Title and parts: The Taking (1/5) Author: Jenn Chiprich Email feedback: ipomea@msn.com Category: SRA Rated: R Summary: This story is a definite deviation from the kind that I usually write. This is the first of quite a few parts dealing with a possible future. I hope all enjoy it...let me know, I love to get e-mail. Timespan/Spoilers: The story itself occurs in the future. There may be mention of episodes from all four seasons. Disclaimer: Well, all these fun folks from The X-files (Mulder and Scully) definitely do not belong to me(No matter how much I wish it). They belong to Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox Broadcasting and are used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended and no profit is being made from their use. -------------- The evening air blew across his skin, cooling his body and whipping his hair. The window next to where he paced was open a crack and he could hear the passing traffic on the street below. To an outside observer, he appeared to be a man in a state of half dress: his black tie hung undone, his jacket wrinkled, his hair unkempt. Over the chair nearby hung his winter wear overcoat. As he passed it, the coat slithered down to the ground in a puddle of navy. This didn't stop his pacing. He continued, increasing his pace. Fox Mulder was agitated, on edge, and the wait was only increasing his discomfort. On one of his caged laps, he glanced at his watch: 11:21pm. He released a grunt from between his clenched teeth and continued to march. "Mulder." Assistant Director Walter S. Skinner, ex-marine, stood in the doorway of his office and watched the man under his supervision. When he called, the man spun on his heels and faced him. Skinner removed his glasses from the bridge of his nose and rubbed his eyes. "It's begun, hasn't it." It was a statement not a question. "Yes." "What can we do?" "Survive, that's all that I can think of right now." Skinner watched as Mulder clenched his hands in fists and released them. "Survival. Mulder, it's the only thing you can do, until we know the full extent of their plans. Only when we know it all can we do something about it." "When and where will the taking occur?" "At midnight, at least here in DC..." Fox Mulder barked a laugh, "How hokey, midnight on New Years." "Considering the number of parties for the millenium.. it probably was the best idea that they had that was executable." Mulder gave a curt nod. He reached past Skinner to the chair behind the man, retrieving his coat. He shrugged into it as he passed Skinner. "That leaves us little time." Skinner slammed his office door shut but didn't lock it. What use would it be? Quickening his pace he fell into step next to Fox, matching his stride. Mulder entered the elevator and turned to Skinner as the door slipped shut. "Where will you go?" Walter shrugged. Where would he go? His wife had died three years past; he had no children, no close friends to speak of. He looked over at Mulder. "I don't know... haven't really considered it. You?" Mulder chewed on his lower lip and willed the car to drop faster. "To Scully. She and her mother are at one ofm those dinner-dance parties about fifteen minutes from here. I have no one else to go to. Besides," he added with a grin, "if there ever is a chance that we can do something... I want Scully to be with me. And, I want to know she is safe; the only way I can do that is to be with her." Skinner nodded. "You realize what that means, Mulder, don't you? What is going to have to occur?" "Yes." the doors opened to the lobby of the FBI headquarters and the two men stepped out. "I think I'll go with you, Mulder; I really have no where else to go." Fox held out his hand to shake Skinner's. "You're welcome to come. I wouldn't mind having you around too." Walter smiled. It was something to have a sense of humor in times like these. He had always expected that of Mulder, though, to go out with a joke. "Let's get going then, shall we, Spooky." Mulder groaned. "Yeah, whatever... but please, no Spooky, okay?" ---------- The dance floor was crowded, the heat was sweltering. The people there dissolved into a sea of formal wear: tuxedos and long evening dresses. Dana Scully smiled slightly; she had known that the heat would be unbearable on the floor and had thought ahead. She was wearing a short black dress, one with spagetti straps and matching jacket. Her hair was swept up on her head in what had started out as a French roll, but now consisted more ot tumbling curls. She relaxed her hands on the escort and allowed her gaze to peruse the room, falling, after some time, on her mother. The two women shared a small smile and Dana's date turned her around. She sighed. Brent was a tall man, handsome, intelligent and friendly. But, Dana wanted to be home, watching Dick Clark and the falling apple in New York. She never was one for formality and dinners. She shifted her gaze to the digital clock positioned over the dance floor to see that it was ten til midnight. Ten minutes to go, she thought, and the twentieth century will be no more. She closed her eyes, waiting for the music to stop, so she could go to her mother. There was a slight change in Brent's pace to the song and she heard low voices. She recognized one instantly, almost as quickly as she would recognize her own. "Mulder." she murmured and opened her eyes. "May I cut in?" Fox Mulder tapped Brent on his shoulder and motioned to Scully with his head. Brent allowed a small smile and stepped back from her. "I'll go get us champagne for the countdown, Dana. I'll be right back." Dana nodded her thanks and stepped away from him and into Mulder's outstretched arms. "Hi, partner." Fox Mulder circled the petite woman with his arms and settled her against his body. "Hello, yourself. " Dana drawed in her throaty, what now, Mulder voice. She relaxed in his arms and allowed herself a small laugh. "You swore you weren't going anywhere near a party tonight, Mulder." "You are my party, Scully." his patented half grin lit his face. Then his gaze fell on the guards that lined the room. "They're always there, aren't they." Dana glanced over his arm to the perimeter of the room. She sighed. The guards were always everywhere and had been for the last year. Ever since the bees had been released the year before, eliminating choice sections of the populace. The little insects had been released and sent to prey on humans, only to be retrieved a short time later. The population of the world had dwindled, falling from the six billion it had been before the bees to a little over 1 billion. The United States itself had shrunk to an incredible 20 million. She and most of the other people in the government, the congress and the President excluded, had been innoculated by teams of doctors shortly before the plague was released. Her mother had been too. Her friends, her colleagues, but not her brothers. She sighed and tightened her arms on Mulder. "Yes. Yes they are." Mulder nodded and began to sweep across the floor with her in his arms to the corner of the room where her mother and Skinner were seated. Immediately, with the presense of Skinner, Dana knew something was up. "Oh, God. It's started, hasn't it?" Fox nodded and pulled her over to him as he sat on the chair. Scully stood in front of him, her arms wrapping protectively around her middle. Dana turned after a minute and looked around the room, searching the crowd, keening her ears to hear danger over the din. Brent was nowhere to be found. She looked back at the clock: 11:57. "Midnight?" she asked. Skinner was the one that answered her. "Yes." She turned and looked at her partner. "The taking, then. That is what is going to happen, isn't it? That is what was decided." She rubbed her hands along her bare arms. Fox nodded. He had shared with Scully the basic outline of the plan that he and Skinner had found out. Neither he nor Walter had told everyone of the full plan. Mulder knew that soon he would have to tell her everything; it would be the only way that they could remain alive. But there wasn't time right now; it would have to wait. "Scully, I've got to tell you some things. But there isn't time. Trust me, okay?" he turned to Mrs. Scully. "Maggie? I need you to stick by Walter; don't leave his side." The older woman nodded. "Dana?" she gazed down at him. "I need you to play along; just don't say anything or do anything without following my lead." Scully sighed and nodded. Another glance at the clock revealed that it was 11:59. The disc jockey at the front of the room began the countdown. People stopped dancing and moved as a mass to watch the various televisions. Dana squinted her eyes and searched again for Brent. She felt a breath in her ear and then Mulder whispering into it. "He was working with them, Scully. I thought you knew that. You were considered a prize for a job well done." Her jaw became set, and she turned to him. "A prize, huh." Mulder nodded and sat back down, this time pulling Scully down atop of his lap. She raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. He stretched an arm around her waist and tucked her head under his chin. "I'll be with you, I promise." he whispered. The crowd around them began to count aloud, beginning with ten and working backwards. Dana looked to her mother across the table and caught her eyes, sending strength and love along the line. She caught Skinner's eyes and let him know that she was trusting him with her mother. "I trust you, Mulder." she said, finally returning her gaze to her partner. He grinned and the lights went out. End (1/5) Title and parts: The Taking (2/5) ------- Mad bedlam ensued. The hundred or so people that were in the ballroom dissolved into a state of panic. In the darkness, people were trampled, chairs overturned, tables crushed. Off to the side, the group of four people sat. As the masses passed the table, Mulder pushed his chair into the corner and tightened his arms protectively around his petite partner. She was panicked enough to throw an arm around his neck. He knew that her fear was in being trampled and not in the danger that they were soon to face. Close by, Skinner had pulled Margeret Scully into an embrace and was protecting her from the throng in the same way. Screams filled the air as people were barred from the outside doors by the guards that stood by them. The noise continued to increase in volume until, quite suddenly, gunshots broke out. And then silence. Mulder opened his eyes to see that the lights were back on. He eased his grip on Scully. As he watched, on of the guards moved to the stage and grabbed the microphone. The guard was alien in appearance. He had a high forehead, shimmering black eyes, and the lack of a nose. He held the gun easily in his four fingered hand. In a slightly metallic voice he began, "Ladies and gentlemen, please.... be seated. This is a routine check, a routine census that we need to conduct. Be seated and a member of the Race will be around to you shortly." Fox shook his head, it amazed him even now that these aliens had learned the languages of the world as quickly as they had. He turned his gaze to the Skinner and noted his predicament. The elder man held Maggie in his arms and she was not wasting any energy in the way she was returning the grip. He shared a gaze with her and Maggie returned it was gusto. He knew that the woman could go through hell and he knew that she wouldn't let him down. He shifted Dana on his lap and leaned back in the chair. "Mulder?" He sighed and looked down at the woman in his lap. "Yeah, Scully?" "Care to share, Agent Mulder?" she lifted an eyebrow. He nodded, "There isn't a lot that I can say right now... there isn't time. Basically, the plan is to remove and quarantine the human race. Catalog us, and remove us. Tonight is the start of the plan." "You have already told me that much before, Mulder." she sighed in exasperation. "But why round us up? Why not just kill us? And why are you holding me on your lap?" Mulder grinned, without humor. "I told you you were my party. Seriously, Scully, there is a method to my madness. Just follow my lead." he lifted his eyes to the the approach of one of the Race. "Heads up, peoples, touble at ten o'clock, and Dana, keep your mouth shut and let me do the talking." Dana opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind, but at the last minute, she shut it giving him the benefit of the doubt. She face away from him. Inwardly she shuddered as the Guardian came close to her and Mulder. She had tried to get used to their appearance in the last year since their arrival, but she found that she could not. She had assumed that any contact made would yield a being that was close to mammalian in appearance... she had assumed wrong. Her scientific mind knew that the human body was impossibly frail. It could only exist in a thin sliver of atmospheric conditions; temperature and pressure. It could only survive for a few days without food and only a few hours without water. Any invader that could exploit those conditions outside of human endurance could easily overcome them. These.. things, she thought with distaste, had done just that. The Guardians seemed to all be cut from the same mold. They were all average to over average in height. Their heads were large, but not overly large in proportion to their bodies. The forehead was wide and gray-green in appearance; there was no hair at all. The skin itself reminded her of rough snake skin, scaly. The eyes were large and deep set; they were black, emotionless and lacked eyelids. Also absent was a nose and ears. Auditory responses happened through the thin membrane on the side of their heads, covered in a thin, heavy scale. There was no lips; an observer would often not see their mouths moving when they communicated. They walked on two legs now, but Dana thought that they had moved on fours when in a different gravitational environment- their arms were as long as their legs. On top of everything, Dana had no idea if this was even their true form.. they had been experimenting with human genetic material for some time. They experimented to remove from themselves things that would make them be unacceptable to humans. It wasn't enough, she though, not nearly enough. The Guardian stopped in front of her. "Name." As she opened her mouth, Mulder answered. "Mulder, Fox." "Age." "Thirty-nine." "Profession. " "Federal Agent." he shifted Dana on his lap again. "Martial status?" "Single." he looked down at Scully with a gleam in his eye. "At least, right now I am." The Guardian's eyes swept over Scully's form and then back to Mulder's. "Identification number." "135-43-4856." Fox answered. Another being approached their table with purpose. His uniform was of a different color stating a difference in rank. The alien questioning them turned to Dana. "Name." "Scully, Dana." "Age." "Thirty-five" "Occupation." "Federal Agent." "Martial status?" "Single." she answered, "For now." Mulder added under his breath. Scully gave Mulder a raised eyebrow and a lip twist. "Identification number." "155-67-6467" "Thank you." the exchange ended with a flat tone. The alien moved on to question Skinner as the higher ranked officer came to Mulder and Scully. "Dr. Scully, Dr. Mulder. It is a pleasure to see the both of you. Highly unexpected that you would be here together, though." Mulder shrugged. "Unexpected how? We are partners, friends..." "Fratinization between partners is and was outlawed by your Bureau of Investigation for many years. This display is not without it's inferences." Fox grinned. "Just wanted to welcome in the new millenium with the woman who is closest to me. No harm meant." he tightened his arms around Scully as he felt her stiffen. "I see. Please remain here. Another member of the Race will be here to show you where you are needed to go." The two officers moved away from the table to the next. The group as a whole breathed a sigh of relief. Skinner nodded slightly to Mulder to gain his attention. "We remain here. I'm sure that we both got our points across." Maggie smiled smally and stretched her legs. Scully, in a fit of strength, wrestled herself out of Mulder's arms and stood in front of him. "What was that all about, Mulder? Single, for right now? What is going on? Damn it, Mulder. I thought we got over this keeping secrets from each other two years ago." He looked up at Dana and nodded curtly to the door that was next to them. It led to the balcony outside. He stood and draped her jacket over her shoulders and led her to them with a hand on her back. The Guardian eyed them warily as they approached. "My partner is feeling ill. She needs some fresh air." The being opened the door, noted that they were five stories above the ground. There was no fire escape, no other windows leading to another room; there was just the door and approximately four feet of standing room. He nodded for them to pass and shut the door soundly after they had gone through it. "It won't take them long to see that you and I are out here." she said, rubbing her arms for warmth. He nodded, stepping forward to run his hands up and down her arms to add warmth. "I know. They trust us right now, and I don't want to do anything to endanger that trust. We're going to need it someday. I'll make this short and as sweet as possible, then. Tonight they are going to start shipping us out of here. More than likely they will take us to a military base or reservation type place in the heartland. There they will keep us. A weeding process will occur. They will only keep men and women considered to be within childbearing range. The rest will be eliminated." Dana's mouth fell open. "You're not serious." "Completely, Scully. They are looking to maintain the human race as experimental subjects, labor force. They need our planer's resources, not its caretakers. We are expendable and have been since day one. Skinner and I have earned a little of their trust in the work that we have done in the last year. They will let us live; let us be with who we want." Scully nodded; she understood all of this. She had known that the two of them were appearing to be the friends of the invaders in order to gain their trust. Both she and Mulder had had to kill people that they knew and trusted under the watchful eye of the new regime in order to do it. It was a sacrifice; one that had to be made in order to create a front that was completely trustworthy. "That was why I told you to follow my lead, Scully. They'll let you and I stay together. Just that it will take a little adjusting to our current partnership...." "Meaning..." "Meaning that you and I are going to have to appear ` a breeding couple'." he looked into her eyes to catch the surprise. "A... a breeding..." "A breeding couple, yes. They are going to maintain the human race through closely monitored breeding programs that will maintain the level of populace that they want and need. Ever read `a brave new world', Scully. Ever see the Land that Time Forgot? You and I, as well as perhaps another million or so couples in the United States, are going to be the propagators of the human race in its new era." "But, Mulder... we aren't... we haven't..." "I know that. You know that. But they don't. We have been pretty ambiguous with what our relationship is to us." "But they' ll expect us to..." "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, Dana. Just right now, this is the most likely way that you and I will be able to stay together. We can still plan. And Skinner is going to request that your mother be with him. That way we'll all be together." Scully lowered her head as the door behind them opened. The Guardian in the darker uniform stuck his head outside. End (2/5) Title and parts: The Taking (3/5) ------ 1:00am Jan. 1, 2000 Maggie Scully stood next to her daughter and held her hand. The last hour had seen many changes; not the least of which was a change in their status. Just a scant 60 minutes before, she and the rest of the population of the world were the masters of nature, the top of the food chain; now they were prey. Well, she clarified to herself, maybe not prey, but definitely removed from their lofty position. The two women waited in line, slightly ahead of the pair of men that had become their world. Ahead, people were lifting their arms to show the identification mark that everyone bore now. Maggie lifted her sleeve to look at hers. A slight raised section of skin was visible. As she ran her hand absently over it, her mind travelled back to the day that she received it: No one had known exactly what was in store for them as they had lined up at the social security administration building that morning. One by one they were taken into a room where a doctor would ask them to roll up their sleeves, and under the watchful eye of one of the Guardian's, an implant was placed in their arms. She had received hers only under duress. Dana had accompanied her into the room under the pretense that the slight stroke that she had suffered would be detrimental to the procedure. Her daughter stood peacefully in the corner as the implant was placed and the snip of skin was taken for genetic material. Their way of cataloguing, the skin graft. As they left, Dana held her hand. "It's necessary, Mom, that we follow along with them." In the parking lot, Maggie had thrown off her daughter's hand and turned angrily to her. "Necessary? Where are you drawing the line of necessity? Did you draw it when you shot your coworkers? Did you let them draw it for you when they killed your brothers?" Dana had hung her head, staring at her shoes. When she raised her eyes, there were tears and anger. "It is necessary. All of it. This is greater than us, Mom. Greater than those we care about. I have had to do things, Mom, to gain their trust... only on the inside can Mulder or I or Skinner or anyone do any harm to them. Do you understand? Do you?" "Come on, Mom." Dana tugged on her sleeve and Maggie came back to the present, smiling at her daughter. "Right behind you, dear." Dana Scully shook her head and stepped forward. She could feel Mulder's hand resting in the small of her back. His hand was always there, always guiding her, always marking her. Now, however, it had an added insistance of his thumb rubbing circles into her skin. She looked back over her shoulder and up to catch his eyes. Are you sure about this, Mulder? she asked with hers. Positively, he answered with his hazel orbs. He nudged her ahead as the line moved. Scully turned back to her mother, "Are you all right with this? I mean with Skinner." she whispered. "I'll do what I need to do, Dana." Maggie answered, sqeezing her hand. "He is a nice man. I could do worse." Dana smothered a giggle as she heard Mulder cough a laugh, and the line moved again. They were next in line. "Arm." the Guardian reached out and roughly grabbed her arm, causing Mulder to take a sharp breath. Scully held still as they ran the scanner over her arm, recording her number. "Dr. Scully, you are scheduled to be moved to McDermitt Air Base in Iowa, move ahead." Maggie held out her arm before the alien could ask for it. It looked at her with mild irritation and ran the scanner over her also. "Margaret Scully, you are scheduled to remain here." Maggie closed her mouth and moved ahead next to her daughter. The Guardian had since moved on to scan Mulder whom the two women heard that he was scheduled to go to McDermitt also. Skinner rounded out the trio. Walter walked forward and grasped Maggie's hand. "I want to talk to the First One." The Guardian grunted and waved a hand over toward the gathering of beings in the corner. Skinner moved over toward them with purpose, herding Maggie with him. "What's going on, Mulder?" Scully asked, as he laid a hand on her arm to restrain her from following. "Where is he taking Mom?" Fox settled his mouth into a straight line and slipped an arm around her waist. His suit jacket grazed her arm and the fabric raised gooseflesh. "They scheduled her to remain here." "Well... he is just going to ask if she can go with us. You said that you two were allotted that luxury." Scully narrowed her eyes as she made contact with his, "But that's not it is it? She's over childbearing age, right? They are going to weed her out, aren't they?" Mulder lowered his head, whispering in her ear. "Keep it down, Scully. You know neither Skinner nor I will let that happen if we can help it. God, I mean, I love her like my own mother." "I can't take this anymore, Mulder." she whispered back angrily. "First my brothers, then my friends.. now my mother...I can't sacrifice everything." He looked over her head to see Skinner coming back aglow with righteous anger. Maggie followed behind him almost as an afterthought, but she was smiling. Fox let out a sigh of relief. Both he and Skinner had discussed this on the way to the dance that night; they had discussed that it was a possibility that Maggie would not be granted. She was in menopause; well over the age that was allowed. But Walter had sworn that he would do his best to see that she was sent with them. "She's okay, Scully." Dana looked over at Skinner with a smile of thanks and hugged her mother. Mulder shook Walter's hand. "That was close." "You don't know the half of it, Mulder." the older man shot back, grasping the younger agent's hand. "Move along." Mulder nodded slightly and herded his group toward the next post. His eyes fell on people standing around them. Several were young couples, obviously waiting their turn to be moved on; though, not happily from the look of it. Others were older couples, sitting in the ballroom beyond the checkpoint. Calmly waiting, unaware of what fate awaited them. Still others were people that were a mix of generations as his group was. The occassional weeping came from these people; weeping as their families were ripped apart. He swallowed tightly and laid his hand back on Dana's back. He had the trust of the aliens so that at some point in the future he could exploit it; but in the meantime, he was forced to witness the pain of the human race as those that were not trusted were erased. It was painful, above and beyond any mental pain that he had ever endured. He shut his eyes. Scully twisted to look at him, and laid a hand on his arm. "Necessary sacrifices, Agent Mulder. Remember? I know it hurts. I know you want to do something, anything to stop what is happening. But if you do, you could very well put an end to any plan that might take care of them forever. Stay focused, agent." He opened his eyes and looked at her. She nearly gasped at the outpouring of pain in them. He nodded and slipped his arm back around her waist. "I know. God help me, I know." The group made its way through the doors to the world beyond. End (3/5) Title and parts: The Taking (4/5) ----- The collection of aliens stood in the railyard, looking at the rail cars that had been altered for the purpose. Into them hundreds of people were being pushed, crammed. They all looked the same to them, humans. Their very humanity their weakness. Couples clung to each other, children were pushed and carried, but above all silence permeated the air. Just the footfalls of the condemned. Fox Mulder approached the car with dread. It was a typical freight railcar separated into three equal sections of four feet each. There was a faint lining of hay in the bottom of each section, meant strictly for warmth and not for cushioning. Not that it would offer much warmth; it was close to ten degrees out in the elements now. He could feel Scully shivering next to him, obviously the short coat that she had on was not nearly enough for warmth. Wrapping his arms around her as they moved up the planks to the car, he pressed her for warmth. Maggie was right behind him, sandwiched between his and Skinner's shoulders. He could hear her shorp gasps of horror as they boarded the car, ducking into the lowest section. "My God... they aren't serious. It's just like..." "The holocaust." Mulder finished for her grimly. He pushed slightly ahead of Scully and making his way to the corner. "Just like the worst abomination that mankind exercised on itself, Mrs. Scully." He pulled off his overcoat with some difficulty and laid it down on the boards and pulled Dana over to him. Skinner pushed a few people out of the way gently and led Maggie over to her daughter. Their way was slow because they were bent in half due to height constraints. Mulder was on his knees making a small bed out of his coat. Skinner nodded and removed his also, his broad shoulders hitting the low ceiling above their heads. A person behind them added in agreement. "Yes. Yes. We never thought that it could happen again, did we?" Skinner grunted in reply and looked at Maggie. She was slightly pale in the little light that they had, from shock he thought. Mulder laid down on his side, pressing his back up against the rough boards. Scully eyed him skeptically and shook her head. Fox sighed and reached up for her, "Get used to it, Dana. It's going to be a long, uncomfortable trip." He pulled her down to lay on her side next to him, balling up one of his sleeves to use as a pillow. That accomplished, he gathered her in an embrace and wrapped what remained of his coat around the both of them. Skinner did likewise, laying down in the middle of the floor and placing Maggie next to Dana. "Is this okay, Meg?" Maggie nodded mutely. It had been years since a man had held her in an embrace, especially one like this. It was uncomfortable, but comfortable at the same time. "Are you okay, Mom?" came Dana's muffled question. "Yes." A loud voice was projected into the darkness of the car. "We need to fit ten more people in each level of this car. We will fit one hundred people into each car, move in." Dana gasped as her mother was pushed into her back, effectively pressing her tight against Fox's body. There was little room to breath, let alone move. Mulder looked over the women's heads and caught Walter's eyes. They exchanged a look of uncertainty and then adjusted their arms around the women that they held. Fox tilted his head down to look at Dana. "You okay?" Dana nodded in response, "Warm enough?" "I'm fine, Mulder." He shook his head, "Even now, you're giving me that line." He slipped his hand further down her back and tucked her tight against his chest. "It'll be a long trip, Dana. Let me know now if you are uncomfortable with this." Scully tucked her chin into the muscles of his chest and put her arms inside of his tuxedo jacket. After adjusting herself, she sighed and snuggled. Mulder's arms relaxed a little to allow her movement and when she was settled, he replaced his arms and smiled. He faced the open door of the car, and watched it slide shut with a clang. Then darkness. Guess I fell asleep, he thought when he opened his eyes next and saw daylight through the cracks of the freight car. Around him there were soft murmurs and soft cries, the sounds of a people unhappy. He took a deep breath and inhaled the smell of dusty hay, reminding him of a night spent in a forgotten barn. Mulder's eyes adjusted to the dim interior. Across from him, he could make out Skinner's head, wrapped protectively around Maggie. He could feel Scully adjust herself against his chest and he moved his arm to make it more comfortable for her. She was already awake. "Mulder?" she tilted her head back. "Are you okay?" He mumbled and tried to move his arm to find that all he could feel was pins and needles. His legs had cramps and his back felt like someone was sticking him with a red hot poker. "I'll live." he said as she lifted herself a little and let him lay on his back. When he laid down, she whispered an apology and stretched out over his body. "There is no room, sorry, Mulder." He nodded and wrapped his arms around her again. They were silent for a time and all that either of them heard was the clacking of the rail car on the tracks. She shimmied up a little and leaned her head close to his. "What's next, agent?" Mulder sighed and adjusted himself. "We arrive in Iowa and get aquainted with our new quarters. I know what is in store for the long term.. say two, three years from now...but immediately...your guess is as good as mine. All I know is that although you and I are considered loyal, we are still humans and will be treated as such." "Meaning." "Meaning that you and I are going to be confined to that base. We are going to be given jobs that are considered nessesary. However, because of our current state and your backround in medicine as well as being part of the original research project with the Race, I think that they will be using us for continuing that research. And..." he shifted, hugging her closer, "we'll use that research to our advantage. Find out as much as we can about these fuckers and then use it." Dana nodded, turning her head to look at her mother, sleeping peacefully in her boss' arms. "Did you bring the codes?" "Yeah, got them right here." he pointed to his head and Dana smiled. It was great to work with someone with a photographic memory. "So we can get in touch with Byers, and Colton, anytime?" "No..." some of her hair had fallen into his mouth and he blew it out. " In case of the taking we were to wait three months and gather information and then try and start the network. That way, they think we have succombed and may stop think of us as a threat." "Kim is with Colton, you know." she said. "And I think Langley was going to stay in touch with Kim, so we can get to them. And...." Fox grinned and pulled her down into a tight embrace. "You were holding out on me as much as I was you... who else is with who?" "Well... Byers wife is with him. Langley, I think, teamed up with that computer programmer from the Violent Crime division. That's all I know... you on the other hand, have known more than you've been letting on." He sighed, "Just that I know that this is probably going to be the easiest part of the next year or so." Maggie shifted next to them and the whispered conversation ceased. Fox fell into a light snooze to be awakened later by a shivering Dana. He tucked his head into his chest to look at her, she was in a tight ball on his chest and turned on his side and then put her under him, wrapping the coat on both sides of her. He tried to evenly distribute his weight so that she wouldn't be crushed and brushed her hair out of her eyes. Gently, so as to not awake her, he kissed her forehead. "Sleep, Dana." Maggie watched Mulder with her daughter and smiled. He was so tender and sweet with her when he could get away with it, which wasn't often. She laid her hand on Walter's arm that was wrapped around her waist and snuggled. End(4/ 5) Title and parts: The Taking (5/5) ------- 6:00 am January 3 The doors swung open with little warning. There were grunts and protests as people tried to get their eyes to adjust to the sudden light. Lined in the door were guards, their guns drawn. Mulder grunted himself and wrapped his arms protectively around Dana and let his hands be gripped by Maggie. Skinner cursed lightly and shifted. "You have arrived at your scheduled destination. You will disembark. Follow the people in front of you, no talking, no swift moves." the voice boomed through the confines of the car. "Water is provided. One ladle per person." People ahead of them began to move. Fox held back, his body resting against the wood. Soon, most of the car was empty and he moved to get out. It took him some time to get his lanky frame out of the position that he had been in for more than a day. When he alighted to the ground, Dana was waiting for him. A line of people stretched in front of them in the cold confines of the station. He moaned as he felt feeling coming back in his extremines. Ahead of them there were occassional gasps and anguished cries, but beyond that, nothing. As the door loomed in front of them, Mulder pushed ahead of Dana and placed her behind his back. He didn't want her to know what he thought was coming. As he watched the person in front of him suffer through the indignity of the search that they were conducting. When the person moved ahead, he stepped into the room. They turned him to face Scully and began to cut clothes off of him. Dana's mouth fell open as she kept eye contact with him. She shuddered with the pain that was in his eyes. Soon he was devoid of all his clothes and they began a full body search on him. She could she his body quaking with pain when they probed and prodded areas that were sensitive. Within moments he was finished and the alien motioned for her to step forward. Dana knew better than to hesitate. The cutter that they used didn't cut her skin, just grazed it. Scully closed her eyes and willed herself to stay still. Cold gusts moved across her body in its nakedness and she shivered. They turned her around and began to prod. The coldness of the probe as it entered her nether regions had her gasping in outrage and shock. A grunt from the alien was all she received that allowed her to move on. She remained stoic as her mother was violated in the same way. She couldn't watch; didn't want to see her mother's humiliation. It would be worse than her own. Mulder stood in front of her trying to catch her eyes, not letting his gaze drop below. She couldn't make contact with him, not yet... the pain and disgrace was too close to the surface. She felt her mother's hand grip hers and squeezed it. Silently, they waited for the next humiliation. Fox tried to get Dana's attention. He knew that the probe was more personal in a woman's case; he knew that she would be furious at the removal of control over what happened to her body. Still, he wanted to let her know that he was there.... a sudden prodding from his hip made him realize that he was suppose to move forward. A small container was held out to him, he looked at it and in it. A littering of personal effects; a wedding ring, a watch, someone's gold chain. "Take off jewelery or any other effects and place in the basket." the alien holding the container showed no emotion. Mulder eyed his father's watch on his wrist...it was the only thing that he had of his father's. Slowly he took it off and dropped it in. Scully reached behind her neck to loosen the chain of her cross and eased it off her neck. Fox grimaced as she laid it carefully in the bottom of the basket. It meant as much to him as to her...a symbol of hope and trust. Neither adult turned to watch Maggie as she pulled her necklace off that held her cross and her wedding band. Neither had the strength to watch the strong emotions moving across he face. Skinner, likewise, removed his wedding band. It was neither uncomfortable or comfortable to be naked....it was the least of their worries. No one noticed, or at least, let it be known that they noticed. In fact, Fox only realized the compromising situation when a blast of cold air swept across his skin. He shivered and moved on. The next station had aquired a waiting line. Mulder looked back over the women's heads to Skinner who returned the gaze with a stiff nod. This was where trust and friendship would become an issue. Fox moved forward to the table when waved and stood slightly off the left side. Scully hung back, not knowing what to expect. Mulder, however, did. He knew lots of things. One being that this particular race of beings was a male dominated one and they looked to the men of earth to be the same. He didn't have the heart to break it to them. He also knew, as sure as the sun rises in the morning, that in fifteen minutes time, Dana Scully would not be talking to him. "Name. Age. Mating partner." Fox blinked. He had known that it would be blunt. Tilting his head to the side, he saw the room filled with people that had not mentioned that they had a mating partner. There these people would wait until one was provided for them. He, Scully, Maggie and Skinner could not and would not end up there. Mulder centered his eyes on the inquisitor and answered steadily. "Fox Mulder. 39. Dana Scully." Behind him, he heard Dana's sharp intake of breath and the gasp from Maggie behind her. Scully stepped forward to pin him with her gaze. Mulder had told her that this was the purpose of the zoo like conditions to which they were exposed; she knew that to stay together, they would have to subsribe to the idea. It was all as clear as glass to her, but still, to hear Mulder refer to her as a breeding partner was a shock. Dana stepped closer to him and reached for his hand. "Dana Scully. 35. Fox Mulder." she answered with as much certainty as Fox had earlier. His hand tightened in hers and the first hurdle was cleared. End (5/5)