In the Light of the Frozen Moon (6/?) by Decoyly Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully aren't mine, they belong to CC and Co.Absolutely no copyright infringement is intended! Feedback: decoyly@gmail.com Rating: PG Classification: MSR Summary: Started out in response to DD's comment that Mulder takes off his shirt in the new movie (see part one), but has since become it's own non-movie related WIP. :D Hope you enjoy it! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Mulder watched Scully's face as he handed over the polished black stone; one nearly identical to the first belonging to the dead man in Scully's room. "Where did you find this?" "Under the rug by the door." Scully moved closer to the fire, tilting the stone towards the light, brows creasing in thought as she studied the front. Whereas the first carving was recessed, the two symbols on this artifact were both in the form of a bah relief. The same jagged line crossed the top of the polished black surface but there was no star anymore. Even so, the new symbol was nearly as recognizable. "A labyrinth?" Scully asked, tracing her thumb across the mazelike circle. Mulder nodded. "Could mean a number of things." "I automatically think of Greek mythology's Daedalus and the Minotaur," Scully said absently, still staring at the symbol. "Or Chartres Cathedral outside of Paris." "Many people don't realize it's not just a comforting design," Mulder added, reaching to trace his fingers along the spiraling path. "Or they confuse it with a maze. See how it's all one continuous path?" He traced the languid curves for emphasis. "Unlike a maze a labyrinth has no dead ends. One way in, one way out." Scully flipped the stone to check the back. It was polished just as smoothly as the first one; two symbols on the front, nothing on the back. "It was used to represent the path to Jerusalem," Mulder said, thinking out loud. "During the Middle Ages those who couldn't actually make it to the Holy Land could trace this path and be united in spirit with the Crusaders." Scully nodded her understanding, flipped the stone back over to let the firelight highlight the raised surface. The glow of the mirrored flames gave the polished labyrinth a luminescent quality. "But it's also used to represent life's path in general, or a way to reach higher enlightenment, a wholeness with one's inner self." Mulder said, searching his knowledge of the subject for clues. "The Hopi Indians used the labyrinth as a symbol of Mother Earth...It's been connected to the Hindu Chakra and Yoga." Scully met his gaze, giving him her full attention, and Mulder smiled at her. Knowing she was used to his long explanations by now, he continued, "The labyrinth, and can be found in some form or another all over the world. In artwork, history, music, architecture. I think the greatest number of public labyrinths, mostly made of hedges, can be found in Switzerland." "Are you suggesting we go to Switzerland?" Scully asked with a lift of her eyebrow and Mulder cocked a lopsided grin. "Only if it's not snowing as much there as it is here." Scully let out a sad laugh, glancing outside at the growing blizzard and handing the artifact back to him. "So what now?" Mulder pocketed the stone and glanced at his watch. They needed to get dressed if they were going to aid in the search for Kaya. "I don't know Scully, but I do find it fitting that those who trace the path of the labyrinth are often seeking the truth about life's great mysterious. Whether it's spiritual meditation seeking higher consciousness or an everyday calming stress reliever, I'd say...we aren't really much further than where we were a few minutes ago." "Well it's nice to know where a stress reliever is at any rate," Scully said dryly, stretching her back. She still looked exhausted and Mulder wondered just how much of the aftermath of her fall through the ice she was hiding. He didn't like the idea of her going back out there, but there was no way he was telling her that. She'd just ignore him and go anyway. The thought made him smile. "Some believe the labyrinth does have healing powers," Mulder offered. "It's even been used in some cancer treatments to bring support groups peace and relaxation." "As nice as that sounds it's not going to do much good for Ivy or Kaya if we don't figure out what's going on pretty soon." Scully met his gaze and added softly, "And stop worrying Mulder...I'm fine." Voices drifted down from upstairs as tired agents managed to pull themselves out of their much needed sleep and into their thick coats, gloves, and boots once again. "We should get dressed," Scully said, grabbing a candle and heading for their room. As Mulder followed he thought about the second artifact. There was something nagging at the back of his brain... something he was forgetting. What was it? Just as he reached the door to their new room, it hit him. Of course! He closed the door behind him then turned and ran right into the back of his partner. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Mulder stifled a grunt and backed up only enough so he wasn't stepping on her. He stayed close and she could feel him pull out his gun, silently asking, Scully? She still wasn't quite sure she'd seen what she thought she'd seen when she first opened the door. Scully only caught a glimpse before the open window snuffed out the light from her candle, but when the quiet sobbing began again she knew she hadn't imagined it. "Ivy?" Scully took a step towards the bed, wishing she had more light. The girl only continued to cry. "Ivy it's Dana Scully," she said gently, trying to remember the layout of the dark room. She felt for the bed and picked up a lighter on the nearby table, relighting her candle. She automatically turned to look for Mulder and stopped short. He was gone. "Please don't do it," Ivy suddenly sobbed, and Scully swung around, knowing there was no time to look for her partner. "Shhh, it's okay." Scully crossed the room, kneeling next to Ivy, who was curled into a tight ball next to the dollhouse she probably played with as a child. Her nightgown was tattered and wet and she was wearing no shoes or socks. "Ivy I'm here to help you," Scully reassured, pausing when the girl shrank away from her touch. "You don't know," Ivy said, her voice shaking. Her eyes were open but she wasn't seeing. "And she can't know. Please, don't let her go..." Scully had no idea what she was talking about, but with some coaxing, she was finally able to get Ivy to look at her. The girl stared back with wide-eyed fear, suddenly seeing Scully for the first time. "He knows," she said in a terrified whisper. "Who knows?" When Ivy didn't answer, Scully felt her forehead. She was burning up, hair blown wildly astray, and both her hands and feet bore many cuts and scrapes. She had a thin scratch along her left cheek that had just recently stopped bleeding, but Scully realized Ivy didn't seem bothered by any of her injuries. In fact, she appeared completely oblivious to them despite the fact that she was shaking. "You can't let her go, you can't let any of them go!" Ivy said, clutching onto Scully as if her life depended on it. All Scully could think of was the dead man who'd done the same thing in her bedroom. She quickly glanced to make sure her weapon was secure. Where was Mulder? "Ivy listened to me, we're going to help you okay?" Ivy nodded, silent tears still streaming down her cheeks. Scully noticed her bruised wrists for the first time and anger flared through her. Someone had not only kidnapped the girl, but had kept her tied up long enough to leave marks. "Y-you won't let them do it?" Scully still had no idea what she was talking about, but softly reassured, "We're not going to let anyone hurt you." Ivy leaned forward, silently crying into Scully's shoulder, desperately needing more reassurance. Scully soothed her back, trying to get her to tell her more. "But I need to know who you're talking about so we can make sure they don't go, okay?" Ivy pulled back, taking a deep breath to get herself under control. "Okay." There was one thing Scully needed to know first. "Ivy, who did this to you?" She held up the girl's wrists, and Ivy just stared at her blankly. She continued to stare for a moment then just as she was about to open her mouth, suddenly jumped, frantically searching back and forth. Scully glanced over her shoulder. They were still alone. "Ivy? What's wrong?" "There's no time," Ivy pulled her hands away. "My Aunt--please whatever you do don't let her go with them." "With who? Ivy I can't--" "Scully?" She jumped at Mulder's touch, shocked to find herself lying on the floor in the middle of the empty bedroom. Ivy was nowhere to be seen. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Mulder was more than a little worried at his partner's unresponsiveness. He'd pulled out his gun at finding her at a complete standstill in the middle of the room and waited a good five minutes before asking her what was wrong. She hadn't answered. It'd taken him a second to find the lantern on the bedside table, and in the short time it took him to light it, Scully had passed out. He'd rushed to her side and after the momentary panic, managed to wake her back up. She was now lying in his arms, blinking in confusion. "Mulder?" Scully struggled to sit up. "What happened?" "I don't know. You just came in and then stopped. I went over to light the lantern and the next thing I knew you were lying on the floor." "Where's Ivy?" she asked, searching the room behind him. "Ivy?" "She was just here a second ago, right over there." Scully pointed to the dollhouse on the other side of the room, and started to stand up. "Scully maybe you should wait a--" Too late. Scully swayed suddenly and Mulder caught her around the waist. "You okay?" Scully closed her eyes a moment then nodded to let him know he could let go. He did but remained close just in case. "Have you been here the whole time?" Scully asked, slipping slowly back into herself. Mulder assured her that he had been, watching her turn a full circle, clearly searching for Ivy. He wondered just how hard she'd hit her head when she'd fallen. It wasn't like his partner to be so shaken up by...what? A hallucination? A dream? "How long was I out?" "A few minutes, not long." Mulder studied her with a concerned look. "Scully I know I'm not a doctor, but are you sure you shouldn't be back in bed?" ~*~*~ In all honesty, she wasn't sure. One second she'd been walking into her room to get ready, the next she'd passed out into a very vivid dream. Hallucination? Seizure? Scully couldn't stop from searching the room one last time. It'd all felt so real... "Going back to bed isn't going to help the missing girls," she said, finally convincing herself that yes, it was just a hallucination. She didn't know why she'd passed out, and although it all felt very real, nothing the dream Ivy had said made sense anyway. She started to head for her bag, but Mulder stopped her. "And running around outside, like this, isn't going to help you," he said gently. She knew he was right; that if the situation had been reversed there was no way she'd let Mulder go back out there if there was a chance he might pass out without warning. In fact, she remembered a time when she HAD told him just that. "Scully I don't see a hole in your head," Mulder said, obviously remembering the same time and trying to make light of his painful experience. "But I don't think it's a good idea for you to go back out there." Scully felt her head, tracked her finger, mentally assessing herself for any signs of a concussion or other serious injury. As far as she knew she hadn't had a seizure, and aside from being extremely tired, she felt fine. She didn't even have a fever. "Did she talk to you?" Mulder asked quietly, catching Scully off guard. He was watching her reaction closely, and Scully forced herself to relax. "It doesn't matter Mulder, it wasn't real." "Did she?" Clearly he wasn't going to give it up. "Yes, but it didn't make any sense anyway." She stepped around him and headed towards her duffle bag. Mulder's eyes were on her the entire way. She got halfway to the bathroom and sighed, turning to face him. As usual, Mulder didn't even have to say anything and Scully still felt the need to answer him. "She was worried about her Aunt. And Ivy--even thought it wasn't really her--wanted me to make sure that "they", whoever "they" were, didn't go." She paused a second then finished, "To where and when I don't know." ~*~*~ Mulder could see that the whole situation was unnerving Scully more than she was willing to admit. She would rationalize it to know end, but deep down he knew she couldn't help wondering if Ivy had really appeared to her, warning, asking for help. They were both tiptoeing around the elephant in the room. If Ivy had really appeared to Scully just now, did that mean the girl was dead? Mulder felt a familiar tug at his chest and swallowed hard. No. There could be other reasons. He had to focus on them instead. Pushing away thoughts of Samantha, he forced himself to remain positive. He wasn't giving up until he saw the body. Unlike most of the agents here, Mulder didn't accredit everyone's strange visions--or dreams as they all seemed to be determined to call them--to lack of sleep. There was a knock at the door and SAC Cook called through, "Mulder? Scully? Just wanted to let you know we're headed out. We're staying close to the building because I don't want to lose anyone to this whiteout, but we at least have to check. Just in case Agent Dekker wasn't imagining things." "Be right out," Mulder called, listening to Cook walk away as he continued to stare at his partner. "Scully I'm not going to tell you what to do, but if you're not going to listen to me, maybe you should listen to Ivy." She gave him an alarmed look. "Mulder it wasn't Ivy. It was a hallucination." "Then maybe you should listen to your unconscious," he said softly, wanting her to know that he wasn't arguing with her, simply trying to get her to realize that something deeper was happening here. Whether she wanted to admit it or not. "Because your body seems to be telling you it needs more rest." ~*~*~ Scully watched Mulder grab his bag and rifle through for a t-shirt and jeans. As he quickly changed, she tried to find some way out of his rational argument. She really shouldn't be going back outside. She was a danger not only to herself, but to Mulder if she kept passing out like this. She opened her mouth, not quite sure what she was going to say, but Mulder stopped her. "Maybe you should check on Aunt Claire." Mulder tugged on his gloves and scarf. "I really don't think we're going to find Kaya out there, but I want to check on something." Scully nodded and regretfully watched him go. She walked to the window to push aside the curtains, letting the early morning sunlight filter into the room. Now that she thought about it, she should have realized it was a hallucination when the room had gone so dark. The sun was up now, and even though it was greatly dulled by the storm, the room would not have been completely dark if Ivy had really been in their room. Scully stared out the window, half of her glad she didn't have to go outside, the other half hating that she couldn't. She turned and grabbed her duffle bag, pulling out clothes and thinking she really should go check on Aunt Claire, when Ivy's words suddenly echoed through her head "You can't let her go, you can't let any of them go!" Scully froze. Mulder. Right now he was among the "them" headed outside. Into a whiteout... XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX As Mulder expected, the red tape that had been outside Scully's balcony was gone. It was possible that it had just blown off in the blizzard, but somehow Mulder didn't think that was the case. As the other agents headed off around either side of the house, hats pulled low and ski goggles in place against the blowing snow, Mulder turned to face the wide expanse of trees. They were missing something, but what? Mulder had agreed to come onto the case not just because of a missing little girl, although that would have been enough. Only he, Scully, Skinner, and a few others knew that Kaya's father had specifically asked for Mulder on this case. Why, nobody knew, and although they'd begrudgingly let him in on the investigation, the FBI had refused to let him talk to Kaya's father at the start of the search. Now that they were all snowed in out here in the middle of nowhere, Mulder knew he wasn't going to get the chance anytime soon. But the thought still bugged him. Why would Kaya's father ask for him unless there was something paranormal going on here? He could still feel the small black stone in his pocket, could practically feel it urging him to think, to make the connection that no one else could. Suddenly Mulder remembered he hadn't had a chance to test his theory. Scully's sudden...vision? had interrupted him before he'd found the first stone. Just as he thought of his partner, Mulder suddenly heard her calling his name. At least he thought he did, the wind was blowing so hard a shout could get lost to a whisper. "Scully?" Holding his hand up against the blowing snow, Mulder trudged back towards the inn. The snow was so deep it took him ten minutes just to get back around the corner. "Mulder!" He didn't even see her until he was only a few yards away from the front porch. Although the steps had been cleared, the snow had already covered it a good inch. Mulder stomped his feet, knocking snow from his boots as he made his way up the stairs towards his partner. "Scully what's wrong?" ~*~*~ Scully let out a relieved breath, suddenly feeling very silly for her irrational burst of fear. Mulder just looked at her, concerned, as he pulled off his hat and shook out the snow, waiting patiently for her to answer. "I...just wanted to make sure you didn't go running off too far by yourself," she said lamely, wishing she'd just stayed inside and waited for him to come back. Mulder quirked a knowing grin. "Didn't think I'd stay with the rest of the class?" Scullly gave him a rueful smile, thankful that Mulder always had a way to keep her from feeling stupid for worrying about him. "Since when do you ever stay with the rest of the class Mulder?" He shrugged. "Guess it depends on the teacher." Mulder's grin deepened and he leaned behind her to open the door. She felt the familiar touch of his hand at the small of her back as he led her back inside, and Scully was suddenly struck by how such a simple gesture could immediately make her relax. He probably didn't even notice he was doing it, probably never had. Funny how she herself had never thought about it before now. "How's Aunt Claire?" Mulder asked once they were inside. "She's fine. Making breakfast already actually." Scully answered, trying not to smile at his ruffled hair. Once he'd pulled off his stocking cap he hadn't bothered to fix it. Mulder's hair now stuck up at all angles giving him a very boyish look with his cheeks red from the wind. "What?" he asked, noticing the amusement in her eyes. "Nothing. Did you find anything?" "Nothing I didn't expect to find." Mulder turned and started for the hallway, knowing she would follow. Scully waited silently, knowing just as well that he would tell her what expected. "The red tape on your balcony was gone." "And you don't think it was just the wind." "I think there's more going on here than somebody's willing to tell us." Scully followed him back into their room and watched as Mulder went to her bag and dug out the first artifact from a side pocket. It was a testament to how well they knew each other that he knew exactly where to look without asking her. Mulder pulled out the second stone from his pocket and sat on the bed, holding a stone in each hand. "What are you doing?" "Seeing if the pieces of the puzzle fit together." Mulder slowly moved his hands closer together, until, to Scully's surprise, the artifacts leapt into the air, fitting together just like Mulder had said. Like pieces of a puzzle. Mulder grinned and held the now connected stones up for her to see. Scully leaned in for a closer look. Sure enough, the jagged lines on each stone were a perfect match, a perfect opposite to each other. "Mulder, how did you...?" "It was bugging me why, while they had similar symbols, one of the stones was recessed while the other was raised," Mulder answered, handing her the artifacts. "I was also wondering what they were made out of since they felt a lot heavier than normal rock." Scully studied the artifacts, tugging them apart, only to watch them gravitate back towards each other. "Magnets." "Ancient ones by the look of it." Scully was fascinated. What a perfect way to create a hidden message. Alone, each artifact looked nothing more than an interesting trinket, perhaps a prayer stone, a mile marker on an ancient path, or even a tourist's souvenir. But together...she wondered how many more there were out there. Mulder voiced her thoughts, adding, "What I want to know is where they're coming from, and who's sending them." "And what they spell out," Scully said, looking down at the new pattern of symbols. Now that the jagged 'line of n's' (as they looked like) were fit together they were no longer visible. Only the star and the labyrinth remained, and were now on opposite sides. Mulder chewed his lip in thought as they both heard people returning from outside. "I'd like to talk to Agent Winkley," Scully said, getting up. "See if he found anything strange with the body." Mulder nodded, taking the artifact back and slipping it into his pocket. It seemed they'd both come to a silent agreement not to tell anyone else about the stones yet. For now anyway. As they headed back down the corridor towards the lobby and the smell of breakfast, Scully could feel Mulder's eyes on her. She knew he was still worried about her, but she also knew that he knew it would be useless to try and get her to go back to bed. Besides, she felt perfectly fine now. There was no need to worry. As she entered the lobby, the hand at the small of her back was a quiet reminder that even in normal times that's what they did. Mulder and Scully would always worry about each other. They just couldn't help it. Smiling, Scully turned to find the room full of tired, wet, windblown FBI Agents all gratefully accepting plates of Aunt Claire's home cooked breakfast. "Good morning!" Aunt Claire, in a surprisingly good mood, greeted them each with a plate of pancakes, eggs, hashbrowns, and bacon. "Ahh, a woman after my own heart." Mulder flashed Aunt Claire a winning smile and thanked her before taking a plate and immediately heading towards a ketchup bottle on a nearby table. Aunt Claire handed Scully her plate with a wink. "I think someone's already got that one covered." To her surprise, Scully found herself blushing, and quickly thanked Aunt Claire then joined Mulder at a table. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Breakfast went by quickly and without much talk. SAC Cook informed them all to eat up because it was going to be one long day. And eat up they did. Aunt Claire seemed to have thrown herself into cooking to keep her mind off her missing niece. There was more than enough food to go around three or four times if they wanted. After they'd finished eating, Mulder stayed behind to hear the details of today's search, both the one that had already happened and the one yet to occur, while Scully and Agent Winkley left to discuss his findings about the body. When they reconvened an hour later back in the lobby, neither Mulder nor Scully had found out much. Agent Winkley excused himself to go talk to SAC Cook and Scully headed over to Mulder on the couch. He had a series of files strewn out across the oak coffee table in front of him, but looked up when she joined him. "Any luck?" "No." Scully sank down on the seat next to him. "It seems our mysterious stranger died as a result of exhaustion. Who knows how long he was running around outside in that weather. Without further lab capabilities we're at a standstill." Scully glanced over the papers on the table and asked, "You?" Mulder shook his head. "There's nothing here in any of these files that would suggest a reason Kaya's father would want us on this case." "But you still think this is an X-file." Mulder gave her a 'don't you?' look and she had to admit that the longer they were here the more it was beginning to look that way. Before they could continue their conversation, there was a commotion at the door. Both Mulder and Scully turned to look as SAC Cook rushed past a few agents who were refilling their thermal mugs with coffee at the front desk. "Agent Cook?" "What's wrong?" "Three more of my men are missing." The Special Agent in Charge looked at them with a determination that clearly masked rising fear. "Are you sure?" one of the agents getting coffee asked, sipping the top of his overflowing lid. "Because a couple of guys said they were gonna check out the shed out back." He gestured with a nod of his head towards the far side of the room. "I'm sure they didn't check in when they were supposed to," Cook said, looking to Mulder and Scully for help. "All I can figure out is that a few other agents said they were last seen heading back out towards the lake." ~*~*~ Mulder could practically feel everyone's hopes drop, weighed down by knowing dread. He stood up, tossing the file in his hand towards the haphazard pile on the coffee table. "Visibility is almost nonexistent out there," Cook said wearily. "Mulder." Scully stood up, her tone clearly implying: You're not going out there? He knew it was a bad idea. It was a death wish to head out in this weather, but someone needed to warn those agents what they were heading into. "Look," the other coffee agent scoffed. "Those guys aren't crazy. There's no way anyone's heading out there in this weather. Not knowingly anyway." Cook was listening to him but staring at Mulder. He nodded, feeling Scully silently sigh behind him as Cook said, "I'll get a team ready." As she left, Scully followed Mulder back down the hallway towards their room. He knew what was coming. "Mulder, you can't drag these people back out there in this weather." "You want to just let those agents die?" Mulder asked casually, opening the bedroom door in search of his flashlight. "Of course not, but we don't even know if that's where they really headed. Surely by now they would have turned around." He found his flashlight then faced her, ready to argue as they usually did about these things. Instead, however, he stopped short; surprised to see the look she was giving him. It wasn't so much a 'Mulder you can't do this' look, as much as a 'Mulder please don't do this' look. He could see it in her eyes. She wasn't arguing; she was worried. "The lake isn't that far away," he said, trying to give her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure they just got turned around and are already headed back here. We'll probably run into them before we even get past the parking lot." She stared at him a long moment, then nodded. "I promise we--what are you doing?" She was grabbing her own flashlight and pulling on her coat. Mulder did not like where this was headed. "I'm coming with you." It wasn't negotiable, but he was going to try anyway. "Scully--" "The more people looking the faster this is going to go, right?" He couldn't argue there. Mulder watched her pull on her gloves and hat and decided to compromise. "How about we take the shed then?" ~*~*~ Scully tried not to smirk. That'd secretly been her plan all along. She knew Mulder would never agree to stay behind, but she also knew that if she was going with him he'd hesitate before running off back to the lake. And although no one should be out in this weather, they needed to find those agents before they got lost and froze to death. Scully nodded, then realized she was holding a flashlight that hadn't worked in a while. "Mulder?" "I know." He grinned. "But there's something I want to try, and I figure if we're going to be out there anyway, now's the perfect time to do it." She didn't know if she liked the sound of that. "And what is "it"?" "Just a theory." Oh how many times had she heard that one? How many of Mulder's theories had gotten them in trouble over the years? As Scully followed him back out, a little voice in the back of her head added, *yeah but how many of them have been right?* XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Bundled up in serious winter search gear, the FBI team headed out once again into the blizzard. The second they were out the door, the wind rushed in like an invisible hand, blowing everyone back against the deck. Mulder caught his tiny partner before she could blow away, and Scully nodded a thank-you in his direction. "Nobody goes anywhere alone!" Cook had to shout to be heard over the roaring wind. They were all crowded just outside the door, using what little shelter the wooden awning provided. "Radios on channel three first, if that doesn't work, go to five!" She looked around at the group of tinted ski goggles staring back at her. "Let's hope they actually remain working this time!" Hooded heads nodded their understanding, and the search was on. As the large group led by Cook headed off into the whiteout, Mulder and Scully began circling around the right side of the inn. Mulder lead the way, trying to trudge an easier path for his partner through the deep snow. It was hard enough for him to walk normally, he wasn't about to lose Scully to a drift taller than she was. ~*~*~ It seemed to take forever, stumbling and pushing their way through the snow, catching and helping each other along the way, but Scully and Mulder finally made it to the large storage shed in the back yard. They'd debated just going out the back door, but if the three missing men had come this way, they needed to search it. As Mulder worked on getting the shed open, Scully turned to look back at the inn. Even though they were only about 50 yards away, she could see nothing but snow in every direction. No wonder the agents had gotten lost. "Door's not locked!" Mulder shouted, his words quickly getting lost to the wind. "But I think it may have frozen shut!" Mulder pushed and pulled at the recently installed metal handle but the door wouldn't move. Scully tucked her radio into her pocket and grabbed on to the lever with to him. Together, they put all their weight into it until with a loud CRACK the door finally slid open. A puff of dust hit the air, quickly disappearing as Mulder and Scully shoved the door open just enough to slip inside. ~*~*~ "Well if they were here it wasn't recently," Mulder said, shaking off his hood and ski goggles. Scully followed suit, and together they surveyed the large dusty room. Everything you would expect to be in a supply shed was there, from tools and saws, to a riding lawnmower, a backup- backup generator, and tubs full of extra supplies for the Inn. The entire room was divided into indoor supplies vs. outdoor equipment, and even though dust had blown in from the storm, it was surprisingly clean. "Well it's a little late for it now, but we could still try," Mulder said with a smirk, patting a small snow-blower on the handle. They probably couldn't even get it out the door now. "This on the other hand..." Mulder headed towards a fairly new looking foosball table, giving Scully a full-fledged grin. "Whatdya say Scully? A little one-on-one?" As usual, she ignored him. "It doesn't look like anyone's checked this place out at all." "Funny seeing as how it would be the perfect hideout in this storm." Mulder left the foosball table to continue searching the room. "Close enough for a clean getaway, but far enough away to be covered by the blizzard." ~*~*~ Scully walked along the wall of carefully labeled tubs reading the labels. Cleaning supplies, extra table clothes for special occasions, light bulbs, batteries...She stopped. "Mulder," Turning around, she pulled out her flashlight. "What were you going to--" The crackling of their radios interrupted her. Mulder got to his first, holding it up to his ear and straining to hear through the layers of static. "Can't...gone..." a voice that sounded like it may have been Cook's sputtered through the hissing line. "Agent Cook?" Mulder's face crinkled in concentration as he tapped the radio against his gloved hand. He walked toward the center of the room, meeting her gaze. Scully shook her head, shaking her own radio. She was having no better luck than he was catching Cook's words. Scully moved closer to the window, flipping to channel five in hopes of a better reception as the radio stuttered, "Mul...lly--" "Li--" a man's voice cut in. "Did you say light?" Mulder asked, plugging his other ear against the roar of the wind. It had sounded like 'light' to Scully too but she couldn't be sure. She turned to the window, suddenly realized that it'd grown much darker outside. Had storm just blown a drift against the window, or was it something else? "Agent Cook?" Scully asked, flipping between channels. The static began to build. "Hello? Anyone?" Mulder was flipping through channels too, neither of them having any luck. The hissing static was only growing louder. Scully glanced at Mulder. She knew he was thinking the same thing. Someone had to have their finger on the 'send' button, otherwise the radio would be quiet. ~*~*~ Mulder turned the dial on his radio until it clicked off, and then turned it on again, resetting everything. Still, the static grew and grew until a high-pitched whine filled the shed, pressing in on his eardrums to a degree that made him wince. Scully was about to open her mouth, but suddenly jumped as the flashlight in her hand blinked on. A beam of light shot through the darkened room, hitting Mulder in the face. "Sorry, Mulder!" Scully quickly aimed the beam at the floor. He blinked against the sudden brightness, then was doubling surprised when his own flashlight clicked on in his pocket. Realizing both his pocket and the radio were starting to warm up, Mulder reached for the flashlight. Suddenly, just as quickly as it had started, it ended with a loud *pop*. Four slow streams of smoke rose in the darkness, and for a second Mulder and Scully could only stare at their dead flashlights and radios. "You think that's what they were trying to tell us?" Scully asked, placing hers on a nearby work table. The cabin suddenly seemed too quiet, too dark. "I don't know," Mulder said, his attention already turning elsewhere. Pulling the locked artifacts out of his pocket, he held them up for Scully to see, "But this can't be good." Scully barely had time to see what he was talking about before the window shattered, sending glass in all directions. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX To be continued...:D