Disclaimer in part one. ***** After returning to the Victorian-themed abandoned submarine base, Silas entered a room where Methos and Caspian were waiting. Silas looked around at all the antique furnishing and asked, "What the hell is this place?" "This is Kronos' idea of Camelot," Methos said flatly, and then peered up from a book. Silas sat down in a chair and ran his hands over the velvet. "Where are the stables?" He gazed at Methos inquisitively. Methos shook his head negatively and went back to reading. "Then how do we ride?" Silas asked simply. "Where have you been for the last 2000 years, idiot? Living in the woods? Do you think we can just mount up and gallop down Broadway," Caspian said derisively as he glanced over his shoulder. "We can do whatever we please." Silas glared at his brother. Holding up a cage that contained a large rat, Caspian chuckled. "Four guys on horseback. Wild masks. They'll think we're in a circus." "They wouldn't think it for long, would they?" Silas asked with a touch of defensiveness. Caspian walked over, carrying the cage. "We're having a friend for dinner. Tell me, what goes best with rodent, red or white?" "Eat him and I'll eat you." Silas warned. "You're crazy. You should have been in the madhouse, instead of me. Or maybe Kronos..." He peered over at Methos and chuckled. "He's a bit off his feed, eh Methos. All these things... " He looked around the room and shook his head. "And the clothes!" Caspian laughed but Methos didn't join in, never peering up from his book. Silas grabbed his axe, rising to his feet. Caspian responded by picking up his sword and readying himself. Methos briefly glanced at them before returning to the book. Just then, Kronos entered the room and demanded they lay their weapons down. Kronos' expression was filled with disappointment, and his tone was laced with affirmation as he spoke. "We never raise a blade against each other. Isn't that right, Methos?" "You said it," Methos replied indifferently, then smiled and went back to his book. "We are the Four Horsemen. No other band of men has ever been more cruel or more feared." Kronos held out his hand. "Remember that." Silas took hold of Kronos' forearm, and Caspian held Silas's. Methos said nothing, but rose to join them, finishing the square. "And Caspian, red wine is usually best," Kronos peered at the rat. He grinned wickedly at Silas' reaction. "But that depends on how you prepare it. Now if it's roasted, then red. Grilled or sautéed, and I'd have to say white wine, on the dry side, to counter the gaminess of the dish." He smiled innocently at his brothers and then walked towards the doorway. "Brothers, come with me. I have something to show you." As he left the room Silas glanced nervously at Methos. "Brother, what is wrong with Kronos?" Methos chuckled softly and shook his head. "Besides the khaki pants, polo shirt and loafers?" Caspian snorted, "Yeah." "I'm not sure..." He whispered then raised his head as Kronos peered around the doorframe. "That was not a request!" Kronos' eyes fixed on Methos. ----- They entered Kronos' lab, walking past cages of monkeys. Kronos spoke reverently, "The weapons of today are different but it all comes down to the same thing. There are the conquerors and there are the conquered. There are those that have style..." He paused, looking Methos over. "And sadly, those that don't." "You want to conquer the world with monkeys?" asked Caspian. "Not with them..." Kronos punched a code into a keypad and a steel door slid open revealing a vault that held a single vial. "With this... Glorious virus! AIDS, Ebola, and now mine. It doesn't have a name, and it doesn't have a cure. That's a good thing." "Do you have a plan," Caspian asked, grinning devilishly. "I have a few thoughts. I have a few dollars left over from redecorating. And now we have Methos, and now we'll have a plan." The others held their breath as Methos asked, "What did you have in mind?" "Once we rode out of the sun, bringing death at the point of a sword. There was no man, and no immortal who could stand before us. We were death on horseback. They called us the end of the world." He chuckled and picked up the vial. "Well, gentleman. I want to give them what they fear most. The Apocalypse, and a twenty four hour a day network, featuring only homemade crafts." Silas did not understand Kronos' plan. Caspian clearly grasped it and slowly took a few steps back from his brother. Methos hid the shiver that ran down his spine. He was certain Kronos was beyond reason. They had done vile, unthinkable things in the past, but this... a 24/7 television network with crafts! Methos shuddered then walked slowly out of the room. There was little doubt that Kronos had taken the game to a new level of terror, and Methos was dumbfounded as to how to stop him. A short while later they all sat together, discussing Kronos' idea over the gourmet dinner he'd prepared for them. "I told you white wine would be best," Kronos said smugly. He glared at Methos. "Even though I'm satisfied with the arrangement of flowers you made for the centerpiece, I still have not heard a plan, Methos. You've gotten soft brother," he said from across the table while rising from a floral covered wing chair. "A bomb with the virus in a fountain. How many do you think that will kill?" Caspian took a bite of the soufflé and nodded his approval. He sipped some of the wine, then said mockingly to Methos, "I'm scared. Are you scared?" Methos wiped his lips with a linen napkin, then sat back and sighed. "It's a prelude, Caspian. Have you read Aristotle's Poetics? No, of course not, you haven't even seen Casablanca." He turned to Kronos, and asked, "What is the first rule of great drama?" "Start small, and build." Kronos said simply. "And this is your plan?" Methos' features revealed his amazement that his brother knew the answer. Again Kronos had taken him by surprise, he swallowed and quickly recovered. "Yes, first a fountain to get their attention. Then, a public pool, to kill a hundred. Then, a stadium, to kill ten thousand. Then... one drop of the virus in the city's water supply..." He gazed at Kronos and shrugged. "Within a week..." "A country. The Horsemen rule, or the world dies." Kronos grinned. "It's a good thing. Has a nice ring to it. I forgot how good you were, Methos. We begin tonight." Kronos had left the base to purchase some fresh herbs. The other Horsemen sat in the entertainment room, silently watching the big screen TV. CNN Headline News was running a special bulletin, it'd been on for the past week but none of them had seen it due to all their planning and Kronos' constant demands. The reporter was standing in front of a partially charred building. "No new clues have been found in the tragic beheading and fire at the studio..." "Turn that up!" Methos dropped his book and waved to Silas who had the remote. As the volume increased, the three watched silently. "The FBI is now involved, thus leading to the questions, was this a murder? And subsequently, who would want Martha Stewart dead? We may never know the answer." Caspian's drink crashed to the floor, the glass shattering everywhere. "You don't think..." He looked over at Methos, shock registering on his features. "He wouldn't have! Not her! He'd be crazy to take her head!" Silas gasped, "Horror! Horror!" Methos silently rose, he felt ill. His features whitened, and his breath came in small gasps. His mind was a whirlwind; he wanted to block what this meant from his consciousness. The Apocalypse suddenly didn't sound like a bad idea and he dismissed his original plan to warn MacLeod of the bomb hidden in the fountain. Perhaps, he thought, we are all better off if the end of the world comes. He walked out into the cool night air and pulled the collar of his coat tightly around his neck. ----- Lyrics used in story designated with *'s The Gunfighter ~ Blues Traveller I'm taken aback But still I let it ride *No sudden movements* I ease my hand real slow Then my hands are like lightning And the bullets start to fly I was almost in the clear too With just inches left to go Well if it's the fool who likes to rush in And if it's the angel who never does try And if it's me who will lose or win Then I'll make my best guess and I won't care why C'mon and get me you twist of fate I'm standing right here Mr. Destiny If you want to talk well then I'll relate If you don't so what cause you don't scare me *C'mon and get me you twist of fate I'm standing right here Mr. Destiny If you want to talk well then I'll relate If you don't so what cause you don't scare me* -- Find me at: Isolde's Highlander Pages: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dunes/7397/