Redemption (21/26) by GeorgeHale Rating: R Feedback: Classification: Colonization/Mythology/MSR/William, post I.W.T.B. Canon. Spoilers: Left, right, & center. This is best served if you REALLY know your X-Files. Disclaimer: I wish I made this. This has been my catharsis, five years in the making. Maybe it can be one for you, too. Warning: Violence, Gratuitous employment of the 'Our little sailor' clause (swearing,) Fluff with two 'f's, Cheesy dialogue, Friendly Ghosts, Melodramatics, Plot devices, Fiji Mermen (no, not really,) Angst, Blasphemy, Dehydration via crying, Scientific Whammies, Plams, Lots & Lots & Lots of...Bees, Magical Growing Scully Cross Chain, Red Herrings. It's going to get strange and ugly before the end. ------------------------------------------------------------------ XXI ------------------------------------------------------------------ "But for all our knowledge, what no one can say for certain, is what or who ignited that original spark. Is there a plan, a purpose or a reason to our existence? Will we pass, as those before us, into oblivion, into the sixth extinction that scientists warn is already in progress? Or will the mystery be revealed through a sign, a symbol, a revelation?" - Dana Scully, Biogenesis ------------------------------------------------------------------ SOUTHBOUND ON I-55 Outside of Jackson, Mississippi March 4th, 2013 7:32 a.m. "When did that happen?" Scully was cleaning the area around Skinner's chest tube while everyone else was taking a break to stretch. "When did what happen?" "The ring beside your cross." Adding Mulder's ring to the chain that held her cross had seemed like a practical solution to keeping the symbol safe and near her heart. "About a week ago, while we were still in Virginia." "That's a hell of a rock." Skinner closed his eyes and tried to relax back against the pillow he was propped on. "I'm happy for you two...about time. Why didn't you-" "It would be cruel to flaunt it," Scully supplied before he could finish. "We know we've been incredibly lucky." Skinner cocked one suspicious eye open before pausing to cough. "You make it sound more like a formality than...a cause for celebration." "It is," Scully said once she finished and began wiping her hands with sanitizer. She smiled. "There isn't a word for what Mulder and I have. A ring doesn't change it, but...it's nice." "How long has it been now?" Scully thought for a moment before responding. "Almost two decades." She chuckled when Skinner opened up his other eye in surprise. "Well," she clarified, "since we met." Skinner blushed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry." "Almost thirteen years," she told Skinner. "I never heard who won the pool." Skinner regretted asking. "Wasn't me." Part of Scully knew Skinner regretted more than losing the betting pool their FBI colleagues had formed regarding the status of her and Mulder's relationship, but she was at a loss for words. "I'm sorry," she told him. "I'm going to go check on the kids." ------------------------------------------------------------------ "In Mulder we trust." "We do?" Mulder came up upon the Lone Gunmen standing near the headlights. Langly was smoking a cigarette. "I heard that guy's a self-absorbed, narcissistic asshole. Really, Langly? Just breathe the air." Frohike stole the cigarette from his friend and took a long drag. "Mulder is a selfish asshole, but it's better than thinking there's nothing left," he said. "Anywhere," Byers added. Langly shrugged. "If there's no hope for survival, what's left? Game over, man." There were silent a moment, watching the smoke arc through the air. "Where are you taking us, Mulder?" Byers asked. Mulder briefly looked down at his destroyed boots and thought of another life he used to lead in Armani tailored suits and Oxfords before he looked out at the endless grey fog surrounding them. "If I told you, it would ruin the surprise." ------------------------------------------------------------------ From what little they could see beyond the road, the destruction was becoming more complete as they traveled south. They had lost a tire coming out of Memphis and the spare was leaking. They had been taking turns inflating it every hour, but knew it couldn't last long. They would have to stop soon and try to patch it or find another tire or vehicle. They were dipping dangerously into their food and fuel reserves as they approached New Orleans when night fell. "We shouldn't risk it," Scully said. "Not in the dark." "It's dangerous out here, too," Kryder replied. "We're going to lose that tire overnight," Frohike supplied. "We don't want to be stranded out here when it happens." "He's right," Skinner affirmed. "I say we push on," Mulder said. "We're almost out of road, anyway. We can look for someplace safe to hole up and go scavenging." No one argued. They simply slid back into silence as Byers drove them on. ------------------------------------------------------------------ DOUBLE TIME CAR WASH AND QUICK LUBE LaPlace, Louisiana March 4th, 2013 5:21 p.m. They had stopped sooner rather than later, having found a mostly intact gas station near the ruins of a retail area. It was cold enough to warrant a fire, so they blacked out the windows and doors and burnt some wooden pallets they found in a barrel to try and heat the garage. The Gunmen had the problem tire off the van and were attempting to search for leaks, albeit unsuccessfully, in the dark. Scully and Kryder brought the barrel closer to the back of the open van so that Skinner could stay warm. Scully had argued that the children would be too cold if they didn't risk a fire, but Skinner had started coughing hard earlier in the day and she was more worried pneumonia was setting in. Mulder took William along to ransack the small office attached to the garage. The boy hadn't been speaking much and Mulder worried about everything he'd witnessed in the last week. *'I'm fine, Dad.'* "Don't think you need to tell me what you think I want to hear," Mulder said out loud as he sifted through an open desk with his flashlight. 'You've seen things no one should see.' "We can play some Battleship later, if you want." William shrugged. "Have you had any more dreams lately?" Mulder asked. "Albert says we have to go south, that this is the Sixth Extinction. There's a pyramid-type..." "The three stepped pyramids, yeah, I've seen them." "Do you know where they are?" William asked. "I have a hunch, but I bet you can see them better than I can." Mulder found a pen and paper and laid them on the desk with his flashlight. "Can you draw them? Then I'll know." William stuttered over the word he was drawing from Mulder's thoughts. "Teo tihuacan?" "Draw," Mulder told him, "and stop picking at my brain. What do we need to do when we get there?" "I don't know," William told him honestly, climbing up on the desk. "Albert said we have to ask the Elders for assistance. I saw him praying over you in some kind of ceremony." "It was called the Blessingway. It's a rite the Navajo use to ask for positive blessings. I was pretty close to death a few too many times and I began to see the dead. I've been able to see them ever since, when they want me to." William put the pen down at looked at Mulder. He thought about asking the man if he had seen his family and immediately wished he hadn't thought of it as unbidden images flooded his brain. "Adam Van de Kamp helped me find your farm. He helped me find you." William's eyes shot up and Mulder felt the boy probing his memories. It was uncomfortable, almost painful. "He didn't say anything, Will. He just pointed the way for me." Mulder could feel William's grief, his unspoken questions. He stopped cold before he returned William's gaze, unsure if the boy was listening. "You think he would have been disappointed in you?" The boy looked away. Mulder moved to where William was sitting on the desk and gripped his hand before he crouched down beside him, sighing. "Look, Will...you probably won't ever understand this until you have a kid of your own someday, but...it doesn't work that way. At least, it doesn't to me. He loved you. He loves you still. You were his son." Mulder could see he was still not getting through to the boy, so he continued. "Will, I never thought I could love someone as much as I love your mother, but the first time she placed you wrapped and squirming in my arms...I was overcome by this love so strong for you both I...I can't really describe it." Will wiped furiously at a few tears that stained his cheek as he felt the wave of emotions rolling off the man mix with his own. Mulder was looking at him with such compassion that he couldn't help himself. Now the man was telling him what he wanted to hear. "You know he's not here for me to ask him, but I think he'd be proud of you. You're strong, you're smart, clever...and you've got extraordinary gifts. You looked after Scully for me, and you watch over Rachel, I see it. He'd be proud of you for all the same reasons I am. He wouldn't be disappointed in you." Scully's blue eyes stared back at him uncomprehending, so many of his own personal demons reflected in them. Unthinking, Mulder wrapped his arms around the boy and hugged him tight. Will was tense for a moment, but then relaxed against him as Mulder whispered in his ear. "You've got to let it go, Will, all this guilt you carry. You can't let it eat at you." The irony of his words wasn't lost on him. "Don't wind up like your old man." After a few moments, he released his grip on the boy and looked at him directly. He brushed his finger below Will's eye to wipe away a few remaining tears. 'Are you going to be able to sleep?' William shook his head. "Yeah, me neither," Mulder admitted. "C'mon, we'll sit up together. Maybe you can finish your drawing." ------------------------------------------------------------------ *William was mad he had drifted off. Albert was crouched down beside him, shaking his shoulder gently. "It's the one you feed, Ma-e-yáázh." he told William. William sat up. Mulder had been here with him in the garage. Now he was alone again with the elderly man and it unnerved him. "Albert? What are you talking about?" he asked. "There are two wolves within each of us," Albert continued. "One is false pride, arrogance, evil things that wear us down in life. He is filled with helpless anger and negative thoughts. The other stands for things that are good - truth, compassion, hope, feeling for others. These wolves fight within for dominance and determine the type of person we are. The one that wins is the one you feed, Ma-e-yáázh. The Earth has a secret it needs to tell. If you are too busy listening within, you will not be able to listen without." Albert removed his hand from the boy's shoulder and placed it on his head. William felt himself falling back asleep.* ------------------------------------------------------------------ "Hey Ishmael, it's almost morning, wake up." Mulder gently nudged William where he was sleeping against Mulder's arm. Will stirred slowly, blinking his eyes. He was embarrassed to realize he had drooled a bit on Mulder. Mulder grinned. "Don't worry, your mother does that to me all the time." If Will wasn't mortified before, he was now as he quickly looked down to hide the blush lighting his cheeks. Curiosity quickly took over once he realized the sheet of paper below his palm had crumpled in his hand during the night. Unwrapping it, he saw that it was finished though he had not completed it while he was sitting up with Mulder in the night. Mulder breathed quickly once he saw the elaborate sketch William had not finished himself. "How?" he asked, shocked. "Albert was here with me, but he talked about wolves, not this." Mulder took the sketch and illuminated it. His eyes widened in surprise as he examined it. "Incredible. The other sketches of yours I had found in your room...did you always do them like this, when you were asleep?" "Sometimes," William admitted. "I didn't always remember doing them. I'd just get a feeling sometimes and start drawing." "What did Albert tell you?" "He says the Earth has a secret to tell." ------------------------------------------------------------------ Morning came uneventfully with another inch of grey snow. Scully, Kryder, and Rachel stayed behind at the garage with Skinner while the others scouted the surrounding area for supplies. The Gunmen, Mulder, and Will moved slowly down the street west from their location, searching for any buildings that might have usable equipment or consumables. Fog kept their visibility to a minimum so they did not recognize the supersized shopping center until there were directly upon what was left of it. Stretching deep into a cloud before them, the crumbling building seemed to be leaning toward them. The men stopped at the edge of the parking lot when they spotted the bodies among the debris closer to them. Mulder put a hand on William's shoulder. *'Stay with me and keep an eye out for anything.'* Frohike finally swallowed and broke the silence. "We might be able to find our tire here. Gas, too." "The building looks too dangerous to go inside," Byers commented. "Let's check the cars?" Langly suggested. Mulder gestured for Frohike to join him and William. "Watch for the Oil. It could be anywhere and hard to spot." Frohike moved toward a large van and had his tape measure out of his pocket to gauge the tire. Mulder moved around the outside, flashing his light through the windows. Maybe they'd get lucky and find some goods someone looted before whatever killed these people struck. Not seeing anything inside, he looked off into the distance to see if he could see any more intact buildings. It looked like a massive fire had devastated most of the area at some point post-Colonization. Still, they'd need to find food and more water soon, somewhere. Underscoring the thought, he heard William's stomach growl behind him. Wordlessly, Mulder dug into his pocket and held his protein bar out to the boy behind him. When William didn't reach for it, Mulder turned to him. "I know you're hungry...take it." Stubbornness flashed across the boy's features before Mulder tilted his head at him and smiled affectionately. He'd never grow tired of noticing these small moments where Will reminded him of himself or his mother. "Have it. I'm fine, really. It's not much anyway, but maybe we'll find more here." Sighing, Will took the small bar and unwrapped it as Mulder continued looking around before turning his attention to Frohike. "What do you say, Toto?" "Not the best, but it'll do." The older man was pulling a jack and some tools from the bag he had brought along. He handed Mulder a tire iron. "Heave ho, Tinman." Mulder chuckled as he kneeled to loosen the tire's lugs. Savoring three bites of Greek yogurt and nuts, William wondered who the Wizard was. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Byers was consulting his map to help them keep from getting lost in the fog. Langly rolled the tire in front of them as they walked down the deserted road. They had located a few hidden bags of groceries that would hold them over for a few days and Frohike had been grateful to add a few meager supplies to his stash before they had left the parking lot. They couldn't see it yet, but before them the Mississippi roared. They moved slowly over a guardrail and down an embankment until they neared the shore. It was hard to see where it began as the edge of the river was beginning to freeze among drifts of debris and the massed chunks of whatever particulate had been raining from the sky. Frohike whistled long and low. "This is not happening." Mulder frowned as flotsam washed past and out to sea. The water was black. There would be no fish, and there was no life. Taking a free bottle from his pack, Mulder filled it and capped it. He knew it was a remote possibility, but hoped they might be able to treat it. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Scully found Kryder praying in a corner of the garage. She turned to give him privacy, but paused and turned back, kneeling slowly to join him instead. Her hands moved to the cross poised above her heart and she asked silently for a clean slate. She had not thought that Kevin realized she was there beside him, but he paused and smiled at her before turning back. His smile hadn't changed much since she met him as a boy, no older than William was now. Time passed in minutes that felt like hours before Scully opened her eyes again. Beside her, Kryder looked solemnly at the bloodied rags that covered his hands. Scully was not sure what emotion passed behind his stoic demeanor, whether it was a sort of reverence or more of a grimace. "What is it? What do you see, Kevin?" "Pain," he said. "So much lost...How can we ever go back?" Behind them, Mulder and the others came in quietly. "Honey, I'm home," he called. "Did you bring the milk?" Skinner asked hidden in the van, his voice laden with sarcasm. The group converged near the fire. "Only the powdered variety, but we didn't come back empty-handed, either." "Did you see anything?" Scully asked, accepting Mulder's bag. "Nothing living," Mulder answered. "Just...lots of damage. We're going to have to go back out." Putting down his backpack, Mulder pulled the bottle of river water he had stored and held it in front of the fire before he passed it to Scully. "I have a feeling whatever's swimming around in this isn't safe to drink, even if we boil the hell out of it." Scully frowned as she examined the bottle for herself. "We could try it, but I don't think that's a risk we should take unless it's our last resort." ------------------------------------------------------------------ New Orleans, Louisiana March 6th, 2013 2:10 p.m. The engine was smoking slowly, but Langly drove them on while Byers rode shotgun. The blessed plastic Virgin slowly did the hula about her spring perch. Mulder stretched behind the passenger seat before he extended his hand. "Head south toward the marinas. If we're lucky, we'll find a small patrol. Let me see your atlas, Byers." "You don't know the first thing about running a boat that size, Mulder." Scully zipped up her jacket and crossed her arms beside him. "Don't you?" he asked. Scully leveled him with a look. He knew better. "You know what happened the last time we took out a boat that size." "Wait. You mean when we went on our cruise, the Ardent, the Queen Anne, or the time I found Big Blue?" Scully's eyebrows lifted as she was ready to tell him to listen to himself, though she remained silent, waiting. "The Patricia Rae? That was over ten years ago," Mulder countered. "You found an alligator, Mulder. Besides, what's that got to do with it? You still can't drive a boat." Mulder stopped, not having prepared for Scully to say that. He directed his mock-pain at her, but only for a brief moment before he shook his head and locked his narrowing eyes with hers. "Yeah, well neither can you." Next to Scully, Skinner interrupted their wordplay unceremoniously with a groan. "Assuming I make it onto the damn boat, I'll drive the damn thing. Would you two just stop?"