STARTING PLACE

Let's begin with the standard disclaimer. The Gargoyles characters are the property of Disney and Buena Vista Television. I'm borrowing them without permission, but I gain nothing by doing so.

This takes place shortly after "Hunter's Moon", and will serve as the starting place for the rest of my gargoyle stories. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Elisa gasped in surprise as her brother lifted her off her feet.

"Hey! What's this?"

"I'm just glad to see you again sis. It seems like ages since you tore yourself away from your work in the real world to visit us."

She nodded ruefully. "Haven't had much free time lately." They began to walk as they talked. Elisa allowed herself to vent some of her frustration even knowing Derek had enough troubles of his own.

"It's a mess up there Derek. Ever since the clan became public knowledge they haven't had a moment's peace, and neither have I. The entire city is on riot alert. We're all pulling double shifts until things calm down. I've got to be on the streets again in an hour." She shook her head, looking as tired as Derek had ever seen her, but she straightened after a moment and focused on her brother.

"I trust things have been calmer down here." She looked around as the two entered a large chamber. The tunnels were by no means luxury accommodations, but the lives of those who lived there through choice, or more often through lack of choice, had improved significantly since the mutates had come to live there.

Most of the people Elisa saw were ragged and somewhat dirty, but they did not look afraid. Many of them were even cheerful, pausing in what they were doing to wave at Derek. He nodded and greeted a few of them by name.

"The panic on the surface hasn't touched us down here. These people know us and know that we're not 'wild monsters out to destroy them.' That, as far as I can tell, is how the media is painting the clan." Elisa nodded uncomfortably.

"They don't seem to be able to catch a break. The few bits of favorable publicity they get are overwhelmed by the avalanche of rumors and paranoid nonsense that most of the stations and papers are putting out." She paused for a moment, tired to the point of exhaustion. "Can we talk about something else?"

Derek nodded. "If you want good news look around. We manage to coexist with the people down here. Maybe it's largely because they depend on us for protection, but they see us as people not just weird watchdogs. The few conversations I've had with Goliath lead me to believe that that's how he and his clan were seen in Scotland. Its different here."

Elisa looked around her again, more closely this time. There was a wide assortment of people, even some kids. "How many?" she asked, feeling a lump in her throat at the sight of a couple of girls, the oldest no more than 10, playing hopscotch on a chalk diagram.

Derek followed her gaze and nodded gravely. "The number varies. People come and go. Some find a place on the surface again and others… I don't always know. There aren't many kids down here and I do what I can to get them to someplace safe on the surface as soon as I can. Those two are here because their families got run out of their apartment building. You might have heard about that building in Brooklyn that the city shut down as not fit for human habitation."

"They didn't have anywhere else to go?"

"No. Their parents are at work now, but it'll probably be a while till they can afford a new place."

"This is the good news huh?" She sounded uncharacteristically bitter. Derek was silent a moment. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to bring you down. I'm just…" She broke off and shrugged.

"Yeah, I know," her brother nodded sympathetically.

"So. Where's Maggie and the others?" Derek brightened some at the change of subject.

"Maggie is watching Fang's cell, Claw, Burbank, Brent, and Hollywood ate early and went out on patrol. Delihla and Malibu are tending to various other chores."

"Patrol? Down here?" Derek nodded.

"Not surprisingly a lot of people think these tunnels would make a good hideout. Quite a few of them are undesirables. We see everything from small time pushers and thugs to some really dangerous characters, the worst kind of human predators."

They continued walking as they talked, passing people engaged in a variety of activities that seemed bizarrely out of place precisely because they were so ordinary. Elisa paused to watch a teenage boy setting a table. The dishes, far from being paper throw-aways or metal trays, which she might have expected to see in a homeless shelter, appeared to be a complete set of good quality dishes. There was even a large, fairly expensive looking serving platter of the same design.

In another direction a woman was folding towels and wash cloths. All around her there were an assortment of mundane domestic chores being performed. It was all jarringly out of place. "Every day, it seems, I'm dealing with gargoyles, robots, werewolves, fairies, or one-horned one-eyed flying purple people eaters. Why is it only when I come down here that I feel like I've fallen down a rabbit hole?"

Her brother laughed. "Come on. The others will be in soon for supper."

***********************************************************************

Delihla could hear Talon laughing and saw him slip an arm around his sister's shoulders. They wandered out of the main chamber; Delihla didn't bother to follow. She was hungry, but somehow she couldn't face dinner tonight, not with Elisa there.

She didn't know precisely why she felt so uncomfortable around the human woman. She didn't really understand how any of the clones felt about their "parents" for lack of a better word. It didn't feel quite right, but Delihla didn't know another word that came close. Perhaps this was just another gap in the "education" Thailog had provided. Or perhaps, there was no good answer.

She turned away and headed down a side tunnel. She had only gone a short way when she was hailed.

"Delihla! Where you going? Time to eat." She turned to see Malibu hurrying to catch up.

"Hi Mal. Not hungry. Elisa there." She finished before he could ask why. Rather than look sympathetic he looked angry.

"You run and hide then? Why?"

"You know why." Delihla shot back. After a moment's hesitation he nodded. "Not right should feel that way," he insisted. He paused. In spite of the progress they had all made, the clones language skills deserted them when they became flustered. He continued more carefully. "Because we're clones we should feel ashamed when they're around? Are we less than they are?"

"No. Talon's told us that again and again. Still not feel..." she struggled for a word, "comfortable around them."

"And they don't feel comfortable around us. Fine by me. But this is our home! Gonna let her run you off?"

"Didn't run me off," Delihla said defensively.

"So go to dinner."

Delihla thought about it a moment. "No. I need some air. Let's go flying." Mal looked startled.

"You know it's dangerous up there. What if we're seen?"

"Now who's hiding?" Delihla teased and started off. After a moment Malibu followed her.

***********************************************************************

Diane Maza looked at her watch for the tenth time in as many minutes. "Where is she?" Diane's book tour had ended earlier than expected and she had returned home to New York. She had heard of the trouble involving her daughter's friends and hoped for perhaps the millionth time, that that association hadn't led Elisa into trouble. She had hoped to enjoy a quiet dinner with her family when she returned, but Elisa was nowhere to be seen and her husband Peter had not been at home when she called. The hopes of getting her family together for a meal, something that had been happening less and less frequently over the last year, were quickly vanishing.

"Diane?" the call caught her by surprise. She turned to see Captain Maria Chavez standing a few feet away.

"Maria, hello." She smiled warmly. Then the old fear came back suddenly. "Is everything all right? Where is Elisa? Has-" Chavez shook her head and smiled.

"Everything is fine. Elisa and Matt are just very busy right now. I told Elisa I would pick you up and bring you to the precinct since I was passing this way. Come on." Diane followed her to the waiting car and loaded her one suitcase into the back seat.

"I have to make a stop at the criminal courts building to drop off some paperwork. We'll be at the precinct in about 45 minutes. Peter is there helping to process new prisoners. I've got everyone with a badge out on the streets tonight. Between the gargoyles, the gargoyle hate groups, and the people taking advantage of the chaos both are causing the city is coming unglued." Diane nodded her understanding.

"What about the gargoyles?" she asked. "Have you learned anything more about them?" Chavez shook her head.

"That's what the Gargoyle Task Force is for." Chavez paused as she negotiated a crowded intersection almost wishing she could pause to hand out a few tickets. "As far as I can tell they don't mean to do any harm, but... well you've seen the footage of the church?"

"I saw it. It seems the very worst they could be accused of is being magnets for lunatics." Chavez smiled without humor.

"I assume you mean Canmore, not to mention the Pack and those robot gargoyles?" Chavez asked. "Yes, there is certainly that." They rode in silence for a while. There didn't seem to be anything to say.

***********************************************************************

Delihla stretched her wings, luxuriating in the feel of the wind. It had been so long. She looked over at Mal and grinned. "Admit it. This was a great idea."

"Yeah! Fun!" He tried a barrel roll like the ones he had seen planes do on TV. He had to catch an updraft to regain the altitude he lost during the ill-considered maneuver. Delihla did her best not to laugh.

He grinned sheepishly, enjoying himself. It had been over an hour since they had skipped out on dinner. They knew this kind of exposure was dangerous, but somehow the chance to stretch their wings had seemed worth the risk.

***********************************************************************

"I've spotted the target. There are two of them." Mr. Lane listened to the voice on the other end of his cell phone. "Yes. I understand my instructions. They'll never know what hit them." He shut his phone and turned to his partner. "Lets do it." The car began to accelerate.

***********************************************************************

Diane had given up on conversation. Every topic seemed to lead back to the city's current troubles. The silence, while not comfortable, was preferable to conversation at the moment. That silence was disrupted by the sound of a racing engine. It sounded like someone was in a hurry. She craned her neck to look out the back window. A car was indeed moving up fast.

"What's with this guy?" Chavez asked rhetorically. She glanced out the window as the car started to pull even.

"Going to give him a ticket?" Chavez ignored the quip as the car pulled even with them. Abruptly she stepped on the brakes. "What?!-" The windshield exploded as a burst of automatic fire cut across it.

Chavez jerked the wheel hard to the right and stomped on the gas. Diane looked out the back window as the car braked and turned to follow them.

"Who are they?" she asked trying to rein in her fear.

"No idea." The police captain made another sharp turn and accelerated. The car stayed with them. It accelerated. "Hang on. I'll try to lose them." She pulled the car through two more tight turns at a speed that left Diane silently praying and double-checking her seat belt. The gunmen stayed with them. They were gaining.

Chavez made a dangerous turn across traffic as the back window blew out. "Keep your head down." The car swerved around oncoming traffic and into a less crowded side street. That, some calm, detached part of Diane's mind noted, was the fourth moving violation in under two minutes. The men with the guns were gaining.

They lost a tire right after turning onto a street that ended in a T-intersection. The car skidded back and forth across the street. At some point they lost another tire. The car crashed through a guardrail and began a journey down a long, steep concrete embankment. It was too dark to see what was at the bottom, but Diane knew they were nowhere near the river.

"Bail out!" Chavez shouted, reaching for Diane's seat belt. She didn't make it. Suddenly the door she was trying to open with her other hand was gone. A hand reached in and almost casually ripped out her seat belt. It then grabbed her and yanked her from the car. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Diane pulled free as well.

She was airborne, watching as her car reached the bottom of the embankment and slammed into the pavement below. It flipped onto its roof and burst into flames. Whatever was carrying her turned south and flew a short distance. They landed under a bridge that crossed the wide concrete channel where her car had come to rest.

When her feet were on the ground again Chavez pulled away and turned to look at her rescuer. She already knew, or at least suspected what she would see, but it still came as a shock. She had spent hours studying pictures of gargoyles both as stone and flesh and blood. She knew some of the latter on sight, but no amount of looking at pictures could prepare her for how completely alien they were.

The creature before her was rail thin. It's wings jutted from its back in a manner very unlike the bats they had been compared to. It's face managed to remind her of a goat, a bird, and a reptile all at once while the jet black hair that started immediately behind it's curved horns reminded her of nothing so much as a horse's mane. Although there was ample evidence to indicate they were intelligent she was still shocked when it spoke to her.

"Are you done?"

"Huh?" she asked, trying to focus on the words.

"Staring," it added for clarification. She tore her eyes away from it. The other struck her as even more unusual despite the fact that its face was almost human. The first had been dressed in a loincloth. It was crude and reminded her of the middle ages and hokey barbarian movies. The second was dressed in a pair of cutoff acid wash jeans and a daffy duck T-shirt. Both had been modified to fit her unusual anatomy. Chavez looked back and forth between the two for a moment before she found her voice.

"Er, yes."

"Who are you?" Diane asked. Chavez glanced at her. For a moment she had completely forgotten the other woman. She noticed that Diane was holding her briefcase. She was glad to see it, but wondered why Diane had grabbed it. She didn't have a chance to ask though.

"I'm Delihla, that's Malibu, Mal for short."

"Malibu?" Chavez asked, feeling reality slipping a bit further away.

"I didn't pick it," the creature said, sounding defensive. Delihla, for her part was watching the bank where the car had gone over. Chavez followed the direction of her stare but didn't have time to register what she saw before Delihla was in motion.

"Move!" she shouted, grabbing Diane and bolting for the other side of the bridge. As she ran she took a few steps up the steep slope leading toward the street above and then launched herself and Diane out over the concrete channel.

Chavez watched this as Malibu grabbed her up. They were only a second behind the others as a stream of automatic weapons fire from the road above ricocheted off the concrete where they had been standing.

The two gargoyles fought valiantly to gain altitude, catching every small updraft they could find. Soon, they were a relatively safe distance above the street.

"They don't like you," Mal commented. "Who are they?"

"I don't know. There are several possibilities. One thing is certain though, it's me they were shooting at." She considered a moment. "We split up. They probably won't be able to follow us, but no sense risking it. Can you take me to a police station?" Mal nodded.

"I get this one home safe." Delihla said. "We meet on roof of the big hospital." She winced when she realized she was making mistakes. Mal nodded and they veered in opposite directions. Both were eager to put something solid between themselves and the guns.

Mal made a series of turns at dizzying speed. By the time they landed on the roof of an apartment building Chavez was feeling more than a little airsick.

"I could have done without that last sharp turn," she muttered through clenched teeth and lips that were pressed tightly together.

"Sorry. Wanted to be sure they couldn't follow us. You'll be safe here."

She nodded, regaining her composure somewhat. She took a deep breath. Walking to the edge of the roof she looked around trying to orient herself. After a moment, she determined where she was in relation to her precinct.

"I have some questions I'd like answers to," she said, turning to look at Mal. He snorted with disdain.

"You're welcome."

"What? Oh. Er.. Thank you for pulling us out of there." After a moment's awkward silence she added. "I'm sorry." The gargoyle nodded.

"We're people, you know." He spoke slowly, careful of his words. "Appearances aside we have a lot more in common than you think." These words came more easily to Mal. He had heard them from Talon often enough. When he delivered them they always seemed to have the desired affect. He hoped that they would work now. "What's your name?"

"Chavez. Captain Maria Chavez, N.Y.P.D."

Malibu put out his hand. "Pleased to meet you." After a moment she took it. "It's a beginning." He was amazed. She actually responded. From the reactions he had seen on TV and heard about second hand, he had thought that there would be no one in the city this receptive to reason and simple courtesy. "I think I know your questions, but I'm not best one to answer them."

"I want to know more about your kind. A little information might help calm people down. The city is in a panic over you right now. My job is difficult enough as it is without that sort of thing."

"Sorry. I don't want people scared, but I can't tell you much."

"Why?"

"It's…" he searched for the word, "complicated. I can't tell you much 'cause I don't know much." He was getting agitated. Despite his reassurances this made Chavez nervous. She didn't want him getting angry. "We are not enemies. We protect our home. Talon said that the weak are to be protected." He paused and took a calming breath. "Our home, our... protectorate is the most important thing to a gargoyle." He broke off and thought a moment. "Goliath or one in his clan could tell it better."

Chavez latched on to the main points of this speech. "There is more than one clan?"

An expression flitted across Malibu's face. She could not read the expression as she could with a Human suspect, but she guessed that he was afraid that he had said too much. He considered carefully before answering.

"There are two clans. Goliath and his clan have made Manhattan their protectorate. My clan... Talon's clan... lives somewhere else."

"How many of you are there?" As soon as she said it she knew it was a mistake. The gargoyle looked at her with an intensity that she found very disconcerting. She tried to think of some way to put him at ease again. When, she wondered, did I start thinking of him as him instead of it?

The tension she interpreted as suspicion faded from his face. "You should talk to Talon or Goliath. I don't know how to answer your questions. Maybe I shouldn't be." His honesty and uncertainty surprised her. Whatever else he might be he was not a practiced liar. She got the impression she could trust what little he chose to tell her.

"I'd like the chance to talk to them. Can you arrange it?"

"Maybe." He shrugged. "Better go. I can't go to a police station, but can take you close. By now people probably say you were attacked by gargoyles. Go show 'em I haven't eaten you or something." She nodded. To her surprise, he picked her up and walked to the edge of the roof. Chavez was about to say she would prefer a taxi when the roof door burst open.

***********************************************************************

Delihla made several turns during the brief flight, always moving farther away from the scene of the wreck. After what seemed to Diane like hours, but was in fact no more than a few minutes, they set down on a roof.

"I don't think I could ever get used to traveling that way," Diane gasped as she settled down and patted the pleasantly solid surface of the roof. She wondered how Elisa could stand it.

She took a moment to more closely examine her rescuer. There was definitely some resemblance to her daughter. Elisa had made passing reference to the clones, but had made no specific reference to a Delihla. She supposed it must be a difficult subject, but it still irritated her.

"I don't believe I've introduced myself. I'm Diane Maza." The name got a reaction. Delihla turned and regarded her with a mixture of curiosity and dread. She was not good at hiding her feelings. Elisa could put on a poker face that a professional gambler would envy, but Delihla was very open. "I think I know who you are."

Delihla pursed her lips thinking hard. "How much do you know?"

"I know that clones were made of all the gargoyles by that monster Sevarius. I know that Derek took you in. Beyond that I don't know anything. Elisa didn't go into specifics."

"She's not exactly comfortable with me."

"She's one of your 'parents'?"

Delihla shrugged. "Could say so, but don't think she'd want you to."

"You look like her. Some of her... DNA?" Delihla still didn't know what that word meant, but nodded.

"No one I talk to is real happy about it. I had a lot of trouble getting the whole story." She paused to consider her words carefully. Talon had taught them all to think before they spoke. This lesson had made them seem, Delihla thought, smarter than they actually were. Sometimes it was so hard to know what to say and how to say it.

"I was grown from a single strand of..." she stumbled slightly over the memorized words..."genetically engineered DNA. I have human and gargoyle DNA." She smiled slightly. "Please don't ask what it means. I'm not even sure those words are right. Tal-... Derek called it gene splicing. I don't know what that means either."

"I don't know either," Diane smiled reassuringly, "but I think I get the general idea. What about the gargoyle DNA? Is it from Goliath?" Delihla gave a short laugh. "Why is that funny?"

"Derek said Elisa might be happier if it were. It came from Demona." Diane had just begun to wonder what Derek could have meant by that. Was there something she should know about Elisa and Goliath? The mention of Demona derailed that train of thought.

"Demona?" Diane had heard the name. Demona had tried to kill Elisa on several occasions. Her daughter gave very few details, but Diane knew that that gargoyle was extremely dangerous. She sighed. "I know Elisa likes to spare me the worry, but this habit of holding back details can be infuriating." She glanced at Delihla. "I know who Demona is, vaguely, but you probably know more about her than I do."

"I just know to avoid her. Maybe they want to spare me worry too." Both were quiet for a moment.

"Um, Delihla... about Demona. I-"

"Please," she interrupted, "you look just like Derek looks before he tell me that it not matter where I came from. I never believed it mattered." She hadn't intended to snap, but her words sounded harsh even to her ears. Diane opened her mouth to respond to this, but was interrupted when the roof access door opened. Both turned to look.

The man was well built, but not overly large. He was dressed in what looked like an expensive tailor made suit. He smiled at them.

"Ah, there you are." Calmly and without appearing to rush, he drew a compact sub-machine gun from under his jacket and opened fire. Delihla was in motion before the gun was clear. She grabbed Diane and dove off the roof. The weapon was fitted with a silencer so as not to attract any attention. So, Delihla didn't hear the shots that tore open her right thigh.

***********************************************************************

Malibu turned to see an odd assortment of people rushing onto the roof. They were armed with an assortment of weapons ranging from kitchen knives to shotguns. The one in the lead pointed a cheap revolver at him.

"Drop the woman monster! Let her go."

Malibu looked down at the street and then at Chavez. "Rephrase that, please," she said calmly. "While you're at it put those guns away before someone gets hurt." Malibu set her on her feet and regarded the hastily assembled mob.

"I'm not hurting her," he assured them.

"Quick lady get away from it!" several of the men readied their weapons. Chavez stepped in front of Malibu.

"Put your guns down now!" She reached into her jacket to pull out her badge. It wasn't there. Neither was her gun. All her gesture accomplished was to make several of the armed men aim at her. "I'm a cop. Put your weapons down." The words, without the proof, didn't have much of an impact.

"Maybe," said Mal quietly, "I'll just leave you with your 'rescuers.'" He turned to go and someone shot at him.

"Stop it." Chavez said firmly moving toward them. "He's no threat to you. Let him go." There was a muttered conference.

"She's protecting that thing!"

"Must be nuts. Ignore her. Get the monster!" The group surged forward, intent on getting at the gargoyle, even if they had to trample Chavez to do it.

A rust colored figure slammed into the group and they went down like dominoes. The new arrival moved among them removing or mangling their weapons. "No one is getting anyone tonight." Brooklyn informed them.

"Its another monster!" one woman said rather unnecessarily. None of them seemed inclined to get up and do anything about it though. Brooklyn looked rather disgusted and turned to the two targets of the mob's anger.

"You all right?" Chavez nodded. Malibu looked annoyed.

Chavez looked back and forth between them. Aside from their coloring they were identical. What is going on here? The two were eyeing each other in a vaguely hostile manner.

"What are you doing here?" the rust colored gargoyle asked rudely.

"Your job," Mal ventured. "Someone tried to kill her." The new arrival looked startled and glanced at Chavez. "Oh, excuse me." Malibu said, addressing Chavez, "This is Brooklyn. He's one of Goliath's clan. Brooklyn this is Captain Maria Chavez N.Y.P.D."

Brooklyn nodded. "Look, what's going on? Not that I'm complaining but what are you doing out and about?"

"Delihla and me were stretching our wings. Good thing too." He couldn't resist ribbing Brooklyn. "Never a gargoyle around when you need one." Brooklyn snorted and looked angry.

"Relax," said Malibu amiably. "Just joking."

Brooklyn just seemed to get angrier. "I don't need some forgery telling me about duty," he sneered. He didn't have time to duck.

***********************************************************************

Delihla screamed. So did her passenger when she lost altitude abruptly. Delihla veered to get away from hail of bullets. The closest building was a few stories shorter than the one they had left. It was a full six seconds before they reached cover and Delihla felt several near misses cut the air around her. Again, she took a number of turns designed to mislead her pursuers. Finally, she had to land on a roof to rest and examine her wound.

"How find us!?" she growled the question through clenched teeth, her language skills all but deserting her. She couldn't tell how bad the wound was, but there was a lot of blood, and it hurt! "How?"

"Hold still." Diane pressed her wadded-up jacket over the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. She had to set down the briefcase she was carrying to do that. Delihla noticed it.

"What's that?" she asked, a suspicion forming in her mind

"Huh? Oh, Maria's briefcase. I didn't even realize I was carrying it when we left." Delihla grabbed it and tore it open. She dumped out the contents, several file folders and sealed envelopes, and finally she found what she was looking for.

It was about the size of a matchbook. Looking like a pager, it had a red blinking LED at one corner. Delihla had seen things just like it on TV. Struggling to her feet she moved to the edge of the roof.

She drew back her arm and threw the tracer into the back of a passing dump truck. She nodded with satisfaction before collapsing to the roof again. Diane rushed over. Again she applied pressure to the wound.

"I've got to get you to a doctor. I don't know how to stop this."

"Who would help me?" Diane started thinking frantically. It was a good question. Now, all she needed was a good answer.

***********************************************************************

"Good news. There was no one in there when it went up." The officer looked grim as he approached Detectives Maza and Bluestone. Maza's expression was tense, whether with anger or fear Matt couldn't be sure.

"So what happened to them? Where are the captain and my mother?" It was a rhetorical question, but the patrolman who had been the first on the scene answered anyway.

"There is one odd thing. We found the two front doors some distance from the wreck. It looks like they were ripped off before the explosion, and I do mean ripped. The metal is torn and bent."

"Show me." Elisa didn't dare hope. She walked to the place where the door was being examined by another uniformed cop. She felt the surge of hope she had tried to suppress. There were claw marks on the door.

"It looks like a gargoyle attack," the officer said. He hadn't noticed Maza. "No telling what those things have done with the people in the car." He looked up to find Maza standing over him and started guiltily. "I-I'm sure your mom is fine. That is..." he broke off on seeing the scowl on her face.

"Let's gather evidence, instead of tossing around wild speculations shall we?" The uniform nodded quickly.

A shout from the top of the embankment drew their attention. "Detective Bluestone! There's been a gargoyle sighted a few blocks from here. You're the closest on the GTF." Matt looked apologetically at Elisa. She nodded.

"Lets go." She turned to the officer standing by the clawed door. "Contact me immediately if you get any 'solid' information." The stress she put on solid made the officer wince slightly. He nodded.

***********************************************************************

Chavez had never seen anyone move so fast. Malibu lashed out with a viciousness she wouldn't have thought him capable of. Brooklyn slammed into the outer wall of the stairwell and dropped to the roof gasping and wheezing. The other humans on the roof were just as startled by this turn of events. One older woman gave a small scream.

Malibu for his part stood over Brooklyn, clearly furious. With a tightly controlled anger in his voice he addressed his fallen lookalike. "I believe the term you are searching for," he said with exaggerated calm, "is clone. I'm a clone. Forgery means imitation, intended to pass for or replace the original." Brooklyn was getting his wind back. Rather than look angry though, he looked...Chavez searched for a word... embarrassed?

"I don't know why," the anger was fading from Malibu's voice, "you can't get it through that thick skull that I am not you. I never tried to be you. I don't want to be like you." The last of the anger drained from his voice, and his eyes stopped glowing. "If you could accept that, maybe we'd be able to get along." He held out his hand. Brooklyn considered for a moment and then accepted it.

"Agreed." He looked uncomfortable for a second. "Look, I'm sorry about that forgery crack. That was below the belt. Let's start over huh?"

Malibu nodded.

"Clone?" Chavez echoed belatedly. The two looked at her. "You clone yourselves?"

"No." Brooklyn shook his head. "It's a long story."

"Like I said," Mal put in, "it's complicated, isn't something we talk about." Mal looked at Brooklyn.

"Maybe we should talk about it."

"No." Malibu disagreed after a moment's thought. "Talon always says that how we got here isn't important. Its what we do now that we're here that counts." He spoke slowly, stumbling a bit over the words, in spite of having heard them so often. He was uncertain as to how to handle this. Sirens in the street below put a stop to further conversation.

"Hmm. Now may be a good time to go." Brooklyn turned to Chavez. "This is probably pretty confusing for you." She nodded.

"Talk again soon" Malibu promised. "Maybe I can answer some questions." The two turned and launched themselves from the roof, ignoring shouts from the street to stop.

Chavez watched them go with a mixture of frustration and anticipation. The few questions she now had answers to only lead to much weirder questions. Mal had said they would talk again. She would just have to hope that he told the truth.

***********************************************************************

Dr. Carrie Benjamin couldn't believe her eyes. When Jeffrey had insisted that someone was on the roof, the most she expected to find was a couple of kids from one of the other apartments, not this.

Upon opening the roof access door a crack she could hear the voices clearly, two women. One of them sounded like she was in pain. When she opened the door further and looked quietly around the corner the sight of the gargoyle made her gasp. The human woman looked up and saw her. Carrie moved out into the open.

"Hello." They both looked scared. "Your friend needs medical attention. Let me help. I'm a doctor." The two looked at each other as if not quite believe their ears or their luck.

"A doctor?" the human said hesitantly. "Can you help her? She's been shot." Carrie moved closer and examined Delihla's leg.

She shook her head. "I need to get her to a hospital, or at least inside where I can clean this up for a proper look."

"I told Mal to meet me at hospital. Maybe, was like asking for trouble?"

"Hush," Diane said. "Is that blood coming straight from your head?"

"I work at Manhattan General. I can get her in if we can get her there to begin with. I'll need to tie this off until I can tell how bad the damage is." She got up. "Keep pressure on it. I need to get some things from my apartment." She turned and hurried down stairs. She returned a moment later with a bag and a man being led by a seeing-eye dog.

"Who's this?" the gargoyle asked, clearly in pain.

"My name's Jeffery Robins. I'm a friend of Carrie's. The dog moved closer to her. Delihla hissed softly. "Don't be afraid of Gilly," the man said, apparently sensing her discomfort. "He wouldn't harm a soul. We should call an ambulance for her Carrie."

"The circumstances don't permit it," she offered no further explanation. Working quickly cleaned the wound as well as she could. Deciding a tourniquet was unnecessary, she applied a pressure bandage to the wound and taped it down firmly.

"What circumstances? Are you in trouble with the law?"

Delihla smiled tightly. "Not yet," she said cryptically.

"I don't understand."

"She's a gargoyle." Carrie explained. Everyone looked at her sharply. "Relax you two. You can trust him."

"A gargoyle? You must be one of Hudson's family." The man smiled at them. Delihla abruptly tried to sit up.

"Hold still," Benjamin admonished, then paused. "Who's Hudson?"

"You know him?" Delihla asked.

"He's a friend of mine. Turned up on my doorstep almost a year ago rather battered. We've had many long conversations since then, but I didn't realize he was a gargoyle until just recently."

"I don't suppose you could contact your friend? She's lost a lot of blood. She may need a transfusion."

Diane shook her head. "It wouldn't work. They may be the same species, but her blood is… unique. Don't worry. All she has to do is make it till dawn and her leg will be fine."

"Dawn is still hours away. That leg has to be properly treated. I don't suppose you have any idea how the antibiotics or the anesthetic will affect you?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, but our species aren't all that different."

"Different enough. Some drugs have drastically different affects on species as similar as rats and mice. You're not exactly our next of kin on the evolutionary family tree." She finished her preparations. "Okay. Let's get her to the hospital."

***********************************************************************

Between the three of them, they managed to get Delihla downstairs and into a car without attracting any attention. The arrival at the hospital went smoothly as well, although there were a few close calls. Carrie guided them to a relatively clean room in a section of the third floor that was being remodeled. In the middle of the night, it was deserted.

"I'm going to need someone to act as nurse while I work." She turned to Diane. "Do you get squeamish?"

"No, but I've never done anything like this before."

"If you don't faint you'll do fine. Let's scrub." A few minutes later Delihla had been given a local anesthetic and they got started. Diane did her best not to actually look at the wound. She simply handed the instruments to Carrie as she worked.

"The good news is that the wound isn't as bad as I first feared. The bullets just missed a major artery. They left a fairly deep wound, but it could have been much worse." She cleaned out the wound and was soon ready to sew. Robins stood by listening to the commentary.

"So far I haven't found anything I don't understand, but then I wouldn't expect to with something as simple as this. From what I can tell humans and gargoyles do have a number of things in common. How is the anesthetic holding up?"

"I feel nothing," Delihla replied. "Is bad?" she asked tentatively. Her speech slurred a bit, as she was slightly groggy.

"You'll be fine. If you take it easy till dawn then you should be okay when you wake up. I wouldn't mind knowing more about how that works."

"Can't help you. I don't know how it works. Just happens."

"You must know a little more than that," she prompted.

"Do you think about breathing?"

Carrie nodded thoughtfully. "No, but I know why we breathe and how." She made a small, frustrated sound. "But I guess I see your point. I'm almost done with the stitches." A few minutes later she stepped back to admire her handiwork. "It'll do. Now remember, you are to take it easy understood? Don't go ripping those stitches, you hear me?" Delihla promised that she would be careful. "Good. No one should bother you here, but we'll need to find somewhere else for you to sleep. There will be workmen in and out of here all day."

"I can see to that." Diane said and left briefly to make a call.

***********************************************************************

Matt Bluestone tried to hide his anxiety over the way his partner was driving. Who drove and how was something of a running gag between them, but at the moment, there was nothing remotely amusing about the way she was taking corners and dodging slower traffic.

"Take it easy. You won't do your mother much good if you show up in an ambulance yourself." Elisa only grunted as she pulled around a slow moving bus. They got to the hospital faster than Matt liked to get anywhere. Elisa parked in the first open spot and headed for the emergency room entrance.

The ER was busy that night, and the nurse wouldn't be interrupted despite Elisa's efforts. She turned to an inner door when she heard someone call her name.

"Detective Maza?" She nodded at the red-haired, tired looking woman standing before her.

"I got a call that my mother was here. Diane Maza?"

"Yes, I'm Dr. Benjamin. Please come with me." She noticed Matt standing with her. "Detective Bluestone right?"

"Huh? Yeah."

"You might want to come too." Both looked puzzled at this, but Elisa didn't argue. Soon they were being led down a quiet corridor in what looked like a disused part of the hospital.

"What is this?" Elisa asked, confused. "Why would mom be brought here?"

"Brought? Oh, I see. Your mother is fine detective. She isn't here for treatment."

"Then what is this about?"

"She brought me a rather unusual patient tonight. She said you were the best one to help us in getting her the… care she needs."

"She?" Images of Angela injured and lying in a hospital bed flashed through her mind. How would she tell Goliath if Angela were badly hurt? Benjamin broke in on her thoughts.

"She's resting comfortably and should be fine if nothing happens before dawn. In here please." She opened an unmarked door and entered what appeared to be a private room. There were three people in the room. Her mother, a man she didn't recognize, and a third person lying in a hospital bed. The person in the bed was not Angela. Elisa stared. She wasn't the only one to do so. Matt stared first at Elisa and then at Delihla, then at Elisa again, noting instantly the resemblance between them.

"Who-" he started to ask, but stopped abruptly and glanced at the doctor. Carrie caught the look and took her cue. "I'll just leave you to talk. Don't tire her. She needs her rest." Then she slipped away. The man nodded to them politely and followed her out.

Elisa approached the bed. Her mother leaned over and whispered something to Delihla that Elisa didn't catch. Diane squeezed her hand encouragingly.

"Elisa," she began with mock severity, "I believe there are some things that you haven't been telling me."

"Hi mom." She paused a moment. "Hello Delihla." Delihla swallowed nervously.

"Hi. I suppose your wondering why I called you all here?" The joke fell flat. Matt blinked and Elisa looked confused. "Well, isn't this awkward?" She winced as she drew herself up into a sitting position. "Who's that?"

Elisa glanced at her partner as if surprised to find him there. "This is Matt Bluestone, my partner. Matt this is Delihla… my…"

"That's the question isn't it?" Diane glanced at Delihla sharply. Take it slow, she seemed to be saying. Delihla carefully planned the next words in her head. "Sorry. I'm not doing this very well. I suppose this is almost as confusing for you as is for him. You want to tell him the story or should I tell?"

They both told it. Matt and Diane listened to the story about Thailog and the clones. Each filled in parts the other had little or no information about. When they were done Matt took a deep breath.

"Captain Chavez mentioned clones as well. It seems there was... an altercation between Brooklyn and his clone. The only reason I've heard anything about clones," he looked at his partner accusingly, "is they argued in front of Captain Chavez and a group of witnesses."

Delihla looked alarmed. "Is Malibu all right?"

"He's fine. From what Chavez said Brooklyn never laid a glove on him." Delihla looked confused. Glove? Matt plunged onward. "Brooklyn insulted him, called him a forgery or something, and Malibu did you call him? just about knocked his block off."

"That's my brother," she smiled. "What a temper."

"They seemed to come to some sort of agreement after that and left together just as Elisa and I were getting there."

"I'm glad." She thought a moment. "I told Mal to meet me here. He may be on the roof now, waiting for me."

Diane spoke up at this point. "Why don't Matt and I go see if he's there?" Matt looked questioningly at her but moved out of the room with her.

"I think she means us to talk alone." Elisa pulled a chair up beside the bed. "Are you gonna be all right?"

"Doctor says yes. She wants me to rest a day or two. Um, Elisa I… I don't really feel comfortable around you."

The honesty took Elisa by surprise. She wasn't used to such blunt honesty.

"Is that why you didn't come to dinner?"

Delihla nodded. "When we've met before I thought that you did not want to see me."

Elisa took a long breath. When she thought about it she realized that she must indeed have seemed cold and aloof at their previous meetings. "Actually," she said, considering her words carefully, "the truth is I think I was just as nervous about you. I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I just don't know quite what to make of you. I suppose," she broke off searching for words.

"I understand. Diane recognized me. I didn't know if you told her about me at all. Was shock to be recognized. She says I look like you." Elisa looked uncomfortable herself.

"What about Cap-. No, never mind. That's not important right now. What did Mom say? I mean how did she-?"

Delihla shrugged. "She not like secrets you keep, but she understands why you do. She asked at first if you were my mother."

With Demona as what? Elisa gave a slight shudder. Some concepts were too weird even for her.

"I told her you wouldn't be comfortable with the idea." Delihla said hastily, noticing the reaction. Elisa looked relieved.

"We talked about you at dinner tonight. Derek says you're well worth knowing. I'd like the opportunity." Both were silent for a moment. "I think "mother" would be too weird for both of us, but I wouldn't mind having another sister."

Delihla nodded. "Sister. I like that." She was about to say more when there was a quiet tap at the door. Elisa checked carefully. It was Dr. Benjamin.

"It's less than two hours till dawn. Malibu, Brooklyn, and Hudson," she stumbled a bit over the odd names, "are on the roof. I can get you there in a freight elevator if you're ready." Elisa nodded.

They put a blanket around Delihla and got her into a wheelchair Benjamin had dug up. The elevator trip went smoothly but getting her up the stairs to the roof was a chore since Benjamin would not allow Delihla to help herself.

Hudson and Jeffrey were talking quietly off to one side when they emerged. Mal rushed over to his sister and Brooklyn watched the whole scene from the edge of the roof.

Benjamin noticed the resemblance between Brooklyn and Malibu immediately, and decided that they must be brothers. Elisa was crouching next to Delihla's chair. For just a moment she was certain she saw a resemblance there as well, but quickly dismissed the idea as absurd. Elisa saw her looking at them and glanced at her partner meaningfully.

"I'd like to ask you some questions if I could." Bluestone steered Benjamin toward the roof access. Elisa smiled gratefully at Matt's back.

"These two can spend the day with us." Hudson moved toward the group. "It is a shorter trip to our home than yours and the lass did say you should rest." Malibu looked dubious.

"Talon'll be mad when he finds out," the clone predicted morosely, "but I guess you're right." That settled, he pick up Delihla carefully in his arms and walked to the edge.

"Take care of yourself sis," Elisa smiled. "Remember what the doctor said." Delihla nodded as Malibu prepared to leave.

"I'll be careful...Mother." She grinned as Mal took off.

Elisa looked startled, but allowed herself a slight smile.

"Terrific," she muttered in mock exasperation. None of the others saw her smile. Brooklyn and Hudson glanced curiously at her as they left. Robbins and her mother moved up next to her.

"What was that about?" Robins asked.

"Private joke." Elisa shrugged. "Skip it." Diane, for her part, seemed to find the "private joke" very amusing.

***********************************************************************

As they flew toward the castle Delihla gave Mal a tight smile in spite of the gradually returning pain. "Y'know, all things considered, its been a good night."

Mal looked dubious and then his eyes moved to Brooklyn flying a few meters to the right.

"I know what you mean."

THE END