========================================================================= Date: Wed, 6 Mar 1996 11:33:36 -0500 Reply-To: JJSWBT@AOL.COM Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Wendy Tillis Subject: Hidden Potenial 4/22 Hidden Potential by: Wendy Tillis March, 1996 Standard disclaimers apply Chapter 4 Joe wiped the bar with a cloth for the hundredth time that night and looked at his watch for the hundredth time. Where was MacLeod? He had gone to see the girl hours ago. He wasn't at the dojo and he wasn't answering the phone. Something must have gone wrong. The 6:00 evening news had run the story of the miracle recovery as the lead. They had shown a brief interview with the girl done earlier that day. There had been interviews with the hospital staff and the ambulance crew. And there had been several companion pieces on similar occurrences here and in other places. Luckily none of those had involved Immortals. Still - if there was too much more publicity about this case, some enterprising reporter would start digging around. And if someone started digging - there was a lot to find. Felicia Martin and Michelle Webster's disappearing acts from the same hospital. John Kirin - rising from the dead and returning to his followers. Annie Devlin's sky dive and disappearance. What a mess. It was almost midnight when Duncan finally arrived. Joe watched as he came down the stairs and approached the bar. Duncan looked tired. Joe poured him a drink without waiting for Duncan to ask . Duncan tossed back the whisky in one gulp and set the glass back on the bar. He looked at Joe - who poured him another. "That bad, huh?" "That bad. Tell me Joe - what would you call someone who gets shot in the chest, dies, heals completely, and goes on with their life like nothing happened?" "Games, MacLeod? I'd call them an Immortal." " Yeah, that's what I thought, too." Duncan drank the rest of his whisky and, taking the bottle from Joe, poured himself another. "Come on, Mac. What happened? You've been gone all day. Did you see the girl? How did she take the news?" "Oh I saw her all right." Duncan shook his head as if trying to clear it. " How did she take the news? I didn't tell her." " Didn't tell her? Why not? I thought . . ." Before Joe could finish, Duncan cut in. "She's not an Immortal, Joe. I mean, she's 'immortal' obviously . But she isn't *an* 'Immortal.' Not like me." " What do you mean? She's immortal but not *an* Immortal. That doesn't make any sense." " No, it doesn't. I'm telling you, Joe. She isn't an Immortal. I was as close to her as I am to you now. I couldn't sense her - not at all. And from her reaction, she couldn't sense me either. She has no idea what happened and neither do I." Duncan took another drink as Joe struggled to make sense of this revelation. " But - if she isn't one of you- what is she?" " Ah! I knew you would see my point. What is she? She *was* shot and she did *heal* but she isn't Immortal. Makes me think I should have been going to church more regularly the past few centuries." "What? You think she's . . what? A saint? A angel? The Second Coming?" " I don't *know* Joe. We've all seen stories about people who die and come back - but they never healed and walked out of the hospital a few minutes later. I'm not afraid to admit it - I'm spooked. I wish Methos were here." "You think he would know what she is?" "Well - he has a hell of a lot more experience to draw on that either of us." They were both silent for a moment. Joe walked down the bar to take care of a customer. Duncan stared at his drink. When Joe came back, Duncan drained his glass and got up off his bar stool. "Where you going, MacLeod?" "Home. Do me a favor Joe?" Joe looked at him warily. "What?" "Run her through your computers again. Go through all the old files and chronicles. A woman of her description - any where , any time. Let me know what you find." " Already on it, my friend." "Thanks. Good night. Joe." "Night MacLeod."