c. 3326
He was quiet, sitting on the log. There had used to be a bench here under the trees, but then the park had long been abandoned and this tree had fallen on the bench. Now, he sat upon the slowly rotting tree and watched nature take over again, erasing man's involvement. In a way, it was calming to see that all was eventually erased and forgotten.
His hands were folded in his lap, gloved even though the day was warm. He had tired of playing the mortal – of feeling and living. For a little while, he would wrap up in his armour and be the Immortal for a little while. He would forget that people only died once – that for them, time passed in seconds. He would forget to feel fear, or love, or anger, or hate – he would simply...exist. He would stand by for a little while and watch the inevitable path of the world around him. It would not last forever – it never did – but it would hurt a little less.
"I do not know how you could forgive me – could stand me. How could you not see what I would become here – what I would do?" Unsurprisingly, nothing answered – even the birds long gone elsewhere from the muffled place. "Would you recognise me now if you could see me?"
There was a wryly amused note in the voice that answered him: "Unfortunately, yes."
He stilled, immediately reaching for the knife he kept within his coat. As he pulled it out, the newcomer's hand wrapped tightly around his wrist, twisting the knife from his grasp and then releasing him.
"I'd rather not die today, thank you."
He fiddled with the cuffs of his coat for a moment before refolding his hands in his lap; looking up towards the younger immortal. "That, I do not doubt. But as to whether it was for you is another matter."
He tilted his head to the side for a moment, considering. "Ah – my apologies then." He offered it back, but the elder shook his head. Slipping it into his pocket, he glanced at the log and then gestured towards the empty spot. "May I sit here?"
"If you wish. There is no need for me to stop you – nor may I now that you have taken my weapon."
"You are hardly so single-minded." He sat, leaning back slightly as he looked at the overgrown scene the elder had returned to staring at. "What may I call you?"
"Adam will suffice as it ever has."
He stilled for a moment, but made no other sign of displeasure with the choice. "I am Cace."
He bowed his head in acknowledgement. "It would be a pleasure to meet him, I am sure."
"You are alone now?"
He frowned slightly at the change of subject. "Alone? When have I been different?"
He waved generally in Adam's direction. "The engineer – Peter? - was not killed, was he? You did not kill him?"
He blinked in confusion. "Peter? He-Cace, I fear that if it was a mutual acquaintance than he has long since passed."
"Of course – but you let him be? You didn't hurt him?" He finally realised the confusion, and tried to clarify. "Peter – the engineer at the cafe? Your partner?"
Adam's face cleared and a smile flashed across it. "Perkins. He has died and I have killed him – but you or I might say the same."
He winced. "But you and I – we are immortals. Death will have no effect on us." He grimaced. "How can you make them trust you only to turn on them?"
"I would hardly say that I betrayed him, or that he trusted me."
"Then why were you with him at all?"
"Did you come to do other than argue, Cace? I have not patience for it."
"My apologies – but I had tried to get him to leave your company. And to find that my fears had been realised..."
"Your fears? That I would kill Perkins? Henry... I killed him many years before – or was it after..." He paused a moment in thought, and then dismissed the problem. "Perkins is irritatingly hard to kill."
He pulled away slightly, barely registering the use of his name. "You have tried to kill him often? Is it a game for you?"
"Perkins? Hardly. More of a...reminder."
"Of what? That most people die and don't come back?"
"No. That there are those of us cursed to die and always come back."
"And you had to hunt an innocent man to remind yourself of that?"
"Hunt him? I fell into his factory and he fell into my lake – I hardly think that constitutes as a 'hunt'."
The younger immortal stilled, frowning in confusion.
Adam watched the younger, and then amusement lit up his face as he realised where their two conversations had split. "Ah – Cace, I have killed Perkins many times. And in fairness, he did the same to me."
"...Peter?"
"Yes – is it so surprising?"
"Yes! There was one and then there was two – and now there is a third? It is hardly likely enough for me to suspect it!"
"I must argue contrary – where there is one, there is certain to be more."
"...then why did you not introduce us?"
"You forget that I am the killer of your wife and the danger to your son – I hardly think you would have accepted an aquaintanceship based upon my reccomendation."
He hesitated.
"If I were to facillitate a meeting, it would be neutral rather than burdened with prejudices and first impressions. A few years or centuries will make little difference.
"First -"
"Yes, Cace. You are by far the youngest among us and your ability to hide your animosity is sadly lacking. As an acquaintance of mine, he would be defensive."
He glared at Adam. "No doubt helped by your skewed story?"
"Mine? I think not – I have told him nothing of you. What he knows, he learnt himself." He looked out at the trees for a moment before standing with a sigh. "As relaxing as this meeting has been, I fear I must take my leave now." He bowed slightly. "I will be leaving the planet, so you may rest assured you need not encounter me again."
He hesitated, looking up. "But if I wanted to meet? Surely you have a life to end here-"
"I did. But it is done. This is my funeral, Cace – I have no ties to this place any longer. Abel commited suicide in his house less than an hour ago after declining productivity and health."
"...that is all?"
"Mortals rarely die expansive deaths – some are simply easier to arrange than others." He stumbled slightly, reaching out to grasp a branch from the log for support.
"Thank you for meeting with me – I am...sorry."
He winced slightly. "There is little you could do to me – but do not apologise for what you had no part in." He stumbled again and fell to his knees, collapseing against the log. "And you are...quite correct, Cace..." He faltered, and was silent, struggling for breath. He looked up at the frozen immortal. "I am not...single...minded." He smiled slightly, and then with a last breath the overgrown park was empty again save for the surprised younger immortal.
AN: Henry is very much the child... This is in 3326 A.D. and Henry is 1599 years old while Adam is 4087 years old. IN the beginning, Adam was speaking to Ariadne – his wife.12-15-2015