MINEFIELDS OF THE MIND - THE AARON SERIES

By Jim
jimguy46@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: Highlander relationship Characters belong to Davis-Panzer Productions, Rysher, and or Gaumont. The story belongs to me as well as the characters Aaron and Lt. Colcord and other characters. Guest appearances by Maril, Jo, Neil, Anthony and George.
Beta's: I must thank Jo, Maril and Brig for their expert betaing, since I never would have been able to do this without them. Especially Jo, for without her extreme patience and attention to detail, this story would not have made it off the ground. This is my first immortal story and Jo and Maril have been instrumental on keeping me on track.
Notes: The soldiers whose names are in this story are real, but not the situations. Most of us served together in 1968- 1969 in Vietnam. Rudy Munoz was the only one who did not come home. His name is on W 22 Row 80 of 'The Wall'. I will never forget, Brother.
Synopsis: A man undergoes changes.
Rating: PG-13

~~~~~

CHAPTER 1 REBIRTH IN HELL
1968 - III Corps north on Nui Ba Den (Black Virgin Mountain)

Sergeant Aaron Moss, of the United States Army Wolfhounds quietly slipped through the night-cloaked jungle. He was point man for his squad and was three hundred yards in front of them. He had been in Vietnam eleven months and this was to be his last mission before going home to California. In fact almost all of his entire squad would be going home including his squad leader, Lieutenant Colcord.

Although it was a cloudy night, moonlight filtered through the broken cloud cover. He stopped and crouched behind some bushes when he heard a noise. A Viet Cong soldier was coming down the trail. An obvious point man. The enemy soldier never saw Aaron as the American came up behind him and slit his throat. Aaron hid the body in the bushes and slipped back to his unit. He had a feeling of impending doom. Not from killing as he had killed the enemy before and sometimes in the same manner. This was different.

A few hours later, Aaron was dug in with his unit. They could see the enemy approaching. When the enemy was within fifty yards, the Americans opened up with deadly fire. M-16's (the American choice of weapon) and AK-47 (the Viet Cong weapon) fire ripped through the night air. Bullets buzzed through the air like angry bees. Grenades exploded and men were screaming as they were hit. Shrapnel and body parts intermixed with the bullets to make this ambush a living hell.

Suddenly, Aaron felt the feeling again but ignored it in the heat of battle. A grenade went off near him and he was knocked to the ground. An enemy soldier appeared above him and rammed a bayonet into Aaron. One of Aaron's buddies shot the soldier and then pulled the bayonet out as a bullet entered the back of his head and exploded his brain. Slowly the enemy disengaged and the survivors concentrated on the wounded.

Aaron hung on until a medivac chopper arrived at first light. Medics worked on him as he was loaded onto the chopper, but somewhere to the hospital Aaron died.

Aaron's body was taken to Grave's registration where all the bodies were taken. He would be catalogued and his body prepared for shipment back to his family in a flag draped coffin.

A few hours later, an Army private was working alone in the morgue. Suddenly several bodies in body bags rose from a table. The Private turned around and saw the body bags. The private had seen this many times so he wasn't spooked.

"Ok guys, just lie back. Nothing can hurt you now." He got up and started pushing the corpses back onto the table. Five down 45 to go.

Suddenly a Lieutenant came in. "Private, I have just been notified that we are in danger of immediate attack. Everyone is to report to the perimeter, immediately."

"But Sir, I am not infantry."

"You are now, grab your 16 and move!" The Lieutenant appeared to be about twenty-five, and stood six foot two inches with steely gray eyes. His helmet covered his head.

"Yes, Sir." He saluted, grabbed his helmet, weapon and flak vest and flew out the door.

The Lieutenant started walking down the rows of bags until he found the one he was looking for.

"Get me out of here!!!"

The Lieutenant stopped and unzipped the body bag. Aaron was still in his bloody uniform and in the process of throwing up. The Lieutenant jumped back to keep from being deluged.

Aaron sat there a moment, trying to settle his stomach.

"LT what's happening to me? Why am I in a body bag?"

"Sergeant. Aaron, don't try to talk just yet. I will explain everything in a bit. For the time being, just know that you are alive. Let me help you but take it easy. I know what it's like to wake up from being dead. Yes, you were dead. Killed by a bayonet but now you are alive."

The alert siren sounded and incoming mortars could be heard.

"Let's get out of here."

They made it to a bunker near Lt. Colcord's quarters.

Several mortars hit the camp. Two buildings were hit and one was Graves Registration.

A few minutes later the mortars stopped and the all clear was sounded. The two soldiers headed for Lt. Colcord's tent. Aaron stripped off his bloody fatigue shirt.

Aaron's squad had a tradition. After every mission, the squad gathered at the Lt.'s tent to hoist a few beers, discuss the mission and salute those that didn't make it. LT tossed Aaron a beer.

"Aaron, I know you have a lot of questions and you are barely able to stand. You are nauseous. That comes from being close to me. I sensed you when you woke up just as I had sensed you when I first met you. I watched your every move, every mission. In our job, it was highly likely that you would be killed. Hell we lost eighty per cent of our men in eleven months."

"You sensed me?

"Yes, an immortal can sense another immortal or a premmie, one who hasn't died yet."

Aaron stared at his hands. Shaking his head he thought, Lieutenant, what have you been smoking?

"Aaron, you and I are a breed apart. We are immortals. We cannot die unless we lose our heads. Literally, lose heads. No one knows how or why, only that it happens."

"I was truly dead?" Aaron asked not being able to believe it, but he couldn't figure out any other explanation. He scrutinized the man standing so confidently next to him. The man that had led his squad for eleven months. "How long have you been an immortal?"

" I was turned during the Spanish American War. I rode with the Rough Riders when I caught a bullet from the Spanish."

"Was that the only time?"

"No, I was killed in a battle in World War I."

"So you have been killed twice."

"No. I have been killed three times. I fought and died at Guadalcanal with the Marines. Japanese sniper in a palm tree shot me in the back."

"Ok, so I have died and came back to life. Now what?"

"You will train."

"Train for what?"

"Survival."

"Survival?"

"When we become immortal, another immortal usually contacts us, if one is nearby. That immortal acts as a teacher. You need a teacher."

"A teacher for what?"

"A teacher to keep you alive."

"I am a soldier, I can survive."

"You died."

"Point taken. Who will be my teacher?"

" I am already your commander. I know you better than anyone. I fought with you, cried with you over the men we lost, drank beer together. If you wish, I will be your teacher."

"If I don't want you?"

"I can always take your head."

"That's a hell of a choice."

"There are only two choices. Kill or be killed."

Aaron shook his head and stared down at his hands again. "Sounds like I just enlisted for life."

"Better than being permanently dead."

Aaron's stomach started to revolt. "I think I am going to throw up."

"I know."

Aaron ran for the latrine but made it only half way when he dropped to his knees and heaved. A few minutes later he returned to the tent and grabbed another beer.

"Don't worry Aaron, the sickness will soon pass."

"It better. I can see me heaving every time I meet an immortal."

"It's what happens when you first become an immortal and meet another. You will be come accustomed to it, at least the sensation. It is your alert siren. The stronger it is the closer the immortal is. "

"Other than train what do I do now?"

"Just like here in the Nam, you must listen to me if you want to keep your head. Losing your head is the only way you will be dead. You will also learn to take a head."

Tossing Aaron another beer, Lt. Colcord took one himself and said "Tell you what Sergeant, let's finish these beers while I explain the business of being immortal."

~~~~~

The next morning, Aaron and his unit were ordered to a firebase. The explanation for Aaron's return was that he wasn't dead at all, just unconscious. The man who had pulled the bayonet out of Aaron had been killed shortly afterwards. Even the medic who had treated Aaron had died when a medivac chopper crashed, killing all aboard. Lt. Colcord had stayed behind, as he did not feel there was any danger of an immediate attack.

Around midnight, rockets and mortars rocked the firebase. Enemy soldiers charged the perimeter as the Americans fought back with everything they had. Slowly the enemy penetrated the perimeter and the base was about to be overrun. Aaron opened up with his M-60 machine gun on a group of Viet Cong who were coming through the wire. He saw the leader swinging a sword urging his men on. The burst of fire wiped out most of the enemy soldiers.

"Aaron, that gook with the sword is heading for the ammo bunker."

"Stay here I'll get him."

Aaron felt a little sick but ignored it. The adrenaline pumping through his body during an attack made him forget everything else. He charged toward the ammo bunker, which was down a slope in the center of camp. He felt a slight electrical charge and hit the ground. A sword swished where he was. Aaron had landed on his back and opened fire with his M-16, killing the immortal. He stood up and saw the sword. He picked it up and looked at it. Mortars and rockets started to bracket the camp again. Charlie wasn't finished. Aaron started to head back to the bunkers.

A sudden movement and a low groan came from behind him. Through instinct he slashed out with the sword and a head went flying.

In the midst of the mortar attack, lightning seemed to come at Aaron from everywhere and his body was racked with pain. He dropped the sword and fell to his knees into a slit trench that was dug everywhere in the camp. The quickening was so intense that the ammo dump started exploding. The Americans were hunkered down trying to avoid the incoming rounds so no one saw the quickening. The ground was heaving and the sound intense as if the world was coming to an end.

Aaron slowly revived as his men gathered around. The mortars had stopped. His buddy Corporal Stiles was kneeling next to him. Aaron was half buried in the trench.

"Aaron, are you ok? Man I never saw anything like that before and I never want to again. When the ammo bunker blew I thought you were a goner. Good thing this trench was here. Even the Charlie's booked out. I found that gook's sword next to you and I bet you want it, don't you? That gook got the dump and the dump got him. There ain't much left of him."

"He was Vietnamese, not a gook." He saw a corporal coming their way. "Corporal get the wounded ready for a dust off and secure the perimeter." Hey, I just took my first head and got, what was it the LT said, oh yeah. I just had a quickening and my shit don't stink, he thought. "I claim that sword now as a war souvenir. Hey, did he have a scabbard on him?"

"Don't go Asiatic Aaron, ok he was Vietnamese." Stiles moved towards the headless corpse that Aaron had to kill and pulled the belt holding the sword's scabbard from it. Holding it up to Aaron, who territorially took it. "It's a little bloody Aaron, but what the hell." Stiles saw Aaron's eyes and knew that death walked with him. "With what we have been through man, we need to get out of this place."

"Nine days Bucko, I'm in the single digit fidgets and ready to hop on that Freedom Bird any time. I'm happier than a fly on shit. I'm FIGMO man, got my orders today. Heading for Cam Rahn Bay soon as we get out of the bush and off of this firebase." Aaron started to get up but fell down again.

"Choppers!" went the cry as fifteen choppers could be seen coming in. Several gun ships hovered as the medivac dustoffs landed and left with the wounded. The rest of the choppers landed, discharged fresh troops and ammo and Lieutenant Colcord.

"Sergeant Moss. Has anyone seen Sergeant Moss? "

"Over here LT," yelled Stiles. "He was near the ammo dump when it blew, but he is alive."

"Hello LT, pardon if I don't get up, my legs are still wobbly." Aaron gave the Lieutenant an embarrassed grin.

"That will pass in a moment. Corporal, will you go get Sergeant Moss a beer? He needs one. I brought some in on the chopper."

Corporal Stiles left to find a beer. Lt. Colcord looked at the deceased body still lying where it fell. Aaron's cockiness faded into excitement when his commander and teacher reviewed Aaron's trophy of a job well done.

"I got my first quickening, LT and it was great." Aaron preened like a peacock. "If they are all this easy it'll be a cakewalk."

"Congratulations Aaron, you have taken your first head and with the immortal's own sword. Guess you don't need to look any further for a sword," Lt. Colcord said sarcastically.

"Sergeant," LT softly but firmly said, his nose only inches from Aaron's face. "That is an FNG attitude. It doesn't work in the bush and it doesn't work as an immortal. That attitude will get you or me killed."

Sadly Lt. Colcord walked over to the head. "His name was Nuygen Kao Tam. He was a friend of mine. He was 1500 years old and was killed by an FNG, or as we immortals say, a newbie." The way LT spat the last words out in contempt made Aaron take exception to the name.

"Well LT, then he should have known better than to come charging into a machine gun. Must have had a death wish."

"Possibly," Colcord replied. "The last I had heard of him he was in China."

Colcord put his hand on Aaron's shoulder. "You did good kid, but don't let it go to your head." He snickered on the last word.

"Always remember, Sergeant that the jungle instinct is powerful. Make sure you never lose it or you will lose your head. Now we have to get out of here and get to a place where we are safe. Every step we take here, Death is holding our hand."

"Amen. I have nine days left in country."

"No you and I have zero days. I have our orders. We catch our freedom bird at Cam Rahn Bay for McChord Air Force Base. We both will be getting our honorable discharge at Fort Lewis, Washington as soon as we arrive. Now get your gear, we have six hours to catch that plane and then twelve hours to civilian life."

"Where will we go? I have no one at home. I had no brothers or sisters and my parents were killed in a car accident just before I enlisted."

"I have a dojo on a ranch owned by a friend of mine in Wyoming. He knows I am in the Army so no questions are asked when I come back on leave. Now move it Sergeant!" Lt. Colcord ordered Aaron, with a grin as he held out his hand to help him get up.

"Yes, Sir!" replied Aaron.

"Sergeant, just one more thing. After we get our discharges, I don't want to hear LT again. Got it? My name is John, so use it."

"And mine is Aaron, LT." Aaron replied with a sheepish grin. He had almost said John.

~~~~~
Three weeks later on a ranch in Wyoming

After their discharge at Fort Lewis, John took his student Aaron to the open Wyoming territory. On a flat dusty one hundred and fifty acre ranch stood a large house surrounded by sparse dusty fields. Except for a stand of trees covering forty acres of trees starting within fifty yards of the house, there was nothing. The house was a two-story affair with two thousand five hundred square feet of floor space on each story. Looking at the house, no one would guess that there was a spacious dojo where two immortals would train and workout.

John Colcord and his student Aaron Moss stood in a dojo, after a three hour long work out. Each used a wrapped wooden sword so that they would not accidentally kill each other. The boken would be more feasible in training. The real sword that John would normally use in combat was his old Army saber, a remnant of San Juan Hill and Aaron's katana hugged the wall in a sword hanger. The two men were shirtless and dripping with sweat from their workout. Both of the men's bodies were littered with war scars received before they died.

"Aaron, you are progressing quite rapidly. Had you worked with swords before and did not tell me?"

"Sorry John, must be the Special Forces training I received before washing out at Fort Bragg. We trained with every weapon known: firearms, knives and swords. I am afraid of heights and jumping out of perfectly good aircraft was not one of my specialties so I became a Grunt."

"Don't be sorry, any training is better than no training. I went through Ranger training myself with the British during World War II. Then I was sent to join Merrill and his Marauders in Asia. That is one trip I would never make again. Notice that I don't do a lot of walking. The Infantry takes that out of you fast. Especially when you are humping the bush with bad guys after you."

John grabbed two beers and tossed one to Aaron.

"Today was the best workout we had."

Aaron was quiet and John knew what thoughts were probably running through Aaron's mind. John walked over and sat down next to him. "I know your doubts. Remember you and I have fought side by side for almost a year. I know you. You can do this. Killing an immortal and killing in war are similar but different. We are not murderers. War is war, killing an immortal is survival."

"In other words, it pays to stay away from one's own kind?"

"Basically that's right."

"Remember how we always seemed to know when Charlie was nearby."

"Yeah, LT, it was like we felt them, smelled them."

"You can sense an immortal. You know the combat sense in the bush, use that instinct. You must be careful. You will know when another immortal is around by a buzz that you feel."

"Then I run like hell, right?"

"Not necessarily. I have several friends who are immortals. Neither they nor I challenge each other."

"How can you be friends with a person you will one day have to kill?"

John nodded knowing what he would say. "There can be only one. Yes that is true at the gathering. Until then it is considered bad sport to take a head outside of the rules. I trust my friends and they trust me, just like I trust you."

"Sounds like an immortal's version of the Geneva Convention. Does every one play by the rules?"

John shook his head. "There are a few rogues out there but not many. An immortal uses the same instinct that we do in the bush. Alert, Alive.""

"John, everything has been going to fast. How am I going to live? I was planning on an Army career."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, Aaron. An immortal is who you are. We must increase your skills. You don't have to keep ahead of all of them."

"Really?" Aaron asked, dripping with sarcasm.

There is a Scot I know who packs a lot of respect who is also very good. He does not look for trouble or heads, but he won't run to avoid a fight either. His name is Duncan MacLeod. I ran into him once during World War I."

"What's he like?"

"When I met him, it was a surprise to both of us. The Germans were shelling the town we were in and fifty of us decided it was time to book. We charged down this street just as MacLeod turned a corner. He knew I was there and I knew he was there. But with fifty soldiers running like hell, he didn't have a chance. We ran right over him. Literally, he got knocked down and we ran over him. I felt him as my foot hit his chest. I ran even harder. We met later through a mutual friend a few years later and we had a few beers."

The phone ringing interrupted them. John answered the phone spoke a few moments and hung up.

"Grab your gear, we have company."

"Immortal?"

"Strangers. That was my buddy, he saw two people, strangers in town nosing around the ranch."

It was almost dark. John threw Aaron a walkie-talkie. "You know the drill, One click contact, two clicks clear, three clicks, get the hell out."

They went out the back door on their bellies, swords in hand. Splitting up they crawled to the tree line, some fifty yards from the dojo. Several minutes went by. Suddenly there was one click on Aaron's radio. Aaron saw movement ahead. He moved close. The person started to turn, only to be hit over the head by Aaron's sword hilt. Aaron punched the radio. One click. The reply was two clicks, which Aaron returned.

John and Aaron dragged their unconscious prisoners to the dojo where the intruders were tied to chairs and then John turned the lights on. One prisoner was a woman about twenty-two years old and very attractive. The man had his shirt pulled open, as neither John nor Aaron had qualms about doing so.

"Aaron, check her for a tape recorder." Aaron was a little leery of exposing the woman, but after a second thought, he ripped open her blouse.

Two things, well actually three things, startled Aaron. One she was naked under the blouse and secondly, she had a microphone taped between her well-shaped breasts.

Aaron's mind flashed back to the Dear John letters that his friends got, just before they went on their last patrol. He remembered the college girls who shunned him because he was a Vietnam Vet. The waitress who had refused to serve him because he was in uniform. Damn round eye bitch, Aaron thought. He still thought in terms like that All non-Asian women were called round eyes by soldiers in the Orient. Ought to kill her right now. Instead he ripped off the recorder and smashed it. Then he got a glass of water and threw the water into the faces of the captives. They woke up sputtering.

John out his faces just inches from the man's face. "Give me one good reason why we shouldn't kill you?"

"We haven't done anything!" whined the man.

"Trespassing! Spying on us! This house is in the middle of a one hundred and fifty acre ranch, so you can't complain that you are lost."

"I don't know who she is, but I was following you. I heard you were new here."

"You stupid son of a bitch. My friend here and I just returned from a year in Viet Nam and you have the audacity to try and sneak up on us? I think, I'll just take you out and shoot you and claim battle stress." John turned away from the man.

"You can't kill us." The man was ready to piss in his pants since he saw that John was serious.

John got back into the man's face. "Who is going to stop us?"

"It's not civilized." The man cowered as much as he could.

"Civilization for the two of us ended a long time ago," replied John examining his Army issue .45 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver that he had had since the Spanish American War.

"No!" cried the woman. "Please. I am a reporter and since this is a small town, I wanted to find out who the strangers were." She realized that she was half-naked and the recorder was gone. Embarrassment showed all over her face as she noticed that Aaron was watching her closely.

"We are two men who have killed hundreds of enemy soldiers. You want to live? Get the hell out of my house and don't come back. I see you again, I will kill you."

John untied the ropes and as the man walked through the door, he planted his foot on the man's butt and shoved. The man did a nosedive out of the door. Aaron untied the woman and she ran out the door while trying to cover herself with the torn blouse. Using binoculars, John watched the two run towards the perimeter.

"Think I was convincing, Aaron?"

"You had me convinced John. I was ready to take out the broad when I saw the recorder. Probably was one of those demonstrators against us."

"I don't know who they were, and I had no intention of killing them; but I wanted to scare the shit out of them."

"I think you did that, John. The woman peed in her pants."

John laughed. "Didn't you see the man's pants? Wet all the way down his pants leg."

This time both men roared.

"Aaron, you want another beer?"

Aaron nodded his head, took the offered beer and then scratched his chin. "By the way, how's the sex life for an immortal?"

"Find out for yourself. Some things are better learned from experience." John grinned. "Just be careful who you get the experience with."

John picked up a duffel bag that was hanging on the wall.

"Aaron, we have to leave. We have had two snoops and there maybe more."

A few minutes later, John and Aaron slipped into the forest and disappeared.

~~~~~
CHAPTER 2 - WITH EVERY STEP YOU TAKE, DEATH IS HOLDING YOUR HAND
1970 San Francisco

Aaron returned to college shortly after his departure from Wyoming to study Business Administration with a dual minor in finance and geology. He still wore his hair cut short, military style.

One weekend between the Fall and Spring semesters, he and John decided to leave San Francisco for a camping trip on one of the islands in the Delta of the Sacrament River. Although it was January and would be cold, they needed some time away from people.

They took a skiff to one island that was deserted. No one ever camped here, as it was only accessible by water craft. They started unloading when they realized that the ice chest with the food had been left behind. John left Aaron to set up the camp and went back to the car.

The evening fog was drifting in when Aaron felt the buzz of an immortal. He went to meet John, but when he saw the skiff coming through the fog, he pulled his sword. He recognized immediately that the figure was not John.

The immortal stepped out of the skiff as it touched the shore, sword in hand. "Well look what we have here. Must be a preppie with that short hair and ready for a fight. How did you know I wasn't your friend? No Answer? Well it doesn't matter, I only want your head anyway."

"At least tell me who I am fighting."

"Peter Grisham," he replied and with that the immortal immediately launched his attack on Aaron, his sword striking air. Aaron had waited until the last second and sidestepped the attack and counter attacked driving the immortal back. The two men battled back and forth for several minutes.

A buzz sounded in Aaron's head but he ignored it, concentrating instead on his opponent. The man stiffened for only a second and Aaron pressed his attack, catching the immortal off guard. Peter's head flew several feet, landing in the underbrush.

The quickening lasted several minutes, the lightening reflected in the fog. Aaron was still recovering when John approached him with a concerned look on his face.

"Just rest a bit Aaron, take your time, I am here."

"Did you know?"

"I felt the two of you as I approached in the skiff and saw his skiff on the island. The quickening started just as I was ready to land so I waited until it was over. You handled yourself well, Aaron. I knew this guy. He liked to prey on newbies or inexperienced immortals. Your skills are improving as well as your observation skills. How did you know it wasn't me on that skiff?"

"You don't serve in combat with a man for a year and not know his every move or mannerism. He just wasn't you. Next time we go camping, don't for get the food." Aaron grinned

"I promise. Now I think it is time to leave this island. Here, take his sword, it's yours now."

Aaron took the sword and placed it in his coat next to his own. Then he helped John put the body into the skiff. John punched a couple of holes in the skiff and they set it adrift in the fog. They then loaded their own skiff and headed home, being careful not to run into any ships that might be in the river.

Two days later Aaron read an article in the paper concerning a headless corpse pulled out of the river. A barge had collided into a skiff in the fog and the barge's propeller had apparently decapitated the body.

~~~~~
March 1970

Easter break was a good time for John and Aaron to get away from the city again. Aaron needed to talk to John about something other than immortal business. He was greatly troubled. They traveled to Muir Woods, which at this time of year would still be rarely visited due to the damp fog and jungle like atmosphere.

As they walked the trails silently, John waited for Aaron to start talking.

"John, I am having flashbacks, a lot of them, and almost every night. My nerves are shot and I am afraid that if I got into a challenge, I would not be able to defend myself."

"Tell me about the flashbacks. Are they about the heads you have taken?"

"No, they're about Nam. Mortar fire, firefights, and the men we lost. Do you remember Butch Gist? Redheaded kid from the San Joaquin Valley?"

"The one that took an RPG in the Ashau Valley? I remember, weren't you with him?"

"That's what I am remembering. I see him lying in my lap with half his head gone. I remember his brain matter all over me and the blood, the smell and the rounds still coming in. Do you have flashbacks?"

"I used to in wars past. I don't have them very often anymore. Remember Nam wasn't my first war. I do have dreams once in a great while of the charge up San Juan Hill in Cuba. I sometimes wake up sweating and shaking."

"How do you handle it?"

"I remember that it was over seventy years ago and let it go. It never goes away, Aaron."

Suddenly they both grabbed their swords as they felt the buzz of an immortal. Back to back their eyes covered the trails and bushes. Aaron whispered to John, over his shoulder. Here he comes but he doesn't look very confident. Wonder which one of us he wants."

"Will soon find out Aaron, just be careful."

The immortal appeared to be in his forties and he approached sword in hand.

"You the short haired one. I challenge you."

Aaron and John looked at each other as they both had short hair.

Aaron lowered his head and shook it. "Either be more specific or get glasses, we both have short hair."

"You." He indicated Aaron.

"That's what I was afraid of. Look, I have enough going on at the moment, why don't you come back another day. This was a private conversation. Who the hell are you anyway?"

"My name is George and for you there won't be another day."

"Why me? What did I do to you?"

"You killed Neil."

"Who the hell is Neil?"

"He was my student and you cut him down like a dog in Golden Gate Park."

"You mean that drugged out hippie? I didn't want to kill him, but he wouldn't stop."

"He couldn't handle the immortal business. He turned in Vietnam and when he came back I found him. Between being an immortal and all the killing in Vietnam, he turned to drugs. I couldn't stop him as much as I tried."

John looked at Aaron. "Sound familiar Aaron?"

"Were you there when he turned?"

"No, no one was. Immortals don't serve in Vietnam."

"You are wrong there, My teacher happened to be my commander. We are both Vietnam Vets."

"I am truly sorry to hear that, because I still have to take your head."

"Man, I did everything I could to get away from him, but he kept coming. He even started casing my house. He wouldn't stop. Even that night I walked away from him three times. I finally had it with him and stopped running. He charged me and I fended him off several times. Hell, I even disarmed him once and he kept coming. He was unstable. I am sorry to say I had to take the head of a brother, just to survive myself."

"He was my friend and student." The man sobbed.

"Then you should have kept him in check. You let him down."

"No, I never let him down. He challenged three immortals and I had to step in to protect him."

"Ten to one you either took over the fight or took the immortal while his back was turned."

"I had to protect him."

"Protect yes, but you didn't teach him. I may have held the blade, but you are the one that took his head."

"Enough!" Yelled the immortal as he swung his sword wildly. John moved out of the way quickly and Aaron readied for the charge.

"Look, George. I am sorry that I had to take Neil's head. You don't have to do this. Move away and we will leave."

"No, you have to pay."

Aaron could see that the immortal had tears running down his face as the swords met and clanged. Sword stroke for sword stroke they battled. Aaron's sword cut the immortal several times and finally with a quick flip of his wrist, he disarmed the immortal. The immortal looked wildly for his sword, spotting it several feet away. He went to get it and even turned his back on Aaron.

"George. . ." Aaron started to say but the immortal suddenly turned around and slashed at Aaron.

Aaron had been prepared and had moved aside. The opening was given and Aaron took it, severing George's head cleanly. John moved further down the trail as Aaron waited for the quickening.

Two hours later, Aaron and John walked out of Muir Woods. George's sword was tucked into Aaron's coat with his own. The two men had not spoken. Aaron was deep in thought as he reflected his own situation. He wondered if he would have turned out like Neil if John had not been there.

~~~~~
CHAPTER 3 A NEW LIFE
1972 San Francisco

Aaron walked the down the street heading for The Giahardelli Chocolate Factory. It was a cold wet and foggy night in this City by the Bay and he craved hot chocolate to warm him up. Even on this dreary evening, there were many people, mostly college kids riding the cable cars down to the wharf. He listened to the conversations going on around him. Some were going over to Grotto Number 9 while others wandered towards the Chocolate Factory or the Cannery.

A buzz sounded in his head and he carefully slid towards a doorway nearby where he could watch and wait. There were about thirty people on his side of the street. Aaron spotted one man, John Colcord, his former commander in Vietnam crossing the street to shake hands with his pupil.

"John, what are you doing in San Francisco?"

"Hi, Aaron. I had a craving for fresh lobster and this is the best place on the West Coast to get it. Besides, I wanted to touch base with you and see how things were going."

"Couldn't be better. I graduated last month from the University."

"Well, congratulations. Sorry I left suddenly without a real explanation. I knew you were prepared after you took three heads in challenges. You handled all three effectively, but don't get over confidant. There aren't that many old immortals around."

"Thanks for your confidence John. I felt the buzz of that guy who was after you also. I just didn't know who he was. Haven't felt him since."

"You won't either. Not now you won't. He recognized me from Nam. That was the second time I had seen him. I felt him as a premmie during World War II on some dumb island the Marines were landing on. He must have turned during that battle. Never saw him again until Saigon during Big Tet of sixty-eight. I took off when I felt him this time and he followed me. He challenged me in the hills of South Dakota of all places."

"There are worse places to die than South Dakota."

"Oh?"

"During the summer of Seventy One, shortly after you left, I went to Arizona to nose around the Indian ruins on one of the reservations. Some crazy woman immortal came after me. You know me; I don't like fighting women so I took off. Even went so far as to go into the Goldwater Military Gunnery Range. She still kept coming."

"What happened?"

"I got caught out in the open during an artillery practice. While I was under cover, this broad catches me. We traded a few blows of the sword and then I heard incoming. I was able to get behind some boulders but she didn't. She lost her head to a chunk of shrapnel. What a waste. She wasn't bad looking either, except for the sword."

"So how many does that make now?"

"Five."

"You have done well and you kept your head. Now that you have graduated, what are you going to do?"

"Got any other hidden dojo's around, I think I need some more training."

"Workout, not training. I don't know if you need anymore training, but we all need to workout. It keeps one fit and ready. Just like all those combat situations we did before the Nam. How about we take a trip to Alaska?"

"You can't find a place that might be a little warmer?"

"Well, there is a small town off the beaten track in New Mexico. It will also help you in your Spanish language skills."

"How so?"

"Almost no one speaks English."

Aaron groaned. John patted in him the back.

"It's better than speaking polar bear or talking to the walls during a blizzard. And there are some very attractive senoritas in the town."

"Any immortals?"

"No more than thirty or forty." John had his serious face on.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Gotcha kid. I have been all over the county and there was not one immortal or stranger. People new to the area would stand out like a sore thumb in a town with only one thousand people but we won't be in town anyway. I have a small place several miles out of town and no neighbors."

"Sounds perfect."

"Don't ever let your guard down. I let my guard down in Wyoming and we had snoopers, remember?"

"I remember. You have a place to stay? I still have that apartment on Sixth Avenue right off Lincoln Way. You can stay with me until we leave. Hope you don't mind the Murphy bed. It squeaks."

"How do you manage to sleep on a squeaky bed?"

"Very simple. I arranged for a different mattress and it is on the floor. There is a couch you could crash on unless you really want the Murphy bed. The apartment is in the crow's nest and has a door in the rear of the apartment. If anyone does come in the front door, you can hear them every step of the way."

"Sounds like a plan."

"If you aren't too full, I have a craving for banana fritters. The Hippo on Van Ness has the best ones that I have ever tasted. You game? Either that or we could take the cable car up to the Mark. The Top of the Mark has a good bar or the Fairmont across the street. Then there is the Pub on Geary and Masonic. It's an old Irish pub, mainly local regulars. Then there is Mel's drive in on Geary and Parker. It's been there way before the show Happy Days was even thought of."

"Fairmont sounds good. Not as many people as the Top of the Mark, although the Pub sounds even better. Not into to malts today."

The two immortals caught the next cable car up the hill. Even though the fog was rolling in, they hung to the outside of the cable cars. The parked cars were so close that the men could almost touch them. Most of the tourists huddled inside, only the locals dared the elements. After a few drinks, they left the Fairmont and wandered through China Town before catching a cable car down to the wharf where their cars were parked.

Aaron's apartment was situated in the middle of the block between Lincoln and Hugo. The climb to the third floor was uneventful and they saw no one. There were only five apartments and Aaron's was the only one on the third level. It was a studio apartment with a desk, couch and an overstuffed chair in the main room. The kitchen with an old Gibson refrigerator was serviceable. John laughed at the bathroom. It was so small that one could sit on the toilet, brush their teeth in the sink and take a bath at the same time.

The back stairs led to a small patio and then to the street. A half block north was Golden Gate Park.

Aaron pulled out two beers out of the old Gibson refrigerator and handed one to John. They sat down on the overstuffed couch in the main room. John looked at the five swords hanging on the wall but did not comment.

"John, what are we going to do in New Mexico?"

"Just think of the Army. Unless we are in combat we train, train and train some more. I know some immortals who consider what we are going to do as practice, but we are both soldiers, so we will do what we do best."

"The Big T, as my old drill sergeant used to say, but no I mean how are we going to live? I need to get a job."

John grinned. "We are going to be prospectors."

"Where?"

"I got a small place."

"Prospectors? You mean like wander around with a burro type prospector?"

"Not exactly. I'll tell you later."

John held out his hand to Aaron. "Partners?"

"Partners." Aaron shook John's hand.

"Aaron, I never told you this. Remember that bullet you took in the shoulder when we were in Nam?"

"Yeah, hurt like hell. What about it."

"If you hadn't taken it, it would have hit me. Now since I am immortal, I would have come back, but dying is not all that it's cracked up to be. Getting shot, does hurt like hell." he grinned.

"When do we leave, John?"

"In about a month. I have some business up in the Napa Valley to attend to. You do like wine don't you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I own a small winery in Napa Valley under another name. I am having some sent to us in New Mexico."

"Cool."

As promised, a month later, John and Mark drove to New Mexico. As they drove across the desert toward Needles, California, Aaron asked.

"Tell me about your place John."

"I own some land in the area and there is a fairly rich vein of gold. It apparently runs through my property and then into government land. Not even the government knows it is there. I mine some gold and then sell it in different locations so it cannot be traced back to New Mexico."

"There has to be more to the story than that John."

"Well, my father did some prospecting in New Mexico and Arizona when everyone else was going to California during the gold rush. After the Civil War, he found his strike in New Mexico. That was when Lew Wallace was governor. With the help of local, peaceful Indians, he started carving out a home in the mountain face. He actually homesteaded about fifteen hundred acres. His model was the cliff dwellings he saw in Arizona.

By the time I was in my teens, a great house had been built. When the Spanish American War was over, I went home and continued to mine and build. Dad had managed to pull out twenty five million dollars in gold and stashed it, slowly turning it into cash.

Dad would go to Arizona and became the mysterious Lost Dutchman of the Superstition Mountains. Everyone still looks for the Lost Dutchman's mine, but they look in Arizona not New Mexico. Dad was a little sneaky." John grinned while he was telling the story.

"Over the years I have modernized the place. I even brought in a generator and built a sound proof room around it to cover the sound. As a matter of fact, the whole place is so sound proof that a flight of Phantoms can barely be heard as they fly over."

"Generators take fuel, how do you justify having fuel delivered?"

John grinned again. "Compliments of the United States Government."

"Come again?"

"The government was kind enough to lay a gas pipeline just outside of my property line. I tapped into it and slowly take what I need. I don't take enough for them to notice. What I don't use immediately goes into one of three fuel tanks buried at the base of the mountain."

"Aren't there witnesses to all the building?"

"There are three in their nineties but since a generous donation to their tribe arrives each year, they aren't about to say anything."

"John, not to be nosy, but just how much are you worth, anyway? It must have cost a fortune building all of that."

"Most of the building took place when labor and materials were cheap. Since then, I mainly lived on my military salary. I have stashed well over one hundred million dollars."

Aaron almost choked on his beer. John grinned at Aaron's reaction.

"How do I find a place like that?"

"You won't need to. I have a surprise for you, call it a graduation present. I set up several accounts in various names in different cities and countries. I will give you a list of the personas you need to use. All told I transferred twenty-five million dollars into these accounts. It's all yours. Call it a grub stake."

Aaron was in shock. His beer was half way to his mouth when John said the amount of money.

"I am overwhelmed. What did I do, or what am I going to do to earn this?"

"Besides sword work, we will be mining. From now on anything we take out of the mine will be split fifty-fifty. I will be making some trips and you will be working the mine when I am gone. If you need or want to take a trip, then I will work the mine. That minor you have in geology will come in handy."

~~~~~
Chapter 4 POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
1982 New Mexico

The town of Marta Duena had been a town of one thousand souls when Aaron arrived in 1972. Nothing much had changed. Aaron was fresh out of college. His hair was short and he no longer had the tan as he did when he arrived in San Francisco.

Pablo Galavez watched from his store window as a battered old military jeep pulled up to the gas pump. Behind the wheel was his old friend Aaron, whom he had known since the day John and Aaron drove into town. Aaron was now deeply tanned with hair down to his shoulders. On this day, Aaron had his hair tied back in a ponytail and wore a bandana as a headband. Worn jeans and a Hawaiian shirt completed the picture. Pablo went to greet this mysterious friend who came into town for supplies about once a month.

"Buenos Dias, mi amigo Aaron. Your supplies are ready for deliver as usual."

"Gracias, Pablo. Anything new going on?"

"Same ol, same ol. My niece, MT, is visiting from Las Cruces- my late brother's daughter. Her mother died last year. You remember, I have talked about her before, now she comes to see her old uncle, muy bonita if I do say so myself. Come in and meet her."

The two men entered the store. Aaron felt a strange sensation. Not like the buzz of an immortal but similar.

"MT come here and meet mi amigo, Aaron."

Aaron saw a beautiful young woman come from behind the counter. She was about five foot seven, long black hair and appeared to be around twenty-five. Pablo had not exaggerated. She was gorgeous and Aaron was swept off his feet.

"Your uncle said you were muy bonita, but he didn't tell me the half of it, Senorita. What does MT stand for?"

"MT officially stands for Maria Teresa, but when I was young, I guess I was a little empty headed so everyone called me Empty - MT. My full name is Maria Teresa Susan Galavez." She snickered. " Dad liked Susan."

"I doubt that holds true now. Pablo has told me you graduated from the University of New Mexico with a degree in geology." Aaron smiled. "He is very proud of you. You know I like Susan, so I will call you Susan from now on."

Susan blushed. "Gracias, Senor. I accept. You may call me Susan. Uncle Pablo calls me both. Are you the one that my uncle says kissed the Blarney Stone?"

"Aye, I might h've, but alas, Ireland is not a country that I h've had the pleasure of visiting yet."

Susan reached out to shake Aaron's hand. Aaron took the offered hand and raised her hand to his lips to kiss it. A tingling sensation surged through Aaron.

Suddenly two men entered the store-- a Caucasian man with shoulder length hair and a beard waved a gun in the air. "Give us your money and no one will get hurt." He headed for the cash register. "Get out the way hippie," he said as he pushed Aaron back.

The second man, also Caucasian and very thin pointed a gun at Aaron. He saw Susan and grabbed her arm.

"We outta take this one with us. We can have a real party."

Pablo had quietly picked up an axe handle from a bucket of axe handles. He smashed the axe handle across the thin man's arm to break it. The older man fired a shot at Aaron just as Susan jumped in front of Pablo. The bullet caught her in the chest and exited out the back into Pablo. They both fell to the floor. Aaron started to run to them when another shot rang out and killed Aaron. The men, so panicked stricken, ran out of the store forgetting to take the money. They left two bodies and an unconscious Pablo on the floor.

Aaron recovered rapidly. He checked Susan but she was dead, Pablo was badly wounded but would live if he could get help. He picked up the phone and dialed the operator, as the town did not have a 911 system. As he talked to the operator, he worked on stopping the bleeding.

He heard a groan and watched as Susan revived. She was covered with blood and would have fainted from nausea but she saw that her uncle needed help. Fighting off the feelings, she went to help. She looked at her bloody blouse with a hole in it.

"What happened, Aaron?"

"Look, Susan, there is a lot to explain. I have called the police and they should be here soon. I want you to clean yourself up and change your shirt and try to find one for me also. Once Pablo is taken care of we will talk. Now hurry before the police get here."

She ran into the back room.

"Find me some rags. There is too much blood here for one man."

Several rags flew at his head along with a bloody shirt. He stripped off his shirt and started cleaning up the spot where he had bled.

The police arrived and Pablo was taken to the hospital. Aaron told the police that he had arrived as the two men ran out of the store. Susan's story was exactly what happened except for Aaron's presence.

Aaron and Susan sat by Pablo's side until he was out of danger. Aaron and Susan finally took a walk outside to get some air. Finding a secluded bench they sat down.

"Ok Aaron, now tell me what is going on. I know that I was shot as there are two holes in my blouse and I was covered with blood. I have a vague memory of you getting shot also."

"You died and came back to life. You are an immortal."

"Quick and to the point. I have an answer to that. Bull shit. There is more to this than you are telling me."

Aaron looked at Susan and grinned. "Yeah, but I hoped it was enough. Ok here goes but I don't want to hear one 'I don't believe it' from you."

Aaron explained everything he could about immortals just as John had several years before.

"Now what do you have to say Susan?"

Susan laughed. "Except for the nausea I have an urge to pick up a sword."

Aaron laughed and then turned serious. "That is how we take heads."

"You're serious Aaron, I couldn't kill someone like that."

"You will if you want to live."

"How would I learn?"

"I will be your teacher, Susan. I want you to come with me so I can teach you."

Her eyes took in this deeply tanned six foot 180 pound man with chiseled features and shoulder length, light brown hair.

"Uh huh, and get into my pants too. No way mister."

"Susan, if you don't trust me and you don't want me to teach you, I will take you to my teacher. Actually, I would prefer that John train you as he is more experienced."

"How long have you been an immortal?"

"I turned in 1968. I see in your face the next question. Yes, I have taken heads, five to be exact and all in self-defense. I don't look for immortals."

"Where is your place, Aaron?

"Halfway between Dona Ana and Socorro. Then forty miles east of the Guadalupe Range. It's near a tributary of the Pecos River.

"What's there?"

"Just a little old shack that I call home. No electricity except for my generator, no neighbors, no TV, no phone. I do have a ham radio for entertainment. I turn it on once in a blue moon. Nothing of any importance is going on so I don't need to keep up with the news."

"Nothing going on. Let's see. The space shuttle Columbia made its third mission. Argentina and Britain were at war."

"Britain and Argentina?" Aaron looked shocked.

"Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands. Six British ships and one Argentine ship were sunk."

"Maybe I should at least get a radio. I could listen to the news."

"And music."

"Music? I heard some of the latest a few months ago. I thought the latest was garbage so I have a tape recorder with the Beach Boys and some country."

Pablo recovered rapidly and was back at work two weeks later. One evening as the three were sitting around after closing, Aaron informed Pablo that he and Susan were leaving.

"Does this have anything to do with the fact that two people I care for deeply should be dead and aren't?"

Aaron and Susan looked at each other.

"Amigo, the last thing that I remember before blacking out was Susan laying on top of me bleeding and you on the floor. Tell me the truth."

"At the moment Pablo, I will tell you the basics. Susan and I are immortals. I didn't know Susan was going to be an immortal until that day since I hadn't met her before. I met her for what two minutes when we were shot? Someday I will tell you more. You have to promise that you will tell no one, absolutely no one. Our lives depend on it. If another immortal found us, the both of us would be in danger. Even immortals can die under certain circumstances. That is why we have to leave."

"You look after Susan, Aaron. If you don't, I will take your cajones or your cabezo with my own bare hands, as they say, immortal or no."

Aaron laughed then he took one of Susan's hands. "She will be safe with me. That is my promise. Pablo, taking my head is the only way to kill me."

"Don't worry amigo, as long as you take good care of Susan your neck and other body parts are safe from me." Pablo grinned.

~~~~~

The next morning, Aaron and Susan loaded up the jeep and headed towards Dona Ana to the south. About halfway there, Michel turned west off the highway and went cross-country about two miles then turned north. Taking back roads and cross-country, he traveled one hundred miles North of Socorro. Then he turned east. In an intricate maneuver of back tracking and traveling in opposite directions of his destiny they finally reached their final stop, four days later.

"You have a wonderful way of going direct. Aaron, have you ever heard of the shortest distance between two points?"

"Old habits, Susan."

"So you have taken me to God knows where and all I see is open land and a fence as far as I can see."

"Just wait. See that mountain in front of you? That's where we are going."

Aaron got out of the jeep and walked to an unassuming rock a few feet from the fence. He moved the rock to expose a box with a keypad. He pushed in some numbers. He returned to the jeep and drove along the fence some three hundred yards. The fence parted and Aaron drove through. He stopped and repeated his previous actions at the base of a prickly pear cactus. Then he drove off again making random turns for the next two hours. Finally he stopped in front of a pile of boulders.

"Aaron, you drove as if you were going through a mine field."

Aaron grinned at her. "I was."

Suddenly a boulder disappeared into the ground and Aaron drove through the gap. Susan's eyes grew larger as she watched the boulder reappear. She shook her head in disbelief.

Aaron drove another twenty minutes and stopped at the base of a mountain. An opening appeared in the mountain and Aaron drove in. The door closed and a light came on. The light illuminated a large garage. Besides the jeep there were four other vehicles. A pickup, two small motorcycles and a four wheeled flat bed vehicle with two seats.

Indicating the strange looking vehicle, Aaron explained. "This is a mule. It was originally designed for the Army to replace the jeep and the four-legged mule. Had a hell of a time getting it."

Aaron rolled over a dolly and loaded the supplies and Susan's suitcase. He led her to an elevator in the wall. When the door opened a normal living room appeared. It looked like any normal flat with furniture, a kitchen and several bay windows overlooking the desert they had just crossed. There was a telescope by one of the windows.

"The windows are made of a special material which prevents the light from showing outside but lets the light in. From outside it looks like any other mountain face. You are now one of three people who know about this place. Besides the two of us, there is my teacher, John. He might show up at any time, as I was able to contact him before we left."

"So one day I might be taking a shower and he might walk in unannounced. You do have a shower, right?"

"The entire fifteen hundred acres is surrounded by listening devices, several mine fields and tiger traps. Oh, and there are many punji stake traps as well."

"Won't wild animals and cows fall into them?"

"Inside every mine field and trap there is a device that sends out a signal that is painful but not harmful to the animals. Only dogs don't seem to hear the signal. There are no dogs here. Whenever John comes, he follows the same procedure that I did. A coded message is sent to me. He can't get within one hundred yards of me without my knowing it and vice versa. The same holds true for you as well."

"So why do you only have a generator for electricity?"

"Two reasons. One the cost of running a power line here would be enormous and two, there would be an electrical bill to pay. No bill, no trace."

Aaron led her to a large bedroom. "This will be your bedroom. I know it's sparse but I didn't know you were coming."

The room was thirty feet by thirty feet and contained a bed, a lamp, a desk, a chair and a couch. All articles were hand-made from local materials, except the mattress and light bulbs. After stowing her possessions, Aaron led Susan to the dojo. This room was one hundred feet by one hundred feet and divided into three sections. One room had several punching bags; the next was a weight room. The largest room was a practice room with one wall full of bokens. The bokens were all made of white oak and were padded. The other long wall held four swords with a placard under each sword. The name of the previous owner was on the placard. On a peg was a belt and saber.

"Tomorrow, Susan we start pre-training."

"Pre-training?"

"Yes. First will be the weight training and boxing practice. I will give you some basics in sword handling. John will give you more when he gets here."

"When will that be?"

"In a few days probably. He has some business to finish up before he join us."

~~~~~

Instead of a few days, it was several weeks before John arrived. During that time Susan endured weight training, boxing and martial arts training and a special training that Aaron devised. That was running and mountain climbing. These were all part of the training that Aaron had endured in the Army.

John did finally arrive and spent four months in intensive sword training with Susan. In addition, John and Aaron worked out for several hours a day.

During the months that went by, not only did Aaron and Susan become better wielders of the sword they became friends. Then they became more than friends.

One evening they went to the top of the mountain to look at the stars. Susan was very quiet as they lay on a blanket, side by side. She slowly moved her hand next to Aaron's. Aaron looked at her and put his hand on hers and squeezed it gently. Susan leaned up or her elbow to face Aaron. She gently kissed him and he responded. It wasn't long until the stars were forgotten and only the stars watched their lovemaking.

Two months later on a moonless night, Aaron and Susan were alone as John had gone to town and wouldn't be back for several days. Suddenly one of the perimeter warning devices sounded. An intruder had climbed the fence and was advancing on the compound. Aaron used the telescope and finally located the intruder. Aaron was glad that the telescope had an infrared scope as it made sighting a lot easier. He would use his night goggles if the intruder made it near the compound.

The figure appeared to carry a minesweeper and was skirting the minefields with ease. Unfortunately for the intruder, the sweeper did not detect punji traps or tiger traps. Suddenly the figure disappeared into a punji trap.

Aaron watched for a half an hour until the figure climbed out of the trap. Aaron could see the telltale blood all over the figure's chest.

Aaron turned to Susan. "Well kid, looks like this is it. You stay out of this guy's way. If I don't make it, then you have to protect your own head. Use all the skills that John taught you. Get your sword,"

All at once the perimeter alarm sounded and a code was coming through. Aaron responded with the answer code telling John that there was an immortal on the loose.

The figure came closer and closer. When the figure was within two hundred yards two .30 Caliber machine guns opened up and caught the immortal in crossfire. The figure went down again. A few minutes later Aaron and Susan cautiously approached the still figure.

The figure suddenly sat up with a .38 caliber Smith and Wesson combat masterpiece in her hand. She fired at Aaron. The slug caught Aaron in the shoulder and spun him around, causing his sword to fly out of his hand. The immortal jumped up, sword in hand and ran towards Aaron. Lifting it high she prepared to strike the deathblow. As the sword came down, it was suddenly deflected by Susan 's sword.

"I think not, bitch," spat Susan.

The immortal and Susan battled furiously, but it was obvious that Susan outmatched the immortal. Within several minutes the sword flew out of the immortal's hand and blood flowed from a deep gash in her upper arm. The immortal sagged to the ground sobbing and lowered her head to receive the killing strike.

Instead Susan rammed her sword into the immortal's back and pulled it out as the immortal fell forward. A buzz sounded in Susan's head and she turned to face another immortal, her sword ready.

"Stop! That's John," shouted Aaron.

John sheathed his own sword and came toward "Good sword work, Susan but why didn't you take her head? That could cost you someday."

"The challenge was Aaron's and she broke the rules. It is for Aaron to take her head."

"Thanks Susan, but I think I will pass for the moment. Let's get her into the house and tie her up. Something doesn't smell right. I want some answers before we fight."

The immortal was trussed up like a Christmas goose and taken to the dojo. There she was tied to a chair. When she recovered, she was bewildered and frightened to find her self cornered by three immortals. She looked at Susan. "Why didn't you take my head? I would have taken yours."

Susan looked at this pathetic excuse for a human being, blonde hair matted with blood and sweat, blouse torn and bloodied. "Your challenge was with Aaron and you broke the rules."

"Rules? What rules?"

"Have you ever heard of a fair fight? You don't shoot your opponent, you face them with a sword in hand."

"He would have killed me."

"That's the point of a challenge. One winner and one loser. Who the hell was your teacher?"

The immortal hung her head and sobbed. "Dead and he," motioning to Aaron, "killed him."

Aaron looked shocked. "When and where was that?"

"Two months ago in Spain."

"Lady, I have never been to Spain and I have not left this compound in over six months. Who told you I did this?"

"An old immortal."

"How old?" inquired John.

"Two hundred years."

"Two hundred isn't even middle age to an immortal. Now, did he tell you the name of the immortal who killed your teacher?"

"No, just that he lived in New Mexico. I chartered a small plane and was flying low over the mountains and I felt a buzz."

John looked at his companions. "What was your teacher's name?"

"Ian Richards. We moved to Spain from Canada."

"I knew Ian. As a matter of fact, I saw him in Madrid two months ago. He was being friendly with a bad immortal by the name of Marcus Garibaldi. I told him to be wary of Marcus."

"He just returned from Madrid when he was killed. Where were you?"

"Paris seeing a friend of mine who lives on a barge on the river. Young lady, what is your name?"

"Josephine Layne, with a Y."

John rolled his eyes. "Well, Miss Josephine Layne with a Y, I think we can untie you for now. You are unarmed, untrained and any of us could take you with one arm behind our backs."

Susan looked at John then Aaron. She still had her sword out. "Can we trust her?"

Aaron walked up to Susan. "If you want to take your first head and get your first quickening, then take her. You will have to go through me first."

Susan looked at Aaron's eyes and sheathed her sword. "I said the challenge was yours and I meant it."

John coughed. "I am hungry, Aaron let's go get some food."

"Sounds like a plan, John." The two men walked out of the dojo.

Susan untied Jo. "I am only going to say this one time. Keep your sword and your claws away from my man."

"Your man?"

"Aaron. He's only mine whether he knows it or not."

"What about John? He is very good looking."

"John can take care of himself. He has had a lot of experience. My God, girl you just about got killed and you have the hots for John? Well, he is a grown man. Poor John."

"I am sorry Susan, I guess I am too new to all of this and I trusted the wrong person. Ian was a wonderful man and his death almost killed me. I have a lot to learn."

"Yes you do. Now are you hungry? Dying takes a lot out of you."

"Yes I am and thank you."

"For what?"

"Not taking my head."

"Come, you are not going to eat the way you are. You need a shower and clean clothes. You and I are about the same size."

A while later, Susan and Jo entered the kitchen. Both men's eyes bugged out at the sight of two gorgeous women. Both women were wearing skirts that were two inches above the knees. Sheer white silk blouses and two-inch high heels. Susan's long dark hair was tied in a French Braid, while Jo's strawberry blonde locks were in pigtails. Each wore a sword belt, complete with sword.

Michel smiled at John. "Me thinks we are in trouble, compadre. Two beautiful ladies all dressed up to kill and they are armed. What's this world coming to?"

Susan smiled demurely. "The swords are to keep you away from Jo, my love."

"My love?" gulped Aaron.

"John gazed at the two. With a twinkle in his eye he said, "What have you two been up to while I was away?"

"Nothing!" Aaron and Susan said in unison. Crimson showed on both of the immortal's faces.

John held out a chair for Jo and motioned her to be seated. Aaron did the same for Susan. "May we take your swords, mi ladies?" said Aaron with a flourishing bow.

Susan smiled sweetly. "If you think your man enough."

Aaron did not respond put picked up a white towel which he placed over his arm and then retrieved a bottle of wine. John had found two candles, which he lit and placed on the table.

Taking out a paper and a pencil John asked. " For your dining pleasure tonight, ladies, we have a choice of Duck La range, Pheasant under glass, Peking Duck, Châteaubriand, Tornadoes or Lobster Thermidor, all cleverly disguised as hamburger helper."

They all let out a roar of laughter.

Jo shook her head. "I don't understand you people. An hour ago I was willing to kill you and you had the opportunity to kill me. Now you are treating me like family. What kind of people are you?"

John spoke up. "The finest kind, Jo, finest kind." He pulled up a chair next to Jo. "Tomorrow we will start from day one since Ian was not able to do so. I am curious, who told you to bring a mine sweeper?"

"Garibaldi."

Aaron swore. "That S. O. B. He must have known you were untrained so he sent you here to die. I wonder if he knew there were three of us or the precautions that we had made."

"He said only one and he figured there would be a mine field. He didn't say anything about traps."

John piped in. "Aaron, when were you going to tell me about the five punji stakes and tiger traps? I almost fell into the one Jo tripped."

"Sorry John, I didn't have time to tell you. I made some improvements like the ten punji stake traps, tiger traps and the gun emplacements. There are also a few nasty surprises out there so don't go out tonight."

Jo looked incredulous "Where did you learn all of these tricks?"

Aaron and John grinned. Aaron replied "From some guys named Charlie."

Susan's eyes traveled up and down Jo. "When did you become an immortal and how?" she asked.

"Three years ago. There was a bad storm and a flash flood. From the back of my apartment I saw a child about five years old get swept away by the torrent. I have always been a good swimmer, so I ran out of the apartment and ran along the river. When I got ahead of the child I jumped into the river. I thrashed around until I finally reached the child, a little girl, and held on. I was able to reach the shore where there were some policemen holding out there hands. I was able to shove the kid into their hands, safely."

~~~~~

Jo's mind flashed back to that fatal day. She remembered seeing that poor innocent child screaming and flailing in the river. She saw herself jumping into the river and the shock of the icy water and the waves crashing about her head.

Jo saw the child coming toward her. Jo swam on an intercept course to the child. She could see the tiny body was that of a girl. She used all of her strength to launch herself towards the girl and caught her arm. Jo pulled the child to her and fought the current to reach the shore. She saw several cops in the water and linked together by hands to others on the solid ground. She placed both hands on the girl's waist and shoved upwards to the cops. They caught her but before they could reach Jo a tree trunk crashed into her, pushing her under the water and she saw she was

Fighting the current, she finally got her ahead above water to take a life sustaining breath. With waves splashing her in the face, she turned to see a bridge pillar in front of her. Jo tried to swim out of the way but the water was too fast. She braced her legs for impact and managed to push herself back from the base of the pillar. Her last vision was the rusty piece of rebar bent sideways that her body was heading toward. The rebar impaled her through the chest killing her instantly. The weight of her body bent the rusty rebar and allowed the rushing water to pull her body off the rebar. Her limp body was pummeled down the river for several miles.

A man jumped into the water and pulled the lifeless body of Josephine Layne out of the current and onto shore. He sat down beside her body laying face down and tried valiantly to pump water out of her lungs. When a pint of water had been pushed out of the lungs, he sat down to make himself comfortable and waited until Jo's dead body would come back to life.

Jo remembered lying on the muddy shore, drenched and cold. She woke up sick to her stomach and realized there was a strange man sitting next to her with his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm Ian Richards, just stay there until the nausea is done. We have much to talk about."

~~~~~

Susan hugged Jo. "A real heroine. You turned saving a child. You should feel proud."

"I always thought I was stupid for jumping into a flooded river. Ian taught me that I was destined to turn and what better way than saving someone's life."

John put his hand on Jo's shoulder. "He was right."

Jo looked at this six foot two inch man with the steely blue-grey eyes. She felt his strength and compassion and knew in her heart that her relationship with this man would be more than just a teacher and student. Jo was swept off her feet. I've never felt this was about any man before, thought Jo. His face, his strong hands, the faded scar on his cheek. Yes, John, I think we are going to have a beautiful relationship.

John looked down on this woman with the strawberry blonde hair, his eyes drinking in the sight. She is gorgeous. The slight turned up nose, the very attractive cleavage, slim waist. Everything that has always attracted me and all in one package, but she needs to be trained. By God, I think I have the hots for her. Oh boy, I think I am trouble now.

~~~~~

Later that night, the two men took a small trail to the top of the mountain. They looked at the vast expanse or barren land. Barren if you didn't county the wild grass, desert plants and animals.

"Aaron, are you still having flashbacks?"

"Sometimes. I didn't tell you before you left but they were coming more and more frequent. I haven't had any since Susan came here. How did you know?"

John pointed to the land inside the fence. "Your paranoia. This place is better fortified than any firebase in Nam. I hate to say this but those mine field and traps have to go."

"Why? Someone might get in."

"Jo got in and look how far she got, even with all your precautions. She would have made a hell of a sapper in Nam. Aaron, what would happen if a mortal got in? It would bring attention to us and we can't afford that. The tiger traps can stay, as no one would get killed; the rest have to go, including the M-60s. You have to learn to rely on your skill and training, don't rely on mechanical devices to protect you. I know you, I have seen you in action and I trust you with my life. I also know how you think. If you ever have flashbacks again, you tell me. You will always know where I am. We'll talk it out. We are brothers."

John held out his hand. Aaron took the hand and then hugged John. Tears flowed down Aaron's face.

"Thanks, John. I need that support. Brother."

"Another thing, Aaron. Susan she loves you so you owe it to her to pull your head out of your ass and get with the program."

Aaron looked surprised. "How did you know?"

"When she called you 'My love', weren't you there?" said John, grinning.

"Is that it?"

"No, I saw how she reacted when you were down and Jo was going to take your head. I have also seen how she looks at you with those warm brown eyes. She is some woman. "

"Yeah, that she is."

"Now let's get some sleep, Aaron. Tomorrow we start disarming the mine fields."

"That's going to take a long time."

"We will take out one field at a time, with the help of the 60s. Don't want the world to think we are blowing New Mexico up at once. Miners always use dynamite so no one will notice. Good thing we are fifty miles from nowhere." John smirked.

Continued in Chapter Five