========================================================================= Date: Thu, 28 Mar 1996 15:52:59 EST Reply-To: "#75 Brian MacKenzie: Flyers fan, Mentos Maintainer" Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: "#75 Brian MacKenzie: Flyers fan, Mentos Maintainer" Organization: TEMPLE UNIVERSITY Subject: The MacKenzie Chronicles: Behind Blue Eyes, chapter 2 Just a few odds and ends... One, This new and revised and revamped version of Behind Blue Eyes will be three parts in length (yeah, that means one more after this one). Two, awhile back, in King of Pain, I made a reference to Brian MacKenzie's time as the sherriff of a western town. That was alluding to a humorous little story known as the Legend of the High Council, penned by a good friend of mine. If you'd like, I can get copies of the story so far for anyone, just drop me a line. No immortals, but a good old time with a few werewolves and vampires in there, as well as your traditional "Bad men" and such. Three, comments are always welcome!!! ALWAYS!!! *hint,. hint, hint* ;) sync, Bri The MacKenzie Chronicles Behind Blue Eyes, part 2 by Brian Procopio, of the Clan MacKenzie Copyright 1996, Kaos Pictures, Inc. _______________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "But my dreams They aren't as empty As my conscience seems to be I have hours, only lonely My love is vengeance That's never free..." _______________________________________________________________________________ Feburary 16, 1994 Northeast Philadelphia ---------------------- With a start David Macleod came fully awake, only to see Wakko Warner, much closer than he'd ever want him to be, staring him full in the face. The young immortal's eyes widened, then blinked, then focused. Finally, recog- nition dawned over Dave's features as he swiped the magazine away from his face. He stuffed the issue of Internet Underground into his burgundy backpack as he glanced outside, seeing all-too familiar landscape breezing past the bus window. "Damn... DRIVER!!!," he shouted as he made his way past the man in the seat next to him. "Driver!!," he repeated, earning him a disinterested glare in the mirror atop the bus's front window. "Listen, I fell asleep, can you stop right here, my stop was just back there...," the college student rambled. "Hafta wait for the next stop," the uniformed driver replied with a twitch of his moustache. cms "Listen, *buddy*," Dave implored, glancing out at the slight drizzle beginning to fall, "Look, just.... eh, forget it," he finished as he caught the look in the driver's eyes. With a sigh he turned to head back to his seat, trying to muster all the enthusiasm that he could for the long walk from the next closest stop would guarantee him. Suddenly, inspiration struck him. *wait*, Dave debated, *You're gonna need help on this one...* As the oversized Septa bus ground to a halt at the next red light, David slipped a roll of Mentos from his pocket, and popped one into his mouth with a burst of freshness. Confidently, he strode up to the driver again. Flashing him a smile, he reached over to hit the "door release" button on the control board in front of the man.... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The better part of forty minutes, a cold rainstorm, and half a package of Mentos later, Dave unlocked his front door with an exasperated sigh. *But it worked in the commercials!* his mind pleaded yet again. Who would have ever thought that the bus driver could have such relfexes? He tenderly massaged his wrist, wondering if anything was broken in the death-like grip of the elder driver. With a sickening lurch, David suddenly sensed the presence of another immortal. "About time you showed up," announced the blonde-haired immortal seated on his couch. In his hands was David's katana. *Never leave your blade* MacKenzie's memory warned him belatedly. The young immortal decided to attempt the casual approach. "Hi, I'm Dave Macleod, you a friend of Mac's maybe?" he offered, with a cautious smile and an outstretched hand before him. The other immortal stared at him impassively, a slight smile playing over his features. "Well, okay, maybe not," David contin- ued without missing a beat. He turned and made his way into the kitchen, drop- ping his bookbag en route. "Something to drink,...," he hung off, waiting for a reply and, perhaps, a name. "Cole, Gabriel, and no, I'm not exactly a friend of Brian's, but we are.. acquaintances of sorts," the immortal explained as he got to his feet. "And no, I won't be staying long enough for a drink, I'm afraid..." David searched through the kitchen frantically, attempting to find any sort of weapon that he could use. His eyes kept checking on the reflection of Gabriel in the mirror on the far wall. Cole was admiring his sword with the eye of a skilled collector. "I will so enjoy killing you," he murmured quietly. David inched back into the room, a glass of JOLT in his hand. "What was that, Gabe?," he questioned, hoping the slight tremor in his hand wasn't ob- vious. "Hmmm?" he answered, looking up from the blade. "Oh, just commenting on how much I'm going to enjoy killing you when I do... Oh now don't be alarmed, David," he continued quickly as he noticed Dave's change in features, "I plan on killing MacKenzie first. You, well, in time our swords will cross." "It may be sooner than you think," snarled Macleod quietly. Milliseconds after he said it, he threw the glass tumbler of liquid from his right hand at Cole. Cole ducked, glancing the missle aside with his forearm but ending up with a faceful of soda. "You're gonna reg--," Gabriel's retort was cut off by David's second weapon, a long cutting knife thrown into Gabriel's shoulder. David charged the other warrior, hoping to get close in enough to render the sword useless. Cole recovered quickly, though, and pulled the blade from his shoulder with his off hand. As Macleod charged the immortal, he found his own knife slipping in between his ribs, his lung puncturing... David tried to mouth a protest as he slumped to his knees, feeling the cold steel of his own weapon pressed against his neck. "Shhhhh...." whispered Gabriel, kneeling down as he withdrew the blade. "I'm not going to kill you first, little one. Your time will come soon enough and besides, someone has to deliver my message to MacKenzie..." The elder immortal stood and removed a package from his jacket pocket, dropping it before David's eyes. "Midnight, tomorrow night, the Hedgerow theater," he instructed. He turned and began to walk to the front door, his jet-black Doc Martins filling most of David's fading consciousness. Almost as an afterthought, he turned back to the prone immortal. "Watch this, and remember," he hissed as he pulled a large-sized diamond earring from his ear. He braced the point of Macleod's blade into the carpet and slid the jewel down the length of the sword several times, leaving a series of jagged tears in the metal. He slammed the point into the floorboards, and spun to leave, ignoring Dave's wimpered cry of protest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He pounded on the door again, louder this time. The stone facade of the house leered silently back at him. A moment passed, and then he felt the fam- iliar sensation of an approaching immortal hovering through the house. The sound of unlatching bolts echoed up and down the cold, quiet street, and the thick wooden door cracked slightly. After a moment, it opened wider still as Brian turned away from it, sword in hand. "Oh, it's you," he croaked. "Whadda hell do you want at this hour of the morning, Dave?" MacKenzie's brownish- black hair was ruffled like the fur of a scared tomcat. "A friend of yours paid me a visit today," explained the unusually quiet Macleod as he entered the house. "Oh?" Brian questioned while yawning. "Who?" He placed his weapon back on the wall rack while wiping the sleep from his eyes with his free hand. "Gabriel Cole." MacKenzie's manner instantly hardened. "What did he say?" "He'll be waiting for you tonight inside the Hedgerow Theater, midnight," explained David as he watched MacKenzie's back. He caught his mentor's blue eyes in the mirror before him, and lifted his shirt. "He left *this*..." He let his shirt fall and unsheathed his sword. "And *this*..." "I... I can't fight him, David," Brian returned hesitantly. His eyes broke contact from David's, dropping to the handle of his sword, where his knuckles grew increasingly whitened. "You'll have to handle this one alone." The younger immortal's jaw dropped in shock. "Like hell. He challenged *YOU*, Bri, not me!," he retorted angrily. "Listen, I don't know what kind of history you two had bu--" "No." MacKenzie's eyes were closed. "I cannot fight him," he stated simply, as if that would be a valid excuse. "Mac, what the hell do you want me to do for Christ's sake?" Dave ex- claimed. "Leave town. Go far away. Get out of here," his teacher answered. "WHAT?!? You mean just chicken out after.. after.. *THAT*?" the young student shouted. MacKenzie bit back angrily, "Yes. That's exactly what I mean. Leave, live at least a few decades more before you may cross his path again. Then you may have more than sheer luck to save your head." "Is that all you think of me? Of my skills?" David began to rant. "I know I've only taken one head, and I know I don't have four hundred years of experience, bu--No!" he warned MacKenzie, who had gathered breath to cut him off. "I will *always* be inferior to you, is that it?" A tense moment of silence passed between them. Finally the elder Scot whirled on his student. "No that's *NOT* it, Dave! You have more potential in you than any immortal I've ever trained or have known, but it's still un- proven potential! I tell you to leave, and I mean it. I've already taught you all you need to survive, but you still are inexperienced!" he glared at his student. "I don't know if you have enough in you to defeat someone like Cole, and until I am I don't want to risk that..." MacKenzie trailed off, and eventually turned back to his sword. "Fine," David spoke up coldly. "If that's the way it is... well, then, fine. So long, Mac, it's been real," he ended sarcasticly. His foot was al- ready out of the door before he paused, half-turning as he remembered Cole's package. "That's a gift from Cole, enjoy." He tossed the paper-wrapped item onto the couch and slammed the door behind him, causing MacKenzie to wince at the sound. He stood there for a long while, unmoving... <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< "No, this is for you, m'love..." he held the necklace before her, watching the sparkle of reflected candlelight play across her features. He was breathless just watching her reactions, first one of shock followed by joy, then... love... >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> He opened his eyes again, staring coldly at his own distant reflection in the mirror. *don't drag me back* he asked himself *don't make me relive this...* <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< The late morning sun was nearly blinding, and he blinked repeatedly as his eyes scanned the surrounding fields. "Ash?" he called out again, louder this time. It was unlike his wife to travel off without at least some warning, especially when she knew he'd be returning home from his monthly duty that morning... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was well after midday when he first found the fabric, a small piece of Ashley's favorite dress hanging from a tree just off the forest's main path. His mount, irritable enough the entire day, pranced anxiously once Brian dis- mounted. He found her not twenty yards into the undergrowth, laying on her stomach silently. He knew.. but couldn't accept... *please God, please...* he begged. He flipped her over and took her lifeless head in his hands, cradling it to his chest... Her red hair spilled about her features casually, mirrored by the deep red gash across her neck... He didn't remember screaming, although his throat reassured him that he had. An eiree silence had settled over the night-darkened woodlands. The necklace was gone... She was killed because of his necklace, his gift... Simple thieves... The animals of the forest stilled themselves that night, and only the wind blew about the huddled couple, the rustle of the leaves drowning out most of the sobs that lasted until dawn.... >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ...the tissue paper rustled as he removed the last bits of wrapping from Cole's package. As he withdrew the final layer, he held Ashley's necklace in his hands once more... Four centuries of grief and rage shattered as the immortal tore the neck- lace apart, and the impact of precious stones echoed throughout the empty kit- chen... _______________________________________________________________________________ David's eyes adjusted to the interior of the dimly lit theater. It was over a hundred years old if a day, with ancient stone columns holding the elaborate stage together. Modern lighting hung above the stage, yet for all that the theater could have witnessed a show by the Bard himself. He made his way down the aisle to the stage proper, attempting to familiarize himself with the battleground. The tell-tale buzz of another immortal bombarded him, and he turned to see Gabriel Cole, in resplendant scarlett and black, making his way towards the orchestra pit. He withdrew his scarred weapon in anticipation... _______________________________________________________________________________ He checked the condition of the blade. Immaculate, as always. He re- placed it within his sheath and straightened the bottom of his black gi as he knelt before the lit candle. Its flames played off of the dark satin of the traditional uniform as he closed his eyes in meditation. Eventually, he opened them again, the solitary light holding his light blue eyes transfixed. "I'm sorry, Ash, I have to do this," he whispered. "Even you would understand.. I hope..." With that he blew out the candle, and was engulfed by the darkness... _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________