We Live Again
Episode 10: Face Your Fears
By Cosmic Inspiration
Disclaimer: The Gargoyles animated series, including the Goliath Chronicles, is the property of the Walt Disney Company and its affiliate Buena Vista Animation, originally created and co-produced by Greg Weisman. The characters Graeme, Ariana, Sata, Liz Bishop, Aurora, Kirstie, and Madoc are from TGS. The character Shady is inspired by an off screen character mentioned in the TGS episode _Unions_, but was never expanded on or further explained, so I am giving her my own interpretation in my fan fiction stories. All original characters are the property of the author Inspiration. No copyright infringement is intended here nor authorized by the copyholders. This author makes no profit from these stories and only writes for fun entertainment and love of this beloved animated series.
Author's note: This story takes place the night after events of 9. Remnants.
Previously on Gargoyles. . .
"I'm never trusting again." Lexington.
"No, Lexington, you were right. We must search for allies, kindred spirits." Goliath.
(Canon) _Thrill of the Hunt_
"What's your handle?" The blond girl looked at him speculatively, sizing him up.
"Lex. What's yours?"
She laughed, "Oh, you'll never find out until it's too late, but you can call me Liz."
(TGS) _Equality_
"Wh-who are you?" Lex asked.
"My name is Nicholas Maddox," replied the man.
(TGS) _The Sorcerer's Apprentice_
He looked from the iron hammer to the aged, ugly Maddox. "You're one of Oberon's Children!"
"One of his race, yes," Maddox rasped, "But never . . .never one of his Children!"
(TGS) _Reprisals P. 3_
"I'm afraid it's not good," Xanatos said, "The implants can't be removed without causing permanent damage. Blindness, at the very least, since there's no way to restore your eyes."
"You mean . . . I'm stuck like this? I can't have them removed?" Lexington.
"I'm sorry." Xanatos.
(TGS) _Reprisals P. 3_
"Liz, would you like to try and take my mask off?" Lex
"This isn't some sort of come-on, is it? . . .Wow! You're really real, a real gargoyle, I mean." Liz
(TGS) _The Rising P. 2_
"Well, Broadway, I guess our Trio's down to two, huh?" He turned only to see Broadway helping Angela to her position. "And then there was one," Lex said sadly as he turned away, a single tear tolling off his cheek.
(TGS) _Out of Joint P. 2_
"Just an old project we discovered in the basement of Maddox Technologies. It was something cooked up by our old friend Sevarius during the Unseelie War. It was called Project Nightshade. It seems this particular project was abandoned. I'd like to know why." Xanatos to Fox.
(TGS) _Unions_
Scene of van and limousine crashing then exploding in TGS episode _Unions_.
...
In the medical wing of Castle Wyvern, two young gargoyles laid upon medical beds as three more figures worked at helping them recover from an ordeal they had suffered the previous night. Owen Burnett in his ever wooden fashion assisted the exchange gargoyle healer, Kwan Yin, with getting to know the different pieces of medical equipment and their functions, while steadfastly Lexington made repairs to Graeme and Ariana's life sustaining armbands as he studied the advanced and intricate technology they comprised of.
Though it had taken much of last night and tonight to repair the twins' armbands, with Lexington's ever growing expertise and fascination with technology he was able to get them stabilized and continued to work to get them functioning flawlessly again.
Though the armbands composed of a futuristic technology more sophisticated then anything Lex had ever seen before, it never ceased to amaze him how simplistic and elegant it was all connected and intertwined. Even more amazingly was how he quickly understood it all, as though it had been created by his own hand.
"How are you feeling now, Ari?" he asked a tired Ariana as she watched her 'Uncle' Lex work.
"Better, thanks to you, Uncle Lex," Ariana answered a bit tiredly, as she gave him a small smile.
"I wish you'd go faster, Uncle Lex," Graeme complained from the next bed over, "You made these things in one day, why're you taking so long?"
"Graeme, shush," Ariana warned, but the green beaked youth just stuck his tongue out at his sister, though he well understood what Ariana meant.
"It's okay, kids, I know you and your parents know a lot about the clan's future, but since Brooklyn and I had a talk about it I'm okay now with not knowing. If I'm always worrying about it I'll miss out on a lot of fun stuff right now, and besides not knowing is supposed to be half the fun."
The preadolescent gargoyles smiled at their short olive colored uncle, Ariana tiredly began to say, "If it makes you feel any better, Uncle Lex, you'll always be the smartest and greatest computer gargoyle we ever know."
For only a moment, Lex was unsure of what to say, but just smiled and said thank you as he continued to make steady repairs to Ariana's and Graeme's arm bands.
"I promise you, though," he then said with a more serious tone, "I'll see to it that those monsters pay for what they did to you. It's past time we put a stop to all of Madoc's evil once and for all."
The younger gargoyles just gave a look to each other that bespoke volumes of concern for their usually fun uncle.
As Lex then moved on to resume repairs on Graeme's armband, Kwan Yin came quietly and demurely from behind him to observe his work. He gave a quick glimpse and a smile, which she just politely returned.
"Whaddya think?" he then happily asked.
"Amazing," Yin complimented, "I am still learning much about the medicine of the human world, and it is remarkable that such small machines can help keep these hatchlings alive."
"Hey," Graeme complained, "We're not hatchlings, we're warriors."
Yin just gave Graeme a neutral glimpse, while Lex raised an eye ridge in warning.
"Please excuse my brother, Yin-san," Ariana spoke up as she gave Graeme a dirty look, "He can be a real pea brain sometimes."
Graeme gave his sister a dirty look, but she just smiled in amusement to herself.
Lex gave a short nervous laugh as he looked at Yin, but she gave a small neutral smile.
"Kids will be kids," he said, Yin only nodded.
She observed Lex's work for a minute more in silent fascination, and then said, "With your permission, I would very much like to learn how these small machines work."
Lex looked up from his work of fusing wires together in Graeme's arm band with a pen sized flare torch as tiny gold sparks flew about like a strange omen. A small smile then graced his round face as he then said, "No problem. Only thing is I'm still learning about how they work myself, but it's all really fascinating."
"But why did young Graeme say you made them if you say you are just now learning about them?" Yin asked with confusion.
As a few more sparks flew from Lex's tool, the smile faded to a frown as he just said with a glum tone, "It's complicated."
Yin continued to look at Lex in confusion as Lex resumed his work in silence.
"If I have offended, I apologize," Yin then said demurely.
Lex gave a small sigh as he looked back at the light jade green female.
"It's okay," he quietly said, "It's just something that's not easy to talk about. But it shouldn't stop us from learning, right?"
Yin gave a small nod.
Lex then began telling Yin of what he so far had learned about the armbands and their technical intricacies, though often he had to back track about what all of the terminology meant and answer questions when she did not fully understand. Occasionally, Lex would even get off topic to begin taking about a computer game or program he liked and how he could show Yin some time, and she would firmly but politely ask him to remain on the topic of fixing the armbands. Lex would apologize for being so scatterbrained but Yin understood well how Lex felt, for she too became excited by new things in her interest of healing.
Lex was not too bothered by Yin's need to stay focused on his work because she was, in a way, right, and he was just happy to finally talk to a female who may share some of his interests, not since his older clever sister with the orange skin and spiraling horns.
A half hour later, Yin then said, "If this technology can be duplicated, it may greatly extend gargoyle life spans, or perhaps help to heal weak eggs and allow the hatchlings inside the shells to survive."
"Those are pretty good ideas," Lex said as he looked up from his work, "But with how advanced they are, it'll still take me years or even decades to fully understand how they work."
"If you will allow it, Lexington," Yin said contritely, "I will be most humbled and pleased to help you in your research."
"Sure, absolutely," Lex said excitedly.
"I could also present the idea to my clan leader when the time comes for me to return."
Lex just gave a sour expression as he said, "If you ask me, Mei Hsing will just find another 'legitimate' reason to reject it, and that'll give her another reason to be condescending to Goliath."
Realizing what he said a nano second too late, Lex looked back at Yin to see her ever present quiet demeanor now seem to become a few degrees chillier.
"I am aware of our leaders disagreements," Yin said calmly, "I don't always agree with Mei Hsing's judgments, but she is still my leader and must be shown the utmost respect, as I show the utmost respect for your clan leader."
Lex gave a small hesitant nod and an embarrassed mumbled apology, and then resumed his work as an awkwardness settled uncomfortably between them.
Having watched from the side in his ever wooden demeanor, the Puck within Owen nevertheless was amused by what he saw, yet also felt a bit sorry for the short webbed wing.
Feeling awkward about his resentful statement, Lex nonetheless apologized, and the two older gargoyles continued their work in respectful silence on the two recovering adolescents.
A half hour before Sunrise, the clan's patrol groups began to return home, but not all were in high spirits. Everyone in the clan had worried for the survival of the twins, especially their parents, Brooklyn and Sata. So it came as no surprise when they were the first to come see Lexington and Yin as soon as they landed at the castle.
"How are they?" The words were out of Brooklyn's beak even before he sighted Lex.
Lex could sense the tenseness from Brooklyn as a thick foggy aura, but he remained calm even as he stood awkwardly by Yin to tell Brooklyn and his mate, "They're doing fine. I should have their arm bands fixed as good as new in the next night or two. They'll be back to making trouble for the clan before you know it."
Both parents breathed a palpable sigh of relief, though it was more thickly felt by Brooklyn than from Sata's disciplined countenance.
"Lex's skill with the machines is most impressive," Yin demurely said, "The hatchlings become stronger as he continues to work on them. I know that as we work together, it will mean a good future between our clans."
Lex looked up at Yin with a bit of surprised confusion, but she just gave him a demur smile and small nod which Lex then returned.
Yin gave them all a small bow before then retiring to her private cornice.
Brooklyn smiled down at Lex as he said in a casual tone, "She seems nice enough."
Lex just gave Brooklyn a glare with a raised eye ridge as he said, "Yeah, she is, but forget about setting us up. I'm sure I've already screwed up any chance of courting with her. Besides we hardly have anything in common, she'll only talk to me about computers if they have something to do with healing."
As the three of them began walking together to their cornices, Brooklyn placed a hand on his smaller brother's shoulder as he said with support, "Give it a little time, Bro, maybe things'll work out for the better."
Lex looked up at Brooklyn with a bit of suspicion, and looked ready to ask a question but decided against it, yet Brooklyn still caught it.
"Let's just say that even though I know of certain outcomes, and I thought I needed to play a role in them, most of the time they all worked out without my help."
Lex just gave a nod, clearly not wanting to speak of it anymore.
In a bid to change the subject he asked, "So how's Broadway?"
Brooklyn gave a heavy sigh as he said, "Still moping. I tried to get him to talk to me on patrol tonight, but I barely got two words out of him. If I can't get him to snap out of it soon I don't know what I'm going to do."
"If we find whatever it was that beat him up, he can go a few rounds with it and give it a taste of its own medicine. I know I would," Lex said with a slight growl, making Brooklyn and Sata look at him worriedly.
The resident clan of Castle Wyvern soon took their places upon their personal perches, and all assumed what were meant to be fearsome poses, but several fell short. While several gargoyles tried to appear to give silent roars or snarls, an expression of sadness or worry remained upon the faces of Broadway, Angela, Brooklyn and Sata as the Sun began to rise in a bright golden radiance from the Eastern horizon. Of all the former Trio, only Lexington seemed to be successful at appearing frightening, even for a small gargoyle.
Moments before being claimed by stone sleep, there appeared a tiny glimmer of red light from his right retina to signal a systems shut down, as it always did every Sunrise.
****Elsewhere in a shadowy place.
It has been some time since the strange explosion that had set her free, and yet had made her weak, though she now grows in strength. She does not remember much before it happened, only a long endless darkness and unbearable silence.
Then came that intense, blinding and blistering light, like suddenly staring directly into the Sun with your eyes fully open after so long in a dark cave, to suddenly be forced to see such a light had been agonizing. Yet this proved to be nothing as the burning light was immediately followed by an even more intense burning heat like a flare from the Sun.
There was pressure that sent her sailing far through the air, chaos raged around her and all she could think was she needed to get away. Though she succeeded in escaping, she was still greatly weakened, just barely alive. She needed time to heal, time to recover and discover who she really is, what she had become.
At first she felt not only weak, but an intense anger and hatred that was as black as the entrapping darkness that had claimed her and that burned hotter than the explosion that freed her. Anger and hatred towards who, she could not remember, until enough time had passed to allow dormant memories to resurface.
She remembered after the explosion having sighted winged forms amiss the chaos, and she was certain they were gargoyles, hateful creatures that only ruined everything. She then remembered a rich man named Maddox or something, who really turned out to be a blue skinned freak of nature who did nasty things to her, and she hated him for it. So when she proved to be uncontrollable, he had her imprisoned.
During her imprisonment, through the endless black silence, she remembered feeling an insatiable hunger for revenge, but against who, the gargoyles or Maddox, she could not decide.
Yet as time steadily passed and she grew in strength, she began to realize the power she now had allowed for the freedom to now truly do whatever she wanted, and screw the consequences.
No longer will anyone be able to suppress her or keep her from doing what she wanted and having fun, especially her so called 'master.'
Even if Maddox tried to recruit her again, no matter how much she feared him she will face him and resist.
She could now truly revel in her freedom and power.
Revenge will simply be another perk.