Somewhere in the desert:
To Derrick, the aftermath of the sandstorm appeared to have left the swells of sand dunes looking like a great white ocean. The dunes seemed to rise and fall like undulating waves. Wind drove sand before it in small flurries like sea spray. It seemed fluffed up, aerated, different and far more treacherous to walk on than before. The landscape had altered. A man… or an immortal… could be lost in this white and drifting land. Unlike the deserts of the American southwest which also featured rock mesas, cacti, and gorges with rivers, this one was only sand as far as the eye could see. There were no features to use as landmarks… there was only the setting sun to his back, and the hope of moon and stars in the overcast sky.
He rubbed the watch… worried that to use it too much in this climate would render it useless when he most needed it. He faced south and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He tasted salt and grit from the sand, which had adhered to it during his search of the abandoned pumping station.
He'd found several sharp pieces of metal that all three men could carry and use as shanks. They'd had a conversation about using them and whether they could slit a man's throat.
"We might have no other choice if we are to rescue the women," he'd told them solemnly and fully expecting the others to react negatively to his suggestion. But he was pleasantly surprised.
Ren had eyed the shank curiously and then nodded. Perhaps something of his memory was coming back as he'd risen and made some stylized moves with it as if reacquainting his body with something it had once known.
Gavin had laughed. "I was in Special Forces. I know how to handle myself in a fight. I left the service to get away from that life after I met Molly and married her. I may be an accountant now… but I wasn't always. I've been in several hand-to-hand battles." He held the shank to his neck and drew it across in a motion that showed he truly would have no problem slitting a man's throat.
"Stealth and surprise will be our allies," Derrick had said. Then they'd refilled the empty water bottles and added some rusty abandoned tools to their arsenal. They were made of steel and heavy. The wrench would make an effective club. The bolt cutters might come in handy as well. They'd started out as the sun had begun its arc toward the horizon and had struggled up and down, slipping and sliding in the sands that gave way far too easily beneath their feet.
Now as the shadows increased and red marked the evening sky with long tendrils of incarnadine light… the sun slowly set. Evening and darkness were on their way. Another night of unremitting darkness save for the light from the moon overhead and the stars. Derrick prayed inwardly that the thin cloud cover that had remained after the storm would lift and that they'd be able to see where they were going. He worried that they'd lost too much time. He worried that they were going in the wrong direction. He worried about how the others had braved the sandstorm and if Amber were safe. He ached to know where she was exactly and what was happening to her. Derrick figured the other two men felt the same way.
-----
The cloud-cover actually helped spread the light so that the sky seemed to glow dimly a pale gray. The muddy light, however, did not show details. Entire dunes seemed to vanish and there were no signs of dropped clothing to help them find their way.
Gavin was the first to see something dark in the white sand not far from where they were heading. It looked like a branch sticking out of the sand.
Hurriedly the men floundered in waist deep sand toward it. The closer they came, the more that branch took on the shape of an upraised hand, the fingers curled and pointing downward.
Finally reaching it they began frantically to dig. Derrick knew it wasn't an immortal… but they still had to know if this were one of the women or just some traveler who had been caught in the storm. With double handfuls, they scooped sand from around the body. The edges of the hole kept sliding back in, but finally they reached a head and brushed the sand from her inert face. None of them recognized her… but she had to be one of the hostesses. From what they could tell, she was dressed in a pale, silk blouse similar to the ones they had worn. Derrick dug a little deeper and located the wings pinned over her left breast.
All three men rolled onto their backs with a sigh. It wasn't anyone they knew… but they were still on the right track. Derrick sat up, brushed the sand carefully away from the watch and then began to work it again. He pointed to the southwest. "That way… I think?"
"You think?" Gavin gasped.
"Give him a break. He's led us this far," Ren admonished him. "Neither of us could have done better." He winked at Derrick as he rubbed the side of his head.
Derrick wondered how much more Ren Caulfield had remembered of who he was.
-----
Hours later… they saw light. Not a campfire flickering in the darkness… but something burning steadily. Derrick pointed to it and they altered their angle as they closed in on the light. It might be nothing; it might be everything.
All three men crawled to the top of the last dune and peered over the edge at the encampment. There was an old wooden building reminiscent of a bunkhouse along one side. Perpendicular to it a large tent had been pitched. A glowing red light emanated from it. Around a small campfire were gather a dozen or so men. The men took turns visiting another tent across from the first. Screams peppered the night air but the men only seemed to laugh. Off to one side, opposite the long building someone had erected a chain link fence surmounted by razor wire. On the four corners of the fenced square, floodlights had been mounted. They weren't large, but offered enough light that the men at the fire could see what was in it. The fenced area was small… but inside it there seemed to be many bodies on the ground. Occasionally they moved.
"This has to be them," Ren said and started over the edge. Derrick pulled him back.
"We may only get one chance. We have to plan this out. It will do none of them any good if we are killed on the way down."
Ren nodded, but he clearly wasn't happy about it.
After circling around to where the pen was, Derrick told the others to remain at the base of the slope as he eased up closer to the top and tried to sense whether or not he felt other immortals. He did. And they seemed to feel him. He saw two figures sit up in the pen and then rise and come to the side of the fence nearest where he was. They then sat down again. He couldn't tell who was who, but he thought one was Alisaunne because of her short hair. The other he couldn't tell for sure. He retreated down the dune.
"All right," he said. They're there." He didn't mention that he'd only seen two respond to his presence. He didn't want to worry Ren. He lifted the bolt cutters. "We ease down the other side of the dune… I'll cut a small opening to free them. Ren… be ready with that shank in case someone comes to investigate. We have to be swift and silent. Gavin… you lead them out and over the dune."
The men nodded and then climbed the dune crouching, falling to their stomachs as they reached the top.
"I'll go first," Derrick said and, with the bolt cutters in one hand and Ren's sword still buckled to his waist, scooted and slid slowly down the slope. He stopped often, keeping a close eye on the men at the campfire. Once he was on the packed sand of the encampment he crouched for a moment in the shadows and listened to the laughter of the men. They were drinking something. From the languages and accents he heard, Derrick decided that these were not necessarily Moslem Arabs, but men from many countries around the world… men of many ethnic backgrounds. At least they didn't seem too concerned about the women in the pen. They seemed more interested in whoever they were torturing.
Derrick aimed for the fence, in a careful crouch. Reaching it and sitting down with his back to it. The two immortals were on the other side.
"Derrick," whispered Amber, "I knew ya'd come."
He smiled in relief at her and held up the cutters. "Will this help?"
"Get it done and I'll start slowly waking the others," Alisaunne replied.
Derrick began to cut near the base and was working his way up. "Where's Cassandra?"
Amber shook her head. "She's the one they've got in that tent. I think they're all taking turns with her. Derrick… the leader is one of us. He asked about who was with us. He has the swords… all five of them. He knows ya'll be coming. But he thinks ya'll be alone. He's waiting for ya."
Derrick grunted as his mind whirled with the new information. His first priority was to free the women. His second to retrieve the two swords he'd been entrusted with. If what Methos and Phillip said was true, the swords were a danger to any other immortal. As for Cassandra? He didn't know what to do. How could they rescue her? How could they not?
Ren had reached the fence by this time. "Ali?" he called out softly.
"She's getting the others," Amber replied, She stuck her fingers through the fence to link them with Derrick's momentarily and then swiftly removed them when Derrick bent to kiss them. "I'll go help." In the light, he could see them waking women, making small mounds of sand to simulate where they were laying, sometimes throwing a piece of clothing over it if possible.
He made three more cuts before he thought he had enough cut for the women to squeeze through. Ren helped him fold the area back. Almost immediately Alisaunne brought the first woman to the fence. Behind her a few others began to move. Others stood and began to walk back and forth to cover the exit of the others. Thankfully, none of the women made noise or rushed to be next. Derrick was surprised but pleased. Mothers with young children were among the first to leave and be helped out and up the dune by Gavin. The problem was… with the lights, even though they weren't focused on the dune… made them have to move too slowly. Derrick was worried. Someone was going to see something.
He motioned to Alisaunne. "We may have to kill the lights."
Alisaunne nodded as she eased through the fence and gave Ren a fast kiss. "Weapons?"
Derrick handed her the bolt cutters. "Will these work?"
She hefted them. "What do you want me to do? Throws this at the bulbs or…" She grinned. "Cut the power," she said at the same time as Derrick.
He laughed and then removed Ren's sword from his waist. "Take this too."
"Won't you be needing that?"
Derrick stared at her sadly. How to tell her that if the great sword and the others were in the tent, as Amber had mentioned, he'd have no need of another. "I'll be fine. He reached out to her as she prepared to move. "Ren, go with her. And one at a time… so it looks like…"
"They're burning out," she concluded with a wink. "That means at the poles."
"That means some of the men will investigate," Ren added.
"Derrick nodded. "Can't be helped. We have to thin the group anyway. Stay far away from that tent though."
"Why?" asked Ren curiously.
Derrick tapped the side of his head. "That headache you have? It will get worse."
"I'll keep an eye on him," Ali said, grabbing Ren's arm.
By this time, almost half of the women had made their way out of the pen and over the dune. The rest were milling around and still trying to make it look like they were all there and just restless. Someone had begun to sing. Soon the others joined in the chorus. Derrick thought it was an Italian folk song. He wasn't certain the music was a good idea, but it would cover any noise they made. He was surprised when Gavin showed up at his side.
"Molly and Shannon are fine. I've told them to take charge and gather the others. I've left them the bags filled with water and food and the weapons."
What's done was done. Derrick hoped that the women knew enough not to drink all the water and eat the spare rations all at once. "Go around to the right carefully. If anyone comes to investigate…"
"Slit their throat. Got it. I'll also confiscate weapons." He headed off even as Amber eased through the fence.
"You need to take care of that immortal," she said. "Without him… the others might not bother with us. They don't seem to make a move unless he orders it."
Derrick nodded. "I know. And if he has the swords… I have to get them." There didn't seem any way out of that.
He touched the side of her head and smiled as he rubbed a thumb over her cheek. She shook free. "We're wasting time."
"Wait," he said and unstrapped the watch from his wrist. "It has a GPS function. Use it sparingly and head west toward the coordinates I have in the Save function. As soon as everyone is out… go. Don't wait for me. The further you and the others are away from here when things erupt, the better off you will be. Use water sparingly. There's even less food. I'll send Gavin back when I can." He stopped, his mind whirling and trying to think if he'd forgotten anything.
Amber kissed him briefly and lightly, pulling back quickly, biting her lip and looking uncomfortable. She rubbed her lips briefly. "We'll be fine." Amber strapped the watch on. "Be careful ma boyo."
"Yes ma'am," he replied with a sad smile.
She turned and began doing what he'd been doing… helping someone through the fence and directing them slowly and surely over the dune.
Derrick turned and followed Gavin around the right side of the pen.
-----
Reaching one of the corner posts of the pen, Alisaunne found the cable reaching from the generator. She wrapped her leather coat around the wooden handles and then placed the bolt cutters against the cable on the pole and breathed in deeply. "Here goes nothing," Swiftly she cut the power to the light on that pole. It went out. "One down, she whispered.
They began to ease along the fence to the next one. Ahead of them they saw two men ambling along toward them. They flattened against the fence hoping the men when they passed would think they were on the inside. Ren held the shank ready. Thankfully the men, laughing and apparently a little drunk passed them by. As soon as they had, the two immortals rose and attacked.
Ren grabbed one man and neatly slit his throat. Alisaunne brought the bolt cutters down on the head of the other with a heavy clunk. The two men dropped, dead before they hit the earth. Swiftly the two immortals retrieved anything from them that they could use as weapons and dragged the bodies close to the fence. Then they continued to the second light.
They could hear laughter from the campfire and could count at least a dozen men still there. Two others were on their way around the other side of the pen. Likely both sets of men had been sent to investigate the "burned-out" light. So far, so good; and no one was paying any attention to the slowly diminishing group of women in the small pen.
Reaching the second light, Alisaunne repeated the process. Now the two lights furthest from the campfire were out. That would surely bring someone else to investigate. Ren motioned for them to head back the way they'd come.
"I can't. I have to get Cassandra."
Ren looked at the men around the campfire. "How?"
"Cut through the back of that tent? Are you up for it?"
"Why not. We can only die once."
Alisaunne chuckled and reached to kiss him. "That's what you think."
"Huh?"
"Tell ya later."
He grabbed her arm. "I died on the plane. I came back to life. How?"
Alisaunne sucked in a great breath and then shook her head. "Later… I promise." She led the way toward the smaller tent. Just short of it she could sense Cassandra inside and could hear her screaming at the men who were with her. She was Alisaunne's confidant and friend. She owed her this… no matter what the consequences.
They reached the tent and Cassandra stopped screaming… evidently sensing them. Ren rubbed his head and shook it as if trying to clear it. The men inside laughed raucously. With determination, Ren lifted the shank and used it to slice the fabric. Alisaunne drew Ren's sword and counted down from three with her fingers and then they slipped into the tent. Ren had a feeling they'd done this before… he just couldn't remember when or where… but it had something to do with Germans and World War II.
-----
In much the same way as Ren and Alisaunne had disposed of the two men who'd come toward them, Derrick and Gavin took care of the pair on their side and collected their weapons. Only one man got out a grunt as Derrick snapped his neck. The other gurgled for a few seconds as he slipped dying to the sand. Gavin searched him and came up with a knife. He grinned and twirled it. As he started to throw the shank away, Derrick grabbed it and stuck it down his boot. "Waste not, want not. Let's go."
As they inched toward the campfire, Derrick knew he would be sensed by the immortal in moments. He stopped and cleared his mind, mentally preparing himself for yet another duel to the death. He caught a glimpse of Alisaunne and Ren heading toward the back of the smaller tent where Cassandra was evidently held. He closed his eyes and wished them well. If nothing else, maybe the diversion would give him a chance.
"What now Fearless Leader?" Gavin asked with a wink. "You take the six on the left and I take the six on the right?"
Derrick shook his head. "No… you go back now. Your wife and daughter need you and you will only get yourself killed here. They and the rest of the group need you. Go back Gavin. Take care of what's important."
Gavin looked crestfallen.
"Gavin, listen to me. We've killed some of them, but not enough. Ren, Alisaunne and I will handle them. But someone has to go with the women."
"But I'm the professional here. I know what to do."
"And if these men kill us and follow the women, who will know how to protect them then?" Derrick waited a moment for Gavin to consider his words. Then the man nodded.
"All right… but I don't like it."
Derrick smiled. "Feel few to kill any man you meet between here and getting to the women. Quietly of course."
Gavin chuckled. "Yeah… quietly. All right mon capitan… you win. I hope to see you on the other side."
Derrick nodded. "Peace be with you."
Gavin shook his head. "If I didn't know better, I'd swear that was a priestly blessing."
"Maybe… I had an unusual childhood," Derrick replied thoughtfully. He clasped the man on the shoulder. "Take care… keep them safe. Amber knows about the GPS and has the coordinates to reach the nearest town. When you get there… go to the nearest embassy or to the authorities. I don't know how big the town is so I don't know what all is there. But once you get to civilization… you and the others should be safe. We'll follow if we survive."
Gavin nodded. He grinned as he pointed at a man who was calling out to the missing and now dead men… wondering where they were. "I may get my chance to kill someone else," he said and started off back along the fence line.
Derrick watched him go. Then he took a deep breath and crouched as he closed in on the back of the large tent. Just outside of it he felt the immortal. He swallowed hard and eased around to the front. The men at the campfire saw nothing. Derrick pushed aside the hangings over the entrance and entered… standing tall as he did so.
-----