Title: Dark Recesses

Author: Happy Teacup

Category: Mythology, MSR

Rating: PG

Disclaimers: The X-Files and its characters are not mine... they belong to Chris Carter and FOX, etc. etc. I am just using them as puppets in my own sick fantasies.

Archive: Just let me know so I can brag.

Feedback: Please! Contact me at zimmermann5@netzero.net

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DARK RECESSES
**********

"So what you are saying, Mulder, is there are people who actually get a kick out of this sort of thing?" sarcasm rang out in her voice as she clung to the ledge for dear life. The cave was damp, and cool, though the world outside was a sweltering 96 degrees.

"Sure! Crawling around in dreary, echoing caverns reminds me of another day at the office." Mulder raised his eyebrows and smiled, coaxing the same from her.

"Well, think of it this way, Mulder, the office may be a hole in the basement wall... but on the bright side, in the event of a nuclear war, we are so far underground we would probably never realize it happened." It was her turn to smirk.

Mulder leaned near her ear and whispered..."Well, being the last man on earth would certainly increase my chances with you, wouldn't it Scully?" He teased.

"Not if you keep dragging me to places like this, Batman."

"I guess that makes you my Girl Wonder."

"Shut up Mulder."

His laughter echoed through the dank passages. Mulder carefully marked the path they were taking with chalk marks on the walls.

The light from the head lamps caught an outcropping of quartz, causing a burst of rays of color that was breathtaking. "Oh Mulder!" Scully exclaimed in that little-girl-who-is-amazed voice. "It's incredible!"

Mulder loved that look on her face. It made the three hour trek in damp and dark worth it. "Yes, it is." he said, not taking his eyes from her delighted face.

"Mulder, you didn't even look at it!" she was puzzled.

"Yeah, OH!" he cleared his throat. "That! Yeah, that's nice too." He gifted her with a dashing smile.

"Oh Brother." She mumbled.

As they continued, she noticed a camping lantern, tucked in behind the quartz. "Mulder, what do you make of this?", she examined the lamp, turning it from side to side.

"This might explain the eerie light that the kids saw, but what about the seven missing people?" her partner wondered.

"Someone could have put this here, and lit it to scare off anyone who got close..." she said pensively.

"Or to lure someone in." he finished her sentence. "Lets look a little further and see what we can find." he turned to her, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Scully?" " He started to look around frantically. "Scully!" he quickly marked with the chalk, as he headed out one of the passages.

"Talk to me, Scully!" Terror gripped him.

Silence.

He was three hours from the entrance, and Scully was missing. He was alone. He walked back to the quartz cave. "Scully! Scully can you hear me?" he yelled.

Picking up the lamp, he tested its weight to see if it has fuel. It seemed about half full. He decided to bring it with him, in case his search outlasted the batteries in the head lamp. As he turned around, something caught his foot and the ground fell out from under him. He screamed out on the decent. He was in some sort of a tube, being battered back and forth as he slid on the slippery wet walls of weeping rock. He landed with a hard thud. "Shit!" He rolled from side to side slowly, trying to recover from the jolt.

His back, elbow, and knee hurt like hell, but nothing seemed broken. When he regained his breath, he sat up gingerly. He still held the unlit lamp in his hand.

"Scully!" he heard a groan, and when he turned he found her lying just a few feet away. Relief washed over him. Then he noticed the blood that trickled from a wound at her right temple.

He moved to her side in an instant.

"I'm Fine, Mulder." she sat up. " I just bumped my head... where is my lamp?"

He looked around. After a few seconds he found it... the battery had popped out of it, but it was intact. He fixed the lamp and handed it to her. Rummaging through his pack, he located his first aid kit and tended the scrape.

"Are you ok to walk?" He helped her to her feet.

"Sure, I think so." She tested her legs and found them sore but sound. "What are we going to do, Mulder?" she looked up at the rock chute they fell from.

"One thing I know, is we that we are not getting out the way we got in." her voice echoed.

He didn't answer. Turning to look about the chamber they had fallen into, he could see that it was about 30 feet in diameter, an nearly perfectly round. Several small tunnels exited the space. All at once he saw something on the ground. Walking over to investigate, he bent his tall figure to pick up the object: a small, red, button.

"Scully, look at this." He handed it to her. "I guess our missing people may have come this way." She said, putting it into her pocket.

"Yeah, and seeing that they have been missing for over a week, I am a little nervous about following in their footsteps, Scully." he looked into her serious eyes. "Follow me." he walked towards one of the tunnel like openings. Stooping to fit in the small space, he let the light from his head lamp sweep ahead, then satisfied, marked the wall and continued inside. She was close at his heels.

"Why did you decide to take this one, Mulder?"

"Eenie, meanie, mynie, mo." He said, sounding rather scientific. She couldn't help the laugh that sprang to her lips. "A sound method in any decision making quandary"

The humorous banter made the situation more bearable. They walked on for an hour, confronted by nothing but more tunnels, and more rocks. They joked less and less as time wore on. By the time two more hours passed, they had stopped talking altogether. They were discouraged.

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

Another hour of picking through the dreary darkness passed. Mulder looked at his watch. "Well, Girl Wonder, how about some dinner?" He shucked off his small backpack and dug through it.

"I sure hope you have a side of beef in there... because I am starving!" She looked to him expectantly.

"Will this do?" He handed her a carbo-bar. She took it gratefully.

"Thanks." She sat cross legged on the cave floor. Joining her, Mulder tore the wrapper of his bar and took a bite. He watched her as she chewed... her eyes darting back and forth to the darkness that surrounded them. He knew she was feeling panic. It was unlike her, but the darkness and the closeness for so many hours could have that effect on anyone.

*I don't feel so brave myself.* he realized.

"Hey Scully, what do you say when we get out of here we take a little of that vacation time we have saved up and fly to Egypt to explore the Great Pyramids?"

"Make that Hawaii, to explore a luau, and you have a deal." Scully smiled at her partner.

"Awww, what's the fun of that?" he pouted.

"Well, if we cut corners we should be able to go pretty cheap. Lets see... red eye flight.... economy class... share a room....." he wiggled his eyebrows and gave her that 'look'.

"Mulder!" she laughed. " Knock it off." He was happy to see her regain control. Her eyes showed renewed strength.

"Well, I guess we had better get moving." He unfolded his long legs and stretched. His partner followed suit.

"Einie, meanie, mynie.... OUCH!" he jumped as she punched him in the arm.

"This way..." she said, with a grin. Mulder rubbed his arm and tagged along.

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

It had been 16 hours since they entered the cavern. They had gone to turning on only one head lamp at a time, to conserve batteries. Their steps grew slower, less sure. They stumbled often.

"Mulder, I have to rest. I am so exhausted." her voice sounded thick.

"Ok, Scully. As soon as we find a suitable place, we will stop." he rested his hand on her shoulder as he spoke. She nodded, and plodded on.

*I am so sick of this place!* she thought dejectedly.

He heard her thoughts.

*I know you are tired, and scared, Love. I 'll do my best to get you out of here.* he thought, as he looked for a suitable place to rest.

Fifteen minutes later, they came upon a widening of the crevice they had been squeezing through. It was about eight feet wide and 16 feet long. To one side there was a small alcove, about four feet wide by 8 feet long, and six feet high.. It was relatively smooth, and seemed the ideal place to rest.

"Over there, Scully." He motioned to the spot he had chosen."We can rest here, and continue on in a few hours." Scully didn't say anything. He looked at her. Her eyes were large and dark. She looked as if she could not take one more step.

"Sit here." he helped her to the alcove. "I will get our 'camp' ready." he gave her a confident grin. As he moved about, he silently thanked the salesman at the sporting goods store for convincing him to bring a properly stocked pack for cave exploring. He had thought it unnecessary, but deferred to the man's expertise.

*How can he be so calm?* she looked at her partner, who was whistling as he dug in his pack. It was then that she remembered that she was still wearing the small pack he had prepared for her at the hotel. "Mulder, do you need my pack?" she took it off and held it out to him. He took it from her, and grasped her hand for a moment before returning to his chore. Opening her pack, he withdrew two silver pouches. Inside each was a space blanket, a lightweight, metallic, tarp-like membrane that was made to reflect body heat. He opened one out, and placed it in the niche with the silver side up. Then he opened the other one and laid it on top of the first, silver side down.

"Ok, Scully, off with the boots and socks." He reached for her feet, and felt the legs of her leggings. "These are wet at the cuffs, so off with them too. Here." He handed her a thin pair of long, silk, thermal underwear. "When we crawl in, we can take off our jackets." He removed his boots and socks, and his sweats, replacing them with a pair of silk thermals like the ones he handed his partner. He dug in his pack and took out socks for each of them. She looked so lost in his large thermal underwear. It made him realize just how tiny, and vulnerable, she was. He returned to her, and gave her just a sip of water from his canteen.

"Ok, Girl Wonder, time for bed." He helped her out of her jacket. "Hop in here." He opened the top blanket, then grabbed the backpacks to use as pillows. He laid out the damp clothing, hoping it would dry at least somewhat. Then he came back to her, and took off his head lamp, crawled into the hard bed. The blankets reflected their body heat immediately, which made him at least feel a little warmer. He turned to Scully, who was lying facing him. Her eyes were haunted.

"I have to shut off the lamp now, Scully. We have to save power."

He watched as her eyes filled with tears.

"Oh Mulder!" she was terrified.

"It will be ok, I am right here. Now close your eyes, and don't open them again till I wake you. The dark won't make any difference when you are asleep." He pulled her into his arms and held her close. As soon as he saw her eyes shut, he turned out the light. The darkness that enveloped them was like a solid thing, so thick, it felt as if it would choke them.

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

Mulder woke with a start. It took him a few seconds to remember where he was. His partner was shaking, and clinging to him.

"Scully? Are you cold?" He asked as he gathered her closer, trying to give her his warmth.

"No." she whispered.

"What's wrong?" Mulder's voice was soothing.

"I hate the dark." her voice wavered. She was the strongest person he knew, and she hated showing weakness.

"You do not." he grinned. " You are just afraid of being alone with such a perfect specimen of manhood as myself in the dark." He got the reaction he wanted when she thumped his chest with her fist.

"Mulder, don't be an ass." He could have sworn he could hear her roll her eyes.

"Lets talk then." he shifted so that he was lying on his back, and she was at his side, her head on his shoulder.

"Ok." she yawned. Mulder settled her in comfortably, and began to speak.

"Did I ever tell you about the time the Gunmen and I went to a techno-geek convention in New Jersey?" he spun the tale into the darkness, feeling her relax as she listened. In the end he had her laughing, as he finished, "And Byers came out wearing nothing but a lampshade and boxer shorts with little fishes on them!"

"No way!" she exclaimed.

"Frohike, maybe, Langly, probably, but Byers? No way!" Her smile was evident in her voice.

"Way!" he joined her in laughter.

"I'd have paid money to see that." She mused, in the middle of a long stretch.

"There are pictures." Mulder leaned his head towards hers, speaking against her hair.

"Something to look forward to......" her voice was faint. Before long, her breathing was shallow and even.

"Goodnight, Scully." he whispered.

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

Scully heard screaming. She tried to make sense of what was happening, but she couldn't seem to focus to the darkness. The piteous wail went on and on, and no matter how hard she held her hands to her ears she could still hear it. She felt hands on her wrists.

"Scully! Scully, listen to me! Everything is ok." His words penetrated her senses, slowly winding their way around her fear, helping her find her center in the blackness.

"You are here with me. Shhhh, its ok now." He stroked her hair. Once she ceased screaming, he whispered words of comfort in her ear. He fumbled with the zipper on his pack with one hand. His Zippo lighter made a scratching sound, then a small spark crackled, and the flame lit the dark with a brilliance that hurt his eyes. Scully bolted upright, staring at the flame with eyes so hollow and wide, he thought her very soul might escape through them.

"Its ok, Scully, I am just checking the watch. We should sleep for a couple of more hours, then we will get moving. Lie down now." He shut the top on the lighter, extinguishing the flame. He felt, more than heard, the sob of anguish.

*I have to get out of here! I can't breathe!* She thought as she took quick, shallow breaths. She clawed her way as close to her partner and friend as she possibly could. She hated herself for her cowardice. Panic gripped her in it's icy fist, smashing her last resolves. "Mulder, please." She cried into his chest. "I can't breathe in here... I need the light...."

He kissed her forehead, pressing his lips to her in reverence. "What? You mean I am not the light of your life?" he teased.

*Mulder, you must know....* she thought.

"How can you joke like that all the time? How can you find anything to be jovial about?" she angrily spat.

"I am with you. Hanging with my #1 homie." he chuckled. "It's not as if I have anything better to do. Although a softer place to sleep would be nice." In the dark, he touched her chin, tilting it towards him.

*Hang in there, Scully.* he thought.

* Oh Mulder, I wish you would kiss me. Make me forget my fear. I hate my fear!* she thought , as tears fell.

*Don't be afraid, Scully.* He thought, knowing she was ashamed of her fears. He brushed her lips lightly with his.

*How did you know?* she wondered. He kissed her with very light, feathery kisses, over and over again. Softly coaxing the tension from her body and mind. These were not kisses of passion, but of comfort; tender, everlasting kisses. The sensation seemed to anchor her to him. She felt safe. He breathed against her lips, but did not remove them from hers.

*I understand, Scully. I feel disconnected too. We just have to remind ourselves that we are in this together.* He thought to himself.

"Together" she sighed into his soft mouth.

Mulder was startled. He then smiled at his foolishness, realizing it was coincidence that she repeated his thought aloud.

*Sleep now. Trust that I will be with you.* his thoughts seemed somehow too loud in his mind.

"I always trust you, Mulder." She whispered aloud. He was confused. *My mind must be playing tricks on me.*. He was so tired. He kept his lips very close to hers, and let himself drift off.

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

Four hours later, Mulder leaned on one elbow, watching his FBI angel as she snored like a lumberjack. Her face was illuminated by the soft glow of one single emergency candle. He had intended to save them, but he did not want her to wake in the darkness again. Now he did not want to wake her at all. He wanted to go on watching her forever. He settled down next to her again, inches from her face. He leaned in and kissed her nose, then nuzzled her with his.

"Mmmmmm." She snuggled closer. As her sleepy eyes opened, she found herself looking directly into her partner's eyes.

"You are just as beautiful the morning after." He winked. Scully was fully awake now... and bristling.

"Oh! Shut up Mulder!" her face flushed several shades as she remembered what happened in the night.

* His kisses.... * she groaned inwardly.

"You loved it." he teased. She turned and stared at him. Her jaw dropped. then she shook her head and turned on her head lamp.

"I am stepping to that side of the cave, and if you look that way, I will kill you. Do you understand me?" she stated flatly.

"Yes Ma'am." his chuckle echoed after her. He was pleased to see her feisty nature had returned.

After she had taken care of personal needs, she returned to the makeshift camp and sat next to her friend. They ate another ration of trail food and had a sip from the canteen. He packed up their gear after they had dressed. He stood without saying anything, switched on his head lamp, extinguished the candle, and tucked it in his pocket when the wax had started to cool. He put his Zippo in that pocket as well. She turned her head lamp off, and followed behind him as he picked his way up a to a ledge on the far side, and climbed into the small opening there. It was so small he had to go on all fours.

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

"Mulder, do you suppose we will ever find a larger space to move in, or am I going to have to spend the ~entire~ day looking at your ass?"

"Such flattery, Scully. You sure know how to boost a guy's ego." his voice dripped with sarcasm.

She burst out laughing. *You have a nice looking caboose* she thought, mischievously.

"Thank You." when he realized she had not voiced the comment, he felt an odd feeling wash over him. *What the hell is going on?*

"Hey Scully..." he did not know what to ask her.

"I know." she said quietly.

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

"Do you suppose it's some residual affect of the electro-encephalic episode?"

"I don't know, Mulder. That wouldn't explain my being able...."

"We have always had that unspoken communication." Mulder crawled out of the cramped tunnel. The cavern was wide enough for the two of them to walk side by side. It seemed good to be their feet again.

"Mulder, do you smell that?" she stopped, placing her hands on her hips and stretched.

"Why, did you cut the cheese?" he gave her an impish grin.

Scully rolled her eyes. "Mulder, I'm serious!"

"Actually, I do smell something odd. Its sort of, antiseptic" he sniffed again.

"No, that's from when I cut the cheese." she said with a serious look on her face. His laughter exploded through the room and was multiplied back towards them by the many echoing corridors. Scully raised an eyebrow, with an impish grin of her own.

Scully grimaced and put her hand to her nose. "It smells like that soap the nuns used to put on scraped knees in grade school. I wonder if there is some kind of micro-organism that can create that odor?"

"Lets just hope its not a giant man-eating fungus." Mulder joked.

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

Mulder was lost in thought. When they came to a place where they had to choose between two courses, he mentally decided to follow the odor. Scully nodded, and walked to the tunnel to the right. He marked the wall. As he scanned the corridor, his head lamp began to flicker.

"Scully...." she reached up and turned hers on. He looked over at her, and saw her pleased grin.

*This is definitely more efficient.* she thought. *Maybe we could get jobs with the circus... *

He laughed at the picture Scully had brought to his mind... the two of them in flashy robes and turbans.

"Or we could work for the Psychic Network..." he said aloud.

"We could, but then, we couldn't wear those snazzy costumes." They laughed together at her comment.

*Here we are, trapped in this hellish cave, and I have heard her laugh more than she ever has before.* he looked at his pretty partner.

*YOU always make me laugh,*she thought, " whether I do it out loud or not." she finished aloud.

"Thank you, Scully. That's the nicest thing you have ever said to me."

*Except maybe for that nice caboose thought...* he added to himself.

*Watch it, Mulder, or I may be forced to hurt you!* she grinned.

"Scully, I think this cave stuff is starting to get to you... you are acting like a cave-chick." he kept a straight face.

"I have to admit, its turning me on." he gazed at her for a second, then broke into a smile.

"I'm looking for a club........" she said with mock anger.

"Scully! I didn't know you cared." he feigned sweetness. Once again his partner's laughter brightened up the dark space. He loved the sound of it. He reached for her hand, and they continued on.

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

Another day had passed since they found themselves locked in this prison-like grotto. They slept much as they had the time before. Sleep came quickly and was uninterrupted by the fears of the night before. Their thoughts and dreams entwined through their sleep, comforting and calming. Wrapped in each other's arms, they were snug and warm.

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

Mulder had already dressed by the candle's light when she woke. She looked sleepily up at him. *What a handsome man...* she bolted upright, shocked fully awake when she realized that she had thought that.

Mulder grinned.

* Fine looking broad...* He thought with a wink.

"Oh, shut up Mulder!" she kicked at him.

"What? I didn't say anything..." his chuckle warmed the darkness.

There was no more food, and the water was nearly gone. Neither of them mentioned that fact. They silently packed up and pressed on. Before long, they reached an intersecting tunnel. They were surprised to see a bluish glow within its otherwise dark recesses.

Wordlessly, they quickened their steps. They both desperately hoped it was the way out.

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

Scully switched off the head lamp as they approached the end of the tunnel. Warmer air met their faces. Both agents instinctively dropped to a crouch at the sound of voices. It took a few minutes for their eyes to adjust to the brilliance of the halogen lights.

*What the hell....* Mulder scanned the scene before him. He shot a glance at Scully, who was staring at him with an incredulous look on her dirt smudged face.

The cavern had been outfitted with medical equipment. Seven pods were set in a circle around a small figure that was strapped into something akin to an electric chair. A web of wires connected the chair with the pods. Several figures in white walked about. They were in full protective coverings.

An area to the right contained a row of small electric vehicles---like golf carts. As they continued their perusal, they noticed that occasionally a cart would be driven into a large passageway near the parking area. *The way out!* Mulder and Scully thought simultaneously.

*Its like being joined at the hip.* he joked mentally. She shook her head, exasperated. He winked, and she gave up and smiled.

*I need your help.* A familiar voice seemed to slip into their minds. The partners looked to each other, puzzled.

*I can help you, but not myself.* there it was again. Very soft, very direct. A voice with little hope, little happiness. Scully turned an ear as if to listen closer. Recognition came as a revelation.

*GIBSON!* she reached to him with her thoughts, her eyes wide and sparkling.

Mulder snapped his gaze to her.

*My God, Scully!* he thought.

*There are others...they need your help too.*

"He's in pain, Mulder." Scully whispered.

"I know. I feel it." Mulder replied in a far away voice.

"We have to help him." Scully stated."We have to try."

*We are going to get you out of here, Gibson.* she thought.

*I don't have much time left.*

Mulder and Scully looked at each other as the image of the laboratory from Gibson's point of view flashed into their thoughts.

*He's in the chair.* The thought together.

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

Gibson Praise was at the center of the testing area. Physically he was completely restrained. But there was little they could do to restrain his brilliant mind. He conducted himself in a manner much older than his age. A boy of about a dozen years, he has read the thoughts of the most evil men on the planet. He seems to accept his lot in life with a resigned calmness. Now he needed the agents to save his life, and the lives of the seven people who were unfortunate enough to get caught up in his Fate.

Gibson's thoughts continued to inundate Mulder and Scully. *The shift change is soon. . They will be coming for the injections. I hate them, they make me feel sick.* Scully's throat tightened at the feelings Gibson was transferring to her.

She wondered silently what the injections were.

*They are close to what they want. *

*They are coming.....*

The agents watched as the figures in white went from pod to pod, and then to Gibson. After they injected each of the people in the pods as well as the boy in the chair, they moved to the parked carts and exited the cavern. *The men are gone for the night. There is one man on the way. He is tired. He is not happy with his job. He wishes he could be somewhere else. * Gibson relayed information in the unemotional way of someone who has seen too much sorrow, felt too much pain.

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

Mulder looked Scully in the eyes, and they mentally decided upon a plan of action.

"Now!" Mulder whispered out loud to his partner. Without a sound the agents dropped from the mouth of the tunnel they were observing from, to the floor six feet below. They both had their service weapons, which as FBI agents, they were rarely without. They stealthily made there way to the small boy at the center of the tangle of wires. Mulder headed to the seven pods that contained the missing spelunkers. Scully went to Gibson Praise.

Scully assessed the situation quickly. Gibson sat with wires attached to his head. She gasped when she realized that they were anchored to his skull, through holes drilled in the bone. Mulder felt her thoughts, and rushed over to her.

*I don't know if I can disconnect these.* Scully worried.

*I trust you.* The boy's thoughts popped into her mind.

She looked at his face, nodded, and started to disconnect the wiring at a junction about 18 inches from his head.

*How are we going to help these people?* Mulder pondered, observing the unconscious figures in the pods.

*He's here.* Gibson warned them.

The agents went into action, hiding till the doctor came into view. Mulder jumped and grabbed the man, one hand over his mouth. Scully had her weapon pointed at his chest.

"Help us, or I will kill you right now." he whispered to the terrified man.

*He doesn't like to hurt us. He is afraid of the others. He believes they will kill him.* Gibson continued to relay the man's thoughts.

The man nodded, his eyes wide with terror. He whispered, "Can you save the boy?"

"Will you help us?" Scully asked.

"They will kill me." the man said.

"We will protect you." Mulder stated.

"No one can protect me! Not from them!" The man was nearly hysterical.

"How do we wake these people?" Scully demanded. The doctor's shoulders slumped. He walked over to a control panel, and began typing in commands. The sound of air escaping from the pods hissed behind them. Scully immediately ran to the pods, and began disconnecting the tubes and wires that hung from each person. They looked not unlike marionettes, hanging lifeless, waiting for the puppet master to animate them. The doctor came to help her carry them out and lay them on the floor. He darted to a locker a few feet away and pulled out several white biohazard suits.

"Perhaps... you can use these." Scully nodded. Mulder released Gibson from his bonds, and helped him into one of the suits. He donned one himself, then helped Scully and the doctor dress the seven unconscious people. Mulder ran to where the carts were parked while Scully and the doctor dressed themselves in white. He hopped in one cart, and backed it to the waiting cargo trailers to the right. After hitching it up, he drove it to where Scully waited. They didn't have to speak. She knew that he wanted to load the people onto the trailers. He ran back to get a second one. She carried Gibson to the back of the cart, and after seeing him settled, began helping the doctor load the others. Mulder returned with the other cart, and helped them finish.

"How are we going to get past the guards?" the frightened doctor asked.

"Where does this tunnel exit?" Mulder queried.

"It is a medical quarantine facility... on Delaney Air Force Base." replied the doctor.

"Damn!" Mulder exclaimed.

"Gibson, do you remember anything about the entrance of this place?" Mulder turned to the boy.

"Yes." He stated.

Mulder stopped moving as the child gave him a mental picture of the mouth of the cave, and the outside of the facility. The building was built into the side of the mountain. A large temporary metal building hid the mouth of the cave. Beyond the building the gates were half hidden in the thick forest cover. Only the two-track dirt road gave away its existence.

"What's the nearest populated area?" Mulder directed at the doctor.

"Alberton." he replied.

"Which direction?"

The doctor pondered for a moment. "South, about four miles."

Mulder nodded.

* A diversion...* he thought. He turned to go to his gear, and ran into Scully, who had his pack and the oil lamp in her hands. *thanks* he thought.

"Your welcome." she said.

He dumped the oil in the area of the chair Gibson had been strapped in, and pods the others had occupied. Striking the roller on the Zippo lighter, he ignited the oil. The blaze quickly began to consume the area. Running to the wall, he removed two fire extinguishers, and gave one to Scully. Mounting the cart, he took off for the exit, with Scully following in the cart containing the doctor and Gibson, as well as one of the trailers of unconscious victims. They reached the tunnel just as the alarm began to sound. Red lights flashed around the cavern-turned-test area. The carts were not fast. They doggedly moved along. At the first sign of the guards, he started spraying the fire extinguisher, to mask their approach. At the same time, he started yelling.

"FIRE!" he shouted. "In the bio-quarantine area! Everyone out!"

The guards looked confused, and then terrified. "We need hazard suits!" One yelled, and they both ran to a nearby storage locker. The panic folded in behind the fleeing carts, directing its attention down the long passage to the test area. The carts escaped, nearly unnoticed! Scully had followed suit, also discharging her extinguisher. She could not believe that they managed to escape the cave so easily. On reaching the building that surrounded the cave entrance, she was surprised to find the large garage doors open, and unmanned. It seemed as if everyone had gone down into the cavern to battle the inferno. They carts literally drove out of the gates down the two track road.

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

Scully made the appropriate calls on her cell phone, as soon as they were out of the compound, and once again in range. Several emergency vehicles awaited them when they reached the small paved road. As soon as the waking victims were taken into the ambulances, the doctor and Gibson were in the protective custody they had arranged, she literally sank to the ground. Her partner walked over and joined her.

"None of the cave explorers remember anything about being taken. It is as if their memories were erased. One woman did remember falling down the same chute that we did, but not what happened after that. We will know more after preliminary examinations."

*Mulder?*

*What, Scully?*

*How do you explain this?* she referred to their shared thoughts.

*It's my gift to you. For being the only people who care about me and not my abilities.* Gibson's voice sounded clear in their minds.

"Another gift....." his voice said.

Suddenly a feeling like no other overcame the two agents. They slowly turned to each other, the looks on their faces incredulous. Gibson has shown them their feelings for each other! They joined hands.

* Thank you, Gibson.* they thought in tandem.

"Well, Scully, how about that trip to Hawaii?" he said with a characteristic grin. He stretched and laid his arm around her shoulders.

"My thoughts exactly, Mulder."

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

Epilogue:

None of the seven people had any memory of the days that they were being held in the testing facility. An examination showed high levels of certain neurotransmitters, as well as hormones. All seven fully recovered from the experience with no ill affects.

The doctor disappeared the same day we put him in protective custody. The driver of the van and the agents assigned to him were found dead from gunshot wounds.

Gibson Praise never made it to the hospital. The ambulance was found empty, with the lights still flashing.

No evidence of the cave laboratory could be found when agents combed the area. The fencing surrounding the air force base had been expanded, limiting a close search of the area.

Case #X-040840 remains UNSOLVED.


~~~~~~~END~~~~~~~~