Genesis
Ally

Chapter 4

As the nurse led them through the twisting maze of corridors, it became obvious to Scully that whatever meagre amount of money used for the upkeep of the building had been used exclusively for the public areas.

The section they found themselves in was ill maintained and decrepit, gaping holes in the walls where rotten plaster had sheared away more evidence of the damp which was eroding the very structure of the building. Scully thought of the bright summer sunshine which they had left outside and shivered slightly. It was doubtful whether any of the sanatorium's residents ever got the opportunity to even see the sunlight, let alone feel it on their skin.

Scully saw no signs of life during her journey through the hospital, in fact only the sound of far away voices indicated that they were not actually travelling through a deserted building. She had visited these kinds of places before, both during her time with the X-Files and when she was undergoing her medical training.

She always found the experience unnerving, to be surrounded by people who had lost the tenuous grip on reality, people who had once lived relatively normal lives, with homes and families and jobs. It seemed an alien concept to ever imagine herself falling to that level, and yet her training had taught her that the thread which separated sanity from madness was as thin and as delicate as gossamer silk, and that once that thread had been severed it was almost impossible to repair.

A minority of the mentally ill were lucky enough to find themselves sequestered in one of the few modern sanatoriums which were dotted around the country but most were not and after the initial emergency care was given, they found themselves hidden away in institutions such as this one, where they would become the forgotten victims of a society which simply didn't have the time or resources to adequately treat their conditions.

It was an issue which raised it's head during election years, and one which was conveniently forgotten about immediately afterwards. These people didn't need politics, they needed satisfactory funding.

Scully was jolted out of her repose when Mulder suddenly came to an abrupt halt in front of her, and Scully was suddenly struck by how quiet it was down here, it reminded her of a little used basement, silent aside from the sound of a tap dripping in the distance. She began to feel uneasy.

"Is this wing empty?" she inquired.

The nurse shrugged.

"It was officially closed three years ago, but unofficially it's still used as a kind of isolation area for our more problematic cases."

"Is Mrs. Stevens a problem?"

"She's been difficult, yeah. Upsetting the other patients with her screaming and shouting, disrupting their sleep, attacking the orderlies..." She unlocked the solid steel door in front of her. "Anyway, you'll see for yourselves. I'll be out here if you need me."

Mulder glanced uneasily at Scully, and then gingerly swung the door open, taking a second to let his eyes adjust to the dim light within. At first glance the room appeared empty, and then he saw her, huddled in a corner, knees drawn up to her chest as she rocked silently.

Even in the darkness he could plainly see the restraints which bound her hands and feet, restricting her movement. The woman did not respond to the opening of the door to her room, it was if she was locked in her own world, a world from which she had shut everything out.

The two Agents stepped softly in to the twelve by ten room and Mulder shut the door behind him slowly. His voice was gentle when he spoke.

"Mrs. Stevens?...Christine? We've come about your daughter."

Christine raised her head cautiously and Mulder got his first real good look at her. Her dark hair looked ragged and unkempt against her pale face which was streaked with a combination of grime and tears, and the eyes which stared back at him were wide and frightened. She licked her lips, trying to moisten them enough to speak.

"She's dead, isn't she?" she whispered.

Mulder hunkered down beside her, appalled by what he saw.

"No. We don't know where she is. But we're going to find her, and we need your help to do that.....will you tell us what you know?"

Christine's eyes filled with fresh tears.

"What's the point?" she asked him bitterly. "I've told it a hundred times and no one believes me. My little girl has been taken away from me and no one cares."

Scully joined Mulder beside the woman exhibiting a twin look of horror to his own as she observed the tightly bound restraints which were cutting in to the frail flesh of her wrists, and knowing she was going against all she had learned during her medical training, reached out and gently began to un-strap her, wincing inwardly at the bloody welts which evidence of the restraint. She also observed something which surprised her, because as she gazed in to the woman's eyes she saw fatigue, and desperation and defeat, but not madness.

"We care," she informed her simply, "and we're going to do everything we can do get your daughter back."

She touched Mulder's sleeve. "Mulder, I need a minute with you."

She rose to her feet and spoke softly to him as he came to join her.

"We need to get her out of here. We need to get her out of here now."

"I agree, Scully, but it would take a court order and there's no time for that."

Scully shook her head.

"Not if she requires urgent medical attention which I for one do not believe she could get here. Look at her Mulder, she's malnourished almost to the point of starvation, caged up in here no better than a wild animal, the neglect is appalling and I for one am not prepared to go out that door and leave her here."

Mulder recognised his partner's resolve and nodded his head, deferring to her medical judgement, knowing that what she said was true, knowing that the woman was here by no small accident.

"OK, Scully, you stay with her, I'll go talk to our friendly neighbourhood nurse and see if I can't get her to come around to my way of thinking."

Scully closed her eyes briefly as he turned back to the door, silently hoping that what they were about to do would not come crashing back down on their heads.

*********************

"What you're suggesting is absolutely out of the question!"

Mulder remained in his position, guarding the door to his partner and the frightened woman within.

His voice was hard, leaving little room for argument.

"You don't seem to understand. I'm not suggesting anything. What I'm telling you is that Mrs. Stevens is in need of immediate medical attention, and my partner a trained physician believes that she should be surrended to our care in order to recieve it "

"You don't have the authority," blustered the nurse.

Mulder nodded in agreement.

"No I don't. But I *do* have the authority to see you and whoever runs this poor excuse for a medical facility prosecuted for the willful neglect of a patient in your care, and believe me, I won't rest until that happens. All it'll take is one phone call."

"But I have orders..." she seemed on the verge of tears but Mulder's resolve only hardened. The nurse's eyes widened as he pushed his jacket to one side, casually displaying the Sig Sauer automatic pistol which nestled securely in it's holder, as he rested his hand on his hip.

"Yeah, well.....you just got new orders. Now show me where you put her clothes."

Finally, after the tense silence stretched between them, Mulder saw the woman's face sag visibly with defeat, as she realised that it would be futile to argue any further. She didn't owe anyone a measure of loyalty so great that it warranted getting shot for.

"It's down here," she mumbled almost to herself.

Mulder kept his gun visible as he gestured down the corridor.

"After you," he offered, his headache almost forgotten as he followed her to the small locker which was set against the wall, watching as she removed a pile of clothing and a woman's purse from within.

She passed it grudgingly to him. "You won't get away with this." She threatened.

Mulder rested his steady gaze on her.

"I just have," he informed her solemnly.

********************

It took a considerable amount of time to get Christine Stevens dressed and able to leave the hospital mostly due to the effects of the powerful sedatives which were still in her system. She appeared confused and disorientated as she stepped out in to the bright August sunshine, and she shielded her eyes against the glare, but had allowed Scully to guide her to the waiting car.

Once she had her safety settled in the rear seat Scully turned to her partner.

"So what now?"

Mulder scratched his head absently, feeling the heat on his forehead, a sign that his fever had not abated. He was running on pure adrenaline now, fighting the urge to succumb to his body's need to slow down and take some time to recover, but at the same time recognising the urgency of the situation they had found themselves in.

"We can't risk taking her to the hospital, Scully. Not until we find out what's happening. I don't doubt that news of our departure will reach certain parties and registering in a hospital would just lead them straight to her. She wasn't meant to leave this place, they never allowed for the possibility that someone might find her who might just might believe her story and I believe they'll go to any lengths to prevent her telling it to us."

"So where do we go? If we go back to the motel it's just a matter of time before they track us down."

"I realise that, but for the short term to hole up in motel somewhere is our only option, unless of course you disagree. I mean what's her state of health right now in your medical opinion?"

Scully shrugged.

"Well those wounds on her arms need some attention, but other than that I can see nothing immediately wrong that rest and good food won't cure. As to her state of mind...I'm just not qualified to give that kind of diagnosis...I'll have a better idea when the effects of the sedation abate."

Mulder considered her words and, aware that they were wasting precious time just standing there, made the decision.

"OK. We'll check in to different motel and while you give her the once over I'll go back and pick up our things."

"Are you sure you'll be OK to drive? You look terrible."

Mulder smiled despite himself.

"Oh I think I can hang on for another hour. Then I promise you can force feed me antibiotics for the rest of the day if you want to."

"Antibiotics don't have any effect on a cold, Mulder. It'll have to be regular doses of Tylenol and lots of fluids I'm afraid."

"Well, whatever, I'm at your mercy, Dr. Scully."

Scully tossed him the car keys which he caught deftly.

"You don't want to make promises like that, Mulder. Believe me."

He just shrugged, saying nothing as he opened the door and lowered himself in to the driver's seat, and after one more glance over his shoulder at the dark facade of the oppressive building, he gunned the motor and left it behind them.

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