Disclaimer: Highlander belongs to Davis/Panzer as well as Rysher Entertainment. For all other disclaimer, see Chapter One!

Divided Loyalties

Tori and Richie met up with the Defenders at the airport.

"It's good to see Richie hasn't lost his head," Mandrake said as he went to greet the couple.

"Yet," Tori chimed in.

"What have you found so far?" April asked.

"The demon is called Ahriman," Tori answered, "He can appear in red fog if someone sees it properly. The demon can also disguise as someone who already died, which is why I saw Kenny and my dad, and possibly explains why MacLeod saw Horton."

"You saw Kenny?" Amanda asked as she arrived at the scene, "Wow. That might also explain why Duncan saw Horton."

"Hello there, Catwoman," LJ greeted Amanda.

"It's been far too long, my dear," Mandrake added.

"Tori and I are going to meet Joe and Methos for lunch," Richie offered the Defenders, "Care to join us?"

"I prefer to check on Duncan MacLeod," Amanda declined.

"And us Defenders are going to get take out while working with the information about this Ahriman at my Paris Mansion," Mandrake added.

"Be safe," the Phantom told the couple.

Richie and Tori nodded before they parted ways with Amanda and the Defenders.

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"So, the Defenders are aware of what's going on?" Joe asked as he walked down the quay with Tori, Richie and Methos.

"They know the gist of the situation," Tori answered, "April wanted to join us but her Dad convinced her to stay with the Defenders. I'll have them on stand by in case Ming happens to show up."

The group continued to walk down the quay as there was a pause of silence.

"Most religions have some version of the savior myth," Methos spoke up, "Demons sent to destroy the Earth, and a champion comes to protect it."

"That is exactly what it says on the journal," Richie chimed in.

"As crazy as that may sound," Tori quipped.

"But millennium theory is nothing new," Methos stressed, "Every thousand years, I hear these same stories. I don't know. I have never seen a demon."

"A Zoroastrian demon," Joe added.

"Well, then maybe you guys have another explanation for what's going on here," Richie stated.

"Even I'm stumped over what we've witnessed so far," Tori added.

"Maybe Ming is setting something up, I wouldn't doubt that," Joe replied, "but what's going on is that Duncan MacLeod's losing it."

"Okay," Methos decided, "We'll talk to the granddaughter."

They continued walking towards the apartment building.

Tori glanced on in shock upon seeing two firefighters carefully transporting a body bag down a ladder. Police and other emergency personnel stand around two fire trucks and a police car.

"Oh my God," Tori gasped, "just like what happened to our apartment."

"Except you were lucky to escape," Richie added.

"Your four live in the area?" a detective asked them.

"No, we just saw the smoke," Methos answered.

"What happened?" Tori asked.

"Arson," the detective answered, "Someone set fire to the building, like what happened yesterday."

He looked over at Tori and Richie and asked, "How are you two?"

"We're doing better," Tori answered, "better than yesterday."

"Yeah," Richie nodded in agreement, "Pretty much okay."

"Anyway," the detective went back to work, "we're looking for a man who was seen leaving the place last night. Tall, dark hair, ponytail."

"Nobody we know," Joe replied.

"Sorry," Richie added.

The detective walked off the area.

"You're not thinking what I think you are, aren't you?" Tori asked Methos and Joe.

"Not a chance," Richie added.

"Yeah, Ming most likely has something to do with this!" Tori exclaimed.

"I know how you feel," Joe replied.

"Give us a break," Richie stressed, "Mac was not involved in this. You know it."

"Green skin wasn't mentioned in the description," Methos chimed in.

"You did witness the events in Mongo where I had to rescue Richie from Zorelda, and you saw Ming too," Tori interjected.

"Yes, we know, but…" Methos started to say.

The group noticed as two men lowered the body bag to the ground.

"Who's that?" Joe asked.

"She was, uh, Allison Landry," the detective answered.

"Thanks," Richie replied.

"Poor, poor Allison," Methos shook his head.

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Duncan entered the barge, walked down the stairs and tossed his jacket aside before he poured himself a drink.

"Had a bad day?"

Duncan looked up, and saw Allison lounging on his bed, wearing a black negligee with a red gemstone pendant, "Join me?"

"Allison, what are you doing here?" Duncan asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Allison interjected.

The phone rang, and Duncan answered it, "Hello, MacLeod. Hello."

"It's me, Allison," Allison's voice chimed through the phone, "I'm dead,"

Duncan looked up and no longer saw Allison as her voice continued, "Now you see me, now you don't."

Duncan looked around, then sat on a chair. A pair of feminine hands reached around him and covered his eyes, "Guess who?"

Duncan jumped to his feet, knocking Allison into a vase on the table. The vase crashed into the floor, breaking.

"I'm sorry," Duncan instinctively asked, "Are you okay?"

"Is that any way to treat a lady?" Allison asked as Duncan stared at her, "Don't you think I'm pretty?"

"What do you want from me?" Duncan asked. He knew this wasn't Allison. He knew Allison Landry was dead.

"Allison" walked over to Duncan and placed her hands on his chest, "Nice pecs."

Duncan backed away from her.

"Are you going to kill me again?" "Allison" asked, "Why'd you burn my apartment?"

"I didn't," Duncan insisted.

"Don't you remember?" "Allison" insisted, taunting the Highlander with false information, "You came over and you wanted all my grandfather's books and papers, and I wouldn't give them to you, so you burned the place down."

"It didn't happen," Duncan insisted again, pushing "Allison" away from him.

"The police thinks it did," "Allison" interjected.

"It didn't happen!" Duncan exclaimed before he grabbed his katana.

"Go on. Take it," "Allison" held the blade to her neck, "but afterwards, you have to make love to me. Don't you want to save the world, MacLeod, or maybe you'd rather save yourself? Or maybe….."

"Allison" leaned forward and spoke in Horton's voice, "I'm not real at all!"

She pushed Duncan down before disappearing again.

The Highlander looked around and saw the vase sitting intact on the table, and moments later, he sensed the Buzz.

"Duncan?"

He looked to see Amanda looking at him, confused and concerned.

"None of this was real," Duncan stated.

"What are you talking about?" Amanda asked.

"I saw her, Landry's granddaughter," Duncan answered, "I'm losing it."

"Duncan, she was killed last night," Amanda replied.

"I know."

"Come," Amanda led him to the couch to comfort him, "It'll be okay. I may not know everything about this Ahriman or whatever it is you're facing, but I want you to know, I believe you, about this prophecy and what's going on."

"Thanks, Amanda," Duncan replied before they shared a kiss.

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"Why are we even sitting here?" April asked as the Defenders were eating their dinner, "You know Rick and Katarina can't predict how far into the future their premonitions take place."

"And I've been having this weird feeling for some time now," Amy spoke up.

"As have I," the Phantom added.

"Maybe Jedda is on to something," Amy chimed in.

"Tori will keep us updated and let us know when she needs backup," Flash informed the team.

"What about the IUA?" Kshin asked.

"Jack is still in the Himalayas," April answered, "and Janet and the IUA are busy. Ming is probably doing all he can to keep them distracted from helping us."

"I wouldn't doubt Ming to pull off a stunt like that," Flash replied.

"What do we do now?" Sheila asked.

"In the meantime," Mandrake answered, "all we can do regarding this situation is wait. Besides, we don't know much about this Ahriman or the latest situation with MacLeod."

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Richie and Tori were having lunch with Joe and Methos.

"So you agree with Joe, you think MacLeod's crazy," Richie inquired.

Methos gently answered, "I think he's hallucinating, Richie. He's seeing people that he's killed. Who knows what else he's doing?!"

"I'm with Richie," Tori chimed in, "In case you've been missing, I was nearly burned up with our apartment."

"Yeah, what if he's not seeing things?" Richie asked, "What if all this stuff is for real?"

"So there are demons running around?" Methos chimed in, "And there are dead people walking?"

"I wouldn't rule it out, Methos," Tori answered, "You'd be surprised at what the Defenders and my family have come across."

"I am aware of things like Zorelda and Ming," Methos interjected.

"And you're walking, Methos," Richie argued, "How many times have you been killed?"

"It's not the same thing and you know it," Methos stated.

"No, no, no, no, no. I don't know it!" Richie exclaimed as he theorized, "Nobody knows the reason that immortals exist, and maybe this is it."

He looked away for a moment before continuing, "Maybe we're here so that one of us can fight this thing."

"Like I fought Zorelda and barely survived," Tori added.

"Yeah, this has been going on for thousands of years, and no one has ever heard of it," Joe interjected, "Not watchers, not immortals, and I highly doubt the Defenders or the IUA have either."

"Basically, yeah," Richie replied.

Joe sighed as Tori and Richie looked at each other before Richie looked at Joe and Methos, "Oh, forget it. We'll see you guys."

"See you," Tori stood up before she and Richie left the restaurant.

"Blind loyalty," Methos stated, "Very common in the young."

"Yeah," Joe replied, "I guess that's why we both feel like rats."

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"Feel better, Mac?" Amanda asked.

"I guess," Duncan as he looked at the book, "It still doesn't change things. I'm seeing Horton, Kronos and now Landry's granddaughter, after she told me about the prophecy…."

"That you're the champion to stop this evil?" Amanda inquired, "Crazy. I believe you, but I still think it's crazy."

They both sensed the Buzz. They turned to see Joe and Methos enter the barge.

"So, where are the men in the white coats?" Duncan asked.

"We think you're in trouble, Mac," Joe informed his immortal.

"Trouble," Duncan chuckled, "You think I'm in trouble?"

"You should hear them out, Mac," Amanda suggested, "I'm not taking sides, but based on what you've told me, and the recent events, you should hear them out."

"Mac, you need help," Methos stressed.

"I'm not insane!" Duncan exclaimed, "I saw them, Horton, Kronos, I heard them, and I think I heard Kalas too. I don't know what they were, but they were real."

"It's crazy," Amanda muttered.

"And you think they were demons?" Methos asked.

"Yeah," Duncan answered before he cut himself off, frustrated.

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Richie walked through the rain towards his motorcycle.

Suddenly, a car drove past him. He saw Horton in the back seat with Joe, holding a gun to the watcher's head.

"Joe?" Richie looked at the men in the car before he muttered, "Son of a bitch!"

The car sped away, and Richie chased after it, "Come back here! Stop! Stop!"

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Tori looked around, preparing to talk to Duncan as she was on her way to the barge.

"Looking for someone?"

She turned around to see Ming smiling smugly at her.

"Ming? I knew it!" Tori exclaimed, "What are you planning?!"

"What else?" Ming answered, "To destroy your family as well as Duncan MacLeod, and I will start with these two."

Horton arrived at a shuttle with Amanda and Richie in tow. He looked at Tori smugly as her friends looked on in fear. Horton was holding swords to both of their necks.

"Amanda?" Tori gasped before exclaiming, "Richie!"

"If you want them alive," Ming told the immortal, "meet me at the old abandoned race track. Bring the Defenders too."

He left the quay with Horton, Richie and Amanda.

Tori gasped as she heard Kenny's words echo in her head, "One of you will not survive this outcome."

Tori took a deep breath before she got out her communicator, "Defenders, it's Tori. It's crunch time! Ming and Horton have Richie and Amanda. Meet at the abandoned race track immediately!"

She ran as fast as she could to the location.

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"Please, Duncan, let us help you," Amanda pleaded, "I believe you even though I think this is crazy."

"Look, I've been reading about this, thinking about it," Duncan stressed, "Look at the state of the world. War, famine, chaos. There has to be something to this prophecy."

"Maybe," Amanda nodded.

"And?" Methos asked.

"I don't know," Duncan answered, "Look, if this is all in my mind, if I am crazy, then it's too late. If not, there's nothing you can do."

Suddenly, the phone rang, and Duncan answered it, "Hello."

"Mac, it's me," Richie answered on the other end of the line, "Look, I saw him. I saw Horton. He's got Joe."

Duncan glanced over at Joe and looked back, "That's impossible."

"No, look," Richie replied, "I know what I saw. I think they headed to the old race track."

"No, Richie," Duncan instructed, "do nothing. Nothing. Get back here."

"Sorry, Mac," Richie told his teacher.

"Look, Richie!" Duncan called out, "You don't know what you're facing."

He handed the phone to Joe, "Keep him on the line. He's going to be at the old race track."

Duncan ran out of the barge.

"Richie? Richie!" Joe called, but got no answer.

He shook his head at Methos and Amanda as he lowered the phone.

"What is it?" Amanda asked.

"Trouble," Joe answered.