Date: Wed, 26 Oct 1994 12:38:27 EDT Reply-To: Highlander TV show stories Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Brian Macleod Subject: Behind Blue Eyes, Part 7 ************************************************************************* *************************H I G H L A N D E R***************************** *****************B E H I N D B L U E E Y E S********************* ************************************************************************* BY BRIAN PROCOPIO, BASED ON THE FILM OF THE SAME NAME. COPYRIGHT 1994 CHAOS PICTURES, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- (just a reminder, this story is the sequel to/continuation of Descendants to the Prize. If anyone is missing that one (2 parts) or any chapter of this story, drop me a line!) PART SEVEN _______________________________________________________________________________ The wolf bared its fangs at David again and, before his eyes, drew itself inward. Suddenly it exploded and grew instantly into a seven foot tall creature and swatted David's katana away like a toothpick. It swung back again and slapped him in the face, then once more. Dave huddled over, futilely attempting to ward off the blows with his arms... "C'mon, buddy, this is the end stop, now pay and get out!" declared the transit official in a harrassed tone. Macleod snapped to in an instant, one hand reaching under his trenchcoat and patting his sword, the other scrambling for a spare token. He blinked away the forest and recaptured his sense of reality. The stale odor of the empty bus assaulted his senses as the recently risen sun glared through the plexiglass window beside him. He paid the driver,who grumbled under his breath as David left the bus. The cold early morning wind assailed his lungs and cleansed his brain of the fatigue inhabiting it. He was glad at this point that MacKenzie lived just two stops away from the final destination which he had just stepped from. Anything more would have been a long walk, something he didn't need right then. "Gotta stop pushing myself like this," he thought while he walked, "need sleep now, but can't. Too much at stake..." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He pounded upon the door yet again, the stone facade of the house leering quietly back. A moment passed, and then he felt the presence of another immortal. The sound of unlatching bolts could be heard through the thick wooden door, and it cracked slightly, then opened fully as Brian turned away from it, sword in hand. "Oh, it's you," he croaked, "what the hell do you want at this hour of the morning?" MacKenzie's brownish-black hair was ruffled like a scared tomcat. He wiped the sleep from his eyes with one hand as he returned his sword to its mount upon the wall with the other. "A friend of yours paid me a visit today," explained Dave quietly. "Oh?" MacKenzie yawned. "Who?" Macleod cut Brian off in mid-yawn. "Gabriel Cole." "What did he say?" MacKenzie replied, his manner instantly becoming hardened. "He'll be waiting for you at midnight inside the Hedgerow Theater," explained Dave, his behavior mimicking his instructor's. "I... I can't fight him, Dave. You'll have to go this one alone" returned Mac- Kenzie. For the first time David was truly frightened, for he had never seen his mentor act this way before. His usually light-hearted manner had dissapearred completely. This went well beyond even his so-called "serious" moments. "But, Bri, he challenged *you*, not me. Forget about all the stuff with my training being done and all, this isn't even my fight. I don't know what your history is with him and all, but..." Dave tried to rationalize, attempting to bring his trainer around. "No." MacKenzie was still facing the wall, one hand on the hilt of his katana. His eyes were closed. "I cannot fight him," he said simply. "Mac, what the hell do you want me to do for Christ's sake!!??!!" Dave exclaimed, his exasperation shining through in his hand gestures. "Leave town. Go far away. Get out of here" returned MacKenzie. "WHAT?! You mean just chicken out? Mac, he'll find me if he wants to and all, I mean, what the hell are YOU going to do," David shouted. "Yes, that's what I mean. Better to leave now and live a few decades so you won't have to depend on luck to defeat him rather than foolishly loose your head!" MacKenzie bit back, his knuckles growing white on his sword. "Mac, he... h.. Mac, he's got Lisa," stammered Dave. The shoulders of his teacher slumped. "Jesus, Mac, you have to help me on this one," he pleaded. "Dave, I.. I have my reasons, Dave, and I can't fight him. That's just the way it is," stated MacKenzie. A tense moment of silence passed between them, and then Dave spoke up coldly, "Fine. If that's the way it is, then... fine. I'll take him on myself. So long, Mac, it's been real," he ended sarcasticly, then turned and strided toward the door. He had one foot out when he paused suddenly, remembering something. He reached into his coat and retrieved the small package left to him by Cole, and tossed it onto MacKenzie's couch. "That's a gift from Cole. Enjoy it." He slammed the door behind him. MacKenzie flinched at the sound. He lifted his sword from its rack, and.... <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< ....unsheathed the blade, the sunlight bouncing forth and reflecting in his deep blue eyes. "I am Brian MacKenzie of the clan MacKenzie," he declared as he set himself into a defensive stance. "Identify yourself and state your purpose, good sir!" Already he could feel the forces of the Quickening at work, surrounding him and infusing itself with the warm breeze across the highlands. "I am Gabriel, and I am here for your head," the younger immortal replied cockily, gesturing with his sword. His leather tunic was unmarred, and his claymore showed only moderate signs of wear. "Well then," MacKenzie fanned his sword, "come and get it!" Cole dove forth with a swipe at MacKenzie's midsection, which Brian deftly avoided. He spun around and sliced at Gabriel's exposed back, and the other swordsman twisted awkwardly to block it, stumbling on the uneven terrain and falling off balance. "Oh, c'mon now, Gabe, you can do better than THAT, can't you?" MacKenzie chuckled as he circled his opponent, who lept into an airial attack with a chilling battlecry, and promptly was slit across the midsection with Brian's katana. He fell to the ground pushing his insides back, waiting for the healing. He rolled out of the way of MacKenzie's strike and regained his feet. "You.." he growled, "You, got lucky, MacKenzie." He shouted out again as he swung his broadsword around at his opponent's neck. The clanging reverberation of metal on metal echoed through the grassy plain as MacKenzie brought his samaruai up to meet the claymore. He countered Cole's strike with an overhead lunge, which Gabriel barely blocked. The elder immortal struck forth again, and Cole brought his sword up to block it. His blood-slicked hands couldn't hold his grip, however, and his sword slipped from his grasp. He fell to his knees after it, and then realized his mistake as MacKenzie brought his sword up for the final swipe. "NNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!" a feminine voice shrilled forth from the hill bordering the clearing. MacKenzie's head whipped around, his hair catching in the breeze and whipping back across his face. A spritely young female ran forward to nearly tackle him. "No!" she sobbed, "stop, Brian, stop!!" "Stay back, Ashley, don't get involved!!" Brian exclaimed, pointing his finger accusationally at her. "You know about the life I lead, and that this is the way it has to be!" "No! You *Can't* kill him!" she cried as she put her arms around the fallen warrior, who glared at her coldly. "Why, Ashley? Why? Dammit, lass, get out of here now!!" MacKenzie brought his sword up yet again. "No, he's my.. he's my brother!!" she wheezed as the tears rolled down her face. "I thought.. I thought he was dead, we all did, when the battle happened and he didn't come back and..." MacKenzie slowly lowered his sword and turned, crestfallen. The raging storm of the Quickening hovered just out of reach. As he heard a slap he turned, just catching Cole's attack in time. He looked and saw his wife knocked forth to one side, and he raged, swinging the katana powerfully at his opponent. Ashley dived into the fray and pinned him back momentarily. "No, Brian! Gabriel, don't! You must.." she stammered as she pushed the two warriors apart, her red hair gusting about between them, "you must promise me, you must vow never to fight again." "But, Ash--" argued MacKenzie. "NO! No 'buts', Brian. And none from you, Gabriel. You'd be dead now if it weren't for me. You must promise this, both of you." The silence roared about them, both warriors glaring into each others eyes. Mackenzie looked down into his wife's eyes. "Ok, I will. But for you, Ashley, only for you." She turned to look at her brother sternly, as only an older sister can. "And now you, Gabe," she said, knowing how much the nickname annoyed him. "Fine" he excalimed as he threw down his sword. He turned and stormed off into the woods. "C'mon, Brian, it's getting late..." she pleaded, tugging gently on his arm. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ok, there goes the big one.... see ya all later!!!!!! =========================================================================