In the Light of the Frozen Moon (9/?)
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


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Agent Cook had never seen such a terrible blizzard in all her
life.  Andthat was saying a lot seeing as how she'd grown up 
in Colorado.  Shehad no idea how much time had passed 
between the sudden powersurge and now, but she did know 
that it was nearly impossible to see anything whether they
had light or not. 

The SAC had given up trying to decipher human shouts from 
the roaring wind, and was now just trying to find any of her 
agents before they were all blown away in the whiteout.  A 
flash of black appeared in the midst of the swirling white for 
only a moment before it was swept away again. She brought 
up her now dead radio and hit it against her gloved hand.  

"Hello!" She tightened her scarf, squinting against the blowing 
snow.  She really didn't expect a response from the radio, 
and jumped when a burst of static hit her frozen ears.  

Agent Cook stared at the radio in surprise.  "Guys? Can 
anyone hear me?"

The radio continued to crackle with static and Cook knocked it 
against her hand.  "Hello?"  The static cleared for half a second 
before a strange beep sounded, and suddenly her entire screen 
was taken up by short jagged line.  

Cook frowned, tapping the screen.  The jagged line pulsed on 
and off for another three seconds until it disappeared completely.  
The radio was dead again. Great.

She stared out into swirling blizzard, wondering why she had ever 
thought it was a good idea to come out here.  Clearly they weren't 
going to find anyone else when they couldn't even find each other!  

"Cook!" 

She spun around to find someone stumbling towards her, knocked 
off balance by the wind.  Cook quickly stepped forward to steady 
the figure, wondering why on earth they weren't wearing a coat.  

"I couldn't--it took me forever to--" The man was struggling to 
talk through heaving breaths, and SAC Cook finally saw his face. 

"Agent Dekker?"  The poor man looked half frozen and 
completely panicked.

He looked up at her, eyes wide.  "I thought I'd never find you!" 

"How *did* you find me?" she had to shout to be heard over 
the wind that was trying very hard to knock them to the snowy 
ground. 

"I saw her!"  

"What? Who?" 

The wind caught her hood and blew it off, and Cook had to 
let go of Agent Dekker to pull it back on.  She stared at the 
man in front of her.  He wasn't wearing a coat, but he didn't
seem the least bit bothered by the raging storm.  In fact, he 
seemed to be completely oblivious to it.  What was he doing 
out here?  The last she'd seen him, he'd been heading up to 
his room to get some sleep after swearing he'd just seen--

"Kaya?" Cook answered her own question.  "Did you just 
say you saw Kaya?"  Was he hallucinating again?  

"I can't--she--I don't--" Agent Dekker stammered, grabbing 
her shoulders.  His expression looked all the more crazy 
thanks to the wind whipping his hair into an unruly mess.  
Finally he managed to get a hold of himself long enough to 
shout, "She asked to come! Begged me to bring her!" 

"Who?" Cook shouted back.  What was he talking about?  
And how had he ever managed to find her out here when 
she couldn't even find the agents who were supposed to be 
standing right next to her? 

Agent Dekker turned and gestured wildly towards the storm. 
He shouted something but the wind caught his words.

"What!" Cook leaned forward, squinting in an effort to 
hear better.  

Agent Dekker started trudging back through the snow, still 
shouting, and Cook trudged after him.  "Agent Dekker wait, 
I can't hear you!"

He disappeared into the whiteout, and for a moment she 
thought she'd los him.  Then suddenly, she took another step 
and nearly ran right into the back of him.  

"Agent Dekker?"

He was standing ramrod straight, staring off into the distance.  
He whispered something and Cook leaned in closer to hear.  

"She was right here," Dekker said in a pained voice.

"Who?"

For the first time the FBI Agent actually looked at her.  He
stared at her a long moment, fear in his eyes, before finally
 answering, "Aunt Claire."

~*~*~

Mulder felt like he'd been walking for miles and getting nowhere.  
One step forward, fifty steps back.  Not to mention that it was 
getting colder by the minute, and he somehow didn't think his 
impromptu swim was all to blame. 

After managing to get at least warm enough to stand up again, 
he and Scully had spent precious time trying to find a way back 
to the ground level.  Now there was some illumination in the 
cave, thanks to the glowing tracks and walls, they were able to 
find what could only be described as a back entrance in a 
crudely carved stone ladder.  

Mulder had followed his partner down through the dark tunnel 
until they finally found themselves back in the main cave, which 
from now on he was referring to as the giant toilet.  

Watching Scully continue to shiver, Mulder had picked the tunnel 
between the one they'd come through and the one the water had 
come through to continue down.  Now that they'd been walking 
for so long though, he was beginning to think they were going in
circles. 

"You'd think with all the secrecy they'd have more security down 
here," Scully said wearily, running her hands over her arms and 
stepping around a protruding section of rock. 

"Makes you wonder what they're really hiding down here," he 
answered, thinking, and how much further we have to go to reach it.  

"Well you'd think by now they'd know we were coming," Scully 
said, stepping onto the track as the tunnel narrowed.  

Mulder stepped up behind her, absently following the glowing lines 
at his feet.  "Maybe they're just too lazy to come looking for us, 
seeing as how these tunnels seem to go on forever."  He'd lost 
track a long time ago where they were in location to the 
geography above.  

~*~*~

Scully started following the curving wall, wishing for something 
to break the monotony of the strange glowing tunnels.  Were 
they just going to wander forever until they froze to death?  
Or starved?  

She stared at the glowing tracks, wondering what they were 
really being used for other than lights and locks.  Something 
was being transported down here, but what?  And by who? 

Scully ducked to avoid running into an outcropping on the 
wall, and was completely taken off guard when, out of 
nowhere, a hand reached out and grabbed her arm, yanking 
her hard to the right.  She knew immediately that the hand 
was not Mulder's.

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The glowing light from the tracks didn't quite reach into the 
alcove she'd been pulled into, but Scully knew immediately 
who she was standing next to.  The hand on her arm was 
much too small to be anyone else.

"Kaya?" 

"We don't have much time," the six-year-old replied in 
perfect English.  Her tiny cold fingers wrapped around 
Scully's hand and pulled her further into the dark.  "They 
don't know I'm gone yet."

"Who?" Scully asked gently, trying to get the girl to stop 
for a second.  "Kaya, who's been keeping you here?" 

"The men in the masks," Kaya replied hastily, still trying 
to get Scully to move.

"Scully?" Kaya froze at the sound of Mulder's voice, 
obviously afraid.

"It's okay," Scully assured.  "He's here to help." 

Kaya hesitated, rocking back and forth on her feet for 
a moment, then whispered, "Okay.  But nobody else."

Scully had so many more questions for her, needed 
to get Kaya out of here, but the girl seemed dead set 
on getting them to follow her.  

Scully squeezed Kaya's hand and said, "I'm just going 
to let my friend know where we're at, okay?"

"Okay..."

Keeping hold of Kaya's hand, Scully let her back 
towards the blue-green glow.  "Mulder?"

~*~*~

Relieved to hear his partner's voice, Mulder turned around. 
He was shocked to see Scully rounding the corner holding 
a little girl's hand.  There was no mistaking that this was the 
little girl they'd been called in to find.  Kaya had long black 
hair that hung in two braids and dark almond-shaped eyes.  
She was wearing a hospital gown, no shoes, and had to 
be freezing.

Scully met his gaze as she led Kaya over to meet Mulder.  

"Mulder, I'd like you to meet Kaya.  Kaya, this is Mulder." 

"Hello," Kaya said bowing politely.  She still hung back 
slightly, as if she was afraid to trust him.

"Hi Kaya." Mulder got down on his knees, smiling. "I like 
your braids."

She studied him a moment, then broke into a shy smile, 
walking out from behind Scully to say, "Thank you, I did 
them myself!"

"Well you did a great job," Mulder answered, grinning. He 
glanced up at Scully, who smiled too.  Kaya was one of the 
cutest kids he'd ever met.  Although she seemed mature 
beyond her years, the sparkle in her eye reminded him she 
was just a little girl.

Kaya shivered suddenly, and Mulder frowned.  "You know 
what? All this walking has made me pretty hot."  He stood 
up and took off his now dry coat.  "Kaya would you mind 
keeping track of this for me for a while?" 

"Of course Mr. Mulder," Kaya said politely, smiling again.  
Mulder helped her into the coat, which went all the way 
down to her ankles, but at least she would be warm.  He
zipped it up all the way, and the little girl giggled when it 
covered her mouth and nose. 

"Whoops, too far!" Mulder lowered the zipper.  "That 
better?"

Kaya nodded, her smile broadening.  Mulder stood up, 
and was surprised when she took his hand.  

"Come on," Kaya said, tugging him forward.  "I want to 
show you something."

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Sorry for the delay on this one.  Hope I still have some readers! :)