Date: Fri, 5 Jan 1996 02:51:22 -0500 Reply-To: GrinnyP@AOL.COM Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Carol Ann Liddiard Subject: "Origins" Chapter 14, part 1 My apologies to all who have been waiting. ---------------------- "Origins" c. 1996 C. A. Liddiard Chapter 14 "Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Mark 13:12-13 --------------------- Hunter Headquarters, Idaho, 1995 *I don't like this.* Carol agreed with Methos' assessment. From where she crouched she could get a glimpse of the room where Anne and Joe were being held. She didn't need to see the limp hand dangling within view to know that Joe was still unconscious. And Anne's occasional struggles were not needed, Carol already knew the doctor was conscious. Unfortunately, she also knew that the deceptively easy-to-reach room was a trap. *This is all wrong.* That came from Duncan. *You're both right,* she confirmed their unspoken fears. *It's a trap.* *So what do we do?* Richie chimed in. *You all be quiet a minute so I can see exactly how this trap is set.* Her abrupt communication temporarily quieted the men. Taking advantage of the lull, Carol opened up and began scanning. It was difficult dealing with the huge amounts of energy put out by the immortals. Bit by bit she filtered out the interference and was able to get a clearer picture of the situation. She shared a quiet, and private, communication with Methos. At his assent, she turned to give the group her assessment. *There are two minor problems,* she began, only to be interrupted by Duncan. *Only two?* His sarcasm came through loud and clear. She kept that thought to herself and started again. *Yes, _two_ problems.* Her non-verbal blast of impatience was enough to shut Duncan up for the moment. *The first is that the corridor right outside the room is booby trapped.* *That's why the door is open!* *Exactly, Richie. We're supposed to see our loved ones and rush right in to rescue them. The mines under the floor in front of the door are strong enough to not only kill us, but they would collapse the roof and probably kill anyone in the room as well.* *And the other _minor_ problem?* Duncan, and the sarcasm, were back. Carol rolled her eyes and continued. *It looks like a dead-end room, only one way in or out. But in fact there is another way in, a hidden door, and a small group of troops waiting. If by some miracle we made it past the mines at the doorway, we would then be trapped and easily picked off.* *So what's the plan?* Methos got the question in first. Carol felt a warm glow as she realized he was trying to run interference. *Thanks honey,* she sent privately, and turned her attention back to the matter at hand. *The plan is simple. I'll deactivate the mines, then Duncan and I will circle around and take care of the waiting troops. Once that's done, Adam and Richie can . . .* *No.* *Mother of All, MacLeod! What is your problem now?* Carol's temper was beginning to fray under the strain. Methos quickly grabbed her hand and tried to calm her down. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. *Okay, Duncan, what is your objection?* *Anne will already be upset enough. I want her to have a familiar face coming through that door.* *Duncan, Richie will . . .* *No! I'm not budging on this. If you're afraid your precious "Adam" will get hurt, then take care of the troops on your own. But _I_ will be in the group that frees Anne!* *Duncan, that was uncalled for. . . * Methos began when Carol interrupted, her temper flaring out of control. *Fine. Whatever you say, Highlander. Adam, you're with me.* *Carol, no.* *Yes, Adam. He wants to rescue her himself, then let him.* *Carol,* he switched to their private mental channel, *Carol, you know I can't allow that.* *He's not worth it, Adam.* *I think he is,* he gently reminded her. *We've used him enough, we owe him this.* *Okay, okay.* She knelt and touched the floor, "feeling" the patterns of electrical lines and conduits beneath. Carefully she moved her awareness towards the deadly surprise awaiting beneath the area near the room. Sweat trickled down her brow as she concentrated fiercely on the firing mechanisms of the land mines. A few minutes later, a quiet clicking sound could be heard. "They're deactivated," she whispered and stood up. "From now on use the radios. Adam," she shared another look with the older immortal, "you're with them. Don't move on the room until I give you the signal. Understood?" He nodded his agreement. She turned her attention to Duncan's stubborn visage. "You can lead them in, just wait for the signal, all right?" "All right." "Be careful." She turned and made her way down the tunnel. Behind her she could hear the immortals talking quietly among themselves. "Now we wait?" Richie asked in hushed tones. The last thing she heard before moving out of earshot was Duncan's reply. "Yes, Richie, we wait. For now." ---------------------- France, @600 AD Carol stalked the narrow streets, angrily continuing her search for the immortal general who had slain the holy man. In her first mad dash to find him, she had arrived at the gates of the city too late. The man had disappeared, supposedly for holy ground, leaving his army in disarray. Searching for the holy ground, she made a detour back to the house, only to find Methos, and the crystal, gone. All day she roamed the streets, looking for the general, for Methos, for the crystal. As each minute passed her rage had grown, until now, as dark approached, the anger was so all-consuming she no longer cared whether she had the crystal or not. If the general had appeared in front of her, he would have died, even in a crowd, even on holy ground. All rationality had fled, and she had only one thought in mind: find the man who had killed the priest at the gates of Paris. Grayson hid in the narrow alley and watched the woman march past. He had been following her progress through the city from a distance, convinced that she was the perfect instrument of revenge. Earlier that day, dealing with the chaos left behind when Darius abandoned the army, Grayson hadn't the time to deal with the woman who had come looking for the general. Other than absently noting that he couldn't sense her, the angry immortal dismissed the small female as a nuisance as he tried to control the disbanding horde. "I asked you where the man who slew the priest can be found," the feminine voice sounded behind him as he watched a lifetime's work scattering to the wind. "The general is cowering on holy ground," was his dismissive reply, "where he is safe." "Not from me." The pure venom in those low tones was enough to distract Grayson from the retreating army. He turned in time to see the small figure stalk away, sword in hand. Realizing that she might be the perfect instrument of his revenge, Grayson tried to follow, only to lose her in the crowded streets. he thought, All day he had searched the city, first going to the monastery -- where his general now resided -- to plead one last time for Darius to abandon this nonsense and come back to his army. When that argument proved futile, Grayson left his former friend and mentor in disgust, and tried to find the angry female. It had taken hours, but he finally spotted her near one of the open air markets, still searching for the general and obviously angrier than ever. He hung back, shadowing her progress, formulating a plan for approach. Smiling, Grayson took a step out of the darkness. He swore when he realized that she was out of sight. Indecisively, he stood at the head of the alley, trying to decide which way to go when a hand clamped around his mouth from behind, dragging him back into the cul de sac. Pain exploded in Grayson's head as he was thrown violently against the brick wall. "Why have you been following me?" asked the woman who stood before him, her sword at his throat. "I , uh." Grayson wondered if he should tell her the truth, that he was hoping to see her fight Darius. He tried again to formulate a reply, but it was too late. Casually, the small woman kicked out, shattering Grayson's kneecap. Gasping with pain, he fell heavily on his side. The woman reached down and laid a hand across his face, and Grayson forgot all about the pain in his knee. he thought in terror. He could "feel" her rifling through his mind. Nothing was secret. The harder he tried to resist, the harder she probed, wandering through his memories, going deeper and deeper. She stripped away every layer of deception, roaming his mind at will. "So that's where he is," she murmured as she stood. Grayson lay where he fell, shaking and gagging. He tried to reach out and grab her leg, but to his horror he couldn't move, or speak. She looked down at him dispassionately, as one would look at a bug about to be squashed. "Don't worry, young one," she said. "Despite what you had planned for me, I won't kill you. You have a destiny to fulfill. The paralysis will wear off eventually." Without another word, she turned and vanished down the alley. --------------------- Hunter Headquarters, Idaho, 1995 Carol stood looking at the bodies scattered around her. The mercenaries had fought like madmen, and she had been forced to get a little rough. At least two of the men now lay dead. For a moment, she let the weariness of all the death wash through her, then she shook her head and brought herself back to the present. She wasn't even halfway to her goal, and the unexpected encounter with this band had slowed her down. *Adam, I've run into a little trouble . . . * she began before she picked up on his frantic thoughts. "No!" she yelled aloud, then took off down the corridor at a run, swearing in a language millennia old. --------------------- "Tell me something, 'Adam'." The bitterness in Duncan's tone caused Methos to turn his attention fully on the younger immortal. The Highlander was staring intently at the room that contained the captive Anne and Joe. "What is it, MacLeod?" he asked. He was worried that Duncan would do something rash. Deny it as he might, Methos knew Duncan still cared deeply for Anne. "How did you and Carol *really* get involved in all of this. And the *truth* this time." Methos saw Richie's attention turn from the room to himself and mentally sighed. He realized that Carol would be angry, but he felt that Duncan was owed some explanation. "Believe it or not, the story she told was the truth, as far as it went. She witnessed the Hunter killing an immortal ten years ago, it just wasn't the moment we realized what was going on." "So *when* did you realize?" Duncan had turned from the room as well and was giving him his full attention. Methos was happy to take the opportunity to take Duncan's mind off worrying about Anne and the baby. "It was around 25 years ago, and we were still trying to track down Horton. We were following a lead, and ended up in this sleepy little university town in the western part of Virginia . . ." Methos began, as the events of the past flashed across his mind. --------------------- (to be continued) --------------------- As usual, all comments/questions/criticisms/flames to me at GrinnyP@aol.com Carol Ann GrinnyP@aol.com =========================================================================