Lost Kin Chronicles: It's Not Easy Being Green by garggirl
Disclaimer:
All canon characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Disney/Bueno Vista Television.
No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized
by the copyright holder.
All original characters are the property of garggirl.
------
July 10, 2003
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" screamed Lex as he soared through the open balcony doors of the gargoyles suite. The small male had a slight red tinge to his olive skin.
Goliath, who had been reading quietly in his customary armchair, looked up at his youngest warrior in confusion "Is there a problem, Lexington?" The lavender gargoyle laid his book on his massive lap.
"You're damn right there's a problem!" fumed Lex. His choice of words caused the others to cringe in shock. "I was babysitting at Ann's, right? Well, when Ann got home she told me there was this big gathering down the street. So I decided to go investigate...it was a Quarrymen rally!"
"Quarrymen!" Hudson pried his attention away from the hockey game.
"What are Quarrymen?" asked Eve as she moved to Lex and slid into his waiting arms, attempting to settle him down in her own unique way by planting a trail of featherlight kisses along his jawline.
"A fanatical anti-gargoyle group," replied Goliath. "Their sole purpose is to eradicate all gargoyle kind."
"That's awful!" said Dawn, her expression revealing her obvious disgust.
"I found this flyer in a side alleyway," Lex held out a light blue paper, slightly crumpled from its journey in Lex's backpack. Across the front of the paper, in large black writing, there was written a message.
Brooklyn took the paper and read it out loud. "Help rid the world of the gargoyle terror!" Towards the bottom of the paper, in slightly smaller print, there was an additional message. "See the launching of our greatest weapon."
"A weapon?" questioned Goliath as he rose from his chair. "We must investigate."
Lex headed back towards the balcony doors and prepared to take to the sky when he stopped short. Goliath's massive hand had clamped down on Lex's shoulder, anchoring him to the floor.
"Hold on, Lexington," the lavender gargoyle said in his gruff manner "you are not going anywhere."
"But...Goliath," said Lex, not helping but feeling a little more than betrayed "This is a clan matter. The whole clan should go."
"Someone must be here to tend to Fox," was the leader's reply "With Xanatos and Owen out of town and Fox so close to her due date I promised him there would always be someone at hand to care for her."
"Aye lad," added Hudson "Ye did yer part, ye told us o' thae rally."
Lex had been about to protest further when he looked into Goliath's face, an expression that clearly said the issue was closed.
Brooklyn quietly made his way to the balcony, stopping only briefly to press a small alert button into Lex's palm. "Here," he said "If Fox needs you, this'll tell ya." Then he was gone.
In seconds, only Lex remained in the room, the rest of the clan disappearing into the horizon. Lex looked at the small device in his hand and scowled. "DAMN IT!" he cursed loudly "Why do I always get the freakin' menial jobs?" Lex turned sharply on his heels and headed for his computer.
------
"What dae ye think this weapon be?" wondered Hudson to no one in particular.
"I do not know, old friend," replied Goliath "but the Quarrymen must not be worried about our interference if they announced it openly."
"Do you think we should stop in at Ann's for a little mystical protection?" inquired Dawn, coming up on the other side of the clan leader.
Goliath shook his head "No time. They may have already released this weapon of theirs, whatever it may be."
It wasn't long before the clan spotted a disturbance in the distance. "That must the rally there," Brooklyn said, pointing below. The seven gargoyles angled their bodies down, landing on the gravel rooftop of the building which the rally was being held in front of. The clan focused their sensitive hearing on the discussion below.
"Brothers and sisters," a light-haired man called out to the crowd, as if he were a preacher addressing his flock, "Gargoyles have lived among us for far too long! They have defiled our places of worship; they have attacked our people, destroyed our homes...we must put an end to their reign of terror!" A cheer rang out from the crowd. "Almost three decades ago our associates north of the border detected gargoyles living on seemingly innocent farmland. They invaded the farm and succeeded in capturing one, an infant." The man paused as a steel cage was wheeled out onto the platform before continuing. "Years of genetic manipulation was performed on the creature, enhancing its strength, speed, reflexes and intellect in preparation for the day it would be set loose among its own kind." The audience suddenly became very quiet.
High above the humans, the gargoyles listened intently and exchanged a ominous, multi-directional glance. The speaker below continued.
"Sixteen years ago, the creature broke out of its restraints and escaped," the man's voice filled with malice. "Before the thing escape the research facility it was implanted with a tracking device. After years of exhaustive searching the creature was successfully recaptured last month."
In one swift move, the tarp over the cage was tore away to reveal a snarling, wild-looking gargoyle. It rattled its cage with ferocity. Throwing its head back, it emitted a piercing roar, eyes filled with anger.
Brooklyn's breath caught in his throat and he struggled to speak. There was no mistaking those eyes. "It's Emony!" he whispered to the others.
------
Fox sat in the rocking chair in Alex's nursery. As she gently rocked back and forth in the oak chair, she stared out the window, humming softly. Bronx was dozing lightly at her feet. Since Fox had become pregnant, the gargoyle canine had barely been more than two feet from her at any given time, watching her like a hawk. Hudson had explained it was his job to protect the expecting females of the clan. Fox had felt honored that Bronx thought of her as kin.
Unexpectedly, Fox gasped and grabbed hard onto the rocking chair arm as a sharp pain ripped through her abdomen. She clenched her teeth and grunted hard. Bronx was jolted out of his light slumber and looked up at the human curiously, his head cocked slightly to the side.
Fox tried to breathe through the pain and gradually it subsided. Taking a series of shallow breaths, Fox delved into her shirt pocket and withdrew a small, circular, metal object, a tiny button in its center. She fumbled with it for a second before another pain ripped through her once again and it slipped through her fingers.
Bronx barked loudly, waking young Alex in the next room. The boy toddled out, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, trying to focus them. "Momma?" he called softly, dragging a stuffed, brown teddy bear behind him.
Fox slid out of the chair as she breathed through her spasm, feeling the floor for the alert button. "Alex, honey," Fox hissed through clenched teeth "come here and help mommy." The boy ran to his mothers side and knelt beside her. "Sweetie, help me find that little alert button, Mommy dropped it."
Alex spotted it quickly and cradled it in one tiny palm. He looked at it curiously. "Should I press it?" Fox nodded as another pain shot through her body.
Over the next several minutes, Fox continued the shallow, steady breathing she had learned in Lamaze class. Ten minutes passed and no one had answered the alert. Fox was being bombarded with wave after wave of pain. She looked to Bronx, who had continued to whimper through it all. "Go find someone, boy," Fox gritted her teeth, another spasm hitting her "Bring them back here."
Bronx raced to the door, but hesitated at the archway. He looked back at the humans and whimpered.
"I'll 'tay wif momma, boy," Alex said through his lisp, "just go." The canine nodded and disappeared down the darkened corridor.
------
Lex, still angry over being left behind, typed away on his computer. He had logged into a chat room to vent his frustrations. At this moment he was bantering back and forth with a young man from Texas about capital punishment.
SexyLexy sayz: RU serious?
Cowdude sayz: dang right!
SexyLexy sayz: the punishment should fit the crime
Cowdude sayz" I agree but killers & rapists R the worst of the lot...they need 2 pay.
SexyLexy sayz: w/their lives? Dying is the EZ way out. If they live, they live w/their guilt 4ever.
Cowdude sayz: & if they die they won't hurt NE1 again.
Suddenly Bronx burst into the room, wagging his tail furiously. He grabbed a hold of Lex in his maw and yanked hard. Lex, and the chair on which he was sitting, fell hard on the floor.
"Get off me, Bronx!" cried Lex as he tried to disengage the canine from his tail. After rising to his feet Lex looked at Bronx sternly. "What was that all about?" Of course he really didn't expect the canine to reply, but it was at that moment that his bulbous eyes landed on the alert button, its light flashing an intense red. "Oh shi..." he trailed off. Lex quickly got back to his keyboard.
SexyLexy sayz: got 2 go...major crisis here
Cowdude sayz: k. CU l8r
Lex quickly shut down the computer then looked at Bronx "Okay boy, take me to Fox." Bronx took off in a burst of speed normally reserved for drag racers. He led the small gargoyle down the stone corridors of the castle towards the family rooms. The pair found the pregnant human in Alex's nursery. Fox sat by the door, breathing heavily. Lex gathered Fox up into his arms and turned to leave. "Alex, Bronx," he called behind him "stay here. Everything'll be okay."
Bronx twitched slightly, wanting to follow, but Alex nodded silently and held the canine back. Lex, with Fox breathing through her labor pains, headed for the castle infirmary.
------
"We have to save her, father," Angela said, turning to Goliath "if they did everything they say they did to her then a lot of people could get hurt."
"Aye lad," added Hudson in his thick Scottish accent "we cannae leave her." The elderly gargoyle's eyes glistened, as if they were welling up with tears. "Aye lost me girls once, Goliath. Aye cannae lose them again."
Goliath thought for a moment "There are too many people here. We should wait until the crowd thins out."
"Goliath," started Brooklyn "Let me go in. Emony won't hurt me. I know she wouldn't." The red gargoyle looked sidewardly at Dawn, she still hadn't forgave him for letting Emony go the first time.
"Just what makes you think you're so sure?" Dawn asked snidely.
Brooklyn ignored Dawn's remark. "Goliath, please."
The lavender gargoyle regarded his second for a moment "Very well, but be careful. Those Quarrymen may be armed." Brooklyn nodded and perched atop the ledge, looking at the cage below.
------
Emony was down on her haunches, pacing the length of the cage. The crowd before her booed, some throwing various objects at her thereby causing the cage bars to rattle. Emony threw her head back, her eyes blazing white, and roared loudly, startling several people in the front row.
Suddenly, the cage rattled and shook. Emony looked up to find a red form perching atop the cage. For a moment her instincts took over and she prepared to strike out at it, but she stopped short when it looked down with its most familiar dark eyes. "Brooklyn?" Emony whispered, the feral light receding from her blue eyes.
The red gargoyle nodded silently, reached down, and twisted off a metal bar with all his might. Brooklyn extended a taloned hand towards the female. With no hesitation, Emony grasped hold of his hand and he pulled her up to stand beside him. As soon as Brooklyn set her down she grasped ahold of his curved body, holding him close to her.
All at once, the distinct sound of electrified hammers charging up sizzled throughout the crowd. Brooklyn and Emony looked out into the crowd, to the sea of midnight blue clad people advancing on the platform.
"C'mon, Em," Brooklyn said, brushing a stray strand of hair away from Emony's face "Let's blow this popcicle stand. I know a few people who are anxious to see you."
Both gargoyles took a flying leap at the building next to the platform, their sharp talons digging deeply into the polished stone, and hoisted themselves up, leaving the Quarrymen far down on the ground. The climb up to the roof was slightly hindered by the fact that very large, very heavy objects continued to be hurled at them from the people below.
The man who was addressing the crowd earlier spoke to them again, this time rage was clearly present on his features. "What are you waiting for?" he said to his people "GET THEM!" The Quarrymen scattered in all directions, heading towards various helicopters nearby.
Just as Emony and Brooklyn climbed over the edge of the roof the first chopper crested over them.
"I think we've overstayed our welcome," Goliath yelled to be heard over the rushing air. "Take to the sky!" The others didn't need to be told twice. However, if they headed straight home, the gargoyles knew they would surely be caught, so they split into two groups. Goliath, Brooklyn, Angela, and Emony veered off in one direction while Broadway, Hudson, Dawn, and Eve took another flight path. A helicopter followed close behind each group, Goliath led their pursuer straight towards the Statue of Liberty and Broadway made a beeline for the Brooklyn Bridge. Both choppers smashed to bits against the respective landmarks.
Brooklyn touched down on the statue's shoulder, just above the wreakage. "Guess the Quarrymen are hiring from the shallow end of the gene pool," he said jokingly as Emony dropped down beside him.
"Brooklyn," Emony's voice waivered slightly and her eyes began to glaze over.
The red gargoyle turned to look at his one-time captor. Taking her hand, Brooklyn pulled Emony into an embrace, wrapping the pair of them within his massive wings, and caressed her cheek slightly. The tender moment was broken when Goliath approached. "Come Brooklyn, we have much to discuss," Goliath turned his steely gaze to Emony. "Yes, there is b much /b to discuss."
------
Lex picked Fox up and carried her quickly down to the infirmary. "Oh god, Lex, it hurts so much," Fox cried out, panting heavily before another pain shot through her. Gently, the olive gargoyle sat the red-head onto the bed.
"I know it does, Fox, just breath like you were taught and everything will be alright. Let me do everything I can to make you as comfortable as possible." Lex then reached over with a purposeful hand and dialed Xanatos cell phone number -- no answer -- so Lex dialed in a message for the human's beeper and hung up the phone. Lex picked up the phone a second time and dialed a second number.
"Dr Ashling's office, how may I help you?" sounded a distinctly feminine voice.
"Hi, hello, this is Lexington at the Eyrie Building. Fox Xanatos is in labour right now. Is Dr Ashling in?" Lexing's voice was rapidly filling with nervousness.
"Okay, Lexington, I'm paging Dr Ashling on her cell phone right now," the receptionist said. "I'm going to patch you into to our three-way calling system."
"Okay," Lex replied. In a moment, there was a soft click, followed by another female voice.
"Dr Raina Ashling," chimed the woman one the other end.
"Dr, this is Julie Watson at the office, Fox Xanatos has gone into labour at the Eyrie Building. A Mr Lexington is on the line as well."
"Lex?" Dr Ashling started.
"I'm here," Lex replied as he was trying to keep Fox comfortable.
"Okay Lex, I'm in my car and on my way to you. Tell me, how far apart are Fox's contractions?" Raina inquired.
"About 2 minutes," Lex reported. "We're in the infirmary right now and..." Lex's trail of thought was suddenly cut short when Fox howled out in pain again. "Hold on, I'm gonna put you on speaker phone." Lex reached over pressed a button and then hung up the receiver. "Okay, what do I do?"
------
The plane trip had been as boring going up as it was coming back. Xanatos stared listlessly out the window as he watched his private jet circle the runway below as they waited for clearance to land. Owen, Xanatos' major domo sat in his seat like his employer had been. Xanatos cast a glance over to his aide.
"You miss her, don't you?" Xanatos asked, his chin resting on his palm.
Owen arched an eyebrow questioningly the billionaire. "I'm sure I have no idea what you mean, sir."
Xanatos laughed out loud. "Oh c'mon Owen. Anyone can see that you, and indeed Puck, are head over heels for the lovely Mrs Cole."
Owen sighed heavily, pulled off his glasses, and began to polished incessantly. "Is it really that obvious?"
"'Fraid so, my friend," Xanatos returned. "Face it...you're in love."
Owen looked at Xanatos with a wide-eyed expression.
He's right, y'know, crowed Puck. We are definitely in love.
"Preposterous," Owen scoffed. "We merely have a...mutual affection for each other."
"Right," chuckled Xanatos. "I see you've finally entered Denile Land." At that moment a soft beeping sounded from his breast pocket. As if on reflex, Xanatos pulled out the little, black machine and looked at the screen. "Oh my god!" he shouted loudly, retrieving his cell phone.
"What is it, sir?" Owen asked, sitting up straight.
"Fox is in labour!" he announce. He was quiet for a few seconds as his dialed a number and listened. "Shit! The phone is busy! Frederick," he called up to the pilot. "We need to land...now!"
------
Fox began to pant hard and move very slowly, slower now then anyone had seen her before. Lex took a step towards Fox. Fox's head snapped around abruptly.
"Take one more 'tep, you little green ba'tard an' I'll 'ave me a gargoyle carpet!" Lex halted and backed up very slowly. When another pain shot through her, Fox screamed out. Lex took the advantage and sidled up next to her, gently prodding her hardened belly with his fingertips.
Good thing Goliath had us take those EMT courses last year, Lex thought inwardly.
Surprising Lex, Fox reached out fast for the gargoyle's hand and grasped it tightly, beginning to cry softly against his arm as she tried to breathe through the pain. Fox let out another ear piercing scream.
"Okay Fox, you're doing just great," Lex coaxed as he kept an eye trained on the vital monitors.
Dr Ashling sat in her place between the stirrups. "You're almost there, Fox," she announced "I can see the head. Push. Push. Push."
"I AM PUSHING!" the red-head screeched, her bangs matted down with perspiration. "David is NEVER touching me again! NEVER!" Fox grasped tightly onto the sides of the gurney, her knuckles white from the pressure.
The doctor smirked at the comment, glad her expression was hidden by the hospital mask on her face. "One more push, Fox. Just one more," she coaxed.
Fox did her best to summon whatever strength remained within her body to give one final push. In a moment, her body laxed, weak and tired from the pressure it had just recieved. A second later, a loud wail sounded from the doctor's arms. She held up a tiny, mannequin-like figure and smiled. "It's a girl."
Dr Ashling wrapped the baby up into a nearby tiny blanket and brought the child around to Fox, which she gladly received. She laughed slightly, as if something funny had just occured to her. "You're a tiny little thing, aren't you? Yes, you are," she cooed "though it really didn't seem like it, did it? No, it didn't."
Both Lex and Dr Ashling watched with identical amused expressions. Lex sighed heavily, gave Dr Ashling one final smile, and left mother and baby to bond. He walked through the corridors back towards the gargoyles suites, feeling like had just been hand-wrung and hung up to dry, and no sooner had he stepped inside than the balcony doors swung open and in walked Goliath and Brooklyn. Lex didn't even blink when he saw the familiar flash of pale green behind his rookery brother. He merely brushed pass Brooklyn, gathered the figure into his arms, and kissed her deeply. A moment later when the kiss was broke he whispered into his companion's ear, "Glad to have you home, baby." When he pulled back to look into her eyes, the only response he was greeted with was a right hook to his jaw.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Lexington Gargoyle?" came a familiar voice from behind him.
Rubbing his jaw where the fist connected, Lex looked confusingly between the female his had just kissed to the hopping mad one behind him. His gaze stopped on the dishevled one. "Dawn?" he asked questioningly.
"No," Brooklyn replied, trying in vain to stifle a laugh "Emony."
Lex's eyes bulged in shock, and his mouth formed a silent 'O'.
Before Lexington had a chance to respond to the sudden revelation, Brooklyn once again pulled Emony into his embrace. An event that Dawn was just in time to witness as she touched down beside Eve. The clan watched Brooklyn and Emony in various stages of shock as beak and lips connected for several long seconds.
"As I said before," Goliath stared, breaking the growing silence "we have b much /b to discuss."
Suddenly, Xanatos did a Ricky Business skid to the gargoyle suite, Owen following closely on his heels. "Am I late? Did we miss it?" Xanatos wheezed.
"Miss what?" Brooklyn asked.
"It was Fox, she went into labour...I had to delivery it...well,with a little help from the doctor," Lex explained, still rubbing the sore spot on his face.
"Well… what is it?" Angela urged, "What did Fox have?"
"A baby," came Brooklyn's smartass remark.
"Nduh!" Angela replied, smacking Brooklyn playfully on his arm. "I meant what the gender of the baby was!"
Lex turned around quickly and gave a half smile to everyone. "Oh yes, thank you for reminding me, Angela," Lex turned to Xanatos. "Fox had a little girl...you have a daughter, Xanatos."
Xanatos broke down in tears of joy while all the men slapped him on the back in congradulations. Owen took it upon himself to pass out the cigars for his employer.
"Do you know when we can see Fox and the baby?" Eve asked as she slipped into Lex's open arms, momentarily forgiving him for kissing someone else.
"The on call doctor is checking the two of them over right now, but I'm sure we'll be able to go in after that," Lex explained, nuzzling into Eve's slender neck.
Hudson looked to the human next to him. "So lad, did you and thae missus decide on a name?" He arching and eyebrow at Xanatos questioningly.
"We had chosen a few different names but we hadn't narrowed it down yet," Xanatos replied as Brooklyn started passing out some beers. Xanatos twisted the cap off his bottle and drank back half its contents in one long gulp.
"Wow!" Xanatos exclaimed "This has quite the kick. What is this stuff?"
Brooklyn smiled broadly. "Ann's brother-in-law's own special brew," Brooklyn took a long swig of his own amber-hued liquid. "Damn! Ya gotta love that Canadian beer!" Everyone laughed hard.
At that moment, Dr Ashling appeared in the doorway. "Mr Xanatos," she started. "Would you come with me, please?" Xanatos looked at the others in the room before following the female doctor.
A few moments later, Xanatos found himself standing outside the infirmary. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open. On the far side of the room laid his wife, her belly no longer buldging with the weight of a baby. Fox was sitting up on the bed and cuddling a small bundle of blankets, whispering softly to it.
Both Xanatos and Dr Ashling walked slowly across the room.
"She's very tired and rightfully so," the doctor reported. "Don't let her get up. I'll come back in a few minutes and get her into a wheelchair so she and the baby can see the rest of your household. Fox is not capable of walking right now, but by tomorrow she'll have some of her motor functions back. The woman happily patted Xanatos on the back and left the room.
Xanatos watched Fox and the baby for several long seconds. Fox looked up to meet his gaze. "Come here, David, and meet your little girl," came Fox's soft voice, her tone tinged with exhaustion.
Slowly, Xanatos came closer and the corners of his mouth began to tug into a smile as he began to grow enourmously proud. A feeling he loved instantly. Fox shifted her weight around as her husband sidled up next to her and tilted the bundle towards him. Xanatos' breath caught in his throat as he allowed his eyes to drop down onto his daughter for the first time. His eyes lit up as he drew a nimble figner down the baby's cheek.
"Would you mind holding her for a minute," Fox asked "I'm supposed to give the baby her first feeding before we go out to see everyone." Happily, Xanatos took his daughter in his arms. Once Fox had fixed herself around, he passed the baby back and she set to work at feeding the child.
Dr Ashling was true to her word when she said that she would be returning soon. She had stepped back inside in time to see the proud parents exchanging kisses and whispering to one another while Fox had continued to feed the baby.
"So how is momma and baby doing?" Dr Ashling asked happily as she walked around Xanatos to check the IV.
"As well as can be expected," Fox replied, handing the baby back to her husband so she could fix her gown.
The doctor smiled warmly. "Well, there's quite a crowd outside that are eager to see you and the new edition, Fox, do you feel up to it?"
"Sure."
Xanatos set the baby in the incubator and then turned to help Dr Ashling maneuver Fox into a wheelchair. The baby was then placed back in Fox's arms. Xanatos walked along beside the chair while the good doctor pushed mother and baby into the waiting room. The trio walked through the swinging doors of the infirmary doors and into a waiting room full of gargoyles and humans.
The baby was passed around to everyone and they all got to meet the new house member. "Have you decided on a name?" Goliath asked as he gently caressed the slumbering infant's soft hair.
Fox looked up at her husband. "Y'know what, I think I have," Fox looked lovingly at her daughter. "I've decided to name her Geena Tatiana Xanatos."
The clan leader looked down at the baby in his arms and solemnly laid a massive palm softly on the infant's forehead."This female child's name is Geena Tatiana, daughter of David & Fox Xanatos. We welcome you to the Clan."
Fox and Xanatos beamed proudly. They had witnessed the same gargoyle tradition with Alex when the Clan returned to their ancestral home. They knew, without a doubt, that Geena and Alex would always be safe...the clan takes care of its own.
Goliath handed Geena back to Fox, and the proud mother happily cuddled her daughter.
"Momma?"
"Yes, Alex, darling?" Fox replied sweetly.
"Can I hold Geena?"
"Yes, but you have to sit down, I don't want you to drop her."
"Kay," alex replied sweetly and hoisted himself up on the chair next to his mother. The baby was passed to her big brother and the pair sat very companionably together for quiet sometime. Xanatos kept an eye trained on his son while he and Fox visited with everyone.
Soon, Fox yawned widely. Dr Ashling wheeled Fox back into the infirmary for a bit of bed rest before she was ready to release mother and child. The clan went on about their business...which was to attend to matters concerning the newly liberated Emony. Brooklyn, with a protective arm around Emony's waist, escorted her out onto the battlements ahead of the others.
------
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LOST IT?" fumed the light-haired man, slamming his fist onto the desk before him. The two junior Quarrymen cowered and took a step back.
"I'm sorry, Mr Castaway, but the gargoyles that rescued it were smarter than we anticipated," replied the taller of the two men.
"Gargoyles are NOT smart. They are animals, they are vermin, needing to be exterminated." Castaway spat, pacing the length of his desk, his hands clasped firmly behind his back. He suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, "Is its tracking device still active?"
"Yes sir."
Castaway grinned evilly.
------
"So that's why you were so sulky after we got back from Canada," said Broadway, giving Brooklyn's shoulder a playful punch, "you fell in love."
"Why...you old dawg," laughed Lex, producing three beers. The trio stood on the battlements, watching the rest of the clan below. Emony sat on the cold stones, the rest of the clan sitting aranged in a semi circle before her. Every so often, she would glance up to Brooklyn, a timid expression on her face. It was obvious to the red gargoyle that Emony was feeling more than a little overwhelmed. She scrached the back of her hand nervously.
"Where did you go after we last saw you?" Angela asked in a soft tone, not wanting to scare Emony.
Emony scrunched up her nose. "Northeast, towards the city with the tall, pointy building," she explained. The clan looked to Dawn and Eve in confusion.
"Toronto," Dawn clarified.
"Towards the CN Tower," Eve added.
Hudson leaned forward slightly. "An' what happened next, lass?"
Emony thought hard for a moment. "Two twirly birds came out of nowhere and started shooting bolts of light at me. One of the lights clipped my wing and I fell out of the sky." Emony whistled as she demonstrated her plummet to the ground with hand gestures. "Then blackness. When I woke up, I was in a shiny metal room and I was tied down to a cool, metal table."
"The Quarrymen said something about a tracking device," Goliath started "do you know where they put it in you?"
Emony shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know." She scratched her hand again.
Owen arched an eyebrow slightly and approached. Taking her hand in one of his, Owen examined it carefully. "It looks like it may be graphed to the bones in her right hand."
"Can it be removed?" Brooklyn asked, touching down next to Emony. She looked at Brooklyn like she was a timid animal, her fright was painfully obvious.
"Perhaps...but it must be done quickly. If the Quarrymen zero in on her location..." Owen trailed off as the distinct sound of helicopters cut through the air. In a moment, three midnight blue choppers crested over the edge of the building, looming high over the figures below.
"Too late," Lex breathed.
Instantly, the protection spell Ann and the kids had cast months earlier kicked in and a hazy, green barrier rose up between the clan and the machines. Brooklyn breathed a silently thank you to their witchy friends for their forethought. His thougths of praise were soon dashed when a figure rose out from one of the choppers and hover in the air high above them. With a clap of the figures hands, the barrier disintergrated and the choppers landed, deploying their passengers.
"Damn it!" Dawn swore under her breath. "They have their own shaman!"
The building's security system went off and Xanatos was out on the battlements in lightening speed toting one of his larger lazer guns. Quickly, he began to shoot at the enemy targets. In a moment, Xanatos' steel clan robots joined in the fray.
"Brooklyn," barked Goliath "take Emony inside and keep her safe. We'll take care of this." Brooklyn nodded silently, understanding all too well of the serious of the situation and also wanting to protect his girl.
Castaway's men swarmed over the castle's battlements. The Clan definaely had their work cut out for them. Even with the assistance of Xanatos and his robots, Goliath knew that this was going to be a difficult battle. They were short two warriors: Brooklyn because he was keeping Emony safe, and Fox because she had her own little ones to protect. The knowledge that the security alarm had a direct link to the police station had help to set Goliath at ease, but not by much.
Goliath, Dawn and Hudson fought their way to where Xanatos stood. Even though he wasn't wearing his exo-suit, it did nothing to diminish the fire in his eyes, and continued to pile up the bodies.
"Any idea what they're after?" Xanatos asked.
"Emony," Dawn replied simply. This response only caused Xanatos confusion, but he decided not to press the matter until the fight was over.
Goliath exchanged a look with Hudson, rebounded off the wall, trying to block any of the enemies from escaping. Slowly, the Quarrymen's numbers began to dwindle. Meanwhile, the trio, Angela and Eve were swooping down and grabbing at the stragglers, slamming them back to the ground.
One of the Quarrymen managed to slip their way inside. This one carried a small, black box in the palm of his hand. He stared hard at its screen as he navigated through the corridors. Soon he came to stand outside the gargoyles suite. With a charged hammer in hand, he stalked into the room. On the far side stood Brooklyn who was protectively shielding Emony with his sinuous body.
"Canmore!" Brooklyn exclaimed. "I should've known you were the one behind this."
"It does have my name all over it, doesn't it?" Castaway grinned evilly. "A rather delicious and ingenious plan if I do say so myself."
"God, would you get over yourself!" Brooklyn shot back. "You're really not that smart. If you were you'd know not to piss off a gargoyle, let alone a whole clan!"
This comment greatly angered Castaway and he lunged at Brooklyn. Brooklyn easily evaded the hammer and flicked his tail, tripping the human.
"C'mon Canmore," Brooklyn taunted "if you're not gonna make this worth my while I'm just gonna leave!"
Castaway was on his feet again in a flash. He swung his hammer at Brooklyn again, and this time it connected with the red gargoyle's chest. Brooklyn slumped to the floor in a great red heap.
Emony looked at Brooklyn limp body and her eyes went wide with shock. Castaway's grin widened, baring his teeth. Fear began to well up inside Emony as the human advanced on her. She back up until her back connected with the wall. Suddenly, just as it so often did, her mood changed to feral animal and she leaped on Castaway, biting and clawing. The hammer slipped out of his hands when Emony began to draw blood. Soon, Castaway lost conscienceness.
Elisa stepped around the corner, gun in hand, and she took in the sight. Emony crawled off Castaway's body and slid herself over to Brooklyn. She cradled his head in her lap and stroked his forehead with the back of her hand. Emony turned her glassy eyes to Elisa.
"Is he going to be alright?"
Elisa knelt down and and checked his pulse. "He's going to be just fine," she smiled warmly at the gargoyle. She then moved over to Castaway's limp form, rolled him over, and slipped a pair of handcuffs on his wrists.
------
The waiting room was a buzz of activity once again as they anxiously awaited the news of Emony's surgery. Brooklyn paced the length of the room nervously. Finally, the contant motion set something off in Lexington.
"Brooklyn, will you stop that? You're waring a groove in the floor!"
The red gargoyle slumped down heavily in a chair. Soon, the act of not doing anything was driving Brooklyn crazy so he began another annoying action...tapping his talons on the polished, tiled floor.
Lex opened his mouth to scold Brooklyn again, but he was cut short by Dr Ashling's arrival through the swinging doors.
The doctor smiled warmly. "Looks good...looks real, real good!" The clan breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Can I see her?" Brooklyn asked nervously.
"Soon. Right now, she needs rest," Ashling explained. "A good, solid day of stone sleep should set things right."
Xanatos smiled broadly. "Thanks Doc, I appreciate everything you've done."
"Yes," Goliath agreed. "The clan owes you a great debt this night."
No sooner had Goliath finish his sentence, did his body become rigid and a pewter crust encase his body. The sun was rising...and tomorrow all would be right with their world again.
THE END