Subject: NEW: Odyssey 8/12
Sent: 31/01 11:17 AM
Received: 31/01 6:14 PM
From: Sharon Nuttycombe, avalon@terranet.ab.ca
To: dobbo@c031.aone.net.au
Odyssey part 8/12
Sharon Nuttycombe
avalon@terranet.ab.ca
September 13, 1996
************************************************************
This is a Scully and Skinner action/adventure story. It is not
related to my former story, Crossing the Line. (There will be a
sequel to Crossing the Line, but this is not it). It is rated R
for violence. Especially this episode. You have been warned.
SUMMARY: When Mulder disappears in the Caribbean, Scully and
Skinner are drawn into a web of intrigue and danger.
I am a permanent resident of the State of Denial -- Avatar never
happened.
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Alistair Maclean's "The Golden
Rendezvous". OK - I shamelessly stole his ideas, but I made
lots of changes. Honest. This is an homage... :)
I would appreciate any comments or criticism. Many thanks.
Acknowledgements: Thanks to Linda Campbell for racking up a
huge phone bill helping me plot this monster, and for refusing
to let me pack it in when the going got tough...
Disclaimer: Scully, Skinner, and Mulder belong to Chris
Carter. I don't own them, I'm only borrowing them for a while
(But do I have to return Skinner? Can I keep him, huh Chris?
Please...?)
************************************************************
Odyssey part 8/12
WEDNESDAY LATE EVENING
THE ODYSSEY. CABIN 24B
Heinrich steps forward and, seizing Scully by one wrist, jerks
her to her feet then pushes her against the wall.
HEINRICH: We have a score to settle, Doctor.
SCULLY: Let me go!
HEINRICH: After I finish with you.
He leans closer and runs a finger over her cut lip. She jerks
away. Moving his hand to the back of her neck, he drags
her closer and roughly kisses her. Scully stiffens, then drives
her fist into his throat. Coughing, he loosens his grip enough
for her to pull free. She bolts for the door. Heinrich launches
himself at her, bringing them both crashing to the floor. The
wind is knocked out of her and, for an instant, she lies
motionless. Heinrich pins her to the floor, holding both wrists
above her head with one hand, while pulling at her clothing with
the other.
HEINRICH: (Thickly) I'm going to enjoy this.
She cannot gain any leverage but manages to work one hand free
and throws a punch at his jaw. Shaking his head slightly, he
pulls out a knife and holds it to her throat. A thin line of
blood wells up beneath it. Scully stills and holds her breath.
HEINRICH: Stop struggling, bitch.
His hands return to her blouse. Desperately, Scully reaches for
the bedspread hanging nearby and pulls it down, obscuring
Heinrich's vision for a moment. She grabs at the knife and
pushes it away from her throat. The terrorist locks both hands
around the hilt, trying to wrest it from her grasp while she
kicks at him and attempts to slash at his face. As he recoils, she
climbs to her knees, still grimly fighting for possession of the
weapon.
Heinrich lets go with one hand and hits her hard across the face.
Together they tumble to the floor, their combined weights coming
down on her left wrist. A bone snaps and the knife skitters
across the floor. Scully gasps in pain. Without pausing, she
claws at his face with her right hand and he flinches backward.
Swearing in German, Heinrich loses control. His hands go to her
neck and he tightens his grip.
Scully stretches out her hand, looking for any defense, while
futilely pushing at Heinrich with her injured arm. Her fingers
brush the fallen knife and she desperately pulls it toward her.
As her vision begins to darken, she seizes the hilt and with all
her strength drives it into Heinrich's side. He stiffens, draws
back, and clutches his side, blood welling between his fingers.
Scully gasps for air, unable to move as Heinrich tries to
struggle to his feet. Clutching her throat, she manages to sit
up as her attacker slowly collapses. Scully leans back against
the bed, trembling. An endless moment passes. Heinrich does not
move. A pool of blood begins to soak into the carpet.
* * *
WEDNESDAY LATE EVENING
THE ODYSSEY. CABIN 24B
Scully makes her way to the washroom, shaking uncontrollably.
She puts the knife down, turns on the tap, and holds both hands
under it, wincing as the water hits her left wrist. She finds a
first aid kit under the sink and awkwardly wraps her broken
wrist. Then she leans back against the wall and closes her eyes,
breathing deeply. After a long moment, she opens them again and
stares sightlessly into the mirror.
SCULLY: (To herself) He wasn't drugged. (She frowns, trying
to put her thoughts in order.) He couldn't have drank
the coffee...She lied. (Her eyes widen as realization
dawns.) Skinner...
She turns, picks up the knife, and bolts from the room.
* * *
WEDNESDAY LATE EVENING
THE ODYSSEY. MAIN DECK.
Skinner and Victoria are preparing to leave the shelter of the
lifeboat to reach the radio room. He draws Heinrich's gun and
automatically checks the clip. It is empty. He frowns and
stares at it for a moment, then pockets it and turns to
Victoria.
SKINNER: It's empty.
VICTORIA: What?
SKINNER: The gun. It's not loaded.
VICTORIA: It must be.
SKINNER: (To himself) Damn it.
VICTORIA: What are you going to do?
SKINNER: (Pauses) Scully's gun...
VICTORIA: Who?
SKINNER: (Looks at her) I know where I can find another weapon.
You wait here.
VICTORIA: I'm not waiting here by myself.
SKINNER: Fine. Just stay close.
VICTORIA: (Smiles slightly) I will...Walter.
He half-turns away from her, checking for any approaching guards.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees movement. Victoria is
drawing a derringer from inside her jacket. He takes a quick
step toward her, but freezes as she aims the gun at his heart.
VICTORIA: Don't move.
SKINNER: What do you think you're doing?
VICTORIA: My job. Now, drop the gun.
SKINNER: You're working with them.
VICTORIA: Very good. All that FBI training has really paid off.
And I told you to drop the gun. (He does so.)
SKINNER: Why even let me get this far?
VICTORIA: Josef wanted to know how much you knew, what your plan
was. Now I can tell him you don't have one. Shall we
go?
She waves toward the bridge with her gun. At that moment, the
ship lurches sharply. Using the momentary distraction, Skinner
launches himself at the woman, seizing her gun arm and wresting
the weapon away. She does not pause, but kicks at his injured
leg. Skinner staggers then hits her hard, catching her as she
slumps to the ground unconscious. Trying to keep his footing as
the ship continues to toss, he sets her down and clutches his
leg wound.
SKINNER: Damn it! I am not having a good day.
He checks her pulse, then hastily but efficiently searches her,
pocketing the gun. He removes her belt, ties it tightly around
her wrists and pulling aside a tarpaulin, lifts her into the
lifeboat. He moves the tarpaulin back, hiding her from view,
then checks that the Derringer is loaded.
Without hesitation, he leaves the shelter of the lifeboat, moving
cautiously toward the radio room. He pauses outside the
door but can hear nothing above the sound of the storm. With a
last glance over his shoulder, he opens the door.
* * *
WEDNESDAY LATE EVENING
THE ODYSSEY. DINING ROOM.
Scully has hurriedly made her way to the dining room in an
attempt to retrieve her gun. She pauses outside the doors,
checks for guards, then opens it and enters. The room is
deserted and is still a shambles from the gunfight.
Picking her way through the debris, Scully locates her purse
underneath a table and hastily opens it, one-handed, withdrawing
the gun and her ID. She checks the clip, tucks the gun into the
back of her waistband, and pockets her badge. She then hastily
leaves the dining room.
* * *
WEDNESDAY LATE EVENING
THE ODYSSEY. RADIO ROOM.
Inside the radio room it is dark, lit only by the faint
glow of the equipment. Moving quietly, Skinner steps forward
into the room. He does not turn on the light but moves
stealthily toward the main radio. Turning it on, he speaks
quietly but urgently.
SKINNER: This is Assistant Director Walter Skinner of the FBI
with a general distress call from the American cruise
ship Odyssey. The ship has been taken over by
terrorists. Our last known location was several hours
South-East of Eleuthera Island. There are at least
twenty terrorists on board, led by a man named Josef.
Repeat, this is an S.O.S from...
JOSEF: (From the door) That's quite enough.
Skinner whirls around to find himself confronted by Josef and
three terrorists. All have their weapons trained on him. He
makes an abortive movement to raise his gun, then stops,
realizing the futility of the action.
JOSEF: Drop the weapon and move away from it. (Skinner
complies.)
Josef steps cautiously forward and picks up the Derringer. One
of the terrorists searches him, finds nothing and steps back.
JOSEF: Where's Victoria?
SKINNER: I killed her.
JOSEF: What?
SKINNER: She was a spy. She tried to kill me. What did you
expect me to do?
JOSEF: (Incredulously) You killed her. (With growing anger.)
Damn you. Damn you to Hell!
He raises his gun and cocks the trigger. Skinner braces himself.
After an eternity, Josef lowers the gun.
JOSEF: No. Not yet. (He turns and says something in German
to one of the terrorists, who promptly leaves.) Do you
speak German, Mr. Skinner?
SKINNER: No.
JOSEF: Too bad. Allow me translate. I just sent Hans to
sickbay with a message for Heinrich.
SKINNER: What message?
JOSEF: To kill the Captain and the First Officer. I've also
given Heinrich free rein.
SKINNER: What do you mean?
JOSEF: I need the Doctor alive, but I told Heinrich he
could...play...with her as long as he likes. But not
to damage her _too_ badly.
Skinner lunges at Josef but is brought down by the other two
terrorists, one of whom holds a gun to his head. From the floor,
he speaks hastily.
SKINNER: Victoria's not dead. She's in one of the starboard
lifeboats. Now call Heinrich off.
JOSEF: (Josef pauses and a look of relief flits over his face.
Then it is gone, and he speaks coldly.) Too late, Mr.
Skinner. The message has already been sent.
SKINNER: Damn you, you son of a bitch. It's me you want. Leave
them alone.
JOSEF: (Kneels down beside him) I think it's time you stopped
underestimating me, Secret Agent Man. I am in charge
here. Now, get up.
SKINNER: Why? So you can shoot me standing up? (The terrorists
allow him to stand.)
JOSEF: Don't be more obtuse than is necessary, Mr. Skinner.
Do you think I would risk hitting any of the radios?
SKINNER: Who knows? Madmen aren't known for thinking
rationally.
JOSEF: You think I'm mad? No, I assure you, I'm quite sane.
SKINNER: You've won. I can't stop you. Just call off Heinrich.
JOSEF: (Speculatively) I wonder What bothers you the most? The
thought of the First Officer and the Captain being shot
in their beds, or Heinrich enjoying himself with the
Doctor. (Skinner takes an unconscious step forward,
the gun of one of the terrorists pressing into his
ribs.) Ah, I see. The Doctor. She does mean
something to you then.
SKINNER: Stop this. I'll tell you whatever you want to know.
JOSEF: (Smiles chillingly) Yes, Mr Skinner. You will.
* * *
END OF PART 8
Sharon Nuttycombe
avalon@terranet.ab.ca
celtic@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca
"Knowing's easy. Everyone does that ad nauseum.
I just sort of hope." -- Doctor Who
Sharon Nuttycombe
avalon@terranet.ab.ca
--"I have as much respect for the chain of command as the next guy.
--Only if you're standing next to Fletcher Christian." -- Adderly
(
geocities.com/hollywood)