Story 267: "America's Games" by Sarah Segretti

[wendelah1]

I love angst and fix-it fics (and the writing of prufrock's love) but I'm ready to take a break from the post-series, post-IWTB setting, and read something set earlier in the series. This rec comes from last year's The Ten Greatest XF Fics You've Ever Read. Read what zinnia03 had to say about "America's Games":

America’s Games by Sarah Segretti. Author’s

Comments

I like

[bmerb]

This was a fun one. I enjoyed going back to the season 3/4 era, although I can't remember enough about the episodes it references to entirely slot it in. Mulder and his behavior through Scully's lens was aggravating and frustrating, which was a pleasure since Scully rarely voiced such frustrations on screen (well, minus one famous episode of course) yet it remained in character. I particularly like the UST to which Scully gives a resounding "no", followed by the fountain scene

Re: I like

[wendelah1]

I think I'm going to rewatch the episodes before I comment on the fic and comment on your comment. Back soon.

"That's where the hope is" part 1

[wendelah1]

I had to split this into two comments.

SCULLY: Nothing happens in contradiction to nature, only in contradiction to what we know of it. And that's a place to start. That's where the hope is.
Having read the fic before rewatching the episodes and again afterward, my conclusion is that this story might work better if you don't know the canon. Now that my knowledge has been refreshed, I can see how carefully Segretti has placed this story within the final events of "Herrenvolk," in German, "master race," and actual current events

RE: "That's where the hope is" part 1

[bmerb]

They don't follow through because Chris Carter never cared about the credibility of his characters or the continuity of his fictional universe. He still doesn't! Witness season ten!

Oh yeah, PREACH!! Ugh...

"That's where the hope is" part 2

[wendelah1]

Back to the story.

So my problem here is that while Mulder's question to her is a good one, Scully's answer to him doesn't satisfy me. Segretti is a great writer. All credit to her for giving it a go but there is nothing anyone can say or do-or write-to put this mess to rights, short of a complete AU, and that's not what she intended.

The jetliner that went down near New York was a real event; of course, the Olympics really were held in Atlanta in 1996. Segretti has Scully relieved of her duties and reassigned to investigating the ginseng operation in Alberta (How? It's in Canada. They have no jurisdiction.) just before the bombing took place on July 27.

The radio was broadcasting the latest news from Atlanta in counterpoint to her thoughts. They'd missed the bomb at Centennial Olympic Park by just hours. If Mulder had shown up at the CDC later, or their flight had been delayed, both of them no doubt would have been drafted into the manhunt. She could have done something useful for the Atlanta team, been of real help to someone.