This was supposed to go out next week; but then, I always did have
lousy timing :P
Hoping this makes it in under the gun,
***Lunaludus Scribex***
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-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: teaser.txt
-- Desc: teaser.txt
PRELIMINARIES: None of this belongs to me. Sailor Moon and
Highlander, and all characters, settings, and concepts
associated with them, are the property of Naoko Takeuchi et
al and Rysher-Panzer Productions, respectively. Neither
party is affiliated in any way, shape, or form with the
creation of this teaser (a fact for which, I suspect, they
would be profoundly grateful). I have made liberal usage
of their characters and settings in this teaser; this was
done without the knowledge or permission of either party,
and is technically an infringement of their copyright. As
this teaser is, at the most pragmatic level, free promotion
of the Sailor Moon and Highlander franchises, it is hoped
that they will regard it (if at all) with a benign
ignorance.
This story, when written, will be posted to
rec.arts.anime.creative, the FFML (if back up) and to my
website, found at
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Agora/9876 . It is based
upon a story fragment posted to the FFML a few months back
by D.F. Roeder.
This is only a teaser, and a hastily assembled rough draft
of a teaser at that. I apologize in advance for any
sloppiness on my part.
* * * * *
The man who called himself Adam regarded his opponent
through the driving rain. Robert de Valincourt, he
decided, had seen better days. His face was drawn, his
eyes bloodshot; his sword wavered in unpredictable
patterns, and he shifted restlessly from foot to foot, as
if running on nothing but adrenaline. In all likelihood,
he had not slept for more than a day.
Having to kill your wife of three hundred-odd years would
do that to a person.
It was a major reason why the man who called himself Adam
had never gotten involved with another Immortal; this day
always stood prominently in the back of his mind. He
wanted to live, and being reduced to a quivering lump like
his opponent was most emphatically not the way to go about
this. Ironic, considering the part he had played in
keeping Robert and his wife together some years ago.
Perhaps he had been thinking of this day when he agreed to
MacLeod^�s idiotic scheme. He could not be sure; too much
time had passed. But the possibility brought to mind an
unfamiliar emotion--was it guilt?
Odd, that. He hadn^�t felt guilt since the eleventh
century.
And while he was wasting time on that pointless
observation, Robert struck. He moved with the energy of a
man possessed, attacked with the recklessness of a man who
had nothing left to live for. The man who called himself
Adam barely got his sword up in time for the parry, then
lashed out instinctively with a counterstroke that Robert
blocked effortlessly. Robert did not block the kick to his
groin, but when his opponent pressed the attack, he struck
back with an attack of his own, not even bothering with a
defense.
Back and forth the two went, dancing along the street,
struggling to keep their grips on their weapons in the
storm. What the man who called himself Adam had in
experience, Robert made up for in desperation. The fight
could have gone either way.
But when Robert stepped on the cat, it was all over.
The yowl distracted Robert almost as much as losing his
balance. Either way, it proved to be fatal; a few seconds
later, Robert^�s head bounced and rolled a short ways down
the street.
The Quickening was everything he had expected, and more.
Robert was a powerful Immortal.
What he did not expect was the sensation of another
Immortal sharing it.
He struggled to his knees, leaning heavily on his sword for
support. It seemed impossible; the only way he could have
shared this Quickening would have been for another Immortal
to be practically right next to him. But the Buzz was
there, so close to him that--
No way.
He turned, and looked at the furry form sprawled next to
him. The cat, like himself, was just regaining
consciousness. He grabbed it by the scruff of the neck,
and held it up. He had excellent night vision, but could
not make out much because of its black fur. No collar that
he could see, but--wait. Was that a bald patch on its
forehead? He locked eyes with the cat, and they regarded
each other for a few seconds.
It was odd; the man who called himself Adam was certain
that he had never seen this cat before, but there was an
odd sense of familiarity about it, about its eyes...
*flicker*methos*flicker*
^�What?!^� He dropped the cat in surprise, reeling back
from...whatever that had been. The cat took advantage of
his distraction, and sank its teeth deep into his wrist.
He let go with a shout, and the cat scampered away.
And, sure enough, the Buzz disappeared.
*An Immortal cat.* He shook his head and chuckled. Who
would have thought?
But he did not think for long. The man who called himself
Adam rose to his feet, sheathed his sword, and walked away.
There was a church, he knew, about half a mile from here;
he could catch a few hours of sleep there.
The Gathering had begun, after all, and it would not do to
be caught off Holy Ground.
***************************************
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
A Sailor Moon/Highlander Fanfic
By
Lunaludus Scribex
(http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Agora/9876)
Original concept by D.F. Roeder
used with permission
***************************************
COMING SOON