always known she was different and she had always known that she was not alone. Now Carrie was here – and Katie was afraid.