TITLE: The Waste Lands
AUTHOR: stellar_dust
EMAIL: stellar_dust_x@yahoo.com
WEBSITE: http://katycat.net/xfiles/
ARCHIVE/FEEDBACK: Yes!
SPOILERS/SETTING: Early Season 9
CHALLENGE: First Lines (Stephen King's "The 
Gunslinger")
WORD COUNT: 380 or so.  Sorry.
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: The man in black fled across the 
desert, and the gunslinger followed.
DISCLAIMER: Chris Carter to the Dark Tower 
came, and invented all the characters in this 
little piece of fiction.
DATE: 07/04/04
NOTE: I've been wanting to use this line all 
week, and *finally* I came up with something.  
Yay!


The man in black fled across the desert, and 
the gunslinger followed.

His mouth didn't smile, but his eyes did, 
grimly.  He had his orders.  Mulder was the 
most important part of the plan now, Mulder and 
his son; if either or both were lost, the 
schedule might be upset by several years.  
Ordinarily, he would have asked for specifics; 
he liked to understand the reasons behind his 
orders.  But this time, it was personal.

Mulder would not escape him again.

In his black t-shirt and jeans, Mulder would 
not survive long under the hot sun.  It was 
only a matter of time.  And in the desert, in 
the middle of nowhere, Mulder had precisely 
nowhere to go.

The gunslinger loped across the ground, 
confidently, never tiring. 

It did not occur to him to wonder why the man 
in black had allowed himself to be herded into 
the desert.

****************

"Mulder!" Gibson whispered as the man in black 
tumbled haphazardly down the ladder of his 
hideout.  "Hurry!  Close the hatch!  He's right 
behind you!"

Mulder dragged himself to his feet and slammed 
the camouflaged trapdoor shut above him.  
Finally, he collapsed to the floor, legs 
aching, breathing heavily, one arm flung over 
his eyes.

Gibson's eyes were shut in concentration.  "I 
think it's okay now, Mulder.  He's almost past 
- yeah.  He ran right by, he didn't see."

Gibson helped Mulder to sit up, and handed him 
a cup of water.  "It's okay.  This place is 
safe.  We can stay here as long as we have to."

Mulder downed the water greedily and wiped his 
brow on the sleeve of his t-shirt.  He coughed.  
"Thanks, Gibson.  I - I really owe you one."  
Mulder glanced around the dark, dusty 
underground hideout.  "So what do you do around 
here for fun, anyway?"

Gibson grinned and shoved his glasses back up 
on his nose.  "I have wireless high-speed 
internet."

Incredulous, Mulder laughed harder than he had 
in years.

*****************

The gunslinger slowed to a stop. He frowned.  
He had just realized he hadn't seen Mulder 
ahead of him for several kilometers.  

No matter.  The man had nowhere to run.  In the 
middle of the desert, nothing vanishes without 
a trace.  And there was no immediate hurry.

Resigned, the gunslinger returned to his ship, 
and settled in to wait.