Disclaimers: Methos, the Watchers, the concept of Immortality, the "Old" Prize, and the "Old" Game are registered trademarks of Gaumont Television, Rysher Entertainment and Davis/Panzer Productions. Every other character and concept are my own, such as the "New" Game, the "New" Prize, Immortals with supernatural powers, Bryan Goodberry, Clara Hatties, Jacob Methos Sizzerelli, Veronica, Katherine and Richard Longstone, Captain Nathan Stevenson, and Denise Paul Dawson.

Author's Note: This is a story in The Immortal Edition Series. Some references to the other stories in the series are in this story. My stories can be found at Daire's Fanfic Refuge, the Seventh Dimension Highlander Fan Fiction Archive, fanfiction.net, my own sites, and a few others. In the Author's note of Immortal Edition, I said that my prize was based on the one in the movie. This is true except Methos doesn't become a mortal. Special thanks to my dad, who read this and gave me science fictional corrections. Thanks to my mom, for reading this and taking out all of my extra commas. If you have any compliments or complaints, send them to sword_girl@lycos.com.

I began writing this story back in the winter of 1999, and finished it in ____. If there are inconsistencies in this story, that is why.

Summary: In the year 3001, at peace talks between the Minixians and the Alliance, terrorists try to assassinate the Alliance's President. These aren't ordinary terrorists. And why are the watchers still as large as they were before Methos won the Prize, when there were more Immortals to watch?

Chapter One

Space Station Minthos, Gregorian Sector, January 6^th, 3001, Earth Calendar

Methos flew his space plane towards the station. Through its windows, he could see that the station was crowded with members of several different races, and more were coming. Ships of various designs were still docking at the station, and many more were approaching from different corners of the universe.

Methos guided his space plane into an air lock. It was crowded with other spacecrafts and barely had enough room for his plane.

He was at least six thousand years old now. Almost a thousand years ago, he won the Prize. He could still remember it all, because billions of people across the universe would not let him forget. He was the only one still alive that had been present the day he’d won the prize. The rest had to content themselves with their history books and old MP3's that had been converted into the newest and latest computer video software so many times that the old video clips were hard to follow, but Methos was the only one who knew all the details.

He'd shared some of his experiences with the rest of the United Planetary Alliance, of course. He'd been to countless labs where he was treated as a guest but asked politely time and time again if they could borrow some of his tissue to study under their microscopes. They had hoped to find the cure to everything, but it turned out that they would need an infinite supply of his tissue and his blood to create enough cures for everyone. Methos didn't exactly feel like being drained of blood repeatedly or loosing an entire layer of skin anytime soon.

Other things he'd done in the past thousand years included giving lectures to rooms filled with historians and students. Occasionally, he was the planet's ambassador for Earth's embassies on other planets.

He didn't have a busy schedule anymore, however. His Immortality wasn't that big of a deal when Earth encountered the Algorians, Minixians, Hemerns, and other alien races. His name was not forgotten, but his face was. On a few occasions, he'd run into a reporter or someone on the street that recognized him, and then the people would swarm around him and he'd get mauled, but most of the time, he was unknown to the people he met. Unfortunately, today would not be a day that he would go by unnoticed.

He got up out of the cockpit and walked past the other ships to a door. It opened at his approach. The hall beyond it was crowded with members of various races such as Algorians, Hemerns, Humans, and Minixians. The Minixians were the only race there that weren't members of the United Planetary Alliance. The reason they were here was for the peace talks.

The Minixians were a race that didn't trust the Alliance. The Alliance had a hard time convincing them to meet on the station. After months of disagreeing, they relented. Methos smirked to himself. The Alliance didn't just want peace. They wanted Laxol. Laxol was a mineral the Alliance needed to run its ships. The more Laxol they had, the better.

A voice caught his attention. He turned to the left to see Bryan Goodberry and Susan Shirley, a reporter and a web cameraman for his newspaper, Earth Edition. It wasn't really a newspaper. It was actually a web site, but not at all like the Internet that was around a thousand years before. This galaxy wide web was holographic, projected on top of a flat board, and much more complex.

They pushed their way through to him. "Hi, Methos," Bryan said.

"Hello, Bryan. Hey, Susan. Have you managed to get an interview with one of the Minixians ambassadors yet, Susan?"

"Yes, sir. I believe their quote is 'Go away, human.'"

Methos smirked. "Did you get any good pictures, Bryan?"

Bryan smiled and held up the camera. It was small and cylindrical, and it was attached to a metal board that, when laid on its back, displayed the image in holographic pixels in the air above it. "Great lighting and great views. That's what I like about Alliance space stations. Not a shady spot anywhere."

Methos smiled. "Trez Bien. I've gotta go. They just had to have me at the peace talks. I'm their oldest citizen."

Bryan and Susan smiled at the joke.

It was true that he was the oldest citizen of the Alliance, but he was also the oldest Council member. The Council was one branch of the Alliance's government. The Alliance Congress was the other branch. The Council dealt with foreign affairs. They met with ambassadors and made new treaties or made sure both sides followed the current treaty. Congress dealt with internal affairs. Most of the time, the two branches worked separately, but it extremely important matters, they would meet together.

Only the Council would be present during these peace negotiations. Because Methos had been an ambassador on many occasions and a war veteran of many of the Alliance's wars, they had made him a member of the Council, so he was required to come to these sorts of things.

Methos made his way through the crowd to the room where the peace talks were taking place. As he had expected, many of the reporters recognized him. A path was cleared almost immediately. Web Cameramen filmed him as he walked by using headset cameras. The reporters called out questions in various languages that he knew.

When he reached the door of the negotiation hall, the security guards scanned him for weapons. Finding none, they let him inside.

On the left side of the room, the members of the United Planetary Alliance Council sat at several rows of tables on raised platforms. On the other side of the room, the Minixian Ambassadors sat at two rows of tables also on raised platforms. When Methos entered, they stopped what they were discussing to look over at him.

The Council’s President sat at a separate table situated next to the Council. He stood when he saw the old Immortal. "Mr. Methos. I'm glad you were able to join us at such short notice."

They gave him a choice? Methos gave him his most charming smile and a respectful bow. "I'm glad I could come, Mr. President."

The President turned to address the Minixians. "Ambassadors, this is Methos, who is a distinguished citizen of Earth, and the oldest and most experienced Council member in these sort of affairs."

"You will not need his help," one of the Minixian Ambassadors said. "There is not much to discuss."

The President said. "I am sure we can reach some sort of agreement that will satisfy both of our respective governments."

"Perhaps there is something we could trade?" one of the council members spoke up.

"I do not think so," the Minixian ambassador said.

While they talked, Methos had moved to an empty chair among the second row of Alliance delegates. Now he, too, spoke up. "We were told that you were running low on supplies for one of your colonies in the Agrarian Sector. We could provide you with the supplies."

The ambassadors considered this. "That is a possibility. But our research shows that your enemies have been attacking any supply ships you try to send to your own colonies. How do we know the supplies will get to us?"

The negotiations, or debate, as Methos thought of it, went on for many hours after that.

Then, suddenly, he felt it.

It was a feeling he thought he wouldn't feel again for the last one thousand years.

The feeling took him off guard, and he almost fell out of his chair. Another Immortal? But…he was the last one!

Masking his shock before anyone else could see it, he looked around the room for the impossible source. His eyes fell on a door set in the wall behind the president.

It wasn't automatic, but it was one of the old-fashioned kind that was set on hinges, probably put there for show. So it didn't make the give-away whoosh sound when it opened. The creak was so low, and the door opening so slightly, no one would have noticed it if they weren't paying close attention like Methos. The space behind the door was too dark to see who was hiding in it, but he could see something appearing.

It was the barrel of a laser gun, and it was aimed at the leader of the leader of Minixian Ambassadors.

The laser gun’s barrel caught the glare of the overhead lights. A guard saw it and shouted, "Everyone get down!"

The room became chaotic. Council members ducked beneath the tables. Lacking the training for these sort of terrorist attacks, the Minixians started demanding what was going on.

The security guards pressed some buttons on a wall computer access panel. At the same time the shooter fired, a force shield sprang up between the laser’s beam and the Minixian.

The beam collided with the force shield but didn’t go through.

The door the terrorist hid behind flew open. Methos assumed that his retreat was blocked by a second force shield. The terrorist was trapped.

Assuming that the danger was over, the Council members stood up. The Minixian leaders, however, were furious. Methos could hear them exclaim in Minixian that the Alliance was too dangerous.

Methos studied the terrorist intently. He was sure the Buzz hadn’t come from him. But he still felt the Buzz. But where was it coming from?

He concentrated on the feeling for a moment, then his gaze was drawn to the front door as it opened and several security officers ran in. They surrounded the terrorist, who was still trapped within the force fields. While the others kept their weapons trained on the mortal assassin, a female security officer with fiery red hair went over to a wall panel and started to deactivate the force field.

Methos realized with horror that she was the Immortal.

Almost without thinking, he leapt over the table and jumped off of the platform. "Stop her!" he cried.

Everyone looked at him wildly, but it was too late.

The redhead Immortal deactivated both of the force fields. "Go!" she yelled at the assassin. He turned and ran out of the door, disappearing from view down a hall. The Immortal followed him.

Methos hadn’t stopped running. He didn’t stop as he ran through the door, following them.

As soon as he was out of the room, both of the force fields reactivated. The guards were blocked off from him. They would need several minutes to deactivate the force fields. Methos was alone in his pursuit.

Methos whirled around. He ran down the corridor, following the path he saw them take. He needed to do was stop the other Immortal. There were too many questions that needed answering.

The corridor was as old-fashioned as the hinged door. Apparently, this part of the space station hadn’t been remodeled for quite some time.

He came across no doors of intersections for several turns in the path. Then, finally, he felt the Buzz once again.

Rounding a corner, he saw her. She stood in front of the closed door to an air dock. Methos assumed that her companion was already in the air dock, powering up the ship they would use to escape.

She held a sword in two gloved hands. Methos recognized it as a rapier, the product of an art long dead, two thousand years at most. This woman couldn't be that old, however. He'd won the prize. He was sure of it. He'd felt it deep in his bones.

As their eyes met, the buzz faded to a tolerable level, and recognition dawned in the woman's eyes. "Methos," she whispered, her eyes widening in fear. She knew him, while she remained a mystery to him. But she must have known Methos was too good for her to even try to defeat, because she turned and fled through the door.

The door closed with a hiss. Methos quickly tapped in his security password to open it. A beep sounded, informing him the code was invalid. He cursed and banged his fist against the thick door. He’d come so close to the questions rapidly increasing in his mind.

He headed back to the negotiations hall, already making plans for his next move. It was time he got in touch with a certain organization he was once a part of. It was an organization that knew all about Immortals and their ways, and it was one that might be able to shed some light on all of this, if they were willing.

He just hoped they were still around.

*****

The three passengers hardly said a word as they guided the ship away from the station. They may have fooled the docking bay's computer system, but the security system around the station had proved impossible to fool. They had used an unauthorized place to dock, so the station thought they were a threat. They barely managed to maneuver around the lazer beams that shot from the weapons area.

When they were safely out of range, the man on in the pilot's seat put the ship on autopilot and turned to the woman on the right.

"There was another Immortal, wasn't there?" he asked. "I felt him as we were powering up."

The woman nodded. "Yes. He was in the negotiation room. He got to the President before I could shoot him."

"Why didn't you stay to fight him? I'm sure you would have won. You are the best swordswoman I've ever seen."

She smiled at him. "I may be five hundred, but I'm not the best. There are some who are better than I am, Richard."

"I doubt that, Katherine." Richard smiled. "Who was it?"

"Methos."

Richard's eyes became very wide. "Methos?" Unable to contain his excitement, he began to pace across the little space in the cockpit. "You're sure it was him?"

Katherine nodded, standing as well. "I recognized him from old photographs of newspapers from the twenty-first century. Everyone on Earth knew what he looked like then. Now only Immortals and a few mortals and reporters, such as the ones at the station, know of him."

Richard stopped pacing and turned her. "I wonder what his Quickening is like?" he asked dreamily.

"It's probably very big. He did win the Prize."

"The Old Prize. It probably doesn't even compare to the powers of Quickenings we've received." To demonstrate what he was talking about, he walked over to the control panel at the front of the cockpit. He thrust his fist towards the panel. It passed through the metal, as if it was only air filled with mist. He smiled and pulled his hand back out. The feeling of matter passing through matter always ran a shock through his body. The feeling was delightful every time, as if his hand was on fire and in need of something cold to stop it. It was an ability he'd received from a Quickening four centuries ago.

He turned back to Katherine. "There's only one way to find out."

Chapter Two

New York, Earth's Capitol, January 8^th, 3001

Methos landed his hover car on the parking space below. When he'd returned from his pursuit, he'd stayed on the station to listen to the reports of patrols out looking for the Geronimo. They'd found the ship in the sector it had fled, abandoned on one of the moons orbiting Hyksos V. There wasn't any sign of the Immortal. He'd given a description to a sketch artist on the station, and it was sent to the patrol ships. There wasn't anything else he could do.

The President had told him to get some rest, and he'd done so. They'd had a small medal ceremony the following morning and then Methos left. It had taken him twelve hours to travel back to Earth in his plane, and he'd spent last night in his home. Now it was back to work on his newspaper, Earth Edition.

He stepped into the newspaper's office building. The first room he came to covered most of the first floor. It was covered with desks that reporters and photographers for his newspaper sat behind, talking to one another or working on their columns on the Internet newspage. That was what the paper was, actually. A web page on the Internet. Paper was rarely used for anything.

Some of his staff, including Bryan and Susan, got up to greet him. He'd sent them back home before he left, because there wasn't much they could do.

"Hello, Bryan. Did you write the column yet?"

"Yes, sir. It's already on the front page of tonight's edition."

"Good. What about those pictures, Susan?"

"They're on the front page as well, sir."

Methos smiled. He loved the promptness of his staff. "Great. Open the page to the public at six, then." He turned right and began to walk towards his office. He paused in the doorway, turned around and called across the room, "Bryan, I'd like to see you in my office."

Methos left the door open and took a seat behind his desk. He waited patiently until Bryan appeared. "You wanted to see me, Methos?"

He nodded and motioned to a chair. "Please, sit down."

When Bryan had sat down, Methos told the door to lock, and it did so. Bryan sat coolly in his seat, hardly moving, although his eyes revealed his nervousness. That takes practice, Methos remarked to himself. Out loud he said, "When did you learn of Immortality, Bryan?"

Bryan looked startled. "When you told me, sir. When I came to work at the paper six years ago."

"Was it really me who told you first?"

"Of course it was."

Methos sat back in his chair. Bryan was good, but with his six thousand years of experience he could tell Bryan was lying. "I know you're a Watcher, Bryan. If that's your real name."

Bryan looked confused. "A watcher, sir? What's that?"

Before Bryan realized it, Methos had reached across the desk and pulled down the left sleeve of his shirt. Right below his wrist was a round, blue tattoo.

Bryan sighed. He pulled back his arm and covered the tattoo. "We knew you would find us again sooner or later. But a thousand years is a pretty long time."

Methos said nothing to this. Instead he asked, "Why is the Watcher Organization still around? I thought you'd disbanded centuries ago."

Bryan leaned back in his chair. "I think you already know the answer to that."

Methos took a deep breath. So he had felt the Immortal presence. "How many Immortals are still alive?"

"They aren't still alive." Bryan answered. "About five hundred years after you won the Prize, Immortals began to appear again. Why you haven't run into any Immortals in the past five centuries is beyond me. You came pretty close many times."

"So you're my watcher?"

Bryan nodded. "Yes, I am." He continued, "But these Immortals aren't like the ones you fought for the Prize. Some of them are born with Supernatural powers."

"Supernatural? Like witches? Do they fly on broomsticks?"

Bryan gave him a confused look. "Huh?"

Methos sighed. Bryan wouldn't have understood jokes meant for people born in the twentieth to twenty second century, when there was a Halloween. "Nothing. Just what kind of powers do they have?"

"So far we haven't found some with powers as extreme as the Prize, but we have found Immortals with mind controlling powers, walking through matter powers, and many, many others. Our theory is that the next Prize will be much more powerful than the last one."

"So you're saying Super powered Immortals know walk the earth."

"And the rest of the universe."

Methos sat back in his chair and thought about this for awhile. Then he stood up and walked around the desk.

"Where are you going?" Bryan asked, standing as well.

Methos looked at him. "Well, if there's as many Immortals alive as you say there are, I'll need my sword." He turned to the door. "Open." It complied with a Whoosh as it slid open and disappeared in the wall. "Come. We still have a lot to talk about. Because you've given me this much information already, you might as well give me some more."

*****

The Hernandez, Hyksos System

Richard and Katherine had ditched the Geronimo on the moon of Hyksos V, a warm, green planet with only 1/4 of its surface covered with water. They'd left the moon in the Hernandez, another one of their numerous ships. Hiding in the gas atmosphere of Hyksos IX, with the help of sensor shielding, they were able to escape detection when the United Planetary Alliance's Patrol ships had come looking for the Geronimo.

They'd made love as the Patrol was searching the system. Now, late at night, Katherine sat up in bed, conscious of the missing warmth of Richard's body. Richard was no longer in the room. Katherine got out of the bed and slipped a robe on, then went out into the hall. This hall was on the port side of the ship. On one side, the wall was lined with windows, while on the right side, a rail stood between the hall and the engines. Katherine walked over to it and leaned over the side. Far below her, was the engine room, a simple room with a few control stations. Without those controls, there would be nothing keeping the engine from exploding. The ship was too small for a back-up engine room.

But Katherine didn't think about this. She was looking for Richard. She couldn't see the part beneath the hallway, so she leaned further over the rail. No one was there. She continued her walk to the end of the engine room twenty feet away. Beyond that, was a wall on the right with a few doors leading into various rooms in the ship. There were necessary things like the bathroom, the kitchen, and the elevator, and other places like weapons or emergency stairs. Finally, she came to the end of the hall and walked onto the bridge. She could feel the presence of another Immortal as she did so. Katherine let out a breath of relief. She was glad she'd found him.

The bridge of the Hernandez was small like the ship. It was shaped like a pentagon. The side on the right of the triangle part was the weapons tactics station. The one of the left was pilot, while another station at the end of the bridge facing the front was for the engines. Richard sat at the pilot's station fully clothed, his hands on the wheel, guiding the Hernandez through the gas atmosphere.

He looked up as Katherine placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "I didn't want to wake you."

"If you didn’t want to wake me, you should have stayed in bed." Katherine said, smiling in return.

"I was thinking." Richard said. "Because our plan failed, the Minixians and the Alliance won't be going to war like we'd hoped."

"They're going to war anyway, Richard. I've been going on to the newspages on our Internet server. The assassination attempt was enough to convince them that the Alliance wasn't safe. Only a few more steps, and they'll want battle. That's where we come in."

Richard smiled at her. "What do you have in mind, Kat?"

"I'll think of something," she said. "Soon."

"In the mean time, let's pay a visit to Methos."

Katherine stared at him. "Don't tell me you still want his head."

"He did interfere with our plan," Richard said.

"How do you plan to beat him? He's six thousand years old, Richard. He's the best of all of us."

The look he gave her was one of pure wickedness. "By getting him when he's must vulnerable."

***

Earth, the streets of New York

"The only reason I told you is because you're a watcher."

Methos and Bryan talked as they walked down the sidewalk outside of Earth Edition's offices. Land cars rolled by on the streets, and other people in the bright fashions of the decade walked by them on their way to and from work. Looking up, Methos could see a blue sky barely visible behind the see the buildings of thirty-first century architecture towering above them for several miles. Many Hover cars were parked on hovering parking lots or flew by overhead.

He looked back at Bryan. "If you've known I was a watcher, why didn't you try to take my head in the last one thousand years?"

"If we did, the entire world would know about it. You were pretty famous back then."

"Why didn't you try to kill me later on, then?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"I've told you too much already. If they find out I've told you this much, they'll have my head."

Methos stopped. He could feel something. It was another Immortal, he knew, but it was faint, like a pre-immortal's signature. He looked around the street at the various passersby. They were a few blocks away from the newspaper offices. His gaze fell on a building across the street.

"What is it?"

Methos looked back at the watcher. He'd forgotten Bryan was there. After not feeling it for so long, another Immortal's presence, even a pre-immortal's, was still overwhelming. "A pre-Immortal," he answered. He walked over to the building and Bryan walked beside him.

The building was brick, as rare and old as the building Earth Edition was in. The door and the windows weren't as old, though. On the left wall next to the door was a plaque. It read:

The Boys and Girls Home of New York

2001-3001 Earth Years

Methos pressed the door control button, and it slid open. Bryan began following himself, but Methos stopped him. "Stay here. Pre-Immortal or not, you don't need to be there." Then Methos turned and walked inside.

The hallway was dimly lit. He walked down it, looking in doorways at sleeping children. Methos hardly stopped. He'd seen it all before. People just didn't care about their children. It made him so angry. If he could have his own children, he wouldn't abandon them. He'd raise them on his own, never intentionally endangering them. If this pre-immortal he sensed needed a father, he certainly wasn't going to leave him or her.

As he approached the end of the hallway, babies' screams pierced the silence. Methos paused at the last door on the left. The pre-immortal was in here. He pressed the button and the door slid open. The lights inside the room were off as well, but enough light came from the windows for them to see babies lying comfortably in cribs. The crying ones were cared for by men and women. Methos walked over to the farthest crib on the right wall. Inside was a boy, sleeping peacefully. He looked Asian, although human races were so mixed up no one else knew anymore. Methos put his hand on his face and stroked his short black curls from his face. The boy relaxed under his touch and placed his thumb in his mouth. He smiled as he dreamed, and Methos smiled back.

"Excuse me, sir," a woman's voice said behind him. Methos looked behind him, alarmed out of his reverie. A woman, one of the nurses, was standing only a few inches away from him, smiling at him. She was young and in her early twenties. "I think he likes you."

Methos looked back down at the boy. "What's his name?"

"We call him Jacob. Jake for short." She said. "You'd make an excellent father. Would you like to adopt him?"

Methos continued to gaze at Jacob. "Yes. I would."

The nurse left and returned a moment later with some papers placed on a light-up clip board. "We don't have any offices you can go to sign this in light." She told him when he looked at her questionably. "We use every room with have for the children."

Methos took them and began answering the questions printed on them. "I didn't know anyone used paper anymore." He said when he looked up for a second. He smiled charmingly at her, and she blushed clearly in the dim light. He finished filling out the form and handed the papers back to her.

"We prefer having written copies of everything. It's much harder to destroy written documents than to erase files from a computer database."

"Yes, I guess it is." He said, remembering a certain bookstore called Shakespeare and Company. He'd kept old documents in its hidden cellar for years. It was still there in Paris, very near Duncan MacLeod's old barge. That brought up memories he didn't care to relive.

He was saved from being buried in the past when Jake started crying. Methos turned to him and picked him up, cradling him in his arms. Jake stopped crying and went back to sucking his thumb.

"He must have missed your touch," the nurse smiled and looked down at the clipboard. She looked at the place Methos had put his name and Jake's. "Jacob Methos Sizzerelli." She looked up at him. "Isn't Methos the six-thousand-year-old human?"

Methos nodded and smiled. "Yes, he is. I think he's real, and I want Jake to have his name."

"It's alright with me, Mr.-" she looked down at the sheet. "-Ian Sizzerelli." She began walking away again. "I'll just get his things and you can go."

"Nothing else?" Methos asked, surprised. "You just let a perfect stranger waltz in here and take a baby boy?"

She walked back towards him and whispered. "I don't think of you as a perfect stranger, sir. Off the record, I think you're the best candidate for a job. Especially with your experience." Before he could say anything, she turned and walked through a door at the other end of the room.

A watcher? Methos would have to find out. She returned a moment later with a bag filled with the usual baby necessities and he was on his way. When he asked her what she'd meant, she said nothing.

Bryan was waiting outside. He was surprised when Methos returned with the baby. "What's his name?"

"Jacob Methos Sizzerelli," Methos told him. "And from now on, you may address me as Mr. Ian Sizzerelli."

"You're telling me your future persona? Does this mean you want the watchers to keep tabs on you?"

"Well, Ian," Bryan said, "What are you going to do with him?"

"Raise him as my own." He shifted Jake to his left side. "I'm selling the paper."

"What?"

"I'd have to do it anyway. Having my real name on a newspage is just an easier way to get me killed. It's like I'm advertising myself, saying, 'Here I am! Come and get me!'"

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere in the solar system. I've heard Pluto has some wealthy mining colonies."

"So you're just going to run?" Bryan asked angrily. "Is that what you do when trouble comes your way? You just walk away from it?"

"I want to raise Jake," Methos said coolly. "And being an easy target for other Immortals isn't going to help him."

Bryan sighed. He knew Methos was right, and he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere with a six thousand-year-old man, so he decided to change the subject. "I know Clara will be happy to buy it from you."

The person Bryan was referring to was Clara Hatties, Bryan's reporter partner for the paper. Methos chuckled. "I need to get going. I'll come to the office tomorrow and tell the staff I'm leaving. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. Me, too."

*****

Richard was taking a big risk, and he and Katherine knew it. He'd gone on the Internet and discovered Methos owned a newspaper on Earth. Then he'd convinced Katherine to let him go to Earth. She was good at making masks. Wearing a disguise, she went with him. She was now Ms. Lisa Harley.

They'd left the Hernandez on Saturn among the various landing pads of the Kink Colony. Then they boarded a public space plane to New York. Renting a hover car, they went around the city, looking for a good hotel room. When they'd found one at least five miles off the ground, Richard had left to search for Methos. He was looking for the Earth Edition building, while Katherine searched the Internet for his home address. Anyone could use the on-line Northern Bell phone book for phone numbers, but for addresses and other personal information, it was just a matter of breaking security codes.

Meanwhile, Richard found Earth Edition. He landed the car in the ground parking lot and walked inside the building.

Reporters milled about inside, shouting about one thing or another. They took no notice of him. He saw the owner's door on the right, so he went up to it and rang the bell.

It opened and he stepped inside. There was a desk in front of a wall of shelves. A woman sat at the desk. Her desk nameplate said Clara Hatties. "Hello," she said. "May I help you?"

"I'm sorry," Richard said. "I thought Methos owned this paper."

"He did." She said, smiling. "He sold me the paper a few weeks ago and left."

"Did he leave a forwarding address?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not."

Bryan entered. When he saw Richard, he tensed. "Hello, sir. Are you looking for someone?"

Richard studied him as he had the woman. "Yes, I am. Do you know where the previous owner of this paper moved to?"

"Somewhere out of the solar system, I think."

"Any idea where?"

Bryan shook his head.

"Thank you." Richard turned to the door. "I really must be leaving. If you do see Methos, tell him Richard Longstone is looking for him."

"I'll do that." Bryan said.

Richard waited. Finally, Bryan exited the building and got in his car. A few seconds after he'd taken off, Richard followed him. Bryan led him all the way to the very heights of the city. Here, the buildings were among the clouds, and mist covered most of the traffic and landing pads from view. Richard was saved from being lost because Bryan knew his way very well. After several blocks, Bryan turned left. This street was a hover street, so they landed on it and kept driving. Hover cars were designed for air travel, but they could cross short distances by road.

They came to a clearing, and Bryan parked next to a door leading into the building. Richard parked a little ways down, hidden by the fog and other cars. The altitude made him dizzy, but thanks to his immortality he recovered quickly as he walked down the lot towards the mortal, who obviously wasn't in any hurry. It looked like he was checking the money in his wallet. When he finally got out, Richard was bent low behind the car. As Richard walked onto the sidewalk, Richard sneaked up behind him and grabbed for him. But instead, he grabbed air as he felt an elbow drive into his stomach. Next, he was lying on the ground after being hit on the back. Bryan reached into his coat to pull out his laser gun. But before he could reach it, a sword was touching his left abdomen.

Richard stood and moved the blade to touch the front of Bryan's neck. "You're not surprised by the sword, are you?" Bryan gasped as force was applied to the sword. "Perhaps it's because you're used to seeing one. Perhaps you're close friends to another sword-wielding man."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Stay calm, Bryan, a voice whispered. Just stay calm. Don't panic. You may betray Methos or the Watchers if you do.

"I'm sure you do." Richard said. "Where is he?"

"I don't know."

"Where is he!"

"I don't know!"

"I'm giving you one last chance." Richard said. "Where is he?"

Bryan thought of his watcher oath. He'd sworn to watch and record, but never interfere. He'd already spoken to Methos. But he hadn't really interfered. He hadn't told Methos anything about other Immortals. Nothing specific, anyway. If he told Richard Longstone, he'd be doing that. Bryan could remember another part of his oath, too. He'd sworn he would protect the truth at all costs, even death.

Was he really willing to die to save a man who'd survived for six thousand years, and probably would win easily against this guy?

What about the watchers? What would happen if this man found out about them? Would it be on his head, if he wasn't dead yet?

"Where is he?"

Bryan took a breath as deep as the sword would let him, savoring the air that would be his last. "I don't know."

Quickly, the sword moved downwards and disappeared from his line of sight. Then he could feel the tip against his stomach. His final image was of the Immortal Richard Longstone as the sword was thrust through him.

*****

Richard stood next to the apartment door. The number twenty-three was on the doors, and it was the same one in Goodberry's wallet. Richard put the wallet in his back pants pocket and took out a small card. The door needed a code to get in, but Richard didn’t know the code, so he needed the device. He attached the device next to the pad, and pressed a few buttons on it. The device scanned the computer controlling the door, and a number sequence appeared on the device's screen. Richard entered the code on the pad, and the door slid open.

Richard looked around at the small apartment. Most of the room was a mess, except for the far right corner. Richard walked over to the bookcase in that corner. It, too, needed a number sequence to open. Richard took out the device again, and a few seconds later, he was taking a book off one of the shelves.

The books were old. Most of the paper was yellow, and it was hand-written. The one Richard held had an odd symbol on it. It was blue, and had two circles, one within the other. There was thirteen smaller circles between the two larger ones. In the center of the symbol was something that resembled a M. Curious, Richard opened the book and started reading…

*****

Richard closed the book. The Watchers are a group of mortals who followed him and Katherine around everywhere? He had felt like he was being watched on more than one occasion, but he thought he was just being paranoid. He didn't like having mortals follow him around. At least he'd killed one of them. However, these Watcher Chronicles provided lots of background information about Methos. But it was all in the past, not the present. Richard looked at the wall-mounted computer screen. He sat in front of it and said, "Computer, on."

A second later, Windows 10.9 was open. Richard then said, "Computer, access any Watcher Chronicles about Methos's activities during the last year."

"Voice authorization required," a male voice, coming from an intercom in the monitor/computer, said.

Richard pulled off the covering of a panel to the bottom right of the screen. He pressed a few buttons, then said, "Now, complete the previous request, computer."

"The computer is complying. Here are the results." A list of Chronicle entries from the last few months appeared on the screen.

"Computer, access the most recent entry made."

"The computer is complying," the computer's male voice said. A journal entry appeared on the screen. It was both typed and a video recording.

"Computer, select the video recording."

"Please wait a moment while the computer loads the video."

The recording appeared and began playing. It was a recording of Bryan making his report. "February 15^th, 3001. Well, Methos plans on leaving the planet tomorrow. He has a ticket for a spaceport in Paris. I do not plan to follow him, since I have received word that one of the watchers in Paris will take over for me and follow him wherever he goes. My new assignment will start next week, although I don't know whom I'll be assigned to this time. Right now I'm just getting all of Methos's Chronicles ready to send across the solar system…"

Richard stopped listening when Bryan said 'Paris'. Richard asked, "Computer, what spaceport will Methos use?"

"Cross-referencing with Chronicles…Methos will be using the ___________."

Richard smiled and stood up. "Computer, shut down."

"The Computer is now shutting down," it said before the screen went black. Richard left the apartment. He just hoped he got to Paris in time.

Chapter Three

Same time, Le Francais Spaceport Internationale de Copernicus,

"Have a pleasant time on Pluto, Miseur Sizzerelli, Jake," the airport attendant added with a smile as she looked at the baby Methos held.

Methos smiled back. He shifted Jake to his other hip as he took the passports. "Merci," he said, meaning thank you. As he put the passports in Jake's baby bag, he could see her blush out of the corner of his eye. When he looked back up at her, he could see the delight in her eyes covered with regret. She probably thinks I'm married, he thought with amusement.

There was no time to tell her otherwise. He needed to get out of there now. Just because he was overseas from New York didn't mean he was safe. It was much easier to find people who were on the same planet nowadays. But it was much harder to search the galaxy. Methos had chosen Pluto because he hoped the other Immortal would look elsewhere, although it was a thin hope. He'd learned over the centuries that no one could survive on hope alone.

Another thing he'd learned over the centuries was that airports, or spaceports, were always the same. Like airports, that had the same boring, not attention-grabbing interior. They were filled with the same kinds of fast food restaurants, and the waiting rooms were arranged the same way. Methos shifted Jake to his other hip and walked towards the terminal of the space plane he was going to board.

The plane was small enough to land at a spaceport. Like a 747, it could hold up to four hundred passengers. When Methos got to the terminal, he found the plane was already being boarded. He was about to get in line when he felt it. It was the eerie feeling Immortals called the Buzz. It had been a few weeks since he'd met Katherine, but it still took him by surprise. After all, he'd felt it only once after almost a thousand years. He was used to Jake's Buzz, but it wasn't as big as an Immortal's. It was much smaller than this.

Methos staggered, and rubbed his temple with his free hand. Jake, who hadn't expected the movement, began to cry. Methos comforted him and moved in line. There were two reasons why he didn't want to face an Immortal right now. One, he tried not to as best as he could, and two, he had to protect Jake. Perhaps if he ignored it, the unknown Immortal would go away. It's worked before.

"Methos."

Methos turned around, the Buzz became stronger. A man was walking toward him. "Yes." Methos said. He knew he couldn't deny his name. His identity and face was as common as a holophone.

"I am Richard Longstone," the other Immortal said. Methos studied him. He was at least three inches taller than Methos, and he had brown hair and low cheekbones. He was dressed in the bright fashions of the decade, a royal blue one-piece jumpsuit with blue tie-dye on the chest part. Richard wore a royal blue jacket with a white collar and zipper over the jumpsuit. Methos knew there was a sword inside that jacket.

Richard looked at Jake. "A Pre-Immortal? You would adopt a Pre-Immortal when you know there are other Immortals who could challenge you any day?"

Methos ignored the questions. "Are you challenging me?"

"Yes, right now. I know a place nearby where we can fight without any onlookers, including any modern technology like satellites, cameras, and scanners."

"Let's go, then."

They left the busy airport and went to the alley Richard had described. Methos looked up. Skyscrapers that were as high as four thousand feet, Paris wasn't as tall as some cities, loomed above his head. Hoover cars flew by, blurred by the air displaced underneath it as it moved overhead. No sound accompanied it, however. There had to be a force field blocking sound from coming in, or going out. Methos looked at the walls. About twenty-five feet above them, two devices hung on both walls. They were machines used to generate force fields, which only confirmed Methos' suspicions. Judging by the size of the machine, Methos decided that it was a one-way force field. In other words, he and Richard could see out, and no one could see in.

"Use this alley often?" Methos asked.

"Oh, a few times in the past." Richard said. He stood at the other end of the alley, waiting. Methos put Jake down in his carry seat and set him on the ground. The dark-skinned boy was already asleep. "Activate force field, code word Methos-one-zero-six thousand."

Methos reached toward Jake and the carry seat. An invisible force field impacted with his hand five inches above the carry seat, preventing him from moving his hand any farther. Methos stood, satisfied. With the help of the forcefield, Jake would be safe from the Quickening, and if Richard won, he'd need a specific code to get through the force field to Jake. Methos turned around and took out his Broadsword.

Richard unsheathed his sword and took off his jacket. "What's the boy's name? I'd love to give the orphanage the right name."

"What makes you think I believe you won't kill him?"

"Katherine and I don't have time for children, pre-immortal or not. Besides, his Quickening would be too small for my tastes. I prefer one that gives me more power."

Methos got into a battle stance. "Sorry, but I never trust my opponents."

Richard shrugged. "If you want him to grow up with a name like Daniel, that's fine with me."

They circled, and the battle began.

*****

Katherine set the hover car in the lot next to the four-laned street. She was next to the International Spaceport of ___ in Paris, France. It was on the outskirts of Paris, and to the left was a forest. The spaceport didn't have to get any taller, because the forest made it easy to leave the atmosphere.

The building seemed small compared to the giant skyscrapers flanking its right side, but it was a very long building. In fact, it was 91 stories high. Many skyscrapers were a thousand stories high, so this wasn't very tall. The public used several floating or attached parking lots on all sides of the building on the top stories, like in other buildings. The very bottom thirty-five stories were, actually, a hotel, and spaceport and hotel personnel used the stories in the middle of the building. The roof was where small space cars designed for short-way space travel through space and space planes landed. The space cars were used to transport passengers to the space planes that were too big to land on the roof.

Katherine didn't work at the spaceport. The only reason why she was parking on a ground parking lot, and the only reason why she was on Earth at all, was because of Richard. An hour or so ago, she'd received a message from him. He'd left it on her holophone. The holographic message said that he'd found Methos in Paris and was going there to challenge him. Katherine came immediately, hoping she'd get there in time to stop the fight. She loved Richard, but sometimes his male hormones made him act so stupid. Richard was at least four hundred and ninety years old, but that was nothing compared to Methos' rumored six thousand. He'd won the Old Prize, too, so there was no doubt he was good. If Richard thought he could fight someone as experienced as the oldest Immortal, he was about to lose…well, she just hoped she would get there in time so he wouldn't loose it.

Katherine got out and locked the door. Tucked under her black trench coat, which covered her black jumpsuit and black-and-white tie-dye top, was her rapier. Katherine decided to try the alleys first. She walked down the closest one, hoping she'd get lucky. After ten minutes of walking, Katherine turned another corner and stumbled upon the scene. She hadn't heard or seen anything, but when she walked through a force field, she realized why. Richard had protected this area from anything hearing or seeing anything happening in the alley. One could walk right by the force field and see an empty alley instead of a duel between two Immortals. But one could walk through it, too.

A battle between an Immortal and Richard was taking place only a few yards away. Oh no, Katherine thought when she realized Richard was fighting Methos. Richard was losing. That much was clear. As Katherine watched, Methos kicked Richard's legs out from under him. Without pausing, Methos made the killing stroke, screaming, "There can be only one!" before the blade connected with the neck and passed through.

"NOOOOOOO!!!" Katherine cried. But it was too late. Her husband's head fell away from his shoulders. Katherine had to find cover as the Quickening started.

She didn't watch her husband's killer as was struck by the lightning bolts in the Quickening. All she could hear were his screams, followed by an explosion. She looked up and saw the machines that powered the force fields showering sparks in all directions. Her vision blurred, and she let the tears come while the Quickening continued.

When the Quickening came to a close, she heard Methos and his sword drop down on the pavement. Katherine stood up from her hiding place and wiped the tears from her eyes. She was angry. She didn't care how old and experienced Methos was. She wanted to hurt him.

She heard a wail. She looked in the direction of the noise and saw a baby lying in a carry seat. She walked over there, revealing her presence when Methos and Katherine felt the Buzz. Katherine ignored it. She knew Methos was too weak to do anything. She nealed next to baby and reached for it. Her attempt was blocked by a force field. Katherine took a device very similar to Richard's and put it as close to the carry seat as she could get. She pressed a few buttons and waited. A code appeared on the device's screen. Katherine read them out loud. "Computer, deactivate force field, code name Jake-Immie-999038."

The force field was deactivated, and Katherine picked up the baby boy. The minute her hands touched him, she knew he was a Pre-Immortal.

"Leave him…alone," a weak voice said from behind her. She stood up and turned around. Methos stood facing her, holding his sword in a defensive position.

Katherine took out a knife and put it to the pre-immortal's neck. "Come any closer, and the boy dies permanently." Methos hesitated. Katherine smiled. "Like the feeling, Methos? It was the way I was feeling when you murdered my husband."

"It was a part of the Game!" Methos said.

Out of the corner of her eye, Katherine saw that one of the force field machines was still functional. She looked back at Methos. "You're still his killer. If you want the boy to live, you'd better stay right where you are." She started edging her way to the alley entrance until she was standing under the working machine. "Computer, activate force field, code word alpha!" she shouted, then setting Jake on the ground, she jumped behind the force field. She heard Methos shout, "JAKE!" but didn't turn around. She started to run in case the force field wouldn't work properly. She didn't stop until she was safely in her hover car.

"JAKE!" Methos shouted. He dropped his sword and ran forward, picking Jake up from the ground. Jake was crying, and Methos comforted him as best he could. "Jake…you're alright." Methos watched the terrorist from the Minixian negotiations run down the alley. He ran forward, hoping he could pursue her, but the force field stopped him and Jake. He couldn't walk through this one. He would have let her go if she hadn't endangered Jake, but now, he wouldn't let her go so easily. But he couldn’t follow her. "Until next time," Methos said. He set Jake down in the carry seat, then carried it and Jake down another alley to his car. He'd have to get another spaceport ticket, but he wouldn't do it here. Katherine could be waiting for him inside the building. He wanted to get back at Katherine, but not when he might put Jake in danger at the same time. That had happened too many times already.

Chapter Four

Danielle Ducrest

Jake guided his space plane into the air lock. It was a very familiar place to him. He'd grown up here, on his father's land. He knew it by heart, and just being here comforted him so much. He knew he'd feel even more at home when he saw his father again. At thirty-five, other people would mistake him and Methos as brothers. He'd long since been told about his father's immortality and his true age, so this didn't surprise him. Methos had told him many times in his youth to expect it.

He parked the plane and got out. It was a military plane, painted the olive green of his uniform. His name was painted on both sides in black script below the plane's name and serial number, the U. P. A. Zion, 678-9054. Jake surveyed the plane proudly before turning toward the door at the front of the air lock. He pressed a button on the wall near the door and it opened.

Jake sighed happily as he looked around at the sight. Before him was a beautiful courtyard filled with elaborate designs woven out of bushes of roses and other flowers. In the center of this long flowery field was a water fountain at least fifteen feet in diameter. Towards the far side of the fountain was a statue of an angel. The short, chubby angel held a bow and arrow in his hand, and even from here Jake could see the hear-shaped arrow point. His father had told him once that it was a statue of Cupid, the angel of love. Pine Trees surrounded the long courtyard. Like the plants, they were imported from Earth.

To his right was the house he'd grown up in. He'd grown up in. He'd once asked his father why he'd built the wooden thing on the side instead of at the far end of the courtyard. He'd answered Jake by saying he'd walked enough in six thousand years.

Jake walked over to the porch, his army green uniform matching the green leaves of the trees and plants. He'd flown here the minute he was released from duty for vacation. He hadn't taken the time to change out of his clothes. As he walked across the porch, he ran his fingers over the porch swing. He could remember many nights there. Especially one seventeen years earlier, in his senior year at high school. He had a girlfriend, Lauren Marshall. They'd spent most of that night rocking in that swing. His father had told them he was going to drive down to the Jinx Colony and buy some groceries, and he hadn't come back for over three and a half hours, too long for a shopping trip.

After a few minutes, Jake lifted his hand and pressed the doorbell. It rang just as the door slid open. There was his father, Methos. He always seemed to know when Jake was coming. Jake could never figure it out. When he'd asked, Methos had told him it was just an instinct. He'd let it pass without further question.

Methos was dressed in fashions just out of style, a jump-suit like one-piece. The top of it was covered with a design that looked like the sun reflecting off the ocean bottom, while the legs were navy blue. He wore a dark blue overcoat over this. Much to Methos' happiness overcoats had never gone out of style. It made it easier for him to conceal his sword. Even though Methos hadn't run into an Immortal in twenty years, it was still a good way to stay safe.

Methos took a step back, giving his son a look-over. "I can see the military has improved its uniforms in the last few centuries." He said.

Jake smiled. He knew his father well, and he knew when he was joking. "It's great to see you, dad."

Methos met his eyes and smiled back. He said in Babylonian, "It's great to see you too, Jake."

They pulled each other into an embrace and then turned and went inside.

The hall was the same. It was just as warm and comfortable as the last time he was there, and everything seemed to be just the way he'd left it. They walked into the kitchen/living room, the last room on the first floor. As they first entered, they came to the living room part. To a visitor, the room may have looked like it was only that. But if he or she turned left, walked a few paces forward, then turned left again, they would be facing the kitchen area. In it, the machine food could be ordered from instantly leaned against the far wall, while the counter surrounded it. On and in the counter were the sink and the oven, in case a person wished to cook for his or herself. Cabinets filled with dishes and other things covered the upper walls. A table was placed in the middle of the floor.

Jake and Methos went to the table. Jake sat while Methos ordered dinner from the machine. As they ate, they conversed in several other languages Methos had taught Jake over the years. Jake knew he was fluent in over fifty different languages, from Ancient Egyptian to modern-day English, but he'd never really sat down and wrote books about them. His father was fluent in even more, he knew, but he hadn't sat down and wrote about them either.

"So, how have you been?" Methos asked, this time in Spanish.

"Çava bien." Jake answered in French, meaning good.

He switched to Ancient Greek. "So, who's your current girlfriend?"

Jake gave him a look that said, 'not funny.' He answered in Ancient Greek as well. "Her name's Veronica. She's great. Funny. Loves old nineteen fifties and sixties hits like me. I've-" he swallowed, not sure how he would say the next part. "I'm even thinking about marrying her."

Methos looked surprised for a moment. And he says there's nothing that can surprise him anymore, Jake thought. The surprise left after a moment or two, but it was long enough for him to see it. This time, Methos spoke in English. "She's that important, huh?"

Jake nodded, and answered in English. "I've been wanting to ask her for a long time, but I wanted you to meet her first. She's really okay, dad, once you get to know her."

"Hey, it's fine with me. It's not like I'll reject her. I'm the one who's had seventy six wives, remember?"

Jake smiled. "Yeah, I remember."

The ringing of the holophone in the background ended the uncomfortable moment. Jake stood up and went into the living room. "I'll get it." He sat down at the computer to take the call.

Methos was glad for the disturbance. Their conversation had caused him to remember some of his wives, like Alexa. But at the moment, he remembered his seventieth wife even more. Her name was Veronica, too. She'd been so beautiful, with long, black hair that tossed every time she moved her head. And the most beautiful dark eyes he'd ever seen. Methos sighed. When had they met? 2167? Was it March or October? No, March was when they were married in 2169. He leaned back in his chair, remembering those few years with her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

October 31^st, 2167, eight o'clock, United States Territory

"Trick or treat."

The voice that spoke wasn't a kid's, but an older woman's. When Methos looked up, he found himself staring into deep, dark brown eyes. For a moment he was lost in its depths until she spoke, bringing him back to reality.

"You don't look like you've had a good day." She said. She pointed at the chair across the patio table. "Mind if I sit here?"

"No, go right ahead."

She sat and waited until the next group of kids had left before she spoke again. "You're Methos, right? The Immortal man?"

Methos nodded. "Yes, I am. And you are?"

She extended her hand behind the bowl of candy sitting on the table. Methos shook it as she answered, "Veronica Lowry."

"Veronica Lowry," he said, trying it on his tongue. "Isn't your sister the secretary of defense?"

Veronica nodded. "She's more of a tactician and politician than I am."

Methos managed to smile before two boys dressed in star trek uniforms, one captain and the other medical, demanded his attention. As he handed them their candy, he could feel Veronica's lovely eyes watching him. When they left, she asked, "Seen enough Halloweens, Methos?"

He turned to her. "You could say that."

The crowds of costumed creatures began to thin on the sidewalks. Veronica looked at her watch, using the light connected to the wall of Methos' house to see by. "I'm afraid I have to go, Methos. I promised my brother I'd watch his kids while he worked the late shift."

Both of them stood. "Where will you be staying?", asked Methos.

"Why do you want to know?"

"So I can pick you up when we go out to dinner tomorrow evening."

Veronica smiled. " You can find me at One thirty-two East Maple Street at seven thirty. Bring some flowers and be on time and I might consider going on a date afterwards."

Methos grinned. "Deal."

"I'll see you then, Methos." Veronica's grin changed into a wide smile as she walked down the sidewalk.

"Can't wait." He called back.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pluto, 3035

Jake appeared around the corner, eyes wide, breathing heavily. "It's the Minixians! They're attacking our ships!"

Methos listened as he spilled out the rest. Apparently, it was they who had attacked the Minixians first, or so the Minixian Overlords claimed. They were acting out of revenge for their dead warriors by destroying Alliance ships. Jake said Admiral Natalie Morgan wanted to talk to him, so Methos went to the holophone in the living room and sat in the chair in front of it.

"Computer, activate channel."

"Computer is complying," a female voice said. A holographic presentation of a woman sitting at a desk appeared on a platform on the table.

"Admiral Morgan," he addressed the woman.

"Ambassador Methos," she replied.

"What is this I hear about the Minixians attacking us?"

"It started only a few days ago. Whatever ships go near Minixian space, they destroy. The most recent attack was even further into Alliance space."

"What proof do they have of the Alliance attacking them?"

"One of their satellites spotted Alliance and Minixians ships in battle and recorded it. I'll send the video to you to display on a wide screen. Downloading takes three seconds."

The video was downloaded into the memory of the computer, which controlled the tv and videophone. The television, embedded into the wall, turned on automatically, and Jake and Methos watched as the video play.

Two Minixian ships flew across the screen. A ship with a light gray/white hull and black nose approached them at light speed. A channel was opened between the Minixian ships and the U. P. A. ship. A female voice said, "Minixian ships. Surrender or die."

The response was a typical one of Minixian warriors. "Never, Earthlings."

The channel was closed, and the U. P. A. ship approached the vessels. When it was in firing range, lazer beams appeared from the tactical section of the ship. It turned quickly to escape disintegration as the Minixian ships exploded. The Alliance vessel sped away at light speed.

When Methos saw the ship and heard the female voice, he knew exactly what and who it was. If he was right, the Alliance was going to need to know what he knew.

He swung the chair to face the holophone again. "What time do you want me to be at Headquarters?"

Chapter Five

5 hours away from Earth, the cockpit of the U. P. A. Zion

The small space plane flew by constellations at light speed. The pilot, Jake, and Methos, the passenger, were deep in conversation about this recent turn of events.

"Why are you so eager to get to Alliance Headquarters on Earth?" Jake asked over his shoulder. He knew his father despised authority, even though he had to respond to it, and the way he acted wasn't like him.

"I recognized the Alliance ship in that video."

"What ship was it?"

Methos told him.

"No way." Jake said. His father had told him about a lot of events in his long life, and was just as shocked as Methos. "Do you think it's her?"

"I don't know," Methos said. "There's only one way to find out."

*****

Alliance Headquarters, New York City, Earth's Capitol, 3035, near the Hemern and Algorian embassies.

When Methos and Jake arrived at the station, Methos was ushered into the room that the U. P. A. Congress was meeting in. Jake stayed in the crowd outside. Many civilians had gathered when they heard of the Minixian attacks, and so had the reporters. They were waiting to hear their Congressmen's decision.

"This is Ben Newton, Earth Edition. A crowd has gathered outside of United Planetary Alliance Headquarters here in New York to hear the answer to one question: Will the Alliance go to war against the Minixians, or will they continue to struggle for peace between our races?"

Jake turned to the reporter when he heard the name of the newsgroup. He walked up to the reporters when they took a commercial break. "Excuse me," he said, tapping the reporter on the shoulder. Ben Newton turned to look at him. "Did you say Earth Edition?"

"Yes, I did." Newton said.

"My father used to own Earth Edition, but I thought it was just an Internet newspage."

The reporter shook his head. "Sorry, Clara Hatties has been the owner for the last thirty five years."

"Who's your father?" the cameraman asked.

"Methos."

"But I thought Immortals couldn't have children."

"They can't. I'm adopted."

"Didn't Methos use to own Earth Edition?" Newton asked his companion.

"I think he did." The cameraman answered.

"It was before I was born." Jake said. "When he adopted me, he wanted to be able to raise me without something like the paper to distract him, so we moved." It was a lie, Jake knew, but he knew only he, his father, and the Watchers knew there were other Immortals alive in the universe, and everyone else would find out when Methos thought it was necessary, which was probably today.

Methos was shown through the doors after going through security at least five times. They'd allowed him to keep his sword, which showed just how much respect they had for him. Respect does have its advantages, he thought with a smirk.

Now he stood at the center of a marble floor, before the half circle of delegates elected for Congress. The President sat at the middle of this half circle. "Methos, please sit down," he said, indicating an empty chair on the right end of the half circle. Methos did. His red overcoat did not betray the sword hidden beneath it.

The President stood and gave a speech of what happened, then sat down. A circular metal platform lay on the ground, and holograms floated out of it. The video Methos had seen at his house and a few others played out in 3-D. All of them showed the UPA ship he knew very well. "The videos were determined to be genuine less than an hour ago. One of the Alliance's ships hasn't been identified yet, but as you can tell, the model is outdated. The others are standard issue but don’t have any serial numbers anywhere on their hulls." The President swiveled in his chair until he was facing Methos. "Admiral Morgan told us that you recognized this ship. Is this true?"

"Yes, Mr. President," Methos announced. "The outdated ship that attacked their warships in the video was the retired U. P. A. Hernandez. It was once under my command."

"Where has it been since, Ambassador?"

"I don't know, sir. I thought it had been blown to bits by two Minixians Superior Class ships two hundred years ago. They may have obtained the blue prints of it and the other ships, I'm not sure. I also know the owner of the female voice who lead the attack you just saw."

"Who is it?"

"I first met her at peace talks with the Minixians in three thousand one. She was the terrorist who tried to assassinate the president, hoping that the chaos that would follow would be enough to convince the Minixians that the Alliance was much more dangerous and insecure than they thought."

"Are you sure it was her, and not a descendant of hers? You told the authorities that she looked like she was in her mid-thirties after the assassination attempt. That would make her seventy years old today."

"She looked thirty-five at the time, Mr. President, but I assure you, she is not. She and Richard were both almost five hundred years old when I first met them. They were Immortal, just like me."

Whispers interrupted the quietness of the room. "Immortal?" One of the delegates asked as he stood. Looking at his desk, Methos knew he and the thirty other men and women sitting around him represented Earth. "But you won the Prize in two thousand and fifty. How can there be other Immortals still alive?"

"Around five hundred years ago, pre-Immortals were being born again. Don't ask me how. Even I don't know where I come from. I never ran into one of the new Immortals until I met Katherine."

"Why didn't you mention that Katherine was Immortal before, such as when you were talking with the President and the officials thirty five years ago?" a Hemern delegate asked. His nameplate revealed him to be a native of the planet Naussha, a planet in Hemra's, the Hemern home planet's, solar system.

"I hadn't felt the buzz in a long time," Methos answered. "I had to make sure I wasn't imagining it first."

"Just who did you contact to find out about this?" the first questioned.

"I can't reveal my sources."

"Why do you think it's Katherine?" The President asked.

"Because I killed her Immortal husband, Richard Longstone," Methos answered. Whispers started up again. "We fought thirty five years ago when he challenged me at a spaceport in Paris. I know for a fact Katherine is not happy I won."

"So what do you propose we do, Methos?"

"Try to keep peace with the Minixians. Tell them the situation. If they still don't listen, I'll talk to them."

"What about Katherine Longstone?"

"All of the reporters gathered outside are bound to mention my presence in news reports until eleven. She'll see them, and come after me. Then I'll be ready to face her, one way or another."

"What about the Immortal way?" a delegate asked.

"If it comes down to it."

"Perhaps you'd better stay here on Earth, in case she does confront you."

"I'd rather meet her privately, Mr. President. She's a terrorist, and I don't want anyone to get hurt during the Quickening or anything else."

"Where will you go?"

Methos was about to respond when a chime went off seconds before a man appeared on the screen. Methos turned to look at the screen. He heard many high-backed chairs turning in the same direction. The man on the screen was dressed in an army uniform, and wore a headphone and speaker set. Behind him, other men and women, alien and human, were dressed in the same uniform, working at other stations in the room. "There's a message for Ambassador Methos, Mr. President, Congress."

"Patch it through." The President said.

The screen went dark for a minute, then Katherine's image filled the gigantic screen. In the lower right hand corner the word 'Recording' was lit in red. Because of her Immortality, her features hadn't changed at all, except for her hair, which she'd grown.

"Methos. It's been awhile. I've been waiting to face you for thirty five years. Meet me at these coordinates." She stated the coordinates. "Bring your sword. Even your son, if you want. I'm sure he'd love to see his adopted father die." The message ended, and Methos turned back to the half-circle of delegates.

"Those coordinates are in the middle of space, in the Hyksos System. It's near the Minixian/Alliance border."

"I don't know, Mr. President. She may be working with the Minixians, and if she wins our fight they may pick her up and bring her through Minixian space and into Pellepian space." The Pellepians were not members of the Alliance, but were a peaceful race whose only defense against the Minixians were unmanned defense machines that were stationed on the edge of their space. Once the guarding machines recognized her as human and let her pass, she would be protected by the Pellepians' peaceful ways until she decided to leave. "Whatever her plan is, it doesn't matter right now. I assure you, she will not win easily, if she wins at all. She wasn't exactly kind thirty five years ago, and she showed that by putting someone I cared about in danger." Methos didn't tell them that person was Jake because he hadn't yet told this little detail to his son. "I would like to have Captain Jacob Sizzerelli with me."

"Why?"

"Because he is my adopted son, and I have trained him in sword fighting over the years. If something happens, he can help."

"Very well. But we'll be sending one of our best ships and crews with you."

"Agreed, Mr. President."

Chapter Six

Methos left the council chamber and exited out into the yard. It seemed darker than it was earlier, and it was only three o'clock, not even close to sunset. Glancing upwards, he could see Gray clouds blocking the sun's rays. It would ran very soon. Looking around, he could see that the crowd was still there, but some had noticed the clouds and were leaving. Like before there was a walkway boarded by banisters and rope. Methos walked down the isle, searching for Jake's pre-Immortal signature. He found it at last, and looking to his right he could see Jake's dark skin and black hair reflecting off the sun. His back was turned to him, and he was in deep conversation with a cameraman and reporter. Methos recognized the logo on their hover van as Earth Edition's. Curious, Methos ducked under the rope and made his way through the crowd towards them.

"Hi, Jake," he said as he came up behind him.

Jake spun around. "Hey, dad." He pointed at the cameraman. "This is John Lashley." He pointed at the reporter. "And this is Jason MacIntire." Jake pointed to Methos. "And this is my father, Methos."

"Hi." Methos said, and they shook hands.

"Woah." John Lashley said. "It's a pleasure, sir."

"Yes," Jason MacIntire agreed. "A real pleasure."

Inwardly, Methos rolled his eyes. He smiled. "Please. Just call me Methos."

"Yes, sir, er-, Methos." John said.

"Does Clara Hatties still own Early Edition?"

Both men nodded. "Yes, she does."

"Tell her I said 'hi'."

They moved away from the two stuttering men and headed towards the pad Jake had landed his plane. This time, they took their time, enjoying the scenery. At least, Jake was enjoying the scenery. New York, or this area of New York, was covered with lush gardens full of blooming flowers. The building was hidden from the parking lot by a wide expanse of trees. At the moment they were pacing under an overhang of high bushes. Jake knew this was the peaceful side of the building: the landing pads they were heading for were reserved for guests or people who worked there. Visitors, like most of the crowd surrounding the building, parked on the other side, in an open parking lot bordered by highways and other buildings in New York.

They had just passed through the line of trees and were entering the parking lot/ landing area, when something Methos still wasn't used to rang through his skull. It was the Immortal buzz. It wasn't as painful as it had been thirty five years ago when Methos had stopped Katherine from assassinating the President, but it still took him by surprise.

"Dad, what is it?"

Methos looked at Jake before turning around. A man dressed in an Alliance Starship Fleet uniform was walking down the path towards them. He and Methos locked eyes with each other. "Methos," he said, stopping a few feet away. "I am Captain Nathan Stevenson. My superiors know I'm Immortal, so they wanted me on this mission."

Methos studied him for a moment. "Just how long have you been in the New Game, Stevenson?"

"Two hundred years." Methos still did not say anything. His entire guard was up. Jake, who had never seen his father this way, only stared at him. Stevenson motioned toward his clothes. "I carry no sword, and this is holy ground. It once was the home of a church a few centuries back."

Methos relaxed slightly. "And what are you supposed to do on this 'mission'?"

"I understand Captain Sizzerelli's craft, the U. P. A. Zion, is a short-range flyer. You need a ship with a larger range to get to the Hyksos system. My ship, the U. P. A. Elvis King, is such a ship."

A blank look came over Captain Stevenson's face when Jake burst out laughing. Methos, on the other hand, had a smile plastered on his lips. Apparently, Stevenson wasn't familiar with famous middle to late twentieth century rock 'n' roll musicians. Which may have been a good thing, because he would have been embarrassed long before now, maybe even asked for permission to rename it. Many people still remembered Elvis Presley, even though he lived more than a thousand years ago.

"What about on your ship?" Methos asked. "It isn't holy ground."

"If I wanted to blow up my ship, I would have done so long ago." The Captain said. "Both of you are safe on my ship. Most of them know I'm Immortal, and it wasn't me who told a few of them."

"Then how do they know you're Immortal?" Jake asked.

"It's their job."

"They're watchers?"

Stevenson nodded.

"Well." Methos said. "Just where is your ship right now?"

"It's in high orbit around the Earth. When you get in the air, my communications officer, Lieutenant Jasmine Theriot, will guide you to it."

Methos nodded again. "We'll see you, then."

"Yes." Stevenson walked down the parking lot to the landing pad that had his captain's yacht and climbed up the ladder to it. A few minutes later, the craft lifted off the pad and disappeared into the clouds. The sky was darkening, and the sound of thunder in the distance signaled the approach of a storm.

"Let's go before we get soaked, shall we?" Methos asked. They ran over to where the U. P. A. Zion was parked on a landing pad as the first big drops fell from the sky. They made it to the plane in seconds. Once they'd climbed into the cockpit, the canopy came down only seconds before the raindrops became a downpour. Jake let the computer guide them up, because it was useless to try to steer the space plane himself in this rain.

When they lifted out of the atmosphere, Jake took over again. He put his headphones on and listened to Lieutenant Jasmine Theriot and followed her directions. Many spacecrafts were in orbit around Earth, but it took only seconds to spot the U. P. A. Elvis King, thanks to the Lieutenant. As he guided the plane into Shuttle Bay Three, lightning scorched the sky of New York City.

Chapter Seven

Captain Stevenson, Council Member Methos, and Captain Jake walked out onto the bridge. It had a layout much like the Hernandez's, except it was larger and slightly different. The navigation and tactical stations at the front were on the diagonal walls on both sides of the front window. The other four stations were split into two sections, each facing the center of the bridge diagonally, where the holographic view screen was projected. On the back wall, in between the three sets of double doors, were wall monitors and a map of the known universe. On the sidewalls were four large windows, which displayed distant stars on one side, and Europe and Africa in the other.

"You're welcome to look around if you'd like." Captain Nathan Stevenson told Jake and Methos.

"Actually, Captain," Jake said. "We had a long trip. I'd like to retire to my quarters."

"Certainly." Stevenson said. "Mr. Dawson."

"Yes, sir," said a man sitting at Navigations as he stood up.

"Escort Captain Methos and Captain Sizzerelli to their quarters."

"Yes, sir."

Stevenson looked back at Jake. "Lieutenant Denise Dawson will show you to your quarters."

"Thank you, Captain." Jake said, following the Lieutenant toward the doors on the left. "Dad, would you mind coming?"

"Sure." Methos said, following them out. If Jake hadn't invited him, Methos would have come anyway. He'd been keeping an eye on the line of Dawsons ever since Nicole died. Actually, he'd been keeping an eye on them ever since Joe died, although he'd never admit it. Everyone of his descendants seemed to amaze him.

The Elvis King was just as large as it seemed on the outside. It was the length of five football fields, and the width of one. It had no wings, but it did have a nose like the U. P. A. Hernandez. It had seven levels, and had a crew of six hundred. Methos' and Jake's quarters were right next to each other on the third level. Methos had caught sight of his wrists while they had been walking. There was a blue tattoo on his left wrist. Methos smiled. He was true to his family heritage, all right.

It would take forty-eight hours to travel to the Hyksos System. After dinner, to pass the time and to get ready for Katherine, Jake and Methos went to the ship's gym. Even after all this time, Methos still gave Jake tips, although they were little compared to the lectures he used to receive. They fought for two hours before Methos called a break. They grabbed some towels and sat on a bench, sipping some water jugs they'd brought with them.

"So, dad," Jake began in Farsi. "What are you going to do when you meet up with Katherine?"

Methos sighed. He would never lie to Jake, so he spoke the truth. "I don't know, Jake. I've been training for her for the last thirty five years, since our last confrontation. I know she isn't going to just give up, no matter how much I wish she would."

Jake looked down at the water bottle in his hands. "I know you have to to, dad, but I just don't want you to fight her. I'm-" he swallowed. "I'm afraid I'll loose you, dad."

Methos looked at his son. Jake was the best person in his life for a long time. Before he could say this, he was interrupted by the buzz of another Immortal. Methos looked at the gym's door seconds before it opened. Captain Stevenson walked in. His own sword and a gym bag were in his hands. "I guess I'm not the only one who likes to use the gym at late hours," he said.

"I guess so." Methos answered.

Stevenson put his bag on a bench and unsheathed his sword. "Care to spar, Methos?"

"No, thanks," Methos smiled, trying to look wistful. There was something about the captain that caused his instincts to scream out at him. He didn't want to get anywhere near the captain and his sword.

Jake, sensing his father's discomfort, stood. "We were just about to retire to our quarters." He picked up his gym bag and sword.

"See you in the morning," Methos called back cheerfully as he and Jake left the gym. In the hall, however, the smile disappeared. "There's something about him I don't trust, Jake. I don't know what, but my instincts say there's something bad about him, and I've never been one not to listen to my instincts."

Jake nodded. "I'm not sure I can trust him either."

"We'll know soon enough." Methos said.

They walked back to their quarters, saying goodnight before they entered them.

An hour after Methos and his son had left, Nathan was walking to his quarters. When he arrived, he told the computer to lock the door, then sat at his holographic computer/phone. "Computer, secure a private channel with Katherine Stevenson on the retired U. P. A. Hernandez."

"Private channel secured," the computer's male voice answered. A holographic image of his love appeared above the display platform.

He smiled. "Hi, Kat."

Former Katherine Longstone, who was now Mrs. Nathan Stevenson, smiled back. "Hey, Nate. Are you heading this way?"

"We'll be there in the morning." Nate said. "I can't wait to see you again."

"Me either. Methos and Jake are aboard?"

Nate nodded. "Yes. We're bringing them out to the Hyksos System right now. We'll carry out everything as planned. When we're finished, how about a vacation?"

"For how long?" Katherine asked.

"Oh, a century, maybe two. I know the perfect spot, right in Pellepian territory."

"That sounds good. I hear they have wonderful massages."

"I wasn't thinking about massages," Nate said, a playful gleam in his eye.

"Oh?" Katherine asked, playing along. She decided it was time to get down to business. "You remember everything, right?"

Nathan nodded. "Affirmative. I distract Methos, while you fight Jake. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes. Methos killed Richard. It seems only fair that I should even the scores before we fight."

"Very well, Kat. I'll see you there. Nathan signing off."

Chapter Eight

Methos, Jake, Captain Stevenson, and five security men walked down the corridor. "It's a transporter beam," Stevenson was explaining. "Experimental. We've only used it for cargo before, but it's never failed us yet. Are you sure you don't want to use it?"

"In my opinion, Captain, transporter beams should have stayed in Star Trek." Methos replied.

The Captain looked at him. "Star Trek? What is that?"

Methos sighed. "Never mind." He glanced at Jake. His adopted son was smiling.

The party stopped in front of two double doors that slid open when they sensed their presence. They entered the shuttle bay. Methos, Jake and two of the security men went to one of the shuttles in the bay, and Captain Stevenson and the others went to another. "We'll see you on the surface."

Jake guided the plane down to the planet's surface, following the coordinates Katherine had provided. The planet was covered with forests, not quite as wet and tropical as rain forests, but close. The difference was in the winter, the forest dropped to temperatures that froze everything on the planet's surface. The winter was short, however. During the summer, temperatures usually went off the thermometer. That day, thankfully, was in the spring, so it wasn't quite so hot.

That didn't keep Methos and the others from sweating only seconds after they stepped out of the shuttle. "What's the temperature out here, Jake?" Methos asked.

Jake looked his watch/thermometer/calculator. "It's eighty-nine degrees out here. It may rain later on, too."

Methos nodded. "Okay, everyone get their packs. Get some extra water, too. As much as you can carry. I have a feeling we'll be needing it." They went back inside and got as many supplies as they could, then started on the trek through the thick underbrush.

Not far away, Stevenson and his party landed in the thick forest. They emerged from the ship with their packs and started walking in the direction indicated on one of the security men's electronic pads. Stevenson walked behind him. They walked for ten minutes in the immense heat when a voice stopped them.

"Freeze, humans, and you may live longer than some!"

"Get out your weapons," Stevenson said, taking out his own. The security guard took out its lazer guns and aimed at the source of the voice. They could see no one in the thick underbrush surrounding them. Everywhere was green, and the noise of thousands of insects was the only sound the forest produced. The guards glanced around nervously, sweating even more than they had before.

A gun went off, and the last guard in the caravan screamed. He went down. The others could see a large burn in the center of his back. One that was made by another lazer gun. The guard next to fallen man raised his gun in the direction he'd heard the gun go off and aimed. His fingers closed on the fire mechanism, but before he could fire, another lazer gun went off, and his hand was burning. The security guard stared at the wound caused by the invisible beam. His gun dropped to the ground. Before he could utter a word, another shot hit him in the chest. He went down, hard. He was dead.

The other security guards stared at their Captain. He'd been the one who'd shot their comrade. The guard who'd been leading the caravan was backing away from him. "C-Captain?" he asked.

Two more guns went off, this time from somewhere within the forest. The two living guards dropped to ground, one with a whole in his chest, the other with a whole in his back.

Five figures immerged from the forest. They were a band of rogue Minixians, ones who would work for anyone for a few shillings, even if their payers were humans. "Leave them," Stevenson told them. "We have to distract Methos."

The leader of the rogues, M'peel, stepped forward. "The transporter beam is ready, sir."

"Excellent." Stevenson said. "Let's go, then."

It took them half an hour to get to the pre-determined fighting area. This space was cleared of trees and underbrush, and a cool wind was blowing. Methos' group sighed in relief to be out of the hot forest. Several rocks were gathered around a stream on their side of the field. The field was empty except for them, so they lay on the stones and relaxed, getting fresh water from the stream.

It wasn't long, however, before Methos felt the Buzz. He felt it at the same time the air in the middle of the field seemed to shimmer and take shape. It took the shape of a bulking mass. A moment later, substance took the place of the displaced air. Another moment, and Methos' group jumped to its feet. Because, standing before them, were a group of five Minixians. In the center of that group was Captain Stevenson.

The first thought in Jake's mind was that the Captains' party had been jumped and he was being held prisoner. The first thought in Methos' mind was that the Captain had betrayed them.

When the Captain and the Minixians opened fire on them, Methos was proven right.

They dived behind the rocks, occasionally standing up to fire back at the rogue Minixians. One of the Minixians went down. Jake and Methos crouched behind two rocks. Methos' was bare on both sides, but Jake's rock was next to a few others. "Jake," Methos called. Jake looked at him. "Try to attack them from behind. Bring one of the guards with you."

Jake nodded. "Yes, sir," he responded. He crouched behind the rocks over to Blake, one of the guards. They disappeared into the forest. Methos turned his attention back to the rogues and the Captain. He aimed at the Captain and fired. The invisible beam hit the Immortal squarely in the chest.

The Captain dropped to the ground. The Minixians, when they saw their boss was down, did not stop. They kept firing. Methos managed to hit another one of them, but this time in the shoulder. The Minixian clenched his teeth, switched the gun to his other arm, and kept firing. The other security guard in Methos' party, Henry, hit the Minixian in the chest, and the rogue fell to the ground.

Two down, four to go, Methos thought.

One of the standing Minixians screamed in pain. Methos looked up to see him land on his back. A gaping hole was in his back. The calvary has arrived, Methos thought. Now there were two Minixians. Methos could feel the Buzz again. He looked over at Stevenson, but the rogue Captain was still 'dead'. That could only mean one thing.

Jake and Blake crouched low behind a bush, trying to hit one of the two Minixians who were still alive. Blake raised his arm to fire again, but he screamed before he was able to. Jake whirled to face him. Blake fell against the bush, and Jake could see the whole in the guard's back. He looked behind him. "Longstone."

Katherine stood there, alone. She'd dropped the lazer gun to the ground, and was standing there with two swords in her hands. She smiled. "I'm not Katherine Longstone anymore, Sizzerelli," she told him. "I'm Katherine Stevenson."

"Katherine Stevenson?" Jake asked. "You and Captain Stevenson are married?"

"Yes." She dropped one of the swords onto the ground. "I've heard you are quite the swordsman, Jake." She stepped back, waiting for him to pick up the sword.

Jake did so and stood up. "I thought you wanted to fight Methos."

"Oh, don't worry, I will," she assured him. "After I'm done with you."

They circled.

Methos and Henry killed the two Minixians just as Methos felt the Buzz again. This time, it came from Stevenson. "Stay here and watch for any others," he told Henry. "Call for backup, too."

"Aye, sir." Henry began broadcasting a signal through his communications watch.

Methos left the cover the rocks provided and approached Stevenson. The rogue Captain gasped and his body arched. Then he sat up. Methos stopped a few feet away and pulled out his sword, waiting. Stevenson got up slowly and took his own sword out. They didn't say anything while they circled each other, both studying the other, looking for weak spots.

The clash of swords from somewhere in the forest distracted Methos. "Jake…" he whispered. He glanced at the forest, keeping an eye on his opponent. Stevenson took that opportunity to charge. He swung toward Methos' neck. Methos ducked and brought his sword up to block. Stevenson continued to press his attack. He swiped at Methos' legs, and Methos blocked again, trapping Stevenson's sword. Methos brought up his fist, and it met Stevenson squarely on the chin. Stevenson lost his balance and fell to the ground. He rolled and got up a few feet away.

The two faced each other, both standing in defensive positions. Methos attacked, slicing Stevenson's left leg. It wasn't as deep as Methos would have liked, however. Stevenson transferred his weight to his right leg and swung at Methos' right arm, his sword arm. Methos blocked, then swung at Stevenson's abdomen. The sword hit its target. Stevenson cried out and dropped to his knees. His sword fell to the ground, its tip impaling the dirt. The sword hung in the air at an angle. Methos picked it up and threw it away, then went in from the final stroke. He put his blade against Stevenson's neck. "There can be only one," he said. He lifted his sword and brought it down, impaling flesh and bone.

The light wind picked up and grew stronger. The trees started rocking back and forth. A white mist floated from Stevenson's headless corpse. Methos absorbed it, stretching his arms out, welcoming it.

A scream pierced the air. It came from the forest. "Jake!" Methos yelled. He turned his head in the direction of the sound. He started taking a step toward the forest, but he couldn't go any farther, because a lightning bolt hit his chest, freezing him in place. Methos could do nothing to help his son as the Quickening continued to deliver its power without mercy.

Lieutenant Commander Denise Paul Dawson sat in the chair on the bridge of the U. P. A. Elvis King. He'd been assigned to the command chair while the Captain was on the planet.

One of the control panels chirped. "Ensign Henry wishing to speak with you, Captain." His communications officer said from her console behind him.

"Open the channel."

"U. P. A. Elvis King, this is Ensign Henry. Please respond, over."

"Ensign, this is Commander Dawson, over."

"Captain Stevenson and a group of Minixians have attacked us, sir. We managed to defend ourselves from their attack. Captain Sizzerelli and Ensign Blake went into the forest to attack the Minixians from behind, but haven't emerged since then. There's no sign of Stevenson's party, over."

Dawson sat back and studied this bit of information. "Captain Stevenson has gone rogue, over?"

"Yes, sir, over."

"Where is Senator Methos, over?"

"He and Captain Stevenson are fighting, with swords, over."

Dawson sat forward when he heard that. One of the two Immortals had challenged the other. He'd been assigned to watch Stevenson, and he knew his weak spots and his strengths. Against Methos, Denise doubted Stevenson had a chance.

"Sir, I think a storm's coming, over." Ensign Henry said. A minute later, he gasped and cursed.

"What is it, Ensign, over?" Denise asked.

"Senator Methos is standing over Captain Stevenson's corpse! Man, that is some freak light show! What is that?"

In his excitement, the Ensign had forgotten to say over, but Denise didn't notice. He was getting excited too. He was right. Stevenson hadn't stood a chance. Now, he had to worry about closing the Immortal's Chronicles and informing the Alliance that they had had a spy in their mist. "Ensign, keep low. What you're seeing is a Quickening. Don't try to get hit by the lightning, over."

"A Quickening? That Immortal light show thing? I'll staying as low as I can, sir, ov-augggghhhhh!"

"Ensign Henry? Ensign? Respond, over!" Denise screamed. But all he heard was static.

Dawson turned to the ship's commanding engineer. "Ms. Harris, report."

"The link is down, sir," Lieutenant Harris responded. "There's a shield surrounding the planet. We can't communicate with it up, and we won't be able to use the sensors or the transporter beam."

Dawson thought. "What about shuttlecrafts?"

Harris shook his head. "They can't pass through, sir. They'll be blown to bits." Her console chirped. "Sir, a ship is approaching us from the other side of the planet. It's a Minixian vess-"

The holographic projection, taken from the cameras attached to the hull of the ship, projected a Minixian ship appearing from the other side of the planet. The image grew larger as the ship got closer. A red light appeared from inside the ship, signaling that it was about to fire. "Mr. Green, fire!"

"Aye, sir." The weapons officer said while he prepared the lazer beam. The lazer shot out from the Elvis King, intercepting the Minixian torpedo in mid flight. The beam continued on its way, glancing off the side of the Minixian ship before the ship maneuvered out of the way.

Methos dropped to the ground on his knees. His sword fell to the ground next to him and lodged in some of the dirt. It wasn't deep enough to keep the sword at an angle, however, so the rest of the sword fell back on the ground. The rest of Methos' body followed his knees, and he curled up into a ball on the ground. He wanted to stay that way forever.

The sound of a lazer gun going off changed his mind. Methos stood up. He heard a scream coming from behind the rocks. He walked over there cautiously. The sight of Henry's body was what greeted him. He'd been shot in the back by a laser and had died with his stomach lying on the rock he'd hidden behind. He'd been killed by gun that came from the same side Methos had heard the other sword fight take place. Where he'd heard Jake scream. Jake…

Methos ran into the forest, the energy from the Quickening overpowering his weariness. "Jake!" he called. He heard nothing. "Jake!"

Then he felt it. It was a weak, but it was a buzz. Methos let it guide him to a bush. "Jake?" He ran around the bush. It was then that he saw him. Jake lay on the ground, dead. He'd been stabbed in the gut. A bloody sword lay on the ground a few feet away.

Because of the Buzz, Methos knew he would reawake very soon. He crouched beside his adopted son, arranging him in a more comfortable position. He could remember dying very well, and knew it didn't exactly help when one awoke from death if one was bent over and couldn't breathe.

Katherine was gone. He was sure about that. Methos couldn't feel her Buzz anymore. She was probably going to regroup and come back with more Minixians. Methos checked his communications watch. It was charred black from the Quickening. He checked Jake's wrists, but they'd been striped of his own watches. Methos could only hope Henry managed to get a link through to the Elvis King, and he hoped there weren't any Minixians up there attacking it.

"Sir, we're loosing power in our lasers," Harris announced. The Alliance and the Minixian ships had been firing at the other with their best weapons for the last few minutes. The Elvis King's shields were gone in sections, and both had gotten a few blows to the other ship.

Dawson thought about what they should do. "Mr. Gregory, try getting as close to the planet's shield as you can. Let's see if we can use the Minixians' line of defense against them." He met Gregory's eye.

Gregory knew exactly what he meant. "Aye, sir," he responded.

Another torpedo was fired at them, but instead of firing back, Gregory piloted the ship of the way. Then Green fired, aiming for the Minixian ship's bottom hull. The beam hit the ship's shield, but it weakened it. Gregory piloted the ship forward until they were behind and below the Minixian ship, and kept on flying in the direction of the planet. The Minixian ship turned around and got ready to fire. A lazer beam hit the Minixian ships' side, breaking through the hull. The ship was still standing, however. It turned the rest of the way around and flew after them, firing another torpedo.

Gregory had piloted the ship until it was only a few meters away from the shield surrounding the planet. At the last moment, he pulled up. The torpedo smashed into the shield, and its Laxol hull went in pieces in every direction. It was enough, however, to block the Minixian ship's pilot's view. The Minixian ship smashed into the shield and exploded.

The Elvis King turned around and surveyed the damage it had caused. The Minixian ship was demolished. Pieces of its Laxol hull were all that was left of it. Dawson sat back in his chair. "Well done, Mr. Green, Mr. Gregory. Ms. Harris, report."

"Shields are down sixty percent," she said. "No major damage was done to the ship's hull. Two people dead."

Dawson bowed his head and said a quick prayer for the dead men. "Can we get through the shields?"

"It's still too strong for sensors or shuttle craft, but a transporter beam can get through it."

"All right, then," Dawson said. "Mr. Green, get a few security teams and go to the surface. Find the survivors and bring them back."

"Aye, sir." Green said, walking off to security.

The only world Jake knew was nothing. He was the only thing there. Somehow, he knew he didn't belong. He wanted to go back instead of going on. Then he heard a voice. It was faint, but then the voice grew even louder. It was his name. "Jake!" it cried. Dad!, an inner voice called, while other parts of him were confused by this response. Why can't I see him? What is this black void?

Jake got his answers. The black void faded when his body jerked and his eyes snapped open. Jake gasped and fell back against the ground. There was this searing pain in his head A man knelt next to him, leaning over him. Jake made eye contact with him, and the pain in his head stopped. His memory started to return. "Dad?" Jake asked.

He could remember Blake being shot, then seeing Katherine, then they started to fight, and then…Jake looked down at his stomach. There was a long tear in his uniform, but other than that, there wasn't any evidence of the stab wound Katherine had given him. Jake looked up at his father. "What's going on?"

Methos smiled grimly. "Welcome to the wonderful world of Immortality."

"What?" Jake asked. "You mean…I'm…like you?"

Methos nodded. "Yes. You're Immortal."

"But…how?"

"I don't know, Jake. No Immortal knows where he or she comes from, or who their real parents are."

"Yeah, you told me, dad. But…" Jake fingered his chest again. "Man, this is a lot to take in all at once."

Methos nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Jake smiled up at him. "No, you don't. You can't remember becoming Immortal."

Methos smiled back. "Yeah, you're right."

That weird headache returned. Jake felt like throwing up. He rubbed his temples. Methos looked around. "Is-" Jake said when he could think straight again. "Is this the Buzz?"

"Yes," Methos answered him. He stood up and looked around.

Which was when the world disappeared.

Methos couldn't make out anything except a white haze. Then, instead of the woods, he found himself on a metal plank in the middle of a large warehouse-like room. Large windows were in the wall to his left, and he could see the planet's forest through them. To his right, was a railing. Beyond and below that were the red pipes and machines that made up the engines, which were out of date by several centuries.

He was on the U. S. S. Hernandez.

Jake was nowhere to be seen.

He felt the Buzz, and looked down the hall the platform was connected to. Katherine Longstone stood there, Broadsword in hand.

"Hello, Methos," she said, in Algorian.

"You prefer alien languages over your own, Longstone?" Methos asked, getting in a battle position.

"I've researched your past, Methos," Katherine said, walking forward. Methos stepped back, matching every step she took. "I figured if the universe's oldest Immortal has learned so many languages in six thousand years, why not use more than one at a time?"

"Because it would get confusing?"

I knew it the moment I first met you, or felt you. I can sense pre-Immortals from at least fifty yards away. If I hadn't felt you, I probably wouldn’t have adopted you."

(unfinished)

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