Date: Mon, 20 Nov 1995 23:03:14 EST Reply-To: Vi Moreau Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Vi Moreau Subject: Elena Part III Elena (Part III) Elena leaned back against her chair and closed her eyes. He was singing what the Americans call 'the blues,' and making his guitar wail. The mood Dawson was setting on the stage filled the bar with a melancholy so clear she almost wanted to cry. A beautiful voice... The song ended and the silence was broken by heartfelt applause. Apparently she hadn't been the only one affected by Dawson's music, and for a moment she regretted her plans to kill him. The man had heart. Well, no one said beauty and evil were incompatible. It was almost two o'clock, and she could already see signs that they were closing up. As Dawson carefully made his way to the bar, she rose and moved toward him. "That was lovely," she murmured, almost in his ear. She wasn't exactly trying to seduce him, but a little flattery from a beautiful woman put most men at ease. Plus, she really meant it, and truth always sounded sincere. Dawson's look of surprise turned to a kind of introverted smile. "Thanks." "Perhaps you are sad about your friend's funeral." Elena assumed Dawson had noticed her at the cemetery. He had. "Did you know Charlie?" he asked. "Actually, I have business to discuss with you." She had never lost the Argentinian lilt in her speech, and it made any language she spoke sound musical. "After the bar closes, maybe we can speak privately. And it is just business, I assure you." "What kind of business would that be?" He didn't seem suspicious, just naturally cautious. An intelligent face. "Watcher business." She was looking for a reaction, saw none. He was good. "I'm not sure what you mean, but...it wouldn't hurt to talk." "Shall I just wait?" Elena smiled. "Sure." By this point, Mike was quietly but efficiently emptying out the bar. "Would you like a drink?" "I have one, thank you," she replied, raising her glass. After everyone left, only Mike was left behind the bar. Elena nodded toward him. "I did say privately." Dawson said, "We can go in the back, if you like. Mike won't bother us." She shook her head. Maybe this Mike was a Watcher too. If so, she'd deal with him later. But one at a time was better. "Perhaps another day." She picked up her bag and started toward the door, bluffing. "Wait," said Dawson. He nodded toward Mike, who took off his apron and put on a coat. "Goodnight, Joe." "Goodnight." There was a pause while Mike locked all the doors and finally exited. "Well, we have the place all to ourselves. What can I do for you, Miss...?" Elena smiled. She felt too exposed in such an open room. "Shall we go in the back, as you suggested? This won't take long." "Alright." Dawson laboriously made his way to the small back room where he kept a desk, a PC, a couple of chairs and a sofa. He gallantly stepped aside to let her go in first. As he closed the door behind him and moved toward the desk, Elena deftly pulled the crutch out of his hand and pushed him face down. He fell heavily. Elena knocked him out with the crutch, then lifted him into a chair, gagging him and tying his hands behind him. She sat behind the desk, looked through the drawers, and found several notepads which detailed the activities of an Immortal, 'M'. 'MacLeod?' she wondered. It made sense that he would be MacLeod's Watcher. Elena was glad that she had warned 'el escoses.' She also found a gun and removed the clip. Then she started looking through his disks. She had already burgled his house and brought both disks she found there, carefully hidden. Between them all, she was sure she would find the information she wanted. After twenty fruitless minutes, she felt his eyes on her, looked across the desk, and smiled. "Joe, do you know who I am?" Dawson nodded behind his gag. "I am the Immortal who has been hunting Watchers. You are a Watcher, and I intend to kill you. I say this in all fairness, so you harbor no illusions about escaping, making any deals, pleading for your life. What I want from you is information about other Watchers. If I get it, I will kill you quickly. I know you have sworn a sacred oath to die before betraying them, but there are many ways to die, Joe. We have three hours before dawn. They can be the most unpleasant three hours of your life. After that, I will take you elsewhere, but I'd rather get our business done here. So, I will remove the gag, and you will give me the key." She came around, leaning over him. "I know you are a brave man, but bravery will not help you. You are dedicated to your work, but dedication will not help you. The only thing that will help you now is telling me what I want to know. I am not a sadist. I do not want to hurt you. But I will hurt you, Joe." she paused. "Do you believe this?" Dawson nodded again. "Good," she nodded. "I will now remove the gag, and you will give me the key to your files." The first thing Dawson said was, "I am not your enemy. I'm just a Watcher, that's all." "Of course. A scholar of the human condition. A dedicated historian. You only observe and record, never interfere." The sarcasm was heavy. "But there are some in your organization who have turned evil. They are called Hunters, and their aim in life is to kill all Immortals. Funny," she leaned back, "no one I have spoken to has ever admitted to being one of the 'bad guy' Watchers. They are all, like yourself, one of the 'good guy' Watchers. At least, that's what they all say...in the beginning." "But you don't believe there's a distinction." "Perhaps there is. Perhaps you are a nice guy. And perhaps," she leaned into him again, "I simply don't care. I will ask you one more time how to get into your files." He appeared outwardly calm, but Elena had been through this before, too many times, she wished they would just talk to her. The truth was that she was not a sadist. She hated hurting anyone, hated herself for doing so. And she allowed this to show on her face. She wanted them to see the regret for what she was doing, but the determination to do it anyway. This made her much more convincing. It made them more likely to give up. She saw the fear in his eyes as he realized his true position. The intelligent ones were the quickest to do so. And yet, he couldn't just fold easily. There was a certain amount of pride and ego involved, and until the pain or fear of more pain overcame these, he would resist. "I can't," he whispered. She changed tactics. "Tell me about Duncan MacLeod, then. Does he know what you are?" She waited nervously for an answer. "MacLeod?" Dawson seemed confused. "He's...a friend." This was not good news. If he was a friend of MacLeod's, then her opinion of one of them was wrong. And she didn't want to be wrong about 'el escoses." Unless, of course, Dawson lied. She would ask him again. She walked around behind him, and he stiffened in his chair. She paused briefly, then reached down and quickly broke two of the fingers in his hand. Dawson gasped, rising slightly in the chair, then collapsed back down. She whispered in his ear, "I'm a bone breaker," and pressed the two fingers together. Dawson moaned. "There are many more bones I can break. Give me the code, Joe." He breathed hard between clenched teeth, "No!" but Elena was no longer listening. She heard a motorcycle engine rev down, then straightened up as a familiar feeling overcame her. An Immortal! She looked toward the back door, and quickly stuffed the gag back into Dawson's mouth. Someone knocked on the door. She instinctively reached for her sword, holding her breath, hoping. Could it be him? "Dawson? Hey Joe, you in there? Is Mac there with you?" 'Richie!' So he and MacLeod were friends of Dawson. "Dawson, are you alright? Who's in there with you?" Elena quickly considered her options. Her session with Joe Dawson was over, at least for now. She realized the two Immortals knew about Dawson, but didn't consider him a threat. If they were friends, they might even defend him against her. "!Maldita sea!" she murmured under her breath. She didn't want to fight Richie now, but her only other choice was to leave. She sighed. She'd been interrupted once before with a Watcher, one who had spit in her face and called her an abomination under God, and before she left she had put her sword into his heart. But she hesitated now to kill Dawson, and the reason was obvious. If MacLeod was his friend... "Hey, Dawson!" Richie banged on the door, then threw his weight against it. "Whoever is in there, come and face me! I challenge you!" Elena smiled at Dawson. "You are lucky, for now." She threw the bunch of disks into her tote, picked up her cloak and the gun and left by the front door. She regretted missing the notebooks about 'M.' Behind her, she heard a crash and, as she drove away, Richie ran out. She threw him a kiss. "Wait!" she heard him yell. "Come back here!" Elena headed towards the dojo, assuming it would be the place to take Dawson for protection if they really wanted to. Even if they didn't go there, she was planning to go have a conversation with 'el escoses' anyway. She needed to know what his connection was with the Watchers, and where he stood. She also needed, needed to explain to someone what she was doing and why. She felt he would be willing to at least listen to her. He had said he wanted to talk, hadn't he? He had kind eyes. But he was also a warrior, and she hoped he would understand the war she was waging, because his opinion had somehow become very important to her. After Maria's death, when she caught up to the first Watcher and realized the depth of the conspiracy against the Immortals, she ran to Acapulco to talk to Gordon. She found that he had been shot down in the street and taken away in a car. His body was never found. In shock with grief, Elena made a few phone calls to friends, warning them. But none of them seemed to know what to do. Her next trip was to Paris. ******************************************** As she walks up to the little chapel in a corner of Paris, she is surprised not to feel Darius' presence. She knows he never left holy ground, and, as she walks into his office, she becomes alarmed. A strange priest greets her. "Bonjour, ma fille." "Mon pere, je veux parler avec Darius, s'il vous plait." "Ah, ma fille, c'est une grande tragedie." The priest shakes his head, taking her hand in his. "Mais le bon Dieu..." She stands by his grave, desolate. The tears don't come. They didn't come when Maria died, they didn't come when she found out about Gordon, and they don't come now. She feels completely alone, but with a new purpose. These mad killers must not be allowed to continue on their rampage. She will stop them. She promises Darius, at his stone marker, and Maria, and Gordon, and any others they have murdered. *********************************************** She got her streets mixed up, and when she reached the dojo Dawson's car was already there. Richie had most likely driven him, and was probably inside. But it was MacLeod she was determined to deal with. End of Elena (Part III) copyright by Vivian Moreau, 1995 Translations: 'el escoses' - the Scotsman 'maldita sea' - damn it 'mon pere, je veux parler avec Darius, s'il vous plait' - Father, I wish to speak to Darius, please 'ah, ma fille, c'est une grande tragedie' - my child, it's a great tragedy =========================================================================