Spirit of Friendship (8/16) by Jason Cleaver (argo@easynet.co.uk) and Barbara Nice-Miller (SpookyJedi@aol.com) Disclaimer in Chapter 1 ************ Fairway Motel Office Mulder placed Scully's photo on the counter in front of the motel manager and opened his ID. He introduced himself and Petra then pointed to the photograph. "We're looking for this woman. She may have given her name as Lili and may be with a guest here, his first name is Jeff. He's from Daytona Beach and is here with a few friends." "Well," the manager began, "I don't know the young lady, but I do have three guests from Daytona Beach staying here. Let me get the guest register." He turned and reached under the counter, grabbed a large, thick book then turned back around. He flipped pages murmuring to himself, "Let's see, I believe they checked in three days ago..." Finding the correct page, he ran his finger down the entries. He stopped at one and thumped his finger on the page. "Ah, here we go. Jeff Lane from Daytona Beach, Florida. And yes, he was with two other men." Mulder was instantly alert. "He hasn't checked out yet, has he?" "No, no. Not for another two days," the manager answered. Petra spoke up. "What room is he staying in?" The manager consulted his book. "Room 460, fourth floor, east wing." He pointed behind him. "The elevator's at the opposite end of the lobby." Mulder had pocketed Scully's photo and was already moving towards the lobby before the manager had even finished speaking, the adrenaline beginning to course though his body. Heightening his senses. Petra jogged to catch up with him as he reached the elevator doors. As they stepped inside the car, Petra released the catch on her holster and began to pull out her police issue Smith and Wesson. The movement caught Mulder's eye. He reached out lightening fast and grabbed her hand. "NO. No guns," he said firmly. "Mulder, she's already killed two people! And if Billy's vision was correct, probably this Jeff person, too!" Mulder's hazel eyes flashed. "No! My partner's spirit may not be inside that body, but it's her body nonetheless. And if *anything* happens to her body, I'll *never* forgive myself." He released her hand and took a long breath. Petra knew Mulder was right. If anything happened to Agent Scully's body, her spirit would be forever trapped in the netherworld she was now in. But it was so *hard* to not want to hurt the...*thing* that killed May. But it wasn't Agent Scully's fault her body had been hijacked, Petra reminded herself. she slid her weapon back in her holster and refastened the catch. But somehow, someway, she *would* exact justice from this creature and avenge May's death. That much was for certain. Mulder must have been reading her thoughts, for he said, "I'm sorry about May. I know how much she must have meant to you. But we *will* capture this thing and send it back to wherever it came from so it can never hurt anyone again." The soft "ping" as the elevator reached the fourth floor startled them both momentarily, then Petra followed Mulder out of the car and down the hall. About 20 feet before room 460, Mulder stopped, turned to Petra and spoke in a low voice. "We've no idea what we're going to find in there. Lili," How odd that sounded, calling his partner by that name, "may still be inside, and since we're not using our weapons, I feel surprise is our best option." At Petra's agreeing nod, he continued. "I'll break down the door and you follow me in. Keep low." With that he spun around, took one step and put his hand to his head, eyes closed. Damn! There was that feeling again. But this time it felt different. He felt...empty...hollow...like he'd just lost his best friend or something. Best friend.... "Mulder? Are you lightheaded again?" It was Petra, standing at his elbow. "Umm, yeah," he said distractedly. Then he shrugged. "I just haven't had anything to eat in awhile. Let's go, the room's right up here." Their approach to room 460 was silent. Mulder put his ear to the door and listened. Nothing. No voices, no TV, no radio. Mulder backed up, and, with a nod to Petra, kicked the door open. Lili looked up from the booklet. Quickly she stuffed it into one of the jacket pockets, doing the same with the travelers checks and wallet. Then she reached out and turned off the light. Intruders, perhaps the man and the woman from her link with Billy. She was strong enough to deal with them now... Mulder's forward momentum carried him into the room, Petra right behind him. They both dropped into defensive crouches, bodies tense, arms out in front of them. The room was dimly lit, the only light here came from the half open bathroom door. Two shapes filled the couch and chair in the room, their true nature hidden by the half light. Mulder got a brief impression of a wizened form. Petra moved toward the bedroom door, and Mulder by unspoken agreement walked towards the bathroom. He slipped inside, nudging the door open as he did so. Petra entered the bedroom. Again no light, but there was something on the bed with the same general shape as a human form. Quietly, she edged toward the bedside light, and clicked it on. The sight of the mummified corpse, it's mouth open in a perpetual scream of horror froze her for a long second. A second too long. Mulder was reaching out for the shower curtain, intending to pull it aside to see inside the shower itself, when he heard the thump from behind the wall. Instantly, he was in motion, running from the bathroom, into the lounge... And saw Her. Scully. Dressed in seemingly skin-tight leather trousers, cowboy boots, and a top that seemed to be two breast cups held up by an arrangement of leather straps, all topped off by a leather jacket. His partner. <> His brain finally kicked in. Too late, he reached to his waistband to pull out the handcuffs. Lili was already upon him. * * * * Billy's scream scared everyone in the apartment. Karen jerked, jumped up from the chair and went over to Billy. Again, he was white as a sheet and shaking like a leaf. Scully temporarily forgot about her own situation. Billy was having another vision, of the demon. And Mulder was out looking for It. But Karen, Missy and Albert had not been present for Billy's other visions and were at a loss of what to do. Praying Karen was focusing hard enough to hear her, Scully called out, "Ask him what he sees!" Karen turned her head sharply at the sound of Scully's voice, quickly nodded her head and turned back to Billy. "Billy! Tell me what you see. Is it the demon?" He nodded his head vigorously, staring straight ahead. "Yes, yes!" His sudden sharp intake of breath was loud in the quiet apartment. He turned and looked directly at Karen, his words deadly calm. "She has Agent Mulder." "NO! Mulder!" Scully cried. As if he heard her, his cry of help echoed in her head. *Scully!* And right before her sister's horrified eyes, Agent Dana Scully vanished. * * * * Fairway Motel Lightening fast, Lili's hands shot out and grasped each side of his head painfully, yanking his head down to her eye level, then shoving him back against the wall next to the bedroom door. He winced and closed his eyes. He couldn't believe how strong she was! He opened his eyes and raised his arms up, intending to pull her hands from his head, but he made the mistake of looking directly into her own eyes. These were not the kind, compassionate eyes of his friend. No, Missy had described it to a T. It was like looking into Hell. He was powerless to look away as the normally blue eyes flashed red deep inside. Recognition crossed Lili's face. "You," came her throaty whisper. "You're one from the mine. You have been busy!" Then she pressed her lips to his. What happened next was kind of a blur for Mulder. One minute Lili's mouth was on his and he could feel himself dying. The next, Lili was no longer holding him and he fell to his hands and knees, head hanging, gasping for breath, caught off balance by Lili's sudden departure. What he saw when he lifted his head up threatened to take his breath away again. It was like something out of a TV show. Or he had hit his head and was seeing double? Two Scullys. One was Her. The other was... Mulder shook his head in sheer disbelief. "Scully?" he murmured. There was no more time for speculation, however, as he stared entranced at the scene enfolding before him. Scully and Lili faced off in the bedroom doorway. As Scully's back was to him, he couldn't see her face, but Lili's was enraged and she was breathing rapidly. She may have finally met her match in the spirit of the body she had taken over. Her eyes flashed red again and she spoke in a growl. "You're too late to save him. I've already taken everything from him!" Before Mulder could call out to Scully and tell her he was fine, Scully cried out, "NO!" And a roar, like the ocean surf breaking on the shore, filled his ears. And in the next instant Lili was flying across the bedroom and smashing into the window, shattering the glass. Bleeding from cuts on her arms and back, she picked herself up. The clothes were undamaged, but one arm hung loose, her right eye was almost swollen shut and bruises flowered across her face. Lili staggered to her feet and looked out the window at the four story drop below then turned back to Scully. "Impressive," she said finally, a note of almost respect in her voice. "But not quite good enough!" Her face split with a grin of malicious glee. "It's almost a pity we won't be seeing each other again!" She turned and threw herself out the window. Scully sprinted to the ruined window and looked down, horrified at what she knew she would see; Her own body, broken and dying on the pavement below. But she witnessed something she had not seen since the Gregor case. Lili, picking herself up, unhurt, and setting off at a stumbling run, into the darkness of the night. "Scully," croaked a voice behind her. She spun away from the window and saw Mulder rising shakily to his feet. "God! Mulder!" She hurried over to him and put an arm around his waist, helping him stand. "I thought you were..." she trailed off. He gratefully threw an arm around her shoulders and stood all the way up. "Sorry to disappoint, Scully, but the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." She slugged him playfully in the stomach. "Not funny, Mulder." But then she gave him a squeeze and said, "I'm glad you're all right," then stepped away from him and looked around the room. "What happened here?" she asked. Her answer was a bark of laughter from her partner. "And just *what* is so funny?" she demanded. "You're..." She caught a glance at herself in the mirror over the dressing table, and stared in total amazement. From the Chakram at her waist, to the tight fitting (and very low-cut) leather armor, she was the image of Xena: Warrior Princess! Even her slightly curled short red hair, had changed to the same style and length. "Well, I was angry and you were in trouble so I imagined a suit of armor, and...this must have been first thing my mind conjured up." she managed finally, tearing herself away from the mirror Mulder looked her up and down appreciatively. He'd never seen so much of Scully's...skin...before. And her breasts; weren't they larger....? <> That little voice was back. He cleared his throat. "How did you know I was in trouble?" "Billy. He woke up screaming then said she--" "Lili," he broke in. "Excuse me?" "She calls herself Lili," he explained. Scully nodded then continued. "He said Lili had you and all of a sudden I was here." She waved her arms around the room before sucking in a breath. She looked back at her arms. They were solid again! "Scully? Is something wrong?" asked Mulder. She shook her head. "Not anymore, apparently. It's the strangest thing, Mulder. While I was at Billy's apartment I started feeling really strange. Then I started to disappear again. But now I'm Ok." She snapped her fingers. "That's it! That's what Missy meant. I'm Ok now because I'm back with you. Remember what she said about us sticking close together?" Mulder nodded. "And that would explain the strange feelings I was having, too." He smiled. "I'm not letting you out of my sight again, partner." A moan coming from behind them, interrupted Scully's reply. "Oh, god! Petra!" Mulder cried and hurried over to her. Petra was coming to and struggling to get to her feet. Mulder grabbed her shoulders and helped her stand. She put a hand to her head and groaned. "What happened?" Mulder cast an amused glance at Scully, who'd changed back into her customary suit. "Seems Lili was a bit more than we could handle. But my partner showed up just in time and saved our asses." They exited the bedroom and for the first time everyone saw the other bodies. Petra thumped the wall. "We have to find her soon!" she said quietly. "If we don't, this could end up like Hamlet!" Mulder stared at her. "Hamlet?" he asked, confused by the comment. "Everybody dead," Petra replied with a faint smile. Mulder grinned back. "We'll have to report this," he said reluctantly, "But we won't tell them any more than we have to." Petra nodded reluctantly. "They wouldn't believe you anyway!" she replied. "Not many people do," Mulder replied. He turned to Scully. "Coming, Xena?" * * * * Lili staggered slightly as she rounded the corner into yet another parking lot. By the Dark Powers, what had hit her?! The sight of the girl's spirit still walking around had been shock enough, but that blast she'd lashed out with was incredible! She was injured, and dawn was coming, she could feel it. She had to find somewhere to... "My God, are you all right?" The voice came from behind her, and the next moment, two arms were helping her up. "Attacked me.." she gasped. If she could get this good samaritan alone, she could feed off him and recover. "Come on, I'll get you inside and cleaned up," The voice said. The man was joined by another, a woman this time, and together they took her inside somewhere, laid her down on a bed. After a moment, there was the cool sting of water on the smaller cuts on her face. She opened the one eye that would open and got a shock, when she saw who was tending to her. "I'm Father Mike Meadows," he said. "Someone has gone to phone the police." Lili reached out and grasped his sleeve. Dawn was *here*! "NO!" she gasped. "No police! Please! I'll explain, but no police!" She didn't need to inject the sense of panic in her voice; it was already there. He patted her hand. "Very well, my dear." He stood up. "Will you be needing.." The woman was unconscious, breathing lightly. Father Mike tiptoed out as quietly as he could. He would hold off on the police for now; once she woke up she'd explain it all to him. Most likely an addict, more afraid of the law than the ones who'd beaten her. But she'd be safe here ************ END CHAPTER 8 ------------------------------------------------------------ Spirit of Friendship (9/16) by Jason Cleaver (argo@easynet.co.uk and Barbara Nice-Miller (SpookyJedi@aol.com) Disclaimed in Chapter 1 ************* Fairway Motel Room 460 Dawn was breaking when the crime scene team from the Rapid City PD showed up. Petra had phoned the station to report in the situation while Mulder called Billy's apartment. He spoke with Missy and told her the events which transpired in the motel room. After Scully's vanishing act right in front of her, she was understandably concerned about her sister. Mulder hastened to reassure her that Scully was fine, and had in fact saved his life. Missy then reported that Billy had grown suddenly calm about 20 minutes ago and was no longer having any visions. No one quite knew what to make of this, as so far Billy was their only link to Lili. And after coming this close to capturing her, they couldn't afford to lose their only connection to her. Billy, however, couldn't have been more pleased at this lull in the action and wanted nothing more than to have this madness be over and done with so that he could get on with his life. Mulder chuckled wryly at that, also wanting nothing more than to be back in his basement office with his partner, even if it meant doing paperwork. This X-File had hit a little too close to home for him. He hung up with Missy letting him know that she, Albert and Billy were all going to get some sleep, but that Karen was on her way over to the motel room. Mulder no more than put his cell phone back in his pocket when the crime scene team marched in through the door way, with the door still off one of it's hinges where Mulder had kicked it in. He let Petra take over, let her show her team the three desiccated, almost mummified bodies frozen in expressions of pure terror. He sighed. They were going to have to start answering some questions soon, now that the body count had risen yet again. But just what was he supposed to say? "A demon spirit has taken over my partner's body and is running around sucking the life-force out of men. I should know, it almost happened to me."? He delt with the paranormal everyday and would have no problem accepting a statement like that, and normally would have no problem *making* a statement like that to the local law-enforcement, but not now. Not today. He just didn't have the patience to explain himself. Not when his friend's very existence hung in the balance. He looked over from his position leaning against the wall to where Scully stood next to Petra, listening to what she was instructing her team to do. She was fine now, but what about a few hours from now? A few minutes from now? How long could she stay in the in-between world where she was? He squeezed his eyes shut and leaned his head back against the wall, cutting off that train of thought. He needed to get out of here and start looking for Lili, not standing here trying to B.S. some cops. "Sergeant!" The bellowing male voice jerked Mulder to an upright position. There in the doorway stood a balding, middle-aged man with the beginnings of a pot-belly, wearing a white dress shirt with silver bars on the collar and a gleaming gold badge on his shirt pocket. Mulder eyed the man cautiously has Petra spun to face him, surprise written on her face. "Lieutenant Oakes! I didn't expect to see you here, sir. You didn't need to come all the way down here. I can handle the crime scene." Oakes stepped into the room. "I'm not so sure about that, Sergeant." Petra was puzzled, and a bit worried. "Sir?" Oakes cast a critical eye over the room, taking in the broken door, the three dead bodies, the shattered window, and finally, Mulder himself. He looked back at Petra before he began speaking again. "I'm not being told everything about this case and I want to know why. I've got some sort of serial killer on my hands and all I'm getting is vague, sporadic reports from you! Now just what the hell happened here last night and how does it tie in with the Cumin kid and the deaths at the hospital?" Petra was momentarily flustered, but regained her composure quickly. "It's the same woman, sir. Agent Mulder and I were following a tip that led us here, but she escaped after a struggle." "A woman?! You expect me to believe that a woman overpowered not only you *and* Agent Mulder, but also three healthy young men and killed them?" Oakes was incredulous. "Well..." Petra began. "And just how did she escape? By jumping out that fourth floor window?!" "Actually, that's *exactly* what happened," interjected Mulder, causing Oakes to turn on him, pointing a finger. "And *you* Agent Mulder. Just what business do you have here? In this entire investigation, for that matter? The FBI does not have any jurisdiction in this case. This is *my* town and *my* investigation. Shouldn't you--" Karen picked that moment to make her presence known. Scully had seen her walk up a few moments before, and watched as she simply crossed her arms, leaned against the doorjamb and listened to the confrontation between Oakes, Petra and Mulder. "Excuse me?" Karen said behind Oakes. Oakes turned, and found himself staring straight into her eyes. Whatever comment he'd been about to make died on his lips. "Sergeant Jankovitch And Agent Mulder Have Done Nothing Wrong," Karen said calmly. Oakes blinked once, then repeated in a monotone, "Sergeant Jankovitch and Agent Mulder have done nothing wrong." "They Are Handling The Case In The Right Way." "They are handling the case in the right way." "You Will Leave Them Alone." "I will leave them alone." "You Can Leave Now." And without another word, Lieutenant Oakes simply walked out the door. The crime scene team was dumbfounded, but Petra quickly got them back to work before walking up to Karen. "*You've* been practicing," Petra said with a smile. Karen looked back at her. "And why haven't you?" The smile faded from Petra's face. "And who's fault was that?" There was a bitter note in her voice. Karen's mouth opened, then closed again, she turned away and saw Mulder looking at her with a bemused smile on his face. "May the Force be with you, Jedi." Mulder murmured, still smiling. Karen looked away, then back, her gaze full force on Mulder, causing him to take a step backward and bump into the wall. She took in the dark circles under his eyes, the stubble on his cheeks and the overall exhaustion evident in his stance. "You're Tired." Mulder blinked. "I'm tired," he repeated. "You're Going Back To The Hotel To Get Some Sleep." "I'm going back to the hotel to get some sleep." Scully clapped a hand over her mouth and began to laugh as Mulder turned and started toward the door. <> she thought with a smile as she took hold of Mulder's arm and guided him out into the breaking day. Petra watched Mulder shuffle out, then turned to Karen with a quizzical expression on her face. "Was that *really* necessary?" she asked. Karen shrugged. "It will be dormant until sunset, and It was injured when It left," she replied absently. She turned back to Petra. "Why aren't you going home?" Petra turned away slightly. "I need to be here," she said. "Someone has to supervise." "Anyone can do that," Karen said. She hesitated. "Did you share a place with her?" Petra's mouth trembled briefly, and her eyes shone with unshed tears. "Yeah," she replied, her voice shaky. "We were at her apartment this morning." Karen looked at her friend for a moment, then enveloped her in a hug. Petra finally gave up the battle with her grief and just let go, her body shaking with pent-up tears. Karen drew a veil around them, masking them from the people that filled the room. Once Petra had calmed down, Karen pulled her away slightly, and wiped at her tear-streaked place. "I'm taking you home," she said. Petra nodded, too drained and tired to do anything else. * * * * Mulder opened the door to his hotel room, and shuffled over to the bed, shedding clothing as he went. Dana watched as he almost fell onto the bed, legs still dangling on the floor. Almost immediately, his eyes closed and he began to snore quietly. Dana lifted his legs and moved them onto the bed, having to roll Mulder, so he wouldn't fall out of bed. Then she took off his shoes and socks, which he had forgotten about. She watched him sleep for a moment, face clear of it's usual expression of half concealed pain, guilt and frustration. Then she turned away to look out of the window again. Five people were dead because of her. Just dead, their souls ripped from them by some evil spirit created by the greed of man. <> Dana stopped her pacing and stared at the mirror <> She shrugged. <> She lashed out with her building rage and frustration, and watched in surprise and horror as the mirror shattered under the blow of -- what? On the bed, Mulder shifted in his sleep. <> She stepped closer to the mirror, looking at the crazy pattern of shattered glass. <> She turned to the table, focusing all her concentration on the wooden bowl full of plastic fruit. Gently, she reached out and tried to just lift it. The bowl trembled slightly, then shot to one side, impacting with the wall, spraying fruit and bits of itself in all directions. Dana stared at it for a long moment. <> She smiled bitterly <> Her expression changed again, becoming pensive. <> She turned back to the fruit lying on the floor. She had all day to practice, and she wanted to be perfect. This wasn't just some battle to save someone from evil, like that Patrick Swayze movie, this had far higher stakes than that. And she was going to be equal to the task. ************* END CHAPTER 9 ------------------------------------------------------------ Spirit of Friendship (10/16) by Jason Cleaver (argo@easynet.co.uk) and Barbara Nice-Miller (SpookyJedi@aol.com) Disclaimed in Chapter 1 WARNING: Disturbing religious imagery in this chapter. ************* St. John's Catholic Church Jimmy climbed out of the car, staring over at the old chapel and low buildings tacked onto it. Jenna was here, he knew it. The stupid bitch thought she could hide from him here did she? Well no two-bit whore hid from Jimmy Klazer that was for damn sure! And it was time someone did something about that fucking priest as well. Taking other whores didn't concern Jimmy, but if anyone messed with his women, then they'd better be able to back their play with more than just words. He looked over at the four men who had come up to his side. Carlo, Tony and Nick were just guys he needed for this. And Frank, well he may be crazy, but he'd get the job done. "OK," Jimmy said. "Carlo and Frank, you bring anyone you find to the chapel, Nick and Tony you come with me." Father Mike rose from his kneeling position at the altar, wincing at the pain in his knees. <> He thought to himself with a wry smile. Even as he thought it, his smile faded. When he was younger, it was all so clear, so unclouded by doubt and worry. Now, seemingly surrounded by evil every day, seeing the evidence of the devil's work in the faces of men and women, he was beginning to wonder if God was really watching over the planet, keeping His children safe from harm Where was His hand when children suffered? Did He look the other way when they were raped and beaten? When they were forced to sell their bodies? Before, he would have said that God was helping, that their suffering would ease. Now, he wasn't so sure. But lack of faith didn't stop you from trying to help. Which was why he'd set up the shelter. He'd gone out, tried to persuade the prostitutes and drug dealers to stop, to hear the Lord's words, but even as he did so, he felt as though he was lying to them. How could he persuade others to believe in something in which his own belief was faltering? He'd had some success of course, saving almost 10 women from the streets, and sending them on to a better life. Of all of them, Kate was the one he was most proud of. She'd stayed on, helping him with the center, and keeping him company with talk and her presence. Her daughter, Amy, was a joy to be around, with all the innocence that a four- year-old has, somehow uncorrupted by the evil her mother had swum in. The doors banged open, and he turned to look, seeing the three men enter. One was familiar to him as a pimp; he'd tried to talk to one of the girls he "owned" yesterday evening and had been run off for it. The other two he didn't know. "Can I help you?" He asked, coming forward. His only reply was a fist to the gut. Kate was in the kitchen, stirring the soup, when the door opened, revealing two men. Fear chilled her; she knew these two from her time on the street as muscle for hire. Mike said he'd gotten into an argument with Jimmy Klazer, but she hadn't expected this. Jimmy was famous for his short temper, but for him to have sent these two here was far beyond his normal actions. "I'll go look for anyone else," Carlo said, "You take care of this one." Frank grinned unpleasantly. "Oh, I will!" Carlo stepped back out the door as Frank moved forward. Kate grabbed the soup ladle, and raised it like a club. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Amy nudge open the other door, take in the situation, and take off at a run. As Frank came closer, she swung at him with the ladle, hitting him. He cried out in surprise and fell back a few steps. "Bitch wants to play?" He said, mouth curving in that cruel smile again, as his hand dipped into a pocket. The hand came out holding a wickedly sharp switchblade. Lili came back to the world, realizing she was being shaken. Her eyes opened to dim light, but she easily saw the child, a young girl, shaking her. "I'm awake, I'm awake!" She murmured. <> Her vision swam, and a great wave of dizziness washed over her. She needed to feed! The girl sniffled. "There's bad men hurting my mommy!" Lili stared. "Bad men? Where?" <> "Kitchen!" The girl was shaking but not in tears. "They're hurting my mommy!" She said again. Lili stood up, almost fell. The wall helped steady her. "You stay here," She said, "Don't make a sound. I'll help your mommy." The little girl nodded and scrambled under the bed. Lili staggered out into the corridor and closed the door firmly behind her. For a second she realized she hadn't asked where the kitchen was. Then two strong arms grabbed her and spun her around to face Carlo's lumpen, leering features. "Who're you?" He asked roughly, slamming her back against one wall. She almost passed out again, but managed to stay focused. She reached out to trail one finger down his shirt, but he caught and squeezed it hard. She gasped, seemingly with pleasure. "Ohhh..." She smiled up at him. "Do that again! I love a *hard* man!" "Do, huh?" Carlo towered over her, still squeezing her finger with greater pressure. "Then you'll love this!" He bent down and bruised her lips with a kiss. Frank slashed again, ripping cloth and releasing a spray of blood from Kate's arm, wringing a scream from the woman. She was cowering in one corner now, hands raised in supplication. Numerous cuts on her hands and arms, as well as Frank's wild-eyed manner, had convinced her that she was going to die. "Still wanna play, bitch?" Frank said, slashing again, opening up a deep cut on the palm of one hand. He was bored now, this one was no fun, may as well do her and get it over with. He changed his grip on the knife, reached down to pull her up... Someone grabbed his knife hand, twisting the knife from it, then pushing him down into the woman. Ignoring her cries of pain, he turned around again, getting to his feet, ready to take on whoever had attacked him. A leather-clad red-head stood there, holding his bloody knife. As he watched, she held it up to her lips, and licked at it, cleaning the crimson liquid off the blade with a series of sensuous movements. When it was clean, she closed her mouth, and swallowed slowly, still imbuing it with a charged eroticism. She smiled. "Tasty." She said, almost to herself. "I'd almost forgotten!" Then she looked at Frank and smiled, her teeth stained in one or two places. "What does yours taste like?" Frank looked around and grabbed a knife from a table top and began to advance. Lili watched him come. "Ooohh," She husked in her sexiest voice, "He wants to play...." Jimmy watched as the old priest fought for breath. He'd let him get it back, then one of them would punch him again, just like they'd done a few times already. But it was getting boring, besides Frank and Carlo should be back by now. Maybe they were having some fun with whoever they'd found. Lucky bastards. The old man managed to speak. "W-w-why?" Jimmy crouched down beside him. "Why what?" "W-why are you d-d-oing this?" Jimmy sighed. "Jenna," He said simply. "W-who?" Jimmy reached down and yanked the old man's thinning hair, forcing his head up to look at him. "The girl you tried to take away from me," He said pleasantly. "So I'm here to give you and any other do-gooder a warning." Father Mike looked at him. "What are you going to do?" Nick and Tony reached down and grabbed his arms, yanking him to his feet. Then they dragged him backwards to the altar. Jimmy walked ahead, studying the huge statue of Christ on the cross. He reached into a pocket and brought out a hammer and some steel spikes. Father Mike started to scream and struggle, but another punch to the gut had him struggling even to draw breath. Rope was tied his arms, and he felt himself being hoisted into the air... The church was plunged into inky blackness. The three men turned from their task, dropping the priest to the ground with a thump. Jimmy looked around. The huge hall was almost pitch black now; very little light was getting in through the windows. It was dark outside now, and the only light filtering in was the reflections from car headlights from the road outside. Had they been closer to the street, there would have been greater illumination, but this far back, with a parking lot between them and the streetlights, there was nearly nothing. He stared into the blackness, seeing only shadows and half seen objects that in daylight would be familiar, but now seemed ominous and threatening. He could see Nick and Tony beside him now, and he relaxed. They could handle anything... A door opened to one side, spilling yellow light into the hall, then just as quickly, closed again. "Frank?" Jimmy called. "'zat you?" Silence. "Carlo?" Silence. Jimmy drew his gun and swung it around, looking for a target. Then a voice spoke up. It was a woman's voice, quiet, calm and just slightly amused. "Carlo and Frank couldn't make it." Jimmy turned to face the direction the voice was coming from, gun pointed and ready. Nick and Tony moved away, trying to get closer to whoever this was. "What'd you do to them?" Jimmy asked. "Does it matter?" She'd moved, towards one of the lower windows. "What did you do?" He repeated the question. She sighed. "Frank was just too fond of that knife. So I used it on him. After." "After what?" His only reply was a low sensuous chuckle. He was about to say something when a figure moved across the window. He fired twice, but couldn't hear any sound of a body falling. She tutted slowly. "Now *that* wasn't very nice!" Suddenly he heard the sound of two bodies meeting hard, and the sound of a struggle. Not wanting to fire in case he hit one of his men, he rushed forward. Halfway there, the struggle stopped, replaced by the sound of something heavy hitting the floor. He kept coming and was out from the seats when he almost fell over something. As he looked down, headlights sent a brief flash of light illuminating the hall. He'd tripped over Nick, lying in an untidy heap. He turned the body over, felt for a pulse. Dead. "Tony?" He called. And got back a brief whistle. At least *he* was all right. "Nice try." Her voice was right behind him! He whirled and fired, the muzzle flash giving him a brief flash of... Nothing. "But no cigar." Behind again, but further away. He moved in that direction, listening for any sound; the scuff of a shoe, the rustle of cloth, *anything*! Silence. No noise but the faint sound of cars, and the pounding of his heart. "How many bullets in that gun, Jimmy?" <> He wondered. "Six? Eight?" "Enough to take you!" He yelled back. The chuckle again. "You? Take me?" Jimmy grinned. She hadn't moved this time! As he moved forward, he saw someone move in the shadows. He didn't hesitate, firing three shots. The figure slumped forward, hitting the ground. Jimmy whooped in exultation. "Now who can't take who, huh Bitch?" He moved up the aisle, stopping at the body, crouching down to get a better look. It took him a moment to register what he was looking at in the shadows, but terror and rage exploded within him when the realization struck. Tony. In a pool of blood. Three bullet holes in his chest. Dead. She laughed nearby. "Good grouping Jimmy." He fired in that direction, hoping against hope. "Mi-issed!" She sang out, laughter still present in her voice. Jimmy heard a groan from the altar. The priest! He had a bargaining chip! He ran up the aisle, almost tripping over the steps to the altar and found the old man, lying in a heap in front of the cross. He pulled him to his feet and practically dragged him onto the altar. "Show yourself!" Jimmy yelled, sweating now, fear evident in his voice. "Or I kill this worthless, fucking priest!" He pressed the gun to Father Mike's head, trying to look everywhere at once. A long pause. Broken only by the sound of Jimmy's panicked breathing, a groan from Father Mike, and finally by footsteps, slow and measured, that seemed to be coming closer, echoing in the darkness of the church. "Kill him then." "I don't need him." Something moved in the shadows. Jimmy raised the gun without thinking and fired. The sound of a ricochet echoed loudly in the still air. The gun clicked empty. In his panic, Jimmy shook it, as though trying to dislodge any new bullets. The voice chuckled. "Oops." "Last one Jimmy." And now he could see two red dots in the darkness, bobbing slightly with each step. It took him a moment that they were *eyes*... "What'cha gonna do now, little boy?" Taunting him, amusement in her voice. The eyes moved to one side, circling him. "Your toy's empty." "Not so big now are you? Just a scared little boy pretending to be a man." "Man enough to take *you*!" Jimmy yelled. The eyes stopped moving. "You think so, Jimmy?" The lights came up. At least that's what Jimmy thought at first, but this light was red, coloring everything in a reddish hue, as though someone had covered the world in blood. She stood, five feet away, lips curved in sardonic smile, eyes a deeper red that the colored light. The jacket was off, revealing her soft curves, and how much of it the leather top showed. "Do you think you can take me?" She said, crooking her finger at him. "Well, come on then, *boy*, let's see what you've got!" Driven by fear as much as rage, Jimmy came around the altar, grabbing a big bronze candlestick as he did so. The woman watched him come. "Ooo," She said with a smile. "What a big... tool you have. Are you sure it's *big* enough?" Father Mike pushed himself up onto one elbow and watched as Jimmy rushed the woman. He took in the leather, the curves.. The Red Eyes. <> He prayed silently. As much as he feared and even despised Jimmy, he found himself praying for him to win this battle against the demon that stood in his church. But once again, his prayers went unanswered. Jimmy, swung the candlestick, only to have it caught by the woman. She smiled at him, then jabbed with her other hand, straight at his chest. He fell backwards with a cry, sprawling to the ground. Lili followed him down, her knees driving into his chest, hearing the splinter of bone as a rib went. Jimmy let out a breathless cry of agony as the air was pushed out of his lungs by the impact. Lili bent down over him, reaching out with both hands to imprison his to the floor in a grip of iron. Her lips brushed his ear. "Give up?" She whispered sensuously into his ear. "F-fu-ck you!" Jimmy managed. "Really?" Lili raised herself up, to look into his eyes. "You don't mind the pain?" She ground her knee into his broken rib, smiling at the wheeze of agony that was wrenched from the man beneath her. "Get away from him!" Lili looked up. Father Mike was standing less than 10 feet away, brandishing the cross that had stood on the altar at her. "Get out of this place!" He said firmly, with only the hit of tremor in his voice. "Get back to wherever you came from!" Lili smiled broadly, revealing two tiny fangs on either side her mouth. "Why?" She asked. "I'm having fun." She could smell his desperation, and puzzlement at the fact that the cross wasn't working. This one would be fun to play with! She was bored with the other one anyway... As Father Mike watched, she bent down again, and pressed her mouth to Jimmy's. He struggled a moment, then lay completely still. As the woman stood up, his head lolled to one side. "Tasty," She commented. "But not as tasty as yours will be." Father Mike held the cross up again. "In the name of God, begone!" he cried. Lili frowned. "I'm sorry," She said, "Is that supposed to do something?" Then her face cleared. "Oh I get it, you're trying to banish me! How cute!" She smiled. "It's not going to work, I'm afraid." <> Father Mike stood his ground, beginning to recite the Lord's Prayer. "Our Father who art in heaven.." "The cross is only part of it," Lili took a step towards him. "..Hallowed be thy name.." "You have to believe, as well." Another step. "..Thy kingdom come.." "I mean really *Believe*. And you've lost your faith, haven't you?" Three steps from him now. "..Thy will be done.." His voice was faltering, as her voice reached him. "All the pushers, users, hookers, abuse, hatred, violence in the world, and you can't help, because you don't Believe enough to change it," Sympathy in her voice. Hand outstretched, reaching for the cross. "..On Earth as it is in..." "Heaven," Lili finished for him, grasping the cross and gently taking it from him. "It's no use, Father. You can't stop me." Father Mike stared at her. "T-then kill me!" He exclaimed. Lili shook her head. "If you had faith, even a little, I might. But you're just a washed-up old man, who doesn't even believe in what he represents, aren't you?" She handed him back the cross. "Couldn't even protect Amy and Kate from these men, could you?" "W-what?" Father Mike stared at her. "W-what about them?" "One of them killed Kate, with a knife," Lili said, turning towards the door she'd come through. "What about Amy?" Father Mike still couldn't believe she'd left him alive, but her words had hurt worse than he could ever have imagined. And the worst part of it was, he knew she was right. Lili turned back with a smile. "You know what's as good as someone with Faith?" Father Mike shook his head. "An innocent." She licked her lips. Understanding and horror almost knocked Father Mike to his knees, but he kept his feet. Instead, he raised the cross like a club and charged Lili. He might be worthless as a man of God, but he wouldn't let It get Amy, not while he still had breath in his body... Lili backhanded him as he reached her, sending him backwards to land with a crack against the altar, his lower back striking one corner, sending shards of intense pain through him. He fell forwards, feeling something loosen in his back, feeling fresh pain explode. Except for his legs. He could feel nothing from them The realization hit him, and he began to scream. Lili came back, and looked down at him, covering his mouth with her hand. "Now *that* was stupid," She said, forcing his head up to look into her red eyes. The scream died in his mouth at what he saw there. Pity. For him. And he didn't deserve it. "Kill me," He gasped around the pain, "Please!" Lili shook her head. "No," She smiled suddenly, and for one moment, fear overcame the pain as a strange sensation flooded through him. "And I Forbid You To Kill Yourself." She stood up. "It's the best thing for her really," She commented, turning towards the door again, "Her mother's dead, you can't look after her now, which means she'd be put in an institution. And you know what happens there, don't you?" Father Mike watched her go, managing one last "no..." before passing out with the pain. The last thing he heard as he fell into darkness, was a low soft chuckling. ************* END CHAPTER 10 ------------------------------------------------------------ Spirit of Friendship (11/16) by Jason Cleaver (argo@easynet.co.uk) and Barbara Nice-Miller (SpookyJedi@aol.com) Disclaimed in Chapter 1 *********** Mulder came awake slowly, cracking open his eyes just a bit, expecting them to be assaulted by daylight. He felt so tired, he couldn't have slept more than a few hours. But instead, the room was pitch dark. He waited a moment, letting his eyes adjust to the dimness. He was laying on top of the covers, his shoes and socks removed, but still wearing his shirt and pants. He ran a hand over his face and tipped his head to the side, searching for the bedside clock. The numbers told him it was well into the evening. <> he thought <> Then his gaze was caught as headlights from a passing car shone in the window and illuminated the mirror over the dresser. The light refracted crazily over the cracked surface, reflecting back Mulder's image in demented forms. Before he could ponder how in the world his mirror had gotten smashed, the pounding on the door jolted him fully awake. He sat up quickly at the unexpected noise and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He started towards the door as the pounding began again, only to kick a plastic apple with his bare foot. Looking quickly around, he noticed other pieces of plastic fruit and the remains of a wooden bowl laying up against the far wall. <> As if she read his mind, Scully suddenly walked through the wall that separated their rooms. Mulder jumped. "You *really* enjoy doing that, don't you?" he questioned with a grin. He gestured at the mirror and fruit. "Doing some redecorating while I took a nap?" he asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Her cheeks turned pink, but she ignored his question and instead nodded towards the door as the pounding began once more, even louder. "What's going on?" "Let's find out, shall we?" Mulder swung the door open to reveal an impatient Karen. "Took you long enough," she said as her greeting then brushed past him into the room. "Good evening to you, too, Karen," he replied sarcastically as he shut the door. "I don't have time for niceties." Mulder and Scully were instantly alert. "What happened?" asked Mulder. Karen sat down on the rumpled bed. "I was with Petra for awhile today before heading back to Billy's apartment for some sleep. Billy had another vision about 20 minutes ago. But this time it was different." "What did he see?" "He got the impression of candles, a cross and stained glass--" "A church," Scully interjected. "But a demon in a church?" "Good point," said Mulder. He nodded at Karen. "Then what happened?" "This is where it gets bad. Lili broke the link." She took a deep breath. "We're on our own now. Billy won't be any help to us anymore." "She broke it?" asked Mulder. "Yes. I was afraid this was going to happen the longer it took us to find her. See, when she first escaped, she needed a link to this world. She was too weak to survive on her own. But she's killed so many now. She's more than capable of surviving on her own. She grows stronger with every kill." "Then I guess we'd better find her pretty damn quick," observed Mulder. "Well then, let's start with the church," said Scully. "I know she was hurt when she fell out that window. She couldn't have gone too far from the motel. Maybe she hid out there during the day, recovering, and when she woke up, Billy had his vision of the church." Mulder was nodding. "I agree. Karen, grab that phone book. Look up any churches in the vicinity of the Fairway Motel. I'm going to call Petra and let her know what we're doing." "She should be at the station," said Karen. "Her shift started a few hours ago." Mulder had Petra on the phone in a few minutes. "Petra, it's Mulder. Listen--" "Mulder, wait. I don't have time right now. I've got shots fired at a church of all places. I've got to get there ASAP." Mulder drew in a breath, catching the attention of both Scully and Karen. "Did you say a *church*?" "Yes, why?" "Is it anywhere near the Fairway Motel?" "As a matter of fact, it is. It's St. John's. What's going on?" Mulder was already in motion, grabbing his shoes and socks. "I'll tell you when I see you. We'll meet you at the church." He hung up and turned to Karen. "Forget the phone book. We're headed to St. John's." ************* St. John's Catholic Church They saw the flashing red, blue and white lights long before they reached the church. The garish colors lit up the night sky, proclaiming some sort of emergency. Mulder piloted the rental car through a maze of police cruisers and ambulances. And, Scully noticed, the Coroner's wagon. She shook her head. This was not supposed to happen in the house of God. One more thing to add to the list of Lili's crimes. Inside the church was controlled chaos. Police detectives were everywhere, and so, Scully observed, were dead bodies. Five, to be exact, already covered with yellow police sheets. But it looked like at least two people were still alive, from the way the two sets of paramedics were working. Scully and Karen suddenly both stopped dead in their tracks at the same time, confusing Mulder. "What is it?" he asked. "She was here," they both said at the same time. "Are you sure?" Scully nodded and Karen said, "I can feel it." "So can I," replied Scully. "Don't ask me how, but I can tell she was here." Mulder nodded. "Let's go find Petra." Mulder and Karen's footsteps echoed on the tile floor of the narthex as they walked deeper into the church, searching for Petra. They found her near the altar, next to one set of the paramedics. Behind her on the wall was the statue of Christ on the cross, a silent witness to the carnage which occurred in this holy place. Petra looked up at the sound of their footsteps. As they got closer to her, they noticed she had been questioning the priest the paramedics had been working on. Petra indicated with her head that they should follow her to one of the pews. Petra took a breath and ran a hand through her hair. "Well, at least now I know why you were so interested in a church." "Give us a rundown," said Mulder. "Reports come in of shots fired here. We show up and find five DOA's, a woman, Kate, slashed up real bad in the kitchen, her young daughter Amy, hiding in the basement and Father Mike, crumpled up in front of the altar. Kate was blabbering on about a bunch of street punks trying to kill her and Father Mike until some leather-clad woman burst into the kitchen and killed Frank, one of the DOA's, who was trying to stab her to death. Then the report from little Amy, who said this woman was sleeping in the basement. Amy woke her up after she saw this Frank character slashing at her mom. This woman told Amy to stay in the basement, where we found her when we got here. Then there's Father Mike. He was hysterical when we arrived, yelling about the devil here in his church, that the devil killed everyone. At that point I started putting two and two together, but when I saw two of the bodies, Carlo Garlucci and Jimmy Klazer, I knew Lili had been here. They were desiccated just like the bodies at the Fairway Motel." "How's Father Mike?" asked Scully. "Scully wants to know how the Father is," said Mulder. "He's been beaten pretty badly, but he'll recover from those wounds. However, I heard one of the paramedics mention he could be paralyzed for life from the waist down from striking the edge of the altar with his back." Scully shook her head and looked away, imagining her own body inflicting that kind of damage on anyone. Mulder reached out and touched her on the arm. "Do we know how Lili ended up here?" he asked. "Kate tells me that Father Mike brought her in around dawn this morning, all cut up. He runs a woman's shelter here. He took her right downstairs and Kate didn't see her again till she showed up in the kitchen." Karen had been watching the paramedics prepare Father Mike for transport to the hospital. She spoke up, "I'd like to speak with him for a moment," then walked away. Father Mike was on the stretcher, face as white as the sheets upon which he lay, eyes closed, when Karen approached. She touched him on the hand and his eyes opened. She looked deep into their depths and knew this man of God carried a heavy weight on his soul. "It's not your fault," she whispered to him. He nodded sadly. "Yes, it is, my child. I have lost my faith. I no longer believe, and that is why I could not stop the devil. That is why so many died here tonight. She told me so." "No, Father. The devil lied to you, as is his way. No amount of faith in God can stop this demon. But please, do not give up. Your work is important. You haven't lost your faith....mearly misplaced it for a time." He looked at her, digesting her words, wondering how this Indian woman could be so insightful and knowledgeable about so many things. He simply nodded his head, squeezed her hand and whispered, "Thank you," with tears in his eyes as the paramedics wheeled him out into the night. Petra waited until Karen had rejoined them before imparting another important fact. "Right before I got the call to come out here, I got the report back from the crime scene team at the motel. This guy Jeff and his friends were here on vacation, right? They were driving a rental car that they picked up at the airport. Officer Miller checked, and the car's due back tomorrow night, when their flight leaves back to Daytona Beach. Only, there were NO plane tickets discovered anywhere in the car, motel room or on any of the bodies." She let this information sink in and watched as understanding crossed Mulder and Karen's faces. She couldn't see Scully's, of course, but her eyes lit up as well. Mulder stated the obvious. "She's headed for the airport. If we don't catch her there now....we'll have lost her for good." ************** Rapid City Regional Airport The Departures terminal was buzzing with people, arriving, queueing at airline desks, staring at the arrival and departure boards. The dull roar of so much life and energy filled the hall. Robert stood at the Information Desk, helping out with queries and soothing irritated passengers. He turned to update his computer and when he returned to his seat, there was a woman standing there, a smile on her face. "Can I help you?" he asked, his work Smile on. "Yes," The woman smiled back, "What's the first flight out of here?" ************ END CHAPTER 11 ------------------------------------------------------------ Spirit of Friendship (12/16) by Jason Cleaver (argo@easynet.co.uk) and Barbara Nice-Miller (SpookyJedi@aol.com) Disclaimed in Chapter 1 **************** St. John's Catholic Church There was a flurry of activity at the church following Mulder's statement. Petra immediately started to get a team ready to go to the airport, but Karen stopped her with a hand on her arm. "No," she said calmly, "We need no one but ourselves, Melissa and Albert to stop It. A show of force would be useless. We have all that we need." Mulder saw Petra's doubtful expression and could see her adding up the body count thus far in her head. She was about to shake her head when Mulder stepped in. "Karen's right. We can do it ourselves." He glanced at Scully and continued. "I don't want some trigger-happy rookie taking a shot at my partner's body. We know It was hurt falling out that window and I *refuse* to allow any more harm to come to Scully's body." Petra nodded. "All right, just us. Let me go call Melissa and Albert and tell them to meet us at the airport right away. I'll meet you outside at the car." She turned and walked away, footsteps echoing on the tiled narthex floor, as Karen began to make her way out of the church. Mulder made to follow, then stopped, made sure no one was watching him (speaking into thin air might draw some attention), and turned to Scully. Concern was etched on his features. "Are you ready for this, Scully?" It was not hard for her to remember her anger at the creature who had stolen her body and killed so many innocents. Her voice was strong and sure when she replied. "More than ready, Mulder. Let's end this." He simply nodded, still afraid that when this *did* end his best friend would no longer be with him. Then without a word, turned and followed Karen out into the night. They caught up to Karen on the sidewalk, where Mulder had a few questions for her as they made their way to their car. "What did you say to the priest? And why didn't she kill him?" "It wanted to have some *fun*," Karen replied. "He thought It could be stopped by faith and the cross, and It played up to that, made him doubt himself." She opened the door to the backseat. "There are worse things to do to someone than kill them. And It knows them all." "Why *didn't* the cross stop her?" Mulder wondered, fastening his seatbelt and sticking the key in the ignition. "Because it has nothing to do with that faith or any other. It's a manifestation of man's greed and darkness. That's older than any of your religions, so it couldn't work." "And yours does?" "Yes. And no." "What does that mean?" Mulder asked, glancing in the rear-view mirror. "You wouldn't understand." Karen closed her eyes and relaxed against the seat. "And there isn't time to explain it so you could." Mulder and Scully digested Karen's cryptic answer as they waited for Petra to arrive. She did so shortly, jogging up to Mulder's rental car and hopping in the backseat next to Karen. "Ok, we're all set," she said. "Melissa and Albert are on their way." She leaned forward and spoke to Mulder. "Are you sure you don't want to take my patrol car? People tend to get out of the way of flashing lights and sirens." Mulder shook his head as he put the car in drive. "No. No lights or sirens. I don't want to roar up like a bat out of Hell and spook her. This may be our last shot at capturing her." * * * * Rapid City Regional Airport Lili sighed as she leaned back in the padded chair at Gate C-19 and fingered the papers in her hand. The writing said it was a one-way ticket to Los Angeles. But to Lili it said only one thing: freedom. In less than a half hour she would be out of the city. She knew that she needed to put as much distance between herself and the mine as possible. She also knew that the man and woman from the mine were still after her and were determined to send her back. There was still the matter of *how* the woman's spirit had managed to survive for so long outside it's body. <> she thought with an evil smile <> * * * * Mulder, Scully, Petra and Karen jogged in the main airport doors, searching for Albert and Missy. They were nowhere in sight. "We must've beat them here," said Mulder. "Petra, stay here and wait for them. I'm going to the Information Desk." Scully and Karen went with him, scanning the sparse crowd of people in the terminal at that time of night, searching for Lili. Mulder strode quickly up to the desk, slapping down his badge and Scully's photo, startling the young man typing at his computer terminal. His name tag said "Robert". "Can I help you?" he asked. "Agent Mulder with the Federal Bureau of Investigation," Mulder replied in his best FBI voice. He pointed to Scully's photo. "I'm looking for this woman. Have you seen her?" Robert raised his eyebrows. "As a matter of fact I have," he said, remembering the red head's scantily clad form. "She was here not too long ago asking about the next flight out." Mulder's heart nearly skipped a beat. "What did you tell her?" Robert pointed down the west wing of the airport. "I sent her to Gate C-19. The next flight leaves for L.A. in about 15 minutes." Mulder turned to sprint back to Petra before Robert even finished speaking. "Gate C-19," Mulder said without preamble as he reached her. "She's trying to get to L.A." He looked beyond Petra. "Are they here yet?" Petra shook her head. "Not yet." "Well get them to the gate as soon as they arrive!" Mulder exclaimed. They ran for the gate. Lili was at the newsstand, buying a newspaper, when her head snapped up, and she turned her head quickly from side to side, searching the nearly deserted terminal. She had felt something..... Her gaze lit upon the three people moving down the hallway. In particular, the red headed woman leading the group by about a yard. Lili's eyes widened. <> Lili quickly began moving deeper into the airport. She needed to turn this around to *her* advantage, and surprise was always a good tactic. Scully saw Lili start moving and let her anger at this creature override her good judgment. She took off at a run. Mulder recovered first at Scully's sudden departure and took off after her. "Scully! Wait! Don't!" But Scully wasn't listening. She saw Lili turn the corner to an empty terminal and raced after her, Mulder only a few feet behind. In her haste, Scully turned the corner too fast, never seeing Lili standing up against the wall she had just come around. Too late, she realized her mistake. Spinning around, she watched as Mulder came around the corner. Lightening quick, Lili's hands shot out, grabbing Mulder's shirt front and pulling down. Caught off-guard, Mulder fell to his knees as Lili put him in a choke hold and began to squeeze. Once again, he was amazed at her strength. Lili whipped her head towards Scully, eyes flashing red. "The choice is yours," Lili spat. "Either I walk out of here," she tightened her grip on Mulder's throat, causing him to gasp for air, "or you watch him die!" Scully took a step forward. "I don't think so." And the familiar sound of the ocean surf breaking on the shore filled the air as Scully lashed out with her mind. But this time Lili was ready for it. She was able to deflect most of Scully's power this time, but not all of it. It made her stagger back, loosening her grip on Mulder's throat. He toppled over backwards at the sudden loss of pressure, drawing in deep lungfulls of air. Lili quickly regained her balance. "That. Was a mistake." Petra saw Melissa and Albert enter the building and she rushed over to them. As she did so, Karen's voice filled her head. *Petra! We need them! NOW!* There wasn't any time to get there on foot. Petra swallowed hard, a sweat breaking out on her forehead. Time to find out if she could still do this... "Hold onto my hand!" she said urgently, reaching out to grasp Albert's hand. She saw Melissa take Albert's other arm, and took a deep breath. And stepped Sideways. As Lili started to reach for Mulder to finish him off, Karen spoke in a guttural tongue, Scully continuing almost immediately. Lili swayed slightly, face turning white for a moment. But she recovered quickly. "Nice try," she said with a smile, recovering somewhat. "But you're missing something!" She turned her back to them deliberately.. ..And came face to face with Melissa, Albert and Petra. Petra had gone down on one knee, looking exhausted. "Once more?" Melissa said quietly, "From the top?" Dana and Karen moved to flank Melissa, three sentinels in the battle between good and evil. And one by one, first Karen, then Melissa and finally Scully, spoke in a tongue no human could possibly understand. But Lili could. It was the one thing that could control her. Her True Name. She let out an inhuman cry as the last of the syllables rolled off Scully's tongue, a scream of rage and fear that could not possibly come from any human mouth. It echoed through the terminal, causing travelers and staff alike to look up in momentary fear as the awful sound ricocheted from one side of the building to the other. "NOOO! NOOO! I won't let you!" she screamed. Karen stepped forward. "You have no choice. We have spoken your Name. The power is *ours*!" Petra called out, "Mulder, quick! The handcuffs!" Mulder scrambled to his feet and withdrew the metal bands from his pocket, but Karen stopped him. "There's no need." she said, her eyes still fixed on Lili. "But how do we stop her running again?" he asked, confused. "We spoke her name," Karen replied. "She can do nothing we don't want her to, unless one of us frees her." Her face hardened. "And we aren't going to do that." She looked around at the others, her expression resolute. "Quickly. We must get her to the mine." * * * * They traveled back in two cars. Petra drove Albert and Melissa, who had come in Billy's truck, and Mulder, Karen and Scully traveled with Lili. Karen sat in the backseat, her eyes fixed on Lili. Mulder was preoccupied with driving, but he was concerned about what was to happen at the mine; Karen had said very little about the ceremony to evict this Thing from Scully's body, and it was making him nervous. Scully for her part, was staring out the window, her thoughts flying around in her head as fast as the scenery before her. <> she wondered. <> She shook her head. <> She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the sight of her sister lying in her hospital bed, head swathed in bandages. Remembered the doctors words, saw her mother's tears, felt the anguish as Melissa's feet refused to move, no matter how hard she tried. <> she berated herself. <> Her inner voice whispered back. <> Behind her, in the backseat, Lili smiled slightly. ************* END CHAPTER 12