Beware of the Nightmare
September 2009
Eight years passed from the time Duncan flew to Connor's rescue and demise. He made only a few visits to see Joe Dawson. Once to give him the report on Connor, Jacob Kell and Kate and the other times just to see his old friend.
One sunny afternoon, father and son hiked around the small island on their usual route. Stopping in a flat area Duncan said, "This is a good place for practice. Evan, take out your staff and show me what moves you remember."
Smiling with anticipation, ten-year-old Evan took out his staff and stepped clear of the trees. He stood almost five feet tall and his hands moved the staff around one side to the other then over his head in a quick fashion. He ended the kata with his left hand outstretched and his right hand tucked the staff behind his back. His feet parted in a half-horse stance.
Laughing and clapping Duncan said, "Well done." Picking up his staff he called to Evan, "You can attack me now."
Mature for his age, Evan eagerly pounced on the opportunity to learn from his father all the martial arts he could.
Together they spared on until the afternoon ended. Taking a break, they sat on the grass while Duncan explained the many nuances for close combat fighting. All too soon, the early sunset came and they stood up to walk back to the cabin in the twilight.
Suddenly up ahead on the path, two red eyes hovered above the ground. Holding still, Evan said quietly, "Erebus is here."
A low growl emitted from the creature making the hairs on Duncan's neck stand up. He saw what appeared to be a wild dog. Slowly he bent down to pick up a rock hoping to scare the animal away.
"No dad, wait!" Evan yelled but he was too late.
The rock passed through the apparition, which turned its attention fully on Duncan MacLeod. The beast came charging at him snarling and showing savage teeth.
Now it attacked and it became solid matter latching onto Duncan's arm with a death grip. Yelling in pain, Duncan fell back onto the ground hitting the animal in the face with his other fist. The creature's drool burned his flesh as it ripped and tore into him.
Evan moved closer to the struggle and yelled out, "You have no power here! Vado tergum ut vestri vinco!"
Just as quickly, the creature let go of Duncan's arm and growled at Evan. The boy stood his ground holding the staff up and stared intently until it slinked back into the darkness.
Holding his bleeding arm and sitting up Duncan asked, "What was that beast?"
Reaching down to help his father to his feet Evan urged, "We have to get back to the cabin." Pulling on his good arm he yelled, "Hurry father!"
Moving slowly and painfully, Duncan walked back to the cabin with Evan's support and constant urging the whole way. By the time he stumbled inside the cabin door and onto the bed, he was sweating profusely.
Evan turned on the lamp to look at the wound. As the skin attempted to heal, the contamination kept the wound open. The infection soon invaded Duncan's whole body as he fought to stay awake.
Locating the cell phone, Evan looked for the number and called Frank McFadden. When the receiver picked up, Evan yelled out, "Grand Immortal, you have to come here! Erebus attacked dad and he is badly hurt!"
"Slow down," Frank commanded, "And tell me again what happened."
Looking at his father, with tears in his eyes, Evan said, "The demon dog attacked us and bit dad. The saliva is slowly poisoning him and he might die."
Trying to reassure him Frank instructed, "Go get all the herbs you can and brew a tea in hot water. Make him drink it and clean the wound with the same herb mixture. I promise to be there tomorrow."
For such a heavy burden placed on a child, Evan said, "I will keep him alive Sir, just bring an antidote."
He closed the cell phone and went to make the tea as instructed. When it was ready, he placed a cup to his father's feverish lips and pleaded, "Please drink it!"
Duncan managed to drink the full cup and then he slipped into oblivion. His mind fought a battle with the poison as it crept into his nightmare.
]]]][[[[
The layer between alternate worlds spreads thin and just on the other side, the Zoroastrian god of evil strokes a pet while it gloats over the dying immortal. It announces to the ghost of Duncan MacLeod, "You think you defeated me? Now you will be trapped in the world that should have been."
Duncan stood on the top of a building looking at the dismal setting. It is late evening and a gang roams the streets. He finds this world disturbing as he watches out for someone he thought he once knew. In another part of the city, Anna Teshemka wanders the streets. She goes to a stadium with many people converging there for food and shelter. After handing out some bread, she finds a place to rest. She looks up at the night sky and sees three planets near alignment. Then she sees a vision.
According to a prearranged plan with Methos, Giovanni and Reggie, one member of the group, Zai Jie breaks into a tower in Eastern Europe to access computer data. He then initiates contact with his associates via a camera to give them the position of the Source. On the view screen, Zai tells them, "Find the monastery and talk to the Brothers of Doleo." Just as the signal fades, Zai says, "Pray for me father." Then the transmission is lost.
As the mystical guardian of the Source tracks him to the building, he kills one guard as Zai senses its approach. The Guardian challenges Zai Jie. They fight but the guardian possesses supernatural speed and a metal neck collar. Zai Jie cannot win and the guardian decapitates him. The buildings composition amplifies the quickening and the structure explodes.
At the same time, Reggie realizes that the planets are repositioning from their orbits into a celestial configuration. He tells Methos there is not much time left and asks him about MacLeod. Methos answers, "Duncan MacLeod is not the man he once was."
The implication of the event begins to weigh heavily on Methos then he calls his old friend Joe Dawson telling him, "The Guardian is awake, find MacLeod."
Duncan is running in the street towards the collapsed building still on fire. The Guardian appears out of the rubble calling out, "This is the end of time."
Duncan asks, "What are you?"
The being answers, "I'm the Guardian, Duncan MacLeod. You have squandered your gift. You could have ruled the world and you pissed it all away."
With disgust Duncan says, "Have a nice day," and turns away. However, when the guardian brings up the name of Anna, this makes Duncan ask, "What's Anna got to do with this?"
"Everything!" It yells and then comes at Duncan with a circle of attacks. The guardian strikes repeatedly at Duncan taunting, "Are you the one? Would you kill to be the one?"
Joe arrives in time to see Duncan MacLeod hit with the Guardian's blade. To save him, he rams into the guardian with his truck and then he shoots Duncan. He drags the unconscious immortal into his truck. He drives off to meet with the others at a monastery. When Duncan comes awake, he commands Joe, "Stop the car," admonishing him saying, "You shouldn't be interfering." In turn, Joe tells him, "Methos is looking for the Source. It's your call."
Finally, Duncan relents and gets back in the truck. Joe drives on the long journey to meet the others who are also on the way to the monastery. As the miles pass by, Duncan reflects on a memory with Anna, his wife.
At the Zagona monastery, they meet up with Giovanni, Reggie and then Methos. He drives up on a motorcycle wearing a leather fringe jacket. Reggie says, "Leather is a really good look for you."
Duncan says, "I hear you're on a quest for the Source."
Methos replies, "You make it sound so grand."
Together they knock on the door asking to see the elder. They are denied entry and soon see someone climbing up the wall and going inside. It is Anna. They ram the door with the truck and get inside. As they prepare to fight, a monk tells them, "You can see the elder now that she is here."
Duncan and Anna share a moment when she tries to explain to him about her visions. When everyone is inside the chamber, The Elder begins telling them about an ancient history. "I joined another group of Immortals who searched for the Source. Upon slaying the Guardian, two survivors were cursed. One of us became the new Guardian. I was cursed with decay."
Suddenly a special vision comes to her from the Elder and he tells Anna, "Follow the signs." He looks at the small group and says, "Follow the girl. She knows the way."
Meanwhile, outside the monastery the Guardian seeks out and assaults Reggie and Joe Dawson. They are on holy ground so Duncan throws his katana at the Guardian cutting him. The Guardian pulls the sword from his neck and breaks it. Standing above Joe, he stabs him with the broken blade making his escape. While there is no time to grieve, Duncan buries Joe. Soon they leave for an island, which they have determined is the true location of the Source.
Approaching the island, the boat's captain tells them cannibals rule the island. After a combat with the natives, they acquire a car and drive until they stop and need to rest at an abandoned house. That night, Reggie is on guard duty while Duncan and Anna talk. Duncan tells her, "After 400 years, I always hoped a light bulb would go off and I would know why I spent my life chopping off heads."
Reggie is walking around and the guardian sneaks up behind him then taps him on the shoulder. No one could feel him. Reggie tries shooting but the Guardian moves too fast. He circles Reggie cutting him repeatedly until he falls down bleeding to death. The Guardian speeds off as the others come out and see their fallen friend.
They quickly put Reggie in the car and drive off. It becomes apparent by morning when they know Reggie will not recover. They stop in a clearing long enough to bury him. They all continue arguing. Duncan tells them, "We're mortal now and everything has changed."
Four are left and they drive down the road going east in search of a place that holds the source. By late afternoon, they come upon a roadblock made of wooden posts attached together with a body tied in the middle. Duncan and Methos attempt to cut the man down and clear the road but a gang of outlaws attacks them. All four starts running through the woods but soon the gang surrounds them. Before they can fight their way free, they are shot by darts. It is late into the night when they awaken tied to trees and logs with ropes in spread eagle fashion. The sound of festivities by the gang sends them a feeling of dread. Anna sees the Guarding walking around the cannibal gang. He walks up to her and says, "Woman come. The Source calls."
He takes a sword and cuts her ropes. Duncan cannot stop him as he leads Anna away. She turns to look at Duncan and tells him, "Come for me." In the distance, their captors dance around a large bonfire. Soon some fire creeps closer and starts to burn Giovanni's ropes. When he is free, he takes his sword and runs off refusing to free the others.
The fire travels over to Duncan's ropes and he pulls until his hand is free. Untying his other hand, Duncan jumps down to look for his butterfly swords. After cuts the ropes holding Methos, Methos takes a sword from him and says, "Do you trust me?" The cannibal gang now sees their prey is escaping.
Together Duncan and Methos run in the direction Giovanni went. The gang is chasing them and they need to hide. Up ahead the cannibals recapture Giovanni and they taunt him with a sword saying they are going to kill him. Methos tells Duncan, "Just leave him." Duncan replies, "Can't." He comes to Giovanni's aide to fight with the gang until Giovanni runs off. Methos then come to Duncan's aide by throwing his sword into a tree trunk. A cannibal on the motorcycle drives into it beheading himself.
Methos tells Duncan, "Go find Anna. I wanted it to be me but it was always supposed to be you. Even while mortal you are still the best of us." Then he rides off on horseback drawing the cannibals away from Duncan.
This act allows Duncan to pursue Anna. When Giovanni finds the Guardian, he kneels and asks him, "Have I won?" The guardian drops out of the trees and says, "No." He then decapitates Giovanni.
Duncan sees Anna in starlit clearing. As the cosmic convergence is happening directly over them, he calls to her. The Guardian surfaces and challenges him saying, "One of us has to die."
"Now he will strike down the guardian." Ahriman says to Erebus, "I will keep Duncan MacLeod here forever." IT watches the adventure play out satisfied that the champion will perish before he can escape the menagerie.
Duncan replies, "I've heard that before." He moves to cross swords with the guardian and discovers that he now has the same speed and power as the Guardian. They fight until Duncan has the advantage. The guardian stops his attack. Duncan is near Anna and tries to touch her. However, a light is flowing around her and she says, "It is not time yet."
The Guardian beckons him back saying, "You must face me." Duncan goes back to the challenge and as their swords clash the Guardian says, "The Source is intoxicating!" Duncan spins around the Guardian faster that buries him with only his head showing. Stopping his sword, Duncan thinks back on all the warnings given and refuses to kill the Guardian.
This is what defeats him and the Guardian evaporates in a flash of light while screaming that he is "cursed forever."
Duncan enters the Source guided by his pure heart. Once inside the Source, Anna reveals that she is pregnant with their child. He leans towards her lips kissing her until the vision fades and he becomes aware of…pain.
….
Over the past several days, the Grand Immortal watched over Duncan MacLeod by treating him with a venomous antidote. Frank McFadden worried it would all be in vain. However, on the fourth day, the fever broke and Duncan stopped moaning and thrashing in the coma like sleep.
Evan stayed in the cabin and at times sleeping on the bed next to his father. He confided to Frank, "I'm afraid that if I leave his side, he won't come back."
The red fog rose before his eyes and Duncan now finds himself on a crumbling planet. He sees a double moon in the atmosphere trapped in orbit around this alien world. The city-like buildings crumble with decay surrounding him with stillness.
A shift in the dimension catches his eye and slowly a form moves towards him until the reptile appears. The hunched body of Ahriman, long tail and red scales, rustled as it walked. A long forked tongue flicked out between its teeth as it spoke, "Champion, I have defeated you."
Duncan stayed motionless teetering on the edge of a crevasse naked and vulnerable. Drawing upon his inner strength, he answers back, "I am not defeated unless I allow it."
Its voice hissed again, "I have brought you to my realm and you will never escape!" The monster moves closer with the intent on killing the soul of this champion.
Duncan steps back and suddenly slips over the edge before the claws could grab him. The falling felt like it would continue forever.
At that moment, Duncan feels a hand grab his arm and it pulls him away from the black abyss towards a tunnel that opens to another dimension. Demon screams echoed and split the air. Looking back, Duncan sees Ahriman clawing the ground and throwing great boulders after the champion.
Just before, he enters the passageway, he looks ahead and Cyrus pulling him. He let go saying, "Your time is not yet known." Duncan glides through the tunnel and emerges into a world that was bright and comforting.
"He is moving," calls Evan and he begins crying out, "Dad it's me, wake up!"
Holding his shoulders tightly, Frank continued shaking him and calling repeatedly, "Duncan wake up!"
A moment later, Duncan MacLeod was back in his immortal body again. He opened his eyes aware of two faces looking at him and calling his name.
.
A Week Later…
A knock on the door interrupted the conversation between father and daughter. When Amy opened the door of the little apartment, she let out a gasp of surprise. She stepped back and looked at her father with wide eyes.
Joe gave her a questioning look but got up slowly from the couch to look. Seconds later, he opened the front door wider. There on the small landing stood the one immortal he feared he would never see again.
"Mac!" Joe cried out, "Am I glad to see you!" His hand grasped Duncan's tightly.
That cold nightmare induced death scene gives way to the emotions on Duncan's face. It brings to light how much he kept in check. That instant memory forced a solemn reality on him of what he would experience when Joe was gone.
The flashback vanished and Duncan steps inside to hug Joe telling him, "I apologize for not coming to see you sooner."
Joe hugged him back saying, "There is a lot I've wanted to apologize for over the years."
He stepped back wiping a tear from his eye. He spies Evan standing behind Duncan looking shy. Reaching out his hand Joe asks, "Hi Evan, how are you?"
Evan politely shook his hand in return saying, "I'm fine."
Joe turns to Amy asking her, "Could you please bring some lemonade?"
He ushered his guest into the sparse living room and pointed to the sofa asking them, "Please, make yourselves comfortable."
Both men sit down but Evan perched on the arm of the sofa near his dad.
As Amy left the room, a young girl came running up to Joe with a game in her hand. "Can you fix it grandpa?" she asked, handing him her video game player.
She brushed blonde hair from her face. Her dark brown eyes looked at Duncan and Evan. She politely said, "Hi, I'm Elana."
Duncan smiled and told her, "Hello Elana. I'm Duncan and this is my son Evan."
While Joe looked at the electronic game, Evan watched with interest. Then he asked Elana, "What other toys do you have?"
"Come on, I'll show you," she said taking his hand and leading him to her room.
Amy returned with the lemonade and served them. Looking at Duncan, she saw him smile and he said, "Thanks."
Joe took his glass and nodded saying, "We'll talk in private."
After they were alone Duncan said to Joe, "She's quite a charmer. Your granddaughter is growing up."
Joe nodded and replied, "Oh she'll break hearts I'm sure."
Duncan agreed but then became serious. He blurted out, "I saw you killed." Then he explained, "During the coma, I was caught up in a nightmare world and I saw you murdered by powerful and twisted immortal. Methos might have escaped the cannibals, but don't remember who the other immortals were."
Joe gave a low whistle and said, "That must have been some nightmare."
MacLeod continued telling him, "It was another attack by Ahriman. He tried to keep me there in an alternate reality." He leaned back on the couch sighing heavily. He admitted, "I almost didn't come back."
Putting the toy aside, Joe picked up a folder on the table and told him, "Maybe write it up for me and I'll add it to the report." Handing papers to MacLeod he added, "The new Watcher headquarters and training school are working out very well in Baltimore Maryland. Reports and chronicles get filed and copied there and serve as a central database. And get this," he smiled saying, "Methos is teaching a class as Adam Pierson."
Duncan chuckled while he read the papers imagining Methos dressed as a professor teaching a group of young Watchers about immortals. A minute later, he gave Joe a serious look and said, "Evan is going away to study with Frank McFadden."
Joe disagreed saying, "This is too soon. He still needs you."
"I've taught him all I can," MacLeod said with a note of pride in his voice. "I knew this day was coming and Joe you should have seen how well he handled my illness."
Joe said quietly, "You almost died." He picked up his lemonade and sipped it to control his emotions. Looking up at Duncan who was also drinking his beverage, he told him, "Do you know how many people waited to hear the news of your recovery or death?"
Duncan shook his head replying, "Maybe five or six that I can think of off hand."
Joe narrowed his eyes giving him a look of disbelief. "Try three hundred," he said. "Don't forget how many watchers there are that follow your history."
Hearing the children playing in the other room Joe quietly asked Duncan, "Have you told him about his mother?"
Duncan nodded and said, "The story I am allowing him to know is that he was born and shortly afterwards she fought at the Gathering where she died." Leaning forward he explained, "He must never know the truth."
Joe questioned him, "Is that the best thing for him? Eventually he will find out. Some immortal that was there may say something."
Duncan elaborated, "Evan accepts what I told him and I sent word to the others to say no more. That's why I'm telling you now, Joe." He requested further, "Even if he asks you."
"Don't worry Mac, I won't tell him," Joe agreed. "That may be the right thing to do for now."
MacLeod smiled wistfully and said, "This is my last day with him. After this briefing, we are traveling to France to see Frank McFadden. After Evan gets settled, I go back to the game."
Joe leaned forward grasping his hand in friendship telling him, "Then tonight, we celebrate as family."
(Third part of story, The Unfinished Sword)
