The three men had just attended an FBI arranged seminar in Denver, and were just
about to head out to the airport to catch the red-eye flight back to Washington.
The newly reinstated FBI agent did not really need to wait by the luggage, as
they each only had a small weekend bag with them. But the ex-assassin knew that
if he had to stand by and listen to one more snide remark from AD Skinner, he
just might forget the 'ex' part of his assassin title. The man had done his
utmost to ruin the weekend for Krycek, and Mulder appeared to be his willing
accomplice.
Seeing that Skinner and Mulder had finally finished by the front desk, Krycek
snatched up the three bags, and was outside and waiting next to the taxi, by the
time they exited the hotel.
The ride to the airport was made in a stiff silence. Krycek kept himself happy
with thoughts of the door on Skinner's side of the car mysteriously opening and
the AD bouncing very nicely along the road. Mulder, as if sensing his lover's
tortuous thoughts, sat in silence, his whole body signalling his disapproval of
Krycek's sulk.
Once at the airport, Krycek was in two minds as to whether to hit his lover... or
his boss. He had again been left guarding their bags, and could only glare at the
way Skinner was leaning into Mulder's personal space, while they both studied at
the television hanging from the ceiling to check their flight departure gate. He
decided that it was Skinner he really wanted to hurt—badly.
Krycek drew in a deep breath and slowly began to count to ten, then switched to
hundred and Russian. When Mulder had bounced into their apartment the previous
Monday and informed him that they were going to a profiling seminar in Denver the
following weekend, Alex had been pleased and excited. Pleased because it seemed
as if they never really got any time together, and excited because it had been
awhile since they HAD really got any time together.
Ever since Alex's unexpected reinstatement into the FBI by the Cigarette Smoking
Man, it seemed that AD Skinner had taken great delight in assigning Mulder any
case that took him, and his pretty young partner Dana Scully, out of State.
Additionally, he had placed Krycek on transcribing surveillance tapes in the
bullpen, an almost impossible task with the amount of noise and bustle that went
on in the large office.
The end result had been that Mulder was returning home after several nights'
absence, dead tired, cranky and not in a very loving or understanding mood.
Meanwhile, Krycek was getting frustrated with the boring, tedious type of work he
had been assigned. He was getting a pounding headache everyday from listening to
moaning, chit chatty bimbos who spent two thirds of their air headed lives
discussing nail paint, and the other third chewing gum while their slobbering
lovers drooled over their pillows. Krycek was then left to stew in jealousy all
night, with the knowledge that while he was away from home, Fox was sleeping in a
room, with an connecting door to his very lovely, very accessible partner. A
partner who would do practically anything to get him, Fox, away from Alex, that
all Krycek wanted to do was either hit his head against a hard wall or even
better yet hit Skinner's head against the wall.
Add to that, Alex did not like airports, had in fact grown to hate them, as they
now always made him nervous and edgy. He swallowed hard, if he was truthful it
had only been since his last visit to Hong Kong airport. He sighed and turned his
attention back to his lover and their boss. They had obviously decided that their
flight had not been cancelled, and was in fact due to leave on time from the gate
listed on the departure screens.
Krycek snorted. He had been informed over the weekend, on more the one occasion
when Fox was not around, that he had only been invited to the seminar because
Mulder had put his foot down, and had insisted that Krycek take up one of the
other positions available to the Washington division of the FBI. At first Skinner
had refused, but then Mulder had really gone into stubborn mode and whatever he
had said in the AD's office must have worked because Krycek's name had been added
to the list of attendees. It had helped their case slightly because Mulder had
been one of the invited guest speakers, so Skinner's hands had been pretty well
tied. Now that was a thought that Krycek would work on for a while; he allowed
visions of tying the AD up to keep him happy whilst they wandered towards the
departure gate.
Alex had planned on reaffirming their commitment to each other, and basically
making love from the time they hit their hotel room, until they had to leave to
attend the talks. But that had been effectively squashed when they had seen
Skinner approaching them at Dulles airport the Friday before, a weekend bag held
tightly in his hand. From that point onwards the weekend had gone from bad to
worse. At least he and Mulder had been allotted a twin room. However, Skinner had
been given the room next to them, with a connecting door. Christ, Alex was
starting to hate connecting doors in hotels. Mulder had been like a cat on a hot
tin roof, which meant that every time Krycek had made a move to even kiss the man
in their bedroom, he had reacted as if he was a fifties high school virgin whose
ageing, church going parents were about to burst in on them. Then, to make
matters worse, Skinner had taken to leaning into Mulder's personal space.
Brushing his hand when reaching for the salt, pepper, glass and almost flirting
with his lover for most of the weekend, which, Krycek thought, brought them
nicely back to his wanting to hurt AD Walter Skinner—badly. He sighed again,
then smiled slightly as he remembered his phone call to the airport earlier that
morning, while Mulder was in the shower... alone.
"We have at least an hour before the flight," Skinner was saying glancing at his
watch, then looking towards the empty seating area by their gate. "Why don't we
go and get something to eat?"
Mulder tilted his head and looked over towards Krycek, who just looked bored and
shrugged, which caused Mulder to frown.
Alex was aware that Fox was puzzled by his attitude over the weekend, but he was
damned if he was going to explain it to his lover. After all, Skinner was fully
aware that Mulder and Krycek were in a committed relationship, and yet, the man
was going out of his way to rub Alex's nose in his own insecurities. Besides, if
Mulder couldn't see what was going on, then Krycek was not about to clue him in.
"Good," Skinner was saying, moving off towards the large restaurant at the end of
the enormous hall. Mulder dutifully followed, while Krycek slowly brought up the
rear, his eyes fixed on the large, red and white target rings only he could see
on AD Walter Skinner's back.
The meal was everything Krycek expected it would be. Skinner totally ignored him,
directing all his comments and discussion to Mulder, who vainly attempted to
bring Alex into the conversation. But Krycek, having had enough of Walter's
reaching for condiments, stubbornly refused to have anything to do with it, his
own attention glued to other tables around the room, or the pretty passing
waitresses with whom he openly flirted. Hell, maybe Mulder would get a clue after
all judging by his heated, hostile looks directed at the poor woman who served
them.
Mulder didn't get a clue, he just got pissed, and by the time they boarded the
plane he was not speaking to Krycek, he was giving him the cold shoulder, which
if Alex hadn't already been giving one to both Skinner and Mulder, might have had
some effect. The only bright light in Krycek's otherwise terrible weekend, was
the fact that, on impulse, he had picked up the phone that morning and managed,
though some quick wit and a lot of charm, to get both his and Mulder's tickets
upgraded to first class; while Skinner was left back in business class. Much good
that had done him, as that was the second reason why Mulder was freezing him out.
Krycek knew the first reason was his flirting with the waitress, but hell it had
felt good to be noticed, even if it was by a woman who no doubt flirted with
sixty percent of her customers.
"This way sirs," The stewardess said politely, after checking their first class
tickets. They had left a fuming Skinner at the gate, while they boarded first.
She moved smoothly up the aisle of the plane and showed them to their seats, they
were large, wide, and very comfortable. As Alex settled he threw a tentative
smile towards his lover, but Mulder just raised an eyebrow and commented dryly.
"You could have got Skinner upgraded you know."
"Hey," Krycek retorted, his face a picture of innocence. "Skinner strikes me as
being a business class kind of guy."
Mulder glared back and snapped, "And you're striking me as a asshole kind of
guy."
Krycek fumed, then unable to restrain his fury, hissed back, "I knew there was a
reason you kept me around. Although lately I've not even felt that."
A deep sigh that transmitted both anger and disappointment was his only answer,
from that point on Alex refused to look at his lover, choosing instead to peer
out the window of the taxiing plane, ignoring Mulder completely.
The red eye flight from Denver to Washington was only a third full, and the
passengers soon sorted themselves out. After the stewardess had served the drinks
and food, many settled down to sleep for the duration of the flight.
Alex kept his expression neutral and his glance firmly fixed out the window. He
didn't have a lot to look at except the night sky that flew past his small
window, but he was able to see Mulder's reflection, and could see the frown of
concern that marred the handsome face of his lover whenever he looked over
towards him.
"Alex..." Fox said finally, reaching out a hand and resting it gently on the
other man's tense arm.
"What?" Krycek asked, tilting his head to glance at his lover. Mulder was just
catching his bottom lip between his sharp, white teeth, and Alex desperately
wanted to take those lips, and use his own teeth to play with them.
"I'm sorry... I know..." Mulder paused considering his word with care, "I know
that I've been pretty busy lately and that well... we haven't had a lot of time
together... and you wanted this weekend to be special...." He paused again,
taking a breath before continuing, "I also know that you didn't expect Skinner to
come, well..." he smiled slightly, "Neither did I... but we'll be home soon and I
promise you that we will talk... I'm going to ask Skinner for some time off, for
the both of us... and next weekend we will go somewhere and be together... just
you and me...."
"And a bed? Just you, me, and a bed?" Krycek asked, a smile now playing about his
lush lips, a matching twinkle lighting up his green eyes.
Mulder swallowed hard, then licked at his suddenly very dry lips as he nodded,
"I'm going to make it a four day weekend... and a big, very big bed."
"Not too big... I'd hate to waste time having to search for you." Alex was in
full lust mode and Mulder quickly wondered just how big the toilets were in first
class. As if reading his mind Krycek slowly detached himself from Fox's grasp
saying, "I'm just going to check the er... toilets up this end... you know... for
size and er... locks...." The passion was clear in his eyes and was reflected in
his lover's.
Mulder smiled warmly and offered, "I'll go and er... speak to Skinner about next
weekend... and erm... make sure he doesn't come through here looking for us...
while we are... er... You know?" He tossed a heated look towards the forward
toilets, and the look Krycek gave him was enough to have him racing towards the
back of the plane, eager to get the conversation with the AD over with quickly so
that he could join his lover.
Even though he had a whole row of three seats all to himself, which under normal
circumstances would have been a blessing, Skinner was not impressed. In this
instance it just put him into a foul mood. He craned his head again, and looked
along the plane towards the first class section and wondered, not for the first
time, if he should pop up and check on Mulder. He had been enjoying the weekend,
up until the flight home, when somehow that sneaky bastard Krycek had arranged
for himself and Mulder to be upgraded into the first class section.
"Sir." Mulder's voice broke into his concentration. Skinner looked up and smiled
at his subordinate, who was standing nervously beside the row of seats.
"Mulder?" Skinner questioned, looking beyond him for his usual shadow. "Where's
Krycek?" he asked, unable to stop the feeling of unease that always swept over
him whenever he considered Alex. After all that had happened, after all the vital
information that the other man had given to them, he still did not trust the rat
bastard.
"He's er... busy at the moment, so I thought I'd just pop back and see how you
were doing." Mulder fidgeted, and Skinner indicated the empty chairs beside him,
when he saw a stewardess heading towards them.
"Have a seat Mulder... see how us lowly business class mortals have to fly."
Skinner edged just enough of a smile into this tone to take off the harshness.
"Thank you," Mulder smiled back as he slipped into the seat. "I really came to
ask you if it would be possible for Alex and I to have a couple of days off next
weekend sir... Friday, Monday... make it a long weekend."
"Well I don't really...." Skinner began, but then Mulder interrupted his voice
taking on a firmer tone.
"We both have the time owed to us, and quite frankly sir... I think you really do
need to understand that Krycek and I are together... and sending me on all those
cases out of State isn't going to alter that...." Mulder's expression matched his
tone and Skinner wilted under the knowing look, realising that he had not been as
clever as he thought he had been.
"Look Mulder I'm not trying to keep you apart on purpose...." Even as he said the
words Skinner knew them to be a lie. His distrust of Krycek was such, that he
didn't like Mulder having anything to do with the other man. If he thought that
keeping the two men apart might lead to a separation, then he would willingly
send both men to opposite ends of the planet.
"Sir..." Mulder again interrupted, a sure sign of his own agitation at the
situation. "I don't think you realise just how deadly Alex can be when pushed,
and keeping us apart is pushing him.... and quite frankly it's also starting to
piss me off...."
Skinner felt anger raise, he was the AD after all... not Mulder, then seeing the
determined look in his agent's eyes, he pushed it back, he would achieve nothing
if he continued on this course of action. "I'll take it under advisement Agent
Mulder." He said quietly.
"And this weekend?" Mulder asked, raising an eyebrow in query.
Skinner sighed, and lifting a hand said, "I should think that will be all
right...." He was about to continue when a altercation at the back of the plane
caught the attention of both of them, and had them rising out of their seats in
reaction, going for their guns.
Four men had appeared from the rear of the plane wearing ski masks, two in each
aisle. The rear man of each pair held an automatic in each hand. Each leader held
a stewardess, looking frightened and pale, guns jabbed painfully under their
chins, and of the hijackers shouted, "No one move.... Stay in your seats, keep
quiet and you just might survive this..."
Mulder was reaching for his gun before he even registered the words, and let out
a yelp of pain as a bullet caught him from behind, causing him to drop his weapon
and spin into Skinner who was also in the process of raising his weapon. The AD
managed to catch the other man as he sank towards the floor, and swung him about
to sit, slumped in the seat.
With a feeling of relief, Skinner noted that the wound was not too serious, as he
spied blood seeping from Mulder's arm, which the other man was clasping with the
blooded fingers of his other hand. It looked as if the bullet had gone straight
through. Before Skinner could react further, he felt the cold barrel of a gun
pushed against his skull, just behind his ear, and a deadly voice hissed "Drop
it... now." He did as requested, slowly letting his gun fall to the floor. "Now
who the hell are you?" the man demanded, jabbing the gun into the soft skin for
good measure.
Skinner swallowed hard but replied in a steady voice. "Assistant Director
Skinner, FBI, and this is Special Agent Mulder."
"Shit. Masters... Feds!!... you said this was...." The man standing behind the
stewardess snarled, only to be quietened by the other who shouted back.
"Shut the fuck up, Lister.... Now, you people just stay quiet, and let us do what
we've gotta do." As he spoke, two of his men began moving along the plane
securing peoples' hands in front of them with cable ties, and slapping silver
tape firmly over their mouths. Skinner objected when Mulder's hands were secured
in front of him, wincing when he saw Fox pale even further at the rough
treatment, but fell silent as the gun was again waved under his eyes. He glared
his frustration as duct tape was firmly placed over both his, and Mulder's,
mouths.
Once this was done Masters told the other hijackers. "I'm going to check first
class, they should have secured them by now, then I'll be in the cockpit." He
looked about the now silenced community and smiled, he could tell that the other
passengers were frozen in terror by the violence they had just witnessed.
"Lister, come up here, and keep a special eye on our heroic Feds...."
As Masters spoke he reached over, and slipping out a knife, he slit the jacket
and shirt of Mulder's suit. Quickly and efficiently he checked the wound, then
taking part of the ruined shirt he wrapped it about the upper arm, then wound
silver tape over the improvised bandage, securing it firmly. As he patted the end
into place, he said, "There.... Now you won't drip blood all over the nice clean
plane Mr G-Man." He smiled as he spoke.
Lister looked at the bound men, the bandaged wound on Mulder's arm and stated,
"They don't look like much to me."
Masters smiled and offered, the hard tone in his voice a warning to the other man
to do as he was told, "They ain't... but watch them anyways... you can never tell
with these bastards..."
Fox just gritted his teeth and pushed back the wave of pain that flooded over
him. While his arm hurt, he was more concerned for his lover, as he knew that
Krycek's fiery temper would not take kindly to being tied and trapped. He closed
his eyes, he could not bear the thought of having just found Alex, only to lose
him in such a senseless way. He prayed that his lover would not do anything
stupid.
The first indication Krycek had of trouble was the muffed sound of a gun going
off. He tilted his head, and wondered if he had actually heard it above the sound
of the plane, and the sound proofing of the small compartment he was standing in.
Yet, he had spent too much of his young life fighting for survival not to trust
his gut instinct.
Slowly, carefully, he eased the lock back and opened the door just a crack. He
was able to see two gunmen standing just a little way from him. One held a large
calibre automatic, while the other was securing the hands of the few first class
passengers with what looked like large cable ties, and taping their mouths closed
with silver tape. Alex licked at dry lips and felt the thrill of danger sweep
over him. This was closely followed by the cold knowledge that Mulder was in
business class and in danger, a gun had been fired. Was his lover still alive, or
injured.
As if on cue, he saw the curtain that separated the business section from first
class open and a man walked into the area. He too carried an automatic, and spoke
with authority to the two men, but Krycek was not close enough to be able to hear
what was said. The man seemed satisfied with whatever was said, as he left the
two men and made his way along the plane heading towards the cockpit.
Krycek gently pushed the door closed, leaving it unlocked, before the man came
close enough to notice the door had been open, then leaned back against the wall
for a few seconds. He gathered his thoughts and allowed time for the man to pass.
He was sure that the hijackers would check the toilets once the other passengers
were secured, so he had to move quickly. Again he cracked open the door. The men
had moved up the aisle closer to him, and they were just finishing their assigned
task when Krycek acted. It was a gamble, but he didn't have a choice, not if
Mulder's life was in danger.
He slipped out of the toilet, grabbed the man nearest to him and pushing the palm
of his hand into the mans upper back he gripped his chin and snapped the head
back, the sound of the neck bone cracking could be heard clearly above the
scuffle. He was reaching for the second man before the body of the first hit the
floor. The second man who had been doing the securing, had his gun tucked into
the waistband of his pants. Seeing the fate of his companion, he dropped the
plastic cable ties and tape, and made a grab for his weapon. He was nowhere near
fast enough though, and Krycek made short work of him, taking particularly
delight in feeling the man's windpipe crush under his deadly blow. The hijacker's
eyes widened as his ability to breathe, or make a sound was suddenly stolen from
him. He weakly clutched and struggled against his killer, his eyes pleading to
live, but Krycek dispassionately watched for a few seconds before he turned,
dismissing the dying man from his thoughts. The man slumped to the ground,
silently dying.
He grabbed the feet of his first victim, dragged him towards the toilet and
tossed him in, then turning back he stopped, seeing for the first time the
hopeful looks on the faces of the secured and taped passengers. He frowned at
them, then shook his head, he could not release them, not until he knew what the
situation was on the rest of the plane. He knew they would only get in his way.
He shook his head again, his eyes telling the few people before him that they
were going to stay exactly were they were. Any protest they might have made was
instantly stilled when he snatched up the gun the hijacker had dropped and
pointed it steadily at the unhappy passengers. His eyes informed them clearly
that to stay very quiet and still was in their best chance of survival. One
jailer had been exchanged for another, and this one was decidedly more deadly, he
had just proved that.
Seeing that his message had got across, he instantly dismissed them and began to
strip off the ski-mask and coat of the now dead hijacker, grateful that the man
also had dark trousers on, and that he would not need to totally strip him.
Slipping the mask and jacket on, he pulled the body up and also deposited it in
the toilet, closing the door quickly to prevent them from tumbling out.
As he passed the terrified passengers he whispered, "You'll be all right... don't
move... everything will be all right..." He spoke quickly and quietly to each row
and was pleased to note that the prisoners relaxed somewhat at his words, but he
knew that they would not remain in shock for long, and he had to act fast if he
was going to snatch back control of the plane before they panicked and give his
slight advantage away.
He used his gun to open slightly the curtain that separated the first class
section from the rest of the plane. A quick glance informed him that the rest of
the flight were under the control of the hijackers. He would see the passengers
with their hands secured and mouths taped, the same as those behind him in first
class.
He chanced another look, trying to see where Mulder and Skinner were sitting, he
saw the tall figure of the AD and with a sinking feeling he noted the way that
Mulder was slumped in the seat next to him. Krycek felt his blood start to boil,
his lover had been injured, but he pushed his feeling of raw panic aside, he
could not let his fear cloud his mind. A hijacker was standing beside them,
waving his gun about and talking agitatedly to Skinner, who could only glare his
frustration at the man, as his mouth was also taped closed.
While Krycek could not actually hear what was being, said he could imagine the
conversation, when he saw the wallets in the man hand. The hijacker obviously
knew who Skinner and Mulder were... as he held their badges in his hand.... that
was bad... very bad.
"Are they secure?" a young voice suddenly asked, and Krycek started, realising
that he had been so intent on the action by Mulder's seat, that another of the
hijackers had managed to sneak up on him. He nodded briefly opening the curtain
wider he waved his gun to indicate the secured people.
"You'd best get back in there and keep an eye on them." The hijacker stated
indicating the first class section.
Krycek nodded as if in agreement, then tilted his head and whispered, "Trouble?"
He nodded towards Skinner and Mulder.
"Fucking Feds...I hate fucking feds..." The hijacker snarled in disgust. He
didn't seem to notice the man he was talking to was not one of his fellow
criminals. Krycek was grateful for the ski mask which was muffling his voice as
well as covering his face. "Can you believe it... but if we are lucky Masters
will let us play with them before we jump...." The man smiled in anticipation of
the killing he hoped would occur.
Krycek felt his eyes narrow as he contemplated the man's words, but pushed that
and his desire to know why they had hijacked the plane aside. Those questions
could wait, taking back the plane could not. "Here." Alex mumbled, "You keep an
eye on these I want to talk to him." he indicated the man still towering over
Skinner.
"Hey... that's not what Masters... and where's Tommy?" the man began, but Krycek
boldly pushed past him into the cabin answering firmly.
"Called up front with Masters... quite a crowd up there now," he finished, Alex
could tell that the hijacker was young, and from his stance and the expression in
his eyes at Krycek's words, he was used to following orders, but just to be sure
Alex casually pointed his gun at the guy's middle, if he wanted to argue the
point, Krycek would end it with a bullet and take his chance on killing the
gunman by Skinner before he could react.
Krycek's luck held as the man shrugged his shoulders, and moved into the first
class section without further protest. Alex only hoped he wouldn't have the
sudden urge to go to the toilet. As the ex-assassin walked down the aisle he
scanned the plane, and noted that there were only three men in this section. He
knew that he was now looking at least five, maybe six men... if you assumed that
they had one/two men in the cockpit.
He walked right up to the man leaning over Mulder and without saying a word edged
by. The hijacker had watched him approach and moved to let him pass, not even
bothering to really look at him. Krycek used his time edging by to quickly check
Mulder out. He had been shot in the arm and blood sluggishly coloured the
material darker, but he could also see that the wound had been bandaged with some
of Mulder's shirt and the silver tape used to hole it in place. While his lover
was hurt and in some pain, it didn't look fatal, for that Alex was grateful, but
the hijackers were still going to die, painfully, for hurting Mulder, and the man
bragging to Skinner about the success of the hijack was going to die the slowest.
Casually Krycek made his way to the back of the plane. Using his head, he
indicated to the hijacker standing by the back toilet to follow him into the
small kitchen area, hidden from sight from the others in the main cabin. The man
shook his head, but Krycek leant into his personal space and hissed, "This is
important...." He then glared at the other man who sighed, only his eyes showing
his annoyance as he followed Krycek.
As Alex moved into the kitchen he slipped out the switch blade he always carried,
and as he turned he thrust forward and upwards with it, taking the hijacker
totally by surprise as the sharp blade slipped up and into his heart with
surprising ease, 'like a hot knife into butter', Krycek thought with a smile as
he took the weight of the dead man and carefully, quietly lowered him down to the
ground, catching his gun just before it clattered on the carpeted floor. He'd
always prided himself on being able to kill without getting blood on his own
person, and this time was no exception, he used the thin, long-bladed knife for
just this reason, it could kill instantly, without much loss of blood.
Alex took a second to collect his thoughts and plan his next victim. He smiled
under the ski mask, if it wasn't for Mulder having been injured he would have
been enjoying himself. He'd forgotten just how much he enjoyed the adrenaline
rush that these types of assaults brought. Shaking these thoughts away he
considered his next move. Taking a quick peek out into the cabin he saw that the
walking corpse, as Alex had tagged him, was still sneering over Skinner and
Mulder, while the other hijacker was leaning into the personal space of a pretty
young woman who was obviously terrified by his actions, as he slowly moved the
gun up and down the buttons of her blouse. This particular action really
infuriated Krycek, and he decided that this man deserved to die painfully and
would be his next victim.
Coming out into the cabin he walked up to the man, and stopped directly in front
of him. Seeing the walking corpse look over towards him, Alex coolly nodded his
head and raised his gun in silent salute, this seemed to satisfy the man as he
again turned back to Skinner. Krycek didn't know why the man had remained by
Skinner's and Mulder's side, but he would worry about that later, the man
appeared to be static for the moment, content to stay by Skinners seat, and
Krycek felt that to try to remove him might draw unwanted attention to himself.
Turning his attention back to the hijacker nearest to him, Alex leaned down and
snarled, "Keep your mind on the job...."
The man threw him an annoyed look and slowly straightening saying, "Hell you know
we're just marking time until Masters tells us they've agreed to the ransom...."
"Masters' in the cockpit?" Krycek asked casually, now at least he had a name for
the leader of the little group.
This earned him a confused look, but the hijacker answered honestly, "yeah..."
then his voice took on the tone of a broad smile, "A couple of million bucks...
not bad for a nights work eh..."
"We ain't got the money, and we're not off the plane yet... no matter what
Masters says..." Krycek snapped back, starting to piece together the reason
behind the hijack. Did these men honestly believe that they were going to get
away with holding an entire plane to ransom.
"Hell, he has this all thought out... you know that.. once we get confirmation of
the money transfer gone through, we're off this plane..."
"What about these people?" The question was out before he could stop himself, and
he cursed himself for the slip.
However, the hijacker didn't seem to notice, as he supplied the answer easily
enough. "Masters and Holland put the plane on auto-pilot and we all jump... once
out of fuel this plane and the witnesses are history."
"Masters's sure is a cleaver bastard, isn't he?" Krycek offered with a smile of
his own, before he asked, "What happens if they don't pay up?" He kept his
questions casual, looking up and down the plane as he spoke. He saw that the
walking corpse had stopped tormenting Skinner and would soon become a problem.
Krycek need to act, now, to get rid of this one, but he wanted the answer to his
question as well.
"With the daughter of the owner of the company in first class, I don't think the
old bastard's going to argue that much.... Do you? He can afford a couple of
million for his only child... otherwise we go down low enough to start tossing
passengers of the plane and his daughter might just be one of them."
"I guess," Krycek agreed, thinking that Mulder and himself had the most dumb shit
kind of luck on the entire planet to get the only flight from Denver to
Washington that had to be hijacked. He pushed that aside and asked suddenly,
"Aren't we missing a man?" He looked towards the back of the plane, to where the
man he had killed had stood. While he knew exactly where the other man was, he
wanted Smart Mouth, as he now called him to go look for him.
Smart Mouth looked about and said, "Lister's over there talking... Johnson..." he
trailed off, looking about now, confused. "He was by the back toilet..."
"I saw him go into the kitchen.... Do you think he's all right?" Krycek asked
innocently, then stepped aside as the man pushed past him, heading towards the
back of the plane. Alex followed along at his heels, puppy like, unable to hide
the smile that twisted his lips in anticipation. Walking Corpse watched them, but
didn't move from his position beside Skinner.
Smart Mouth stopped as soon as he turned into the small kitchen area and saw the
body of the other hijacker laying slumped on the floor, blood slowly seeping
across the carpet. Krycek stepped up behind him and swiftly reaching up he pulled
back the man's head with one hand while slowly, but firmly running the razor
sharp blade across the exposed throat with the other. A ripple of shock and
rejection ignited the body under his hands, before it slumped towards the ground,
piling over the other dead body.
Alex shrugged, he had wanted the man to die slowly, but time was his enemy, the
men he had killed would not remain hidden for much longer. He glanced at his
watch, was it only twenty minutes ago since he had left the toilet.
There was now only one enemy left in this section of the plane, and Krycek
planned on removing him quickly. He was concerned by he amount of time that had
passed since Mulder had been shot, and while the wound had not looked serious, he
had no way of knowing if the bullet was still inside or if his lover was in
shock, he looked pale enough to be.
He walked determinedly out of the small kitchen, stepping causally over the two
bodies forgetting them as he saw his next victim. Walking Corpse was still
standing by Skinner's seat, but he was now looking nervously about the cabin, no
doubt wondering where the others had got to. He turned as Krycek approached and
seemed to relax slightly. "Where're the others?" he asked, motioning about the
cabin with his gun.
"They're taking a nap." Krycek hissed back coldly before he battered the gun
welding hand aside and raising his other hand plunged the knife deep into the
man's side. He yanked it upwards feeling it slice through skin, muscle and
organs, stopping only when it hit the lower part of the rib cage. The man let out
a gasping, strangled cry, Alex quickly put his hand over the mouth to stifle it,
as he followed the man backwards and down. With proper medical attention the man
might live, but he would be incapacitated for the rest of the flight. Looking up
into the shocked expression of Skinner and the pale, pain filled, face of Mulder,
he hoped that medical attention for the downed hijacker would be a long time in
coming.
Reaching up he snatched off the ski mask and smiled devilishly at Skinner's
totally shocked expression. Krycek used his bloody knife to cut the AD bound
wrists, and then abruptly knelt beside his lover and hesitantly reached out a
hand and caressed the other man's cheek saying, "Hay babe... how you feeling?"
Then he carefully removed Mulder's plastic restraint and snapped the tape off in
one swift movement, wincing along with Mulder at the pain this caused.
Mulder swallowed hard, licking at his painful lips before he responded, his tone
laced with hurt, "I've had better flights... not too keen on the in-flight
entertainment." He indicated his injured arm and winced at the pain this caused.
"Here... let me.." Krycek began, starting to help Mulder unwind makeshift bandage
and the tape and then out of his jacket and revealing the injury for the first
time. With surprisingly efficient hands Alex, pulled out and ripped his own shirt
under the jacket and swiftly re-bound the wound, it was tight and caused Fox to
hiss, but he made no attempt to stop his lover from tending him, the previous
bandage had not been that effective as the amount of blood dribbling down his arm
under his jacket testified.
Skinner watched this all while recovering from his own shock and tape removal
before dragging them all back to the problem at hand. "Do we have a secure
situation?" he asked, looking about at the other passengers who were now
attempting to move and mumble their protest as being kept prisoners, but who were
still to afraid to actually raise form their seats.
Krycek satisfied that he had done all he could for Mulder stood up and swiped
back his hair, which had grown even longer since he'd become Fox's lover, "No...
there is still one in the first class section and two in the c ockpit..."
"Why the hell did they do it?" Mulder asked, he was starting to feel petty much
out of it, but was surprised when Krycek answered.
"Ransom... 2 million to be exact..."
"Yeah... Lister here," Skinner indicated the still unconscious man at his feet,
"Was bragging about how they had the owner's daughter in first class...." He
paused and added, "I get the feeling these jokers weren't going to let us go even
if they were wearing ski masks..." Seeing the look this earned him he added, "He
was talking too much... and they were calling each other by name..."
"You're right about that." Krycek agreed, "They plan on putting the auto pilot on
then letting this baby fly until it runs out of fuel..."
Skinner frowned in anger then said, "Let's finish this." He nodded towards Krycek
who smiled, it was not a pleasant sight, before he ducked down, gently pressed
his lips to those of his injured lover, then standing Alex swiftly pulled the ski
mask back over his face, and using the gun saluted Skinner as he brushed pass the
man. "Krycek." Skinner hissed, "I want them alive."
The man in question paused dramatically, then said in a staged naughty boy
whisper said. "Oops... too late." Then he was off, with Skinner following closely
behind.
The hijacker who Krycek had pushed into first class was standing with his back
towards them when they entered, but he span about when he heard him. He nodded
once in greeting, and was then tossed backwards by the force of the blow that
Alex delivered to his unsuspecting chin. The man was out before he hit the floor.
Even Skinner, who followed Krycek could tell that the man's jaw was broken. He
was also starting to see what Mulder meant about pushing this former assassin to
far.
"Now the cockpit." Alex stated, his voice muffled by the ski mask. He marched
determinedly forward, and knocked boldly on the door he knew would be locked. He
waited a few seconds and then banged again, this time using the butt of his gun.
The door was unlocked and a gun appeared through the crack followed by an angry
"What?"
"We've got a bit of trouble back here," Krycek said, standing casually at ease,
although his gun was pointing directly at the man that Skinner could not see, and
his body was tense, ready for action.
"Deal with it... Masters and I are busy," Came back the annoyed reply.
"Can't," Alex insisted loudly, moving even closer to the door, trying to get a
good aim. "Looks like the daughter never made the flight," he said, his glare
matching the expressive eyes of the ski mask covered face he could now see before
him.
"What the hell are you talking about?" a second voice asked from further inside
the cockpit, this one had to be Masters'.
"Well I was playing with a stewardess and..."
"Playing?" the voice demanded again, "What the hell is Lister doing back there...
you're just supposed to watch the damn passengers, not play with them."
"Hey, it was just in-flight entertainment," Krycek shot back, remembering his
lover's words. "Anyway, looks like the damn bitch never made it on board... if
they're are telling you different..." he used his gun to motion into the
cock-pit, "Then they are lying... stalling for time..."
"She is on board you dickhead... I followed her to the flight gate myself." Came
back the voice that had to belong to Masters."
"Yeah..." Krycek continued, not batting an eye, but knowing that he had to get
the men out of the confined space of the cockpit if they were to stand a chance
of saving the plane. So he took a gamble, saying, "In that case Lister wants you
point her out to him." As soon as the words left his mouth he knew it had been a
mistake. The sound of a gun cocking was his only warning, and he threw himself
backwards as the door burst open, hitting the ground hard and his head impacting
against the sharp edge of the chair nearest to him. He distantly, through the
waves of pain that now swamped him, saw a man erupt out of the cockpit, gun
blazing, only to be brought down, blood bursting from his body as Skinner's
deadly shot took the man out before he could alter his aim from where Krycek had
been standing. It was this fact alone that saved the plane from suffering serious
injury from a bullet ripping out of the cabin and depressurising it. Most of the
shot hit the plush chairs facing the door.
There was a sound of a scuffle from inside the cockpit, and then a cry of pain as
another shot was fired, but that precious few seconds were all Skinner needed to
force his way into the cockpit and shoot the man who was attempting to kill the
co-pilot who had tackled him, once his attention was on the door. Again Skinner's
aim was true and his bullet ended the forty-seven minute hijack. Agent Alex
Krycek was blissfully unaware of this, as he had tumbled into unconsciousness
shortly after striking his head.
Krycek hurt, that much he was certain of and he was also fairly certain from the
smell and clattering noise, that he was in a hospital. He groaned, he hated
hospitals, and the only way he was going to find out for sure was to open his
eyes. He did so very reluctantly, and his vision faded in and out nauseatingly
for a few seconds before he made out the concerned face that was leaning over
him. He smiled weakly by way of welcome.
"Alex?" Mulder said in some relief, his own arm held securely in a pristine white
sling. "Alex?" he said again, reaching out with his good hand, and gently wiping
a lock of unruly hair that was sticking out from under the bandage that covered
the top of his lovers pale, sweaty face.
"Muld..." Alex began but then coughed as his voice caught on the dryness of his
throat. He tried to keep back the groan of pain, but failed as his world danced
back into darkness for a few seconds. When it righted itself a again, Fox was
still standing beside his bed.
"Here... take this." Mulder offered hurriedly, taking a spoonful of ice chips
from a cup that was resting on the cabinet beside the bed. It was awkward with
only one hand, but he managed it.
Alex gratefully accepted the ice and waited a few seconds, eyes closed until the
water melted in his mouth, then swallowing it, he opened his tired eyes again and
asked, his own voice now filled with concern as memory flooded. "Your arm!"
Mulder smiled and lifted up his injured limb, sling and all. "Bullet went
straight through... they only kept me over night.... Small stuff really.... You,
on the other hand, nearly cracked open your skull on the corner of a seat." He
stopped, suddenly unable to carry on as emotions threatened to overwhelm him. He
could not explain that terror he had felt when he had finally managed to stumble
into the first class section of the plane, to see Skinner and another older man,
who turned out to be a doctor, kneeling beside the motionless, blood covered form
of Krycek. While the man had only suffered a head injury, it had bled so
copiously that Mulder had thought, for one terrified moment, that his lover had
been shot in the head.
"What happened... the plane?" Alex gasped, his concern for Mulder quietened by
the evidence of the man's presence before him.
"Diverted to Chicago... that was two days ago," he added quietly, before reaching
out a hand and gently caressing the cheek of the man in the hospital bed. "Don't
you ever do that to me again... you hear."
Alex leant into the hand, and whispered a kiss on the palm. "I'll do my best..."
Mulder gave out a deep sigh, as if releasing all the fears that had kept him
company for the last day and half, as he had sat in silent vigil beside his
lover's bed. Then he smiled sadly and said in some awe, "Christ.... Alex you were
awesome... four dead, one seriously injured... still in ICU, and one with a
fractured jaw and concussion... and all that it about forty-five minutes... that
has got to be some kind of record." Krycek could tell that Mulder was shocked,
not only by the number of men he had killed, but by the ease with which he had
done it.
"I had to..." He confessed quietly, suddenly feeling drained as he continued,
"Wasn't sure where you were... if you were alright... had to take... them out
fast...."
"They got the statements from the passengers in first class sections." He smiled
as he continued, "No one can make out if they were more afraid of the hijackers
or you!!" Mulder spoke gently seeing that Krycek was starting to drift off.
"Remind me never to slap you around again," he added quietly, thinking that Alex
was already asleep and was surprised when Krycek offered with heart rendering
conviction.
"Never... hurt you... Fox... my life..." It was spoken as a whispered breath, but
it warmed Mulder more effectively then any heater could.
Mulder sat there for several minutes, just holding the hand of the man he loved.
He knew that he should really go and fetch a nurse, inform the doctor that his
lover had woken up, but he didn't want to spoil the moment. He had spent the last
two days in fear of losing this man, who had only been moved from the ICU earlier
that morning, after he had awoken briefly, and while Mulder had been reassured by
the doctor that Alex would survive, Fox was still unable to shake the image of
his life without this precious man, for he now knew that it would not be a life
worth living.
The door behind him opened, and he thought it was a nurse coming into to check
Alex's vitals. He opened his mouth ready to tell her that her patient had been
awake for a few minutes, but was surprised when Skinner's voice interrupted him.
"How is he?" The AD came to stand on the other side of the bed, looking down at
the sleeping man.
"He woke up again.... a little while ago... not for long, but he knew me...
remembered what happened... that's always a good sign." Mulder smiled in relief.
"He did a hell of a job on that plane," Skinner murmured quietly, his tone edged
with incredibility.
"He's good at what he does sir," Mulder offered, ashamed at his inability to hide
his pride in his lover.
"He cold bloodily killed four men Mulder... without alerting the rest of the
hijackers... two of them without even using a weapon... he took back control of
that plane in under fifty minutes... and they where armed to the teeth with
automatic weapons..." Skinner stopped and took a shaky breath. "And shortly
before that I was pushing his buttons... as you so quaintly put it..." he let his
sentence, and meaning hang suspended in the heavy air.
Mulder considered Skinner's words carefully then advised wisely, "It might be an
idea to take him off transcribing those surveillance tapes once he's back at work
sir."
Skinner swallowed audibly, then replied dryly, "I'll take it under advisement
Agent Mulder..." The silence grew longer before the AD said, "Those bastards were
going to kill the cockpit crew and parachute out once the money was transferred,
just let us run of out fuel...." He rubbed his tired face, he had spent the last
two days in debriefing with the other passengers, and watching over both Mulder
and Krycek in the hospital. He'd also had to deal with a few hysterical
passengers who had witnessed Alex's work up close and personal. He got a sinking
feeling the bureau would be hearing from their lawyers at a later date. "He'll
get a citation for this you know..." Skinner finished, before adding ironically,
"And disciplined for using excessive force..."
Mulder threw a look up towards the ceiling and the gods. "Well that seems to be
the story of our lives at the moment." Then he looked troubled, and asked
sharply, "The bureau will stand behind him on this won't they sir?"
Skinner looked confused at the question for a moment, then his face cleared as he
nodded, saying, "Hell yes... the directors are lapping up the good PR.... FBI
agent stops hijack... single-handedly... risks life to save fifty-five other
people... all good newspaper fillers..."
"He's going to hate the publicity...." Mulder mumbled, a frown marring his
handsome face.
"We're keeping his name out of it... and his face..." Skinner winced as he
remembered his encounter with a certain smoking bastard. The man had questioned
him in great detail about the hijack, seemingly to take an almost parental pride
in Krycek's ability to foil the plan. Without thought he continued, "After seeing
what he's capable off, I'm personally beginning to realise that I got off lightly
in that stairwell... " Then realising what he was saying and to whom, he quickly
changed the subject, asking instead, "How are you feeling Mulder?" He motioned
towards Mulder's own injury.
The handsome agent waved the question aside saying, "I think I sustained more
damage from Scully when she was here earlier... they should class her tongue as a
deadly weapon...." He looked slightly indignant before he said, "She was acting
as if it was my entirely my fault that we were on a plane that got hijacked."
"She could have a point there, trouble does seem to follow you about Mulder." The
man in question did not dignify that statement with an answer. Skinner smiled and
said by way of parting, "I'll call back later... try to get some rest yourself,
you're starting to look a bit pale, and remember we still need Krycek's
statements as soon as he's up to it."
Mulder nodded distractedly, he had already given his statement for what it was
worth, and the other passengers had already given theirs, Krycek was the final
one to totally complete the picture.
Skinner made his way to the door, before pausing and adding, "I'll authorise you
both sick leave until you are both fit enough to return to work... together."
Mulder twisted about meeting Skinner's look with surprise, it was unprecedented
for an agent to be given time off like that. This was the first time the larger
man had made any concession towards the former assassin.
"Thank you sir," Mulder stammered, not sure what else he could say.
Skinner nodded as if satisfied with his reply before he added, "You wanted some
time off Mulder... to be together... use it wisely... I get the feeling that
things are going to get rougher from here on out." Then he turned and left, the
door slowly closing behind him.
"Jesus..." came a tired, strained voice from the bed, "If I knew... that's all it
took... to get that damn... man... off my case... I would have killed... four
hijackers in... forty minutes... a damn sight earlier."
Mulder pulled a face, and replied between giving him gentle kisses, "I think it
was saving the passengers on that plane that had something to do with it, not the
actual killings."
Krycek smiled tiredly, then tilted his face so that it was in a better position
to receive any further kisses that Mulder might bestowed on him. Fox, seeing
this, smiled and willingly obliged until a nurse came in and chased him away
Hijack
by Draig
Alex Krycek waited by the packed bags in the hotel lobby, watching Fox Mulder and
Walter Skinner who were standing by the reception desk, ready to pay the hotel
bill.
