========================================================================= Date: Tue, 12 Mar 1996 20:26:18 -0500 Reply-To: LNagy10434@AOL.COM Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: "Lawrence E. Nagy" Subject: THE JOURNEY OF JEREMY KELLER part 7 THE JOURNEY OF JEREMY KELLER "The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday" Part 7 The old tractor-trailer rig pulled up to the deserted intersection. It was 8 o'clock in the evening and the bright orange sun settled on the horizon glaring through the tractor's windshield. The driver had long graying black hair and a thick beard. His face was rough from a life time working in the elements. The man chomped on the stub of a cigar that hadn't seen a flame in hours. "Here's were I turn south." the driver said to his passenger. The passenger opened his seat belt and buttoned his denim jacket then reached behind the seat and grabbed his green duffel. "Otto, thanks for the lift." Jeremy said to the driver. "Us vets gotta stick together." the driver said then smiled "even with you navy punks." Jeremy laughed "Well the Navy's a dirty job, but somebody's got to have the balls to do it." "Take care friend." Otto said and shook Jeremy's hand just before he jumped from the cab. Jeremy watched the eighteen wheeler rattle down the road away from him. He turned to the west and stared toward the distant horizon. The smell of the diesel fuel that still hung in the air took Jeremy back to another place and time...... After recovering from the gun shot wounds, Jeremy was much more receptive to what Aziz had to tell him. The man had laid it all out, about something called "The Game", the life force he could feel in other immortals called "quickening" and other aspects of life as an immortal. "Of course your safe from the game here." Aziz said. "Safe, why is that." Aziz waved his hand at the surrounding country side. "The whole Kingdom is considered Holy ground. No immortal would dare take your head within the borders of Saudi Arabia." "How convenient." "There's only one draw back." "And what's that?" Aziz smiled "Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries left in the world that executes people by beheading. Get into trouble here and a death sentence really could be one." "Tell me something, Abual." "Yes my friend." "About this game, what's the truth behind it? It just sounds like a myth, or perhaps a religion. No concrete proof, just stories and tradition. Has there ever been anybody who totally ignored the rules of the game?" Aziz seemed to get very serious. "Jeremy, take heed my advise. Even if the Game is a myth don't break its rules. If you do, every immortal out there will be looking for you. There are many very strong and powerful immortals who would never hunt a man just for his quickening, but ignore the rules and you'll be the target of some of the most skilled warriors who have ever walked this earth." "Tell me Aziz, do you really believe in the 'Game' and the 'Prize'?" Aziz turned and walked away for a few steps then turned back toward the young man with him. "There was a time once, before the rise of current civilization when man reached a similar but different peak. There are a few relics from this age around now. Just hints of it in the ruins of ancient cities. "In these times, Immortals were known and integrated in the societies. Some places worshipped our kind as gods, others as royalty. To some we were just a commodity, good warriors and expensive gladiators. After the great catastrophe, many people survived, but the great civilization was destroyed. Humans were back to hunting and gathering, everything was gone. "In a few places, mostly in places like Egypt and other fertile lands a few people, mostly immortals, with the skills of the ancients tried to bring man back to his feet. This is when immortals went into hiding and handed off the rebuilding of the human race to others. Sometime, the Game came into being. I don't when it started or how it started. One story says that an immortal saw the ever growing number of new immortals and in his infinite wisdom developed the Game. How ever it started, it has condemned immortals to life in the shadows. Passing through the centuries watching mortals living and dieing natural deaths all the while trying to kill each other off." "So we went from being one of the major influences in human civilization, to living secret lives bent on self annihilation?" "That's about it." "Tell me Aziz, where you one of the Ancients?" Aziz smiled "Does it matter?" Later that day, Aziz drove Jeremy to Dhahran to rejoin the American forces. He was dropped off down the road from a US compound on the out skirts of Dhahran called Kobar Towers. Kobar Towers was a large complex of 14 plus story apartment buildings built by the Saudis for the Bedouins. The Bedouins, however, weren't interested so the complex had stood empty for many years. Jeremy approached the heavily fortified entrance to Kobar carefully. He still wore the sandals he had been given and the long sleeve white shirt but had changed into levis to look less Saudi. The MPs on duty watched him carefully as he approached, always keeping several loaded weapons on him. A Sergeant approached "Halt, Identify yourself." "My name is Lieutenant Keller, U.S. Navy." Jeremy then handed the Sergeant the small duffel he was carrying which carried his remaining gear, including weapons. "I'm Master Sergeant Murphy." the man said as he looked in the bag and took a quick inventory of the gear. He recognized the remains of Keller's wet suit and the special forces weapons. "Come with me." The MPs then escorted Keller into the guard booth....... Keller approached a small bar several miles from where Otto had dropped him off. Motorcycles and old trucks sat parked outside and the remains of a neon sign flickered in evening sun. The place appeared to be a one stop shop for low end travelers. The main building was a bar / restaurant, behind it was a run down garage with broken windows and towering old gas pumps. All around, the remains of forgotten cars sat sinking into piles of rust. "Looks harmless enough." Keller thought to himself then shifted the bag on his shoulder and headed in. to be continued..................