I am the night (city_knight) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2017-05-05 19:07:00 |
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Entry tags: | !closed, !completed gdoc, !log, [plot] barbarian!methos, ~2017 may, ~25 points, ~~bruce wayne (city_knight), ~~duncan macleod (_highlander_) |
Who: Bruce Wayne and Duncan MacLeod
What: Creating a plan
When: Friday Evening
Where: The Boarding House
Warnings:
Status: Closed/ gdoc finished in comments
Bruce had gone looking for someone to help him collate data about the appearances of this Methos and to poke into ownership records. He was able to put a lot of information together but he needed the help to get into things he didn’t have access to. In this world he wasn’t set up to get hacked information like he was at home.
At least until he met one Chloe Sullivan. With her help Bruce had been able to narrow down the search area to a reasonable area. She had apparently been working on using the traffic cameras to try to do facial recognition but had gotten limited results because Methos was apparently using a lot of alleys to get from place to place but had a few hits. Between that and eye witnesses Bruce had a good enough feeling that he was right about the search area that he went to go see the man that had posted the initial warning about Methos.
Which meant he showed up on the doorstep of the boarding house to see Duncan MacLeod.
***
Duncan was growing frustrated with trying to find Methos. This wasn’t that big of a town and yet the other immortal was proving to be very elusive. The longer this went on the more likely it would be that someone would get killed. One man was already seriously injured, and Methos was swiftly losing any kind of sympathy that might be there for him.
All of that was scrawled on his face when he answered the door. He didn’t know the man but his expression seemed to mirror Duncan’s. “Can I help you?”
***
“You know Methos. I need your opinion on something.” Bruce had a folder in his hand and gestured past Duncan to the house, he’d rather be inside when discussing this. It wasn’t that he suspected Methos would be nearby, in fact all of his sightings gave this area a wide berth so far.
***
“Yes, of course.” Duncan stepped to the side to hold the door in a silent invitation for the man to come in. Honestly, it was surprising it took this long for anyone to come to him about Methos.
***
Bruce liked to have his information ready before going to someone. This wasn’t like an interrogation where he might show up immediately and be ruthless about digging. This was getting information to close a case.
Bruce walked in and put his folder down on the nearest table surface and pulled out a map he and Chloe had worked on.
“I’ve narrowed down where Methos most likely is. You were the first one to post about him and are known to have some sort of connection with him. I need to know how he will most likely react to things to make it easier to pin point where he’s holding his captives and decide how to get to them.” The map had different colors and notes on it but most importantly it had outlined a smaller section of town where there was enough space to hide and empty buildings to do it in while still giving access to escape routes.
“He may not be who he was recently but underneath the things we learn as children are still there, pushing us toward how we will react. What do you think he’ll do if he’s hunted?”
***
Duncan looked at the map and was frankly impressed. “I’ve known Methos a while now, but I didn’t know this part of him. However, you’re right. There are things he does, habits that most likely would not change.”
He sighed as he ran a hand over his face. “If he’s cornered he’ll run.”
***
“Hmm.” That wasn’t an answer that Bruce expected from the man’s actions so far. This was why he was talking to people that knew the man. Or in this case, person that knew the man. Methos wasn’t well known by a lot of people in town. Not on a deeper level anyway.
“So we need to have it look like there’s an out for him to take.” Bruce looked over the Scotsman with a practiced eye for judging capabilities. He was a fighter and a good one if Bruce was any judge. “He’s been ridiculously hard to catch for such a small area. Any ideas on how to locate him if we know the general area of where to look?”
***
Nobody expected Methos to run. It was what kept him alive this long. Methos told Duncan that himself. “Exactly. Herd him if possible.” He hated this, but it had to be done.
This was a question he could answer without hesitation. “Use me,” Duncan said. “I’m your lodestone. Immortals can sense each other if they are close enough. I’ve been wandering everywhere trying to pick up on him, but so far nothing.”
***
“That’s convenient.” And something to file away in Bruce’s mind in case there was another reason to find either Methos or Duncan in the future. “Well I’ve narrowed the area down for you, how do you feel about taking a walk tomorrow when we’re ready?” Bruce could use Duncan to help them find Methos but he also might have another purpose.
“If he can sense you then you can find him, but after that I think you need to be in reserve. You know he’ll run, watch him, make sure you’re there to catch him when he finds his window.”
***
“The sooner the better, in my opinion,” Duncan said. There was a tired edge to his voice. He hadn’t been sleeping for more than an hour or so at a time since this all began.
“I’m the best lure you have.” Time to tell secrets, apparently. “He’ll want to remove my head so he can collect my power. Decapitation is the only way to kill us permanently. When one immortal kills the other they take their energy.”
***
And that was the best information to have right there. It made Bruce’s brows twitch upward slightly hearing it. “That must make you fairly good friends when he’s not like this if you live in the same space and aren’t trying to collect.” Bruce had other copies of the map so he planned to leave this one and the papers with the reasonings he and Chloe had used to make a search area.
“I think I’ll keep from telling the family of Molly Walker that. I’d hate for someone to get any ideas about justice while we’re taking him down.”
***
Duncan nodded. “Despite how much he annoys me, Methos is a good friend most of the time.” They trusted each other, which was more than most immortals could say for each other.
Then he sighed. “I’d appreciate that. I’m still hoping this is something the town did and it will bring him back to normal. Either way, he will have enemies after this.” Even though Methos had never told him about this part of his life, Duncan would not allow anyone else to harm him or hold him responsible.
***
“There’s usually a limited span for things the town influences. We’ll know soon enough if it’s caused by that or he’s been replaced by another version of himself.” Bruce had heard of things lasting up to a month for individuals but the wider spread events tended to only be a week or so.
“Does he still have a friend when he comes back if it’s the town?” There wasn’t any judgement there, Bruce was just curious how bad it would be for Methos if this went away. His normal self for the town didn’t seem like this kind of person and he’d gone after children and pregnant women.
***
“Well, there’s me,” Duncan said. That wasn’t without merit. Duncan was big, serious, calm but could kick some serious ass if necessary. “There’s a woman he’d just started dating. Maria, I believe her name is. I’ve tried to reach out to her, but she isn’t responding.” Which worried him.
“Reyna and Percy wouldn’t turn on him either. They live here with us.” They wanted to stop this madness, but Duncan was certain they wouldn’t turn against Methos if he came back to normal.
***
Bruce nodded. It was good to know the man would have a support system. Although it would be very difficult to kill himself being immortal unless he chopped his own head off. But he ran when cornered, that wasn’t someone who would willingly walk up to die in his experience.
“I’ll make sure and try to reach out to Maria for the take down. She might be interested in helping.”
***
“I wish I knew her better,” Duncan said. “I had hoped she would answer that or any of my other attempts, but she’s ignored me. I do know she has friends here so maybe talk to them too.”
Then something occurred to him. “So what is your name?”
***
“Bruce Wayne.” Bruce finally let a smile touch his expression and he held out a hand for Duncan to shake as he introduced himself. He wondered if some fictional version of him existed in their world like it did so many of the others.
***