Story 264: "Silver Cornet" by Bonetree

[wendelah1]

Is anyone in The X-Files fandom still reading this journal? If not, it's my own fault. I can't believe I let three months go by without posting a new story. (This is why having a co-mod would be helpful. Any volunteers?)

True confession: I never thought I would be saying this but my enthusiasm for the series has flagged following the huge letdown of season ten. I finished my season seven re-watch back in February (around the time I posted "Parabiosis," in fact) and I still haven't cracked open the brand new Blu-ray case for season eight. Well, I'm done wallowing in misery. Yes, season ten was even worse than I'd anticipated, but that doesn't negate what I loved about the original series. And, it certainly doesn't cancel out the great fanfiction. If anything, we need fic more than ever. (Is anyone working on an AU for season ten? Because we need one and we need it TODAY.)

Since most of what's sitting in the nomination queue is novel length, I decided to pick something from the Ten Greatest Fanfictions post. I chose "Silver Cornet" for two reasons: (1.) We haven't discussed much of anything by Bonetree, which is a huge oversight, and (2.) I've never read "Silver Cornet."

Silver Cornet (22641 words) by Bonetree
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The X-Files
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully

SUMMARY: Set just after "Je Souhaite," Mulder and Scully take a ride on a mysterious train that's carrying more secrets than either can imagine.

The link is to AO3 so if you like the fic, you can hit the kudos button, even if you don't come back and leave a comment here. However, I'd love to know what you think of "Silver Cornet." Heck, now that there's a little bit of distance, I'd love to hear your thoughts on season ten. Don't forget to leave your suggestions for next time.

EDIT: The versions at AO3 and Gossamer are missing chapter four. Thanks to the sharp eyes and fic-finding skills of drodrey, we have a complete version via the Internet Archive.

Read the complete Silver Cornet via the Wayback Machine.

Comments

[discordantwords.livejournal.com]

I love this story.

It's unsettling and creepy, and there is such a sense of urgency to the whole thing as it races towards the conclusion (much like a speeding train.) I also think it does a good job at playing with the religious themes and ideas of good vs. evil that the show so often flirted with.

Scully believes, and Mulder believes in Scully, so they are able to save the world.

Like Syn said, this is a big story that works well in its claustrophobic setting.

The scene with Scully and Kever and the hot cocoa is one of those things that has stuck with me through the years. It's funny how the brain will sometimes latch onto something like that, but I genuinely can't drink a hot beverage or watch someone carry drinks without thinking about his nail breaking the skin of the chocolate. There was something about that entire scene-- Scully's restlessness, Kever's persistence which fell just short enough of rude for her to continue humoring him, the way their whole interaction went from there-- that felt so real and unsettling to me.

Re: Season 10... I don't know. I've had some time to think on it, and I still can't really put my thoughts into words. I didn't really like the premiere, but I chalked that up to it having been too long since the show aired and needing time to readjust to the characters.

I liked the next three, particularly Darin Morgan's episode, and the William scenes in Founder's Mutation brought on surprise tears, but I felt the whole thing was kinda whiplash-y. There was no real continuity between episodes, no mention of aliens or the conspiracy again until the finale. Babylon was terrible. The finale was-- full of the kind of bad science that you can't really get away with on television anymore.

I liked the virus idea, but found myself wishing they'd done it on a smaller scale, because like... even if Scully could come up with a vaccine or cure, there's no way they'd be able to get that out to the entire world in time. If it was just contained to one city, maybe. I'm capable of suspending my disbelief to an almost ridiculous extent, but that just pushed it too far. And ending the series on a cliffhanger, with no definite plans to return was just unnecessarily cruel.

I dunno. I'm still mixed on the whole thing. It was really surreal sitting down to watch a new episode of the X Files on live television, and I was sad when it was over, because it felt like I'd just started to get used to having Mulder and Scully on the screen again.