Double Indemnity
Round 1 Part 3
Aqualegia

Trix Bar

Hearing Krycek almost echoing his earlier thoughts, and caught mid-sip, Mulder choked, then spluttered. "Weekly date?"

Krycek tried hard not to show the amusement he felt at so easily ruffling Mulder's composure, and buried his smile in his beer. After talking a healthy swallow, he said, "Yeah. Our date reassures me that you are still alive and kicking, and reassures you, I hope, that I'm still alive and digging for information to pass on to you."

Mulder took a deep breath and thought about it for a minute, then nodded. "Yeah, I guess so, but do we really *have* to meet here?"

Krycek let his amusement show in a wry smile. "Well, a weekly visit to your apartment is out, ditto for my apartment, and meeting in a room in an hotel is, also, not a good idea. Coffee bars are, generally, too small and it's too easy to overhear conversations. In here, no-one could predict at which table we would sit, if they were to try directional listening they would be overpowered by the music. The bar's owners take a very dim view of anyone snooping around, or drugs of any kind... no place is completely safe, but this is a close to it as we are likely to get."

Mulder stared at the reflections in the bar mirror for a couple of minutes, considering Krycek's words, then said, "If you put it like that then I guess I'd have to agree."

Krycek smiled and picked up his beer. Then, halfway to his mouth he put it down again hurriedly, his hand shaking so badly that the beer slopped all over the table,.

"What's the matter?" Mulder asked.

Krycek's breathing rate increased rapidly, has face went white, and beads of moisture were breaking out on his forehead. He lifted his head and Mulder could see that the pupils were completely dilated.

Mulder looked around but could see no sign of any threat, so he tentatively stretched out his hand and touched the one still lying, shaking, on the table...

"Krycek? ...What's wrong? ...Alex? Talk to me..."

His body still trembling, colour came back Krycek's face and he made an effort to control his breathing. Finally he shook his head, then slowly replied, "God, that was weird... I felt... I felt as if I were in two places at the same time.... I was here, talking to you... but I seemed to be out in the street... running from something... someone."

Mulder's interest was piqued immediately. "Has this ever happened to you before?" he questioned.

"No, I don't think so," Krycek replied, somewhat uncertainly. Mulder raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged uneasily. "When I was at grade school, I sometimes had phantom pains that no-one could explain. It was as if someone had hit me... but after I went into hospital to have my appendix removed it didn't happen any more," he finally admitted.

"What did your parents have to say?"

Krycek shrugged again. "I don't remember them. I lived in at a boarding school."

"Any brothers or sisters?"

"No. What's with all the questions, Mulder. I'm not one of your X-Files."

Mulder relented slightly. "Let's get you another drink." He went up to the bar and bought them both a snifter of brandy, reckoning that Krycek wouldn't drink alone.

Alex did indeed raise his eyebrows as the brandy was put in front of him, but since he did still feel rather shaken by the experience, he gratefully sipped at the amber liquid.

-oo0oo-

Skinner soon lost sight of the fleeing figure, and, breathing heavily, he returned to where Spender was lying on the pavement, a squad car in attendance and surrounded by a small crowd of people. Showing his badge he pushed his way through and found that a young man was trying to staunch the flow of blood, while another was telling a cop that he had called an ambulance.

Skinner approached the cop by the squad car, showed his badge and introduced himself. "I saw the incident Sergeant, and I can describe the assailant. He's six foot one, broad shouldered and stockily built, with green eyes and dark hair. He's an ex-FBI agent and, when I knew him, he went by the name of Alex Krycek. My office will supply you with his file. If you need any more information, I can be contacted here." He handed over one of his business cards.

While the cop relayed the description, the ambulance came, scooped up Spender then sped back the way it had come, its siren wailing through the night.

Having set the man-hunt for Krycek under way, he dialled Mulder's number, and left a message on the answer machine. Then, on the off-chance that Mulder actually had his cell phone with him, he dialled that number and was surprised that it was answered on the fourth ring.

"Mulder."

"Agent Mulder. Can you come downtown, I have some news for you."

"I... um... I'm meeting with my informant, Sir. So I can't get away immediately. Couldn't you tell me what it's about now, to save time."

"You're meeting with him at this moment?"

"Yes, Sir. Right now."

Skinner considered the request, Mulder's informant had given them some very good information, and he didn't want the source to become alienated by being given the brush off. "In that case," he said, "I'll see you in the office in the morning. But before then, I wanted to advise you that I have put out an APB on Alex Krycek, for attempted murder.

"Attempted murder!" Mulder glanced at Krycek sitting unconcernedly opposite him. "When was this, and who was the intended victim?"

"It happened about fifteen to twenty minutes ago, the intended victim was Spender."

"Are the witnesses sure it was him?"

"I'm sure, Mulder. It happened only yards from me, it was definitely Alex Krycek."

"I've got to go, Sir. I'll see you in the morning."

Mulder ended the call, and turned his full attention to his companion.

"Alex," he said, "We have a very serious situation...."

-oo0oo-

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