Spying on the X-FILES Krycek by Kim August

I've been tracking Krycek since his introduction in the X-Files and have loved him ever since. Sure, he's got absolutely NO REDEEMING qualities at all, but as I told my friend Gulffire yesterday, he's gorgeous so who cares! Well, actually I like Krycek for a lot more than his amazing looks. He is just so slimey, bent and motivated that I cannot help but be attracted to him. It's the dangerous survivor thing I guess.


My favorite confrontations between Krycek and another character would be those of Krycek and Skinner, (With Krycek vs. Mulder a strong second place). So I'm going to explore that before I go into what I believe are Krycek's current motivations.

Krycek never liked Skinner from the get-go. Sure in the Krycek introduction episodes in season two ( Sleepless, Duane Barry, Ascension), Alex played up the 'green agent' following Skinner's orders through. This, even though he did not really answer to the A.D.-but you knew he wasn't fond of the treatment from Mulder, Scully and Skinner, and his real boss-the CSM.


Now once Krycek goes AWOL after 'Ascension', Skinner begins to think otherwise about this young go-getter. And their reunion in Paper Clip is nothing to smile about. Krycek beats the ex-marine brutally in a stairwell (with the help of Luis Cardinal), stealing the d.a.t. tape with the secrets of e.t. existence. Skinner returns the bashing in Tunguska but it's not until the season six stunner S.R. 819 that we see Krycek in complete control. In disguise for the most of the episode, Alex is holding Skinner's life in his hands literally, manipulating the nanobots damming the A.D.'s blood, slowly building up a heart attack. When Mulder and Scully get too close to the whos, whats and whys surrounding Skinner's poisoning; Krycek 'pulls the plug' bringing on Skinner's death only to revive him moments later. Skinner seeing the disguised Krycek does not reveal him to Mulder or Skully, pretending not to recognize him. Apparently the A.D. does, for at the end of the episode, Krycek reveals himself in full glory. And this little exchange is one of my most favorite spewings of Krycekisms ever. With Skinner's life now in his control, Krycek can extort the A.D. into doing whatever he wants. And so he does in season's six's final episode Biogenesis forcing Walter to give him information on Mulder and Scully's current doings. What will he do with this information? Will he eventually kill Skinner with the nanobots, and this time for good? Only Chris Carter knows for sure at this point. In the 11.14.99 Sixth Extinction episode Krycek returns (looking like Kurt Russell's R.J. MacReady in the clothes/disguise department) and "pushes the button" in Skinner. When the A.D. whose got a disguised Krycek in front him is on the phone with Scully. Skinner reveals to her that he is in a "compromised position". Krycek doesn't like tattle tales so he gives Walter a zinger, not killing him again, BUT just enough of a nasty little reminder of his S.R. 819 experience to shut Skinner up. Krycek also bumps off (thankfully) the annoying new character Kritschgau, stealing the information he hacked from Scully's computer. I also wouldn't be surprised if he is revealed as Diana Fowley's killer.

The Sixth Extinction episode suddenly makes Krycek's motives clear to me. Now that Mulder is immune to the alien retro virus (his exposure to the space craft's rubbings mixed with his Tunguska black oil possession) it seems that since Alex overheard Scully telling Skinner about Mulder's immunity that he wants this for himself. What you say? Let's not forget that Krycek was possessed in the third season Piper Maru and Apocrypha so if he is exposed to the alien space ships' lore as Mulder was, would his brain kick into ultra high gear and render him immune as well? That sounds right to me, for if Krycek were to become immune he would have no fear of the impending genocide that the invading aliens plan. He could get back not just at the CSM but the invaders as well. I read something at AnotherUniverse.com about how scary it would be to have Krycek in control of things. I believe that's where it's all headed, and I do want to see him kill the CSM. Ol' smokey has been asking for it since he first tried to carbomb Alex way back when. There is another scenario here too, what if Alex intends to black mail the invaders, making them leave him alone unless they want their colonization to fail with his revelation of immunity? I don't know if that would be the case here but it's certainly something else to think about when pondering Ratboy.

Also, having Alex immune and running around with the nanobots poison makes him more dangerous than anyone could predict. Will he kill off Skinner (I hope not, but who knows what lurks in the mind of Carter), will he look like R.J. MacReady again (I Hope SO!) Will the whole world have to learn the Russian two step, if Krycek gets into a real position of power? Will he really help or kill Mulder? And will he get a better arm to replace the cheap knockoff he's been wearing for the last three years? Tune in for season seven's conspiracy episodes (due to air in the new year) and watch your back.

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