Date: Sat, 3 Jun 1995 19:14:43 +0100 Reply-To: Grail Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Grail Subject: "Steele Blades" Part 6 Steele Blades A Remington Steele/Highlander crossover by Grail (Mark Overton) Part 6 "Mr Steele?" Steele looked cautiously at the thin curly-haired man with a foreign accent of some kind. "That's right," he nodded. "I'm here to see Mr Christopher Lentz." Yevgeni nodded. "Mr Lentz is waiting to see you, sir. If you'd come this way, please." Steele followed him into the elevator and they started upwards. As they rose, Steele surreptitiously checked the duelling sword inside his coat. He wondered if he was going to see the sun rise the next day. The lift stopped moving and, with a ping sound, the doors opened. Yevgeni stepped out first and courteously indicated for Steele to follow him. He did so, and they walked down a carpeted corridor until they came to a big pair of double doors, wood-panelled and expensive. The mortal pushed them open and invited Steele inside. The room beyond was circular, as expensively-furnished as the corridor from which Steele had just come. Sitting on a chair on the opposite side of the room, Christopher Lentz smiled at him. "Welcome, Mr Steele. What do you think of my domicile?" "A little rococco for my taste," Steele said lightly, "but nobody's perfect." "No indeed." Lentz rose languidly, plucking his sword from the stand beside him. "I trust you've at least brought a weapon of some kind? I don't supply my opponents with their own swords." Steele opened his coat and took out the duelling sword. Lentz smiled at it, obviously impressed. "A good sword. I was probably there when it was made, you know. I've lived for over five centuries." "Soon be getting middle-aged," Steele responded, stepping forward as he shed his coat. Lentz took a couple of steps closer, raising the sword. "Let's begin," Lentz said, darting forward. Steele parried instantly, stepping to one side, and bringing his sword round to the side. Lentz's was already there and the blades clashed with a clang of metal and shower of sparks which dropped to the floor and vanished. Steele took a step back and Lentz advanced confidently, pressing him to respond with each cut and thrust. The room rang to the sounds of blades clashing. Steele felt the wall behind his back as he retreated. Suddenly he ducked sideways and brought his blade round in a backhanded sweep, slashing Lentz across the shoulder. The German immortal made a growling noise and swiped absently at the blood which started to stain his shirt, then pressed home his attack. Steele was forced to stay on the defensive, parrying and dodging from Lentz's rapid strikes. The other's superior experience, after 500 years of fighting, was beginning to tell. Ducking round the side of the chair, Steele turned and leapt up onto a table that was standing nearby. Lentz swiped at his legs and Steele jumped upwards, coming down with his feet on Lentz's shoulders. The German fell and Steele ran to the opposite side of the room, breathing heavily and taking the chance to rest. Lentz got to his feet, his eyes heavy with menace. "You're good, for a novice," Lentz said. Steele nodded. "Why, thank you." "But that's no match for experience," Lentz growled, rushing forwards again. Their blades met but the momentum of Lentz's charge carried him crashing into Steele, who fell over. He rolled quickly to his feet, just in time to avoid a sweeping slash that would have cut him in two. A quick lunge was effortlessly parried by Lentz, who returned to the attack. Steele fell back, step by step, only able to defend and not get past Lentz's guard enough to attack. They reached the chair Lentz had been sitting on once again, and Steele retreated behind it to use it as protection. "You can't hide forever, Mr Steele," Lentz said, kicking the chair aside and slashing at him viciously. "Who wants to live forever?" Steele responded lightly, parrying with some effort. "You can't joke about it. You're weakening," Lentz snarled, proving his point with a thrust Steele only just managed to avoid. "You're cheating..." Steele breathed. "You've had...five hundred years to practice." He ducked as Lentz's blade whistled past his neck, brought the duelling sword up to parry the return attack. "So I am," Lentz agreed impassively, and his blade smashed into Steele with such force that it was torn out of Steele's hand. Lentz's sword bit deep into Steele's ribs, and pain rushed through him. Gasping, he dropped to his knees. "Well, there we are," Lentz said. He pulled the sword out, eliciting a groan of pain from Steele. "You fought well." The doors crashed open. "Yevgeni, I said we were not to be disturbed!" "I'm afraid you'll have to be," said a female voice, calm and steady but filled with strong emotion. Lentz and Steele turned towards the doors as Laura entered, wearing a clean blouse and jeans underneath a black bomber jacket. In one hand she carried the highland sword, the old but strong blade glinting steadily. Laura smiled at Lentz. "I know the rules, I won't intervene. But if you take Mr Steele's head I'll come for you straight after." Lentz looked down at Steele thoughtfully. "I see." "So you'll have to fight me one way or the other," Laura said steadily. Lentz shrugged. "Very well." He turned away from Steele, who relaxed with a groan, and walked across the room to Laura. She looked up at him with quiet confidence and raised the sword so its blade touched his. Lentz smiled at her. "Are you ready to die, Miss Holt?" "Not just yet," Laura said. "But then, I'm not planning to." She lunged viciously and Lentz parried just in time. The air once again rang to the clash of sword blades, dancing almost faster than the eye could follow. Lentz was bigger and stronger, but Laura's sword was superior and she had the advantage of speed and agility over him. Steadily, step by step, she drove him back towards the table in the centre of the room. "I'm impressed, Miss Holt," Lentz admitted, ducking round the table so it was between them, giving them both a breathing space. Hefting the highland sword warily, Laura watched him. "I learn fast," she smiled. "Actually, I've done some swordfighting before. Here and there, you know." "Did Macleod help you?" "No." Laura advanced again. "All my own work." Lentz retreated from the table, and Laura leapt over it easily, returning to the attack. He parried her first thrust and lunged for her stomach, but she twisted aside and the blade bit at empty air only. Sweeping his sword aside, Laura slashed at his right arm, cutting across the nerves of the elbow. Lentz's fingers relaxed uselessly and the sword dropped to the ground as blood poured from the wound. "Well, well," Laura said. Staring at her, Lentz suddenly started for the doors. Laura turned with his movement, lifting and swinging the sword and shearing through his neck with one clean movement. The body stumbled and fell to the ground. "Duncan did tell me one thing," she said to the motionless form. She raised her voice until the chamber echoed. "There can be only one!" A glow suffused the decapitated Lentz's body and it began to crackle with grey sparks. Wind rushed through the chamber and energy began to flood out of Lentz into Laura. She staggered with each fresh onslaught, her hair streaming in the gale, her face bathed in white light, but remained upright as the Quickening tore into her, changing her, relining her neural paths, the essence of the dead immortal racing through her nerve centres. Fire overwhelmed her senses and she was floating, floating... The glow vanished. Laura dropped to her knees, the sword skittering noisily across the floor. Exhaustedly, Steele pulled himself to his feet and retrieved both his and her blades, crossing over to her and crouching beside her. She looked up at him shakily. "That felt...." she started, then stopped. "It felt...." "It's alright," Steele said. "It's alright." "Well, Mildred?" Mildred looked at the exploded computer screen in horror. "How did it happen?" "A bomb," Laura said. She folded her arms and looked at Steele. "It was a miracle neither of us were killed, wasn't it? "A miracle, Miss Holt," Steele agreed solemnly. "Well, I don't know," Mildred sighed. "It'll cost money to replace all this." "Money?" Steele repeated, wincing. "Oh." "Oh, be brave, Mr Steele," Laura admonished. "It's not that bad. At least we got out of it alive." Steele sighed. "I suppose so. It's just that I set up this Agency to save money and now it's all going down the drain at once." He winced, looked down, and then up again. "Miss Holt, you're standing on my foot." Laura looked down. "Oh yes, so I am, Mr Steele." She smiled at him beatifically. "Sorry." Steele sighed again. "That's alright. Do you think you could stop it as well?" "Oh yes." Laura removed her foot. "Thank you." Mildred looked back at the computer again. "Well, it's a shame though, boss. This system was unique." "We'll get you two systems," Laura promised. "I'm sure Mr Steele will authorise the expense." "No, one's alright," Mildred assured her. "Look how much space we've got here, anyway, Miss Holt. No space. There can be only one." Laura and Steele looked at each other and collapsed in laughter. THE END =========================================================================