Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, or Walter Skinner do not belong to me. They're all property of C-squared, T-squared Productions and Fox Broadcasting. No infringement is intended... Joanne Thornton is mine, however... Thank you. Woo baby! Glad to be back to writing after a good couple weeks... Only had to put my foot through the monitor twice this time. Just watching Outbreak and then a special on the Apache combat helicopter and got the idea for this. Hope you like it. Like I said, I haven't been on the writing circuit for a while, so be nice. I also have used quite a few quotes here and there from Shakespeare's Macbeth... cited them too... I think I got them right... :-) Rating: I'm so confused with these now... they're so many systems... Regular Rating: AA I guess (between PG and R for the American readers) Gossamer Rating: X, T(maybe), and the always present H... Summary: Mulder, Scully, and Thornton embark on a search for a secret military combat helicopter... Comments, suggestions and flames are always welcome. Though, I should add, the flames will be used for various things, such as warm my igloo and my sled dogs, roast whale blubber, toast those little baby seals you've seen on the cover of National Geographic, and well... amuse me because I love fire. :-) (flame rights altered for those people who still think, even after all our efforts, that the land of Canada is made entirely of permafrost... come ON people... Did you all FAIL geography or something???) Greymalkin Six Nicole van Dam ******** "Griffon one, this is Falcon two... How's she's handling?" Colonel John Falkner glanced at the control panel in front of him, gently tugging the stick in his hand to the right. "Falcon two, this is Griffon one... manoeuverability is satisfactory. I suggest a slight modification on the engine and a possible adjustment on the rotor blades." "Thanks for the input, Griffon one... Please bring it around... Major General Stafford is expecting you in his office for your report." Falkner steered the machine so the small air base was in view. "Roger, Falcon two... Griffon one out." ******** John Falkner saluted the two men flanking the General's office door. The young man on the left opened the door, leaning inside. Falkner passed him and stood in front of the large oak desk, staring straight ahead. The man behind the desk looked up at him and waited a minute before speaking. "At ease, Colonel Falkner," he said. "Have a seat." The Colonel nodded and sat quietly in front of the desk. Major General Michael Stafford pushed the papers in front of him to the side. "I trust you have an idea of how this prototype will work?" "Yes, sir." "Do you care to share it with me?" Falkner looked at the General. "In all the manoeuvers I took it through, sir, it outperformed everything I've ever flown. Once put through a few more tests, it should be ready to fly in a matter of months." Stafford smiled. "We'll be the hottest in the air." "Sir, if I may," Falkner replied with an excited glint in his eye. "Once the Greymalkin's in the air, no one will be able to beat us." ******** "Mulder," Scully started as they walked to the Assistant Director's office. "Do you really think Skinner will authorise a case based on a few sightings by townfolk and a hunch?" Fox Mulder shrugged, opening the office door. "He has before." The two partners walked inside the large room and stopped in surprise at the sight of someone occupying the chair behind the AD's desk. Joanne Thornton raised her eyebrow at the two of them and waved a file in the air. "You know," she said, shifting her feet on top of the desk. "It's a good thing Walter isn't here to see this requisition." Fox frowned at her and walked to his usual chair, followed by his partner. "What are you doing here?" Jo dropped the file on the desktop. "Saving your butt from certain death," she replied. "I came here to bring over some of Walter's files that he left at my place and found that." She pointed to the manila folder on the corner. "Mulder, there's no way he's going to okay it. No one, and I mean no one is supposed to know about that." "What's wrong with a UFO?" Scully asked. "We deal with them all the time." Mulder took a deep breath. "It's not a UFO," he told her. "It's not?" Dana said, raising an eyebrow. Thornton shook her head. "No where even close," she said. Mulder leaned back in the chair. "What do you know about this?" he asked. The Brazilian rubbed her face in thought, tracing the three scars on her right cheek. "A secret stealth combat helicopter has been built on a small air base near Stratford, Conneticut," she started. "Initially, it was just a thought, you know? A sketch. But the military's gone ahead with production, and now they have a large scale prototype. Working and everything. It looks a lot like its cousin, the Comanche, but can outperform it in just about every category, including manoeuverability. It's armed with just about everything known to man, including a kind of bomb bay door for a nuclear warhead." She put a hand over her mouth, trying to recall everything she knew. "It's an attack/reconaissance helicopter that was put into development as a secret weapon, so once the Russians, or whoever your guys are warring with now, better the Comanche, this new 'copter can better theirs all over again." Jo adjusted a few of the photographs on Walter's desk as she continued. "To give you a little visual on this, the Comanche outmanoeuvers and flies faster than every other combat helicopter in the air, or under development, and this new one... outdoes the Comanche." Mulder raised his eyebrows. "That's pretty good, Jo," he said. "How'd you find this out?" Thornton smiled. "Women's bathroom wall... You see, Tarzan, we write about intelligent stuff." Scully chuckled and Mulder shook his head. The click of the door surprised all three of them, revealing an equally surprised Assistant Director. "Joanne?" he said. "What are you doing here?" Thornton lifted her feet off his desk and stood. "Just bringing some files over," she replied. "Then Mulder and Dana came around." Skinner glanced at the two agents. Jo felt the pending question and cut him off by walking to the door. "Hey, Mulder," she said. "Why don't you two show me that new file on the wolfman sightings you were talking about?" Mulder glanced at Scully and stood slowly. "Yeah, that's a good idea," he replied. "Come on, Scully." Jo smiled at them and the AD and opened the door. She winked at Skinner's confused expression and shut the door, ushering Mulder and Scully into the hallway. "Jo," Scully started. "What's going on?" Thornton looked over her shoulder, continuing down the hall. "I'll tell you on the way to Conneticut." ******** Dana Scully steered the car onto the freeway and sighed. "So, is someone going to tell me why we're going to see this secret helicopter?" Jo appeared from the back seat and rested her arms on the seats in front of her. Taking one look at Mulder, she started. "All new combat vehicles have to go through a series of tests. Manoeuvering, fuel consumption, speed, things like that." Dana shrugged. "So what's wrong with that?" Mulder shifted toward his partner. "They plan to test it on a small town outside the air base," he told her. She frowned. "Why?" she asked. She glanced into the rearview mirror at Jo who smiled slyly. "To see how much damage it can do and how fast it can do it." She reached for a glossy picture in the seat beside her and handed it to Scully. The small agent placed it against the steering wheel and looked at the helicopter in the photo through a series of glances. The machine was extremely streamlined and coloured a dark grey. The rotor blades on the top stretched out what she guessed to be about fifteen feet and instead of another rotor blade on the tail, it was built in, like a turbine. Dana looked through the mirror at Jo who nodded at the photo in her hands. "Meet the Greymalkin." ******** "Corpral Fresen!" "Sir!" "Make sure the Greymalkin is set for the first test." "Yes, sir!" Major General Stafford marched up beside Colonel Falkner and looked at the large helicopter on the heliport pad and clasped his hands behind his back. The two of them watched a bunch of soldiers scurry about, tending to the helicopter. Once the Colonel saw the General, he straightened and saluted the senoir officer. "Sir," he said. Stafford watched the helicopter as he spoke. "What does the test entail, Colonel?" Falkner dropped his hand from his forehead. "Just a few manoeuvers, sir," he replied. "Then we'll see how long it can go on a low fuel tank." "How long until we can move on to the damage tests?" "Two days, sir. If all goes well." Stafford turned to Falkner and nodded. "Good work, Colonel," he said. "As you were." Falkner nodded. "Thank you, sir." ******** The dark green car pulled into the motel in Stockholm, Conneticut, parking just in front of the glass doors. Dana Scully opened her door on the driver's side and surveyed their lodgings. The motel was small, it looked as if it only had about fifteen rooms. Stockholm, named after the Swedish capital, had no more than about five hundred people in its limits, all of whom probably knew each other. The houses along the street were immaculate; all the lawns trimmed to perfection with no brown patches in sight. "Wow." Joanne Thornton stepped up beside Scully, raising her sunglasses and placing them on top of her head. "This is right out of the Twilight Zone." "It's so perfect. So small--" "So insignificant," Mulder finished. He waved the two women inside the doors. "Come on, let's get a room." ******** An hour later showed the trio inside the hotel room being shared by Scully and Thornton. Dana sat on one of the two beds, typing away at her laptop while Mulder watched television and Jo sat at the table in the corner, tossing a koosh ball up into the air. After a tap on the keyboard, Dana touched her chin in thought. "Now this says that the Comanche hasn't even passed all its tests yet." Scully turned to her partner who was leaning against the headboard on the bed beside her. Fox didn't tear his eyes from the screen as he answered, "You've got to keep on the ball, Scully," he said. "There's no way the American military would stand being topped." "So what? They make an even better machine to beat the ones that they only anticipate are going to be developed to better this one? Why go to all the trouble?" Mulder smiled at her. "Makes us look nice." Thornton tossed the koosh ball into the air and caught it. "'... bear welcome in your eye, Your hand, your tongue; look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under't.'" The Brazilian looked over at the puzzled federal agents. "Macbeth," she offered. "Act one, scene five." Swinging her legs off the table, she moved to the television and turned it off. "Come on, I'm bored. Let's see if we can get into that development area." ******** Mulder pulled the car up to the huge fenced door and stopped; surveying the area behind it. The building a good fifty yards away was a solid looking hangar. The base was small; none of them could see a runway which ultimately placed it on the other side of the hangar. The fence door was about fifteen feet high and topped with a few spirals of barbed wire. Fox turned his head as he turned he car off and looked at his partner. "So?" he asked. Dana stared at him skeptically. "They're not going to let us in," she said. "We don't have any kind of clearance." Thornton appeared suddenly between the two partners from the back seat. "We could just go in." She backed up slightly at the looks she received from the two agents. "It couldn't hurt to ask." Mulder looked at his partner and shrugged. ******** Thornton flinched as the chain link door slammed to a close in front of her and her friends; leaving them outside. Two guards armed with automatic rifles walked away silently as Jo waggled her finger at their shrinking backs. "See... In Canada, we'd be inside right now." Scully raised her eyebrow and turned to the Brazilian. Jo backed up slightly and looked from Dana to Mulder. Finally, she shrugged and turned back to the car. "Well, hey... It was just an idea." ******** "Come in." The large oak door opened and a nervous looking officer stumbled to attention. His right hand came to his sweating forehead. "'Scuse m-me, Colonel," he stammered. Colonel Falkner looked up from the files on his desk. "Is the Greymalkin ready for the fuel test?" The officer nodded and dropped his hand. "Sir, yes, sir." Falkner piled the papers neatly and began to stand. "Ah, sir?" came a shaky request. "What is it, Corpral?" The young man swallowed hard. "Sir, two women and a man came to the base this afternoon." The Colonel frowned. "From where?" The Corpral shook his head. "Didn't say, sir. They were asking to see the base. We turned them away immediately." Falkner stood in silence for a good minute, making the Corpral more nervous than he had been when he arrived. Finally, the Colonel nodded. "Thank you, Corpral," he said. "Return to your post and tell me immediately if they come back." The young man nodded and disappeared. Once he was alone, Falkner picked up the phone receiver off the cradle. "Major General Stafford... We've got a bit of a problem." ******** "'Where we are, There's dagger in men's smiles; the near in blood, The nearer bloody.'" Joanne Thornton collapsed onto her bed in the motel room and stared at the ceiling. "Act two, scene three." Mulder glanced at Jo as he closed the door quietly and turned to the two women. "So," he said. "What do we do now?" Scully shrugged as she moved tot he table in the corner. "There's no way we can get in," she said. "You saw the kind of security they had. And they've got to have more for something so secret, right?" She thought for a moment. "And they must know who we are and why we're here." She thought briefly. "But we've got to stop it somehow. We can't let them kill so many innocent people." "We could try to sneak in," Jo offered quietly. This silenced what little talk there was. She looked at the two partners. "It's crazy, I know. But what other choice do we have? They're going to be finished those tests soon and we've got to stop them from destroying this town." Mulder's eyebrows raised, considering the suggestion, and turned to Dana. Scully's eyes shifted from her partner to Jo and back again. "Don't make this my decision," she said. "You know I'd rather not do it." Fox's eyes shifted to Jo's. "Well, hell," she said, getting off the bed. "Y'only live once, right? We wait till midnight." ******** The compound was quiet as the trio crawled up the hill overlooking the base. The security lights shone onto a few guards who walked around the building; automatic rifles slung across their backs. Mulder brought a pair of binoculars to his face and scanned teh rest of the base. Scully waited her turn to use them while Jo opted for her eyes by themselves. The Brazilian sighed. "'This castle hath a pleasant seat; the air Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself Unto our gentle senses.'... Act one, scene six." Fox frowned at her as Scully took the binoculars from him. "Would you stop that?" Jo smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." Dana looked over the compound, checking the entrances. "Isn't that when the king gets killed?" she asked. "Yeah." "Great... Thanks for the vote of confidence." Thornton chuckled and leaned back, bracing herself on her hands. Fox pulled out a pair of travel binoculars and looked over the building himself. "There's an entrance on the side closest to us and... I think I can see the helicopter." "Really?" Jo scooted closer to Mulder and looked in the same direction he was. "Yeah. See that black thing sticking out of the corner of the building?" Jo squinted her eyes. "I think so." "That could be the rotor blades." Thornton raised an eyebrow and turned to look at him. "That could be a lot of things," she said. Fox shrugged. "Hey," he said. "I can only do so much." Jo chewed on her lip for a second before she got to her feet. "I'm gonna get a closer look." Scully's eyes widened. "What?" "Jo, you can't be serious," Mulder told her, but the Brazilian was already on her way down the hill. "Look," she said, watching her feet and hands carefully. "I just... want to... see if I..." Mulder didn't catch the last bit because she was halfway to the fence. Fox turned to his partner. She shrugged. "Well, we've got to follow her now." ******** Joanne trotted her way along the fence line, trying to find a way past the barbed wire. She was only vaugely aware that Mulder and Scully were following her; she knew they would be. A few metres down, a small break in the fence caught Jo's eye. She stopped by the hole and started to pull at it. Dana skidded to a stop beside her friend. "Jo, what are you, nuts?" Thornton smirked at the redhead. "I'll pretend you didn't say that." Mulder stopped and looked out over the compound. "Scully's right, Jo," he said. "There's too much military here. We'll have to find another way." The Brazilian frowned in concentration. "'Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear And chastise with the valor of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round.'... Act one, scene five." Thornton gave one last yank at the fence and tore a good-sized hole from its rusted metal post. She turned to the two agents and smiled. "After you." ******** Mulder crouched behind a crate near the back entrance of the large hangar. He looked over his shoulder to make sure Scully and Jo made it beside him okay. "Nothing yet," he murmured. Thornton scanned the heliport; feeling her heart speed up at the large shadow in the middle. "Told you," she said. "Let's get a look at this monster." Jo took a brief glance for any security and jogged over to the sleek helicopter. She looked up at the rotor blades and down again, running her hand along the smooth metal. She let out a low whistle. "'The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements.'" Fox appeared beside her and watched her silently for a minute. "Don't remember the act?" he asked and Jo smiled. "One," came Scully's voice. "Scene two." She raised her eyebrows at the looks she received from the other two. "What?" she said. "You're not the only one who took English in high school." "'Turn, hell hound, turn.'... Act five, scene eight." Thornton frowned. That wasn't Mulder's voice. She looked over at Scully who had the same look on her face and the three of them did as the quote instructed. "Indeed I know the play well," the man in front of them said. He was flanked by four other men, all of whom were armed with rifles. "Take them to Colonel Falkner." ******** Mulder was the last of the trio to be shoved unceremoniously into the Colonel's office. The tall military man stood behind his desk with a smug look on his face. The man who brought them in placed two guns and two ID badges on the oak desk, retreating immediately afterwards. Colonel Falkner looked at the items on his desk and frowned. "Sergeant," he called. The officer appeared inside the office again, closing the door behind him. "Sir." "I only see two weapons and two forms of ID here." "There was nothing but a wallet on this one." The sergeant motioned to Jo. Thornton shrugged. "Only the necessities for me." Falkner flipped the badges open. "Mulder and Scully - FBI," he said. He looked up at Jo. "And you?" Jo dipped her knees slightly. "Just a freelance crimefighter, sir," she replied. "You can look through my wallet if you want. You won't find much though. You know, freelancing... No cashflow." The colonel frowned at her. "Shut up." She raised her eyebrows. "Okay." "What's your interest with the Greymalkin?" he asked the two agents. "We're concerned the military isn't taking enough precautions," Scully replied. "We understand a town of 300 will be killed in an exercise." "That's not of your concern," he told her. He looked up at the sergeant. "Take them to sector five and lock them up. We'll deal with them in the morning." The sergeant saluted the colonel and ushered the trio out of his office. "This way please," he said, motioning to the right. Jo pursed her lips, trying to think of some way to get them out of this and outside again. Mulder and Scully walked ahead of her while the sergeant followed a few steps behind. When they were in a kind of foyer, Thornton scanned the area for any other security officers. Her heart leapt in her chest for a brief second when she didn't see anyone and she knelt to the floor. "What are you doing?" the sergeant asked. "I'm just tying up my shoe," Jo replied. Suddenly she groaned. "Ow..." Dana turned in concern. "Jo? Are you okay?" "Sergeant," the Brazilian said. "Can you help me up for a second?" The military officer looked at Mulder and Scully suspiciously. They both shrugged. Reluctantly, the sergeant bent down a bit and took Jo's shoulders in his hands; lifting her to her feet. Once she was standing, she looked at him. "Thanks," she said, and before he could get his hands off her shoulders, Thornton swiftly brought her elbow up to catch the sergeant under his nose. She heard a faint crack and he collapsed to the floor. He wasn't unconscious, but he was certainly detainted for a few minutes. Joanne pushed past Mulder and Scully and ran to the other side of the foyer. Mulder and Scully looked at the sergeant in shock; that wasn't what they thought she was going to do. "Come on!" Jo called from the doorway. "Let's not wait until back up comes!" Finally waking up, Mulder pushed Scully ahead of him as they ran for the nearest exit. Thornton came to a stop in the hallway and frantically looked for a way out. Scully came to an abrupt halt behind the Brazilian. "There!" Mulder pointed to a door on the far end of the hall and the three of them bolted for it. They could hear sharp commands coming from behind them. They knew there was a group of soldiers looking for them. Jo broke out into the night and hesitated only for a moment. She started off toward the Greymalkin without really thinking; Fox and Dana not far behind. The Brazilian yanked the steel door open and climbed inside the helicopter, shifting over to the driver's seat to let Mulder and Scully in. Joanne looked out the front of the machine and saw the groups of soldiers coming for them. She scanned the control panel and flipped a couple of switches. Mulder and Scully watched her, not sure what she was trying to do. There was a sudden high pitched whine coming from above and the three of them looked up. A thumping started to filter its way into the cockpit and Thornton returned her attention to the stick. Dana watched her uneasily. "Do you know how to fly one of these?" she asked. The thumping sped up rapidly and Jo flipped a couple more switches. The pit jarred slighty and the three of them reached for support. They were in the air. "Jo?" Mulder asked. "Do you know how to fly these things?" He wanted to know as quickly as possible. Thornton swallowed. "Umm... No," she replied, taking hold of the stick in front of her. She turned to her friends with a feeble smile. "But I *really* liked Airwolf." Scully breathed in a deep breath and fleeted a glance to her partner. She looked down at the heliport and saw a few people rush to other helicopters. "Ah, Jo?" The Brazilian chewed her lip as she steered the helicopter raggedly. "Yeah?" "Learn... Fast." ******** "Griffon one, I'm in the air." Colonel Falkner steered the helicopter in the direction the Greymalkin was last seen. He didn't have a helicopter nearly as advanced as the Greymalkin, but he was hopeful he could catch it. "Griffon one, this is Eagle nine... I'm coming with you." Falkner's eyes widened. "General..." "Don't argue, Colonel... Eagle nine out." ******** "Great," Mulder said. "Now they're coming to get us." Scully looked at him incredulously. "What? Did you think they'd just let us go?" Suddenly the cockpit lurched to the left. Dana braced herself against the wall of the copter. "Jo..." Thornton frowned and fiddled with the control stick. "I'm trying, I'm trying." She steered it to the right, then to the left. "Geez... this should be just like the simulator... It can't be that hard." "Simulator?" Fox asked. "Where?" Jo cleared her throat. "My computer." ******** "Eagle nine, this is Griffon one... I have the Greymalkin in sight." "Roger, Griffon one... I'm right behind you. Try to talk them down." "Roger, Eagle nine... Griffon one out." ******** Jo stifled a laugh. "Yeah, right. Do they really think I'm giving this thing to them?" "Greymalkin six, this is Griffon one... do you read?" Thornton looked over at Mulder and Scully. They sat in silence for a few minutes before they heard the message again. "Greymalkin six, this is Griffon one... do you read?" Jo looked at the partners. "Well pick up a head set," she said. Mulder reached through the pilot seats and slipped on a headset. "Griffon one... this is Greymalkin six... yes, we read you." "Greymalkin six... please land at the upcoming field." Mulder thought for a minute. "Griffon one... I'm sorry that is not feasible at this time." "Greymalkin six... this is not a request. "Hey, hey," Jo said. "I think I've finally got it." With a big grin, she veered to the right. "Jo!" Scully cried. "Sorry." "Greymalkin six... this is an order... land the vehicle." Thornton rolled her eyes and put a headset on with one hand. "For crying out loud..." she mumbled. "Land the vehicle!" Jo cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, you must be American," she said. "There's no way I'm landing this thing." "If you don't land the helicopter... we will use force." "Okay... Greymalkin six out." Scully just about had a heart attack. "Jo, what the hell are you doing?" Thornton looked at her innocently. "What?" she asked. "This should be fun." "Fun?" Dana scoffed. "Fun? They're going to blow us out of the sky!" "Woah, Dana, take a pill," Jo said. "Hey, Tarzan... Sedate the lady, will you?" She looked over the control panel. "Now how do I make this thing go faster?" ******** "Griffon one, this is Eagle nine... we have no choice... Take 'em down." "But, General..." "That's an order... Eagle nine out." ******** "Yeee-hah!" The Greymalkin flew to the left, moving around a group of trees. "Jo..." Dana grasped the chair on either side. "Jo... Slow it down a bit." Thornton glanced at Scully and back out the front. "I can't, Dana," she said. "They'll get us." "Jo..." "Hey, Scully," Mulder said. "Why don't we switch seats?" The redhead closed her eyes briefly. "I think that's a good idea. Jo, can you hold it steady for a bit?" "Sure." Fox stood slowly and crawled to the front of the cockpit. Scully unbuckled her seatbelt and started to the back. Suddenly a red flash flew by the side of the helicopter, igniting the trees ahead. The cockpit lurched back a bit, sending Scully past the chair. Mulder looked behind them. "What the hell was that?" Thornton demanded. "They're firing," Fox told her. "Thanks, Sherlock," Jo snapped, sending the copter into motion again. "How many are there?" Mulder squinted his eyes. "Ah... Three... I think." He twisted around in his chair. "Scully? Are you okay?" "No," came the mumbled reply. She fell back into the seat and buckled herself in. "Just get us out of here, Jo." Thornton grinned. "Yes, ma'am." ******** "How're you doing back there, Dana?" "Okay." Scully leaned back in the chair, eyes closed, massaging her temples. Suddenly, the helicopter veered sharply to the right. Scully groaned. "Sorry, Dana," Jo called from the front. "They've got lots of ammo." "Jo..." "Maybe we've got some." Mulder tugged on the Brazilian's sleeve. "Jo..." "What is it?" Fox pointed at the rapidly approaching structure framed by large hills. "Bridge." Jo's eyes widened. "Oh, shit..." She thought about how to go about the obstacle when she remembered something. "Hey, y'all seen Outbreak?" Mulder immediately caught her wavelength. "*Over* the bridge, Jo. *Over*." "Party pooper." Thornton steered the helicopter with a lot concentration to make it over the bridge. The helicopters behind them had quieted a bit for which Jo was thankful. They were just about to go over the bridge when another rocket shot past the cockpit. Reflexes caused Jo to jolt the helicopter down a bit. Mulder's eyes widened as he realized they weren't going to make it over the bridge. "Over, Jo!" he cried. "Over!!" Thornton looked up with wide eyes and tried to hold the machine steady. The steel bridge whizzed over the helicopter and immediately, Jo yanked the stick toward her. The three of them heard the trees scrape the bottom of the cockpit as the helicopter soared back to a safe altitude. "I said *over* the bridge!" "I tried to go over!" Jo yelled back. "Man!" Mulder looked back to see the three helicopters still following them. They were flying over a small lake by a campsite on the outskirts of Stockholm. He twisted around in his seat to check on his partner. "Scully?" he asked. "How are you doing?" "Oh, just fine," she said sarcastically. "Hey... Leave me alone," Jo defended. "Let's not forget I'm not licensed to fly these." "Jo," Dana said. "That's exactly the thing I'm trying hard *to* forget." Fox laughed and turned back around in his seat. They were all kind of in a high after the close call and feeling pretty good that they'd probably lost their followers. "Well that was fun," Mulder said. Jo shook her head. "I think you're counting chickens there, Mulder," she said. Fox looked out the window with a grin and almost a second later, his smile was wiped from his face when there was a loud crash that came from the back of the helicopter. The machine shook violently and dropped a few feet. Scully's eyes widened. "What... the hell... was that?" "Umm..." Jo fought for what control she had; failing miserably. "I think we're hit." "Hit?" "Yeah," she replied, looking at the control panel. She caught sight of the fuel gauge. "Badly... We gotta get out of here fast." "Get out of here?" Scully excalimed. "And go where?" Mulder looked around the surroundings. "If we can get low enough, we can jump into the lake." "What?!" Thornton looked to her right and saw the water. "Yeah," she agreed. "I think I can do that." Dana shook her head. "You guys are crazy." "Watch your feet, Dana. I'm opening the bomb bay." Scully's eyes widened as the floor seemed to drop out of the helicopter and only water was visible. "Hurry up, guys," Jo said. "We don't have a lot of time." Mulder crawled to the back and sat with his legs dangling over the edge of the opening. "Come on, Scully," he said. "Jump out with me." Reluctantly, Scully unbuckled herself and moved over to Mulder who wrapped his arm around her waist. Thornton swallowed hard at the trees ahead of her approaching quickly. Having to keep the copter close to the water ultimately left moving in one direction a must. When the trees were a little too close for comfort, Jo undid her seat belt and crawled to the back. "Come on, guys," she said. Urgency got the better of her and she shoved her friends out the bottom, jumping out right after them. The fresh water of the lake was cold as it engulfed the trio. The Greymalkin, without a pilot and a flaming tail, crashed into the shore of the lake setting the camp site's docks on fire. The three helicopters that had been following it flew overhead and disappeared over the horizon of trees. ******** "Griffon one, this is Eagle nine... Can you see wreckage?" "Eagle nine, this is Griffon one... Affirmative... The Greymalkin is down on the North side of the lake." "Roger that, Griffon one... Return to base... Eagle nine out." ******** Mulder surfaced first and smoothed his hair back so he could see. "Scully?" he called out. He heard a sputter behind him and he turned to find his partner coughing. He swam over and put her arm around his shoulder. "Are you okay, Scully?" The redhead nodded. "Yeah," she replied. The partners turned when they heard a loud splash a few metres from them. Joanne Thornton surfaced and slapped her arms on the water. "Woo-hoo!" she yelled. "What a rush!" She started laughing and floated on her back, taking in mouthfuls of water and spitting them out in long streams above her head. Mulder smiled and turned to his partner, who also found the scene fairly amusing, and started laughing along with the hysterical Brazilian. Dana pointed over to the other side of the lake at the gigantic blaze. "Mulder, look." His smile faded when he saw it and found himself completely captivated. Thornton finally calmed herself and realized what he friends were looking at. She swam over to them to join the crowd. She shook her head solemnly. "'If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly'," she said. "Act one, scene seven," Dana offered and Jo nodded. "Come on," Mulder broke in. "We should start to shore." The women nodded and turned away from the fire. ******** "Oh, God..." Jo took a few last labouring strokes. "I can't swim anymore." Fox chuckled and helped his partner to her feet. "That's good, Jo," he said. "Because we're here." Thornton swam as close to the shore as possible and pulled herself onto the wet sand; falling face first into it. Her chest heaved; her arms lifeless at her sides. Mulder smiled, sitting alongside Scully, who leaned against him. "My arms," she groaned. "I can't move my arms." Jo shifted slightly. "I can't move your arms either." A bright light caused the two federal agents to turn around and look into the camp site. They heard a couple cars come to a halt in front of them. The door of one opened and a tall black figure walked toward them. "Agent Mulder, I've got to tell you, I'm sick of pulling you out of these things." Mulder smiled and sighed relief. "Sorry, sir," he replied. "Last time, promise." Walter Skinner rolled his eyes. "Right. Agent Scully? Are you okay?" Dana nodded, relived he wasn't the military. Skinner looked at the body beside them. "What's wrong with her?" he asked. Scully smiled. "I think she's asleep." The Assistant Director rolled the Brazilian over on the sand. "Joanne?" Thornton groaned and opened her eyes slowly. She smiled faintly then frowned. "Am I in heaven?" Mulder laughed. "No, you're in Conneticut." "Oh," she said. "Walter, what are you doing here?" Skinner smiled, moving a strand of hair from her sand-covered face. "Taking you home." She took a deep breath. "Oh, thank God." She smiled; her eyes closed. "I think I might need mouth-to-mouth." The AD rolled his eyes. Dana chuckled. "I think she's got a bit of water on the brain." "Come on. Up we get." Skinner grabbed Jo's hands and pulled her to her feet. When he had her steadied, he turned to Mulder and Scully. Fox got to his feet, helping Dana to do the same. "How did you find us, sir?" he asked. Walter looked at Jo. "Someone forgot to take the file with her when she did a really bad acting job to get you guys out of my office." Thornton groaned, covering her face with her hand. "I knew I forgot something." Skinner looked sternly at his agents. "How many times have I told you two not to go off without asking me first?" Thornton snickered and pointed a finger at them. "Ha ha. Mulder and Dana are in trouble." "And you," Walter said, facing the woman in his arms. "You and I are going to have a nice talk about not interfering with federal employees." Mulder and Scully chuckled. "Ha ha," Dana said. "Jo's in bigger trouble." Thornton frowned at them. "Shut up. I could have left you in that helicopter, you know." Skinner's eyes widened. "You flew that?" he asked Jo, pointing at the flaming wreckage. Jo looked at her hands, chewing on her lip. "No." "That thing's worth seventy million dollars!" The Brazilian's eyes widened and still hadn't met the AD's. She was silent for a moment. "Mulder did it." Fox snapped to attention. "What!?" THE END March 14, 1997 "... Come, thick night,/ And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,/ That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, /Nor heaven peep though the blanket of the dark /To cry 'Hold, hold!'" --Lady Macbeth --Macbeth: Act 1, Scene 2 "Just think warm thoughts." --Skinner in "Tunguska" --Oh, Walter, it'd be hard not to.-- Just because this movie inspired the story: "General... with all due respect... Fuck you... Sir." "George... George... Would you like me to cough on you, George?" Both quotes by: Colonel Sam Daniels (Dustin Hoffman) "Outbreak" Death to Roborat!! >:-)