Hi all!

It's been a whiile since I've posted here so I hope you enjoy
this one; it was written at warp speed (to get it in before season
two begins) and late at night, so bear with me.
WARNING: NO graphic sex inside! ;-) It would be good to have
seen the episode "Ice"- but since that ep is one of the top five, I doubt
it will be much of a problem.

Comments can be sent to madge@uclink.berkeley.edu and are

welcome. All the usual disclaimers apply.

FROSTBITE- PART I, by Peggy Li September 16, 1994

[FBI HEADQUARTERS, Washington, D.C.]

Assistant Director Walter Skinner was not a man to sweat
under pressure. Yet for the second time that morning he reached
for his handkerchief and wiped his brow, giving himself an excuse
to break eye contact from the man who sat smoking in the chair
opposite him. The man waited patiently for Skinner to continue.
"She is not an appropriate choice, sir." Skinner tried hard
to keep the conviction he felt in his mind steady in his voice. "I
don't see how she could be a viable option to the expedition; she's
too great a risk." Skinner watched as the implacable smoking man
blew another leisurely puff of smoke from between his lips, and
tried again. "She knows too much, sir."
"*That* is why I want her up there," the smoking man
replied calmly, the cigarette smoke curling out of his nostrils and
the slight smile cut into his face. Skinner felt his insides twist as he
imagined a demonic laugh rising out of the sinister figure before
him, and wondered, briefly, just how much one had to pay for
selling one's soul to the devil.
Putting on his best poker face, Skinner reached for the
phone and felt very, very, sorry for what he was about to do.

[The following day. 12:45PM Eastern Standard Time]

Special Agent Fox Mulder pretended to study the map
spread out upon his desk. He traced his pencil idly over the
surface, randomly connecting the dots that marked the locations of
the recent rash of shopping cart thefts in Birmingham, Alabama.
The rest of the cubby-holed agents had plenty to do while he was
stuck with the most mundane and tedious of cases in white collar
crimes; a peculiar side-effect of his recent dismissal from the X-
files. Sighing, Mulder opted to put his John Hancock on the case
he had before him and pass it off on some other shmo, most likely
the fresh-from-the-academy Cleaning, who, with a name like that,
was the only person in the huge office who was one rung below
Mulder on the popularity ladder.
Mulder slapped the file into the "Out" box and reached for
the next file in the "In" box while he glanced at the clock for the
fifth time in so many minutes. *I bet this is what half the class is
doing right now,* he thought wryly, then imagined Scully pacing in
front of a blackboard in full lecture mode, eyes flashing and lips
curling to form those perfectly articulated sentences, with thirty or
so testosterone-drenched trainees in the audience. "Maybe not," he
corrected out loud with a small laugh, drawing glances from his
neighboring agents, and ignoring them. Mulder heaved another
sigh, opened the folder but did not read, and allowed himself the
luxury of thinking about Dana Scully.
He had been thinking of her quite often lately; she had been
assigned to the Academy, back to her old job of teaching, which he
knew she would enjoy. It was still an ego boost- and a comfort-
though, to hear her voice and to hear her talk about how she missed
working on the X-files and working with him. She never actually
said so in so many words, of course, but Mulder knew. As time of
their separation had increased from days to weeks, however, the
mutual bitching sessions about their predicament had become less
frequent as the higher-ups gave them more to do. Mulder glanced
at the clock again like an impatient trainee; Scully's class would be
out in exactly four minutes and her call would be in twenty.

[1:20PM]
The light on Mulder's phone blinked, indicating an outside
connection; Scully was on time as usual.
"Mulder here. Hey Scully, class is no longer in session?"
"Mulder..." Scully hesitated and Mulder stopped nibbling
on sunflower seeds. He stopped reclining and leaned forward in his
chair.
"Scully, what's wrong?" Mulder could hear the background
commotion of a large group of people and surmised that Scully
wasn't in her office. "Where are you?"
"Nothing's wrong, I hope. I'm in the Commons at the
Academy because I've been called into a meeting with the CIC."
"You sound nervous."
"Yeah," Scully replied, "I feel like I've been caught
smoking in the little girls' room or something and have been called
into the principal's office for a reprimand."
"I hope it goes okay." Scully was silent at the other end of
the line. "What?" he asked.
"I was just waiting for the witty commentary on my high
school career, Mulder. Your desk job hasn't made you go soft on
me, has it?"
Mulder looked around the monochromatic office, at the
rows and rows of hunched-over agents wearing identical
expressions on their faces, and replied wearily, "You know, Scully,
I think it has."
Scully's voice became hushed and concerned, "Mulder,
we've got to stay on our guard. You know we will..."
"I know, Scully," Mulder replied quickly. "I haven't given
up. I can't-" Mulder knew he was begining to sound like a broken
record and decided to switch gears. "Scully, these talks with you
are what keep me grounded, keep me down to earth." He smiled at
the irony and let his voice carry traces of his amusement, "For once
your sane and reasoning voice is a welcome addition to my day."
"I'm your 'one sane voice in this crazy world'? I think
you've got that backwards, Mulder. You like to hear from me
because for once I agree with you and now you aren't the only one
who sounds completely nuts." Scully was teasing him but Mulder
was reminded of the true dire nature of their situation and was
instantly sombered.
"Oh wait, hold on."
"Scully?"
"I've gotta go. I'll let you know what's up."
Mulder hung up the phone, hoping that Scully's meeting
with the commander-in-chief would be nothing but routine. Deep
in thought, he rubbed his lower lip and his eyes drifted once again
to the clock on his desk.

[4:22PM]
Mulder had just returned from the archives, his tie dripping
over the stack of papers he was trying to negotiate onto his small
desk when his phone buzzed for attention. Hastily sliding papers
across his chair Mulder reached for the phone.
"Mulder."
"Hi Mulder."
Mulder took off his glasses and found an empty corner of
desk to sit on. "Did they give you a detention, Scully, or are you
going to be valedictorian this year?"
Scully's reply sounded stiff, forced. "Something's
happening that I had to tell you about."
"What is it?"
"I've been reassigned, Mulder, I- I can't talk about it right
now." Mulder distinctly heard the sound of flesh being slapped
over the receiver and someone talking to Scully in gruff tones. He
frowned in confusion, then Scully was back on the line. "Mulder, I
just want you to go to my apartment and lock up for me, would
you?"
"Scully, wait, what's going on...?"
"Just do this for me Mulder. I don't have time to explain. I
think I left a window open."
Mulder grit his teeth in concern and said warningly,
"Dana..."
"A window, Mulder. It's open. I've got to go, bye."
The line clicked dead and Mulder just gaped at the receiver.
Agent Bledsoe leaned over from his cubicle and cracked, "What's
the matter, Mulder, you look like you've just seen a ghost!"
Mulder gathered his things and left in the wake of the laughter that
spread across his corner of the room, unfazed. All he could
concentrate on was the fact that Scully was being reassigned and
didn't sound the least bit pleased about it. His mind raced over the
possibilities. They had been working on a few side-projects
together, Mulder doing most of the legwork while Scully made
discrete inquiries from her end. They had decided early on that
what they needed to do to get the X-files reopened and expose
those who were supressing the truth was to find definitive proof
that extraterrestrials existed before they could claim a government
cover-up. In esssence, nothing much had changed; they were still
investigating X-file cases, but there would be no slide shows for a
while.
Shrugging into his trenchcoat, Mulder realized that up until
this moment, he had taken it for granted that eyes would be soley
upon him and he realized angrily that he may have made a grave
error. He had to find out what was happening to Scully and hoped
that he would be in time to intervene, if necessary. And if he could.

[5:33PM]
Mulder flipped on the lights of the bath and scanned the
room warily, but nothing seemed out of place. On the contrary, the
air was stale and musty and Mulder had been unable to find the
open window that Scully had been so concerned about. Ever since
her move to Quantico, Scully only visited her D.C. apartment on
weekends, but still considered it her home. Mulder had discreetly
peeked into her closet only to find her suitcases and other traveling
gear still intact.
He had been to Scully's apartment many times before, but
never without her present. He felt uncomfortable, awkward.
Fingering the couch where he often sat for one of their late-night
debates, he found himself bending his legs to sit. He had a hunch
that if she was going to contact him again, it would be here at her
apartment; she had made a point of drawing him there specifically.
So Mulder sat and listened to the silence of Scully's apartment, and
wondered, worried, where she could be.

[DOOLITTLE AIRFIELD, Nome, Alaska 2:57 PM Pacific

Standard Time]
Russ Jarvis was annoyed. They had been ferrying
equipment, people, and supplies through the airfield for over two
weeks now, and the last shipment had gone out three days ago. He
had been looking forward to returning to his regular schedule when
they informed him that there was going to be a last-minute
passenger he had to fly up to the cape that day. He had protested
on the grounds that the clear weather they had been experiencing
was bound to turn bad, but how could he refuse when they insisted?

Russ pulled out his checklist and started at the top. He

wanted his plane in peak condition to make this last hop. While
Alaska was officially part of the good ol' US of A, Jarvis had
learned from experience that there was only one law that governed
this far North; the law of Nature, and it just wouldn't do to be
caught by a lady with his britches down.

[6:00PM EST]
Mulder picked up a book lying on the coffee table and
opened it to read. He felt almost voyeuristic, violating Dana's
things, but there was an overriding curiosity that compelled him to
nose around in her belongings.
They had become so much less formal after their official
partnership was dissolved. Mulder had secretly wondered about
what would happen to their relationship outside the X-files and was
pleased to discover that they were as good at being friends as they
were as being partners. But they had always been friends, hadn't
they? *You are getting soft, Mulder* he thought with
bemusement. He scrunched down into the couch and began to
read, clinging to the faith that Scully would somehow contact him,
even if it meant violating regulations. Two images instantly flashed
into Mulder's mind: one was of Scully the day they had met and he
had accused her of spying on him. He would never forget the look
of disbelief and cold, analytical reasoning she had appraised him
with that first day, for he expected to never see it again.
The other image was of Scully getting into her car to leave
for Quantico, knowing full well why the X-files were being
dissolved, and the look of anger and distrust and fiery independence
that she had embodied that day. *That* was the Scully who would
bend the rules to contact him and Mulder hoped it would be soon.
He glanced at the clock on Scully's wall and conceeded to himself
that Scully wasn't the only one to have changed over the last year.
The lone Fox was no longer quite so alone.

[ICY CAPE, Alaska 5:50PM PST]

Russ returned to his single-engine airplane, happy to be
leaving the godforsaken place. He had left the engines running so
they wouldn't freeze in the sub-zero weather and also so he could
make a quick gettaway. He was now two days behind his usual
Nome-to-Anchorage supply route, but when the Government said
jump, Russ had asked, "How high?" He squinted across the frigid
airfield, if one could call it that, and tried to make out the lone
figure of the passenger he had just dropped off. The white snow
parka blended in very well, even when the wind wasn't blowing
snow in every direction, but on this clear day he could just make
out the dark color of snow boots and the coppery smear of red hair
contrasted against the ice.
He got into his plane and felt truly sorry for anyone who
had to be stuck on the icefloe. His passenger had said very little on
their flight up, perhaps already knowing that he wouldn't have been
able to answer any questions anyway.
He taxied the plane down the track that had been marked
with sputtering pink flares and thanked God that the reported four-
day window of clear weather had held as promised. It would be
clear sailing once he was off the ground.
Russ brought his little plane around in a lazy circle, his eyes
just picking out the solitary blob of a human being moving off
towards the compound situated about a hundred meters to the east.
He could imagine the young woman, lost in her parka and shivering
in the Arctic cold, and wondered who in their right mind would
send anyone to this place. "All in the name of science," he
muttered to himself, when a light suddenly flashed on his control
panel. Russ reluctantly turned his eyes from the lone figure, which
was rapidly becoming just a pinprick against the snow, and flew
steady on his course back to Nome.

[8:55PM EST]
Mulder woke with a jerk, his body feeling sticky and his
clothes wrinkled. The book he had been reading had slipped from
his hands and one side of his face held the imprint of the couch
fabric he had been sleeping on. He glanced at his watch and ran a
hand across his face and hair. Still no sign of Scully.
Mulder quickly made up his mind to call Quantico and find
out what they could tell him. Fishing around in his pockets, he
realized he had left his cellular phone in his car. "Damn," he
muttered, then spotted a phone in the kitchen just beyond. Mulder
reached for the reciever when he noticed the answering machine
sitting on the kitchen counter. A strange feeling overcame him and
he pushed the "messages" button. Dana's voice came clearly
through.
"You have reached Dana Scully. I'm not able to come to
the phone right now, so please leave a message." The answering
machine beeped and Mulder felt a selfish urge to hear her voice and
play the message once again. His finger poised over the button
when suddenly, it all clicked into place. Mulder saw that this
machine had no messages; but Scully also had a private machine.
He moved into the little hallway and found the second answering
machine on the sideboard. The red messages light was flashing,
beckoning him to press it; Mulder pressed it.
It whirred and clicked and finally the message played.
"Mulder, when you get this message I will be on my way to my new
assignment." Scully sounded breathless, edgy. "They haven't
given me any information; no destination, no contacts, nothing.
They have given me orders to maintain communications silence,
which I guess I've just breeched." There was a slight pause in the
message, then Scully continued. "I don't know how long it will be
before I can contact you again, or when I'll know more. Don't
worry about me, ok?" Mulder clenched his fists, "Take care." The
machine clicked and hummed to a standstill. Mulder was puzzled
until the machine's mechanical voice intoned, "Four-oh-five, PM."
Hitting the machine's erase button, Mulder headed for the door.
He now had all the pieces and he wanted to go home to the droning
of his TV set to figure out how they fit together.
 Scully's conversation with him at the office had come
*after* the recorded message; Mulder felt sure that she had
somehow conveyed to him the destination of her new assignment
within those few moments. He would check the phone records at
the Bureau in the morning. Until then, he decided that Scully
would be alright; she had just wanted to let him know where she
would be and he felt confident that if she were to get in trouble, she
would find a way to reach him again. Until then, all he could do
was wait. And perhaps do a little poking around on his own.

* * *

[ICY CAPE 6:00PM]

Dana Scully looked up into the sky and watched her only
means of escape fly south across the white horizon. She stifled the
pointless urge to shout at the top of her lungs to call the small
airplane back and had to face facts. She was stranded in Alaska.
They had gone to great pains to get her there, too; in Virginia she
was told practically nothing until she was loaded on a plane to
Seattle. They hadn�t even given her any time to pack or to contact
her friends at the Academy- somehow Scully had managed to make
a call beforehand on her private line on the pretext of checking her
messages, and left a message for Mulder about her reassignment.
She knew she was being watched at every turn and couldn�t risk
talking to Mulder directly at that point, but felt it vital that he know
what was happening to her. Instead of landing in Seattle, the plane
was diverted and she got word that her true destination was Alaska.
After she had protested loudly, she was told that the secrecy was
necessary because it was a highly sensitive mission and that word
came down from the top of the brass that she was to be a part of it-
quite an honor. She was told to make contact with those who
would become worried by her extended absence, and with someone
watching over her shoulder, was allowed to make phone calls. The
first call went to her mother...the second call went to Fox Mulder.
Dana picked up the supplies she had been provided with at
Nome and began the march towards the corrugated iron outpost
that looked like a black beetle entrenched in the snow, low and
hugging the ground, her way marked by a line of pink flares. Even
in the cold, the exertion was making her sweat under her parka. As
she trudged closer and closer to the nearest building, she also began
to sweat from fear.
Just being there made her frightened; her last experience at
the Icy Cape had been horrific and she never thought she�d find
herself there again. She stopped in front of one of the doors and
hesitated. Her official assignment was to be there as some sort of
�scientific observer�- apparently the FBI wanted to know firsthand
just what the Government Advance Research Project was doing
back in the Arctic. Scully had been assured that this AICP team
was not drilling into the ice as deeply as the previous team; just
what they *were* doing and how much they knew, she wasn�t told.
Details of her assignment and their project were to be provided
upon her arrival, but it was obvious to Scully that her scientific
background and first-hand experience with the Arctic Ice Core
Project incident made her ideal for the job.
Scully didn�t care how qualified she was for this. She had
the growing suspicion that they hadn�t told her the whole truth
behind what this new project was all about. There was talk about
medical breakthroughs and the like but Scully couldn�t shake the
feeling that something more was in the works. Her feet beginning
to go numb, she realized she couldn�t stand there stalling any
longer. She reached for the doorknob when it suddenly turned on
its own and rough hands grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked
her inside. Scully yelped in surprise and jumped away the instant
the hands let her go. She was about to draw her weapon when she
was greeted by friendly voices.
�Welcome! Don�t stand outside on our account! You must
be Dr. Scully.� Dana looked up at a huge, towering man of
obvious Nordic descent and realized that he was the one to drag her
in from the cold. She began brushing snow off of her arms warily
and felt her extremities begin to tingle as the warmth of the room
immediately began to penetrate.
�That�s right. And you are?�
�Svenson. I�m sorry I surprised you, but I noticed that you
were standing there for quite some time and thought you might be
shy.� The blond man�s laugh reverberated around the small room
and Scully smiled weakly as he proceeded to introduce the others
present.
Scully recognized the names from the file she had read on
the way up: Karen Frankel, neurobiologist, was a surprisingly
young woman in her thirties who gave Scully a warm smile and a
mug of hot chocolate; Joyce Brand and David Brand, husband and
wife team of geologists who had been researching Arctic geology
for over thirty years; George Tanaka, chemical engineer with an
impressive background in both biology and toxicology; and of
course, Theo Svenson, microbiologist. One person was missing
from the group, however.
�Where�s the team leader, Philip Starky?� Scully asked.
Svenson gestured to a doorway, �He is in the lab and
regrets he couldn�t meet you personally. Your arrival was a bit
unexpected, and he is in the middle of some tests and could not
leave them. He wanted to make sure that we made you as welcome
as possible, though. Karen?� He gestured towards Dr. Frankel
who moved to give Scully a hand with her bags.
�Dr. Scully, I�ll show you to your quarters so you can settle
in. You�ll also find all the latest data on your desk so you can get
up to speed before dinner.�
Scully appraised Frankel carefully and saw only honesty in
her dark eyes and round face. �Dana,� she replied, �and thanks.�
The group dispersed as Scully and Frankel made their way
down a long corridor. Scully still felt apprehensive, but less so after
meeting a group of such friendly and intelligent people. She began
to think that her fears were unfounded when sign caught her eye
and Scully stopped walking.
�Can we go in there?� She gestured to double doors that
marked the entrance to the labs.
Frankel glanced nervously at Scully and seemed uncertain
how to respond.
�I�d like to meet Philip Starky,� Scully added, giving
Frankel a warm and innocent smile.
Frankel wasn�t fooled and replied tentatively, �Certainly.
But we can�t enter the clean-room.�
Scully and Frankel dropped their bags and Scully pushed
through the double doors eagerly. They entered a dressing area
where lab scrubs were provided and a clear view of the inner lab
was visible through glass walls. Scully had braced herself for
whatever she would find they were experimenting on in the labs but
still was shocked at the sight that greeted her within.
 A man was seated at a counter at the other side of the room
with his back to them, using a microscope and handling jars of
specimens. But he wasn�t what made Scully gasp; the glass case
above the counter was backlit by florescent lights and filled the
entire wall. Inside the case, lined up on every shelf, were dozens of
glass specimen jars. And within each jar Scully could see the
jerking, wriggling movement of a honey-colored worm.
�Wha...?� Scully managed, fear gripping her and making
her speechless, �What is the meaning of this? Who authorized
these, these,� she gestured at the far wall. �I demand to know what
is going on here!�
Frankel took Scully by the arm and Scully shook her off
roughly, tensed and ready for action. �Dana,� Frankel began,
worry creasing her eyes, �I think you better read the reports we
have prepared for you. You don�t understand what we are trying
to accomplish here and I won�t bother explaining it to you until you
read those papers.�
Dana glanced nervously at the wall of worms, edging away
from it as if the jars were going to bound off the shelves by
themselves and fly at her at any moment. She knew that she was in
a precarious situation and took a deep breath to steady her nerves.
Scully could feel Frankel studying her reaction with interest and
hoped she sounded reasonably rational and calm.
�All right. I resent the fact that I have been denied adequate
information on this assignment but I will read what you have for
me.� Scully gave Frankel an icy glare, �And then I expect some
answers from all of you.�
Frankel folded her arms and didn�t seem the least bit upset
by Scully�s defensiveness. �We�ll have a meeting tomorrow
morning. You must be exhausted and you�ll want to get rid of your
jet-lag,� Frankel raised a hand to stop Scully�s protest, �we�ll all be
thinking more clearly in the morning. Please,� Frankel pushed
through the doors and recovered one of the bags, �we�ll answer all
your questions in the morning, if we can.� She fixed Scully with a
hopeful smile and said quietly, �Then perhaps you can answer some
questions for *us*.�
Frankel continued down the hall as Scully followed in bitter
silence. She didn�t know what questions she could answer for these
people; they seemed to hold all the cards. Shivering at the
thought of the lab filled with those terrible creatures, Scully prayed
that she would be able to handle on her own the information she
was about to receive. For no matter how nice or innocent the team
of scientists appeared, Scully wasn�t prepared to trust anyone.

[Washington, D.C. 11:00 PM]

Mulder ran a hand across his eyes and used his remote to
turn off the television. The papers in front of him told him in plain
black and white that Scully had been sent to Seattle for a highly
sensitive assignment. The fact that �radio silence� was tagged on
the file suggested undercover work, most likely in the drug market
or dealing with arms smugglers along the boarder. Not exactly
Dana Scully�s line of work, in Mulder�s opinion, but the Bureau
was always in need of female agents to go undercover, and any case
where a large seizure of contraband was possible became high
priority for the FBI. But while this information seemed to answer
the question of where Scully�s new assignment was, something still
didn�t sit right in Mulder�s mind.
It was late, and any leads or inquiries that Mulder wanted to
follow would have to wait until morning. Mulder was sure he was
beginning to make a big deal out of nothing, but would check up on
Scully�s whereabouts anyway- just in case.

[Icy Cape 12:30 PM]

Scully carefully removed the chair from where it was

wedged against the door handle and returned it to it�s proper place
by the desk. Scully cleared some papers from the bed where she
had been reading and threw herself down, her eyes burning from
fatigue and her back aching. She allowed herself to close her eyes
and relaxed for the first time since she had arrived at the outpost.
She was tired and her muscles were just beginning to unwind, but
she still could not go to sleep. Sitting up, Scully pulled her hair into
a knot and wearily pulled out her laptop. She moved to sit at the
desk and settled down to write in her field journal. She�d picked up
the habit from Mulder and found it was a good way to help
organize her thoughts.
At the thought of Mulder, Scully felt her heart leap as she
wondered if he had received her messages. She selfishly wanted
him to be there with her, be there to help her get through this
expedition, but more specifically, - could she even admit this to
herself?- be there so she could draw strength from his presence.
Pushing her thoughts of Mulder aside- his wry smile- Dana
booted up her computer and began to write - �Bring your
mittens...� -
*DAY 1
The AICP II project has returned to the Icy Cape to further
study this area, but was carefully warned to not drill below certain
depths in the ice. They were told that these precautions were
necessary to avoid contamination from super-heavy radioactive
elements that were deposited here by the meteorite they were aware
had crashed at this site. Following these precautions, the team was
assigned to gather as much information as they could about the
area, especially details about the size of the impact crater. Research
was proceeding as planned until three weeks after their arrival,
when the outpost received a distress call originating near Point Lay,
about eighty miles to the south. Knowing that aid from Nome
would take over three hours to reach them, the team voted to use
their own emergency plane and Svenson and Frankel were sent to
try and aid the team. They returned to the AICP outpost with three
bodies. Judging from the equipment and documents found at the
decimated drilling site, Svenson and Frankel discovered they had
found a survey team sent by the ARPA that had been taking core
samples in search of petroleum deposits. A classic case of �the
right hand not knowing what the left was doing.�
The team immediately radioed in their discovery and were
told to hold the bodies in quarantine, as well as the core samples
they had recovered from the drilling site, and that an agent would
be flown up immediately. Frankel, who took charge of isolating the
bodies, noticed something strange protruding from the head wound
of one of the victims. Scientifically curious, Frankel took a sample
from the body since they had not been ordered *not* to examine
them. Starky was furious with Frankel for violating the quarantine,
but was soon fascinated with her discovery. Soon, the whole team
was involved in studying their unusual find.*

Scully paused in her narrative to pick up the latest reports

by Tanaka and Brand. She shook her head slowly and still couldn�t
believe their findings.
 *While an agent was scrambled to make contact with the
AICP team, the team was making their own progress. Tanaka was
interested in the worms� biochemistry and their possible application
in medicine while Brand had begun analyzing the core samples
recovered from the Point Lay site for their geological significance.
Their findings have been radioed to headquarters and they were
awaiting an answer at the time of my arrival on the scene.*

Scully looked again at her closed door, now unbarricaded,

and listened for any sounds within the compound. Except for the
humming of the heating system, all was quiet.

*My instructions are to survey and advise the scientific team

for the worms� possible commercial value- or else, find a way to
exterminate them. Either outcome would involve determining the
creatures range, living requirements, and behavior.*

Scully licked her lips slowly and continued.

*However, no mention was made in any of the files I have read as

to determining the organisms� origin or ancestry. I do not believe
that headquarters is unaware of the possible connection between
these creatures and the meteorite that crashed here years ago, and
yet no suggestion has even been made that they may be
extraterrestrial in origin- which would be more significant a
scientific discovery in itself than anything else they may acquire
from their study. I believe the scientists themselves are not blind to
the fact that they are dealing with something extraordinary here, no
matter what their orders are.*

Scully again found herself wishing Mulder was there, knowing that
the research being done could possibly give them the answers
they�ve been looking for.

*Tomorrow morning I will investigate how much the AICP team

has discovered and we will also be receiving instructions via
satellite hook-up.*

Scully�s fingers paused over the keys, then she typed rapidly.

*I also must find a way to contact Mulder, though at this point,

contact seems improbable.�

Scully hit �save� and let her computer put away her journal under a
coded file. The irony of her situation felt like a weight upon her
shoulders. Mulder was the one who had insisted these creatures be
studied and Scully had persuaded him to forget it. If she hadn�t
stopped him, perhaps the existence of E.B.E.�s would�ve been
established and the events leading to the shut-down of the X-files
would never have occured. Mulder was the one who had wanted to
return to the Icy Cape, yet she was the one to be placed in the midst
of the research. It made her feel terribly sad and even guilty; Dana
found herself fighting back tears that suddenly came to her eyes.
Throwing herself onto the tiny bed, Dana curled up into a
ball and wept quietly, angry with herself for coming so undone. As
she drifted off into welcome sleep, Scully swore to herself that she
would make the most of what she found here in the Arctic; for her
own sake and for Mulder�s, for Mulder�s...
 * * *
[Washington, D.C. 5:00 AM]
*DAY 1*
Mulder paused his pen, hit "play" on the small tape recorder on his
desk, and listened again to the recording as he continued to write in
his field journal.

*Listening to the recording of yesterday's conversation, I

am reminded that Scully was being very careful with her words and
that someone was possibly monitoring her call. I also can't rule out
the possibility that Scully was trying to avoid Bureau surveillance.
In any case, her "open window" ploy did succeed in drawing me to
her apartment where I received her other message.*

Mulder fingered a file that Cleaning had provided him with last
night and frowned.

*Her last call had originated from Seattle, Washington, and

checking up on her reassignment, I have been able to find
conformation that she had been sent there for an undercover
operation. This explains the Bureau's desire for "radio silence" and
also corresponds with the information Quantico received about
Scully's transfer.*

Mulder still wasn't satisfied. There was something here that

he just wasn't seeing; Scully should've known that he would be
able to get information on her re-assignment as soon as he heard
about it, so why the messages? *Unless* she had suspicion that any
information he'd receive would be false.
"Good morning, Agent Mulder. You're up early."
Chris Cleaning, starched and coifed to a hilt, eagerly passed
by his cubicle to join Mulder. His soft brown eyes and baby-fine
hair only emphasized his young age, no matter how polished he
tried to get himself to look. Pelted with the usual affection given
Academy graduates, Cleaning was awarded such nicknames as
"Cleaning Agent" and "Kris Kringle", among others. His pariah
status had instantly bonded him to "Spooky" Mulder, although
Mulder still hadn't made up his mind about him.
"Agent Cleaning. You're up early as well, I see. Be
careful, or people might think you're trying to get ahead around
here."
Cleaning blushed and put his hands in his pockets. Mulder
decided to give the kid a break.
"While you're here, Cleaning, do you think you could help
me out?"
Cleaning brightened up considerably and replied, "Sure,
Agent Mulder. Do you need another report?"
Mulder lowered his voice confidentially and Cleaning was
forced to lean in closer, "I think you are ready to move up from
being gopher, Cleaning. I have a job for you." Mulder could see
the light in Cleaning's eyes spark as he asked quietly,
"What do you need me to do?"
Mulder hoped he was making the right decision in trusting
this bumbling, but seemingly competent, young agent. "There's a
sting operation going down in Seattle, and I want you to find out
just what it's all about."
Cleaning's face registered puzzlement, and he asked slowly,
"I don't understand..."
 Mulder hesitated for only a second, then plowed ahead, "I
think there may be more going on up there than the Bureau might
think." He waggled his eyebrows for emphasis and was rewarded
with a start from Cleaning.
"You mean...? FBI agents? A conspiracy?" Mulder was
nodding to all of the above, "I don't believe it," Cleaning breathed.
"Believe it," Mulder replied.

[ICY CAPE 7:00 AM]

Scully was greeted the next morning by a steaming mug of
coffee, murmured "good morning"s and six expectant faces. They
had all gathered in the central portion of the main building and
everyone looked ready for answers. Scully opted to speak first.
"As you all are aware, I am Special Agent Dana Scully and I
was sent here by the FBI to investigate what you have discovered
here at the Icy Cape. I have read all of your reports so," she looked
at each face one by one, "I know what you know."
Philip Starky, a slim man in his fifties with features chapped
and weathered and hair white as snow, folded his arms and asked,
"Where would you like to begin, Agent Scully?"
"Where are the bodies?" Scully asked coolly.
"In the cold storage room adjacent to this building."
Frankel replied.
"Good. I'll begin there. Frankel, you reported that you
believed the men were infected by these parasites through...?"
"The ice core samples they had recovered while drilling.
When examined, they contained the worms in some sort of larval
stage. Agent Scully," Frankel paused, and Scully could feel all
eyes in the room upon her, "what exactly do you know about this?
They won't tell us anything. Have- have you seen these creatures
before?"
Scully couldn't read the variety of emotions that were
playing across everyone's faces and wondered how truthful she
should be. "Ye-es. Yes. I've seen these parasites before," a
collective breath was released by all, and the questions began in a
rush.
"How much do we know about them?"
"Where were they discovered?"
"Who documented this find?"
"Why haven't we heard about this?"
Scully waited patiently for them to stop when one voice
made itself clear from the rest of the barrage.
"How many have died?" The crowd fell silent and everyone
turned to Tanaka, who cleared his throat and asked again, "How
many, Agent Scully?"
Scully lowered her eyes and said quietly, "Last year- the
previous AICP team. Four people- plus others." She looked up
and fixed Svenson and Frankel with her gaze, "Like the survey team
you found at Point Lay."
"How much do you know?" Starky asked, and Scully
began to explain the events that occurred during her investigation
of the other AICP team, keeping it as brief as possible- and
omitting certain details.
When she was finished, Starky stepped away from the
group and everyone demurred to his leadership, "What do you plan
to do with them, Agent Scully?"
"I've been assigned to find out whether or not they have any
commercial value- if not, find ways to exterminate them."
Tanaka spoke up immediately, "We've been studying them
for three days now. They are about as useful as a tapeworm,
Scully, and obviously more deadly. And now that I know what
they could do to a population, I say we do what we can to eradicate
them, then get the hell out of here. We aren't even sure how one
gets infected!"
A chorus of voices rose up again as Scully felt panic begin
to take hold of the group.
"Wait a minute. WAIT A MINUTE!" She could feel their
growing hostility but also noticed that Starky was standing next to
her and helping her settle them down by gesturing with his hands.
She was instantly grateful. "Now, I agree with all of you that this
thing cannot leave this outpost. What it could do to a population is
too horrible to imagine. But I ask you all if you are aware that this
outpost, built directly over the remains of the previous AICP site, is
also part of a meteor crater? And that these organisms may have
been carried here by that same meteor?" Scully's unsaid questions
hung heavily in the air until Joyce Brand spoke up excitedly,
"That would explain the depth of the ice sheet in this area.
And the high levels of ammonia in the core samples, of course!
Agent Scully, you don't think..."
"I don't know what to think. I want you people to help me
find out."
Svenson raised a hand, "But what about the survey team?
Point Lay is not within the crater radius."
"What if," Joyce Brand said, snapping her fingers, "before
settling here at Icy Cape, the meteor slid and dug a trench along the
surface, depositing these organisms along the way. The ice sheet is
not nearly as deep at Point Lay, which is why the survey team was
drilling for petroleum there. Ancient crash sites all over the world
show evidence that great swaths of land were often affected by a
meteorite's trajectory before impact."
The room was again abuzz with voices as the scientists
began digesting this new idea, until Starky spoke up and addressed
Scully squarely.
"Agent Scully, is it the governments intention to discover
whether or not these organisms are extraterrestrial? That *is* what
you are hinting at, isn't it? The government knew about
their existence from the incident last year- they gave us strict orders
to not drill below certain depths in the ice- what are they planning
to do now? This kind of investigation can only be done properly in
a high-tech facility, not in some Arctic pup-tent such as this. Just
what is the government asking us to do?" Starky took a step closer
to Scully and looked her full in the face, "Just what are *you*
asking us to do?"
Scully did not let her gaze falter as she thought of Mulder
and replied, "I'm asking you to find the truth."
The nearby radio crackled and Svenson moved to answer.
"Yes, hold a moment. Agent Scully?"
Scully grabbed the receiver, very aware that everyone could
hear the transmission.
"Scully here, Doolittle."
"Results of last reports. Core samples indicate a large
deposit of petroleum AV3 and rare earth metals at Point Lay drill
site and Icy Cape margin. AICP team is ordered to destroy all
organism samples and proceed with all due caution to immediately
exterminate the threat to future drilling parties. You have 72 hours
to complete procedures, then a plane will arrive at your location to
remove data and the bodies, do you copy?"
Scully felt numb and drained; she should have expected
something like this, but what could she do? "AICP copies. Over."
Scully bent her head in defeat; when she looked up at
everyone, her eyes were weary, "Well. You heard? They are going
to destroy this site. Again."
"Petroleum AV3 is a highly volatile, extremely high-grade
crude. Labs have been unable to synthesize a suitable substitute. If
this area actually contains a large deposit of this material, it's a
coup for the U.S. to acquire it." David Brand explained to the
puzzled group. "There's sure to be a lot of profit in it."
Scully was barely listening and turned to address Svenson,
"Do you have a way to kill them?"
"Not yet, but soon."
Scully put her head in her hands and felt her opportunity
slipping away- she was between a rock and a hard place. On one
hand, Scully believed these creatures should be destroyed- on the
other, she and Mulder could use these creatures to prove the
existence of E.B.E.'s and get the X-files reinstated...but what were
she and Mulder compared to the welfare of humanity? Scully
pushed herself off of the radio bench and moved towards the lab. If
the government wanted these things exterminated, at least she
could make sure that it was done properly so they would never
have to deal with them again. Philip Starky grabbed her arm as she
moved.
"Where are you going?" he asked, alarmed.
"I'm going to start by destroying those specimens in the lab.
This all stops right here; right now," Scully replied, defeated.
"You can't!" Frankel exclaimed, as the AICP team
gathered around Dana. "We've got a lot of work to do and we
don't have much time."
Scully looked at the faces surrounding her and couldn't
believe her ears. Philip Starky spoke quietly and released her arm.
"If we only have 72 hours to study these things, we're going
to learn as much as we can in that time. We find the truth; right
here, right now." Heads nodded in silent agreement and Dana felt a
ray of hope in her heart that brought a small smile to her lips.
"You got it," she said, "let's get to work."

[FBI Headquarters 4:00 PM]

Mulder could feel his wheels spinning in place as he tossed a
fax from Quantico into his briefcase. He'd spent all day chasing
down papers, being put on hold, and learning little. The file open
on his desk outlined the various cases the Seattle office was
working on at the moment, but the list was marked "Incomplete"
and Scully's name wasn't on it.
Cleaning sidled up to Mulder's side and asked as casually as
he could manage, "Find what you needed, Agent Mulder?"
Mulder smiled encouragingly at the young man and lied,
"Yes. You did a good job, Cleaning," the young man beamed and
ran a hand through his sandy-blond hair. Mulder decided that
Cleaning was all right; if he had been a plant, Mulder would've had
a detailed profile- a doctored one- on the case Scully was working on
by now. They were patient, but not that patient.
"I need you to do me one more favor, Cleaning." Mulder
pushed a wad of bills in Cleaning's direction and watched with
amusement as he saw the man's eyes widen. "I need a plane ticket.
One way, to Seattle."

[ICY CAPE 10:45 PM]

Scully put away her laptop, turned out her light, and sank
gratefully into the crisp, cold sheets. The team had been working
hard all day in hopes of unlocking the mystery surrounding the
parasitic creatures. Gene maps were going to be run the next day,
and the cultures the scientists had been working on before Scully
even arrived would be ready for analysis as well.
A thought stabbed at her before she drifted off to sleep- she
hadn't gotten around to completing the autopsies on the bodies
they had in storage. Scully wondered what prolonged exposure to
the parasite might cause, even if it was only present in a dead body.
The cold storage would effectively keep the corpses in suspended
animation, but if the worms natural environment was one of sub-
zero temperatures...she made a mental note to check it out first
thing the next morning. With a yawn and a secret hope that the fine
weather they had been having would turn bad to give them more
time to gather data, Scully slipped quietly into a deep sleep.

[SEATTLE, WASHINGTON. DAY 3 - 9:00 AM]

Mulder found Sallers, Scrantons, and a Skully, but no Dana
Scully within the Seattle office records. The Section Chief had had
no explanation for the missing record, except that perhaps a delay of
the transfer report had occurred, and that Mulder should ask the
Washington office for details. Mulder was now positive that
Washington was the last place he could look for answers.

[ICY CAPE 9:40 AM]

Scully was putting together a medical bag for the autopsies
when David and Joyce Brand entered the room.
"Agent Scully, we just wanted to let you know that we're
going to be setting off some explosive charges- it's part of a
geological experiment, so don't think it's an earthquake!" Joyce
smiled.
Scully smiled thinly and replied, "Thanks for the warning.
What exactly are you doing?"
"We're making more accurate assessments of the crater's
size and depth. We'll be using the holes we have from the removed
cores to deposit the explosives. We've got to be extra careful
because of the petroleum AV3. The incorrect charge, and BLAM.
The whole deposit could vaporize this entire area." David Brand
waved a slim canister in the air, "Which is why we have a specially
designed charge. You can adjust the amount of detonation by just a
twist, here." Brand demonstrated the device to Scully, who began
to back out of the room. Joyce Brand just watched her husband
and whispered to Scully, "You know men and their toys."
"Uh, right. Let me know what you find."
Scully left the geologists to continue their experiments,
shaking her head. Everyone was being extremely productive, but
there still was quite a bit to get accomplished before the next
morning. She wanted to go do the autopsies at that moment, but
knew that Frankel and Svenson would be looking at the gene maps
soon; she also had to talk to Tanaka about how to destroy these
things, if that was even possible. Looking down the long, cold
corridor to the storage shed, Scully sighed and tucked the black bag
under her arm. The autopsies would just have to wait.

[Seattle, Washington. 10:20 AM]

After wandering the streets of Seattle for over an hour, Mulder

parked himself at a small, anonymous cafe and opened his field
journal.
 *Still no sign of Dana. The Seattle office was notified of
the transfer, but no record can be found detailing her assignment
here. I have come to the conclusion that Scully was never in
Seattle to begin with; her whereabouts? Unknown.*

Mulder's hand was shaking as he tried to write legibly. He felt his

fears as a cold lump in his stomach and clenched his jaw, determined
to go over the facts in his mind clearly and rationally before making his
next move.

*Fact: the message on Scully's answering machine had

been from Virginia.
Fact: her second call was made in Seattle and her call was
being monitored by parties unknown.
Fact: Scully is not in Seattle.*

Mulder's thoughts turned once again to their last

conversation. He felt that the key was there, that, somehow, Scully
had managed to tell him what was happening to her. A surly voice
broke into his thoughts.
"Hey you, could you close that window?"
Mulder looked up, confused, "Excuse me?"
A plaid-clad boy with a ring through his nose snarled at
Mulder, "The WINDOW, hotshot. Close it."
Mulder smirked at the jerk and reached over to the window
next to him to pull it shut, when some thought began to tickle the
back of his mind...
Windows. He could hear Dana's voice saying, "A window,
Mulder. It's open." Certainly Scully meant that a window was
open in her apartment, or else she could have been referring to...?
Mulder bolted to his feet. He needed to get back to the Seattle
office to confirm his theory; then he'd have another plane to catch.

* * *

[At 30,000 feet 12:40 PM]

Mulder leaned back in his uncomfortable airplane seat and
tried to relax.
His hunch had paid off; making some discrete inquiries at
the Seattle office, Mulder discovered that there was indeed a new
AICP team stationed at the Icy Cape. That in fact, the outpost had
been experiencing some difficulties and an agent was supposedly
sent out there to see what was going on.
Danny also had come up with some information about
Scully�s last phone call. Aparantly, she *had* been on a plane to
Seattle, but it was diverted at the last minute and was last seen
crossing the boarder into Canadian airspace.
Mulder listened to the droning of the light aircraft and
thought with dread what he surmised had happened to Dana; the
AICP II must have stumbled upon something the FBI knew Scully
would recognize- and would agree to destroy. Unless, of course, it
destroyed her first.
Mulder glanced out his window and fancied he could see the
dark shadow against the whiteness that would be Nome. The four-
day window of weather- the �window� that Scully had been
refering to in her phone call- was going to be closing within a day
and Mulder wondered if he�d be able to find a pilot willing to fly
him up to the Cape. It really didn�t matter because Mulder would
drive a dog team if that�s what he had to do to find out if Scully
was alive and well. He looked out again at the vast whiteness of ice
and felt some part of him, some part of his soul, call out to Dana
across that great void.

[Icy Cape. 1:00 PM]

Scully had a light lunch and prepared to finally do that
autopsy. Frankel had only done a cursory examination of the
bodies when she had noticed the parasite in the body of Chuck
Sierra. She did a complete autopsy on Sierra, but hadn�t gotten
around to doing Arthur Conley or Matt Spiner. While Sierra died
from massive head trauma, Spiner had died from strangulation and
Conley from internal hemmoraging. According to Svenson and
Frankel, it seemed that Conley and Sierra had fought to the death,
while Spiner had been the first to be killed.
Scully glanced around the room and asked Tanaka, who
was sitting analyzing something under a microscope, �Tanaka, have
you seen Karen?�
�Yeah, she went ahead to prep the bodies for your
dissection.� Tanaka replied.
�Thanks.� Scully rubbed her eyes and headed down the
corridor. So far, the team hadn�t come up with any conclusive
evidence about whether or not the parasites were actually
extraterrestrial in origin; they were certainly different from
anything anyone had seen before, but the Brands reminded
everyone that the Icy Cape was a whole different environment two
hundred thousand years ago, and that a meteorite that contained
rare earth metals could possibly have mutated some pre-existing
microbes from that era. At any rate, their data still looked
promising.
Scully could feel the temperature drop as she neared the
shed doors. The storage room was purposefully placed far from
the main building so they could cut it off from the central heating
system and allow it to remain at freezing temperatures. Amongst
the food and supplies usually stored in the shed would be three
corpses in body bags. Scully yanked open the heavy door and
noticed immediately that something was very very wrong; there
were only two black body bags lying on the floor of the shed.
�Karen?� Scully called, droping her med kit and drawing
her weapon. She flexed her hands to warm them up and glanced
cautiously around the shed. Noticing vapors rising from behind a
pile of crates, Scully edged closer and peered over them.
�Oh my God!� Scully choked down the urge to vomit;
Karen Frankel lay behind those crates, disembowled, steam rising
from her opened body. In the distance, Scully could hear George
Tanaka calling her name and moved her lips to respond when she
sensed something behind her.
Turning quickly, Scully saw from the corner of her eye her
black medical bag rushing towards her head with deadly force.

[Doolittle Airfield. Nome, Alaska. 1:23 PM]

Mulder had no problem finding out who was making the
flights to Icy Cape. So far, a simple flash of his ID had given him
enough leverage to wander around the airport freely. As long as
no one checked up on his story, Mulder would be using every
advantage he had to get to the truth. Walking into hanger five, he
approached the grizzled pilot and pulled out his ID.
 �Russ Jarvis? I�m Special Agent Fox Mulder and I�ll be
accompanying you on your next flight to the Icy Cape. This
afternoon, if possible.�
�What? I wasn�t told that I�d have a passenger this time!
Who do you people think you are, anyways, switching your
schedules, ordering me around.� The wiry man narrowed his eyes
at Mulder. �My flight wasn�t supposed to be until tomorrow
morning. What�s your hurry?�
Mulder opened his mouth and shut it, then replied evenly, �I
want to take advantage of the clear weather.�
Jarvis rubbed his chin and found it hard to argue with that
logic. �I guess it would be ok. You people do what you like
anyways. When do you want to go?�
�As soon as you�re ready,� Mulder replied.
�Give me twenty minutes to prep the plane.�
Mulder breathed a sigh of relief and watched the old man
begin puttering around his plane. He now had twenty minutes to
see if he could pull the same trick on the radio tower operator and
somehow get his hands on the AICP transmissions. It was worth a
try.

[Icy Cape. 1:46 PM]

Scully was freezing. She tried to move her head but it was
stuck to the floor. She cracked open her eyes and licked her lips,
tasting blood at one corner of her mouth. As she regained
conciousness, Scully realized in horor that herown blood had forzen
her face to the floor.
Moving her hands to cup her cheek, Scully breathed to
defrost her skin. Her gun still lay within reach, but her position
didn�t allow her to see the door to the shed. Straining to hear
above the sound of her breaths, Scully could not make out
anything.
At last her cheek painfully peeled away from the floor and
Scully picked up her gun. Turning to the doorway, Scully found
the body of George Tanaka. He had been hit on the head, a look of
horror and surprise literally frozen on his face. Scully reeled but
managed to wedge herself alongside the door and stop to take some
deep breaths. Looking back around the shed, Scully noticed the
third body bag crumpled in the far corner. Her mind raced to
understand what was happening. She glanced at the nametags on
the black bags- Sierra, Conley. Spiner�s was the body missing.
Spiner, Scully recalled, was the victim who had died from
strangulation. Could it be that he wasn�t really dead?
�He was dead, Scully, dead.� she murmured to herself,
grateful for the feeling of movement in her cold features. The
bodies had been in the shed for over five days now; how could
anyone survive? Unless...Scully remembered the autopsies of
Richter and the previoius AICP members. All the worms but one
were dead- the worm that was still living was found in the
hypothalamus of the brain. Those bodies hadn�t been there for
much longer than these, so perhaps there were worms still alive in
Spiner and Conley as well. They really didn�t know what would
happen to a parasite once lodged deep in the brain. Perhaps in the
brain it pupated into another form, a form that could take more
direct control over it�s host. Spiner had recieved the least amount
of injury to his body and the extreme cold would�ve prevented any
extensive tissue damage due to decay. Scully felt dizzy as she came
to the conclusion that Spiner, somehow, had risen from the dead- to
kill.
 The tinkle of breaking glass and a muffled scream brought
Scully back into focus. Gripping her gun tightly between her hands,
Scully swung out from the protection of the shed walls and moved
out down the corridor in the direction of the sounds.

[En route to Icy Cape. 2:11 PM]

Mulder crunched on sunflower seeds and couldn�t believe
what he was reading. Authority obviously went a long way out
here in the Arctic as the radio operator at Doolittle had been more
than helpful in providing Mulder with the transcripts of the
transmissions between the airfield and Icy Cape once Mulder had
flashed his ID.
As he expected, the AICP II team hadn�t intentionally
unearthed the parasite; the government hadn�t any plans for
research, especially considering they had torched the same facility
only a year ago. The survey team stumbling on the creatures by
accident was certainly unfortunate, but was bound to happen, in
Mulder�s opinion. He now could guess why the Bureau had sent
Scully; with her previous experience at the Icy Cape and her
scientific background, she would be well prepared to handle what
she would find. Also, Mulder was sure that this time the
government would go in and exterminate the creatures, and Scully
had gone on record a year ago stating that she agreed with that
policy. Many things had happened to them since then, but that
didn�t make these creatures any less deadly, or any less dangerous,
to society.
Mulder noticed with interest that there was a vast petroleum
AV3 deposit directly underneath the meteor impact site. And, as
usual, the government had made the recovery of that precious
natural resource their top priority. Even if it meant extermination
of a new life form, possibly an alien life form.
�How much longer?� he bellowed at Jarvis over the noise of
the airplane.
�About twenty five minutes, not including landing,� he
yelled back. �I�ve never seen anyone so eager to reach the Icy
Cape before. Won�t they be surprised?� he added, sarcastically.
Mulder thought of Scully, the look on her face when he�d
step out of the plane, and wished they could get there faster.

[Icy Cape 2:22 PM]

The sounds were coming from the direction of the lab.
She found the double doors proped open with the body of
Svenson, his throat roughly gashed. Careful not to slip in the
blood, Scully eased her way into the scrub room, then peered
through the glass walls.
Inside the lab, David Brand lay slung over a chair. Joyce
Brand had stopped her screaming and was held in the clutches of an
unfamiliar form; Scully assumed it had to be Spiner. Ugly purple
bruises stained his neck but otherwise his skin looked like cream
and his movements were fairly coordinatedfor a man who had been
dead and frozen for five days.
Spiner had taken the specimen jars off of the shelves and
had smashed them open; golden worms writhed all over the lab
floor. Spiner stepped on worms with his feet but also held one in
his hands with a pair of forceps. He was preparing to drop that
worm into Joyce Brand�s ear when Scully opened fire.
The safety glass shattered all around Scully and she ducked
and rolled into the lab room, bringing up her gun to bear on Spiner.
The noise had startled him into dropping the forceps, but he now
held Joyce Brand closely to his chest.
�FBI! Release your hostage at once!� Scully yelled, not
caring whether or not Spiner could understand her. �I�m armed!�
Spiner stared at her dumbly, his eyes glassy and his features
flaccid. Then his lips curled into an open-mouthed gape, and he
bent his head towards Joyce�s neck...
Scully was ready to fire when David Brand suddenly leaped
up from his chair to grapple with Spiner.
�Get down!� Scully yelled, getting up from her crouched
position, but it was too late. Spiner deftly twisted Joyce�s neck
with a sickening pop, then reached for a heavy drill bit he must have
recovered from the storage shed to strike at David.
David Brand was dead before he hit the ground and Scully
opened fire. She squeezed off three shots as Spiner rushed her
when somebody tackled her from behind. Spiner, his wounds only
oozing a dark black substance, barreled past them and kept on
going through the doors. Scully looked down to find Philip Starky,
gasping and terrified.
�Are you ok?� she asked, struggling to get up.
�Yes. No.� Starky stood, backed against a wall, and
promptly vomited. �Everyone?� he asked after the heaving was
over.
Scully nodded. �It�s just you and me.�
�That was Spiner, wasn�t it? How could that be?�
Scully shook her head, �I don�t know, Starky. This didn�t
happen last time. Perhaps the worms have some sort of more
advanced stage, a stage that we hadn�t seen.�
�Until now.�
�We�ve got to destroy it.�
Starky shrugged. �You have the gun, Agent Scully!�
�I mean all of it, Starky. This whole site. And I know
how.�

[Icy Cape. 2:32 PM]

Mulder jumped out of the plane and Jarvis threw his pack
down after him.
�Agent Mulder, I�m going to take care of my plane first. I
don�t trust this nice weather.�
Mulder waved an affirmative and headed towards the main
building. It looked exactly like the previous outpost and Mulder
had a strange sense of deja vu.
As he entered the building, the first thing he noticed was the
sharp smell of ammonia and alarms began to go off in his head.
�Scully?� he called. �It�s Mulder!� Slinging his backpack
around his shoulders, Mulder unholstered his gun and headed in the
direction he believed was the lab. Seeing feet protruding from the
doorway, Mulder broke into a run down the corridor.

Scully and Starky ran down the hallway towards the back of
the main building.
�Are you sure they�re here?� Scully asked breathlessly as
Starky bent to fiddle with a padlocked cabinet.
�Yes. The sheds which cover the drill sites are just beyond
this wing of the building.�
Scully squinted through a window to see four wooden sheds
about twenty-five meters from their position. Glancing down at
Starky, she pushed him aside by the shoulder.
�Let me,� she said, then fired at the lock.
 Mulder heard the gunshot and sprang up from where he was
examining David Brand�s body. After listening for a beat, Mulder
yelled, �Scully!� but there was no reply. Mulder stepped over
Svenson�s body and headed down the corridor in the direction of
the storage room when a voice behind him called out, �Agent
Mulder!�
Russ Jarvis stood in the outer doorway, his mouth agape
and his eyes wide with terror. �What�s going on?� he wailed.
�Stay with the plane!� Mulder ordered, and watched as
Jarvis turned to go. Just as Mulder turned to proceed back down
the hall, he heard a muffled cry and whipped around in time to see
Jarvis crumple to the floor. Racing to his side, Mulder cursed and
felt for a pulse.
Lifting his hand away from the dead body, Mulder saw a
figure retreating down a second corridor and got up to follow,
wondering if there was anyone left at this outpost who was who
they were.

Starky held an armful of geological charges as Scully piled

them up like kindling, pausing occasionally to glance down the
corridor.
�How much time will we have?�
�We can set the timers at twenty minutes. I need time to
prep the plane and we�ve got to taxi before we take off.�
�Ok.� Scully tried to give Starky a smile of encouragement.
�We�re going to make it.�
They both jumped as they heard sounds coming from down
the hall and moved together to the door.
�Are you ready?� Scully asked, and Starky nodded
anxiously. �Go!� Scully pushed Starky out ahead of her as she
covered the rear and the two of them headed over the ice to the
first shed.

Mulder rounded the bend, gun ready, only to see swirling

snow as whoever he was following exited the building. At the end
of the hall, Mulder noticed that a supply cabinet was open and
funny looking canisters marked �Explosive charges: Caution�
littered the floor around it. Finding a padlock with a clear bullet
hole through the middle, Mulder murmured, �Scully,� then threw
himself out into the cold.

Scully and Starky worked frantically, Scully keeping watch

while Starky set the charges to detonate at maximum charge and at
the proper depth. They had already loaded one of the core sites
and after this one, would go do one more just to be sure the chain
reaction would propagate and vaporize the entire impact site.
�How far away do we need to be when this goes off?�
Scully asked as she attempted to see through a crack in the shed
doors.
�Just off the ground. The petroleum will ignite and
superheat the surrounding ice or soil layers, and the steam
produced will crack or even melt the top crust of ice. It all depends
on how much fuel is underground. There. Now just one more
should do it...�
Scully backed quickly away from the door and Starky fell
silent instantly. She pushed him behind her and they backed into
the far corner of the shed.
There was a knock on the door and Scully braced herself to
shoot. The flimsy wooden doors gave way with the next thump and
Scully drew a bead on the movement when a voice called out,
�Scully!�
Scully dropped her hands and couldn�t believe her eyes.
�Mulder?!�
Mulder got up from the ground, rushed up to her and
grabbed her elbows, his eyes all fire and intensity. �Scully, are you
ok? What�s going on here?�
Scully drank him in with her eyes and smiled up at him, her
body going limp in his arms and a dozen questions forming in her
mind. �Mulder, you have the most incredible sense of timing...�
�Look out!� Starky shouted, and Mulder tossed Scully to
one side as he was pounded from behind.
The two men rolled on the ground until they bumped into
one of the walls, a struggling mass of arms and legs. Scully
brought up her weapon but couldn�t fire; Spiner and Mulder were
too close. Mulder did something to Spiner she couldn�t see, then
he was up and grabbing her by the hand. �Run!� he said, then
yanked her along.
The three of them ran out of the shed and Scully now pulled
Mulder�s hand towards the runway where Jarvis� plane was visible.
�We�ve got to get out of here, now!� she yelled. �We�ve
set these explosive charges to detonate petroleum underneath the
ice!�
Mulder looked at her in shock, then looked over her
shoulder and stopped running. �Hey!� he shouted, as Scully turned
to see Starky get enveloped in a bear-hug by Spiner a few strides
behind them. There was a flash of silver in Starky�s hands and
Mulder moved to help him but Scully held him back, leaning against
his weight with all her might.
�No!� she cried, �We�ve got to go NOW!�
The two of them were blasted off their feet as the entwined
Spiner and Starky blew up in a dirty grey cloud of smoke and ash.
They lay stunned in the snow until Mulder scrambled to his feet and
scooped up Scully with both hands. He looked deeply into her
startled eyes and said firmly, �We�re going. NOW.�
They stumbled towards the airplane, the howling of the
Arctic winds taunting them as they struggled through snow drifts
until they finally made it to the smooth runway. As they paused to
take a breath, Scully gasped,
�Mulder. The research, the data. I have material all
prepared...�
�Forget it, Scully.� Mulder grabbed her hand again and
pulled her towards the waiting plane, his face as icy as the ground
they stood upon.

* * *

The two piled into the airplane just as they heard a deep
rumbling come from the bowels of the earth. They looked at each
other for a moment; Scully, her eyes wide, Mulder giving her a
lopsided smile, then they both jumped into the pilot�s seats and
began scanning the dials and buttons.
�Here it is,� Scully said, pushing a button, and the warm
engines sprang to life. The ground beneath the plane shook and
heaved, and Mulder saw the outpost begin to topple.
�Can you fly this thing?�
�Nope. But I watched my father fly.� Scully was calm and
cool as she closed her eyes and tried to visualize exactly what had
to be done.
�Dana...�

�Hold on, Mulder.� Dana grasped a lever and began

pushing it forward, goading the plane to taxi down the runway.
The ice pitched and rolled and cracked beneath the plane and steam
began venting from the openings in the runway. A sharp crag of ice
split directly in front of them and there was no way to avoid it.
They both winced at the sound of their wing being torn, but after
they passed over the obstacle, the plane had sufficient speed to take
off.
Scully struggled with the controls, �Mulder...I-can�t...�
�Don�t worry, Scully. Aim for that rise just ahead.� He
placed his hands on hers and helped her maintain control of the
tilting plane while underneath them, the ice began to liquefy.
They reached the top of the rise, the plane plowing roughly
through the soft snow before finally coming to rest.
Scully eased herself out of her seat and checked her body
for injury. Finding none, she reached over to Mulder and checked
him for broken bones.
�Ugh.� he mumbled as her hands explored his prone body,
then opened his eyes. Seeing her close, he managed to murmur
with a twinkle in his eyes, �Scully. I was having to most interesting
dream...�
Scully swatted him with her gloves and smiled at him, too
exhausted formulate a proper retort. Looking out the plane
window, Scully could see a surging aqua-blue river flowing past the
embankment they had landed on.
�Do you think we�re safe up here Mulder?� she asked,
worried that the rise they were resting on would soon get washed
away.
�It doesn�t matter, Scully. Look!� Scully followed
Mulder�s pointing finger and could just make out the small black
forms of helicopters on the horizon.
�Amazing. How did they know?�
�They�re probably after me. I didn�t exactly �go by the
book� to find you.� Mulder replied, reaching for the radio as it
crackled to life. �This is Special Agent Mulder and Special Agent
Scully issuing a general distress call, over?�
The radio buzzed and a voice replied, �We have you
sighted, Agent Mulder, Agent Scully. Please exit the airplane and

be prepared for evac.�

�We�re pretty happy to see you guys. How did you know
we�d be out here?�
�Agent Mulder, we were scrambled to intercept you as soon
as we discovered your arrival at Doolittle. Now you have just
witnessed the destruction of a massive area of government
property. Someone has to be held accountable, over.�
Mulder just gaped in astonishment as Scully took the
handset from him. �We copy that, out.� She placed a hand on his
shoulder and sighed. �Don�t worry Mulder. We�ll work this out
somehow.� Shrugging slightly, Dana added bitterly, �They don�t
even care about the loss of life, the loss of a scientific discovery of
phenomenal proportions. All they are upset about is the loss of
some valuable petroleum deposit.�
Mulder nodded slowly, then turned to Scully and stated
without irony, without bitterness, just stating a simple fact, �We
finally hit them where it hurts.� Then his eyes softened and he
smiled at her gently, a look that Scully knew so well. �This brings
to mind the great words of Ripley...�
� �Believe it, or not� ?� Scully interrupted with an arched
brow.
�Nooo. Wrong Ripley.� Mulder reached into a jacket
pocket and pulled out a small vial that contained an obviously dead
and pristine sample of the parasitic worm, and bobbed it up and
down in his hand. � �At least you don�t see *them* screwing each
other over for a damned percentage.��
Mulder opened the door on his side, hopped out of the
plane, then held his arms out to help Scully down. She sat for a
minute, looking at him with a mixture of awe and annoyance, and
something more, then jumped out and promptly knocked him into
the snow. �Incredible,� she breathed close to his startled face,
smiling wickedly, �they haven�t got us yet, have they Mulder.�
They could hear the sounds of the approaching choppers,
but Mulder made no attempt to get up. �Believe it or not, Dana,�
he said quietly, his eyes glimmering with a new hope and his hands
moving to rest lightly on her waist. Through the numbing cold and
layers of clothing, Scully felt Mulder give her waist a gentle
squeeze, �we�re not finished yet.�

Frostbite
From: Peggy Mei-Ling Li <madge@uclink.berkeley.edu>
Date: 16 Sep 1994 07:15:17 GMT (Page 1 of 1)

I'm sorry for the wierd formatting and punctuation problems this story
might have- For some reason, parts one and three came out fine, but the
rest are messed up. If anyone out there can help me with this, I'd
really appreciate it. I'm doing the same things I've done in the past to
post, so I can't figure out what's gone wrong all of the sudden. Email me!

Hope you like(d) it! Thanks,

Peggy