DCH 49
Defenders Chronicles: Highlander
By AmandaDoE
Chapter Forty-Nine: Nightmares
Tori glanced to her side, noticing Richie tossing and turning in his sleep. She looked over to her clock which read 9:00 AM.
"No. No, stop," Richie muttered in his sleep, "No. Stop. Stop! No."
"Yes," Tori started to gently shake her boyfriend awake, "Yes. Richie, it's time to wake up."
Richie yelped as he woke up and sat up from his bed. He looked down for a moment then he looked at Tori, "Oh good."
"Sorry," Tori said.
"It's okay," Richie replied. "I just had a bad dream. Probably one of the worst ones yet."
"Want to talk about it?" Tori asked.
"It is almost like something out of a terrible movie," Richie answered, "I was bending down to pick up something and the next thing I heard is a ripping sound, people were laughing, and I realized not only have I ripped my pants, but...I found myself in a position that I did last year."
"What do you mean?" Tori asked.
Richie shuddered as he covered his arms, "I couldn't see my toes in the nightmare, to give you a hint."
Tori's eyes widened in surprise, "You hadn't had nightmares like that since the events with Michael Christian."
"I must have had a relapse of a nightmare," Richie replied, "I'll have to let my therapist know during my next appointment."
"That's a good idea," Tori nodded.
They both looked at each other.
"We should get going," Richie suggested.
"Yeah," Tori nodded, "Mac is expecting us."
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Amanda considered the good and the bad of recent times. The good: She was glad Duncan and Joe made amends after what happened with fellow immortal Andrew Cord. It also turned out that Richie and Tori never had any animosity towards Joe about the situation even though they did side with MacLeod in the situation, they just preferred to stay out of it, as Joe preferred to stay out of their concern for some time. Just yesterday, Joe ended up back in their lives as friends as life was too short to hold grudges.
The bad: She was upset over seeing Kenny for what he truly was. She knew it had been a few days since Tori had to take his head after everything that had happened, and she just wished she had known something sooner. She wished she could have done something about this. Then again, she realized there was nothing she really could have done.
"Amanda?"
She turned around to see Duncan calling her name.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Amanda answered, "I was just thinking about the past few days."
"Quite an eventful few days, huh?"
"I'm glad I was able to help you and Joe make amends yesterday."
"Me too," he affirmed.
"And I felt bad for almost causing Melissa's death." She looked up at the Highlander. "Thanks for talking me out of leaving, for now. I plan to leave tomorrow."
"I understand," Duncan said. He stared closely, then frowned a tad, seemingly aware that something else was going on. "What's up now?"
"What are you talking about?" Amanda asked.
"What's troubling you? Come on. I think I know you pretty well by now, to put it lightly."
"Fine." She heaved a light sigh. "I was thinking about Kenny. I was thinking...after I saw him for what he truly was, nearly taking your head, blinding you and Richie, setting you guys up. I taught him how to survive and how he turned out...I keep wondering if there was something I could have done better, something I could have done to keep him from..."
"Amanda," Duncan cut her off, "you know as well as I do there was nothing that could have done better. You did the best you could with teaching Kenny, and he took advantage of it."
"That's what I've come to realize, thinking about Kenny."
She took a deep breath before saying, "Anne was surprised to learn Kenny's true nature when Tori and I explained it to her during our girls' trip the other day."
"The immortal life," Duncan stated, "it's not for Anne as she saves lives for a living."
"That's what she told us," Amanda replied. She leaned on Duncan's chest. "I'm really glad that to be here with you."
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"Getting everything ready?" Sierra asked her three servants, as she called them.
"Everything is going as planned," Russell, her average-sized worker, answered as he was heating up some milk.
"It's weird that you have to be asleep for the nightmares to come to life," Siobhan chuckled. "But I get where you're coming from."
"And your bed is all set as well." Kyle, the heavyset one, walked over to the area.
"Good," Sierra smirked, "I cannot wait to turn Seacouver to turn into Nightmare City."
"How are you going to do that again?" Kyle asked.
"When I fall asleep," Sierra answered. "The nightmares of all of the people of this town will come to life, whether it's a clown, or if they have a physical aspect."
"And you're able to do that in your sleep?" Siobhan asked.
"Yeah, and you'd be surprised on how I am able to do that," Sierra answered, "or how long I've been good at my job."
She reflected on the Salem Witch Trails, where she was executed as a witch after making several people in Salem experience their worst nightmares come to life, including a farmer losing his livestock. Her execution was her first death, and that was how she became immortal.
Sierra hadn't done anything like that in ages, just every so often, mostly just individuals who did her wrong, including a woman who stole the man she was dating during 1976; she made both of their nightmares become reality, making her ex unemployable and the woman fat and unattractive to anyone.
No immortal had taken her head yet, or her quickening for that matter, and that would be the only way for the nightmares to be undone is if she lost her head, and it'd most likely be by an immortal, but that doesn't mean immortals haven't tried to hunt her down, but she had either triumphed over them, or eluded them.
"You must be a real expert to make people's worst nightmares become reality," Russell spoke up, pulling Sierra from her thoughts.
Sierra turned and glanced at him, "You have no idea. It's kind of my gift, if you know what I mean."
"Well, your milk is ready," Russell announced, handing her the warm glass.
"Thanks," Sierra replied, taking the milk and taking a sip of the milk. "Let the nightmares begin."
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Duncan and Amanda sensed the Buzz, pulling them from their blissful cuddling.
"Trouble?" Amanda asked.
"Maybe," Duncan answered.
They looked over to see Richie and Tori enter the loft with bags of food in hand.
"Good to see you guys again," Amanda said to the couple.
"Thought you was leaving," Tori told her teacher.
"Not until tomorrow morning," Amanda replied.
"Good." Tori smiled. "We're glad to see you."
"Definitely," Richie said before holding the bag of food out. "Anyone hungry?" He munched on a chicken nugget.
"We stopped by a burger joint on the way here," Tori stated.
"Well isn't that a thriller?" Duncan crossed his arms with sarcasm, "Another place with unhealthy foods."
"But everything in moderation," Amanda chimed in.
"Very true," Richie, Duncan and Tori replied in unison.
The group got their lunch and began to enjoy their lunch.
"How's Anne doing?" Richie asked.
"She's doing good," Amanda answered, "and so is her baby."
"That's great to hear," Duncan replied.
"How's your injury with the steam?" Amanda asked Richie. "I know Duncan recovered quickly."
"I healed quickly," Richie said. "The steam attacking me just shook me up."
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Joe smiled as he was serving drinks at his bars. He and Duncan made amends after the events with his old friend Andy. He also came to realize that Tori and Richie were just trying to stay out of the drama, just as he stayed out of MacLeod's life for some time.
He served a drink to Adeola, "So, that must have been an interesting thing to cover this week, huh?"
"Cover?" Adeola glanced at him, confused, "Cover what, Dawson?"
"When Tori finally nailed Kenny," Joe answered.
"What are you talking about, Dawson?" Adeola asked, as if she didn't know who those people were. She had to know who they were, right? After all, she was a watcher, and Tori was her immortal.
Joe scoffed in response, "The other day. Kenny returned to town, and Tori took that evil brat's head. Tori Gordon, Victoria Gordon. She's your immortal."
"Immortal?" Adeola glanced at him, confused, "The last time I checked, there are no immortals, Dawson."
She rolled her eyes before taking her drink and leaving.
Joe muttered, "That's impossible. I just talked to MacLeod last night."
He hurried to his phone and tried to call the dojo.
"We're sorry, this line is not in service."
Joe hung up and tried again, only to get the same line, "We're sorry, this line is not in service."
"Damn it!" Joe exclaimed as he hung up the phone, "Did MacLeod change his number or something? Maybe I can call Richie. Either he or Tori will answer."
He called the number, only to get the same line as Duncan's phone number, "We're sorry, this line is not in service."
"What?!" Joe exclaimed, surprised.
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Anne smiled as she was working on some paper work at the nurse's station. She finished her work when she heard an unusual noise.
"What was that?" Anne looked around, confused.
She suddenly heard cackling, which made her nervous, and tried to find the source of the mysterious noise, taking deep breaths to try to keep calm for the sake of her baby.
Anne moved a white curtain and saw a masked killer, armed with a knife. She screamed in horror, and tried her best to evade the killer. She glanced around, trying to find a hiding spot from this killer that was after her. It was just like in her nightmare, which made the situation much worse.
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Duncan looked on as he finished his lunch, as did Richie, Tori and Amanda.
"Breaking news, live from Seacouver!" a voice chimed in from the television set.
The four hurried to the TV to see Randi MacFarland reporting on the news on TV, "In an unusual turn of events, citizens of Seacouver are experiencing various stuff, which are reported to be their worst nightmares. Some of these are trivial, such as an animal that scares them, a killer, or a clown; some others are very deep to the victims. All this has been happening over the course of the past three hours. We will keep you reported on updates….."
Randi was cut off when she saw something that scared her. She screamed in terror and ran off. Then, a clown with a demonic face appeared and the screen went blank.
"We are experiencing technical difficulties," an announcer announced, "Please stand by."
"I didn't know she was afraid of clowns," Duncan stated.
"That's quite bizarre," Tori glanced around, "What is causing this to happen?"
"I have no idea," Amanda shook her head before she asked, "Do you think this is going to happen to us?"
"What is going to happen to us?" Richie asked.
"Us experiencing our worst nightmares," Amanda elaborated further.
"It's possible," Duncan answered, "if it is happening here, chances are it's only a matter of time before it happens to us."
He looked over as Richie groaned in pain, clutching his stomach. He asked in concern, "Are you okay, Richie?"
"Ate too much?" Amanda added.
"Nah," Richie shook his head, "just some chicken nuggets, fries and Coke from our lunch."
He then noticed Amanda and Tori feeling strange as they were whimpering while clutching their heads.
"What's wrong with you two?" Duncan asked.
"I don't know," Tori answered.
"Neither do I," Amanda shook her head.
Duncan then sensed the Buzz. He looked around, "Danger."
He was taken by surprise to see himself, except he was dressed in black, and was wearing an earring on his left side.
"Mac, what's this?!" Richie exclaimed, "He looks just like you."
"Exactly," Duncan answered as he got out his katana, "It's because it is my worst nightmare. My dark side."
"That's right," Dark Duncan replied as he drawn his katana, "and there is no escape."
"Run!" Duncan told his friends, "all of you! Run!"
"Right!" Tori replied before she, Richie and Amanda hurried out of the loft.
"It's all right," Dark Duncan told his good counterpart, "They are safe for now, but you will eventually lose them. Richie, Tori, Amanda, even Dawson and your own clansmen Connor. You'll lose them, and there's nothing you can do about it."
"I won't let that happen," Duncan replied, determined.
The two Duncan's dueled, sharing equal parries, dodges and blows. Eventually, Duncan stabbed Dark Duncan, and the dark counterpart fell to the floor.
"This isn't….over," Dark Duncan declared before he passed out, dead.
Then, Duncan left the loft.
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Richie made his way out of the area. He must have lost the dark version of Duncan by now, but he had no idea where he was at the moment. He looked around to find himself at a nearby alleyway. He must have ran far enough to where he couldn't be found.
Richie managed to step out of the alleyway when he started to feel his stomach hurting again. He groaned in pain, leaning towards a wall, "Man, why is this happening? Why now?"
He glanced around as the stomach pains gotten a bit worse, "God, I should find a bathroom or something."
Richie staggered back in surprise as people were starting to crowd around him. This alone was not a good sign. People were crowding around him to where he could barely walk through the area, but that wasn't the worst part.
"I really don't like this crowd," Richie said as he tried walking through the crowd, "and what's worst, I'm feeling heavy and bloated."
He groaned in pain again to try to keep the bloating away, but to no avail. Richie had a feeling things were going to get much worse.
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Joe was startled upon hearing screams while trying to contact Duncan, Tori, Richie or Amanda. He looked and noticed chaos filling the bar; from a giant bat chasing one of the patrons to a demonic man attacking another patron, among other things.
"What the hell is going on here?!" Joe exclaimed, "This is a load of crap! Immortals exist. They have to!"
Joe hurried nearby to where his computer was to try to look up files for immortals, including MacLeod, Richie, Tori or Amanda. To his shock and horror, he saw no files. There were no files of any immortals.
"What?!" Joe exclaimed in disbelief, "This can't be!"
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Amanda sighed as she felt light headed again. She leaned her head again the wall of the alleyway that she found herself at, "How could this get any worse?"
She closed her eyes to try and get her dizziness to go away.
"There she is! Execute her!"
"What?!" Amanda opened her eyes, sensing something was off about this situation. She saw soldiers coming towards her, "You've gotta be kidding me."
She glanced over at a mirror that was oddly nearby and saw that she was dressed as she used to dress in the 1180s, "Oh no."
Suddenly, the soldiers grabbed her.
"We will execute her at the stake!" one of the soldiers declared.
"Too bad for her there is no sanctuary to save her," another soldier stated.
"Oh no!" Amanda exclaimed in horror as she was being taken away. This was her worst nightmare!
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Duncan hurried outside, looking for his friends, "Richie?! Tori?! Amanda?!"
He knew they could take care of themselves, but he wondered where they went. He sensed the Buzz, feeling a bit hopeful and he got out his katana, preparing himself for anything. He felt a swift blow, which he dodged.
It was Tori. She was dressed in black high heel boots, fish net stockings, a black mini skirt, and a tank top with a leather jacket. He also noticed her hair and make up nicely done as well, "Tori?!"
"It is time for me to take you down, Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod!" Tori declared, holding out her sword.
"What?!" Duncan exclaimed in shock.
Tori got out her sword from her jack and swung at Duncan, who dodged the attack. He then parried with Tori.
"I don't know what's going on with you, Tori," Duncan told his friend, "This is your nightmare, right?! We can talk about this!"
They continued to duel until Duncan noticed a handgun nearby. He picked it up and shot Tori three times in the chest. Then, she fell to the ground, dead.
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Tori gasped for breath, being revived from death once again. She found herself tied up to a pole, and looked around confused as she saw Duncan standing next to her, "Mac, what's going on? Why am I tied up here?!"
"You were trying to kill me," Duncan answered.
"What?!" Tori exclaimed in surprise.
Duncan used his katana to free Tori from the bondage. She then turned to look and notice the outfit she was wearing, "Oh God. I'm wearing a trashy outfit!"
"Is this your nightmare?" Duncan asked.
"Nightmare doesn't even begin to describe it!" Tori exclaimed. She then took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, Mac."
"Don't worry about it, Tor," Duncan replied.
"What about Richie and Amanda," Tori asked, "where are they?"
"I don't know," Duncan shook his head.
"Help!" the two heard Amanda scream.
"Amanda?!" Duncan exclaimed.
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Amanda continued to struggle against the guards holding her until they made it to the podium where the stake awaited.
"We have waited a long time for this moment," the soldier told her.
"And too bad for you there's no one to save you," the other soldier holding her chimed in, "There is no sanctuary for you either."
Amanda looked on in disbelief and desperation as she was being tied up, preparing for her execution.
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Duncan and Tori hurried to a podium and to the former's horror, he saw that it was too late as Amanda was being burned at the stake.
"Amanda!" Tori cried out in horror.
"This must be her nightmare," Duncan muttered, "but it appeared we got to her too late."
The next thing they knew, the guards were gone and Amanda was laying on the ground next to the wooden stake where she was burnt at.
"Amanda!" Duncan exclaimed as he and Tori hurried to where she laid. Amanda had long hair as opposed to her usual short hair, and her attire was as if she was in the 1180s, something she mentioned during their time with Kenny.
"This can't be happening," Tori muttered sadly, worried for her teacher.
"Tori, you should know that we don't die by execution," Duncan told her, "Not like this. We can't. Come on, Amanda. Come on."
Amanda gasped, reviving from her death. After recovering, she looked around to first see Tori, "My God, Tori, what are you doing in that get up?"
"It happens to be my nightmare," Tori answered, wiping tears away, relieved to see her teacher okay.
Then Amanda looked to see Duncan, "Hi, Duncan."
"I thought I'd lost you," Duncan hugged her.
"Don't scare us like that again," Tori added. She looked at her now ashen attire, "Your nightmare, huh?"
"Yes, my nightmare," Amanda nodded, "it also reflects my guilt over how Kenneth turned out since we met around this time."
"It's not your fault, Amanda," Tori assured her teacher, "you had no way of knowing he'd be an evil brat like he was."
"And besides," Duncan added, "it's all part of the game, and Kenny made a mistake when he set up Richie."
"What will we do now?" Tori asked.
"I think I know who is causing these nightmares to become reality," Duncan answered, "and I believe this immortal is long overdue to lose her head."
"So an immortal is causing all this?" Tori asked.
The three heard a scream from a distance.
"Richie?!" Duncan exclaimed.
He, Tori and Amanda hurried out of the area to look for Richie. They noticed a crowd as they were trying to sense the Buzz. Luckily, they were able to sense it among the crowd.
"He must be in this crowd," Amanda stated.
"But where?" Tori glanced around. Duncan and the girls managed to make their way past the crowd as the Buzz they were sensing was getting stronger. They were hearing different people saying things in the crowds such as "What are you doing?" and someone else yelling, "Get out of the way!"
"I don't like the sound of this," Duncan said bluntly.
"You don't have to be blunt," Amanda replied.
MacLeod and the girls glanced on in shock upon a sight as they finally found Richie, and they were studying him with fearful eyes.
"Richie?" Duncan called out in concern.
"Oh my God," Amanda muttered.
"Oh my God," Tori stated in surprise.
"Guys, what are you…..what are you talking about?" Richie asked asked as he was standing up, but was having a hard time doing so.
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Richie was getting up after being shoved to the ground, and he noticed that Mac, Amanda and Tori were studying him with fearful looks in their eyes, which alarmed and confused him, but as he finally stood up, he realized why they were shocked.
A sizable gut was now in the place of his once lean, trim stomach. His arms and legs filled out as well and he was now wearing sweats instead of his usual t – shirt and blue jeans.
"Oh no. Please no," Richie muttered in disgust of his new physique. He had probably gained about 40 pounds from the looks of this. Duncan and Tori walked over to him, showing concern. Richie knew there was no way in hiding his new physique from them as he turned away as despair was starting to overtake him. He looked in disgust as he found himself unable to see his feet. He felt as if he was a prisoner in a fat suit.
Tori took a step forward in concern, "Richie."
"Don't look at me!" Richie cried out, covering his mouth.
"This is your nightmare, isn't it?" Duncan asked.
"No, Mac! This isn't a nightmare! This is real!" Richie cried out in despair, "This….I'm fat! I'm huge! What can I do now?! How am I supposed to do anything?! An immortal is more likely to take my head now!"
"Stop right there!" Duncan replied, trying to comfort him, "There's a chance that we can undo this. We find Joe, and track down the immortal responsible for the nightmares coming to life. Once I take her head, everything will be back to normal, including this."
He gently poked the side of Richie's stomach.
"In the meantime," Duncan told his student, "I'll need you to pull yourself together. Can you do that?"
"I'll try," Richie sniffed as he wiped tears from his face.
"Good," Duncan replied, gently patting his arm.
"This extra weight you have doesn't change how I feel about you," Tori gently pulled Richie into a hug, "it doesn't matter. You're still the Richie Ryan I fell in love with."
"Really?" Richie asked in a hopeful tone.
"Yeah," Tori nodded, "you'd have to be shallow to love someone on just their looks."
They shared a hug.
"I hope you don't take this the wrong way," Tori said as she hugged him, "but you're really cuddly right now."
Richie chuckled, "Okay, that's fine."
The group glanced at Duncan.
"So, this immortal behind our nightmares coming to life is a woman?" Tori asked as she helped Richie sit down near an empty crate after scooting it next to where she was standing.
"Yes. Her current name is Sierra Shivers," Duncan explained, "She's known for making people's worst nightmares come to life, but I never encountered her, until now."
"So, all we need to do is find her," Richie stated, "then you take her head, and everything will be back to normal."
"Yeah," Duncan nodded, "but we'll need to find Joe. Maybe he might know where she's at."
Suddenly, the group heard another scream.
"Anne?!" Duncan exclaimed in surprise.
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Anne couldn't tell how long she had been running from this mad man, but for whatever reason, he was after her, and he wanted her dead.
"Help!" Anne screamed, "Somebody, please help me!"
She was worried that this masked man might do something to her, or to her baby, but the latter she was more concerned about.
"Get away from her!" she heard a familiar voice shout.
"Duncan?" Anne called out. She looked to see Duncan arriving at the scene and duking it out with the masked killer, "Duncan, thank God!"
She looked to see Duncan disarming the masked killer. He told him, "You can't kill anyone now, huh?"
"This isn't over yet," the masked killer replied before he vanished from sight.
Duncan helped Anne back to the ground, "Are you okay?"
"I think so," Anne nodded, "Me and the baby are fine."
"Is Anne okay?" Amanda asked. Anne looked on in surprise to see Amanda dressed a la Joan of Arc as she arrived at the scene.
"Did you decide to have a costume party that I'm unaware of?" Anne asked.
"Um, Anne," Duncan answered, "What's happening here is our worst nightmares coming to life."
"And I was just burned at the stakes with no sanctuary," Amanda added.
"Thank goodness Anne is okay," Tori chimed in as she arrived with Richie, who was catching his breath from all the running.
"Whoa, Tori, I assume being a hooker is your worst nightmare?" Anne asked. She was even more surprised to see Richie with more weight than when she last saw him, "And my God, Richie."
Richie looked away, embarrassed.
"We've all been affected by our worst nightmares in different ways," Duncan told her.
"Oh," Anne nodded, "I was gonna say no one packs on 40 pounds overnight like that, not unless they binge on junk continuously without getting sick."
"Richie doesn't do that on a normal basis," Duncan assured him.
"Running was easier at my normal weight," Richie replied.
"Now, we need to find Joe and find the immortal responsible for the nightmares becoming reality," Duncan replied.
"I hope we don't have to do more running," Richie stated.
"I'll help you in case we have to," Tori assured her boyfriend.
Anne decided to bite her tongue rather than give the usual lecture of the consequences of being overweight, especially since that was probably Richie's worst nightmare.
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Duncan led the others to the T – bird and there was little to no trouble getting in as they needed to get to Joe's so they can find him to track down Sierra's location to put a stop to the nightmares.
Anne was seated in the passengers seat while Richie, Tori and Amanda were in the backseat while Duncan drove the group.
Richie was not lucky with the car trip as he was barely able to get into the T – bird. Even then, he had a hard time getting his seat belt on and Tori and Amanda had to help him before they could get their own seat belts on.
"Is he going to be okay?" Anne asked, "I'd normally give a lecture of being overweight, but I understand he didn't get this way except through his nightmare."
"When this is over," Duncan answered, showing pity for his student as he glanced at Richie looking miserable in the backseat and Tori comforting him the best she could, "he'll be back to normal."
Duncan finally made it to where Joe's place was. He saw the place looked like it was worn down and covered with cobwebs.
"This must be Joe's nightmare?" Anne asked.
Duncan nodded, "I sure hope he's okay."
"Me too," Amanda nodded.
Duncan and Anne got out of the T – bird first, then Amanda and Tori got out.
Richie then tired to get out, but found himself stuck at the door, "Really?! I'm stuck! I can't get out!"
He struggled to get out of the door, but with no such luck, "Damn it!"
"Hang on," Duncan opened the other side of the car to get him out, "Tori, can you help on the other side?"
Tori nodded as she grabbed her boyfriend's chubby hands, "Hang on."
Duncan pushed his back and then Richie ended up landing ungracefully on his stomach on the ground, with Tori on top of him.
"Richie!" Tori exclaimed. She managed to help up her boyfriend, who now looked more embarrassed than ever.
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," Amanda assured him.
"What do you think?!" Richie exclaimed, "I got stuck in the car and I nearly squished my girlfriend to death!"
"I'm fine, Rich," Tori assured him, trying to calm him down, "Don't worry, I still have muscles."
"Well, look what we have here."
The group looked to see Dark Duncan in front of Joe, who appeared to be ragged and in a wheel chair, looking homeless. The dark counterpart was holding the watcher at blade point, "While my watcher is homeless, I see you know how to pick them, MacLeod."
"Joe!" Duncan exclaimed.
"Am I…..have I gone crazy?" Joe asked, confused, "I thought there weren't any immortals."
"What?!" Duncan exclaimed, surprised.
"What?!" Tori, Richie and Amanda exclaimed in unison.
"What's going on?!" Joe demanded.
"Our worst nightmares are coming to life Joe," Duncan insisted, "that's what's going on. That's why you believe there are no immortals, and that's why Amanda, Tori and Richie are the way they are right now!"
"You have quite the friends, MacLeod," Dark Duncan stated as he eyed all of his good counterpart's friends, "A homeless watcher, hooker who's an assassin slash genius, a pregnant doctor, Joan of Arc and chubby. You sure know how to pick them."
He chuckled before eyeing Richie, "I hope the ground doesn't shake when he walks. It might be a disaster if it does."
Duncan looked at his pupil and saw it was taking everything he had not to break down and cry as he was hurt by the words he said to him.
"You monster!" Tori exclaimed in anger while comforting her boyfriend, "Fat people have feelings too, you know!"
"And you're going to assume a whore like you has feelings too?" Duncan retorted. He eyed her, "I can do a lot of things with you as I am way more attractive than your wide load boyfriend is."
"Knock it off!" Amanda exclaimed, "You are a monster for saying such horrible things!"
She slapped him, and Dark Duncan slapped her in return.
"Leave them out of this!" Duncan told his dark self, "It's between me and you!"
"About time!" Dark Duncan replied before he released Joe. Anne and Tori helped Joe to his wheelchair while Duncan dueled with his dark self.
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"This is nightmare city," Joe stated, "So Sierra is the one behind our nightmares coming to life?!"
"In a nutshell," Amanda nodded.
"You look like you were dressed in the 1180s England," Joe stated before he eyed Tori, "Whoa, and you look like you're dressed for the streets."
He then eyed Richie, "You look like you've let yourself go."
"No kidding," Richie looked down as he sat down near a chair, only for it to cave in under his weight, and causing him to fall on his back.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Richie exclaimed. Amanda and Tori helped him up as the group could tell he was embarrassed at what happened to him.
"Let me guess," Joe looked at Richie, "you putting on weight is your worst nightmare."
"Very much so," Richie nodded.
"My nightmare made me a ruthless assassin in a trashy attire," Tori chimed in.
"Mine had it to where I was executed at the stake with no sanctuary," Amanda added.
"And a masked killer was after me for mine," Anne added in.
"This is truly wild," Joe stated.
Tori heard her tablet beeping coming from her purse, "That's odd. The tablet is in my assassin purse."
She got out her tablet and answered it, seeing Jack on screen.
"What took you so long to answer?" Jack asked.
"Sorry," Tori answered, "We've been caught up in our nightmares coming to life."
"That explains that. Sierra Shivers, right?" Jack replied.
"Exactly," Amanda replied.
"It's a good thing I'm seeing you in that get up instead of your mother," Jack stated as he eyed Tori's attire, "She would have a conniption."
"That statement wouldn't do it justice," Tori replied.
"Do you need me to send a trainer for your boyfriend as well a weight loss program?" Jack asked.
"Jack!" Tori sternly exclaimed upon seeing Richie looking down in shame.
"Sorry," Jack apologized, "I forget he's not always like this."
"We know it's Sierra Shivers behind this mess," Amanda said.
"You're exactly right, Joan of Arc," Jack stated, "The IUA have been tracking her down for a few decades now, specifically since 1955. A pretty long time."
"After MacLeod takes care of his nightmare," Joe said, "he'll help us track down Sierra's location."
"Sounds like a plan," Jack replied.
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Duncan was dueling with Dark Duncan at a nearby alleyway near Joe's bar. Both of them were evenly matched since they were essentially the same person.
"After I take your head," Dark Duncan stated, "I will go after your little buddy, who's not exactly little right now. It'll probably be easy for me to take his head because of his extra weight and slowness."
Duncan stated, "Leave Richie alone!"
"And your women," Dark Duncan smirked, "I'll have fun with them."
"No, you won't touch them," Duncan replied.
They continued to duel.
"We are one and the same!" Dark Duncan exclaimed.
The duel continued until Duncan eventually gained the upper hand and disarmed his dark counterpart.
"You may look like me, and fight like me," Duncan told his dark counterpart, "but you are not me!"
Duncan beheaded his dark counterpart and took his quickening. After it ended, Dark Duncan's body vanished.
He stood up after the quickening ended, "Now for Sierra."
Duncan met up with the others, who were talking, "Is everyone okay?"
"We're fine," Amanda answered, "nothing has happened yet we should be concerned about."
"It's hard to breathe right now," Richie stated, catching his breath.
"I'll bet," Duncan comforted his friend, "but hang in there, tough guy. When Sierra is gone, you'll be back to normal."
"I hope so," Richie replied, "This isn't fun. At least my knees and joints don't hurt."
"Jack shown us the location of Sierra Shivers," Tori announced, "She is at a rich apartment complex at the outskirts of town, not too far from here."
"Good," Duncan replied, "It's now time to eliminate of the source of the nightmares and put our town back to normal."
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Duncan and the group made their way to the hotel, which was across the street from the bar. Amanda helped wheeled Joe while Tori was helping Richie.
"This is the place," Tori stated, "Jack mentioned the exact description of this apartment."
"About time," Richie replied.
The group entered the apartment. The entrance looked like an equivalent of the Tudor House Tessa was taken a couple of years ago. Duncan had no idea why the place was like this.
The group heard an alarm as if to announce an intruder.
"Looks like Sierra has a security system," Anne stated.
The group looked to see an average looking man, a heavyset man, larger than Richie was, and a female ready to fight the group.
"You must be Sierra's lackeys," Duncan stated.
"You won't be interfering with Sierra keeping these nightmares in this city," the first man stated.
"We'll see about that!" Duncan exclaimed.
"Kyle, why don't you deal with our intruders here?" the leader of the lackeys asked the heavyset man, "I see MacLeod has a fat pig too."
Duncan observed Kyle was larger than Richie, as he was probably 400 pounds, and was obese long before the nightmares even began.
Richie immediately fought against Kyle, as if there was a sumo fight. Even though there was a disadvantage, Richie gained the upper hand and knocked Kyle to the ground. Richie then was catching his breath while celebrating his little victory.
"You know," Richie stated, "I've been having a bad day because of your mistress creating nightmares, and that had made feel a bit better."
"Now, you're going to tell me where your boss is," Duncan told the lead lackey.
"And why on Earth would I do that?" the lead lackey retorted, crossing his arms.
"I can make you until you give in until you tell us where she is," Duncan replied.
"Or what," the lackey retorted as he eyed Richie again, "you'll have your wide load friend sit on me?"
Duncan got a smug look before he briefly eyed Richie.
Richie lunged for the lackey and caught him in the middle of the room, and took him down with his weight.
"Hey!" the lackey shouted as he fell to the floor. Richie got him on the floor and sat on him.
"Exactly!" Duncan exclaimed, with a smirk on his face.
"Get this fat ass off of me!" the lackey shouted, "Come on! I can't breathe!"
"I think he had it coming," the female lackey stated.
"Being fat does have its benefits," Amanda stated.
"But it is not a healthy way to live," Anne pointed out.
"Are you going to tell us where Sierra is?" Duncan asked.
"No," the lackey answered.
"Fine," Duncan smirked, "my friend will keep on sitting on you."
"All right! All right then!" the lackey finally relented, "Sierra is in the main room on the top of the building."
Richie stood up after Duncan made his way to Sierra, leaving the others to deal with the masked killer trying to attack Anne. Joe could only watch. Richie tried to help, but his girth was giving him a disadvantage and the killer easily knocked him down.
Tori and Amanda were the only ones able to take on the masked killer while Richie and Joe tried to protect Anne.
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Duncan barged into Sierra's room.
"Sierra Shivers?" Duncan bellowed.
Sierra got up from her bed, and faced the Highlander, "You called?"
"I know you are responsible for Seacouver to have their nightmares become reality," Duncan stated, "My watcher's depressed, and my best friend has gained weight because of your powers!"
"That would be me," Sierra replied as she glanced over the model of the city of Seacouver, "Thanks to this model, I was able to project every citizen and make them experience their worst nightmares, making them a reality. It's what I've done best for years, centuries to be exact."
"Are you not even sorry?" Duncan asked.
"Not since the Salem Witch trials," Sierra answered.
"Well, you have your moment," Duncan replied, "but not for long."
The Highlander and Sierra began their duel. They parried across the room. Eventually, Duncan gained the upper hand, disarmed Sierra, and glared at her.
"No!" Sierra exclaimed, "That's not possible!"
"Well, it is possible," Duncan replied, "The nightmare's over."
He beheads Sierra and felt her quickening as it destroyed the room. This was one of the rare instances where he beheaded a female immortal, something he hadn't done since Nefertiti.
Duncan dropped to his knees in the destroyed room after the quickening ended as he saw that the so called "hotel" turned back to a very empty building.
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Tori looked on as she saw her attire back to normal just as the masked killer vanished for good, "Thank goodness."
She then noticed the building was back to a washed up, empty building with lots of crates before noticing Joe back to his normal clean self, "I'll be damned. MacLeod did it."
Tori looked to see Amanda back in her modern attire and her shorter hair, "Amanda."
"I'm just fine," Amanda smiled, "What about Richie?"
Richie turned as he found himself back to his normal weight as well as his normal clothes, "I'm feeling much better now."
"Thank goodness," Tori hugged her boyfriend.
"Looks like everything is back to normal," Anne sighed with relief.
-Defenders-Chronicles-Highlander-
Amanda was packing her stuff into her trunk, "Ah, this damn stuff used to fit before."
"Don't make any fat jokes in front of me," Richie chided with a smirk, "even though I am back to normal."
"I wasn't," Amanda replied, "I'm just trying to get my stuff in the case."
"I'm just glad to have my old body back," Richie stated as he gestured towards his lean, trim body.
"Yeah," Tori replied, hugging her boyfriend, "I'm glad you're back to your healthy weight."
"It's good that you're back to your normal weight too, tough guy," Duncan replied, "and everything else is back to normal in Seacouver. The nightmares are all gone."
"And the lackeys who were working with Sierra have been taken into IUA custody," Tori informed the group.
"That's good to hear," Amanda replied, "How are Anne and the baby?"
"They're doing fine," Duncan answered, "Anne called me and she's doing fine and the baby is doing just fine."
"That's good," Amanda sighed with relief before she said, "I don't know what to tell you. I love you, Duncan and you're my best friend, but I just have to go away. Um, I've got to get it together."
"The door's always open," Duncan assured her.
"We're going to miss you, Amanda," Tori added.
"Thank you for everything," Richie added as well.
"I forgot how fragile they are," Amanda stated.
"Yeah," Duncan nodded.
"Tori and I are going to go out on a date," Richie informed the pair, "We'll see you later, Amanda."
Richie and Tor said their goodbyes to Amanda before they left the loft for their date.
"Okay, so I'm going to, um, call you when I get there," Amanda informed Duncan, "and you can send my stuff to me."
"Or anything you need," Duncan replied, "Anything I can do. Whether it's with Kenny, the nightmares, Melissa, anything. I'll always be there for you, all right?"
They kissed, and then they hugged.
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"The news has declared that the nightmares have cleared out," Joe told Duncan, "everything is back to normal."
"And everyone is back to normal as well," Duncan replied.
"You wanna, uh, take five, Lou?" Joe asked his worker. The worker, Lou, left the area.
"How are Richie and Tori?" Joe then asked.
"Doing better," Duncan answered, "Richie feels a lot better with his body back to normal, and he's on a date with Tori."
"And how's Amanda?"
"She's doing better with coping with Kenny and the other recent events," Duncan said, "and she left this morning."
"Well, you'll see her again," Joe assured him.
"Always do."
"You want to talk about it?" Joe asked.
"Nah," Duncan answered before he placed two glasses on the bar, set a bottle between them as an invitation. Joe filled the glasses.
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Author's Notes:
In the actual ending of the episode of "The Colonel," Amanda left town and Duncan and Joe had a drink. For the purpose of this canon, Amanda doesn't leave town in the Earth N version of "The Colonel" until the end of this chapter, but you'll see her again, that's for sure!
As far as outlandish episodes/chapters go, I couldn't see the Highlander franchise going too far like this, unless you count the first sequel, supernatural maybe, but not super outlandish. However, Defenders of the Earth has had some outlandish episodes during its run such as "Dracula's Potion" or the alleged series finale "The Thunder Lizards of Ming" or even "The Book of Mysteries," so I think you could consider this a "one and done" experience, unless noted otherwise.
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Chapters
Tori Gordon, a teenage operative for the Intergalactic Union Agency, transfers to a branch in Washington State, where she becomes involved in a battle between supernatural forces.
While reflecting on personal matters, Tori witnesses a stunning occurrence.
Richie introduces Tori to his friends, Duncan and Tessa, who detail the secret affairs of immortals.
As Tori begins learning more about her true nature, a teacher offers assistance.
Tori informs the Defenders that she plans to help Duncan and his companions.
Tori and Richie continue bonding as the IUA works with Duncan.
Tori is given a new task by her mother Janet.
Duncan and the group encounter Tori's teacher, Amanda. Tori learns that Duncan and Amanda have history.
9: Two Families, One Adventure
The Defenders arrive in Paris, where they unite with Tori's team.
Tori tends to an ailing Richie.
The group gains allies while investigating a new matter.
The search for Horton begins.
An old friend of Tori's reveals a darker side. Janet becomes involved in the current operation.
Duncan is told to be wary of a dark prophesy.
The team is menaced by Annie Devlin, an old associate of Duncan's.
Duncan begins refining Tori's skills.
Richie and Tori continue bonding.
A new woman comes into Richie's life.
Janet takes steps to make Richie an IUA operative.
Tori and her allies confront a number of enemies in the city.
The teams head out for a day of fun.
Rick's capture leads to a compromising situation as LJ and the others attempt a rescue.
Lucy, a dangerous immortal, targets Richie. Tori intervenes.
The IUA investigates when one of the Phantom's acquaintances is victimized by an immortal.
Richie and Tori return to Paris to assist with the mission, which is complicated by police involvement.
Duncan meets a woman who bears a strong resemblance to Tessa.
27: Can't Help Falling In Love
Kern, a vindictive old associate, returns to challenge Duncan.
Duncan attempts to work with the unstable David Keogh.
Charlie prepares to depart.
The group meet a girl named Michelle, who has just discovered her immortal nature.
Tori and Richie attempt to care for a younger boy named Kenny.
Everyone prepares for a holiday.
A mysterious statue creates chaos.
Joe and the team find others in need of their help.
Jedda and Tori have an intimate conversation.
Kalas haunts Richie and the others.
Duncan prepares for battle with Kalas and finds a surprise.
Kalas searches for Methos.
Tori worries as Richie begins taking chances.
Anne arrives.
41: The Exorcism of Richie Ryan
Richie requires assistance in getting back to normal.
The Defenders step in to assist with Kalas, and to help prevent the truth about Duncan's kind from leaking.
Duncan prepares to confront Kalas.
Duncan embarks on a private journey to Scotland. Jedda and Tori spar before an audience.
45: Walking On Shattered Glass
Duncan tries to intervene as Charlie clashes with Cord.
The current situation reminds Tori of a well-known scenario.
Amanda and Richie follow Duncan on a journey in secret, and end up defending themselves from a horde of ice robots.
The friends see Kenny again. Duncan suspects that a certain immortal is pursuing the child.
Seacouver is targeted by an ambitious supernatural woman named Sierra.
Duncan, Tori, and Richie investigate a matter from Duncan's past alongside the police.
The group is challenged by a charismatic new antagonist, Kamir.
The spellcaster Kristin Gilles arrives and pursues Richie. Mandrake offers assistance in thwarting her.
Duncan and his friends attempt to aid a pianist.
Anne and Jack participate in the latest endeavor.
Duncan falls under a dark influence temporarily.
Methos and the others reflect.
The exploits of Flash and his famed allies from Mongo are chronicled. Meanwhile, Zorelda reemerges.
The team members engage in sparring and storytelling during downtime.
The groups attempt to rescue Joe, who has been lured into a trap.
As tensions rise and truths are revealed, the team bands together in their effort to help Joe.
Richie makes a monumental decision.
As Tori and Richie prepare for the big day, opposing forces on Mongo makes plans of their own.
Katarina and Castra attempt to unite with the Defenders before Zorelda makes her move.
Zorelda arrives on Earth.
65: Setting Up The Rescue Mission
The groups outline their rescue effort.
Zorelda begins enacting her plan for Richie.
67: Mongo Showdown — Part One
Methos and Duncan engage in action on Mongo.
68: Mongo Showdown — Part Two
As the battle continues, Tori confronts Zorelda.
The group deals with the repercussions of their adventure and return to Earth.
Duncan's ally, Cassandra, relays a vision.
Tori and Richie encounter a cult. Duncan pursues Clay.
The Ryans foster a mysterious child who bears a resemblance to Tori.
Amanda and Maurice return as a new enigma arises.
Amanda engages in more questionable activity.
The group tries helping a woman who might be stalked by an old acquaintance of Duncan's.
76: All That Glitters Is Not Golden
Richie seeks to assist a childhood friend who's dealing with legal issues.
The Ryans encounter an apparent impostor, who also approaches Hadea.
An adversary known as Kronos targets Tori, seeking to exploit her intellect.
Richie and Duncan move to counter Kronos.
80: The Ransom of Richard Redstone
The Ryans depart for an undercover mission overseas.
The group make new acquaintances while pursuing a lead tied to a mysterious dancing event.
The enigmatic Keane arrives, wreaking havoc on several people's lives.
Duncan deals with a mischievous adversary named Byron. Jedda and Rick prepare for parenthood. Both Katarina and Jedda sense danger ahead.
Ming and Octon turn to a new ally.
Duncan is haunted.
The shape-shifter initiates a confrontation.
Ming shifts his focus to an isolated girl.
The Defenders unite with Tori's friends in an effort to stop Ahriman.
A climactic battle occurs as the Defenders clash with Ming, while Tori and Richie attempt to aid their friends.
90: Aftermath: The World Changes Forever
Everyone is affected by the recent events, which will have lasting repercussions.
Richie copes. Duncan travels overseas.
Joe, Amanda, and Duncan continue to hunt the enemy.
April locates Richie and provides an update on the current situation.
Richie is confronted by the opponent again.
Joe leads the investigation as everyone bands together.
The final clash begins.
Duncan makes a crucial discovery.
The key element to the plan is obtained.
The team proceeds with their endeavor.
100: The Last Stand — Part One
The group discovers that only one person can assist Duncan.
101: The Last Stand — Part Two
The battle reaches a conclusion.
Series finale.
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