This
is considerably darker than anything I've written yet.  There aren't
any graphic descriptions of violence, and no sexual content at all, but
it's unmistakably an adult story.  You have been warned -- there are
some icky parts in this one.

SOMETHING IS DOWN THERE

by Katrina Bowen

"Excuse me -- please, I need your help."

Benton Fraser caught himself just as he was opening his apartment door.
He turned to face an elderly woman, white-haired, wearing a cardigan
neatly buttoned over a dress with a small floral print.  Automatically
he said, "Of course, ma'am.  How may I be of assistance?"  Diefenbaker
sat down and waited patiently.

The woman's hands were clasped calmly in front of her and her face was
serene.  Her agitation was betrayed only by her red-rimmed eyes.  She
paused for a moment before she spoke, as if to make sure of her voice.
"Mr. Mustafi told me that you help people sometimes, and I ...  I do
need help."

"Would you care to come inside?" Ben asked gently.  The woman nodded
and silently entered the apartment.  Ben held out one of the chairs by
the kitchen table for her, and she sat carefully, placing her purse on
the floor next to her.  "Would you like me to fix you a cup of tea?"
She mutely shook her head; Ben pulled out a chair and sat down next to
her, waiting for her to speak.

After pausing to gather her thoughts, she began to talk.  "My name is
Annabelle Meyers.  I live across the street with my grandson, Alex."
She closed her eyes briefly.  Opening them, she continued, "Alex hasn't
been home for two days, and I'm afraid something terrible has happened
to him."  Her voice, steady enough when she began speaking, ended on
a quaver.

Ben nodded.  "How old is Alex?  Has he ever done anything like this before?"

"He'll be seventeen in July.  And I know what you're probably thinking,
but he wouldn't have run away," Mrs. Meyers said firmly.  "Alex isn't
like that. He gets good grades -- he's avoided gangs all his life --
he has an after- school job --" her voice started to rise.  Ben reached
out to cover her fragile, blue-veined hand with his own, and she made
an effort to calm herself.  "I've called all his friends, and no one
knows where he is.  His boyfriend doesn't know, either.  Even if he'd
leave without telling me, he wouldn't go anywhere and not tell Mark."

"It definitely sounds as if you have reason to suspect something has
happened to him."

"There's something I haven't told you yet.  There are ... rumors."  Mrs.
Meyers looked into Ben's eyes.  "People are saying that there have been
a lot of disappearances in the past week or so, and that -- that bodies
have been found."

"Yes.  I've heard something about that."  In fact, the last time he'd
seen Ray, the detective had told him about the disturbing increase in
the number of missing person's reports.  Even at the consulate, people
were talking about it.  "Ma'am, have you gone to the police yet?  This
is something they should know about."

Mrs. Meyers shook her head distractedly.  "I called them the night Alex
didn't come home, but it didn't do any good.  They only told me someone
has to be gone for more than forty-eight hours before they can do anything."

"Well, if he's been gone for more than two days, it's time to take official
action."  He stood and helped Mrs. Meyers to her feet.  "I have a friend
on the police force -- I'm sure he'll be glad to help."

********************************************************************************

Ben looked at Ray with concern.  After leaving Mrs. Meyers with Elaine,
who was helping her fill out the appropriate forms, he'd arranged transportation
home for the old woman and gone in search of his friend. He finally found
him in the evidence room, angrily sorting through piles of folders. 
Ray hadn't even looked up; he'd only said, "Fraser, do me a favor.  Just
please, please tell me *you're* not reporting someone missing, too. 
That's all I ask."  Ben's silence gave him the answer he didn't want
to hear.  Sighing, he sat down at the table and rested his head in his
hands.

A few moments passed.  Ben sat down silently next to Ray, and waited
for him to either look up or to say something.  When he didn't, Ben softly
asked, "How many people *are* missing?"  Diefenbaker seated himself next
to Ray, who absently reached down one hand to scratch the wolf's ears.

"That's not the problem.  The problem is the ones we've found."  Ray's
voice was muffled and exhausted.  He looked up at the Mountie, his face
drawn.  "Eleven bodies have been found in the past four days.  According
to forensics, all of them died by electrocution.  All of them were mutilated
after death.  The most recent ones have all been dismembered."  Ray stared
into space for a few seconds, then brought his gaze back to Ben's shocked
face.  "People are starting to panic, Benny.  Mackenzie King was here
this afternoon -- she warned me that one of the tabloids is claiming
there's some kind of sewer monster dragging people down there and killing
them."

Ben blinked in surprise.  "Did you say sewer monster?" he repeated incredulously.

Ray shrugged.  "Word on the street is, all the bodies have been found
near entrances to the city's sewer system.  Look at the map on the wall
-- the black pins are where we've found bodies."

"And what do you think?" Ben asked as he walked over to the map.  Ray
was right -- all of the pins were within a block or so of access sites
to the sewers.

"I *think* there's some maniac killing people in my city, Benny, and
he's probably hiding out in the sewers.  That's what I think, and that's
all I care about.  We haven't ID'd many of the victims, but a couple
were last seen in the same area, by the lakefront."  Ray rose and joined
Ben in front of the map.  "Welsh wanted to send a team down there --
more to disprove the rumors than because he believes them.  But the brass
said that would make people think we really were worried about some sort
of monster under the city."

"And they're actually willing to put appearances above the public's safety?"
Ben  asked in disbelief.  "People are going to keep on dying, for God's
sake!"

"This is Chicago.  What else is new?  They'll hide their heads in the
sand as long as they can.  When it gets too bad to ignore, they'll look
for someone to blame."  Ray was trying for a cynical tone, but he only
managed to sound depressed.

Ben hesitated; he took out a picture of Alex that Mrs. Meyers had given
him and passed it to Ray.  "This is the young man I'm trying to find,
Alex Meyers.  Is there any way of telling whether his was one of the
bodies that was found?"

Ray looked at the picture sadly.  "I really don't know if this is going
to be any help, Benny.  Most of the guys we've found ... there wasn't
a whole lot left of them to identify.  But I'll find someone to fax it
over to the morgue. They're starting to check dental records for the
bodies that still have their heads."  Ben's blue eyes clouded with dismay,
and Ray said simply, "This is real ugly, Benny.  I'm sorry.  There's
no way I can make jokes or try to pretend that it isn't."

"I understand, Ray.  According to his grandmother, Alex was gay.  Is
there any indication that these might be hate crimes?"

Ray shook his head.  "Not according to what we have so far.  No one's
found anything linking any of the victims."

Ben looked his friend steadily in the eyes.  "I think we both know what
we have to do."

For a change, Ray knew exactly what Ben was talking about.  He nodded
reluctantly and said, "Yeah, I guess we do.  Someone's gotta go down
and check out the sewers.  Might as well be us, right?"  He smiled weakly.
"And you know how much I *love* going down into sewers with you.  Makes
me wonder what I did for fun before you came to Chicago. Come on -- I'm
not even supposed to be on duty tonight, so let's get it over with now."

********************************************************************************

"Well, that's it.  It's official."  Ray swiped ineffectually at another
dark, damp stain on his coat.  "My life now completely sucks."  Grumbling
to himself, he leaned gingerly against the wall, using his flashlight
to examine the map of the sewer system Elaine had found for him.

Ben didn't reply, but he was grateful Ray had finally rallied enough
to worry about his wardrobe.  He wasn't used to seeing his friend so
serious, but after their stop by the morgue, they'd both been profoundly
shaken.  Another body had been found -- or, more precisely, portions
of one.  Ben took what comfort he could in the knowledge that so far,
none of the bodies fit Alex's general description.  Even Diefenbaker,
normally as calm as only a wolf can be, was tense and agitated.

They'd been down in the sewers for over an hour.  None of them had spotted
anything significant; by now, Ray was just trailing behind Dief and Ben
as they followed their instincts.  Just as Ben was deciding there would
be no point in any further searching that night, however, something caught
Dief's attention.  The wolf stared into a patch of shadows, growling
and bristling.

Ben went over immediately to kneel beside the wolf, Ray following a little
more cautiously.  Shining his flashlight into the darkness, Ben looked
up at Ray wordlessly.  A hole had been knocked into the wall of the sewer,
revealing a passageway.

Ray consulted the map and shook his head.  "This doesn't show up here.
Looks like part of an old system -- it must have been sealed off years
ago."  He bent over, peering into the darkness.

"Well, judging by the coloration and condition of the bricks, the damage
can't be much more than a few months old."  Ben ran his hands over the
rough, exposed edges.  "But I'd say from the state of the mortar, someone
has been passing through this opening with some regularity." 

"Knock it off, Fraser.  Why do you always have to assume the worst? There's
lots of reasons someone might have knocked out this wall. Homeless people,
random vandalism, a construction project --"

Ben went still as he turned his flashlight's beam down.  "Ray?" He reached
up to put his hand on Ray's arm.

"What?" Ray asked in alarm.  He knelt down, his clothes forgotten, and
he saw what Ben had already seen.  "Oh, damn it to hell."  There was
an interlaced pattern of bloodstains there.  From the patterns and color
of the stains, he could tell that they had been made at different times,
but all fairly recently.

Ray stood and fumbled for his cell phone.  Ben also rose, saying, "I
don't think that's going to do any good, Ray.  We're too far underground."
Dief was still staring ahead intently, ears folded flat to his head.

Angrily, Ray shoved the phone back in his coat pocket.  "So what are
we supposed to do now?  The sane, reasonable, safe thing, or the insane,
lunatic, incredibly dangerous thing?"  Without a word, Ben eased himself
through the passageway, being careful not to touch the edges.  "Why do
I even bother to ask?" Ray muttered.  With a last look behind him, he
followed Ben.

A few feet into the tunnel, Ben stopped.  Without turning around, he
said, "Maybe you *should* go back and call for help, Ray."

"Are you coming with me?"

"There's still a chance Alex, or anyone else who's being held down here,
is still alive.  By the time we get to the surface and back again, that
might no longer be true."

"Yeah.  Right.  You really think I'm gonna leave you alone down here,
Benny?"  Dief growled.  "No offense."

"Ray, it would be the logical course of action for one of us to go forward
and the other to call for assistance."

Ray snorted.  "This is the first time you ever accused me of being logical.
Stop arguing and let's go."

********************************************************************************

The tunnel seemed to go on for miles, with branches running in all directions;
eventually, even Ben wasn't sure where they were, but he decided to keep
that information to himself.  Each time one of them was on the verge
of suggesting they turn back, they would come across another patch of
blood mixed with the slime on the sewer floor.  Grimly, they kept going.

Without warning, Ben reached out and grabbed Ray's shoulder.  He
ignored the answering yelp and pulled him back against the wall, raising
a hand in warning as Ray began to say something.

"Shhh.  Listen."  Dief had stopped a few feet ahead of them, his nose
twitching.  Abruptly, the wolf crouched, staring fixedly ahead.  Neither
man had noticed it until then, but there was a faint glow several yards
ahead.

"What is it?" Ray hissed.

Ben murmured, "Put your hand against the wall.  Do you feel the
vibrations?"

Ray did as he was told.  "Yeah.  So?  It could be anything.  Traffic
from above, a generator somewhere up there ..." He trailed off as he
realized what he'd just said.  "A generator."

"Right.  Generators produce electricity.  And all of the victims were
electrocuted, I believe you said.  It seems we may be about to find something."

"Okay."  Ray took a deep breath and got out his gun.  He checked it over
and looked at Ben, almost apologetically.  "Afraid I didn't bring my
spare gun, Benny."

"Well, seeing as I'm not licensed to use a gun in the United States,
Ray, it wouldn't matter if you had."

"Yeah, but it'd still make me feel a whole lot better."  Carefully, the
three of them made their way toward the light.

Gradually, the tunnel widened into a cavernous chamber.  It was filled
with what seemed to be battered furnishings from an outdated operating
room, and an assortment of electrical devices at whose purposes Ben and
Ray could only guess.

The room was deserted.  Dief stalked the edges of the room, still growling
in a low, steady, menacing tone.  Cautiously, Ray walked over to one
of the operating tables.  "Oh, God.  Look at this, Benny."

Ben was at his side instantly.  He drew in a sharp breath -- the table
was covered with fresh blood.  The two stared at each other.  "What the
hell is going on here?" Ray demanded.  They whirled as Dief's growl changed
pitch.  The wolf, fangs bared, was staring toward the entrance to the
tunnel.

"You take that side, and stay back, Fraser."  Ben and Ray moved to opposite
sides of the entrance.  A man entered, looking entirely normal and harmless
except for the blood drenching his clothes.

"Freeze!  Police!" Ray shouted.  He pointed his gun at the man, who didn't
seem to notice.

"What are you doing here?  You'll jeopardize my entire experiment!" he
exclaimed.  Ignoring Ray and his gun, he rushed over to stand
protectively in front of his equipment.

"Your *experiment*?  This is butchery!" Ben waved his arm, taking in
the whole grisly scene.

"I agree, it's regretful that lives had to be lost.  But when you consider
the potential benefits --"

"Yeah, I'm sure the people you slaughtered benefited a *whole* lot."
Ray began edging closer.

"You don't understand," the man said urgently.  "I believe I've discovered
the secret to eternal life."

Disbelievingly, Ray looked at Ben.  "Do you have any idea what he's talking
about?"  Ben shook his head in confusion.

The man ran his hands through his hair.  "Has either of you gentlemen
read Mary Shelley's _Frankenstein_?"

"Yeah.  Big green guy, bolts in his neck.  Peasants hate his guts.  What
about him?"

"Actually, Ray, that was the movie," Ben said in an undertone.  More
loudly, he said,  "Yes.  But I don't see how anything in the book applies
to this situation."

"Well, Mary Shelley was clearly no scientist.  The reason why no one
has ever been able to reanimate dead tissue by flooding the corpse with
electricity is self-evident."  He looked from Ben to Ray; disappointed
in their lack of comprehension, he continued.  "Surely you can see the
solution?  In order for the process to be successful, the corpse to be
reanimated must have *died* by electrocution.  That's why I had to start
dissecting my patients, to see precisely what effect the electricity
had on their physiological systems."

"Ah, I see.  And could you tell me precisely how many times your method
has been successful?" Ben cautiously asked.

"Really.  Bringing life back to the dead is not like baking a cake. 
It can take years for the method to be perfected."

"And we're supposed to leave you down here killing people till you figure
it out?  Sorry, Einstein.  You're under arrest."  Ray started to reach
for the man.

"NO!"  Panic-stricken, the man jerked back.  He picked up a pile of ledgers
and threw them at the detective.  Ray ducked and slid to one knee, and
Dief leapt forward in a blur.  The man tried to avoid the wolf, but he
tripped and fell against one of his electrical devices.  He jerked and
twitched as the current surged through him.  Singed and sizzling, his
lifeless body fell to the ground.

Ben crossed over to him and knelt to feel for a pulse; resigned, he stood
up again.  Dief walked over to Ray and stuck his nose in the detective's
face to see if he was all right.  Ray recoiled in pretended disgust.
"Eeuuw, get away from me.  I thought you smelled bad enough wet -- down
in the sewer, it's even worse."  Dief snorted softly, and he and Ray
went over to join Ben.  "Dead?"

"I'm afraid so."  Ben picked up one of the ledgers from the floor.  Leafing
through it, he said, "Well, at least he kept thorough notes.  Maybe this
will help identify some of the people he killed."

"That's something, I guess."  Ray looked down at the corpse.  "So what
do you suppose he could tell us about the afterlife?"

"In his case, Ray, I think we're better off not knowing."

********************************************************************************

Ben sighed heavily as he hung up the phone in the conference room.  He
and Ray had finally gotten back to the precinct and after hours of giving
statements, they had finally been granted permission to go home.  While
Ray was finishing in the evidence room, Ben had taken the opportunity
to call Mrs. Meyers.

"Well, all done.  Ready to go?"  Ray stopped as he saw Ben's face. "What's
wrong?"

"I just spoke to Mrs. Meyers --" Ben started.

"Oh, no.  Did they identify Alex's body?"

"No.  Not the way you mean, anyway."  Ben sat down.  "He was found in
an alley last -- no, the night before last, now.  Apparently he was mugged,
stabbed and left for dead.  He's in a coma -- the doctor's aren't holding
out much hope that he'll recover.  There wasn't any identification on
him, so he was just listed as a John Doe."

"Hell.  Things are back to normal, huh?"  Ray rubbed his eyes.  "Come
on.  I'll drop you off at your place."

As they were going down the stairs, Elaine came running behind them.
"Ray!  Wait a minute!"

"Elaine, can't this wait?" Ray demanded in exasperation as Elaine came
to a halt beside them.

"Sorry.  There are two FBI agents in Welsh's office.  They say they want
to talk to you about the bodies."

"No.  No way.  I'm not up to dealing with Feds right now," Ray said decisively.

"Ray, perhaps you should --"

"Benny, you've dealt with Agent Ford, right?  Do you feel like talking
to him right now?"

Ben paused.  "I have to say, strictly in the interest of accuracy --
no.  Not in the slightest."

"Actually, they're out-of-towners," Elaine said, but she didn't sound
very forceful.

"That's even worse.  The only thing worse than familiar Feds is strange
Feds." Ray went on, more seriously, "Elaine, I would *really* appreciate
it if you'd tell them that you just couldn't find us."

Elaine hesitated, then smiled.  "Sure.  I guess after finding this maniac,
you two deserve a break.  You sure, though, Ray?  The woman is pretty
good-looking. "

"At this point, Elaine, and I can't believe I'm saying this, I really
don't care."

"Thank you kindly, Elaine."  Ben smiled at Elaine, then followed Ray
and Diefenbaker down the stairs.

Elaine went back to Welsh's office, knocked, and entered.  "Excuse me,
Lieutenant.  I'm afraid Detective Vecchio has left the building.  Shall
I call him at home?" she added pointedly.

Welsh pretended to think it over for a few seconds, and eventually just
shook his head.  "That won't be necessary.  Is that the copy of his report?
Thank you."

As Elaine closed the door behind her, the female agent said, "So you're
saying you consider the case closed?"  Beside her, her partner crossed
to the window; he stood there, looking down at the street, taking no
apparent notice of, or interest in, the conversation..

Patiently, Welsh said, "Agent Scully, we have a body.  We have notes
detailing every victim -- where they were found and how they were killed.
We have a crime scene dripping -- literally, I might add -- with physical
evidence."  He sat forward.  "Please enlighten me.  How does that differ
from the FBI's definition of a closed case?"

If nothing else during her time with Mulder, Scully had learned to pick
her fights.  "I get your point, Lieutenant.  We won't take up any more
of your time."  She picked up the manila folder Elaine had left on the
desk.  "And thank you for the report.  Mulder?"

Reluctantly, Mulder joined her at the door.  He turned back and asked,
"Lieutenant, are you sure the report is complete?"

Welsh raised an eyebrow.  "There are times when Detective Vecchio's reports
contain details that I wish he *would* leave out."  He picked up a file
and started reading.

The two agents walked through the squad room, Scully idly leafing through
the report.  Once they were alone, Mulder said, "Hey, Scully. Guess what
I saw on the street?"

"Oh, I don't know.  The Loch Ness Monster.  Bigfoot.  Springheel Jack."
She wasn't happy at being dragged all the way to Chicago, but Mulder
still didn't seem to notice.  At least this time, she wasn't going to
have to dissect anything or anyone.

Mulder shook his head happily.  "Uh-uh.  A Mountie."

Scully came to a dead halt.  "What!?"

"You know.  Dudley Do-Right.  Nelson Eddy.  A Mountie.  Even had a wolf
with him."  He turned around, but his grin died as he saw Scully's astonished
face.  "What's wrong?"

"Mulder ... a Mountie was *with* Vecchio down in the sewers.  It's in
the report."

Without a word, Mulder rushed down to the street entrance, taking the
stairs two at a time.  Scully followed more cautiously, catching up with
him on the sidewalk outside the precinct.  Mulder was staring dejectedly
up and down the street.

"Give it up, Mulder."  Scully took his arm and guided him gently toward
their rented car.  "Not every mutilated body has to be an X-File.  As
Freud himself said --  Sometimes a corpse is just a corpse."

***************************************************************
With special thanks to Elyse for the stinky Dief scene.  Regards to Peter
(loved the story!) and Pam (still waiting to read yours!).