Future Jump IV

---

Decisions were being made around them. Scully looked at Skinner. He had been dragged into camp about thirty minutes after she had settled down on a rough-hewn blanket by the fire. He had grimaced at her and she shrugged. They had meant to meet up with the resistance…they just hadn't planned on being captured by them. Skinner had stared at Krycek for several stunned moments before a mask slid down shut over his craggy features. Their things had been taken and the travel disc was the object that had the group so fired up.

"We need to get them to listen to us," Scully whispered. So far the people in the group hadn't listened to a word Scully or Skinner had said about their mission. There had been a distinct distrust of them from the moment Skinner had been dragged into the camp. He was too big, too authoritative and far older than most of the resistance fighters had ever seen a human before. One young girl had poked his muscled belly and proclaimed him too healthy…too fit to be anything but a traitor. A surly male had accused him of being a hunter, whatever that was.

Skinner wasn't worried about time that was the one thing they had plenty of. He had lapsed into his own thoughts as he stared into the dancing flames. What would happen if he went back in time…back before Fox had met Alex? What if he could just go back far enough to allow himself the chance to tell Fox how he felt? He shook his head and threw a stick into the flames. Mulder had made his choice. Skinner's own nature forbade him from toying with another person's life, especially one that he respected more than he longed for. The reasons that he was drawn to Mulder were myriad and confusing. His physical appearance was the least of all the many things that attracted Skinner. That all that Mulder was, was now Krycek's made him nearly physically ill, made him wish that he had been able to face his feelings sooner…to admit to them. Now it was too late. Krycek was staring at him, those damn green eyes making Skinner wish for one shameful minute that he could be as ruthless as his enemies. If he killed Krycek now, Mulder would never meet him…never love him. He shook his head, angry with himself. "Damn it all, Mulder!" He cursed loudly, startling Scully and making Krycek jerk as if shot.

"Sir?" Scully whispered. She was looking at Krycek as he paled and stared wide-eyed at Skinner.

"What name did you use?" Krycek breathed.

Skinner looked up and a flush made its way over his cheeks. He had spoken aloud and it embarrassed him for his lack of control. "Mulder," he growled. "Believe me you don't know him."

"It is as we said earlier…we are here from the past…we were sent to find some weapon…something that would help stop the invasion," Scully said in a frustrated voice. "Mulder is my partner…"

"Fox…Fox Mulder?" Krycek whispered, his eyes wide. The rest of his companions were staring at Skinner and Scully with something akin to fear.

She cleared her throat and looked to Skinner who looked as stunned as she felt. "Yes, my partner…"

Krycek moved toward them. "I know that name…he was a hero." There was a flush on his face and Scully noted with clinical interest that his breathing had shallowed considerably.

Skinner stood, "He is a good man. I don't know about a hero, but if we don't get what we came for all that he fights for will be for nothing." He held out his hand to Krycek. "Krycek, I don't care for you and I would never trust you as far as I could throw you, but Mulder trusts you…"

"Sir! Uh, can I speak to you in private?" Scully hissed, her hands flying up in dismay.

Krycek frowned. "Mulder has been dead for so long…I can't have ever met him" Those green eyes were shocked and yet hopeful too.

Skinner wanted to get this over and done with. Looking at Krycek was like looking at his own lonely future. "Suffice it to say that Mulder and…"

"And his contact from the future," Scully broke in.

"And his contact," Skinner amended. "are in desperate need of this weapon. Only we don't know what the hell it is. Something about forcing the aliens to take their normal shape…revealing them to the light of truth."

A gasp came from the gathering as one sound.

"I know what you're talking about. It is useless…the aliens don't often try to hide their appearance," a small girl spat. "They just come in and kill and rape and…"

"Beta, be quiet," Krycek said smoothly. "In the before time…the weapon might have been useful." He looked into the dark brown eyes of the large man before him. "We can get you several…but you have to explain this to me," he demanded, holding out the travel disc.

They spoke for hours. Planning. When the rest of the group had fallen asleep Krycek approached Skinner and sat near him. "I know the name Mulder so well. What is he like…in real life?"

Skinner sighed, it was obvious that this young Krycek was infatuated with the stories about Mulder. "He is driven…and he drives the people around him crazy with his wild ideas, his belief in a massive conspiracy." He paused. "But, it appears his ideas and beliefs aren't crazy at all. He knew the truth, and no one believed him, not even me."

Krycek nodded. "Yes, he was right. I…I have seen him…pictures…videos…all old and nearly ruined…but," he cleared his throat, "but I have kept his image close to me. I love him. I know it is crazy, but I love him."

Skinner nearly groaned at the breathy admission. He started as Krycek withdrew a picture from his pocket. He smoothed it carefully, his fingers kept from the photograph by a protective covering. "I think he is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," he murmured.

Skinner took the photo and it was the same one that they had found in the locker in Sacramento. "That's Mulder all right," he said gruffly.

"Don't you think he is beautiful?" Krycek asked, not finding his question odd. In his world love and passion and beauty were rare and treasured whenever it could be found. He would have been shocked to learn that asking a man what he thought of the looks of another man would have raised more than one brow in Skinner's time.

Skinner thought to himself for a moment, but what the hell? This wasn't the Krycek that would be in the future…and if he and Scully were successful this Krycek would simply never be. "Yes. Yes I think he is beautiful. I have always thought so."

Krycek narrowed his eyes. "You two aren't lovers are you?" His jealousy was fierce. Here was a man who had actually been able to touch Mulder, not just fantasize about it.

"What? No! He and I have a professional relationship…but yes, I would have wanted to be his lover," Skinner admitted, strangely relieved. "I would love for that to happen, but he has to follow his own heart."

Krycek nodded, assuaged. "Is he…is he fun?"

Skinner laughed. "Scully would think so. Me, I just think he is a royal pain in my ass."

Krycek heard the tender humor in that gruff voice and he nodded. "I would love to hear about him…everything about him...what he likes, doesn't like…everything." Suddenly his eyes widened even further. "Scully? Dana Scully, his partner? Jesus...I remember her name too. She's going to be killed…I don't know when…but she is killed right before Mulder is betrayed, tortured and murdered by the human traitors."

Skinner was taken aback, but he gathered his wits and growled, "Not if I have anything to say about it. We need to get some sleep and get those weapons."

Krycek lay next to Skinner and looked into his eyes. "I am glad I met you, Skinner. You could have made a good fighter…once you learned how to be quieter in the dark that is."

Skinner smiled slightly and then turned on his side, facing away from Krycek.

Krycek lay awake for some time. Thinking about Fox Mulder, how beautiful he was and how brave. He would give anything to be by his side. Anything in the world.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Abandoned Warehouse
Oakland, California

"I tell you, this thing is strange," Byers mused, looking at the device, the weapon he held. "It has some very odd molecular arrangements."

"Yeah? Well can we duplicate it, do you think?" Frohike asked.

"I am sure we can. My contact will be here shortly. He is a professor at Berkley, a Chemist and a fan of ours. Let's just say that he isn't fooled by the government anymore than we are."

"Yeah, but does he pass muster for security," Langly worried. "If he is working for *them* we are all screwed."

Byers bit his lip, "I am fairly certain that he is on our side, but be prepared in any case."

Frohike nodded and patted his chest where a suspicious bulge resided. "I'm packing so don't worry about anything."

Langly and Byers exchanged looks that were anything but relieved. When the contact arrived with four other men the Gunmen were near breathless with anticipation. This could be very bad. Very bad indeed. That all the men looked studious and were constantly checking over their shoulders nervously could have been a clever ruse. It was only after several hours of excited chatter that Frohike joined in on the conversation. One of the young men, a student of microbiology it turned out, suddenly stood and waved his arms about excitedly. "We need to get this design out on the web…get it out to every think-tank in the world…we need to protect it…in case Big Brother busts up this little party," he said loudly.

Frohike beamed. This was a kid he could like. After several minutes of deciding what information to put out and what not to, they decided to put it all out. Everything that they had learned over the years, combined with an exact computer replication of the weapon. The molecular structure of the metal and its use. They scanned in Alex's diary for atmosphere and prayed the assassin wouldn't mind his personal thoughts being read worldwide, but felt the personal notes would lend some interest to the situation. There were names of collaborators in the diary, names that were both familiar and foreign. Byers had insisted on omitting Alex's more lurid entries describing what he longed to do with Mulder, causing a small furor, but when he explained that Mulder wouldn't want his anatomy and his imagined sexual prowess out for the world to see the Gunmen agreed. They included information on the retrovirus that would make mankind a vessel for incubation. The information about the virus made the chemist nearly faint as he looked at the make-up of the strange virus. A diagram of an alien ship was hidden in the diary and that too was scanned in. It included complex mathematical equations for design and propulsion. The Gunmen nor their companions could know that that bit of evidence alone would wake the world's scientific community up and knock them on their respective asses. They couldn't know that in mere minutes after pushing send, they had started a revolution, one that would rock the world. The truth was out there and everyone could see it. It would be dismissed by many, until the scientist, respected and idolized, would begin to come forward.

Hours after they had sent their message and had fled Oakland the Media began reporting about a mass conference of the world's leading scientists. It was assumed that some disease had been cured. Speculation was rampant. But it wasn't a disease that the gathering of elite minds came to discuss, it was a plague, one that they still didn't quite believe in, yet. In other news the stations were filled with the stories and pictures of the unknown spacecraft that had blasted up from Africa and disappeared. The government of Africa denied all reports of their testing of a new aircraft and the UN had begun an investigation. Were Africa working on some new weapon, then the world would have every right to know. The U.S. government was silent on the subject and the Press Secretary to the President of the United States laughed off the suggestion as being something out of a bad science fiction movie.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Deep Space

"Can't this thing go faster?" Alex hissed. "I want to get back to Earth…now!"

Ilias patted the young human's arm. "We will be there soon, Alex. How are you feeling?"

Alex shrugged. He had another new memory flash, one that surprised him. Walter S. Skinner loved Fox? Wanted to be his lover? It was unsettling to say the least. Skinner was handsome, honorable and had a body that would have women and men alike up on their knees panting. What would Fox do if he knew? The oddest things about these memory flashes were that they didn't change anything in his present self…they were more like dreams than anything else. He knew them to have happened but they sat alongside his actual experiences like some vague specter. He could recall those nights with the resistance as they waited to meet up with a larger force. They had never met up with the legendary Agent Scully or the big AD. And yet they had. Time travel was tricky he knew. Jumping from the future to the past allowed one to change the present, but he was from the future and the jumpers from the past. He didn't know what effect they would have on him. He frowned. The two memories were comfortable together in his mind as they were such short memories, but if he carried on much longer in the future with the knowledge that Skinner and Scully had imparted…carried on knowing that it was possible to travel back and forth…would his life change in such a way that he never jumped at all? And would he slowly be consumed by the two sets of memories? He could imagine going quite mad if that were the case. His only hope was that he and Fox could stop the future from happening. Then he would never be born…would he be safe in the past if that were the case? He thought he would be fine, but in any case the colonization had to be stopped, whatever fate befell him.

"Alex?" Ilias asked one more.

"I'm fine, just thinking about the past…my past…and the future."

^^^^^^^^^^^

The morph could feel his little human's lust and need. Wanted to fill him with his seed, pound into that tight, pink pucker and make the pretty scream. His eyes widened as the presence of the other human was revealed to him. He screamed in rage. Mulder had masked the other's presence from him. He pounded on the door and bellowed, but to no avail, he was well and truly trapped. He heard the sounds of bells and realized his ancestors, the sleepers, had awoken. He wanted to tear down the door to their prison and rip their bodies to shreds, but they, like him, were behind impenetrable doors. They restrained his toy when he would have come crawling for sex. He screamed his fury and slumped at the door to plot.

^^^^^^^^^^^

"How did you get out?" Alex asked, pushing the brightly lit buttons that Ilias indicated.

"I didn't."

Alex paused. "Come again?"

"I am still with my brothers. I am here," he said, tapping Alex's forehead. "When we land you can release us all, using the ship's computers, but you will also be releasing the hunter. Hopefully by then my brothers and I will be strong enough to destroy him."

Alex nodded, his green eyes wide. "Yeah, oh okay. You're in my head. Fine."

Ilias smiled a gentle smile and went back to instructing Alex on a small portion of controlling the ship.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Mulder dreamed, hot dreams of sex, pushing back at the morph as he was filled and filled and filled. Green eyes flashed before him and he whimpered wanting to touch the pretty face before him, but unable to leave the pleasure, the pain that was making him scream. As his body rested it tried to process the drug that had invaded him…only time could cure him and if he could keep from another dose of the morph's sperm he would be like any addict. He would go through withdrawal and eventually he would be free. But like any addict he would always secretly long for that which had addicted him. He moved in his sleep and sent out his thoughts to the morph. "Come to me! I need you!"

^^^^^^^^^^^

Resistance camp

Scully made her way back to the camp after having visited the relative privacy of the forest. She went to Skinner's side. "Sir? We need to get going. We need the weapon." Her voice was calm, belying her eagerness to get back to the world that was sane.

"Krycek explained that another group was moving in to meet with this group. They will either have the weapon or know where to get one," he assured. His eyes traveled over the rag-tag group and he felt such sorrow for them. They were all so young and so wounded. It was not so much the physical scars that concerned Skinner, but the mental. Each young soldier had had a life that was unbearable…and yet they talked amongst themselves and teased one another with near-playful ease. Krycek sat alone, staring at the picture he kept, his expression one oh hope and desire and love.

"He's in love with Mulder, you know," Skinner sighed.

She looked over at Krycek. "He is? What is he looking at, not…"

"Yes," Skinner nodded. "The picture he left in the locker. Jesus, I hope the Gunmen are doing their part. This is almost too much. Krycek loves Mulder…now…not just in the past…or his future…dammit it is confusing."

Scully pursed her lips. "Well, he sure didn't show it when he first came to our time."

Walter sighed. "We don’t know what happened, Scully. We can't worry about that now."

There was a sharp whistle from the trees and suddenly another, larger group appeared in the small clearing. Krycek put away his picture and jumped up to greet his brothers-in-arms. After a few moments of rapid conversation, the leader of the new group came over to Skinner and Scully. He was only in his mid-twenties but authority surrounded him like an invisible shield. Piercing blue eyes studied both Skinner and Scully, and Skinner found himself studying the man's handsome features. He realized that all the resistance members were very attractive, some like Krycek and this man could only be described as beautiful. Skinner wondered at that before the man smiled.

"We live because of our attractiveness. You see before you all former pleasure slaves." The man's voice was husky, like smooth cognac sliding down his throat.

"How did you…?" Skinner began.

"I read you," the man answered with a small smile. "I didn't survive this long because of my looks. I have the ability to read the thoughts of those near me. It has been invaluable in our fight." He gave a dark chuckle. "And it is not the result of the alien bastard's seed that had me in thrall, it is a natural, *human* gift."

Skinner gaped at him and Scully cleared her throat. "That is very interesting but we need to get…"

"Yes, I know. You need the weapon that forces the aliens to morph into their true selves. You really are from the past aren't you?" His eyes sparkled with eager excitement.

"Yes, and we…" Scully began only to be interrupted once more, this time by Krycek.

"They *know* Mulder! This is his partner!" Krycek ventured excitedly.

The man reached out and touched Scully's smooth face before Skinner batted his hand away from his agent. "I have never seen a woman without scarring before," he said. He turned to Skinner. "And you? Well I have never seen a human like you before." There was a wealth of admiration in his voice that went straight to Skinner's groin. "I have never seen a human's body as big."

Skinner flushed as the man reached to touch Skinner's broad chest. "You just stop pawing at us and give us the weapon," he barked in his most commanding tone. The group responded immediately to his voice of authority. Even the young, gorgeous leader stepped back, with eyes wide. "I don’t have time to play catch-up. And much as I admire you…all of you for what you are doing, I plan on stopping the need for people like you altogether. Those bastards aren't going to win this time. So stop all this side talk and either give me the damn weapon or get the hell out of my way!"

Scully was tensed, whenever Skinner ranted she wanted to dive into a hole and hide. He looked like he was about to blow and the leader looked like he was in heaven. She shook her head. Of course the handsome, young leader would be in lust with her *male* superior! Of course. After all everyone around her was turning to the delights of male-on-male sex lately, why not this luscious, macho, rebel leader too?

"I will give you the weapon…I will give you three of them, but I am coming with you to make sure you use the correctly," the leader stated, his own voice firm and authoritative.

"I'm coming too!" Krycek blurted. "I am coming too."

The leader stared hard at Skinner for a minute before turning to Krycek. "You will, but not now. You have to fight here."

"No! I want to meet…I mean I want to help stop this."

The leader, whose birth name was Eryk, took Skinner off to the side. "Krycek is already in your past isn't he?"

Skinner nodded. "Yes, he has been there for years…I don't know how long."

"Is he much older than this Krycek?" Eryk asked.

"Yes, quite a bit older. My Krycek…he's not mine, but you understand…"

"Yes, go on," Eryk urged.

"He is around thirty years old. This one looks to be barely twenty.

"And you say he has been there for years. Would you say at least ten years?"

"No, I would think more along the lines of six…maybe seven…probably less. Why?"

"I wondered that is all," Eryk lied. Two Krycek's were existing right now. He knew of scientists who were trying to perfect time travel for the very purpose this gloriously handsome man and the lovely woman had used it, to stop the colonization before it even started. What intrigued Eryk was the possibility of two of the same individual existing in the same time. They were of the same genetic make-up, but then so were twins. It was the experience of life that made a man unique, and this older Krycek was already different from his younger self. Maybe it could be done.

"I am too fucking going!" Krycek assured Scully who looked at him strangely.

When Eryk asked for his two duffel bags to be brought to him he searched through them, throwing some things away and keeping others. He showed Skinner and Scully another disc, this one clear with only one small ruby in the center. "This is the weapon. We use it only to make sure new recruits are what they appear. He pointed it at Scully and a beam of red light bathed her in a pleasant, near-sexual vibration. She was smiling to herself as the light faded. Giggles greeted her reaction to the beam's effect. "See? She's human. Humans enjoy the ray, but aliens revert back to their true form to escape it. They cannot morph for several hours after a ray has been inflicted upon them. We have found many an infiltrator this way." Eryk turned the ray on Skinner and his own body responded to the big man's grunt of pleasure. He was definitely going with this man…anywhere he wanted to take him.

Scully wanted them to be sure she wasn't an alien…maybe another check would do well. She started as Eryk burst out laughing at her thoughts and she blushed, realizing that he had read her thoughts.

Eryk sobered and turned to his group to instruct them before he left. Krycek listened intently as if he planned on staying, carefully masking his own thoughts of disobedience. When Skinner was given the travel disc back, he and Eryk discussed the value of moving to a place where, in the past, they would be more likely to find transportation. While they talked, Krycek slyly gathered his most treasured possessions and prepared to jump with them.

"Travel in the past is much safer, I think we should just jump from here and make our way around in our world," Scully said finally, breaking into the men's discussion. They looked at her and then agreed. Skinner readied himself as Eryk embraced his companions. When Eryk turned to him and indicated his readiness, Skinner told him to move his people back and to get as close to he and Scully as possible. The little gleam in Eryk's eyes showed his willingness to be close and Skinner mumbled his embarrassment, sounding like an unruly bear. Just as he was pushing the button that would send them back, Krycek leaped at them and grabbed onto Scully's arm. Her look of surprise, her gasping mouth was the last thing the resistance fighters saw as the four people disappeared.

Expecting to see Krycek, either dead from entering the same reality that his older self occupied, or writhing, quite mad on the forest floor, Eryk was surprised to see the young man smirking at him, his jade eyes alight with triumph.

Skinner and Scully looked to one another as their thoughts united. What would become of *their* Alex?

^^^^^^^^^^^

Deep Space

Alex rested on the floor next to Mulder. Ilias had gone to rest himself. Alex was stroking Fox's sweaty cheek when it happened. He felt as is he were tearing in two and he screamed in pain. Fox's hand came up to Alex's face and in his sleep he whimpered in response to Alex's pain. As suddenly as the pain came it was gone and Alex stared at the ceiling confused. He had jumped! He could remember the determination he had felt. The absolute determination to be with Fox and then nothing. He could remember nothing else. He wondered if he was going to die, but assumed that if he were he would have already done so. He didn't feel any different now. He had all his memories intact, but he couldn't remember what happened after he leapt. He kissed Mulder's cheek and prayed that the journey was nearly complete. He drew Fox's hot body to him and he slept.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Krycek smiled. He didn't care what the others thought. He had done the only thing he could do. If they were successful in altering the future he would have ceased to exist, never once getting to see Fox, never having been born. He was too much of a survivor to have let that happen. He didn't know why they were staring at him with such horror, it wasn't as if he had done anything to endanger the mission. Hell, he was a fighter. A damn good one. They could only profit from his presence. So thinking, he started to walk off toward the flocking of vultures circling in the sky a distance away. The birds were carrion eaters. They would be circling over a dead creature somewhere, and the chances were that the creature had been killed by some passing conveyance, which indicated that a road was nearby. He couldn't know it, but that was exactly what he had done the first time he had jumped.

Eryk shrugged at Skinner and followed the young man. He too had seen the birds and knew why Krycek was heading toward them.

"This just gets weirder and weirder," Skinner grumbled.

"If that little brat has killed *our* Krycek and left Mulder alone, I'll tear him apart," Scully growled, before following the two resistance fighters.

Skinner shook his head, "What I wouldn't give to be doing paperwork right now," he sighed. Eryk looked over his shoulder and his desire was plain. Skinner grumbled to himself and adjusted his glasses. "Tons of paperwork. Any paperwork," he continued. Those blue eyes and that handsome face were doing things to him. His body was responding and he forced his thoughts away from the illicit images. There was work to be done. Now was not the time to indulge in fantasy. Besides which, he loved Mulder. Who, he noted, loved another.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Deep space

"Alex, wake up," Ilias urged.

Alex opened his eyes to see the small alien hovering above him. He turned to check on Mulder, glad to see that his body was no longer trembling.

"He is doing better," he said gratefully.

"Yes," Ilias answered. "With each hour that passes without the hunter's sperm in him, he will get better. When his body completes his own change his metabolism will speed up and hasten the cleansing process. It is lucky that the hunter is still not infecting him. Once changed his body would be even more susceptible…not hopeless you understand just the…"

"I get it," Alex said crankily. He didn't like to speak of Fox's addiction to the morph, or think about how the bastard alien had infected him. He had seen the effects for himself. He had inspected Fox thoroughly and found the swollen, brutalized flesh of Fox's anus to be evidence enough. He felt guilty for having fucked Fox in that state, even if he hadn't known how far gone Fox had gotten. Humans didn't get addicted that fast. It had to be the quickening metabolism that Ilias spoke of. "What's going on?" he asked.

"We are approaching Earth's moon...we are visible to the satellites of your people. You must prepare for attack if they launch one. Normally we would simply cloak and descend, but I realize that you want people to see us come in."

"Fucking A, we want everyone to see us coming in. We want the whole damned world to see us come in. We won't have any cover-up on this one. We aren't landing in some desolate area, where the populace can be repressed. We are going to land smack dab in the middle of Times Square…no, right in front of the United Nations."

"I think a bigger landing area would be advisable," Ilias urged. "This is a very large ship."

"Fine, Central Park will do," Alex growled and followed Ilias to the control room.

^^^^^^^^^^^

"Frohike?" Skinner barked over the phone. He and his group had made it to the small town by way of a truck carting pigs back from a fair and he was in no mood for pleasantries.

"Yes, Skinner, go ahead, we have a secure line from my end," Frohike assured, swatting at his fellow Gunmen who crowded close to hear the conversation.

"We got what we went for…along with some hitchhikers. Did you complete your objective?"

"Uh, that's a big ten-four, AD."

Skinner heard the other Gunmen giving advice before Frohike continued.

"We sent our…"

"Aunt, say aunt," Skinner heard Langly insist.

"We sent our *aunt* the news via e-mail…and got the…"

"Say pencil sharpened…be cool and say pencil sharpened to let him know we have the stabbing weapon thing being mass produced."

"Uh, we have the pencil sharpened…" Frohike began.

"Cut the crap, I can hear everything your friends are saying," Skinner barked. Those three would never make good spies.

"Oh," Frohike grumbled and there was a pause as he scolded Langly and Byers. "What now?" He finally said.

"I'll contact you again. We are going to get this party started and we won't forget to invite all our friends," Skinner said darkly. He heard Langly assure Byers that Skinner was speaking in code, and he hung up. "We need to get these weapons to the right people. I think the Gunmen had a great idea. We need to get the plans for it on the Internet…at least I think that is what they meant."

"I can do that," Eryk assured. "I mean I don't know what the Internet is, but I know how to make them. I could draw up the plans myself."

Scully smiled suddenly. For the first time she thought that everything was going to work out fine.

Skinner grinned. "Well, aren't you just one surprise after the other," he beamed.

"More than you know, "Eryk grinned.

Krycek, ever suspicious, didn't like that last bit and he, thinking that perhaps Eryk meant that he was going to surprise them with being an alien, grabbed one of the weapons and turned the red beam on him. When Eryk shook in pleasure and stayed human, Krycek nodded. "Just checking, sir, you understand." With that he fell back into silence. Eryk sighed, but understood completely. "Let's find a way to this Internet while I work on the plans."

Scully spotted a travel office and marched toward it, her face alight with pleasure as she saw the Hertz Rent-a-Car sign in the window. Oh yes things were working out fine.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Inside the airport's sports bar, Skinner, Scully, and the two resistant fighters sat eating, while waiting for their respective flights to board. For safety reasons they had decided to split-up and take two separate flights, with Skinner and Eryk going to D.C. for a meeting with the Director and the upper echelon of the FBI, while Scully and the young Krycek met up with the Gunmen and their associates in Oakland. They each carried one of the three detection weapons with them, the third weapon they had secured inside a locker at a bus station in Fairbanks. Afterward they wired a cryptic message on the location of the weapon to Mulder's email address on the slim chance that he and Krycek somehow escaped the morph, only to find Scully and Skinner dead. Scully and Krycek had Eryk's detailed schematic on the weapon's configuration with them. It was to be sent via the Internet by the gunmen.

A special report flashed on the television sets inside the sports bar. The report told of an object spotted in space by observatories around the world. The object was on a direct course to earth. The announcer went on to say that NASA and the U.S. government would not confirm any such sighting by their own installations, and their scientists informed the press that it was more likely sunspots causing interference with the observatories telescopes.

"Sunspots my ass," Skinner growled.

"Do you think it could be them, sir?" Scully asked. As the report cut away to a Professor Ernest Gardner at Caltech. Behind the Professor were several of his colleagues.

"It could be, Scully."

Professor Gardner spoke in a firm voice, "The object is making trajectory changes, and that my friends is not the result of sunspots or some piece a space débris. It appears to be an UFO, but for some reason the United States government is trying to cover it up! Sunspots indeed!" he said hotly. "This in the light of the mysterious information that has been posted on the Internet leads me and my colleagues to believe that there is an ongoing conspiracy against the American public."

"Professor Gardner, are you suggesting that the United States government has been covering up the existence of alien life?" the reporter asked.

"The information posted on the Internet shows that it goes far deeper than merely covering up the existence of aliens. There are people in the high reaches of governments around the world who have been working in conjunction with the aliens to enslave the human race!"

"Professor Gardner, really, that Internet data was traced back to the Lone Gunmen, a radical group of conspiracy theorists. Nothing they say or post can be taken with more than a grain of salt," the reporter retorted mockingly.

"Sir, then would you kindly explain how these radicals got their hands on a revolutionary new design for a propulsion engine and detailed diagrams of an alien spaceship, the likes of which this world has never …. "

Static covered all the television sets as the program was suddenly terminated. A loud murmur ran through the crowded bar just as the boarding announcement came for Skinner's and Eryk's flight.

Skinner stood and reached out for Scully's hand. "Dana, be careful."

"You too, sir," she said, watching him and Eryk weave their way through the packed bar. She checked her watch. Her flight still had forty minutes.

The young Krycek watched her watching Skinner. "He's an interesting man. What does *Fox* think about him?" he pronounced Fox with a low husky murmur that sent shivers down Scully's spine.

"The A.D. is one of the few people my partner trusts and, Alex, it's Mulder not Fox. Mulder doesn't like being called Fox," Scully said.

"Why? The name is perfect for him. I think of him as Fox in my fantasies," Alex said, unconsciously licking a celery stick very seductively that was in his bloody Mary. "I don't think I could call him Mulder, it seems so impersonal. H will always be Fox to me," Alex said, taking a bite out of the celery.

"Whatever," Scully sighed, shifted in her chair and glanced at her watch again.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Senator Matheson's Office

Matheson cradled the telephone against his ear and looked across his desk at the smoker as he spoke to the President. "Yes, Mr. President. I'll be to over to the White House at once," he said, ending the call. "All hell is breaking loose, the public is panicking. The President wants to know if the reports of an alien spacecraft on its way to earth are true. He was watching CNN when our operatives destroyed their communications satellite and knocked the show off the air, and he's now demanding to see this Professor Gardner."

"That is not good. We need to keep the President and the public in the dark for as long as possible, at least until we recover the alien spaceship when it lands. We should be able to cover this whole unfortunate situation up if there isn't any solid proof," CGB Spender assured.

"They already have solid proof. Those fools calling themselves the lone gunmen have given the scientific community more than enough evidence," the Senator growled, pulling on his suit coat and adjusting his tie.

The smoker smiled slyly. "What the scientists have are stolen U.S. military plans for a top secret propulsion engine and new advance plane that were hacked off the pentagon's computer system. We will have those meddling fools tried as traitors to the United States and ask for the death penalty."

"You expect people to believe that?"

"It is human nature. People will prefer to believe that over the existence of a race of hostile aliens who are about to launch an attack against the earth. As long as we can get our hands on that ship without too many witnesses the story will hold."

"Very well, I'll try to convince the President that we are dealing with the theft of secret military plans and not an invasion by little gray men," Matheson said, leaving the office.

The smoker smiled and pulled out his cell phone and hit the speed dial. "Are your men ready, Colonel?"

"Yes, sir. We have established by the spaceship's current trajectory that it will be landing somewhere along Eastern Coast of the United States," Colonel Henderson said.

"Damn," Spender swore, he hadn't expected the ship to land in such a populated area. Maybe they'd get lucky and it would land in some remote area in upstate New York or Maine. "Colonel, we need to black out all the power grids along the East Coast when that ship breaks through the Earth's atmosphere. It is vital that all information going out from that area is stopped."

"Don't worry, sir, I already have my men working on it. The power will be cut and we will have the landing area secured immediately," the Colonel promised.

"Very good, Colonel. Carry on." Spender pocketed his phone. He needed to contact the alien colonists to discover why one of their ships was boldly heading for a daylight landing somewhere in the U.S. without making an effort to conceal itself. Something was seriously wrong, and he felt in his gut that Fox Mulder would turn out to be in the center of it.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Space

The ship had slowed for its approach. Alex gazed longingly out the view port at his planet, so beautiful, and bright. A flare of light surrounded the ship as it broke through into the Earth's atmosphere. Then as it entered the stratosphere several military jets surrounded the spacecraft, trying to force it to change course.

"Alex, what is going on?" Mulder asked as he staggered tiredly into the control room followed closely by Ilias.

"Fox. How are you?" Krycek asked, gently touching the side of his lover's face and staring intently into his eyes. Fox's skin was smooth and flawless, and his eyes sparkled with flecks of pure gold. The change was complete.

"Fine, Alex. I'm able to control the compulsion on my own now." An excited smile lit up Mulder's face as he looked past Alex out the view port as the ship glided over the Earth on its way to the landing site. "We're landing? Alex, I want to fly over several large cities first."

"We really should set down, Fox."

"No. Not yet. Ilias and the other grays aren't strong enough to subdue the morph yet. Once we land the morph will be able to escape through the lower portal. I want to take him prisoner for what he and his kind have done to our people, Alex, I don't want him to escape."

"How long, Fox? We can't just fly around forever, sooner or later they will try to shoot us down."

"Not long, Alex, only another hour then we can land. Think of it as a way to rub the consortium's nose in it," Mulder said smiling with childlike enthusiasm.

"You really are okay?" Krycek said relieved to see his lover smiling.

"Alex, I'll probably fall apart tomorrow, once the full realization of what has happened to me sinks in. However, now? No way, we are so close to ending my life's quest. I only wish that I knew where Samantha was. If I could find my sister then everything would be complete," Mulder murmured, wrapping his arms around Krycek holding him close, then he whispered softly in his ear. "I love you, Alex, would you … please consider staying with me after this is over?"

Alex smiled against Fox's neck. "Fox, I came back in time for you. You'd have to kill me to get rid of me now. C'mon, let's drive the consortium nuts. What major cities do you want to buzz first?"

"Since we are on the East Coast, let's head west we'll fly over Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Then we can fly across the Pacific and buzz over Australia, then Tokyo, Beijing, Moscow, Paris, London, then across the Atlantic to D.C. then up the coast and we can land liked we planned in New York." Mulder grinned broadly at Krycek raised eyebrows.

"You expect to do all of that in an hour?"

"It should be possible, we only have to slow when we fly over the cities so they can see us. Ilias, let's get going," Mulder said, looking at the little gray alien.

***

Hoover Building

A.D. Skinner walked into the Director's conference room followed closely by Eryk. The entire upper echelon of the bureau was assembled for the meeting and their eyebrows raised at the ruggedly handsome young man who entered the room behind Skinner.

The Director focused his attention on Skinner. "Walter, what is going on? There has been reports of a UFO flying over several cities across the country."

"Sir, if you'd humor me for a moment, I'll explain everything. But, first I need to be sure everyone here is who they are suppose to be," Skinner said, pulling the weapon from his pocket he focused it on the Director. The light bathed the older man in a pleasurable wave of amber. Skinner shut it off just as the Director was getting an erection.

Deputy Director Zalk leapt to his feet. "What the hell is the meaning of this? Don't point that thing at me, Skinner," he growled. The other people in the room echoed his complaints not knowing the purpose of the strange device in the Skinner's hand. Their complaints turned to gasps of surprise as Skinner turned the device on Zalk and his human disguise melted away leaving a gray alien in its place.

Eryk was behind the alien in a heartbeat and held a pick to the base of its neck. "Move and you're puddle of green slim," he growled, forcing the alien to sit still in the plush conference chair.

"What is that?" A.D. Cassidy asked, moving away from the alien.

"Jana, that is one of Agent Mulder's gray aliens," Skinner said smugly as he continued to scan the other men and women who were now quietly subdued. He went on to explain. "This device is from the future, its function is to unmask aliens that are hiding in human form." Skinner nodded over to the young handsome rebel leader. "Eryk is a resistance fighter from the future. He is here to explain what will happen if we are not successful in stopping the aliens from invading. And believe me it is not pleasant."

The room listened attentively as Eryk chronicled the horrors of the years to come. Most of the men and women present would have found the story ludicrous if it were not for the alien sitting at the table, with a sharp, metal pick pressed against the base of its skull. It more than emphasized the truth behind Eryk's words.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Oakland, California

"Get a load of this, guys," Frohike shouted from the television set.

The gunmen, Scully, and the young Krycek all came racing over. On the screen was an UFO slowly flying over Tokyo. "This is the eighth reported sighting of the ship," Frohike said excitedly.

"It looks just like the one that the morph took Mulder away in," Scully said, studying it closely.

"That ship is different than most of the spaceships I've seen," Krycek said.

"Do you think it is possible that this could be the same ship that abducted, Mulder?" Byers asked.

Scully looked thoughtfully at the set. "It's possible. If the ship lands I need to get to the site immediately."

"What about if … you know," Frohike said, nodding toward the young Krycek.

"Yeah, dude. I watched a Doctor Who episode once where this person met herself in the past and it was catastrophic," Langly chirped in.

"What are you talking about?" Krycek asked.

"He doesn't know?" Byers looked at Scully aghast.

"No, he doesn't know," Scully said.

"Know what?" Krycek asked louder.

Scully sighed. "You or more precisely an older version of yourself may be with Mulder on that spaceship."

"What! How?"

"According to your other self you came back to this time to help Mulder stop the alien invasion," Scully replied.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Krycek asked anxiously. He was already with Fox, and yet he wasn't, this was most disturbing.

"Alex, we don't have any idea what will happen if you meet yourself in this time. Like Langly said it could be catastrophic," Scully said.

"Great. I come all this way and I may never get to meet Fox," the young man said sadly, losing the one final dream that kept him sane even in the worse times.

Scully felt sorry for Krycek who looked close to tears. "You already have met him, Alex. You and Fox Mulder are lovers," she assured him.

"But I haven't, I'm not, my other self is. What if by my coming back we have separated into two different people? Does that mean I have to fight myself for Fox's love?" Alex asked exasperated.

"Wow. Now that would be weird," Frohike said.

Scully squeezed the young man's hand. "Alex, we have more important things to focus on. We're not even sure if your other self is still alive or if Mulder is on that UFO."

"Sorry, Dana, you're right we have a war to fight," Krycek murmured.

"Okay, dudes, the new information is out on the net. Now what?" Langly asked.

Byers looked reflective. "I think we should split up and head back to the East Coast, we've been in this place too long. Guys, we need to be more careful now than ever. The consortium will want revenge for the data we posted … " Before Byers could finish a news bulletin flashed on the television set.

"This is a Special Report. If you've seen these three men, please contact your local law enforcement agency immediately, do not approach them, they are to be considered armed and dangerous … "

"Hey, man, that's us!" Langly gasped.

"Ssh, Ringo, I'm trying to hear what he's saying," Frohike growled.

"They are wanted for espionage and treason against the United States government." The report ended with detailed descriptions of each of the gunmen.

"Guys, I think we need to put back on our disguises and go deep underground for a while," Frohike said. "Dana, if we don't see you again, good luck," the little man babbled tearfully, throwing his arms around the petite agent and hugging her tightly, he winked over Scully's shoulder at Langly and Byers.

"Frohike, get off me," Scully growled, pushing the older gunman away, then turning to the other two men. "John, Langly, take care of yourselves, I'll see what I can do about clearing you of those charges," she said shaking their hands.

"Thanks, Dana. We'll keep in touch," Byers said.

"C'mon, Alex, we're going to D.C." Scully headed out the door with the young man following behind.

^^^^^^^^^^^

New York City
Central Park

People fled the park in a panic as the large spaceship slowly descended toward the ground.

Mulder looked out the view port at New York City as the ship landed.

"You need me, hybrid," the morph hissed behind him. "My pet, you are no longer human! The Earth people will kill you for what you have become. Join with me and we shall rule together!"

Mulder looked angrily at the hunter who was in his real form, bound and held immobile by four of the grays. "I would as soon be killed by my own people than join you!"

"We've landed, Fox, what do you want to do now?" Krycek asked.

"We'll wait for the press to arrive then … Oh shit!" Mulder said suddenly, staring out the view port. "How the hell did that bastard get here so quickly?"

"Who, Fox?"

"Colonel Henderson and his Special Forces team. Damn, he's cordoning off the area. Henderson works for the consortium and has covered up many crashed UFO sites," Mulder informed him.

"So now what?" Krycek asked, looking out at the men in black outfits rushing to secure the area. "Do you want to take off and head elsewhere?"

"No, we stand and fight. As far as I'm concern this ship is part of an ongoing FBI investigation and I have jurisdiction over it, not Henderson, or the U.S. military. We need to contact Skinner. Ilias, is there a way that I could contact my superior?" Mulder asked.

"No, Fox Mulder, there is no means on this ship to make a one-on-one contact," Ilias said.

Mulder stared out the view port trying to come up with some other plan when his eyes lighted on Henderson mobile communication vehicle, and an idea came to him. "Alex, if we could figure out a way to sneak you off the ship without your being spotted then you can call Skinner from the nearest telephone."

"Forget it, Fox, even if there was a way, I'm not leaving you alone here!"

Ilias spoke up, removing a silver amulet from its shirt. "There is a way, Fox Mulder, but you will have to use it. The device would kill your human companion."

Mulder took the amulet. "What does the device do?"

"It breaks up your molecular structure, which will render you invisible to the naked eye."

"Totally invisible?" Mulder inquired.

"For the most part," Ilias said.

"Okay, I'll leave now before Henderson gets all of his men in position." Mulder turned to Alex. "Alex, I'll be back as quickly as I can," he said, embracing and kissing his lover. Their tongues twined affectionately as they drank in each other's flavors.

"Be careful, Fox," Alex said, letting him go.

"Hey, don't worry, lover, I have something to live for now," Mulder replied smiling. His hand cupped the side of Alex's stubble cheek and he dove in for one final chaste kiss.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Washington D.C.
CGB Spender's office

Spender pulled documents out of his wall safe and dumped them into his briefcase. He had gotten word of the meeting between Walter Skinner and the top echelon of the FBI, along with the capture of one of the alien colonist by Skinner. Spender hadn't even been aware that the aliens had an operative working inside the FBI. The FBI would be launching a full-scale investigation now into the conspiracy. No way could he or his colleagues prevent it especially after that UFO boldly flew over several of the world's largest cities, before landing in broad daylight in New York City.

The smoker knew when to get out. He hadn't made it this long by taking chances. He'd disappear to Canada and live out the remainder of his years in relative peace. He clicked his briefcase shut and headed for the door.

Suddenly the door opened, and two grim-looking men in gray suits stood facing him.

"C.G.B. Spender?"

CSM cocked a supercilious eyebrow. "Yes?"

"We're from the State Department. I'm afraid you'll have to come with us."

"Oh, really? On what grounds?"

The two men exchanged glances. "On the grounds of conspiracy to overthrow the government of the United States and acts of treason."

CSM exploded in rage. "That's preposterous! Do you have any idea who I am?"

"We have plenty of ideas who you are, and you're lucky I don't kill you on the spot!!!" bellowed the man who had recited the charges. "Now do we go peaceably or do I get to use the cuffs?"

CSM drew himself up with as much dignity as he could muster. "That won't be necessary," he sneered. With the air of a captured Roman emperor, he walked calmly through the doorway with the two men following closely behind.

^^^^^^^^^^^

New York City
Central Park

Mulder made his way smoothly through the crowd, rendered invisible by the ancient aliens' device. He passed Henderson who was bullying a television reporter and made his way onto the communications vehicle.

He had no problem figuring out how to contact Skinner. When he got through to Kimberly, it turned out that Skinner was in a closed conference with the Director and other important officials from the FBI. The minute she heard it was Fox Mulder, she put the call through to Skinner in the meeting.

It was merely seconds before Mulder heard the familiar, gruff voice of his superior. "Fox? Where are you? I assume you were able to land the ship!"

"We're in Central Park. Henderson has cordoned off the area and is doing his usual thing of keeping the truth from the American people."

"Well, that won't happen this time! The Bureau has just seen Eryk's device at work, and it turns out that Deputy Director Zalk is one of the Greys! He's been taken into custody. Our men from the State Department have also apprehended C.G.B. Spender just as he was planning to flee the country. I believe we finally have the support of the Bureau behind us, Mulder!" Skinner chuckled.

Mulder sighed with relief. However, it didn't resolve the situation currently, the spaceship with the ancient aliens and the morph on board. The aliens would need the protection of the U.S. government, and the morph needed to be tried for his crimes.

"Skinner, we're going to need to get our people down here before Henderson turns the whole thing into a myth. I wouldn't put it past him to side with the morph and kill our friends. I can protect us for only so long, and the American people need to know the truth but the shock of realizing it without the proper preparation could possibly turn the folks here into a frightened mob a la The Twilight Zone! We need some local FBI officials down here to help with the situation as soon as possible!" Mulder urged. He looked at his hand and could see himself turning corporeal once more.

"Will do, Mulder. I'll send a group down there immediately."

As Mulder disconnected from the call with Skinner, he spotted Henderson headed towards the trailer with several other men in uniforms. "Time to go bye-bye, Mulder!" he murmured to himself. He slid open the back door to the trailer and hopped out adroitly. Unfortunately, as soon as he slammed the door shut, his body materialized, just seconds before Henderson and his men turned the corner to see him standing there.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the lovely Agent Mulder!" Henderson leered as the other men immediately surrounded him.

"Lovely, my ass! You bastard, Henderson, trying to turn this into another one of your bogus army plane crash sites!" Mulder snarled as the men grabbed him.

"Oh, I love it when you talk dirty, Mulder! Well, this is one time your FBI badge isn't gonna save your cute little ass! Take him to Trailer B, guys. Make sure he's cuffed to the chair, our friend is a regular little Houdini in getting himself out of tough situations," Henderson sneered.

The men roughly marched Mulder along a path to an army trailer. Once inside, they quickly sat him down and cuffed his arms behind him to the legs of the chair.

"You're going to regret this!" Mulder glared. "The local FBI will be here any minute, and you're going to have a hard time justifying restraining one of their agents! Not to mention participating in a conspiracy with an alien race to colonize Earth!"

"Ooooh, I'm so frightened!" one of the men sneered while the others laughed. "The little green men are out to get us, and this guy says we're helping!"

Mulder shook his head at their moronic laughter as they left the trailer. These men were so ignorant. They hadn't even noticed Mulder's change. He glanced at himself in the mirror across from him. He definitely looked otherworldly, but it was dusk and the light in the trailer was dim, so the men hadn't been able to see that Mulder was no longer human. However, Henderson had teased him about his looks, the man must have been attracted to Mulder without fully understanding why.

He shuddered to himself. Help had better arrive before the Colonel made his way back to the trailer. Mulder feared greatly for Alex and their friends, and also had no desire to be on the receiving end of an interrogation given by one of his greatest enemies.

^^^^^^^^

On space ship...

Cold metallic clinking followed the morph's every move in the lower levels of the ship. The Grays imprisoned him back into the bowels of the ship, after making sure the only escape hatch was sealed. He could tell the ship had landed and the fury in his chest threatened to overwhelm him. Never before had a human tricked him so thoroughly. When he got his hands on Mulder, he'd make his slave suffer and wish he'd never double crossed him. The Grays were going to die. There was no way Mulder could have hidden the presence of Krycek by himself. They deserved every bit of pain he was going to inflict on them, for helping his slave hide Krycek. He slammed his fist against the wall. Krycek, that sniveling double crossing bastard. How had he wormed his way into Mulder's heart? Oh he knew Mulder held onto hope that Krycek would rescue him, every time he fucked his cute little ass. He just never suspected the rat bastard was on the ship with them! Howling helped relieve the pressure in his head. Yes, they were all going to suffer.

^^^^^^^^

Krycek paced the control room listening to the five o'clock news and worrying about Mulder, so far the news hadn't even touched upon the topic of the UFO landing in Central Park. His Fox should have returned by now with Skinner. Hopefully it was just the meeting that was taking so much time. Earlier he'd found the switch to internal speakers, and he could hear the morph prowling and raging. He just hoped that the morph didn't discover a way out of the lower levels. It sounded like the morph was ready to tear apart the ship to get out.

For the moment the Grays were sleeping in the room where Mulder hid him. It comforted him to know that their physical forms now resided near him and that they were almost up to full strength. The morph would certainly have killed the weakened aliens the moment he found them.

Krycek was listening to a woman speaking about drug abuse in schools, when a blue screen cut in and a male voice announced. "Sorry to interrupt the regular programming schedule. The president of the United States has a important announcement to make."

Krycek stopped his pacing and sat down in the chair in front of the controls. It didn't fit his body comfortably, but with a touch of a button, it molded to his frame. He smiled. The alien conquerors were cruel and didn't care about anyone but themselves, but they had remarkable technology.

The cameras shot to the President's press conference room. Krycek focused his attention back to the screen. He recognized some of the men standing in the background as Assistant Directors of the FBI. Why wasn't Skinner there? Once the President took his place behind the podium reporters started yelling out questions. No surprise there.

A harried looking woman stood up from her seat behind the podium and walked to the edge of the small stage. She had a surprisingly loud voice. "Please, the President will answer one question at a time. Everyone please take your seats." Once everyone sat down and quieted she turned toward the gray-haired man behind the podium. "You can speak now Mr. President." She walked back to her seat and sat down.

The president nodded his head toward his aide and started speaking. "As of this afternoon when the unidentified flying object entered our orbit. The Senate, the House of Representatives, and I decided to declare a national emergency. One of the men in the UFO supplied the FBI with important information about a possible alien conquest, unless we fight back now."

Krycek waited for the reporters to start laughing. Instead everyone looked like they knew what was going on. He looked more closely at them. Some in the back stared in shock at the information, while the ones with the open laptops seemed to expect it, and wanted to know what the president planned.

"As shocking as this news is, it is a real and possible threat to our national security and humanity as we know it. I urge all citizens to go home and arm yourselves. Schools are canceled for the next week. During which time the alien detector will be distributed to all households in this country. Furthermore, our allied and non-allied countries will be doing the same thing. All countries will be prepared to fight the aliens. Right now the FBI is scanning our own agents and all members of Congress. It appears that the aliens are able to shape change. I urge the American public not to panic. All men and women in a position of authority are being tested as we speak. And to prove that this test works. We brought an example of what it does."

There were a few minutes of silence until one of the AD's in the FBI was brought onto national television. He stood silently with his hands cuffed behind his back. The president pulled an object from his jacket pocket. It was to small for him to see from the current camera angle. The president walked over the man, and ran the object from the man's head to mid chest. That was all it took, right before the nation's eyes, the man transformed into a alien. The men holding the alien pulled the alien away from the President and another AD took his place in front of the president. The president performed the same test on the new man, but nothing happened.

"See the test is harmless to humans and it exposes the aliens. This tool will be distributed to every state in

the Union as well as globally.

Alex continued to watch the special bulletin in growing amazement. There was no way the Smoking Man or anyone else could cover up this announcement. Skinner and Mulder must have been able to convince the top notches at the FBI that there was a serious problem. Obviously Scully and Skinner succeeded in bringing back items from the future. Now it was just a race against time. They needed to finish building the weapon that would defeat the aliens, before the aliens regrouped and invaded earth ahead of schedule.

^^^^^^^^

Mulder struggled against his bonds, even though his wrists ached and his hands grew numb. Henderson scared him. Albeit not as much as the morph scared him. The lights in the trailer flickered on and off, as did the TV in the corner. He stopped struggling against his bonds when the Special Bulletin came on. He stared in stunned disbelief. All his years of struggle and hardship, and all this time all it took was for the president to announce that aliens did in fact exist. Of course the showing the human to alien transformation helped compact the belief. He grimaced bitterly. For all intents and purposes he should feel happy, but if this was all it took, his and Scully's hardships might have been for nothing. Krycek's suffering. They might as well have kidnapped a morph, hijacked a news station, and stuck the needle in the back of the morph's neck on live TV. Of course he would have spent the last four years in jail if he pulled a stunt like that.

For the past few minutes he'd noticed a increase of men shouting, and what sounded like news reporters. Henderson must have left a "do not disturb" sign on the door of this trailer. He heard the heavy tread of boots on the pavement outside the trailer, approaching the door. He tensed in anticipation. He hoped it was Skinner or Scully coming to get him out of here, but he could tell with his new sixth sense it was not either of his friends.

The door opened and he glared at Henderson's imposing figure. The man was alone.

The first words out of the man's mouth, made him flinch inside. "Miss me?"

"Not particularly."

Pain exploded in his head, and his chest lurched in fear as he felt the chair falling over. His head thudded painfully on the aluminum floor and he groaned in pain. Breath in, breath out. He tried to calm down, even though he was stuck on the floor with a bulky metal chair strapped to his body.

"That ought to teach you to respect your betters. You've had that coming for a long time."

Mulder closed his eyes and tried to calm down. Why did men like Henderson always assume they were better than him? What was he doing to attract their attention? Shit. At this rate everyone was going to get a chance to fuck him.

"While you were here waiting. I did some checking up on you. An alien human hybrid. You aren't even pure human anymore. You are less than trash." Henderson paused, and knelt down on the floor his camouflaged knees near Mulder's head. "But you are beautiful. More now than before. The other men didn't notice it but I could."

Henderson pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and folded it a couple of times forming a blindfold. "I know you are suppose to have new powers, but they are untrained. Blindfolded you won't be able to focus."

Mulder strained his head away from Henderson's hands and the blindfold, but he couldn't move very far with the chair tied to him. "If you touch me, I swear you'll die. If I don't kill you, Krycek or Scully will."

"I wouldn't be making threats you can't keep. Krycek will be arrested once the authorities find him. He's wanted for murder, treason, and armed burglary. He's not going to be let off because he's fucking you. Now shut up." He pulled a knife from his belt and started cutting the duct tape attaching Mulder's wrists to the chair. Before Mulder could fight back Henderson quickly tied his wrists together behind his back. Then he moved on to cutting the duct tape from Mulder's ankles.

Mulder started thrashing underneath Henderson's weight. Not believing this was happening again. After the Morph raped him he swore he'd never allow himself to be used again, and yet nothing he did helped him fight off Henderson. He couldn't even see anymore. Harsh, heavy breathing panted right into his ear. The chair thrown aside and forgotten. His jeans offered little resistance, they were too baggy, and easy to unbutton. "Please stop this. I swear you're going to die."

Henderson laughed. "I like how you threaten my life and demean yourself in one sentence. Now shut up or I'll gag you."

The jeans slid down his legs and stopped at his boots. He tried to cry out for help, but his throat clenched in fear. It was going to happen. He was on his knees and Henderson's hard body covered his keeping him pinned until Henderson could undo his own jeans. The harsh breathing quickened and he could hear Henderson whispering to him. "Scream bitch, scream. The trailer is soundproof, and I locked the door."

Mulder squeezed his eyes closed tightly, forcing himself not to shed a tear. The blindfold made it easier to think and he thought of Alex. His beautiful Alex, waiting for him on the ship. Probably worrying by now. Alex I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen. Please hear me! Help!

Feeling his body being manhandled once again made Mulder want to scream, but more than that, his plea for Alex to help him. Though he had quickly grown used to his new self he had never had to rely on strange powers before to protect himself. He made fists, testing the weight of the chair. He felt the pull of the heavy chair and he smiled grimly as he wrapped his fists around two legs. When Henderson bent to nibble on Mulder's face, Mulder knocked his head back violently, smashing into the big man's face with a violence that shattered his nose and sent him backwards with a loud yelp. Mulder used all his strength and swung the chair around and slammed it into Henderson's face. The colonel fell back with a decidedly sickening crunch.

"Dammit," Mulder cursed as his wrists reminded him that they were encircled by unforgiving metal. He rubbed his face against his arm until the blindfold moved up enough that he could see the colonel sprawled, insensate, his face a bloody mess. "You bastard," he growled, pulling himself toward the supine man. It took him some doing but he managed to get the key out of Henderson's front pocket. After a few, frustrating minutes of trying to unlock the manacles he hissed in frustration. He narrowed his eyes and concentrated once more. He felt Alex's worry, near. His lover was no longer in the ship, but only a few hundred feet away, moving fast, searching the crowd for him. He smiled and let his mind go out to Alex's. Moments later there was the sound of a scuffle and the door flew open revealing Alex stepping over the moaning bodies of two young soldiers.

"Baby?" Alex's eyes widened at the sight that greeted him.

Fox had to smile at that look of utter surprise. He knew he must be a sight, pants down at his ankles, blindfold only halfway up his forehead, manacled to a chair he had propped on top of the sprawled, unconscious colonel.

"What in the hell…?" Alex growled, his jade eyes beginning to burn with fury.

"Help me get these cuffs off, Alex, before those soldiers come to," Mulder ordered.

"That bastard tried to…"

"Alex, the cuffs!"

Alex hurried to his side and took the key from Fox's fingers. Henderson groaned and Alex kicked him, hard in the gut, before unlocking the handcuffs and helping Mulder to his feet. Mulder pulled his pants back up and gave in to the impulse to kick Henderson too. Alex took Mulder's face in his hands. The look of tender concern made Mulder feel as if he could fly. He sensed several soldiers hurrying toward them and he pulled back.

"C'mon, Alex. I want us to get back to the ship and Ilias…"

"Fox, Ilias and the others are gone. They…they changed and walked into the crowd. They are going to find some other way off this planet."

Mulder led Alex out of the detestable trailer and just smiled.

"Aren't you worried about them? I mean you heard the President…there will be no way for them to hide…"

"Do you really think that every household is going to have one of those weapons that quickly? It is enough to put the aliens in a panic. They will be leaving in droves now," Mulder assured him. "Ilias and the others will be fine. I want to find Scully and Skinner. We have to get to Washington."

"Mulder, won't they come here? Scully and Skinner I mean."

"They're in Washington," Mulder repeated. "I know it."

Alex sighed, "Then let's get going."

They weaved through the crowd. Apparently after the President's speech the military was compelled to fall in line with his orders. Alex and Fox were mostly ignored as they put distance between them and the ship.

^^^^^^^^

J. Edgar Hoover Building
Washington D.C.

"Skinner, are you ever going to take a break? I know you are a busy man, but even a soldier has to take a few hours off," Eryk asked as he sat down on the edge of Skinner's desk.

Skinner sighed and peered at the handsome man. "I don't think you grasp what is going on! The whole world has just found out that aliens plan on invading…that they are already among us…I don't have time to take a few hours off."

Eryk raised a brow. "You are afraid of me."

Skinner blustered and glowered. "That's absurd!"

Before Eryk could respond, Scully and Alex walked through the door. Scully forgot herself for a moment and rushed over to hug first a startled Skinner and then a delighted Eryk. "Sir, we did it. The files, the ship, the weapon…everything! And it works!"

Skinner grinned. "It is almost too unbelievable isn't it? This is really Mulder's victory though."

"Where is he?" Scully asked. "Is he safe?"

"Yeah, wh…where is he?" Alex echoed, unconsciously wringing his hands in anticipation.

"He and Krycek…well the other Krycek anyway are on their way here. They made it to JFK International airport and the Director arranged a flight for them. They should be here any time now," Skinner said in a gruff voice. He cleared his throat and turned to Scully. "Where are Frohike, Langly and Byers?"

"They were going deep they said. Now that the story has broken and their innocence of international terrorism can't be denied, I imagine they will surface soon," Scully replied. She looked at Eryk and caught him staring at Skinner. There was such an amused tolerance and undeniable attraction in that gaze. She sighed. Standing in a room with three amazing men and not one of them interested in her. A woman's nightmare. She shook herself out of her sexist and self-pitying thoughts. This was a time for celebration. As if on cue the door opened and Mulder and Krycek entered.

Mulder made a beeline for Scully. He swept her up in his arms and swung her around, burying his face in her fragrant, red hair. "We did it, Scully! We did it!" He hugged her to him and she wrapped her arms about him. Mulder set her down to look into her eyes, both of them trying to look at one another through moist eyes. "I can't believe it. It is like a dream, isn't it?"

She nodded and cupped his dear face in her small hands. "You know, I still have trouble believing in aliens," she said with a small grin.

He threw back his head and laughed.

"What the fuck?" Krycek exploded. "You brought him *here* of all places?"

Mulder turned to look at what had upset Alex and he saw the young man staring at him with such a look of disbelief. Mulder's own expression echoed the young man's. Green eyes, *beautiful* green eyes framed by dusky lashes, pink lips, smooth skin covered with shadowy dark stubble. Alex.

"What in the hell? Shit! You brought him here?" Krycek growled, waiting for something terrible to happen. How could he be in the same room with…himself? Shouldn't he be experiencing some type of spatial disorientation…some exploding death?

"I…I don't know what to say…I've waited my whole life for something wonderful to happen…and it has. I can't believe I'm really standing right here…in the same room with you."

The voice was the same and Mulder was so stunned that when the young man strode toward him and touched Fox's face he just stared at the pretty man.

"Oh no. Absolutely not," Krycek growled and hauled Fox away from his younger self. "This is too much! Don't even think about it!" He growled at the young Alex.

Alex looked at his older self and was finally stunned out of his fixation on Mulder. He stepped back and looked to Eryk, his eyes wide and confused. "What is going on?"

"You're me," Alex growled. "You came back with Skinner and Scully…who should *not* have brought you back." Alex ended his speech with a pointed glare at Skinner.

Mulder took pity on the stunned young man and gave him an understanding smile that was part grimace. "You two are the same person? Okay, now this *I* don't believe. Scully, help me out here."

"Well, he jumped us really…he was with the group that captured Skinner and I…then we got the weapon we were going back…he jumped us, as I said…"

"Okay, that's enough," Skinner barked. "Krycek, obviously you aren't going to melt or whatever it is that the stories say will happen with two of the same person occupying the same space. He came back with us…it's done. Let's not dwell on it. It may be completely unheard of…"

"No, in fact it has happened before," Mulder offered. "Remember, Scully?"

She sighed. "Oh yes, I did forget that. Okay so it can happen, but really we just intended to bring Eryk back."

"But, I wasn't going to stay there and die…and miss meeting you," Alex said to Mulder. He looked at his older, meaner looking self. "You wouldn't have stayed either. I know it."

Krycek ran his hand through his hair. Looking at himself, younger…whole…it made him want to cry for all that he had lost in this war. He looked at Mulder then and smiled. But he had won so much, so much more than he could have dreamed of actually winning. "No, I wouldn't have stayed," He said softly, his tender gaze for Mulder alone.

Mulder smiled at him and ran a hand along his jaw. "You didn't stay…remember?"

Krycek grinned and leaned into the caress. "I remember."

"So, are you in love with him?" Alex asked, his bowed lips pursed.

Mulder nodded. "Yes. I am."

"Don't worry, Alex, I know it's hard, but hey at least Mulder really fell in love with you," Eryk offered.

"I love you, Fox. I've always loved you," Alex entreated. "I would do anything for you." His green eyes were wide with appeal. "Can't you see that?"

Mulder looked to Krycek not knowing what to say. Krycek shrugged. He had no idea what to say either. "I don't know what to say…Scully?"

She looked startled to be brought in, but it was typical. Mulder was looking to her with big eyes, expecting her to take care of things.

Skinner had retreated to his desk, feeling the pain of hearing again how much Krycek had won. Fox loved Krycek. It was obvious in every gesture and look. He felt a strong hand on his shoulder and he looked up into Eryk's brilliant eyes.

"It isn't as bad as you think, Skinner. I know there are a lot of people who would love to have you look at them the way you look at Mulder."

Skinner saw the concern in the glittering depths of Eryk's eyes, and he felt a responding emotion that he didn't want to name.

"Listen up, kid, Mulder isn't up for grabs. This isn't a discussion. Deal with it," Krycek growled.

"He can make up his own mind," Alex snipped.

"Okay, that's enough," Scully scolded. "Mulder, why don't you and I go somewhere and talk? Leave the others to work out...things."

Mulder sighed in relief, kissed Krycek on the lips and followed his diminutive partner out the door.

Krycek watched until the door closed then turned to Skinner. "You didn't tell them anything about going to the future did you?"

Skinner raised a brow. "Yes, why?"

"I don't know. I just hope that no one gets his or her hands on the travel disc. I don't even want to think of what damage can done with it," Krycek replied. He looked at Eryk. "Who are you?"

"Resistance, just like me," Alex answered, his green eyes still burning with anger at the older Krycek's claim on Fox.

"Do you talk?" Alex growled his eyes boring into Eryk's.

"When I have something to say, yes," Eryk replied smoothly. "And I have the travel disk, trust me, no one will be able to get close to me who wants to take it without me knowing. I have no intention o losing it."

"Eryk is…was one of the leaders of the resistance, Krycek," Skinner added. "He was an invaluable help. Now tell me about the ship." Skinner leaned back in his chair and waited.

Krycek felt like he was back in his FBI agent days, coming before his superior and explaining his conduct. He grinned. Maybe he could get his old job back. He considered it for a moment and then mentally shook his head. He'd rather take Fox to England where they could enjoy the millions of pounds that his mentor had left for him before blowing himself up in his limousine. He could see Fox as a country gentleman…wearing tall leather boots and fitted riding pants. He wetted his lips at the image and told Skinner all about he and Fox's time aboard the ship, editing out the portions of Fox's rape, but he could see in eryk's eyes that the man knew everything that he was unwilling to say. Throughout his retelling of the story, Eryk would casually touch Skinner, on his arm or his hand.

When he finished speaking, Eryk asked, "So there is still a hunter on the loose?"

"Yeah, well he was trapped in the ship last I knew. Fox wanted to get back here and with the weapon forcing him to take his natural shape being in the hands of our government, I don' think he will be much of a threat.

Eryk got up from his position of sitting on the desk and looked at the young Alex. "Let's go hunting."

The pretty green eyes lit up. At last, action! "Great."

Skinner stood, "Wait, Eryk, shouldn't you just let the authorities handle this? I don't think you should go traipsing around…you don't know the cities here…"

Eryk smiled at the flustered Skinner. "I am so flattered that you are worried about me, Skinner. I promise to take care of myself and come back to you."

Skinner flushed scarlet and Krycek choked, his eyes wide with shock as Eryk smoothed a hand over Skinner's face. When the two had vacated the office Krycek smirked at Skinner. "Got a little resistance action eh, Skinner?"

"Shut up, Krycek," Skinner growled as Krycek chuckled in delight.

"I'm going to find Mulder. I think we all deserve a little celebration. What say you, me, Scully and Mulder hit the town?"

"In case you didn't get it, Krycek, this isn't over," Skinner said wearily.

"Yeah? Well it is for us. I got news for you, Skinner, this isn't our party anymore…the military and those of other nations have taken over for us, and though I know there is a lot of corruption in the government, this is too big for anyone to hide from. The Consortium might have pulled the strings in quiet for a long time, but you and I both know that with the President on our side, the military has become our closest ally. Even the most corrupt general will be standing on his head to please the President or they will find themselves looking for a place to hide."

Skinner contemplated this for a moment. "You're right. Not only about the military, but also about the scope. The people of the United States won't tolerate anything else but that the President acts decisively. I know the President, he wants another term…that is if the invasion doesn't happen sooner than we expect."

"That's something we can't worry about right now. We've done our part. God knows I am tired. We all deserve a little R&R."

Skinner considered the young man before him. There was much he didn't know about Krycek, but he knew one thing…Krycek had risked everything to keep the aliens from succeeding…he was a man of strength and a man Skinner would be lucky to call friend. He held out his hand and Krycek took it. They shook solemnly. "Thank you, Krycek…thank you for everything you've done. I know none of this would have been possible without you."

Krycek smiled, the praise from this man pleased him more than he cared to admit. "It was Mulder, Skinner, he was the one who is responsible. I will never believe otherwise.

^^^^^^^^

Vallejo, California

"So, that's it? We are cleared?" Byers asked after seeing Senator Matheson being led away to jail, his head up high and a look of defiance on his patrician features.

"I think we are, but let's make sure," Langly answered. He was sitting in front of a computer, his fingers flying over the keyboard. "I am sending Mulder a message. Man, I can't believe he was in a spaceship!"

"Yeah, well I can," Frohike mumbled. He had been trying to sleep on the couch but the jabbering of his friends was keeping him awake. He sat up and smoothed back his hair. "Now can we get some shut-eye? I am bushed. This deep undercover stuff taxes a man."

Langly grinned. "I like it. It's like a spy movie…only we are better than any spy I ever saw. We don't have to blow people away, we just use our computer and voila…an empty house…a little kung fu and presto…power to said house…some more kicked up kung fu and we have new identities…"

"We get it, Langly," Frohike grumbled. "How about you kung fu me up some quiet so I can get my beauty sleep?" He settled back down on the couch with irritated wiggles and sighs.

"Byers looked at Langly," We don't have enough time for you to get *beauty* sleep. I'd like to get back to Washington before I'm sixty."

Langly giggled and kept typing. "Okay I've encrypted the message and it's on its way to Mulder. He will let us know if it is safe to surface. Until then…why not a little pizza? Everything on it…a large to go around?"

Frohike's eyes popped open and he licked his lips. "I could do with a little pizza."

Byers nodded, "Count me in…get Pepsi too."

"Coming up, thirty minutes or it is free…and seeing as how we don't have a whole lot of cash…why don't I just make sure that the delivery boy doesn't get the order to us on time? Say thirty-five minutes?" He chuckled at his own brilliance and the other two just sat in silence.

***

Future part 5