Preface: After my character's initial debut in Sailor Moon Defenders, I tried finding out how I can expand the character's growth a bit more. It took a couple of years, but eventually, I ended up coming up with this story.
Preface 2: This chapter has been remastered, thanks to fellow DoE fan James5.
For context: This story coincides with the Defenders of the Earth series. Inspired by Marzena's story "Defenders of the Earth: This is Their Story", I created these chapters which would be set during certain points of the series, and the Defenders will be making at least one appearance during the story, hence the crossover.
Disclaimer: Defenders of the Earth, Flash Gordon, Ming the Merciless, the Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, Lothar, and all other characters and properties belong to Marvel, Stan Lee, Alex Raymond, Lee Falk, King Features Entertainment, and Hearst Entertainment. Highlander and the franchise's characters and properties belong to Lionsgate, StudioCanal, Rysher Entertainment and Gaumount. I only own this story, Tori Gordon and any other character who never previously appeared in either franchise, except for Veena Dark, who belongs to James5. When other characters are brought in the story, there will be disclaimer for them.
Plot: (Episode "The Gathering"; pre- DoE series) Tori has a chance encounter with Richie Ryan, followed by a brief encounter with Connor MacLeod, who senses something about her, she is unaware yet.
Defenders of the Earth Chronicles: Highlander
Prelude to a Storm
Central City — 2:30 pm Intergalactic Union Agency
Her mother's agents weren't strong enough. The hovering sorceress was owning them.
Tori watched the fight from Control Room Four, eyes locked onto the video screen. Her mother had sent a lone SWAT team out. Their mission was to capture the girl named Veena, who was wreaking havoc on Lakeview Square. Veena was the daughter of Damian Dark, a powerful man who had led her astray. They had been conquering smaller towns. Now they were after a larger one.
It seemed Damian hadn't come this time. Maybe he wanted to test the girl. Knowing how powerful Veena was — according to info she'd found on her — Tori had dispatched two extra teams, units that her mom didn't know about. They were supposed to be arriving soon. The squads weren't headed to the battle, though. Tori wanted them in areas nearby.
She focused her gaze onto Veena Dark, a raven-haired teen with her locks in a bun, a black cape cloaking her gray outfit. She wasn't much older than Tori herself. Something about her seemed a little familiar. Whenever the unit opened fire on Veena, she would teleport a few yards aside, the thin laser beams hitting nothing but air. Then she'd respond with a wave of her hand, summoning winds that blew the agents away. She'd attack others with magical ice, making them slip as they scurried about. She was having fun — toying with them. Her lips had curled into a lengthy smirk.
Tori sat down and slipped a headset on. She needed to know where her two teams were. "Echo Group, are you in position?"
"Standing by, Tori," a young man said. "We just arrived."
"Proceed as planned," she told the unit. "Do not join Bravo at the battle site."
Veena swung her arms. Agents flew, screaming as they crashed into nearby trees.
Tori pulled her left leg up on the chair, telling herself to remain composed. "Delta Team, are you on location?"
"Negative, Tori. We need one minute."
"Follow our plan when you reach the site." She rested a hand over her bare foot, directing her attention at the unit in battle. "Bravo Team, this is Agent T. I will be your guide for the rest of this mission."
"Copy that, Tori," the leader replied, catching his breath as he ran about.
"Those weapons you're using aren't going to work," Tori advised. "I want you to switch to B-44s."
"Switch to what?"
"The light-blue bazookas with hollow shells."
About a minute later, four of the agents had switched their weapons. Each took aim at Veena Dark, who watched in unabashed arrogance.
"Set your blasts to Slow," Tori instructed.
"What?" said the leader, twitching on-screen. "She'll see the shells coming way before they hit."
"Do as I've ordered," Tori remarked, squinting as she focused on the hovering girl.
The leader paused, then turned to his team. "Blasts on Slow."
They made the adjustments, then aimed once more.
Tori leaned forward. "Fire," she said.
The men pulled the triggers. Spheres flew forth, gliding upward as they drifted toward Veena, giving her plenty of time to respond.
And Veena responded as Tori had figured — with thick blasts of lightning from both of her hands, an attack that Tori's research had discovered.
The spheres exploded as the lightning hit. The gas that they held quickly spread through the air. Veena flinched, clearly surprised — and then she began coughing up a storm.
She tumbled to the ground, down on one knee.
"Bravo Team forward," Tori commanded. "Secure the target."
The agents rushed forth.
Veena stood, waving a hand, the other one still clamped beneath her nose. She looked quite drowsy as she stumbled about.
Then she teleported away from the site. The men looked around. They couldn't find her.
Tori hopped up. "Echo Team, prepare to engage. Delta Team, prepare to engage. The target will likely arrive in a moment." According to the research that Tori had done, Veena could only teleport two miles. She'd probably flee toward a nearby park — to one of the places where the teams were waiting.
Tori hit a button, seeing both units, each appearing via a sharp split-screen.
Veena teleported near Echo Team.
"Trigger the pyramid now, Commander," Tori told an agent.
A man on-screen used a handheld gadget. A force-field erupted right out of the grass, trapping Veena in a pyramid.
Veena shook again. Then she scowled, dropping to her knees as she fidgeted. Tori knew the girl couldn't warp away. Teleportation took energy. The field was sapping most of Veena's now.
"Good job, Commander," Tori remarked. "Wait a few minutes for the target to tire, then lower the field, and bring her in." She shifted her gaze to the other screen. "Delta Team, halt. Bravo Team, halt. Target secured. Target secured."
Ten minutes later, Tori's mother Janet had entered the room. She stood with a phone pressed against her ear. "Thank you, Mr. Mayor," she said with a smile. "I'm glad that our agency could be of service. I have the greatest weapon in the world on my side, greater than the Necklace of Oros even." Janet brushed a hand over Tori's head. "I have my beautiful daughter's mind. No matter how powerful an enemy is, I promise that Victoria can find their weakness."
Tori looked away, squirming a bit. Her mother was certainly exaggerating. Tori was smart, but not that smart. She wouldn't have the answer every single time. Apart from that, it irked her that her mother had called her a weapon.
She knew her Aunt Dale wouldn't ever do that.
Tori got up and left the woman behind, making her way toward the central room. She entered a space that was huge and gray, laden with computers and enormous screens. Everyone was toiling away at their work — poking at tablets, pointing at maps, pushing full carts of equipment in.
Several heads turned as she crossed the floor. Most people knew who she was by now. It wasn't because her mom ran the place — at least, Tori liked to think that it wasn't. People recognized her for the work that she'd done. She'd earned a gold medal in Strategy. She'd gotten compliments from the government. She'd proven so skilled ever since she'd arrived, that people felt that she would take over one day.
Storming through the room, she eyed a gold emblem underneath her toes, a circle with the letters IUA spread across.
Her steps carried her to a balcony rail. A little breeze lifted her thin brown hair. She let her eyes settle on her fluttering locks, then stared at the beautiful city ahead. This was the town that she'd grown up in, alongside her cousins, her uncle, and aunt. Leaving it was going to be particularly hard, but that was the decision she'd reached last night. It was finally time for her to spread her wings, away from the city, away from her mom.
Tori was born in a heroic clan, born to a family that defended the Earth. They couldn't take all of the credit for that, but the Gordons helped keep the planet safe — safe from rogue witches, safe from mad moguls, and safe from aliens like the tyrant Ming. Everybody knew about Dale and Flash. Everybody knew the name Gordon well. Her aunt was a legend. Her uncle was too.
But her mother Janet was a very black sheep.
According to the research that Tori had done, her mother was reckless when shooting one day.
Her father, Ian, had paid the price.
That was when Janet had gone to jail. Tori went to live with her uncle and aunt. She'd only been four back when that had occurred. Her younger cousin April was her dearest companion. She was very close to cousin Rick as well. Was she truly ready to leave them behind?
This wasn't like before, two years back, when a court had placed her with Janet again, when her mother finally got back on her feet. Though she hadn't liked moving in with her mom, her cousins were a mere bus ride across town.
This would be different. This would be hard. Now she was actually leaving the state.
"Tor?"
She heard her mother's voice from behind.
Tori paused a moment, then faced the woman.
"What's going on?" Janet inquired. "Why did you rush from the room like that?"
She took a slow breath. "I can't do this," she managed to mutter. "I mean you and me. I can't do us. I'm just not ready — at least not yet."
Janet stared, then heaved a sigh. "I know that I've never been an ideal mom…" She glanced away. "But I'm trying here, Tor."
"I know that you are…but I need space."
Janet looked irked. "You're going to move back in with Flash and Dale?"
"No," she mumbled. "I need a new start." Tori straightened up. "I'm transferring to the Seacouver team. I'm leaving Central City for Washington state."
-Defenders-Chronicles-Highlander-
Two Months Later
Everything was going pretty well so far. She had a new squad, and a new home. She had adapted easily to both. She didn't take a lot of days off at present, but Tori had granted herself one now.
She made her way into a little brown theater, opting to see a new action film. She wasn't sure why she had chosen this, given her current profession and all. Maybe it provided a form of escape; action films usually got things wrong.
Just as the opening credits appeared, a young man with curly red hair sat down. He didn't look excited for the picture at all. His breaths were slow. His stare was tense. It seemed as though a matter was troubling him.
"Everything okay?" she said in a whisper.
He eyed her with caution.
"Sorry." She smiled. "Didn't mean to be nosy."
"No, no," he said. "It's just…well…" The young man twitched. He looked a bit pale. There was clearly something that he wanted to share. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you…and I told him I wouldn't say anything."
Tori shrugged a bit. "I can keep a secret." And besides that, there really wasn't much that she wouldn't believe, especially considering the things she'd seen.
He hesitated, then managed to speak. "I saw some men with swords. One looked like Sir Lancelot. I even witnessed one of them take the head off this guy after he defeated Sir Lancelot. I mean, the guy got hit by lightning, and the bolts struck the bridge and the surrounding area. It was crazy. Then the guy jumped off the bridge after I said to pretend I'm not here. I don't know if he was dead, or not."
Tori took a moment to absorb all that. Had she come across it in her various studies? Guys with swords? Lightning bolts? Some sort of transfer of energy?
No, she noted, squinting a tad. She'd never researched anything like this.
"It sounds like something in The Twilight Zone," the guy acknowledged.
"It certainly does," Tori declared, "but I don't believe that you're making it up."
He looked relieved, and kind of surprised.
"I'm not from a normal family." Tori had to get the IUA involved.
"What do you mean?" he asked quietly.
"Can you let me know where you saw all this?" She rose from the seat, clutching her phone.
He looked a little baffled. "Why?" he asked.
"Just let me know."
"Wilshire Peak."
Tori started walking toward the theater door. She hit the speed-dial, then lifted the phone. "Darren, it's Tori. I need a C unit out at Wilshire Peak. I got a report of activity."
"Roger that, Tor," Darren replied. "What's going on?"
"I'm not too sure. Just send Containment. I'm heading out now so I can meet them there."
"No way, T. You're resting today. Stay where you are. We'll handle this."
Tori was tempted to ignore that request.
"Tori," he said, adamantly, clearly picking up on her urge to step in. "You work too hard. Stay where you are. I'll let you know as soon as we learn anything."
"All right," she uttered. "I'll sit tight here. Tell all the guys to be careful out there." She ended the call, then retook her seat.
The redheaded boy still appeared confused.
"I asked authorities to take a look at the place."
He flinched a bit. "You told me that you could keep a secret, though."
"I can," she said, "but not the kind of secret that involves chopped heads. Come on, you know we had to tell someone."
He made a soft sigh, then looked at his lap.
"It's going to be okay. Just trust me on this." She licked her lips, thankful that he might have helped the agency out. "I guess we should kind of introduce ourselves."
"All right." He paused, composing himself. "Ladies first."
"What a gentleman." She forced a small smile. "I'm Victoria. People call me Tori."
"I'm Richard Ryan. People call me Richie."
"Nice to meet you, Richie."
-Defenders-Chronicles-Highlander-
After the end credits started to roll, Tori walked out with Richie at her side.
Darren had called. Nothing on-site.
"Look," Richie uttered, "I'm wondering something. You said that your last name is Gordon, right?"
"Yes…" Tori sensed where this was going.
"You're a smart girl… Not easily fazed…"
She flashed a half grin. "What makes you say that?"
Richie made a smirk. "Come on now, Tor. All through the film, you pointed all these little inaccuracies out. And right before that, you totally believed what I said to you." He stared a second. "You've got to be related to the famous Flash"
Tori was amused by his deductive skills, and maybe just a little impressed as well. "Flash is my uncle," she uttered quietly.
Richie wore a look of fascination now.
"But I'm not living with him anymore." Tori grew intrigued. "What about you? Your family's here?"
"Couldn't say really." He studied the ground. "Spent my whole life in the foster system."
"Oooh…" she murmured. "Sorry about that." She saw a parallel. "It's not quite the same, but when I was four…"
Out of nowhere, with very little sound, a dark-garbed man with a ponytail appeared.
Tori's eyes widened and she took a step back.
"It's one of the men with the swords!" Richie whispered. "The one who was hit by the lightning bolts."
The man shifted all of his focus to Richie. "I have come to make you an offer," he said, "but I believe that we should speak privately."
Richie hesitated. "Okay." He nodded. He shifted to Tori. "I'll see you later, Tor…at least, I think."
"Wait," she said. "Are you sure about this?" She wouldn't let him leave if it was dangerous. She could call the cops or the IUA up.
"I'm fine," he offered. "I'll be all right."
The man gave Tori an assuring nod.
Richie walked off with the mysterious guy.
Tori thought back to everything they'd discussed. Richie revealed he was a petty thief, a thief who'd be turning 18 next month. She didn't approve of that hobby of his, but Tori sensed something positive in him. Maybe the sword man could bring that out. Maybe Richie wouldn't choose to steal anymore. After all, Tori believed that anybody could change. Well, almost anybody, at least. She doubted Ming the Merciless could never improve. She certainly hoped that Richie could, however.
Suddenly, she looked up to see a man with light brown hair in the area. Tori gazed at the guy for a moment before she nodded at him. He nodded back in response. She brushed her hair aside and walked away from the theater.
Then she got a text on her mobile phone: "Tor, it's Mom. I'm transferring there."
-Defenders-Chronicles-Highlander-
Connor eyed the girl as she gawked at her phone. The aura he sensed was undeniable: this young woman was a pre-immortal, a human who'd become immortal after first death.
He walked to the loft of the antique store. Duncan was talking with Tessa there.
"Connor," Duncan addressed his clansmen.
"I thought that you left," Tessa declared.
"I was going to," Connor explained, "but I sensed another pre-immortal down by the theater."
Duncan looked stunned. "The boy?" he asked.
"The girl as well."
Tessa glanced between them. "A pre-immortal?"
"Not immortal yet," Duncan revealed. "They remain mortal until their first death. Just like Connor. Just like myself."
She looked fascinated. "Do you think we'll see the young woman again?"
"You two might," Connor replied, "and when you do see her, you'll feel the Buzz, albeit, a different form than usual. Speaking of which, what about the boy?"
"I made him an offer," Duncan answered. "He pays the damage off by working with us." He folded his arms. "The kid's name is Richie." He had to pause. "And within him I sense…much potential."
