I Sing the Body Electric Pt 3 Highlander Ducan/Methos FRAO
New York Police Department,
11:30 a.m. November 11, 2185
After all the shouting had died down Methos had sullenly gone back to repeating the story of his time period in Anthony Minnelli’s employment for the fifteenth time. He winced at the stony glare that the Highlander was giving him and thought, “I guess knowing that I was a whore and hearing all the gory details were two entirely different things.”
MacLeod sat impassively in his chair, just to the right of Methos’ court appointed attorney, as the Assistant District Attorney posed yet another humiliating question about the “activities” that Methos had been required to perform as a part of his employment. The fact that Methos had named about two dozen wealthy and well known men in the community as his steady clientele was both horrifying and unexpected.
MacLeod could see that Methos was abjectly humiliated in relating tale after tale of these men’s sexual practices. The District Attorney seemed all too amused by the Superior Court Judge, who was approaching retirement age, who had a thing for Methos in a Catholic Schoolgirl’s uniform. The Highlander was willing to lay odds on the fact that Minnelli had the rooms in the brothel wired for sound and video and good chunk of that judge’s retirement pay would have gone to pay from keeping the videos out of his wife’s hands.
Finally, in deference to the emotional distress the testimony was causing Adam, his attorney called a halt to the proceedings. Methos silently followed MacLeod out of the office and headed toward the parking lot. Just as they were about to leave a uniformed officer for the records department trotted out of the elevator. Grinning he waved a packet of manila folders at the Highlander. “Detective MacLeod, I found those files you asked me to find. A good thing you checked them out now. They were scheduled to be destroyed.”
Later that evening, after dinner and washing up they sat in the floor watching a movie on television with Methos making pointed comments about ancient Rome and that “Caesar did not look like that. Plus the Roman Army wasn’t nearly that good in combat and who the hell believed that everything in Rome was white?”
“God, Mac.” Methos snorted, “Who wrote this piece of crap? Any second year archeology student will tell you the Romans painted every damn thing, including statues.”
“We’re not watching it for the historical accuracy. It’s a drama, for entertainment purposes.”
“Oh yeah, the only one who found Christians being tossed into the Coliseum as lion food entertaining was the lions.”
“Yes, oh great and glorious historian,” MacLeod said genuflecting and simultaneously tossing popcorn at the other man.
Rolling his eyes Methos dodged the projectiles and said imperiously, “That was great and glorious physician. And they weren’t talking about me.”
“What did you do in ancient Rome?”
“Oh a little of this and a little of that. Mostly I was a slave, but for seventeen years I was married to a Roman General and raised his four children.”
“You were married to a man?”
“Yep, I was a slave in a senator’s house, tutor to his grandchildren. I spoke Greek and Latin and could read and write in both. The General was his friend and he saw me in the house, asked to buy me, but the Senator’s wife had somehow gotten the idea that I was an innocent, little virgin...”
“That was probably a real stretch for you.” MacLeod snorted then grinned at the baleful glare that earned him. Squaring his shoulders Methos went on.
“Anyway she demanded that he marry me instead of buying me. And he did. He was a good husband too. He was kind to me when he didn’t have to be, and I raised the children until they were grown.”
“But I didn’t think that the Romans were that tolerant of homosexuality.”
“Well, less that the Greeks, that’s true, but we got around that. The senator just declared that I was a woman.”
“Is that even true?” MacLeod said and Methos leaned back eyes closed, a slow sweet smile spread over his face, as if he was remembering someone else. And suddenly the Highlander was jealous of a man who had died long before MacLeod had even been born. Methos grinned even wider, and MacLeod wasn’t sure if he was being played for a fool or not. Not that he even cared; he had missed this the most, the wildly improbable stories of the past, Methos’ version of history.
He clicked off the television yawning, rising to follow the other man into the bedroom. He and Methos had tumbled into bed every night since the first one, and the Immortal showed no sighs that he wanted it any other way. Methos shimmied out of his skintight jeans dropping them on the floor. Finally relenting as MacLeod glared at him quickly he tossed his clothes into the hamper while MacLeod finished undressing.
Turning down the duvet Methos sprawled on the bed idly stroking his hand over his chest. MacLeod crawled across the bed nudging Methos in the shoulder with his forehead. Methos ran his fingers through the Highlander’s hair, over his cheeks and down under his chin, grasping his face and pulling him into for a deep, hard kiss. Shoving MacLeod down he quickly straddled the other man’s hips, leaning in to suckle a dark brown nipple. MacLeod gasped and Methos wriggled rubbing their cocks together, with a silky purr he hissed in MacLeod’s ear, “Does Daddy like that?”
Suddenly MacLeod sat up spilling the slightly smaller man off his lap growling angrily, “I’m not one of your hard-assed lawyers or slimy bankers, Methos. You don’t have to whore for me.”
“I’m sorry, Duncan. This past year has been kind of hard for me. I meant it when I said that I had been a whore in the past, about six hundred years ago. Not anytime recently, and I never liked doing it, it’s always been because someone owned me. I hate feeling helpless, like I have no choice in how I live my life, and truthfully you look so much older now. I really did get a little confused.”
Tucking a pillow under his chin MacLeod sighed, reaching back to draw Methos down beside him, “After the trial where will you go?”
“Back to school I guess. I really want to finish that degree and I was kind of thinking about going to Mars -- to the colony. They’ll need techs, especially people trained to build and maintain the atmosphere processors.”
MacLeod nodded not looking at the man laying beside him, “In the meantime while you’re in school?”
“If this is a prelude to asking me to live with you, I don’t think that would be wise.” Methos held up a hand to forestall the protest he could see in Duncan’s face. “You are a respected member of this community and I am a whore, and even worse I am an underage whore. That will really look good on your record down at the precinct.”
“I was thinking of leaving New York anyway. I could retire from the force, go back to Seacouver, maybe even open a martial arts studio again or an antique shop. I still have warehouses full of crap. Antiques are big again.”
“What would I be, your interior decorator boyfriend?”
“Oh yeth...” MacLeod lisped winking, and Methos rolled onto his back laughing.
After a few minutes he sat up wiping his nose on the sheets while studiously avoiding MacLeod’s scowl.
“Can we get matching neon pink tee-shirts?”
Grinning the Highlander pulled him close letting his lips trial over Methos’ collarbones, down his chest suckling on a nipple briefly before trailing lower. Methos cock twitched, rising and firming as MacLeod’s mouth explored his flat belly, tasting the slight indent of his navel then swept downward. Methos uttered a strangled shout when the warm, wet heat of MacLeod’s mouth closed over his aching cock. The long, elegant fingers that wrapped themselves around the Highlander skull tightened almost painfully, and then Methos was arching up, thrusting as much as he could with MacLeod’s meaty hands grasping his hips, forcing him prone.
Grunting and cursing Methos panted rising up on his elbows so that he could watch MacLeod sucking him. The sight of his rigid, tumescent flesh thrusting in and out of the other man’s full lips set him off, and Methos came in hard spurts. MacLeod sucked him dry then licked the softening flesh clean with a smile.
Quickly he lubed his dripping; penis and grasping Methos by the hips tossed him face down on the bed. Methos grunted once as MacLeod slid inside, then struggled to rise to his hands and knees. MacLeod pulled him up supporting them both until Methos got settled, then he closed his eyes leaning heavily on the slightly smaller man riding him vigorously until they both climaxed again.
After Methos had fallen asleep MacLeod lay listening to his deep, regular breathing for a few minutes before climbing out of the bed. He crept across the room and pulled the door closed behind him. The two manila folders that he had ordered from the records department were sitting on his desk in the living room. Carefully he switched on a lamp then picked them up.
He had been researching the case numbers for a couple of weeks, since he first got the files. The job was more difficult because the names of the prisoners had been deleted out of the documents and were replaced only by their id numbers. Either one of the cases could have been Methos’, both prisoners were incarcerated for murder and both had served the first ten years of their sentences at Rennet. The first prisoner had taken part in a cryogenic suspension experiment and been released. The second prisoner had been executed as ordered, and his body donated to science. Without seeing the actual body of the executed prisoner MacLeod would never be able to tell if it was Methos or not.
Finally he picked up the phone calling the records department and leaving a message for John Roberts, the clerk. Carefully he left a detailed message that he was trying to locate records on the final disposition of a body in a murder case and clicked off the phone.
Turning off the lamp he yawned briefly then walked back into the bedroom.
NYPD Safe House No. 1
12:00 a.m.
The black sedan cruised around the block again, as the occupants silently studied the small white and brick house nestled on the corner lot of this suburban neighborhood. The house was silent, and dark as if everyone inside was asleep, although the men knew for a fact the house had a state of the art alarm system.
The car pulled to a halt a few feet from the driveway, and a shadowy figure emerged moonlight glinting off the barrel of the handgun clutched in his fingers. Another figure crossed behind the car walking quickly to stand beside the first. Together both men crept up the driveway and around the house.
A keypad was mounted on the wall beside the door the numbers glowed a pale green in the subdued lighting gracing the doorframe. The halogen lamps were muted, subtle so that they would not draw too much attention from the neighbors. The taller of the two figures paused briefly fumbling a slip of paper from his coat pocket before keying in the code that would shut down the security systems, not just the alarms on the door, but the cameras inside the house as well.
Once the number had been keyed into the panel the light above the number keys flickered from red to green. Silently the man opened the door quickly slipping inside.
There were two bedrooms in the house each one occupied by a police officer and one of the five witnesses in the prostitution trial. It was only a matter of seconds before all four were dead.
The blue sparks that erupted from one of the young witnesses were a source of fascination for one of the assassins and he stood watching the mutely twitching body, jerk and twist as the life bled slowly out of it onto the cold, stone tiles. When the floorshow was over he pulled a cell phone from the other pocket of his jacket and punched in a number.
A machine answered although there was no message only the dull beep of the machinery picking up the phone, the man uttered a single word; “One.” then hung up. Almost immediately after the phone rang a second time and the voice whispered, “Two.” A few minutes later the third a final call rang into the machine and the line went dead.
MacLeod Residence,
8:00 a.m.
Methos rolled over in bed as the telephone rang. Blearily he fumbled across the bedside table before realizing that he was alone. The curtains and window had been opened and the sunlight was streaming through the window. The cheerful sounds of small birds flooded the room, “Shut up,” he hissed at the winged menaces.
Grumbling Methos pulled the covers over his head flopping belly down on the soft mattress, a move that proved to be less than wise since he had his usual morning hard-on. “Youch,” he howled although the sound probably didn’t carry into the other room where his erstwhile lover was gabbing on the phone.
“Oh Maaac, I need your help with a little something, well a not so little something, come and get it big guy.” Listening for the sound of footsteps from the other room Methos tossed the covers back grasping his cock at the base and waving it in the air like it was stick he was waving for a big, dumb dog to fetch. “Come on, big boy. You know you want it; come and get it.”
Snuffling in self pity when that failed to produce his lover the ancient Immortal tossed the bed clothes away and staggered into the living room stopping dead when he was met by the shocked and stunned face of Jerry Halwell and the even more stunned face of the Highlander. Halwell did a slow survey of the young man’s naked and extremely aroused body.
Jaw dropping in disbelief MacLeod choked out a final answer to the party on the other end of the phone before dropping it on the table. Halwell still was rooted place in the center of the room and Methos as staggered back as his flesh slumped from shock.
“Uh,” he stammered then winced at the stupid sound of it, “I umm, was... I just took a wrong turn on the way to the bathroom.” Turning Methos fled down the hall and slammed the door to the guest room closed, diving into the bathroom.
MacLeod tried for nonchalant as he crept toward the kitchen, and the mug of coffee still steaming on the bar. Carefully he pulled another mug from the tree beside the coffee maker, pouring out a second cup and sliding across to this partner.
Taking the cup Halwell sipped at the liquid then winced, “Mac. Look it’s none of my business but damn it, what the hell are you thinking?”
Before the Highlander could even open his mouth the older appearing man raised a hand, “Mac, I’ve known you for fifteen years, and you’ve been more than a friend. Hell, Anne and I think of you as the son we’ve never had, so please hear me out. You’re putting yourself at risk with this kid; he’s a whore for God’s sake.”
“Jer, it’s not what you think...”
“He came out of your bedroom, Mac, stark naked with a hard-on! How could it possibly not be what I’m thinking? Maybe you’re having a mid-life crisis?”
“I am not having a mid-life crisis. I love him.” MacLeod said with a deep sigh. The other man closed his eyes rubbing a hand tiredly over his face before gently continuing.
“Mac, Karen and the baby have been dead four years; God knows I was the first one to tell you that you had mourned enough, that you needed to get on with your life, but not like this. Christ, he’s twenty years old, Mac, and that makes you considerably more than forty-nine months older than him. You’ll get sent up for statutory rape. It’ll kill your career, and I didn’t nursemaid you through your internship for that to happen.”
Slamming his mug down angrily MacLeod turned on the other man, “Yeah and I’m supposed to be providing protective custody for him. So you can add rape under the cover of authority to the charges, too.”
Calming Halwell held up a hand to forestall any other comments from his partner,” Look Mac, nobody’s pressing any charges yet. I’m just trying to get you to see what can happen. How do you know the kid isn’t using you? Once this thing with Minnelli is all taken care of he might just up and disappear.”
Sighing MacLeod shrugged, but honestly he couldn’t fight Halwell on that point, he had no illusions about Methos’ penchant to disappear without a trace. “I can only hope that he won’t. I can’t help it, Jer. I’m in love with him. I don’t believe that he’s using me. I think that he loves me too.”
The telephone rang again and MacLeod hurried to retrieve it from the table, “MacLeod,” he hissed then turned settling one hip on the edge of the table. “My God, all of them? Yeah, Jerry is here now, I’ll tell him.”
Dropping the phone from his numb fingers MacLeod closed his eyes, “The other witnesses are all dead. Every last one of them, last night.”
Halwell took a deep breath then pressed the back of his hand to his lips, “How?”
“Somebody got into the safe houses. They shot them all, the boys and their guards. Who ever it was had the alarm codes for the security systems too. They got in and out without a peep.”
“Whoever they were, they were working for Minnelli. Somebody in the department...” Halwell began. MacLeod shook his head.
“Its got to be or the court system. It’s the same as last time. Somebody in the department or the court system is tipping that bastard off. And he’s setting up the hits.”
With trembling hands the older man settled on a barstool beside the kitchen island, “That makes your little friend in there solid gold property...Minnelli will do anything to keep him from testifying.”
Both men glanced at the hall where Methos suddenly appeared. He was dressed in baggy jeans and a soft stretched out sweater, carefully he finished rubbing a towel over his hair then raked his fingers through the long straight mass. “What’s wrong?” he asked noticing the looks on both men’s faces.
MacLeod rose from his perch on the table fumbling in the kitchen then produced a mug of coffee holding it out to the other man. “The other witnesses are all dead.”
“All of them?”
“Yeah, five witnesses and six cops. Eleven people gone just to save that bastard Minnelli’s head. God, if I could kill him, I would,” MacLeod said angrily.
Holding up a hand Halwell tapped him on the chest lightly, “No, Mac. We are going to do this legal, absolutely legal. I want him just as bad as you do. But we’re going to do this the right way. Come one we’ve got to get your friend here down to the station. He’ll have to relocate. The department will move him someplace safe.”
Squaring his shoulders the Highlander replied, “They’re not going to move him anywhere without me.”
“Mac,” Halwell hissed, “Listen to me, you can’t continue....”
Methos stepped forward catching the MacLeod’s arm, “He’s right MacLeod. It’s not safe; I don’t want you to get caught in the middle. I’ll be fine.”
“No, Adam. You are not going anywhere without me.”
Halwell shot his partner a look then shrugged, “If you want to throw away your career for a whore, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
He stormed out of the room leaving Methos and MacLeod standing together, “Don’t do this for me, Mac. He’s right I’m not worth losing your whole life over.”
“You are my whole life, that’s what hurt me the most, Methos...Not Tessa, not Darius not any other Immortal friend or lover, hell, not even Amada. Thinking that I’d lost you almost killed me. It made me give up my Immortality. I won’t lose you a second time. Whatever happens we’ll face it together. Go pack up your stuff, anything you want out of the house. I’m going to get my things together and we’ll go to the department.”
MacLeod watched Methos disappear into the guestroom, and then moved into his bedroom leaving the door open so that he could see if the other man left. Quickly he pulled a duffle bag out of the closet and began loading it down. When he was sure that Methos was occupied he picked up his cell phone. Punching a number in quickly MacLeod waited until the voice on the other end stopped speaking, “Ned...yeah, it’s Duncan MacLeod. I know that you’re not in the business anymore but I need some work done. I thought maybe you knew somebody. Got a pen, this is what I need.”