189: theatrical_muse 287
Prison.
"You really think this is a good idea, John?" Stark found herself saying as they walked through the hallways of the jail.
He glanced at her. "If it were you, you'd be doing the exact same thing," he replied and she knew that he was right. If it had been anyone she knew she would have come, despite knowing she was too close to the case. That was what he was, too close. Yet she couldn't exactly blame him. It was still hard to believe that one of his friends could be accused of such a crime.
As they stepped into the interrogation room, Martin Wells stood to greet them. Stark couldn't help but stare at the vicious cut on his face, which drew all their attention.
"Aw, geez, Martin," Doggett commented. "Your face..."
"It's all right," Martin said. "I appreciate you coming to see me. Agent Scully, I especially wanted to talk to you."
Stark tried to figure out how Martin actually knew Scully as her colleague shook the D.A.'s offered hand. "It's nice to meet you," she said. "I'm sorry it's not under better circumstances."
He had a look on his face as if something was finally dawning on him. "This is the day we meet," he said, almost to himself. Another moment more as his brain seemed to process this, then he glanced at them all. "Something is happening to me. Something I need to try to explain to all of you. I'm moving backward in time. Every morning I wake up, it's the day before. For me, yesterday was Thursday, the day before that was Friday, only it's all new to me. Every single morning, I wake up, I can only remember what's happened the following day."
"What?" Stark said before she could stop herself, although she had the simultaneous thought that it would explain how he knew who Scully was.
Her partner arched an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Agent Scully, would you mind taking a closer look at his injuries?" he asked. "Maybe check his scalp?"
"I know this all sounds crazy," Martin protested. "But I'm telling you the truth. This cut, for instance. It was on my cheek when I woke up yesterday. I woke up this morning, it wasn't there, but then this afternoon I got cut. I killed a spider in my cell yesterday. First thing this morning, I woke up, it's back again, because it happened the day before. I haven't actually killed it yet."
Scully just glanced at him, confused. "Mr. Wells, are you saying that you don't remember the day that your wife was murdered? I'm talking about two days ago, Monday."
"No, I don't remember it, because for me, it hasn't happened yet."
"You do realize that you're not going to be able to prove this, right?" Scully continued. "I mean, if tomorrow is really the day before today, then we won't have had this conversation."
"Oh, for crying out loud," Stark heard her partner say, clearly unimpressed. She gave him a look, and he gave her one right back, obviously not in the mood to discuss any of this. She bit her tongue, instead just watching everything unfold.
Scully was still talking to Martin Wells: "It means you're going to have to tell us all over again."
"Yeah, well," Doggett interrupted, "make sure I skip that freakin' meeting."
Before anyone could say anything, he turned and left the room, and knowing that she would be of no particular use to Scully staying, Stark turned and walked out after him. He made it to the end of the hall before she caught up with him, looking at the displeased expression on his face. "You know, for a friend of his, you're awful quick to discount him," she pointed out.
"You can't tell me you believe that," he retorted, looking at her. "Nobody just moves backwards in time. He's got a head injury or he's playing some sort of game, either way I'm not gonna be screwed with. I've had enough of that recently."
"It doesn't make any sense to me either," she replied. "But there's one thing that you can't explain."
"What?"
"How he knew Agent Scully before he'd ever met her," she replied. "How did he know her name? Unless he really is going backwards and in his mind, he's already spoken to her." She glanced up at him. "You said it yourself. You haven't seen or spoken to him in three years. You've only been down here two months. How would he know that?"
"I don't know, maybe he looked it up in some computer somewhere," he replied. "It's one little thing. A fluke. I'm not gonna discount the whole case just because of one thing. Not for him, not for anybody."
Stark glanced at him. "If it were me, you'd be wondering right now," she pointed out softly.
His tone was momentarily cold. "It would never be you," he replied, and she knew he was right.
Muse: Stark Patrick
Fandom: The X-Files (OC)
Words: 831
"You really think this is a good idea, John?" Stark found herself saying as they walked through the hallways of the jail.
He glanced at her. "If it were you, you'd be doing the exact same thing," he replied and she knew that he was right. If it had been anyone she knew she would have come, despite knowing she was too close to the case. That was what he was, too close. Yet she couldn't exactly blame him. It was still hard to believe that one of his friends could be accused of such a crime.
As they stepped into the interrogation room, Martin Wells stood to greet them. Stark couldn't help but stare at the vicious cut on his face, which drew all their attention.
"Aw, geez, Martin," Doggett commented. "Your face..."
"It's all right," Martin said. "I appreciate you coming to see me. Agent Scully, I especially wanted to talk to you."
Stark tried to figure out how Martin actually knew Scully as her colleague shook the D.A.'s offered hand. "It's nice to meet you," she said. "I'm sorry it's not under better circumstances."
He had a look on his face as if something was finally dawning on him. "This is the day we meet," he said, almost to himself. Another moment more as his brain seemed to process this, then he glanced at them all. "Something is happening to me. Something I need to try to explain to all of you. I'm moving backward in time. Every morning I wake up, it's the day before. For me, yesterday was Thursday, the day before that was Friday, only it's all new to me. Every single morning, I wake up, I can only remember what's happened the following day."
"What?" Stark said before she could stop herself, although she had the simultaneous thought that it would explain how he knew who Scully was.
Her partner arched an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Agent Scully, would you mind taking a closer look at his injuries?" he asked. "Maybe check his scalp?"
"I know this all sounds crazy," Martin protested. "But I'm telling you the truth. This cut, for instance. It was on my cheek when I woke up yesterday. I woke up this morning, it wasn't there, but then this afternoon I got cut. I killed a spider in my cell yesterday. First thing this morning, I woke up, it's back again, because it happened the day before. I haven't actually killed it yet."
Scully just glanced at him, confused. "Mr. Wells, are you saying that you don't remember the day that your wife was murdered? I'm talking about two days ago, Monday."
"No, I don't remember it, because for me, it hasn't happened yet."
"You do realize that you're not going to be able to prove this, right?" Scully continued. "I mean, if tomorrow is really the day before today, then we won't have had this conversation."
"Oh, for crying out loud," Stark heard her partner say, clearly unimpressed. She gave him a look, and he gave her one right back, obviously not in the mood to discuss any of this. She bit her tongue, instead just watching everything unfold.
Scully was still talking to Martin Wells: "It means you're going to have to tell us all over again."
"Yeah, well," Doggett interrupted, "make sure I skip that freakin' meeting."
Before anyone could say anything, he turned and left the room, and knowing that she would be of no particular use to Scully staying, Stark turned and walked out after him. He made it to the end of the hall before she caught up with him, looking at the displeased expression on his face. "You know, for a friend of his, you're awful quick to discount him," she pointed out.
"You can't tell me you believe that," he retorted, looking at her. "Nobody just moves backwards in time. He's got a head injury or he's playing some sort of game, either way I'm not gonna be screwed with. I've had enough of that recently."
"It doesn't make any sense to me either," she replied. "But there's one thing that you can't explain."
"What?"
"How he knew Agent Scully before he'd ever met her," she replied. "How did he know her name? Unless he really is going backwards and in his mind, he's already spoken to her." She glanced up at him. "You said it yourself. You haven't seen or spoken to him in three years. You've only been down here two months. How would he know that?"
"I don't know, maybe he looked it up in some computer somewhere," he replied. "It's one little thing. A fluke. I'm not gonna discount the whole case just because of one thing. Not for him, not for anybody."
Stark glanced at him. "If it were me, you'd be wondering right now," she pointed out softly.
His tone was momentarily cold. "It would never be you," he replied, and she knew he was right.
Muse: Stark Patrick
Fandom: The X-Files (OC)
Words: 831