On the way to the hospital Elisa pulled out her cell phone and began to dial.
"Who are you calling?" Brooklyn asked suddenly as he was descending towards the hospital's roof.
"I need to report this to…Yes, I need to speak to the Lieutenant…Well, get him out of the meeting this is urgent." As they landed Brooklyn looked at her worriedly but she just waved him off. He gave her one last look, but reluctantly leapt off of the roof and began to glide back towards the castle. Goliath, I told you that evil bitch couldn't be left alive.
"Yes Lieutenant, I need an EPA team with full hazmat gear to quarantine ten miles in every direction of the church on the corner of Sunset and Macarthur Boulevard…Trust me sir, when they get there they will see the reason it is necessary… Yes, I understand but if they don't hurry we will lose the opportunity to contain this." Elisa sighed as she walked into up to the front counter. "Yes, I will out the paper work and thank you." She hung up just as the girl behind the counter turned to help her.
"Is there something I can help you with?" The receptionist asked as Elisa leaned over the counter.
"Yes, I'm here to see Jason Canmore. I believe he was just admitted here an hour or so ago." Elisa replied.
"I'll go see if he can have visitors. Just fill out these forms." The receptionist said as she went to go find the doctor.
Elisa sat in the waiting room with a clipboard and stack of papers she filled them out as she waited for her to return. I can't believe she actually did it. I told Goliath that she was nothing but trouble, but to see her prove it like this is still surprising.Elisa thought to herself. She was concentrating on her thoughts so much that she didn't notice Matt Bluestone sit down next to her.
"Ahem" She jumped as he cleared his throat. "Whoa, I just thought you were too busy to say hello. I usually can't sneak up on you at all." Matt chuckled as she glanced at him irritably.
"Now's not a good time Matt." Elisa said trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.
"Look Liz, I know we've had our troubles recently but I am still your friend, and as your friend I must warn you to leave now. The FBI has taken an interest in Canmore's activities and I really wouldn't want for you to get entangled in this." Matt sighed as he sat back and rubbed his eyes.
"And what will you do Matt? Are you going to arrest me for simply visiting a man in the hospital? A man that risked his life to save mine." Elisa snarled as she completed the last form and stood up to take it to the receptionist. Before she could move Matt grabbed her hand.
"Liz, I still care for you even if you can't get over your obsession with those beasts." Matt whispered as he stood next to her.
"Beasts?" Elisa whispered angrily. "That is why you will never understand. They are much more human than you give them credit for. Now, let go of my arm Bluestone. I won't ask you again." Matt sighed as he let her go and sat back down to consider his options while she went to turn in the forms. Suddenly, Matt received a call has he answered the phone he listened for a moment and then he turned pale as he dropped his phone and ran to Elisa.
"We need to go right now." Matt said as he grabbed her arm just as the doctor was describing that Jason was in stable condition but would need physical therapy to help him walk again.
"Matt, I don't have time for this right now. Go away." Elisa said as she turned back to the doctor. Matt roughly grabbed her arm and turned her to face him.
"Back off Doc, FBI." Matt said sternly as he held up his badge. "Listen Liz, I just received a call about your dad's apartment. It's on fire, and…Liz, I'm sorry but Diane is still ins…" Matt didn't get to finish as Elisa took off running for the exit. As she hopped into her car Matt quickly climbed into the passenger seat.
"Get out" Elisa snapped as he got in.
"I care for her too, so just drive." He said as they put the light on the top and started up the siren as they sped down the road while Elisa muttered under her breath.
…
Goliath sat in his library brooding while going over and over in his mind the last things that were said in the tower. How did you know Puck? How could you know what the spell will do? Goliath thought irritably as he looked through his tenth book of spells.
"I can't find anything about that damned spell." Goliath thought out loud as he threw the book to the other side of the room, and sat in his chair wearily has he rubbed his temples. "Damn Demona, why couldn't you just let me love you? Why did you throw it all away? What in the hell am I going to do now?" He swore irritably as he looked through another book for answers.
"Well, Demona will be Demona I guess." Puck sighed as he appeared in front of Goliath.
"Puck, I need to know what is going on. How did you know the details behind her spell?" Goliath growled as he rose to his feet.
"I'm a magical being. I know many spells including the one she used." Puck grinned as he tried to explain.
"You were a part of this weren't you? That's why you didn't stop her. You helped her plan this." Goliath growled menacingly as his eyes started to glow a deathly white.
"Now, hold on a moment. I came here to help you. If I were helping her do you really think that I would be here now?" Puck pointed out. Goliath shook his head angrily as he tried to think about what he was saying.
"I don't understand. If you are not conspiring with her then how did you know what her spell will do?" Goliath asked as he grabbed another book.
"I swore I wouldn't tell you. I need you to just trust that I am here to help." Puck sighed before continuing. "Look Goliath we can go back and forth all night about who is at fault but what I think would help more would be to find a way to stop this virus before it spreads too far."
"I will let this go for now, but sooner or later I will find out what is going on here." Goliath snarled as he stepped close to Puck. "If she is up to something even worse I need to know Puck." Goliath sighed as he tried to clear his head. "Very well, let us go try to put an end to this problem then we will deal with Demona."
"What the hell is he doing here?" Brooklyn asked as he and Broadway walked into the library to check on Goliath. Brooklyn walked directly up to Puck. "You helped her do this didn't you?" Brooklyn snarled as he came up close to him.
"Brooklyn, I am handling this." Goliath said calmly. Brooklyn scoffed at that.
"Right, like how you were taking care of Demona? I'm tired of dealing with the same problems because you won't do what needs to be done." Brooklyn said angrily.
"You would dare…" Goliath began as Broadway interrupted.
"Whoa now, attacking each other will not solve this." Broadway tried to reason with them. "I need to go and find Angela, and the two of you need to work this out before it's too late."
"We need to get there fast, hold on I'll teleport us." Puck said as his eyes began to glow a bright green.
"This isn't over." Brooklyn said as all four of them vanished from the room.
…
"Mattie" Demona's voice could be heard in the shadows of a hideout that she had designed. The place was an old fallout shelter that she had discovered long ago, and she had Dominique Destine's maid watching it for her. Mattie was an elderly Spanish woman who enjoyed looking after others since her children had all moved away from home, and her husband died two years ago.
Mattie was nearing sixty five years old, but even though some of her hair had begun to turn grey and she had some stress lines she looked very much like a woman in her early forties. She was five and a half feet tall and very slim at one hundred and twenty pounds. She never wore make-up which Demona was thankful for because she could never stand the scent from make-up and perfume.
"You're early Miss Destine. I wasn't expecting you until the morning." Mattie began to walk to the door.
"Don't come any closer, it isn't safe. I'm sorry to tell you this last minute but I am going to need you to stay here for a few more days." Demona said as she felt strangely regretful about having to make the request. "I'll pay you much more than we agreed on. I have to go now, but please don't leave here. It isn't safe for either of you."
"Yes Miss Destine, I will stay here. I trust you." She trusts me the thought was alien to Demona and she shrugged it off. If she knew who I truly was she would run, or try and kill me.She thought bitterly as she walked away and climbed a nearby building to get high enough to glide to her apartment.
Before she got to her apartment however she saw a burning building and glided down to investigate. She smirked as she watched it burn until she saw a hand sticking out of some rubble. Seeing that arm extending out of the rubble took her back to when she had seen a similar incident once long ago while on patrol with Goliath.
…
"Goliath, what's that?" Demona remembered asking as her beloved dove down to an orange glow that was getting brighter with every moment that past. She matched his speed and they reached the burning house quickly and began to look for any survivors.
"Why are we wasting our time searching this hovel?" Demona grinned as she lifted a burning log and hurled it to the side.
"We need to save as many people as we can." Goliath pointed out.
"Seems pointless to me, one dead human more or less won't make any difference." Demona chuckled as Goliath glared at her for a moment. "Calm down my love, it was only a joke." Demona rolled her eyes but flashed a smile that made Goliath's heart pound rapidly in his chest. Suddenly, she saw a hand extending out of a pile of debris and she quickly lifted some of the debris off of a human female.
…
Demona shook her head to clear it and realized she was standing in the middle of a burning apartment and was holding on to a young woman that she must have saved from the debris. Demona considered her options for a moment but then glided away still holding onto the young woman. As she did she noticed fire trucks and squad cars beginning to surround the building.
She arrived back at her home and she laid the comatose woman down and closed and locked the guest bedroom door from the outside. What am I doing? Did I save her just to please Goliath? What's the matter with me? She was still going over what happened in her mind when she heard a knock at her terrace door.
"What are you doing here?" Demona asked as she opened it, and let Angela in. Angela looked up and tried to remember what she had rehearsed on the way over, but now that it was time to speak her mind went blank.
"I can't believe you went through with that. After everything we have been through I thought you had learned something from it." Angela sighed as she tried to think of what to say. "I didn't come here to fight. I know the fault is not only yours. We could have done better, but the only way we all can is for you to help us with this new virus and come back with me." Angela said as she held her hand out to Demona. "I can't believe you truly want to be alone forever."
"I won't be. I only have to wait for the humans to go away and then your father will see how much better off we will be." Demona sighed as she pulled out a couple of chairs and Angela hesitantly took a seat. "I don't expect you to understand, because you all have been elsewhere or asleep all of these centuries. Only I have been able to witness what these humans truly want to do to all of our kind." She sighed before continuing. "I promised to never allow that to happen." Demona shook with a memory of the hunters from an earlier age. Then shaking her head she grabbed a bottle of wine and two goblets and sat across from Angela. She poured them both one and handed one over. Angela accepted it slowly.
"We know that there are bad humans out there, but there are good ones too." Angela pointed out. "In your long life you must have run across some humans that weren't the monsters you describe." Demona looked away suddenly and nearly choked on her wine. "You have haven't you?" Angela asked as she sat down her wine and leaned forward to study her mother's face and discovered that she was blushing before she quickly scowled as she regained control of herself.
"No, and that is my point. Humans are never trustworthy and will always turn on us. I have tried to make you all see this but I cannot get the others to see that. I was hoping that has my daughter you would understand me." Demona said as she stood to get another bottle as she realized she had just finished the first.
"Why is it so hard for you to come back with us? None of us are perfect, but together we could help each other. Also, I know my father still loves you and I can see in your eyes that you love him." Angela sighed as she walked up to Demona and stopped her from pouring another glass as he held her hands. "Come with me, I know that we can make this work." Angela began to plead with her.
"Your father at one time may have convinced me to come back, but he is in love with another and I will not subject myself to the humiliation of seeing him parade his new mate in front of me in my home." Demona growled.
"What mate? The only other female in the clan is Eli…" Angela began as she tried to work it out in her mind.
"That is who I was referring too. Not only has your father taken a human for a mate, but now he expects me to be happy for him and allow myself to be humiliated every day for the rest of my life." She emphasized the word human as it nearly made her sick to say it.
"He doesn't love her. He never has. He's always been in love with you, but dammit you're making it impossible for him. If you truly want what's best for our kind you'll let go of this useless vendetta." Angela shouted as her eyes flared red. Taking a breath she calmed down and continued. "I want you to come home. You have me and I hope that building a relationship is as important to you as it is to me."
"You need to leave now. It is nearly sunrise and I'm sure he'll be missing you soon." Demona said suddenly. "You can't understand what I am going through and I am much too tired to continue this discussion." Demona said as she began to head to the back room of the apartment
"What will it take for me to convince you to just give us a chance?" Angela asked softly.
"Nothing, now go home." Demona replied. Angela's eyes began to tear up and she wiped them quickly.
"Very well you coward, then know this. From here on out you are no longer my mother and the next time we meet in battle I will not hesitate to kill you." Angela snarled then turned abruptly and walked out onto the terrace and glided away.
Demona fell back against the wall and covered her face with her hands and slid to the ground sobbing until the rising sun turned her to stone.
…
A few hours earlier as Elisa and Matt arrived at her father's apartment building. They both leapt out of the car as Elisa tried to rush for the burning building. Matt rushed forward and grabbed her as he tried to keep her from getting inside.
"There's nothing we can do now Liz. We have to just hope they made it out in time." Matt said sternly as he pulled her back. Then he looked up and gasped. "Hey that's one of the gargoyles isn't it?" Matt said as he pointed at Demona's silhouette as she glided away. Elisa and Matt then ran up to the fire chief to get a status report.
"Did you find any survivors?" Elisa asked as she showed him her badge.
"Sorry Detective, but all we found when we went inside were remains that have been burned so badly it'll take a long time to identify them…If we can at all." He added after a few moments. Elisa suddenly broke free from Matt's grip and ran towards the building as fast as she could as Matt and the Fire Chief called for her to stop. She reached the door to the building that had already been torn down by the fire fighters.
"What are you doing Maza?" She asked out loud as she reached the stairs and began to climb. The ceiling had begun to catch fire and with how it was spreading she had to hurry in order to reach her father's apartment in time. Just as she turned the corner something from within the room exploded and burst through the walls causing her to be lifted off of her feet and slammed into the wall on the other side of the hall.
"I'm sorry sis. I'm sorry that I was too late." Elisa began to cry as she lifted herself slowly off of the ground. She felt a pain in her side and she knew immediately that at least one of her ribs had been broken. Shit, okay Elisa nice and steady now. She thought to herself as she began making her way out of the building. Her vision was becoming blurred from the tears that were flowing now and she was beginning to choke on the smoke that was quickly beginning to suffocate her, but she took one step at a time towards the door. Just a few steps from the door she collapsed and fell to her knees. The last thing she remembered before her vision went black was Matt running up to her while yelling her name.
…
"How'd the cops beat us here?" Lexington asked as he and Hudson landed on top of a nearby rooftop.
"I'd wager that Elisa had something to do with that." Hudson grinned as he pointed down as Rody Daniels stepped out of the lead squad car. The cars were all parked one hundred feet up wind from the mist that was still slowly spreading. Hudson and Lexington watched as they were getting into their hazmat gear. They then walked into the first building closest to them. As they walked through the building they saw a lot of dead bodies littering the ground. They stepped over them and continued to search the building.
"Lieutenant, this guy has several bites taken out of him." One of the officers bent down to study the body. Just as he grabbed the shoulder they all heard a door slam down the hall to their right. They all turned their guns in that direction. As soon as they turned several of the officers became sick as they saw the gore that was now in front of them.
There were many bodies that had been torn apart and internal organs were scattered throughout the room. Most had bite marks in them and blood was spattered along the walls, and covered the floor all the way to the end of the hall. At the end of the hall they saw a man with his head buried in a dead woman's chest and he appeared to be eating from the blood that was pouring down the both of them. The officers slowly made their way forward when one of them stepped on a small piece of bone causing it to crunch underneath his boot. The creature turned upon hearing the noise and made a screeching sound and rushed towards the officers.
The officers nearly became sick again, because as the creature rushed forward fletch fell from his teeth as blood poured from his mouth and began to cover his shirt.
"Open fire" Several rifles began to fire at once and the creature went down quickly. "Lieutenant, we have a major problem." The officer said into his radio.
"What's happening in there?" Lieutenant Daniels asked as he took his shotgun out of the trunk of his car. "It sounds like you're fighting an army in there."
"You're right about that sir." The officer said as his men were suddenly surrounded by many walking corpses that had just picked themselves up off of the ground and began to advance on them. The next thing Daniels heard was gunshots and screams as he ran into the building.
As all of this was going on a news chopper was in the air and a reporter was describing what she was seeing into the camera. Xanatos watched the live broadcast and was fascinated by what he saw.
"It would seem she has been successful in her mission. Pity, I was actually beginning to like her again." David sighed as he pulled the coverings off of his steel clan.
"What are you going to use them for?" Fox asked as she came into the room holding Alexander as she was feeding him.
"No human can be touched by that mist. My steel clan maybe the only chance the human race has to survive this. Once this problem is dealt with then we will deal with Demona once and for all.