Comments? - You know where to find me.scully_mulder_fightthefuture@yahoo.com

“Cover me.” Dana Scully ordered pressing herself close against the wall ripping her gun from the holster at her hip with swift movement. Her eyes watched closely, at the Agents filling corridors poised with weapons in hand, surveying the circumstances she was placed under feeling her heart pound with adrenalin.
“You got it.” Replied her partner Fox Mulder as he positioned himself, two feet planted firmly on the ground, weapon drawn, prepared for action to erupt within a split second of time. Their eyes met, paused for a moment, waiting for the other as a matter of trust. Mulder gave a slight nod to indicate he was ready, as Scully raised her hand to silence the bodies surrounding the vicinity.
“Three…, two…, one.”
Mulder thrust forward his foot against the door, bursting it open as it swung hard slamming into the wall beside it. Scully leaped forward with her gun held in a steady stance ahead of her body, fixing aim on several objects. She examined each area with systematic movement, listening closely for foreign sounds as Mulder followed behind in a similar procedure.
His eyes were fixed on his partner who was ahead of him, as he caught a slight flicker of movement just beyond his vision. Instantly swinging his aim towards the direction it had come from, he eased closer, waiting for Scully to sense the change. Silence. Not a sound to be heard.
Suddenly gun shots burst through the silence, puncturing the walls spraying plaster into the air. Mulder and Scully simultaneously plunged to the floor, landing heavily with their arms still holding their guns in front of them.
“FBI! CEASE YOUR FIRE!” Mulder yelled as he army crawled towards the open doorway pulling himself forward, glancing behind him once to check Scully was with him, sheltered from the gun fire. A single explosion erupted from close behind as he whirled around in time to see the body Scully had shot fall to the ground.
“Go! Go!” Scully continued yelling. “I’m covering you!”
He pulled himself into a crouch position, steadying his aim, firing more bullets aimlessly towards the shadow figures ahead.
“Scully, we’re going to have to exit the way we came. There’s too many up ahead. The reinforcements will come from behind, I’m sure of it.” He yelled over the noise, vigorously pointing ahead.
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. We’re boxed in from both sides.” She fired another shot behind her. “What about to the left of you? There is another door.”
“I know, I saw it too.” She nodded, rolling onto her side. “Let’s move!”
Leaping to her feet, she sprinted towards the other side of the room. Mulder too leaped up to his feet, catching up to Scully as they raced towards remaining door ahead of them.
“Watch out!” He yelled lunging to the floor taking Scully down with him, pressing her protectively close covering her head as the last spray of bullets brushed passed them.
“Well at least you warned me. There have been other times…” She began.
“Save the criticism for later when we’re watching a movie on my couch, laughing at ourselves. This situation is a little to real for my liking.” He passed her a slight smile, pulling her towards the door.
“Mulder…No!” Scully cried out, before she realised it was too late. Like a scene out of a Nightmare she did not wish to exist in, she watched in horror at the slight turn of the door handle. Trying to slow Mulder down stumbling over, she fell backwards knocking him onto the ground and was thrown across the floor, ramming into the door that had begun to open.
Two figures burst through it, surprised at the sight of an FBI Agent, but each began reaching for their guns as Scully wildly clawed towards Mulder.
“Get up!” She screamed at him reaching for his foot, as he rolled over in pain, dazed. “Mulder!” Hands from behind pulled her backwards, arms wrapping around her neck and waist with a firm hold.
“Scully…” Mulder moaned, trying to adjust his blurred vision.
“Mulder!” She continued yelling, struggling against the grip that held her still. A lone figure raised his gun and fired a shot directly at Mulder, taking him out before he knew what had happened.
“MULDER!!” She cried viciously in shock, watching his limp figure as blood began to seep through the collar of his shirt.

“Leave him to die.” Spoke a voice. “Take her.”
“Mulder.” Her effort in a struggle she wouldn’t win continued as her sight began to blur. Tears began to fall from her face, smearing her mascara, as she tried desperately to hide them.
Mulder opened his eyes, focusing on Scully’s wriggling figure, listening to his name that continued to resonate in his ears without meaning. He choked back on his own blood and bitterness as he tried to call out, each breath broken and painful. Slowly, his eyes becoming heavy, he rolled onto his side using the last amount of energy within him and closed his eyes.

“It begins where it ends. In nothingness. A nightmare born from deepest fears, coming to me unguarded. Whispering images unlocked from time and distance. A soul unbound, touched by others, but never held. On a course charted by some unseen hand. The journey ahead, promising no more than my past reflected back upon me. Until at last I reach the end. Alone, as ever.”

She sat upon a floor that was as cold as the world that seemed to reflect upon her, her body sore and bruised. Her wrists bound in her own handcuffs, chained to a pipe that poked sharply into her ribs, her legs tucked up tightly against her body. She cradled her head against her knees, her fiery hair limply flowing against her legs.
Scully blinked her eyes, staring sorely into the endless darkness, letting the salty tears that were falling sting the cuts on her legs, acknowledging that she was beyond the point of shedding tears and caring nonetheless.
She rolled her neck to one side, listening to the bone crack with each turn, longing to rub deep into the skin. Time seemed endless bearing on for an eternity that would never cease. Hours, days perhaps had passed and not a single strand of light had penetrated the corners of the room. Scully leaned back against the wall, her mind in thought and denial. She refused to believe what she had witnessed.

<…A gunshot rang out, shouting into her ears, as it struck Mulder who lay lifeless on the floor. Screaming out his name, a violent impulse erupted suddenly at the thought of not being able to save him, at being held in constraint to watch him die mercilessly…>

‘I am alone, left waiting for an absolution that will never come. Isolated from this world, without the slightest regard as whether I choose to care. What life is worth living when worth is taken? It is at our darkest hour when we realise what is most important. Few of us are given the chance to realise what importance is before too late. Perhaps I had the chance to know, maybe I’ve always known. But regret is all I see now. Regret that I did nothing about the love I never shared with someone I should have. Death is not that greatest divider, no. It is potential of an opportunity never acted upon that will never come again. Was I offered the chance to save myself from a condemned world of loneliness, I would take it. Even if it meant that I only saw Mulder once. It would be worth the while.’

Her mind raged with anger, screaming in silence, lost in confusion. She wrestled over the ideas that were floating in her head not knowing what to do with herself.

‘What was lost there was the death of two people. Not just Mulder, but myself. Is it possible to continue living like this? Is my life worth living at all?’

Light filled the room, blinding Scully with the brightness. She shielded her eyes from the harshness, waiting for them to adjust. Her ears picked up sounds of footsteps, and immediately she raised her head to face the men who held her captive. Scully did not know who they were, but her mind flooded with memories of previous nights before.

<…Her body was thrown against the floor, as a man leaped onto her, grabbing her wrists. She rolled over, struggling to get out from beneath but his strength over powered hers. She felt herself dragged along the floor; her hands were bound to a steel pipe firmly secured to the wall. Scully’s eyes widened, as the man began to close in. Her attempts to loosen the handcuffs holding her down were vain as her mind raced desperately for a way out. She lashed out her leg, catching him hard at the knees. “Bitch.” A voice cursed as he doubled over. He raised a hand bringing it across her face, in one movement. The back of her head hit the wall behind, her vision turned to black…>

“Now listen you, Miss FBI.” Came the voice. “We are gonna need some answers, and I don’t want to be kept waiting. Are you getting me? Last night you seemed pretty feisty.”
Scully narrowed her eyes.
“Oh, I think we’ve hit a sore spot. Was it about your partner that I shot?”
She turned her head away. The man brought his face up close, breathing down her neck.
“Why were we ambushed? Who’s the rat?” A fist grabbed her jaw, forcing her to look at him.
“I wouldn’t know.” Scully said coolly, looking directly into his eyes.
“And whys that?” He asked.
“You shot the man who knows. The only one who knows.”
He released his grip and took a step backwards. Scully watched him closely, studying every aspect of him. “Now I’m a business man, and I’m going to make you a proposition. I know you’re with the FBI,” he said, accenting each letter. “And you are not quite as dumb as you might say. Your partner would have to have told at least someone; otherwise he would not have received permission from the big guns to ramble up here and ambush us, would he? So what I’m gonna do, is take your handcuffs off. Then you and I are going to talk. Understood?”
Scully nodded, taking her chances.
“Good.”
As soon as Scully heard the click of the handcuffs falling off, she launched herself at the man, throwing him to the floor.
“You’re good. I’m not as dumb as I might say.” She smirked; thrusting the barrel of a gun pulled from his holster directly at his head. “Now don’t do anything. Let me tell you that I’m not having a great day. I saw my partner shot, so you could say I’m in a mood for vengeance. So, while I consolidate, I would like you to put these on.” She held the handcuffs for him to see, slamming the gun into the side of his skull. “I’m FBI, Bastard.”
Fastening the handcuffs, she pulled his body across the floor and checked his pockets. Leaping to one side, she adjusted the holster and quickly stashed his keys and her ID wallet.
“Now how do I get out of here?” Scully asked.
Scanning the area, she exited the room and swiftly moved into an open warehouse. To her right, voices rose in alarm. She dashed further forward reaching an opening to an underground water system.
Estimating her chances of survival above or below, she advanced down the ladder, closing the hatch above, until she arrived at the bottom which extended into a series of tunnels. Sprinting down the largest one she could see, clasping the gun in one hand, she stumbled through water that progressively became deeper.
Scully was gasping for air, but she refused to give up, wading on waist deep, as her clothes became heavy in resistance. After hours of wading she reached another ladder leading up towards an open hole.
The air blew cool against her skin as puddles of water formed by her feet. Scully could feel exhaustion beginning to fall as she pushed herself forward. In the distance beyond the abandoned buildings she could see a car.

Rick Mandal sat in his car, lounging on the upholstery with a phone plastered to his ears, music blaring out the window.

“Listen mate, I said everything’s gonna be cool. Chill out.” He spoke, pulling gum out from his mouth.
“You said that last week.” Came the reply.
“Well this time it’s different. I got everything under contro…” He paused eyeing a mangled figure of a young female that came towards him.
“…my god…do you need help miss?” He asked, starting to get out of the car. Her red hair was tousled haywire, her clothes clung to her body wet with water and perspiration, her feet were cut and bare. Signs of bruises were showing on her face, eyes red-sore streaked with mascara, and her gun lay in the holster at her side.
“Hey? What’s up man?” The voice on the other line asked.
“Special Agent Dana Scully and I need to use your phone now.” Scully stood firmly by the side of the car holding her ID wallet.

Scully unlocked the keys to her apartment, slightly closing the door behind, collapsing heavily on the couch as soon as she reached it.
She had been dispatched from the Hospital after hours of examination and tending to her injuries, which surprisingly weren’t as bad as she had thought. The police asked her several questions for their inquiry record and as soon as she had finished she travelled back alone. Although she felt refreshed and clean, the scars on the inside could never be healed.
Scully was on the brink of sleep when the sound of the door opening startled her. Instantly, her senses were awoken and she reached for her gun, easing her way towards the hall.
“I hope this doesn’t become a regular thing for me.” She thought holding her gun in the darkness waiting for an intruder to enter. A figure slowly emerged. She continued to remain still until he had passed the main entrance into the living room.
Scully leaped forward knocking her intruder to the ground, shifting her body effectively pinning him to the ground as a self-defence tactic. The man recoiled bewildered, struggling to move, and cried out in pain as Scully held his arms above his head to the floor, almost breathing onto his face. Holding her gun to his head with a free hand, she pressed tighter with the grip her legs had around him to control his movement.
“Scully?”
She froze. Her breathing halted. Scully’s looked below into the eyes beneath her.
“Mulder.” She whispered and sat up in shock.
There was silence, as their eyes continued to stare back at each other. Mulder squirmed beneath her.
“Scully…, could you please get off me. You’re hurting me.” He smiled weakly, coughing.
She climbed off, leaning against the couch. Her breathing became laboured as she tried to blink back the tears that were coming. She let go of her gun.
“Scully?” He whispered, crawling towards her as she fixed her gaze on him. Mulder’s eyes glistened intently watching her, waiting.
She felt lost in a parallel universe, a dream. Seeing Mulder had never felt as blissful as it did now. All of the emotions that had been stirred over the last four days broke through like water bursting beyond a dam wall. Too long had Scully kept it inside letting all the opportunities slip by.
“I thought you were dead.” She choked. Mulder reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.
He watched Scully’s face illuminated through the pale light, her eyes glistening behind the tears. Her words brought forth what lay hidden beneath layers of denial, making him realise how close he had come to loosing her. Many times before he had watched her, the way she walked, the way she smiled, or how she sighed every time he delivered his theories, but this time was different. Loosing her love had been the death of him. “I was.”

“I thought I’d never see you again,” She continued, wiping the tears from his face. “I was left alone. I asked myself many times over, why. Why had never told you the way I feel. And it made me realise that I couldn’t live. Not without you knowing. Not without you.” Scully shook her head, letting out a breath that she had been holding.

He continued to look at her longingly. “I love you Scully.”
“I know.” She smiled weakly.
She leant forward and rested her forehead against his. “What happened to you?” She asked.
“I lived through four days of regret. In a hospital bed thinking of you.” He continued entwining his fingers around hers.
“Was it worth it?” She closed her eyes.
“You are worth everything to me Scully.”
Mulder leant forward and kissed her lips, enjoying the sweet taste as she let out a small gasp. Scully returning the gesture wrapped her hands around his neck pulling him closer.
“Mulder, you need a shave.” She said, kissing him gently on the forehead. He let out a small laugh running his hands through her hair.
“We’ve got the whole night ahead of us Scully.”

- Scully eXtremis
[Sequel: One Night]