8

KTO, JULY 7, 1950 - A THOUSAND YEARS AGO

Henry Blake and Cain Adams were not their real names. Colonel Blake had been around when Camelot fell, as Sir Bedivere. As a Knight Of The Round Table, he had opposed that fall. Captain Adams had been around when Etruscan Rome fell, as Methos. As one of The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse, he had brought about that fall. They were two Immortals, and they both now sensed the approach of a third. The sensation from the new arrival was among the most powerful they had ever felt. The jeep pulled up. Henry regarded the young man who stood in front of him.

"Declare Yourself!!"

Nervously, Walter O'Reilly dropped his dufflebag. He stumbled as he went to pick it up, and scraped his hand on the zipper-teeth. He tried to answer his new Commanding Officer as best he could.

"Uh, Private First Class Walter O'Reilly, reporting for duty, Colonel, Sir! Serial Number..."

Blake cut him off.

"Are you here for me, O'Reilly?"

Henry was asking Radar whether or not he was there to try and take his head. Radar saw it differently.

"Well, sure. I take orders real well, Colonel! Just ask my mom, only don't phone her, please, cause' she'll think somethin' happened to me. Unless you want to, Sir."

"Don't be silly. None of us have mothers."

Radar's eyes darted around.

"Uh, not ta be difficult, or nothin', sir, but I'm pretty sure I got one, last I checked. She's been with me a real long time. Since I was born."

"No, since she found you."

Again, Blake had lost the young man.

"Found me? Oh, no, Sir. My Mom, she went and told me about the birds and the bees and junk. I know where babies come from. I just don't like to talk about it too much--I faint, sometimes. Most times."

It was Methos who caught on to the truth of the situation.

"Private, that's a nasty scrape you have there. Mind if I take a look at it?"

"Geez, no, Captain. Thanks Loads."

As Methos--Dr. Adams looked at the cut from the duffel-bag, Henry realized his mistake. Walter was still mortal, having not yet been awakened. He also saw a teddy bear in the opened bag. This kid who looked like a kid--was a kid.

"Private, your first job is to put on some gloves and help Doctors Jones, St. John, and Forrest clear away those meteorite fragments, so's we can set up our Operating Room tomorrow. You up for it?"

With his hand fixed, Radar did as he was told. Methos walked over to Blake.

"That kid has the single strongest pre-Immortal 'Buzz' I have ever felt. When he first dies, he'll already awake immensely powerful. Colonel, I'm not in The Game. But he'll be a target for those who are. Suggest respectfully you put him someplace---out of the way. Maybe the clerk's office? Less interaction, there."

"Yeah, Adams. That it does. I just hope the little guy makes a good company clerk. This outfit needs the best of everything. It is my intention that when people speak of the 4077th MASH, they say that Henry Blake runs it as tight as a drum. Efficient, clean, and sober!"

After the first hellish OR session, Henry would forever lose that view of things. Doctor Adams would never let him forget those naive words, though. After a very rough break-in, Radar O'Reilly became not only company clerk, but the glue of the unwieldy unit.

(Writer's Note : Radar's Breaking In is described in better detail in 'Through Early Morning Fog I See', an X-Files/MASH Xo)

PARIS, 1998

Methos had one last question.

"Walter, whatever became of those other three doctors---SpearChucker Jones, Ugly John, and Duke Forrest? I never heard about them again."

Walter's eyes grew sad.

"On October 13--a Friday--they and three nurses they were with---died."

Amanda looked over.

"Shelling?"

"Oh, no, it wasn't the war. Remember those meteor pieces I mentioned? Well, they had some kind of space-type virus in them. Well, the docs and the nurses was goin' at it, and the heat and sweat and exertion and stuff, it caused somethin to happen. The next morning---"

Walter choked, so Duncan finished.

"Its all right, Walter. Margaret Houlihan told me what happened, back in 52'. Their bodies were liquefying. The government then covered it all up, and forbid the 4077th from speaking on the subject. Those same spooks later killed both Henry Blake and Adam Kendall. Our old pal with the Cigarette--again."

Walter nodded.

"Yeah, we saw him, when he came around to brag about killing Colonel Blake. He was clever about how he said things, but he was bragging, all right. I shoulda killed him, just like I killed---other people."

Connor stood up.

"No one likes a good life-story better than me. But Duncan and I need to talk--outside. Walter, lets have you rest up. Our pal is tired from the him and his friends shutting Immunita down--for good."

As the group broke up, the Macleods did indeed leave the barge. Outside, they walked while Duncan wondered what was on Connor's mind. When Connor turned and punched him in the face, he no longer had to wonder. On the ground, the younger Highlander looked plaintively up at the elder.

"May I ask what the hell that was for?"

Connor looked furious.

"You--are so damned naive, you make Walter look like Methos. An animal like O'Roarke declares vengeance eternal on you, and you wait for him to kidnap Joe Dawson and Amanda. When, O WHEN, Duncan, are you going to at least try and find these people in advance? You are my only family, but you keep treating your life and the lives of those you hold dear as a joke. How many known and declared threats have come at you, since we last met? Kalas? Kanis? Koren, or Kronos, whatever? Kristin? I could've told you what that witch was. I ran from The Kurgan because I just wasn't ready to face him until 86'. But a lot of these are no-wristed wonders to whom you give time to plot and kill your friends. Now, I hear about this stalker--what's his name?"

Duncan sat and stared out. Connor had been so busy talking, he had ignored the buzz from someone's approach. Silently, he cursed himself for so fundamental an error. Shots rang out, striking Connor Macleod in the arms, legs, and heart. Duncan got up. He stared at the cowardly attacker.

"Well, hello, David. Still calling yourself Keogh? Or is that only for harassing Doctor Lindsey?"

The always too-intense eyes of David Keogh were now even more so.

"I'll leave everybody be, Duncan. Just tell me where my wife is. I want to talk to her."

Duncan thought about poor Jill. Unable to gently turn away the obsessive Keogh, she was literally stalked to her death by him. But they had never even been truly engaged, let alone married. David was now completely insane.

"Jill was never your wife, David. And she's dead, now. You as much as killed her."

Now, Keogh shot Duncan in his arms and legs. Duncan reasoned they must be Black Talon-type bullets, which have a high rate of fragmentation. Healing for him and Connor was going a trifle slow.

"That---was the wrong answer, Highlander!!!"

Back aboard the barge, Methos and Amanda held swords over the sleeping Walter.

"Now, my dear, we'll wake him up, he'll see how we are poised, make a proper ruin of his pants, and then be forced to admit that he made all those wild stories up."

Amanda grinned.

"This baby better hang on to his diapy!"

Walter did awaken. But not because of the would-be jokesters. His eyes were glowing.

"Keogh's got Connor and Duncan!"

Casually, Walter grasped both swords pointed at him by their edges, and yanked them out of their wielders' hands. Quickly reversing them, he ran Methos and Amanda through in one motion. He left the barge without a thought. After all, its not like they were going to die.

Outside, each passing second took its toll on David Keogh's coherence.

"Duncan, don't make me blow both your heads off!! NOW WHERE IS MY WIFE?!!!"

Behind him, there was a sound of thunder. Eyes still glowing, Walter O'Reilly was floating a full three inches off the ground. His voice echoed.

"Back away, pal!"

Perhaps the odd sight sobered Keogh. Perhaps Not. His next question was still the same.

"What in the hell are you?"

Walter raised his right hand, and held it wide open.

"There Can Be Only One."

As Keogh screamed, his Quickening flowed from his body to O'Reilly's hand--but his head never left his body. He died from the shock, and did not revive. Walter then contemptuously fired a bolt of lightning and Keogh's form went to ashes.

"That One Would Be Me."

The energies faded, and Walter collapsed.

"Connor?"

"Yeah, Duncan?"

"Why exactly does this kid need my training?"

Walter looked in horror at the ashen corpse of David Keogh.

"Geez Louise! What happened to that fella?"

Connor grinned.

"Three guesses why, Duncan."

Now, Duncan remembered what Walter said about his 'zone'. Life had just become interesting once again.

Aboard the barge, Methos and Amanda had finally withdrawn the swords and fully revived. Fully healed was another story.

"Methos?"

"Yes, Amanda?"

"Next time someone wants to brag--we let them."

"Agreed."

In another part of Paris, Kenny listened as 'The Kronos Tapes' continued.

"Destroying civilization is quite a simple thing, really. In fact, the governments of the world often provide the material to do so free of charge. Kind of an Apocalyptic works program. What NASA throws away in one month could keep young terror-makers in meals for years to come. In a disposable society, society itself can be put out on large trash day. Consider---had the Space Shuttle called Challenger carried a plutonium payload, as it was supposed to, property values on The East Coast Of The United States would have just plummeted. Trump Seaboard, anyone?"

In the whirl of Kenny's thoughts, notions about the new world he would create were already forming. Kronos, though dead, might yet get to push the last button.