From: dmcintoshtx@yahoo.com   
      
   CHAPTER 3   
      
   Mulder awoke when he felt their shuttle jerk as it docked.  He was   
   shocked to see several other crafts of various shapes and sizes in   
   their general vicinity.  "Where are we?"  He whispered to Krycek.   
      
   "Space port Alpha," Krycek answered as his finger tips ran over the   
   instrument panel and he stood up to leave as everything shut down.    
   Mulder followed along, his head swiveling to take in everything he was   
   seeing.  "It's a neutral port by designation but don't let that fool   
   you.  It's a dangerous place; with no body asking any questions and   
   everyone pretty much comes and goes as they please.  If you get in any   
   trouble here; there will likely as not, be no one to help."   
      
   They made their way though the busy port and Mulder stared at the many   
   different species he saw making their way to and from the different   
   craft; nobody paying any particular attention to any one else.     
      
   "Where we headed?"  Mulder asked as they descended a long ramp that   
   took them down many levels.   
      
   "Gotta see a dog about a man."  Krycek answered.   
      
   "It's the other way around; 'gotta see a man about a dog'." Mulder   
   corrected him.   
      
   "Nope.  You'll see what I mean."  Krycek assured him as they entered   
   an elevator that took them down even lower at an amazing rate of speed.   
      
   "How deep are we?  I would have lost my dinner there, if I'd eaten any."   
      
   "Don't know; it doesn't matter.  Down this way."  Krycek led the way   
   down a long corridor filled with doors along each side.  They stopped   
   in front of one and Krycek knocked.   
      
   "How do you know this is the right door?  They all look alike to me   
   and I don't see any numbers or markings of any kind.  How do you tell   
   which door is which?"   
      
   "I just know."  Krycek answered as he knocked the second time.   
      
   The door slid open and they entered the small sitting room.  In   
   moments they were joined by Hastings.  Barely humanoid in appearance   
   and shape but with an elongated face covered with brown hair and two   
   pointed ears sitting atop his head.  Mulder's mouth dropped open.   
      
   "Are they still there?"  Krycek asked him.   
      
   "They are," Hastings replied.   
      
   "Any further word?"  Krycek asked.   
      
   "None."  Hastings answered eyeing Mulder suspiciously.   
      
   Krycek turned to leave and had to nudge Mulder.  "Come on." He urged   
   and the two of them left the room.   
      
   "That's it?"   
      
   "Uh huh.  Hastings doesn't talk much and he doesn't like strangers."   
      
   "I could tell that.  It looked like he was trying to decide whether to   
   slug me or bite my leg."  Mulder answered as they headed back for the   
   elevator.   
      
   "His information is always reliable."   
      
   "And how do you repay him?  Toss him a bone or scratch him behind the   
   ears?"   
      
   "The Resistance supplies him with enough food, clothing and jewels to   
   support his 23 wives."   
      
   "And they all live down there in that place?"  Mulder asked as they   
   got off the elevator in the main corridor.   
      
   "No.  That's just his office.  He has a huge estate over on Sigma   
   asteroid."   
      
   "On Sigma what?"  Mulder asked.   
      
   "Never mind.  We need to get to the transporter room.  It's next level   
   up."   
      
   At the top of the ramp there were several smaller rooms off each side   
   of the corridor.  The doors were mostly all open and he could see they   
   were all the same inside; a small panel against one wall and a round   
   platform in the middle of the room.  A few doors were closed and he   
   could see by a sign on the front that was printed in several different   
   languages, "OCCUPIED".   
      
   They went into one and Krycek told Mulder to stand in the center of   
   the platform.  He ran his hand over the panel then stepped up beside   
   Mulder.  In seconds they were standing in a darkened alley way between   
   buildings.  Alex pulled him back into the shadows.   
      
   "Why did you need the transporter?  Couldn't you have just 'beamed' us   
   here yourself?"   
      
   "Transporting does sap your energy a bit; the farther you transport   
   the greater the drain.  This way we arrive with our energy intact."     
      
   "So now that we're here; where are we and what's the plan?"  Mulder   
   squatted down beside him as a light came on across the alley.  Two men   
   carried a large barrel out of a door, set it down and went back inside.   
      
   "I don't have any plan.  See that pile of rubble over there?"  He   
   pointed towards the end of the alley.  "That's the building they were   
   holding the woman in when it exploded."   
      
   Mulder eyed the rubble and swallowed hard.  He couldn't help but think   
   what would have happened if Skinner and Krycek had been inside when it   
   blew.  "So you think Skinner must be near by?"   
      
   "Exactly.  That place didn't look like a lab and I doubt they would   
   have rigged one of their own labs to explode.  It was probably just a   
   holding place; easily expendable if anyone got too close."   
      
   "So where do we start?"   
      
   "It's been my experience that most labs don't have any windows.  All   
   these buildings here seem to have a lot of windows.  Let's try down at   
   the other end."     
      
   They made their way in the darkness down to the end of the alley then   
   over to the next block of buildings.  Four buildings down, they came   
   to one with no windows.   
      
   "This looks like it."  Krycek whispered.   
      
   "So how do you plan on getting in if there are no windows?  Can you   
   just beam us in?"   
      
   "Mulder, this isn't Star Trek.  I can't 'beam' us anywhere.  I can't   
   risk transporting because I don't know the layout of the place.  I   
   could transport us right into their laps or into an oven or something.   
    You never transport unless you know exactly where you're going."   
      
   "Let's go up then."  Mulder suggested eyeing the side of the building   
   for footholds.   
      
   "That's what I was thinking.  With no windows, a place has to have a   
   ventilation system of some kind and those are usually on the roof."   
      
   "If we had something to stand on we could reach that ledge."  Mulder   
   said pointing up.   
      
   Krycek pulled a length of cord out of one of his pockets and connected   
   it to a grappling hook.  He let out a bit and tossed it towards the   
   roof, gave it a yank as it tightened and started to climb.  Mulder   
   followed quickly.   
      
    Once they were safely on the roof they located the vent.  The two of   
   them worked silently until they managed to loosen the cover over the   
   vent.  Once it was off, Krycek crawled in.  His claustrophobia didn't   
   kick in until Mulder climbed in behind him.  He swallowed his panic   
   and started to crawl.  The going was cold and slow as they made their   
   way bit by bit.  They came to an interior vent where light was shining   
   through.  They could hear movement below and stopped to look.  Three   
   men were standing there conversing in a low murmuring tone.   
      
   "Can you hear what they're saying?"  Mulder whispered.   
      
   "No.  They seem to have no words as we know them.  Just those   
   murmuring sounds they make."   
      
   They eased on by until they came to a cross section that branched off.   
    They followed it a ways until they came to a large vent that opened   
   into the hallway below.  It was dark and deserted.  They decided this   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)