From: dmcintoshtx@yahoo.com   
      
   CHAPTER SIX   
      
   Skinner puttered around in the kitchen area for a while then popped   
   his head into the sleeping area.  "Lunch is ready.  Do you want to eat   
   in here or out there?"   
      
   "I'll come out."  Krycek said and tossed his magazine aside.   
      
   Skinner had made ham and cheese sandwiches and vegetable soup.  They   
   both ate ravenously.  Skinner poured them each a second cup of coffee   
   and offered Krycek some more Tylenol.     
      
   "How's the pain?  Any better?"   
      
   "It's there.  It won't get any better until I get these damn stitches   
   out."   
      
   "They've got to stay in for at least ten days.  Otherwise that wound   
   could open up again and you'd be right back where you started.    
   Infection could set in and you'd be in serious trouble before you knew   
   what was happening."   
      
   "I know, I know.  Jeeze, you're a pain in the ass, Skinner."  Krycek   
   swallowed his pills and went back in to his bed.   
      
   Skinner cleaned up the lunch mess then lay down for a nap himself.  He   
   awoke a few hours later to hear someone rustling around in the other   
   room.  A glance across to Krycek's sleeping area showed him missing   
   and Skinner heard the port-a-potty flush and he relaxed.  He reached   
   over and picked up the bag with the books inside and selected one and   
   started reading.   
      
   The rest of the afternoon passed silently as both men kept their noses   
   in their books.  Skinner was half way through his book before he   
   decided he was hungry again.   
      
   "Are you about ready to eat?"  He asked.   
      
   "I could eat."  Krycek agreed.   
      
   Twenty minutes later he called Krycek for dinner.  They ate their   
   steaks, Ranch Style beans and salad and right after Krycek went to   
   bed.  Skinner cleaned things up and lay back down himself and read   
   until he was sleepy.   
      
   Things went on pretty much the same for the next several days.  They   
   ate, read, and slept.  Skinner went out every day and scouted the   
   perimeter of their camp site to make sure there was no activity.  He   
   went out as far back as the main road and back again.     
      
   Skinner fished and brought in some nice trout which he battered and   
   fried up.  Two days in a row it rained solid and Krycek was getting   
   antsy.  He was stronger now and his wound was healing nicely.     
      
   "Well, I've read everything I brought and I think you have too so why   
   don't we sit and talk?"  Skinner pulled out one of the lawn chairs and   
   sat after cleaning up with a fresh change of clothes.   
      
   "What's to talk about?"  Krycek said standing in the doorway watching   
   the rain.   
      
   "We need to make some plans, decide where we want to go from here."   
      
   "What do you mean?"  Krycek turned to look at him.   
      
   "How long do you think we'll have to hide out?  How much danger do you   
   think we're really in and what can we do about it to get out lives   
   back to normal?"   
      
   "Normal?  What's normal?"  Krycek scoffed.   
      
   "You know what I mean.  You certainly don't plan on us hiding out   
   indefinitely."   
      
   "You can go back any time you want.  Just watch your back because they   
   know that you helped me."   
      
   "I'm not going back until we're both safe."   
      
   "Ha ha ha."  Krycek gave a sarcastic chuckle.  "There is no place   
   safe.  Don't you know that by now?"   
      
   "We seem to be pretty safe right here."   
      
   "Yeah, but for how long?  We can't stay out here forever and they know   
   that.  They'll just wait until we've had our fill of hiding and come   
   back."   
      
   "Then we might as well go back right now and face them."   
      
   "NO!  I don't want you any deeper in this than you already are.    
   You've already done enough."   
      
   "Apparently not, if our lives are still in danger."   
      
   "Skinner … it really doesn't matter any more."  Krycek said as he ran   
   his hand through his hair and turned back to watch the rain.   
      
   "So you're just going to give up – let them finish what you started?"   
      
   "I didn't say that."   
      
   "Then what are you saying?"   
      
   "You may as well know I've got something they want – something they'd   
   be willing to kill both of us to get."   
      
   "And what would that be?"  Skinner got up and walked over to the door way.   
      
   "Those credit cards.  They were the old man's."   
      
   "So all this is about a couple of credit cards?"   
      
   "Totally untraceable credit cards, to a Swiss bank account holding all   
   the accumulated funds of the Consortium over the last fifty years."   
      
   "I see.  The same credit cards that we've been using?"   
      
   "Yes."   
      
   "And I take it we're not talking about a small amount?"   
      
   "Even I don't know the exact amount.  Let's just say that the holder   
   of these cards would be one of the richest men in the world."   
      
   "That's a lot of money!" Skinner whistled.  "And it's all dirty?"   
      
   "No.  A great deal of it was invested in legitimate businesses that   
   have helped to increase the bottom line immeasurably."   
      
   "And what exactly is your plan for all that money?"   
      
   "Huh?  Oh you mean … I just figured to give it all to charity."   
      
   "Well, that's a noble thought."   
      
   "I wasn't trying to be noble, Skinner.  I just didn't want them to get   
   it.  With that kind of money they could get a foot hold and build back   
   up again.  I intend to see that, that doesn't happen."   
      
   "There are no other cards?  No one else has access to those accounts?"   
      
   "No.  These cards are the only ones."   
      
   "And if you'd killed yourself back there, how would anyone know to   
   look in your boot?"   
      
   "I sent you a letter – Special Delivery."   
      
   "And what does this letter say?"   
      
   "Just that I had taken out the old man and that there was a bunch of   
   money from the group and where the cards were.  I asked that you give   
   it to some charity."   
      
   Skinner didn't know what to say to that so he just stood there, hands   
   on hips.   
      
   The rain finally stopped and Krycek went out for a walk. Skinner   
   grabbed his jacket and took off to have a look around as he hadn't   
   been out the last two days.   
      
   The next day was bright and sunny and after looking around the place   
   Skinner took two empty water cans and headed for the stream.  He   
   walked back carrying the two five gallon water jugs he had just   
   refilled.  He came into the tent to see Krycek with his shirt off and   
   trying to remove his stitches.   
      
   "What are you doing?"   
      
   "I'm taking these goddamned stitches out!"   
      
   "You can't do that.  It hasn't been ten days yet."  Skinner sat the   
   water jugs down and came over to Krycek.   
      
   "I don't care!  They are coming out now!  I can't stand it any longer.   
    They hurt more than my side does.  I want them out!"  He tried to   
   slip his knife in under a stitch.   
      
   "Ok.  Ok – just a minute.  Let me do it."  Skinner turned him around   
   so he could take a closer look at the wound.  "It looks like it's   
   closed up all right and I don't see any signs of infection."   
      
   "Just get them out!"   
      
   "We still have to be careful.  Put your knife away."  He went into the   
   bathroom area and brought out the large bowl they had been using for a   
   basin and set it on the table.  He dug around in the first aid kit and   
   pulled out a small pair of scissors and took the plastic wrap off,   
   then uncapped a bottle of alcohol.  He held the scissors over the   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)