========================================================================= Date: Mon, 11 Mar 1996 22:41:53 -0500 Reply-To: "Sean A.Simpson" Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: "Sean A.Simpson" Subject: Shapes in Shadows 1/4 ============================================================================== Highlander is a production of Rysher Entertainment and is a copyright thereof. This story is not intended as a threat to that copyright. Any characters from the Highlander movies and television series are borrowed without permission. Original characters and this story (c) 1996 Sean A. Simpson. It may be freely distributed provided that this statement, and the above concerning Rysher Entertainment, are included, and that the text is included in its entirety. ============================================================================== Shapes in Shadows by Sean A. Simpson >From the journal of Terence O'Brian, dated 1/8/93 I've known Angus for several weeks, and in that time he's told me many things about himself, but I still get the feeling that he's only scratched the surface of his life history. Today, however, I met a living part of his history: one of his oldest friends, Seiichi Narahara, and his adotped daughter Fei, Seiichi's wife. Angus had invited me over to his house for dinner, saying that there would be "something special tonight." I arrived promptly at eight o' clock, but Angus was still in the midst of preparing dinner. "Lad," he said, "this is the kind of food best eaten fresh." He was tossing a salad, of all things. He smiled slightly at my expression. "What? You didn't think I could cook? Why, I've been a chef in six different countries, often winning accolades for my skill in the kitchen." Angus paused, and then set down his utensils. "Yes, that will do." Then Angus walked over to the door and opened it. Standing in the doorway was a Japanese-looking man in casual Western clothing. He smiled, and then Angus and he threw their arms around each other. "Seiichi! It's been what? A hundred years?" Seiichi looked from me to Angus. Angus nodded. "Yes, he knows about us." Seiichi smiled at me and thrust out his hand. "You must be Terry, then." I took it and we shook. Then Seiichi turned to Angus and said, "Actually, it's a hundred twelve years since we last saw each other. At the wedding." Angus smiled. "Ah yes...the wedding..." Angus and Seiichi smiled at some shared secret and broke out into laughter. Seeing my puzzled expression, Angus explained that Seiichi had married Angus' daughter Fei (another Immortal) in 1881. "And still together!" Seiichi declared proudly. "Speaking of which, where is Fei?" "She's bringing our present from the car. She insisted on giving it to you herself." Suddenly the two of them paused, and turned to the door. A small-boned Chinese woman stepped through it carrying an ungainly package. Seeing Angus' expression, she quickly but gently set it down just in time to get swept up by Angus in a bear hug. "Father!" She sounded like a whiny teenager. Angus grimaced. "Two thousand years and you can still make me cringe when you say that like that." She grinned. "Well, glad to know I haven't lost my touch." Then she saw me. "Ah...you must be Terry. I've heard a lot about you." "Well, you seem to have me at a disadvantage." I smiled and stuck out my hand. She took it and shook enthusiastically. "I'm Fei Narahara, Seiichi's wife." "I guessed as much," I replied. Then Fei turned to Angus with a childish grin. "Now, open your present!" Angus smiled slightly and picked up the package. He weighed it, listened to it, peered at it, and felt it, all to no avail. "Guess I'll just have to open it." He proceeded to do that with much gusto. It was a beautiful Ming vase. "Is it real?" I found myself asking reflexively. Fei and Seiichi peered at me as if I'd made some grave error, but Angus only smiled his slight smile. "It's quite real. Seiichi made it himself in China during the Ming dynasty. He's always been quite good with pottery, you know." He looked at Seiichi. "But I thought you'd sold them all...?" "I did. Fei found this and insisted that we buy it for you. Said it would go well with your decor." Angus looked around the kitchen. "Well, not in here; I think it would clash with the stove." He grinned. "But seriously, it would look great in my living room." Fei left to take the vase into the living room, while Angus herded me and Seiichi into the dining room. "Come now, lads, it's time to eat." Seiichi turned to Angus and said, "You know, you're about the only person in the world who can call me a 'lad' and have it be that true." Angus smiled cryptically. "There's one or two others." Fei came in carrying the salad and we all sat down except for Angus. He went over to the cabinet in the corner and pulled out a bottle of wine with an old-looking label, and then handed it to me and Seiichi for approval. "1886? This is from your vineyard in Italy?" Seiichi asked. Angus nodded. "I figure it's a special enough occasion." Then he opened the bottle and poured a bit for each of us. We ate, drank, and talked for over two hours, and then Angus brought Seiichi and I into the living room while Fei cleaned up the dining room. Angus didn't show the slightest signs of drunkenness, but Seiichi was slurring slightly. Fortunately, I had forgone a third glass of wine with dinner, and so I was substantially more stable than him. Seiichi was rambling about something during the seventeenth century when Fei walked in. "Well, now, haven't we seen this before? You know good and well, Seiichi, that Angus is more than capable of drinking you under the table," Fei lectured. "Yesh, but it'sh fun trying," Seiichi slurred with a smile. Angus had just taken a substantial swig from a bottle of Scotch. "Now, my friend, it's time to catch up with you." At this point Fei grabbed me by the arm and dragged me off. "I'm going to have someone sober here tonight." She took me into the kitchen and sat me down with a cup of oolong tea. "Now, let's hear your story," she commanded. I ran a hand through my short blond hair. "Where shall I begin?" "How about the beginning?" "Alright. My parents adopted me when I was three months old. No one knows who my real parents are; my adoptive parents are the ones on my birth certificate. I have no brothers or sisters, but my father's parents are still alive. Although I inherited everything when my parents died, my grandparents raised me from there." "When did your parents die?" "I was sixteen. They were killed in a helicopter accident; only the pilot survived. He said he wasn't sure what happened. Drug tests after the fact showed that he might have been high when he was flying." I scowled darkly; this is a very sore spot. "Since then, I've done everything I can to help with drug education and enforcement, donating to charities and other worthy services, but I'm not sure if I've ever done enough." "We do what we can." Fei patted me on the arm. "Anyway, my parents were pretty well off when they died; after attending college, I invested some of their money and made a small fortune in the stock market. I also make a fair amount of money in my antique trade." "What kind of antiques?" "Weapons and armor, mostly. I usually deal over the phone, and I have a substantial clientele now. Collectors, fetishists; I don't really care much so long as their money is good and they don't hurt anyone. Anyway, I moved to Albany two years ago because I wanted to get away from the city." "By the city I assume you mean New York City." "Yes." "Do you remember the headhunter murders in '85?" "Yeah...really grisly...wait...was that one of you?" "Well, five of us actually. A Polish national who was killed in New Jersey by the Kurgan, who also killed Sunda Kastigir. A good man, Kastigir was, although I only knew him by reputation. Also, there was Iman Fasil, who was killed by Connor MacLeod, and MacLeod ultimately killed the Kurgan." "The Kurgan? Angus has mentioned him a couple of times." "The Kurgan was one of the most evil of our kind. He lived for the Game, doing his best to kill every Immortal he encountered. He killed one of Angus' earliest students, an Inuit Immortal named Aakpuk. Angus fought him himself in the thirteenth century, and nearly killed him, but the Kurgan escaped." "How?" "I don't know. Angus won't talk about it." "What about this Connor MacLeod? What do you know about him?" ==============================================================================