Richie Ryan has been on his own since that tearful farewell in the dojo. He is coming to terms with his Immortality, learning to rely on himself. Nevertheless, when frightening things happen that he cannot explain or understand, he returns to his teacher for guidance. His heart knows that the Highlander will not reject him if he truly needs help. Mac, with his loyal and generous nature, is the only person he can trust.
Their bond is that strong.
Martin Hyde is an interesting villain, an Immortal connoisseur, only savoring the Quickening of a mature, “seasoned” Immortal. He is willing to wait centuries for that pleasure and his only interest in Richie is knowing that Richie will lead him to the powerful, well-aged Duncan MacLeod.
MacLeod has missed Richie more than he cares to admit. Their relationship begins its evolution from one of teacher/student, to one of friend /equal. At the conclusion, they symbolically toast their new relationship with mellowed well-aged, “seasoned” cognac.
New Characters:
MARTIN HYDE — An old Immortal nemesis of MacLeod’s. He loves to hunt, enjoys the kill, especially “seasoned Immortal” adversaries. The challenge is so much greater.
SEGUR — A close Immortal friend, one of MacLeod earliest teachers.
INSPECTOR BARDOT — Mortal, she is sure Richie is a murderer.
A Highway in France, Present Day
Richie races toward Paris—
On his motorbike.
He’s bewildered and scared,
Feelings he does not like.
He pulls in for gas,
Exhausted and spent,
A quick cup of coffee,
His only intent.
As the owner’s wife serves him—
Her face shows concern.
Would he like a room?
No... He has miles to burn.
An evil Buzz shakes him,
He runs out and then—
Sees the owner sprawled dead,
“Oh no! Not again!”
Leaning over the corpse,
Baffled in his confusion,
Richie still holds his sword!
What’s the woman’s conclusion?
“You killed my husband!”
She runs to the phone.
Richie flees on his bike—
But he’s not alone.
The Barge
Mac steered the barge back—
To its old mooring place.
And relaxing beside him—
A familiar round face.
Maurice, self-appointed—
Captain and crew.
In exchange for free drinks—
And an hors d’oeuvre or two.
That tingle alerts Mac,
Company is near.
Richie pulls up bedraggled—
In full biker’s gear.
Mac appraises his state—
(G-d knows where he’s been),
“You look like hell....” “Trouble?”
He invites Richie in.
Richie toured the U.S.,
Hitched a boat to Madrid,
Since that time, trouble grew—
Like a giant pyramid.
An Immortal’s behind him—
Killing folks with such speed,
That the cops are convinced—
Rich has done every deed.
“He followed you HERE?
Then he killed AGAIN?”
“Mac, he had no reason—
For killing those men!”
“There’s always a reason,
For Immortal swordplay.”
“Why doesn’t he fight me?”
“Maybe YOU’RE not his prey.”
Flashback, Rural Scotland, 1630
The warrior Duncan—
Rides hard on his quest,
Until he finds Connor—
He’ll refuse food and rest.
A grisly sight draws him,
A corpse, in the glen,
In his hand, MacLeod tartan,
“Oh no! Not again!”
For Connor, his teacher—
Mac frantically searches,
But, the farmers know nothing—
Until through the birches—
Strides a powerful Immortal,
“Who are YOU?” Mac’s pop-eyed,
“Well, I see YOU’RE nobody,
But I’m Martin Hyde!”
“It’s MACLEOD that I want!”
“You have found him,” shouts Mac,
“I am Duncan MacLeod!”
He prepares for attack.
“I want CONNOR!” roars Hyde.
His arm strikes like a club.
“I am seeking the wolf,
Not a weak, worthless cub!”
Though beaten, near senseless—
Mac won’t betray Connor!
He would sooner be killed—
Than disgrace the Clan’s honor.
“In a century or two,”
Hyde mocks with contempt,
“If you’re still alive,
You’ll be worth the attempt.”
:Street Near the Barge, Present Day
The man stops Maurice—
Asking in some detail,
“Who owns that barge?”
“Is it for sale?”
He regards Richie’s bike,
Hands his card to Maurice,
“Give this to the owner,”
Then he calls the police.
Inside The Barge
“He wanted you scared,
So you’d bolt in a hurry.”
“And I led him straight HERE,
Mac...I am so sorry!”
“Richie, you couldn’t know,
But right now, what’s best—
Lie down, get some sleep—
Even our kind needs rest.”
“Mac, when I left you,
I didn’t know—
If you’d welcome me back,
But I’ve nowhere to go.”
“Rich, I will always—
Welcome you as my friend.
Though relationships change—
They do not have to end.”
The two men embrace—
With shameless affection.
Each admitting he missed—
Their close-knit connection.
Rich sighs, “I feel safe—
For the first time in weeks.”
Mac: “Don’t talk too soon.”
Cops approach as he speaks.
Rich flees on his bike—
Pulling out all the stops.
But all get-away paths—
Are cut off by cops.
He skids, tumbling over.
This escape he sure botches!
He’s surrounded, at gunpoint—
As a helpless Mac watches.
Police Station
Dazed, tired, confused—
Rich is placed in a line-up.
He stares ahead dully,
Forced to hold his white sign up.
“Number three! He’s the one!
He murdered my man!”
There’s no question that Rich—
Will spend time in the can.
“He’s in serious trouble,”
Says Inspector Bardot.
She’s a no-nonsense cop,
And she wants Mac to know—
“He’s wanted for murder,
In Madrid and Marseilles—
He fled, had a sword,
Now in jail he will stay.”
“And what was his motive?”
Mac continues to press.
“People murder for nothing—
Tell your friend to confess!”
Mac sees he’ll get nowhere,
She could not be colder.
To get Richie sprung,
Will take acts much bolder.
Jail
Seems like old times,
Mac visits the jail.
Richie peers through bars,
Frightened and pale.
“Do they still chop off heads—
With the guillotine’s knife?”
When Mac reassures him,
“Then I’ll just do life.”
“At least they can’t say—
I killed any more.”
“There will be no more killings,
He’s found what he came for.”
“Can you take this guy, Mac?”
Duncan answers, “Hope so.”
But, Rich sees Mac’s face—
Doubts have started to grow.
Near the Barge
“Maurice, has there been—
Anyone near the barge?”
“Mon Dieu! I forgot!
He gave me his card!”
Then the Buzz alerts Mac,
“Maurice, go inside.”
Mac walks down the plank—
To confront Martin Hyde.
“You have gained wide repute,
A most laudable feature,
It’s amazing how young ones—
Run back to their teacher.
I have hunted and killed—
Every beast,” (a snide chortle).
But nothing compares—
To a seasoned Immortal!”
“You want me? First help—
Get my friend out of jail!”
Hyde wants Mac’s head NOW!
To Mac’s offer...no sale!
They lunge at each other,
Mac is pushed to the wall,
Then he turns tail and runs!
Not like Duncan at all.
The Jail, Later
“How are YOU holding up?”
Mac inquires of Rich.
“Hyde stopped by today,
We’ve encountered a glitch.”
“You fought him? He’s dead?”
“I ran.” “Why, Mac why?”
“Because Martin Hyde—
Is your sole alibi.”
“You’ll be convicted—
If I behead Hyde.”
Mac puts his friend’s welfare—
Ahead of his pride.
“Great!” Rich exclaims,
“If you lose to this dude,
I’ll rot here forever,
Either way, we’re both screwed.”
Mac encounters Bardot—
As she exits the cells.
Mac: “The sword tested clean!”
She: “He used something else.
We would all like to prove—
Our friends’ innocence.”
Duncan smiles. For the first time—
Bardot’s making sense.
Gun and Hunt Club
“Would you see Mr. Hyde—
Gets this message from me?”
A few bills insure—
That is how it will be.
Hyde opens Mac’s note,
In bold script, not wordy—
Its message, succinct,
“The rooftop, 1:30.”
Mac phones the inspector—
To get her on board.
Mac’s late meeting Hyde,
And... he carries NO SWORD!
“Is this a JOKE?”
Hyde roars with chagrin!
Mac offers some cards—
“Want a nice game of Gin?”
Mac dodges and weaves—
Close to decapitation,
“Can’t we settle for some—
Civilized conversation?”
Bardot shouts from below,
She cannot be ignored,
Plus she’s pointing her gun,
Then commands, “Drop that sword!”
With his blade raised on high—
Pumped with testosterone,
Hyde makes a fine target,
Shot—falls like a stone!
Mac recovers Hyde’s sword—
That he dropped on the roof.
“Test this for blood,
You will soon have your proof.”
Police Station
“How did you know—
That Hyde was the one?”
“Inspector, you have—
My statement. It’s done.”
“But what was his motive?”
“Sometimes,” (it’s her quote),
“People murder for nothing.”
Now it’s Mac’s turn to gloat.
The Barge
Thanks to Mac, Rich is free,
Did not need an attorney
But, they both know that Hyde—
Won’t stay long on that gurney.
“My fight,” insists Rich,
“I must settle the score.”
“He won’t fight YOU,” Rich,
“Besides, I owe him more.”
Flashback, Paris, 1700
Segur and MacLeod—
Mourn a friend’s death, today.
Mac was there at his birth,
Watched him age, pass away.
“Is THIS what it means?
Loved ones die, we remain?
Is it worth it, Segur?
To endure so much pain?”
Segur is Mac’s teacher,
Close friend, confidant,
“Use your gift to gain knowledge,”
Says this wise bon vivant,
“You will learn to adjust—
When you give it a chance,
This cognac will cheer you,
It’s the best in all France.”
They both feel the Buzz,
“Cognac’s wasted on HIM,
He can’t tell it from urine,”
Martin Hyde’s face is grim.
Mac leaps out to fight,
But Hyde wants one ‘mature.’
A “seasoned Immortal”—
He has come for Segur!
“Bring this bottle, my friend—
To the bridge, in an hour.”
Segur chides MacLeod,
“Don’t look so dour.”
“We will drink it together.”
Later, on the cold stone,
Mac has waited in vain—
But, cannot drink alone.
The Barge, Evening
Mac hands Rich that bottle—
He saved through the years.
“By the bridge, in one hour.”
Trying to calm Richie’s fears.
“Mac, if you don’t come back....?”
“Then you’re on your own.
Just make sure you’re ready.”
Mac...I can’t drink alone.”
A Nearby Castle/Museum
Dead beasts loom foreboding—
In the huge, dim-lit halls
Predators facing prey—
Between the still walls.
Has Mac met his match?
Does his face show that fear?
Hyde is licking his chops,
He’s in charge, that is clear.
Hyde takes the offensive—
With his brutal advance—
Driving Mac out the doorway—
Leaving nothing to chance.
Hyde slices Mac’s cheek,
Kicks him down the stone steps.
Then kicks him again,
“So much for good reps!”
“You are still a NOBODY!”
Mac desperately tries—
To parry each thrust,
But, Hyde’s strength magnifies.
Mac hasn’t much left—
As he reels from a blow,
But he summons his will—
Knifing Hyde from below.
Hyde’s conceit is his downfall,
He has made the mistake—
Of misjudging MacLeod,
It’s the last one he’ll make.
Hyde’s eyes now convey—
He has heard his death knell.
Duncan points and exclaims,
“I’ll see YOU in Hell!”
The Quickening ignites—
The Parisian sky,
Mac remains on the steps—
As the last embers die.
Hyde wrenched him apart—
With his evil, so deep,
But there’s an appointment—
That Mac needs to keep.
The Bridge
Shoulder to shoulder,
Sharing brandy, like balm.
Rich is proud, Mac respects—
The man he’s become.
No more student and teacher,
A friendship’s been born,
And the friends laugh together—
As they greet the new morn. \
Peace, Emit
© 2001-2003
From The Official Highlander Website, Under the Kilt:
Don Paonessa, Creative Consultant, Post Production
“We played around with a very twisted Spanish guitar in this one, when Richie was walking through the apartment before he gets on his bike and hightails it to Paris.”
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