This is a work in progress.  Can I get some comments back on Mulder and
Scully?  I think I have them down pretty well, but I haven't watched X-Files
for a while.

Does Scully have medical credentials specific to her FBI work?  I mention
that in the story.

Oh, and for those of you who haven't read the original, READ IT.  It's
archived at ftp.std.com already.

I know, I threatened Blake's 7 if I didn't see some variety.  Don't worry,
I'll get to it.  This is just an interim measure.  :-)

----------

I

	Consciousness returned, slowly.  She yawned, blinking away the
sleep.
	She looked around.  Where am I?  What happened to...
	Then she remembered.  She was the scyth.

	The console was hissing softly.  Laura turned off the proximity
alarm, and glanced up at the monitor.
	She coughed twice in astonishment.  The ship was supposed to be
well on its way, after a journey of nearly five years.  But no.  A
blue-green orb spiraled lazily before her, hanging in space.

	Home.

	No.  She had no home.  Shaking out of her reverie, she guided the
ship around the Earth, through the terminus into night.  It must have
decided there was no suitable planet less than fifty light years distant,
and returned.  She had no choice now.

	Laura wondered.  Was it still the same Earth she was returning to?
Perhaps a less xenophobic populace might accept her presence now.

	She sighed.  Even if that were possible, she couldn't stay.  Above
her, in a high aclove, rested the box.  There was the hope of her race.
And there was no place for it here.


	The meteor descended through the clouds, followed by a tail of
flame.  Below, the mountains reached up to meet it.

	Carefully...one instant too soon, and she would again be fleeing
the ever-persistent military.  One instant too late...
	Now.

	The meteor hung there, three feet off of the snowy mountainside.

	She guided the ship into a deep recess in the rock.  To the outside
world, another meteor had plunged to the earth, shattering itself on the
mountain.  Hiding the intact ship would strengthen that belief, should
anyone come searching.

	She was hungry.  Tonight, she would hunt, building her energy
reserves for the trek to civilization.  It was time to see an old friend.

**********

	"Be back tonight, mum."  Lurch let the door slam shut behind him,
galloping down the hillside towards the forest below.  He swung out the
rifle and twirled it in the air like a baton, laughing.  Hunting season was
here, and it was time to spice up the meals a bit.  No more rabbit stew and
potatoes.
	Sixteen was a wonderful age.  At the doorstep of manhood, yet
filled with all the joys and recklessness of youth, he felt on top of the
world.  A tug at the trigger of a carefully aimed rifle would bring food
and clothes, and mum's woodcarvings would fetch a fair price in town.
Riding high on life, he didn't need nothing or nobody.  Happiness was his.

	There, on the other side of the big oak.  The doe was probably less
than a year old, but they would eat a king's feast for at least a week.  It
nibbled delicately at a nearby sapling, totally unaware of him.  He smiled.
	Lurch knelt, taking aim.  The doe looked up and away, stepping
closer to the sapling to get at a higher branch.  He adjusted the rifle,
and tightened his grip on the trigger.
	The doe started, glancing around suddenly.  It hesitated for an
instant, then dashed away into the underbrush.  Lurch swore, getting up to
follow, when something large and black exploded out of the forest a few
feet away, running after it.
	He stood there, staring.  Within moments, the doe was lying on the
forest floor, twitching, its lifeblood seeping from a deep gash in its
side.  The thing stooped down, lapping up the thick liquid.

	No, it was his, dammit!  He screamed at it, stumbling forward and
waving his arms, trying to scare it off.  It looked up at him for a moment,
then *picked up* the carcass, shooting into the forest??  Huh??!?
	Damn his right leg.  He'd been born with a club foot, and the
doctor had only agreed to operate after six months of pestering from mum.
Almost two full inches shorter than his left, it dragged along behind him.
	He jogged after it.  Better to outsmart the thing than waste energy
just chasing it.  It was much faster.  Lurch fired, scattering leaves and
birds everywhere.  As he expected, it swerved to the right, away from the
mountains.  He'd never track it there.
	He fired again, and it pulled farther ahead of him.  On second
thought, he might not get this one.

	The creature suddenly vanished, and Lurch stopped short.  "Wha...?"

	Thud.

	Oh.  Stupid thing ran right off the cliff.  He peered through the
thick underbrush at the edge, looking down.  Yep, there it was.  And only
two shots.


	Everything was a blurry haze.  The rocks shifted slightly beneath
her, and it was all she could do to croak in agony.  Her hand settled into
a pool of spreading wetness, thick and warm.  She couldn't move.  And the
fuzzy shapelessness around her was slowly fading away.

	A shadow fell across her, blotting out the light.  She couldn't
make out anything but a big, gray lump of darkness.  It moved a bit closer.
	"H-help me", she whispered.  "Please".

	Then everything went black.


II

	Computers are incredibly stupid machines.  They do what you tell
them, not what you want.  Mark slammed his fist down on the keyboard for
what must have been the hundredth time, in frustration.  The code just
refused to work.  He'd rewritten it at least five times already, leaving
him a month behind schedule.  The rest of the project group had almost
finished, and with each week the noose tightened a bit more.

	Life was hell.

	The computer chimed.  Four thirty already.  Time to call it a day.


	Mark coasted down the freeway, disgruntled.  As if things weren't
difficult enough, his boss had given the ultimatum.  Show some progress by
next Friday, or he was out.  Not like it was the first time.

	Again, he wished he hadn't been dropped from the star mapping
project.

**********

	Stupid.  That's what he was.

	Lurch had gone out to hunt down food for him and his mum, and had
come back with this...thing.  He'd bound it up and staunched the bleeding,
and only then went back for the doe.  Naturally, the jackals had found it
and dragged it off.  It was stew again tonight.

	He looked at it.  Ugly as hell, it was.  But for some reason or
other, it brought to mind a beautiful woman, broken and in pain.  Perhaps
he was imagining things.  But damn it all if it hadn't sounded just like
that before it passed out.
	One thing he wasn't worried about was an explanation.  Mum was
blind as a harpy on a cloudy day.  She managed to carve the most exquisite
figures out of the bits and chunks of wood be brought home, how he had no
idea.  All of it was locked away in her mind somewhere, waiting to express
itself.  Lucky for them, the townspeople appreciated such things.

	"Brought home a friend, did ye?"
	"She's hurt, mum.  I found her on the rocks below the cliff."

	Mum planted her thick cane on the floor, stooping forward and
slowly getting to her feet.  "That so?  Go fetch the doc tomorrow.  We
don't want 'er knockin' off on us."

	"She's not all that bad.  I'll handle it."
	Mum hobbled towards the bed where the thing was laid out.  "Ye
sure?  Looks terrible te me."
	"Mum, what did you promise me?  Huh?"
	"All right, I tell ye!  But if yer father were still alive, he
wouldn't like that tone of yours.  Ye watch yerself, hear?"
	"Yes, mum."  Old bag.  He loved her dearly, but she wasn't the most
affectionate person you'd want to know.

	She hovered over the stove, humming to herself.  The pot bubbled
and popped, spewing forth a rich aroma.  One thing you could never complain
about was mum's cooking.
	He busied himself with the creature.  Already, the bandage on its
back was soaked through.  He peeled it off and dipped it into a bucket of
water on the floor.  In the candlelight, it was hard to tell, but it didn't
even look red.  Brown, maybe black.  He replaced the bandage, and leaned
back.  More time and trouble, he was sure.  Why had he bothered?

	Did it really matter?


	Everything hurt, but at least she was alive.  One stupid mistake
had cost her a lot.
	Wait a second.  Where was she?  Laura raised her head slightly and
looked around the room.  In the far corner lay an old woman on a cot.  On a
worn animal skin next to her, a lanky teen.  Both were sleeping.
	She laid back down, coughing softly.  Perhaps...

	"You're awake, aren't you?"

	The boy was sitting up now, staring at her suspiciously with
slitted eyes.

	"Yess."
	"So I wasn't imagining things.  You can talk after all."
	She nodded.

	"Why?"
	"Why?"  Puzzled, she stared back.
	"Yes, why.  Why here.  Why now.  Why."

	She settled down again.  "It'ss a long sstory."
	"Try me."

	"I'm looking for a friend."
	Lurch chuckled.  "Congratulations.  Anyone in particular?"
	"He livess in California."

	"I see.  No one I know, then.  So..."
	"We met five yearss ago, when I...wass..."  She sobbed, but the
tears wouldn't come.
	"What?  Strolling the streets on Halloween?  Visiting the insane
asylum?"
	"Sstill human", she whispered.

	He was silent.
	"The scyth came looking for ssomeone to carry on after it.  It wass
dying, and I was itss choice."
	"I wish I'd never sseen it."

	"I'm sorry", he said finally.
	Laura coughed again.  "It'ss okay."
	"Well, I'm Laura.  Thank you for ssaving me."  She extended a hand.

	He took it, cautiously.  "Laura, huh?  Then I was right about that,
too."
	She smiled, sort of.

	"Well, good night.  I gotta go hunting again tomorrow."

III

	Several weeks went by as Laura recovered, while a certain someone
barely escaped termination, yet again.  Finally up and about, she had a
decision to make.

	"I'm ssorry."
	"Why?  I can't say it's been fun, but I *was* the one who--"

	"That'ss not it.  I want to sstay, but I can't."  She looked away.
	"How do you expect to find this friend of yours, looking like
that?"
	"Without being sseen.  By phone."

	Lurch shook his head.  "You can't.  You'd have to go to town, and
only a few people even have 'em."
	"You need to think inconspicuous.  We get evening rain pretty often
around here, so we'll go wearing raincoats.  I'll go get 'em today."

	"Why are you helping me?"
	He paused, frowning.  "Why not?"

	She faced him again.  "Look at me."
	"What difference does that make?"
	"But--"
	"Will you stop feeling sorry for yourself?  It's what's inside that
counts."

	"Thank you", she said finally.  Perhaps there was hope, yet.


	Two gaunt, cloaked figures ran, stumbling, through the late
afternoon downpour.  The rain muddied the ground and slicked the leaves,
making the footing treacherous.  Ahead, the forest thinned slightly,
revealing a rough road amidst the trees.
	"Not too much farther.  About a mile."

	Thunder boomed in the distance.  Laura shivered, hugging the
raincoat more tightly about her.

	Crack!  A brief flash of light, and a tree leaned drunkenly towards
them.
	Laura backpedalled, grabbing a stunned Lurch and pulling him to
safety as the tree crashed to the ground behind them.

	Lurch stood, staring at the tree.
	"Will you be alright?"

	"That was...thanks", he replied breathlessly.
	"Let'ss sstick together, then."
	Lurch smiled.


	The door blew open, and a blast of wind and rain swept across the
room.  A dusty chandelier squeaked as two dark figures almost fell through
the doorway into the dim, flickering light.  The two shoved against the
door, slowly forcing it shut.

	"What'll it be?"
	"A double, two nights."  Lurch pushed back his hood, brushing some
of the rain off of his face.
	"Forty five."  The woman extended a gnarled hand.  "Up the stairs,
fourth door on your left."

	"Oh, sorry.  Should I come back later?"  The maid, mop in hand,
paused, looking up as they entered.
	"Everything's fine.  We don't want to be disturbed tonight."

	She nodded, rolling a bucket of water outside, closing the door
behind her.

	"All right, we're here.  What's your plan?"

**********

	Mark dreamed.  Overhead, the sky shone brightly, filled with
millions of falling stars, tiny meteorites flashing away their brief
existence.  Their trails grew longer, closer.  With each passing second,
the stairwell of light descended further.
	He climbed the steps, the meteorites warm beneath his feet.
Reaching the sky, he looked out across the lonely night, gazing out at a
distant star he had never seen before, and yet was intimately familiar
with.  There, though invisible to him, a world circled.  A world on which
a close friend would live out the rest of her life, saving her newfound
race from destruction.
	He could almost hear her voice, a soft hissing cough, repeating
over and over again.  Remember...remember...ring...
	Ring?

	Ouch.  His head felt as if millions of mothballs were pressing
outward inside it, trying to force their way through his eyes and mouth.
The piercingly loud ringing of the phone didn't help much, either.
Probably just his boss, calling to remind him of another deadline.

	"He--hello?"
	"Mark?"

	"Who is this?"  He frowned, stifling a yawn.
	"Mark, what'ss wrong?"
	"I can barely hear you over the static.  Speak up."

	"Mark, it'ss me.  Laura."

IV

	He bolted upright.  "But...wait a sec, what are you doing back??"
	"It'ss a long story."  Laura coughed.  "I need your help."

	"Are you sick?  You sound--"
	"No, just a hangover.  I don't deal with stress very well."
	"We need to meet face to face.  Can you afford a plane ticket?"

	He smiled, chuckling.  "I suppose."
	"What'ss sso funny?"

	"Just...life.  I'll give InteliCom notice, and see you tomorrow."
	"What??"

	Mark sighed.  "Nothing matters anymore.  See you later."

	He hung up the phone, and flopped back onto the bed.  Well, this
was it, finally.  After tomorrow...


	"Laura, I'll be downstairs.  I'm a bit hungry."

	Lurch closed the door, leaving her alone.
	Laura wondered.  What was Mark thinking?  Why would he give up
everything just to help her?
	She smiled.  If he cared about her that much, if he really was that
kind of friend...she was grateful.


	"Where's your friend?"
	"Hmm?"  Lurch looked up.  "Oh.  She has laryngitis, and a bit of a
cold.  I'll bring her up something later."
	The woman shrugged, sitting down across from him.  "Whatever.
You're from that cabin up in the woods, right?"
	He nodded.
	"Thought I'd seen you before.  Got any more o' them furs?"  She
grinned.
	"Not this time."  He idly spitted a pea with his fork.
	"A pity.  Sometimes my customers are interested in things like
that."

	The woman looked out the window, at the darkening sky.  "Looks like
we're in for a long one.  You sure you want to head back the day after
tomorrow?"
	"Well...I can't leave mum--"


	Suddenly, a shrill scream sounded from above.  Lurch jumped up,
almost knocking over the table, and raced for the stairs.

	The maid ran sobbing out of his room, the door slamming behind her.
Lurch grabbed her and forced her to a halt.
	"Look, you didn't see anything, you hear me?"
	"Wh-what?"  She stared at him, wide eyed.

	"It was a shadow.  Nothing at all.  This is important; I don't want
any rumors spreading."
	He shook her.  "Got it!?"
	She nodded once, trembling slightly.

	"I'll get your stuff."  Lurch walked back to the door, feeling the
eyes of the innkeeper on his back, watching him suspiciously.


	"Laura--"
	"I'm ssorry.  She knocked, and I didn't know what to do."  She
shrugged.

	"We need to be careful."  Lurch sighed.  "At least your friend is
on his way."

**********

	"Sir."  He chuckled softly.  "We got 'em."

	This particular file had attracted a lot of attention, and had been
kicked upstairs.  The gooks had looked it over, and had decided to keep an
eye on a certain astronomer.  Five years of waiting finally paid off.
	They'd puzzled over the phone calls, then made a decision.  This
creature *would* be valuable.  Quite valuable indeed, if captured alive.


	"Mulder, you've got 24 hours."
	Fox nodded.  "Where?"

	"(Judge, Oregon).  Your plane leaves in two hours.  Just get to it
before *they* do."


	The plane roared down the runway, picking up speed.  Fox leaned
back in the seat as it lifted off, glancing out the window at the dwindling
runway.
	He'd never liked planes.  An almost claustrophobic fear always
intruded, contrasting the uncertain skies with the safety of the earth.
While he understood that fear, and welcomed it, the stress wasn't making
him any younger.

	The problem at hand was more pressing.  An alien asking a human for
help?  An alien, named 'Laura'?  Unique, to say the least.

V

	Mark walked down the boarding ramp into the airport terminal.  At
least the extra sleep on the plane had done some good.  He glanced around,
then started down the hallway towards the lobby and baggage claim.

	"Excuse me."
	"No problem."

	A thin, elderly looking gentleman half-smiled an apology at him,
hurrying along the moving walkway ahead.  Mark followed him down an
escalator to the airport shuttle.

	"Hey, weren't you on the--"
	"Yeah.  Visiting my grandchildren for the weekend, and I'm a little
late."

	The old man glanced around the shuttle, then stared straight ahead.

	The shuttle coasted along, drifting to a stop at the hub of the
airport.  The doors slid open, and the gentleman took up a brisk pace in
front of him.

	"Oh, I forgot my--"

	He spun around, grabbing Mark and pressing a tiny gun to his chest.
"Follow me", he whispered.  "Don't say a word."

	Someone called out from the crowd behind him.  "Mark.  Mark
Stephens."

	"Keep going."
	"What the hell is going on?"
	"Shut up and move."  He jabbed him with the gun.

	A shot rang out.  The old man twisted around quickly, searching.
"Federal agent.  Stop right there!"

	Mark gave a hearty kick to his legs and fumbled for the gun, which
clattered to the floor a few feet away.
	The man kicked his hand away, advancing.  Mark dropped and rolled.

	He glanced back quickly.  "Damn you, Mulder.  Damn you", he
snarled, and took off, running.

	Mulder pulled out a handkerchief, and gingerly picked up the gun.
"Who are we dealing with?", he breathed.
	"Will someone tell me what's going on?"
	He pocketed the gun.  "Fox Mulder, FBI.  Come on, we need to get
Laura out of there before they do."

	Mark stood.  "And you expect me to trust you?"
	"We'll talk in the car, now come on!"


	The sedan raced down the highway, skidding in the pouring rain.
	"They've been tracking you since the alien left five years ago."
	"Why does that *not* surprise me?"

	"Somebody really high up wants her.  Alive."
	"And what do you want?"

	Mulder eyed him.  "The truth."
	Mark was silent.
	
	"Is this the same Laura that was reported dead of complications
five years ago in Pleasant View?"

	"Look, I know you don't trust me.  I can understand that."
	"How observant of you."
	
	"Let me tell you a story.  I was twelve years old.  My sister and I
were watching TV one night.  A storm broke."
	He paused.  "I thought it was a storm."
	"Suddenly, she was floating through the window, into a bright
light.  And after that night, I never saw her again."

	"The only reason I'm still alive is *because* I asked too many
questions."

	"Yes."
	"What?"
	Mark looked away.  "Yes, she is."

	Mulder nodded, finally.  "What happened?"
	"You probably know they shot the alien that came down.  The scyth.
It left behind its 'eggs'."

	"Why did she come back?"
	"I don't know."


	An hour later, the sedan pulled up in front of the dilapidated
hotel.

	"It's too quiet."
	"Then Laura--"  Mark jumped out of the car.
	"Wait!"

	"Oh, my god..."
	The proprietress was lying on the floor, under the desk.  A dark
pool of blood was slowly seeping into the wood floor.

	"Upstairs."

	The room was empty.  No, wait...

	"Did you know him?"
	"No."

	The lanky teen was spreadeagled on the floor, next to the bed, his
skull smashed in.

	"Let's go."  Mulder walked out of the room.

	Someone was sobbing softly, nearby.

	Mulder opened a closet in the hall.  The maid cringed at the light,
screaming.
	"It's all right, it's okay."
	"Seqor..."

	"Calm down.  Can you tell us what happened?"  Mulder helped her to
her feet.
	The maid caught her breath, slowly.  "The boy was hiding a monster
in his room.  I went in to clean, and..."  She gulped.  "I hid in here.
Then many men came in shooting."
	"Se~nor, can I go home?"

	Mulder nodded.  "They won't come back, I promise."
	"Thank you, se~nor, thank you."


	The old woman sipped at her stew, grumbling.  "That lout's late
again.  Heh.  His grandma can't live on her own, now."
	She hobbled over to a chair, sitting down.  "He'd better be back
tomorrow."

VI

	Laura drifted awake.  It was dark, but she could make out two
shadowy shapes nearby, watching her carefully.  Both were armed, and drawn.
	The van hit a bump, and swayed back and forth slightly.

	She couldn't remember anything.  One moment, she was lying on the
bed, resting, and the next...

	The van screeched to a halt, and she put a hand down to steady
herself.

	"So, you're awake."

	She coughed.
	The van started moving again.

	"Don't worry, your friend won't be following you.  In fact, we'll
probably meet him there."
	"Certain people are very anxious to meet you.  Naturally, you're
invited to stay and chat."

	"Oh, now don't be like that.  We have your new home all ready.  I
hope you like it."

	"You'll be there quite a while."

**********

	"Wait."
	Mulder leaned against the car door.
	"I have an idea.  Can you get the meteor tracking data for the past
three months?"

	Mulder thought a moment, then nodded.  "Use the ship to bargain for
her?"
	"Not exactly.  There's a few hundred unhatched 'eggs' in there."
	Mulder stared at him.

	"Why do *you* think they want her?"  Mark gestured.  "I assume I'm
coming with you."


	The fax spat out several pages, then sighed to a stop.  Mulder
looked them over.
	"There's only two in this area.  One was two months ago and too
small."
	He pointed at a map.  "Here."
	"That's in the mountains (west) of here."
	"Where, exactly?"  Mark asked.

	Mulder did a doubletake at the printout.
	"What?"

	He smiled.  "Nothing.  Just an old friend.  She'll meet us at the
airport in a few hours."
	"But let's go take a look at the ship first."

**********

	"Dismissed."

	The old gentleman closed the door behind him, softly.  Cancer man
puffed on a stub of a cigarette, staring out the window.
	Again, Mulder.  How long should I let you be a thorn in my side?

	He pushed a silent buzzer on his desk.
	"Yes, sir?"
	"Is the specimen here?"
	"In the lab now, sir."

	He stood, and smiled briefly.  I've beaten you this time, he
thought.


	A thick, wire mesh stood between them.  Next to her, the two thugs
from the van sat, frowning.  Cancer man leaned back in his chair.
	"It's a pleasure to meet you."  He puffed complacently.

	She coughed, then doubled over, in spasms.
	"Smoke bother you?"

	Laura straightened, smiling slightly.  "It won't for too long."
	"I'm dying."

VII

	Scully shivered, hugging the parka closer.  "How much farther?"
	"Over the next ridge.  It's lodged in a crevasse."

	She sighed, and inched up the snowy slope.
	A few clumps of snow fell from above.  "All right, I'm over."

	She made her way up the last few feet of rope, and dropped onto the
soft snow, heaving.
	"Right over here."  Mark pointed.
	"Let me...rest a minute."  Scully closed her eyes.

	"Well, that's the entrance."  Mark moved back as the rock face
opened, revealing a dark tunnel.
	Mulder looked at him curiously, then faced the tunnel.  "It's too
small for either of us."

	"Scully..."
	She opened her eyes, getting slowly to her feet.  "All right.  But
if I get stuck in there..."  And I promised myself I'd never do this kind
of thing again.
	"I'll call your lawyer and have him read your will."

	Scully glared at him.  Mulder could be so childish sometimes.

	She took off the parka, and slithered in.  The tunnel was only
about two feet long, but it seemed almost an eternity.  Cramped, cold, and
sweating, she finally reached the end.
	The craft hummed to life.  A few reddish lights blinked on a
control panel on one wall.
	Mark called out.  "Scully, there should be a small box somewhere."

	She looked around.  Nothing.  "I don't see it."
	"It has to be in there!"

	Scully looked up.  "All right, I found it."
	"Then let's go."
	"I can't reach it.  Mulder, hand me your pick."

	He tossed the ice pick inside, and she pulled the box down from the
small aclove above her head.
	"Okay, I got it."


	Later, in a warm hotel room, Mulder sat, examining the contents of
the box.  He held up one of the pearls.
	"These?"
	Mark nodded.  "Just don't eat any."

	"Scully, think you can get one of these analyzed?"
	"Maybe.  I don't know.  My papers might have expired."

	Mulder sighed.  "It's been that long, hasn't it."

	Mark took the box.  "Keep that one if you want, but be careful with
it."
	"Now, how do we get in touch with these people?"

	Mulder smiled.  "Cancer man."
	"Who?"
	"We know each other, not by choice.  I'll tell him."
	"I'm coming."

	"You'd better keep out of sight.  They might still decide you're
important.  Or at least important enough to silence."


Damon Casale, dc56+@andrew.cmu.edu

* Maison Ikkoku * Kyoko Otonashi * Video Girl Ai * Amano Ai *
               * Blue Lightning * Kerin Gray *
Blue Lightning forever...Kerin, are you out there?