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The Four Corners Cycle Feedback- Who wouldn't love some? spookey247@msn.com http://www.oocities.org/spookey_247/ Archive - Gossamer, Ephemeral, ok. If you've archived my other story, go right ahead, anybody else, drop me a line first. Rating - NC-17 Classification - TRA, AU, Post-Colonization with MSR & MM (Mystic Mulder) Disclaimers - These characters are mine, with two notable exceptions, who belong to Chris Carter and the suits at Fox. Spoilers - Maybe some for season 8, but largely spoiler free Keywords - Post-Colonization, Mulder/Scully Romance Summary - Our friends travel. They look for lost things. Suggested Listening: Blur and the Pixies. Dead Can Dance. Orbital(the brown disc). Erykah Bahdu for the NC17 parts. Try track 11 on Mama's Gun over and over and over...you'll be glad you did. <g> Authors notes: For the complete scoop, look at the beginning of Book One. For this story I need to add that I've borrowed some phrases from Ursula K. LeGuin's awesome translation of the Tao Te Ching. Her words, not mine, I freely admit it. On this day , My elders, May you hold our holy double Likewise, You who I called father ~Zuni Prayer, offered while grieving the death of a spouse ~~~~~ Long awaited, you were, and welcomed with joy. I invited you into my life with a heart that was open, willing, and filled with love. I prepared myself to sacrifice, give, teach, and protect, and I chose for you the most wise and dedicated father a child could ever hope to have. You didn't find me right away. I wasn't expecting you anymore by the time you came. I found out you were here the same day I lost your father. You were a rose in a war zone. I loved you fiercely, unconditionally. The way I wished I had loved him, while I still had the chance. I lay awake at night, empty and spiritless, and felt you filling me, bit by soft, rosy bit. Sometimes despair made me close my heart. I would try to tell you that it was damaged beyond repair; that what was left of it belonged only to your father. You would reach up with a tiny hand and caress the wounded places. They bled at your touch, but the blood was cleansing. I believed that in the cosmic scheme of things your place was close to his. I believed you could channel his love. You were ripped from my body. You were wiped from my mind. I never knew you. I never saw your face. ~~~~~ Morning June 5, 2036 "It's here. You'll just have to give me a minute, boys. It's always a trick to find it." Dru gazes around at the undergrowth, looking for that certain bush -- there's the one, he thinks. Now, look to the left about five feet, let your eyes just skim the surface - there. There it is. "I don't see anything that looks like a tunnel around here, son." "Got it." The small metal post is marked with a faded stripe of orange paint. The door will be buried right around there somewhere. Just under the surface. Dru curses himself for being a stupid shit; drinking too much last night and getting himself put on the spot. What kind of dumbass promises to take people sight-seeing out to the Labs in the daytime, he thinks. Without women and liquor, it's no fun. But Mr. Birch was really interested when Dru started talking about the Labs last night. He wouldn't leave the subject alone. Kept asking questions. Finally Dru promised to show him the Labs just to shut him up. Dru hadn't started out to tell his new boss about the Labs, oh no way. The Labs are a non-subject as far as Dru is concerned. He's heard enough about all that at home. No, what Dru had set out to tell about was that girl from Willow Springs, Thomas' cousin, and how he got his first taste of a woman out here. How they broke in late one night, sneaking through the tunnel with a quart of 'shine. How they tested out one of those steel drawers... Sick and twisted. It's a helluva story. Dru walks over to the orange post and stamps in the dirt just to the right of it. Moving further to the right, he stamps again. The ring of metal. Hollow. That's it. "Here. Help me uncover it." Dru drops to his knees and starts clearing the rocky soil away. The other guys join him and in a minute or two a metal door shows through a thin layer of red earth. Dru hooks his fingers in a heavy metal ring and gives a heave. Dirt slides down a dark stairwell as the door bursts open. "When the Bugs still had People locked up in here, the Resistance dug this tunnel so they could go in and get them out." Dru remembers the stories his mother used to tell him by the fire. Before Maia died, Will used to stay gone for days at a time, tending folks here and there. He always took Sam with him. Sam was Will's apprentice, the Chosen Kid. Dru was his mother's right-hand-man. Her confidante. She told him everything. She would let him stay up way past his bedtime and tell him about the way things used to be, before the World was stolen. She would remember things the Bugs used to do to People, and tell him stories about all the ways the Resistance found to fight back against them. These were things Will didn't want his children to know. The Bugs had gotten all they needed from the People held prisoner in the Labs, so they stashed them away, lined up in drawers, in case they might need them later on. Slave humans took care of those People for years, like they were a bunch of used-up farm animals. At first the People from the Resistance couldn't believe how easy it was. They dug a tunnel, popped in through the ventilation system, captured the slaves, and carried the weakest prisoners out. They waited a week or more to see if the Bugs would notice what they'd done, but there were never any reprisals. So they went back and worked until the Labs were empty. To this day, everyone wonders if the Bugs just forgot the place existed. "We're going to need a lantern or something. It's dark in the tunnel and it's dark in the Labs. Even in the daytime." Dru stands with Gary Birch and the other men, staring down into the dusty hole. Birch licks his lips and opens his mouth like a dog on a hot day, his wrinkled nut-brown face spreading out into something that could be interpreted as a smile. If you were having a good day, Dru thinks. If smiling is what you were hoping to see. "Get a light," Birch orders, and one of the two men Dru met this morning heads for the van. Birch turns toward one of the others, leaning closer and speaking in a low voice. "Jonah, I need you to take care of Stephen." "Yah. I'll do it." When they've got the light, Birch hands it to Dru. "Lead on, buddy," he says. ~~~~~ Tuba City, Arizona One hour later
The wind is hot against Kaya's skin. Spring was nice while it lasted, she thinks. She steals a look at her father, walking just to her left. He is lost in thought, his face drawn and dispirited. Kaya wishes he would speak. She wishes Dru had stayed home until Will was done praying. She wishes she knew what all that hollering was about this morning. Whatever it was, Will and Dana aren't talking about it, that's for sure. Kaya's glance darts to her right, where Dana keeps pace, looking grim. I wish she'd go away, Kaya thinks, stomach churning. Will hasn't been happy a single day since she came here. ~~~~ The trading post in Tuba City is one of Kaya's favorite places. A couple of times a month a truck comes from South Road. When it goes away again, it leaves bits of the outside world behind it: fruits and vegetables that won't grow in the high desert, goods salvaged from places where there aren't any People left anymore, travelers full of stories. The trading post is the heart of Tuba City. If you want to know what's going on in town or in the World all you have to do is stop there. If you don't hear enough news out front you can always go inside and check with Kevin, the proprietor. He'll fill you in on whatever you need to know. This morning there's a familiar gray pickup in the parking lot. Kaya breathes easy for what feels like the first time this morning. Thank god, she says to herself. Sane people. "Morning, Ben." Will sticks his hand out and Ben hops down off the back of the truck, returning the greeting. "Mornin', Will. Mornin' Kaya, Dana..." Dana stares at the ground, frowning. Kaya snorts in exasperation. Shit, there's nothing wrong with Ben. He's nothing to be afraid of. Completely harmless. Matt is another matter, she thinks to herself with a smile. She glances across the parking lot to find him. He is leaning against the wall of the trading post, talking to some people she knows from Rare Metals. "Ben, I need to talk to Dru," Will says. "You know where he is?" Before Ben can answer, Will slumps back against the hood of the truck, rubbing his forehead hard. He covers his eyes with his hand for a long moment. He's listening, Kaya thinks. I wonder what the spirits are telling him. She's pretty sure Will doesn't have any business being in town this morning. Really. Sam could have come to fetch Dru. "What's wrong with him?" Ben asks her, hooking his thumb in Will's direction and hoisting himself onto the hood of the truck. Will's head jerks upright. "Nothing," he snaps. "Seen Dru?" Ben doesn't answer. He's looking at Will like he suddenly sprouted an extra head. Honestly, Kaya thinks, no one can get used to it. Time was when you talked to Will he was right there with you every step of the way. He always had an answer for your troubles, something to make you feel better, a joke or a song or a story. Since Dana came he's not the same. He's sad and grouchy and doesn't have time for anybody but her. It's not her habit to question Will, but she's beginning to wonder if Dru is right. Maybe Will really doesn't care who he pisses off anymore. Maybe that's Dana's fault. Ben folds his legs crossways and adjusts his glasses. "I guess you know why Dru came into town last night, Will." "Yeah. I didn't find out he came until this morning, though." "Well listen, it's true. The Bugs are on their way here. You can ask Kevin. That fellow who was here, Gary Birch, he put me and Matt in charge of getting the word out, since we stay here and there and know lots of folks. He and his people headed out this morning, early. Dru went with them." Now it's Will's turn to give the "you've-got-two- heads" look. Unlike Ben, though, he's mad about the extra head and not afraid to show it. "Dammit, Ben. Couldn't you have talked him out of that?" "Will, this is some serious shit. They need our help. Dru's a grown man. I can't tell him what to do." Will takes a deep breath and blows the frustration out of his body. He looks up. His eyes lock onto something up in the sky. They follow the invisible object on its invisible path. His mouth drops open. Kaya sighs. Lost him, she thinks. Just like that. We can all go have breakfast, and when we come back he'll be standing right here, still as a pine tree. When Will doesn't move after a minute or so, Dana reaches over and touches his arm. "Mulder..." Her face whips toward Kaya. Explain this to me, her eyes beg. Make him stop. Kaya doesn't get why this is so hard for Dana to understand. Holy people are just...holy people. They don't act like anybody else. No one expects them to. Fortunately for Dana's nerves, Will comes back fast this time. His shoulders sag and his gaze drops a little lower in the sky. "Where'd they go, Ben?" he asks faintly. "Which way were they headed?" "They were headed for Colorado to meet up with some supplies." Will shakes his head. "No. No, that's not right..." "Well that's what they said, at least." Will pushes himself up off the hood of the truck and goes into the trading post without another word to anyone. Dana turns to Kaya. "Kaya, what was that all about?" Kaya feels sorry for her. She looks so confused and desperate. "Will's said before that sometimes the plant takes its time letting go of him. He says it's still got things to tell." Dana sits down on the tailgate of Ben's truck. Her hands are shaking. Kaya wishes she knew what all that fuss was about this morning. After a few minutes Will comes back out of the trading post, walking fast. "Kevin says they traded for gas this morning and left on South Road. White van." "Yeah, a white van," Ben says. "*South* Road?" "They never meant to go to Colorado, Ben." Suddenly Ben smacks his palm against his forehead. "I got it, Will...shit, what's wrong with me? We were drinking with those guys last night and Dru was telling Gary Birch stories about the Labs. It was noisy and they were a few feet away...I didn't hear all they said, but now I remember Dru saying he'd take them there if they wanted." Will closes his eyes and nods. "Yes. That's it. That's right. We need to catch up to them." "That's no problem, Will. I just gassed the truck." Ben shouts to Matt. "Matt! We're out of here!" Will hops in the back of the truck, pulling Dana in behind him. Matt opens the door of the cab and looks at Kaya with a wicked grin. "It's tight in here, K. You're welcome to a seat, though." ~~~~~ Late Morning The dust is thick. Every time Dru moves it rises up, like a swarm of flies off a dead animal. Dru can't figure why Mr. Birch is so excited about this room full of old cabinets. There's stuff to see at the Labs that's more interesting than this. For instance, there are drawers where the Bugs kept live human beings for years on end, stacked up one on top of the other like firewood. There are laboratory rooms painted whiter than snow, loaded with fancy machinery. Then there's the basement. That's Dru's favorite part of the Labs, and now that he's here, he was kind of looking forward to going down there. That's the Party Room. When you go to that room you have to go down three flights of stairs and follow a long hallway. It's dark as hell; gives you the creeps. Then you get to the door, the one that used to be locked tight until some kids did a number on it a few years ago, playing with a stick of TNT they scored. Now it's just black and twisted off its hinges, and you can step right in, put a match to the Party Light, and enjoy. The Party Room is better than the traveling shows that pull into Tuba from South Road every couple of months or so. That guy who sits in the Rattlesnake Cage, he's nothing compared to what you can see in the basement of the Labs. You can take a light and check out the shelves. It's totally sick: pickled Bug babies with giant heads and eyes, pickled human babies with long Bug fingers and toes, pickled body parts, hearts and livers and stomachs...the brains are the coolest. It's the best, Dru thinks to himself. Kind of gets you thinking deep about life, looking at all those guts. It's even better if you've got a girl on your arm while you take it all in. They get scared to death and stick to you like glue. Will would freak if he knew I've gotten laid in the Labs, Dru thinks, grinning. Maybe if he knew how fun the place is when you've got a gut full of 'shine and some friends to hang out with, he wouldn't take the place so damn serious. Sure, the Bugs kept Will in those drawers, a long time ago. That must have sucked, Dru thinks. But shit, he got out. He's doing fine now. This is just a dusty old building with a basement full of pickled meat. What's the big deal? "Um, Mr. Birch," he says. Birch is lost back in the gloom, looking through some of the cabinets. His lantern throws shadows on the far wall and Dru can hear him muttering to himself. It's *paper*, dude, Dru thinks to himself. Won't do anybody a damn bit of good. It'd make nice tinder, he guesses. If somebody wanted to torch the place. Dru wonders briefly if Mr. Birch is on the level. What would a soldier want with a bunch of old papers in a place he just heard of last night? Pretty weird. Dru thinks about how much Will distrusts Gary Birch: enough to go on a Datura trip, trying to find out what he's up to. Dru gets to his feet, feeling tight. Shake it off, boy, he thinks to himself. Will's like an old lady these days, straight up. There's not a man in this world that's not lying about something. Can't go around freaking out about every little thing. He hears Birch's footsteps, coming back toward the front of the room. "Wallace!" he hollers, his voice echoing off through the dust and the darkness. One of the guys sticks his head in the door. "Sir?" "191. That's one-nine-one. Go down there and see what you can get." "Okay." Birch squats down and starts stuffing a bunch of papers into his backpack. "Mr. Birch." Dru stands up. He's bored stiff and edgy, ready to go somewhere else. Birch doesn't look up. "What?" "What do you want with all that shit? Let me take you down to the basement, man. It's boss." The little man closes his backpack tight. "Yeah. Take me down, there, son. I'd really like to see it." ~~~~~ Late Morning The sun is getting more vicious by the minute. Dana feels stepped on; squashed; fried like a bug on a concrete sidewalk. She pulls a tarp over her head and tries to escape, but the sun reaches inside. Taunting. The blistering wind rattles in Dana's ears as the truck speeds across the mesa, wrapping her in white noise. Mulder sprawls on his back in the truck bed, surrounded by Ben and Matthew's worldly possessions, his eyes closed, brow creased, lips moving from time to time. She wonders what he is seeing. Dana's mind is rushing like the highway under the wheels of the truck. Rolling like the snake that eats its own tail. Mulder's face clenches. He draws into himself, long legs stiffening in what looks like pain. Dana moves to his side. "Mulder, tell me what's wrong." His hand flies out from his side, twisted, reaching for her. She takes it. He takes her. Darkness. Cold stone. Rotten earth. His fingers twine with hers, locking in place. She feels the pain. A stabbing feeling in her belly and back; her body, ice cold and defenseless. The bones of her pelvis, rearranging. The head, coming down. Mulder moans. Cruel hands catch the dripping bundle. Cruel hands snip the pale, yellow cord. Dana rips away from Mulder and crawls under her tarp, trying to hide, but the light reaches inside. Taunting. ~~~~ Dana feels the truck slowing, turning to the right and down a steep incline. She pushes the tarp off and looks around. They are bumping along a cast-off asphalt driveway that winds into a canyon. Matthew pushes the back window of the cab open and shouts over Kaya's shoulder, "Is Will okay back there?" Dana doesn't really feel qualified to answer that question. "I don't know. I think he's all right." "Well, tell him to wake up. We're almost there." ~~~~ They park a hundred feet or so from the white van, hiding the small gray truck behind a stand of bushes. "Shit, Will," Ben says as they disembark. "I can't see why we need to hide from them. I think we're all on the same side, here." Mulder stares at Ben fixedly. His face is mournful, profoundly shaken. Ben takes a step back. He knows he's looking at a raw nerve walking. "Kaya," Mulder says quietly. "Yeah, Will." "I want you to stay here." Kaya's mouth pops open to argue, but nothing comes out. "I'll stay with you, K," Matthew offers. "I've seen it, in there." "Will, don't you think Dana should stay here, too? Don't you think it might be a little too much for her?" Dana pins Kaya with an angry stare. "No," Mulder says, drawing a long, painful breath. "There are things she needs to see." ~~~~ The guy called Wallace catches up with Birch and Dru near the top of the stairwell that leads down to the basement. "191," he says simply, handing Birch a folder. Birch hands Dru the lantern and looks through the folder quickly. From the look on his face you would think Wallace had just handed him one of those old porno magazines. "Hey, let's go down to the basement," Dru says quickly. "Man, you're not gonna believe it." They descend, lanterns gleaming yellow on the cracked plaster of the walls. Rats scamper and scratch in dark corners on the landings. Those rats must have a helluva life, Dru laughs to himself. Living all alone in the desert with nothing but pickles to eat. The smell down in the basement has gotten worse since Dru's last visit. There's a bad chemical stink and a smell like garbage. Like dead things in garbage. It's the rats, Dru thinks. I guess I was right about the menu around here. "Watch the door," Birch tells Wallace. "Shit, Mr. Birch, nobody comes down here much. I wouldn't worry about it." Dru follows Birch down a line of shelves, holding up the lantern. Birch stares at the critters in the jars like maybe they'll sing and dance in a minute and he wouldn't want to miss it. He licks his lips and gasps now and then, fingers jumping up to touch the labels on the jars, eyes glittering in the lantern light. Shee-it, Dru thinks. I always thought this place was pretty cool, but I never got into it *this* much. He's beginning to wonder what kind of sick bastard he's gotten himself hooked up with. End Book Three, Chapter One
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