Disclaimer: Highlander belongs to Davis/Panzer Productions, I don't own anything, just my original characters.
I was born before 1600 in the Highlands of Scotland, and I am still alive. I am Immortal and I am not alone. For four hundred years, I have fought, loved, wondered, explored and avenged. Now, I have found the woman of my dreams, but we are always in danger. For centuries, I have battled the Dark Immortals, with Holy Ground my only refuge. Soon will be the time of the Gathering, when the stroke of a sword and the fall of a head, will release the power of the Quickening. I am Owen MacLeod, the Highlander. In the end, there can be only one.
(Cue Princes of the Universe)
Starring
Jack Turpin
Kehli O'Byrne
Adrian Paul
Alexandra Vandernoot
Stan Kirsch
(Princes of the Universe ends)
The Hunters
Guest Starring
Roger Daltrey
Werner Stocker as Darius
Duncan and Tessa were lying in the bed of the guest bedroom, covering their ears. Because Duncan lost a bet against his son the night before, Owen and Lynn were the ones who slept in the main bed that night. But the noise the younger couple was making had woken the older couple up earlier then they wanted.
"Why did I agree to that bet?" Duncan complained.
"I don't know," answered Tessa. "But next time Owen asks you to do something silly, do me a favor, would you? SAY NO!"
"Ok, ok!"
Owen fell back onto the bed as Lynn forced him down. He strained to avoid making a sound as Lynn kissed and nibbled on his neck. Then, she began bouncing up and down on him, making his struggle harder. He tried groaning through a shut mouth, but it was difficult to keep the noise from coming out.
"Ah! Ah! Ah! I'm close, baby. I'm close," Lynn moaned as she was feeling the climax.
"I'm close too," responded Owen, "Just ten more seconds."
Lynn bounced and Owen thrusted, over and over, until finally, they released it all, as loud as they could. Lynn dropped onto him, chest first, but Owen was too pooped to notice. She then rolled off of him to his right, lying on her back to catch her breath.
"Ahhhh," Owen groaned as Lynn turned over and rested her head on his shoulder, while placing her hand on his chest. "Wow, that was..."
"Worth the wait?" teased Lynn.
Owen laughed, "To say the least, yeah."
Suddenly, he shot upwards, feeling a buzz.
"An Immortal?" Lynn asked.
"Yeah."
Owen quickly grabbed a towel and wiped off his male equipment and legs before grabbing his katana. Lynn covered herself with the sheets the best she could. Then, a knock came from the door.
"MacLeod?" called a gruff English voice from outside, "Why can't you live in an apartment like everybody else?"
"Hugh Fitzcairn?!" Owen exclaimed.
The door opened and in came a man with curly, brown hair and a little below the average height of a man. He was also smoking a pipe.
"Oh, Owen, it's you," he said, a little embarrassed. "I hope that sword isn't for me."
"It is if you keep staring," said Owen, off of Fitz constantly looking at Lynn. "Hey!"
"Oh, forgive me, my lady."
"That's Lynn."
"Hugh Fitzcairn. I was so surprised the boy is with a woman. A rare sight for me."
Lynn was trying to put on a robe while staying covered by the sheet, "Well, today's your lucky day, kind sir."
"Kind... and brave. Did Owen ever tell you about the time-"
"No, but I'm sure you will," Owen interrupted. "So why don't you go, uh, on deck, and we'll meet you up there in a second."
Fitz agreed and went up to the deck. Then, Duncan emerged from the guest bedroom with Tessa.
"Was that Fitz?" he asked.
"That's Fitz," replied Owen.
On the deck of the barge, Fitz was sitting with Owen, Lynn and Duncan as they enjoyed some nice glasses of tea. Owen insisted on letting Lynn sit with them because she had learned so much about the Immortals and there was no point in being private about it.
"Mmm," Lynn complimented, "This is amazing."
"Mead," noted Fitz. "The honeyed nectar of the gods. I haven't tasted this since King Richard's day. Where on earth do you find it?"
"Darius brews it himself," Duncan answered.
"I pretty much allow any flavor he makes," said Owen with a bright smile.
"Oh, Brothers Darius," Fitz replied. "Well, he hasn't lost his brew master's touch."
"No," agreed Duncan.
"You know, I still can't imagine an Immortal as a priest. I mean, the religion I can understand, but giving up women? Has the man gone completely mad?"
The three Immortals laughed together. Lynn was quickly starting to like Fitz.
"So what brings you here?" Duncan asked.
Fitz became serious, "Yeah... well, some friends - all Immortals - have recently gone missing."
"Well, it's the time of the Gathering," responded Duncan standing up.
"One Immortal goes missing, granted, it could be one of us took his head, but three? Where did they go? What happened to the bodies?"
"Plus, I have noticed the pull to the Gathering diminishing," added Owen.
"What do you mean 'diminishing'?" asked Duncan.
"I mean it's gotten weaker for some reason. Maybe this is it."
"But if there's three bodies, wouldn't they be buried after losing their heads?" asked Lynn.
Fitz shook his head, "Not in this case I'm afraid."
"Have you spoken to them recently?" Duncan asked, sitting down next to him.
"Yeah, but only Marie and Denton. Not Thackery."
"You spoke to Marie Guilliard and Elijah Denton but not Damien Thackery?" asked Owen.
"Well, we were due to meet in Dublin on the day he disappeared. He said he had something to show me, something he'd never seen before."
"You know, that's- that's strange," admitted a chuckling Duncan. "I spoke to Darius the other day. He said he'd had a dream about Thackery."
"Don't tell me he still thinks he's having dreams that foretell the future?" Fitz asked, looking amused and surprised.
"Oh," Duncan assured him, "It was probably a throwback from his misspent youth."
"Did he say what it was about?" asked Owen.
"Ah, this and that," Duncan answered. "It was mainly about his death."
The four looked at each other for a moment before Owen spoke again.
"What about Leonard Farah, Marie's husband?" he asked. "Did you reach out to him?"
"I did," Fitz replied. "But he didn't respond either."
"You don't think it's sooner rather than later, do you?" asked Lynn.
Without answering, Owen jumped out of his chair and cartwheeled toward the barge entrance. Lynn got up and chased after him. Immediately after, Owen burst out, wearing his leather jacket. He rushed to his car with Lynn hurrying behind him, got inside, allowed her in and sped off.
"That girl is very much in love," Fitz pointed out.
"You have no idea," replied Duncan, as the two went inside the barge to call Darius.
Outside St. Joseph's Chapel, a silver van drove up and parked on the street nearby. Five men got out and walked toward the building. All of them were dressed in business suits, looking very rich. The one in front, who appeared to be the leader, was wearing a beige overcoat over his suit. He also had blue eyes, dirty blonde hair and a rather angry looking face. The leader paused for a moment, looked to the right and left to make sure no one was looking, then returned his gaze to the chapel, nodding decisively. He moved forward again, while the others followed.
In the chapel's rectory, Darius walked over to his desk and sat down. He had not slept well the night before and was a little drowsy. He lowered head to his clasped hands, trying to wake up. Then he looked up quickly. He had heard the sound of the chapel door opening.
That's funny, who would come in at this hour? Darius thought to himself.
At the entrance the leader and two of his companions went through the door and looked around. After making sure no one else was inside, they walked quickly toward the rectory. Just then, telephone rang.
At the barge, Duncan was holding his phone, listening to line ringing. Soon, he hung up the phone.
"He's not answering," he said.
He exchanged a look with Fitz, then they moved quickly for the door, intending to follow Owen and Lynn.
When Owen drove into the area, he and Lynn saw the grey van peeling away from curb and driving off in a flash.
"Who was that?" asked Lynn.
"I don't know," Owen replied as they stepped out of the car and walked toward the chapel. "I don't feel him."
"What do you mean 'you don't feel him'?"
"I mean he's not here."
"That can't be right, you said he's always here."
"That van must've had something to do with this."
The two rushed inside. Upon entering the chapel, the two froze in shock. The chapel was a mess, with chairs scattered all over the place. Lynn walked forward while Owen walked to the right. It was there that he realized one man doing this was highly unlikely.
"Who could have done this?" Owen whispered to himself as he looked around for clues.
"AAAAAH!" came Lynn's horrified scream.
"Lynn?!"
Owen ran over to her and saw something that made his world shatter. Lynn collapsed to the floor and clung to a decapitated body in a monk robe.
"DARIUS!" she screamed as she started sobbing in heartbreak and horror.
A sudden snap in his brain coupled with Lynn's state in front of him brought Owen back to his senses, and he found his voice.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
A short time later, Duncan and Fitz arrived and began to pick up the knocked over chairs. Owen was in the corner of the chapel, holding and comforting Lynn. She had been traumatized by the sight of Darius' corpse, which only increased Owen's body temperature. Owen had been in such a state of mind that he did not hear Duncan scream for Darius when he arrived himself.
"He must have put up a tremendous fight," Fitz stated. "Yes. The world will truly be a darker place without you, my friend."
"I didn't believe his premonition," Duncan stated sadly. "I just...never thought he'd...no one's to know what happened here."
"The police?"
"They won't do anything about him being missing for a couple of days. Once I've dealt with whoever killed him-"
"MacLeod, once WE'VE dealt with whoever."
"Okay, once we've dealt with whoever killed him, we'll give him a decent funeral."
Owen glanced over at Duncan and Fitz, who were continuing getting the chairs back where they were. He gently helped Lynn to her feet and brought her over.
"You know," Fitz spoke up, "This doesn't make any sense. This is Holy Ground. No Immortal would kill him here."
"Somebody did," interjected Duncan.
"But who?" Lynn asked through her tears.
"It was a mortal," said Owen.
Duncan, Fitz and Lynn all looked at Owen. They had never heard him speaking in such pain, hatred and anger.
"Family, we've got ourselves a cult of mortal headhunters to kill."
"I can't believe he's gone," Tessa said after Owen, Lynn, Duncan and Fitz returned to the barge and informed her of Darius' untimely death.
"Yes," replied Fitz sadly. "He'll be sorely missed. He was one of the best of us. I made some notes of my conversations with Thackery. They are back at the hotel. They're not much, but-"
"It's a start," Duncan replied as he put his coat on.
"I'm so sorry, Duncan," Tessa offered her condolences before asking, "Do you have any idea who?"
"A cult of mortal headhunters," said Owen darkly.
Just then, the door opened and in walked Richie Ryan.
"Yo, my friends, what's happening?" he said proudly before noticing Fitz. "Oh, company. Hi. It's nice to meet you. I'm Richie."
"Hugh Fitzcairn," said Fitz, politely shaking his hand.
"Pleasure. Hey Owen, you are not going to believe what happened by me today."
"Save it," Owen replied.
At that moment, Richie noticed everyone's somber expressions and started to get worried.
"What is going on here? What's with all the long faces? What happened, did somebody die? What's the story?"
Owen leaned forward and whispered into Richie's ear, "Darius was murdered."
Richie looked at Duncan, who nodded, confirming the response.
Richie looked around sadly before quietly saying, "I'm sorry. Look, is there something I can do? Let me...let me do something. Let me help you."
"Your intentions are most honorable, young man," Fitz assured him. "This is best left to Duncan, Owen and myself."
"All right, okay. It's, uh, it's your situation."
"This cult fucked with the wrong Immortal," Owen growled as he led Duncan and Fitz out of the barge, leaving Lynn, Tessa and Richie behind.
"I never thought one of the good guys would lose," Richie told the girls.
"But why him?" Lynn sobbed as Tessa held her.
Outside the hotel Fitz was staying, Owen was leading the way from the car, fire in his eyes.
"You know, if mortals did kill Darius, you don't think it's a bit of a coincidence that they beheaded him?" asked Fitz.
"They know about us," Owen shot back.
"Now that IS a troubling thought."
The three entered the hotel, where the concierge was at the desk.
"Monsieur Fitzcairn, monsieurs," he greeted.
However Owen walked up the stairs first, leaving Duncan and Fitz behind. He then stopped when he saw a man sitting in a chair on the landing above him.
Hunter, Owen thought to himself.
Deciding to bait the Hunter, he continued up the stairs while the others stayed below. Owen crossed in front of the seated Hunter and started up the next flight of stairs. The Hunter then stood up and followed him. Catching up to Owen, the Hunter tapped Owen on the shoulder.
"Excuse me, sir," he said, clearly American.
"Don't touch me, dickweed," snarked Owen as he tried to walk away.
The Hunter then grabbed Owen's arm, but the Highlander turned around and punched him in the face, sending him backwards down the stairs.
"Weakling," Owen mocked, before turning and continuing.
As he began to continue up the stairs, another Hunter appeared.
"Come on," he encouraged, grappling briefly with the Hunter and tossing him down the stairs.
Then, two more came from the landing above. Owen pulled out his knife and began fighting with the two. Duncan and Fitz ran up the stairs to help. Each Hunter managed to hit Owen, but he responded by slicing them with the knife. Soon, he sent the two down the stairs.
"We're out matched! Run!" yelled the first Hunter.
Freeing themselves from Duncan and Fitz, all four men got to the door and ran out of the hotel.
"Run piggies! RUN!" laughed Owen sadistically as he chased after them.
Fitz followed with Duncan right behind him. Using his hearing, Owen followed the same route the Hunters went. Duncan followed him while Fitz went in the opposite direction. Duncan heard a car starting and saw Owen chasing after the men jumping into their van. As it attempted to drive away, Owen managed to pull one of the Hunters from the van. The van then made a U-turn as Owen fought the Hunter. The Hunter delivered a lucky kick, allowing himself to get back up. After a second lucky kick knocked Owen down, the man ran after the van attempted to run Owen over. However, Owen dodged and chased after the Hunter.
"You can run, but you can't hide!" swore the Highlander.
Leaping after the Hunter over a fence, Owen chased him through the streets, eventually losing sight of him. Using his hearing, Owen attempted to locate him. Then he suddenly turned as the man jumped out from behind a rock wall and attacked him with a knife. Owen blocked the strike and kicked the Hunter in the stomach. Then, he twisted his arm and slammed him head first into a tree. Turning him around, Owen pinned him against the tree.
"Who are you freaks?" he demanded.
The Hunter refused to answer and tried to push and stab, but Owen showed him back against the tree.
"Who are you?!" he demanded again.
With no response, he head butted the Hunter in the face. Then he threw the Hunter onto a smaller brick wall, then pulled out his katana and sliced the knife hand off. He then placed his blade against the Hunter's chest.
"Talk to me!" he barked.
With a manic expression, the Hunter grasped the blade in his only hand and pulled it into his chest, killing himself.
"Bastard," scoffed Owen.
He looked though the Hunter's pockets and found his wallet. Owen looked inside to find an ID.
"Emilio Cerza," he read.
Duncan caught up to him, just as Owen noticed a blue tattoo on Cerza's severed wrist. Suddenly, the MacLeods remembered they saw it before in Florence, Italy of 1639.
"Grazie, signor," said a beggar as Fitz gave him a coin.
"There's a ship for England, sails at dawn," Fitz told the MacLeods. "We should be aboard."
"You worry too much, my friend," replied Duncan. "Actually, I think we should stay for at least another two days."
"I love Italy," Owen agreed. "No hurry to leave."
"This is serious," objected Fitz. "Our service to the Duke di Milano is finished. Our work is done."
"But he's still in danger," Duncan insisted.
"We brought him here safely. Oh, I see. Is it the Duke you're worried about or his daughter?"
"Heh, heh, heh. Well, twice I've intercepted poison meant for him."
"Tis well you have a cast iron stomach, my friend."
"Well, as they say, it runs in the family," chuckled Owen.
"Aye, but if we stay, it's only a matter of time before his enemies come looking for us," Fitz turned to a street vendor, "Nice pipes."
As Duncan, Owen and Fitz continued down street, the beggar they encountered looked briefly at the pipes on display, then followed the trio of Immortals. A medallion around his neck was bearing a strange symbol.
"My instinct tells me we should leave," said Fitz as they walked through the back walls.
"Since when have you been bothered by a good fight?" Duncan asked as they passed three strangers.
"Oh, it's not the fight I hate. It's the waiting for it."
"Death to the Duke!" Said a stranger from behind.
Acting quickly, the trio drew their rapier swords and started fighting the three strange men. Duncan effortlessly wounded one and Owen fought the second while Fitz engaged the third, with his pipe still in is mouth. The beggar was slinking down the alley to watch. After an exchange of blades, Fitz's opponent managed to wound him in the stomach. Duncan was able to kick down his opponent, while Owen gutted his own. They then turned to watch Fitz.
"You have trouble, Fitzcairn?" Owen teased before turning to the remaining opponent. "Giorno!"
Then he clashed the stranger's blade away and ran him through. The wounded stranger struggled to get uo and drew a knife. He then threw the knife at Owen, who dogged and the blade hit the beggar in the chest, killing him instantly. Acting quickly, Owen threw his own knife at the stranger, hitting him in the throat. He then hurried over and found the medallion hanging from the beggar's neck. Duncan and Fitz joined him.
"Seems my instinct was right," Fitz pointed out. Duncan shrugged and looked at the strange medallion Owen was holding.
"The medallion," Owen remembered, then he froze. "Fitz."
"Fitz," echoed Duncan.
The two turned around and ran back toward the hotel. Returning to the area, they saw the van speed away. Duncan ran over and picked up Fitz's pipe from the street.
"I'm going to kill them all," Owen swore, still holding the severed hand.
On the bridge near the Seine, two Hunters were observing the barge. One of them was taking pictures of it, while the other, a Peruvian in a yellow coat, was waiting.
"Let's go," said the Peruvian Hunter, and they walked over to a third man appearing to be the leader, while the man with the camera took some more pictures.
"Good shots?" asked the leader.
"We should have never split up," Duncan told his lover as he was looking through books he and Owen had. "I can't believe I fell for that, Tessa. It's the age-old rule: divide and conquer."
"Maybe they're working for some government," suggested Tessa as she was working on a metal sculpture.
"If they were, we'd be dead by now," Owen pointed out.
"Yeah, well, that doesn't explain the tattoo," said Duncan.
Owen slammed a book shut, "Fuck, I can't find that symbol anywhere! And the medallion I took is back in America!"
"That man chose to die instead of talking to you," Lynn spoke up. "Owen, I'm scared."
"Well, you should be! They might be after you too!"
"Ouch! Ahh!" yelped Tessa as she cut her hand on a sculpture.
She hissed in pain and holds hand, "Ohh."
She blew on the cut as Lynn looked at it. Duncan hurried over, while Owen continued to look.
"Let me have a look at it," he told her. "That's a nasty cut."
"Yeah," Tessa replied. "Damn, it's bleeding."
She sat on the couch while Duncan got out a first aid kit to help his lover.
"I'm sorry," he said, apologizing for his outbursts.
"Maybe they're working for an Immortal," suggested Tessa.
"No, they're not," Owen insisted. "Darius was in a church. Even the most evil of us wouldn't desecrate Holy Ground, nor waste a Quickening. It looked as if they were searching for something in the rectory."
"What?" Tessa asked.
"I don't know," answered Duncan, pulling out a bandage.
"If Darius knew what it was about, wouldn't he have told you?" Lynn asked her lover.
"Maybe he planned to, but wasn't fast enough," replied Owen, then he stopped. "Of course."
He grabbed his jacket, with Duncan getting up to do the same.
"Where will you go?" Tessa asked.
"We're going back to the rectory," replied Duncan as he followed Owen to the door.
"Stay here, and stay out of sight," Owen reminded Lynn as he exited.
Duncan and Owen exited the barge just as Richie arrived on his motorcycle and walked over to them.
"Guys," Richie spoke up, "I've been thinking about this...Fitzcairn had meetings with three Immortals and they all disappeared, right?"
"Maybe he led them to Thackery without meaning to," stated Duncan.
"That would explain Thackery's disappearance, but not Marie and Denton," Owen pointed out. "Nor Leonard."
"Wait," Richie asked, "Fitzcairn came here. He didn't go to Darius. Why didn't they go to him?"
"They did," answered Duncan, holding up Fitz's pipe.
"Ah, man, what's-"
"Look," Owen spoke up, "We don't have time to explain, all right? You could be in danger too. We think the answer's back at the rectory. Best thing for you to do is to stay out of sight and wait for an update."
The MacLeods each gave Richie a hug.
"Take it easy, all right?" encouraged Duncan.
"Okay," Richie agreed.
"Look after Tessa and Lynn for us."
"I will," Richie replied before asking, "Guys, there's one thing though. If these guys are regular human beings, and they can't sense you Immortals, how do they know when they've found one?"
"Guessing is my only answer," said Owen darkly as he led Duncan to the car.
(Cue Queen's "Who Wants to Live Forever")
In the rectory of St. Joseph's Chapel, Duncan picked up the tea pot from the shelf, examining it. Owen stood in the middle with his eyes closed. Both were reminiscing of their good friend Darius, a surrogate father to Duncan and a surrogate grandfather to Owen.
"Try some of this," offered Darius as he poured tea for them all.
"Oh, this isn't some more of your moss stuff, is it?" asked Duncan.
"No, no, no, no."
"I don't trust you. You sure it's not?"
He took a sip right before Darius answered, "It's from a mold form."
Duncan responded by spitting the tea out. Owen and Darius laughed at the reaction.
"Oh, come on, it can't be that bad," said Owen, trying to stop.
"You like it?!" Duncan cried, trying to get the taste out of his mouth.
"I had to eat mold and moss to survive when I ran out of food."
Darius picked up the teapot, "Some more?"
"No! No, no, no," said Duncan making a face.
Duncan put the tea pot back and sat down on the bed as Owen held Darius' bullet necklace in his hand, remembering the first time they met him.
Duncan was carrying a wounded comrade on his back, while Owen was attempting to nurse some of the wounded of his own. A hooded monk was wandering among the dead and dying, when he sensed a buzz coming from behind him. He turned and saw Duncan. Owen, having turned, got into defense and both reached for their swords.
"I am Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod," said Duncan.
"Owen MacLeod, same clan, different vintage," Owen added.
"I am Darius," greeted the monk, before glancing at the swords. "You won't need those."
He walked over to a cover on the battlefield.
"Put him down here. Slowly."
Duncan did so, and Darius examined the wounded man.
"Those whom we cannot heal, we bury to prevent disease. Infection kills more than all the English and French cannons."
"The surgeon said he would die of infection," Duncan said. "To bring him straight here."
"Perhaps I can save him."
"You can? How?" asked Owen.
"Give me that tin cup. And fill it with snow."
Owen found a good pile of snow and filled the cup to the brim.
"Here."
"Hold this," said Darius, before adding powder into the cup. "There are medicines which have been lost to modern doctors.
He then took the cup and had the wounded man drink it.
"Good. Now we wait. It will take hours."
"Hours?" asked Owen.
"Yes."
"Well, how goes the battle?" asked Duncan as he and Owen stood up to look to the distance.
"Why does that matter to you?" Darius asked. "Napoleon may lose a campaign. Wellington may win a great victory. What have they really won or lost? Their reputation? These men have been robbed of their most precious possession... forever."
Duncan and Owen looked around at the dead bodies surrounding them.
"You shouldn't be taking part in this tragedy."
"My son and I were raised as warriors," replied Duncan. "We choose battles we believe to be just."
"Oh, I'm sure. You're quite loyal to your convictions and compatriots. But I wonder what these men think about that... about convictions and compatriotism now?"
Duncan looked around and rifled through the belongings on Darius' desk. He then sat down by the chess board, remembering his chess games with Darius. Owen put the necklace back on.
"Morning, old man," Owen teased.
"So, my old friend, how are we today?" asked Duncan.
"Mmph," replied Darius, shrugging.
"You ready for our game? Or are you afraid I'll finally beat you?"
Darius did not answer. He just looked at his crucifix. Duncan pulled up a chair and sat down next to him.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"Sometimes being a Catholic priest is easier than other times," answered Darius.
"So is being protector of the world," Owen agreed. "Anything you want to talk about?"
"Would that I could, my child. Would that I could."
Darius stood up and went to the chessboard.
"Now... to our game."
Owen scurried over to the chessboard and sat at the middle, hoping to learn more of the game.
"I won't press, but if there's anything you need…" began Duncan.
"Yes, I know, but... some things must remain unsaid," Darius replied, sitting down at the chessboard.
"Okay, so who's move is it?"
"It's yours."
Duncan took off his jacket and sat opposite of Darius. Owen sat in the middle, brushing his hands together, hoping to learn a lot from the game.
"Are you sure?" Duncan asked.
"Yes, very," answered Darius. "Good move now, huh?"
(Queen's "Who Wants to Live Forever" ends)
Duncan then stood up, walked over to a stylized metal globe, gave it a spin, then looked up and saw a piece of MacLeod tartan stuck in niche wall.
"Hey, Owen look," he said, getting Owen's attention.
Owen looked on as Duncan took the tartan, removed a loose stone from the wall, reached in, and pulled out an old book. Duncan flipped through the pages of the book. Then, he moved the cover back and saw something. Owen saw it too. On the inside of the back cover was a faded symbol, the exact same symbol the Hunters were donning.
Owen looked at Duncan darkly and said, "He knew."
On the Paris street, Tessa was walking along with some groceries past a man in a beige overcoat, reading a newspaper. When she passed by, the man nodded at another man on bicycle. Both men started moving toward Tessa. The man on the bike rang the bicycle bell as he rode up behind her. The overcoat man quickly grabbed her and pushes her aside, out of the way.
"Ohh!" Tessa yelped as she was pushed aside and the biker rode away.
"I'm sorry," apologized the overcoat stranger.
"It's okay. I didn't see him."
"I startled you."
The man quickly picked up the grocery bag and handed it to her.
"Oh, thank you, thank you," she said.
Then, he noticed the bandage on her hand.
"Oh, you've hurt your hand. Let me take a look at that," he offered.
"Well, it's - it's just a cut."
"No, no, I'm a doctor. I insist."
He quickly ripped the bandage away.
"Ohh!" exclaimed Tessa.
"I'm sorry. I've made it bleed again," the stranger said, checking. "Still, it looks quite healthy. You should be careful. Infections can lead to all kinds of nasty things."
He then turned and left abruptly. Tessa felt uneasy by his words. He seemed nice, but he had an angry looking face and his words worried her. Duncan and Owen needed to learn about this.
"He was one of them, wasn't he?" Tessa asked back at the barge.
"He wanted to know if you were an Immortal," answered Owen, angered by the Hunter's actions. "If you were, you would have healed more quickly."
"What if she was?" asked Lynn, but Owen's look gave her the answer. "They must have been following her all day, and she didn't see them."
"I think you only see these people when they want you to," Duncan deduced. "Where's Richie?"
"At the antique dealer," Tessa answered. "Rue de Moineau. I wanted to go, but he insisted. Why?"
"They might be following him too," replied Owen, grabbing his jacket. "Lock this place up tight, and don't let anybody in. Anybody. My secret knock is three knocks, then three more."
He and Duncan hurried out of the barge and toward the antique store.
On a street outside the antique store, Richie exited the store, got on motorcycle, and drove away. Unbeknownst to him, a Hunter was watching him go. The MacLeods pulled up in their car and went into the antique store as the same Hunter watched him. Seconds later, the MacLeods exited and walked toward the man, who pretended not to know they were there by staring out into the city. Seeing him not looking, Owen slipped past him and walked away, while Duncan stayed.
"Nice day," Duncan greeted the man, who did not reply. "What do you want?"
The man looked at him for a few seconds before walking away and continuing to ignore him.
"Excusez-moi," Duncan spoke in French while following him, "Que voulez-vous? Parlez-vous francias?"
No answer.
Duncan then spoke in German, "Sprechen sie Deutsch? Deutsch? Mein Herr, sprechen sie Deutsch? Nein?"
Still no answer as the Hunter walked into a courtyard area. Owen was standing in the area, pretending to read a newspaper which obstructed his face. However, he noticed Duncan approaching, still following the Hunter. The two passed two more men, who seemed to be paying attention. Owen gripped his paper hard.
Then, Duncan spoke in Italian, "Si parla italiano? Italiano? No?"
He then proceeded to speak in Russian, "Vy govarite Porusskii? No? Uh..."
Finally, he spoke in Chinese, "Ni – Shou – Jong – Wen – Ma?"
Suddenly, a passing man thrusted at Duncan with a machete, but a newspaper went over his face, as Owen blocked his vision, and punched his face numerous times. Duncan fully knocked him down with a kick. The first Hunter attacked with a baton, but Owen responded by kicking him into another Hunter, who lazily swung a pair of chains as he fell down. The machete Hunter attacked again, but Duncan twisted his arm around and flipped him onto his back. A fourth one attacked with a pair of nunchucks, but Owen ducked and kicked him in the face as he did a backflip. The chain Hunter tried to attack again, but Duncan kicked him in the face as well. Then the two Hunters he passed on his entrance ran up to him and Owen. The fifth one attempted a high kick against Duncan, but he dodged and caught the next kick so he could push him into the sixth one. The nunchuck Hunter attacked Owen again, but he jumped over the swing and retaliated with a roundhouse kick. Then the first three Hunters got back up and backed up the Highlanders. In response, Duncan and Owen pulled out their swords and twirled the blades.
"En guard!" said Owen.
"What's going on?" asked a bystander as several onlookers came behind him.
The Peruvian Hunter showed up, wielding his own baton and making the fight seven against two. Duncan deflected the first Hunter's baton while Owen latched his blade to the third Hunter's chain, pulling him into the Peruvian Hunter. The first Hunter lunged again and his baton was deflected, while he received a kick from Duncan. The second Hunter attacked with his machete and after getting two attacks blocked, he managed to nick Duncan in the right side. Enraged by the sight, Owen lunged at the Hunter and sliced him on the left cheek.
"Ahh!" the Hunter cried out as he backed up, nursing his wound while the third one ran up again.
"What's this?" said a man at one of the upper windows to his female companion.
The unarmed Hunter swung a left-handed punch at Owen, who sliced his arm in response and elbowed him in the face. He then deflected the nunchuck Hunter's attack only to see the sixth one spray mace at him.
"Ahh!" he cried out, before he lunged and felt his blade make contact with what felt like a finger.
Using his hearing, he was able to tell where each Hunter was. However, he also heard Duncan cry out, letting him know he was hit by mace too. The Peruvian Hunter hit Duncan and knocked him down, but the older Highlander refused to yield. Owen swung at the Peruvian Hunter, slicing him on the arm, and slowly began to regain his sight. He stood in front of Duncan to protect him as the older MacLeod's sight returned and wound healed.
"Wanna kill me?! KILL ME!" Owen dared the Hunters.
Suddenly, all nine of them heard the revving of a motorcycle. Then at that moment, Richie Ryan raced into the area and dumped his bike in a skid, tripping and knocking down the baton and machete Hunters. He then quickly jumped up and head-butted the unarmed Hunter with his motorcycle helmet, breaking his nose. Then Richie kicked the nunchuck Hunter and stole his nunchucks, while Owen kicked the chain Hunter and the Peruvian Hunter away. Duncan was able to get back to his feet, recovering enough.
"Hey, what is going on? Get out of here! What's going on here? Clear the yard!" yelled numerous voices as bystanders entered the area.
Faced with far too many witnesses, the Hunters had no choice but to retreat. They walked through the crowd, ignoring their demands. However, Owen noticed a wallet on the ground and quickly swiped it. As he walked away with Duncan and Richie, Owen noticed a man in a beige overcoat looking at them from a second story window.
"Why'd you come back?" Duncan asked Richie as they walked away from the courtyard.
"Well, Mac, I'd, uh, I'd like to say I sensed you were in danger, but the truth is, there's this really cute blonde who works in the antique store," answered Richie.
"Great. I never thought I'd be thankful for your libido."
"That was seven of them," Owen reported. "Their leader makes a total of eight known members."
He opened the wallet and found an ID on the Peruvian Hunter.
"Aaron Lopez."
Evening fell as Fitz looked around to analyze his surroundings. After he was taken by the mysterious men after a scuffle with them with Duncan and Owen helping him, he had been taken to an abandoned mansion and chained up hand and foot between two stone pillars.
"Hey!" he called out, clearly annoyed and angry. "What do they think they're playing at... Dungeons and Dragons? Hello?!"
Then, four men walked in and sit in the chairs in front of him. Fitz realized they were in fact the Hunters.
"You killed Darius, and you took Thackery and the others," he deduced. "What do you want?"
The men said nothing.
"I know my countenance is pleasurable to the eye, but can't we discuss this? You'll find me a friendly sort of chap when you get to know me."
The Hunter in the overcoat, who appeared to be the leader, turned and nodded at the Hunter behind him who was holding a crossbow. The Hunter pointed the crossbow right at Fitz.
"Damn you," he snapped before the bolt was fired into his chest, killing him instantly.
"Remove the arrow," the leader ordered to the Hunter on his right as he got up and walked away.
"Anton, make sure he's dead," ordered the Hunter. "Then we'll see if he's truly an Immortal."
At the barge, the boys and girls were having a spaghetti dinner. But Owen was eating quickly, intending to recharge his strength and get back to the hunt.
"This book holds the key to what's going on," Duncan said as he looked through the pages, sighing. "Darius put my clan colors on it, so I'd find it."
"What's it say?" asked Tessa.
"Well, I'm not certain, but... most pages have been destroyed in some kind of fire. The ones left are handwritten in ancient German."
"But you speak German."
"This is primitive Teutonic, well before our time," Owen pointed out. "It's a book on some kind of mythology."
"What kind of mythology?" asked Lynn.
"It speaks of... battles, gods... and Immortality."
"It's a book about you guys?" Richie inquired.
"Written hundreds of years ago?" asked Tessa.
"What should we do?"
"Well, Dad and I have to spend a little more time with this book," answered Owen as he and Duncan got up.
"You want me to do something?"
"Yeah, hold down the fort," Duncan replied.
"All right. You want company?"
"No thanks, Rich."
"Okay."
The MacLeods walked away taking the book over to a separate room.
"What's it like for them, ladies?" Richie asked the girls.
"What do you mean?" asked Tessa.
"To have a friend for two hundred years and then…"
"I don't know."
Lynn looked out the window, hoping Owen would find the Hunters' location and stop them once and for all.
The next morning, Fitz found himself waking up and facing the Hunter Leader.
"So, you are one of them," the leader stated.
"You weren't sure, were you?" retorted Fitz. "It was a test. What if I'd been mortal? You would have murdered an innocent man, you ruthless bastard."
"Where's the book?" the man asked.
"Who are you working for?" Fitz then asked, "One of us? Is that your game? How much is he paying you?"
The leader then slapped him hard in the face and demanded again, "Where's the book?"
"Book? What book?" Fitz asked.
"The fifth chronicle."
"The fifth chronicle? What are you talking about?"
"Don't lie to me. Darius had it."
"Now look. Do I look like a fellow who's in any position to lie?"
The leader then grabbed Fitz by his collar, strangling him.
"You know, you really should do something about that temper of yours...cause one of these days, it's going to get you into terrible trouble," warned Fitz.
"I've often wondered how much pain an Immortal could bear," the leader stated. "Before he went...mad."
He then released Fitz and dropped him to the ground again. That leader would have been better off listening to Fitz's warning.
On the Paris street, Owen was walking down the sidewalk, when he heard footsteps following him. He bent over, pretending to tie his shoe and watched in a parked car's side mirror as a man slowed down and looked in a shop window. In the side mirror, Owen recognized him as the second Hunter, the one with the machete. Having identified his pursuer, Owen got back up and continues down the street. Then, a man pushing a rack of clothes blocked the machete Hunter's view of the youngest MacLeod. When the rack passed by, the machete Hunter saw Owen had disappeared. The Hunter panicked a little and hurried down the street, looking for Owen. Upon seeing him pass, Owen stepped out of the doorway of a shop behind him and began following him instead. The Hunter continued to walk toward the crosswalk and saw Owen was not in sight. Then he turned around and spotted Owen looking away. Then, Owen turned to make eye contact with him.
"How predictable," mocked the Highlander.
Instantly, the machete Hunter made a run for it, with Owen in pursuit as he cut through the street. The machete Hunter turned a corner and ran toward a Hunter on a motorcycle.
"Let's go! Let's go! Come on!" he yelled as he hoped on the back and they sped away.
"You can run, BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE!" warned Owen as the motorcycle raced away.
Nighttime finally came. The moon was full, and the stars twinkled in the sky. Richie was patrolling the deck of the barge, carrying a length of lead pipe. Owen carefully came out of the wheelhouse behind him and snuck up on him, then blew on the back of his neck to get his attention. Richie turned quickly and jumped in surprise upon finding Owen standing directly behind him with his sword drawn.
"Oh, yeah, like a sword is standard issue for home protection," he said sarcastically.
"Where's Lynn?" asked Owen.
"She's down below."
"Let's get inside before those freaks see us."
The boys hurried down into the barge.
"It's a book of observations on who we are, what we do," Duncan informed as he and Owen looked out a window.
"So, it's like a history book," guessed Richie.
"Whoever wrote it was a historian, yeah. A secretary to a secret order of men who observed us but did nothing to interfere. That's why we didn't know about them."
Tessa and Lynn looked at each other in worry. The Hunters now felt even more dangerous.
"Mac, we gotta do something," Richie said, getting on the couch and walking over to the MacLeods. "They cannot just kill Darius and walk."
"We are doing something," replied Duncan.
"What are we doing? It seems like we're just sitting here. It seems like we're doing nothing."
"We're waiting."
"What are we waiting for?"
"These men leave nothing to chance," Owen spoke gruffly. "They observe before they strike. We're going to do the same."
A small grin appeared on Owen's face, which made Lynn worry for his mental health.
On the deck, the MacLeods watched as a car pulled up and stopped under the nearby bridge. Owen saw a light appear inside, showing the driver was smoking. Tessa and Lynn came out of the barge to join them.
"You okay?" Tessa asked the Highlanders.
"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Duncan.
"You don't have to be."
"Tessa, he's dead, and there's nothing I can do to bring him back. What else is there to say?"
"You don't have to say anything. I just want you both to let yourselves mourn. Lynn does too."
Lynn nodded in agreement.
"Tess, Dad and I've buried more friends than we can count," Owen said. "Death is part of our lives."
"Not his death."
The four hugged each other in a group hug as Owen glared at the car, seeing the cigarette lighter flare in window.
"That man was so wise. He taught us so much. He taught YOU so much in so little time," he said, holding onto everyone as tight as he could. "He wasn't supposed to die."
"I know," answered Lynn, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"He was on Holy Ground, Lynnie. He should have been safe. He should have fucking been safe."
He then got up, "Come on. It's time to take the fight to them."
The MacLeods lead the girls inside the barge, where they would be safe.
Some time later, Richie was walking along the Seine from the barge toward the Hunter who was smoking a cigarette in the car under the bridge. He then stopped and looked at the bottom of his shoe.
"Aw! Aw, man. Aw, what a mess," he acted as he continued toward the car, ranting. "Always people and their dogs. I can't believe - can you believe this? Again and again. Uh, this always happens to me. Oh, this is disgusting. Always, all the time. Oh, get that stuff off me."
He crouched down and continued to act, "Hey, do you got a Kleenex or something? Can you believe this?"
Then suddenly he threw a rock at the car windshield.
"What the-!" was all the Hunter would say before Owen sucker-punched him in the face.
Owen had placed a beanie over his head to keep his hair from his eyes, while Duncan had a bandana. With the Hunter stunned, Owen roughly pulled him out of the car. He could not tell who the Hunter was due to the dark, but that was not important. He head butted the man and punched his face several times.
"Who are you?" Owen demanded as he continued to punch and kick the Hunter before holding him against the car by his hair. "Why did you kill him? Talk to me! Why'd you kill Darius?!"
The Hunter then spat in his face, making Owen so angry that he bit him right on the nose and ripped a chunk of it off. He then slammed the Hunter on the car hood, knocking him unconscious. Owen wiped away the spit and blood, seemingly panting like an animal.
"Nothing in the car," Richie reported as he returned to the MacLeods.
"Move the barge," ordered Duncan.
"And remind the girls that the knock is three knocks then three more," Owen added as he led Duncan into the shadows.
Richie hurried back to the barge as fast as he could. He then took the controls, and sailed the barge away from the Seine.
The next thing the weed smoking Hunter knew as he woke up, was he was on the ground. Then he remembered the beating and noticed the chunk of his nose missing and his face covered in blood. He got up to his feet and saw the barge was missing.
"Damn," he swore as he got back in the car.
But what he did not know, was that a pair of Immortals were watching him.
Back at the abandoned mansion all was not well. The leader was pacing back and forth as he addressed his followers.
"We have won a great victory," he boasted. "We have destroyed a malignant evil that has walked this earth in the form of a man for the last two thousand years. People do not cheer us. People do not even know we exist. But we know the battle we fight. We know the evil we must destroy. I would like to send you back to your homes... to your lives... but our work here is not finished. Bring him."
Two of the Hunters went to Fitz's room.
"Ah, come to play some more, hmm?" he mocked as the men unchained him. "Oh, it's about time you two fellows came to your senses. I'm sure we can come to some amicable arrangement. Take me to your master - if you can get the lock off. Heh, heh, heh. And don't be so aggressive. Please be careful with my jacket."
The Hunters pulled him out of the room and brought him down a staircase into another room. Fitz looked on in horror at a guillotine.
"Just a minute! This- this is madness!" he yelled as he was brought over to the guillotine and attached to it. "There are no Immortals here! All I am will be wasted! What do you want?! All I know will be lost! There will be no Quickening! What do you want?! You're mad!"
The Hunters did not pay attention as the baton and machete Hunters held him in place.
Outside, the weed smoking Hunter from the barge surveillance drove up and parked in front of the mansion. Owen and Duncan made their way past the gates as quietly as possible. The Hunter got out of his car and took out another cigarette, while trying to wipe away some more blood. Unfortunately, Owen was sneaking up behind him with his knife drawn.
"Need a light?" he asked sarcastically.
The Hunter froze, then turned, only to feel a blade go through his throat. Duncan quickly took the body and moved it out of sight.
"We've got one shot at this," Owen instructed as they slowly entered the mansion. "I'll distract the Hunters. When you have an opening, go for it and free Fitz."
"Got it," replied Duncan, before the two split up.
At that moment, Fitz sensed a buzz, meaning at least one MacLeod found him. He needed to buy them time somehow. So he decided to use his greatest weapon, his speech.
"You're making a great mistake," he cursed the leader. "I've been friends to generations of men. Your grandfathers. Your great-grandfathers. I've slain tyrants who would have made slaves of your enemies. You ungrateful encephalopods."
"You are an abomination before nature and in the eyes of man!" the leader snapped back. "There is no glory but ours! No destiny that is not of our making!
He turned and nodded to the baton and machete Hunters, who stuck Fitz's head under the guillotine's blade. But Fitz was not about give up yet.
"Ah, well. If it's time to go, ah, it's been a grand romp," he said dramatically as he was put into place. "Oh, the stories I could tell you, lads. I don't suppose you've got time to listen? Do I get a last request?"
"No," replied the leader.
"And you call yourself human?"
"What is it?"
"A last smoke of my pipe."
"I don't think so."
The leader nodded to the Hunter at the guillotine lever, but suddenly a knife whizzed through the air and hit the Hunter in the heart, killing him instantly. The Hunters jumped in fright.
"MacLeod, what kept you?" said Fitz sarcastically as Owen leaped down and knocked out the Hunter who had wielded the chains, using the severed head of Lopez.
"Hang on, Fitz!" he called.
The baton and machete Hunters ran up, the former now using two batons and the latter using two knives. Owen scoffed and pulled out his firearm. He fatally shot both Hunters, then another, and another. He then aimed for the leader, but his gun only clicked. He was out of bullets. Seeing an opening, the leader shot Owen with a taser. The youngest Highlander took and fought the pain. Finally having enough of the shock, he reached into his coat and pulled out his katana. Within an instant, he struck the taser wire, cutting himself free. The leader released the taser in a startled move and began to breathe quickly.
"Is that how you killed Darius?!" Owen demanded as he used his katana to hoist himself up. "Is that how you killed my grandfather?!"
"I'm unarmed," the leader pleaded, trying to back away.
"You use automatic weapons on me, but you expect me to fight honorably?!" accused Owen as he backed the leader toward a corner, holding his katana in defense. "Why should I?!"
"When you kill me, others will come to continue what we have begun!" assured the leader.
"I wasn't not your enemy, but now you made me one. This isn't about mortals. We have our purpose here! Don't you understand?!"
"We've always understood. We will never be dominated!"
In a fit of desperation, the leader tried to punch at Owen, but the Highlander blocked his strikes and nicked his thigh before knocking him back with a kick.
"I don't give a fuck about domination!" snapped Owen.
"Liar!" the leader exclaimed. "We know about the Gathering!"
"Do you sense evil in me?!" growled Owen, pointing his blade. "Talk to me! Tell me what you know!"
"It's about power!" spluttered the leader, trying to hide his fear. "There is nothing greater than the power of man! Nothing!"
"You're no man! You killed a man on Holy Ground! After I kill you, you're gonna spend an eternity IN HELL!"
The leader saw a nearby two-by-four and grabbed it. He then hit the sword with it, knocking it away. He then desperately tried to bat Owen away with it, but Owen dodged the swings and struck back with punches and kicks. Suddenly, the chain Hunter appeared and grabbed Owen from behind, holding his arms up to trap him. The leader picked up Owen's sword and stood in front of him.
"You must die...all of you!" he shouted, raising the blade.
"Never!" Owen roared, as he swung himself down with all his might before the blade made contact.
As Owen dodged the blade, it connected with the chain Hunter's throat, slicing it open and sealing his fate. Preforming a roundhouse kick, Owen knocked the leader down and caused him to drop the katana.
"MacLeod!" Fitz called out again as Duncan finally appeared.
Owen got ahold of his sword again and chased after the leader, while Duncan went for Fitz.
"What took you so long?" Fitz asked. "This thing makes me nervous. Get me out of it."
Duncan cut Fitz's binds and released him from the guillotine.
"The women of the world will thank you, my friend," Fitz stated.
Owen could feel the anger and hatred rising as he gazed out into the city. He now believed he knew why the pull had become weaker, the lost Quickenings. He opened Darius' necklace and gazed inside it. There were several ashes inside. Lynn walked up to join him.
"We're never going to have another friend like Darius," she guessed.
"I know," Owen replied.
"Did you catch him?"
"Of course not. He took a car and left some goons in the front yard to distract me. He practically gave them to me so he would still live."
Lynn was speechless. She could not believe such a man like that could exist. Secretly though, Owen wondered if he WOULD find a new friend, or the new friend would find him.
(Cue Queen's "Who Wants to Live Forever")
Moments later, Duncan, Tessa, Richie and Fitz joined Owen and Lynn for a memorial for Darius. Duncan held an urn, holding the rest of Darius' ashes.
"Fifteen hundred years ago, you led an army of barbarians," Duncan spoke his eulogy for his surrogate father. "You disbanded your army and spared the city, but you broke a promise to yourself. To march west from the Ural Mountains until you'd reached the sea."
He took the lid off the urn, and squatted at the edge of the barge.
"So now old friend, travel on," he encouraged as reached into the urn. "Go where you never went."
He scattered the ashes into Seine, "To the sea."
Duncan then emptied the ashes completely into Seine, "I'll miss you."
(Queen's "Who Wants to Live Forever" ends)
Owen stepped forth, gripping his necklace and holding it out in front of him. Tears of heartbreak and anger were flowing from his eyes.
"Don't worry Grandpa. That monster can run from me, but he can't hide," he swore. "I promise... if it's the last thing I do... I WILL KILL HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM!"
To Be Continued...
(Cue Princes of the Universe)
Co-Starring
Peter Hudson as Hunter Leader
Tony Sagastizado as Aaron Lopez/Peruvian Hunter
(Princes of the Universe ends)
Where is this leader escaping to, and how will Owen find him? Only time will tell.
Now THIS is the longest chapter, reaching over 10,000 words.
Multi award winning international film, theater and television actor, producer, writer, singer and director Tony Sagastizado portrays the Peruvian Hunter, named Aaron Lopez in this story. He was not credited in the original episode, only Peter Hudson was. Because no one in the episode refers to him by his surname, I credited Peter as the Hunter Leader. Emilio Cerza, Anton and the other Hunters are unknown and uncredited as well. Guiseppe Montenegro, Fitz's flashback Watcher is also unknown and uncredited.
I wanted this leader to be Owen's archenemy, because Duncan has always had an arch-rivalry with an Immortal. You will even find out another reason soon. The internet says that Peter Hudson is apparently my late father's age of 59, but that means he was born in 1965, making himself 28 at the time of this episode. The leader himself is supposed to be in his late 40s not late 20s, what's going on?
It was my idea to include Marie Guilliard (from the novel Highlander: Shadow of Obsession) and Elijah Denton (mostly known from Watcher Marshall Bowen) as the two other Immortal victims to the Hunters besides Damien Thackery. Leonard Farah is an OC, as in Highlander: Shadow of Obsession, Marie married a mortal named Hubert Guilliard, who was a solider. So I decided to give her another mortal husband to show the ruthlessness of the Hunters. Marie, Elijah, Damien, Leonard and Hubert will not appear in any flashbacks. Mostly because the actor playing Damien in his profile picture is unknown.
Just so we are clear, Lynn was a virgin before this episode, which will be something for the events in the future.
Huch Fitzcairn was supposed to die in his debut, but when a certain problem arose, it was changed for him to survive.
I even felt like Owen is smarter than Duncan as he decides to use a gun against the mortal Hunters instead of fighting them fairly.
This chapter is also dedicated to the man who played Darius, Werner Stocker. Just before shooting began on the episode, The Hunters, Werner announced he was ill, suffering from a brain tumor, and would be unavailable. Due to that, extensive rewrites, which made his character die offscreen were made. Archive footage of Werner as Darius was used for his opening scene, while a body double was used as the corpse. Then after the episode was shot, Werner unexpectedly passed away from the tumor, changing the direction of the series, as many more episodes had originally been planned to feature Darius in flashbacks.
RIP, we will miss you, Werner.
April 7, 1955 - May 27, 1993 (38 years old)
In addition to my OC's grandfather's memorial, I also dedicate this chapter to my real-life maternal grandfather. He was passionate about basketball, baseball and cars, along with cycling and golf. He was even a fervent Christian, who in his retirement years, volunteered to mentor and coach prison inmates for reintegration into daily life. He strongly believed that God's love and grace can change any life, and he was committed to living out his faith and serving his Lord in as many things as he could. He and Grandma in their retirement years, helped look after me when I was still a kid.
Unfortunately, after struggling boldly against cardiac issues for more than ten years, his health suddenly declined, requiring extended ICU care. Though encouraged and supported by Grandma, my mom, my aunts, my uncle, and myself in person, along with the prayers of the rest of the family and many friends, recovery was not possible for him. In comfort and care for more than a week, Grandma and my eldest aunt were with him when he entered his eternal slumber. I was glad I was able to tell him a few things in ICU before he departed. I am certain that despite not responding, he could hear every word I told him.
RIP, we will miss you, Grandpa.
June 24, 1945 - November 14, 2023 (78 years old)
Anyway, thanks for reading, please review, your support helps my writing. But there is going to be an epilogue, so stay tuned.
Until then, R&R, Roland Cain out!