"View to a Kill" by Duran Duran, from Greatest

He always recognizes the men he profiles. He can pick them out of a line-up relying on nothing more than intuition, a weapon even more formidable than his sharp intellect. And yet, Mulder doesn't recognize Dr. Jason Hart, at first. Not until the black eyes shift predatorily, not until the drawn face tenses in anticipation of attack, does he identify the spider in the center of his formidable web, its tangles and knots commanded by these wiry gray hands.

Then, it is easier to aim the gun, to ignore the snarl of a black-haired woman he vaguely recognizes, and even to tune out the terrified whimper of his sister.

"Agent Mulder." The beseeching words are a rush of water over the stone, too insignificant to be taken into consideration. "I wish her no harm."

Ever so slowly and deliberately, Mulder tightens his finger on the trigger and watches Hart grip Samantha more desperately, more tightly.

"I brought her here because she could cure the woman I love," Hart pleads. "Just a few minutes is all I need. I’ll let her go then."

Mulder doesn't care to process the meaning of what he hears. "Just let her go," he demands. "You have no right to ask for mercy."

"I only ask for understanding. All that I've done, I've done to prevent colonization." Hart extends a bandaged hand in a gesture of entreaty. "We're alike."

The sharp tug on the heart is sickeningly familiar, but he ignores it forcefully. Days ago, months ago, he might have believed the similarity. The only difference between them would have been the number of lives taken in order to achieve the same goal. Today, he remains deaf to the plea of the spider.

Surprisingly, Hart releases Samantha, as if to show his good will. She stands in the middle of the room, wary of walking in either direction, and Mulder reaches out to pull her closer, assuring himself of her reality, even if the delay makes him more vulnerable.

"Agent Mulder, I beg you," Hart points in the direction of the woman in the corner who stands unmoving, watching the proceedings with bloodshot eyes. "I want...I need her to be well again."

Mulder's aim doesn't waver, nor does his determination, but just before the bullet is about to be released, Samantha's voice stops him.

"Fox, don't," she pleads. "Don't kill this man." Gently, she takes his right hand and pushes it down, subverting him both physically and emotionally. "I will come with you."

"Why did you leave me, Sam?" Mulder whispers.

Confused, his sister shakes her head. "I didn't," she denies. "I only wanted to see the sky."

He accepts it as the truth, allows his gun to tumble out of his hands, and forgives himself for losing her, even if he still can't forgive Hart. Awakening from the nightmare, hazel eyes blink and change shade, and see, for the first time, the glistening metal in the corner where the black-haired woman stands, prepared to fire. This war, as any other, will be lost with a single bullet.

It takes so little time.

One, and he shifts positions with Samantha.

Two, and he notes nonsensically that Hart's hand starts to bleed profusely.

Three, and he falls on the floor, suddenly unable to stand.

If death brings with it the images of those he loves, Mulder doesn't mind dying. Scully's face is contorted in agony, and he tries to tell her that she needn't grieve, but instead of reassuring words, only a trickle of blood is released from the corner of his mouth. He notices the broken figure of Krycek, leaning bonelessly against Phillips, his face streaked with blood and tears. He has the time to sympathize with Skinner's aghast paralysis. He even hears dimly the betrayed moan of Jason Hart, directed at the woman who fired the gun.

Curious still as to her identity, Mulder concentrates on her features and tries to remember. She shakes her head, disoriented, and he knows that she can't see. Blindly, she touches her eyes and pushes them inward in a desperate attempt to make them work. One of them doesn't take the pressure and, like a ripe grape, it tears apart, giving way to a stream of dark blood pouring down her cheek. Strange that only then does he recognize Marita Covarrubias.

With Samantha's arms wrapped around him, Mulder feels safe enough to close his eyes for good.

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