CHAPTER 50
In the cab on the way to the airport Duncan called Amanda and told her what
had happened.
"Do I need to fly back?" she asked.
"Not yet . it would be late tomorrow before you could get here and by then . who knows?" Duncan responded. "But be ready in case."
"I've got a lead Duncan." Amanda told him, temporarily changing the subject. "I was planning to fly to Munich in a few hours . I think it's a good lead, much more substantial than anything we've had so far."
"Keep me posted . and Amanda . be careful, I seem to have misplaced one too many friends these days." Duncan told her as his voice softened.
"See to it you take your own advice Duncan MacLeod." Amanda replied sweetly. "and please call me if you hear anything. I've grown attached to those three myself."
When Duncan hung up the phone, he was almost startled by Ellen's voice breaking his train of thought. He'd almost forgotten she had pushed her way into the cab before he could close the door.
"Special lady?" she asked.
"Amanda? Yeah, you could say that." He replied. "Look Ellen I am not sure why you insisted on following me."
"What would Conner do if he were here?" she asked pointedly, both of them knowing the answer. "He valued friendship and would have done whatever he could to help you find your friends."
Duncan still wasn't completely convinced and it showed on his face.
"Besides" Ellen continued. "What am I going to do? Wait around for that renegade friend of yours to take my head?"
"You could run anywhere. You don't need to take on my problems." Duncan replied.
"Let's just say I can stomach the idea of running if I feel like I'm running to rather than from something." Ellen responded. "Besides, something just doesn't seem right about all this. My gut tells me there's something you're missing."
"Does this gut instinct of yours have any idea what it is I'm missing?" Duncan asked.
"I'm working on it." She replied, turning to look out the window of the cab. They made a quick stop at Duncan's hotel to pick up his things and then were on the next flight to New York City.
In the meantime, Methos passed the entrance to the small airstrip where the van turned in. He parked the car in a wooded area ahead and quietly made his way through a second side entrance, staying low and running between buildings.
"When the plane gets here, we need to refuel and get her on board quickly." A voice from inside the hanger said. "They said they were running behind because the old guy closed his bar late or something like that, and he put up quite a fight."
"What kind of fight can a cripple put up that slows down three men?" another voice laughed sarcastically.
Methos couldn't hear the response because a jet engine roared overhead, but from what he'd just learned, this was smelling more and more of Watcher interference. His suspicions were confirmed when the plane landed and he could hear Joe's voice railing from inside as two men departed.
"Would you gag that idiot?" one of the men on the ground ordered, and in a few seconds all was silent.
Methos moved closer, so he could try to see more, but had to quickly duck out of sight when a man who appeared to be a pilot came rushing past. The man didn't go too many steps before emptying the contents of his stomach on the pavement outside the hanger.
"What's wrong with him?" the man who appeared to be in charge yelled.
"He's got some virus or something." Another voice replied. "Don't worry . he's the co-pilot and I radioed ahead for a replacement. Should be here in the next ten minutes."
The first man didn't like it, but had little choice.
"Be ready to take off the second he arrives." He looked at his watch. The boss wouldn't be happy.
Methos slipped to the back of the hanger. His mind weighing what he knew he should do for his own survival with what the conscience he thought he'd abandoned knew it should do if for no other reason than Joe had been the best friend he'd ever had.
"What the hell am I supposed to do?" he asked himself. For an instant he started to leave the hanger and not look back, but when he saw a car pull into the lot and a man struggling to get his jacket on moving toward the hanger, he made a decision he knew he would regret.
Seeing no one else around, Methos waited until the co-pilot came in the back door. Grabbing him from behind, Methos snapped the man's neck quickly and dragged him into the storage closet. A few minutes later he emerged, dressed in the man's uniform. He'd stuffed his own clothes in the small suitcase the pilot had been carrying and draped his trenchcoat over his arm, not wanting his weapon out of easy reach for a second.
"Are you new?" a uniformed pilot asked as he approached.
"Uhm yeah . just got assigned here last week." Methos replied.
"All right . well, let's go."
"In all the rush I didn't quite get where we were going." Methos stated casually as he started to follow.
"Munich, after a stop in Paris to refuel." The man replied.
Methos hesitated a second. "Nature calls . must have been that third cup of coffee. I'll be right behind you."
The pilot told him to step on it and then strode to finish he pre-flight check. Methos took a deep breath as he entered the restroom. What the devil was he doing? Yes he'd taken some flight training, but that had been in 1957. "This will be the bluff to end all bluffs if something happens to the real pilot." He said to himself as he hit redial on Claudia's phone.
"Damn" he spat when he reached MacLeod's voice mail. Someone started pounding on the door, demanding he get his butt to the plane. Methos had to hurry.
"MacLeod, you need to go to Munich." Was all Methos had time to say before hanging up the phone and rushing to the jet. He hadn't recognized anyone on the ground so far and hoped his luck held when he stepped up the flight stairs and into the plane. Of course Joe would probably see him, and Claudia would definitely sense his presence. "Let's just hope she has the good sense to keep it to herself." He whispered under his breath as he mounted the stairs.
Claudia looked up as soon as she felt the presence of another immortal, but seeing the direct look and slight shake of his head, she got the message and looked away. She had wondered about his presence earlier, and now was even more curious to know why he had suddenly appeared at the same time she was abducted. But it was clear from the way these men spoke to Methos that they had no idea who he was. Whatever brought him here, Claudia was grateful. She couldn't help but notice even in the brief glance how much colder his eyes seemed and the tight way he held his jaw. Although it wasn't really possible, Methos seemed to have aged greatly in the few months since she'd seen him last. She knew he wasn't the same . but he was here and that gave her hope.
A gagged and bound Joe had obviously been stirring up trouble. He was facing the back of the plane and didn't get a look at who had just entered, but when he heard voices directing the pilots to get the plane in the air and a quick response in that signature accent, he would have grinned if he hadn't been gagged. The old man was here. He didn't much care how or why. He was here and obviously unknown to anyone on the plane. "You're still in there you cold bastard." He thought to himself. "You can fight it all you want, but Adam is still in there and God help me if we get out of this I'm going to make sure you realize it."
"Do I need to fly back?" she asked.
"Not yet . it would be late tomorrow before you could get here and by then . who knows?" Duncan responded. "But be ready in case."
"I've got a lead Duncan." Amanda told him, temporarily changing the subject. "I was planning to fly to Munich in a few hours . I think it's a good lead, much more substantial than anything we've had so far."
"Keep me posted . and Amanda . be careful, I seem to have misplaced one too many friends these days." Duncan told her as his voice softened.
"See to it you take your own advice Duncan MacLeod." Amanda replied sweetly. "and please call me if you hear anything. I've grown attached to those three myself."
When Duncan hung up the phone, he was almost startled by Ellen's voice breaking his train of thought. He'd almost forgotten she had pushed her way into the cab before he could close the door.
"Special lady?" she asked.
"Amanda? Yeah, you could say that." He replied. "Look Ellen I am not sure why you insisted on following me."
"What would Conner do if he were here?" she asked pointedly, both of them knowing the answer. "He valued friendship and would have done whatever he could to help you find your friends."
Duncan still wasn't completely convinced and it showed on his face.
"Besides" Ellen continued. "What am I going to do? Wait around for that renegade friend of yours to take my head?"
"You could run anywhere. You don't need to take on my problems." Duncan replied.
"Let's just say I can stomach the idea of running if I feel like I'm running to rather than from something." Ellen responded. "Besides, something just doesn't seem right about all this. My gut tells me there's something you're missing."
"Does this gut instinct of yours have any idea what it is I'm missing?" Duncan asked.
"I'm working on it." She replied, turning to look out the window of the cab. They made a quick stop at Duncan's hotel to pick up his things and then were on the next flight to New York City.
In the meantime, Methos passed the entrance to the small airstrip where the van turned in. He parked the car in a wooded area ahead and quietly made his way through a second side entrance, staying low and running between buildings.
"When the plane gets here, we need to refuel and get her on board quickly." A voice from inside the hanger said. "They said they were running behind because the old guy closed his bar late or something like that, and he put up quite a fight."
"What kind of fight can a cripple put up that slows down three men?" another voice laughed sarcastically.
Methos couldn't hear the response because a jet engine roared overhead, but from what he'd just learned, this was smelling more and more of Watcher interference. His suspicions were confirmed when the plane landed and he could hear Joe's voice railing from inside as two men departed.
"Would you gag that idiot?" one of the men on the ground ordered, and in a few seconds all was silent.
Methos moved closer, so he could try to see more, but had to quickly duck out of sight when a man who appeared to be a pilot came rushing past. The man didn't go too many steps before emptying the contents of his stomach on the pavement outside the hanger.
"What's wrong with him?" the man who appeared to be in charge yelled.
"He's got some virus or something." Another voice replied. "Don't worry . he's the co-pilot and I radioed ahead for a replacement. Should be here in the next ten minutes."
The first man didn't like it, but had little choice.
"Be ready to take off the second he arrives." He looked at his watch. The boss wouldn't be happy.
Methos slipped to the back of the hanger. His mind weighing what he knew he should do for his own survival with what the conscience he thought he'd abandoned knew it should do if for no other reason than Joe had been the best friend he'd ever had.
"What the hell am I supposed to do?" he asked himself. For an instant he started to leave the hanger and not look back, but when he saw a car pull into the lot and a man struggling to get his jacket on moving toward the hanger, he made a decision he knew he would regret.
Seeing no one else around, Methos waited until the co-pilot came in the back door. Grabbing him from behind, Methos snapped the man's neck quickly and dragged him into the storage closet. A few minutes later he emerged, dressed in the man's uniform. He'd stuffed his own clothes in the small suitcase the pilot had been carrying and draped his trenchcoat over his arm, not wanting his weapon out of easy reach for a second.
"Are you new?" a uniformed pilot asked as he approached.
"Uhm yeah . just got assigned here last week." Methos replied.
"All right . well, let's go."
"In all the rush I didn't quite get where we were going." Methos stated casually as he started to follow.
"Munich, after a stop in Paris to refuel." The man replied.
Methos hesitated a second. "Nature calls . must have been that third cup of coffee. I'll be right behind you."
The pilot told him to step on it and then strode to finish he pre-flight check. Methos took a deep breath as he entered the restroom. What the devil was he doing? Yes he'd taken some flight training, but that had been in 1957. "This will be the bluff to end all bluffs if something happens to the real pilot." He said to himself as he hit redial on Claudia's phone.
"Damn" he spat when he reached MacLeod's voice mail. Someone started pounding on the door, demanding he get his butt to the plane. Methos had to hurry.
"MacLeod, you need to go to Munich." Was all Methos had time to say before hanging up the phone and rushing to the jet. He hadn't recognized anyone on the ground so far and hoped his luck held when he stepped up the flight stairs and into the plane. Of course Joe would probably see him, and Claudia would definitely sense his presence. "Let's just hope she has the good sense to keep it to herself." He whispered under his breath as he mounted the stairs.
Claudia looked up as soon as she felt the presence of another immortal, but seeing the direct look and slight shake of his head, she got the message and looked away. She had wondered about his presence earlier, and now was even more curious to know why he had suddenly appeared at the same time she was abducted. But it was clear from the way these men spoke to Methos that they had no idea who he was. Whatever brought him here, Claudia was grateful. She couldn't help but notice even in the brief glance how much colder his eyes seemed and the tight way he held his jaw. Although it wasn't really possible, Methos seemed to have aged greatly in the few months since she'd seen him last. She knew he wasn't the same . but he was here and that gave her hope.
A gagged and bound Joe had obviously been stirring up trouble. He was facing the back of the plane and didn't get a look at who had just entered, but when he heard voices directing the pilots to get the plane in the air and a quick response in that signature accent, he would have grinned if he hadn't been gagged. The old man was here. He didn't much care how or why. He was here and obviously unknown to anyone on the plane. "You're still in there you cold bastard." He thought to himself. "You can fight it all you want, but Adam is still in there and God help me if we get out of this I'm going to make sure you realize it."