TITLE: Conversational Krycek
RATING: PG-13
CLASSIFICATION: Vignette
DISTRIBUTION: Sure, just let me know.
FEEDBACK: pindaran@hotmail.com
SPOILERS:  'Tunguska'
DISCLAIMER: Mulder and the rest of the 'X-Files' belong to Chris
Carter, 1013, and FOX. David Duchovny and Nicholas Lea belong to
themselves. Think of this as a friendly loan.
SUMMARY: Never underestimate the importance of learning a foreign
language.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: A big thanks to spud and Lisa for the great beta
help.

**********
 

Chasing down all the tangents of a vast global web of conspiracy
can sure rack up the frequent flier miles.

Too bad I can't combine all the aliases I've had to use onto one
account.

Probably could have had my own private jet by now.

"Mulder..."

I stifle a groan. I knew I should have put him in the cargo hold.

"Mulder, I know you're not asleep."

I reluctantly open my eyes.  "Wow.  Your FBI training still
works.  I'm impressed."

"How much longer?"

I know what he's talking about.  He keeps rattling those things
like I don't remember putting them on him.

I rub my eyes and yawn.  Slowly.  I'm all for patience. "How much
longer what?" I say finally.

Krycek holds up his hands. "You're not going to keep me in these
cuffs the whole flight are you?  My hands are starting to go
numb."

I close my eyes and lean back into the seat.  Still a few hours
until we get there. I could use a nap.

"C'mon Mulder, it's not like I'm going to leap off the plane."

"I'll keep them on as long as I want to Krycek.  I could care
less how comfortable your flight is." I smile calmly.  "But if
you want to leap off the plane, trust me, I won't stop you."

He gives me a dark stare. "I came to you remember? If it wasn't
for me you wouldn't have known anything about those bombs or that
diplomatic pouch."

I shrug. "I'll send you a thank you card when we get back."

"Look, we both want the same thing here.  To stop what they're
doing, expose them, before it's too late."

I can't resist a laugh. "So now you're the champion of all that's
good and right and noble?  I must have missed the memo."

He opens his mouth to say something, and I cut him off with a
sharp yank on his cuffs.  His hiss of pain is oddly comforting.

"Face it Krycek," I say with a smile, "if it wasn't for your
'conversational' skills right now you'd be having a nice vacation
in long term parking.

He rubs his wrist and winces. "I might find it difficult to
'converse' with messed up hands."

"You don't need all your limbs in perfect working order to talk."
I helpfully point out.

"I think I do."

"Then sit back and shut up." I say a little louder than intended.

I look around the cabin.  Everyone is blissfully asleep. For some
reason I find that very annoying.

Krycek smiles. "I could, conceivably, cause a scene."

I smile back. "I could, conceivably, make you regret it."

He stares at me for a moment then mutters something under his
breath.

I glance over at him. "I'm assuming that's another bad name
you're calling me."

"Good assumption."

"Well, you're not getting that thank you card now."

He sighs harshly and turns towards me. "You really don't care
about saving the world, do you? Just finding your so-called
Truth.  You want all your answers spelled out for you in big bold
letters.  This is who did it.  This is why they did it. This is
what it means.  Who cares what the cost is to you or to anyone
who's unlucky enough to be around you? The Quest is everything
and consequences be damned." He looks me straight in the eye.
"You're damn determined to die."

"Hey, if it's the choice between death and listening to you
prattle on, by all means. Kill me now."

He laughs suddenly. "Oh man, I think I finally figured you out."
He motions around the cabin.  "You just love this!  You love
uncovering all these 'great mysteries,' thinking that it means
you're doing something worthwhile to bring down the conspiracy."
He leans towards me.  "Hate to tell you this Mulder, but all
you're really doing is running around in the nice, little
circles they've laid out for you."  He smiles. "You're a puppet
Mulder.  You just can't see the strings.  Or, is it that you
don't want to see them?"

"So what," I say, "I should start following the rules like you
do?  Enlighten me, who's side is it you're pretending to be on
this week?  I can never keep it straight."

"I'm on the winning side Mulder."

"Really?"  I glance at his hands. "Doesn't look like it from this
angle. Unless, of course, those are victory cuffs."

"Some sacrifices are worth making. I believe in what I do. And
why I do it."

I laugh. "You believe in saving your own ass."

"That too.  And as much as you enjoy being the 'one man against
the world,' you know when we land you're going to be needing
someone there with you to save yours."  He glances around.
"Unless she's hiding under the seat somewhere, I'm thinking it's
not going to be Agent Scully."

"Don't start the 'let's all join hands and save the world' crap
again. I didn't buy it the first time you said it, and I haven't
suddenly gotten stupid since then."  I look around the dark cabin
then back at Krycek. "Let me make this real simple for you. All
you need to do is translate. Tell me what they say; tell them
what I say.  It's not that difficult.  Do that and then we can
talk about your future.  Beyond that, I don't want to have
discussions with you. Go to sleep while you've got the chance."

He rattles his cuffs.  "Not until you takes these things off me."

I wonder how hard it would be to get to the heart of a dark
worldwide labyrinth of conspiracy with just a pocket
English/Russian dictionary?

He rattles the cuffs again.  The man obviously has a death wish.
Thankfully, I'm here to help.

"Wanting to experience the miracle of flight firsthand, Alex?" I
say quietly.

He grins. "Know any Russian, Fox?"

I lean back in my seat and look over at him. "I can think of a
few bad words."