Title : Fides Procuro IV : The truth points to itself.
Author : Kelly Moreland
Archive : Sure! Just let me know where
Spoilers : None really, but I would suggest reading the other
parts first.
Rating : R for disturbing images.
Category : MSR, M/S/other friendship, a little bit of
everything..
Summary : Colonization/Apocalyptic hell
Feedback : k_a_moreland@hotmail.com
Disclaimer : In the big inning, CC created M & S, and the fans
saw that it was good. Then CC proclaimed 'Let them have any fun,
and I will sue you!' And the fans saw that this was bad, and did
it anyway! ;-)
Authors note : This picks up where Fides Procuro III ends. 
This is the end of Fides Procuro.

Fides Procuro IV : The truth points to itself.

by Kelly Moreland


"One strand of DNA is all you need to clone." Mulder said, on the
way back to the dock.
"Yes, if you have the facility to do it in. Which, if I'm not
mistaken is impossible any more." Hunt pointed out.
"Why?" Mulder said, glancing over Scully's head, to the Hunt who
walked on the other side of her.
"Oh, how about lack of electricity?"
"We have no way of knowing if that is worldwide."
"I think you are giving these people too much credit." Hunt shook his
head.
"I know these people." Mulder replied grimly. "You aren't giving them
enough credit."
"You make them sound invincible."
"In a lot of ways, they are."
Hunt stopped in his tracks.
"It would take years to perfect the process you're talking about.
Taking a patched together strand of human DNA, with gene sequence
gaps filled in with god only knows what, and cloning a person out
of it? It's ludicrous."
"But is it possible?" Mulder was a step ahead of where Hunt
stopped, and had turned back to face him.
"In theory, yes. In reality, it's highly unlikely. And most of
all, why?"
"I'm still working on that." He muttered, looking back up the
street they had just come down.
Scully recognized the concerned look on his face, and turned as
well.
"Where's Kari?" she asked, scanning the empty street behind them.
"I don't know. She was here a few minutes ago." Hunt answered.
They back tracked up the street, just in time to see her step
from inside one of the shops.
"Hey," Mulder called out. "Thought we'd lost you."
"Just had to pick up something." She said, catching up to
them. Mulder noticed she carried nothing in her hands.
They tabled their discussion for the rest of the walk back to the
dock. It wasn't getting them anywhere.

"I know something that might save us a lot of time getting to
Baltimore." Scully said later that evening. She had finally
gotten fed up with Mulder and Hunt arguing about the
possibilities versus the probabilities of DNA, and threatened to
glue their lips shut. It worked like a charm. They quickly found
other topics of conversation.
"If we are extremely lucky, we can cut through the Chesapeake
Delaware canal. Depending on how the locks are open. It's a big
if, but I think we should check it out."
"How much time would it save?" Mulder asked.
"Two days."
"We definitely need to check it out then."
"I agree." Hunt nodded.
"I'm sorry." Scully smiled wryly. "Did you two just agree on
something for the first time all day?"
"Oh ha ha." Hunt grinned.
"C'mon Scully, we were just.."
"Don't start again." she warned. He got the hint.
"Is it just me, or does Kari keep disappearing today?" Mulder
asked, noticing she was gone yet again.
"She's upset about something. She hasn't been talking much since
we came back from the lab. I think she feels overwhelmed by the
implications of all this." Scully replied.
"She's up on deck. I saw her when she left."
"I'll be right back." Mulder got up from his seat, and went up
the ladder.
At first he didn't see her, and thought she had left the boat. He
finally spotted her seated on the pulpit of the bow. He walked
over, and without waiting for an invitation, sat down in front of
her.
"What's up?" He asked pointedly.
"Nothing much. What's up with you?"
"Glad you asked! I'm wondering why you are so quiet tonight, why
you are keeping yourself separate from the rest of us. What's up
with that?"
"I just don't feel well."
"Then Scully needs to know about it."
"I'm not sick Mulder. I'm soul weary, ok?" She picked up a bottle
that was cradled in her folded legs, and took a long drink from
it.
Mulder wasn't surprised really, god knew he'd done the same thing
himself a few times.
He held his hand out for the bottle, and she handed it to him. He
read the label.
"Yukon Jack." he whistled softly. "Stout stuff."
"Yep." she mumbled.
He took a long drink from the bottle, grimaced, and handed it
back to her.
"I never really cared for Canadian whiskey."
"It's the only hard liquor I'll drink." she shrugged.
"So, what happened today, that has you drinking the hard stuff?"
She didn't answer.
"You have to talk to me, or I'm going to bug you all night. And I
had nice plans for the evening. This wasn't part of them."
She was still silent.
"Was it the lab?"
"Mulder, it was everything. For the past month, I've seen death
everyday. I've even smelled it in my sleep. I'm tired. I feel
like I've seen too much, I feel used up and exhausted. How do you
do it? How do you turn a blind eye to all this, and keep charging
ahead?"
"What makes you think I turn a blind eye? I've seen most of the
same things you have. It bothers me too. Sometimes, I think we
are done for. We are wiped out. Whether by accident or intent,
we, as a species are finished. But as long as any of us are
alive, we aren't finished." she looked at him, still saying
nothing.
"I can't believe that you've come this far, and are wimping out
now. You and I started this pretty much together, I expect you to
be there when it's over."
"One good shot of liquor, and you get loose lipped as hell." she
grinned for the first time since he came out.
"I hardly ever drink, what do you expect?" he shrugged.
"I expect you two to share." Came Scullys voice from behind him.
Kari held up the bottle wordlessly. Scully sat down, and drank.
Afterward, she cleared her throat hard.
"Is that whiskey, or Drano?" she asked.
"Both I think." Mulder answered.
"What's going on out here?"
"We are discussing strength, endurance, the will to carry on.."
"Mulder's waxing poetic about life. Run. Run far."
Mulder gave Kari his best hurt look, but she just grinned at him.
"I'm immune to that." she replied to his woeful stare.
"Scully, help me. I'm striking out bad tonight."
"Nu-uh. Don't look to me for help." she chuckled.
"Seriously, what's wrong Kari?"
"I'm just tired, of all the things I've seen, you know. It all
just got to me today. Everything. Mulder was giving me his
version of a pep talk. Just about made me put a gun barrel in my
mouth." she shook her head sadly, the gesture making all of them
smile.
"Now I'm offended. Really offended." Mulder griped.
"Oh, cry me a river." Kari shot back.
"OK, I take it back. You two are fine. I'm going to bed,
goodnight." Scully said, getting to her feet.
"Hang on Scully." he called, standing up as well, but turning
back to Kari.
"We need you. Don't bail on us now, ok?" his voice was low in the
darkness.
"OK." she answered simply.
He ruffled the top of her head slightly, and followed Scully into
the cabin.
"I can't believe he actually did that." she muttered to herself, 
smoothing her hair


Luck was on their side, and they were able to use the canal,
arriving in Baltimore in two days, rather than in four.
As they sailed under Francis Scott Key bridge, none of them
noticed the lone figure watching from above.

Mulder had pawed through the phone book, coming up with only one
possible listing for Genetic research. The Maryland Institute of
Science. Coincidentally, it was only two blocks away.
The facility was intact, but after hours of searching, they had
found nothing of use. File after file landed on the floor, as it
was read and then discarded.
"Nothing." Mulder cursed.
"Maybe this isn't what we are supposed to find here." Kari said,
rubbing her strained eyes.
"Hold on Mulder. All of their genetic research is based on plant
DNA, not human or animal DNA." Hunt was still leafing through a
folder. "But they've had tremendous breakthroughs with
Nucleotides." he said with open admiration.
"English, Hunt, English." Kari cracked. Hunt looked up at her and
smiled broadly.
"Nucleotides exist in all bacteria cells and in the cells of
higher plants, humans and other animals. As well as fungi,
protozoa and algae."
"OK, that means what?" Kari asked.
"Nucleotides are thirty proteins that may be utilized in the
process of repairing human cells.  There are two major types of
repair that they can be used for. Base excision repair, which
removes simple base damage like methylated or oxidize bases and
Mismatch repair, which removes incorrectly paired bases."
"Son of a bitch." Mulder swore softly.
"Nucleotides can, in theory, be used to repair DNA strands."
Scully said, watching her partner start to pace.
"In theory." Hunt agreed.
"In reality, I'm afraid." Mulder said, his hands on his hips. He
had stopped pacing, and stood in the middle of the room.
"Let's go. We have to get to Atlanta." He said abruptly.
"It's the last piece of the puzzle."
"That's a long-assed trip, buddy." Hunt laughed.
"How long will it take us Scully?"
"To sail there? A week, if we are lucky. It's hard to say
Mulder."
"Then we need to get moving, we need to go." he seemed full of
nervous energy. Everyone picked up on it, and they were out the
door heading back to the dock.
"Mulder, what do you think we will find in Atlanta?" Kari asked
him quietly.
"I hope I'm wrong, but from everything we found, they may have
very well created a life, out of all of the names on that paper."
"You're saying they combined the DNA of over five hundred people to
make.. a child?"
Up until then, Mulder had only thought in the sense of person, or
a series of cells. Now that Kari used the word child, a new sense
of urgency set in him. Was it a child?
He was in front as they approached the dock and as he started up
the gangplank, he heard a low steady clapping sound. He looked
up. Standing on top of the cabin, was Krycek.
"Bravo Mulder." Krycek laughed. "And it only took you.. forever."
he mocked.
"Krycek, I'd say good to see you, but it isn't."
Behind him, Scully had drawn her Sig. She didn't trust Krycek
anymore than Mulder did. She wasn't taking any chances.
Krycek look pointedly at Kari.
"Hi sweetheart. Miss me?"
"No, but I haven't started firing yet." She smiled back bitterly.
"Tsk, tsk. I liked you better when you were on your knees shaking
in fear." He winked at her smugly. It made Kari's skin crawl.
"I'd like you better flattened under a tank, but we seldom get
what we want."
"I come here to aid your quest, Mulder, and you little friend
threatens me."
"Say what you have to say." Mulder stepped slowly onto the deck
of the boat. He knew Scully had drawn her gun, and now kept it
out of sight behind her thigh. Now, if she needed. She had a
clear shot.
"Tell me what you've found out, and I'll tell you how far off
base you are." Krycek still had that same smug smile on his face.
"You don't know?" Mulder smiled back at him. "And here I thought
you omnipotent."
"That's impotent, not omnipotent, Mulder." Kari corrected.
"I always get those mixed up, don't I?" He nodded.
Scully was starting to get worried. Between Kari and Mulder, they
were really pushing the chances of getting any useful information
out of him. The muscle in his cheek started jumping, and his
teeth were clenched.
She cut a sharp look at Kari, and Kari looked down at the
pavement, message received.
"Spend a night with me, I'll show you how impotent I am." Krycek
taunted her.
Kari's chin came back up. "I'd rather masturbate with a cheese
grater."
Krycek jumped down off the top of the cabin, onto the deck.
Mulder took a step to block the gangplank. Kari drew her gun from
the back waistband of her jeans, all in the same instant.
Hunt stood tense and watchful. He didn't know this man, but he
already disliked him.
"What did you come here to say?" Mulder said, distracting Krycek
from Kari.
"Just a trivia question for you, really."
"I love trivia. Ask away."
"What Federal Organization has a building with it's own back up
power supply, and protection against EMP?"
"Something tells me it's not the SETI project. How about the
CDC?" Mulder answered.
"Give that man a prize." Krycek answered dryly.
"What will we find there?" Scully asked.
"Go see." Krycek replied, brushing past Mulder and strolling down
the gangplank.
Kari still kept the sights of her gun on him. He walked straight
to her, and stopped less than a foot away.
"Oh put it up." He sneered at the gun in her hand. "You don't
have the nerve." She lowered the weapon, and stared into his
eyes.
"I promised you last time, that one of us wouldn't walk away."
She said softly.
"I know. It was so cute, and defiant of you--" Kryceks words were
choked off, when she pulled the trigger.

"Kari!" Mulder yelled, jumping straight over the rail to the dock
below. He yanked the gun from her hand, and looked at Krycek. He
was doubled at the waist, holding his foot.
"That fucking bitch shot me in the foot!" He yelled at the top of
his lungs.
"Uh, yeah. We kinda noticed that." Hunt replied casually.
Scully sighed deeply. "I'll get the first aid kit."
Mulder dug his fingers hard into Kari's shoulder, and pushed her
onto the boat. She didn't look up at him, until he whispered her
name.
"Kari?" she glanced up shyly, thinking to herself he's seriously
pissed, only to see him grinning at her.
"Masturbate with a cheese grater?" he mouthed silently.
She shrugged, as if to say, it's all I could think of.

Scully and Hunt bandaged Kryceks foot, none too gently.
When they were done, he stood to go.
"Hey Alex?" Kari jumped to her feet.
He turned around and glared at her.
"That's limping, not walking." she pointed out solemnly.
He left without replying.

"Did you two plan that whole scene?" Hunt asked, as they sat
after dinner that night.
"What scene?" Mulder asked innocently.
"Yeah, what scene?" Kari echoed.
"With what's his name." Hunt grinned.
"No." they answered in perfect unison.
"They just have a tendency to feed off each other." Scully put
in. "Like sharks in a frenzy."
"That was a really stupid thing to do though." Mulder said to
Kari, for the third time since that afternoon.
"Well, I can't turn back time. I did it. Can't undo it."
"He could have shot you, Krycek is always armed. I'm really
surprised he didn't."
"I know why he didn't." She answered casually.
"Oh really? Do tell." he invited.
"He wouldn't, or couldn't, because my name is on that list. I
know now that's why we all survived. It all comes down to that
list."
"Mulder's right, it was stupid." Scully agreed.
"I know." Kari said with no remorse. "But tell me that you didn't
enjoy seeing him jump around holding his foot?" she taunted.
They couldn't.

They started their long trek down the coast, the next day. Scully
made certain they had the most up to date nautical maps she could
find, while Hunt and Kari laid in supplies for the trip. Mulder
left for an unknown errand, and returned a couple of hours later,
with four gas masks.
"In case Atlanta smells as bad as we think it will." He
explained.
The weather was clear, but the winds were less than generous. It
took nine days to reach Savannah. By the time they docked, they
were all ready for a change of pace. Close confines can test even
the strongest relationships.

Biking was definitely a change of pace, especially uphill all the
way.
"Mulder?" Kari called one afternoon, while they were peddling up
a particularly long hill on interstate sixteen.
"What?"
"Why didn't you talk Scully into letting you bring that damn
truck?" she teased. He gave her the death glare.
"Hey." Scully called out beside Mulder. "I said it was Ok, you
were the one that told him no."
"Yeah," Mulder called back. "What she said!"
"Shut up and peddle." Hunt broke in.

Atlanta was even worse than they thought, when they reached it
three days later. Mulder had been right to bring the gas masks.
It was the only thing that made it bearable.
The destruction from the white lighted blast they had all seen on
CNN was nothing compared to the reality of it. Literally half of
Atlanta was gone. The CDC building itself had been hit hard. It
was a half structure, at best, a dangerous pile of rubble at
worst.
"This is insane." Scully said, looking at the tumbledown remains
of the white brick building.
"Mulder, you can't be serious about going in there."
"I'm at least going to look around. See what I can find."
At the back of the building, he found what he was looking for. A
cellar type door that led underground, it had no door handle,
obviously activated by a card key slot.
"Shit." Mulder swore, running his thumbnail along the slot by the
door.
"I doubt we could pry that open with a crowbar." Hunt mused,
looking at the nearly seamless doorway.
"I doubt we could blow it open with a hundred pounds of c4."
Mulder grunted.
"Hell, if we are out of options, then try knocking." Kari joked.
Hunt reached out and rapped on the door four times, playing
along.
None of them expected it to be opened, let alone by a troop of
armed guards.

"Identify yourselves!" One of the barked.
"I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder, this is Special Agent Dana Scully,
that is Kari Chandler, and he is Hunt Riley."
"Keep your hands visible, and do not move. Do you understand."
All four of them nodded. One of the guards disappeared down the
hallway.
"Mulder?" Scully said quietly.
"Yes?"
"Were you expecting this?"
"Yes."
"This is bad, this is really bad." Kari muttered, staring down
the barrel of an M16, and remembering Philadelphia.
"Just stay calm." Hunt whispered beside her.
A figure walked down the hallway toward them.
Mulder and Scully recognized him immediately.
"Agents, what a lovely surprise." CGB Spender said.
"I wouldn't quite go that far." Mulder replied.
"But you would come this far, you've traveled a long way Agent
Mulder. What is it you expect to find here?" he tapped the ashes
from his ever present cigarette.
"Answers." Mulder replied evenly.
"To what questions?"
"Why you've been matching DNA from hundreds of , why those same
have apparently survived a blast that killed the rest of the
population. What have you done?" The last was nearly a shout.
"I've gotten the technology that will eventually put us back on
our feet. What have you done Agent Mulder?"
"I've found you out, you son of a bitch."
"You've found nothing. And even if you had, who is left alive to
care?"
"Everyone who is left alive will care. That's the whole point.
The only ones that survived are the ones on your list."
"Do you even know how you survived, Agent Mulder? Do you really
know what happened?"
"Why don't tell me, and I'll see if I can gleaned the truth from
the bullshit."
CGB Spender laughed, and lit another cigarette.
"Do you remember ordering Chinese take out the night before
everything happened?"
"Not especially, no."
"Nanotechnology is a marvelous thing. See, you injested an
automated device so small, you couldn't even feel the weight of
it on your tongue. All of you did. Everyone who survived did, one
way or another." He took a slow drag off his cigarette.
"So you have all of us tagged?" Mulder asked.
"No, within four days, the spent Nano unit passed out of your
system, as undetectable to you, as when it entered. We just
wanted to make sure all of our base pair donors lived, in case we
needed them again."
"What have you done with the strand you created?" Scully spoke
after listening carefully to all this.
"We have created life Agent Scully, in fact, we successfully
created six of them. Three boys, Three girls."
"And where are they?" Mulder asked.
"They are long gone Agent Mulder. They are not on this planet."
"You sold them?"
"I traded them, as I said, for the technology that will bring us
back from the dark ages."
"You're the reason we're here to begin with!" Mulder raged.
"It was an unfortunate mistake Agent Mulder, a chain of events
that was set into motion, with no way to stop them. We saved all
that we could. The ones that were compatible. This was not how we
planned for things to go, you understand."
"You only saved the that were useful to you."
He said nothing, instead drawing on his cigarette again.
"Better some than none at all, Agent Mulder." CGB spoke after a
while. "We will rebuild. We will rise again, as they say here in
the south."
"And what? The date is set all over again?"
He didn't answer, he simply gave a tight smile.
"Something like that."
"Not this time." Mulder snarled. "This time, the truth will be
found out. I'll see to it."
"You'll only see to your own demise."
"Isn't that what you are doing to all of us? What's the
difference?"
"The difference is simply whether or not you want to die. Goodbye
Agent Mulder." He turned and walked down the hallway.
"I will fight you!" Mulder yelled to his retreating back. The
guards stepped back inside the door, and closed it.
"Christ, I thought they were going to kill us." Kari breathed
after the door closed.
"They did it. They actually fucking did it." Hunt uttered in
amazement.
"And they will do it again." Scully said her tone heavy with
sadness.
"What are we going to do now?" Kari asked.
"We will make sure that the truth doesn't get buried this time.
We'll tell everyone in anyway possible, what really happened
here. And we will fight back." His words were adamant, his voice
unswerving.
"How?" Kari asked.
"For one thing, you are a writer. Write it." He replied.



And that's just what she did.






Fides Procuro is Fini~