CHAPTER 60
Amanda and Richie took turns sleeping and keeping watch for when the guards might come in with food or some kind of news about why they were being held. It had been almost a week now and only once had anyone come to the door of their cell.
When the sounds of footsteps in the hallway sounded, both immortals became alert . alert to the presence of one of their own.
"If either of us gets a chance to run . we have to take it." Amanda whispered to Richie. "No sense in both of us dying if we can help it."
"I won't leave you." Richie promised.
"Aww sweetie." Amanda stroked his cheek. "I'd leave you. Remember, it's all about survival."
She was lying, Amanda had no intention of leaving Richie to the mercy of whoever. But if she had the chance to distract or keep their captor busy, she wanted Richie to take advantage. The fact that they hadn't killed them yet meant there was a reason for them to live. She hoped one of them could escape and somehow find a way to help the other. The sensation of another immortal only served to heighten the urgency.
A guard pushed into the room first carrying a picnic basket in one hand and a stack of blankets in another.
"I thought you might appreciate a few more creature comforts." Rick Shafer said as he stepped from behind the guard.
"I might have known." Amanda murmured, putting her hand on Richie's arm when she realized he was about to launch himself at Rick.
"What do you want with us?" Richie demanded. "It can't be our heads because you could have taken them anytime with your goons around."
"Actually I do plan to take your heads, but not now." Shafer replied calmly. "I'll take them when the moment is right, when doing so will extract the greatest amount of pain."
"Being locked up in here is no picnic." Richie retorted.
"Not your pain silly boy, your pain is of no consequence to me." Rick scoffed.
"This is about MacLeod isn't it?" Amanda accused. "You're doing this to get to him. That's why you took Joe and Claudia as well."
Before Rick could even reply, Richie pushed forward only to be clubbed down by the burly guard who stood between him and Shafer. Being weak from lack of nourishment didn't help any. "What have you done with Claudia." He demanded even as he hit his knees.
"I've done nothing . yet." Shafer replied. "Not to worry though. You'll be reunited briefly . very briefly."
"Why you ." Richie tried to reach him again, but this time it was Amanda who held him back.
"Not now Richie." She whispered in his ear, trying to calm him. It was obvious they were only pawns in this game and she knew they needed to fly as low under the radar as possible until opportunity knocked.
Shafer grinned knowingly at her efforts to calm her young friend. "Wise move Amanda. It's a pity we couldn't have more time together. I'm sure I would find you fascinating."
With that he turned and walked out the door, the guard picked up a couple of gallons of what appeared to be lemonade from outside before following his employer.
Amanda tossed the blankets on the bed as Richie tried to calm down by peering into the basket. There were several sleeves of saltines, cheese wedges, a couple of sandwiches and fresh fruit along with a supply of candy bars. "At least we can eat." He said glumly.
"And we have something to pass the time." Amanda added as she reached in and retrieved a deck of playing cards while Richie set the basket between them on the bed.
"You know the only good thing about Claudia and Joe not being here with us?" Richie asked Amanda as she popped a grape in her mouth. She looked up for his reply.
"It means they aren't here, and maybe just maybe their accommodations are a little better." He told her honestly.
Amanda knew that as worried as Richie was about their own fate, he was even more worried about Joe and Claudia. Joe would put up a good fight, and he was smart, but he was really no match for a pair of guards, and Claudia had only been in a situation like this once. That time however she had performed admirably, saving all their lives. That was a point she planned to make when the opportunity arose.
"I can't believe Mac thought this guy was his friend." Richie said in between bites of his sandwich.
"I didn't trust the guy from minute one." Amanda replied. "I just hope Duncan knows what is going on and who is behind it. I hope he remembers how Joe and I felt about Rick Shafer."
Even though both Richie and Amanda had great confidence in Mac, they both worried about what Shafer had in store for all of them.
Across town at the hotel, Duncan was trying to play off the slip he'd made about Methos, but Ellen wasn't buying it.
"Pierson is Methos isn't he?" she asserted. "He isn't just a myth, he's real isn't he?"
Duncan started to lie, but knew there was no use. Letting out a sigh he turned to face her. "Yes, Adam and Methos are one in the same."
Ellen sat down in a chair and stared blindly at the wall as she thought about what this meant. "That is unbelievable."
"Ellen, I know you had a bad run in with him, but if word of this got out it could make it even worse on all of us. We don't know how long this game is going to go on, and if any more of our kind got wind of his identity ... it would be a witch hunt."
Ellen looked up at him and realized what that meant. "And we'd be caught in the middle of it."
"And that's not the only reason." Duncan continued. "As much as I don't understand what he has become, I gave my word to him as a friend to keep his identity a secret."
"I won't be the one to give the secret away Duncan." She assured him before losing herself in thought. She replayed everything Methos had said to her and every instant of their battle trying to think of any time that he might have given her any clue or hint to his true self. It amazed her that she had actually tangled with a 5,000 year old immortal and lived to tell the tale. As close as she had come to losing her head, the knowledge she had survived gave her renewed confidence.
"I think we should check out that hotel Garrett mentioned." Duncan broke into her thoughts. "It might have only been a random location selected for the sole purpose of getting me into the train station, but there might be more."
"I'm ready when you are." Ellen replied, checking the sword in the folds of her coat before putting it on and walking to the door.
Half an hour later they were ordering a drink at the bar Garrett mentioned. It was a long night as they studied the faces of the people who came in and out of the bar that evening. At least the live band was good. "Something Joe would have liked" Duncan mused.
They were almost ready to call it a night when the bartender walked over to their table with an envelope. "A guy left this here. Asked me to give it to you when you started to settle your tab."
"How long ago did he leave?" Duncan asked.
"A couple of hours ago. Like I said, he wanted me to wait till you settled up." The man obviously didn't know any more. Ellen handed him a few rolled bills as Duncan stared at the envelope.
"I don't want to do this here." Duncan said to her as he looked around the almost empty room. "Let's go back to our hotel."
Ellen knew the envelope was burning a hole in his pocket on the ride back through the subway, but Duncan never reached in to break the suspense. Instead he waited until they were upstairs and the door closed.
Inside, a typewritten note gave him instructions that he knew he would have to follow.
"31 years ago I erupted in flames in the shadow of the flame. Tomorrow at 2pm sharp I rise again from the ashes, but for how long? Can you keep me from repeating my fate?"
In a subscript below the clue there was another message. "Arrive early and the one with hair so fair will lose more than a chance."
Duncan wadded the note into a crumpled ball, leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands as the meaning of the clue hit him square in the chest.
"What does it mean?" Ellen asked, but Duncan couldn't talk about it just yet. He waved her off, indicating he needed time alone to think.
Amanda and Richie took turns sleeping and keeping watch for when the guards might come in with food or some kind of news about why they were being held. It had been almost a week now and only once had anyone come to the door of their cell.
When the sounds of footsteps in the hallway sounded, both immortals became alert . alert to the presence of one of their own.
"If either of us gets a chance to run . we have to take it." Amanda whispered to Richie. "No sense in both of us dying if we can help it."
"I won't leave you." Richie promised.
"Aww sweetie." Amanda stroked his cheek. "I'd leave you. Remember, it's all about survival."
She was lying, Amanda had no intention of leaving Richie to the mercy of whoever. But if she had the chance to distract or keep their captor busy, she wanted Richie to take advantage. The fact that they hadn't killed them yet meant there was a reason for them to live. She hoped one of them could escape and somehow find a way to help the other. The sensation of another immortal only served to heighten the urgency.
A guard pushed into the room first carrying a picnic basket in one hand and a stack of blankets in another.
"I thought you might appreciate a few more creature comforts." Rick Shafer said as he stepped from behind the guard.
"I might have known." Amanda murmured, putting her hand on Richie's arm when she realized he was about to launch himself at Rick.
"What do you want with us?" Richie demanded. "It can't be our heads because you could have taken them anytime with your goons around."
"Actually I do plan to take your heads, but not now." Shafer replied calmly. "I'll take them when the moment is right, when doing so will extract the greatest amount of pain."
"Being locked up in here is no picnic." Richie retorted.
"Not your pain silly boy, your pain is of no consequence to me." Rick scoffed.
"This is about MacLeod isn't it?" Amanda accused. "You're doing this to get to him. That's why you took Joe and Claudia as well."
Before Rick could even reply, Richie pushed forward only to be clubbed down by the burly guard who stood between him and Shafer. Being weak from lack of nourishment didn't help any. "What have you done with Claudia." He demanded even as he hit his knees.
"I've done nothing . yet." Shafer replied. "Not to worry though. You'll be reunited briefly . very briefly."
"Why you ." Richie tried to reach him again, but this time it was Amanda who held him back.
"Not now Richie." She whispered in his ear, trying to calm him. It was obvious they were only pawns in this game and she knew they needed to fly as low under the radar as possible until opportunity knocked.
Shafer grinned knowingly at her efforts to calm her young friend. "Wise move Amanda. It's a pity we couldn't have more time together. I'm sure I would find you fascinating."
With that he turned and walked out the door, the guard picked up a couple of gallons of what appeared to be lemonade from outside before following his employer.
Amanda tossed the blankets on the bed as Richie tried to calm down by peering into the basket. There were several sleeves of saltines, cheese wedges, a couple of sandwiches and fresh fruit along with a supply of candy bars. "At least we can eat." He said glumly.
"And we have something to pass the time." Amanda added as she reached in and retrieved a deck of playing cards while Richie set the basket between them on the bed.
"You know the only good thing about Claudia and Joe not being here with us?" Richie asked Amanda as she popped a grape in her mouth. She looked up for his reply.
"It means they aren't here, and maybe just maybe their accommodations are a little better." He told her honestly.
Amanda knew that as worried as Richie was about their own fate, he was even more worried about Joe and Claudia. Joe would put up a good fight, and he was smart, but he was really no match for a pair of guards, and Claudia had only been in a situation like this once. That time however she had performed admirably, saving all their lives. That was a point she planned to make when the opportunity arose.
"I can't believe Mac thought this guy was his friend." Richie said in between bites of his sandwich.
"I didn't trust the guy from minute one." Amanda replied. "I just hope Duncan knows what is going on and who is behind it. I hope he remembers how Joe and I felt about Rick Shafer."
Even though both Richie and Amanda had great confidence in Mac, they both worried about what Shafer had in store for all of them.
Across town at the hotel, Duncan was trying to play off the slip he'd made about Methos, but Ellen wasn't buying it.
"Pierson is Methos isn't he?" she asserted. "He isn't just a myth, he's real isn't he?"
Duncan started to lie, but knew there was no use. Letting out a sigh he turned to face her. "Yes, Adam and Methos are one in the same."
Ellen sat down in a chair and stared blindly at the wall as she thought about what this meant. "That is unbelievable."
"Ellen, I know you had a bad run in with him, but if word of this got out it could make it even worse on all of us. We don't know how long this game is going to go on, and if any more of our kind got wind of his identity ... it would be a witch hunt."
Ellen looked up at him and realized what that meant. "And we'd be caught in the middle of it."
"And that's not the only reason." Duncan continued. "As much as I don't understand what he has become, I gave my word to him as a friend to keep his identity a secret."
"I won't be the one to give the secret away Duncan." She assured him before losing herself in thought. She replayed everything Methos had said to her and every instant of their battle trying to think of any time that he might have given her any clue or hint to his true self. It amazed her that she had actually tangled with a 5,000 year old immortal and lived to tell the tale. As close as she had come to losing her head, the knowledge she had survived gave her renewed confidence.
"I think we should check out that hotel Garrett mentioned." Duncan broke into her thoughts. "It might have only been a random location selected for the sole purpose of getting me into the train station, but there might be more."
"I'm ready when you are." Ellen replied, checking the sword in the folds of her coat before putting it on and walking to the door.
Half an hour later they were ordering a drink at the bar Garrett mentioned. It was a long night as they studied the faces of the people who came in and out of the bar that evening. At least the live band was good. "Something Joe would have liked" Duncan mused.
They were almost ready to call it a night when the bartender walked over to their table with an envelope. "A guy left this here. Asked me to give it to you when you started to settle your tab."
"How long ago did he leave?" Duncan asked.
"A couple of hours ago. Like I said, he wanted me to wait till you settled up." The man obviously didn't know any more. Ellen handed him a few rolled bills as Duncan stared at the envelope.
"I don't want to do this here." Duncan said to her as he looked around the almost empty room. "Let's go back to our hotel."
Ellen knew the envelope was burning a hole in his pocket on the ride back through the subway, but Duncan never reached in to break the suspense. Instead he waited until they were upstairs and the door closed.
Inside, a typewritten note gave him instructions that he knew he would have to follow.
"31 years ago I erupted in flames in the shadow of the flame. Tomorrow at 2pm sharp I rise again from the ashes, but for how long? Can you keep me from repeating my fate?"
In a subscript below the clue there was another message. "Arrive early and the one with hair so fair will lose more than a chance."
Duncan wadded the note into a crumpled ball, leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands as the meaning of the clue hit him square in the chest.
"What does it mean?" Ellen asked, but Duncan couldn't talk about it just yet. He waved her off, indicating he needed time alone to think.