DISCLAIMER: X-files and its characters are the property of Fox, 1013 Productions, and Chris Carter. Birds of Prey and its characters are the property of Miller/Tobin Productions, Warner Brothers and DC comics No infringement intended. Bionic Woman and its characters are the property of NBC.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: For Dhamphir my generous patient patron.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
FEEDBACK: To Geekgrrl.lurking@gmail.com
I Want To Believe
By Geekgrrllurking
Part 1
A thin line of cigarette smoke curled and swirled its way upwards, lazily flowing through a beam of light cutting through the dark space. The rest of the warehouse was abandoned, their brief meeting the only business that had been through the rundown building in years. Rats scampered away as sharp footsteps echoed off the walls as the woman made her way towards the light.
This had been a mistake, and she knew it, but she didn't see any other way around it. She sighed softly and stopped in front of the silent man who was just standing there, waiting for her.
"Do you have it?" The older man brought his cigarette to his mouth and inhaled, the red amber of the burning tobacco glowing brightly, drawing attention away from his weathered features half hidden in the murky shadows.
A plain brown file folder, bulging with paperwork and photographs, wrapped around with a thick green elastic to keep everything contained inside, was silently passed over.
"Trust me." The cigarette smoking man smiled, his stained teeth peaking through thin lips. He slipped the file under his arm and waited, savouring the moment, after all, things like this meeting didn't happen everyday. He would enjoy his victories when he found them. "You won't be sorry."
"I already am." Dana Scully bowed her head and left.
Six Months Earlier…
Dark clouds scurried across the night sky, while sirens and the city lights welcomed unsuspecting visitors to a typical night in the big city. A beat up VW Transporter bus sat parked on the side of a quiet street on the seedier side of town, two men leaning against the front of it, scanning the skyline with binoculars.
"Up there!" Langly pointed excitedly at the top of a building in the distance, as he flipped his long stringy blonde hair back out of his eyes. "Did you see it?"
"It was just a shadow from that cloud moving across the moon," Byers rolled his eyes and stared back at his old friend. He adjusted his tie and sighed. He was sure this was going to be just another one of Langly's wild goose chases.
A thumping sound came from behind them, inside the van followed by cursing.
"Looks like Frohike's got something." Langly all but bounced to the side door, sure that their surveillance camera's would capture something on video.
"Get your butts in here." Frohike all but growled, rubbing his head. He always stood up too quickly in the tight confines of the bus when he got excited about something. He punched a button and the action on the video moved backwards. Langly slid down beside the older man and took over the computer controls. He slowed the video down a little, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever caught Frohike's interest.
"No, take it back to time code 11:21" Frohike sighed. He hoped the bump on his head wouldn't be too bad. He stared at the screen a moment longer. "There!"
Langly hit another button and let the video play. An undeniably feminine form clad in black skin tight leather and a matching flowing duster scampered across a rooftop at an unnatural speed before leaping gracefully to the next building across and dropping down into an open window on the second to last floor
"Whoa, did you see her move?" Langley smirked. So much for this all being a figment of his imagination. "Now aren't you glad I dragged you guys to New Gotham for this."
Byers sighed but couldn't refute the evidence. There was certainly something unusual going on here. The Lone Gunman Newsletter would blow the lid off of this with an exclusive story, but this looked like an even bigger case. It had all the markings of an X File. He looked over at his excited friends and smiled.
"We'll need more concrete evidence before we contact Mulder and Scully."
"Yes!" Langly pumped the air with his fist.
"She shoots…she scores!" Helena Kyle's gleeful voice crackled across the headset.
"Quit being a hotshot, Huntress and get your butt in gear before the police get there." Barbara Gordon smiled at her friend's antics nonetheless.
"Yes, Mom." Huntress sassed back. "On my way back now, Oracle."
Barbara could hear sirens in the background. Checking the diagnostics and scanning the police radio frequencies she knew they were about three minutes from Huntress' location. Plenty of time for her to escape unnoticed into the night.
"Good work. See you shortly." Barbara backed her wheelchair away from the computer array and made her way into the kitchen. Plugging the kettle into the wall, she busied herself getting her cup of tea ready and waited for the water to boil.
"Hey, is Helena on her way back?" Dinah Redmond pulled another mug out from the cupboards and waited with her older mentor. Pulling an herbal teabag out she went to grab some honey from a different cupboard.
"Yes, mission completed ready to be mopped up by New Gotham's finest." Barbara ran her hand wearily through her long red hair and sighed. "Now I just have to start packing for my trip to Metropolis." Barbara wheeled over to the small pile of papers on the counter and shuffled down to her schedule for the conference she was attending. "It's amazing the work that Dr. Anthros is doing with bionics and micro technology. Who knows where it will lead…"
Dinah glanced away as the kettle whistled and she unplugged it, pouring the boiling water into both cups. She had to admire Barbara's determination to get herself out of that wheelchair someday. And although she hadn't had an outright vision, the young blonde knew, had sensed, that this trip would be more important than even Barbara could ever imagine. She shook off the lingering feeling of unease and smiled warmly.
"Who knows indeed…"
Part 2
Dana Scully slid the file cabinet shut with a click and turned back to face her partner Mulder, who was busily tossing pencils up into the ceiling tiles. She glanced up in time to see three pencils get knocked loose and come crashing down to his cluttered desktop.
Scully was so looking forward to going to Metropolis for the medical symposium, it wasn't funny.
Mulder picked up one of the pencils and checked the tip, frowning a second before jabbing it into the electric pencil sharpener on his desk.
Scully shook her head and grabbed her briefcase from beside her desk, slipping the padded strap over her shoulder. Hitting the off button on her monitor, she double checked that everything was as it should be before tucking her chair tight to the desk and heading for the door to their shared office space.
"I'll see you next week then, Mulder." Dana paused, her hand on the doorknob, looking back over her shoulder, wondering idly if he will even notice she's gone.
Mulder checked the tip of the freshly sharpened pencil with his finger and then tossed it up to the ceiling, smiling as it lodged itself solidly there. He looked back down at Scully, finally realizing that she was leaving for the day.
"Sure, Scully." Mulder leaned back in his chair and grinned knowingly. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do. I know what happens at these conventions."
Scully simply stared a moment longer at him and then turned to leave.
"You might get all giddy and start running with scissors or something…" Mulder teased, smiling wider as his partner paused mid-step and straightened her shoulders before continuing out the door.
Mulder's soft laugh trailed after her down the hallway. Scully jabbed the elevator button and waited for the doors to open. The man had no clue really, did he? If it didn't involve aliens or conspiracies, or his life in any way, then it was fair game for mocking and ridicule.
The elevator arrived with a subdued ding and she stepped inside. As the doors slid shut with a quiet whoosh, she could just make out the thump of another pencil hitting the ceiling tiles.
Her little mini-vacation to Metropolis couldn't begin soon enough.
Barbara Gordon pulled out the little black dress from her closet and stared at the soft material in her hands. Should she or shouldn't she? She never knew about these things. Sometimes it's filled with boring old men who want nothing but a glass of scotch to keep them company and other times she meets a great group of like minded colleagues who just want to have a little fun. Chewing her bottom lip, she made her decision and wheeled back over to her open suitcase sitting on her bed. Neatly folding it inside, Barbara flipped the case closed and realized that it was going to need a little strong arming to zip shut.
A sharp tap sounded at her open bedroom door, and she looked up to find a lounging Huntress leaning against the door frame.
"Need a hand?"
Barbara smiled back, before nodding at Helena. She watched the woman cross the room and easily press the case closed and slide the zip shut. Grabbing the handle, she lifted it off the bed and headed back with it to the door.
"I hope you have fun this weekend." Helena glanced back as Barbara wheeled her way along behind her. Sticking hot needles into her eyes sounded like more fun than the thought of being stuck in a lecture hall for hours on end with a bunch of droning stiffs, but she knew Oracle would be in seventh heaven.
"I'll do my best." Barbara grinned as Helena pressed the elevator button and they waited. "You and Dinah try to stay out of trouble for a change, will you?"
The elevator arrived and they moved inside, Helena averting her eyes. There was no telling where her meeting with Detective Reese would take her this weekend. She didn't want to hurt Barbara by flaunting a promising new relationship. Especially since Helena didn't even know if it was going to go anywhere.
"No promises." Helena smirked.
Barbara just shook her head, and grinned back. Maybe this weekend it was time for all of them to have a little adventure. As door slid shut and they descended slowly, she grew more excited with each passing floor.
Her trip to Metropolis couldn't begin soon enough.
Friday night in Metropolis was a sight to behold. The city lights twinkled like so many jewels in a crown. Miscellaneous sirens and horns honking didn't detract in the least, only adding to the excitement of the big city. The Galaxy Hotel sat in the centre of the small city, deep in the heart of the entertainment district, with bars and nightlife pulsing around it. A perfect location for conventions
Hosting the conference every year, The Galaxy was a familiar and favourite destination for many of the attendees this weekend. The symposium officially began Saturday morning, but the organizers had planned a meet and greet for the Friday night, welcoming everyone to the academic convention.
Scully entered the crowded room and glanced around, checking for the exits and where the wait staff came and went. It was an occupational habit, one that had saved her life on more than one occasion. She tugged gently at the hem of her green silk shirt, straightening it, still questioning the wisdom of having unbuttoned it one button more than usual.
She was here for some fun, for a change, damn it! She would not feel guilty.
Forcing herself to relax, Scully scanned for and located the bar to one side of the room. Weaving her way past many admiring eyes she made her way to the polished bar, where several people stood and chatted with each other.
"Your house white, please." Dana asked the bartender, sliding onto a suddenly vacant barstool. The man nodded and made his way to the far side of the bar to find a wineglass. Her gaze followed him, and then glanced across the other people hovering around the bar. Her eyes locked with another woman, sitting opposite to her at the other side of the bar.
The curious woman tilted her head slightly and smiled at her. Dana smiled back. The redhead was quite intriguing, and those eyes seemed to see right through her. The bartender returned with her wine, and she set up a tab on her credit card with him. Glancing up at the still subtly watching woman, she slowly spun her wine in the glass.
Dana had wanted a little adventure, to have some fun and live a little. Should she? She was already half way across the room when she realized she'd made the decision. She stopped near the other woman, leaning slightly against the bar as she placed her wineglass down on the polished bar top.
"Hi, I'm Dana Scully." She pointed to her lame hand written name tag they had forced her to put on at the door. The redhead nodded, and glanced down shyly before once again meeting her gaze.
"Barbara Gordon." The other woman touched her own label stuck to her black dress. Dana shifted, glancing down the gentle curves, the dark material clinging in all the right places and finding nice legs peeking out as well.
Dana looked down further, noticing for the first time the modified wheelchair her new acquaintance sat in. She looked back up into the sharp green eyes. There was a story there, a battle won and lost. She could see it in the inner strength and confidence the woman seemed to unknowingly exude. Dana knew there was more to the woman sitting so calmly beside her and she wanted to find out what it was. She extended her hand, taking the other woman's in her own and shaking it.
"Pleasure to meet you. May I join you?" Dana smiled warmly.
Barbara had been studying Dana almost as closely. She had been waiting for "the look", the one that always seemed to happen seconds after the person realizes she's in a chair. Usually it was pity or fear or sometimes a mixture of both. This woman had shown none of that, simply genuine interest in her as a person. It was a refreshing change.
"Please." Barbara grinned back, pleased as the strawberry blonde leaned against the bar and settled in.
It was going to be a very interesting evening.
The End