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The Alex Chronicles
by Lady Midath
Beginnings
I
The other man shrugged, then took a deep drag on his cigarette. He spoke in English, but I could not understand what it was that was being said. The tall man answered him in the same incomprehensible language. I stood there in front of them in the small untidy living room in my grandmother's house. Mama had brought me here that morning, telling me in that scolding tone she constantly used, that I was going to meet a couple of American gentlemen. Friends of my father's, Mama had explained, her voice sounding rather strange. Distant, as though her mind was elsewhere. I said nothing as I was dragged along the busy streets to my grandmother's small house. After all, I knew from experience that arguing with Mama was useless. She was small boned and thin to the point of emaciation, but she was as strong as an ox. She could fetch you a clout across the head that would have you seeing stars for a week. No, she was not the kind of woman you wanted to argue with if you wanted to keep your scalp on your head. When we had gotten to my grandmother's small run down home, Mama had parked me in my grandfather's old overstuffed easy chair and then she and Grandma had gone into the kitchen to talk. I sat there waiting for them both, wondering uneasily what they were talking about. After they had spoken, Mama had left saying that she would be back soon. A few moments later these two men had arrived. Grandma quickly ordered me to stand up and greet them. I did so, staring at them with curiosity. They both looked like they had a lot of money, the way they were both dressed and both of them wore expensive looking watches that looked like they were made out of real gold. Both men finished speaking now and turned to look at me in a way that made me want to run from the room. I hated being scrutinized like this. It made me feel as though I was a tender piece of meat being sized up between two ravenous dogs. The man with the cigarette spoke again. I managed to catch a couple of words in English that I had managed to pick up here and there. Money, that was one, and merchandise. I frowned, puzzled. What could they be possibly be discussing? Suddenly the taller man, the one who spoke fluent Russian addressed me again. "Tell me Sascha, how old are you?" "Fourteen Sir." I replied as politely as I could. The man turned and said something to the smoker who nodded. "And you go to school?" Why all these questions. I was thoroughly confused now. "Of course Sir." I replied, still forcing myself to be polite. After all these were friends of my father's not that I had ever known him. He had died when I had been a baby. It had only ever been just my mother and myself. "What subjects do you like doing in school?" The man asked. He was eyeing up and down, taking in my old ill fitting clothes and run down shoes. They were both neatly dressed in dark suits and ties. Their polished black shoes gleamed in the light. Next to them I felt downright shabby. I thought for a moment before answering. Then I said. "I like maths, and geography. History is okay too. And I like to read." That was the truth, I loved books and practically devoured every one that I could get my hands on. The tall man spoke again, rapidly this time while the smoker nodded and looked at me thoughtfully. I could not help but squirm a little, there was something about that other man. I could not describe it, but the way he kept eyeing me, almost hungrily. He made me feel like I was a mouse, and he was the snake. I dropped my eyes away from him and turned to look for my grandmother, but she had left the room practically the moment these two men had arrived. Nervously she had muttered something about making some tea on her way out, but I could see that she had been almost eager to leave. Fervently I wished that she had not left me all alone with these two and I wondered when Mama would be back. She had told me that she would not be long but that had been over two hours ago. I glanced out of the window, it was nearly dark now. I was hungry and tired, all I wanted to do was go home. I was rapidly growing weary of having to answer all these questions. "Sascha, how would you like to take a trip?" That particular question caught me off guard and I found myself staring at these two men, my mouth hanging open. I must have looked like a half witted yokel to the both of them. "A trip?" I stammered out. " Where to?" "To America." The Russian speaking man replied. He gave me an easy smile, showing me a mouthful of even white teeth. American teeth, I thought to myself resentfully, thinking of my own rather poor looking ones. "No thank you." I replied, still polite, but firm this time. I had no wish to leave Kiev. After all, that would mean having to leave my mother and my granny as well. I simply could not do "No?" He seemed surprised. "But you would like it in the States Sascha. There are lots of things that a boy your age would love doing over there." I looked up at him, my curiosity piqued now. "Like what?" "Like swimming and fishing. Going hunting. You could have your very own stereo and television. Things that a boy likes. Wouldn't you like that?" I thought about it for a moment. I had to admit, it sounded tempting. After all, my own stereo and television. What boy wouldn't want these things? But the truth was these two men frightened me. I had no intentions of going anywhere with either of them. Not for all the televisions and stereos in the world. I looked directly at the both of them, my chin high in the air. "Thank you but no. I am happy here." The smoking man said something to the Russian speaking man. Something that made them both chuckle, then he fixed me with that cold clear gaze of his. He said something to me in that strange unmusical language of his. Then he turned and walked out of the living room, leaving us both standing there. Confused I stared up at the other man. "He said that you were going to go to America whether you liked it or not." The Russian speaking man told me, his tone implacable. Fighting the panic that was starting to well up inside my chest, I shook my head. "No, I don't want to go. Thank you all the same though." I added as politely as I was able to manage under the circumstances. The Russian speaking man merely shrugged. "Mr Spender likes you Sascha. He thinks that you will do well in the organization that he works with." "What organization?" I asked weakly. I was beginning to feel completely frightened and helpless now. Who were these two men? What right did they tell me that I had to go to America with them? And where the hell was my mother? Giving me a broad smile, he reached over to pat me on the shoulder reassuringly. "You'll see." He answered.
II
"Mama, please I don't want to go." I was painfully aware of the fact that my pleas were becoming more desperate, more tearful now. I stood in my tiny bedroom beside my bed watching as Mama packed the last of my things into an old battered suitcase. It was the brown leather one that had once belonged to my father. It still had his initials engraved on it. V.K. Vladimir Krycekovski "You have to go Sascha." Mama replied, her voice firm as she closed the suitcase with a sharp snap. "It's already been decided. You have been chosen." "Chosen? For what?" I was almost yelling, the tears of anger and fear threatening to start spilling over any minute now. "Calm yourself Sascha." Mama snapped, her own patience wearing thin. "They will be here any minute. And you are not to give them any trouble either young man. You are to do everything that they say. Is that understood?" "I won't." I shouted at her, stamping my foot like an angry three year old. "I am not going and that's final! You can't make me!" "Sascha, please..." Mama lifted her hand to wipe away a lock of dark hair already prematurely graying. "You must understand, I have no say in this. You have to go with them." "But why?" I whined. "Why do I have to? I don't want to?" She reached over and grasped me by my shoulders, her grip as strong as ever. Years of hard work had made her strong, it had also made her old before her time. "Sascha, there is so much that you don't know. So much that I never told you. I realize now that it was a mistake, I should have told you but I thought I could keep you safe..." "Mama..." Tears started to fall down my cheeks. Here I was a lad of fourteen and already I had started to blubber like a baby. I lifted one hand to wipe the tears away, despising myself for them. "Oh my darling." Mama whispered and for the first time I could see the grief deep in the depths of her green eyes. With an inarticulate cry, I launched myself into her arms feeling her gather me up and hold me to close to her. "Please don't make me go." I begged. "I want to stay here with you and Grandma." "You must go my darling." Mama said as she stroked my hair gently with her hand. "You must and you will. Anyway, it's for the best. You will have a fine future over in America. I just know that you will. They will give all the things that I cannot. And I know that they will take good care of you. Just as I know that you will make me proud." Suddenly the sound of a vehicle pulling up out of the front of our home made us both look up. I felt a shudder ripple through me. It was them, they had arrived to take me away. A cursory knock, then the front door opened. The smoker and the Russian speaking man entered our small living room. They had brought a third man with them. He was slightly taller than the rest. His dark brown hair was swept neatly away from a thin and very aristocratic face. He offered me a smile, but I noticed how cold his eyes remained while he swept a speculative gaze over me. He was sizing me up. The Russian speaking man stepped over to my mother, taking her by the arm and drawing her to one side spoke to her in low tones. I could not hear what he was saying but I saw the large wad of money exchange hands. By the look of it, enough to keep her in relative comfort for a very long time. True to the nick name that I had given him, the smoking man lit a cigarette. He drew on it, his eyes never leaving my face. I looked at him for a moment, then looked away. I did not want to go with these men. My stomach rolled sickly at the very thought of leaving my home and my mother. "It's time to go Sascha." I could hear the tears in my mother's voice although I did not see any in her eyes. No, they remained bright and clear even as she handed my suitcase. "Mama..." I opened my mouth to plead with her one last time, but I saw that it would do me no good. The wad of rubles were stashed securely away in the pocket of her old house dress. I had in effect, been bought and sold. "Go Sascha." Mama whispered to me as she bent down to kiss my cheek good-bye. Her lips felt cold against my flesh. "Go with them my darling and don't forget about me." Numb with feelings of anger and betrayal warring inside of me, I turned away from her and walked towards the door. My legs were trembling so hard I thought for a moment that they would give way underneath me. The large black van sat out the front of my house shining and new against the wet cobblestones. It stood out against the general shabbiness of the quiet street. A large heavy set man sat behind the wheel of the van. He grinned at me as I climbed into the back seat. "Hello there little comrade." He said cheerfully. I did not reply, instead I silently settled myself into the backseat of the van. The other three men climbed into the van as well. The Russian speaking man sitting in the front seat next to the driver. The smoker and the aristocrat sat beside me, their bulk making me feel small and insignificant. The van pulled away from the curb, and that was when I noticed my suitcase was still sitting in the pavement near the kerb. "My clothes!" I cried, hands pressed against the window. "My things! You have to stop... please!" The Russian speaking man turned in his seat to face me. "You won't be needing them Sascha. You have a whole new life now and that means leaving all of your old things behind. Including the old you." The last words sent a chill down my spine. What did he mean by that? What did these people want from me? Swallowing hard, I said nothing but I could feel the sting of tears behind my eyes. "Lucky little boy." The driver remarked and he and the Russian speaking man shared a laugh. I felt the colour slam into my face when I realized that the laughter was at my expense. I turned towards the two Americans sitting beside me, but they were deep in conversation ignoring me completely. Suddenly I had never felt so lost and alone in all my life. So I turned and stared out of the window watching as my home was left far behind me. I wondered what America would be like, then suddenly found that in my misery, I did not care.
III "You have to eat something Alex." Sergi said as he set the tray down in front of me. I glanced down at the tray laden with food, then looked back up at him again. "That's not my name." I replied listlessly. "It is now." He said cheerfully. "You are no longer Soviet Alex. You are American now. You have to speak and act like you have lived here all your life and that means Americanizing your name." "You haven't Americanized yours." I snapped back resentfully. Sergi chuckled and shook his head. "I don't have to little man." He replied. He went to leave my room, then turning back, pointed to the tray. "You are far too skinny to be American little boy, so eat." I watched as Sergi closed and locked the door to my room behind him. I heard him whistling as his footsteps receded down the corridor. Sitting up, I lifted the warming lid off the plate of food and sighed. Meatloaf again. I hated meatloaf. Mashed potatoes and peas and carrots were smothered in a thick brown gravy. I set the lid back down once more. Vanilla pudding for dessert, surprise, surprise. Didn't these cooks ever do anything different? I was rapidly growing tired of meatloaf and pot roasts and fried chicken. I sighed as I fondly recalled my grandmother's cooking. Her rich goulashes and borsht. Here they had me living on hot dogs and hamburgers and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I laid back down against the cool pillow, my mind already wandering back to Kiev and to my mother's house. Lost in my reverie, I did not hear the door to my room open. "Hello Alex." It was the smoker and Piotr, the man that I had met back in Russia. The one that had spoken Russian. They had used him as a translator when they had been in the process of bargaining for me back in Kiev. Quickly I sat up, watching as Piotr closed the door behind him. "Hello." I greeted them in my hesitant English. I had been in America now for three months living in the Consortium Facility and already I had managed to pick up a little English. That was where they had taken me after we had arrived in the United States. Piotr was now my personal tutor and trainer. He was given the job of teaching me how to pass for a normal ordinary American boy. "Mmm, something smells good." The smoker said with a smile. Piotr quickly translated what he had said for me. Even though I was slowly learning this strange and difficult language I still had quite a way to go. "It's meatloaf." I replied sullenly in Russian. "Again." Even before Piotr had translated what I had said, the smoker seemed to understand. He said something to Piotr and the both of them chuckled. I could see that the smoker was trying to be friendly but I was not about to be taken in. With a child's instinct, I could tell that he was as ruthless and as cold blooded as they came. So I sat on my narrow bed and waited. "Alex." Piotr began as he settled himself carefully down onto the edge of bed. "How do you like it here?" I stared at him for a moment, not quite understanding the question. "What do you mean?" I asked, confused. "How do you like being here in America?" Piotr asked patiently, drawing out his words as though he were speaking to a backward child. Which he probably thought he was. "I don't know." I replied truthfully. After all, I had not seen much outside of this facility that they had brought me to. Except for Piotr and the dutymen, I had very little contact with anyone at all. Sometimes one of the Elite would come in to visit with me. It was usually Mr Spender, the smoker. But other than that, there was no one else. Piotr nodded thoughtfully, then he said. "We have been monitoring your progress ever since you arrived here and I have to say that it has been quite impressive." I said nothing, just continued to wait. I knew that he would tell me what was going on all in good time. Lately I had become very good at waiting. "You are a very bright capable boy Alex." Piotr continued. "We, and when I say 'we' I mean the members of the Consortium feel that you are going to have a great future here." "Thank you." I replied, more because I could not think of anything else to say. Piotr gave me a smile, then got to his feet once more. "Continue to study hard Alex and try your best to learn English. I know that it can be a difficult and at times confusing language, but all this will be to your advantage one day." With that, both men left the room, leaving me sitting there wondering what exactly had my mother gotten me into?.
IV Six months later "...And whatever walked there, walked alone." I finished as I closed the book. I looked up at Piotr who nodded satisfied. "That was fine Alex. You're English is coming along quite nicely now." "Thank you." I replied. Actually my English was dammed good. I was aware that my accent was still as thick as mud, as Sergi often liked to point out. But I could make myself understood and more to the point I could understand what was being said to me. That had become the most important thing of all. Now Piotr was teaching me to be able to not only speak this odd language, but read and write it as well. Hence the book. "So what did you think of it?" He asked now, indicating towards the rather battered paperback I was still holding. I turned it over in order to look at the dull beige cover emblazoned with large black letters. "The Haunting of Hill House." I intoned, then I looked up at Piotr. "I liked it." He chuckled. "I thought you might." He said. "It had always been one of my favourites as well. Scared the hell out of me when I first read it myself." "I did not find it scary." I replied cautiously. "I thought it was well...kind of sad really." I was aware of Piotr's gaze fixed on me now. "Really." He replied, his voice mild. "That's interesting Alex. Why do you say that?" I shrugged, turning the paperback that Piotr had given to me over in my hands. "I just thought that Eleanor was a rather sad character that's all." I said diffidently. "I see." He said with an encouraging nod. "Go on." "Well, there she was, all alone, she had never been able to fulfill any of her hopes and dreams because she had spent her entire life caring for a sick and demanding mother. Finally her mother dies leaving her all alone, and then she is forced to live with her selfish sister and her horrible family. Poor Eleanor never had a chance. And the one time she is able to escape, to have an adventure on her own, it all ends in tragedy. The house would not let her go." "I guess it needed her." Piotr replied, settling himself back against the hard backed chair. I shook my head. "The house was selfish." I stated firmly. "It should have let her go. It should have let her live." Suddenly I found myself hating the dreadful house that this middle aged housewife had written about. "Perhaps Eleanor had a destiny to fulfill Alex." Piotr's voice was almost gentle. "After all, we all have our destinies to fulfill." I did not answer, after all what could I say? I handed him back the book. "I like this Shirley Jackson." I told him. "I want to read more of her stories please." Piotr chuckled as he accepted the book. "Wait until you read, 'The Lottery'," he replied. I frowned. "Someone wins a lottery?" It did not sound like something that she would write. "Something like that, yes." "Oh, okay." I replied. "So what now Piotr?" I asked. I had finished most of my lessons for the day. Together we had covered American pop culture and popular music. I discovered I really liked Credence Clear Water Revival and Kiss. Janice Joplin was okay, but I did not like Bob Dylan very much. I found his voice to be too harsh, too gravelly for my taste. And of course Elvis was the King. "Ever hear of Bugs Bunny?" He asked me with a grin. I shook my head. "How about Daffy Duck? Mickey Mouse? Tom and Jerry?" "No." I replied, wondering what the hell he was talking about. Piotr laughed as he slapped his hand down on my shoulder. "Come with me my young friend because your education is about to continue."
V
I yawned as I looked up from the large colour television set that sat in the Lounge. Several dutymen were sitting around drinking coffee and eating these thick pastries that they called danishes. They were all laughing at the action going on in the screen in front of them. One of them winked and grinned at me broadly. I quickly turned back to the television once more. Another burst of laughter sounded from behind me. They were all laughing at the antics of the three men on screen as they attempted to build a barn. All they did was slap at each other and poke each other in the eyes. Try as I might, I could not find any humour in this. I watched, trying to make sense out of three grown men constantly injuring each other in a way that was verging on sadistic. The dutymen loved it though. They howled with laughter at these three morons as they went through their definitely unfunny paces. Suddenly I longed to be able to hold a book in my hands. Perhaps another Shirley Jackson, or something by Steinbeck. I had also been allowed to read To Kill A Mockingbird, a beautiful story that had brought me near to tears. And The Catcher In The Rye, that had been another story that I had loved. The words had just seemed to leap off the page and into my very mind. How horrified I had been to learn that many schools had banned this magnificent book. It made feel sad that this wonderful book had been so utterly misunderstood. With an inward sigh, I turned my attention back to the television screen. Now they were all throwing pies at each other. This seemed to absolutely delight the dutymen. I glanced up at the clock on the wall, wondering idly when this would finally end. Mercifully the pie throwing seemed to be the grand finale and finally to my relief, the credits rolled. I got up off my place where I had been lying on the carpet and went over to the long low couch that was placed towards the back of the room. I settled down to wait for Piotr to come and take me back to my room. Even though I had been here at the Facility for over six months now, I still was not permitted to move around freely by myself. I was only allowed to move about the large and very well guarded compound without an escort. That usually included Piotr or the whatever dutymen were on guard at the time. "Did you enjoy the movie?" I looked up at the sound of the voice. It was one of the dutymen, the same one that had smiled at me before. I shrugged noncommittally. "It was okay." I replied. The truth was, I had found it stupid and boring to the extreme, but I had discovered over the time I spent here that it was often better to keep my opinions to myself. He gave me another grin, wider this time showing his white even teeth. "I kind of got the feeling that you didn't like it very much. You didn't laugh once." I stared up at him, surprised. "You noticed?" The dutyman nodded. "I noticed." "You must have been staring at me the whole time." Suddenly I felt uncomfortable under this man's gaze. He was younger than most of the other dutymen. He looked to be in his mid twenties or early thirties. He had very mild looking brown eyes and a head full of dark curly hair. "What's your name?" I asked suddenly, then felt the colour rise in my cheeks. Why did I ask that? I wondered to myself. I never socialized with the guards. In fact, except to Piotr and the occasional visit from one of the Consortium Elite, I never had any real contact with anyone. "Dominick." He told me, then stuck his hand out. I grasped it briefly, feeling the warmth of his skin contact briefly with mine. "Hi I'm Sascha, um but they all call me Alex." I replied, my face growing even hotter. "Hi Sascha but they all call me Alex," he said with a laugh. "It's nice to meet you." "Uh, just call me Alex." I told him, feeling like a complete fool now. "And you can call me Dominick, or Nicky for short." Suddenly he sat down beside me, settling himself on the comfortable couch. The dull gray of his uniform was in complete contrast to my faded denim jeans and red pullover. Clothes that had been supplied for me the first day I arrived here. "You are Russian aren't you?" The question caught me by surprise and I nodded. "I thought so." Dominick continued easily. "It was your accent. I'm pretty good at picking accents you know." He said that proudly as though to him it was a great skill. "I come from Kiev." I explained. "I was born there." God, why was I sounding so dammed stupid all of a sudden? He grinned at me again. "That's great." He replied enthusiastically. "I come from Wisconsin myself. A farm boy I guess you could say." I nodded. I knew a little about the place that he called Wisconsin. I had been learning all about the various states and cities in America. It was all part of my training. "That's nice." I said when I realized he was waiting for me to say something. "So how long have you been in the good old U-S-of-A for?" Dominick asked. I smiled at him. That was the one thing that I was beginning to like about Americans. Their open friendliness and boundless curiosity. In one way, I wished that I could be as open, as trusting as that. "Six months, give or take a couple of weeks." I told him. Dominick nodded thoughtfully. "Your English is very good," he said after a while. "Thanks." I replied, giving him a smile. I was starting to like the young dutyman a lot. He reminded me of a friend that I had back in Kiev. A boy I went to school with. His name had been Pavel. He had the same dark curly hair and bright cheerful smile. Suddenly I found myself thinking about home. About all my friends, my mother. Everything that I had left behind. I could feel a lump rise up in my throat as I thought about how much I missed them all. The expression on my face must have changed because suddenly Dominick was regarding me closely. I could see the concern in his light brown eyes. "Is something wrong?" He asked worried now. "You look upset." I shook myself out of my morbid thoughts and mustered up a smile. "Yes, I'm fine." I assured him. "Just got a little homesick there for a minute. It's gone now, I'm fine." He opened his mouth to say something, when the door to the Lounge opened and Piotr entered the room. A deep frown of displeasure crossed his face when he saw the both of us sitting on the couch together. "Alex." He said, his voice stern. I instantly got to my feet. Dominick rose off the couch as well. I could tell by the look on his face that he knew that he was in trouble. "It's time to return you back to your room." Piotr told me. The tone of his voice brooked no argument. I nodded, saying nothing only aware that the ice under me was extremely thin at the moment. He turned to Dominick who was still standing beside me. "I'm sure that you have your duties to attend to." With a nod, Dominick quickly left the Lounge. Both Piotr and I watched him leave, then he turned to me. Alex, you are not to socialize with the guards here. Is that clear?" Face burning, I nodded. I could hear the simmering anger in the older man's voice as he spoke. "Come along." With that, he made a curt gesture for me to follow him out of the Lounge. The both of us headed down the long neutrally decorated corridor and back to my room. Neither of us spoke as we walked. Normally Piotr would be questioning me by now. Asking what I thought of the film, what I thought about Western humour in general. But it was clear that he was disinclined to talk and I did not want to arouse his ire any longer by trying to start a conversation right now. Finally we both arrived outside my room. Piotr inserted a key into the lock and gave it a sharp twist. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. I noticed straight away that my room had been clean. The floor swept and the sheets had been changed. It was up to me to keep my room reasonably tidy, but all the major chores such as the laundry and the heavier cleaning was done by the cleaning crew that worked here at the Facility. And that I had to admit, after years of helping my mother with all the housework, that suited me just fine. Suddenly Piotr stepped into my room behind me. "I think we need to have a little talk." He began. I stared at him for a moment, then nodded. "Okay." "Alex, I know realize that it must get lonely here for you after a while." He began. "I suppose you must long for someone closer to your own age. Someone that you can talk to, confide in. The thing is Alex, you are here for a specific purpose. You have been recruited by the Consortium to work for them. That means having to give them your complete and total devotion. It means having to be absolutely loyal to the Cause. To the Greater Purpose. Do you understand what I am telling you?" I thought it better to say nothing, instead I allowed Piotr to continue his speech. "What I am trying to tell you Alex is that while you are here, you are not to have any contact at all with any of the people that work here. That includes the cleaning staff, the cooks, the gardeners and the dutymen. Especially the dutymen. Is that clear?" "Yes." I whispered, not looking at him now. Piotr leaned towards me, his face cold and stern. I could see the depths of anger and worry in his eyes. "Yes what?" "Yes Sir." I replied, slightly louder this time. Satisfied, he sat back, his eyes still on my face. "Good Alex." He said quietly. "As long as we are quite clear on this. After all I would not like to have to discipline you. You have been quite cooperative and well behaved since you have been here. I have not really been forced to have to correct you so let's not spoil things now shall we?" I shook my head no. After all Piotr was right, he had not had to punish me once since I had been here. To be totally honest, I had no idea what methods would be used and truth be told, I was in no particular hurry to find out. Piotr gave me a sudden smile, his eyes crinkling around the edges. "Very good then young man. Well your supper should be here any minute, so I shall go and leave you to it. I shall see you tomorrow bright and early." "Okay Piotr." I replied, relieved that he was no longer angry at me. I had never seen Piotr really lose his temper, but I could imagine that it would be a most impressive sight if he ever did. After all he was a big man, tall and well muscled. I knew that he worked out every spare moment he got. He had even allowed me use the large well equipped gym on the top floor of the Facility a couple of times as a treat. "Goodnight Alex." He said almost fondly as he gently closed the door behind him. I heard him turn the key in the lock as I settled down on the bed to wait for my evening meal. I suddenly found myself hoping that it would not be meatloaf again. SIX Nine months later The Facility, West Virginia "That's it Alex, now aim the rifle straight at the target." I held the heavy weapon up, steadying it against my shoulder as best as I could. I took careful aim at the wooden man shaped target ahead of me, then fired. The wooden head exploded into fragments. Splinters flying up everywhere in the air. I could not help the huge grin that spread across my face as I saw that I had hit the target. Up until now, I had usually missed. "That was just great Alex." I turned to face my firing range instructor, a big bear of an ex marine called Harold Kelly. He gave me a friendly slap on my back that dammed near pitched me over onto my face. "That's the ticket son. A few more like that and we'll be turning you into a real sharpshooter in no time." "Thanks Sarge." I said, referring to him by his nick name. He had been a Sergeant back in his marine days and was quite proud of that fact. "Now clean and secure your weapon boy, then report back to the main building." "Yes Sir." I gave him a mock salute that brought a grin to his broad good natured face. "Get moving boy before I land a kick to your rear that will leave you limping for the next week." He growled. I laughed and went to do as ordered. I had been learning how to use various weapons for the last several weeks now. And I had found that I was very good at it. I was becoming very adept at using pistols, rifles and knives. I had also been given a crash course in other weapons as well, such as coshes and brass knuckles. To say that all this was a learning curve was something of an understatement. Sarge told me that I had a 'natural aptitude' when it came to any sort of firearms at all. He was correct about that. A combination of good eyesight and quick reflexes certainly helped. After I had cleaned and stored the weapon away, I headed back towards the main building. The cafeteria was located near the back of the building and that was where I headed for. It was almost a year ago today that I arrived here at the Facility. I was fifteen now and I had grown several inches. With a combination of physical exercise and natural musculature, I had filled out quite nicely as well. I was becoming aware that I was beginning to receive some interested looks from some of the women that worked here, and from a couple of the men as well. I spotted Piotr almost immediately. He was sitting at the far table, a bowl of soup in front of him. I collected my food and walked over to where he was sitting. He glanced up from his newspaper as I sat down. "How was rifle practice today?" He asked. I shrugged as I picked up my fork. "It was okay." I told him. "I spoke to Harold yesterday." Piotr said with a smile. "He tells me that you are one of his finest students, in fact he's quite proud of you." I felt a flush of real pleasure and I returned Piotr's smile. "I'm glad he's happy with me." I replied. "Your progress continues to be a success Alex." He said as he swirled the chicken and noodle soup around with his spoon. "In fact Alex, your training has been so successful, we are considering advancing you to the next level." I glanced up at the older man, surprised. "But I thought I had already been advanced." I replied, confused. "I mean, I am allowed to walk around the compound without having to have any of the dutymen escort me. My room is no longer locked at night and my weapons training has now been stepped up to the advanced level..." "So because of all that, you thought that we had advanced you in the ranks so to speak." Piotr replied. I could see the amusement in his eyes. I nodded, of course I had. Under the circumstances, anyone would have. I watched as Piotr finished his soup, then pushed the bowl to one side. "Alex," he began. "You are still very young and you have a lot to learn about many things. You were recruited into this organization for several reasons, one of which was your high level of intelligence and your physical skills. But there are still many things that you have yet to learn." "Such as?" I asked, cocking my eyebrow at him. Piotr chuckled. "All in good time little boy. All in good time." Suddenly a shadow loomed across the table. We both looked up at the large figure that was currently blocking the light. It was Sergi. "Piotr, you are needed in the Board room. They have called a last minute conference." With a nod, Piotr got to his feet. "Thank you Sergi," he replied. The other man gave him a polite nod, as Piotr made his way past him and headed towards the cafeteria's exit. "Another last minute conference." I remarked as I watched the door swing shut behind my tutor. "That's the third one this week." "Nothing to do with you little boy." Sergi told me with gruff good humour. "This is Consortium business so you would do best to keep out of it." "I am being trained by them so maybe it is my business." I retorted with a grin and in return I received a playful cuff to the back of my head. "Stay out of things that don't concern you boy unless you want to find that cute little ass of yours in a sling." Sergi growled, then he wandered away intent on his own duties once more. I finished the rest of my lunch, then went to get up from the table when I caught sight of him. It was Dominick. He was sitting by himself reading a book while he ate. After a moment's hesitation, I left my table and walked over to where he was sitting. "Hi there." I said giving him what I hoped was a friendly smile. Dominick put his book down onto the table in front of him and glanced up at me. "Hi there yourself." "Mind if I sit?" I asked, indicating towards the empty chair sitting opposite. He shrugged. "Sure, go right ahead." I sat down, then reached over to pick up the book that he had been reading. I studied the cover for a moment. "This looks interesting." I remarked. "Is it any good?" "Yes, it's great, really creepy as a matter of fact." Dominick replied. "You can borrow it after me if you like." "I have never read anything by this Stephen King before." I said. I frowned at the picture of the blood covered face of the girl underneath the large white letters. "Carrie." I read the title out loud. Then I asked. "Why is she covered in blood?" Dominick gave me a grin as he leaned back against his chair. "You'll have to read it to understand why." He replied. I laid the book back down onto the table, making a mental note to borrow it later. It looked interesting in a ghoulish kind of way. And I always liked the try new authors. "So how have you been?" I looked up at Dominick for a moment, then replied. "Fine, I am learning how to use different weapons now." "Yes, I saw you out on the rifle range earlier." Dominick replied. "You are very good you know." I felt my face grow hot. "Thanks." I mumbled. "My instructor seems to think so as well." "I haven't seen you around for awhile." Dominick said giving me a grin. "I've been busy." I replied. I found myself briefly wondering if Dominick knew I was not allowed to socialize with the dutymen. Oh sure, I had been given more privileges and freedoms but socializing with staff here at the Facility was the one thing that Piotr refused to budge on. Not that it bothered me much, there were not many people here that I had that much in common with anyway. To most of the people here, I was just a recruit, a drone being trained to serve the Consortium. There was little to interest them in me. And to me, they were just the same faces I saw everyday. Wage slaves that did their jobs and left to go to their mortgaged homes every evening. Except of course for Piotr and Sergi...and Dominick. There was something about the young dutyman... something that seemed to draw me, but I could not for the life of me, explain what it was. We talked a little more, about this and that. I learned that Dominick was not quite as old as I thought he was. He was only twenty three. It was the dull gray uniform that he wore, it made him look older. I also discovered that like me, he loved to read. We sat and talked about the various books that we had both read, then moved on to other topics like music and then finally movies. We were both delighted to discover that we both love Clint Eastwood westerns and old Humphrey Bogart movies. The discussion turned lively as we debated which was his better film, Casablanca or the Maltese Falcon. Finally we agreed that both were great films. Suddenly Dominick looked at his watch and sighed. "I have to Alex." He told me with real regret. "I'm already over ten minutes late for my shift." "Sorry." I replied contritely. "I didn't meant to hold you up." The truth was, I had been enjoying our conversation so much that the time had gotten away from me as well. I knew that I was taking a risk going against Piotr's express orders by sitting here talking to Dominick, but what the hell. I was growing tired of having no company except for that of my instructors. "I have an idea." Dominick said suddenly. "How about I come and visit you after my shift. I know where your quarters are." He added almost as an afterthought. I agreed almost straight away. I figured that as long as we were careful, Piotr and Sergi would never have to find out. SEVEN The Facility, West Virginia I looked up from the book I had been reading as the light tap sounded at the door of my room. "Come in." I called out. The door opened and Dominick entered. He had changed clothes and now he was wearing chinos and light flannel shirt. Suddenly I became aware of good he looked out of that drab uniform that I always saw him in. He gave me a bright smile, and pulled up a chair so he could sit down. Even though my room was comfortable, it was not very large and there were only a few pieces of furniture in it. My bed, a small wardrobe and chest of drawers. A table from where I both worked and ate my meals from when I was not eating in the cafeteria. And a single chair. "Not much is it." I said with an embarrassed grin, waving my hand around the small room. "It looks fine to me." Dominick replied easily enough. He settled himself back in the chair, his eyes on me. "What are you reading?" He asked. "Valley Of The Dolls." I told him. He gave me a strange look and I could not help but laugh. "It's Piotr's idea actually. He thinks that I still need to brush up on my 'American culture education' as he puts it." "I haven't read it myself." Dominick replied with a shake of his head. "Not really my thing." But you read books with a girl's bloodstained face on the cover, I thought privately. Aloud I replied. "It's not too bad." I reached over and laid the book onto the nightstand face down. "So here we are." Dominick said. I glanced up at him. "So here we are." I echoed softly. He smiled down at me, his face suddenly gentle. "It must get lonely here for you Alex, all alone with no one to keep you company." He spoke softly, leaning forward in the chair. I shrugged uncomfortably aware of his proximity now. "I guess." I mumbled, not meeting his gaze. "Do you ever think about women Alex?" He asked. My head jerked up as I stared at him, the question taking me by complete surprise. "I guess so." I stammered out. "Sometimes." The truth was, lately I had started to wonder about women. Nothing concrete, just vague formless thoughts usually late at night. "Do you ever get to..." He let the question taper off. I shook my head. "No, I haven't... that is to say, I'm not really allowed..." I was aware of how flustered I was starting to become now. Dominick laughed and shook his head. "You must be one horny bastard then." He replied. "No, not really." I answered him, then felt my face go bright red. I was not used to having conversations like this. "Well either you are, or you must jerk off a lot." "I stared at him confused. "Jerk off?" That was not a term I was familiar with. "Yes, you know." Dominick said impatiently. "Jerk off, wank, spank the monkey. Work the sausage, spend time with Mrs Palmer and her five daughters." I blinked at him in total confusion, it was like he had suddenly started speaking in Swahili or something. "Masturbate." He said clearly exasperated by my ignorance now. "Ah, right." I replied relieved. Now I understood what he was talking about. Then I felt the blood rush to my face. How was it that Dominick was able to talk about such things so easily. I had always been taught that matters of sex were private, never to be discussed and here he was making jokes about it. He must have seen the look on my face and decided to take pity on me. "I'm sorry Alex." He apologized contritely. "I did not meant to embarrass you." "That's all right." I told him. "It's just that..." I trailed off, if I told him that I was not used to talking about sex, I would end up sounding like a half wit, or a child. I did not want him to think that I was either. Sensing how I was feeling, Dominick laid his hand on my shoulder. I could feel the warmth of his flesh through the thin cotton of my plain white shirt. "You my friend need to get out and have some experiences." He said with a wink. "That is kind of difficult for me right now." I replied somewhat drily. He grinned at me again, his eyes sparkling. "Then I shall bring an experience to you." He replied. "After all, if Mohammed won't go to the mountain, then the mountain shall have to come to Mohammed, won't it." Before I could frame a reply, Dominick bent his head down and before I knew what was going on... he kissed me. I went to jerk my head away from his, more out of shock than anything else. But he had placed his hand behind my neck, holding my head firmly in place. Finally he broke the kiss, pulling away to look at me. His eyes were shining now. "Do you know how long I've been wanting to do that for?" He said. Dumbly I shook my head. "Ever since that day I first saw you sitting in the Lounge." He told me. "Remember? You were watching a Three Stooges movie as I recall." "And you had been watching me." I replied. "You noticed that I did not think that the movie was very funny." "That's right Alex." Dominick said, obviously pleased that I had remembered. "You were bored out of your mind." "That's right." I told him with a smile. "I never did grow to like those three you know." "Well that's all right Alex." Dominick said as he laid his hand against my cheek. "You are far too intelligent to be satisfied with such mindless entertainment anyway." I stared a him for a moment, then suddenly feeling shy I dropped my eyes away from his face. "What's wrong Alex?" he asked, suddenly concerned. I shrugged trying for nonchalance, but failing miserably. Nothing." I replied. "It's just that..." "It's just that what?" He prompted. I lifted my eyes up to meet his gaze. "I'm not used to being kissed by a man, that's all." "I think that you are not used to being kissed by anyone." Dominick replied. "Man or woman. Am I right?" I sighed inwardly. As much as I hated to admit this, he was right. And right now, I was totally out of my depth. "Alex." Dominick said as he reached up to stroke my collar length black hair. "I would never do anything to hurt you. You have to believe that. If nothing else, I need you to believe that." Wordlessly I nodded. Somehow I found myself wanting to believe what he said. Needing to believe it. Before I realized what was happening, I found myself being pushed back gently onto my narrow bed. Dominick's hands roaming over the front of my shirt and downwards to the front of my jeans. A heat washed over me as he kissed me once more, our lips meeting with hungrily. I suddenly found myself returning his kisses with a passion that I had never really suspected was there before. Before I realized what was happening, Dominick had my shirt and jeans unbuttoned. He removed my clothes, dropping them in a heap on floor beside my bed. He must have sensed my nervousness because he leaned forward and whispered gently in my ear. "Relax Alex, I'm not going to hurt you. I promise." I stared back up at him, eyes wide. I suddenly found myself wanting to trust him, no, needing to trust him. It had been so long since I'd had any real human contact, other than my instructors that was. Sensing my need, Dominick leaned down and pressed his lips against mine. His kiss spreading a flush through my entire body. I returned the embrace feeling myself becoming hard against him. My virginal cock now a throbbing aching need. I felt Dominick's mouth leave mine and find it's way down to my left nipple. I moaned and arched my back as sensation after sensation flooded me. His tongue lapped at my left nipple, then wandered over to the right one nipping and sucking at it until it became a hard little peak. "Lift your legs up Alexi." He panted. Without thinking, I obeyed him. It was the first time anyone had ever called me 'Alexi' before. It had always been just Alex and before that...Sascha. My real name. "Wait while I prepare you properly." He whispered. I watched while he took a small tube and an even smaller plastic wrapped item. It was a condom. This was the first time I had ever seen one. I stared at him with fascination as he unwrapped the rubber and rolled it onto his erection. Then opening the tube, he squirted some clear jell onto his fingers. I could not help but let out a cry as he smeared the cold lube into my anus. His fingers spreading me, opening me up. "Just breathe Alexi." He told me gently. "Breathe and relax. I'm not going to be rough. You have my word." As good as his word, he entered me as gently as possible. I let out a sharp yelp reaching out to grasp at his shoulders as the blunt head of his penis found it's way into my asshole. I could feel tears gather in my eyes at the burning sensation in my rear. But I felt something else as well. Something that my fifteen year old self could neither explain, nor understand. "That's it Alexi." I heard Dominick mutter as he thrust into me, his hands clutching at my legs, holding them up so as to give him better access to my posterior. "Oh God." I moaned, the words coming out in Russian, the language I still naturally tended to revert to. "OhgodohgodohGOD!" I yelled as I felt Dominick's cock push against my prostate. Sweating profusely now, I arched my body towards him, taking his thrusts again and again until my own cock either in sympathy or protest spurted semen over the both of us. "Oh...oh shit." I stared embarrassed at the mess I had made. Then I looked up into Dominick's eyes, they were sparkling with a mixture of sex and laughter. "Never mind baby." He said with a grin. Slowly, mindful of my now sore ass. He removed his cock from my no longer virginal opening. That was when I noticed that he too had come. "You okay?" He asked. The concern in his voice touched me and I nodded. "Yes." I told him, striving to keep my voice steady. "I'm fine." Dominick helped my to sit up, smiling when he noticed me wincing. "You'll be sore for a couple of days." He told me, reaching out to stroke my face. "Sore." I muttered under my breath. "I don't think I'm going to be able to sit down for a week." With a laugh, Dominick leaned forward to kiss me again. "It will get better Alexi, scout's honour." I nodded, then gave him a grin. "It was good though." I admitted. "Good, I'm glad you enjoyed it Alex." Suddenly I felt my heart freeze in my chest. Slowly I turned around to face Piotr who was leaning against the now opened doorway. "Well Alex, what have you to say for yourself?" I opened my mouth to speak, but all I would manage was a strangled croak. Face grim, Piotr pushed himself away from the doorway and walked into my room. I had absolutely no idea how long he had been standing there for. I could feel the colour slam into my face as he took in my naked sweat and cum slicked body. "Go and clean yourself up, then report directly to my office." Piotr snapped at me. I cringed at the disgust that I could see written clearly across his face. Then he turned, spinning on his heel and stalked out of the room. Too humiliated to speak, I pushed past the now silent Dominick and headed towards to tiny bathroom that was part of my quarters. Running the water as I hot as I could stand, I stepped under the stinging spray until all evidence of our coupling had disappeared. By the time I had finished toweling myself dry and I had stepped back out into my room, I found it empty. Dominick had gone. EIGHT The Facility, West Virginia Piotr was sitting behind his large walnut desk. He was going over some files when I timidly knocked, then entered the office. He did not so much as glance up at me, but merely continued to peruse the files instead. "Uh, Piotr..." I hesitantly began, but was instantly cut off by one raised hand. So I stood on the thick Turkish carpet, waiting until Piotr deigned to notice me. Although I had a sneaking suspicion that I was going to be very sorry when he finally did. After a couple more agonizing minutes, Piotr gathered up the thin folders and carefully placed them to one side. He glanced up at me and I felt my mouth go dry. "Well Alex." He began, his voice deceptively calm. A very bad sign. "Here we are." "Well, what have you to say for yourself?" Swallowing hard, I opened my mouth to speak but nothing would come out. After all, what explanation did I have for Piotr. His instructions had always been quite clear. I was never under any circumstances to have any contact with the staff. Including the dutymen. Especially the dutymen. And now Piotr had caught me in the middle of having sex with one of them. "What's wrong Alex, nothing to say for yourself?" He asked, his tone mild. Another bad sign. "I...I'm sorry." I managed to stammer out. I stared down at the richly coloured carpet, unable to meet Piotr's eyes. I could not bear to see the anger in them right now, nor the disappointment. "You're sorry." I could hear the undercurrent of anger in his voice now as he spoke. I lifted my head slightly, watching from under my eyelashes as he stood up and walked around his desk to stand directly in front of me. "Look at me boy!" Piotr ordered. I obeyed instantly, lifting my eyes to look directly into his. "So you are sorry." He continued, his voice cold. "Tell me boy, what did I tell you before about socializing with the staff here at the Facility?" "That I was not to Piotr." I answered him. "That you were not to." He echoed my words. "And yet, not only did you disobey me by having contact with one of the dutymen, I find you both...fucking!" Piotr's voice was quivering with outrage now. He towered over me, his face a mask of suppressed fury. Feeling real fear now, I took a step back away from him. "Not only do I discover your disobedience Alex, I discover that you are a fag also. A filthy little fag!" Turning away from me, he ran his hand through his thick dark hair. I stood silently watching him, wondering what was going to happen now. "You disappoint me Alex." Although the words were spoken softly, they still cut through me like a knife. "Piotr..." I began helplessly. "Please..." He spun around to face me, the raw anger in his face made me feel sick to the pit of my stomach. "You will be punished for this Alex." He told me coldly. "And I promise you that it will be the most memorable punishment that I can devise." With that, I was given a curt dismissal. Two dutymen were waiting to escort me back to my room. As I left the office, I turned to look at Piotr but he had turned his back to me, refusing to meet my gaze. NINE The Facility, West Virginia Slowly I opened my eyes, trying to penetrate the solid mass of dark. I had no idea how long I had been in the Box for. All I knew was though that it was sweltering in here. With a sigh, I leaned my head back against the hot metal wall wondering how long Piotr was going to keep me in here for. One thing about it though, Piotr had promised me a memorable punishment and he had not disappointed me. After having been locked in my room for a couple of hours, the door had opened and Piotr and two dutymen had entered. One of them had been Dominick. I had sat up on the narrow bed, my mouth hanging open with pure astonishment. In return, he had given me a jovial smile. "Dominick...what the..." I had stammered, totally confused now. I turned to stare at Piotr uncomprehendingly, and that was when I saw the thick oiled strap dangling loosely in his hand. My mouth went completely dry at the sight of the deadly looking piece of leather. "Piotr, no please don't." My voice rose in panic at the thought of being whipped with that thing that he held in his hand. "Don't make this any harder Alex." He said, his voice cold and implacable. "You deserve this thrashing Alex and you are not going to talk your way out of it so I suggest you take it like a man." "No, no please... Piotr, I'm sorry." I whimpered, terrified now. "I promise I'll never disobey you again." Piotr only shook his head sadly. "It's too late Alex. You failed the test and now you have to answer for that failure." I froze at his words, not quite able to understand what he was telling me. Test? What test? Seeing my confusion, Piotr decided to take pity on me. "Alex, it was all a test." He explained gently. "Dominick here was ordered to seduce you, to see whether you would succumb to the temptation of the flesh, so to speak." "What?" I stared first at my tutor, then at the still grinning dutyman. Dominick had changed out of the street clothes that he had worn to seduce me and back into his uniform. "But why him?" I cried out, my heart breaking at this treachery. "Why?" I desperately needed to understand. "Because I needed to know whether you could stand strong against something like this and clearly you cannot." Piotr replied calmly. "And the reason I chose a male instead of a female Alex, well let's just say that your...sexual orientation has been something of a subject of speculation for quite some time now." "My sexual..." I shook my head, unable to believe that this was happening to me. "But why?" I was painfully aware that my question sounded more like a plea. I needed to understand what was happening here. "Think about it Alex." Piotr said quietly. "There are plenty of good looking women around here. The secretaries and the girls that work in the cafeteria. You haven't noticed any of them, and quite a few of them have noticed you." "So because of that, you thought that I was...homosexual?" I could not believe this. Fear and outrage warred within me, outrage finally winning the day. This was now beginning to verge on the completely insane. "Just because I did not pay any attention to those...stupid, vapid, giggling girls, you just assumed that I was a homosexual!" I was aware of how my voice rose, bouncing off the walls of my small room. "And were we wrong Alex?" The question, calmly put had stopped me in my tracks. The answer was... no, they had not been wrong. Not in the slightest. I felt my face flush with shame. After all I had allowed myself to be fucked up the ass and I had liked it. Piotr was right, I was a fag. A filthy little fag. Seeing the look on my face, Piotr nodded. "So I thought." Was his reply. Then he signaled to Dominick and the other dutyman. Stepping forward, they both grabbed me. Their hands dug into my flesh, leaving imprints that would take days to fade. Before I knew what was happening, I found myself stripped naked and bent over, my posterior well presented to Piotr who had now moved to stand behind me. As futile as it was, I still struggled valiantly against their hold. I knew I was going to be beaten but at least I would show them all that I still had the balls to fight back. "Keep still Alex." I heard Piotr snap impatiently. He just wants to get this over and done with, I thought dimly. He is not taking any pleasure in this at all. Somehow I did not find that thought particularly comforting though. After all it was Piotr that had betrayed me. My own teacher. The man that I had gradually learned to look up to as my guide and mentor The same man that was now preparing to thoroughly tan my bare ass with a leather strap. Suddenly I heard the whistle of the strap and then flinched as the leather bit into my tender flesh. I bit back a cry, not wanting any of them to have the satisfaction of hearing me scream. The strap landed again and again, searing my rear. Sweat and tears mingled, running down my face but still I refused to cry out. Instead I bit down onto my bottom lip until I could feel the pain lance behind my eyes and the coppery taste of blood filled my mouth. Finally the whipping ended and I was allowed to straighten up once more. Both Dominick and the other dutyman backed away from me warily, but I had no more fight left in me now. I was aware of Piotr's gaze as moving painfully, I bent to gather my clothes together. I went to pull them on, but Piotr stopped me. "Not yet Alex, this is only the first part of your punishment." He said, speaking firmly. I glanced up at him, my face still wet and tearstained. Carefully I licked at my lower lip, tasting the blood as it trickled down from the small cut where my teeth had dug in. "Three days in the Box." I felt my stomach plummet. The Box? I had no idea what that was, but judging by the look on Dominick and the other dutyman's faces, it did not bode well. Face flaming, I was led naked outside, my strapped backside on display for all to see. Ignoring the comments and wolf whistles, I was marched across the quadrangle to a small metal shed that sat right at the far end. I had seen the shed many times, often walking past it on my way to the firing range, but I had known what it was used for. The door was unlocked and I was unceremoniously shoved inside. The door was slammed shut behind me and I was left all alone in the dark. Time passed slowly as I waited for my incarceration to end. Every now and again food and water would be pushed through a slot in the door. I was forced to piss and shit in a bucket that was emptied once every evening by a dour faced guard. I sat in the dark, my thoughts chasing each other around as I nursed my bruises and welts... and my anger at the way I had been so brutally tricked. The memory of Dominick's grinning face, of the strap as it bit into me. Of the look of disgust on Piotr's face when I had looked up to see him standing in the doorway as I was being fucked by another man. That was what hurt more than anything, that and the sheer raw betrayal of it all. And as I sat in the hot sweltering blackness waiting to be released, I made an oath to myself. I would never allow anyone to get that close to me any more. I would never risk another betrayal like this. No, my mother had not raised any fools. With all the passion and emotion in my fifteen year old heart, I swore never to place my trust in anyone ever again. And it would been many years later when I was to learn that this was only the first of the many betrayals that I would experience...and survive.
Part Two Changes
I The kid looked nervous as he handed me the thin sheaf of papers held together in the manila folder. He looked as though he were about twelve years old. I sighed inwardly. The recruits seemed to get younger each year. I thanked him as I accepted the folder and watched as he walked away. With a rueful shake of my head, I opened it up and quickly read the contents within. Not much, another set of scenarios for me to work through. A kidnapping this time, really quite easy. I had reached a level of my training now where my instructors were actually preparing me to be involved in real assignments. I nodded, pursing my lips as I read through the various solutions that had been posed along with the problems. I quickly decided that none of them were any good. Still turning the scenario over in my mind, I wandered down the corridor towards my room. Three years had past since I had been brought here to be trained as a Consortium operative. I was eighteen now, tall and well built, thanks to the continuous training both physical and mental, that I was still receiving. I opened the door to my quarters and stepped inside. I looked around at the spacious and well furnished room, a far cry from my old cell like quarters which had been positively Spartan compared to this. I closed the door behind me and wandered over to the television and stereo that sat on a large black cabinet over near the window. I switched the stereo on and soon the room was filled with classical jazz. Tossing the folder onto my untidy desk, I wandered over to the tiny, but well equipped kitchenette and began to rummage around in the small refrigerator. Finally I came up with some cold chicken and a bottle of beer. Domestic but not bad. Yawning, I carried my booty back into the living room and settled down into the battered but comfortable old easy chair with a sigh of relief. It had been a pretty full day all in all. Harold Kelly, my weapons instructor had been showing me the various uses in plastic explosives and lock picks. I always enjoyed my training with the Sarge, he not only taught me the most fascinating uses for various weapons and tools, but he also kept me constantly entertained with old war stories from his days with the Marines. I opened the bottle of beer and took a mouthful, swallowing the cold brew gratefully. The gentle strains of a jazz guitar filled the room, warming it with it's rich melody. I leaned my head back against the back of the chair, closing my eyes and letting the music wash over me. Over the time I had been here, I had grown a real appreciation for jazz and blues. Suddenly there was a sharp rap at the door. I sighed and heaved myself out of the chair, annoyed at being disturbed. After all it was not liked I got a lot of time to myself, especially these days. I had noticed that my training had intensified over the last few weeks. After turning the music down, I opened the door, and stepped back into the room allowing Piotr to enter. He smiled and gave me an affectionate pat on the cheek as he walked past me. I closed the door, then folding my arms over my chest waited for my tutor to speak. "Mind if I sit down?" He asked me with that familiar grin of his. "Sure, go ahead." I replied with a careless shrug. He settled his large frame into my easy chair, letting out a sigh of relief. "You want a beer?" I asked him. Piotr shook his head. "No thanks Alex." He patted his stomach with one hand, almost like someone would pat their pet dog. "Ulcers still playing up?" I asked him. Now it was his turn to shrug. "No more than usual." I settled myself down into another chair, putting my feet up onto the coffee table. Piotr watched me, a fond smile playing about his lips. "So what are you here for Piotr?" I asked without preamble. He chuckled and leaned forward slightly, the chair creaking under his weight. "I have an assignment for you." I stared at him for a moment, the pointed towards my desk piled high with old papers and books and junk where I had tossed the folder. "I have been given the simulations already..." I began. Piotr shook his head. "No Alex, this is not a scenario for you to solve. I am talking about a real assignment. Are you interested?" A real assignment. I pondered it over in my mind for a moment, aware of Piotr's eyes on me. "What does it involve?" I finally asked. "A simple courier job, that's all." Piotr replied easily. "Nothing too difficult." "And what is it that I would be delivering exactly?" I asked. Piotr shook his head. "Nothing that needs to concern you young man." He replied with firm good humour. "You and another operative will be taking a package to New Orleans, there you will meet one of operatives and you will give them the package. Then you return back here again. Simple." I sat for moment, thinking hard. "I guess I don't have much choice do I?" I replied after a couple of minutes. "Not really Alex." Piotr replied. "You have just about come to the end of your training here at the Facility and everyone thinks that it's about you got your feet wet. So to speak." "Well I guess you have yourself a delivery boy." I said with a smile. Obviously pleased, Piotr nodded, then pushing himself up out of the chair, he walked over to where I was still seated. "I know that you will do a good job Alex." He said warmly. "I have every faith in you." I nodded, then looked away saying nothing. Piotr looked down at me for a moment. I sensed that he had something else to say, but seeing the closed expression on my face he merely turned and left my room. I sat, listening to the sound of the door closing behind him then getting to my feet, I walked over to the stereo. I turned the music back up, letting the wail of the jazz trumpet wash over me. My first proper assignment, I felt the slow grin spread over my face. Okay, it was only a delivery job sure. I was to be a glorified messenger boy, but it would be my first proper assignment. Finally, a chance to leave the Facility, even if it was only for a short while. Oh sure, I had been outside the Facility plenty of time. I had been taken to various places as part of my training, but always under the watchful eye of Piotr or Sergi. I had never been allowed to have any real freedom away from my instructors, and now here was my big chance. After all, wasn't it time to prove to Piotr and the Consortium that I was ready to become a fully fledged operative? The question dangled itself in front of me. Suddenly I felt a nervous flutter deep in the pit of my stomach at the thought of being given this job. Would I be able to handle this without screwing up? I glanced over at my desk once more, catching sight of the yellow coloured folder with the simulations in it. How many of those had I been given to solve? A dozen? Two dozen? Kidnappings, assassinations, infiltrating the strongholds of friends and enemies alike. All that and more had been set down in those scenarios again and again for me to find solutions to. And now I would be doing all this for real. Childhood such as it had been was over for me now. It was time to grow up. I stood, head down, listening to the music as it filled the room pondering all this over in my mind. Is this what I wanted to do with my life? The thought seemed to come from nowhere and took me completely by surprise. Of course it was, I told myself. After all, this is what I had been trained to do. I had spent three long years preparing myself to serve the Consortium. To serve the Elite. The men that would one day rule over the entire world. And like any young man my age, I was determined to prove myself. Not only to Piotr, but to the entire organization itself.
II So this is it, I thought to myself as I entered the large and imposing conference room with Piotr and another man that he had introduced to me simply as 'Carl'. So this was the Consortium stronghold then. I looked around the lavishly furnished room, noting the massive conference table made out of a rich mahogany and polished to a mirror finish. The tastefully coloured walls were covered with paintings. Among them, I recognized a Matisse and a couple of Picasso's. "Take a seat Alex." Piotr said. I nodded and sat down in the nearest chair. I watched as both Piotr and Carl settled themselves down to wait as well. Except for the three of us, the room was totally empty. Idly I wondered when the meeting as supposed to start. Piotr had told me that this would be my first proper meeting with the Consortium Elite. "You are playing in the major league now Alex." He had told me, his face utterly serious now. "And you are to conduct yourself in the proper and correct manner of which I have taught you." I had nodded, assuring Piotr that I would not let him down. Only then did he had give me smile, visibly relaxing. "That's good Alex." He had replied, placing his hand on my shoulder with a fatherly gesture. "Just remember that you are not only representing the Facility, but myself as well. After all I have been your main tutor and carer since you came here. I need to know that you will do your best." Without realizing it, I tensed under his friendly grasp. Quickly, he removed his hand. "I will Piotr." I had told him, my voice firm and unwavering. "I will do you proud." So now the three of us were sitting here, waiting for the Elite to arrive. I could not help but feel nervous. I was aware of how out of place I must have looked, sitting here in the deep leather chair wearing my new jeans and plain white shirt. I was wearing my new beige jacket as well. Piotr had taken my to the best shops in Washington DC and had brought me virtually a new wardrobe. Shoes, underwear, socks. Everything that I would need while I was here. I had no idea why I could not take any of my clothes with me, but Piotr had insisted that I did not. I stared down at the new black boots that stuck out in front of me. They were my pride and joy. A complete change from the sneakers that I was used to. All in all, I was feeling quite pleased with my appearance. But then I noticed how both Piotr and Carl were both wearing dark coloured suits with crisp white shirts and muted ties. Here I was wearing jeans and they were wearing suits. Trying not to feel too out of place, I sighed and settled back to wait for the meeting to begin, when the doors opened and several men entered the room. Piotr signaled for me to get to my feet. I stood, watching as the men gathered around the long conference table, taking their places. I was aware of the looks that several of them were giving me as I took my place beside Piotr and Carl. "So this is the newest operative to join our cause, is it?" I turned to look at the man who had spoken. He was tall and very corpulent. His small eyes, hard as pebbles were set deeply into his rather sallow, doughy features. He eyed me up and down for a moment, then taking his seat, dismissed me I felt the colour rise in my face, but remembering my promise to Piotr, I said nothing. "Gentlemen, shall we begin?" I recognized the speaker immediately. It was the Smoker, the man that I had met back in Kiev. He had gotten to his feet now, facing the others, ubiquitous cigarette dangling between his fingers. "So what is on the agenda Mr Spender?" The Corpulent Man asked, in that odd, breathy voice of his. So that was his name, I thought to myself as I settled back down to watch the action. Mr Spender inclined his head slightly towards the Corpulent Man. "Our contact in New Orleans has given us the go-ahead. The package will be delivered to him ASAP, after which the plan will be put into motion." The others seemed satisfied with this. A general murmur of approval rippled around the room. "And the operatives trusted with this task are Carl Hassenrick and Alex Krycek." I frowned, even though I knew that my name had been shortened in order for me to be able to blend in, it still disturbed me to hear this bastardized version of my name. It sounded so strange, almost alien. "Ah yes, young Alex." The older, aristocratic looking man that I had also seen in Kiev spoke up. I was aware of all their eyes on my now. Sizing me up, wondering if I were up to the task that they were setting for me. "Do you think you are ready for this responsibility Alex" The question came from Spender. Lifting my head to met his cold reptilian gaze, I nodded. "I believe so Sir." "Good." Spender replied. "That's good." He leaned over the table to stub the cigarette out in a heavy crystal ashtray. I watched him closely, wondering exactly how high up he was within the Consortium's power structure. As if sensing my thoughts, he pinned me with a sharp glance. "You will be paired with Carl Hassenrick. He is one of our best operatives Alex. I expect you to listen to him...and learn. Do a good job and you will be given more assignments. Fail and...well let me just say that you do not want to discover what the consequences for failure are. Do you understand?" Mouth dry, I nodded. I stared at this man, at his cold pale eyes so totally without expression. This man looked as though he could break a baby's arm...and smile while doing it. I fully took him at his word. After all, this was not a man I would ever care to cross. "Fine." Spender stared at me for a moment, clearly sizing me up to see what effect his words had. I met his glance with what I hoped was a cool one of my one. But inwardly I was quaking. Swallowing my fear, I listened carefully as Spender explained our mission. It seemed simple enough. Contact an operative by the name of Stuart Garson and hand over the package. After that, return to DC. Easy, I thought sneaking a glance over at the other operative. Carl sat, his face expressionless as he listened to what was being said. Personally I could not understand why they would want to send two agents. It was a simple task, something I could easily do on my own. Finally a time was set for when the parcel would be ready. Carl and I were to pick it up from a designated drop point. Spender then went on to tell us that our contact was a Dr Thiess and that he would have the parcel ready and waiting for us. Finally the meeting ended. The members of the Elite dismissing us with an almost curt abruptness. None of us had even been offered any refreshments. It was like they wanted as little contact with us as possible. As Piotr, Carl and I rose and left the conference room, I could almost feel the collective sigh of relief behind us. I sat in silence on the way back to the Facility, brooding over everything that I had seen and heard in that room. Piotr, sensing my mood reached over to give me a reassuring pat on the leg. I glanced at him questioningly. "So what did you think of your first proper meeting with the Elite?" He asked, gazing at me intently. "Okay I guess." I replied absently. "They are a little..." I stopped, face flushing with embarrassment. "Creepy?" Piotr supplied with a chuckle. "I suppose they are at first, but you get used to dealing with them after a while." "I guess you have to deal with them a lot, don't you?" I replied. Piotr nodded, the smile gone. All trace of good humour had suddenly fled his face. "Alex." He began. "This won't be the last time you will have to deal with them yourself. If you do a good job this time, you will be given a lot more responsibility." I nodded silently. I could hear how utterly serious he was being now. "Dealing with the Consortium is not an easy task Alex." Piotr continued, speaking softly, almost as if he were talking to himself. His eyes had left my face, his gaze distant as though he were staring off into someplace far away. "They can be ruthless Alex, ruthless in ways that you can't even imagine. And there are two things that they never forgive." He turned his eyes to me once more, pinning me with a razor sharp look. "They do not forgive mistakes and they do not forgive disloyalty. Do you understand what I am saying to you?" Swallowing hard, I nodded again. All ability to put words together in a coherent sentence had seemed to have momentarily fled. "What I am trying to tell you Alex is simply this." Piotr told me firmly. "Don't ever underestimate their ability to make you suffer for your mistakes." I stared at Piotr for a moment, carefully gauging what he had told me. Then I replied as calmly as I was able to. "It's okay Piotr. You don't have to worry. I won't screw this up. After all, it's just a simple straight forward delivery job. What could possibly go wrong?" If only I had known at the time.
III Dr Thiess was a small dried up looking man. He watched us both nervously as we sat down. "You have the package for us Doctor?" Carl asked. Dr Thiess nodded, his head moving with quick birdlike motions. "I have it all ready for you." He answered. With that, he produced a small box wrapped in plain brown paper. It looked harmless enough, but Dr Thiess handled it like it contained dynamite. "Here it is." He handed it over to Carl almost gratefully, as though he were glad to be rid of it. Carl quickly stowed it away in one of the pockets in the long coat he wore. "Thank you." Carl said. Neither he nor the doctor offered to shake hands so I did not either. The older operative looked at me then nodded towards the door. It was time for us to leave. Getting to our feet, we both headed for the door. I was aware of the doctor's stony gaze on us as we left the medical center. "Well that was easy." I ventured as we climbed into the sleek black car. Carl glanced at me as he settled his lean frame behind the steering wheel. "Now for the difficult part." He said as he turned the key into the ignition. The engine started flawlessly. I watched as he guided the car out onto the busy street, noting his every move. Piotr had already started teaching me to drive but I had not had much experience behind the wheel of a car. To be honest I was itching to get my license. "Do you think it's going to be difficult?" I asked him curiously. Carl nodded, gripping the steering wheel easily with strong capable looking hands. "Every mission; no matter how simple it seems; no matter how straight forward it looks; has the potential to go wrong." He explained. "What you have to learn Alex is this. No mission is simple. No task is easy. There are a hundred things that can go wrong, things that you can't even begin to factor in." I nodded, listening. "You were taught how to think on a mission, to classify everyone around you with a threat level. Now is the time to start doing it." Just then, my mind wandered back to all those simulations and scenarios that I had studied back at the Facility. Then one came to mind. It had been a simulation of the interception of a courier. Then it hit me, if I could plan it, others could as well. I started thinking, if I was planning to intercept us, how would I do it? Suddenly I started feeling nervous, open and exposed. I looked out of the car window at the traffic going past. All of a sudden I found myself looking for potential ambushes. I smiled grimly to myself. I had to admit, my training was really beginning to pay off now.
IV
It was past noon by the time Carl and I arrived at the bus station. Hands tucked deep into the pockets of my beige jacket, I followed him into the busy terminal. People hurried past me, carrying suitcases and colourful carrier bags. I watched them fascinated, I had never been in a bus terminal before and I found it all absolutely fascinating. I looked down to see a little girl dressed in a red jumpsuit and pigtails smile up at me, she was clutching a doll to her chest. I smiled back at her, then after giving her a little wave, watched as she dashed back to her mother. "Alex!" I turned around. Carl was waiting for me, a look of undisguised impatience on his face. "Come on," he hissed. Face reddening at my momentary lapse of attention, I walked over to where he was standing. Leaning forward slightly, he said. "Alex, focus. Do I make myself clear?" "Sure." I replied chastened. "Uh, sorry Carl." Giving me a curt nod, he walked towards a set of lockers that were located over on the far side of the terminal. Pulling out a key, he opened one of the lockers and pulled out a large canvas bag. Carl closed the locker again, then motioned for me to follow him out of the bus terminal. "Right, now let's see what we have here." Carl emptied the contents of the bag onto the neatly made motel bed. "Ah, here we are." Carefully he picked up a gun. It was a Walther PPK, standard issue. There were two of them. One for him and the other for me. There were also two large rolls of bank notes and a couple of plane tickets back to Washing DC. Carl mulled over the contents of the bag then nodded his head, clearly satisfied. "Great, everything's here." He glanced up at me with a grin. "Well, we don't have to meet Stuart until tomorrow, so what do you say we grab a bite to eat. Huh kiddo?" I nodded, returning his grin. "Yeah." I told him. "That would be great." "Okay then." Carl replied, giving me a friendly slap on the shoulder. "Allow me to show you New Orleans
V
"So, how's your Shrimp Creole?" Carl asked me. "It's great." I replied. I forked some more of the incredible tasting food into my mouth. God, I had never had anything as good as this back at the Facility. It was Ambrosia compared to the endless meals of meatloaf and macaroni cheese that I was used to. "So tell me, what is this Stuart Garson like?" I found myself asking as I reached over for another piece of herb bread. Carl shrugged. "He's okay. I've worked with him before." "Oh." I replied. "So you know him quite well then?" "Not really. Carl answered. He picked up his glass of wine and took a sip. "He's a damned fine operative though, one of the few that I actually trust." We finished the meal, then deciding then we both needed a good night's sleep we headed back to the motel room. As I settled myself down in the rather narrow but comfortable bed, I could not help but feel a strange tingle of excitement. After all, here I was in New Orleans on my first real assignment. This was my big chance. Smiling to myself, I rolled over and after a while, finally managed to drop off to sleep. SIX New Orleans The motel where we were meeting Stuart Garson was small and dingy looking. Carl and I drove the hired car down the quiet street, pulling up just outside. "Come on." Carl spoke curtly. I looked at him, noticing the tight set of his mouth. Without a word, I followed him up the cracked steps that led to the front door of the motel. The small balding man sitting behind the desk barely spared us glance as we headed towards the old fashioned elevator. Stuart Garson's room was on the third floor. After checking the tarnished gold numbers on the doors, we finally found the right room. It was down at the far end of the hallway. Carl rapped on the door, the sound loud in the silent hall. The door opened revealing a tall dark haired man. Without a word, he stepped back, allowing us to enter. Then closing the door, he walked over to stand near a small round table. "Stuart, it's good to see you." Carl said. "This is Alex, he's a trainee you were told about. This is his first assignment." The dark haired man gave a quick nod in acknowledgment, then asked. "You have it?" "Yeah, yeah. It's right here." Carl replied. He reached into his coat and pulled the package out. "Here it is. A little gift from the guys." He handed it over to Stuart, who took it and placed it carefully onto the table. "Now, I believe you have something for me." Carl said. I looked at him, puzzled. I knew that we were supposed to drop something off, but were we supposed to pick something up as well? I did not remember Piotr mentioning that. "Sure thing Carl." Stuart replied. "I have it right here." Before I realized what was happening, he had pulled a gun out. Firing point blank, he hit Carl directly in the chest. "Shit." I heard myself gasp, then without even thinking, I dived behind the wide double bed. I heard rather than saw Carl's body hit the floor with a dull thud. Pulling out my own gun, I rolled around the other side of the bed and fired. The bullet ripped through Stuart's shirt and I saw red blossom across his shirt. He stared at me for a moment with pure disbelief in his eyes, then dropped like a stone onto the carpet. "Fuck." I muttered, then my head jerked up. The bathroom door smashed open and two men, both holding weapons burst out. Pure reflex was taking over now. Squeezing off two more shots, I actually managed a direct hit to the nearest one. Like Stuart, he collapsed in a boneless heap. "Fucker!" The second gunman snarled. He fired just as I stumbled backwards, virtually tripping up over my own feet. It was that moment of clumsiness that saved me. The bullet whizzed over my head, close enough for me to feel the heat from the shot. I lifted my own gun and fired back. The first bullet hit him in the shoulder. I made sure the second caught him directly between his eyes. Slowly I got to my feet and walked over to where the package was still sitting. Picking it up, I tucked it into my pocket, then after checking that Carl was really dead. I got the hell out of there. SEVEN New Orleans I was not sure exactly how long I spent wandering around. I was trying desperately to get my scrambled thoughts into some semblance of order now. I knew I could not go back to the motel room, after all there could be other renegade agents waiting for me there. Shit, all our stuff was back there. Our clothes, money, the damned airline tickets. Everything. The drop off was only supposed to take less then an hour. The plan was that we dropped the package off and return to the motel. Then we were to catch the flight back to DC. And what the hell was it exactly that Carl had wanted to pick up from Stuart Garson? Fuck, fuck fuck. I ran my hand through my hair. What was I going to do? I thought briefly about contacting Piotr to tell him what happened when suddenly his words came back to me. 'There are two things the Consortium does not forgive Alex. One of them is, they do not forgive mistakes'. But this had not been a mistake, this had been a fucking set up. Still, what if they did not believe me. I was aware of my natural distrust rising up within me now. No, this was a problem that I was going to have to solve on my own. Stopping, I took a deep breath, sternly I ordered myself to quit panicking and use my brain. And my training. Okay, I could not return to the motel room, that was out. It was just too risky. The first thing I had to do was get back to DC. Once there I would be able to explain everything to everyone's satisfaction. Or so I fervently hoped. But first things first. I had to dump the weapon and get hold of some money. The stuff at the motel was just going to have to wait until it was safe to pick it up. Thank god everything there was under false names. Nothing that could be traced back to either myself or Carl. Or more importantly, the Consortium. Still, I had to admit, this had turned into one major fuck up. "Hey buddy." I turned around. A scrawny looking kid with pock marked skin was leaning against the wall of a dingy looking old building. He was wearing a black leather jacket and jeans that were torn at the knees. I stared at him puzzled, not quite sure what he wanted. "Yeah, you man. You cool or what?" "Excuse me?" I asked, totally lost now. The kid laughed, showing a mouthful of rotten teeth. "You are tourist or something man?" "Well I..." Desperately I tried to get my thoughts together. Who was this guy and what the hell did he want? "You want to score or what?" I could see that he was growing impatient now. "Score?" I asked confused? "Yeah man. Fuck I got everything you need. MaryJane, speed, coke. Fuck man I got the fucking lot. Whatever you need man. Whatever you need." He was staring at me expectantly. Then it hit me. This guys was a dealer. Oh shit, I thought. This day was just getting better and better. He was grinning at me now. "Man, I can see that you are deep in need. Follow and I shall supply anything your heart desires." I eyed him up and down for a moment, possibilities suddenly running through my head. "Yeah." I said after a moment, a slow grin spreading over my face. "You know something buddy, you might be able to at that." With that, I followed him down the alley. A few moments later I stepped out, pulling my newly acquired leather jacket on. I quickly checked the pockets. There were several bags all filled with various powders and tablets. There was also a bag of green stuff that I took to be marijuana. There was also over three hundred dollars as well. I quickly ditched the gun that I had used. That disappeared down a sewer grating along with the plastic bags. My beige jacket went straight into the nearest dumpster. Personally I was not sad to see it gone. I looked so much cooler in this new black leather one. Stepping over the body of the now unconscious dealer. I left the alley and headed down the street. From there I knew I would be able to hitch my way back to DC. EIGHT The Haddon Building, Washington DC One week later Spender leaned back against his chair, pinning me with a speculative gaze. He was holding the package that I brought back with me. The same one that Carl and I were supposed to have delivered. I stood in front of him, aware of Piotr's eyes on me the whole time. I had managed to hitch my way back to Washington DC. I had no problems getting rides from cars and trucks alike. At one stage I had even been given a lift by a van of old ladies that were on their way to some oldies convention or another. They had all cooed and ahhed over me while I in turn used all the Krycek charm I was able to muster. The little old ladies dropped me just outside the city and I walked the last couple of miles until I found a diner that was still open. Finally I had made it back. Tired and hungry I headed straight for the nearest phone booth, and after dialing the secure number that Piotr had given me. I checked in. I spoke to Piotr, briefly telling him what had happened. He then ordered me to stay where I was. He assured me that he was on his way. Three cups of coffee and a large slice of cherry pie later, Piotr bustled in through the door. He hurried over to where I was sitting, the lines on his face deeper then usual. "Are you all right Alex?" He asked, his tone terse with worry. "Yeah, I am." I told him simply. Then I sighed, wondering exactly how deep the shit was that I seemed to be currently standing in at the moment. By my estimation, it was probably up to my forehead. The waitress came over and took Piotr's order. Then after pouring him a cup of strong black coffee, hurried away. "Okay Alex, tell me exactly what happened." Taking a deep breath I told Piotr everything from the moment that we had arrived in New Orleans. After I was done, Piotr finished his coffee, then throwing some bills on the table, he motioned me to follow him out of the diner. And now here I was, back in the same conference room, facing Mr Spender and hoping to god I was not about to get my eighteen year old ass handed to me. "So let me see if I have this right Mr Krycek." Spender spoke with slow deliberation, drawing the words out. "You and Carl Hassenrick met the contact, Stuart Garson at the designated meeting point. The parcel was handed over, then you say that Carl mentioned something else that was supposed to be given to him. Is that correct?" I nodded, fighting down my nervousness. "That's correct Sir." "After which, Stuart Garson shot Carl Hassenrick, and you in turn shot Stuart Garson." "And the other two men that were hiding in the bathroom." I added. "I killed the three of them, and then I took the package. I thought it might have been in the best interest to return it to you Sir." I quickly added. Spender nodded, turning the package over in his hands. His lined face was thoughtful. "Very well Mr Krycek. You are dismissed. Kindly wait outside." Sparing a worried glance towards Piotr, I left the room to sit on the low leather couch outside. I waited, chewing at my lower lip, something I always did when I was edgy and nervous. After what seemed like an eternity, the door opened and Piotr stepped out into the foyer. I looked up at him, waiting for the ax to fall. Incredibly he gave me a smile. "Come on Alex." He said gently. "It's time to go home. EIGHT The Facility, West Virginia Piotr found me in the gym, working out with some weights. Without preamble, he walked over to where was I was lying on the padded bench. He tossed me a towel and I caught in neatly with one hand. ""Hi Piotr." I said as I wiped the towel over my face. "What can I do for you?" It had been over a week now since Piotr and I had returned to the Facility. I had picked up the threads of my training once more and things had settled back down into their usual comfortable pattern. "I heard from the Consortium today." Piotr said, his voice casual. "Oh yeah?" I asked as I carefully placed the weights back onto their rack. "Yes, and they are most impressed with the way you handled events in New Orleans Alex." I turned to look at Piotr, pleased and relieved. The whole New Orleans mess had been like a sword hanging over my head. I had spent many sleepless nights wondering if there had been anything that I could have done differently. The image of Stuart Garson drawing his gun and shooting Carl had been firmly imprinted on my mind and had been the stuff of several nightmares. Only in my dreams, it had been me taking the bullet in the chest and not Carl. "I thought I had fucked up royally." I said, my voice soft. Piotr shook his head. "No Alex, you responded quite well under pressure." He replied. "Okay, there were a couple of things that you could have done differently. First of all, you should have contacted me immediately after it happened. That way we could have sent a sweeper team to clean up. You had the number for the secure line, you should have used it." I said nothing, after all how could I explain Piotr that it was my distrust of him and the Consortium that stopped me in the first place. The lesson that he taught me that time when he had found me with Dominick had stayed with me. Only, I could not tell him that. I felt the colour rise in my face. Despite that, I could not argue with Piotr, he was right. A more experienced operative would have known precisely what to do. It was time I faced it. I had screwed up. I had allowed my paranoia to cloud my judgment and that mistake alone was unforgivable. Sensing how I was feeling, Piotr sighed and shook his head. "Alex, don't be hard on yourself about this. There's no real harm done. The fact is that not only did you manage to get yourself out alive, you succeeded in taking down three experienced agents. You had the presence of mind to recover the package and you were able to return both it and yourself to Washington on your own. Not bad for a trainee on his first mission, hmmm?" Feeling a little better now, I mustered up a smile. "Thanks Piotr." I replied. "You did well Alex. So well in fact that you have caught Mr Spender's attention." Piotr continued. "Oh." I struggled to keep my face carefully neutral. "Yes, he feels that you are ready to finish your training here and to take up your duties full time." I realized that Piotr was waiting for my reaction. Avoiding his eyes, I hung the towel around my shoulders. All the while my mind was racing. At last, what I had been working towards ever since my arrival here. I was to finally become a full operative. I felt a familiar tingle of excitement deep within my belly. So this was finally it. "And not only that Alex." Piotr said softly. "He wants to take you on as his personal assistant." Now this piece of news did get a reaction. I jerked my head up, my eyes widening with something akin to horror. "What? he wants me as an assistant?" I stammered. Piotr fixed me with a glare that I had not seen for a long time. "Yes Alex, and you should be proud of the fact that you have caught the attention of someone who plays such an important part of The Cause." "Yes, I suppose." I replied uncertainly. Inwardly I shuddered. Me, working for that cold eyed smoker? Then it hit me. All the times he had visited me here at the Facility, the fact that he was the one that had traveled to Russia when I had first been handed over to Piotr. "You have been grooming me to work directly for Spender all along, haven't you?" Piotr nodded. "That's right Alex." He said calmly. "Spender's position within the Consortium has changed. He has taken on a lot more responsibility of late and he needs a full time assistant. And that assistant is to be you." Silently I took all this in. So I was to be Spender's assistant. As much as the thought repelled me, I realized that it was not as though I had any choice. I may as well give in gracefully. And after all, it might end up working out to my advantage anyway. "Okay then Piotr." I replied with a shrug. "When do I start?" "Straight away." Piotr replied. "Oh, and by the way Alex, we did a little digging around. It seems that Stuart Garson was actually a double agent. He was working for a resistance group that is opposed to the Consortium. He and the two other agents were planted within our ranks. That's why they killed Carl and then tried to kill you." I nodded thoughtfully, mulling this piece of information over in my mind. Then I looked up at Piotr. "Okay, that explains what happened back at the motel. But did you ever find out what it was that Carl had been after?" I asked. Piotr shook his head no. "I'm afraid that still remains something of a mystery even to us." He answered. "Oh." I could not think of anything else to say. My mind turned back to Carl again. Of him sitting in the restaurant in New Orleans, telling me how Stuart Garson was a fine operative and that he had worked with him before. Suddenly I realized just how dangerous this way of life truly was. If nothing else had driven it home, the memory of walking into that trap back in that dingy New Orleans motel did. Of hearing the thud of Carl's body when it hit the floor. The blood from the hole in his chest. "Everything has the potential to go wrong." I whispered, remembering what Carl had told me. "Absolutely everything." "That's right Alex." Piotr replied softly. "And that's a good lesson to remember. Especially now." With that, he turned and left the gym, leaving me to my own tumultuous thoughts.
Part Three Transitions Twelve Years Later
I
Holding the folder in my hand, I scanned the busy office searching the various faces until I found the man that I was looking for. There he was, sitting behind the desk, wearing a pair of headphones. I could see that he was busy transcribing wire tap tapes. I took a deep breath and put on my best 'Alex Krycek, green agent and all around geeky kind of guy' look. Hell, I knew that I would not have much trouble putting that one over. After all, I was painfully aware that my new hair style and cheap suit certainly helped me look the part. I hesitated for a moment, not quite sure how to approach him. Then throwing all caution to the wind, I walked up to where he was sitting, folder outstretched in my hand. "Agent Mulder." There, that got his attention at last. "Here's your 302. Assistant Director Skinner finally approved it." He took the folder off me, looking somewhat stunned. Then he replied. "There's been a mistake here. There's another agent that's been assigned to the case." "Uh, that would be me. Krycek, Alex Krycek." I stuck my hand, practically in the other man's face. He stared up at me as though I was some strange and interesting new species of bug. I felt my face colour slightly under his cool scrutiny. "Skinner didn't say anything about taking on a partner." Mulder replied. "It wasn't Skinner." I answered. "I opened the case two hours before your request so technically, it's my case." Mulder sat back in his chair. Judging by the look on his face, he did not like to be one upped. I suddenly had a feeling that I was not going to be added on his Christmas list this year. "And you already talked to the police?" He asked. "Yes, just hung up on the officer in charge a few minutes ago." Diving my hand into my coat pocket, I pulled out the FBI issue note pad. I knew all the details of the case off by heart, but I wanted to add to the persona of 'green agent' so I began to read from the notepad anyway. "A detective named Horton, it turned out that Grissom called 911 and reported a fire." Mulder nodded. "I heard the tape." I lifted my eyebrows slightly, this guy's attitude was really beginning to bug me now. So I decided it was time to go in for the kill. "Well did you hear that forensics found a spent fire extinguisher on the floor? Grissom's prints were all over it." A look of undisguised annoyance crossed Mulder's face now. With great delight, I leaned over his desk and pointed towards one of the photographs. It showed the victim lying sprawled on the floor in his living room. "The walls and floor in his living room were covered with ammonium phosphate." I said. "But no trace of fire." He said. "Not even a burnt match." I replied. It was not difficult to tell now that Mulder was starting to like me less and less. But that was okay, it was beginning to serve a purpose. "Is that all you know?" He asked me sourly. No congratulations, or a hearty well done for my own investigative work. Just that cold sullen expression on his face. "Yeah, so far." I told him. Then quickly remembering that I was suppose to be the new kid, decided to toss the guy a bone. "What do you think it means?" Neatly ignoring my question, he replied. "Look, I appreciate the show and tell and I don't want you to take this personally but I work alone." Then grabbing the case file, my case file, he headed off as he tossed over his shoulder. "I'll straighten things out with Skinner." Oh no you don't you don't. I thought grimly to myself. You aren't shaking me off that easily. "It's my case Agent Mulder." I told him in no uncertain terms. Mulder stopped, then turned to face me. There you arrogant son of a bitch, I thought to myself. That sure as hell got your attention. "Look, I may be...green, but I had the case first so I'm not going to give it away so quickly." Personally I could not have given a rat's ass about the case, but I had to establish some sort of relationship with Mulder. Even if it was just a partnership. I had to eventually win his trust. After all, that was the whole purpose of me being here in the first place. And besides, his attitude was really starting to tick me off, big time. By the look on his face I could see that he was not used to being challenged. Finally he gave in. "All right, look I have some work I have to finish up here. Why don't you go down to the motor pool and requisition us a car, I'll meet you down there." "What, that's all, you don't have a problem with us working together?" I asked him surprised. I had not expected him to give up quite so easily. After all, Mulder's difficult personality was legendary amongst the FBI. He shrugged slightly. "It's your party." "I'll go get the car." I said before he could change his mind. Hell, maybe this guy was not so bad after all.
II
Storming into my apartment, I tossed my keys onto the sideboard and went into the kitchen in search of a well deserved drink. If that bastard had any idea of how close he had come to getting his neck broken... I found the bottle of lemon Stoli and carried it back into the living room. Fucking bastard prick. I could not believe it. Mulder had ditched me. Me, Alex Krycek. Fuck, I could not believe I had fallen for that whole, 'yeah sure, we can work together routine. Jesus but I should have seen it coming. With a savage twist, I tore the lid off the bottle and without bothering to use a glass. I downed a large swallow. The liquid burned it's way down my throat and I choked slightly. Fuck it, fuck it fuck it. If Spender were to find out about the farcical events of the day, he would tear me a new asshole for sure. And I much preferred to keep the one I already had thank you very damned much. I simply could not believe it, he had ditched me like, as I snarled at him at the time, somebody's bad date. Christ. And that smug look on his face, god but I had to fight then urge to wipe it off. Then if that had not been bad enough, he just had to add. "Sorry if I hurt your feelings." That sentence had nearly sent me sky high. But instead, I had to feed him a 'green agent' line instead. The one about 'following his work because we believe that there was more out there then they were telling us. I could see that got to him because he had stopped dead in mid stride. Well at least I had managed to meet the famous Scully. Although an autopsy room had not exactly been my favourite choice of places. Still getting the opportunity to observe them both together had been perfect. I could see that the both of them still had a strong rapport. Something for me to report when I was to meet with Spender again. Feeling decidedly tired now I took another mouthful of Stoli then decided on a shower and bed. Just then, the phone rang. Shit, who was it now I wondered. I reached over and picked it up. "Krycek here." "Alex, it's me, Mark." I sighed, shit, Mark. The guy I had picked up in a bar a couple of weeks ago. How the hell did he get my number, I could not recall giving it to him. "Alex, are you still there?" "Yeah, I'm still here." I said, although I was beginning to wish I weren't. "I was wondering if I could come up?" He sounded so pathetically hopeful that for a moment I felt sorry for him. "No Mark." I replied firmly. "I'm tired, I was just on my way to bed when you called." "Really." His voice suddenly became seductive. "Maybe I could join you." "I don't think so Mark." I replied tiredly. "Look, I'll call you in a couple of days. Okay?" "Okay." He sounded disappointed, well that was too frigging bad. I hung the phone back up without waiting for him to give me his number. After all, it was not like I was planning on ever calling him back. All he had just been was just a quick and easy fuck for the night. Like all the young men I found in the various bars I frequented, just a warm usable body for me to satisfy myself with. Ever since that first experience with Dominick, I knew that I was queer, but that was okay. I had learned to deal with it. And as for the Consortium Elders, they did not care who or what I fucked. To them it was nothing, as long as I did not let it interfere with my work and as long as I was discreet I could have stuck it in a billy goat for all they cared. And as for Piotr, well I was away from his sphere of influence and authority. I was my own person now. With a sigh, I heaved myself up out of my chair and wandered into my bedroom. Setting the bottle of vodka on the chest of drawers, I pulled my clothes off and walked into the bathroom. The water was steaming hot and wonderful against my tired body. Quickly I washed myself, then stepping out of the shower recess, I grabbed a towel and headed back into my bedroom. I dried myself off roughly with the towel, then naked I crawled in between the sheets. Christ, what a day. Staring up at the ceiling, I reviewed all the events that had taken place. First of all, Mulder, well Spender had not lied about him. He was one odd duck all right. Okay he was damned good looking, and that slow drawl was somewhat enticing, and I had to admit that he was quite obviously a gifted man and a dedicated agent. But there was something about him, something that I could not put my finger on. Something that vaguely disturbed me. And Scully. Dr Dana Scully to be precise. Boy but she was one cold fish. Pretty, but unreachable. And I could tell straight away that she definitely did not like me. But strangely enough, it was neither Mulder, or his red headed ex partner that preoccupied my mind at this moment in time. Rather it was my boss, Assistant Director Walter Sergi Skinner. Of course it had been Spender that had arranged for the Assistant Director to be my direct superior. He was the one that I had been instructed to report to. I had turned up at his office expecting to find a middle aged bureaucrat. An anonymous nine to five office drone wearing a baggy suit and sitting behind a desk. Some poor bastard that had been cowered by the Consortium to boot. But that was not what I had found. Restlessly I turned over, trying to settle myself to sleep, but all I could think of was Walter Skinner. The set of his broad shoulders, the powerful looking hands that had handled the file with a grace that had been almost delicate. Suddenly I felt my cock harden. I could not help it. That smooth rich voice as he had introduced himself to me. The calm authority that seemed to surround him almost like an aura. Oh fuck, my cock had awakened fully now. Reaching down, I grasped the hardened shaft and slowly began to stroke it up and down, my eyes closed. Even as I started pumping it, I tried to visualize my favourite fantasy, some beautiful young porn star from one of the few movies that I had started to collect. It was no good, no matter how hard I tried to bring the young blonde man's face to being, it keep changing into that of Walter Skinner. The blue eyes turning to brown. The blonde hair receding from a bald scalp. The finely shaped mouth widening, becoming more sensuous. I moaned, feeling my climax building up inside. My hand worked harder and harder, my back arching slightly off the bed. "Oh shit!" Semen, warm and sticky flowed over my hand. With a sigh, I heaved myself up of the rumpled sweat soaked sheets and headed into the bathroom to clean up. When I finally climbed back into bed, I felt as though my entire body had been put through a wringer. Pulling the quilt back over my exhausted body, I closed my eyes and firmly put all thoughts of the Assistant Director out of my mind.
III The Grissom case had finally been wrapped up. Mulder and I had written our reports and had given them to Skinner. He in turn had read them, then finally signed off on them. Personally, I was glad to see the back of this case, it had been weird from start to finish. The sight of that huge man, the one that had been called the Preacher, standing there, weapon in hand pointed straight at Mulder. Of course I had reacted immediately, drawing my own FBI standard issue weapon and despite Mulder's frantic protests, had fired. Preacher had dropped to the floor and I had dashed over to him searching for the gun, but finding only an old battered looking bible instead. No gun had ever been found and to my relief, the case was quietly closed. After leaving the FBI building, Mulder and I had gone to a nearby bar later on that evening, whether to celebrate or not, I was not quite sure. We had talked for a while, or rather Mulder had talked. He did get quite chatty after a few tequilas. At first the conversation had covered this and that. The FBI, various cases, but after a while and a few more tequilas, he had opened up, telling me about his sister and his constant search for her. I had listened to him as he had described the pain of his loss and his unending quest to find her. I could see the raw pain on his face and suddenly I felt myself soften towards him. Okay the guy was still a prick, but it was the unyielding devotion to his sister, and to his work that made me start to feel more sympathetic towards him. Finally I decided it was time for Mulder to go home. By the way he was rambling about alien conspiracies now, I could see that he'd had enough. "Come on fella." I told him cheerfully as I managed to get him to his feet. Mulder stared blearily at me for a moment, then gave me a warm slow grin. "How about one for the road?" "Ha, you've had enough for an entire highway." I answered. "Come on Mulder, let's get you home and in beddy bye." "Beddy what?" "In the sack Mulder." I told him with impatient good humour. Mulder laughed at that and shook his head. "You aren't the only one that's wanted me there you know." He said as I half carried half dragged him towards the bar's exit. "Is that so?" I asked, my voice neutral. Why did I have the feeling that we were entering dangerous territory now. "That's right." He mumbled. We were outside now, the cool night air wafting on both our faces. Mulder seemed to revive a little now. Straightening up, he pushed himself away from me moving with sudden cold abruptness. His closed and somewhat hostile persona had returned. "Thanks Alex." He spoke with cool formality now. He stepped away from me, then ducking his head, started off down the street, shoulders hunched as though they carried the weight of the world. "Poor bastard." I muttered as I watched him go. Then I headed towards my own car, and my own lonely apartment.
IV
"So what do you have to report?" Spender asked tersely. He, the Brit and the a couple of other men that I did not recognize, were sitting around the long polished conference table. "Not much at the moment." I told them simply. "You have already received my report regarding the X Files, and Mulder's ex partner Dana Scully. Nothing much has changed there I'm afraid. Mulder still continues to work with me, but I have to admit I am finding it difficult to break through the man's natural distrust and paranoia." "But have you made any progress at all Alex?" This came from the Brit. I glanced at him. The old man's eyes were boring into me now. The tension seeming to come off him in waves. "I have made some progress, but it has been slow." I admitted. "You have to understand that Fox Mulder is not an easy person to get close too. I have yet to fully gain his trust." "Then continue to do so Alex." That came from Spender. "Very well." I replied. That effectively ended the meeting. The Elders of the Elite rose and retired to the large lounge that was adjacent to the conference room for refreshments. I in turn gathered my papers and other stuff together preparing to leave, when Spender approached me. "A word please Alex." "Sure." I looked up at him expectantly. He paused to light a cigarette while I waited, wondering idly what state his lungs must in by now. As black as his heart most likely. "I'm quite pleased with the progress that you have made so far." Spender said finally, blowing out a cloud of smoke. I nodded. "I'm glad." "There is one thing though Alex, something of utmost importance that you have to be aware of." He continued. "And what would that be?" I asked him. Spender sighed and glanced away from me, I could see that something was troubling him deeply. "It concerns Mulder." He replied. "I want you take particular care not to arouse his suspicions." "I can assure you that I have been very careful Mr Spender." I replied puzzled, why did I have a feeling that there was something else going on here? Something that I had not been told about. "Fox Mulder is very important to the Project, and to the Cause as a whole." Spender continued, his voice low now, as though he feared being overheard. "Nothing must be allowed to endanger that, or Agent Mulder...is that clear?" Still puzzled, I nodded. "You have nothing to worry about Mr Spender." I told him quietly. "Good, see to it that I don't, or else it will be your head on the chopping block." Spender said coldly. I watched as he turned on his heel and entered the Lounge, the door closing behind him. I stood staring at the closed door, my mind racing now. So it seemed that Mulder was very important to Spender, and perhaps not for the reasons that I had first assumed. This could turn out to be most interesting indeed.
V
"Another vodka Sir?" I glanced up at the barman, then nodded. I watched as he poured me another drink, then went down to the other end of the bar to serve another customer. It was still pretty early in the afternoon so the bar was not very full. With a sigh, I reached over and picked my drink. "Agent Krycek." I looked up surprised, it was Walter Skinner. He settled himself onto the stool next to me, as the barman walked over to take his order. Nonplused, I nodded, this was the last place I had expected to bump into the Assistant Director. "What will you have Sir?" The barman asked as he used a spotlessly clean cloth to wipe down the counter in front of us. "Scotch." Skinner ordered. The barman nodded, then turned to get the bigger man his drink. "So how long have you been here for?" He asked me as he tossed some money onto the counter. "Not long Sir." I replied, I lifted my glass up, tilting it towards him slightly. "This is only my second drink." Skinner chuckled and lifted his own drink to his mouth. "You don't have to call me 'Sir' here Alex." He replied. "We are both off duty now." You may be, I thought, my mind going back to the meeting with Spender and the Elders, but I'm not. I am always on duty, you just don't know about it. "So how are you and Mulder getting on?" He asked suddenly. I looked over at him for a moment, then then dropped my gaze back down to the drink in front of me. "He's a fine agent Si..., Walter." I replied slowly, choosing my words with care. I saw Skinner's lips quirk up and for some reason it sent a tiny little thrill coursing through me. "One of the best profilers that the Bureau has." He replied. I watched as he took another mouthful of scotch, then setting the glass down, he turned towards me. "I happen to have great respect for the man and for his work Alex. Great respect indeed." Saying nothing, I merely nodded, wondering where this was going. "I know who pulled the strings to get you into the FBI Alex." Skinner continued calmly. I know who it is you work for." "The same people that you work for." I retorted. Skinner stared at me for a moment, his eyes boring into me. Then he nodded. "We may have the same boss Alex, but that's all we have in common." He replied, regarding me coolly. "Nothing more." I lifted my head to face him squarely, my face grim. "What is it you are trying to tell me... exactly Walter?" I asked. "Just this." Skinner replied. "I admire Fox Mulder, no more than that, I like him. I respect what he is trying to do and I don't want to see him or his work jeopardized in any way. Do I make myself clear?" "I'm sorry Walter, but I have no idea what you are talking about." I told the bigger man, putting on my best 'perplexed young agent' look. Not that I thought it would work with this guy, but still, it was worth a try. With one swallow, Walter downed the rest of his drink, then sitting the glass down with great deliberation got up off the stool. "Oh I think you do Alex." He told me succinctly. "I think you do." "I think that we should go somewhere and discuss this some more." I replied, lowering my voice slightly. He stared down at me for a couple of minutes, his face unreadable, he he replied. "Is that so Alex?" Looking up at him, I gave him my best smile. "Yeah Walter." I drawled. "After all, why not?" "I don't think so." He replied, but I could see the smile that was now beginning to play around the corners of his mouth. "What's wrong Walter?" I asked him, my smile widening to a grin. "We could go back to my place, talk... you know, have a conversation." I was aware of the seductive tone that had crept into my voice now. I was still staring directly at the Assistant Director, carefully gauging his reaction. "Are you aware of the fact that you are actually hitting on your direct superior?" Skinner asked me. I could hear the amusement in his voice. "I take it you're not interested then?" "Not with a junior FBI agent, no." Skinner replied firmly. "And especially one that just happens to work for Spender." I shrugged lightly. "I work for him Walter, but that does not mean that he owns me." "No?" He raised an eyebrow in pure disbelief. Then he leaned down towards me, so close that could smell the faint heady odor of scotch and aftershave coming from him. "Allow me to let you in on a little secret Alex, men like Spender own everybody, including you." With that, he turned and left the bar, leaving me alone with my own troubled thoughts. SIX Riverview Apartment Complex I groaned softly as I rolled over in my bed, coming face to face with another man. "Oh fuck." I muttered sitting up. I ran my hand through my sleep tousled hair trying desperately to bring back the event of the previous night. I recalled the meeting with Spender and the other members of the Consortium, then going to the bar. That was where I had bumped into Skinner. And then after that? Well a few more drinks, then waking up beside this rather sweet faced young man, Christ, boy more like, he hardly looked old enough to shave. How old could he have been? Sixteen, seventeen? Not wanting to think about it anymore,I glanced at the clock, it was after nine. Thank god it was Saturday, no work. Slowly I climbed out of bed, wincing slightly. Shit but my back felt sore. I glanced back at the sleeping form of the young man. What the hell did we end up doing last night? I wondered, I felt as though a herd of stampeding yaks had trampled over the top of me. Naked, I made my way into the kitchen. What I needed now was coffee, strong and hot. I plugged the electric kettle into the power outlet and switched it on. Just then, the phone rang. Walking into the living room, I picked it up. "Krycek speaking." "Agent Krycek hi, it's me Mulder." "Yes Agent Mulder, what can I do for you?" I asked, glancing towards the bedroom. I thought I saw the shape under the quilt stir. "Have something for us." Mulder said, his voice obscenely cheerful over the phone. "In fact I'm on my way over to your apartment to pick you up as we speak." "What, today?" I exclaimed into the phone. "Mulder, may remind you that today is Saturday. Our day off?" "Ah but the FBI never sleeps, not does it take days off." Mulder chirped into the phone. Rolling my eyes I replied. "Okay, so what's so important that we have to work on the weekend huh?" "I'll explain on the way Alex, scouts honour. I'll be there in five so hurry up and get ready." With that, he hung up. Cursing under my breath, I hurried into the bathroom and turned the shower on. I just stepped in under the spray when I felt a presence behind me. Reacting on sheer pure reflex, I spun around, hand lifted up in a half fist, ready to smash it into the bridge of the intruder's nose. A move that would have cause instantaneous death Startled blue eyes met mine. It was the kid that I had picked up at the bar last night. He took a step back, staring at me nervously. Relaxing, I lowered my hand. "Um, hi." The kid said, still staring at me with those startled blue eyes. At that moment, he looked like a fawn caught dead in a hunter's sights. "You gave me a start." I told him tersely, then softening my voice I said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just don't like people sneaking up behind me, that's all." The kid visibly relaxed. "Oh, sorry about that." He said with a grin. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I guess you didn't hear me over the noise of the shower huh?" I shook my head, returning his grin with one of my own. "No, I didn't as a matter of fact." Confidence returning, the kid stepped back under the spray, lifting his head up towards the rushing water. I watched as he lifted his hands to wipe the wet locks of blonde hair away from his face. Oh but this one was pretty, I thought to myself, but I knew that like all the others, would not see him again. We had our fun but I was finished with him now. "Can I use your soap?" He asked suddenly, startling me out of my reverie. "Oh yeah, sure." I replied, then finishing my own ablutions, I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around my hips. "I have to get going shortly, I told the kid. Hell for the life of me I could not even remember his name. He peered out at me from under the steaming flow of water. "Really?" He sounded disappointed. "I thought we might have lunch together or something." He replied. I shook my head. "Nope, I'm afraid not. I have to work." "What, today?" he almost yelped. "But today's Saturday." "I know." I told him with a smile. "But some of us do have to work weekends you know." The kid sighed and nodded, then he turned off the shower taps, cutting off the flow of water. He stepped out of the shower and reached over for a towel, water dripping of his lean body. That was when I noticed that he was half a head shorter than I was. After the kid dried himself, he walked back into the bedroom, bending down to gather up his discarded clothes. From the view I had, I could certainly see that he had a nice ass. A knock on the door made us both turned around, oh crap, that had to be Mulder. Pulling on the robe that I snatched up from the end of the bed, I hurried to the front door. It opened to reveal Mulder standing there, look of impatience on his face. "Come on Alex." He said as he stepped in through the door. "Tempus fugits as they say..." He stopped dead, his gaze traveling past me towards the bedroom. I turned to follow his gaze. There in the bedroom door stood, or rather, leaned the kid. Smiling at me, he walked over to where Mulder and I were both standing. "Hi there Alex." He all but purred. "Who's your friend?" "This is my work partner, Fox Mulder." I grated out. Fuck, now Mulder has just discovered my little secret, just fucking goddamned great. Mulder's response to to give the kid his most charming smile. "Hi there yourself." "So you both work together?" The kid asked, giving Mulder a slow once over. "That's what I just said." I snapped. Both the kid and Mulder stared at me. Then the kid turned to Mulder once more. "Hi, I'm Owen." He extended his hand. Mulder grasped it briefly, then let it drop. "Nice to meet you Owen" he said easily. "Likewise." Owen responded, then he turned to me. "Will we be able to get together tonight?" "No, I don't think so." I said shortly. God all I wanted to do was get this little prick out of here. Owen's face dropped, his lips full and sensuous, became a pout. "Oh, okay then. Well I best get going then, hadn't I?" Without waiting for a response, he headed towards the door, then turned back to give Mulder a smile and a wink. "I might see you around huh, Fox." Before my now bemused partner could reply, Owen was out of the door and heading towards the elevator. "Well, your friend seemed quite..." Mulder let the sentence trail of more out of embarrassment than anything else. I sighed, then gave a mental shrug. It seemed as though my secret was well and truly out now. No point trying to deny it, honesty being the best policy and all. "He's no friend of mine Mulder." I told him in no uncertain terms. "In fact, somehow I don't expect I'll be seeing him again." Mulder stared at me for a minute, then nodded thoughtfully. "I kind of gathered that." "So does it bother you?" I asked him. He frowned slightly. "What do you mean?" "The fact that I'm gay." I replied. "No it doesn't bother me Alex." He replied then added off handedly. "Why, should it?" "No." I muttered. "Of course not." "Of course getting some clothes on might help." He said with a grin. I looked at him for a moment, then realization dawned on me. I glanced down at my robe. "I be right back." I told Mulder as I headed towards the bedroom. His chuckle followed me all the way. SEVEN Skinner's Office FBI Building, Washington DC "So gentlemen, would one of you care to explain exactly what took place on Mr Edmons farm on Saturday afternoon?" Skinner's voice was deceptively mild but I could tell that he was pretty damned angry. The older man folded his hands neatly on the desk, pinning the both of us with a smoldering look. Okay, scratch pretty damned angry and try absolutely fucking furious. I sat in my chair trying desperately to match Mulder's expression of calm nonchalance and knowing that I was failing miserably. Christ, how did he do it? Mulder I mean. After all, here we both were, sitting in front of this incredibly masculine AD in full alpha male mode and it seemed to have no effect on Mulder at all. It was as though the man was made of ice. Or he just didn't care. "Agent Krycek and I traveled out to Mr Edmons farm to investigate an X File Sir." Mulder answered, speaking in his usual smooth monotone. "I see Agent Mulder." Skinner replied. "And how is it that..." he stopped to check the file that sat in front of him on the desk. "...dead cows figure as an X File?" "Sir, if I may explain." Mulder replied. Skinner gave him a curt nod. "Please Agent Mulder, by all means." "There were seven dead cows found in the back paddock of Mr Edmons farm early this morning." Mulder began. "These cows had all died the same way. They had all been eviscerated." He paused for effect. "So I read in your report." Skinner replied. "Please continue Agent Mulder." "Mr Edmons had sent for the local vet, a Dr Harris. He examined the animals but could not come to any conclusion as to what might have caused the fatal wounds inflicted on the cows. He could not tell if the wounds had been inflicted by an animal or by other means." "I see." Skinner looked first at Mulder, then his gaze slowly traveled over to me. His brown eyes rested on mine for a moment and a felt a peculiar quiver deep down in the pit of my stomach. "And by other means Agent Mulder, I take it that you mean human." He said. "Or non human." Mulder answered. Skinner glared at him, his eyes snapping brown fire behind the wirerims that he always wore. Another quiver rippled through my belly. What the fuck is happening to me? I wondered inwardly. How is it that a bald middle aged desk jockey could have this effect on me? I was the one that tended to cause this kind of effect on others. Others like that kid I had picked up at that bar the other night, Owen. "So have you anything to add to Agent Mulder's report Agent Krycek?" Skinner asked, his voice still that restrained calm tone. I felt my face colour, shit I was acting like a green agent now. "No Sir, Agent Mulder's report pretty much covers everything. I can't see that there is any thing more to add." "I see Agent." Skinner was almost purring now. "So I take it that you have no insights of your own into this case. No possible theories for what might have happened?" I shook my head, Jesus, all I saw was some dead cows. What could I possibly have to add to that? "Very well, thank you gentlemen, that will be all." With that, Skinner dismissed us both. I stared at the older man for a moment completely surprised. I had been expecting a chewing out for going with Mulder on one of his hair brained 'X Files' cases. Even though it had been on our own time. The farmer, Mr Edmons had not known that his wife had been spooked by finding the dead cows in the field. By all accounts, Mrs Edmons, a tall spare looking woman had loved reading all about UFO's and extraterrestrials. She had been convinced that it had to be the work of aliens. It also seemed that she had read an article in the paper a few months back about the X Files and she had immediately called Mulder. Of course as soon as her hubby had found out, he had ordered us both off his property. It had been easy to see that Mr Edmons did not read the same articles as his wife did. One thing had been clear though, he did not trust the 'fibbies' at all. Mulder had tried to argue with him, insisting that he be allowed to examine the animals and take photographs but the old coot had stubbornly refused, saying that no one from the goddamned government was setting foot on his farm. Seeing that there was no more that could be done, Mulder and I had left, trudging across the field and back to the car. By the time we had made it back, our shoes were covered in mud and cow dung. Christ, what a day. To think that I had left my nice warm apartment for this. Both Mulder and I went to leave the AD's office, when suddenly I was called back. Mulder raised an eyebrow at me, then headed out of the door and back down to his office in the basement. "Sir?" I asked, striving to keep my voice even. Oh this was getting ridiculous, here I was, a grown man, a consortium operative to boot and I was sitting back down in the chair feeling like a schoolboy that's been sent to the principle's office. "I would like a word with you Agent Krycek...alone." Skinner said as he leaned back in the chair, it creaked under the older man's large powerfully built body. "May I ask what about Sir?" I replied. "Do you realize that the fact that Agent Mulder took you along to examine these dead cows and not Agent Scully indicates that he is showing some faith in you. Not to mention trust." "I am glad that Agent Mulder trusts me Sir." I answered. Personally I wished that Mulder had decided to take Scully along on these kind of cases, let her be the one to ruin her good shoes. Skinner drew a deep breath, then let it out slowly, it was easy to see that he was building up towards something. "Alex, I know who you work for." He said quietly "And I know that you were put here to spy on Mulder." "I believe we have already had this conversation...Sir." I said, my voice dropping ten degrees. And it's one I am heartily getting sick of, I added mentally. "I know Alex." Skinner replied thoughtfully. "But I can't help wondering if you might not have your own agenda." "I'm sorry?" I cocked my head to one side, puzzled. "I don't quite understand what you are saying here Sir?" "Oh come off it Alex, quit playing the innocent, you are not fooling anybody you know." Oh yes I am, I could not help but think smugly. I am fooling the one person that I need to fool, thank you very much AD Skinner Sir. "You know Alex, I can't quite figure you out." Skinner said, he was eyeing my up and down now, his gaze, cool and direct, sizing me up. Suddenly I felt exposed, as though not just my clothes had been stripped away, but my very self. It was like Skinner was able to peel back the layers that went into creating Alex Krycek and he was able to see Sascha Kryeckovski underneath. It was the most unsettling feeling I had ever experienced. "There is nothing to figure out." I told him abruptly, more to hide my confusion than anything else. "You know, I suspect that there is a lot more to you than what you are letting on." Skinner continued as though he had not heard me. "A lot more indeed." Suddenly I got to my feet, wanting, no needing this conversation to end. I stared down at the Assistant Director, hands clenched at my sides. Suddenly I wanted to smash that complacent knowing look off his face. I wanted to be able to throw my badge and gun down onto the table and walk the fuck on out of there. I wanted never to have to see neither Mulder, or the Assistant Director ever again I wanted to be able to walk away from him, the X files and the whole fucking mess. And more than anything I wanted to be able to do all this, to make my own decisions for once, to be my own man. Finally getting my emotions under control, I spoke. "If you have anything more that you wish to discuss AD Skinner, you know how to reach me." With that, I abruptly turned and left his office. EIGHT Sothie's Bar I was not sure if it was my tenth vodka or my eleventh, shit for all I knew it could have my fiftieth. I watched with great interest as my hand reached over and picked the glass up. It lifted the glass to my lips. Clever hand, it knew what it was doing all right. Didn't need any help from me. My hand set the glass back down onto the counter in front of me, it didn't even so much as spill a drop. That's what you got when you had a well trained hand like this. It did everything for you, including wiping your ass for you as well. I glanced around the bar, there were a few more people in tonight. Must have been happy hour or something. A young man with purple and green spiked hair gave me a grin and a wink. Shit, a fucking green and purple haired mutant was giving me the come-on. Just what I needed, a fucking left over from the punk era. I much preferred twinkies like Owen. In fact, that's exactly what I was in the mood for, a twinkie, a sweet empty headed little boy that I could fuck into the mattress and not have to worry about him analyzing me later. Not like that fucking bastard Skinner. I lifted my drink to my mouth once more, swallowing the fiery liquid, feeling it burn it's way down my throat, cleansing it. Why did I let that prick get to me in the first place? It's not as though the bastard had any real power over me. He was just another office drone, that's all. Yeah, a nasty little voice piped up unbidden from somewhere in the back of my mind. It's not like you feel any attraction to him now Alex...is it? Fuck off, I snarled silently at the snide little voice. Leave me alone. I set the glass back down, it was empty. Shit, well there was a cure for that. All I had to do was order another one. Easy peasy as the kids say. "Alex, I thought I would find you here." Oh no, reluctantly I looked up to find Skinner staring down at me, his face unreadable. "What are you doing here?" I asked grumpily. "I came in for a quick drink, and to look for you." Skinner replied. "What if I didn't want to be found?" I replied sourly. I watched as the bigger man sat down onto the stool next to me. "Well that's too bad Alex because here you are, and here I am." For some reason his glib reply irritated the hell out of me. I straightened up in my seat, aware that I was swaying a little. Too many vodkas and not enough food in my system, I thought blearily. That and the fact that I was as drunk as a lord. "Whoa there fella." Skinner said as he grabbed my arm to steady me. "How many have you had?" "Who knows." I answered him cheerfully. "I stopped counting after the first ten." Skinner laughed at that, it was rather a pleasant sound. I kind of liked it. "I think maybe I should skip the drink and just take you home." "I don't need to go home." I told him, mustering all the dignity that I could. Not an easy thing to do when you are starting to see double. I must have swayed again because Skinner grabbed me again and this time lifted me off the stool. "Come on Alex, up you go." I found myself leaning against him as he reached over to grab my coat. The next thing I know, I was led towards the door. I grinned up at the bigger man. "My place or yours?" "Yours." He answered shortly. It did not take long for Skinner to bundle me into his car and drive me home. He had opened the passenger side window and the cold night air scooped straight onto my face, helping to clear my head a little. Once in my apartment, I was feeling a little better. Skinner helped me onto the couch, switching the lamps on and filling the room with warm soft light. "I'll make some coffee." He told me abruptly as he headed towards the kitchen. "I have some scotch if you prefer." I called after him. He stuck his head around the door. "I think you have had enough. He replied. "Whatever." I shrugged, then wincing, closed my eyes. Oh shit but I was going to have one hell of a hangover tomorrow. I could hear Skinner rattling around in the kitchen and soon he reappeared bearing two steaming cups. He handed one to me and I sipped the bitter black brew. "Not bad." I commented. Skinner gave me one of his rare smiles. "Thanks, actually coffee is something of a forte of mine." "Is that so?" I replied. Skinner settled himself down beside me, his own cup in his hand. "That's so." He answered flippantly. "Not to mention ham and eggs, omelets, steak and baked potatoes..." "Throw in a souffle and you could be the next Martha Stewart." I said with a grin. That got a laugh out of the bigger man. "Only if Martha was six feet two and balding." He replied, still chuckling. Now that made me laugh, then I winced, Jesus but my head was beginning to hurt. Note to self, never drink straight vodka on an empty stomach. We finished our coffee in silence, the both of us sitting side by side on the couch. It was not an uncomfortable silence though but rather one where two people where starting to grow used to the presence of the other one. Perhaps Skinner felt that too because suddenly he glanced over to where I was sitting, his eyes finding mine with cool clear accuracy. "It's getting late." He said. I shrugged, then leaned forward to set my now empty cup onto the coffee table. "I should get going." He added almost as an afterthought. Still I said nothing, the ball was now in his court. "I'll see you tomorrow then, bright and early." "Sure thing Walter." I replied, deliberately using his first name now. "Especially if you stayed the night." Skinner stared at me for a moment, then sighing, shook his head. "You don't give up do you Alex." He replied with something close to wonder in his voice. I gave him a lazy grin. "You are so right there Walter." "I must be going out of my mind." Skinner muttered under his breath as he got to his feet. "Why do you say that?" I asked him as he headed towards the door. He stopped and turned to face me, his face closed and expressionless once more. "I shouldn't even be here with you Alex." He told me quietly. I stared back at him for a moment, then I pushed myself up off the couch and walked over to where he was still standing. "Why not Walter?" I was aware that the question had come out almost as a challenge. I moved closer to him, deliberately invading his personal space. The bigger man did not take a step back like most men would have done. Oh no, the Assistant Director was back into uber male mode now. He held his ground, watching me through narrowed eyes. "I don't know what the hell your game is boy." He growled, his voice sending a thrill deep down inside me. Making me aware of what dangerous ground I was on now. "There is no game Walter." Did I just say that? I think that caught Skinner off guard as well, because suddenly he was looking at me in a whole new way. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that all this is on the level?" He asked. Slowly, with real fear building up deep within me I nodded. Yes, incredible as it seemed, I was being level with him. I wanted him, not for the reasons that either Skinner and I thought though. This was working on a far deeper level now, this want, this need, this terrible urgency. It was powerful, it was absolute and it was beginning to scare the hell out of me. Sensing the internal struggle and the fear that was raging through me now, Skinner took a step forward, his bigger frame dwarfing me, making me feel small, almost childlike. "Tell me Alex, what exactly is it you want?" The question was softly spoken but it was the tone that let me know how utterly close I was now standing to the precipice. "You." I answered. Long moments followed and then much to my amazement, Skinner reached over and took my hand in his much larger one. "Be careful of what you wish for little boy." He said, but his voice was gentle, there was no trace of mockery in it at all. "I'll take my chances." "They aren't yours to take." His answer took me by surprise, then I realized that Skinner was taking a far greater risk than I would be. Sure the Consortium might be pissed if they were to find out about this, but I knew that Skinner had a wife, a home life not to mention his entire career. His would be the greater risk, after all I could not imagine the FBI condoning one of their AD's fucking a junior officer. Especially if they were both male. But despite that, he was willing to take the risk, and he was willing to take it with me. "Come on Walter." I said, aware of how husky my voice had become. "The bedroom's this way." NINE Riverview Apartment Complex I watched hungrily as Walter undressed, for a big man he moved with a lithe grace. I knew his favourite pastime was boxing so imagine all that training in the ring had helped. Jesus, I knew Walter's body would be good, but I never realized just how good. No longer being able to wait, I moved across to touch him, stroke the hard muscle of his arms and shoulders. Run my fingers over his broad chest covered with hair. Cock standing straight at attention now, I bent my head to take one of his nipples in my mouth. Fuck but how I was aching to feel his cock inside me. Usually I was the one who topped, but this time I was the one that wanted to be topped. To be taken. My mouth met his in a white heat and I kissed his finely shaped lips like a drowning man searching for life giving oxygen. Refusing to be outdone, Walter wrapped his powerful arms around me, drawing me close enough so that our cocks touched, rubbing together. Impatient now, I moaned, feeling the blood pumping through me, to my brain, to my dick, to my very fucking soul. "Ever fucked a man before Walter?" I asked, my voice hoarse. "As a matter of fact, yes." He replied with that beautiful smile of his. "A couple of time, back in my college day, but you don't want to hear about that now." "Not now." I told him as I reached down to grasp his cock with one hand. "But later I will." "Okay." Walter replied. "Later it is, but now, first things first." With that, he led me over to the bed. I had already stripped my clothes off and I was now more than ready. Reaching over into the top drawer of my nightstand, I pulled out a tube of lubricant and a condom. Walter chuckled. "Always be prepared hey Alex." "That's my motto." I replied. Walter took the condom and opening it, rolled it over his huge erection. "Prepare yourself for me Alex." He commanded. Obediently I opened the tube and squeezed some of the gel on my finger, then opening myself, I applied the cold lube to my anus. I shivered slightly, it's been a while since I had been the one to ready my ass to be fucked. I could feel a sheepish grin spread over my face. What had happened to Alex Krycek, ass fucker and all around top? And what the fuck did it matter any more. I went to turn over, but I felt a hand on my shoulder, restraining me. "No Alex, I want to see your face while I fuck you." Walter whispered, voice like smooth burgundy. "I want to watch you watch me as I enter that beautiful ass of your. As I fuck you into the mattress." If nothing else had served to send me into the stratosphere, it was that sentence that did it. I laid back, my head against the pillows watching almost detached as Walter lifted my legs up, resting them on his broad shoulder in order to give himself access to the most intimate part of myself. The first thrust, gentle though it was took me by surprise. I suddenly found myself clinging onto the bigger man for support as he found his way deeper and deeper inside until with almost unerring accuracy he found my prostate. "Oh Lord sweet Jesus." I screamed as my body reacted to this new and wonderful sensation. I felt my body arch itself off the mattress and Walter's thrust became more urgent. He leaned down towards me, the sweat dripping off his face and falling onto mine, mingling with my own droplets of perspiration. Suddenly, my hands left his shoulder and clung helplessly to the bars of the bedhead as I rode out each thrust, riding the crest of a climax that I never thought possible. One last thrust and then my own cock spurted, covering us both in sticky semen. My butt cheeks must have clenched at the same time, tightening down on Walter's own cock because with a roar, he quivered inside me, then collapsed onto my chest. Wrapping my arms around him, I held him close to me, feeling his breath hot and ragged against my sweat slicked skin, hearing the slow beat of his heart. Feeling his cock, shriveled and damp against the inside of my thigh. "God, that was..." he began, his voice muffled against my shoulder. "Intense?" I finished for him. He lifted his head up to give a smile. "Incredible I was thinking actually." "I'll go with that." I replied, then winced slightly. Jesus how the hell was I going to be able to sit tomorrow? It had been so long since I bottomed that I was out of practice. I forgot how much it hurt afterwards. "Sore?" Walter asked, concerned now. I nodded, then shrugged. "It's okay, it's just that I am the one usually doing the fucking that's all." "Is that so." Water replied teasingly. "No wonder you have such a nice tight little butt there." "Why thank you kind sir." I said, then wondered where that came from, the Alex I knew did not indulge in banter. Not with guys he just fucked anyway. No, by now, I would be giving them friendly little hints about having to get up early for work and needing to have the bed to himself. "Well, I think I shower might be in order." Walter said as he sat up. I reached up to stroke that absolutely incredible chest of his. "My shower is big enough for two." I said, aware of the seductive tilt to my smile now. "Then what are we waiting for." With that, Walter leaned over and kissed me, his lips lingering over mine. I closed my eyes, savoring his taste, his scent, the way his unshaven cheek scraped against mine. With great reluctance, I broke the kiss. Walter looked down on me, his eyes shining in a way that I had never seen before. He reached out to brush his hand down the side of my face in a way that was peculiarly gentle but possessive all at the same time. I felt my cock stir again and I quickly moved off the bed, heading towards the shower The water was steaming hot, just the thing I needed to wash away the slight ache in my muscles. It had been awhile since I had indulged in such vigorous sex. Suddenly I felt the soap taken from out of my hand. "Turn around." Walter instructed. I did so and I leaned back, enjoying the feel of having my back washed. Walter soaped my shoulders and back, then I felt his hand moving lower and lower, rubbing the bar of Ivory soap over my butt and down the backs of my thighs. Without thinking, I opened my legs, allowing him access to the inside of my thighs. I could feel the warmth of his hands as they worked the soap against my skin. The breath quickened inside me, coming out in harsh gasps as his hands slid upwards towards my now very interested cock. Suddenly I felt Walter's fingers as they opened me and he began to soap my crack. "Oh Jesus." I moaned, my own hand reaching for my cock. "Like that Alex?" I heard him whisper, his mouth inches from my ear. Wordlessly I nodded. At this very moment I was beyond speech, beyond any sane rational thought. The only thing that I could concentrate on was the throbbing ache in my balls. Before I realized what was happening, I felt a hand rest on the back of my neck, my ass cheeks were parted and I felt Walter's dick slide inside me. "Oh shit." I muttered, leaning back against him, unaware of the water hitting my face, of the soap lather covering my legs and butt. Only aware of Walter's penis seated deep inside me, of his hand covering mine, controlling the way I jerked myself off in time to his thrusts as he fucked me. Blindly I reached out with one hand, touching the wet tiles of the shower recess, as I steadied myself. Finally I felt Walter's cock spasm inside me, just as my own penis spurted hot semen all over how hands. I watched emotionlessly as the water from the shower rinsed it all away until all traces of our coupling had disappeared. NINE Riverview Apartment Complex "I have to go Alex, I'm sorry." "There's no need for you to be sorry Walter." I replied as I lay on the bed, watching as the bigger man dressed. He looked over at me, I could see that he was embarrassed about something. "It's just that Sharon, my wife was expecting me home hours ago, she'll be worrying if she doesn't hear from me soon." Walter dropped his eyes away from mine as he sat down to pull on his shoes and socks. "It's okay Walter, really." I said, sitting up. "I know that you have to get home. Don't worry about it." He looked up at me, then he smiled, but his eyes remained troubled behind the wirerim that he always wore. "I just don't want you to think..." "That you are fucking and running?" I smiled as I spoke, to take the sting out of the words but he winced anyway. That was precisely what he had been worried about. "Alex, I have to explain something to you." Walter said slowly. Oh shit, I thought unhappily. Now it's confession time, great. "My marriage is not good at the moment." He began speaking hesitantly as though he were choosing his words with great care. I said nothing, just sat on the end of the bed waiting for him to continue. "Don't get me wrong, Sharon is wonderful, she is one of the best things that has ever happened to me, but right now. Well not to go into great detail, things have been kind of tense at the moment." "All marriages have their rough patches." I replied. Walter sighed and shook his head. I could see the look of utter sadness that had crept into his face. "I'm afraid this is not just a rough patch Alex." Walter said slowly. "It's a lot worse than that." "Is it because you like guys?" Walter's head jerked up, the question taking him by complete surprise. "Oh come on Walter." I said impatiently. "It's not like it's some big secret, well not to me anyway. Jesus Christ, we just had the best sex of our lives and that can't have come from someone who does not like men." I could see the colour rise in his cheeks now. I waited while he finished tying his shoelaces, taking his time over them, probably to try and sort out his own jumbled thoughts. Finally he looked up at me, his face unreadable. "I have been married for a long time Alex." He said, his voice strained. I shrugged. "So, what has that got to do with it?" I asked him. He opened his mouth to answer me, then with an impatient gesture, he got to his feet and strode over to where I was sitting. Before I could gather my wits, he gripped me by my arms and dragged me to my feet. With one hand behind my head, he kissed me long and hard, taking my mouth with the same possessiveness as he had taken my ass just moments before when we had been in the shower together. There as no mercy in that kiss, no clemency at all, just the hard bruising embrace. After what seemed like an eternity, he released me. Stunned I stumbled backwards, the back of my knees hitting the end of the bed. My legs gave out and I landed heavily on top of the bed. "No more question Alex," he said coldly. "No more questions and no more talk about my personal life. What happens here with us stays here with us and whatever happens between Sharon and myself stays between Sharon and myself." I was tempted to point out the fact that it was in fact him that had started on the topic of his wife and the state of his marriage, but wisely decided to say nothing. Instead I stared up at him, my emotions in turmoil. Suddenly Walter's face softened. "I'm sorry Alex." He said softly. "I'm the one having the problems and I'm taking it all out on you. That's not fair, please forgive me." "There's nothing to forgive." I told him. He smiled at that. "I have to go Alex." Walter said. "I'll see you later." I watched as Walter left my apartment, the door closing behind him, then I laid back on my bed, my thoughts jumbled and confused chasing each other around in my head. My ass still smelt faintly of the soap that Walter had used to wash me with. No one had ever done anything like that to me before. God it had been so...erotic. Suddenly I knew that I could not let this continue, that I had to stop this before it got any further. After all my mission was to sabotage Mulder and the X Files, to stop him from doing any further damage to the Consortium. The Cause, that was what I had to concentrate on. Making sure that the Cause, The Greater Purpose was not jeopardized. Rolling over onto my stomach, I buried my head into the pillow. I could feel the stinging prick of tears behind my eyes. Lethargy gradually crept over me and I closed my eyes feeling the moisture on my face as they finally spilled over and for the first time in years, I wept.
Part Four Journeys
I Mulder looked up as I entered the office, two cardboard cups of coffee in my hands. "Thought you could use one of these." I said with a grin as I handed him one of the cups. I had gotten the coffee from the deli around the corner. They did a great espresso there. Their cheese danishes were not too bad either. "Thanks Krycek." Mulder said, carefully taking the cup filled with the steaming liquid from me. Taking a sip, he raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Not bad, you obviously didn't get from the staff cafeteria." "No, a deli nearby." I told him as I sat down at my own computer. I had finally managed to procure a corner of the untidily jammed office for myself. It had taken some doing. Mulder sure as hell did not like to share. Idly I wondered how Scully had managed when she had been assigned down here. Probably had to fight Mulder tooth and nail for every pencil and paper clip. Still at least I would not be down here much longer. Word had it that both Mulder and the X files were on their way out. I wondered if it was true. Probably, given that this particular rumour was coming from directly upstairs. If Mulder had heard any of the rumors, he gave no sign. No, he still stayed down here in his basement office, pouring over his precious files, still searching for the truth. A truth that he was nowhere near ever finding. "So, anything new come in?" I inquired, keeping my voice casual. I knew for a fact that there was nothing new so far. Just the usual slew of emails and letters from cranks. Most of them accompanied by blurry out-of-focus photographs of what they thought to be UFO's. Usually it just turned out to be a weather balloon or an insect swarm. Something like that. Mystery explained. "Not much." Mulder replied. He returned to his computer, peering through those oversized glasses of his. "I've just been going through a few old cases." He continued, speaking in his usual soft, distracted tones. "Come up with anything?" God I sincerely hoped not. The last thing I wanted to do was go haring off to Buttwhack Idaho or Mosquito's Armpit Georgia in search of some weird crop circles or strange rock carvings. "No, nothing at all." He replied with a distinctly regretful sigh. Secretly I rejoiced, the last thing I wanted or needed right now was to have to pull Mulder's irons out of a Consortium fire again. Spender had once told me that Mulder had caused the Elite more trouble than anyone in the history of the FBI. He sure as hell had not been exaggerating about that. It was that brilliant, inexhaustible mind of his. That and his endless guilt that he carried around with him like a lead weight. Dragging it behind him much like Jacob Marley's ghost, the guilt over his sister Samantha that drove him on. With a sigh I put these thoughts aside. As sorry as I felt for Mulder, my impatience for his futile quest was growing. For all the while he was nipping at the heels of the Elders, trying to drive out his own personal demons, I was stuck here acting as spy, mole and bodyguard and I was rapidly growing tired of all three roles that had been forced upon me. But still, there was one bright spot in all of this. My thoughts turned to Walter Skinner and I smiled. Just the thought of seeing the big man tonight was enough to put me into a good mood for the rest of the day. Over the last few weeks, Walter and I had drifted into something of an 'affair'. I called it that with grim amusement seeing that Walter was a married man. And I...? I still took the occasional young man home with me, usually on the nights that Walter could not come over to my apartment. The young men meant nothing to me, but then they never did. They were just a way for me to kill time until I could see the Assistant Director again. These thoughts chased themselves around inside my mind until finally not being able to stand it anymore, I stood up and walked towards the doors. Mulder looked up startled at my abrupt departure. "Going somewhere Agent Krycek?" He asked. I opened my mouth to answer him, when my cell phone buzzed. Taking it out, I flipped it open and answered in clipped professional tones. "Agent Krycek speaking." It was Walter. "Agent Krycek, I would like to see you in my office immediately." With that, the phone went dead. Keeping my face carefully neutral, I put my cell phone away once more. I was aware of Mulder's sudden scrutiny. "Everything all right Alex?" He only ever used my first name if he was either in a good mood or concerned about me. "Uh, that was Assistant Director Skinner, he wants to see me." I replied, hoping against hope that my voice had not betrayed my inner turmoil. Mulder gave me a sympathetic smile. "Nothing too serious I hope." He said. He thinks that Skinner has summoned me into his office to chew me out. I thought with something close to relief. I managed to return his smile. "Me too." I replied. With that, I turned and left the basement office, wondering what the reason was for the sudden summons. Kim was not at her desk, probably off on some errand for her boss. I knocked on the door and that familiar voice barked permission to enter. "AD Skinner." I said as formally as I could manage. Walter glanced up at the me, the overhead light reflecting off his wire rims momentarily obscuring his eyes. "Ah, Agent Krycek, come in and sit down please." I did as he asked, wondering what the hell was going on. Suddenly Walter rose from behind his desk and walked over to the door. I watched mystified as he locked it. "Now Agent Krycek, it seems that it is time for your half yearly assessment." My half yearly....what? Walter must have seen the expression on my face because he suddenly broke into a huge grin. "And you know what that means don't you...Agent?" He said slyly. Slowly he walked over to where I was still sitting, bending down he grasped both my arms and gently pulled me to my feet. Finally the penny dropped, Walter had called me into his office to play a sex game. With a grin, I lifted my face to his, allowing him to kiss me with a passion that was new and not entirely unwelcome. Not that we had become complacent lovers over the weeks, but I could tell this little scenario he had cooked up was really turning him on. Finally after releasing my mouth, Walter began to slowly undo the buckle of my belt. "But Assistant Director Skinner, this is not part of the assessment, is it?" I asked, playing along. I stared up at him through my eyelashes, the sweet innocent young rookie at the mercy of his superior officer. Christ but I could feel my own cock becoming hard in the process. Walter had definitely noticed as well. Reaching down, he grasped my dick through my suit pants and gave it a sharp little tug. "And what is this Agent?" He barked, the ex-marine turned AD now. "M...my cock Sir." I replied, stammering slightly. He grasped it even tighter. Oh shit, if he wasn't careful I was going to end up coming in my pants. "I can see that Agent, now I want an explanation as to why it's standing up at attention. Did I give it permission to?" "N...n...no Sir." I answered, painfully aware that I was blushing like a schoolgirl and ready to cream my pants like one. Oh sweet Jesus but this was hot. "Well then Agent, we had better do something about it then, hadn't we." Walter replied, still the gruff stern AD. With that he slowly unzipped my pants and out sprang my cock as though it had a life of it's own. Without a word, Walter knelt and took me into the hot depths of his mouth. I gasped and shuddered, blindly reaching out to grab his shoulder in order to steady myself. "Ugh, unhh, oh shit." I whispered as I felt his hot tongue lap around the head of my cock, tickling the piss slit in a way that made shivers run up and down my spine. "Oh Walter." Christ, I vaguely hoped that Walter's office was not bugged. Probably was, but at this very point in time with Walter deep throating me, who gave a flying fuck. Hell the whole Consortium could listen in, fuck, they could sell tickets for all I cared. Right now, the only thing that I was able to focus on was Walter's beautifully shaped lips wrapped around my cock. The way his hands gripped my butt cheeks, his fingers digging into the flesh. There would be marks there tomorrow. Suddenly, at the thought of wearing Walter's fingerprints on my ass like a brand, my cock spasmed. Without missing a beat, Walter caught every pearly drop with his tongue. He's done this before, I thought dimly as the last shudders of my orgasm rippled through me. "Well Agent, it would seemed that we have taken care of that little...problem of yours." Even though Walter's voice and expression was still in 'AD' mode, I could see the twinkle in the depths of his warm brown eyes. Shit, he was really enjoying himself here. Still playing along, I managed to flush prettily as I cast my eyes down. The demure little toy boy, the green unsure rookie agent, the sweet little virgin, his ass cherry still intact but about to be broken by the big stern AD. And Walter was lapping it up. "Thank you Sir, I'm sorry Sir." I said shyly, I did not simper though, I simply loathed simperers. "That's all right Agent, just do not let it happen in future." He replied, his voice brisk. "Now, for your...assessment," he added meaningfully. "And what would that be...Sir?" I asked, making my voice husky. I stepped towards him, still regarding those broad handsome features under my eyelashes. I was playing the wanton now. "Getting down on your knees and servicing my cock." He ordered. Without further delay, I complied, getting down on my knees and taking his erect penis from the charcoal gray suit that he was wearing. Oh God, the taste of him, it filled my mouth, my nostrils my very self. Running my tongue up and down the length of his shaft, I worked until I could hear the soft whimpers and moans of pleasure coming from above me. One giant hand came down on my head, gently caressing my hair as I went about the business of sucking my boss and lover off. Biting back a cry, Walter's penis twitched and hot cum flooded my mouth. Neatly I swallowed it, then licked the head and slit clean. "Ah, thank you Agent Krycek." Walter said, his voice still shaky from the sudden exertion. "You have...ah, passed your assessment with flying colours. Congratulations." "Does that mean I get a gold star on my chart for being a good boy?" I asked fluttering my eyelashes at him coquettishly. "It means that I won't upend you and tan that impudent rump of yours for insubordination." Walter replied with a grin. At his words, I felt the colour drain away from my face. I knew he was only kidding, still playing the Ad/Daddy role, but the mere mention of physical punishment was enough to set off a sick reaction in my stomach. Walter must have seen the change in my face because suddenly his smile was gone, replaced by a look of concern now. "Alex, are you okay?" He asked. He reached out and took hold of my arm as if to steady me. Without thinking, I pulled away from him, flinging his hand away roughly. "Alex?" I could hear the confusion in his voice now, he had no idea of what had gone wrong. "It's okay Walter." I mumbled. "I just need to...excuse me." With that, I turned and after unlocking the door, left Walter's office, painfully aware of his eyes fixed on me filled with hurt and bewilderment.
II It was late and I was tired, but no matter how hard I tried, sleep just would not come. Finally tired of staring at the ceiling, I threw back the covers and padded barefoot out into the darkened living room. Sitting on the couch, I picked the remote up and flicked the television on. Some grainy old late night movie was playing. Sound turned down, I sat and watched without really concentrating on the on-screen action. Instead the events of the day kept playing around and around in my head. God, that scene in Walter's office, that had been nothing sort of amazing. I thought of myself as a pretty experienced lover, but the sex that we'd had... And then I had to go and spoil it. I though morosely. All over a stupid throw away remark, a joke. As if Walter was ever going to tan my ass... I closed my eyes, an involuntary rippling through my wiry frame. Even just the thought of it was enough to send me into a near panic attack. Reluctantly I cast my mind back to that fateful day. The day that Piotr had caught Dominick and yours truly tangled in each other's cum slicked body. The look on his face, that look of pure anger and worse...disgust. My stomach clenched at the memory. And what had happened afterwards, Dominick and the other guard making me strip, bending me over so that Piotr could whale the tar out of my bare and very vulnerable backside. And then the box. Oh that was a particularly grim little memory in itself. The way I had been marched naked, hands on head to the amusement of everyone at the Facility. How I had sat in that hellish tin shed for three days, the smell of my own piss and shit and sweat in my nostrils until I thought that I would pass out. Sitting on a sorely strapped behind on the rough concrete floor, thin arms wrapped around my legs. Chin resting on my knees, I had waited until Piotr finally came and let me out. I remembered how the door had swung open and instead of a guard to give me my food or give me a clean slop bucket, it had been Piotr. All the rage and betrayal that I had nursed deep inside me seemed to melt away with pure relief and I had flung myself weeping into his arms. Sobbing out apologies, I had hugged him, and despite the stink that enveloped me, he had hugged me back. After soothing my tears, Piotr had taken me back to my room where I was able to shower away the sweat and the stink of the Box. Then afterwards I was given a proper meal instead of the rubbish that they had been feeding me out there. I had wolfed the meat and vegetables down ravenously, Piotr watching me the whole time. Finally satisfied that I was going to recover from my ordeal, he had sat and given me a lecture about obedience and trust. Not wanting to rouse his ire again, and in some way craving his company, I sat and listened to what he told me. I nodded every now and again letting him know that I was listening, but somewhere within that lecture, my mind had wandered away back to being in my room with Dominick. Back to his arms. Of course that had been the last I had seen of Dominick, he had been promoted and transferred across the country. I missed him though, even though I could never bring myself to forgive his act of betrayal. Something inside me still craved for his touch. With a sigh, I pushed there dismal thoughts away. Briefly I wondered where Walter was tonight, probably playing house with wifey. Suddenly I realized that I missed him, I missed that big warm presence that he always brought into my otherwise small, cold apartment. I suddenly found myself glancing towards the phone, what would happen if I were to call him? If I were to just dial his number just to hear that warm mellow voice. And what if his wife to were to answer? An insidious little voice whispered with malicious glee. What would you do then? Fuck off, I wanted to tell that nasty little voice, but then again, it was right. What if Walter's wife were to answer, what would I say? And more importantly, what would Walter's reaction be? Damn, damn, damn. Sitting up I grabbed the remote and savagely pressed the off switch. If I was going to sit here and brood, I may as well do it over a drink. Who knows, there might even be a sweet piece of ass I could bring back for a quick sweaty mindless forgettable fuck. Cock twitching at the thought of plunging it into some sweet little twinkie's ass, I wandered into the bedroom and to throw some clothes on. I was just reaching over to grab my leather jacket, a souvenir from my New Orleans adventure, and head out the door when the phone rang. I froze, could that be him? dashing over to where the phone sat, I grabbed the receiver. "Krycek, is that you?" I felt my stomach plummet, it was Mulder. "Yeah it's me." I replied heavily. "What do you want at this hour Mulder?" There was silence for a moment, then Mulder said quietly. "I need to see you Alex, is it okay if I come up?" "Sure." I told him, puzzled. "Where are you now?" "Parked around the corner from your place." He replied. I sighed and rubbed my hand over my face. "Okay, come on up." With that, I sat the receiver back onto the cradle of the telephone and settled down onto the couch to wait for him. He must not have parked very far away for ten minutes later he was standing outside my apartment door. He stepped into the living room, a slightly sheepish smile touching his well shaped mouth. "Couldn't sleep either huh?" I said as I opened the door to let him in. Mulder shook his head. "No, I was driving around and then I thought maybe you might still be up..." He let the rest of the sentence trail off, I could see that he was embarrassed. "That's okay Mulder." I replied. "You want some coffee or something?" He gave me another grin, his tired looking hazel eyes lighting up a little. "Sure, coffee would be great." Soon we were both settled on the couch, mugs of steaming coffee sitting on the table in front of us. As an afterthought, I had also laid out a plate of Oreos and Fig Newtons. Not my favourites, but I never met an American that did not like either type of cookie. True to form, Mulder reached over and picked an Oreo up off the plate and bit into it, scattering crumbs everywhere. I watched him with a mixture of weary amusement and curiosity, wondering what it was that had led him here to my apartment. He finished the cookie and picked another one up, eating it with obvious enjoyment. I felt a smile lift the corners of my lips. Mulder seemed to take such an almost childlike delight in such little things, like eating a cookie. It was sweet somehow, touching. "You're lonely aren't you?" I asked him, then I froze. What made me ask that particular question? I had not meant to, it had just popped out unbidden. Mulder looked up at me, his eyes wary and cold now, and just as quickly, he turned away. I felt the colour rise in my cheeks. "I'm sorry Mulder." I said contritely. "I should not have said that." Mulder shook his head. "It's okay Alex." He replied softly. "After all, you are right, I guess I am feeling a bit lonely." "Like me." I replied. "It's hard you know, when you are on your own, when you have no one at all..." I stopped realizing how self pitying I sounded just then. The one thing I despised was self pity. Over the years I had come to learn that feeling sorry for yourself was a total waste of time. It's not like anyone ever cared. "Don't you have any family Alex?" he asked. I shook my head. "Not any that I see." I replied, and left it at that. The less he knew about me, the better. "What about you?" I asked him more to change the subject then anything else, after all I knew everything there was to know about him. The file that I had been given on Fox William Mulder had been very thorough indeed. I even knew what his favourite foods were and that he was allergic to pollen and black food colouring. I even knew that he was red/green colour blind. No, there was not much that I did not know about our favourite FBI agent. He shrugged. "Just Mum and Dad." He replied diffidently. "I don't see a lot of them though, you know because of work and stuff. It keeps me pretty busy" I nodded slowly, sensing the hint of pain that laid under his words. I knew that he was not close to either of his parents. From what I could understand, they both seemed to blame him for the disappearance of his sister Samantha. Suddenly, he leaned forward and set his coffee cup down onto the table. "I should go." He said abruptly. "You don't have to Mulder." I replied. "You can stay as long as you want." He glanced up at me, his hazel eyes unreadable, then looking away he spoke softly. "Do you want me to stay Alex?" "Sure." I replied. "It's just that most people don't like having me around, that's all." "Why's that?" I asked, hiding a grin, he sounded so much like a lost little boy at that moment, that despite myself, I felt my heart go out to him. "I don't know." Mulder grimaced as he spoke. "I guess most people think that 'Spooky Mulder' isn't a lot of fun to have around. "Well then they're wrong." I told him firmly. "I admire your work Mulder. I admire the fact that you are prepared to consider the more extreme possibilities. That you can and do make that leap of faith over and over again no matter what the consequences are." I lifted his head to stare at me, I returned that stare steadily, my eyes meeting his. Finally he nodded as if he was satisfied with what he saw. "Thanks Alex." He said huskily. Smiling at him, I reached out to take his hand. Before either of us realized what was happening, we were kissing with a passion that stunned the both of us. With confusion and embarrassment warring inside me, I hurriedly broke the kiss. "Sorry about that Mulder." I stammered uncertainly. "I have no idea why I did that." "It's okay Alex." Mulder replied with a hell of a lot more equanimity that I could muster. "It was actually quite nice." Then he added almost as an afterthought. "I've never done it with a man before." "Never?" I asked this time no longer being able to hide my grin. He shook his head. "No, I've slept with women, you know, the usual, but never with a man." "Then maybe I should introduce you to the wonderful world of hot guy on guy sex." I replied half jokingly. Mulder looked at me, I was suddenly disturbed at the raw pleading in the depths of his eyes. "Would you?" "Sure Fox." I replied, using his first name. "If that's what you want." Outwardly I was calm, but inside was in turmoil. This was something that I had simply not bargained for. Sure, I wanted to take Mulder to bed, and why not, after all he was beautiful. Those clear hazel eyes, that beautifully shaped mouth. Sure the nose was a little on the large size, but that seemed to only add to the peculiar balance of grace and beauty of his features. What about Walter? That tiny insidious voice had surfaced once again. I frowned, yes, what about Walter? He doesn't have to know Alex, the voice reassured me silkily. What the eyes don't see and the ears don't hear, the heart don't grieve. That's what Sergei always used to say. I could almost hear his voice speaking the words, and hell, it's not as if Walter and I are in any kind of relationship. No he's too busy playing 'Mr Happily Married Man'. With my mind made up, I firmly pushed all thoughts of Walter Skinner aside and reaching over, I took Mulder by the hand and lifted him up off the couch. As gently as I could, I led him into my bedroom towards the still rumpled bed. Slowly, savoring the moment, I undressed him, exploring that lean runner's body with my fingertips. Finding a nipple, I flicked the hard nubble with my tongue. I heard Mulder's sharp intake of breath and moved to the other nipple. "Oh Christ, Alex." He moaned softly. Stripping off the rest of our clothes, I knelt in front of Mulder's stiffening cock. Gently, as though handling a precious object, I took it in my fingers, stroking up and down the slick shaft. I heard a moan from somewhere above me and grinned, I certainly had his attention now. With once swift movement, I took Mulder's cock in my mouth, sucking him, tasting him as my hands explored his well rounded rump. Mulder gasped and arched himself towards me, allowing me to take him deeper and deeper inside my mouth. From the way he was reacting to the blow job I could tell he had not had sex in some time. Suddenly his semen flooded inside my mouth. I swallowed it, then ran my tongue around the smooth skin of his cock head, cleaning away every drop. Just then I heard Mulder let out a shuddering sigh. "Oh Alex, that was..." He let the sentence trail off as post orgasm lethargy overtook him. Getting to my feet, my own erect cock bobbing between my legs, I led him over to the bed. "I've never..." he began hesitantly. "It's all right Fox, I'll be as gentle as I can." I quickly reassured the now nervous man. He nodded, trusting me. Eyes wide now, he watched as I laid him on the bed. I laid him on his back so that he would be able to see me as I took him. I wanted him to watch me as I fucked that tight little hole of his. I wanted him to watch me as much as I wanted to be able to watch him. Quickly, my need a deep aching inside me now, I applied the lube to his anus. I felt him shudder as my fingers delved deep inside him, preparing him for me. Then rolling the condom on, I carefully lifted Mulder's legs so that they would rest on my shoulders while I slid inside him. Very aware of his virginity now I entered him as slowly and as carefully as I could manage. Mulder groaned and shifted underneath me, his eyes watching my every movement with glittering fascination. After a moment I managed push my cockhead past the tight ring of muscle and soon I was bottoming out inside of him. Mulder's cries echoed off the ceiling as he held on to me me, his fingers digging into the flesh of my shoulders and upper arms. I knew I would have bruises there tomorrow but right now I didn't care. All that mattered now was the hot tight little ass that I was buried up to the hilt in. Suddenly I felt my cock spasm and gasping, I rode out the orgasm that shook me down to the very core. Dimly I heard Mulder as his own climax hit, his body jerking underneath me. With sweat trickling down my arms and back, I carefully withdrew from Mulder's no longer virginal hole and reaching down, I peeled the condom off my now limp cock. I tossed the sticky piece of latex into the trash can, then laid down beside the limp body of Fox Mulder. "You okay?" I asked him with a smile. "Hmmm." Mulder answered languidly. "Sure am." My smile widened, Mulder looked as though he had just had the best sex of his life. Courtesy of yours truly of course. "How are you feeling?" I asked him. Rolling onto my side, I propped my head up with my hand, watching Mulder carefully. He winced slightly. "A little sore, you know." He told me with a sudden shyness that I found kind of touching. "You will be for a couple of days." I replied gently. Reaching out, I cupped his face with my hand. "But you'll soon get used to it. After all, I did." Mulder gave me one of his rare smiles. "Thanks Alex." He said, his voice suddenly hoarse. "For what?" "For this, for everything." He replied. Suddenly he sat up and swung his legs off the side of the bed. "Hey, where are you going?" I asked as I watched him pad barefoot over to where his clothes were lying on the floor. "I have to go now." He mumbled as he gathered his clothes up. "Why don't you stay a little longer, we could heat up some frozen pizza if you like." I offered. Mulder looked up at me, his eyes were dark and shadowed. "Some other time Alex." He replied, his voice distant. "I'll see tomorrow." With that, he pulled his clothes on and left the bedroom. I briefly thought about going after him, then gave a mental shrug. It was obvious that he needed some time to himself. Poor bastard I mused as I heard the front door open and close. No matter how hard he tries to reach out to someone, he is always going to find himself alone.
III
The next morning, Mulder was not in his office. Concerned I tried his cell phone but he was not answering. The machine picked up his home phone so I left a message. Briefly I thought about calling Scully but the clear dislike and distrust that she harbored against me was enough for me to change my mind. Slowly, I made my way towards the cafeteria in search of some halfway decent coffee when I heard my name called out. Looking up I saw Walter standing near the elevator. Walking over to where he was, I got into the elevator, the doors closing shut behind me. Seeing that we were the only ones in the elevator, Walter leaned down to plant a quick chaste kiss on my lips. The skin where his mouth touched mine tingled mildly. "How are you Alex?" I could see the concern in his deep brown eyes. I offered him a smile. "I'm okay Walter, thanks." I replied, then I frowned. "Hey, isn't there a security camera in these elevators?" The last thing I needed was a scandal about the both of us kissing in a lift. Walter grinned at me. "Of course there is." He pointed towards the camera that sat nestled in the corner of the lift. "Shit," I muttered. "Walter..." "Relax Alex, it's broken, I had Kim call maintenance to fix it. A crew is going to get right onto it, tomorrow." Relief flooded through me." "Thank God for that." I muttered. "Alex, I happen to be an Assistant Director here, do you think that I would risk my career, not to mention my reputation by doing something as stupid as kissing you in front of the security cameras? Give me a little more credit than that." I felt the colour rise to my face, no of course he wouldn't, it's just that I hated this... charade and after what happened with Mulder last night. I sighed inwardly, I was rapidly growing tired of all this. I wanted out, yet I did not want to be away from the man that was standing beside me in this elevator right now. "Alex, are you all right?" I felt Walter's large hand grip my arm. I glanced up at him, managing a weak smile. "Yeah Walter, I'm fine." I replied. "Look Alex, I wanted to talk to you about yesterday..." Walter began. Just then, the doors opened with a soft whoosh and a young dark haired woman stepped inside. After giving us both a quick smile, she reached over to press a floor button. The door closed once more and Walter and I both rode the rest of the way in silence. Finally the elevator stopped on my floor. Without a backward glance, I stepped out leaving Walter standing there. I hated leaving him so abruptly, but there was nothing else I could do. Resolving to see him later and try to sort everything out, I walked down the office building corridor towards the cafeteria. The coffee was weak as usual but at least it was hot. I carried my cup over to one of the far tables and sat down. The staff cafeteria was only half full so hopefully I would be able to drink my coffee in peace. "Alex?" I looked up, it was Mulder. "I've been trying to call you." I said as I indicated towards the empty chair opposite me. Mulder sat down, placing his own cup of coffee onto the table in front of him. "I know," he replied curtly. "I got your messages." "I was worried about you." I replied calmly. "The way you took off so suddenly last night..." "I know. Mulder replied. "I'm sorry." Sighing I shook my head. "You have nothing to be sorry for Fox." I told him wearily as I lifted the my cup up to my lips. I tasted the coffee, then set the mug back down once more aware of Mulder's eyes on me the whole time. "I just need to know that you're okay...that we are okay, that's all." Mulder suddenly gave me one of the rare smiles that transformed his face. "Sure Alex." He replied warmly. "We're okay." With that he got to his feet and left the cafeteria. I watched him go, different emotions spinning around in my head. "Hello Alex." The sound of that deadly smooth familiar voice made me freeze. I looked up just in time to get a plume of smoke in my face. "Mr Spender." The words felt tasted like dead leaves in my mouth. "Alex." He acknowledged. He moved into the seat that Mulder had just vacated. "How are things with the X Files?" I shrugged. "The usual." I replied. "I was hoping for a more comprehensive report." He remarked casually. "You shouldn't be sitting here with me." I replied coldly. "Someone might see us together, it could blow my cover." "There's no one of any consequence here to see us Alex." Spender replied quietly. He settled back against the chair. "Agent Mulder has gone down to his office to work on some fresh reports. Skinner is at this very moment at a meeting with the other assistant directors. All that are here right now are secretaries and a couple of agents visiting from regional offices." I felt my lips quirk up in an ironic smile, it was so typical of the old bastard to know exactly who and where everyone was. All part of being the Consortium's main man I suppose. "I want a full report from you as soon as possible Alex." He continued, his eyes boring into mine. Pressing my lips together tightly, I nodded. "Good." This seemed to satisfy him and pushing the chair back, Spender rose and left. The faint odour of cigarette smoke the only indication that he had ever been here. I went to finish my coffee, but with a grimace I pushed it away. The smell of the old man's Morelys had permeated the drink, fouling it. With an inward sigh, I pushed myself away from the cafeteria table and made my way down to the basement office. All the while, my thoughts focused on both Walter and Mulder. How in God's name was I going to be able to extricate myself out of this crazy situation I had now found myself in? I knew one thing for sure, I should never have fucked Mulder. I knew that I did what I did out of pity for the man, that and the loneliness that I had been feeling that night. But I realized now that pity and loneliness were two of the worst reasons to have sex with anyone. I had no right to use Mulder like that, it truly could not satisfy me and it was horribly unfair to him. No, I had no real feeling for him one way or the other, save pity. Now he must think that there was something there between us when in reality it was Walter that I wanted. Suddenly I came to a decision. To hell with Spender and the rest of the Elite. To hell with the Consortium, I wanted out. I wanted my life back. But how? Disappear. The answer seemed to stand out in front of me. Disappear, get the hell out, away. But where? Back to Kiev? No they would find me there. Where then, there had to be somewhere that the Consortium did not have it's damned tentacles. With these chaotic thoughts tumbling around in my mind, I rode the elevator back down to the basement and headed towards Mulder's office. He was already working at his computer when I walked in. "Hey." I greeted him, keeping my voice carefully neutral. Mulder looked up, his eyes warming behind his glasses. "Hey there yourself." He replied. "I think I might have found us an interesting case." "Really" I replied feigning interest. Mulder nodded. "I'm going to Georgia to check it out. If it pans out I'll let you know." "Great." I replied, then I added cautiously. "You don't need me to come with you?" Mulder shook his head. "Nope, it's just some reports of possible UFO sightings. It could turn out to be nothing so there's no point the both of us going. But if there's something there that might pan out, then I'll contact you immediately." That's if I'm still here by the time you get there, I thought privately. Aloud I replied. "Sure thing, there's a whole stack of paperwork that I have to finish anyway." "Good then, I'll be in touch." With that he turned back to his computer screen and I quietly left the basement office, ideas already formulating in my mind. END OF PART FOUR
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e's skinny." The tall heavyset man said as he eyed me up and down. He turned
to his companion, a man with the coldest blue eyes I had ever seen. Even colder
than my mother's. I shivered slightly under their intense gaze.
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Lady Midath's Fan Fiction Disclaimer:I don't own any of these characters. They are owned by Chris Carter who does not seem to want them anymore and Ten Thirteen Productions. Fandom:X Files Pairing:K/OC than later, K/Sk Rating:NC17 for m/m sex, angst, language and some violence Archive:Sure just let me know where it's going Summary:Alex is recruited into the Consortium Status:Part One Thank you to Shawn for helping with this story. Your input has been invaluable. And I have learned never to argue with you. You end up always being so sickeningly right Piotr, Dominick and Sergi all belong to me. CC can't have them. He probably would not know what to do with them anyway. *bg* This is part of a series called The Alex Chronicles This is told from Alex's POV |
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