Disclaimer:    

Title: "Mercury Falling" Author: cslatton. Yeah. Sure. Whatever. You'll never take me alive...

Flames and such to: cslatton17@yahoo.com

Summary: It's 1988 and Wheeling, West Virginia has serial killer on the loose. One who kills to attract the attention of a very exclusive audience: a young, hotshot profiler named Fox Mulder. But that's not Mulder's only problem for the moment. In fact, the killer may just have to get in line...

Category: Case File, Angst, Romance, Humor--did I leave anything out?

Rating: Definite R. Language, violence, adult situations--did I leave anything out here, either? Warning: Rape is mentioned: NOT described. The majority of the violence described is after the fact, the effects are described but not in any effort to glorify the situation. If you are easily offended, turn back now. This is a case involving violent crime including murder. If this presents a problem, I invite you not to read. But then, how are you managing to watch this show to begin with...?

Spoilers: None, unless you're really paying attention. If you catch them then you've seen the episodes they're winking at so they don't count as spoilers, do they?

Disclaimers: Mulder and company including Purdue, Patterson, Skinner, Fowley, Henderson, and Nurse Owens, belong to Chris Carter and Company, 1013 Productions and Twentieth Century Fox. Everybody else is mine all mine and if you decide they're worth playing with, please treat them gently: God knows I'm putting them through enough hell as it is.

James Wright is quoted with credit and without intentional infringement of copyright, as is Irving Feldman. Ditto, kiddo for John Ashbery, who is quoted exclusively from his book "A Wave", copyright 1985, by Penguin Books. Great stuff...

Apologies are sincerely lavished upon Dashiell Hammett for references in chapter one. The film being viewed in Chapter 21 is Howard Hawk's "To Have and Have Not", a marvelous screenplay co-written by William Faulkner and based on a short story by Ernest Hemmingway. Can you spell "a favorite film," children?

Musical interludes are courtesy of Ella Fitzgerald from Rogers and Hart's "Boys from Syracuse", 1938 and Phil Collins, "Two Hearts," 1987. Special thanks to Salvador Dali for his extraordinary "Burning Giraffes". As you can see, I'm trying to blame this on as many people as possible-- that way, I won't be so lonely when they lock me away. <eg>

Now that I'm done apologizing to all the people I might be offending, I would like say "thank you" to some of the fine people who have helped birth this monster. You didn't think it was all my fault, did you?

Cheryl V of FWMW for her fine efforts as my first editor, putting up with my flailing attempts to come up with an actual, viable plot and helping me make sense of all my ideas. It's amazing how you managed to work with the crap I gave you, Cheryl...

LuvMulder for continuing the effort, encouraging me to flesh out the story and actually say something with it instead of just telling it. Words fail me. Time and again, dear, you've helped me to keep my focus-- and my sanity not just on this book but in real life, too. You're a candidate for Sainthood, and your friendship has been a gift from God. Oh, and you're an excellent editor. <g> Anyone and everyone is invited to LuvMulder's site and check out her writing.. Then you'll see what kind of talent I'm up against and maybe cut me some slack... <g>

Kristina Johannson, beta reader extraordinaire and surely the greatest fan of Mulder!Angst I have ever met-- the man gets a hang nail and she's on the edge of her chair waiting for the blood, folks! <eg> Just kidding, Kristina. No, actually, I'm not kidding... <g>

Maureen for her encouragement and her tremendous chapter by chapter reviews-- you continue to amaze me with the depth of your perceptions and the graciousness of your responses.

Ali P for her fine artwork. You have an incredible talent and a generous heart. Both rare commodities in this world. If this story has done nothing else, it has brought wonderful people like you into my life. And I am intensely grateful.

DJ for taking on additional burdens of beta-reading/editing when you're plate is already so full. It's a pleasure having you involved in this project-- and an even greater pleasure being your friend. I appreciate all you do for me. I don't know *how* you manage to do it, but I appreciate it all the same. <g>

Last Gasp Note: This is considerably darker than my first piece, Domination of Lies, but hope you enjoy it anyway. Bear with me, folks, I promise the next one will have Scully in spades... maybe. Or maybe not. Anyway, on with the show:

Dedication: Okay, Pat and DJ, for what it's worth this one's for you. Emerex, for all your encouragement and your kind notes, you can have your share, too-- Too bad we're not making any money off this, huh? And, Connie, well-- Connie knows. I love you, doll. Thank you.

From the Why Didn't Someone Tell Me Department: It seems that Mercury has been nominated for the 2000 Spooky Awards. Awards include: Outstanding Novel, Outstanding X-File, Outstanding Mulder Characterization, and Outstanding Other Series Character Characterization (Diana Fowley). For whoever made the nomination: Thank You. I'm stunned. Honestly. I appreciate it. I think my beta's deserve a round of applause. <g>

*A note about the zip file: I will admit to complete ignorance about the proper procedure for uploading a zip file and thus far nothing anyone has recommended has helped, unfortunately. (Although I do appreciate all of you who made suggestions!). Here's what seems to work: click on the mercury.zip link. That will take you to a parent directory. *Right* click on the mercury.txt file and chose the "save as" option. This will save it to your hard drive, usually in a very few minutes. Just be sure to remember what part of your hard drive you saved it to!

Return to my main page