Date: Wed, 9 Mar 1994 17:14:45 MST Reply-To: Highlander TV show stories Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Wendy Milner Subject: HL Fiction - The Quick and the Dead The Quick and the Dead Wendy L. Milner Ana felt a familiar tingling throughout her body that brought her instantly awake. Trying not to wake Robert who slept beside her, she slipped out of the bed, taking her sword from its holder beside the bed. She walked on bare feet in the direction where the feeling was strongest. Out of the bedroom and onto the deck, she faced the ocean, but she was also alone. The feeling was still there, but different. There was no other immortal nearby. Perhaps there never had been. Too many times in the last few weeks she'd had this same feeling. As if the immortals were there, but just out of range. And always she ended up looking towards the east. It felt as if she was being pulled in that direction. She could feel the strength of the immortals gathering there. At dawn, Robert came out and joined her on the deck. She sat on the wooden seat with the sword across her lap. She was aware that he sat beside her, but it was secondary to what was happening around her. He said nothing, just sat with her for awhile before going back into the house and starting breakfast. Ana roused herself from her mediations when the smell of bacon drifted through the open window. The small table was set with two different breakfasts; bacon, eggs, toast and hash browns for her; fresh fruit, and some sort of jellied leaves she could never figure out for him. She took her seat and waited for him to join her. He poured tea out of a hand painted porceline pot into handleless cups. Together they drank the first cup. "You've been doing that a lot lately," he said looking out to the porch. "I have to leave," she said. She supposed she could have said something on the order of, she couldn't sleep at night, she was having dreams, or maybe come up with a reason for making a business trip. But they had been together too long for that. "Is some one here?" Some one meant an immortal. He knew what she was. Years before an immortal had crossed through their lives, changing both their lives, but leaving them closer than before. "No. They are gathering elsewhere. I have to join them." She seldom spoke in absolutes. For a question such as what she was planning to do that day, she say she was thinking about doing something, or she might go somewhere. She always left the option open for anything that might come up. "When do we leave?" Robert asked. In the back of his mind he was already packing, wondering how to get a sword or two through airport security. "I have to do this alone," Ana said, "There is nothing you can do to help me now." She had never explained the gathering to him. Having to describe immortals had been hard enough. There seemed to be no reason to tell him about an event which was too far in the distance to think about, which might not even come about till long after he was gone from the world. Only now she was sure the time had come. "I won't be coming back," she said. She waited for him to say some thing, to question her, only he remained quiet, waiting for her to explain on her own. "There's a pretty good chance I'll die. And if I don't, then I'll be the only one left standing. And I don't know what will happen then." "Don't go," he said, but his voice told her he knew that wasn't really an option. "I have no choice. I feel like a bird facing migration. No matter which way I turn, I end up facing east. I must go, and soon." "I'm coming too. Don't argue," he said quickly, "I may not be able to fight your battles for you, but at least I can fix you breakfast when you come home. Now eat before the rest of that cholestrial gels on the plate instead of in your arteries." The swords were easy to get on the plane. Each one went into its own locked case which in turn went into an extra long duffle bag stuffed with clothes. The material of the duffle bag was a bit heavy and exceedingly strong although it looked like standard canvas. The lock looked old and rusted, but was the strongest steel available. The set had moved through many airports over the years with no loss of any kind. First stop was L.A. Even as they got off the plane, Ana knew that they had a long way to go. Still, a nice meal on solid ground and a bed that layed flat would be a nice respite before they continued their journey. Before they left the airport, Ana took the duffle bag with her into the ladies room and retrieved her sword. She walked out with only Robert knowing what lay beneath her loose fitting clothes, and even he couldn't see it. They rented a car over Robert's objection that it was just a waste of money if they were only going to be there a day. Ana didn't care about the money. She had enough for a thousand years or more, which was probably longer than she would live. Instead of money, she was more interested in comfort and having a car available at all times. After checking into a centrally located hotel, unpacking a few things, showering and changing, they picked a nearby restaraunt and went out to eat. The food didn't interest Ana. She sipped at the wine but didn't finish a single glass. Her nerves felt raw as if just below her reach she could sense an immortal in the area. Ana felt the presence of the immortal as an increase in the irritation of the scraping of her nerves. She knew he was just outside, probably waiting in the alley for her. He wasn't as strong as some of the immortals she had come into contact with in the past. This one seemed very young some how, although she couldn't define exactly why she felt that way. She left the table with just a hand signal to Robert to wait for her. Already her mind was preparing for what she knew must follow. If this immortal had wanted to talk to her, he could have come through the front door. If he had no intentions towards her at all, he would have just passed on. Instead, he was waiting for her outside. That had only one meaning. They would fight and only one would come out of the alley alive. There was enough light from the street reaching into the alley for Ana to see that the young immortal was not alone. There were three mortals with him, all young, all wearing the same colors. This didn't make any sense. No immortal fought with mortals. It was against all the rules. Even Robert waited for her away from the area of the fight. He might provide a barrier to other mortals who would try to interfere, but he would not interfere himself with her business. She wondered if this boy even knew what was going on. When he took a sword out from behind his back, she had to table her doubts. Whatever he knew or didn't was of no concern now. "There are rules you aren't playing by boy," she said. "There are no rules," he said as he slashed his sword around. He no more knew how to fight with a sword, than he understood the rules. Ana still had no choice. First though, she wanted to be rid of the mortals. When the boy showed the sword, the others began to move in slowly around her. She watched them all, relaxing her muscles so that she could move in the direction of the first attack. The one coming from her left made a quick move. She pulled her own sword from under her coat, but rather than facing the one on her left, she swung the sword to her right for the one she couldn't see, but could feel would be coming. She sliced through most of his torso. For a mortal it was enough of a blow to keep him out of the fight and probably take his life as well. There was swearing by the other boys. The two mortals backed off, but not far enough. "This fight doesn't involve you," she said to them, "Be gone and you won't be hurt." "They don't have to leave," the young immortal said. He advanced swinging his sword like a novice. Ana heard steps behind her. The young immortal stopped his advance. "Seems like there are a few too many people here," Robert said from behind Ana. "Get rid of those two," she said pointing her sword at the mortals. "They don't belong." Robert advanced. The mortals realized their mistake and took off running. Robert went as far as the end of the alley. Ana put her attention back where it belonged. She wasn't going to loose her head through lack of attention. The boy came forward swinging wildly. He thought to over power her by his sear size. Ana was used to such tactics. She side stepped easily and cut him as he went past. The boy went crazy then. Ana deflected the swings effortlessly. When he fell off balanced, a single stroke of her own sword finished the fight. She reached down and picked up the boy's sword. It was a cheap blade that could be bought at any pawn shop. It didn't even have a decent cutting edge. The surge of energy brought her thoughts away from the inferior blade. It was as if she were standing in the eye of a hurricane waiting for the full force of the storm to hit, knowing it was coming and knowing that nothing could stop it. Pure energy rushed around her, striking out at anything that might ground it. The street lights burst in showers of sparks. Next came the swell of the quickening. Young or not, the force of his quickening knocked her against the wall. She gasp for breath as she was repeatedly hit with the energy that manifested itself visually as lightening. In the distance she heard the poping and cracking of electricity running along any wire or rod. Her vision cleared enough to see the two bodies in front of her. Her hearing improved enough to hear the sirens coming towards her. No time to hide the bodies, she ran out of the alley. The rental car that stopped next to her was driven by Robert. She got in and collapsed on the seat. She felt as if she'd run a marathon or delivered a baby. The descriptions mothers gave of the pain of labor and the ecstasy of delivery came close to how she'd characterize receiving the quickening. Never having been on the other side, she couldn't say for sure that it was the same, but the description fit. Of course the vital difference was that instead of giving of herself to a new life, she was taking into herself a life that was over. A life that she had ended. Long ago she had come to terms with the taking of life. She only fought when she had to, but she wouldn't turn away from it. Unlike the boy, she knew why she fought. She knew who she was, unlike the boy who was acting on impulses he didn't understand. The boy who had no training, who hadn't even understood that he had already died once. So what had driven him to pick up a sword and challenge her? She needed to find that out. "We're going to Las Vegas," She said to Robert. Somehow, he had gotten her back to their room at the hotel. She didn't remember leaving the car or walking through the hotel. She relied on him too much. She hated to think what was going to happen when he got old and died. She was old enough to know better. She should have stopped herself fifteen years before when she'd first seen him. A moment of weakness on her part for a warm strong body left her now dependent on him for many things simply because it was nice to have him around. Then in only a few years, he would be gone and she would have to start living independently again. She had been through the cycle many times before and it never got easier. "I'll make flight reservations," Robert said. "It's only a couple hours by car. Let's drive." She stood up as if they were leaving immediately. Robert pushed her back into the chair. "First we sleep. You're in no condition to drive and I'm still tired from the flight. We'll get there a lot faster if we wait until morning." Although he made sense, Ana resented the wait. The death of the boy left her feeling hollow. He hadn't been ready for death. He hadn't even lived properly. While she could now trace his mortal death to less than a year before, he had no idea he had really died in a different alley in Las Vegas. She wanted to know what had triggered him to pick up a sword. It was not an predisposition among immortals. Perceiving the presence of another immortal came without training. Trying to kill was learned. And no one had taught the boy anything. He had just had the impulse to buy a sword and start killing. There was no logic to it at all. The drive was more than two hours. However, if they had taken a plane, they wouldn't have arrived any earlier what with having to get to the airport an hour or more before departure, checking baggage and swords, and then waiting for the inevitable delays that always occurred when you were in a hurry. "Any place in particular you want to stay?" Robert asked as they came into the town. Her response that it didn't matter, startled him. It was the first thing she had said since the drive began. He was worried about her. He could see the change taking place in her hour by hour. No longer the carefree young woman he had fallen in love with fifteen years before, she had suddenly taken on a austere exterior that he suspected came not from a single killing, but rather from some event to come which only she knew about. While she had told him the gathering meant that only one immortal would survive, at the time she explained it, she had not appeared unduly distressed. She was more like a soldier heading into a battle where casualties would be high, but a battle which must be fought. He could understand that. He had fought his own battles both on a field of war and in the side alleys. He accepted her description of who and what the immortals were without a real understanding. How could any mortal understand what living hundreds of years would be like? What bothered him now was not knowing what was going through her mind. From the time they had landed in LA, something had started to concern her more than what she described as the gathering. The immortal boy she had killed wasn't the first sign of trouble, but the killing caused a significant shift in her behavior. She was locking him out in a way she never had before. Robert picked the motel based on its easy access to a few back streets and on the basis that they could get to their room unseen by others. On a vacation he might pick one of the nice hotels along the strip. On this trip, he wanted to be able to come and go with no one noticing whether or not they were carrying bloody swords. He had a feeling there would be a few headless bodies laying in alleys before they were ready to leave. "Dress for dinner," Robert said, "I know this Japanese restaurant in town. And you will eat today." "It's only noon," Ana complained. "By the time you are ready, it will be late enough for an early dinner. Besides, in this town, no one goes by the clock." Ana had to admit that she was hungry. She had hurried them through breakfast with little more than a few swallows of orange juice. She wanted them to be on their way. Once on the road, they hadn't stopped. She knew she had to keep eating even if it didn't appeal to her. Japanese food would be alright, she supposed. It would give her enough energy to run on without slowing her down. She took her time in the shower. She felt gritty from the drive and just down right dirty from the killing of the boy. Scrubbing didn't help rid her of the polluted feeling, but at least the dust was gone. Since Robert had given her no time limit, meaning he wanted her to take more time than needed, she washed her hair and took her time drying and setting it. Although she tied her hair back so that in a fight it wouldn't be in the way, she did know of ways to make her hair look pleasing even pulled back. As she put her makeup on, she realized what Robert was doing for her in his unobtrusive manner. She had been so deeply into herself and her thoughts she had forgotten the world around her. She was being down right rude to Robert. There would never be a way to explain what was going on to him, even if she could explain it to herself. Still, that was no reason to loose touch with the mortal world. She had to live in both worlds. There were no clothes in the wardrobe she had packed which would interfere with her fighting. She could hide her sword almost anywhere in her clothes, a trick that immortals learned but didn't seem to be able to teach others. When your life depends on a tool, you don't leave that tool behind. She sorted through the things she brought while Robert took his shower. By the time he was through, she was dressed in a dark blue satin dress that was cut conservatively, but was suggestive in all the right places. She could see from Robert's looks, that she had picked the right outfit for the afternoon and evening. Very little needed to be said. They did a tour of a few of the casinos, commenting on trivial things before heading to the restaurant. Once there, they spent an extended period of time going through the ritual of eating. Ana felt as if she had come up from a long swim underwater. Fresh air, clear sky, clear headed again. They walked from the restaurant with arms around each other. Robert felt the muscles under his hand shiver once then tense. The look on Ana's face told him she was once more the hunter in a jungle full of predators. She pulled away from him to free herself for action at the same time scanning the crowds around them. One of the faces would tell her who she was looking for. Her own ability to sense an immortal was highly tuned, more so than most and as such she was usually the first one to discern the presence of the other. At time that could be useful, particularly when she was trying to avoid a confrontation, but this night, she wanted to find the immortals who might live in the area. It was possible they could tell her something about what was going on. Ana recognized the face even before he betrayed himself by stopping in the moving crowd and looking for her. While they had never met, Ana knew of him from others' memories. Jared was a distinctively unsavory immortal. The last Ana had heard of him, he was doing business in the middle east, selling to both sides and any one else who had the cash to pay for his wares, and everything and anything were his wares so long as it made him a profit. Ana knew that he would not tell her anything unless he thought he could benefit from it. He didn't keep company with any immortal. "Back off now," Ana said quietly. She felt Robert move away from her. She knew he would follow. She also knew that when he didn't want to be noticed, he could hide in open view. Jared would never know that Robert was around. She waited until Jared finally took notice of her. He relaxed only a little as if he couldn't believe a woman would confront him. It might give her a second or two advantage. She thought she was going to need that. They walked towards each other slowly, ignoring the crowd, making their way to a middle ground. "This is my territory," Jared said when they were within hearing range of each other. "I didn't come here to fight you. I've got a mystery to solve and I think you could help." "Go play detective somewhere else." "No. This is where some of the answers are. I intend to find them before I leave." "You'll not leave in one piece then." "It doesn't have to be like that." Robert watched from the door of a casino. Even from there he could see and almost feel the tension between them. They were like two cocks in the fighting ring checking each other out before the first move was made. Unconsciously the crowd was making a ring around them. The flow of people split and then merged back after passing them. This was not likely to be the place where they would fight. They didn't like mortals watching. He looked around and saw the entrance to an underground garage where their car was parked. No, still too many people there. Las Vegas was a town where tourists ruled day and night. No place was empty of them. Except perhaps the back stage entrance to the casino show. He looked into the shadows of the alley and realized some one was in there watching Ana and the other immortal. The guy carried a camera and took another picture. Robert walked causally down the alley, just past the man. Then he turned quickly and grabbed the camera. "Not a good thing to do," Robert said. He opened the back of the camera before the man could react. Pulling the film out, he said, "You better leave now." Who ever the guy was, he hadn't been up to good, or he might have complained. Instead, he took off at a run without trying to retrieve his camera. Ana and the other immortal began walking down the alley. The distance between them, the way they walked, the way they held their hands close to their sides, all told Robert there would be a fight shortly. He couldn't follow them immediately or the other might notice, and he thought he knew where they were headed. There might be time to get to the car and retrieve his own sword from its hiding place between the front bucket seats of the car. He didn't carry it with him because he had never learned that trick of hiding three feet of steel beneath a short jacket. But to get to the car, he'd have to let the two fighters out of his sight, something he didn't want to do. He had his own kind of premonition that he might have to ward off a few people. The guy with the camera bothered him. If Robert took the time to get to the car, the guy might come back and interfere with the fight, or worse, call the police. Robert turned from garage and stealthfully followed the two immortals. If he had to fight himself, he would have to rely on his skill with Karate and the long knife he did carry with him. Ana felt the energy shift around her. It was almost as if there were a third immortal in the area. Almost, but not enough to make her look around. Jared did not seem to sense it as he took up a fighting stance. Ana drew her own sword. She couldn't shake the feeling that some immortal was watching and waiting. It distracted her enough that she missed Jared's first strike. He was fast and came close to slicing her. She parried and backed away. The area they fought in was large. A semi-truck and trailer was parked at one end, backed up to the loading dock with its large doors closed. The ground sloped downward to the dock. Everything was covered in asphalt. The area was clear of trash and other obstacles. There were two entrances to the area; the alley they had come down and a back street now blocked by barricades. Buildings all around closed off the area. It was like a Roman arena. Ana backed up towards the loading dock. Jared advanced, confident that the fight would be over shortly. He had never met a woman who could fight. A few had tried and failed. A few had even tried to seduce him and failed. He had no love for his own kind and even less for the weak women who diluted the strength of immortals. He would rid the world of one more this night. Ana watched the way he moved. He walked towards her full facing, not expecting her to attack him, and leaving himself open. She didn't like being the attacker, but at times it was the only way to win. She took a chance and pretended to loose her balance. He tried to take advantage of her situation. Her attack almost caught him. She took a piece of his jacket from his arm with the sword. Close, but not enough to do any damage. He became a bit more wary of her. A feint. A parry. Circle. Evade. They tested each other's defenses and watched for reactions and timing. Any advantage was utilized. Every opening became an opportunity. The swords hit each other. Sometimes slashing empty air as the defender evaded with a jump out of reach. Then defender became attacker with a counter strike. Back and forth they went. Lunge and retreat. A pattern started to form. Ana saw its formation first. Instantly she altered her moves and attacked at the same time he did. Her sword cut through more than cloth this time. She carved his chest from right shoulder to left floating rib. In the same motion, she reversed direction and came back and tore through his left arm. He tried impotently to counter. Ana whacked the sword from his hand. She took a strong stance and sliced one more time. Jared stood headless for a moment before his body collapsed in on itself. Ana took a step back. This was no infant immortal she had just killed. He was an experienced fighter who had taken his share of heads. She could feel the energy gathering around her. The wind kicked up suddenly, collecting the sand and swirling it around her. The mini cyclone picked up speed and size clearing the area of any item smaller than the truck. Trash cans spun out of control. Dumpsters rolled down the alley. Lightening struck from the funnel cloud. Street lights exploded. Billboards erupted in a blaze of sparks as their light bulbs came to a flaming end. Junction boxes burst open sending an electrical blaze across power lines. Ana was knocked to her knees. The power ripped through her body. She fought against loosing control of herself. Another bolt of lightening hit her, rocking her back on her heels. Her consciousness joined the quickening. Nothing existed but the power and energy ripping its way into her body. No longer was she an individual. Her essence melded with that of the immortals who had died before her. A flood of souls enveloped her. Thousands of years of experiences engulfed her being. She grasp for a thread of her own existence. A tendril of who she was. A name she could claim as her own. Ana. Forever Ana. This was hers. The others were transient names. Names from other times. Names from those she had known. Ana was hers. She was Ana. The domination of the quickening weakened. She felt herself again. The emanations of lightening slowed and then ceased. She took a ragged breath, then another. With unfocused eyes, she looked at the devastation around her. Her automatic response was to try to get up and move away. Mortals would be coming to investigate. She had a bloody sword at her side. She reached for it and almost fell. The sword was much to heavy to carry right now. She took another deep breath and drew strength from it. Robert brought himself out from under the over turned dumpster. He brushed off the dirt as he looked around. Even with his limited experience with these things, he would guess that what had just happened was more powerful than normal. As if you could call what happened to immortals or even immortality itself normal. Lights were out for an entire block around him. The day glow of Vegas was gone. People were confused, massing in the street, pouring from the insides of darkened casinos. None seemed to know the central location of the trouble. Which was good for him. He started to exit the alley into the loading the area. Ana was almost in control of herself when once again she felt the presence of the other. No one was there. Only the pure energy of its being came in a rush at her. She fought a battle to repeal what she didn't understand. The strength of this other was greater than any she had fought before. She felt herself loosing herself. A shadow crept from the protection of the truck. He held an axe in his hands. Now, while the blasphemous creature was still in the throws of the devil he would attack and rid the world of its obscene presences. Robert was halfway to Ana when he saw the man creeping towards her. The same man who had been taking pictures now had murderous intent. Robert sprinted the distance between them. The man swung the axe at Robert, missing badly and receiving eight inches of steel in his middle in return. Robert twisted the blade and dissected the inner organs of the assassin. Then he went over to Ana. Within her struggle she perceived a threat. Her sword came up, slashing at who ever was there. Mentally and physically she tried to protect herself. "Ana!" Robert shouted at her. Her eyes were open but unseeing. He shouted her name again, not daring to come close to the blade in her hands. Slowly her eyes focused on him. The blade came to rest on her knees. "Ana," he said more gently. She looked up at him. "We have to go." He helped her to stand. She looked around her and saw the other man. "Who is he?" she asked. "I don't know. He was watching you earlier. He tried to use the axe on you." Robert stopped and knelt by the man. A quick look through his pockets showed no identification of any kind. He had a thought and took the axe from the man's dead hands, smeared blood from the corpse onto the blade, then he replaced the axe in the assassins hands. He saw a tatoo on the man's wrist. "Have you ever seen this before?" he asked. Ana shook her head. But even as she did so, a memory tried to bubble up from deep inside her unconsciousness. Some one had seen it before. She should know it. Did it matter now? Robert took her by the hand and led her out of the alley. He wrapped his jacket around her sword, hiding it from the confused masses of people who milled in the street. Emergency lightning was already on inside the garage. Robert got them to their car and put Ana in her seat. Once again she had a shell shocked glaze to her eyes. He got her back to their room at the motel. Ana felt like a caged tiger. She wanted to leave, run really. There was something she had to do, only she didn't know what it was. She paced the small room, stared out the window, even headed for the door a couple of times. Robert would call her name and she would stop. She didn't know where she was going, only that she had to be there. Finally Robert took her by the hand like a small child, undressed her, gave her a bath and put her to bed. He worked the muscles in her back, trying to get them to relax enough to let her sleep. Very slowly he got a response from her. One knot let loose, then another. By the time her breathing had evened out, it was past four in the morning. He fell back on the bed exhausted himself. "Darius," Ana said sitting up in the bed. (continued) =========================================================================