XIV

Just as Vasilek spoke, Rachel found herself before Oliver MacLeod, amid the same blackness that had welcomed them. The kid was lying naked on the floor, and his skin was badly bruised and burnt. His hair had fallen and his eyes were threatening to bulge out of their sockets. He regarded Rachel with anxiety. She noticed that the American's skin was glowing in a healthy blue that contrasted his appearance.

"Oliver..." she sounded worried. "Are you OK?"

"My skin is on fire, my blood is boiling. I should have thought about it, dammit!" he cried.

"They won't let us leave." She said with resignation.

"I didn't imagine it like this. I thought you would just receive the power and leave."

"You knew you couldn't come here!" Rachel's tears broke free.

"I... I... I knew it!" He shrieked.

"But why did you come here?"

"Because I sensed that it would not be enough. Jacob Kell is... astoundingly powerful. No single man can defeat him. He has powers that go beyond your imagination."

"What were you expecting to accomplish?"

"I... never mind." He looked away, his face giving away how pain devoured him.

"You shouldn't have gone too far."

"I love you, Rachel. You know that?"

"Of course." She softened. "I love you too."

"And I would do anything to save you."

"Oliver..." she stammered.

"I lost you once, Rachel. If I am to lose you again..." he spoke with a renewed energy that stemmed from his heart. "... It's not going to be to that lunatic! I want to see you alive... even if I die to save you!"

Her eyes fell to the floor. His foot nails were missing and his own fresh blood engulfed his feet. She made out bubbles in it. The blood was boiling really. "This is a gigantic web of quickenings that we are trapped in."

"Dormant quickenings... without a body to welcome them."

"That doesn't explain why you..." she silenced. A cold shiver possessed her. She moved away from him, staring at her friend, her lost love now found again, with disbelief. Her hand trembled as she gripped the cane and unfolded the blade, her face aghast with horror.

"I wish there had been another way... " Oliver said apologetically.

"I wish you'd told me." Rachel whispered before slicing off the American MacLeod's head.

-----

Connor and Duncan were anxiously waiting for Rachel to return when they felt an astoundingly deafening sound. Then the food vanished, the table vanished, and one by one, so did the dead immortals. Nakano and Burns disappeared silently, Ramirez gave a grin at Connor before fading while Vasilek and Fasil seemed disappointed. The Kurgan guffawed evilly, giving Duncan the creeps, before leaving the Highlanders by themselves.

Darkness embraced them again. They made out a shape drawing near them. Rachel. There was something else: a headless corpse. They sadly recognise what had been Oliver MacLeod. The body lay before them, and Duncan felt dragged to Connor's left, as Rachel was forced by something to the elder Highlander's right. They formed a triangle with the corpse in the centre. Then the quickening erupted, possessing Rachel. Blue and white lightning. She shrieked as she received the power.

Then the sky above them seemed to crack. Bolts of lightning came out of everywhere. A green and white light shone down on the three of them. Energy shook them. A dark green flash of light pierced through Connor, then it went to Duncan and it landed on Rachel. Then a blinding blue stream of light darted out like a laser at Duncan, bounced towards Rachel and landed on Connor. Silence was broken violently by their treble shriek of pleasant pain.

Suddenly, it all went off, and they felt an invisible force dragging them away...

-----

The Gate spit them out, literally. They were ejected fiercely out through the energy and landed on the floor, away from the Gate. Duncan stood up first, then Connor. Rachel was still on the floor, not unconscious but devastated, weeping without consolation.

"What happened, Rach?" Connor asked softly, crawling by his adoptive daughter.

"He had it planned all the time... lose his head to unleash more power than the one they would have given us." She mumbled, as tears fell like a waterfall.

Connor embraced her silently.

"It was his choice, Rachel." Duncan spoke with emotion.

"He did it... to save me. I'm not worth it!"

"Yes you are, Rach." Connor comforted her. "You are worth more than any of us."

"No I'm not, Connor." She said, now crying like a baby.

"Yes you are."

Duncan looked around. The place looked different. The torches and candles that had been lit up now were put off. There were some rocks on the floor that were not there. Then he felt someone around. Connor and Rachel stood up. The Highlanders drew the katanas out. Rachel unsheathed her cane. Duncan noticed two fallen corpses near the Gate, and felt a disturbing dread all over him.

"CONNOR!"

The voice echoed loudly in the walls of the cave. From the entrance of the cave, Jacob Kell appeared. To his left, Faith was smiling viciously. To her right, Jin Ke was standing still, not looking directly at his enemies. Duncan felt sick when recognising the head that Jacob was holding in his right hand. The face of the mystical beauty Cassandra was frozen in a smirk of horrid surprise, with some drops of blood on her face. At Kell's right foot, the bald head of an African man laid silently.

"The time has come for you all to pay." Kell spoke. He caressed Faith's face. "Then we will have a black celebration." She reacted with pleasure, as she unsheathed a large blade.

"How did you find us?" Connor demanded.

Kell produced a small sphere made of glass. He smirked and in the sphere, Connor's puzzled face appeared.

"I've always known where you've been..." he smiled, his teeth glinting evil. "And I'll still know, even when you dwell in hell."

"Heh-heh." Connor smirked, standing in a fighting stance. "I don't think it'll be for much longer." He lunged forward. Kell remained frozen. Connor chopped at him and neatly sliced him in two. To his surprise, Kell did not die. Each side evolved into a Jacob Kell. Two identical faces smirked evilly. Both Kells punched Connor, who flew back and landed heavily next to Duncan.

"That was not very smart, Connor. But soon, neither of you will have to worry." The two Kells grunted, before lunging forward.