Title: "Colony"
Written by: Kristi
Date: June 4, 15, 21; July 27; September 26, 28-30, 2007
Air Date: October 8, 2007
Rating: PG-13
Series: FRVS - Episode #187
Spoilers: Past episodes of FRVS may be spoiled.
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Archiving: "Fox & Rat" Virtual Series only!
Disclaimer: We do not own anyone. They belong to Chris Carter, Ten-Thirteen Productions, and 20th Century FOX Broadcasting.
Author's Note: The personalities of the characters within the world of "Fox & Rat" are not those you know from "The X-Files" television series. We have warped them and given them a common past, immature behavior and a sense of humor. Any horrid behavior should not be mimicked in your every day life.
Summary: Krycek discovers more about himself and the ways of Coleman and his group.
FADE IN:
STRUGHOLD RESEARCH FACILITY
NEW YORKMARCH 8, 2007
Beads of sweat roll down the side of Knowle Rohrer’s face as he swings the axe down onto the piece of wood, breaking it in half. A warm breeze comes over him, temporarily cooling him from the blazing hot sun above.
He picks up his axe and slams it into the ground, letting out a sigh as he looks up to observe his surroundings. He feels there are eyes watching him. Turning to look back at the building, he sees Scully, Skinner and Dr. Montgomery in deep conversation.
He can feel the sweat threatening to drip into his eyes so he wipes the beads away with the sleeve of his t-shirt. Through his peripheral vision he sees three sets of eyes look in his direction for a brief moment until he looks up at them and they quickly look away.
“We should tell him.” John Montgomery comments. He knows why Scully doesn’t want to tell Knowle, but deep down he feels it wouldn’t be right to hold this sort of information from him.“A distracted Marine, is a dead Marines.” Skinner helps Scully defend her position. “We can’t risk a man – a Marine like Knowle to crumble because of guilt. I saw him remove that chip from her neck. I know what he’ll think. He’ll blame himself, he’ll feel he let John down.”
“He’s right.” Scully speaks up. “I told him to remove the chip, and I made sure I didn’t tell him what the consequences were.” She looks outside at Knowle as he picks up the chopped wood. “I don’t know him well other than the fact that he’s a Military expert, but perhaps that’s because he shuts himself off emotionally. To me that says he bottles up his emotions. Guilt would destroy him. I would know, I’m not that dissimilar from him.”
“Your cancer has no cure, Dana.” Montgomery points out. “How do you think he’ll react when your health declines? Won’t that ruin him just the same?”
Scully looks down at her hands. She can’t think of that right now.
“I don’t know.” She says softly. “But for now I don’t want to tell him. I think it’ll be for the best.” She looks at them sternly and walks away, confident that they will obey her wishes.
Skinner looks to Montgomery. “There’s nothing we can do to help her?”
“No.” Montgomery wishes he had a different answer. “The technology that saved her nearly ten years ago would only endanger her now. She won’t risk that.”
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN RANGE
COLORADOBrad Follmer stops walking, his legs about to give out on him. The treacherous terrain of the Colorado Rocky Mountains is giving him more of a workout than he had wanted.
“I need a break.” He calls out to Robert Comer, who is ahead of him. Brad lowers himself to the ground, slips his bag from his back and lets out a heavy sigh.
Robert comes over to him, kneeling down in front of him. He hands Brad a bottle of water, which Brad accepts without any hesitation.
“This heat is exhausting.” Robert comments.
Brad nods in agreement and hands the bottle back to Robert. Ever since Monica left them it’s been harder to make meaningful conversation. It shouldn’t be like that, but without Monica, Brad has nothing in common with Robert. When Monica was around, they had someone to look after and protect. Now, they find themselves with pointless chit-chat about the weather.
“She couldn’t have been more than a days hike ahead of us.” Robert tries to remain positive despite how baffled he was to find out she had left them without an explanation.
Brad on the other hand is not as confused. She left her journal for him, opened to a page that explained her reasons for leaving. Perhaps it is wrong of him to keep this information from Robert, but Brad doesn’t think he should know. Why should he clue him in right away? After all, Robert always seemed to have the advantage over him when Monica was concerned.
This jealous side, is Brad’s shallow side. Every time Robert would find a way to get closer to her, communicate with her, even make her smile, he found himself wishing it were just he and Monica.
Yet deep down Brad knows the root of his problem with Robert: he’s mad at himself for not being the one to make her smile. He’s mad he couldn’t be the one to communicate with her better and now she is gone. Gone when there is so much he had to tell her.
So here he is. Stuck with Robert Comer, former Marine and former lover of Monica Reyes.
“What makes you so sure she would be heading towards the north?” Robert asks, completely unaware of Brad’s thoughts and jealousy.
“Before she lost her voice, she told me the aliens were weaker in colder climates.” Brad responds.
“Yeah, but here we are in Colorado, early March.” Robert comments. “How much colder can it really be anywhere else?”
Brad shakes his head, looking around to see the dying Earth. Heat is wiping out life on this planet and rain hasn’t fallen in far too long.
“I wish I knew why.” Robert starts again. “You know what I mean? Why did she sneak away in the middle of the night? Why not wake us up?”
Brad knows, but for him to say out loud would be to admit that he didn’t handle her in the way he should have.
“I mean, sure...” Robert continues after thinking quietly to himself. “She’s been known to run away in the past like when she left New York-”
“-She left New Orleans too.” Brad snaps, but didn’t mean for it to come out so defensive. Robert looks at him, seeing his defense. Apparently the topic of Monica running off hits too close to home.
“I’m sorry, I-”
“No, I’m sorry.” Brad calmly interrupts him. “It’s been a long day and this bloody heat is killing me.”
“Think we should leave our traveling to the night?” Robert suggests.
“Probably would be safer.” Brad agrees, wondering why they never thought of that before. They’re likely to die of heatstroke out in this weather.
“What the hell is this?!”Alex Krycek’s eyes pop open and he sits up quickly. He looks around his dark, empty jail cell. He’s alone, so who the hell could Coleman be yelling at with so much rage? His eyes drift to the black cloak that covers the window. He can barely hear a commotion outside.
Krycek narrows his eyes, trying to see through the crack. It’s night time, that much he knows, and he can barely see what is going on outside. Coleman’s goon, Gravedigger, holds tightly to the arms of a brunette woman. Krycek moves closer to the window to get a better look.
“What kind of witch are you?” Coleman yells at the woman.
Monica Reyes doesn’t answer him. She can’t. She’s unable to talk because of the artifact her Grandmama gave to her before she died. In Coleman’s hand is that very artifact. He looks down at it, and throws it to the ground. The artifact is once again glowing mysteriously, as if lighting the way for Monica in the dark night.
“You answer me when I talk to you, witch!” Coleman reaches out and grabs Monica by her chin. He has a threatening vibe about him. Even if she could, Monica wouldn’t know how to talk to someone like him.
Krycek watches, his stomach turning in fear of what Coleman will do to this woman if he doesn’t cause a distraction. He turns, looks around the empty room and realizes that the only way to cause a commotion is with his own body. He looks back at the window, with enough stretch he could break it and perhaps give the woman some time to run.
He reaches out and pulls the black cloth from the window. He sees Coleman hit the woman with a closed fist. The sick bastard, Krycek thinks as he wraps his hand with the cloth and finally manages to break the window with his fist.
He quickly draws his hand back, gritting his teeth in pain. That gimmick works better in the movies.
“Fuck.” He grunts, as he carefully pulls the black cloth from around his hand. Blood stains his already cut up hands. He starts to carefully pluck small bits of glass from his knuckles.
He looks up briefly from his hand and peers out the window to see Coleman ordering Gravedigger to take the woman away. No doubt Krycek’s distraction has been noticed. He watches as the woman is taken away, she’s not even shaken by Coleman’s punch. She’s strong, which Krycek can only guess challenged Coleman. He watches her until she is out of sight, a feeling of familiarity hits him. Does he know her?
Coleman bursts through the door. He’s pissed and Krycek turns to see anger in his eyes.
“You breakin’ windows, killer?” Coleman’s voice is filled with rage as he approaches Krycek’s cell. “You really think that’ll get you outta here?”
“Just needed some fresh air.” Krycek lies with a slight hint of smart-ass in his tone.
“Need I remind you what I do to killers like you?” Coleman threatens him. “You act up again and you’ll be in that room with the rest of ‘em!”
He leaves.
Krycek lets out a sigh of relief. If Coleman knew he was causing that distraction to help the woman there is no telling what he would do to her. He leans up against the wall. Coleman’s threat of death needs no reminder. He lives with the stench of decaying bodies day in and day out.
He once again peers out the broken window. His eyes fall on the artifact that lies on the ground. What makes it emit light? Why was she carrying it? What is it?
He sees Coleman exit the building and go over to the artifact. He picks it up and tosses it carelessly in a bag. If only he knew how important that little rock is.
2:08 A.M.Krycek lays on the ground, not in sleep but in deep thought. He can’t seem to get the woman out of his mind. He’s familiar with her. Feels some kind of connection with her, even an obligation to help her.
As if his mind were just jolted awake, a memory resurfaces. He’s in a hospital room. The woman is there. Neither one of them is sick. He’s comforting her. Did she lose someone close to her? His mind races, holding to the memory. He holds a knife, he wants to use it on her.
He feels sick. Did he try to kill her? Daring himself to remember, his mind digs deeper.
A quick flash and he’s fighting with her, physically. But she gets him, slashes him across the face with his own knife.
He shakes his head. Is this real? Did this happen? He feels sick at the thought of betraying her, but perhaps this explains his feeling of obligation to help her.
Krycek fiddles around in his pockets and retrieves a ring of keys that he lifted from the guards. How they didn’t notice, he’ll never know. Perhaps they wanted him to have it, maybe out of sympathy, maybe out of some alternative motive.
He sneaks up to the jail lock and tries a few keys, finally unlocking the cell. He listens carefully for a moment, then makes his way out of the jailhouse.
The fresh night air is breathtaking, but he’s not about to let that stop him from keeping his focus. He stops at the corner of the building, looks both ways and sees that no one is around. Carefully he creeps his way through the rows of buildings, getting his first look at his location.Rows of buildings with bars on the windows. A jail cell. What the hell is this place?
Krycek makes his way into one of the buildings, the one he saw Gravedigger taking the brunette woman into. The halls are dark, empty and quiet. He quietly walks, peering into every room until he finds her.
“Now Coleman, he just doesn’t understand what I understand.”
Krycek stops in his tracks, listens to find out where the man’s voice is coming from.
“You see,” The man continues. “He just doesn’t understand that this is the end of the world. An’ we gotta do what we gotta do to keep on goin’. You know what I’m sayin’, missy?”
Krycek peers into the room and sees a man leering around Monica. She is strapped down in a bed. It dawns on him, this must be a mental hospital. The cell, the sparse rooms, beds with straps...
“Now I don’t mean you no harm. It’s in our nature to propagate.” The man starts to unbuckle his belt.
Krycek’s eyes go wide. He’s not about to let this man rape her. He enters the room and without a second thought he grabs a vase with dying flowers off a dresser and knocks the man over the head.
Monica looks up at him, relieved to be saved from the violation that awaited her.
“Alex?” Shock is in her voice.
“You know me?” He is relieved. For the first time since he’s been remembering someone knows him.
“You have to get us out of here.” She is frantic, scared. “There is evil watching this place.”
“Evil?” Krycek asks as he undoes her restraints from her arms and legs.
“I see it.” She explains. “So much death. So much blood.” She sits up now that she is free from her restraints. She brings her hand up to her head, wincing in pain. Everything the artifact was saving her from is coming back. Flooding her head with images, sounds and feelings of the world as it is now. “Alex...” She grabs him by the shoulders. “It wasn’t you. You didn’t kill Marita. The aliens did.”
Krycek listens to her. She has so much intensity to her. He can’t help but wonder what happened to her.
“I’m a psychic.” She explains, having read his mind. “My Grandmama gave me an artifact and its been protecting me from the aliens. Coleman took it. We have to find it. We have to get out of here and go to Long Island.”
“New York?”
“Yes.” She stands up. “Now. We must go now.”
She grabs him by the arm and starts out, but doesn’t get far when she runs right into Coleman and his goon, Gravedigger. There’s a second of hesitation as everyone realizes what’s going on. Then, Coleman smirks.
“You’re not goin’ anywhere, witch.” He sneers at her and then shifts his eyes to Krycek. “You got a thing for her, killer? You want to rape her?”
Krycek steps in front of Monica. “You don’t need us, Coleman. Just let us go.”
Coleman laughs and looks back at Gravedigger. “Killer here thinks we don’t need him.” He laughs again, then looks back at Krycek. “Then I guess I’ll just have to put you to work then, now won’t I, killer? And as for this witch.” He looks to Monica. “Well, we can’t have you wandering about.”
Coleman nods back at Gravedigger, signaling to him to get Monica back in her restraints. He steps forward, and is about to take hold of Monica when she socks him a mean right hook across the face, knocking him to the ground.
Monica grabs hold of Alex and starts to pull him towards the door and Coleman.
“I don’t think so.” Coleman stops them, blocking them from leaving the room. “A feisty witch like you ought to be locked up.”
Gravedigger rises from the ground behind them. He’s pissed. He takes a violent hold on Monica’s arm.
“And you, killer.” Coleman gives Krycek a mean look. “You’re coming with me.”
STRUGHOLD RESEARCH FACILITY
NEW YORK4:36 A.M.
Moonlight falls through the glass doorway of the building. Knowle sits alone, keeping guard for the night while everyone else sleeps. This is his usual nightly routine. Sleep isn’t something he considers necessary at the moment. To him, sleeping would mean risking the lives of those with him. He holds his weapon in his hands, however, on this night he is not on high alert as usual. He is lost, deep in his own thoughts.
This hallway, this building brings up haunting memories of the past. In his mind’s eyes he can see himself walking up to the very building he now sits on guard duty in. The building, however, is in better condition. Walls pristine white, floors shine reflecting the footsteps that set on them. Knowle is dressed in a suit, his Department of Defense credentials visibly pinned to his jacket. He carries a package, the contents of which he doesn’t know. He doesn’t ask. He only carries out the orders of what he is told to do.
His mind ventures forward, still inside the facility walls, but now walking down an empty hallway that is restricted to him. A door around the corner flies open. A woman’s bare feet splat on the cold, white tile floor. She rounds the corner and his heart skips a few beats. Monica Reyes runs into him, like him she is shocked to see him here.
He doesn’t know what to do. His rational thought is slowed by a loud emergency siren blaring throughout the hallways. Monica looks up at him. Her eyes wide, frantic for him to find a solution to get her out of this place. He looks down at her. Her eyes are red from tears. He can see she is in so much pain.
“Monica?” He is shocked.
She grabs him by the arm, holding onto him for protection.
“Knowle, get me out of here.”
Security guards are coming. He can hear their running footsteps. They sound armed. If they catch them, they’re dead, especially if they run. He can feel Monica pulling on his arm, trying to take him with her as she tries to escape, knowing that he will protect her. And he wants to, but he reacts differently than he feels. He stops her.
“Monica, don’t do this. Not like this.” He’s serious, he knows what these people can do to them. “This is not safe. I don’t doubt that they’ll kill you.”
He hates that he has to say that to her, but he knows he’s right. She looks up at him, her eyes filled with sadness, anger, and pain.
Scully comes up to them. For a moment, there is fear in Knowle’s eyes, he has to turn Monica in. If he doesn’t, he may never be allowed back here. Never be allowed back to try to save her in a safer way. He grabs hold of Monica and holds her tight so she can’t break away.
A warm tear falls from his eyes, snapping him out of his memory. He wipes the tear away. It breaks his heart that he had to do that to Monica. Being at this facility haunts him with guilt. Guilt he carries for leaving her that day. He can still see her being dragged away by the guards. She looked back at him, wanting him to help her. He wanted to help her. He wanted to save her from this place.
She never blamed him for what he had to do. She understood. She told him that it wasn’t his fault. What he did, he did to save her. But now, he’s back here. Some nights it’s as if he can still feel her presence here. Maybe it’s not her. Maybe it’s the child she lost – the daughter she and Brad were to have that never had a chance at life.
Knowle digs into a pocket in his jacket and pulls out the note Monica left him in her apartment. He’s read her note a thousand and one times.
I’m at Grandmama’s. Go north, they’re weaker there. Do what you have to do. I’ll find you. Take cover in the basement. I love you. Monica
His eyes focus on “I’ll find you”. Her words bring him hope because he has never doubted her, and he certainly won’t now. Her ability is strong and he knows that. He was the one who would help her deal with her psychic visions, the voices. He knows she’ll find him, but he wishes he knew when.
He doesn’t know where she is. He doesn’t know what the rest of the country is like, or even if she got out of Chihuahua, Mexico safely. Some nights he’s unable to sleep because his mind races to know if she’s all right. Nights like tonight. He constantly worries for her and those around him. What worries him the most is that the colder weather makes the aliens weak, and Monica was down in Mexico. The temperature here has been unbearable, reminiscent of the time he was in the Gulf War. At least these aliens aren’t using chemical warfare. It was enough that his commanding officer in the Gulf War had him sit in the hot, dry desert wearing long sleeves and a gas mask. He can remember feeling as if he were suffocating back then. If it’s like that here in New York, what’s it like in Mexico, or any of the southern states?
So many things are unknown to him. He only has to assume that most everyone he knows is dead. He’s still haunted by the memory of the barracks at Camp Lejeune exploding. Everyone he knew was in that explosion. John Doggett, Shannon McMahon. Why was he only able to escape? Why couldn’t there have been enough time to save the others? So many fine men and women were killed that night. And so many more by the time the sun rose.
He looks at the note again. Monica left it for him. She knew the aliens would attack early. His eyes focus on “I love you.” Those three words have gotten him in trouble in his relationships in the past. He could never say them to Shannon because he never truly meant it in the sense that she would want him to mean it.
His mind falls back to the last time he saw Monica. He had just been called out to active duty and was to report to Camp Lejeune immediately. For years he held back his feelings for her, never wanting her to know how he felt, respecting her relationship with Brad Follmer. But that night he had to tell her, even with his doubts that she was ready to hear his words. He had to tell her, it could’ve been the last time he saw her... He was unsure of the world back then, not knowing what would happen to him. Would he live or would he die? But he told her he loves her. It shouldn’t have been such a surprise when her feelings were returned, but it was. Surprised only because he wasn’t sure she was ready to hear him.
He can still hear her words in his head. “Always follow your heart, it’s never wrong. Trust your instincts and never give up hope.”
Hope is hard to keep in these times, but he tries. He holds onto the hope that one day they will find each other. He’s tired of caging his emotions, always being on alert, always being paranoid. The constant threat of the alien attacks weigh on his heart.
“You spend a lot of time alone, sir.”
John Montgomery breaks his thoughts. Knowle looks up from his seat to see Montgomery standing in the shadows. He didn’t even hear him coming.
“Just thinkin’ while keeping a watch out.” Knowle responds.
Montgomery takes a seat next to him.
“Thinking about what, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Whatever runs through my head.”
Montgomery looks at the note in Knowle’s hand.
“You’re thinking about her.” His tone is blunt, as if he’s seen Knowle looking at this note several times. Knowle looks over at him. “I see you looking at that note often. What does it say?”
“Its just a note Monica left for me in her apartment. Telling me to go north, the aliens are weaker there. She says she’ll find me.”
“You don’t want to doubt her, but you do.”
Knowle shakes his head, disagreeing with him. “I don’t doubt her. I doubt what has happened to our planet.” He carefully folds the note up and places it back in his jacket pocket.
Montgomery nods his head in agreement. The world they knew is gone forever. “A wise woman once told me that Monica has a very special gift.”
Knowle looks over at him. Is he talking about Grandmama? Montgomery looks over at him, reading into his look. He smiles. “Carmen Reyes was once a consultant for me. Before my work with The Syndicate, before The Project was even thought up.” Montgomery explains. “She sought me out.”
“That shouldn’t shock me.”
“She’s a fascinating lady.” Montgomery smiles, remembering fondly the time he spent with her. “One might say she prophesized that I would become a scientist who would find the vaccine against the alien virus. She told me that her granddaughter – Monica – was important and that I would need her.”
Knowle looks at him. “You’re saying that she knew Monica would be at this facility when she was?”
“Its hard to say if she knew exactly what would happen, but I wouldn’t say it would be beyond her capabilities.” Montgomery says. “She always said that everything happened for a reason.” He looks over at Knowle. “What do you think of that?
Knowle shrugs. “You’re trying to tell me that we all survived for a reason? That we all found one another for a reason?”
“If you hadn’t found me, you’d probably be dead by now.” Montgomery theorizes. “And what would’ve happened to Dana? Would Walter have found her? I like to believe that destiny is not set in stone. Things can change because of our actions. Everything we do has an unavoidable consequence – outcome - from that action.” Knowle listens as Montgomery goes on. “Carmen – I think – knew what was going to happen. Maybe she saw them through vivid images in a dream, or a vision. Or maybe some deity came to her. I don’t know. But she knew and would tell us what we needed to hear for the outcome to be successful.”
“So she told you you’d become a scientist?”
“No, she told me that I would make great sacrifices in life. Sacrifices that would break me down of human emotion. Dehumanize me in a way. She was right.” Montgomery answers. “When the Syndicate created The Project to find – create – a vaccine against an alien virus, I made many sacrifices. My marriage was destroyed. My daughter was killed because of my decision. People who trusted me in the past no longer did. Those I trusted I couldn’t anymore. I made sacrifices for the good of others.” Montgomery looks into his eyes for a moment. “Surely she must’ve told you something.”
Knowle smiles, remembering back in his life. “When I was a kid she told me the word ‘mir’ would be in my life.”
“Means ‘me’ in German.”
“‘Peace’ in Russian.” Knowle adds. “She knew that I would go searching for what “mir” meant. When I was younger I studied languages. Later, this would help me land a very well paying job at the D.O.D. – special ops. Saved some lives... prevented some wars.”
“She’s rather fond of riddles.” Montgomery comments.
“She said Knowle Justin Rohrer, ‘mir’ will always be in your life. I guess “mir” could mean many things. Peace. Me. Maybe they are initials. Monica Isabella... She also told me that one day I will do great things, become a great role model or something like that.” He laughs. “She even said that one day there may be a bronze statue of myself.” He shakes his head and laughs. “She likes to exaggerate her stories so they sound greater than they are.”
Montgomery observes him for a moment. “You don’t think that one day you’ll become a great man? Maybe even a leader?”
Knowle laughs at the idea of being a leader. “You’re the one who knew about these aliens, I’m just the guy who got a promotion to Master Sergeant so the President could get rid of me and put me closer to the enemy.”
Montgomery smiles. “I’m afraid I’m a little too dehumanized to be a leader. My work molded me that way.”
Knowle nods, understanding in his own way. “Well I’m afraid war times tend to dehumanize me too. Guess I should be careful not to lose sight of myself. She once warned me that I should always remember who I am and what it is to be human. To love and live life no matter what happens.”
They sit in silence for a few moments, contemplating Grandmama’s words.
“You should get some sleep.” Montgomery advises.
“Nah, I’m all right.”
“There’s no shame in admitting fatigue, sir.” Montgomery looks at Knowle, seeing that he is exhausted. “I’ll stay on guard tonight.”
Knowle pauses to contemplate this for a moment, realizing he’s not on high alert, he didn’t hear Montgomery come up to him. He nods his head in agreement. “Wake me up if anything happens.”
He slowly rises to his feet, finally feeling just how exhausted he is as he walks down the hall towards his room.
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN RANGE
COLORADO6:20 A.M.
Adjusting to night time traveling didn’t exactly work for Brad and Robert and morning came quietly and peacefully as they both sleep with their backs up against a tree. They obviously tried to stay awake, but dozed off during the night.
Brad’s eyes open and he lets out a sigh. He didn’t mean to sleep at all during the night. He looks over his shoulder and sees that Robert is asleep too. He groans knowing that because they slept through the night they’ll have to travel during the day in the scorching sunlight.
He moves to wake up Robert by shaking him awake, and he wakes with a start.
“It’s morning. We slept during the night.” Brad says bluntly, his tone is obviously disgruntled.
“Shit.” Robert replies.
“Sun’s barely up. Think we can make some good ground before high noon?” Brad asks.
“I hope so.” Robert says, rising to his feet. “If only your car hadn’t broken down.”
Brad nods in agreement. They’d be enjoying air conditioning and shelter from the sun’s hot rays.
“Let’s get a move on it.” Brad says.
Beads of salty sweat drips from Krycek’s forehead, running down his face and stinging his emerald green eyes. He digs into the dry Earth, not understanding why he and these other men have to dig this deep of a trench. Unlike the others, Krycek lifts his head to look around.The overseer, a largely obese man with ratty red hair has his back to them and stands in the shade of a dying tree. He drinks from a large bottle of water.
None of the other men look up from their work. They all bury themselves in this dreadful labor. Why does no one make eye contact? Perhaps it has to do with fear of Coleman. Buy why, when there are so many people in obvious slave labor would they not revolt?
“Psst.” Krycek whispers out, getting the attention of a man working next to him. The man hesitantly looks up at Krycek, then over to the overseer.
“We’re not supposed to talk.” The man quietly answers, then returns to his work quickly.
“There’s more of us than them.” Krycek whispers back.
The man looks up at him, shaking his head, warning Krycek not to even think what he’s already thinking.
“Come on.” Krycek continues. “We could take out that fat bastard. Look at ‘im. He’s a lazy oaf.”
“You get caught and Coleman will make you a dead man.” The man answers, not even looking up at Krycek this time.
“We will be anyway.” Krycek replies. “Out in this heat. No food, no water, not rest. We’re already dying.”
The man stops his work. Krycek’s words speak to him.
“C’mon. Look at how many we are. We can take them out.” Krycek encourages.
“You’re talkin’ mad.” Came a man from behind Krycek, his voice thick with an Australian accent. Krycek turns to look at him. “Coleman’s always two steps ahead.”
“So we’ll be three steps.” Krycek insists. “It ain’t right how he’s treatin’ all of us. I’ve seen what he does. Has a room full of dead and he doesn’t even burry them. Besides, everyone’s behaved thus far, he’s bound to let his guard down one of these days.”
“I hear he used to reside at this institution.” Another man speaks up, gaining the attention of everyone in earshot. “They say he was some kind of cult leader.”
“Probably how he got those other psychos to follow him.” Says another.
The chatter gets louder, eventually reaching the waxy ears of the heavyset overseer. He waddles over the fastest he can on his overweight legs.
“What’s all this talkin’ about?!” He yells. “Colonel Coleman said to dig this trench without any talkin’ to no one.”
“An’ what’re yeh goin’ to do ‘bout it?” The Australian speaks up. “Try an’ run off to Coleman an’ tattle like a bloody school girl?” You’re stumps can’t out run a sloth.” He spits at the overseers feet.
“The Colonel will hear about this.” The overseer becomes red with fury.
“See if I bloody care, you fat wanker.”
Watching the Australian, Krycek knows he can get closer to a revolution with someone like him. Now it’s only a matter of planning and time.
Monica stares up at the white ceiling. Her mind tries to come to terms with what it can hear of the world now. Nine months ago she was used to hearing thoughts in human language and now she is suddenly bombarded with murmurs of an alien dialect, sounds of suffering and the feeling of evil that – out of everything she hears and senses – disturbs her the most.She didn’t sleep at all last night. Not only because she doesn’t feel safe in the care of Coleman and his group, but because her mind wasn’t used to the hidden sounds of the world. Over time she has forgotten how to block it. The sounds cloud her mind so she can’t think clearly. If she’s going to survive in this world without that artifact she must learn to control her ability and block out this world. Today she is determined to get through this problem.
She drifts her focus from the ceiling and her mind is instantly hit with a vision of blood covering so many people. Screams of terror fill her head. A man, crazed with insanity and out of his own control attacks someone, but she cannot see his face. He rips the flesh from this person’s body and then there is nothing. Silence.
Monica shakes her head, trying to clear this horrible image. A tear falls from her eye, but she cannot wipe it away. She is once again restrained in the bed she was rescued from last night.
She shuts her eyes, seeking for silence, focusing her mind to the straps that hold her down. She takes a deep breath and holds it in, slowly letting it out and remembering the first time she was able to block out the world for more than a second.
She was with Knowle after she had been returned from after being held at the Facility in New York. Scully had to medicate her, her condition worsening. The medication didn’t help at all. Knowle dropped by, told her to focus on his thoughts as he promised to clear his mind and think of nothing. He asked her to focus on him and she did. She found peace for a moment. That was the first moment of happiness she had in a long time. He is always so understanding, never thinking any less of her, never sees her as a burden because of anything she had ever been through. He has always been that way with her.
Gradually, the sounds of the world leave her head. She moves her wrists around, hoping to free herself from the restraints. Her concentration is quickly broken by the voice of Brad Follmer. She opens her eyes which are now full of fear. She strains to listen. His voice is muffled from the outside, but she can hear that he is talking with Coleman.
He can’t be here. It isn’t safe.
Piercing screams flood her mind. More pain, more suffering and more death. She squeezes her eyes shut, trying to focus on anything else, but she can’t stop the mess that floods her mind. It’s too much.
“We all have jobs here.” Coleman says outside to Brad and Robert.
Monica opens her eyes again. Perhaps she should focus on them, search them out through the mess of the world.
“What kind of jobs?” Robert asks, his voice a little suspicious. He’s not ready to blindly trust a man who is a little too helpful.
“Maintaining the grounds.” Coleman explains, as if he’s the nicest, most understanding man in the world. “We like to keep a real feel of community here. Our goal is to spread word about this place, get more survivors here and start living life again.”
“That’s a good goal to have.” Brad responds.
Their voices drift away as they walk farther from her building.
Monica opens her mouth to scream out to him to warn him, but she can’t. Talking doesn’t come easily to her.
“No.” Eventually escapes her mouth in a whisper. “No!” Her voice gets stronger. “Brad no!”
It’s too late, he’s out of earshot and can’t hear her.
“Dammit.” She struggles with her restraints, trying to get out. He can’t be here. It’s not safe.
“If only he knew.” The man’s haunting voice comes out of nowhere and Monica snaps a look over to the door. The man she sees is the last man on this Earth she ever thought she’d see again. “You look surprised.” Says the Cigarette-Smoking Man as he enters her room.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Monica looks at him, her shock not leaving her face.
“And here I thought that being surprised was a luxury you would welcome.” He stands over her bed.
“What do you want?” Her fear of him consumes her and she can’t focus on him to read into him.
He smiles at her. “I’m not going to hurt you Monica. I’m going to get you out of here.”
“Why? What are you going to do?”
“I don’t believe someone with your ability should be locked in the hands of people like Coleman.”
He looks down at the restraints that hold her and starts to loosen the straps.
“I’m here to help you, Monica.” The Smoking Man assures her.
“How did you find me?”
“I’m a curious man. Coleman found me so I thought I’d get to know this place a little better.” He frees one of her hands and then looks her in the eye. “He truly is a psychopath, isn’t he?”
“And you’re not?”
The Smoking Man moves to her legs and starts to loosen the straps around her ankles.
“You see me as a monster?” He questions. “Perhaps you have been sheltered from the true monsters of this world.” He looks her in the eye once again. “Have you seen any of these aliens?”
Monica shakes her head “no”.
“Then you are truly fortunate.” He frees her legs, goes around to the other side of the bed and starts to loosen the last strap that holds her other arm down. “This world is destroyed. You’ve seen the kind of people in control now. People like Coleman. Do you know what I found out about him?”
“What?”
“He used to reside here at this mental institution.” The Smoking Man continues to work on freeing her. “He was sent here because of his crimes. He was a cult leader, killed many and the court deemed him unsuitable for prison. According to them, prison wouldn’t help him like a mental institution could.” He looks her in the eye once again. “Pathetic world we used to live in. A world where killers live from our taxes, get three meals a day, a roof over their head, a bed to sleep in, Internet access and even the latest wide screen television set.”
“What do you want with me?”
“I’m taking you away from here.” He answers her. “Freeing you from Coleman. He will kill you. He sees you as a witch.” He offers his hand to her to help her sit up. She looks at it, and then sits up on her own.
“You want my protection.”
“And you want your freedom. I can give you that.” He looks her directly in the eyes. “Come with me and I can take you to Knowle Rohrer.”
Cancer Man knows what buttons to push on her. Even if she tried to deny that she wasn’t trying to get back to Knowle, her eyes have already betrayed her.
“See me not as your enemy, Monica...” Cancer Man continues. “But as a man who shares the same desire as you to survive.”
“This is where everyone sleeps.” Coleman opens a door to a long room with several bunks. Robert looks in and is reminded of the barracks he stayed in when he served with the U.S. Marine Corps. “It’s a little crowded, but you’ll get used to it.”“Reminds me of Marine barracks.” Robert comments.
“Military man?” Coleman asks.
“I served with the USMC until 1992.” Robert tells, neglecting to inform him of his dishonorable discharge.
“We could use a man like you.” Coleman states, his eyes shifting towards Brad. “What about you?”
“FBI agent. Worked out of headquarters in D.C.” Brad tells. “What about you?”
Robert looks to Coleman as well. They know next to nothing about him, yet here he is digging into them all he pleases.
“I’m a military man myself.” Coleman takes pride in his work. “Never fought in a war for this country though. I guess that would make this war my first.” He smiles, in a way that creeps Brad and Robert. “We’re working on creating our own army here. Good thing I found you two.”
Something about Coleman feels off to Brad and Robert. Their years with the FBI and being in the field plays well for them here. Their intuition tells them not to trust this man. They can only hope that they are not too late now that they are in his territory.
“How ‘bout we head back to my office.” Coleman says. “I want to talk to you, Robert, about the military I want to build. Brad, I’ll have you start with some of the work that needs to be done, just so you have an idea of what’s going on here.”
Robert and Brad nod in agreement and follow Coleman out of the room, where they are greeted by Gravedigger.
“Could you take Brad out to work and introduce him to what we’re doing here.” Coleman says to Gravedigger who nods his head and leads Brad away.
Approaching the desolate land, Brad feels uneasy, unsure. He sees a large group of men digging in a deep trench. He looks behind him, just to see if anything is coming. His paranoia is heightened. His mistrust of these people about to be proven true.“So what do you guys do here?” Brad asks Gravedigger.
“We just do what we’re told.” Gravedigger answers. “We have men out here digging trenches to protect our community from enemies on the outside.”
They reach the trench where the men are digging. Brad can see they are exhausted and dehydrated. His eyes stop scanning the trench when he sees Alex Krycek.
“This is where you’ll work.” Gravedigger tells Brad. “There are a few rules though. You don’t talk to anyone while you work. You do as you’re told. You obey the overseer. And you only stop to rest when you are given permission. Do you understand?”
“These men...” Brad looks to Gravedigger. “They haven’t been taken care of. Look at them.” He looks out into the trench. “There’s one with cuts that are still bleeding. They’re tired and dehydrated.”
“Colonel Coleman does what he has to do.” Gravedigger explains.
“I don’t agree with this.” Brad’s objection gets the attention of a few men near to him.
“Don’t matter if you agree or not.” Gravedigger puts on a mean scowl. “You do as you’re told. Now get in there.” He picks up a shovel and hits Brad into the trench, tossing the shovel down after him. “You best not object either. You don’t want to know what the consequence is for that.”
Gravedigger gives him one last look and walks off. The overseer comes over, standing above Brad with a smirk on his face.
“Get to work.” His tone is threatening as if to say he’ll kill him if he doesn’t do what he’s told.
Brad glares at him, then picks up the shovel and makes his way into the trench, finding Krycek – the one man he knows.
“Alex.” Brad whispers.
Krycek looks over at him, shocked that this man knows his name.
“Me?” He questions.
“How long have you been here?” Brad whispers to him.
“You know me too?”
“What?” Brad looks at him confused, this better not be some stupid game of his.
“I have amnesia.” Krycek explains bluntly.
“My name’s Brad Follmer. I used to work with you at the FBI in Washington, D.C.” Brad summarizes for him. “You’re name is Alex Krycek.”
“It’s not safe to talk out here.” Krycek nods in the direction of the overseer. “You don’t want to piss these fuckers off. They have a room filled with dead bodies. They’re sick in the head and don’t listen to anyone.”
Krycek goes back to his work.
“You asked if I knew you too.” Brad says. “Is there someone else here who knows you?”
Krycek doesn’t look up from his work. “Yeah. A brunette woman.”
“Monica?”
“Never caught her name.” Krycek says. “Coleman has her locked up in one of the patient rooms. Strapped down. Scares me to think what they want to do to her. She mentioned getting out of here. Going to Long Island, New York.” Krycek goes on. “She seemed frantic, scared, sensing evil was on the horizon. Honestly, her words scared me.”
“She spoke?”
“Yeah.”
Brad can’t believe his ears. Why is she able to talk here? Was there something in the cave preventing her? Did she lose the artifact?
He observes Krycek for a moment, seeing his fear, seeing the real him: a man who cares for people and not just himself. He never knew Krycek had this trait in him. His amnesia allows the raw Alex Krycek to show, the Krycek that no one really knows except for him. In this state he doesn’t have any ego to protect. No outside influences to alter his decisions. For what must be the first time, Brad sympathizes with him.
“We’ll all get out of here, Alex.” Brad whispers, looking down at the ground to start digging.
Krycek looks over at him, sensing that he can have another man on his side to get out of this place. He smiles, sensing that the end to this hell is near.
10:13 P.M.Brad lies in his bunk, Krycek’s next to him. He stares up at the ceiling, trying to think of someway to get out of this place. He doesn’t know what they do here, not the way Krycek knows, but his gut tells him it’s only going to get worse.
The door to the long room opens and Robert Comer is tossed in. His face badly beaten. Brad sits up with concern. He watches as Robert rises to his feet. No other men in the room make eye contact with him. No one other than Brad and Krycek.
Robert scans the room, spotting Brad he makes his way over.
“What the hell did they do to you?” Brad asks with worry.
“They see me as some kind of threat because of my military background.” Robert sits on the empty bed next to Brad’s. “These people aren’t what they say they are.”
“I know.” Brad says. “They have all of us out in the heat digging trenches. No one knows why.”
“They have a room filled with dead bodies, Brad.” Robert looks at him. “I’ve seen a lot of fucked up shit in my life, but nothing ever this grotesque.” He continues to look into Brad’s eyes, his intensity growing. “They’re going to kill us all. Worst of all...” He digs into his jacket pocket and retrieves Monica’s artifact. “I found this.” He shows it to Brad, being sure to keep it concealed. “They have Monica.”
Brad takes hold of the artifact, looks deeply at it, now understanding why she was able to talk. He looks up at Robert. “Without this... she’s vulnerable to alien attacks. This thing protected her. This was the reason she left the cave.”
“Then she’s in just as much shit as we are, if not more.”
“What could they possibly want with her?” Brad has to ask this question, it’s been on his mind and he knows no one here has the answer.
“I tried to break her out.” Krycek speaks up, drawing the attention in his direction. “I stopped a man from raping her. I haven’t been around too long but I don’t think there are many other women here. I think they want to use her to repopulate their colony... with or without her consent.”
Robert looks to Brad, fear in both their eyes.
“What the hell is this place?” Brad asks and his only response is silence. No one here knows what is going on. No one knows who these people are, just that everyone in this room has been lured into the colony and forced to work, be threatened, and live in horrible conditions without any chance of escaping.
10:40 P.M.The air is colder than usual this night. Monica leans up against a tree trunk, wearing a jacket that belongs to the Cancer Man. She watches him as he builds a campfire. Part of her is curious about him, but mainly because something inside of her tells her she can trust him. Does he really have “good” on the inside? What makes her trust him so much that she would blindly follow him?
She watches him, trying to understand him. Trying to see behind the monster that he is – the monster he was made to be. For a moment she saw a hint of kindness when he was freeing her. He wants her to trust him.
The Smoking Man gets the fire to burn, slowly growing. He leans back, proud of his work.
Monica watches him. He takes pride in making a fire. Pride in the little things. Pride, but not smug. He looks up at her and smiles.
What is his motive for taking her? Is it selfish? Is it truly to help her? She sensed evil watching that place, but the evil was not this man, it was something else. Something that since she has left to travel with this man, she no longer feels.
“You should sleep.” He suggests to her. “We’ll have a long walk tomorrow.”
“Where are we going?”
“East.” He answers her. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“Partly.” She vaguely responds. “I’m still not sure why I came with you. Part of me thinks you have a motive rooted with a selfish need. You want my protection, but offer me nothing in return.”
“Knowle Rohrer.” He responds. “You want to find him don’t you?”
“That’s only part of what I want.”
“What more could you ask for?” He pries.
“I don’t know... You gave me my freedom. You got me away from those people, but still...” She looks into his eyes. “You won’t let me bring the people close to me. Brad, Robert, even Alex Krycek. Why?”
“They are too close to that mad man.” He responds. “It would be too dangerous.”
“You were a Marine, were you not?”
“I was.” He answers. “Back in the 1960s.”
“Do you believe in leaving men behind?” Monica questions. “To me that says you don’t have honorable intentions. Perhaps you are only taking me with a selfish motive.”
“You came with me.” He points out to her what she already knows. “I never forced you to come with me. Why did you come?”
“Because I believe there is goodness to be found in you.” Monica answers. “You told me not to see you as the monster everyone knows you as. You told me to see you not as my enemy, but as a man with the same desire to survive that I have. Maybe I’m just keeping an open mind.”
She continues to look at him, in his eyes, believing in something she’s not even sure exists. As the fire cracks between them, we...
FADE OUT:
THE END.
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