It was late afternoon and the dojo contained the usual weekend assortment of sweaty men lifting weights and using the punch bag. MacLeod and Richie were sparring open handed when they felt the buzz. They turned to watch the door, wary since as far as they knew none of their acquaintances were in town, but not really worried since neither of the most likely visitors were in the habit of announcing their movements.

The figure that appeared in the doorway was not familiar. Like many who had turned up the past few days they clutched a torn scrap of newspaper, the small ad they had run in the local paper having worked rather well. They looked about normal for the clientele here, not exactly neat, wearing rather battered Nike’s with their black sweats and carrying an equally battered large duffel bag. The leather waistcoat was a bit unusual, but what really made her stand out was she had a figure that wouldn’t have looked out of place as a ship’s figurehead. The zipper on the waistcoat wouldn’t quite stay done up, and Richie was really noticing. He started to step forwards to greet her, but MacLeod put out an arm to block him and stepped forwards instead.

“I am Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod. What is your business here?”

She wandered towards him, glancing around the room, and waved the piece of paper vaguely. “Looking for some place to work out. Judo and fencing mostly. Looks like this could be the right place to come.” she said, nodding towards the fencing equipment they had left on the side for later. Her accent was hard to place. It seemed mostly British, but then it sounded a little French, or perhaps a word or two was Spanish.

“Well, I’m not sure this is really the right place for you.”

She looked annoyed and sighed. “Not another boys only club, is it? Look, I’m no hobbyist. It’s not like I picked up a sword last week because it looks good in the movies. I’m serious, I’m looking for some place to train. I know my stuff.”

“We know swords pretty well ourselves.”

“Great, so maybe you could even teach me something. I’ve been on the road so long I’m nearly out of practice. A worthy opponent would be a rare treat.” she saw he was still looking downright unfriendly, so she walked over to the masks and threw him one. “You don’t believe me, feel free to ask for a demonstration.”

He looked at her steadily for a moment then without saying anything put on the mask and walked over to get the jacket and sword.

The Immortal woman put down her bag and unzipped it. She pulled out her own set of fencing gear, and a long wooden case. She pulled on the clothes and got a long leather thong to tie back the dozen small braids that kept her waist length brown hair under control, then did something complicated that ended up with all her hair piled up securely on her head. Then she carefully opened the case, and pulled out a shining fencing foil with a cup engraved with the words ‘VENI VIDI VICI’. It looked like a sports blade, not really the weapon of an Immortal. She turned to face Mac and pulled her mask on. He gestured to a clear section of the room, walked over and stood ready. She did likewise, and they began to spar.

Richie had faced Mac many times whilst training, and was pretty confident of his friend’s skills. But he also knew not to take anything for granted where Immortals were concerned. The young looking woman was holding her own pretty well, but he didn’t think Mac really had anything to worry about. They almost danced back and forth across the room, their blades patterns of light in the air. The woman launched into a combination move Richie had seen before, parry parry riposte lunge.. and Mac had seen it coming too, and had his sword to her heart. She held still a moment, then straightened up slowly. “You are good.” she said, sounding somewhat surprised. Mac started to remove his mask. “Best two out of three?” she asked quickly.

Mac paused a moment, then settled the mask on again. “If you must.” he said, standing ready once more.

She engaged him again, and this time Richie noticed she seemed faster, more sure of herself. Mac felt the difference too. He was forced into a pattern under her attacks, then pushed off balance and fast as lightning she exploited the gap in his defence and the bout went to her.

“You’re good.” Mac told her in return.

“Thank you. One does one’s best.” she said mock modestly, backing off and spreading her arms in a half bow. She stood en guard again, and Mac joined her.

Many of the patrons had stopped to watch by now. The sharp clang of the blades rang out as the deciding match began. There was no doubt that these two were expert swordsmen. Or swords man and woman really. Richie watched the way the newcomer moved and though he knew she could be after his head there really was no ignoring her. She wasn’t precisely beautiful, but her movements were lithe, graceful, cat like. A really striking woman.

This time Mac was pulling out all the stops, and the woman did likewise. The sword work was dazzling, and it seemed an even fight. The two swords flickered as each tried to find a hole in the other’s defence, and repeatedly failed. Then a moment before Richie had even realised the woman made a mistake Mac’s sword stabbed through the momentary opening and rested against the woman’s heart. She froze again and looked down, the mask hiding her expression. Then she stood straight, saluted Mac, turned and stalked back to her bag, her every action controlled but annoyed.

She wiped off her sword and put it carefully back in it’s box as Mac came over to stand beside her, then took her mask off and slung it in the bag. Mac likewise started to remove the protective clothing. When she spoke again she sounded perfectly civil, almost cheerful. Almost.

“Well, it’s been a long time since I faced such a skilled opponent. It will be a pleasure training here.” she said, pulling off her jacket.

Mac looked at her, then said “I’m not sure this is really a good place for you.”

She turned to face him looking defiant and irritated, and Richie quickly stepped up beside her.

“What Mac means is he’s not sure it’s such a good idea to have someone who could...” quick look at the mortal patrons across the room “Beat him training here. Makes him look bad.”

The woman looked at the Highlander a moment more, then turned to look at Richie and grinned. “And you are...?”

“Richard Ryan. I’m the deputy manager here.” Richie said, giving her a trademark Ryan smile.

The woman smiled back and finished putting her fencing gear back in the bag. “So is it your turn now? Most guys don’t seem to believe I know my stuff till they’ve found me on top of them a few times.”

“Excuse me?”

She smirked. “Judo. My other passion. Shall we?” she said, gesturing towards the mat.

“I think my ego can stand a few falls.” Richie said, wandering over, and the woman joined him.

He pretty quickly had the opportunity to see if he was right. It was more or less stand, bow, hit mat, stand up, repeat until... five falls later he conceded to her expertise. He stepped back and put his hands up in surrender. “Okay, you win. I definitely believe you.”

She smirked and just stepped back and bowed formally.

“Can I at least have the name of the woman who just wiped the floor with me?” he asked her, doing a lost puppy dog face.

She smiled, put one arm across her stomach and flung one arm out wide, bowing rather more flamboyantly. “Vivianne Edith Nina Impson, at your service. But you can call me Viv.”

“Well, Viv, you certainly livened up our day. I think it would be interesting having you around.” Richie said, looking at MacLeod as he finished. Mac said nothing, just picked up a towel and threw it at Richie, who needed it.

Viv walked back over to her bag and rummaged through it for her own towel. “I usually practice wearing the jackets.” She said conversationally, pulling out the item in question to get at the bag better. “I know it’s more a sport that way, but it’s what I’m used to.” she finished, pulling out a black belt and setting the neat coil on top of the jacket.

Richie came over to stand beside her and grinned. “I should have known.” he said, waving at the belt.

Viv grinned back at him. “It would be simpler just to wear the thing when I walk in, but guys just don’t believe it till they see floor a few times, you know?”

“I make a point of never underestimating a beautiful woman.” then as Viv got out a sword belt complete with silver swept hilt rapier, he finished “Especially not one with a sword like that.”

Viv found the towel she was looking for and placed the rapier carefully back in the bag. “TLF. We been through a lot together, I’m sort of in the habit of carrying him.”

“I tend to keep mine close to hand too.” Richie said, and when she raised an eyebrow he walked over to where his gothic bastard sword was placed inconspicuously near the wall and brought it over to show her. Mac was getting a real disapproving look on him.

“Nice.” Viv said appreciatively. “Bit too heavy for the likes of me though I reckon.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I think you could handle it. Here, feel the weight.” he said, handing it to her carefully then catching hold of her hand as it dropped rather suddenly towards the floor.

“Pretty heavy.” Viv said, looking round to him as he stood right beside her. Helping her hold it up. Her eyes flicked down over his muscles, still gleaming with sweat. “I guess you’re strong enough to handle it though.”

He grinned at her, and noticed that her eyes were a surprising sort of steel blue. Her scent was unexpected too, like cinnamon, cheap soap and motor oil.

Right then another new guy walked into the dojo, and Mac called to Richie to go see to him. Richie looked round at him and gave him a hard look for a moment, then shrugged, retrieved his sword and left it on the side, and walked over to greet the new guy with a rather dimmer version of the smile.

Mac looked at Vivianne a moment, then said. “Could we have a word.”

“What you got to say?” Viv shrugged.

“In my office.” Mac said, still sounding cold and unfriendly. Viv slung the towel back in her bag, hoisted it back on her shoulder and followed him to the office.

“So what is your problem with me, Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod? Bruised ego?”

“Leave Richie alone.”

“Oh, so I’m cutting in on your boyfriend am I? That’s cool, I’ll leave him to you.”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it. I don’t know you, and I don’t trust you. Leave Richie alone and find somewhere else to work out.”

“Well that’s harsh for someone you just met. But it’s your place, so I guess I’ll be going elsewhere. But I don’t think you’ve got the right to dictate who Richie hangs out with.”

“Maybe not, but if you try for his head you’ll have me and a lot of other Immortals to face before the Quickening finishes.”

Viv sat there for a moment blank faced, then raised an eyebrow. “Oh-Kay MacLeod. Um, Immortals? You’re not going to try and tell me the secret name of God now, are you? Jeez, what is it with me. Do I got a sign on my forehead that says all weirdoes talk to me?” she muttered to herself, standing up and picking up her bag.

MacLeod’s attitude changed subtly. “Wait. You don’t know what I’m talking about?”

“Haven’t a clue, don’t want to know, goodbye and good luck with the therapy.”

“You don’t know about Immortals, about the Game?” he asked insistently, blocking her way to the door.

Viv backed up and put a hand on her bag strap, ready to dump it if he wanted a fight. “I know a lot of games, but I don’t think I’m particularly inclined to play any with you right now. Now if you don’t mind, I think I should be going.”

“Viv, has anything.. strange happened in the past few days?”

“Strange as in X Files or strange as in weird Scots guys talking about Immortality? No, nothing, nada, zip. Now can I go?” she unzipped her bag and reached inside. Mac reckoned he had a pretty good idea of what she was reaching for.

He walked over towards the desk. “Viv, there’s something I have to show you.”

“If this is the part where you flop it out and tell me it’s the secret to eternal life, you’re going to walk out of here a gelding.” she threatened, the as she saw him get a knife out she yanked her rapier out of the bag and pulled it from it’s sheath.

“Wait, it’s nothing like that. Just trust me for a minute. There are some things I have to tell you. When you walked in here, you remember that feeling you got? Dizzy, maybe sick, and a pain in your head?”

Viv looked puzzled and lowered the sword fractionally. “Yeah. How did you know about that? And since when do my dizzy spells have anything to do with anything?”

“That feeling is how we recognise each other. We are Immortal. We don’t age, and we cannot die unless you take our heads, and with it our power, the power of the Quickening.”

“MacLeod...” Viv said, really not happy with the way this conversation was turning out.

“Just watch.” Mac said, then took the knife and plunged it right through his arm, making a long deep cut.

“Jesus Christ, MacLeod, you really are nuts! For Christ’s sake call an ambulance or.. at.. least..” she trailed off, watching his arm. At first it had dripped blood rapidly, but then the bleeding slowed and now the wound was healing, with little sparks like miniature lightning showing all along it. She blinked and rubbed at her eyes. When she looked again, the wound had completely healed, but the blood dripped all over the desk top was evidence it had not been just a trick of the eyes. “Bloody Hell.”

“You’re lucky I was the one that found you. You’re one of us.” Mac said quietly, and watched as she moved back to the chair with a glazed expression on her face, then sat down carefully.

“I, am Immortal?” Viv asked quietly.

“Yes.” Mac replied.

She was quiet a moment more, then she started chuckling. A moment more and she was laughing outright. “Well that explains a few things.” she said as she calmed down.

“I would imagine it would. Like dying then getting up again?”

“Like waking up on a riverbank the night after my eighteenth birthday pub crawl with holes in my shirt and none in me, and the look on that bastard Keith’s face the next time I saw him down the pub. Not to mention the speed he got out of town. I’ll have to remember to look him up one day.”

“That was probably your first death. We live normally until the first time we die, we get older, we can get sick or injured. But after that, we don’t get sick, and we heal as you saw me do.”

“So no more worries about pneumonia or breaking my neck, just about mad buggers trying to decapitate me? Oh I’m so glad you told me. I can just rest easier at night knowing that.”

“You had to know. The Gathering is here, and there are Immortals with hundreds of years more experience than you who will come for your head.”

“The Gathering?”

“All the remaining Immortals in the world will keep fighting until there is only one left.”

“And this is your ‘Game’? Count me out.”

“I’m afraid you don’t have that option. There are three main rules to the Game. The golden rule is we never fight on holy ground. Not just Christian ground, all holy ground. It is our only sanctuary. Second, we fight one on one. Once a challenge is made and accepted, no one can intervene until it is over. And in the end, there can be only One.”

“That’s it? That’s the whole of the rules? Hardly worth of Hoyles.” Viv said, sounding calm again and making some attempt to be witty. “So it’s this rule that has everyone fighting? What does the last one win?”

“The Prize. No one knows for sure what it will be, or even if it truly exists. But one thing is certain. The One will have all the power and knowledge of every Immortal that ever lived. Some people want that so badly they would do anything to get it. Others of us try not to fight, but there are times when you won’t have a choice. So you’re eighteen?”

“Nah, twenty three. You surprised I didn’t know for so long?”

“I’m surprised that no one has challenged you in that time. You carry a sword, not many people would guess you didn’t know about us.”

“Actually I think I have been challenged, a couple of times. One guy I disarmed him, a bit literally I’m afraid. The other.. well, I guess I didn’t actually kill him, if his head stayed on. The police made a right fuss about it, but the security cameras across the road caught the whole thing on tape so they saw it was self defence. As you’ve seen, I know swords. I wouldn’t carry it if I didn’t know how to use it. Really sorts out why they were such persistent buggers though.”

“You were arrested for duelling?”

“Well, I was, Viv Impson wasn’t. I was still only twenty you see, which makes it bloody hard to buy a beer in some countries, so I just said sod it and did up another identity.”

Mac was looking a little off balance. This was not the way this conversation usually went. Viv seemed to notice his perplexity.

“I guess I’m not your usual newbie, yes? So what do you generally do anyway? Give us the welcome speech and send us on our way?”

“I’ll find you a teacher. Someone who can teach you what you need to know to survive as an Immortal.”

“I already know how to fight. What else is there?”

“You know fencing as a sport. Real combat is very different. And running an Immortal through won’t do much good for very long.”

“I know a real fight is different, I’ve been in enough of them. Mostly knives, but I’ve been training with a sword all my life.”

“Still, I can beat you. Others will be able to also. I could train you, find someone to train you properly. And then there are other things. We have to hide what we are. Mortals don’t usually handle finding out about us very well. We have to keep moving, leave before people notice we don’t age. And with your first death having happened so young you’ll have to move on more often. Then there’s...” he stopped as Viv started to chuckle again.

“MacLeod, in my whole life I have only once lived any place for longer than a year. Pretty often we didn’t even stay a school term. Dad was a contractor you see. Well, that was his excuse. Really he was a hippie who never felt like stopping. We got dragged around all of Britain and quite a bit of France before I left school. And as for new identities, I hardly ever use my given name anyway. Wouldn’t do for trouble to stick to it. But if you can make me better with a sword, I’ll stick around. I meant it when I said I was looking for a place to train.”

“Vivianne, I didn’t mean...”

“You weren’t volunteering? Not a problem. I’ve looked after myself so far, I can manage on my own.”

“No, Viv, you might think you can but there are dangers in the world that you have no idea of yet.”

“So tell me about them. Teach me. Or I go back to my life and I won’t bother you again. Doesn’t bother me, either way.”

“I have friends..”

“In Seacouver?”

“Not right now,..”

“Well, that’s where I am right now. I don’t see why this weird little Game should mess with my life. Right now I’m living here. Maybe tomorrow I’ll feel like splitting, maybe not. I can never tell. But you and Ryan look like interesting people... is he one?”

“Yeah, Richie is Immortal too. For about as long as you actually. But I knew him before his first death, I trained him.”

“Well I don’t know how he is with a sword but if you taught him martial arts you left a few gaps. Tell you what, you train me, teach me whatever you think you know with a sword that I don’t, and I’ll teach Richie judo. I was a teaching assistant for a couple of years before I got bored and went on my little world tour. What do you say. Fair deal?”

Mac sighed and gave up. Maybe he could try again later, but if he let her walk out of here thinking she could take on the world and win she wouldn’t last a week, not the way Immortals passed through Seacouver. “Okay, I’ll teach you.”

“Outstanding.” Viv said, and stuck her hand out to shake his. He took it, with the hand that wasn’t covered in blood. “You know, you should clean that up, or it’ll just stain everything.”

“Believe me I know.” Mac said.

Viv got up and grabbed her bag again. “See you tomorrow then?”

“Wait, I don’t think..”

Right then Richie walked in. “Mac, we got another new guy wants to join...” he noticed the blood. “Ah, Mac..”

“Richie, meet my new student.” MacLeod gestured to Vivianne just nodded her head and grinned. “She just became aware she’d joined us.”

“Yeah? That’s great! You’re dealing with it pretty well.”

“Well, I always reckoned the world had to be madder than I was. Guess I was right.”

“Well, welcome to our little family.” Richie said.

“Oh, I don’t think so.” Viv said. Richie raised an eyebrow. “It would just be such a waste if I found out I was related to you. I got other plans.” Viv said, grinning wickedly.

Richie grinned right back at her. Mac thought the kid was getting altogether too fond of this new acquaintance who’s story didn’t seem to quite make sense.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Viv said, moving past Richie in the doorway and heading out of the dojo.

“Count on it.” Richie called after her, grinning.

As she walked out of sight Richie turned back to Mac and said “You know Mac, I’ve got the feeling that seeing a lot of her round here could be real fun.”