Timeless (24/27)  -  A Forever Knight/X-Files Crossover
by Elisa P. Black

  It was with immense pain that he awoke this evening, the monster's 
"green blood" still coursing through his system.  What he needed was 
fresh blood to flush it away.  He looked into the darkness with 
frustration; it was already late so he'd lost a few good hours.  He 
must not waste any time.  Half of his work had already been undone 
earlier in the day by the green-blooded creature, and he must now 
salvage the rest.
  Staggering out of the building, he found the nearest human lying in 
an alley.  The tramp was dirty, drunk, and raving mad, but he had  
already taken to long getting even this far, and he could not be 
picky.  He snuck up, clamping a firm hand over the man's whiskered 
mouth and sinking in with eager fangs.
  The tramp flailed wildly, scratching and tearing at him, but he 
didn't care.  Long draughts of alcohol-laden blood flooded in, easing 
the sharp pain.  In his arms the body grew weaker, the heart slowed, 
breath failing...  It was time to leave and carry on with his work.
  He started to pull away when the body suddenly moved.  Caught by 
surprise and still weak from the "green blood" poison, he could not 
defend himself.  The tramp screamed shrilly and attacked him.  
Terrible pain throbbed from his cheek as the man bit in.
  He pushed frantically at his attacker, but to no effect.  The tramp 
stood tall now, holding *his* limp body, and he felt himself growing 
weaker.  As the time stretched on, the blunt teeth embedded in him 
turned to fangs, and at long last, withdrew.  He couldn't prevent 
himself from falling bonelessly to the ground.
  Try as he might, he could not move.  Staring helplessly, he could 
see nothing but a section of trash-strewn alley.  A moment later 
though, the tramp's grizzled face moved into view.
  The fangs were large, exaggerated in length and sharpness.  The eyes 
were even more hideous, not the burning amber he'd come to expect of 
vampires, but a glowing green, like so much sewage and hate.  A gleam 
of insanity still shone in them.
  "You're like all the others, ya lousy bastard!  I'll show you all!" 
  The tramp growled in a murderous rage, gesticulating wildly in his 
madness, seeming likely at any minute to throw himself to the ground.  
His dirty whiskered face could not seem to hold still either.  With 
every moment, it seemed to fluctuate, to grow longer or shorter, wider 
or thinner.  The cheekbones rose, then fell; the nose contorted in 
length and width; the eyes shifted their size and slant in endless 
combinations.  Only the mouth remained a similar size to fit the 
overgrown fangs; yet the lips grew and shrank in thickness.
  The newborn monster disappeared gleefully into the darkness.

  Dana Scully stared boredly at the late night black and white horror 
movie.  On the small TV hanging in the top right corner of the room, 
ridiculous monsters chased terrified maidens.  Their screams sounded 
muffled with the volume lowered.  Her mind, however, was really on the 
phone on the bedside table.  Since no one had had the decency to come 
see her and distract her from perpetual boredom all day, nor update 
her on what was going on, she was hoping for a call, at least.
  It was then that something happened.  An ear-splitting shriek came 
somewhere nearby.  She almost instinctively stood up to see what was 
happening, but one of her IV's stopped her with a stab of pain.  
Ouch!, she shouldn't have pulled that.
  Then something burst through her window.  Correction: *someone*.  A 
someone with glowing green eyes and fangs.  Whose face changed 
constantly, somewhat like a grotesque version of Mr. Potato Head. No, 
it must be a trick of the light.
  She looked around for a weapon, but nothing was available nearby.  
Even worse, her IV's were hooked up to the pole standing on the other 
side of the bed, right next to the intruder.  What she wouldn't give 
for her gun right now...
  "It *is* you," growled the intruder. "They want you, ya know.  I saw 
it in his head; they're after you.  I won't let 'em get you!"
  "Who are you?!" she demanded in her most authoritative voice.
  He chuckled.  "No one.  Everyone."
  She found herself staring into Melissa's face.  "Wh-what?"
  "Do you like it?" asked the very male voice.
  She shook her head to clear away the illusion.  Just a trick of the 
light, she told herself.  Can't lose my head now.
  "Oh, really?" taunted the gruff voice.  "How about *this*?"
  The face became a perfect copy of her brother Bill's, then her 
mother Margaret, her daughter Emily, Mulder, Skinner...  And then 
Cancerman, Well-Manicured Man, other old shadowy men she recognized, 
the Bounty Hunter...
  The long grim face looked incongruous on the short stocky body.  In 
this guise, the intruder stalked slowly around the bed.  She took a 
step back, felt the IV's pull on her, started to rip them out.  He was 
only a few feet away.  She tore the last needle free, and pressed her 
bleeding arm against her gown.  As she neared the door, she spotted a 
familiar uniform in the hall.  Police!  They may have come about the 
scream she'd heard earlier.
  "Help!" she yelled.  "There's an intruder in my room!"
  The man, wearing yet another new vampiric face, was now past the bed 
and halfway across the room.  Two cops brushed in past her with their 
guns out.  They stopped for a moment in shock before ordering him to 
stop his advance.  He jumped at them, knocking them to the floor, and 
bringing himself within a foot of her.  She started to leave the room.
  Someone else crashed through what was left of the window.  She and 
the first intruder whirled around to see the Bounty Hunter.  The 
Hunter headed straight for the man beside her, and stabbed his chest 
with a wooden stake.  First Intruder snarled in rage and pain, as 
green fluid oozed from the wound.
  The Hunter's eyes narrowed in suspicion, and he suddenly flicked out 
a stiletto instrument.  As Intruder pounced in attack, the Hunter 
stabbed at the back of his neck with the stiletto.  Intruder fell to 
the ground, breathing heavily.  Green blood also bubbled out from this 
injury, but the man did not die.
  Scully remembered then about the toxicity of the green blood.  Yet 
the cops lay right next to the Intruder, and although dazed and 
shocked, they didn't seem otherwise ill.  Even now they were shaking 
their heads clear and attempting to stand.
  The Intruder got to his feet and scurried to the window.   With a 
little leap, he took off... into the air.  The Bounty Hunter looked 
grimly about, then walked across the room and out the window.  Scully 
and the cops stared after them in amazement.

End of Part 24