DISCLAIMER: Highlander and its canon characters are the property of Davis/Panzer Productions or a successor corporation; no copyright infringement is intended.
x
x
x
Five.
Nick Wolfe had been privy to so much secret knowledge, for so many millions of years, that he'd tucked it away in a seldom-visited corner of his mind. Thought of it as not exactly "real." That was the only way he could function.
But now it was inescapably real.
Five.
Nick had been horrified when scientists proposed creating an Inner System Wormhole. He'd learned from Duncan MacLeod's secret Chronicle - transmitted to him via Darius - that it would lead to the destruction of the Sun, and Earth. But he'd known that he couldn't convince anyone else of that, even if he tried. And in fact, he shouldn't try. The consequences of changing the "past" MacLeod had experienced would have been almost unimaginably dire.
So he'd kept silent...and quietly begun the research and planning that had brought him where he was now. At the helm of a spaceship orbiting Mars, in command of a hand-picked crew who trusted his "hunch" that their various skills - mostly medical - might be needed.
Five.
In his youth, he would have laughed at the idea that Immortals might require medical care. But there had been conditions - thankfully rare - not helped by Immortal healing: amputation of limbs, injuries to the neck and throat. Longivivax doctors had found ways to treat them, with varying degrees of success. Sometimes, they could even save individuals whose necks had been partially severed, with the head still having a slight attachment to the body. He knew, though, that in most of those cases it proved impossible to move the body even slightly without severing that last connection.
Doctors were needed for young long-lifers who hadn't Transitioned. They were most frequently called upon to treat injured children, in hopes of preventing premature Transitions. And they also learned how to treat all the injuries and illnesses that might befall Primordials, who frequently traveled beyond their own planet. In a friendly tit-for-tat, Primordial doctors also learned how to treat long-lifers. In fact, two of them were among Nick's crew.
Five.
If he'd told any of that crew the truth about their mission, he would have lost them. They would have thought him a lunatic.
Even I have a hard time believing all this...
Duncan MacLeod, Ludovic, is unique in history in having been named - unknowingly, on his mother's part - for himself.
Methos and Cassandra are unique in history in having traveled back in time, been left with amnesia, lived the previous years of their lives over again, preceded by many more...and wound up face to face with their younger selves, just as they were about to get into the time machine.
I'm unique in history in having had literally millions of years to prepare for a specific rescue mission...and still not being sure it will succeed!
Five.
He was remotely controlling a smaller craft crewed by virtually indestructible robots, hovering over Earth. On his order, the ship would descend and land. The robots would break into the scientists' hangar, if it was still intact. Introduce themselves, if possible. They'd bring Methos and Cassandra aboard the rescue craft (whatever their condition), and rush them to the mother ship.
"Rush" was a relative term. Methos and Cassandra would have to be in suspended animation for months before reaching Mars. But they wouldn't arrive in any worse condition than when they'd left Earth. And if Nick had brought the mother ship closer, his "lurking" would have caught the attention of the other type of volunteers. They would have questioned why he wasn't doing anything. What was he waiting for?
Five.
And that was the crux of the problem he faced. A huge problem. He knew what Miko Jinmari had said about the lethal "next surge," that might come at any time. But he couldn't risk activating the robots until he was sure the time machine had departed - until the scanner he was viewing told him only two humans were still there.
Five.
And all he knew of the situation came, indirectly, from MacLeod - who'd been unconscious when the machine left. So conditions even then might have been worse than those he described. By the time the robots reached Methos and Cassandra, they might be dead or past saving.
Nick couldn't let the ship descend to an altitude where anyone on the ground might see it - or hear it, from inside the hangar. Even if Miko and Xanda were in the not-yet-activated time machine and unable to hear the ship, they might see Methos or Cassandra react to a noise from overhead. Any distraction might cause them to delay their departure. And for all Nick knew, a delay of only a few seconds beyond the time they'd leave if his rescue vessel wasn't there might prevent their getting away safely.
While the robot craft shouldn't descend without a command from him, he couldn't dismiss the possibility that the horrific "weather" near Earth might send it plummeting down, out of control, at any moment. If that were to happen, there was no reason to think the crash would be within earshot of the four conscious humans. But if the hangar's roof had blown off, they might see something streaking across the sky. His rescue attempt would already have been foiled; and their pausing to look up at the sky might prevent the time machine's getting away.
Five.
If the time machine doesn't get away, with Mac aboard, there will be massive changes to history. Miko and Xanda will die. Methos and Cassandra, and Mac, will simply vanish, never having existed. Mac realized, in the past, that Methos was the ancestor of all the Original Immortals - that includes me! So none of us will ever have existed. And the same goes for long-lifers even partially descended from us.
The ship I'm commanding will be somewhere else, as will its crew of medics - who'll be going about their normal routines, never having heard of Nick Wolfe.
Five.
He knew history would be changed in other ways as well. The time-traveling MacLeod, much to his own surprise, had played a major role in the origin of Christianity. Without him, it might have been a different - worse - religion, or might not have come into existence at all. The probable alternative, Mithraism, almost certainly would have been worse. All humans' old religions had long since died out; but Christianity had been so important, for so long, that a major change in its history would have as many repercussions as the non-existence of Original Immortals.
Five.
And there's another horrendous possibility, totally beyond my control. What if Methos feels honor bound to tell Miko and Xanda what will happen if they take Mac with them - and knowing that, they don't take him? They seemingly have free will, and they haven't actually done it yet.
Their leaving him behind would prevent the time machine's malfunctioning. That would also wipe out all of us , the only difference being that the two of them would survive. They'd probably be able to "live happily ever after" in the changed reality, without even remembering what they'd done.
Five.
Yet another thought tried to force its way into his mind. A thought so appalling that he couldn't let himself consider it!
What if scientists' creation of the longivivax species really was dependent on input from someone who knew about Immortals...or was one?
He refused, absolutely refused, to think about that. To imagine how utterly the reality he knew might be changed.
He'd go mad if he did.
Five.
Mac and Methos are like family to me, and even if I survive this day, I may never see either of them alive again. I'll certainly never see Mac.
Why didn't I trust myself to see them when they stopped off on Nineveh? My research was important, but I could have put it off. I just didn't trust my acting ability...
But how could I possibly have explained my not insisting on going to Earth with them?
Five.
If I don't survive this day...if all the Original Immortals are wiped out of existence...my little son Brendan will vanish as well. And Merith won't remember either of us. Was it wrong of me to risk bringing a child into the world when I did? Knowing what might -
Two.
x
x
x
Nick almost erupted out of his seat. The time machine had departed! Miko and Xanda had taken MacLeod. Methos and Cassandra were the only two humans on Earth...and he was still alive.
His initial burst of relief gave way, within seconds, to a feeling of utter emptiness. Duncan MacLeod is really and truly gone from this era, forever...
But before he'd let himself feel anything, he'd pressed the button that sent the robots on their way.
x
x
x
Two hours later, he had detailed information on Methos and Cassandra. The news wasn't good.
x
x
x
But he still wasn't prepared for what he saw, two months later, when he boarded the just-docked rescue vessel.
Blackened skeletons.