Echoes 7/7 (disclaimer in the first chapter. uploaded wrong file before. )


Black rock cottage 7.13am.

Scully sat bolt upright, paralysing 
dread gripping her heart.  Something 
was very wrong she just knew it. No 
sleepy awakening wrapped in the warm 
cocoon of her partner's arms and his 
gentle languid kisses that always 
greeted her, she felt bereft. She 
could still smell him, his aftershave, 
the way his skin felt but he was 
physically gone from the bed. Jolted 
from a dream back into cold reality, 
she shuffled off the bed and threw 
on her clothes without bothering to 
change into fresh. 

Taking the stairs two at a time she was 
shaken when she almost knocked her aunt 
flying coming in the back door as she 
was trying to go out, an equally shocked 
look plastered on her face...not just 
shock, Scully's mind supplied. 

Horror. 

Working on the X files over the years
she felt her stomach flip, she knew that 
look all too well. 

"Dana...."  Katherine had been crying, but
was now out of breath, shaking a little, 
a sight that almost paralysed her. 

Mulder.

Causeway cliffs 

It took them a while to reach the cliffs 
overlooking the shore but both of them 
had a determined mission and pressed on 
through treacherous rocks and driving 
rain dragging a huge medical kit, tools,
ropes and Ned's old climbing equipment along 
with them. The first morning light was just 
a few streaks of orangey pink edging up over 
the horizon. It was freezing cold. 

Scully's stomach flipped again When they 
spotted the dog sitting dutifully in 
place on the cliff top, they knew they had 
reached the right place.  He turned and 
roused a little when he saw his mistress 
and her companion, he whimpered. It wasn't a 
nice sound. Merlin barked, as to mark where 
his friend had gone over the cliff so they
could help him. 

"Good boy Merlin, that's a good laddy eh."
The old Labrador looked at her mournfully. 

Katharine didn't say much, she seemed 
unable somehow as if something had 
pierced her heart and her soul had 
bled out through it. She looked utterly 
bereft, this had to be bad. The words 
that spilled form her mouth had shaken 
scully like a small earthquake. Still 
shaking.

She had been on the shore watching the 
waves as she said she often did. Scully 
thought she must have had a reason but 
didn't press her, too preoccupied as she
was with pulling air into her lungs after 
listening to her. Then she mentioned all 
her sheep were dead where they had been 
perfectly fine the night before. No surprise, 
just flat speech. Detached. She mentioned a 
disturbance, another loud sonic boom and 
what looked like arching over the 
causeway. 

She'd made her way down over the honeycombed 
shaped basalt structures to see if she could 
find the cause. Curiosity always got to her.
Wind and rain had driven her for shelter in 
a cave and thats where she had heard his 
cries. Saw the impossible.

Scully had heard it to too, telepathically. 
Their trademark.

About twelve foot up an open crevice, Mulder 
was somehow trapped in the rocks, caught in 
the mouth of a hard unforgiving foe. Moaning 
quietly and calling for help.    

Katherine hadn't known it was him at first but 
she was in shock when she saw him hanging 
upside-down, blood dripping from somewhere, 
maybe everywhere on him, turning the sand and the 
rocks red in a slippery pool by her feet.His legs
seemed to be trapped but his arms hung free like 
a broken puppet, his eyes closed. 

'Hang on please. I'll get help.'

 
Horrified, she ran back the house, that's 
when she had noticed the sheep for the 
first time, all lying on their backs, 
like white unmoving rocks in the grass to 
ramp up her horror even more. 

No time to waste, she needed to find Dana. 
There was a storm coming and where Mulder 
was trapped the tide was coming in. Like a 
egg he could be dashed against the hard
unyeilding stacks. He would surely drown 
if they couldn't free him soon and his 
injuries looked severe. Just how they 
could free him was something her mind 
had stalled on.

The thought that he'd been looking out 
for her when this happened didn't even 
bear thinking about. She was beyond 
bereft, if he died..... 
 
"He was alive when I left here to fetch 
you Dana, alive but trapped and I think 
maybe unconcious. I couldn't reach him, 
there was no way. He was too far up. I 
called to tell him I was coming to get 
you and to hang on but I don't know if 
he heard me, the tide was coming in and 
the surf breaking up over the rocks. I 
dunno if he heard me." She repeated, her 
words all spilling out in panic.

"How bad was he?" Scully had forced 
herself into doctor mode to offset the 
shock and despair she felt right then, 
the immovable fist of pain in her chest 
tightened exponentially. Keeping herself 
together was the only way she could hope
to get him out of this.  

 "I don't know dear. I swear it's my fault. 
I think he must have been looking for me. ...
I ....should have said I go on these dawn 
walks.... makes me feel closer to Ned.... 
and... but now look what I've done..  I 
couldn't get a line to call for help...
phone..the phone seems to be out."  
And she dissolved into tears but Scully 
pulled her into a tight hug. 

"Oh Katherine...it's not your fault...it's 
just what Mulder sometimes does...more 
times than I care to count. Believe me, 
that man is so inquisitive. Something 
must have drawn him outside. Something 
weird was going on all last night. Cracks 
and bangs, lightning I think. I could only 
half hear it because I was so tired and 
worried about him being sick on this trip. 
I fell asleep and Mulder must have got 
up for something. We'll get him out eh? 
You and me. C'mon ....its okay."

"Thank you dear." She seemed far away 
for a moment before speaking again. "Check 
the ropes bag; I think there are some long 
ones in there with a second harness. Some 
crampons. They were Ned's. Old hobby of 
his but could never let the stuff go.  
Don't forget the tool belt either. You're 
going need that."  And she locked eyes with 
Scully who nodded, breathless.

Scully peered gingerly over the edge of 
the cliff but couldn't see anything but 
jagged storm lashed rock, her heart sank
right down to the frothing sea with them. 
Eyes scanning anything that would reward 
her with one little peice of hope 
she could latch onto she couldn't see her 
partner or any sign of him, just angry 
waves crashing and dark foreboding rock 
that went straight down in almost uneartly 
hexagonal pillars, some hollowed out that led 
right through to the sea like a funnel. 
White water hissing and blowing up through 
the gaps in a snarl.

Where was he? 

"Mulder..."  No answer. Only the waves 
and wind answered back like a mournful 
cry. Like a voice.. death song... No she
mustn't think that way. 

The drenched agent dumped the bag of 
medical equipment on the grass and went 
for the other bag of ropes and stuff her 
aunt had brought along. Pulling out a long 
one, she began to loop it and clip to the 
harness she'd thrown on abck at the cottage 
and doubled tie it round her waist, pulling 
the knots tight. Then she clipped on the 
tool pouch, not caring about the sheeting 
rain hitting her face or the cold, just 
focused on a one track mission getting 
to Mulder and getting him safely out of 
danger. 

"You're going to be okay going down there...
if you want me to..."  Katherine looked 
terrified, she was trying to get the dog 
away from the edge but Merlin steadfastly 
refused to budge. His miserable whimper 
bit right through Scully's soul.  

Scully looked pointedly at her. "I have to 
go Katherine, I'm not ageist but I think 
absieling down there in this weather, well 
it could be a problem for you with 
arthritis. Its okay, I've done this before. 
Quantico team training.I'll be fine. Going 
to have to be, there's no choice. Mulder 
needs us. Just loop the rope and crampons 
over there around that big rock and then 
the second rope I'm going to tie around him. 
I'll tug on the ropes and yell when I'm 
ready to come up okay?" She pointed up the 
bank about three meters behind them. "That 
looks a good a place as any and gives us 
leverage."
   
Katherine complied; securing the rope Scully 
was attached to and the second one for Mulder. 

"Be careful Dana."

She watched her niece from afar by the rock 
as she checked the tautness of both sets of 
ropes. With increasing fear her eyes were glued 
to Dana's rain soaked head as she vanished below 
the edge of the cliff. This was no weather to be 
even up here in, let alone the precariousness of
absieling down steep stacks. She clung onto the 
dog for company and warmth, imploring the goddess 
earth to keep her sweet niece, Dana and her 
lovely man alive and safe.


About fifteen feet down Scully reached her partner 
at last. Almost fell on top of him as a gust 
of wind made her lose her footing. It was a 
laborious decent and her arms screamed in 
protest against the ropes, the wind and the 
sheer effort as if she had climbed miles down. 
She was out of breath and frozen to the bone 
but she didn't care. She thought she would never 
make it but looking at his limp, hanging body 
now she realized why she couldn't see him 
before. Mulder was half wedged firmly under 
a sharp outcrop, almost impossibly between a 
cleft in the precipice by both legs, while the
rest of his body was hanging free in mid air. 

"Oh my God Mulder," 

It was weird, almost like his legs had been 
fused into the narrow rock cleft itself, 
like the rocks were trying to devour him. 
There was no rational way he could've have
slipped down and ended up that way naturally.
It defied all reasoning. Had the rocks shifted 
by themselves trapping him? No, that was 
impossible. 

She cantilevered the rope which lowered her 
down a bit more past the rest of his body so 
she could reach his head. She maneuvered him 
carefully against her.All rag doll and no 
reaction. Feeling for and finding a pulse 
in his neck she almost cheered, but then felt 
her heart sink wondering how the hell she 
could release his legs.They were stuck fast. 
If he couldn't be freed he would die. No 
doubt about that. 

Focus , focus. Don't lose it just ...focus. 

Alive he was but his pulse was thready, his 
breathing very shallow. Something sticky in 
his hair indicated that he may have vomited 
at some point. Clothing torn to shreds 
exposing battered flesh and a big gash on the 
back of his head was steadily dripping blood 
feet below to merge with the raging sea swirl. 

With each crash of the waves against the 
rocks it deepened her chill and her resolve, 
one-handedly lifting a harness over his 
head and securing it around his torso, clipping 
it to her own and attaching that to a second rope 
around his middle as a raft of white water shot
up the gap and soaked them with icy spray. Scully 
gasped. It was as though they were reaching up 
to claim them, drag them into the swirling angry 
sea to their deaths.

Craning her neck up, she noticed the storm 
clouds blustering fiercely across the sky 
far above, heavy pendulous omens of doom 
from her perspective.    
   

"Hi Scully. ..When did ....you drop in," Mulder's
voice was a complete shock that almost stilled 
her heart. Weak, barely a whisper and she felt 
the effort it cost him as his chest heaved 
against her as she held onto him for dear life. 
Bless him though, she felt like crying, his sense 
of humor was still intact even if his bones 
weren't. There appeared no way to get his legs 
loose.Pulling was a non option. She swallowed 
her panic, both tibia were probably broken or
crushed, he must be in incredible pain. 

"Mulder....take it easy love, going to get 
you of here."

"Good luck Scully," he coughed a little before 
continuing and she worried to hear the worsening 
congestion in his lungs. " It's a nice idea.... 
but I seem to be stuck in ..the...rocks like the
meat in a ....sandwich." 

"Sucky question I know but... How the hell did 
you end up like this?"

"I don't know," he tried to laugh, " My earth 
moves whenever ....I'm on top of you Scully...
this must be an aftershock. But I ...now know 
what fish bait feels like....and its killing 
my back. Ahhh." 

"And your legs I bet." She grimaced at the sight 
of his squashed limbs trapped in the dark rock 
like they'd become one with the formations.   

"I ..er..can't  feel my legs.... May just be 
because I'm so fucking cold, just hanging 
around. Scully, what you doing?"  

His partner was pulling something out of the big 
pouch she had clipped to her belt with one hand, 
while she hung onto him with the other.  

"Hammer. Going to try and break the rock and 
try ease your legs out." Mulder looked sceptical 
for once but Scully was undeterred and started 
attacking the rock around his legs. One leg was 
trapped right in up to his thigh. She had to 
get him out soon before he went into shock. He 
was already shivering and his teeth were 
constantly chattering. His eyes fixated on her 
bottom lip, her teeth as they bit down on the 
plump flesh as she worked to free him.


Mulder stared miserably down at the ocean 
swirling around the bottom of the stack, 
hoping like hell if by some divine 
intervention she did get him free he was 
securely tied. Being thethered to the woman 
he loved made him feel marginally better, 
trying to ignore the pain, the cold,the 
feeling like he had finally used up 
all his nine lives. 

Very slowly, he tried to move his arm to latch 
onto Scully's but it was too numb with cold. 
Gritting his teeth he tried to tune everything 
out, he was fading fast and each time Scully 
diligently chipped away at the rock he felt
excruciating pain lance through his lower 
body. There was nothing he wanted more than 
to let go let everything fade to black, his 
breathing was becoming more difficult with 
every breath but he owed it to his partner to 
stay awake, to try and hold on for her. But 
given her small frame there was no way she 
could haul him up to the top if she did 
manage to free him. Was there? He knew 
she'd give it her best shot.

After several fruitless minutes Scully 
stopped hammering. It was no good, the 
little she'd chipped away wasn't enough 
to allow her to loosen his legs or even 
get her fingers around to prize them out 
and she was exhausted.Moreover she was 
causing him more pain. She felt the first
sting of tears in her eyes as she realised
it was impossible to move him.     

"Scully."

"What..?" She turned her face to the 
rock; she didn't want him to see her
tears or the defeat etched on her face. 

"Soo,no rational... theory how I did 
the impossible and got stuck in the 
rocks, Agent Scully?"

"No .... It can't happen but it has," she 
sniffed. "Right now I don't care, I just 
want to get you out. My aunt is up top,
she's fine, going to help us get out and 
then she'll go for the paramedics. The 
power is out again at the farmhouse so we 
couldn't get through. Internet is down 
too this time. Whatever that was ....it 
fritzed everything like a  magnetic pulse. 
Right now I need to get you out of here...
by any means necessary."

"I know, its okay....you tried." Mulder's 
words chattered through his teeth, every 
part of him trying not to look at the 
hacksaw she was holding in one hand. 
Where had that come from? He bit his lip, 
afraid, and proud of his strong partner 
who never ceased to amaze him. When the 
chips were down that courage just roared 
out of her. Just where she pulled it from 
such a small beautiful person he could 
only wonder.Right then she was a giant 
in his eyes. 

Her eyes were full of apology as she 
finaly looked at him, tears slipping down 
her face.

"I'm not giving up.. dammit!"   Not able 
to nod he blinked his eyes at her, hardly 
able to see for the driving rain now 
cascading down the funnel stack. 

Mulder wished he could touch her then but 
he was almost spent. The wind buffeted them 
both as they hung there in the ropes facing 
each other sadly. What else could she do? It
was impossible. Something beyond comprehension 
had put him here; he still remembered that 
sound like a siren song scraping against his 
skull. Whatever it was had been his death knell. 
He didn't want it to be Scully's as well. He 
wanted her to go back up to the top, to be 
safe. They were both going to get killed if 
the rocks shifted again. 

And he was as good as done for.

Dangling there, his mind wrestled trying to 
work out what happened and as weird and 
inexplicable as it seemed, that was the only
answer he'd come up with. This coast was 
steeped in lore and legend and maybe there 
was something in the wrath of the two giants  
that shaped the Causeway on this coast, maybe
a sense memory that re-enacted every now and 
then and he'd been unfortunate enough to get 
caught it its deadly thrall. Maybe he could 
open an X file on it, if by some slim chance 
he could get out alive. 

Mulder turned his head slowly towards Scully 
only meet the despair and fear in her eyes 
as she contemplated perhaps the only way she 
could free him alive. Okay so be it, he 
thought, knowing she wouldn't leave him down 
here. The thunderclouds above were grumbling 
angrily across the coast, augmenting the 
almost subsonic buzz he was feeling within his 
legs where they were jammed into the rocks. 
Something was building up to happen again 
and he wanted like crazy to grab at his skull 
as the eerie cacophony started up again. He 
needed her to do whatever and get up off 
this cliff face to safety.

His heart started to race, chest hitching 
painfully, eyes imporing her, imbueing the 
last bit of strength, encouragement and 
love-- whatever she needed to get through 
this. And she started to cry again.

"I....I can't do this Mulder.."

"Yes...yes you can.... go for it."

"I... don't know if I can.."

"Yes you must... we don't have a choice ...
It's okay ...I'll be alive....with you...I 
can deal with the rest...."   he gulped 
down his own tears and the sickening dread
that gripped his heart. "..later.... Scully
please."  

His partner leaned down and kissed him, 
awkward and strange because he was 
upside down facing her. He felt her 
warm lips against the wet chilled skin 
of his throat, her fingers stroking his cheek, 
and he was buoyed by her courage when she 
whispered "Okay," against his ear, no more 
than a quiet shaky breath. 

"I love you Mulder," her fingers smoothed 
the clumps of drenched hair out of his eyes, 
then travelled down his cheek and wiped 
moisture and blood from his lips where he 
must have bitten down on them. She crushed
his body against her for what seemed a long 
time but in reality was just a few beats.Not 
wanting to relinquish that precious contact 
with him. 

There was a roaring in his ears now, like 
bees on the warpath and his head was the 
hive. An unrelenting noise that twisted into 
an almost faraway lilting voice, transporting
him into the abyss, pulling him down further
as he watched her eyes bleed water all over
him as she faded from view.

"I love ....you too...."  Scully made sure 
his body was secure in the ropes, anything 
but look at his huge scared puppy eyes 
which slipped closed when he suddenly 
went limp. 

"Mulder.. no ..." she cried in alarm. 
Panicked, she hoisted herself up a touch 
fumbling for his pulse. It was still there 
but weakening and his lips were blue. 
Fumbling with the saw, she picked a 
spot about an inch from where his legs 
were trapped, cut away his Jeans there, 
pulled some twine from her pouch. Holding 
it between her teeth while she tied it tight 
around the area she planned to cut with 
one hand, pulling it tight with her teeth, 
finally taking a deep breath, telling 
herself this was the only way. 

It was better to have her lover alive 
even if disabled, as opposed to letting 
him die here like this. He'd still be 
Mulder they could have a life together 
and she would care for him -- whatever 
it took. The lesser of the two evils. 
He'd given her permission  ....that 
wonderful brave love of her life.

As the saw blade hovered over his 
bruised and battered flesh a huge 
lightning bolt struck the rock above 
startling her, and another ...and another 
until it sounded like an air raid going on 
overheard,a final shattering flash making 
her drop the saw...

"NO.....!!!!" she shrieked at the top 
of her lungs  as she watched, horrified 
as it clattered off the rocks into the 
swirling eddies of water below, greedily 
swallowing her only means of freeing her 
partner from certain death. "Katherine...
help....", Holding Mulder against her with 
one arm, Scully yanked on her rope as hard 
as she could muster to try and alert her 
aunt. She had other tools up there....if 
only...

But she never finished that thought. A 
blinding flash enveloped her as she clung 
fast to her partner suspended in the tangle 
of ropes like helpless marionettes as a 
maelstrom of sounds, a thousand sirens 
and the deep rumbling roar and cracking 
of age old rock, like the earth was 
furious at the gods, splitting them 
into a million shards, exploding all 
around them and then darkness.  


Continued in the Epilogue