What Evil Lurks

What Evil Lurks
by PEJA
Fandom: First Wave/XFiles
Pairing: Mulder/Krycek; Cade/Eddie; Cade/Joshua; Josha/Samantha, implied
Rating: R
Summary: After the abduction, Mulder discovers he is not alone.
Disclaimer: Not mine. But I would love to change that
Feedback: If you want to see more of this, you have to nag
Archive: To the WWOMB and my LJ
Warnings: Kry-rat ooowwies over the series. (if it lives that long)


The cell door slammed open and the guards tossed in a new body. The guy sprawled, face-down on the hard floor and laid there, unmoving.

Mulder slitted his eyes open, watching a dribble of blood seep out from under the newcomer's arm. A deformed arm that filled only a fourth of his sleeve.

Feigning sleep, Mulder continued to watch through his lashes and wait.

The door clanged shut again.

Neither man stirred. The silence grew, playing on Mulder's frayed nerves.

"Hey?" he said at length. "You alive?"

The limp man jerked and a soft whimper sounded in the room.

"Good, you are alive." Mulder heaved to his feet and took a step toward the quivering body.

The man bolted into the corner so fast Mulder barely saw him move. Hunched down, arms clutched protectively over his head, Mulder couldn't have identified the guy if his life depended on it.

He did, however recognize the sheer terror in every shaking line of his body.

"It's all right, guy," Mulder said, approaching the man with slow, measured steps. "Nobody here is going to hurt you."

The guy scrunched lower into himself, whimpering.

"Easy," Mulder coaxed, squatting down beside him. "I'm just going to check you over, okay? Make sure you aren't bleeding to death or anything."

He reached out, gently coaxing the man's arms down. "Let me look at you, guy."

"No-o-o-o..." the anguished cry filled the room.

And recognizing the whiskey smooth voice, Mulder recoiled. "Krycek?"

The assassin surprised him by crying out and trying to scramble away...through the wall. His hands clawed the steel reinforced walls, tearing and ripping out nails and skin before Mulder could pull him away.

Krycek screamed. And kept on screaming until his voice was hoarse. Until the sound died from his throat. And still he continued to scream. Silently.

At a loss, Mulder caught him up and rocked him, caressing small circles over the trembling man's back. Could Krycek's distress was the real thing.

How could this be? This man had been the bane of his existence for so long. How in the hell had he been reduced to this brittle shell of terror?

Was this to be his fate as well?

Oh God, give me a knife with a sharp blade before.....

"I tell you Kry-rat, if you are faking this...." he cut off the thought, rocking the man in his arms while he trembled and wept. Meaningless comfort words spilled from Mulder's lips as time went by.

Finally Krycek settled into stillness.

Mulder pulled back enough to look down on the other man. "Krycek?"

Krycek remained unmoving, barely taking enough breath to keep himself alive.

"Alex, can you hear me? Are you listening?"

A low tremble flowed through him.

"Okay, I take that as a yes. I want you to let me look at that arm of yours," he said, reaching for the other man's arm.

"No..." Krycek wrapped his good arm around the deformed one. "Its mine. You can't have it. Its mine."

"Its okay, Alex, I'm not trying to take the arm away from you." He reached toward Alex' arm again.

The man cowered away.

"Alex, look at me."

Alex shook his head. "Don' wanna."

"Krycek, don't give me any shit.." Mulder curled a finger under Alex' chin and pressed him to look up.

Green pools of shadowy confusion battled with fear. But there was no recognition. None of the cool, suave hardness of the practiced assassin.

Nothing Mulder recognized at all.

"Alex...?"

"Please.....I...I want to go home now." Alex said, still holding his arm away from the man towering over him. "My guardian said....Please, I'll get in trouble."

"Alex, do you know who I am?"

Gaze darting everywhere, Alex shook his head..

"Do you know where we are?"

Another quick shake met the question.

Mulder frowned. "Alex, Are you trying to tell me you don't remember working with me on the x-files?"

The man relaxed a bit, laughing softly "How can I work. I'm still in high school."

Mulder rocked back on his heels. "High...school..?" His dark gaze swept the man before him and a nagging fear swept through his blood. "Krycek....Alex, how old are you?"

A cocky smile, albeit a pale shadow of the infamous Krycek smile, tickled Krycek's generous lips. "I'm eighteen. Gonna graduate with honors next week. My guardian says...." The smile wavered. "Please, mister. I gotta go. If I'm late he'll...." Something..was it shame...flickered in the dimming green gaze. "I gotta get back..."

Mulder sighed, leaning back against the cot he'd occupied for several long weeks. "You and me both, Krycek," he said. "Trouble is our jailers aren't so willing to cooperate in that plan."

"Jailers...." Green pools of desperation rocketed up and locked on Mulder's "I gotta get back." The man/boy scrambled to his feet, attacking the door with his fists and feet. "No....Oh God, no...Don't lock me in. Let me out. Let me out...Oh god....I can't..." His breaths came in a great gulping rush.

Mulder pulled the wounded soul into his arms, cooing nonsense words in his ear and patting his back until once more the man calmed.

"Hey," Mulder murmured softly. "What's that all about. I thought nothing scared the great Alex Krycek."

"Locked in." Alex's voice was deadpan. "Locked me in the dark."

"Easy, Krycek. Its not dark...What are you babbling..."

"So cold. Dark. I'm alone. Alone."

"Jesus...." Mulder whispered, Krycek was reliving some horror in his mind.

"Throat swollen up. Need...food...water. No, you can do this, Alex. Don't think abut the....Oh, its so dark. Don't want to die....in the dark." His voice droned on. "Don't leave me here to die."

"Alex...."

"I hear them. Scurrying about in the dark. Scratching little clawed feet. Clicking sharp teeth. Their waiting. Waiting... Ahhhhh..." Krycek kicked out at something he alone saw. "Jesus, they're coming for me. Damn... Sharp little teeth. God, I'm rat food. Please, not yet. I'm still alive. I'm..."

"Alex...."

Something disturbing flickered over the pale face and when he spoke again it was with difficulty. "Soon now. Tongue swollen.... I can't swallow. I'm going to suffocate on my own tongue." He chuckled flatly. "Always thought I'd go out from a bullet. God...it's so cold. I'm so tired. Just a little sleep."

The body in his arms seemed to reflect the exhausted words, growing heavier and heavier. Mulder gave Krycek a rough shake, staring into his pale face. No good. Krycek's eyelids drooped over dead eyes. His breathing slowed. His body shutting down.

"Don't you even think about doing this, Kry-rat." Mulder's hand lashed out, striking a ringing blow against one pale cheek. And another. And another.

The shadows receded in Alex' eyes. He gazed up into Mulder's worried face. "Mulder?" He asked softly, his voce suddenly stronger, but full of confusion. "Why are you here?"

Mulder chuckled. "Damned if I know. The aliens snatched me and here I am."

Krycek snorted. "Aliens? You crazy or something. Ain't no such thing as aliens."


TBC