Harold Finch was a man of many secrets, both his own and others.
It was painfully obvious that he would need help if he wanted to pursue his quest to aid the Numbers.
But it was also clear that involving someone would eventually place that person in danger. Causing a dilemma for his conscience: risk someone's life by involving them, or risk the Numbers by doing nothing?
The solution seemed clear: an agent who couldn't die. Well, at least not permanently.
Surreptitious investigation of a particular database indicated a perfect candidate already living in the city. Unfortunately Mr. Nash seemed to have made himself scarce recently. Some investigation yielded another likely candidate. Placing the word in certain circles that he had a particular old volume for sale got him an appointment with Adam Pierson or, if his suspicions were correct, the oldest immortal – Methos.
Harold supposed that his work in creating and training the Machine had made him better at pattern analysis than the Watcher organization. In this case it wasn't what appeared in the megs of data on the oldest immortal, but rather what was missing. Namely, anything of any use in identifying the present day persona of Methos. There was file after file of detailed information on suspected past incarnations of Methos. But knowing the oldest immortals favorite outfits from two centuries ago wasn't very helpful. If he had tended toward a particular color, say choosing to wear all black, or all white, or all purple, that might have been of some use. But a perusal of his attire in his various incarnations revealed he tended to wear what everyone else was wearing – brown or beige or black or gray or whatever other color scheme was popular and would allow him to blend in rather than stand out. There were lists of alleged Methos sightings going back for ages; apparently the man had known everyone at one time or another. Unfortunately all of his known acquaintances were dead and of no help in identifying the man. And while the locations of various sightings were recorded, there was very little about what he actually did. Often not even his occupation at the time was listed. Really, Harold thought it must take quite a bit of skill to come up with such a wealth of trivial information on a person, without ever listing any basic identify characteristics – not even hair or eye color. Which led Finch to the conclusion that the omissions were deliberate, and that the oldest immortal was in fact hiding in plain sight, and controlling the information recorded about him. It was a daring and cunning tactic that Harold could appreciate.
He arranged to discuss the sale of the volume at an upscale restaurant. It was public enough that neither party would fear the other trying something, while their secluded table would allow sufficient privacy for the discussion. After they had gotten their drinks and placed their orders, Finch confronted the other man with his suspicions, citing his familiarity with the Watcher's information on immortals and his own conclusions based on the evidence in the Methos files. As a sort of tit for tat after claiming to know the other man's secret, Finch revealed his own: the existence of the Machine and his need for someone to aid him in his quest to save the Numbers.
Methos raised an eyebrow. "I believe you have mistaken me for someone else. I'm hardly the doo-gooding boy scout you seem to think I am. But I can give you his phone number if you wish."
"I had considered Mr. MacLeod. Both of them. But currently Connor's persona is unavailable. And as for Duncan, well, I thought you might be, well..."
"Smarter? I am. Which is why I'm turning you down."
"I was going to say more discrete. Duncan MacLeod tends to be a bit...conspicuous under normal circumstances. Giving him a victim to save or an evildoer to pursue would be like waving a red flag in front of a bull."
Methos snorted. "He is rather like a bull in a china shop, blundering about unconcerned about the havoc he wreaks. Not to mention even the least competent police officer is bound to get suspicious of someone announcing their name and lineage at the drop of a hat. That and beheadings are rather...showy."
Harold sighed in disappointment. He supposed he really hadn't expected the other man would be interested. Truthfully just having the chance to meet the oldest immortal was enough of a thrill. The two spent the rest of the meal discussing history and literature, and Methos shared a few anecdotes with Harold about famous people he had known. At the end of the evening Finch let the other man leave with his chronicle—after all it was his property to begin with.
Harold supposed he would have to discard the idea of an immortal operative. Probably just as well, he didn't want to run the risk of a quickening near his computer equipment.
[Highlander crossover with Methos/Adam Pierson; Connor MacLeod/Russell Nash; Duncan MacLeod/aliases are for wimps-The Highlander]