Disclaimers
All characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder.
All characters appearing in Teenage Mutant 1987 series copyright by Murakami Wolf Swenson, Inc. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder.
All original characters are the property of Celgress.
TMNT/Gargoyles Season Two Avalon and Beyond Episode Three: Choices & Consequences
By
Celgress
"Two simple rules the devil hands us. Make your mistakes, but no second chances."
Deadly Game (1998) Theory of a Deadman
Avalon now
The small raft ferrying Leonardo, Venus, Donatello, Goliath, Elisa and their guide Tom emerged from the fog. A shoreline slowly came into view. There standing on the beach were several figures. Drawing closer it became apparent that the figures were not human. Rather they were four young gargoyles, a male and two females and a gargoyle beast. The moment the six travelers disembarked the group waiting onshore introduced themselves.
"I am Gabriel leader of the Avalon Clan" said the blonde haired, blue skinned male with two prominent horns who was almost as large as Goliath. "This is my second Angela" he said indicating the black haired, lavender female gargoyle to his right. "And this is my third Ophelia" he said this time indicating the red haired, aqua-marine colored female gargoyle with a shield shaped forehead to his left, and pointing at the gargoyle beast. "Our beast here is named Boudicca. You must be the fabled Goliath?" finished Gabriel grasping Goliath's arm in friendship. "Our mother has told us much about you."
"Your mother?" asked Goliath.
"Yes our Rookery Mother Nightingale has told us many stories about the might Goliath leader of Clan Wyvern" said Ophelia.
"She told us nothing was impossible for the great Goliath. The tales of your bravery, honesty and renowned were the stories we were raised on" said Angela. "You are a legend here on Avalon. If anyone can save us from the forces that threaten our home it is you."
"Yes Goliath do save the dears from 'the forces that threaten them'" said a mocking male voice. The group turned their attention towards the direction from which the voice originated. There sitting near the treeline on a large piece of driftwood was Ulysses Quintone clapping his hands together in feint applause.
"You" roared Goliath, approaching Ulysses Quintone.
"Me" said Ulysses Quintone with a small smile.
"How did you get here?" asked Leonardo, coming up alongside Goliath.
"The same way you did of course" said Ulysses Quintone.
Before anyone could stop him the enraged Goliath ran up and punched Ulysses Quintone square in the face with his full force. To the astonishment of everyone, most of all Goliath himself, nothing happened. Ulysses Quintone just stayed seated, his form not budging a single inch. Goliath threw several more punches which had equally negligible effect on the man. Intercepting Goliath's final punch the still smiling Ulysses Quintone, held the mighty Goliath in check within so much as a twitch of his own wrist. Ulysses Quintone then flitches Goliath in the chest with his free hand, while releasing the grip of this other hand, the impact of the flitch sent Goliath spiraling back several feet. Once everyone had recovered from the shock of the entire incident, Leonard spoke.
"What are you?'
"The harbinger of a better tomorrow" said Ulysses Quintone, remaining seated.
"You" gasped Venus, recalling her terrifying Thanksgiving dream. "I know your voice, you were in my dream."
"Guilty as charged" said Ulysses Quintone.
Goliath, now fully recovered from his earlier humiliation once again approached Ulysses Quintone. This time Goliath's eyes shone a blazing white. "On step further Mr. Cranky and your friends here die, painfully. You've already witness a very small demonstration of the power I wield. You know I can more than fulfil my promise" boasted Ulysses Quintone. Goliath stopped his advance, a growl emitted from deep in his throat.
"Are you still working for Shredder & Krang, did they put you up to this?" asked Elisa.
"I am my own master, now and forever" replied Ulysses Quintone.
"What exactly do you want?" asked Goliath, his voice rumbling deep in his chest.
"He knows" said Ulysses Quintone, pointing at Tom. "Don't you Tommy Boy?"
"He wants us to leave the Avalon, forever" said Tom.
"Bingo" said Ulysses Quintone.
"We explained to him we have nowhere else to go, but he was unmoved by our pleas" continued Tom.
"Just like last time" said Ulysses Quintone, getting up from his seat.
"Excuse me?" said Tom.
"Just like the last time your people pleaded with mine" said Ulysses Quintone.
"None of us ever saw you before last night" said Tom, his voice strong with certainty, the three young gargoyles nodding their heads in agreement.
"Perhaps this will jog your memory Tommy Boy" said Ulysses Quintone reverting to his true, Alpha One, form before the startled onlookers.
"I remember you, the Man of Metal!" shouted Tom.
"Alpha One!" yelled Leonardo & Donatello.
"But we banished you to another dimension, how'd you get here?" stammered Donatello.
"Luck of the draw" said Alpha One. "I had to end up somewhere in the Multiverse after all, what better place than Avalon."
"What exactly do you want Alpha One?" said Leonardo, his eyes narrowing.
"First and foremost what these miserable creatures stole from me and mine, our home" said Alpha One, pointing a finger at Tom and the young gargoyles accusingly. "We want it back."
"We will share this Island with you" offered Tom, extending his hand in friendship, "If you will only cease your attacks upon us."
"Not good enough" said Alpha One, slapping Tom's hand away. "We will not share our inner sanctum with inferior, biological life forms!"
"Still the bigot I see" said Donatello. "Just the same old, hate filled Alpha One you always were."
"Correction Donatello I'm more than that" said Alpha One ominously. "Thanks, in part to my benefactors, the Sisters I have been infused with the mystic energies of Avalon itself. When I first landed here my primary power cell was critically damaged. The Sisters replaced it with a new one powered by the exotic elements fund here on Avalon. The energies derived from the crystals made me one of the strongest mortal magic users ever."
"Wait robots can't use magic, they have no life force" said Goliath, with authority.
"'He who should not be yet is'" whispered Venus. "I now understand these 'Sisters' they made you into this unnatural abomination we see before us."
"Only in part" said Alpha One. "They laid the groundwork, while I built the penthouse. I gathered several of the most powerful artifacts in creation and added their energies, and the special spells that went along with them, to my own."
"How though?" interrupted Tom. "Only Oberon's own magic may enter Avalon."
"Need I remind you I am now powered by the very stones of this place" said Alpha one, continuing his explanation. "I and the heart of Avalon are forever linked. Any other magical powers I my acquirer are shielded by that link. As long as they remain part of my overall energy matrix they are exempted from any such prohibitions, in short they go where I go. See nearly all rules have a loophole, evident only if one looks hard enough. Duty calls, you have until mid-night tomorrow. If you have not left my Island by then, suffer the consequences tout a l'heure." Alpha One vanishing in a blast of flame and lightning.
The former home of Chung I outside Shanghai China early November 1994
The Peddler stood in front of the imposing door for over fifteen minutes before he decided Chung I must not be at home. The Peddler could think of nobody in the neighborhood other than the Shinobi Grandmaster who might be interested in the accident vial that had recently come into his possession, being left with no other choice the Peddler reluctantly left the monetary like building. By early January of 1995 the ancient vial had found its' way into a high price auction in Beijing. The man who bought it was a collector of antiquities and a powerful business.
"Excuse me sir" said Ulysses Quintone approaching the successful bidder following the end of the auction. "My name is Ulysses Quintone and I believe you have something that belongs to me."
"I won this item fair and square as you Americans say" said the indignant Businessman.
"I'll give you double what you paid for it" offered Ulysses Quintone.
"No" said the Businessman firmly, walking out of the building and hailing a cab Ulysses Quintone following close behind.
"I'll give you three times what you paid"
"The answer is still no. It is not for sale, at any price!"
"Fine have it your way" said Ulysses Quintone pushing the Businessman into the oncoming traffic while grabbing the falling vial with his other hand. In a moment the Businessman lay dead on the pavement and Ulysses Quintone was nowhere to be found.
The Technodrome mid-September 1993
"Hey isn't that Krang's holographic cloaking device?" Donatello asked Michelangelo, as the two recovered from a nasty toss delivered by the Shredder.
"Yeah" said Michelangelo groggily.
"I'm about to be brilliant again, c'mon" said Donatello motioning Michelangelo to follow.
Over the course of the next few minutes Donatello holographically disguised himself as Krang in a bubble walker while Leonardo and Raphael distracted Shredder. Then he and Michelangelo, rigged up the transdimensional portal to be operated by remote control, programmed the portal to randomize the dimension to which it would open and placed a large improvised explosive device by the portal generators. Finally the two Turtles barely escaped the Technodrome slipping by General Tragg almost without incident on their way out the front door.
Alpha One, in his Ulysses Quintone guise, then appeared in the Portal Room. Using his magical energies he both overrode the scrambled coordinates Donatello had programed into the portal and froze the detonation sequence of the powerful explosive device sitting nearby. With a mighty lurch, followed by a tremendous crash the Technodrome came to rest on the far side of Avalon after passing through the super-sized dimensional portal. Disengaging his energy streams from the portal control mechanism, while being sure to keep the explosive device inactive Alpha One reverted into his true form just in time for a confrontation with General Tragg who came running around the corner at that very instant.
"Who are you? Some sort of supped up foot solider" asked General Tragg.
"No that was a nice landing. No thanks for saving us from being blown up" said Alpha One, pointing towards the explosive device and shaking his large head. "Shame on you General, I really expected better treatment from you. I guess it is true what they say, never meet your heroes in person you'll only be disappointed. I will make this simple, join me or be destroyed. The choice is your own."
"Troops destroy this usurper" commanded General Tragg, the Rock Soldiers taking aim at Alpha One.
"Wrong answer fool" said Alpha One the heavy barrage of laser fire having no effect on him. Alpha One moved forward against the tide of laser beams. Once he was directly in front of General Tragg he placed his now red hot hand upon Tragg's face. In a matter of moments Tragg's rock body turned into a molten sludge which oozed all over the floor. "Anyone else object?" The terrified Rock Soldiers quickly swore their allegiance to Alpha One.
"Very well than, receive this upgrade as me gift" said Alpha One with outstretched arms, as he slowly ascended above them. Alpha One chanted a few verses in an unknown language. Several blinding flashes of light enveloped first Alpha One, then the Portal Room and finally the entire Technodrome. This was followed by several rounds of agonized screams from the Rock Soldiers. When the fury of sound and sight had subsided it was clear that the Rock Soldiers had been transformed into androids. Each now had solid neon red eyes, a shiny black onyx like skin the contours of which were outlined in neon green lines.
"You have been granted the blessing of artificiality my new followers. Through it I have elevated you above the petty concerns of the flesh. No longer will you be slaves of emotion. Instead you will find your minds unclouded. Your existence vindicated by clarity of purpose. You are now members of the elite. Chosen by me to usher in the new order, our mission is a divine one. It is nothing less than the total reordering of creation!" With a wave of his hand Alpha One summoned the Dragon's mirror from outside where he had left it just before heading off to retrieve the Technodrome.
"Met our final group of recruits" said Alpha One, placing his glowing hand upon the mirror. Within an instant of his energized touch the Dragon's Mirror exploded, frame and all, into a million pieces. From those pieces eerie green energy flowed into Alpha One. Occupying the space where the Dragon's Mirror had previously been were a couple hundred confused Dragon Warriors. The red capped Dragon Lord approached Alpha One on his shoulder his annoying little minion Wick chatted incessantly.
"What is the meaning of this?" bellowed the Dragon Lord
"Bow down before me or be destroyed!" commanded Alpha One.
"Never!" cried the Dragon Lord drawing his sword.
Alpha One placed his glowing hand upon the Dragon's Lord chest freezing the Dragon Lord in place, "as you wish your Highness". The Dragon Lord, and Wick, then turned to stone and slowly crumbled before the astonished gazes of the Dragon Warriors. "What a pathetic display, I was honestly expecting more from the 'legendary' Dragon Lord or well live and learn I guess."
"Join me or suffer a similar fact" said Alpha One, looking at the Dragon Warriors who quickly voiced their willingness to join his cause. In short order Alpha One repeated the same process he had used on the Rock Soldiers, followed by a similar speech. The Dragon Warrior were now steel dragon robots with solid red neon eyes. Surveying his new army of Foot Soldiers, Robotic Rock Soldiers and Dragon Warriors along with his Technodrome Alpha One thought not bad for a day's work. Not bad at all.
Near Castle Wyvern the evening of October 1st, 994 C.E
"Here" said the Grand Censor, from where he was perched on the Gray Male Gargoyle's back. "Land right here, I think I see something of interest." Following the Grand Censor's directions the Gray Male, followed by his companion & mate the Brown Female landed on the small hill.
"I do not see anything. Could you be mistaken…." The Gray Male began when the Grand Censor zapped the Gray Male between the shoulder blades with a bolt of lightning that sprang from his fingertips. The Grand Censor hopped off the now limp body of the Gray Male before it hit the ground.
"My love!" screamed the Brown Female, running to where the Gray Male lay unconscious. Before the Brown Female could overcome her shock the Grand Censor touched the tip of one of her wings delivering another massive jolt of electricity. The Brown Female slumped unconscious next to her mate.
"No challenge whatsoever" laughed the Grand Censor. Taking his seat atop the two prone gargoyles he and they vanished in a flash of fire and light.
The far side of Avalon now
"Sorry I had to go ladies" said Alpha One, reappearing in his usual fashion. "Some new arrivals required my attention."
"Why are you allowing even more inferior beings to set foot on Avalon?" asked Phoebe, annoyance evident in her voice. "You even bring them here yourself now" She said, pointing towards both the two bounded & gagged gargoyles at her feet and Alpha One's robotic minions that were still scurrying about.
"Because I need them" Alpha One answered dismissively.
"We should simply destroy the interlopers and be done with it. We have no grudge with those who live beyond the borders of this land. Furthermore we are not cold blooded murders, mad dogs that strike without provocation" said Seline.
"Yes" agreed Luna. "We have no interest in destroying the inferior beings that exist beyond Avalon. We only seek justice, not genocide."
"What if I destroy the ones here and more from outside simply replace them, hmmm?" asked Alpha One.
"Then we shall handle them too" answer Luna.
"Just like you 'handled' this current group" said Alpha One. "Don't make me laugh."
"How quickly you forget your place machine" said Luna. "Sisters I feel it is time we teach this insolent young pup a lesson."
"We agree Sister" said Seline & Phoebe.
"I must warn you three even collectively you are no longer my superiors. I now have powers in excess of even your own" Alpha One gloated. "If you challenge me, I will destroy you."
This was the final straw as far as the Weird Sisters were concerned. The three of them attacked Alpha One with full force. The battle however, if you could really call it that, was over in a matter of minutes. Alpha One had not been exaggerating when he told the Sisters his new powers were greater than their own. Once Alpha One had subordinated and then neutralized the Sisters' magical energies to his own he order a group of Robotic Dragon Warriors to bring him sharped iron rods he had made them fashion from spare metal found in the Technodrome earlier that day.
"Thank you ladies for sharing the details of your weaknesses with me as well as your strengths" said Alpha One holding a sharpened iron rod overhead before plunging it through Phoebe's chest pinning her to the ground. He did the same to both Seline & Luna. Each Weird Sister convulsed, ribbons of energy seeping from their bodies into the earth. With a final shuddered their bodies crumbled into dust. "Goodbye ladies, in your hearts I'm sure you knew this day would come. The new eventually replaces the old it is the way of things."
"Now where was I" Alpha One mused aloud. Ah yes, whatever will I do with you?" Alpha One looked down at the mortified pair of gargoyles at his feet. "Hmmmm, I know bring me the bomb Donatello was nice enough to provide me with when he attempted to destroy the dimensional portal generators of the Technodrome" Alpha One order. Two Robotic Dragon Warriors soon retrieved bulky device passing it to their master. "Now we have fun my friends"
To Be Continued
