click on pic to see larger EXT - CONSTRUCTION SITE BELOW
Duncan lies IMPALED on a JUTTING SHAFT OF RE-BAR as an UNMARKED PANEL VAN screeches INTO FRAME. His eyes stare sightless upward as THE LOFT WINDOWS EXPLODE with unearthly HOWLS of stretching metal and pulverizing concrete. SHOCKWAVES strafe the walls, blowing out mortar and brick. POWER LINES SNAP and LASH against the building, spitting fiery plumes of SPARKS.

INT - LOFT
Seen from behind, the Stranger absorbs the QUICKENING in a series of wild electro-shock convulsions.

EXT - CONSTRUCTION SITE BELOW
Several darkly-clad MEN jump from the panel van and race up to Duncan. With pit crew efficiency, one takes a mondo set of BOLT CUTTERS to the metal stake while the others grab Duncan by the arms and ankles. A fourth throws open the cargo door. Snap-lift... they TOSS Duncan in the back of the van.

INT - LOFT, SAME
Arms outstretched and rigid, head thrown back in silent rapture, the Stranger RISES slowly off the floor, suspended Christ-like in the air. BLINDING HALOES of PURE RADIANT ESSENCE engulf him, a lifeforce beyond human understanding. THE OTHERS watch transfixed. They've seen it all before, but it never ceases to amaze and terrify them.

 CUT TO: DARKNESS
Which becomes a harsh blast of LIGHT.

DUNCAN'S EYES flutter open, squint at the glare. He's strapped to the same Giger-like chair, immobilized. Standing around him are hooded members of that same monk-like order in what is, essentially, a dungeon. One of them, MATTHEW, steps forward. His steel-gray eyes are familiar. He's the one who followed Duncan through customs. As he reaches to cinch closed one of the iron cuffs with a thick metal dowel, he reveals a distinctive TATTOO across his inner forearm. One that Duncan instantly recognizes.

DUNCAN
Watchers?

Matthew simply nods.

DUNCAN
Watchers observe. They don't interfere.

MATTHEW
True. And we were more than happy to perform our traditional function. Believe me, it's a whole lot easier charting the history of Immortals than it is running a day care center for them. Unfortunately our role has changed somewhat.

DUNCAN
Why?

MATTHEW
Because the rules have been broken.

DUNCAN
Not by me.

MATTHEW
You're not the one we're worried about.

Matthew moves to the other side of the chair. Pegs the arm cuff and ratchets down a redundant set of bindings.

MATTHEW (cont'd)
One of your kind has gone renegade. In doing so he's gained himself a sizeable advantage. One that will be impossible to overcome.

DUNCAN
Nobody's unbeatable.

MATTHEW
He's surrounded himself with Immortals loyal only to him. He uses holy ground as a safe haven. And every head taken in battle is reserved for him alone, each Quickening-- hundreds upon hundreds-- taken by just one man. Yes, Duncan. He is unbeatable.

Matthew pours a Scotch. Glenmorangie. Holds it to Duncan's lips iike the final offering to a condemned man.

MATTHEW (cont'd)
Worse still, far worse, is that he's become a perversion to the Game. And if he prevails, that perversion will resonate through everything we know. For eternity. In ways we can't possibly comprehend.

Duncan tugs at his bonds. Knows what's in store for him.

MATTHEW (cont'd)
There must always be two of your kind. As long as there are two, and they're kept from fighting, the Prize is safe. The Sanctuary must continue.

 DUNCAN
Get yourself another volunteer.

MATTHEW
We had a number of "volunteers." Sadly, that's no longer the case.

Another WATCHER steps up and forces an IRON FACE SHACKLE down over Duncan's head.

MATTHEW (cont'd)
You'll be warehoused. Hidden away. So the Prize can remain safe.

Duncan struggles frantically against his bonds.

DUNCAN
You're insane!

MATTHEW
For the world, Duncan. We do this for the world...

The Watcher takes two large BOLTS and begins to screw the mask directly into Duncan's skull.

DUNCAN'S POV:
BLACKNESS, accompanied by BRIGHT SEARING FLASHES of AGONY.

MATTHEW'S VOICE (cont'd)
Don't worry. The drugs should kick in momentarily.

All external SOUND is slowly DROWNED OUT by the POUNDING IN HIS OWN BRAIN. A POUNDING interspersed with jarring, synaptic flashes of BATTLE. Killing. Dying. Killing again. Dying again. The recycling nightmare finally RECEDES back into NOTHINGNESS. Then, a NEW SOUND. Distant. Grind of metal on bone. Bolts being unscrewed. Iron plate lifts from his eyes, flood of LIGHT. Once again, Duncan SQUINTS up at a FACE. This time, the blurred, swimming features of a familiar Irish-American mug.

DUNCAN(WOOZY)
Dawson...

JOE DAWSON, familiar to many as Duncan's one friend inside the Watchers, smiles back.DAWSONYou look like shit.

DUNCAN
How... long...?

DAWSON
Week, maybe longer. We can't talk here.

(unstraps Duncan)

We gotta go.

Dawson reacts to the sound of APPROACHING FOOTSTEPS.

DAWSON (cont'd)(urgently)
Now. Can you walk?

DUNCAN
Think so.

He takes one step and pitches forward onto his face.

DUNCAN (cont'd)
Potent whiskey.

He clambers to his feet and follows Dawson out of the chamber.

EXT - ARMORY - NIGHT
Dawson and Duncan emerge from a nondescript cinderblock armory, an overgrown Cold War relic recently co-opted by the Watchers. They duck some scurrying guards, plow through thick underbrush to A HIDDEN CAR and climb inside.

INT - CAR, TRAVELLING - NIGHT

DUNCAN
You knew about The Sanctuary.

DAWSON
Just because I'm a Watcher, doesn't mean I'm always in the loop.

DUNCAN
I don't buy that.

Dawson averts his gaze. Stares ahead.

DAWSON
I really struggled with it, y'know, the idea of keeping guys on ice like that. 
But I couldn't argue with the logic. Least not 'til they went after you.
(squeals hard onto the main drag)
Guess that put it a little too close to home.

 DUNCAN
I owe you.

Dawson slides Duncan's katana out from under the seat. Hands it over.

DAWSON
Do me a favor, buddy. Live to pay me back.

DUNCAN
What happened to the bodies?

Dawson winces slightly. Keeps driving.

DUNCAN (cont'd)
C'mon, Joe.

DAWSON
Listen-- I got you outta one jam. Don't push your luck.

DUNCAN
I need to see them.

DAWSON
They're dead. Trust me.

DUNCAN
Was one of them Connor MacLeod?

DAWSON
Yes.

DUNCAN
Let me see the bodies.

DAWSON
The heads are gone. You really don't wanna go there.

DUNCAN
I have to, Joe. I have to know.

Dawson jerks the car to a sudden shuddering stop.

DAWSON
Alright... Alright-- If I tell you, that's it, I'm outta here! 
You're on your own! I can't be a part of this, OK?!

DUNCAN
OK.

DAWSON
OK.

Dawson stares at Duncan. A beat, then:

DAWSON
Fuck. I m a part of it.

He throws the car back into gear and fishtails back onto the road.

CUT TO: A VIEW THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD
of a forlorn and forgotten CEMETERY. Nothing marks its perimeter but a toppled gate and some trampled barbed wire.

DAWSON
It was a Christian burial. Decent. They said all the right words.

DUNCAN
I can't begin to tell you how reassuring that is. Pull over.

WIDE
Dawson pulls over. He and Duncan get out of the car.

DAWSON
Needless to say, with a dozen unexplainable corpses, they had to go a bit off the beaten track.

EXT - CEMETERY - SUNSET
From here it looks like just a barren hillside littered with broken and crumbling marble.

CLOSER
Duncan and Dawson tramp up the shallow incline.

DAWSON (cont'd)
What do you think you're gonna find when you get up there?

DUNCAN
I don't know.

DAWSON
I'm not digging. Get that through your skull right now. Not these hands...

CRESTING THE RIDGE
Twelve freshly-mounded graves come into view, gouged into the rubbled downslope like wounds, each set off by a simple wooden cross. Duncan stops when he reaches the first grave. Stiffens.

DAWSON
What?

Duncan remains frozen, staring, seemingly at nothing.

DAWSON (cont'd)
My dog used to do that with locked closets. I hate that.

DUNCAN
Shh.

Dawson listens. Nothing but the soft moan of WIND.

DUNCAN (cont'd)
He's here.

DAWSON
Tell me I'm not here for a seance.

Duncan squints. Feels the BUZZ. Slight, but unmistakable.

WHAT HE SEES:
A row of stunted oaks, thick and gnarled againt the setting sun. 

CLOSER. . .
Standing against the trunk, silhouette on silhouette, is the ghostly form of a MAN. Barely discernible, his features are hidden in shadow. Duncan slowly approaches the figure. Dawson hangs back, nervous and slightly twitchy.

CLOSER STILL...
The figure steps up to greet Duncan. Sunlight brightens the face of CONNOR MACLEOD who smiles as he embraces Duncan in the traditional bear- crush of Scottish clansmen.

DUNCAN
Sorry I missed your funeral.

CONNOR
All told, it was a bit underwhelming.

DUNCAN
So it would seem.

They break. The brief joy suddenly drains from Connor's face-- his eyes speak of diffuse, faraway suffering.

CONNOR
Why are you here?

DUNCAN
Ten years ago you skipped out on a bartab.

Connor's expression hardens.

CONNOR
You need to know something...

He steps up to Duncan, locks eyes.

CONNOR (cont'd)
Every life I touch ends. Brutally. And for no reason. 
It's a curse that's followed me for centuries. 
I can't outrun it and I can't outlive it.

(beat)

You're my last friend in this world, Duncan. 
I left for your own good. 
It was better that you didn't know where.

DUNCAN
The Sanctuary.

CONNOR
Yes. The Sanctuary.

DUNCAN
But you escaped.

CONNOR
No, I didn't escape...

FLASH BACK TO THE SANCTUARY
 

FLASHBACK V

as the STRANGER moves toward a shackled Connor MacLeod. CONNOR (V.O.)... I was freed. As before, the immobilized Connor stirs in a drug-addled haze. CONNOR Who are you? STRANGER You'll know soon enough. CONNOR'S POV - THROUGH THE BOTTOM EDGE OF HIS FACEPLATE All Connor can see is the Stranger's HAND as it reaches down and PULLS THE PIN from one of Connor's arm shackles. The cuff FALLS OPEN. Stranger turns away. A beat later come the unmistakable SOUNDS of SLAUGHTER that fill the room to a DEAFENING CRESCENDO. CONNOR  (V.O.) I couldn't see the slaughter. I only heard it.

BACK TO CEMETERY:
We can still see the agony playing out in Connor's eyes. He turns away, sees JOE DAWSON still standing on the ridge, swatting at the occasional deerfly.

CONNOR
Who's he?

DUNCAN
The reason I didn't become your replacement.

Dawson casually removes one of his legs and vigorously shakes it upside down.

CONNOR
What's he doing now?

DUNCAN
Sand in the shoe would be my guess.

Connor suddenly gazes beyond Dawson to THE NEXT HILLSIDE and the FAINT SOUND OF APPROACHING MOTORCYCLES. He stiffens.

CONNOR
You were followed.

One by one, a HALF-DOZEN MOTORCYCLISTS crest the surrounding hills and come to a menacing stop.

DUNCAN
Yeah. I was meaning to tell you about those guys.

Dawson fumbles to put his leg back on. Hops a full 360 as he watches the intruders surround them. TWO MORE approach on foot, following the same path Duncan and Dawson took. One is Faith. The other, The Stranger. Except he's no stranger to Connor MacLeod. Far from it. Connor goes rigid. Breathing stops. His nightmare's finally taken human form.

MOVE IN 
for our first clear look at JACOB KASE striding forward, bigger than death. His is a face hewn by God‘s sharpest blade, every angle cold, remorseless, Puritannical. As before, he's clad in basic black, accented by the stark white of a priest's collar.CONNOR(ice)Jacob Kase...Connor edges back his coat. Hand seeks out the grip of his sword. Duncan grabs his arm.

DUNCAN
Not here.

CONNOR
Walk away, Duncan.

Kase and Faith continue toward them. Connor's rage seems to ratchet up with every step. DUNCANYou're on holy ground. Remember the rules...pure, radiating hate seethes in Connor's eyes.CONNORThe rules be damned.Kase stops, inches from Connor's face. Cooly regards the sword.

KASE
Look at you. 
You'd think after half a millenium, you'd learn 
to keep that you'd learn to keep that temper of yours in check.

Gone is any trace of brogue. He's a fully-assimilated New Yorker now. Connor's fingers tighten around the swordgrip...

CONNOR
Just tell me where, Kase.

KASE
If all I wanted was to kill you, 
you'd have been dead a very long time ago, Connor.

Something roils under Kase's controlled exterior. A rage every bit as consuming as Connor's.

KASE (cont'd)
But your death alone could never appease 
the innocent souls you slaughtered.

FLASHBACK VI

FLASH TO SEVERAL OF GLENFINNAN'S VILLAGERS being MOWED DOWN by Connor's mindless fury. KASE (cont'd) It couldn't even begin to appease mine. FLASH TO KASE as he drops to his knees, gagging blood, RUN THROUGH by Connor's blade. KASE (cont'd) Worst of all, you murdered a man of God.  Who raised me as his son. FLASH TO A FATHER RAINEY as Connor brings his sword CLEAVING DOWN on him. KASE (cont'd) ...and no punishment conceived by man can ever atone for that. AFTERMATH OF MASSACRE Scattered wisps of smoke gambol across the demolished commons, leading up to the CORPSE of JACOB KASE. KASE (cont'd) What you never could have expected  was that you'd leave behind this one humble servant... Kase's body lies there as cold as the Highland dawn. KASE (cont'd) ...who would trade eternity itself to make you pay. HIS EYES snap open.

And we're once again 
TRANSPORTED BACK TO: EXT - CEMETERY - DAY
Kase steps closer, revelling in this moment.

KASE
Look back over the endless travesties of your life and you'll see me. 
Always there, waiting in the shadows.

(beat)

When friends and lovers are wiped from your sight, I'm there.
KASE (cont'd)
When those you cherish die abruptly and for no reason, I'm there.

(kicks a clod of dirt onto a grave)

And when a handful of misguided and pathetic idiots 
just happen to share your own private hell...

(shrugs)

Guess who?
He walks a full circle around Connor.

All the while Kase addresses Connor, Faith never takes her eyes off Duncan.

KASE (cont'd)
But if you think it ends here, my ancient friend, you're wrong. 
Very... Very... Wrong.

Kase turns back to Faith. Pulls his sword and without warning SLICES it across her throat. Faith reflexively GASPS, stumbles backward, leaving--A WOOD AND SILVER CRUCIFIX dangling on Kase's swordtip.

FOLLOW THE CRUCIFIX
as he swings it around and offers it up to Connor.

KASE
Thought you might be wanting this. 
I kept it for you...

FLASHBACK VII

FLASH TO CONNOR'S MOTHER,  bound to the stake as Kase rips the crucifix from her neck.

BACK TO SCENE:
Connor stares down at the crucifix now in his open palm.

KASE (cont'd)
"For old times' sake."

Kase puts an arm around Faith.

KASE (cont'd)
Want to find me again, Connor?
Just put your hands together...

KASE (cont'd)(winks)
And pray.

He gives Faith a little shove and they both start downhill. THE SURROUNDING BIKERSgun their engines and ride off on billowing plumes of dust. Connor makes no move to follow. Strangely silent and impassive, he's like a warrior gutted by an invisible sword. Duncan puts a hand on his shoulder.

DUNCAN
Whatever it is...

Connor swipes away Duncan's hand, starts walking.

DUNCAN (cont'd)
I can help you, Connor.

Connor stops, swivels back. Eyes dead.

CONNOR
Nobody can help me.

He walks off alone, a ghost against a sea of gravestones,

DUNCAN
CONNOR--

Duncan watches his friend depart, helpless. Turning back, he sees FAITH AND KASE stopped halfway down the hill. They seem to be arguing. Kase turns abruptly and strides off.

CLOSE ON FAITH
She stands there a moment, sullenly rubbing her throat. Duncan's VOICE spins her back around.

DUNCAN (O.S.)
Problem?

FAITH
I get a bit fussy whenever somebody points a sword at me.  (dry)
Goes a long way back.

Their eyes fix on one another. Air thickens. Buzzes with electricity.

DUNCAN
Just one question. After all these years. . .

(re: Kase)

Why him?

Faith glances down at Kase, who stands waiting at the base of the hill. Considers.

FAITH
Because I've never known anyone who had such an amazing capacity for hate.
(beat)
Except me.

On that, she brushes past Duncan and rejoins Kase.

TRANSITION TO:EXT - IRISH COUNTRYSIDE, 17TH CENTURY - DAY

FLASHBACK VIII

Duncan and Connor ride side by side on horseback. They reach a RIVERBANK where a YOUNG WOMAN and her elderly CONSORT are detained at a crude wooden TOLL GATE. Eight or nine disreputable-looking HIGHWAYMEN surround their carriage. Connor rides up to what would appear to be the LEADER. He has the most teeth. CONNOR What's going on? HIGHWAYMAN The lady here refuses to pay her toll. CONNOR Toll for what? HIGHWAYMAN Passage over the bridge. Connor cranes his eyes, upriver and down. CONNOR I see no bridge. HIGHWAYMAN What do you think pays for the bridge? Connor considers, then turns back to the lady with a shrug. CONNOR The man has a point. Despite her sweeping auburn hair and natural beauty, we now recognize the young woman as FAITH from an earlier era. Her original name is CATHERINE MARY DEVANEY. CATHERINE These men are liars and scoundrels. They‘ve preyed upon us three years running. CONNOR This true? HIGHWAYMAN A good sturdy bridge is not an overnight accomplishment, Sir. CONNOR Exactly what, may I ask, have you accomplished so far? HIGHWAYMAN(proudly) The tollgate. Duncan trots around the tollgate and up alongside Connor. He leans over to the highwayman. DUNCAN Excuse me, but by whose authority do you act? HIGHWAYMAN (holds up scroll) By deed of the King. DUNCAN Might I see that? Highwayman slowly unravels the parchment scroll. The nearly-illegible scrawl suggests random words copied by an illiterate. DUNCAN (cont'd) Does the King always sign his name with an "X"? Highwayman's cronies reach for their swords. HIGHWAYMAN He was in a hurry. All eyes hover on Duncan's reaction. Two of the highwaymen edge around behind Catherine and her elderly consort, ready to gut them both at a moment's notice. Duncan tracks them with his eyes. DUNCAN(nods) Busy man, the King. (to Catherine) I suggest you pay the gentlemen and be on your way. CATHERINE His deed is a fake! DUNCAN That's a matter of opinion. CATHERINE You, Sir, are no better than they! DUNCAN That's also a matter of opinion. (to Connor) Shall we? Connor sizes up his young protege'. Gives a dubious nod. CONNOR Lead on. CATHERINE You can't just leave! DUNCAN You're right... He tosses a handful of gold coins to the Highwayman. DUNCAN (cont'd) Good luck with the bridge. He kicks his horse into a brisk trot. Connor reluctantly follows suit. They cross the river through ankle-deep water. CONNOR I can't believe you gave those bastards your money. DUNCAN It wasn't my money. Duncan pulls a cinched canvas BAG overstuffed with coins from his overcoat. DUNCAN (cont'd) It was theirs. RACK FOCUS TO the duped HIGHWAYMEN scrambling onto their horses and riding hard in frantic pursuit. They hit the river at a gallop, kicking up giant shimmering fantails of water. DUNCAN (cont'd) By the time they reach us,  the young lady and her escort  should be safely out of harm‘s way. The pursuers close the gap in seconds. Connor grins approvingly. Draws his sword and glances over at Duncan. CONNOR Shall we? Duncan FLICKS his own sword, lets the hilt auto-rotate around his open palm and snaps it vertical. He nods back at Connor. DUNCAN Let's. Together, they whirl around to face the onrushing horde. THEY BATTLE in the middle of the shallow river. Nine maniacal thieves against two sporting Immortals. The spray of water, the slashing of swords and the pounding of hooves all build to an operatic crescendo. Duncan's improved since Ravenna. He easily scatters three of his adversaries before engaging the blood-crazed LEADER. This time it's Connor who finds himself in trouble. He tumbles from his horse and goes down, losing his sword in the river. DUNCAN suddenly winds back and FLINGS his sword at his opponent like a throwing dagger. BLADE whistles past the dumbstruck highwayman's head. Which was not the intended target...as we discover when we follow it's end-over-end flight. . .straight into CONNOR'S OUTSTRETCHED HAND. Connor parries his attackers, drives them backward onto their asses, then swivels around and TOSSES the sword back to DUNCAN, who catches it, ducks the highwayman's next swing and swiftly sends him packing. CONNOR recovers his own sword, which is enough to send the last of their attackers into a full-on, stumbling retreat. They both stand watching as THE CARRIAGE jostles safely across the river. CLOSE ON CATHERINE as she looks back at Duncan. She gives Duncan a knowing smile that's as innocent as it is seductive. CONNOR(watching Duncan) You know that stirring in your gut?  It's not just simple lust, my friend. DUNCAN I know... CONNOR Ah, but do you really?

MATCH CUT TO:FAITH
as she and Kase drive away from the cemetery in a late model convertible.

EXT - CEMETERY - SUNSET
Joe Dawson walks up to Duncan.

DAWSON
I feel like I stepped in on the wrong party.

Duncan keeps watching the convertible until it disappears over the next rise.

DUNCAN(quietly)
Let's go.

click on pic to see larger CUT TO:EXT - BAR - NIGHT
We recognize this place. It's where Connor and Duncan shared a last drink together. Duncan and Joe Dawson now hunch over that same bar, staring into their drinks.

DAWSON
I swear, the man's a walking ghost.

EXT - SIDEWALK - NIGHT
FEET pound pavement.

DAWSON (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Whatever it is he's carrying around inside him,
it's like he's dead already.

Glare of streetlights rake across Connor's face, his eyes fixed forward as if driven by a sense more powerful than sight. Connor bumps shoulders with a passing PEDESTRIAN.

PEDESTRIAN
Eyy man-- watch it.

He continues on, oblivious.

INT - BAR - NIGHT
Duncan turns to Dawson.

DUNCAN
There are things you do in this life that damn you for eternity. 
They can't be changed. And they can't be undone. 
You carry these things to the grave, Joe, in the hopes that maybe, 
just maybe, you'll find some peace there. 
Some relief, even if it's oblivion.

(hollow smile)

But Immortals don't die. We just go on reliving our sins.
Over and over again.

EXT - ANOTHER STREET - LATER
Connor stops. Lifts his eyes to the light. A SOLITARY STONE CHURCH stands before him in a bed of crawling mist. It seems eerily out of place amid the urban blight around it.

INT - BAR - NIGHT
Duncan downs the last of his drink, shoves off from the bar. Dawson glances warily up at him.

DAWSON
Where now?

DUNCAN
There were two places I figured Connor was likely to go. One of 'em was here.

DAWSON
And the other?

DUNCAN
You're the "Watcher." You tell me.

EXT - STONE CHURCH - NIGHT
Connor climbs the steps, presses through the heavy wooden doors...

INT - CHURCH
. . . and prowls slowly through the dimly-lit interior. Icon SHADOWS loom large and menacing.

JUMP CUT:
He moves along the stations of the cross.

JUMP CUT:
He's stalking through the nave.

JUMP CUT:
Barging into the sacristy.

EXT - DAWSON'S CAR, DRIVING - NIGHT
Dawson's car screams past with a doppler howl.

DAWSON (O.S.)
It's an old abandoned church just off Canal...

INT - DAWSON'S CAR - SAME
Dawson's behind the wheel, gunning through narrow back streets.

DAWSON
. . . Perfect safe haven for a so-called priest, huh? 
"Our Lady of Sorrows."

(dry)

Kinda has a nice ring to it.

He fishtails around the next corner. Recovers

DAWSON (cont'd)
I'll tell ya this-- if he's going after Kase, he's in for a rude awakening. 
The man's untouchable.

DUNCAN
So they tell me.

INT - CHURCH SANCTUARY - NIGHT
Connor stops before the darkened altar, senses BUZZING. THE SHADOWED CRUCIFIX stirs. Arms lift in the darkness. Jacob Kase steps down off the cross, lingers in shadow.

KASE
I would grant you absolution. If I were a better man.

He turns and disappears out the back. Connor follows. Right past KASE'S POSSE OF IMMORTALS scattered throughout the pews, who simply track him with their eyes but make no move to follow. WINSTON, the tall Jamaican, leans over to Faith.

WINSTON 
You know we're next, don't you?

Faith lowers the book she's reading-- the Holy Bible. Looks up.

FAITH
What?

WINSTON
Our days are numbered. You can see it in Kase's eyes.

FAITH
Do you believe in a hereafter, Winston?

WINSTON
All I know is I won't be hereafter Jacob Kase gets through with me. 
And that's all I care about right now.

Faith leans back against the hardback pew, closes her eyes.

FAITH
Yeah...

CUT TO:EXT - REAR OF CHURCH - NIGHT
Kase strides just beyond the perimeter of the church grounds, then turns back to Connor. Connor draws his sword, moves on Kase.

KASE
The ancient samurai vowed never to draw blood in anger. 
It defiled their sense of purpose.

(draws his own sword)

Of course they're also somewhat extinct.

He steps fearlessly up to Connor, places his neck against Connor's swordblade  just like he did with a certain late Immortal named Carlos.

CLOSE ON KASE'S SWORD
He opens his fingers and lets the sword DROP. It clatters useless to the ground.

KASE
Would you slaughter an unarmed man of God again, Connor? 
Would that finally put your soul to rest?

(low, taunting)

Then go ahead. Send me home.

BLOOD POUNDS with the rage pulsing through Connor's veins.

KASE (cont'd)
What's stopping you? Guilt? The nagging sense that maybe you, 
more than I, deserve to die?

Dawson's car pulls up in the background. Duncan jumps out.

KASE (cont'd)
Or somewhere along the way did you just lose your nerve?

Connor's sword digs into Kase's neck. Breaks skin.

DUNCAN(approaching)
Don't do it, Connor.

CONNOR(gritted)
Keep back.

KASE(to Duncan)
You heard him. No Immortal can interfere with another's duel.

DUNCAN
He's playing you! Step back onto holy ground before it's too late--

Kase faces back to Connor.

KASE
Go ahead-- what better chance than now? Take your shot.

DUNCAN
Don't listen to him!

KASE
Do it. For your sweet mother...

FLASH: Caiolin burns at the stake. 

KASE (cont'd)
Your Huguenot bitch in Navarre...

FLASH: A startled horse rears back, THROWS Suddenly startled, the HORSE bearing a FRENCH DUCHESS her to the ground, breaking her neck.

KASE (cont'd)
Brenda Wyatt...

FLASH: BRENDA WYATT ("Highlander 1") is seen walking in CENTRAL PARK. A HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER MOWS HER DOWN from behind.

KASE (cont'd)
Rachel Ellenstein...

FLASH: RACHEL is BLOWN APART in the antique store she shared with Connor.

KASE (cont'd)
Tell me-- do they even begin to equal the devastation of an entire village?

BLADE TREMBLES in Connor's hands. Kase presses his neck even harder against Connor's blade. BLOOD trickles down his neck.

KASE (cont'd)
So close. Soooo close...

Duncan stands by, helpless to intervene.

KASE (cont'd)
Look at you. Even now, you're afraid you'll lose. That's your true fear isn't it?

(whispers low, seductive)

Oh, it's not the dying, my friend. I know that. That would be a blessing.
It's the thought of giving up your essence to me. Making me even stronger by it.

One look in Connor's eyes and you know he's right.

KASE (cont'd)
What's wrong? (almost a purr)
Don't you want to be inside me?

Connor slowly LOWERS his sword...and FLICKS Kase's discarded sword back up into his hands. Kase simply smiles and takes position. Duncan can only look on helplessly as Kase takes the first offensive, driving Connor backward with dazzling -- almost casual-- swordplay.

KASE
I've taken more heads than you can possibly imagine.

His sword whistles across Connor's face, opens a THREE INCH GASH over his eye.

KASE (cont'd)
Do you really want a taste of all those accumulated quickenings?

Connor stumbles backward again, blinded by his own dripping blood. Knows beyond a shadow of a doubt he's doomed. Duncan knows it too. And it's killing him to watch. Still Connor won't go down easy. He manages a brief offensive, walking Kase backward on his toes. Kase puts one hand behind his back, fencing-style, and goes to work on Connor's torso, crosshatching him in blood. Connor lunges wildly. Kase parries effortlessly. Kase now opens up a BLINDING BARRAGE on Connor. It's like duelling against lightning, so quick and unpredictable are Kase's strikes. Constantly off balance, Connor still manages to NICK Kase in the cheek.

KASE (cont'd) 

(touches scratch)

I'd almost forgotten what that felt like. Thank you.

He now turns it on full. Drives Connor up against a wall and pins him with his swordtip. His eyes go impossibly cold.

KASE 
I want you to think back to this moment in the endless nights ahead. 
And know that every time you close your eyes, from now to eternity, I'll be there.

(beat)

Ripping apart the ones you care about most.

He removes his sword and steps back.

KASE (cont'd)
It's not over, Connor MacLeod. It will never, never be over.

He turns and walks back toward the church. Duncan does not step aside to let him pass-- their shoulders bump.

KASE (cont'd)
You, on the other hand, are on borrowed time.

He continues on, past the other Immortals who have gathered to watch the unfolding spectacle. One-by-one, they turn and file back into the church behind Kase. Connor stares into Duncan's eyes as if wanting to say something. Can't. Instead, he turns and starts limping out across the empty lot. Feeling the presence of another Immortal, Duncan slowly looks over at FAITH who stands at a distance. Watching him. As their eyes meet, she, too, turns and melts back into the surrounding blackness.

FLASHBACK IX

TRANSITION TO:EXT - DUBLIN ROWHOUSE (17TH CENTURY) - DAY A BEARDED BRAWLER CRASHES DOWN onto a wooden table. He takes the table cloth with him as he TUMBLES head over heels onto the floor in a cascade of soda bread and cabbage. Miraculously (unless you're an Irishman) he spills not one drop of precious Guinness, which he hoists in a cheery salute to: THE BRIDE AND GROOM who sit laughing in the eye of an Irish hurricane. DUNCAN MACLEOD and CATHERINE MARY (KATE) DEVANEY-- aka "Faith"-- are a stunning couple that inspire joyful madness. Things have progressed nicely since their chance encounter at the toll crossing. BRAWLER Let's have at it! They kiss to a CHORUS of BOOS. So this time they REALLY KISS. Crowd goes wild. AROUND THEM REVELERS DANCE and FIGHT with equal abandon, making it almost impossible to tell the difference. But they stop like clockwork for every new toast and testimonial. THE BEARDED BRAWLER spears his mug into the air like a royal scepter. BRAWLER Happy is the bride that sees the sun! Sorry the corpse that sees the rain! CLOSE ON BEER MUG framed in a perfect BEAM of SUNLIGHT streaming through an open window. FOLLOW THE SUNBEAM TO: KATE who smiles back with her own inner radiance. Bedecked in flowers, her brown hair sweets low over white lace shoulders and cream skin. She leans over RAUCOUS CHEERS and kisses Duncan, provoking a new RIOT of and UPRAISED GLASSES. THE PIPERS resplendent in their Celtic kilts, launch into the "Highland Fling. Kate is instantly YANKED up onto her feet and into a ROUSING JIG. Before Duncan can protest, he's HOISTED from his seat and FLUNG onto the dance floor. Duncan and Kate link arms, goaded on by a circle of shouting, stumbling CLAPPERS. With each new upshift in tempo, they spin faster and faster until they're hanging on for dear life. SIGHT AND SOUND gradually blur into a queasy sense of vertigo. But for Duncan, it's not just the headstrong mix of drink and passion. It's the BUZZ of another Immortal. He spins to a stop as his eyes come to rest on CONNOR MACLEOD who enters the room on a wave of silence. Duncan breaks away from Kate, crosses over to Connor and wraps him in a bear hug. DUNCAN About time. I was beginning to wonder. CONNOR I was on a junk in the South China Sea when I got your notice. 12 hours ago. DUNCAN How...? CONNOR Don't ask. Kate spins by on the arm of a new partner. KATE You're next, Connor MacLeod. CONNOR That better be no idle threat. Duncan watches Kate with a rapturous smile. DUNCAN Well, I finally did it! CONNOR So it would appear. DUNCAN What do you think of her? CONNOR You know that's not an easy answer. The edge in his voice is not lost on Duncan. CONNOR (cont'd) Outside. EXT - PORCH - NIGHT Connor stands with Duncan at the railing, staring out into the encroaching night. CONNOR You know she's like us. DUNCAN Yes. I sensed it the day we met her. CONNOR So you know that, like us, her immortality can only be triggered by the shock of a violent death. Duncan looks off, as if purging the thought from his head. CONNOR (cont'd) It's what makes warriors of us all, Duncan. Good or bad, there seems a purpose to it. DUNCAN Yes. And without such a death, she'll simply grow old and die like any other. Is that what you dragged me out here to tell me? Connor removes a uniquely-braided GOLDEN ROPE from his vest pocket. It catches the candlelight with the glint of a thousand silken threads as he runs it lightly over his fingertips. CONNOR Many years after I was married, I came home to find Heather sitting on a stool in the kitchen, with a knife in one hand... and her hair in the other. FLASH TO: HEATHER, early-forties, her hair shorn to the scalp. She looks up at Connor with red-rimmed eyes and a bitter smile. CONNOR (cont'd) At first I was scared. Scared that she'd gone mad. And then angry, as if she'd somehow meant to hurt me by it. BACK TO CONNOR AND DUNCAN: CONNOR (cont'd) When I asked her why she'd done such a thing to herself, her answer cut me to the quick. She said it was the one part of her that would not age. It would forever remain the same as when I first fell in love with her. FLASH TO:  CONNOR burying Heather in a simple grave overlooking their home. Tears streak his face. He sinks to his knees in unspeakable anguish. CONNOR (cont'd) And that's how she wanted me to remember her. BACK TO CONNOR AND DUNCAN: Connor closes his fingers around the braid. Squeezes. CONNOR (cont'd) It's all I have now. DUNCAN I love Kate. I'll hold on to her as long as I can. That's all I can do. Kate can be seen through the window behind them, exchanging dance partners with dizzying abandon. CONNOR If that's your intent, so be it. Duncan swings over the rail and hops off the porch. Takes to the ground in long angry strides. EXT - COBBLED STREET - NIGHT Conner walks double time to catch up with him. DUNCAN Why are you telling me this? CONNOR Because I once loved a woman more than life itself. And I watched her die. Unlike you, I had no other choice. DUNCAN And I have a choice?! What would you have me tell her?! CONNOR I'd tell her nothing. She wouldn't believe you. They never do when it involves themselves. DUNCAN Then I can do nothing. CONNOR She's in the flower of her youth. Enjoy the moment and let it pass. If you think you can. Duncan suddenly grabs Connor's shoulder, spins him around. DUNCAN You'd have me kill her?! Is that it?! Is that what you came all this way to tell me on my WEDDING NIGHT?! CONNOR I'd have you do what your heart-- and our conscience-- demand. Duncan settles. Searches his eyes. DUNCAN And if it were you in my place? Connor ponders. Then shakes his head. CONNOR I thank God I never had the choice. He listens to the faint strains of music and laughter carried on the rising WIND. CONNOR (cont'd) Tell Catherine I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer. He clasps Duncan by the forearm. Then turns and continues n down the cobbled lane leading from the wedding party.