Tara fished the large grey sweats out of the bag of clothes. She winced at the faded grey color before she brought them to her nose and sniffed them. "At least they're clean." She looked around in the bag for suitable underwear before giving up with a sigh and sliding the sweats on commando style. She frowned at the large blue shirt she pulled out of the bag. "Ah well." She slipped the shirt on and glanced around for a phone. 'Maybe I'll just make a little call tonight. I'm too freaked out to sleep anyways.' She spotted it sitting on a stand near the door. She glanced around at the dojo before quickly walking over to pick up the phone.
She listened carefully for any sign of MacCloud's coming back as she punched Buffy's number into the phone. She waited anxiously as a cold recorded female voice said, "I'm sorry that number is not in service anymore." She frowned as she dialed Willow's cell phone. She sighed in relief as it rang. "Dominic's Pizza, how can I take your order." She frowned as she glanced at the phone. "Sorry, wrong number." She pressed the zero key and waited for the operator. "I, I seem to be having difficulties reaching a friend of mine."
The nasal voice of the operator came through the phone, "What state, which city and who are you trying to reach?"
"I'm trying to reach Willow Rosenberg or Buffy Summers in Sunnydale California." Tara could faintly hear the sounds of typing as the lady on the other end typed in the required information in her computer. "I'm sorry there is no Sunnydale California. Perhaps you got the name wrong?" Tara blinked as she let the phone fall out of her weary hand, it clattered as it landed on the receiver. "It doesn't exist, they aren't there… Does this mean I'm in a different world?" Tara slumped down against the wall with a look of defeat on her face.
Duncan frowned from his hidden spot behind the door. He felt slightly guilty about eavesdropping but he didn't want to risk this whole thing being some type of trick. He was a little confused about how a town couldn't exist. His thoughts, 'Maybe I should ask Joe if he knows of any immortals that fit her description.'
Duncan had just finished finishing dinner when a tear stained Tara came through the connecting door. Tara glanced around at the kitchen, "Can I borrow the couch, I don't feel so well right now and think a good night sleep would be good."
He nodded, "You might want to eat something but I guess it will be alright as leftovers in the morning. Go ahead and take the second bedroom there are clean sheets on it already."
Tara nodded her thanks and slipped into the back room. She vaguely heard the front door open as MacCloud slipped out shortly before she drifted off.
A few minutes later Duncan found himself in front of Joe's bar. With a sigh Duncan walked in.
Joe glanced up as he noticed Duncan standing in the entry way. "You look like someone walked over your grave, that is if you had one."
"I've several, but that isn't the point. I found something weird enough that I can't explain it. I was hoping you knew where Adam was. He isn't answering his cell phone."
"I saw him a hours ago, he mentioned he had seen someone he recognized earlier and wanted to deal with it before it became a problem. So what has you all twisted up?"
"I got a new student today."
Joe blinked at Duncan. "What?"
"She fell out of the air dead as dead but within a few seconds she woke up."
"She fall off a building?"
"Don't think I'm crazy Joe, but she fell out of a shimmering field of light in the air in my dojo."
"She what?"
"Yeah, I can't explain how the hell that's possible. In my four hundred years I've never seen anything like it. That's why I wanted to talk to the old man."
Joe's phone rang. He reached over and answered it. "Joe Dawson speaking." He listened to the phone for a few seconds before his face went white as a sheet. "Alright, are you sure?" Joe listened for a minute. He forced his voice to be steady, "Write up the report." Joe closed the phone. "Adam's dead, they found his coat and body in an alley in the north side of town."
MacCloud blinked a few times, "Are they sure it was him?"
"His quickening took out a city block Mac, all that was recoverable was Adam's tattered coat, wallet and car keys. So yeah I think it's a safe bet that it was him." Joe fumbled with the desk drawer. He pulled out a large bottle of whisky. "To the best and worst of you lot and to the oldest." He took a long swig on the bottle before passing it to MacCloud.
Duncan took a long swig of the whiskey before glaring at Joe, "Who did it?"
Joe sighed, "It was a guy named Akakios, he had been presumed killed ages ago. He was from ancient Greece, not much of a head hunter recently but there were numerous kills credited to his name around a thousand years ago Mac."
"Where can I find him?"
"I can't tell you that Mac."
Duncan glared, "Can't or won't?"
Joe took another long swig of the whiskey, "Can't, he is very good at staying off the radar."
Duncan glared, "I'm going to cut off his head when I find him." Duncan stalked out.
Joe sighed and winced as he tried to twist his legs too fast. Joe muttered, "He killed Methos, what do you think you can do to him?"
MacCloud knew he was getting closer as he could see the flashing lights of a dozen police and fire trucks. His heart sank as he got a good look at the destroyed city block. "There can be only one, I just thought you would be around for it old man."