**********************************
"Manifest Destiny" Part 14
by Kelida Flynn & Slippin' Mickeys
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A cautious whisper.

"She's awake."

A glance and a survey of the surroundings.

"I suggest we move." A smirk danced on the verge of a woman's lips. "I 
think after all this time, a little privacy is called for."

Muffled laughter and the pitter-patter of not-so-little feet shuffling into 
another room left Mulder and Scully alone, lying, albeit injured, in each 
other's arms.

Invictus took lead, and as they left the room to allow their friends some 
catch-up time, they could not refrain from the slightest bit of 
eavesdropping. Somehow the tone, not so much the words, filled the others 
with a glimmer of hope that temporarily brushed away the despair creeping 
into their once-vibrant determination.

He unconsciously brushed her cheek with this well-weathered hands, a 
gesture of tentative love that appeared to be done out of habit, but really 
was not. There was a catch in his throat. "Yes, Scully, it's really me."

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Over their mutual concern for Scully, Elspeth and Richter avoid coming to 
blows with Invictus' faction. Her swoon had not come unexpected--they had 
sustained a vicious fall, one that left Scully limping and Richter partially 
incapacitated. Elspeth had amazingly suffered little damage, coming away 
with a few cuts and bruises. Winding through the dark tunnels below 
downtown Madison, they had finally discovered a light source, which lead 
them into their present company.

John's gruff voice commanded their attention back to the issue at hand. 
"Richter, you said your name was?"

Standing close enough to Elspeth that they seemed joined, Richter nodded. 
"Who are you?"

Ignoring him, John pressed on. His head flicked slightly towards Elspeth. 
"And you, who are you? What's your business here?"

"We mean no harm unless you do," she said icily. "That fact that you're 
still alive accounts for that."

Her words threw John for a loop. Although the odds were decidedly in their 
favor, the . . .John could not think of a better word--the balls she had 
displayed and the stealth apparently in her eyes made them step back and 
reconsider their actions. Then from the shadows behind them, the observing 
figure of Invictus emerged sage-like to face Elspeth.

"You are familiar." It was a statement, not a question.

The silence hung heavy as the underground dampness. Invictus half-circled 
them. Richter shifted uncomfortably, adjusting his injured arm. Elspeth, 
warrior-like in stance, still in her transformed state, eyed him back with 
equal curiosity. Then it came, a spark of recognition that lit up her dark 
eyes.

"Out of the night that covers me, black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be, for my unconquerable soul."

Invictus betrayed a smile. "You obviously know who I am," he said with a 
small nod, "but who are you?"

She moved to speak, but Richter touched her arm to stop her. Her gaze 
softened as they looked upon him, acknowledging his concern, but her face 
conveyed to him her decision. "My name is Elspeth Parr, Mr. McCloud. I see 
you've recovered the famous Fox Mulder."

"And you the mysterious Dana Scully, once thought to be merely a delusion."

"We all sort of discovered each other, along the way. Our mixed company is 
a pawn of destiny through decision." She shot a look back to the room where 
Mulder and Scully rested. "And it's good to see that our queen and king are 
finally back together."

The light mood was shattered by a grating voice breaking through unwanted. 
"What the hell is going on?" Alan snapped, his irritation taut as wire. 
"McCloud, who are these deviants? And why do we have to have anything to do 
with them?" His face was twisted with suspicion.

Cass rolled her eyes, shoving him. "They're on our side, you fool." 
However, Alan still didn't look convinced.

Richter cleared his throat in attempt to gain attention his way. "If I'm 
reading this right, our goals are the same. I suggest we work together." 
Elspeth's quick look to his face beamed with admiration. "I'm damn sick of 
this game," he continued, his voice a little tight. "It's time to win or 
lose, and I'm not in the mood to lose to some glorified, extraterrestrial 
bullies."

"I'm guessing you're looking for exactly the same thing we are," Elspeth 
asked. "The . . ."

" . . . vaccine," Invictus said, clapping his hands together in devious 
delight. "Welcome to Mission Save the Earth."

"Glad to be aboard," Elspeth said, now grinning widely.

Cass stepped ahead, her grin matching Elspeth's. "Yeah! Let's show them 
what having game is all about!"

And from both sides, they all let out a collective groan.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Mulder shifted her pant leg up gently to get a better look at her swollen
ankle. He paused a moment and flashed her a joking little smile.

"Scully, you're legs are hairy," he said.

"So's your face," she replied in kind.

His grin grew wider and he turned his attention back to her ankle. "How are 
you feeling?" he asked, giving her the once-over.

She shrugged, or maybe she was stretching--he couldn't distinguish, and 
said, "I've been better." Then her voice hitched and she pulled back a 
little bit, looking into his hazel eyes, her blue ones softening as she did 
so. "I take that back, I don't think I've ever felt this good." 
Impulsively, she threw her arms around him and held him tight, running her 
hands up and down his back to assure her even more. He reeled a bit from 
the hug, but returned it after only a second's worth of hesitation. He 
didn't let her go until he felt her arms slacken and experienced the 
sensation of her warmth leaving his embrace.

Then, she made contact again. Shoving him with both arms, she demanded, 
"Where the hell have you been?"

Mulder gave himself a moment, propping himself back up with his arms and 
letting the air that she had knocked out of him, back into his lungs. 
"Where have I been . . . ?" he trailed. She gave him a hard stare and 
besides himself with good humor, he couldn't repress a smile. She was still 
tough-as-nails Scully. "Where have I been," he repeated. Then giving her a 
roguish grin, he answered, "I wish I knew myself. It's all still really 
fuzzy."

"So you're telling me you had amnesia?" she asked incredulously.

"Actually? Yeah."

"Oh brother."

"Where have I heard that before?" he moaned.

Then a little kinder, she asked, "Really Mulder, what's happened to you in 
all this time?" A small smile betrayed her face. "I'm used to having you 
run out on me, disappearing--being dead and returning from it, but the 
circumstances usually aren't this . . . extreme." Then as after-though she 
added, "And that's saying a lot."

He let out a long sigh. So much had happened and she hadn't even seen the 
tip of the iceberg yet. Scully's face remained ever-inquiring, and now, 
looking into it again so close for the first time in a very long time, he 
found himself lost and dizzy again, like so many times before in the years 
they had known each other.

"Well?" she asked impatiently. "Are you going to tell me or . . ." He 
silenced her with a hand. Her eyes wandered confused over his face.

"Or what," he mumbled, offering it as a suggestion, not a repetition. I 
think that I'm going to kiss you now, Scully," he said, voice cracking but 
determined. Her mouth formed a perfect "O" but she said nothing in protest. 
He took it as a positive sign. "I just want you to hear me out. Let me 
kiss you and you can slap me or yell at me afterwards. I just, I just think 
this is something I need to do." He swallowed hard, embarrassed and anxious 
all at once. He looked at her again, searching.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked softly.

Gently, they pressed their foreheads together, noses touching 
ever-so-slightly. She wet her lips, terror streaked with excitement in her 
eyes. Blinking, he finally leaned in first and touched her mouth with his. 
He felt Scully's sudden intake of breath, but then just as quickly felt her 
relax into the kiss. It began sweet--a melancholy interlude setting them up 
for the harmonic climax of a masterpiece. As the kiss escalated, so did 
their movements. Her hands went to cup his face, the stubble welcoming to 
her hands. His arms curled around her waist, then climbed up her back, 
wrapping her up so completely that it could not be determined where one 
began and the other ended.

She tilted her head back and he followed her lead, their kiss twisting and 
turning in the throes of passion. When they finally broke apart due to lack 
of air, they did so reluctantly. Gazing at each other in as much surprise 
as in pleasure, they pulled back, numb and wordless.

Clearing her throat, Scully broke the silence. "I don't think I'm going 
have to slap you for that," she said, her voice analytical. Reaching out, 
she took his hand. Then taking the cue, he pulled her closer, and they 
kissed again, oblivious for the moment of all that surrounded them and 
awaited them beyond the light of each other's company.


XxXxXxXxXxX

Invictus cleared his throat and broke Mulder and Scully out of their revelry 
of each other. They both looked up at the same time, the flush of 
embarrassment coloring their faces. Invictus could only smile, choking down 
a joke to allow them their peace. Probably the first peace for them in a 
damn long time, he thought.

"How are you feeling, Dana?" a smooth voice asked, tinged with concern. 
Elspeth stepped forward towards them. Reluctantly, they disengaged 
themselves from each other and Scully allowed Elspeth to examine her ankle, 
even though she was more than capable, and more qualified, to make any sort 
of diagnosis.

"I assume you all have gotten to know each other," Mulder said with a wave 
of his hand towards their group.

"Yes, but I don't believe we've met," a dark-haired stranger said to him. 
"Richter McLachlan." He came into the light cautiously and bowed his head 
in greeting. Seeing him injured, Mulder did the same in greeting him. 
"I've heard much about you, Mr. Mulder. I'm happy to meet you."

"Under the circumstances," Mulder said in equal politeness, "it's my 
pleasure." Then he turned to an attending Elspeth who was brushing a 
tendril of hair from her eyes when he looked. Sensing him, she turned and 
thrust out a hand. They exchanged a firm handshake, not a word passing 
between them until Elspeth twitched an eyebrow.

"What?" he asked.

"You are real," she mused. "I hope you're as good as advertised."

Mulder shot Scully a questioning glance to which she only returned to him a 
wily smile. "Ah, I see how it goes. Well, I suppose we should do something 
then to get this shindig off the ground, hm?"

Invictus snorted. "It's about time."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Elspeth moved from Richter's side. She shot Invictus a look, to which he 
acknowledged and addressed the group. She was still too much of a stranger 
to presume that the others would listen, no less trust her or Richter.

"We've been discussing plans of action, and I think the best idea out of the 
pot is splitting into two groups and searching the tunnels out. We need to 
find routes of escape or routes that will lead us *somewhere*." Invictus 
rubbed his chin. "Hopefully we'll be able to find out some information, 
too, though I don't know how. Maybe artifacts." He shrugged nervously, 
turning his eyes towards Mulder and Scully who sat rapt in attention. "Two 
groups of three. That way we're big enough for back-up and small enough to 
elude attention if we run into any trouble."

"There are eight of us," Mulder pointed out.

"And one of us--Scully--is too injured to be moving about too freely. And 
another who's still having memory problems and has to remember something 
important, no doubt," Invictus chided, "that's you, needs to stay with her. 
Anyway, we need people at a pivot point to report to, and we can't risk all 
of us at once."

Cass tossed John a gun. "Remember to arm yourselves," he said, "but stay 
calm. We don't need to be attracting any unwanted attention." Weapons were 
distributed like pieces of candy. "We also don't have a lot of artillery, 
so don't waste what you use."

Richter inserted the magazine with a click. "How are we split?" He reached 
a hand out towards Elspeth but she shook her head.

"Me, Alan, and Invictus," she said. "You, Cass and John.

"We can't protest this?" Mulder asked, watching the others jumping into 
action.

Elspeth looked at the two newly-reunited FBI agents. "Do you really want 
to?" His lack of response gave her his answer. "Good." She motioned for 
Invictus to take the lead.

"John, take your group that way," he said motioning towards the archway 
where they had first confronted Scully and her group. "Elspeth says that 
she saw some doors and tunnels branching off the main route. I'll take my 
group through the tunnels that lead toward the center of town--near the 
capitol building."

Invictus spoke to Mulder and Scully now. "You two be careful. There's 
something vital that you two still need to do. I don't know what it is, but 
whatever the outcome, you two need to stay alive. Call it a gut feeling."

"I feel it too," Elspeth murmured to no one but herself. She wandered 
ahead.

"So is the Force telling you this, Invictus-Wan?" Mulder joked.

"Ah, if only it were," he sighed. "I'd love to wave my hand and make all 
the bad guys fall down. But really, now that that's settled . . . C'mon, 
children. It's time to save mankind."

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Cassidy, Richter, and John backtracked towards the lake, weaving through the 
fallen debris that littered the tunnels.

"Nothing but crap," John muttered.

Cassidy sniffed the musty air disdainfully. "Certainly smells like it."

They pushed on but found nothing of interest. However, for the other group, 
the same could not be said.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Invictus carried a flashlight, shining the faint glow on the area ahead of 
them. Water dripped from the ceiling of the tunnels, producing a hollow, 
dungeon-like drip-drip echo.

"So who are you really?" Alan asked Elspeth in an off-handed voice. She 
frowned and continue to move ahead, ignoring his question.

"Hey, I asked you--"

"Shut up you damn fool!" Invictus hissed at Alan. "You want to make it a 
little more obvious that we're here? Who knows who else is down here and 
what their intentions are. You want us to get killed, because I'll gladly 
let you take lead and at as our bullet shield."

"Thank you," Elspeth muttered underneath her breath.

Alan was immediately huffy. "I'm just looking out for our safety, *Curtis.* 
There are some people I'm still not sure I can trust."

"You're lucky we didn't string you when you killed Dice!" Invictus snapped.

Elspeth shushed them irritably with waves of her hand calling for silence. 
Reluctantly, both men turned from each other and progressed. Defiantly, 
Alan moved to take the lead, pulling the flashlight out of Invictus's hand. 
Elspeth glanced at him, but the blond man simply shrugged, continuing ahead 
and ceasing any valid argument he had.

Into three more "rooms" they explored, finding nothing. Their hour was 
almost up, but when they were about to retreat with no results to their 
scouting mission, a clattering brought them to attention. The noises came 
from just beyond another darken entrance-way, crashing boxes and muffled 
voices. Quickly, the three of them rushed for cover in the room, which 
appeared to be a cleaning-supply storage room. Huddling together, they 
strained to hear as two distinctly male voices seemed to come closer and 
become clearer.

" . . . waste of time," one voice said unhappily.

"Buck up, Marine," another voice replied. "There were sightings by the 
shore of people. It might be those rebels we're after."

"Probably just troublemakers. Really, Rae, do you honestly believe that 
*the* Mulder and Scully are in Madison, Wisconsin of all places?" He 
snorted. "I heard that one or both of them were dead. And what about that 
woman the Doc is looking for? The hybrid?"

"It's highly possible that any of them might be here. We had them in 
Chicago, O'Conner. Remember that we had them once. We'll get them again."

O'Conner picked up a piece of cardboard and then tossed it back down at his 
feet. "She would have to be a complete moron to come here knowing what will 
happen to her if they catch her. Hell, Rae, if I were here, I'd haul-ass in 
the other direction and never look back."

"You didn't read the fucking file on her, did you, O'Conner? Jesus H. 
Christ!"

"What?" the other protested, pouting like a little boy who had been sent to 
his room. "I read it."

"Yeah, sure you did." There was a shift in tone. "She's one of those 
rebels. First page, paragraph three. Leader of Phoenix group." The man 
called Rae's voice grew higher. "Operating out of Madison."

"Is that supposed to mean something?" the other asked defensively.

"Why are you such a moron, O'Conner?"

"I've been spending too much time with you, that's why!" the other snapped. 
"Anyway--what was the name of that hybrid? Elizabeth? Embeth? Something 
weird like that?"

"Elspeth Parr," the voice belonging to the man named Rae said distractedly.

Elspeth stiffened, clenching her jaw so tightly it hurt, and as quickly 
Invictus reached out a calming hand, placing it on her shoulder. Alan's 
head swung accusingly towards her. "You!" Alan hissed, his tone indicating 
that he had already tried, convicted, and executed her in his mind.

One of the two male voices suddenly tensed, growing loud. "Did you hear 
something, O'Conner?" it barked.

Invictus swore silently and drew out his gun, immediately unlocking the 
safety. Alan did the same, his face hot red. Elspeth, without a firearm, 
grabbed for the nearest thing--a broom handle. Tense, they sat and waited, 
the voices getting louder and closer until footsteps and heavy breathing was 
heard in their room.

Two large men entered the room, their guns drawn. They walked as if 
stepping around landmines, both surprisingly agile for their sizes.

Then the inevitable happened. "Behind you, O'Conner!" Rae shouted, firing 
off a shot into an old bookshelf, splintering the thick wood in two. Before 
Alan had the chance to aim another shot was fired off straight into his 
direction, blowing a hole straight through his head. Blood and brains 
splattered, hitting a shocked Elspeth in the face. She blinked. "Two 
others, O'Conner!" Rae shouted again before either Elspeth or Invictus had a 
fraction of a second to react to Alan's sudden death.

Numb, Elspeth crawled over to Alan's body, shielding herself from the debris 
that exploded around her like fireworks. Frantically-- blindly, she 
searched for Alan's gun, trying to fight off the fact that she was 
scavenging through his still-warm body. Invictus fired off another shot and 
she heard one of the men scream, shrill in his pain.

A bullet whizzed by Invictus, grazing him across the cheek. Flinching back 
forcefully, he dropped himself to the ground and sat crouched. Dust was 
heavy in the air, obscuring what little visibility there was in the damp, 
underground caves. A curtain of silence fell between them as both sides 
waited to make the next move.

Elspeth wiped nervously at her forehead, her mind sprinting off in multiple 
directions all at once. They couldn't let these men just go and spread word 
of their presence underground, but there was the risk that she and Invictus 
could not take them both out, and if what they said about her was true . . .

The ground suddenly disappeared from below her and Elspeth crashed awkwardly 
onto the floor, gun flying from her grasp as a hand twisted like a vine 
around her ankle. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the barrel of a gun 
directed towards her face. Her head fell back against the ground. She 
squeezed her eyes shut. They would not take her. They would not take her 
alive . . .

"Don't shoot her!" a Rae cried out suddenly, stumbling towards his fallen 
partner. Seeing movement, he trained his gun back towards where Invictus 
hid. "Move and I'll kill her, I swear to God."

Invictus could not suppress a roll of his eyes. Obviously it did not occur 
to Rae that he had just contradicted himself, but Invictus remained still 
for the time being. There was no purpose in risking both of their lives in 
a last, suicidal attempt of rescue.

Supine on the ground, Elspeth waited with baited breath as the footsteps 
came nearer and nearer. She was motionless except for the flex of her 
fingertips. She had to think of some way to distract or dispose of the Rae 
and O'Conner to buy Invictus enough time to escape and bring warning to the 
others. She gritted her teeth. They had gotten so far. To lose it all now 
was unacceptable. It no longer mattered if she lived or died. Elspeth was 
certain now of what she was. She swallowed hard and thought fleetingly of 
Richter. Of course, she thought angrily, the rage masking her wounded 
heart, of course this is how it would turn out. The die had been cast and 
she would come out the loser--but she would not let the others share her 
fate. Not if she could help it. Elspeth stretched out her fingers again 
and was surprised to feel something very real and very solid in her hand. 
The broom. A false sense of relief flooded her. No, she could not swing it 
at him. He would see the movement and shoot her without hesitation. Or 
else his friend would get her first. She cringed. But maybe this was the 
opportunity she needed--and the chance that Invictus had to get out. 
Slowly, she pulled the broken broom handle into her palm. No, she would not 
swing it at him. She didn't have the arm strength to bring it up fast 
enough to surprise him. She would have to throw it like a javelin at him. 
As for his friend . . .

"What a coincidence," Rae said mildly. "We were just talking about you, Ms. 
Parr."

Elspeth did not respond, although a sarcastic comment hung dangerously on 
her lips. She cast a quick glance towards Invictus. She just hoped he knew 
what to do when the time came. Rae was almost directly over her, his 
pompous swagger causing his progress to slow.

"Sometimes, O'Conner, this job is just too easy."

When he looked to his injured partner, Elspeth took the split-second 
opportunity and made her move. Roughly she pulled the leg that was held by 
O'Conner towards her, pulling him in. Crossing one leg over the other, she 
crashed the heel of her heavy boot into his head. Confusion on that end, 
she twisted her body upwards and hurled the broom handle into Rae's stomach. 
He crippled over in pain as the wooden stick struck him in the groin.

"GO" she screamed, but Invictus paid no heed to her order. A carefully 
aimed shot--one he had trained on Rae for the entire time of the man's 
distraction with Elspeth, exploded from the gun and tore into the 
ex-Marine's back. He howled like a beast out of hell, falling but not 
dying.

O'Conner, recovering from the blow to his head, reached out, bleeding and 
moaning, for his gun. Still on the ground, Elspeth swung her legs again and 
knocked him back down towards the ground. She then fumbled around in the 
dark, searching through the grime. Then she felt it, pulled it up quickly, 
firing off three rounds into O'Conner who finally fell heavy and dead.

Now that Elspeth had moved out of his line of fire, Invictus took the 
initiative and fired again at his enemy. Like a scene out of a bad action 
movie, the body fell in a splatter of blood, flinging more dust into the 
air.

As the dust settled from the fallen bodies, Elspeth fought off nausea and 
the flood of dizziness that rushed into her head. Forcing a sneer to fend 
off any sign of vulnerability that could betray her--the only face she could 
make without falling apart, she stood up deliberately. She walked over to 
Invictus.

"We need to get that checked out," she said, indicating the bleeding gash on 
his face. He touched it absentmindedly. "It could get infected."

He shook his head. "I'm fine, really." Then his eyes wandered over to 
where Alan's body lay. They flickered a moment before he turned back to 
her. "He's . . . ?" She sighed and nodded, touching her upper lip. She 
had tasted blood, and realized a split-second that it was not her own. She 
turned her gaze away from where Alan's body lay and shuddered involuntarily.

"Elspeth . . ." Invictus started with a gulp. His eyes darkened as he 
seemed to search for the right words. Roughly, he grabbed her arm. "Who . 
. . what are you?" he finally spat out.

She felt her muscles twitch in her face. Then she turned away from him, 
ignoring the question. Instead, she walked away towards where the bodies of 
Rae and O'Conner lay. Coldly, she lifted the gun and fired a neat round 
into each body.

Invictus jumped. "Jesus Christ!" he shouted, stumbling backwards in 
surprise. He tried to compose himself quickly. As he did, he pushed 
through the mess on the floor towards her. When he reached her, she grabbed 
her by the arm. Invictus and Elspeth locked eyes. He looked at her, 
radiating new-found suspicion. His gaze was met with a dangerous flash of 
her eyes, no doubt a warning to him to back off. But Invictus had seen so 
much and survived so much that it was little matter to him what she thought.

"Elspeth," he persisted, shaking her, "what the hell is going on? Why were 
those two talking about you? What are you hiding?"

She ripped her arm from his grip and stalked away angrily. "The others," 
she muttered as she paced back and forth like a caged animal. "We have to 
warn the others. Someone's bound to have heard those gunshots so they know 
we're down here now. We have to get the hell out of here." She was talking 
to herself, then looking up, snapped back to reality, she turned towards the 
other doorway and began to walk there, and eventually began to run, leaving 
Invictus standing alone with three corpses and countless questions.

"Elspeth!" he screamed as she disappeared into the darkness. "Elspeth!" He 
balled his hands into two fists. Then cursing viciously to himself one last 
time he moved towards Alan's body to check if he really was, indeed, dead. 
The truth acknowledged, he let the wave of pity and frustration surge 
through him. He shook his head again, gritting his teeth. Drawing in a 
deep breath, sucking in the damp air, he muttered to himself, "Why do I feel 
like we're just making all of this up as we go?" and broke into a sprint 
after Elspeth and back to the camp.