AFTERMATH

CHAPTER SIX

Walter Skinner trudged along the trail among the thirty or forty others. They had been walking for days now. He hoped they would arrive at their destination soon and that there would be some thing there for them to eat when they got there. The man next to him stumbled and Walter caught his arm, steadying him. They couldn't delay the line or they would taste the guard's whip. The line kept moving.

The movement was slow but steady – accompanied by guards on horseback who were armed with two things, a whip and the short cylindrical tube that shot bursts of flame. Both were used along the way. He had seen no road signs but guessed them to be somewhere in the mid west; he had no idea where they were headed or what would happen once they got there. Their captors were totally uncommunicative and spoke to them only to bark orders at them. He hoped their destination was just over this set of steep hills they were traversing. They couldn't go on much longer. This hill was the steepest they had climbed, the pathway narrow and treacherous. His mind concentrated on silly things like was this really a hill or was it a mountain? And how high did a hill have to get before it was declared a mountain. It had seemed like a hill going up but now that they were about to climb down, he thought of it more as a mountain. This side had a sheer drop off to great boulders below. A slip here would be fatal.

Around one bend and then another and they were able to see the bottom and two trucks waiting for them below. The guards urged them on with a crack of their whips. The light rain that had been falling decided to open up on them now making the trail down hill even more difficult.

There was a scuffle up ahead and the unmistakable wail as someone stumbled and went over the side to their death. The line marched on. The man in front of him slipped, Walter grabbed for him but caught only a handful of shirt. The sudden jerking movement sent them both over the side, the man's shirt tearing away as he fell out of sight. Walter managed to grab onto a small sapling and hang on about ten feet down the side. He tried to regain a foot hold and his right leg screamed in protest; it was broken.

The line above stopped and several stood peering over the side at him. In moments a human chain was formed by the four strong men risking the lash, they brought him back up. The two guards watched in fascination. Apparently they had never seen a rescue before. With a man on each side of him, Walter was brought to his feet. He hopped between them and the line once again continued on through the rain. The trail widened and it was much easier going down slope. Away from the great drop off the men breathed a lot easier and the sight of the trucks waiting for them below urged them onward.

They were all ready to drop by the time they climbed into the back of the trucks. The trip into town took hours, with exhaustion and pain warring for dominance, Walter sank into a fitful sleep. It wasn't until the trucks hit the pavement and the ride smoothed out that he awoke, startled to find they were in a large city. The streets were deserted, shops closed, abandoned; some burned. The eeriest thing was the total lack of population. He couldn't help but wonder what happened to the citizens of this town. He tried to catch a name or something that he might recognize but there was nothing but street after street of abandoned buildings, cars parked askew in every direction, some with the doors still opened and several that had been burned out. The silence got to him too. Not a sound could be heard besides the drone of the trucks. They drove passed block after block of sky scrapers, here and there an open window with some papers fluttering out into the street. Some windows were broken; some still stood proudly displaying their wares for sale.

The rain slowed down to a fine mist and he caught a wisp of an odor. He sniffed trying to identify it and decided it smelled like a river. They were leaving the abandoned down town area and were now into the warehouse district. The waterfront? Could this be Chicago? St. Louis? Had they traveled that far? The trucks pulled around back of a warehouse and the huge metal door was pulled back. They were escorted inside where a crowd of a hundred or more people were milling around. They were carefully watched with guards stationed around the perimeter of the room. The group was murmuring quietly among themselves and looking over the new arrivals. They were all searching for someone they knew; a friendly face to share their terror with.

After a few minutes the order was given for them to line up, single file. An alien at the front of the line asked for ID. He was shown it and pointed to a door and the first man went through it. Walter listened carefully to what was being said. The alien would take the ID, read the person's name, ask his occupation, and then point to a door. One man's ID was read as Assistant District Attorney. He was sent through the door on the left. A salesman, a plumber, a baker, and a teacher were all sent through the door on the right. Then came a private investigator. He was sent through the same door as the ADA. The next three were postmen. The alien did not understand the term 'postman' but he understood when they said they were government employees. They went through the door on the left. A carpenter, a singer, a librarian, a cook, and a nurse all went to the door on the right. Two sailors went to the left.

Walter got a sinking feeling as he stood there being held up by the man next to him. He eased his wallet out of his back pocket and dropped it down the side of his leg. He waited until he was sure no one was looking and bent down to rub his injured leg then slid the wallet as far back into the stacks of crates as he could without drawing any attention to himself.

When the alien stopped in front of him and said "I D", he shook his head and said he had lost his wallet in the fall. There was some murmuring between the alien and the guards who had brought him in and then the alien asked. "Name? Occupation?"

"Walter Skinner, carpenter," he answered. He was pointed towards the right hand door. He started hopping. The next man was a taxi driver and was also pointed to the right hand door and he gave Skinner a hand. Soon the door was closed behind them and he saw they were being loaded up into trucks. As the trucks filled up they pulled away but before they were out of sight, he got a whiff and sight he hadn't seen since Nam. Bodies burned, still smoldering and being shoved into a large pit behind the warehouse. He knew then where the men went who got sent through the door on the left.

Fifteen minutes later they were unloaded into another warehouse. This was obviously a temporary holding place where they were sent before being shipped out to a camp. The room was filled with large shelves stacked four or five high and half of them had men lying in them that were in as bad or worse condition than they were. The first request was for food but there was none to be had. A fifty five gallon drum of oily looking water stood near by, this was the drinking water for them all.

Walter sat first gazing around at all the men, hoping to see one familiar face but they were all strangers to him. He lay back down on the wooden shelf with a groan, lifting his injured leg carefully. He stretched out and his tortured muscles spasmed in pain. He spent a few moments listening to the mutters and groans around him then settled into a pain filled sleep. He awoke a short time later to hearing someone coughing near by.

He lay there thinking about his situation. It was spring again so that made it two years since it all began and a full year since he had been taken prisoner. He was lucky to still be alive, lucky that he had been taking a short vacation in his cabin when it all happened. He had heard some panicky messages about aliens and an invasion on the radio just before everything was cut off. Within minutes he found out there was no electricity, no radio, cell phone or computer service; no communication devices at all that worked. He had started into town but found the road clogged with cars and people running, screaming down the highway. He backed his SUV back up his long driveway, got out, and took to the woods. He still couldn't believe he'd been careless enough to get caught. He had been sticking to the smaller towns and raiding abandoned farm houses or stores for food. He had occasionally come across other stragglers but they were all headed to the big cities and he wanted no part of them. That seemed to be where the largest concentration of aliens resided. The smaller towns were patrolled but only by a few aliens at a time and so far he had managed to skirt around them.

He had been sitting on the floor of a small grocery store that he had been to several times before and saw no one at all in town. He was eating a can of peaches when they walked in on him. He knew better than to struggle or argue with them, he had seen more than a few men try that and they were immediately set ablaze. So he followed them out to their truck and became a prisoner.

They had apparently decided to set up some kind of command center there and the little town was now filled with aliens. He tried desperately to hear what they were planning but all he could ever make out was a bit of mumbling among them.

He had waited patiently for a chance to escape but no opportunity presented itself. He would have to be very careful before making any moves.


Now here it was a year later. The Army base where he was being held had filled to over flowing capacity so they had taken this group out and sent them to a larger base. The only problem was there was no truck to transport them so they were walked. Six guards on horseback had accompanied them. Skinner had thought he might try an escape but the guards were too close and too eager to use their little flame throwers. So he had marched quietly like the others.

He tried for sleep again and managed to find a half way comfortable position for his leg. This was not good. He would be laid up for weeks before he could travel on that leg. He hoped he would survive that long. He tore the sleeve off his flannel shirt and wrapped it tightly around his injured leg and hoped that it would help. The bone didn't seem to be out of place but he had heard as well as felt it snap and had no doubt that it was broken.

He had just managed to doze off when he felt a tug on his arm and heard his name whispered.

"Skinner, Skinner wake up. We've got to get you out of here."

"Huh?" He turned towards the voice and in the darkness could just make out the features of Alex Krycek. "Krycek? They got you too?"

"No. I'm free. And I'm going to get you out of here. Come on." Krycek tugged Skinner into a sitting position.

"I can't. My leg is broken." Skinner took a quick scan of the room and everyone else was still asleep.

"Shit! OK, we'll deal with it. Come on. Use me for a crutch." Krycek pulled him to his feet.

"Krycek, there's no way I can make it on this leg. And there is no place to go anyway."

"Yes you can, and yes there is. I've got a place. It's safe, there's plenty of fresh water and food."

"In your dreams, Krycek. There's no place like that left on earth." Skinner clung to the wooden shelf for support, reluctant to lean on Krycek.

"Yes there is and I'm taking you there. Now come on." He refused to take no for an answer and got an arm around Skinner's back and hauled him towards the back.

"You'll get us both killed. I'm not anxious to meet the business end of one of their little flame throwers." Skinner stalled.

"Most of them are asleep right now and the few on guard are busy eating. We can make it if you just come on." Krycek insisted.

At the back window they hesitated and Skinner could see there was no guard in sight. "Are you sure about this?"

"I am. They are all around front eating. Come on." Krycek eased the window open, sat on the sill and slipped outside. "Sit," he ordered and Skinner managed to sit down on the sill and slip both legs outside. Krycek got an arm around him again and hurried them off towards another group of buildings across the way.

"This is crazy, Krycek. We'll never make it. You can't haul me all the way out of here."

"I've been thinking about that and I think the sewer is the best route."

"The sewer?" Skinner wrinkled up his face in disgust.

"Uh huh. There's an access three buildings over that way but that's pretty close to where they are all sleeping. There's another down at the end of this block and over one. It's a lot farther but it's not patrolled as heavily. I think that's our best chance."

"And once we get into the sewer, where do we go then? The air and water is bad enough up here, I can't see living for any length of time in a sewer."

"The sewer is our new super highway. They don't seem to know about it or care about it. No one has ever seen any of them investigating the sewer system."

"There are others? Free, I mean?"

"Sure there are – a lot. But most of them want to stay in the cities, try and hook up with friends or family. Big mistake. Sooner or later they all get caught."

"So this place of yours isn't in the city?"

"No. It's a long way from here but I have transportation once we're out of the city. Come on now, walk."

They made their way passed building after building, sneaking across alleyways and onto the next building until they came to the end of the block.

"We're about half a block away now and it's all outside from here on. We'll stay close to the buildings and should be able to make it without getting caught."

"OK. Lead the way."

Krycek helped Skinner to sit and he worked the manhole cover carefully off and sat on the edge of the hole. "I'm going to go first to make sure it's OK. I'll be right back up to get you." Then he disappeared down the ladder into the darkness. Skinner shivered as he waited. The pavement was cold beneath him and his leg was throbbing. He should have stayed where he was! This was crazy! They would never make it. Krycek was crazy if he thought he could pull something like this off. And even if they did get out, where could they go? He didn't believe for a minute that Krycek had some mythical place with plenty of food and water. There was no way out of this mess that Mankind had gotten into. His mind filled with frightening thoughts but there was still the spark of a Marine left in him and he hated to give up with out a fight.

Krycek popped back up and said, "It's clear. Come on now. On your knees and back down into the hole. I'll be right behind you and guide your foot onto the rungs. It's only ten steps down."

Skinner did as he was told and with little difficulty managed to get his foot onto the first rung. From there it was a matter of hopping down one rung at a time while holding on to the rung above with both hands for support. Krycek stayed right below him in case he faltered. In no time they were at the bottom and the sewer smells assailed him. He coughed and gagged, then sagged against the damp wall and slid down to a sitting position.

"I know it stinks but try not to think about it. I'm going back up to get something out of that last warehouse we passed. It shouldn't take but five or ten minutes tops. Just wait right here for me, OK?"

"Where would I go?" Skinner asked sarcastically.

"You got a point. Oh, here." He handed Skinner something he could barely make out what it was in the dim light from Krycek's flashlight.

"What is it?" Skinner asked before taking it.

"Beef jerky. I thought you might be hungry."

Skinner grabbed at it with both hands ripped the package opened and took a huge bite.

"Slowly, Skinner. Slowly. There's plenty of food where we're going so just try and relax. We have a doctor too and he'll be able to fix your leg up. You'll be back on your feet in no time."

"You have a doctor?"

"Uh huh. We have a whole settlement. It'll take a couple of days travel but I'll get you there. Now just hold that thought until I get back."

"Why can't we just go? Why do you have to go back?"

"I saw something that we can use. If I can get it through that man hole, it'll make the trip a whole lot easier."

"Is it worth the risk of going back up there?"

"Yeah. I think it is." He started back up the ladder then added. "I'll be right back."

Skinner was left alone again with his thoughts. Could it really be possible? Could they make it out of there? Was there really a 'settlement' somewhere where they would be free; someplace with food and water? It seemed like too much to hope for. As he finished chewing the last bite he heard a noise above him.

"It's me." Krycek called down to him. "You'd better try and move a few feet away in case I drop this thing."

Skinner tried to see what he had but couldn't make anything out in the darkness. He scooted a few feet away as he heard the metallic banging against the ladder as something was being forced through the hole and down the ladder slowly. It wasn't until Krycek was near the bottom before Skinner recognized it. It was a small cart that some machinery had been sitting on.

"What are you going to do with that?"

"This is your chariot. We've got several miles of sewer to weave our way through. It's slippery and dangerous as it is. The last thing we need is for you to fall again and injure yourself further."

Skinner was speechless. Krycek scurried back up the ladder and hauled the cover back into place and came back down.

"Ready?"

"Uh huh." Skinner stood and with Krycek's help managed to climb up on the cart.

"OK. We could stay out of the muck by going on the side but that's slanted and will be a lot more difficult to navigate. I say we go right down the middle where it's flat and we'll make better time."

"You're the driver." Skinner said as they started off.

Krycek pushed and kept up as much speed as he could with the carts casters rolling easily through the liquid muck. "If your leg gets to bothering you and you need to stop, just let me know. We're relatively safe down here, as unpleasant as it is, so we can rest whenever you need to."

"I don't want to stop. Let's just get out of here as fast as we can." Skinner coughed and gagged again.

Krycek picked up the speed and they covered the area quickly. They made two stops for Krycek to catch his breath and let Skinner get down and rest his leg from the bouncing pace then they got back on the run again.

"Are you sure you know where you're going? These tunnels all look the same to me."

"Just keep that light on the side wall where the ladders are. Holler when you see a red rag tied to one. We should be getting pretty close now."

Another half mile and he saw it. "Red rag next ladder down," Skinner announced with relief.

"Thank God!" Krycek said as he pulled up to it and stopped. He breathed heavily for a few moments trying to catch his breath and then headed up the ladder.

Skinner sat patiently and waited. Soon he heard the scraping noise of the manhole cover being slid back and he caught a whiff of fresh air. He'd never smelled anything so sweet. Krycek hurried back down the ladder.

"Ready?"

"Absolutely!" Skinner reached eagerly for Krycek's arm and hopped down off the cart and over to the ladder. "What's going to be waiting for us when we get up there?" He asked before starting up.

"The old city dump. Beyond that, about half a mile through the woods and after that ten miles out to our next stop."

"Another ten miles?"

"Climb," Krycek ordered. "We can discuss geography after we get on our way."

Rung by rung Skinner hopped up the ladder, pausing at the top for a brief look around. It was indeed the center of an old dump. There were piles and piles of debris in all directions but no sign of any guards. He pulled himself up and sat on the edge.

"Wait here. I'm going back for the cart."

"Do you think we need it? We've got to be close to the waterfront. Maybe we could find a boat?" Skinner pulled his legs up and moved over a bit.

"A boat would be nice but it would be easy to spot and they guard the waterways pretty heavily." Krycek hurried back down the ladder.

Skinner sat breathing in deeply the night air, relieved to get the stench of the sewer out of his lungs. In no time he heard the clanging of metal against the man hole and Krycek popped out dragging the cart behind him. Skinner heaved a disgusted sigh as he climbed back on top, dreading the thought of a ten mile trip cross country on the top of that thing.
Krycek sensing his feelings said only, "It's better than walking. It's about a quarter of a mile to get to the woods and it will be light soon." They moved on silently.

The cart rode smoothly enough, its wheels apparently well lubricated by the muck from below. They made good time until they got to the woods. There the going was a lot rougher.

"I'm sorry," Krycek apologized after hitting one rut after another.

"It's OK." Skinner said, embarrassed that he had groaned so loudly.

"We need to stop for a while. I need to rest and we need to get that leg of yours stabilized."

Skinner didn't object, grateful to be down off that cart for a while. "How much farther?" He asked as they both slumped against a near by tree.

"We're almost clear of the woods then it's ten miles due west." Krycek's chest heaved as he fought to catch his breath.

"What kind of territory? Flat?" Skinner asked hopefully.

"More or less. It is open ground though and it's broad day light now."

"You think there will be patrols out this far?"

"I don't know. Once I catch my breath, I'll take an hour or so to scout around and see. The good thing about being this far out, you can hear if anything is coming. They always patrol in those trucks and you can hear them a long way off."

"That's good." Skinner made a mental note to keep his ears at the ready for any sign of engine noise.

"Here." Krycek reached into his pocket and came out with a small can of applesauce."

"Applesauce! I haven't had this in ages. My mother used to make her own. It was great." Skinner said as he used the small manual can opener that Krycek tossed him. "You really have a stash of food somewhere?"

"Uh huh. At the ten mile out mark. I also have an old motorcycle with a side car. So once we make this next ten miles, we're on wheels from then on."

"A motorcycle? Won't they hear the engine?"

"Not if we stay in the countryside. They patrol the roads but not the open country. I have a map and it has a direct route to where we're going and it's all through open countryside. As long as we stick to the map, we should be all right."

"And exactly where is it we're going?"

"Colorado."

"Colorado? Why the hell there? What's in Colorado?"

"Safety – a settlement in a small hidden valley. It's completely out of the way of any of the big cities."

"You mean the aliens haven't found it – yet."

"There's no way they can find it. It's totally hidden. I'll go into more details later. I need to take off now and check for patrols. I should be back in about an hour or so. Why don't you see if you can sleep a bit. Oh, here." Out of another pocket he produced a bottle of water.

Skinner grabbed it and drank. Never before had fresh water tasted so good. He rested his head against the tree.

"You can finish that bottle if you like. I have one more bottle left. That should get us the next ten miles."

"Yeah, OK. I won't drink it all though. It's best to save what we can. Make it last."

"Good idea." Krycek agreed as he stood, brushed the leaves and twigs from his jeans and started off on a jog.

Skinner stared after him and wondered if he'd ever be able to jog again. His leg throbbed so it wouldn't surprise him if the doctor said he'd lose it. All the pain it had caused him, he'd almost be glad to be rid of it. Before Krycek was out of sight, Skinner had dozed off.

He was awakened an hour and a half later by Krycek shaking him. "Skinner, come on. Wake up. We've got to get going."

"Huh? I thought you were going to scout around?" Skinner came awake confused.

"I did. The coast is clear all around. We need to get moving."

"I guess I dozed off."

"Good. You needed it. Let me take a look at that leg first."

Krycek felt the area carefully and said. "I can't feel anything, it's too swollen. Let's see if this will help." He placed two branches about a foot and a half long each on either side of the leg then secured them with strips of cloth torn from the shirt sleeve. "That's about all I can do for now." He said and helped Skinner to his feet and over to the metal cart and they were on their way again.

Once out on the flat ground the way was much easier. Krycek in his scouting had found an old animal trial and he followed that. It was smooth and heading in the right direction so he stayed on that as long as he could before veering off after a long spell. They stopped under some shade trees and rested.

"We've come nearly ten miles haven't we?" Skinner asked as he took a sip of water. Krycek drank thirstily too and answered.

"See those red boulders over there? That's the half way point. We're half way there."

"Another five miles then?"

"Uh huh. I need to rest first though." Krycek said and lay flat out on his back. His eyes closed and in minutes he was snoring softly.

Skinner tried to rest too but thought he should stay awake and listen for intruders. The guards might not be out this way but there could be other stragglers around and no telling if they would be friendly or not.

Thirty minutes later Krycek came to with a start and looked quickly at his watch. "Good. I didn't sleep too long. Are you ready?"

"Yeah. We might as well get this show on the road." Skinner said and secured the cap on his bottle of water and tucked it into his jacket pocket. Krycek took one last drink from his bottle and they headed out.

They made good time up until the last mile which was old farm land and filled with ruts. There was no smooth way through it so Krycek decided to skirt the field. It took about an hour longer but the way was much easier on both of them. They stopped at the end of a deep drainage ditch that had been long dry.

"We're here." Krycek announced with relief.

"Here? Between a field and a ditch? This is your rest stop?

"Yep." Krycek hopped down in the ditch that was about ten feet deep and started pulling at the weeds.

"What are you doing?"

Just then a large bundle of tumble weeds came away and Skinner could see a culvert.

"This is it. Come on." Krycek climbed out of the ditch and helped Skinner down off the cart. "What did you expect? A Best Western Motel?" He helped Skinner ease down the embankment.

"I didn't know what to expect." Skinner said as he hopped into the end of the culvert. He could see boxes and packs of things stacked up at the far end. Krycek brought the cart down into the culvert with them and pushed it towards the back, then pulled the weeds back into place, effectively 'closing the door' behind him as he came in, sat down and lit a small candle.

"It's not much but it's safe."

"I thought you said you had a motorcycle. I don't see one any where."

"It's at the other end of the culvert. We can access it through the other side. These two pieces of culvert were found here by some of our men. It seemed an ideal place to hide and rest up. We have spots like this all over the country side. Not all culverts but safe places, invisible from the outside where we have been stashing food, water, gasoline, weapons – whatever we might need."

"You have food? Could we see some of that now?" Skinner asked, wetting his dry lips with his tongue.

"Sure." Krycek dug around and brought out some cans and tossed two to Skinner, a can of green beans and a can of Spam. Then pulled out two more for himself. He flipped Skinner the can opener and got another one out for himself. They ate heartily and Krycek brought out two fresh bottles of water to finish off their meal.

"Oh, God, that was good. I always hated this crap," Skinner said holding up the Spam can and looking at the label. "I don't think I've ever tasted anything this good before."

"The words of a starving man." Krycek said with a soft smile.

"You really have a big food stash somewhere?"

"It's not just a food stash, Skinner. It's a complete settlement."

"You said that before but what exactly is it? A bunch of culverts like this?"

"No, not at all. It's a beautiful valley. You'll love it, I promise. I know you liked staying in your cabin in the woods; I followed you there a couple of times. It's going to be more like that."

"You have actual cabins?"

"Yes, a few that we built for some of the families. More are being built every day."

"In this valley? Who's doing the building?"

"There are over two hundred of us now. We started out with twenty five. We send runners out to the different camps for lists of names and occupations. We've gone in and brought out a few people at a time for the last two years. We have two doctors, four nurses, a couple of bakers, several cooks. We've got construction workers, mechanics, cowboys, farm hands, miners, a couple of wind mill men, two solar power men, and about twenty army special ops men among other miscellaneous military."

"A place that big will be found sooner or later." Skinner warned.

"Not this place." Krycek picked up a twig and drew a large oval in the dirt. "This valley is several thousand acres. It's surrounded by mountains all the way around. There was a small pass, about sixty feet wide but we blasted it closed."

"Then how do you get in and out? Climb the mountain? You're not thinking of taking me over one of those mountains are you? I'd never make it."

"One of the original twenty five was a geologist. He said there were probably mines in the mountains surrounding the valley. He hunted until he found one that went about three quarters of the way through the mountain then we blasted a passage the rest of the way through. Our miners keep an eye on the mine and it's their job to see to it that it's safe. The entrance to the mine is well hidden in the brush and very difficult to find."

"I see why you needed the miners. Who were the original twenty five and how did you all come together?"

"We were on an airplane when the shit hit the fan. We were about to land in Denver when we saw the air port was blazing. The pilot came back and told us there was an emergency situation and mentioned an invasion of some sort going on. He said he was going to fly on to an alternate landing site. I used my old Bureau ID to get into the cock pit and I heard some of the transmissions and I knew what was happening. I tried to explain it to the pilot and crew but I don't think they actually believed me until we got to our alternate airport and saw it was ablaze too. He flew on a while and decided he would land the plane in a corn field." Krycek cleared his throat and took another sip of water. "After we landed, I explained to the passengers what was happening and they were in a panic and refused to believe. I told them I was leaving the plane immediately and suggested they do the same. Twenty elected to leave with me and we barely made it into the woods when the trucks arrived. We watched as the aliens brought all the remaining passengers down and loaded them into trucks. Two men and a woman got belligerent and were instantly executed in front of the other terrified passengers. From then on, they all climbed obediently into the trucks. As the trucks were pulling out, four more jumped out of the back and joined us in the woods."

Skinner shook his head in disgust. "You can't argue with them. I've seen it over and over again. The least back talk and you go up in flames."

"Exactly. We stayed in the woods for a while trying to decide what to do. One of the men remembered hiking into the valley a few years before. He called it the hidden valley as no one else seems to ever have been in there. He described it to us and said it was about seventy miles away so we started walking. After about ten miles we came to a deserted little town. We spent the first night in a general store there and loaded up. The rest of the trip was made on bicycles. We had found some in the store and scoured the town until we came up with enough for us all. We attached small trash containers on either side of our bikes and filled them with food and water. We got all who needed them into jeans and boots and headed out the next morning. The going was much easier with the bikes and we made it in two and a half days."

"There was a small town about fifteen miles from the valley where we stopped. There were no patrols at all that we could find but the aliens had been there. The town was deserted and a few buildings had been burned, a few cars. We loaded up on more food, water, fishing gear, guns and ammunition, camping gear and headed out. Once we got there, we found it the ideal place."

"We had six soldiers in our original group and one of them knew where some Special Ops training was being done in New Mexico. We sent three of our soldiers down and they found ten that had survived and were laying low in the hills. He brought them back and they were exactly what we needed."

"The first thing everyone wanted to do was find their families so we sent our SO men out to see if they could find out where every one was being taken and to get us a list of names. Once those started coming in, we went out and brought out all the friends and relatives we could find as well as anyone else who might be able to help us. The work is still on going. They are also making maps and bringing back various other information."

"In the valley, we have put in crops of vegetables, planted some fruit trees and there's a crystal clear river running right through the middle that's full of fish and there's game in the woods. We've got some buildings up now, barracks type structures."

"It does sound great."

"It is. It's been a lot of hard work and believe it or not, everyone has pitched in and done their fair share of it. So far, we haven't had any trouble within the group. I'm sure that will happen some day but right now, everyone is just so glad to be safe and free from the aliens that they are glad to do whatever it takes to get along."

"Survival is a pretty good carrot to dangle in front of people. How long do you think it will take us to get there?"

"A day and a half, maybe two. It depends on how long you can travel with that leg."

"I can travel. You said the motorcycle had a side car?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure how comfortable it will be."

"I'm not concerned with comfort right now. I just want to get someplace safe and have a doctor take a look at this leg. I've got to get back on my feet as soon as possible."

"We've got a surgeon and a regular family doctor. What ever they need to treat your leg, I'll see that they get. We make regular forages out for food, medical supplies and tools, whatever we need."

"That sounds very dangerous."

"It is. But we know when the different areas are patrolled and we stay in on those days."

"And you just go out and get whatever you need?"

"Pretty much. We have brought back an entire medical reference library for the doctors as well as different tools and equipment."

"And how do you communicate with one another?"

"We do all communications by runner. We don't use any radios, walkie-talkies; nothing that could be traced.

"That's smart. Any transmission could be traced. And all these supplies and equipment enters into the valley through the mine?"

"That's right."

"And how stable is that mine?"

"Solid granite mostly. The last part that we blasted through, which was about a quarter of a mile, we shored up with extreme care."

They were silent in thought for a while then Skinner asked. "So how did you find me? I wasn't in that camp long enough to get my name on any list. And why did you come after me? I don't have any special skills."

"Your name was on a list but when I got to the camp you had been shipped out. I got into the main office and found out where they had sent you. And yes you do have skills we need. You are a born leader. People take one look at you and know they can trust you. We need men like you. We are working on laying out a small city and none of us knows much about that. We've found an architect but he doesn't know anything about planning. Building, he knows, but not planning."

"What do I know about city planning?"

"As much as the rest of us do, maybe even a little more. But the main thing we need is a leader. Once you're there and they get to know you, I'm betting you'll become our Mayor."

"Mayor! I always hated politics." Skinner scoffed.

"Well don't shine up your top hat too soon. We have to get you there first." Krycek stood up and capped his water bottle. "You ready to take a little ride?"

"One more question. How did you know it was me? I listed my occupation as carpenter."

"When I saw your name on one of the lists, Walter Skinner, carpenter, I knew you had figured out that all government employees were being executed. I had seen you building book shelves at your cabin and just figured it was you."

Skinner got to his feet. "OK. Let's ride."

They rode until dark and stopped at another place that had been set up for a rest stop. This one was hidden in among a pile of rocks. There was a little jog in the pile, just big enough to squeeze the motorcycle in between so it could work its way back in where there was an over cropping of rocks. Krycek parked and helped Skinner out of the side car. They were completely out of sight, back in among the rocks. Krycek pulled out some cans and opened them and listened as Skinner coughed and coughed.

"That cough is getting worse," he said as he handed Skinner some canned vegetables.

"I know. Does this doctor of yours have any penicillin? I think I'm going to need it."

"You running a temperature?"

"Uh huh. Since about noon. Chest hurts. I can feel it filling up."

"We should be there late tomorrow afternoon."

"Good." Skinner sat the half eaten can down. "What I really need is some sleep." He curled up on his side and dozed off.

Krycek worried half the night but finally managed to sleep. He was awakened a short time later by Skinner's racking cough. It was bitterly cold and Skinner was shivering. Krycek eased over next to him and wrapped his arms around him. Skinner mumbled something but Krycek shushed him. They both dozed off again.

By morning, Skinner was worse. Krycek tried to get some chicken soup broth down him but Skinner would have none of it. A sip or two and then the coughing would start again. He was burning up with fever. Krycek poured the uneaten broth into one of the empty water bottles, capped it and put it in is pocket. He would try and get more down Skinner later on. It was a struggle but he finally managed to get Skinner into the side car, get it turned around and started out just as the first rays of dawn were casting pink shadows on the horizon.

By noon they had stopped three times. Each time he managed to get just a swallow or two into Skinner but he didn't take him out of the side car. He was in and out of consciousness and there was no way Krycek could get him back into the side car if he was unconscious. Krycek ate a quick bite then took his jacket off and wrapped it around Skinner in an attempt to make him more comfortable. Skinner protested with a weak, "No, you need that," but was too feeble to resist. He checked to make sure Skinner's leg wasn't getting twisted by all the movement and then they were off.

Krycek set out again at full speed. He was in more familiar territory now and comfortable taking the terrain full throttle.

Skinner awoke to darkness, the feeling of movement. "Krycek!" he called out in a hoarse whisper.

"Right here, Skinner." Krycek stopped and bent over, placing his hand in the middle of Skinner's chest. "We're in the mine. We're almost there. The entrance to the valley is just a short distance now."

"We're there? Good. Can you get the doctor for me?"

"Sure thing. I've already raised a signal that I'm coming through. I'll take you straight to the doctor." There was no answer and a closer look showed that Skinner had slipped into unconsciousness again. .

"We need the doctor." Krycek called to one of the men waiting for them at the entrance into the valley.

Those were the last words Skinner remembered hearing. He was not aware of being lifted onto a stretcher and carried to the waiting truck, nor of the ride through the corn fields or crossing the stream. He didn't see the tiny cafeteria/hospital or the anxious faces as they reached for him and placed him tenderly in bed.

"What happened to him?" The doctor asked.

"He fell, broke his leg. He has a terrible cough too and he's been running a high temperature the last day and a half."

"Probably pneumonia." the doctor said as he listened to the chest sounds. They had a hard time getting his jeans off the swollen leg and ended up cutting them off. "Oh, oh, oh." The doctor grimaced.

"What? You can fix it, can't you? You've got the stuff, right?" Krycek asked.

"I can try. That's all I can promise."

The next few days were touch and go and Alex spent a good deal of his time sitting beside Skinner's bed talking to him. He remembered waking now and again, hearing Krycek's voice and dozing off again. On the third day he awoke.

"Krycek?" His voice creaked weakly.

"Hey, you're awake. Welcome back to the land of the living. How are you feeling?" He came away from the window and back over to the chair beside Skinner's bed.

"Weak as a piss ant." He answered as Krycek held a cup of water and a straw up for him to sip. "Thanks," that tiny effort exhausted him.

"Your fever broke last night and Doctor Kim says you're going to be just fine. Right now we need to get plenty of fluids into you and then some nourishing food and you'll be back to your old self in no time."

"We were in a tunnel," He tried to remember.

"Yes – the mine shaft; the entrance to the valley."

"It's all true then? Everything you said? There really is a group here of free men and you have a doctor?"

"All true. But it's free men and women. Right now, the women are few but we are bringing in more and more. Whenever we see someone any of us know on a list, we try and bring them in."

"That's how you found me; on a list."

"That's right. You think you could eat a little something? Maybe some broth or some Jell-O?"

"You actually have Jell-O? I haven't seen any of that in two years. Not since the fall."

"I know. One of our teams found a warehouse full of the stuff, just a couple days from here. Doc Kim keeps close tabs on it though. You can only get it through him."

Skinner grunted. "I used to hate that mushy stuff but whenever I was hospitalized, they were always shoving it down me."

"Yeah, I know. I think it's got some great healing powers or something. I've had more than my share shoved down my throat too."

Skinner tried to move a little bit and groaned as pain shot through his leg. He reached down in a panic, "My leg!"

"It's all right. It's still there. Dr. Kim did a little slicing and dicing and got you all fixed up. He had to reset it; it wasn't in place the way it was supposed to be."

Skinner strained to see and Krycek pressed the button to raise the head of his bed. "See. It's still there."

All Skinner could see were the tips of his toes sticking out of some bandages. He wiggled them and grimaced at the pain.

"I'm in a hospital?"

"It's our version of a hospital. On one side it's a cafeteria, on this side, it's a hospital and the kitchen is in between.

"All in one building?"

"Uh huh. It all runs off a couple of generators we managed to haul in here."

"Through the tunnel?"

"Uh huh."

"So you have electricity? Where do you get the gasoline to run the generators?"

"We have three sources of power here. We managed to snag a couple of solar power experts from a camp in Arizona and with their instructions, we put up solar panels. We also have a wind mill man. We've got several of them up around on the mountain side, generating power. And to answer your question about the gasoline, there is plenty of it still around if you have a pump to get it out of the ground."

"And you do?"

"We do. We got a couple of guys who were truck drivers for Chevron. They know all about handling the stuff."

"Don't tell me you have a tanker in here?"

"Not in the valley, no. We do have one parked in the bushes just outside. We keep it well hidden and the drivers keep it filled for us."

"Sounds like quite a set up."

"Well, well. How's my patient this morning?" Dr, Kim, a diminutive Vietnamese who looked barely out of his teens walked into the room smiling.

Skinner stiffened up, old memories clouding in around him; he said nothing. Krycek sensed the problem and commented for him.

"He says he's weak as a piss ant and he needs some food." Krycek grinned.

"Ah, you're hungry? Good sign, good sign." And to Krycek he said, "I must examine my patient now if you will excuse please." He nodded towards the door.

"I'll check back with you later, Walter." He gave a two finger wave and left the room.