Part 2: The Road to Hell
When Jake regained consciousness the sun was setting on Paris, and for the second time that day he had awakened on the ground. He laughed at the irony of that as he pushed himself off the cement pathways of the park. Must have rolled off the bench, he thought. Only I could find myself here, and end up falling off a park bench. Then it hit him, kind of like the ground, he could remember or partly remember. His name was Jake and some how he had awoken not only in the universe of Highlander, but had gone back in time as well. In fact he had run scared from a priest, and not just any priest but Darius. I guy who has spent his last thousand or so years trying to create peace, and probably the only man who would help him without asking questions. Yeah, he thought to himself that was really smart.
Despite the radical shift his world had taken as parts of his memory returned to him it felt as if nothing had changed. A world with people that fought, loved, and lived for centuries was not frightening or even upsetting to him. In fact if anything he felt joyous that such a world existed at all. Jake knew, but he didn't know how, but he just knew that it was real. Then at that moment he felt the storm of images gathering for despite the apparent wealth of information still left to much blank, but for the moment he seemed to have found a moment of peace even if it meant that when they did return the images would be that much more intense.
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"Excuse me are you alright young man?" An old woman asked as she saw him standing there his mind off in a thousand different places.
"Depends who you ask, but I am just a little dizzy," Jake answered then adding quickly, "First time in Paris I think I got in a little over my head. Thank you for your concern, but I will be okay."
She would have believed him too had his mind decided the calm had lasted long enough, and the searing pain of the flashes consumed him once more forcing him to his knees. Jake felt the hands of the woman as she gave him support to get off his knees said something about youth, Americans, and to be more careful next time as she walked off into the park. Jake wasn't really listening he just smiled his thoughts were elsewhere as his mind tried to get a grasp on the new information. With the flashes pain fading into the background his mind started picking apart the new images, and comparing it against what he now remembered. God I feel like that guy on Quantum Leap, he thought. My head feels like Swiss cheese, but then he never got painful flashes of images in his head. Yeah that is new, and how come I am not freaking out about all of this? God I need help, but who would help me? The only person who knows I am here is an immortal priest that doesn't even know my name. The questions about whether this was all just in his head, or if was just going insane which he had shoved off to the side earlier now returned.
'How do I know what I remember is real, or false? I need proof, but how do I get it?' his mind asked. At that point Jake realized he was heading back toward Darius's church when he noticed a man reading a paper at a café. The headline was in French, but the picture of the church, Darius's church, filled him with a sudden fear.
Walking quickly up to the man Jake tapped him on his shoulder, "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but do you speak English?"
The man laughed, "I speak a little why?"
Deciding to stick with the story he told the old woman earlier Jake answered, "It's my first time in Paris, and I seem to have gotten turned around. I don't really know French, but a female friend of mine asked me to join her on her vacation if you understand my meaning. She told me if I ever got lost to head for a specific church where she had a priest friend, and as I was walking by I noticed a picture of that church on your paper. I was hoping you could tell me the headline, and then maybe give me some directions?"
The man smiled at his mention of the fictitious female friend, and his fictitious reason for being in Paris. Then his expression grew somber at the mention of the Church. "I am sorry masseur to have to tell you that today a Priest was found murdered in that church."
"Murdered? How?"
"His head was cut off."
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"Oh God, thank you sir, I have to go find my friend," Jake raced off his reason seeming to find his friend, and comfort her. In reality it was fear as Jake received confirmation that his new memories were real, and that he needed to get out of Paris. "But without Darius who can I get to help me?"
As if answering his command a rush of names, and images of people he knew he had never met flood his mind. Mac, Amanda, Joe, Richie, Connor, and Methos they all appeared in his head. Jake felt like he was a student calling up some historical fact as he found himself thinking about these people, and their lives as if it were some story in a book he had read a thousand times and decided to use his knowledge of the future to play with their lives so they turned out like he felt they should. What right do I have to play god with this world, and these people? It also dawned on him that it wasn't just these immortals he would be playing with it would be all the people in the world. He could tip the balance of power for whoever got to him, and made him talk about what he knew. I have to get out of here, his mind screamed. Mac he would help me, but he is so consumed by finding out who killed Darius he will ask too many questions most of which I can't answer myself. Amanda her help is more likely to get me in trouble, and Richie is to close to Duncan. I don't even think Joe Dawson is in Paris right now. Then like a lighting bolt it came to him, Methos. Sure he would ask questions, and probably would go loopy about being discovered but his is my best bet. I just have to figure out where he lives, how to keep him from killing me, and not convincing him to disappear before he meets Duncan Macleod. Several thoughts about it would be easier to try to swim the Atlantic before he decided to get moving as the last rays of daylight caused darkness to spread over the city.
When Jake regained consciousness the sun was setting on Paris, and for the second time that day he had awakened on the ground. He laughed at the irony of that as he pushed himself off the cement pathways of the park. Must have rolled off the bench, he thought. Only I could find myself here, and end up falling off a park bench. Then it hit him, kind of like the ground, he could remember or partly remember. His name was Jake and some how he had awoken not only in the universe of Highlander, but had gone back in time as well. In fact he had run scared from a priest, and not just any priest but Darius. I guy who has spent his last thousand or so years trying to create peace, and probably the only man who would help him without asking questions. Yeah, he thought to himself that was really smart.
Despite the radical shift his world had taken as parts of his memory returned to him it felt as if nothing had changed. A world with people that fought, loved, and lived for centuries was not frightening or even upsetting to him. In fact if anything he felt joyous that such a world existed at all. Jake knew, but he didn't know how, but he just knew that it was real. Then at that moment he felt the storm of images gathering for despite the apparent wealth of information still left to much blank, but for the moment he seemed to have found a moment of peace even if it meant that when they did return the images would be that much more intense.
-----------------------------------
"Excuse me are you alright young man?" An old woman asked as she saw him standing there his mind off in a thousand different places.
"Depends who you ask, but I am just a little dizzy," Jake answered then adding quickly, "First time in Paris I think I got in a little over my head. Thank you for your concern, but I will be okay."
She would have believed him too had his mind decided the calm had lasted long enough, and the searing pain of the flashes consumed him once more forcing him to his knees. Jake felt the hands of the woman as she gave him support to get off his knees said something about youth, Americans, and to be more careful next time as she walked off into the park. Jake wasn't really listening he just smiled his thoughts were elsewhere as his mind tried to get a grasp on the new information. With the flashes pain fading into the background his mind started picking apart the new images, and comparing it against what he now remembered. God I feel like that guy on Quantum Leap, he thought. My head feels like Swiss cheese, but then he never got painful flashes of images in his head. Yeah that is new, and how come I am not freaking out about all of this? God I need help, but who would help me? The only person who knows I am here is an immortal priest that doesn't even know my name. The questions about whether this was all just in his head, or if was just going insane which he had shoved off to the side earlier now returned.
'How do I know what I remember is real, or false? I need proof, but how do I get it?' his mind asked. At that point Jake realized he was heading back toward Darius's church when he noticed a man reading a paper at a café. The headline was in French, but the picture of the church, Darius's church, filled him with a sudden fear.
Walking quickly up to the man Jake tapped him on his shoulder, "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but do you speak English?"
The man laughed, "I speak a little why?"
Deciding to stick with the story he told the old woman earlier Jake answered, "It's my first time in Paris, and I seem to have gotten turned around. I don't really know French, but a female friend of mine asked me to join her on her vacation if you understand my meaning. She told me if I ever got lost to head for a specific church where she had a priest friend, and as I was walking by I noticed a picture of that church on your paper. I was hoping you could tell me the headline, and then maybe give me some directions?"
The man smiled at his mention of the fictitious female friend, and his fictitious reason for being in Paris. Then his expression grew somber at the mention of the Church. "I am sorry masseur to have to tell you that today a Priest was found murdered in that church."
"Murdered? How?"
"His head was cut off."
-----------------------------------
"Oh God, thank you sir, I have to go find my friend," Jake raced off his reason seeming to find his friend, and comfort her. In reality it was fear as Jake received confirmation that his new memories were real, and that he needed to get out of Paris. "But without Darius who can I get to help me?"
As if answering his command a rush of names, and images of people he knew he had never met flood his mind. Mac, Amanda, Joe, Richie, Connor, and Methos they all appeared in his head. Jake felt like he was a student calling up some historical fact as he found himself thinking about these people, and their lives as if it were some story in a book he had read a thousand times and decided to use his knowledge of the future to play with their lives so they turned out like he felt they should. What right do I have to play god with this world, and these people? It also dawned on him that it wasn't just these immortals he would be playing with it would be all the people in the world. He could tip the balance of power for whoever got to him, and made him talk about what he knew. I have to get out of here, his mind screamed. Mac he would help me, but he is so consumed by finding out who killed Darius he will ask too many questions most of which I can't answer myself. Amanda her help is more likely to get me in trouble, and Richie is to close to Duncan. I don't even think Joe Dawson is in Paris right now. Then like a lighting bolt it came to him, Methos. Sure he would ask questions, and probably would go loopy about being discovered but his is my best bet. I just have to figure out where he lives, how to keep him from killing me, and not convincing him to disappear before he meets Duncan Macleod. Several thoughts about it would be easier to try to swim the Atlantic before he decided to get moving as the last rays of daylight caused darkness to spread over the city.