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

The Trap is Set

Tori managed to find herself at the old race track and entered the area and sensed the Buzz.

"Joe?"

"Richie?!" Tori called out. She turned and saw her husband with his sword drawn. Tori noticed as she had her sword drawn.

"Richie, thank God you're okay!" Tori exclaimed, hugging her husband before she asked, "Where's Amanda?"

"I don't know," Richie shook his head, "Horton's got Joe."

"I saw Horton with Ming as well as you and Amanda," Tori glanced around.

"Excellent. All is going according to plan."

Tori and Richie turned around and saw Ming smugly smiling at them.

"Ming!" Tori exclaimed, holding her tachi up.

"Where's Joe, you son of a bitch?!" Richie demanded, holding up his bastard sword.

"He's around," Ming answered, "I wish the both of you the best of luck finding him with your heads intact."

"You won't win, Ming!" Tori exclaimed, "The Defenders….."

"Have come to stop Ming the Merciless!" Flash exclaimed from behind.

The Defenders arrived, ready to fight Ming and his forces that arrived at the area.

Flash, April, LJ, Kshin and Atascadero fired their guns at the ice robots that approached them.

"Go!" Mandrake exclaimed, "We'll handle Ming!"

Richie hurried away.

"Wait!" Lothar exclaimed.

"Knowing Ming," Sheila stated, "this is possibly a trap!"

"Richie, wait!" Tori exclaimed, hurrying to help her husband.

"I have a bad feeling about this," LJ stated as he and Lothar used their super strength to fight their ice robot opponents.

"So do I," April nodded in agreement as she and Atascadero used their martial arts skills and fought their ice robot opponents.

Sheila first used her force field attack to fend off some ice soldier opponents, and then using her invisibility to ward off other opponents.

The Phantom declared, "By jungle law, the ghost who walks calls forth the strength of ten tigers!"

He used his power to fight his ice robot opponents.

Mandrake used his illusion powers to ward off his opponents while Amy used her telekinesis to take on her opponents.

-Defenders-Chronicles-Highlander-

Duncan walked towards the escalator, holding his katana. Red light appeared all around him.

"Richie!" Duncan called out.

He saw a figure sitting on the steps of the escalator as it descended and was illuminated in red light, face hidden.

"Are you all right?" Duncan asked, "Where's Tori?"

No response.

"Richie, it's me," Duncan called out.

"Richie" lifted his head with glowing red eyes. He stood up and laughed, "I know."

"You," Duncan muttered.

"You? Me? Me, you?" "Richie" taunted at the Highlander, "Is that how you see me? You don't even understand your place in any of this, do you?"

He attacked Duncan and they fought. Duncan stopped himself from making a landing blow.

"What's the matter?" "Richie" taunted again, "You don't want to hurt your little buddy?"

He cut Duncan and then laughed, "Some champion."

"Richie" attacked again, Duncan tried to defend himself, but he was cut in the process.

"What the hell are you?" Duncan asked.

"I am your friend," "Richie" answered, "I am not your friend."

He suddenly changed into Horton, who then said, "I'm the man you can't kill."

Duncan attacked Horton, now Richie again, and landed a blow.

"Everyone can die," Duncan stated, "one way or another."

Now it was Kronos in his Bronze Age costume attacking him as the fight continued. Kronos disappeared during the fight. Duncan looked around and caught his breath. Horton rode down the escalator, shooting Duncan with a gun.

-Defenders-Chronicles-Highlander-

Richie and Tori were startled upon hearing gunshots, keeping their swords in hand.

"Joe?" Richie called out.

"Amanda?" Tori called out in turn. She looked around before she told her husband, "Richie, this doesn't feel right. I saw Horton with you and Amanda."

"Yeah," Richie nodded, "and I saw Horton with Joe."

"Ming is probably setting us up into a trap!" Tori exclaimed.

"You know me, Tor," Richie replied, "I'll take my chances."

He continued further.

"Richie, wait!" Tori called out before she went after him.

-Defenders-Chronicles-Highlander-

Duncan found himself on the ground, bleeding and he saw different opponents, "What the hell are you?"

"I am set," Horton answered.

"I…." "Richie" swung his sword while answering, "am Ahriman."

"I am everything your people call demons and devils," Kronos added.

"I am anger," Horton added in, "I am the dark."

All three men stepped off the escalator.

"Richie" then declared, "I bring chaos and fear. Doubt and anarchy."

"I existed before time began, and I will exist when time has ended," Kronos added in.

By then, he, Horton and Richie all circled Duncan.

"For you, all that matters is that you cannot stop me," "Richie" declared.

Suddenly, there became two of each men, and they were all circling around Duncan, laughing. Duncan closed his eyes and lashed out with his sword, but they had all disappeared again.

-Defenders-Chronicles-Highlander-

Tori managed to catch up with Richie as they were looking for Joe and Amanda. They see Duncan with his sword, looking around as if he was seeing something they didn't see.

"Mac?" Richie muttered.

As he came closer to his teacher, Tori noticed the decorations. They were the same decorations described in both Rick and Katarina's premonitions. Tori realized if she didn't act fast, Richie would be dead.

"No!" Tori exclaimed. She hurried over to Richie and pushed him out of the way. Tori used her tachi to block the first blow as Duncan swung. Then he swung again, and this time, things went black.

-Defenders-Chronicles-Highlander-

"Garax, retreat!" Ming called to his top soldier, "The plan is working!"

"Plan?" Sheila looked up.

"You're too late, Defenders," Ming declared, "the trap has been sprung!"

"Oh no!" Mandrake exclaimed.

As Garax and his surviving soldiers retreated, the Defenders hurried to find their friends.

"Tori! Richie! MacLeod!" Flash called out.

-Defenders-Chronicles-Highlander-

Duncan looked up, seeing Richie sitting near the wall of the tracks as he slowly started to get up.

"Sweet fancy Moses!" Richie exclaimed as he was getting up, "Tori, what the hell was that….."

He looked down, seeing something in shock.

"Richie?" Duncan called out with a hopeful tone.

Richie faced his teacher, covering his mouth in horror, "Mac."

"Thank God," Duncan's hopeful expression changed to relief as he stepped forward to hug Richie.

"Stay back!" Richie drawn his sword.

Relief changed to confusion.

Suddenly, Duncan heard the demon's laughter, and confusion changed to horror as the truth hit him as he looked down: the demon had tricked him. He saw Tori's headless body on the ground. He had killed Tori Gordon.

Red fog started to surround Duncan.

"No!" Duncan cried out as he felt the energy of Tori's quickening. Then he saw an image of Tori screaming as she took Kelsea's quickening.

"NO!" Duncan yelled as the quickening was happening.

Even as the quickening was hitting him, he staggered forward as if fighting through a storm, raised his sword and with a cry of rage swung as he saw split second images of some of Tori's memories.

The demon's mocking laughter echoed the room as Duncan's face was filled with agony, hit full on with the quickening.

"No," Richie cried out.

As the quickening was ending, Duncan saw something that he would soon never forget. Richie dropped to his knees and screamed an anguished scream, "NOOOOOOOOOOO!"