Frozen In Time 2
The soft hum of the air conditioning unit filled the silence in Alex's prison room. With nothing to do and too weak to stand up, Alex counted the seconds between each of the shut down intervals. His memory of how he ended up here in this room, weak as a kitten, was hazy at best. When he forced himself, he could remember flashes of camouflaged army uniforms, flashes of blonde hair, and Spender. But only confusing images. Without the drugs to make him sleep boredom quickly set in, making him think.
He remembered his forced stay in the FORJ SIDI TOU Penal Colony curtsey of the smoking bastard's betrayal. Alex thought he would die in that dank overcrowded cell, but then Marita had come...he tried to force his memories past her watching him in the shower, but everything turned foggy. His back hurt from lying down so long, but even with both his arms he was still too weak to move. It completely amazed him to see and feel the arm he'd lost in Tunguska, and he wondered who he had to screw over big time for this gift, but somehow he had a feeling that maybe it was him who got the shaft on this deal. He didn't recognize half the equipment in the room...
One, two, three...
The door to his room opened, and a large man in a lab coat entered, alone. Alex lost track of his count as he sized up the man in front of him. He tensed when the door shut with a firm click but the man didn't pull out a pistol or a syringe so this wasn't an assassination attempt. Relaxing just a margin, he rested his head back on his pillow, following the lone figure with his eyes. The man's black hair was pulled back, probably in a pony tail, and he could see the man had intelligent grey eyes. But like most consortium agents, they were cold. Alex knew this type of man and didn't trust him one bit.
"Who are you?" He asked glaring at the stranger. His voice was raspy, like he hadn't used in a long time, but to him it sounded strong.
"Hello, Alex Krycek." If the man cared about his rudeness, he didn't let it show in his tone, "I'm Dr. Ignu I was brought in because of my expertise of the space life-support technologies. I know you must be very confused now so I'll make this short. It is the year 2313, your cryogenic unit kept you and your companion in stasis for the last 314 years."
"314 years?" Alex asked disbelieving.
"Hmm.Yes, it's amazing. Now how much do you remember?"
"Not much." He answered probably too quickly.
"That's unfortunate. I was hoping you could fill in some blanks, but this is to be expected." Dr. Ignu glanced at his clipboard and check marked something.
"So I wasn't alone in this?" Alex tried to confirm something the doctor said.
"No, a man by the name Fox Mulder was in the other stasis chamber. Are you good friends with him?"
Alex's mind froze not sure if he should lie and say they were friends, so the men in power would let them see each other, or they may separate them because of their "friendship." Either possibility was likely and he knew he needed to see Mulder. So he settled on a neutral, "We know each other but not well." Alex wasn't going to tell these men anything more the necessary.
"Interesting. In a few days when you are both recovered, we'll let you meet and talk." Dr. Ignu sat his clipboard down on the lamp table, before sitting on the edge of his bed.
Alex weakly moved his leg out of the way, not liking the man's closeness. "You're a beautiful man, now that your arm has finished growing in. I think I'll enjoy getting to know you better." After patting Alex's thigh, the large man stood up and left the room. Leaving almost as quickly as he entered.
****
"Well what do you think?" General Kamarov asked Dr. Ignu as soon as he entered the observation room. Dr. Gethin had left to catch up on his research notes.
"I'm going to have fun taming Subject X-2." The screen in Alex Krycek's room, showed that the man was still awake and alert, lying on his back, his eyes glared at the hidden camera, as if somehow knowing it was there.
"He does seem more volatile than his companion, but he isn't recovering as quickly..." General Kamarov observed.
"It's because of his arm, it took the nanites time and energy to re grow the arm, he'll be perfect in a few days. Now it's just a matter of deciding what to do with the men."
"I see." General Kamarov said, then added, "Dr. Gethin wants them to recover together. He thinks it will help their memory and speed their recovery. They must have been good friends and powerful to be saved during the alien invasion."
"Not necessarily. Alex showed signs of physical struggles, bruises on his arms and the like. Hopefully when their memories are clearer they could tell us what happened. Many higher ups are interested in these two men and in seeing that they recover fully." Dr. Ignu switched his attention to the other man, Fox Mulder, another beauty.
General Kamarov sighed also staring at the screens. "We are going to have to protect these men from every man on this base."
Watching the student, Wade du Prés speak to Fox Mulder with his trademark shy geeky smile, Dr. Ignu smiled, "Well maybe not every man."
"Oh yes I see." General Kamarov laughed. "Cute boy. But he's under Dr. Gethin's protection."
"Yes he is, but you know how Robert can get..." Dr. Ignu said watching the slender student clutching the clipboard in his hands, talking animatedly with Fox Mulder.
With the ratio of females to male one for every five hundred, men just had to take what they could get.
~o~
It's been nearly eight hours since we were rescued from one hell and thrust into another. I can still see the flashes of explosions, and hear the screams of men dying and women crying out in fear. It felt like a dream as I was carried and forcefully loaded aboard a small helicar along with my friend Jessica. I counted four helicars total. Our captors left the headlights off as they flew like demons away from the blaring sirens filling the nighttime air. They stayed low to the ground, following gullies and weaving through trees at nerve shattering speeds. The man who wasn't flying pulled a strange looking weapon from his pocket. He forced my head down and I felt the cold press of metal against the base of my neck and thought I was about to die. I experienced a brief moment of pain as he extracted the tracking chip. It had been surgically implanted when I was first sent to the breeding camp. He repeated the process with my friend.
Hours passed before the shadowy shapes of trees vanished to be replaced by the steel and concrete skeletons of mammoth towers. The ruins of some once great American city. Very few of the large cities escaped damage during the alien invasion. Some were destroyed to the point that they could not be rebuilt and were left abandon as monuments to a nightmare long ago. A nightmare that stills enslaves us.
I return my thoughts to the present, looking out the window and trying to make out shapes in the darkness. The helicars stay close to crumbled walls and weave in and out of the steel frames. I don't see how our captors can see to steer so precisely through the dark ruins at such speeds.
I watch the dark shapes zip by, wondering what this place would look like in the light of day. When my father was alive, he'd take my brother and me from our home in Baltimore to view the ruins of Washington D.C. The trips were always during the daylight. Scavengers, both human and animals were said to roam the ruins at night.
The helicar suddenly dives down a dark gaping hole in the ground that is surrounded by concrete and twisted iron beams. My knuckles are white from holding on tightly to the seat. It is then that our captor flips on their headlights and I am able to see clearly for the first time in hours. I glance around me and know instantly from my studies that this had once been a subway. The helicars fly down the middle of the long abandoned tracks, before finally setting down in the middle of an open cavern. I see several more helicars and other strange vehicles sitting empty as I am helped out of the vehicle. I am surprised to see the six other women from my barracks climbing out of the three other helicars.
We are given food and water before we are forced to continue walking. Our captors remain quiet throughout -- not even talking to each other.
I clutch tightly to Jessica's hand as we are lead down a dark tunnel. It is at an incline taking us deeper into the earth. The only light comes from the flickering flames of torches carried by two of our strange captors. It is too quiet. Only the sound of our breathing and footfalls interrupt the deathly stillness of this place. I glance at the man in front of me. He is large and dressed from head to toe in black garments. Black fabric is wrapped around his head covering his face only the dark lenses of goggles are visible. The other seven men are similarly dressed. I wonder if it is some type of uniform.
The man, who I assume is the leader, pauses in front of a concrete wall and reaches up to tug on a steel ring. The wall opens to reveal a flight of stone steps leading down. Their torches light our way as we descend into the dark depths below. I gasp and stumble. An arm quickly circles below my breasts, keeping me from falling.
"The baby...she kicked," I say nervously, touching my swollen belly. This is my fourth pregnancy. I have given birth three times. Each time I was not allowed to see the baby. I don't know if they were girls or boys. The doctors said it was better that way. Not knowing -- not having memories of their faces. I am surprised when the man speaks.
"You will be allowed to keep your baby, if you so desire," he says in a deep gravelly voice.
I don't question how he knows what I am thinking, I figure, he must be empathic. Empaths can be found among the population. Usually they are forced to join a special branch of the consortium military. I have tears filling my throat at what he promises me. Hope. Is it possible? "Who are you?" I choke out.
"Your questions will be answered shortly," he promises as we start back down the steps.
The steps end and we enter another dark tunnel. We walk for several miles, turning down intersecting tunnels until I am totally disoriented. No way will I ever be able to find my way back to the surface. My feet are killing me and I fear I can go no further. Suddenly I am lifted into the arms of one of our captors. He easily handles my weight. A feeling of comfort and security embraces me. I wrap my arm around his neck and rest my tired head on his shoulder, knowing instinctually that he won't harm me. Even though, he smells of smoke and blood. Death. How many people had he killed tonight?
The leader stops before another wall. He pushes against a spot on its surface and the floor next to it slides back to reveal more steps. Once again we descend into the dark void. When we stop at the landing I can hear voices -- singing. The passageway is lit in candlelight. I wonder why they don't have electricity. We see no one as we make our way down the corridor. I can hear voices coming from many directions. Other corridors connect to the one we are walking down. Our captors lead us through an arched doorway and into a large room. The room lit by kerosene lanterns. The man sets me down in a large overstuffed chair. Jessica squeezes in beside me as the other women are shown to chairs in the room. All the men then leave save one, who moves to guard the arched doorway.
A wooden door on the far side of the room opens and an elderly man steps through it, followed by a young woman. They are dressed in black uniforms, which paints a sharp contrast to their skin. It is like white alabaster with fine blue veins showing clearly beneath its surface. Their hair is as white as the freshly fallen snow. However, it is their eyes, which hold my attention. They have large pupils surrounded by golden irises that appear to glow.
"I am Commander Samuel Jefferson. Welcome to New York City," the old man says.
My eyes widen and I glance at Jessica, she is equally stunned. New York City received the brunt of the damage during the invasion over three hundred years ago. Millions had lost their lives in a blink of the eye. The city has remained uninhabitable all these centuries.
"Why have we been brought here?" I ask.
"Miss Nicola du Prés..."
"You know my name?" I gasp. No one has called me by that name in years. At the breeding camps I was referred to as Subject A-1121. The number is even tattooed on my wrist and was programmed into the tracking chip that was in my neck.
"We have detailed records on all the women sent to the breeding camps. It wasn't by chance that we selected you and the other women in your barracks to bring here."
"How could you know about us? No one outside of the consortium is allowed access to any of the camps or their records!"
"We have our ways." He looks across the room at the guard standing in the doorway. A silent message seems to pass between the two men. The guard turns and leaves. Commander Jefferson focuses his attention back on us.
"Ladies, my people are slowly dying out," he says, taking a seat in a chair across from us. His female companion remains standing silently, watching us. "Our genes have mutated to the point that we are no longer able to procreate. You are all descendants from the first families. Your genes, although not perfect, are purer than ours. We need your genetic material to treat my people -- to prolong our lives, until we can find a cure for our sterility."
I frown. My DNA was the main reason I was sent the breeding camps. These strange people are not the only ones having problems procreating. Only one in five hundred females have viable ovum and only one in two thousand men have viable sperm. The number shrinks each year. There is not a human alive whose genes are free of mutant strands. The human race is slowly heading toward extinction.
"Who are you people?" Marsha asks with a trembling voice. At sixty, she is the oldest in our group.
The young woman answers Marsha, holding her head up proudly. "We are the Resistance. While your ancestors sold out the human race and collaborated with the aliens, our ancestors fought against them both."
"You can't be descended from the resistance fighters. They were all killed during the brief war!" I say, remembering my history lessons of that era.
"No. When the odds became too great my ancestors retreated underground and waited, rebuilding their strength over the centuries."
I was stunned. They lived down here for centuries? "Does the consortium know you exist?" I ask.
Commander Jefferson frowns. "They know. But, they've never been able to locate any of our cities. We keep our use of electricity and machinery down to a minimum, which makes tracking us impossible," he replies.
The large man steps back into the room. He is no longer wearing the dark goggles or the black cloth wrapped around his head. Like the old man and young woman, he too has weird eyes and white alabaster skin. A woman, who is wearing in a bright red floor length dress and holding the hands of two small children, follows him into the room.
"I thought you said you were all sterile?" Marsha questions.
The Commander smiles. "We are. It's been over two decades since any of my people have given birth. We liberated these children in different raids. The little red-haired boy is your son, Miss Campbell."
"My son?" Marsha gasps and stands shakily.
"Yes, your son."
The little boy is around five. He clings to the woman's red dress and looks sheepishly at us from its folds. The other child is a toddler no more than two years old.
Marsha walks over to the little boy and pulls him into her arms. She is crying. In the fourty-two years she's been at the breeding camp, she's given birth to thirty-six children and was never allowed to see or hold any of them.
Jefferson turns and looks at me. "The toddler is your daughter, Miss du Prés."
I can't move. I just sit and stare at the little child as Martha continues to cry with grief and joy.
The uniformed woman who has been standing by the door walks across the room and picks up the toddler. She carries her over to me and kneels. "Hi, I'm Jacqueline. Nicola, may I call you that?" she asks smiling.
I nod, unable to speak as I reach out and touch the child's cheek.
"Her name is Jennifer," Jacqueline says.
I finally find my voice and look at the old man. "Why?"
"We are not barbarians. We would like you ladies to cooperate with us of your own free will. You have something we need, and in return we offer you a home down here with us and your children," Jefferson says.
"Are my children here?" Maria asks. The other women speak up wanting to know the same thing.
"Not yet. But if you give us your loyalty and submit to our medical procedures willingly, I promise to bring as many of your children here as we can find. You have my word on this."
"You need our genetic material that badly?" I ask, realizing what it would take to track down each of our children to wherever on earth they were sent.
"Your genes are the only thing standing between us and extinction." He smiles sadly. "The choice is yours."
It's not much of a choice, living down here as their lab rat or going back to the camps. That is if they set us free. I'd rather die before returning to the breeding camps. "I will stay," I say, picking up my daughter. The other women agreed to stay, too.
Commander Jefferson claps his hands together happily. "Fabulous! My ladies, you look tired. Jacqueline will show you to your quarters. Once you're rested, she will show you around our city."
We stand and follow Jacqueline out the door. I am carrying my daughter. For once, my future holds some promise. If I could only find my brother Wade and tell him that I am safe.
***
Minister Lermontov took a deep breath, trying to squelch his excitement, as he glanced around the conference table at the most powerful men in the world. "We have in our possession two, hundred-percent pure human males. Not only are they completely free of any mutant genes, they are also immune to the alien virus! Gentlemen, Fox Mulder's and Alex Krycek's DNA is the life font that will preserve the human race."
***
Alex glanced up as Wade du Pres entered the room, followed closely by one of the burly guards. He kept his face impassive as he watched the young medic's progress across the room, eyes narrowing only slightly as a covered tray was placed on the nearby table top. Wade turned to him, licking his lips nervously. It was obvious that he was intimidated by Alex and, despite appearances to the contrary, it was obvious that the guard felt just as uncomfortable in his presence. But then, who could blame them?
A feral smile curled his lips as he remembered the incident that took place only two days earlier.
He had awoken to the click of the door opening, eyes snapping towards the large figure lurking on the threshold, furtively checking along the corridor before pushing the door closed firmly behind him. Alex did not need to be a mind-reader to know the thoughts slithering through the bigger man's brain, he could read the lust in the heated stare, could see the physical evidence tenting the man's black uniform pants.
The man had licked his lips, his fat slug of a tongue crawling across his mouth leaving a glistening trail behind it. Alex had controlled the inner shudder of disgust as he recalled the way Cancer Man's guard had restrained then raped him but, this time, he was no helpless captive with his arm pulled tight up his back, and his air supply restricted by the tightness of the choke collar. This time he was unfettered, and this time he had two arms.
More guards had erupted into the room only minutes later, intent on saving his virtue, slamming to a halt up against each other as they saw the bloodied remains of Alex's would-be rapist lying before them.
Three hundred and fourteen years ago, Alex had broken two people's noses as he tried to escape from the Consortium's clutches, but his actual intent had been to kill. At the time, only the restraints had saved both of those men, his body unable to get sufficient momentum and the right angle to finish the job properly. This time the sliver of nasal bone had been slammed up into the guard's brain by the heel of Krycek's hand, the guard dropping dead instantly.
Wade's soft voice called him back to the present.
"It's food. Real food." Wade moved back and took a seat in the far corner. "I'll just sit over here while you eat."
Alex glanced at the now uncovered tray but he made no move towards it. He was not afraid of discovering the food had been drugged for it made no sense. If that was their intent then they could just as easily have drugged him while he was still hooked up to the nutrient drip. The drip had been removed a few hours earlier, the various doctors having finally come to an agreement that his body functions had recovered sufficiently to allow for normal food intake. According to Wade, Mulder had been taken off the drip several days earlier but then Mulder had not been expending energy growing back an arm.
He wiggled his fingers on his left arm, still afraid this was all just some nightmare dredged up from his over-fertile imagination.
Over the past week he had regained far more of the memories leading up to his arrival in this place. He recalled the way he had pleaded with the Smoker not to put him into the chamber, even begging for a quick death rather than taking the chance of finding himself trapped in that coffin, alone and aware.
Initially he had feared that this place was just some part of a phantom world he had created within himself as his mind tried to latch onto any thought or dream that would push away the encroaching darkness of his living tomb.
That thought had been given greater substance on the first night following the death of the guard. He had awoken in darkness, his sleep-fuddled brain forgetting that he had been restrained by Ignu's order - for his own good. All he knew was that it was pitch black, and he could not move.
His screams of panic had brought guards and doctors running. The lights had blazed on, stabbing into his wide open eyes, bringing tears streaming down his face. His fear subsided slowly as the calm words and reassuring touch of Dr Gethin seeped through the nightmare images of Silo 1013 and the smothering sensation of the black oil that had seeped into and then out of his body. Gethin had ordered the removal of the restraints and then he had held Alex until the trembling stopped.
In hindsight, the whole episode was embarrassing. Within a few short hours he had gone from cold-blooded killer to blubbering child.
Alex looked up sharply, catching a desire-filled look on the guard's face that was quickly erased by one of fear. Perhaps his new reputation as a killer far outweighed the later display of vulnerability after all. However, that lustful leer also made him wonder about this place. He seemed to be gaining the same looks from every person who laid eyes upon him, feeling himself appraised like some living Adonis. The idea should have been flattering but instead it filled him with dread. He had not seen one single woman since awakening and, despite their assertions that three hundred years has passed, Alex was not fool enough to accept such a statement without far greater proof. Truth to say, he was still expecting the Smoker to waltz in any moment, the ever present cancer stick filling the air with its curls of acrid blue smoke. Of course, Covarrubias would be at Spender's right hand, luxuriating in her promotion within the ranks from experimentee to top player.
He wondered where he was being held, and he wondered how long the men on the base had been stationed here but, judging by those lust-filled looks, he decided that they had to have been here quite some time without female companionship.
A terrible thought crossed his mind. One of the guards had already tried to force himself upon him. What if someone had tried to rape Mulder too? What if they had succeeded?
Alex swallowed hard as his thoughts turned to Fox Mulder.
Why should I care what happens to Mulder?
But he did care. He had always cared despite the animosity that existed between them. He felt a tingling warmth suffusing his body, a fluttering in his stomach, as images of Fox Mulder came to mind. He admired the intelligence gleaming in the chameleon eyes, enjoyed watching the colours change from hazel to gold to blue with each play of emotion across the handsome face. Phantom touches tingled his nerve endings, his fingers rising to his mouth as he remembered the slight rasp of stubble on the cheek beneath his lips as he kissed Mulder for the first and only time.
Spender had hinted that there was far more to Mulder's perception of him than either Alex or Mulder allowed himself to believe. That cancerous old bastard had insinuated that the apparent animosity hid a far different set of emotions, including one that Mulder was not willing to admit even to himself. Well, Alex did not need anyone to tell him how he felt about Mulder. He had spent many a long night in that Tunisian jail thinking about the beautiful man, and dreaming of what he would like to do with Mulder.
The warmth in his groin expanded, radiating through his belly, tingling in his thighs as he imagined the sight of Fox Mulder lying heavy and satiated in his arms, those eyes full of contentment and love - for him.
He found himself wishing they would allow him to see Mulder, wanting to assure himself that Mulder was fine.
"You have beautiful eyes."
"What?"
Wade stammered, shrinking visibly away from the glare Alex gave him. From his peripheral vision, Alex saw the guard stiffen, thick fingers tightening around the weapon held in readiness, as if expecting a recurrence of the violence that had ended a fellow guard's life.
"I-I didn't mean to be rude. It's just... not many people have green eyes."
"You have green eyes."
Wade ducked his head, a look of increased embarrassment crossing his handsome features. When he raised his head, Wade found the courage to look at Alex directly.
"I'm descended from one of the First Families. My ancestors were protected from the worst effects of the alien invasion. They were not exposed to the initial radiation that poisoned the earth - or to the alien viruses that killed or mutated most of the surviving population." Wade laughed shyly. "I remember my mother telling me that the only reason my first ancestor was offered the sanctuary of the Domes was because one of the elders had a fixation with green eyes."
Eyes.
In those last few moments as the sedative took effect, Spender had said something cryptic about his eyes. He strained to remember the words, and an echo of that familiar voice filled his head.
"I want you to know that it was those eyes that saved your life. I'm allowing you to live because you're beautiful."
The rest of Spender's words were still fogged, but they had the power to make him shiver. Superior genes; wanting his body and settling for his soul.
He remembered the early days when he worked for Spender, before he discovered the truth behind the Consortium and started building the Resistance. He recalled the way Spender would talk to him, almost lovingly. He had always assumed Spender felt strangely paternal towards him, treating him like a surrogate son, an heir to his empire. Now he wondered if he had misread the old man all those years. What if Spender had held desires for him physically, designs on his body rather than his mind?
Everything started to tumble into place. Even in the Tunisian prison, despite the way he seemed to have been abandoned, he had been treated relatively well in so much as no one had ever tried to lay a finger upon him. He saw countless others being forced into the dark corners of the crowded cell, their cries muffled as their bodies were taken forcibly, and had often lain awake, wondering when it would be the turn of his body to slake the carnal desires of another prisoner. He had assumed that it was his imperfection, his missing left arm, that kept the others from wanting him. Now he was not so certain.
Covarrubias had known exactly where to find him. Her steps had not faltered once during the long walk between the rows of crowded cells. She had stopped outside of his cell, addressing her words to him with the certain knowledge of his presence within that cell, even though he had been out of sight.
Eyes. Green eyes.
"You sly old bastard."
Alex swung his legs over the side of the bed and reached for the tray of food. He stared at the contents, trying to decide what the grey-looking mess could be.
"Porridge."
Alex nodded and lifted up the spoon in his left hand, ignoring the trembling of newly regrown nerves, flesh and sinew. It was time to start building up strength and coordination in his new arm; he would need both when the time came to make his escape.
******
Joseph Sanchez glanced each way along the corridor before sliding into the private office of Minister Lermontov, well aware of the consequences should he be caught. Visions of the sterile laboratories filled with torture equipment danced inside his head for a moment, sending a shiver of fear through his body.
Coming here was the biggest gamble of his life but the rumour he had overheard, if proved, could mean life or death for what remained of the Resistance.
Quickly, he set to work accessing the private files on the desktop computer, his jaw dropping when he found the relevant information revealing the true magnitude of the discovery in the Dakotas; not one but two fully human males, one of them a legendary figure of the Resistance.
Making his way through the vast city, to the secluded area where he would be able to transmit a message, was the hardest, longest journey of his life. It was not a safe time but Sanchez realised that this message may be the single most important piece of information he ever sent.
With trembling fingers he sent the transmission.
******
Commander Jefferson sat down in shock. His large pupils seemed to dilate even further, like black holes that sucked the last of the golden iris into its hungry depths. He listened intently as Jacqueline related the information supplied by their spy at Consortium headquarters.
"Are you certain?"
"Yes, Commander. Alex Krycek lives. He was found during an archaeological survey in the Dakotas. He has been in stasis for all these centuries, and, if reports are to be believed, he is one of only two pure humans in existence. No mutated genes, and fully resistant to the black oil virus."
Jefferson shook his head from side to side, still in disbelief that, finally, the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the infamous resistance fighter had been solved. Krycek had played a difficult role in a very dangerous game, pretending to be a mercenary to cover the fact that, all the time, he had been supplying the human resistance with an amazing amount of information. In the end it had all come to nought. Although they had managed to defeat the aliens it was at a high price. Billions had died, and most cities of the world were levelled or made uninhabitable. In the meantime, the First Families, who were the original Consortium, waited in their safe domes until it was all over, and then they reached out and snapped up the reins of power, just as they had been planning for decades.
What was left of the human resistance, after defeating the aliens, did not have the strength to fight the Consortium, having already been reduced to struggling pockets of humanity through the rising death toll from disease and starvation.
The Resistance had been forced to flee or die, their gene pool stagnating at a vastly accelerated rate than that the rest of humanity due to the necessity to remain apart and hidden.
"There is more news. Wade du Pres was among the medics chosen to assist in the reanimation process. He is still there."
A slow grin spread across the aged features. They had deliberately freed Nicola du Pres from the breeding camps to give them greater leverage when the time came to offer Wade du Pres a similar chance of freedom. As one of the few males with viable sperm but, equally as important, carrying less genetic mutation as he was a direct descendant of one of the First Families, it was only a matter of time before the young man disappeared into the Consortium's secret male breeding installation.
Until now, though, Wade du Pres had been kept in the relatively safe but tightly secure University City. This was an almost impenetrable part of the city of Domes set up by the Consortium in the relative remoteness of Arizona just prior to the start of the alien war.
They spent the next hour poring over the archaeological sites security plans. Jefferson was stunned to realise how insecure the site was and he quickly reached the opinion that if they were going to retrieve Alex Krycek, Fox Mulder and Wade du Pres then they would have to act immediately, before Lermontov had the men transferred to the City of Domes.
He issued a telepathic command to his top planners, sending them scurrying to locate all the necessary information for the preparation of another rescue mission.
******
General Kamarov sighed as he stared back and forth between the two monitors, uncertain which of these two beautiful men appealed to him most. His earlier supposition that these were two rich men who had bought their salvation from the terrible war, had fallen by the wayside as he witnessed the stunning violence of Alex Krycek.
Yet, something told him that these were not two ordinary men, dragged from their beds in the middle of the night and placed into cryogenic chambers just because they were beautiful. He had a feeling that the answer would be found in the decaying journal found between the two chambers, but Madeleine Wright was taking an extraordinary amount of care with it. His one attempt to speed up the disclosure of the contents of that journal had resulted in the loss of two sides of script, the paper dissolving into a pile of dust at the rough handling.
Kamarov looked up as his aide entered the office.
"I believe it is time we allowed our two beauties to meet."
^*^*
"Sir?" Queried Troy, the General's aide. He had heard his superior speak, but could not make out what the words were.
"I said,….I believe it is time we allowed our two beauties to meet." The General smiled when his rather shy aide blushed. Not a woman to be found in a thousand square kilometre radius and the young man still blushed at the thought of two men together.
Troy coughed and tried to cover up his embarrassment. He had seen both of the men on the monitors; they were the most exciting thing to happen to the new world since the invention of the hover shuttle. Personally, he would have described the two as totally gorgeous, not just mere ‘beauties'. However, that was not for him to say.
"Why are you here?" Asked the General, bored with his aide already.
"Sir, Lieutenant Commander Morrison is here to see you. He is carrying a very important package for you."
"Well…then send him in Troy, don't keep the Commander waiting." Ordered the General with an exaggerated sigh.
"Yes, sir." Troy backed out of the room then entered again immediately, with Lieutenant Morrison on his heals. The General excused the flushed man and once the door was closed, Kamarov stood and greeted the handsome soldier warmly. "Commander." The men shook hands. "What brings you back to this part of the wastelands?"
"General." Addressed the Lieutenant to his superior.
Duly disciplined and fully chastised, for his behavior earlier, General Alderton had re-assigned the young Lieutenant to command the guards who would be seeing to the security of the *sleepers*.
"General Alderton has seen me fit to be re-assigned to the installation. I hear my men have been acting up, in my absence." Morrison smiled then handed over his orders and a sealed package to his superior officer. "Plus, I've been charged with handing this to you in person."
The General accepted the orders then the envelope, which he tore it open. Inside was a small, palm pilot. He looked up at the lieutenant. "Who is this from?" He asked as he sat down.
"Madeline Wright has manage to salvage some more text from the book found at the scene. It belonged to an original elder by the name of Spender."
General Kamarov nodded knowingly; the name of the elder was very familiar to him. He booted up the miniature computer. "Make your self a drink Lieutenant." He said just before he bent his head and read the recovered text.
^*^*
Entry in personal journal:
August 11 2001.
Just over a year has passed since I have put you into hiding, Fox, son of my heart. And though you will not thank me when you are once again awake, I am confident you will see the wisdom of my actions. I wish that I could have claimed you as my own, but my ‘superiors' would not allow it. My affair with your mother Teena, was short and passionate. No one but the two of us were supposed to know the truth, however, we both know how long the syndicate's tentacles reach. Bill Mulder was a good man, and raised you as his own, but it was not the same.
He gave Samantha to the Aliens because he wanted her to live, not you. I could not let that happen, which was why I did the things I did. I do not expect you to understand my motives, please believe me when I say that when I started out, they were pure.
I charged Alex Krycek with your safety and he did his job well. Too well. Who would have thought that you would fall in love. Now, I know right about now you are denying it all, but we three know the truth. Why come to rescue him from me, if there was no feelings between you in the first place?
I can certainly see the irony in saving the leader of the human resistance. Who would have guessed that Alex could have fooled both myself and the English dandy? Well, I suppose the joke is on us.
Then again it just might be on the extra-terrestrials too. For if you awaken and are now living at the mercy of the aliens, then having to put up with the indomitable yet disagreeable spirit of Alex Krycek is my way of sticking my thumb in the eyes of the ‘greys'.
I miss you Fox and I miss Alex too…damn his eyes. If only things could have been different…for all of us.
^*^*
Morrison passed by two monitors on his way to the bar. He poured himself two fingers of an excellent, one hundred year-old whiskey and then dropped in several ice cubes. Picking up the drink, the lieutenant went and stood at the monitors. He could not take his eyes off of the occupants in the rooms. Both men, Krycek and Mulder, were impeccable specimens of man hood. The lieutenant knew all that there was to know about the men; their security was in his hands now. He commanded the soldiers who protected the installation.
First he studied the man named Fox Mulder. Morrison could certainly appreciate Mulder's tall, lanky frame. His demeanor seemed far calmer than the pretty one named Krycek.
//*That one* has a hair-trigger temper.//
At the thought of Alex, the Lieutenant had turned his eyes to Krycek's monitor for a second, then swung them back to Mulder.
He sipped his drink, relishing the pure alcohol taste; a real treat from the synthetic, non addictive version served to the men in the barracks. The army man compared Mulder to his beverage; both had aged nicely and their flawless allure were easily appreciated. A man like Fox Mulder, would not be left alone in the domed city for long. Some rich consortium family would no doubt pay a king's ransom to own such a fine specimen.
Morrison wondered if Mulder and Krycek had known each other before being entered into their long cryo-sleep.
After mulling over Mulder, the Lieutenant finally set his gaze on Alex. Like Mulder, Krycek was a real looker. Maybe even more so, because he was closer in age to what Morrison liked in a man, plus he was no push over. He sighed. No doubt the consortium elder who bought him would take great pleasure in breaking the sable haired lovely's strong spirit. Morrison shuddered when he thought of some of the first family leaders, several of them had reputations for being very hard on their slaves.
The good looking Lieutenant hoped that instead of being locked away in one of the rich and powerful men's houses, that maybe Minister Lermontov would give other's a chance to enjoy the two sleepers gifts. Maybe he would place the green-eyed men in one of the exclusive whore-houses that served the consortium and the upper echelon of the armed forces.
An echelon that Morrison was lucky enough to belong too.
The young lieutenant leered at Alex, who was busy doing push-ups. His shirt was off and the man's upper body was bare and gleaming with sweat. He had heard that in his absence that Dr. Ignu had taken a very personal interest in the sable haired beauty. The Lieutenant did not like the sound of that. He *wanted* Krycek, and he intended to have him. Dr. Ignu be damned!
"Commander."
Realising that he had been caught daydreaming, the Lieutenant swung his eyes toward his commanding officer. "Sir…." He stammered, his cheeks reddened with the realisation that he was thinking about the twenty-first century man in the most carnal of ways.
The General did not achieve such a high rank by luck and brains alone. He had done so by observing and getting to know human behaviour. He could see that by the way Lieutenant Morrison was staring at Krycek, that the lieutenant was smitten.
The General broke the ice by saying, "I see you like the hot tempered one. I myself, prefer the other." He stared into the monitor holding Mulder's image. Mulder was busy searching his room, no doubt looking for hidden cameras and listening devices. The general appreciated Mulder's ingenuity, but the inquisitive man would never find their devices; they were cleverly secreted in the bricks of the walls.
"Madeline has sent a passage from the ancient book. It explains just who and what our two sleepers are." He smiled at the handsome lieutenant then pointed to Mulder's monitor. "Fox Mulder is Original Elder Spender's illegitimate son." The General gave an ironic laugh "And the other is the father of the human resistance."
Lieutenant Morrison's eyes flew open. "Really?" He asked.
"That's right Chaz, we've managed to dig up the two most historically important people from the twentieth century alive and well."
Morrison swallowed the last of his whiskey and blew out his breath, in awe of the two before him.
"A passage from the excerpt suggested that the two were lovers, or were in love."
The General's vid-phone beeped with an incoming message, interrupting his scintillating conversation with the Lieutenant commander. He went over to his desk and answered it. "Yes?"
"The honourable Minister of Culture, Gregory Prescott on the screen, holding for you sir." Said Troy dully.
"Put him through."
"Andrei." Greeted the Minister. "Are you alone?"
"Gregory how are you? I'm here with Commander Morrison."
"Shall I leave sir?" Question Morrison in the background, still angry at the Minister for the way he was treated when Krycek and Mulder were first discovered.
"No, no. Tell him to stay Andrei. He should hear this too."
The Lieutenant stood behind his superior so that the minister could see him as well as general Kamarov.
"I take it you've read the excerpt from the journal?" Questioned Prescott
"Yes sir." Replied the General.
"Minister Lermontov and the rest of the council of first families wants Mulder and Krycek brought to the city as soon as possible."
"Sir, If I may speak frankly?"
"Go ahead General."
"Both subjects are just starting to recover now. We've barely had time to draw their blood let alone gather their tissues. We are going to need at least six more weeks to collect the data needed." The general looked to the Lieutenant Commander for *back-up*.
"Six weeks?" Question the Minister.
"Yes." Confirmed the Lieutenant Commander.
"The two subjects have not even been reunited yet." Said the General.
"Well, if I know Morrison's men at the installation, and believe me, I *do*." Stated the Minister bluntly, "If Mulder and Krycek are there for six more weeks, then by the time they reach the city, every soldier and installation worker would have had buggered them two times over." He noted the soft blush that suddenly stained the lieutenant's prominent cheekbones. "You have three weeks to compile the data you need, not a day more."
"Yes sir." Said the General and the Lieutenant Commander in unison.
"Oh….and Andrei."
"Yes?"
"Lermontov himself has his eye on Fox Mulder. So I suggest he arrive here unscathed and in one piece."
"What about the other? Alex Krycek?" Asked Morrison of the Minister.
"He has caught the eye of many of the first family elders. But he is not as important as Mulder. After all, Fox Mulder is a direct descendant of the Original Elder. Alex Krycek, despite being the father of the human resistance is an ordinary man. Nothing more. His presence will merely amuse the other families. It's Fox Mulder whom you must protect at all costs. Do you understand me?"
"I do." Replied the general.
"Good. Three weeks Andrei, no longer. Prescott out." The screen went blank.
"Well Lieutenant. It seems we are under a deadline. Rally your guards and tell them that no one, and I mean no one, touches Mulder in a sexual way. Keep an extra close eye on Krycek, I don't want every horny soldier in his room at night taking advantage of him."
"There's hardly a chance of that sir, after all the last ruffian who tried to have his way with the him lost his life." Morrison had been updated on everything that had taken place during his absence.
"True, but they could always go after him in a group. So keep everyone except those that you trust the most away from him too. I think its about time we put the two of them together. I want to see how they react to each other, especially since Original Elder Spender thinks that they are in love. Put them in small, but cosy observation room. If they find their surroundings agreeable, maybe that will make taking their samples easier on them…and on us."
The general was merely musing out loud, but he knew that the Lieutenant would follow his orders. "Their safety is up to you Commander Morrison. Don't let me down."
"No sir, I won't."
"Dismissed."
^*^*
As the Lieutenant walked toward the barracks where his men lived, the career army man formulated a plan on how to get Alex Krycek into his bed before the emerald-eyed beauty had to leave the installation.
//Perhaps I'll tell him that if he *doesn't* sleep with me willingly, then I'll let as many men that want too, have a *go* at Mulder instead.//
The devious Lieutenant smiled to himself. That would work, especially if the journal was true and the two ancient men were fixated on each other.
He couldn't wait to be alone with Krycek. The next three weeks would most likely be his only opportunity to have the man. Especially since it sounded like Alex was going to wind up being the play-thing for many powerful men. Mulder was luckier in that at least he'd be a boy-toy to only one man; Minister Lermontov would not share Fox Mulder with anyone.
^*^*
General Kamarov buzzed his aid. "Troy, tell the researchers at the lab that I need to see them A.S.A.P. Then I want you to get the photographers, Malcolm Bailey and David Leith out here. Mulder and Krycek are changing their quarters and I want some candid, secret shots of the two."
"Yes sir." Replied Troy. Who hung up then did as he was instructed to.
The General wandered over to the monitors and spoke to the two men. "Well boys, it looks like you will be going to the city after all. Pity…really."
With that, he toasted than drank the last of his whiskey.
^*^*
Commander Morrison knocked on Alex's door then unlocked and entered the tiny cell like room. Two large guards followed him in.
Alex, having finished working his AB muscles hard, sat up, panting and sweating. He did not greet the Lieutenant nor did he the two men behind him; the Russian merely glared at them all.
"I am Lieutenant Commander Morrison." He introduced himself, but not the men who were blocking the door. "It's time for you and Mr. Mulder to be re-united. Gather your things, we'll take you to him."
"Is Mulder all right?" Asked Alex, wary of the stranger he got to his feet.
"He's fine, as are you. General Kamarov thought that now you are done with your quarantine period that you two would like to room together. He thought it would bring you both comfort as you begin to ease your way back into modern civilisation." Morrison smiled at the man before him.
The grinning army man made Alex nervous, there was something about him that he didn't like. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but maybe it was because Morrison was speaking about a man he had not heard of nor seen before. In order to avoid looking at the blue eyed lieutenant, Alex picked up a small leather kit bag and started to put what few personal hygiene effects he had, in it. All the while, the lieutenant spoke on.
"…It must be very difficult to be entered into a cryogenic sleep in the first place…but to awaken three hundred years into the future…" Morrison's steely eyes followed the shirtless Alex's every movement. "…it *has* to be a complete shock to you both." Alex zipped his bag and turned to face the lieutenant.
"What's going to happen to us?" Alex asked, his voice flat.
"You and Mr. Mulder will be the subjects of many experiments for the next three weeks, after which, the pair of you will be transported to the City of Domes." Morrison shot Alex a look somewhere between a smile and a leer.
"Oh." Was all Alex could think of to say. He should have known that the white-coats would want to do more experiments. After all, it wasn't everyday that two three hundred-year old men were dug up. A lot had happened between then and now, and Alex hoped he would be told all of it. The shy blonde, du Prés had told him about the alien war and how humanity was finally triumphant. It only made sense to want to find out what made his and Mulder's blood different from those affected by three hundred years of germ warfare.
"Leave us." Barked Morrison to the two guards with out looking at either one of them. His eyes were focussed in on Alex.
"But sir…." Started one of the incredulous soldiers. He had known the man that Krycek had killed, intimately.
"I'll be fine." The lieutenant turned to the two then and said with a small grin curving the corners of his mouth, "I can take care of myself."
"Yes, Sir. We'll be right out side in case you need us."
Once the door was closed, the lieutenant went over to a spot on the wall and pressed his hand to the brick. Shutting down the covert recording equipment
^*^*
General Kamarov's monitor went blank. He smiled and poured another whiskey. A man like Morrison did not go without sex for long. The General had assumed, correctly, that Morrison planned on taking what he could from the handsome Alex Krycek before being placed into the cruel clutches of the elders. Kamarov wasn't worried for Krycek, he knew that once the Lieutenant Commander laid claim to the man that no one else in the installation would dare lay a finger on Krycek. The General knew, with out question that his edict concerning Fox Mulder's own safety would be followed and obeyed; Morrison always did what he was told. Alex Krycek's ass for Lermontov ‘prize' was a fair trade.
^*^*
"What did you just do?" Alex eyed the Lieutenant warily, sizing up the army man. The soldier had about two inches and twenty pounds on him. But size and weight didn't matter as much as surprise did. Alex readied himself for a fight.
"I've shut off the camera's." Morrison turned around and faced Alex. "Don't even think of taking me on Krycek. I'm not unprepared for you…like my soldier was the other night."
Alex relaxed his body, but it was merely a ruse, he was still ready to pounce on the larger Lieutenant should he need too.
"I have a proposition for you." Said the Lieutenant as he approached the Russian.
"I'm sure you do." Alex replied dryly. He shot the man a large, exaggerated smile. Around here, everything seemed to be about sex.
Morrison stepped up to Alex and pinned the slightly shorter man to the sink.
"Either you come to my bed when summoned or Fox Mulder does. It doesn't matter to me which one of you I bed down for the next three weeks. But it will be you or him." Morrison hoped that Alex would buy his ruse. Everyone by now knew that it was hands off when it came to Mulder and that Krycek was in the ‘hands off' mode too; though it was for two completely different reasons. "I'm tired of the prostitutes in the city's brothel's; I've had them all."
Alex was completely caught off guard by Lieutenant. He had expected to be propositioned for sex, that was nothing new to him…but to be given the choice of he or Mulder. That was unexpected. He loved Mulder, with all of his heart, even though the former agent did not return those sentiments. Alex could not in all good conscience place the inexperienced Mulder in such a position. Never…ever! The thought of Morrison or one of his soldiers touching Fox in a sexual way made Alex's skin crawl. The Russian knew that nothing was to big a sacrifice when it came to Mulder; not even the trade of his own flesh in return for the safety of Fox's.
"Fine. I'll do it, but only if you promise no one touches Fox." Sighed Alex. He was used to being a consortium whore; one way or another, the syndicate elders always got their way.
Morrison smiled. Now he knew for sure, Krycek was in love with Mulder. But were the feelings returned? That was the question that needed to be answered now. The Lieutenant supposed he'd find out when the two started to live together.
"You have my word as an officer. No harm will come to Mr. Mulder. I promise." He smiled again, this time trying to reassure his reluctant victim. "No one will harm you either." Morrison studied Alex's green eyes. They were so beautiful, incredibly displayed and framed by all those long deep chestnut lashes. "I don't like to share Alex, no one will touch you in an inappropriate way either…except me that is…."
Warming a perfect strangers bed on command was not something Alex wanted to do but if it spared Fox the humiliation, then he was willing to put up with. For a minute, Alex thought that the Lieutenant was going to kiss him on the mouth, something else he didn't really relish either.
But the commander pulled back instead and stepped away. "Come-on," He said, "it's time you were re-united with Mulder."
On the way out, Lieutenant Morrison passed his palm over the brick again. Alex assumed that he had turned the cameras back on.
^*^*
Just before Alex entered his new living quarters, Morrison pulled him aside by the left biceps, causing Alex to wince, he didn't realise how tender the arm still was.
"If Doctor Ignu lays one hand on you, you have my permission to defend your self."
Morrison especially didn't want that egotistical Doctor to touch Alex. He had already heard through the military grapevine that the older scientist had ‘eyes' for the handsome younger man.
^*^*
The door unlocked and Fox looked up. He watched silent and stone faced as Krycek entered the main room. Inside he was relieved to see that the triple agent was really okay. After all, the last time he had laid eyes on his former partner he had already been entered into a forced cryo-sleep. In fact, his heart beat increased a few notches and he felt an age old tingle in his groin. Three hundred years of sleep and separation had done nothing to ease his true feelings for the Russian.
"Mulder…." Greeted Alex. He hesitated for a second in the doorframe, then stepped into the room fully.
"Krycek." Acknowledged Mulder. "Are you all right?" He stared pointedly at Alex's new left arm. The boy named Wade had told him about the new limb's re-growth.
"I'm fine….you?" Alex wasn't sure what to expect from Mulder, but it wasn't this icy-calm attitude that was for sure.
"GOOD!" Yelled Mulder as he launched his body up from the love seat he had been reclining on. "CAUSE I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS FROM HERE UNTIL TOMORROW…WHAT KIND OF SHIT HAVE YOU GOT ME INTO NOW!!"
In an instant Fox was on top of Alex, hitting him.
As he tried to fend off the blows, Alex thought that with all that had transpired, at least Mulder hadn't changed. And for that, he was grateful...
...but enough was enough. He would lie steal and kill for Mulder. He would even endure Morrison's unwelcome lust to protect Mulder.
It was time he and Mulder came to an understanding. No more angry, false accusations. No more punches. And no more secrets.
Starting now.
It took Alex less than a minute to subdue the flailing Mulder. A knee to the stomach and quick roll to the left had Alex straddling a shocked, prone Mulder.
***
"Fox, don't you think it's time to grow up?"
Mulder glared at his former partner, but Krycek showed no signs of being intimidated.
"Mulder, for once in your life, use your brains and intuition, and don't fly off the handle. If half of what we've been told by our 'keepers' is true, we are in a new world with dangerous men that make Cancer Man look like a circus clown. We need each other."
Mulder abandoned any pretense of a struggle: he knew Alex was telling the truth. The last time Alex spoke to him this way, husky voice layered with urgency and resolve, it was with information about a captured rebel leader.
That was the night Alex restored his faith, reinvigorated his search for the truth.
That was the night of the kiss.
Some three hundred years later, and our situation is the same. Surrounded by mysterious men obsessed with power and control. Subject to unwelcome tests and medical exams. No one to believe except my Alex, the beautiful, uncontrollable triple agent whose brilliant emerald eyes silently plead for trust and understanding.
My old life and world are ashes; it's time to take charge.
This time, I listen to my heart, and bring us full circle. This time, I slowly raise my head from the floor, and kiss Alex Krycek.
And not on the cheek.
***
Mulder. Oh, God, Mulder.
His lips are everything I dreamed of, and more. His kiss is tender and strong, full of sweetness and need, and I am addicted and overloaded.
No one else has ever had this effect on me; no one else ever will.
When he pulls back, I start to protest, but his eyes stop me. Those multi-faceted shades of hazel, blue and gold are mesmerizing. He is captive beneath me, yet he is in control. He doesn't know it, but he always has been.
Watching a Mulder-smile unfold is like observing the most gorgeous sunrise. The slow stretch of those full lips is the regal lift of that golden orb. The flash of gleaming teeth is the brightening of the sky. The glittering sparks in his eyes are the varied hues of the clouds hit by those glorious rays of sunlight.
He is incredible. Magnificent. And he's smiling at me. Any torture I suffer on his behalf is an honor. I will not let these monsters harm him.
At the thought of our captors, my brain starts to work again. I roll off Mulder, rise silently to my feet, and pull him up. Before he can complain, I crush him against me, our hearts pounding, our breaths hard and heavy, bodies touching from head to knee. The sensual onslaught is intense and complete, and it takes a few minutes before I can softly speak the urgent words into his right ear.
"Mulder, there are video cameras in here...they're watching our every move."
He stiffens, and makes an effort to move away. But I won't let him. Not now. Possibly not ever. God, I love him!
I pull back only far enough to look him in the eye.
"I found out how to turn them off."
He grins, I grin, and this unknown world is suddenly a beautiful place. I drag him to the door, and wave my hand over the same bricked area I watched Morrison control in my old room, and we hear the sudden click behind the wall. Success!
When I turn back to face Mulder, all thoughts of cameras, doctors and soldiers are gone. All I see is the man I can't help but love, reaching out for me, his face a glorious mix of wonder, lust, longing, hope and...trust.
I've wanted him for so long, and never thought this moment would come. I could just cry, but triple-agent resistance leaders don't cry, they take action. So, action it is.
We fly across the room, Mulder landing on the loveseat, me landing on Mulder. He laughs, I laugh, and it takes a few minutes for us to catch our breath.
Finally, Mulder speaks. No, he growls.
"So, where were we?"
***
No one in the observation room would look at General Kamarov. They wouldn't even look at each other. The general was in a rage, and anyone in his path would be lucky to survive.
"How did he learn to disable the camera?" came the thunderous roar. "Morrison!"
Lieutenant Commander Charles Morrison looked straight ahead, hiding his anger and fear behind his military bearing. Alex Krycek would have a lot to answer for when Morrison claimed him...
***
The transmission contained three pictures and a short, but informational message:
Both subjects healthy. More tests. Three weeks maximum. Then transport to the City of Domes per Minister Lermontov.
It took a large measure of control for Commander Samuel Jefferson to contain his disgust at the thought of the two purebred humans under Lermontov's control. For the resistance to succeed, they need vitality, courage and unwavering determination. They need cunning, stealth and survival instincts. They need Alex Krycek.
With a measured breath, Commander Jefferson faced his most trusted rebel allies.
"Gentlemen, our situation has never been more perilous, yet today I have never felt more confident of our eventual victory. It is time to plan our attack on the North Dakota facility. Our timeframe: less than three weeks. Our objective: the retrieval of three men."
Jefferson passed to his allies the first picture, featuring a fresh-faced blonde man with an innocent air.
"This is Wade du Pres, descendant from the first families. His sister, Nicola, was recovered during our last mission. du Pres is a medical student; we can use more medics. More importantly, both du Pres' have viable reproductive ability."
"The second man," Jefferson continues, as the second photo hits the table. "is Fox William Mulder. He is one of the two purebred humans unearthed by the consortium. Our records show is was an FBI agent who fought against the original consortium on many occasions, until his sudden, unexplained disappearance 314 years ago."
The final photograph elicited gasps of shock from every man in the room. Commander Samuel Jefferson smiled.
"Our most important target is Alexander Nicolai Krycek. Obviously, I don't have to tell you who he is, or why we are retrieving him."
Jefferson paused, giving each rebel a cool, commanding look.
"We've been cautious, picking our targets carefully, working methodically. These long years of resistance have been hard work, against terrible odds, with little progress."
"The return of the father of the resistance is our call to action. This attack will be our largest, most dangerous effort since the alien wars. The risks are considerable, but the rewards are enormous."
"We will start planning a rescue mission today...now. Time is of the essence, and this will be our only chance at the three men before they are shipped to the City of Domes."
"I want all three recovered, but if forced to make a choice...there is no choice. Alex Krycek is our top priority."
~+~+~+~+~
The news that Krycek had disabled the cameras, causing discomfort to some people, spread through the complex like wildfire , and many found it hard not to laugh when the tale reached them. In the wake of the mirth, there was a groundswell of admiration; not only was Alex Krycek dangerous, he was intelligent as well.
Naturally the upper echelons of the security force, especially Lt. Commander Morrison, could not see the joke, so when Robert Gethin received a summons to General Kamarov's office, he mentally prepared himself to meet a very angry man.
When he entered the General's outer office, Lt. Troy said, "Please take a seat Dr. Gethin, The General is talking to Minister Lermontov at the moment."
Gethin nodded and took a seat, thinking back over the years to the first time he had met Andrei Kamarov. He had been on a field trip to Russian Georgia during his last year at University, and Lt. Commander Kamarov had been in charge of the security and transportation for the expedition. They had taken an instant liking to one another and had spent much of their off-duty time together... including many nights in the same bed. As time passed, and they were promoted in their chosen careers, their lust had dwindled. They were still friends, their shared past, although never alluded to openly, made them more relaxed in each other's company than would otherwise be the case.
They had met a few times since then, but because of their wandering lifestyles they had never become really intimate again, and then, in the ruins of a city he had met others who lived outside the domes...
His roaming thoughts were brought back to the present when Troy spoke to him. "Dr. Gethin, the General will see you now."
Gethin walked in and shut the office door firmly behind him. Kamarov looked up, an angry scowl marring his features. "Help yourself to coffee, Robert," he said, gesturing towards the sideboard. As his old friend poured the black liquid into a cup, he continued, "I suppose you've heard what has happened."
"Yes, I heard.... Hell, Andrei, what did you expect? Just because they good looking doesn't mean thy haven't any brains. They're both university graduates. Mulder had a very high-profile career in the FBI; a respected profiler amongst other things. According to my research Krycek also served in the FBI for a while, having graduated at the top of his class from Quantico having gained an MA from Yale...." Gethin trailed off, letting Kamarov draw his own conclusions, while he quietly sipped his coffee.
Suddenly the General started laughing, his eyes twinkling at the man sitting opposite him, his infectious laugh caused Gethin to start laughing too.
When they had, more or less, recovered their composure, Kamarov said, "Thanks Robert, you're right. I was equating beauty, and ignorance of our ways, with stupidity; I had forgotten what and who they were. The question now is: how am I going to deal with them?"
The archaeologist thought for a moment, then said, "Ever since we discovered them, I have been doing some research on the twentieth century, particularly it's history, freedoms and attitudes - I've also been reading the journal that was left with them.
"Comparing their lifestyle with ours, I have drawn the conclusion that they would regard some of the restrictions on our lives we take for granted, as infringements of their civil liberties. They would probably compare our regime to that of the Nazi's in the mid nineteen hundreds, an oppressive, militaristic dictatorship, who set out to conquer most of Europe and Western Russia."
Kamarov frowned, obviously trying to recall the historical details. When he couldn't he asked, "What happened? Why didn't they succeed?"
"It's a very long and complicated story, but I'll try to make it as short as possible. There were two wars in the 20th century which encompassed most of the globe, and involved the majority of the nations of the world. The Great War, as it was originally termed, started in 1914 when the heir to the Austrian throne was murdered in Serbia. The Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on Serbia, Germany declared war on Russia and France, and invaded Belgium. Great Britain, an ally of Belgium declared war on Germany... and so it went on until most of Europe had taken one side or the other. The countries outside Europe who were part of the British Empire sent troops, and, as the years went by, many other countries were drawn into the conflict. In 1917 came the revolution in Russia and they signed a peace treaty with Germany. Also in that year the US and Cuba declared war on Germany.
"Just over four years after it had started Germany and her allies sued for peace, and the war ended with an armistice which came into force at 11a.m. on 11 November, 1918, which is why Veteran's Day is observed on that date.
Some old nations, which had been swallowed up by those countries on the losing side, became independent again, amongst them Poland. Many peace pacts and mutual protection pacts were signed during the following years, amongst the latter was one between Great Britain and Poland.
"Even though the war was over, the problems didn't stop. There was a worldwide influenza epidemic which killed more people than had died during the four years of war, then came famine and mass unemployment, a world slump and monetary systems were in disarray.
"In Germany the National Socialist, Nazi, Party came to power, led by Adolf Hitler, an Austrian, who had served as a corporal during World War One."
Gethin paused to finish his coffee, but Kamarov was so intrigued by the story that he waited patiently for his friend to start speaking again.
"While the rest of the world disarmed, Germany secretly started to rearm although it was forbidden by the terms of the treaty they had signed in 1918. Their aim was a pure Aryan nation, and if that meant exterminating all those who were 'contaminated' in any way then so be it. Amongst those they persecuted were Jews, the mentally ill and homosexuals; those people who could afford it started to flee Germany. They also started to annex other countries, Austria, parts of Czechoslovakia, Silesia... on 1st September 1939 they invaded Poland. Britain protested and issued an ultimatum... when Germany refused to withdraw, Britain declared war on September 3rd, Hitler had miscalculated Britain's will to fight for freedom.
"So, twenty one years after world war one ended, the second world war started. Italy and Japan sided with Germany, and many countries in Europe both east and west of Germany were overrun, as were many countries and islands around Japan. The US entered the war at the end of 1941 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour.
"The Nazis herded all 'undesirables' into labour camps where they either worked until they died or were deliberately killed, and sent the Jews to concentration camps, where they were gassed and their bodies incinerated.
"They also set up breeding camps to perpetuate the Aryan race, just like we have.
"By the time the war finished in 1945, 35 million people had been killed, plus 6 million in the Nazi concentration camps. Not quite the billions of deaths our own ancestors managed to achieve by collaborating with the aliens, but you can see the comparisons for yourself."
Kamarov nodded thoughtfully. "I can see why you believe they would thank that way," he replied after a long silence. "And I can also see why that part of history was left out of my military education."
Gethin grimaced. "It's not just military education. I had to dig deep into the archives to find it, in fact much of the twentieth century is not in the main index.... Almost as if there is something in there that someone doesn't want the general populace to know... but I digress. The reason I was looking was to find out about the social structure to see what differences there were between then and now, and to see if we could utilize the knowledge to make our two... guests... feel more at home in our society. If we want their cooperation we must allow them more privacy and make sure they feel protected and safe... even if that means that we have to curb our own inclinations and those of whom we command."
Kamarov nodded, "I've already put a "don't touch' order them, and since, as speculated in Spender's journal, they do seem to be lovers, I believe that Krycek would react violently to any threats against Mulder."
"As to the present situation, and taking into account your findings, I believe we should leave them alone for a while, then I propose to send you, and a doctor to check up on their welfare... du Prés I think would be best. I'll send for him and show you the last part of the surveillance tapes so that you can see for yourselves what happened before you go to talk to them.
-o0o-
Commander Jefferson, looked around the table. "We are agreed then, to strike from here over such a long distance would be inadvisable, so we will move our strike force to Chicago and attack from there. After the raid, the force will regroup in Winnipeg, and we will send support groups to both cities. The transports and the strike craft will leave here tonight.
"Unless we have to postpone it for any reason, the raid will take place the following night. In advance of the Dakota raid, our colleagues from Houston will break into another of the breeding camps and a school where we have pinpointed some children of the mothers we have already liberated, as well as those we hope to set free the same night, which should draw the patrols south." He smiled grimly, then went on, "But I don't need to tell you not to rely on the patrols being missing."
"One last thing. Please remember that most of the personnel in the Dakota complex are civilians and we know there is at least one of our sympathizers there, so no bloodshed unless absolutely necessary. The military and security forces are fair game if they get in your way, but don't go looking for trouble... the faster we are in and out of there, the better I shall like it." He gathered his papers together and stood up. "Thank you for your attention ladies and gentlemen, if I receive any more information from any of our contacts I will get it passed to you immediately."
He left the room, his aide Jacqueline, following in his wake, leaving a thoughtful silence behind him.
-o0o-
When du Prés arrived in Kamarov's office, the General commanded they were shown the video footage of Morrison's visit to Krycek's quarters, and of the initial confrontation between him and Mulder. They were surprised that, at first, Krycek made no attempt to defend himself; then breathed a sigh of relief when he had neatly turned the tables on Mulder without doing much damage.
When the recording had been ended so abruptly, Gethin found it very hard not to laugh, especially when he could hear du Prés snickering beside him. Fortunately, the General was inclined to ignore the breach of etiquette by the young medical student.
"As you can see, the screens are still blank," Kamarov waved his hand at the bank of monitors as he spoke. "Doctor Gethin, you have sufficient seniority to be able to open the doors from the outside without being a member of security, I'd like you to accompany du Prés to ascertain the well-being of our - er - guests; to make sure they haven't suffered any ill-effects from their activities."
Gethin looked slightly uncomfortable. "Do you want me to turn these back on?" he queried, not sounding particularly enthusiastic about the idea.
"For their own safety, I would like the ones in the main room turned on, but I am willing to allow those in the bedroom to be disabled, they do have some rights to privacy under our laws."
"Yes, sir. I'll show them how to work the cameras."
"Good. Before you go I have some news for First Class Du Prés. The University has advised me that you have passed your term examinations. Congratulations."
"Thank you, sir."
Kamarov nodded, then said. "That's all gentlemen."
-oo0oo-
The two men showed their passes to the guards, then paused at the door to the small, purpose-built apartment, and looked at one another, each wondering what they were going to find inside.
Squaring his shoulders, Gethin placed his hand against the plate and heard the lock open. When they got inside, there was an unmistakable smell of sex in the air, and du Prés' cheeks coloured at the sight of a trail of discarded clothing.
Gethin, touched him gently on the shoulder, and motioned him to stay put, then he followed the trail of clothes which led him from the love-seat in the main room to the bed, where the lovers lay sleeping, Alex held securely in Fox's arms.
His fingers itched to take out his notebook and make a quick line drawing, and he also found himself wishing there was some way to shield these men from the fate the consortium's first families wold surely have in store for them
He took a few steps towards the bed and Alex's head lifted, his eyes zeroing in on the intruder.
Gethin smiled. then quietly said, "General Kamarov has sent du Prés and myself to make sure you have not suffered any ill effects from your - er -reunion."
Mulder stirred as Alex replied in an equally soft voice, "du Prés I can understand, but why you Doctor Gethin?"
Gethin's smile widened. "As the senior archaeologist and an historian, I have been used to far more freedom than the average citizen, so in a way I can sympathize with your antipathy towards the sudden restrictions which have been put on your lives. General Kamarov has asked me to show you how to turn off the cameras in the individual rooms, but for your safety he has asked you to allow the cameras to remain on in the living room."
"I think we could probably do that," Mulder murmured feeling Alex tense, and forestalling any outburst from his more aggressive lover by whispering in his ear, "I only said, 'probably'."
Alex kissed Fox's cheek then got off the bed to collect their shorts. "We'd better make ourselves presentable for Mr du Prés," he said, throwing Mulder's on to the bed and pulling his own on. He gave Gethin a calculating look, wondering if he could get some more information out of the man on the current state of the outside world... He had to find a way to extricate Fox and himself from these people, otherwise they would never know any freedom. He also found himself wondering what had happened to the resistance. Had they survived, and did they still exist. Though he doubted if he could ask such direct questions of even this seemingly friendly man.
Gethin pretended not to notice the looks he was being given, and said, "I have also been authorised to provide you with a copy of a journal which was found with you, and to answer some of the questions you undoubtedly have about the world into which you have been... reborn."
The words 'answers' and 'journal' acted like to cold shower to Mulder's senses, he got off the bed and started dressing following his trail of clothes back to the main room and coming face to face with the shy medical student waiting near the door from the corridor.