Disclaimers
All characters appearing in Gargoyles/Gargoyles: the Goliath Chronicles and all characters appearing in Doki Doki Literature Club are the property of their respective owners. No infringements of these copyrights are intended and are not authorized by the copyright holders.
Gargoyles A New Clan – Episode Three Metamorphosis Part I
By Celgress
Over a month had passed since the fight with the Pack. Goliath's pride seemed more wounded than his body. He had tried several times to confront Xanatos without success. Every time Goliath, alone or accompanied by his fellow clan members, visited Castle Wyvern they were told by Owen Burnett "Mr. Xanatos is away on business" or "otherwise indisposed". After two weeks of being given the cold shoulder, Goliath reluctantly decided to shelf his quest to avenge himself upon the disreputable billionaire, at least for now.
A Private Airfield of Xanatos Enterprises outside of New York City mid-June 2014, afternoon
"Know what the zen master said to the hot dog vendor?" Elisa Maza asked as she was handed her fully loaded hot dog by a middle age man at the concession stand.
"Nah I don't. What did he say, lady?" The man said his expression dour.
"Make me one with everything," Elisa said smiling.
"Ha, not funny but it makes sense." The man said although his expression remained unchanged.
"I'm looking for Derek Maza," Elisa said deciding her attempt at humor had proven a miserable failure.
"You're his sister, right?" The man said. "He said you'd be comin' by. He is puttin' the bossman's new ultralight through her paces." He pointed up at a small private plane high above which executed three cartwheels before it came in for a flawless landing not far away.
Elisa walked over and met with her brother the moment he emerged from the craft. "Sweet new toy." She said.
"One of many perks of working for Mr. Xanatos," Derek said.
"We missed you at Sunday Dinner. Mom and Dad wondered where you could be. They were worried sick. Why didn't you return any of our calls or texts?" Elisa said not beating around the bush. This was the third week in row Derek had been a no-show. "What, Xanatos doesn't believe in family time?"
"Ah, here we go again." Derek groaned throwing his arms up in the air. "How many times do I have to tell you; David Xanatos isn't the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler. He's actually a pretty cool guy when you get to know him. Besides I can handle myself, sis." Derek poked Elisa in her shoulder to emphasize his point.
"Hey, it's your life," Elisa said pushing his hand away.
"Finally we agree on something," Derek said.
"But I think you are fooling yourself, Derek," Elisa said her tone softening. "Just promise me you'll get in touch if there is any trouble."
"There won't be. I'm not a child anymore, Elisa. I'm a grown man. I can watch out for myself." Derek said.
"Derek please," Elisa pleaded.
"Okay," Derek said. "I promise if there is trouble I'll contact you right away, happy?"
"Cross your heart and hope to die?" Elisa said doing just that.
"Cross my heart and hope to die," Derek said repeating the ritual the pair had often used as children to seal an oath. Brother and sister then exchanged a heartfelt hug before parting ways.
While Elisa remained deeply concerned about Derek's safety working for Xanatos she knew there was nothing more she could do. Anything she tried would only push Derek further away. He had to learn or himself who David Xanatos really was. She only hoped her brother would not pay too high a price for that knowledge.
High Above NYC, that night
Broadway, Sayori, and Brooklyn were out on a routine patrol when they spotted a winged feminine figure running through a narrow alleyway. "Hey look," Brooklyn said pointing downward.
"Demona?" Broadway questioned. Who else could it be Natsuki and Yuri were back at the Clock Tower and Sayori was with them.
"I hope not," Sayori said with more than a little dread. The girls turned gargoyles had yet to encounter the fearsome Demona. Sayori did not wish to have that dubious honor or being the first of the female trio to do battle with the renegade.
"I'm not sure," Brooklyn admitted. "Let's find out." He swooped down while Sayori and Broadway followed his lead.
"She's not Demona. I'm not even sure she's a gargoyle." Broadway said once they landed in front of the frightened winged cat woman.
"Stay away from me." The winged cat woman said taking several steps backward.
"We won't hurt you," Brooklyn said.
"We're here to help," Sayori said putting up her hands up palms forward. "I'm Sayori these are Broadway and Brooklyn." She indicated herself followed by her companions. "What's your name?"
"I'm Maggie Reed. I'm from Ohio." The winged cat woman said.
Before Sayori could reply a white van arrived out of which stepped four security guards armed with rifles. "There she is, but she's not alone. What do we do?" One of the guards said.
"Tranquilize them all. The Doc will sort them out." A second security guard said.
Broadway jumped behind a nearby dumpster for cover. He pulled Sayori with him. Brooklyn meanwhile tried and failed to pull Maggie toward the dumpster.
"Rough neighborhood, huh," Brooklyn joked while pulling on her arm.
"Let go of me! Leave me alone, you monsters!" Maggie said pulling free. In the process of doing so, the metallic bracelet she had been wearing on her right wrist fell off. It hit the ground with a loud clank.
The security guards rushed the pair. They tranquilized both Brooklyn and Maggie. They then seized the incapacitated Maggie and two of them threw her into the van. The remaining two would have done likewise to Brooklyn if not for Broadway and Sayori who pushed the dumpster at the security guards causing them to jump aside. Brooklyn picked up the bracelet and the three gargoyles retreated as the van sped away.
23rd Precinct Clock Tower, sometime later
"Soon as we could we caught the first updraft back," Broadway explained. Gathered around he, Sayori and a dejected looking Brooklyn were the rest of the Clan plus Elisa.
"She was so frightened," Brooklyn recalled.
"Yeah of us," Broadway correctly reported. Sayori nodded her head in agreement.
"She needed our help." Brooklyn countered.
"Are we talking about the same person? She flipped her lid the moment she laid eyes on us." Broadway said.
"Broadway is right, I don't think she wanted our help," Sayori said.
"She wanted my help. I know she did I could feel it." Brooklyn insisted.
"Lover boy here pulled this off her wrist before they snatched her," Broadway said showing everyone the bracelet.
Natsuki snickered at Broadway's comment elbowing Lexington who quickly followed suit. Over the course of the past four months, Lexington and Natsuki had become something of a team. They had bonded over their shared interests in sci-fi, fantasy, electronics, manga, and sarcastic biting humor.
"Ha, ha, ha, very funny everyone. Go ahead have a laugh at my expense. Just remember while you're yucking it up Maggie is out there somewhere alone and frightened. Goodness knows what they are doing to her." Brooklyn growled. His eyes briefly flashed white.
"Oh dear," Yuri said. She typically shied away from confrontations expect when literature was involved. She hated when others around her fought.
"Sorry Brooklyn," Natsuki said dejectedly. Her wings drooped as memories of her father's abuse came flooding back.
"Yeah, sorry Brooklyn," Lexington said. He felt just awful taking even a small amount of indirect pleasure in the suffering of another.
"Can I see it, Broadway?" Elisa asked.
"Sure thing, Elisa," Broadway handed the bracelet to Elisa.
"It was a tracking device of some sort; digital, long-range, expansive, but it has clearly been damaged when it came loose. I doubt it still contains any useful information, but I'll have the officers in IT inspect it just to be sure, " Elisa said after closely inspecting the device before putting it in her jacket pocket
"I read these same words were on the van too, Gen-U-Tech," Sayori said pointing at the label engraved into the outer rim of the bracelet before Elisa put it away. "Maybe that can help us find her."
"Interesting," Elisa said. "I think I'll do some checking into Gen-U-Tech tomorrow. I'll tell you guys I find out."
"Thank you, Elisa," Goliath said. "Come dawn quickly approaches. There is nothing more we can do this night." He placed his large hand on Brooklyn's shoulder. Brooklyn shrugged off Goliath's comforting gesture.
"There be no call to be rude lad," Hudson said. "We are trying to help your friend as best we can."
Brooklyn ignored Hudson. Without a word, Brooklyn took his perch for the day. He glared at Broadway and Sayori who perched on either side of him before daylight froze all the gargoyles in stone.
Mansion of Dominique Destine, five minutes before sunrise
Demona smashed another priceless antique bust with her bare hands then another then she tore apart a rare painting. In her rage, she had thoroughly trashed an entire wing of her mansion. She was beyond livid after she had uncovered the latest act of human treachery directed against her and by extension her kind. How dare David Xanatos do such a thing! That duplicitous human had stolen her DNA along with that of her former mate Goliath! Xanatos and his lover Fox now wore copies of their bodies as casually as one might wear a suit of armor in her native time. The outrage of it all was nearly too much to bear even for Demona.
Through her network of spies, several of which were employed by Xanatos Enterprises, Demona had learned Xanatos would but in a rare personal appearance tomorrow night a Gen-U-Tech. Xanatos was using a temporary illusion spell to mask his stolen gargoyle nature. So be it. At Gen-U-Tech she would strike him down next she would travel to her ancestral home and do the same to the equally contemptible Fox.
"Tomorrow night you die violators!" Demona snarled her eyes a brilliant red. Stone sleep froze Demona in her angry state of mind. Her dreams turbulent ones filled with visions of future revenge along with bitter memories of her heartbreaking past.
Gen-U-Tech Regional Headquarters Downtown Manhattan, afternoon
"I think it is time for an update on our project Dr. Sevarius," Xanatos said arms crossed over his chest. To any outside observer he appeared as human as the doctor he was addressing or his bodyguard Derek Maza who stood to his left.
"Of course," Doctor Anton Sevarius said. With a small remote control unit, he activated an overhead projector which ran a video montage of the gargoyles. Derek gasped in surprise having never before seen any of the Clan up close. "You requested I genetically design a living creature inspired by a gargoyle. I considering cloning a living specimen but sadly none were available." Sevarius lied. "So, instead I turned to gene splicing to breed for desired traits. The composite genotypes will give our creations the speed, agility, and strength of a large jungle cat plus a bat's ability to fly." Images of jungle cats and bats played out on the video.
"And human-level intelligence I assume?" Xanatos asked.
"Yes, of course," Dr. Sevarius said. "But the main problem is the energy needs of the wing muscles. Calculations indicate the creature would have to consume the equivalent of three cows a day just to maintain its flight strength."
"So how do the gargoyles do it? There aren't nearly enough cows around Manhattan to satisfy such needs." Xanatos said.
"I theorize they store solar energy while hibernating as stone every day." Dr. Sevarius said indicating an image of Hudson and Goliath in stone sleep. "Unfortunately, that process is unknown within the remainder of the animal kingdom." Sevarius ended the movie with his remote. He turned his attention fully to Xanatos and Derek the latter of which felt a shiver run up his spine when the doctor's unblinking gaze fell upon him. "However, there is another means by which to meet the energy needs of our creatures; Electrophorus electricus, commonly called the Electric Eel." Sevarius gestured at an aquarium full of the slimy creatures built into one of the walls. "These fish store energy in specialized organs called electroreceptors, adapting this trait should solve our problem."
"Yeah, this is all pretty impressive theory Doc but the big question is why did you hire mercenaries for security guards?" Derek asked Sevarius.
"I'd like to know that as well Doctor," Xanatos said playing along. "The reports I've received are most troubling. Need I remind you this is a research facility, not a paramilitary compound."
"Ah, er, yes," Dr. Sevarius said. "One of the test subjects escaped. I required their services to retrieve her."
"Test subjects, her," Xanatos exclaimed feinting surprise.
Dr. Sevarius chuckled. "Don't worry we got her back." Sevarius used the remote to open a part of the nearest wall revealing two glass enclosures. Inside one enclosure were two male mutates inside the other was the sole female mutate formerly known as Maggie Reed.
"You grew these from scratch in only a few short months?" Xanatos inquired of Sevarius.
"Well no," Dr. Sevarius said with another chuckle. "That would have taken far to long. I used a shortcut, human protocols. Human test subjects injected with a mutagenic formula of my own design."
"What," Xanatos yelled his phony outrage on full display for Derek to see.
"This is what you've been funding here!?" Derek said with disgusted.
"I had no idea." Xanatos insisted. "No that's not true. I was fooling myself. I knew Sevarius had a bad reputation in scientific circles. I desired results so badly I ignored the warning signs. Don't worry, Derek, we'll make things right. Somehow we'll find a way to reverse the mutations, I promise you."
"No, I won't let you destroy my work!" Dr. Sevarius screamed.
Dr. Sevarius produced a small gun from his lab coat pocket. He pointed the gun at Xanatos and fired a dart. Derek instinctively pushed his employer to safety his police training having kicked in The dart embedded itself in Derek's right shoulder causing him to scream out in pain. Derek next tackled Sevarius to the floor and disarmed him before Sevarius could load and fire a second dart this time at Xanatos.
"Funny, I don't feel sleepy," Derek said plucking the dart from his shoulder with a wince of pain.
"Hee, hee, fool," Dr. Sevarius laughed like a maniac. "That was a tranquilizer dart. It was loaded with my mutagenic formula. The same formula I used on them." Sevarius pointed at the three caged mutates. Derek stared at Sevarius in horror terribly aware of his impending fate.
Xanatos was back on his feet. Standing behind Derek and with his back to the mutates he smiled. Everything was going according to plan. Soon he would have subservient minions members of his to combat the Goliath's followers. Minions far superior to his Steel Clan Robots. Sure they were not other real gargoyles but they would do in a pinch. He and Fox could not be expected to do all the heavy lifting especially when the Manhattan Clan possessed a clear numbers advantage. Best of all Derek was the sibling of that meddling, self-righteous twit, Detective Elisa Maza. Turning the pair against each other was icing on the cake as far as Xanatos was concerned. Before long his enemies would be no more then on to bigger and more important things, like world domination. With his intellect, new gargoyle abilities and Fox by his side the sky was the limit. No one could stop now.
To Be Continued