Dana's Malakim Pt 14/32
Title: Dana’s Malakim
Author: dhamphir
Fandom: X-Files
Pairing: Scully/OFC (Logan)
Rating: NC17
Summary: Scully must identify Mulder’s body after his suicide. Dying of cancer, she now faces an uncertain future, a crisis of faith... and a new partner. Little does she know the extraordinary and incredible things she’s seen while with the X-Files are nothing compared to what’s to come.
Time line/Spoilers: AU. Starts immediately after S4E23 Demons.
Disclaimer: X-Files and its characters belong to C.C. and 1013 Productions. No copyright infringement intended, no money be made.
A/N1: Some dialogue taken directly from the show. Although I do a bit of research for my stories, I’ve never been a cop, doctor, herbalist, psychologist, or theologist.
A/N2: Special thanks to sinadino for the German translations, and to xhuggles and ivy_wang for the Chinese translations.
A/N3: All mistakes are my own. Special thanks to oxfordshoes2 for the beta.
Dana’s Malakim
Part 14
Logan’s Apartment
Saturday, October 25th, 1997
Logan went to the machine and played back the message. She smiled, obviously pleased, then picked up her cell phone from the charger and called the woman.
“Hey, Linda, it’s Nicole... Really?... Yes! Of course... How soon?” Logan looked at the clock on the wall. “Yeah, I can make it there by then... Alright, see you there.” She hung up and looked at her partner. “I’ve got to run an errand and meet up with Linda real quick-”
“Let me just grab my things and I’ll be out of your hair,” Scully said heading to the bedroom to get her clothes.
Nicole caught her arm. “Whoa, hold up, Dana. I was going to say, why don’t you come along?”
“I don’t want to get in the way.”
“You wouldn’t get in the way. And I could use your input. You can tell me what you think.”
“About what?”
“You’ll see,” the blonde replied with a smile. “Come on.”
~~~
234 Chestnut Street
Saturday, October 25, 1997
Scully couldn’t help but notice the tall blonde that was standing on the driveway waiting for them as Logan parked the car. When they got out of the car Logan and other woman hugged.
“You’re going to love this, Nicole. It’s got everything you wanted. And it hasn’t even hit the listings yet, so no one else knows about it yet.”
“You’ve definitely got my interest piqued,” she replied with a smile. She then turned to Dana. “Linda, this is my partner, Dana Scully. Dana, this is Linda Atkins, my realtor.”
The two women said hello and shook hands. Scully couldn’t deny she felt a sense of relief at finding out Linda was Nicole’s realtor.
“Come on, let’s take a look.” Linda unlocked the front door and led the women inside.
The realtor knew to let Nicole look around on her own so she waited in the kitchen. Dana walked through the house with her partner. It was a single story, three bedroom, two and a half bath house. The kitchen wasn’t large, but was outfitted with new appliances and sufficient cupboard and counter space. After they made the rounds they met up with Linda in the kitchen.
“Basement?” Nicole asked.
Linda smirked. “I wouldn’t have called you otherwise.” She nodded toward the door in the kitchen that led to the basement.
Nicole smiled and headed down. It was a completely unfinished basement. The basement ran under the entire length of the house. She stood under the bare bulb in the center of the room and looked around - picturing how she’d set it up. She smiled.
“What do you think, Dana?”
An auburn eyebrow quirked. “About the basement, or the house?”
“Either, both,” she replied with a smile.
“Well, there’s not much to say about the basement - it’s completely unfinished.”
Nicole grinned. “Yeah, it’s great.”
Dana smiled at her partner’s reaction. “As for the house, well, it needs some work, but I think it has potential.”
Nicole nodded. “I agree.” They headed back up to the kitchen. “So what are the options, Linda?”
“They want a one year lease, but they will accept a six month lease you if you’re willing to pay a premium.”
Nicole nodded. “It’s exactly what I was looking for.” She reached inside her coat and withdrew her checkbook. She wrote out a check and handed to Linda. “Here’s a deposit. Tell them I’ll take it, but I want possession by next weekend.” She then pulled a business card out of her wallet. She wrote something on the back of it before handing it to Linda. “Call here if they have any questions.”
Linda’s eyes widened as she took a good look at the check she’d been given and what was on the card. She looked back up at Nicole, opening her mouth to say something but Nicole cut her off.
“I’m sure you can you manage it, Linda. You’re pretty good at sweet talking your clients. Thanks again, Linda. You found exactly what I wanted.”
As Nicole and Dana drove away, Linda took out her cell phone and called the number on the card Nicole had given her. She was assured that the offer to buy the house was quite serious, that it would be a cash deal, and they could close in as little as two days. She was also assured that the balance of the funds were already in an account that could be verified first thing Monday morning.
Linda then called the owners of the house. To say they were surprised by the offer was an understatement, but they also knew the offer was more than fair since it was more than the house was worth. They took the weekend to think about it and then decided to sell the property rather than their original intent to lease it.
~~~
FBI Headquarters
Monday, October 27th, 1997
Nicole received a call first thing Monday morning. She was in the office but Dana hadn’t arrived yet.
“Logan.”
“Nicole, it’s Linda.”
“Hey, Linda. Tell me you’ve good news for me.”
“I do. They accepted your offer.”
“Great! That is good news. When’s closing?”
“Thursday.”
“Good. I’ve already drawn up some plans for the renovations.”
“You know you’re paying more than you should for the house, right?”
Logan smiled. “It’s okay, Linda, it’s worth it to me.”
“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“No worries.”
After hanging up with Linda, Logan placed another call.
“Wickersham.”
“Hey, Thea.”
“Hey, Nicole. What’s up?”
“I just got the word. The closing is Thursday.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Are you sure you want to handle all of this?”
“Why wouldn’t I? I set up the place in Bucharest, the one in Hamburg, the one in-”
“Alright, alright,” she said chuckling. “I’ll email you what I’ve drawn up for the renovations.”
“How soon do you want things done?”
“As soon as possible.”
“You know, I didn’t think you’d be here long enough to need a place.”
“This assignment hasn’t been anything like I expected.”
“I hear you, but you know I’m here for anything you need.”
Dana arrived in the office. She hung up her coat and picked up the mug of hot tea Nicole was holding out to her as she continued her phone conversation.
“I know. I’ve always been able to count on you.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
“I know. I’m glad, too. Talk to you later, hon.”
“You, too.”
Nicole hung up and smiled at Dana. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” Dana responded over the rim of her mug. “What’s got you so chipper this morning?”
“Just got the news - the house is mine.”
The redhead smiled. “Congratulations.”
~~~
234 Chestnut Street
November 22nd, 1997
Thea oversaw the contractors who did the renovations on the house, paying bonuses for expedited but quality work. She made sure everything was done to exact specifications, from the refinishing of the hardwood floors to the new extra large hot water heater. However, she was most attentive when it came to the state of the art security/monitoring system and the basement.
The house was wired with sensors and cameras all tied into the custom security system that Thea had designed. Logan could check any room in her house, and the outside perimeter, on her laptop from anywhere within the house or away from home. Her bedroom, the kitchen, and the office also had monitoring stations. No one could possibly get into her house without her immediately being notified.
Then there was the basement. That was where the most elaborate work was done. The basement was expanded - a walk-in vault added - extending out from under the house. In it Logan could stash anything that could not be easily explained. It could also function as a safe room since it could be locked from the inside. It even contained a monitor station for the security system.
The rest of the basement was divided into two rooms. The small room, the first room once you came went down the steps, was a wine cellar. Beyond that was a workout room - outfitted for fighting practice.
Logan moved in after the end of her six month lease of her apartment.
~~~
Gennex Labs
Friday, December 26th, 1997
During their seven-month partnership Scully and Logan had cleared all but one of the cases they had been assigned. Skinner was very pleased with their work, the Consortium paid them little attention, and Nicole had settled into her new place. Dana and Nicole had dinner together at least once a week that had nothing to do with work, and at least every two weeks the two women had dinner with Dana’s mother as well. They had even exchanged Christmas gifts.
While Dana was visiting with her family for Christmas Nicole received a call from Thea. She told Nicole to meet her and her hacker buddy Jerry at the lab he worked at. It was late evening so it would be just the three of them. Nicole rushed over.
Thea met her at the door and let her in. They hugged.
“So what have you got for me?”
“Come on back and let me introduce you to Jerry.”
After the introductions were made Jerry Trainer, the molecular biologist and Thea’s hacker buddy, explained that he had finally broken down the substance that he’d isolated in Dana’s blood. He also showed how it was specifically designed to react only to Dana’s DNA. It wouldn’t affect anyone else. He’d even been able to replicate some of it in its pure form. What remained to be done was to come up with not only a way to block its effects, but also to reverse the damage it had already done to Dana. Nicole knew if they could block its effects she could repair the physical harm already done.
“Can you devise a way to block the effects of this bugger?” Nicole asked.
Jerry grinned. “I thought you’d never ask. Since it’s designed so specifically to react with one person’s DNA it’s only a matter of altering the original agent. Even a slight change should prevent it from reacting with her DNA.”
“That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t do me a whole lot of good since I don’t have access to the source of the agent.”
“Then we find a way to alter it once it enters the body.”
“How?”
“Another agent that reacts with it and renders it benign.”
Nicole smiled. “How long will it take you?”
“Not nearly as long as it did isolating and replicating it did. It’s always easier to destroy than to create. And all we really have to do is throw in a monkey wrench rather than completely destroy it.”
She nodded. “I appreciate your best efforts, and your quickest.” She paused. “We’re running out time,” she added softly.
Jerry nodded in understanding. “The lab is basically shut down for the holidays. I can pretty much work on it round the clock till everyone comes back after the New Year.”
“Thanks. I appreciate all you’ve done, Jerry. You’ll get a nice bonus when it’s done.”
“This isn’t about money for me. It’s about the challenge,” Jerry said.
“I understand that, but you should still be compensated for all the hard work you’ve done.”
~~~
FBI Headquarters
AD Skinner’s Office
Wednesday, January 7th, 1998
Skinner stood as the two women entered his office. “Agent Scully, Agent Logan, please have a seat.” He retook his seat as they sat in the two chairs in front of his desk. “I have a case for you.” He handed a file to Scully, which she opened and skimmed. “An agent in Miami, Agent Cardoza, has asked for help with a case he’s been working.”
Scully looked up. “Satanic ritual killings?”
“Perhaps not satanic, but ritual killings, yes. Don’t expect to feel particularly welcome at the Miami field office. The SAC has refused to provide any resources or backup in this case.”
“Why not?” Logan asked.
“Special Agent Fredericks is old school. And he doesn’t have much patience for what he considers nonsense.”
“Then how did it come to your attention, sir?” asked Scully.
“Fredericks told the investigating agent that if he could find anyone crazy enough to help him - outside of the Miami field office - that was fine. I think it’s obvious that Fredericks didn’t think he’d get anyone to help. You’re expected in Miami today,” he finished, dismissing the agents.
“Yes, sir,” Scully answered for the both of them. They stood to leave the AD’s office.
“Agent Logan, would you please stay? It’ll only take a minute.”
The women exchanged a look and Scully left. The blonde turned back to Skinner.
“About Scully...”
“What?”
“She doesn’t look like she’s doing very well.”
“She’s not,” Logan sighed.
“Is she up to this, or should I pull her from the field.”
“No, don’t pull her.”
“If she’s not able to watch your bac-”
“She can watch my back just fine.”
The AD gave her a skeptical look.
“It’s my back and I trust her to have it,” she replied a little curtly. Logan took a slow breath. “Look, it’s better if she’s with me out of town than here alone.”
Skinner silently mulled over the blonde’s words.
“Trust me, Walter.”
He looked into her eyes and finally nodded.
~~~
Miami International Airport
Miami, FL
Nicole watched her partner sleep on the flight down to Miami. Despite all her efforts to ‘treat’ the redhead, the cancer was winning. Dana was more and more fatigued with each day that passed. Dana’s clothes hung loosely on her and she really couldn’t afford to lose any more weight. If Thea’s friend didn’t come up with something soon, it was going to be too late.
Their flight touched down at 6:12 pm. When they arrived at baggage claim Nicole volunteered to get their bags, so Dana headed to the car rental counter. While she was filling out the paperwork for the rental, a dark complexioned man walked up to the counter.
“Agent Scully? Or Agent Logan?”
Scully turned and looked at the tall man. “Scully,” she answered. “Agent Cardoza?”
Javier Cardoza took in the pale appearance of the redhead, thinking she’d be truly beautiful with some color and little more weight on her frame. “Yes. Welcome to Miami,” he said with a bright smile. “I meant to meet you at the gate, but there was an accident on the causeway.”
“That’s okay.”
“Where’s Agent Logan?”
“She’s getting our bags,” Scully said with a nod toward the baggage carousel for their flight.
“She? I didn’t know they were partnering women together.”
Scully quirked an eyebrow. “Do you have a problem with it?”
“No, no. Not at all. Well, I’ll give Agent Logan a hand while you finish up here.” Cardoza walked over to the blonde and tapped her on the shoulder. “Agent Logan?”
“Yes?”
When the blonde turned around, Cardoza was almost dumbstruck by the dark green eyes looking at him. He managed to gather himself without being too obvious about his mental stumble. He held her hand out and flashed a big, white smile.
“I’m Agent Javier Cardoza. Welcome to Miami.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Agent Cardoza.” Logan shook his hand and smiled. Then she saw their bags on the carousel. Just as she pulled them off Scully came back from the rental counter.
“Are you ready, Nicole?”
Before the blonde could answer, Cardoza spoke up. “Have you two had dinner?”
“Airplane food? Not on your life,” Logan quipped.
“If you’re not too tired we could go to dinner... and discuss the case.”
Nicole looked to Dana for the answer.
Having slept on the flight down, Scully thought she could handle going out to dinner. “As long as we can check into our hotel first, dinner would be fine,” she replied.
~~~
Seabreeze Grill
Miami, FL
They waited until after the waiter delivered their drinks to bring up the case.
“So tell me, Agent Cardoza, what makes you think the case involves satanic ritual kill-” Scully started.
He cut her off. “I never said Satanism had anything to do with it, Agent Scully. They are ritual killings, but they don’t follow a known religion.”
“What do you mean?”
“There are no modern religions that incorporate human sacrifice, not even the Church of Satan,” Logan interjected.
“We do occasionally run across sacrifices that have been performed for Santeria, but they’re always animals,” said Cardoza. “I believe what we’re dealing with in this case is a person, or persons, who are deliberately trying to make these killings appear to be part of a satanic ritual - based on the popular misconceptions of Satanism portrayed in movies and fiction.” He paused for a beat. “Or a mentally ill person.”
The three agents ended their discussion of the case when the waiter brought their food.
~~~
Days Inn
When they returned to their hotel, Dana and Nicole both changed their clothes. Dana put on her pajamas and settled in to read a book before going to sleep. The blonde changed into jeans and a dark t-shirt. She wanted to see if she could pick up on any whispers about the killings... and the kind of people that might be involved with such things. Before heading out she knocked on the adjoining door between their rooms before opening it.
The redhead was surprised when she saw how her partner was dressed. “What are you up to, Nicole?”
“I just wanted to let you know that I’m headed out for a little while. I have my phone with me though if you need me.”
“You’re going out?”
“Would you like to join me?” the blonde asked, knowing Dana would say no.
“No. Just don’t stay out all night,” she said with a sigh.
Nicole smiled gently. “Don’t worry, Dana, I’m just going to try to get a feel for things.”
~~~
Most Recent Crime Scene
Thursday, January 8th, 1998
In the morning Scully and Logan met with Cardoza, who took them to the latest two crime scenes. The two agents from DC went over the scenes and asked questions. It was at the newest crime scene that the blonde seemed a little distracted.
They were in what had once been a beautiful house, but was now a dilapidated, condemned building in a rundown part of the city. The murder had been committed in the kitchen, but Logan wandered into the walk-in pantry. She stood still in the center of the pantry.
Scully walked to the doorway and frowned. She couldn’t figure out what her partner was doing. She startled a little when the blonde suddenly started pulling down some shelving. “Nicole! What the hell are you doing?”
Logan placed her gloved palm against the wall where she’d removed the shelves and pressed. There was a snick and then a panel jerkily slid aside, exposing a small room.
Cardoza stood behind Scully, his eyes wide. “How did you know that was there?”
The blonde withdrew a small flashlight from her pocket. “Come and look at this.”
The other two both crowded into the pantry and looked at where Logan was focusing the flashlight beam.
“What is that?” Scully asked.
“It’s a vévé for a lwa,” replied Cardoza.
“You mean voodoo?”
“We have a significant Haitian population with plenty of followers of Vodou.”
“This isn’t any lwa I’ve ever heard of, and it’s not any form of Vodou. This is something else, something much older... and evil,” countered Logan. “We should get some samples,” she said as she ducked into the little room.
Nicole pulled out a small paper sample envelope. When she knelt and placed her hand on the floor next to the symbol painted on the floor, the blonde was practically knocked back onto her butt from the force of what she felt. Dana was alarmed by Nicole’s expression and the lack of color in her partner’s face - it was a cross between imminent sickness and terror. Dana knew something was very wrong. She entered and knelt next to the blonde. She was about to put an arm around her partner when Nicole whispered to her urgently.
“Get him out of here.”
“What?”
“Just get him away from here. I need a few minutes alone. Please!” she pleaded.
The pain in Nicole’s eyes tore at Dana, but she did as the blonde requested. She exited the small room. “Agent Cardoza, I’d like to speak with the neighbor that found the body.”
He started to gesture toward the pantry but before he could say anything Scully cut him off.
“Agent Logan will handle getting the samples while we talk with the neighbor.”
~~~
Dana stood on the sidewalk in front of the house with Cardoza, talking to the neighbor, but her thoughts and concern remained with her partner. It was obvious that Nicole had been distressed. Even though they had gotten a little drunk that night a little over two months ago, Dana clearly remembered everything the blonde had told her about how her abilities affected Nicole, how she felt things, and the price she paid. Dana wanted to be with her partner, to help her, and comfort her. Her attention returned somewhat to the conversation at hand.
“... nothing else you need...”
“No. Thank you,” Scully replied.
~~~
Once Dana got Cardoza away from the kitchen and out of the house, Nicole let out an inarticulate noise. She had not been prepared for what she’d encountered. Evil, with a capital E, permeated the area. It was an old Evil... and angry. It was an amorphous thing, like a vapor that hung in the air. Whoever had performed the sacrifice in that house was trying to resurrect something ancient and terrible. One way or another, Nicole knew she had to stop it.
The blonde had a chance to center herself by the time the others returned. When Scully and Cardoza entered the kitchen the partners exchanged a look that managed to convey Dana’s concern and Nicole’s assurance that she was alright.
“I’ve got the samples. If there’s nothing else you want to look at, Dana, we can go.”
~~~
Miami FBI Field Office
While Scully examined and tested the samples in a lab, Logan and Cardoza stood in front of a large map of the city taped up on a whiteboard.
At Logan’s request, Cardoza marked the position of each crime scene on the map. He then stood back and silently observed the blonde... the view of her ass was quite pleasant. Logan peered at the marks on the map in silence. Suddenly the blonde moved up to the map and marked a spot on the map and circled her mark.
“That’s where the next killing will take place,” Nicole announced.
“How do you know?” Dana asked as she entered the room.
“Because it will complete the pattern.” The blonde used the marker to draw a symbol on the map, connecting all of the crime scenes and her mark.
Cardoza frowned. “I don’t recognize that symbol.”
“It’s very old. It’s a symbol of resurrection. The symbol at the house was the one representing the demon Humbaba.”
“Hubba what?” Cardoza was confused.
Logan nodded. “It’s Mesopotamian - specifically, Akkadian. Humbaba’s sole purpose was to be a ‘terror to human beings.’” She sighed as she turned away from the map. “Someone is trying to resurrect Humbaba.”
“Do you actually believe someone can resurrect this demon?” Dana asked, skeptical.
“It doesn’t matter what you or I believe. The point is there’s someone out there who does believe it’s possible and is sacrificing people to make it happen.”
“How do you know all of this,” Cardoza asked.
“I have a PhD in Theology. I’ve studied religion since I was a kid.”
“Which ones?”
“All of them.”
The man blinked, clearly not expecting and not really believing her answer.
Dana looked at her partner and held her eyes. She may not believe in demons, but she didn’t doubt Nicole knew what she was talking about. After a moment she spoke. “The emblem was painted in blood, which you undoubtedly already surmised. The blood was from the previous victim.”
~~~
St. Philomena Church
The three agents ended their working day before noon since they were going to be on stakeout that night. Feeling fatigued, Dana had no trouble falling asleep as soon as she lay down. Nicole, on the other hand, had important errands to run. She needed to prepare for what might have to be done.
Cardoza decided to forgo an afternoon nap and discreetly followed the intriguing blonde agent. He was surprised to follow Logan into a one of the roughest neighborhoods of the city. He watched as Logan entered a shop that catered to the practitioners of alternative religions. It was definitely not a touristy kind of place either.
Several minutes after Logan entered the shop she exited with bag in hand, presumably containing whatever she had purchased. She then got into her car and drove to a church close to the visiting agents’ hotel. Cardoza parked his own car and entered the church. He observed the blonde near the altar speaking with the priest. He couldn’t hear them so he eased his way closer along the side wall, hiding behind a pillar, taking care not to bring any attention to himself.
“... hasta consagrar ella.” [... to consecrate it.]
Father Raul nodded somberly. “Claro.” [Of course.] He held out his hand and Logan withdrew a large ceremonial dagger from the bag and handed it to him. He placed the dagger on the altar, donned his vestments, and lit the candles on the altar. He began to pray in Latin.
When the priest finished, Logan nodded her thanks and then bowed her head for a moment, looked up toward the ceiling, and began her own prayer... in a language not of man. Father Raul thought he recognized the most ancient of languages, though he didn’t understand a single word of it. Then he got a good look at the blonde’s eyes. He let out a gasp.
“Virtud!” [Virtue!] he exclaimed softly.
When Logan finished her own prayer, her own appeal for divine blessing, she looked at the priest. “Gracias, Padre.” [Thank you, Father.] She picked up the dagger from the altar and turned to leave. “Did you want something, Agent Cardoza?” she asked without looking over at the pillar the man was hiding behind.
He cringed; he thought he’d been successful in avoiding detection. Cardoza stepped out from behind the pillar. He wasn’t sure what to say so he just shrugged.
~~~
part 15
part 1| part 2| part 3| part 4| part 5| part 6| part 7| part 8| part 9| part 10|
part 11| part 12| part 13|