in before this discussion could continue."You did well to send us the results, Mulder. This material may have the same basis as the one you leaked to us a few years ago. But everything else is very different. I can't possibly say with what consequences, but it looks dangerous to me, as if he has mutated. "
Mulder suddenly had a stale taste in his mouth.
"But it could also be that someone was deliberately tinkering with the base structure." Byers pushed Langly aside and came up to the webcam in such a way that his facial features were absurdly distorted. "Somebody tried to change the structure."
"But with what aim?"
"We can only speculate. The original purpose of this material is to make humans a host in order to serve as a breeding ground for these beings. Sooner or later, it would exterminate humanity, as we all know.
Perhaps someone felt called to stop this development by changing the structure of the virus in such a way that it is no longer viable. "Scully grunted unsatisfied. "He obviously didn't succeed."
At a loss, they were silent, each pondering the solution to the riddle.
"Would you perhaps send us a part of the sample that could not be deciphered? We may find out about the secret this way."
Abby nodded. Suddenly she had become very serious. "Of course. We'll send a messenger out tonight."
Byers nodded. "All right. You can rely on us, we'll see what can be done."
“Thank you guys.” Mulder smiled weakly.
Frohike pushed himself in front of the camera again, grinning charmingly and arranging her hair. "Maybe you will come and visit us again? Bring this pretty lady with the black hair with you, yes? I'm sure together we could ..."
Laughing, Mulder gave the a little taken aback Abby a mischievous look, then cut the connection to save his friend from further embarrassment.It was three-thirty in the morning when the camp was finally quiet. The day had been long and exhausting. Abby was the only one unswervingly tinkering around in her laboratory, frustrated by the setback she had suffered, and Gibbs was still wandering around sleeplessly. He couldn't sleep now, it was way too hot for that. In addition, his head seemed to burst and refuse to serve him, because of these experiences of the last few hours that had shattered his understanding of the world.
He went down to the river, hoping to find a little cooler air there. The sky was clear with stars and the mighty shadow of the SeaCrawler stood ominously against the deep blue of the night.
With a low sigh, Gibbs crouched on the bank and slipped his hands into the sluggishly flowing water. He closed his eyes for a moment and relaxed.
He didn't know how long he had stayed there, but when he got up again his legs tingled.Something was strange.
Sniffing, he inhaled the air that an emerging breeze carried in his direction. It brought with it a faint odor of fire. Alarmed, he ran up the small embankment to have a look at the camp, which was a bit out of the way. His heart stopped. Brightly blazing flames stretched their withering fingers accusingly into the black night and already completely enveloped the tent in which the corpses of the marines were housed. And the fire threatened to spread to the forensic tent right next door. "ABBY!"
He rushed off, but didn't get very far. Somebody got in his way. “Good evening, Agent Gibbs. Or should I say good morning?” The end of a cigarette glowed faintly in the darkness, then pale smoke curled around the man's head.
“Get out of here!” Gibbs tried to pass, but a second and a third man emerged from the darkness and met him. Gibbs paused suspiciously and growled menacingly."Well-intentioned advice from a friend, Agent Gibbs. Stay away from things you don't understand. Don't play a game that you can't win. If not out of consideration for yourself, at least for yours subordinate agents. "
The agent's blue eyes flashed. "You want to threaten me?"
"I'm not threatening you. It is entirely up to you what to make of this advice. You are a wise man, Agent Gibbs, so please don't disappoint me."
Anger bored into his stomach. The fire had meanwhile spread and set the tent and the laboratory on fire. The camp had come to life and was taking up the battle against the flames, shouts echoing softly over to them. It hadn't rained in days and they had no means of extinguishing it. You couldn't win.
Ice cold, his gaze returned to the smoker. “You started the fire, didn't you? You bastard, who are you to endanger my people?"His body tensed in anticipation of a fight. If necessary, he would use force to clear the way. His team needed him.
Again smoke rose into the sky and was blown apart by the wind. "I can see that you care about your team. So think carefully about what I just told you."
Half-blind with anger and worry, Gibbs jumped at the smoker, but the two men who had taken up positions at his side pushed him back roughly, grabbed his arms and held him back ironly. A third appeared out of nowhere and stood up protectively from the smoker. For a tiny moment the eyes of this man and the now defenseless agent met, then he rushed forward and slapped Gibbs hard.
Bright stars danced in front of his eyes and so he did not see the next attack coming, which bored into his body immediately below the point where his two costal arches met and took his breath away.The next blow, on the same spot, made him choke.
“This is a small reminder fire. It's up to you whether it stays that way.” The smoker turned away and strolled slowly away.
Gibbs tried to tear himself away with all his might, but another slap prevented this hopeless escape attempt. He felt the warm blood run down his chin. “You can't threaten me! I won't let you lay your hand on my team.” He couldn't completely banish the pain from his voice, but his much more violent anger was ruthlessly broken through. He stared hatefully at his counterpart, who came closer again with an evil grin.
"Maybe I should help with the decision-making process." The fist jerked out and tossed the agent's head to one side. He watched ecstatically how a thin veil of blood splattered on the shirt of the man who was holding his victim on the left side. He struck again, this time with a scornful laugh.Gibbs tried to push back the burgeoning unconsciousness, his jaw grinding. “Never.” He spat the blood that had collected in his mouth at the feet of his tormentor and raised his head defiantly. "I will never submit to such a cowardly gang."
There was a slight rattle in the darkness as the man took something shiny in his hands and turned it casually in the air. “Well, we'll see.” His teeth shimmered white as he grinned.
With all his remaining strength Gibbs braced himself against the clasps of his two guards, twisted and turned in their grip, but it was of no use. One of them stepped behind him, twisting his arm painfully far behind his back, and grabbed his hair roughly to have him better under control.
The NCIS agent reared up furiously, but his counterpart merely commented on this pathetic resistance with an amused laugh. "We will see."Whistling softly, the chain hissed through the air and pulled across Gibbs chest. Inexpressible pain exploded inside him. Immediately afterwards the chain hit him again and only a little later it hit him again. Gibbs fought like a lion against his tormentors, but a blow that hit him across the face almost knocked him unconscious. He groaned in pain.
"You will probably make up your mind if you don't want the same thing to happen to your people, Agent Gibbs. Aren't you?"
The chain hit him again, sending a wave of hot pain through his body. "Think it over well."
He could only make out the man vaguely in front of him. The chain was a glittering vortex in the air somewhere in front of him, falling over and over again, leaving another painful mark on his body. His chest, stomach and legs burned like liquid fire, his world seemed to consist only of this blinding pain.His knees buckled and he collapsed silently in the arms of his guards. He could still hear the malicious laughter of the three, then the chain seemed to run through his face again like red-hot iron and tear him down into the welcome blackness of unconsciousness.