All characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyrighted to Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. I've taken the idea for the Unseelie Court from the TGS. Characters and concepts from Star Trek are property of Paramount and created by Gene Roddenberry. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of SN.
Note: I'm disregarding the events of the "Goliath Chronicles", with the exception of "The Journey" because I do not wish to use the rest of the "Goliath Chronicles" as canon to my story. Also, I am altering large sections of the Star Trek storyline, especially concerning events like WWIII and the Eugenics Wars, which without the Cold War as a backdrop probably wouldn't happen the way Roddenberry wrote them, if at all. This story takes place one day after "Explosion".
A Brighter Future and a Darker Night
By SN/TVfan
Email: Sam_Nary
Unknown Location
Three stood alone watching a news program reporting on the situation in the far east. Things were not looking well for the Illuminati and anyone that they backed, and in fact, the failure of one of their plans was now causing them even more trouble.
"Tensions continue to rise between Japan and Russia over a Russian frigate that was collected by the Japanese Maritime Patrol forces found the Russian warship adrift inside Japanese waters off of Hokkaido," the news reporter announced, "Russia has accused Japan of piracy and is threatening military action if the ship and its technology is not returned."
The reporter paused for a moment and sighed before continuing.
"Japan has claimed the ship was found abandoned and could not explain how a Russian warship could end up abandoned inside Japanese waters," the reporter continued.
"Demona continue to prove to be a difficult adversary," Four commented as the other Illuminati Council member entered the room to stand beside Three.
"Yes, but she is no longer our primary concern," Three answered, "Khan's betrayal has seen to that, and we have yet to stop him or even understand how he was able to betray us. Demona is only a minor concern now, and all we really need to do with her is question her about her possible involvement."
"Khan has to have a sorceress to do his bidding," Four commented, "but we left him with no DNA that could be used to produce a sorceress powerful enough to do what we now know that he has done. That means he has to have gone beyond Tibet and recruited in the outside world. Demona would be a good potential choice for a 'magical' agent."
"Unlikely given her hatred of humanity," Three shook that off, "I agree that Khan had to have gone beyond Tibet to get a sorceress, but it wasn't Demona. The real problem is that that sorceress has stopped every attempt we've made to have China bomb our Tibet instillation to rubble."
"Then who do you suppose this sorceress could be?" Four questioned.
"Knowing who she is, is probably irrelevant," Three answered, "I think we will have to send our own sorcerers there to deal with her."
"What about China's army?" Four asked, "couldn't we overwhelm her with them?"
"We might be able to stop their movement, but I'd think that they would manage to escape," Three said with a sigh, "we need to be able to contain Khan and make sure he doesn't escape."
Ishimura, Japan
"Why are we coming here?" Demona asked as the group began to lower its gliding altitude over a relatively small village.
"We will need supplies to fight these supermen in Tibet, and I would suspect that getting into China will not be any easy task in itself," Yoshi answered, "Kai and the Japanese clan would surely give us some stocks of food, and possibly weapons to defeat the supermen."
"We could gather what we need rather easily," Demona answered.
"Once we get to the supermen and their base we may not be able to hunt for game," Je Lu commented, "Getting supplies in Ishimura is probably a good idea."
"I could conjure up food and supplies," Demona spoke, "we wouldn't even have t deal with the humans that run the countries between here and China's Tibetan province."
"There is nothing wrong with humans," Yama answered firmly, "The Ishimuran clan has protected Ishimura going back to Japan's feudal period, long before the modern era. They fought along side Japanese pilots in World War Two when the American fire bombers came. They protect Ishimura from criminals much the way Goliath's clan protects New York."
Demona only sighed.
"It has not been in my experience that gargoyles can trust humans," Demona answered, "Most of the humans who could be trusted… have been turned INTO gargoyles, themselves."
"Now is not the time for an argument," Wedrington spoke up, hoping to keep a full fledged fight from breaking out, "even if we are not to gain supplies in Ishimura, it might still be a good idea to stop there. Remember that large TV in Tokyo. Russia and Japan are still arguing over the frigate you commandeered. It might be a good idea to let that whole issue cool down before we risk drawing attention to ourselves."
Demona slowly nodded. She knew who to blame for the current argument between the two countries, and given what had happened after the Hunters Moon in New York years ago, she doubted that people would be entirely supportive of gargoyles if some reporter came up with a story that it was gargoyles who stole the frigate. She didn't have time to deal with that and defeat the supermen at the same time.
"You're right," Demona sighed, "I suppose resting in Ishimura might not be a bad idea, as once we leave Japan, we'll be on 'enemy' territory and will need to be on our guard."
"Of course," Shi La nodded in agreement.
They found Kai and Ishimura's police chief waiting for them as they arrived at he temple that the Ishimuran clan lived in. Demona was immediately nervous by the man's presence, but decided to remain quiet for the time being. They landed and Yama and Yoshi immediately bowed respectfully to Kai.
"You've returned," Kai spoke as Yama and Yoshi approached.
"Only to gain supplies for what will probably be a long campaign to deal with the supermen in Tibet," Yama answered, and then gestured to Demona and Wedrington, "and we were also successful in getting one who can help us. May I introduce you to the gargoyle sorceress, Demona. The lion-like gargoyle is her companion, Wedrington."
"It is a pleasure to meet other members of Goliath's clan," Kai spoke, "this is my clan's friend and Ishimura's chief constable."
"A pleasure to meet you," the man spoke with a polite bow, "You are free to travel around Ishimura until you leave for Tibet."
"What of the people?" Wedrington asked, "Not all gargoyles have been well received by the human population."
"The people of Ishimura have lived along side us for years," Kai spoke, "only those living outside the village do not know of us. We have worked to keep it secret for years."
"And that is where my mistakes have forced me to search for a way to restore my honor," Yama added.
"And humans have never betrayed you?" Demona questioned suspiciously.
"Not in any way like what Goliath's clan endured," Kai answered, "and that incident was with a lone and corrupt fool, who has not been seen anywhere since."
"It was a 'friend' seeking to exploit and profit off us," Yama added, "I thought he was doing something that would allow us to teach to the world and reveal ourselves to the world in a way that would not create things like the 'Quarrymen', which we've seen on the news. And I was sadly, duped. Which is why I'm with you now."
"It still seems that there are times when humans can not be trusted," Demona commented.
"Taro was dishonorable," the man spoke firmly, "the villagers are not, and Kai and his clan can trust us."
"And suppose Taro returns or another like him appears?" Demona questioned.
"That is always a risk," Kai answered, "but Goliath and his friends stopped Taro, and the villagers have reinvigorated their efforts to learn bushido and work with my clan. We have had students for the first time in years."
"I would never let those who would do Kai and his clan harm the opportunity to do so," the man added, "Ishimura is the best policed city in Japan thanks to his clan, and knows the most about honor because of his clan."
Demona then respectfully nodded, "I apologize if I have said something that angers you, but I have not had pleasant memories of dealing with humans."
"Then enjoy Ishimura," Kai offered, "as a break from the frustrations of the past."
Demona then looked out over the village from their position. The village was small compared to New York, but it was quiet, and it seemed to feel peaceful. That warranted some investigation.
"I suppose I shall," Demona answered, "See if there are spots where gargoyles can hope not to be hunted."
"Take your time," Kai answered her and then watched as Demona and Wedrington took off into the air again and glided off. He then turned to Yama and Yoshi, "I will say again brother that I and the clan do not hold you to this."
"I do," Yama answered, "I can not live with myself knowing I have not atoned for my misdeeds."
"Sora misses you," Kai reminded him.
Yama looked down and sighed, "I miss her as well, but this is something I must do."
"Kai," Yoshi spoke, "while a member of what is called the third race granted Yama, myself, and Je Lu's clan the ability to understand western languages, as well as each other, I too wish to continue on their journey. It may be beyond Ishimura, and probably bigger then I can handle, but it would make a good story to place in the library once it is over. And besides, we may run into Chinese persons who were not effected by the spell."
Kai nodded, "Of course. We'll see to getting whatever supplies are needed."
Lhasa, Tibet
Tibet was rapidly becoming a 'hell on Earth' for Chinese soldiers. The insurgents continued to hit Chinese military forces at will and then disappeared into the mountains. The military now had the location of their main fortress, but all attempts bomb it to rubble had failed, and here weren't yet enough troops in the region to consider either isolating the place or storming it.
At the same time, tensions were between the Chinese and many of the people of Tibet were getting worse. Monks protested the lack of religious freedom, and many of the other people disliked the occupation of Tibet by military forces, and the army's best efforts to show that they were defending Tibet were being ignored completely. Several people had already been killed as a result of rioting in various villages.
The present Chinese General in charge of the Tibet occupation was at a loss for how to deal with the situation. The easy answer would be to slaughter everyone who dared raise even a hand against the government, but it wasn't the right answer, and would only antagonize China' s position, particularly with the US, which was buying Chinese goods in ever increasing numbers. He needed to do more to get the people of Tibet behind the government to insure that the number of people killed was kept as low as possible.
Of course the 'Free Tibet' people were still an annoyance, but they could easily be kept OUT of the province. These insurgents had sprung up from within Tibet's population. They would be difficult to control.
The general was about to get up and go to get some reports from the field units that were desperately trying to trap the insurgents in their stronghold when the door to his office suddenly blew off its hinges and knocked him to the ground.
"Ah, General Chung," a voice spoke from outside his office, "good to see I have caught you a good time."
The general, Chung, managed to wrestle the door off of him and looked up to see a woman in commando gear floating in the air where the door had been. He was shocked beyond belief, and did not even notice the large book-bag she was carrying. Marilyn only laughed at his shock and surprise.
"This, I'm sure will be a real blast," Marilyn said with a smile…
Outside, a couple of young junior officers approached the building, when it was suddenly consumed in a violent explosion which knocked them off their feet.
Ishimura, Japan
Demona and Wedrington glided rather quietly over the village that Yoshi and Yama had lead them to. Wedrington was very curious about everything, especially about the fact that the people of Ishimura were supposed to be friends with the gargoyle clan there. Demona, however, was far more suspicious, and she was looking more for a reason for Kai's clan to shun the humans then anything else. She had agreed not to wipe out humanity, but her own past and her own opinions still kept her likely to distrust humans.
"The village seems nice," Wedrington commented as they continued on.
"Architecturally," Demona agreed, "and this place does seem to have an aura of peace to it that I can't explain."
"Maybe it's a sign that gargoyles and humans can get along together," Wedrington pointed out, "I'm sure people have seen us, and there are no crowds of people chasing with pitchforks."
"Always an optimist," Demona sighed, "but I suppose. There is much that still needs to be seen. Many people have seen Goliath, and he is probably the most pro-human non-transformed gargoyle around, and most of them joined groups like the Quarrymen or at least supported them. Simply seeing us doesn't mean that they support us."
"We'd have to get closer to them then," Wedrington commented.
"What?" Demona asked.
"You can understand Japanese through your powers as sorceress, correct?" Wedrington asked.
Demona nodded.
"Then perhaps we should land and talk to one of the villagers," Wedrington spoke, "we won't know the truth of their behavior by just gliding through the air above the village."
Demona only sighed at that and then slowly nodded, sensing that this was an argument she couldn't win.
"I suppose you're right," Demona sighed, "It's just that I have never had good relations with humans. They've either hunted me, or I've hunted them."
"Always time to turn it around," Wedrington said encouragingly, "very few people in history have been truly irredeemable."
Demona was silent in her answer and let Wedrington take the lead as they rounded a series of buildings and began to come in for a landing in front of an elderly woman walking with a child. Both seemed somewhat surprised to see two gargoyles land in front of them, but neither screamed or attempted to flee.
"Is something wrong?" the elderly woman asked.
"No, madam," Demona answered, trying to sound as polite as possible, "we are not members of Kai's clan. We are visitors to your village."
"Welcome to Ishimura," the elderly woman then spoke, "I am Kari and this is my grandchild, Karai. Is there something you require?"
"Information," Demona answered firmly, "Where I am from, humans largely have not treated gargoyles well. I am trying to check to make sure that Kai's clan is not equally threatened."
"Your clan is threatened?" the child, Karai asked.
"My clan is simply small in numbers," Demona answered, deciding to keep the fact that her 'clan' was really herself and Wedrington and that she had been exiled from her former clan, "no human is a true threat to us, but we are still not well received. We do not live with the humans where we live."
"That is quite sad," Kari spoke, "You will not find that here. Kai's clan has lived side by side with us for generations. Kai and I grew up together."
"And no one has betrayed him?" Demona asked.
"Maybe one or two dishonorable ones," Kari answered, "but Ishimura as a village has always respected Kai and his clan. Hopefully in time the people where you live learn to live under one roof with your clan."
Demona didn't know how to answer that. The grandmother, Kari, had paid Kai's clan a great deal of respect, which was something she had not heard in a great many years. It could be a lie, but considering the aura she was receiving from the village itself, she gave into the hope that things could get better.
"You sound very optimistic," Demona spoke, "but also quite kind."
"Thank you," Kari answered politely.
"Are you a princess?" the girl, Karai, then asked curiously, but also unexpectedly.
"What?" Demona asked back.
"You have a crown," Karai said, pointing, "like what princesses do on cartoons."
Demona then looked up at the tiara that had been made to mimic her browridge. She wore it largely to keep her hair out of her eyes and she guessed that to a certain degree, also for fashion, but she never considered herself royalty. At one time she wanted ultimate power over the world, but she would have been called a dictator or tyrant, not what the young girl had addressed her as.
"Karai, it is none of our business," Kari scolded, "I'm sorry if she's offended you."
"I do not mind," Demona told her and turned to Karai, "No I am not a princess. I've known one before, but I am not one. I just have a good eye for jewelry."
Karai only smiled at that, but yawned soon after.
"And I'm afraid we must be going," Kari spoke, "It is her bedtime and we've both had a long day. It was good to speak with you."
Demona then stepped aside and let the two continue on. Both she and Wedrington watched them walk off until they rounded a corner and disappeared from view.
"Well, that went quite well," Wedrington commented, "She was obviously pro-gargoyle."
"Yes," Demona nodded, "a vast improvement from New York."
"And the girl was very sweet," Wedrington commented.
"Yes," Demona answered simply, "I would guess that Kai's clan is in no real danger of destruction, at least not at the moment."
"Goes to show that gargoyles can get along with humans," Wedrington told her.
Demona only nodded.
Tibet
Marilyn made her way into the situation room where Khan, his second in command, and a few other supermen leaders were looking over a holographic map of China.
"We have enough men to hold an area of ten square miles centered on this facility," one of his field commanders spoke, "with various young Tibetans recruited, we might be able to expand that zone to twelve square miles. We do not have the equipment or the supplies to do more then just make hit and run attacks on Chinese units."
"We will in time if we keep appropriating Chinese technology," another officer spoke.
"That will take too much time, and the Chinese will easily replace the equipment we steal," Khan cut him off, "The Illuminati already know that we are behind the uprising. We must subdue China quickly. The time for hit and run and hiding has passed."
"And do we have a plan for defeating several million Chinese?" the first field commander asked.
"We do now," Marilyn spoke up holding up her pack.
"Ah, Marilyn, you're back," Khan smiled, "Did you acquire their codes?"
Marilyn tossed her back onto the table and smiled.
"It's full of all the station numbers, radio frequencies, and phone lines and all other codes for various lines of communication within China," Marilyn answered, "You now have all that you will need to talk to all the people of China in one fell swoop."
"You're going to reveal to them that the Illuminati exist?" a field commander asked.
"And give them the codes to hack into the Illuminati's network," Khan nodded, "It will through the entire Chinese population into chaos, because while many of them may be part of the Illuminati, they can not all be Illuminati members."
"Counting on the Chinese sending large numbers of troops to rest of China?" Khan's second asked.
"And portions of the Chinese army joining the rebellion, which we will take advantage of," Khan answered with a nod, "The Illuminati have spent so much time living in the shadows, that when the people see what is there, the Illuminati will find maintaining global control much more difficult."
"Should be interesting to watch," the first field commander smiled confidently.
"It gets better," Marilyn spoke up again, "I also blew up their military headquarters in Tibet. Their military command in the region is now going to be in utter chaos. You can step up your raids for equipment and strikes on Chinese attempts to surround us."
"You killed the local commander while on your mission?" Khan asked in surprise, as he had not specifically ordered that anyone was to be killed.
"I didn't think it would hurt our position," Marilyn shrugged, "It would cause general chaos and make our job easier for awhile."
"Of course," Khan answered with a smile and turned to his field commanders and ordered, "Have your men begin launching raid strikes to get more Chinese tanks and equipment. Wipe out any infantry patrols that get in your way, but don't over extend yourselves. Make sure you can easily get back here."
"Of course, sir!" they answered in unison.
Beijing, China
China's military headquarters was extremely busy as dawn rose over the buildings that made up China's capital. The commanders of China's military forces were extremely frustrated by events that had occurred the night before. The military commander in Tibet was dead, along a large portion of his staff. His headquarters was destroyed as well. What followed was a series of raids on positions ranging from ten to fifteen miles from the believed insurgent base. The result of these attacks left nearly one hundred men dead, more then twice that wounded, and all of their equipment either taken or damaged beyond repair.
"General Wu is taking over the Tibet operations as an interim commander," a delegate from Tibet spoke to a council of generals and the leaders of China's government, "He has requested orders."
"Finding a suitable replacement will take a relatively long time," General of the Army Zhou spoke carefully, "for now, he is to continue with the original plan of trying to isolate the insurgents and pin them in. We can not allow them to escape."
"He is reporting that many Tibetans are becoming rather supportive of the insurgents," the Tibet command delegate spoke.
"Wu knows the protocol if they raise arms against us," a different general spoke, "Kill all those who directly resist and arrest the families."
The delegate nodded.
"Shouldn't we do more?" China's premier spoke up, "this has been going on for a while now and we've maintained the same plan since it started, and frankly, we have not made any progress in stopping this insurgency."
"We can send another division or two to the area," General Zhou spoke, "but it is the army's position that until they meet us in a direct battle, flooding the region with troops could create a bottleneck and we would lose our freedom of movement, especially in the mountainous terrain of Tibet."
"Can you at least strengthen our positions outside Tibet?" the Premier questioned, "to prevent this rebellion from spreading beyond Tibet?"
The generals then shared a series of glances and soon nodded.
"That is possible," General Zhou spoke, "Is that all you want?"
"If that is the wisest course of action," the Premier answered.
They were about to break the meeting when a man in a suit rushed into the room and approached the Premier with a nervous look in his eye.
"Premier, you must see the news now!" the man said urgently, "It's extremely important."
The Premier glanced at the others and sighed heavily and reached for a television remote that sat on a nearby stand and aimed it at a television in a nearby corner. When the screen came on, it showed the image of a man's face with rather dark hair framing it.
"He's announced he's the leader of the insurgency," the man who had rushed in reported.
"People of China," the man spoke, "as I am sure you are all concerned about the fighting going on in Tibet and you should be, but I feel that I must reveal the true nature of the conflict to you."
"What is he talking about?" a lower ranking general asked.
"My conflict does not come from any hatred for China or entirely a desire to separate Tibet and China," the man continued, "the two can exist as one state and coexist quite well together, so long the right decisions are made, but there are forces that have turned the great people of China into instruments of terror and oppression."
"He's trying to raise an anti-communist revolution!" the Premier spoke with some horror in his voice, "just as the Nationalists did."
"Do not blame the people of China, for that force is not even in China, at least not that anyone can easily see," the man continued, "That force, is called the Illuminati. A secret organization that has secretly ruled China for hundreds of years and continue to do so to this day. They have manipulated everything that China has done, from the long march to the civil war to its present attempts to mix a communist dictatorship with a capitalist economy. And their leaders are not even Chinese. Chinese Premiers and generals have served foreigners for years, but you may not know this because the Illuminati like to keep themselves hidden."
The men stood silently watching as the man continued speaking while the Illuminati's insignia appeared on the screen.
"My goal is to create a new China," the man announced, "One that is not corrupted by these foreign 'phantoms' who rarely have China's best interests at heart. A China that governs itself. That lives in peace and prosperity with its neighbors and is strong because it is China, not because the Illuminati has willed it."
"The man is insane," General Zhou spoke in disbelief.
"For those who won't believe me, check your computers under the password 666isplaned and you'll be in the Illuminati's network," the man spoke, "It will give you a list of every person who is either directly a member of the Illuminati or is influenced by their policies. It will take them weeks to change their passwords and remove all the bugs I've already thrown into their system."
And with that the broadcast ended.
"What do we do?" General Zhou asked.
"We ignore it," the Premier answered, "He's a raving lunatic."
"But what if he's right?" a different general asked.
"Right, that some secret society as been controlling China?" the Premier questioned, "I think you've been watching too much Japanese or American television."
"What if people check their computers with that code he mentioned?" Zhou asked, "It could reveal the truth behind this thing."
"We can monitor that," the Premier answered, "We do not need to panic."
The generals were quiet for a moment and the Premier sighed.
"Not for the moment anyway," the Premier then thought to himself.
Illuminati Headquarters, Unknown Location
"Did you see his broadcast?" Two demanded.
"No sir," a technician answered, "I just only managed to read the report from the Chinese representatives there that did see it."
"And what is happening?" Two asked.
"Not much at the moment," the technician answered nervously, "They're saying that it's all too soon to tell."
"We need to get sorcerers of our own there now," Two grumbled.
"Sir?" the technician asked.
"I fear that the real war is now, only just starting," Two told him and slowly left the room.
Ishimura, Japan
Dusk the next night came as smoothly as ever and Demona, Wedrington, Yoshi, Yama, and Je Lu's clan were quick to move to a small sailing vessel that had been readied the night before. It was large enough and steady enough that sleeping gargoyles would not have to worry about risking damage in the waves during the day. As they prepared to leave, they were all forced to say their goodbyes again.
"Do not go, my love," Sora pleaded to Yama, "Kai has forgiven you and will let you stay with your clan."
"I must go," Yama said sadly, "I can not face you or the hatchlings we have until I have restored my honor. If not, they will grow up without it, because I no longer have it, and they will never be fully accepted, even among our own clan."
Sora did not answer.
"I can not let them grow up knowing that their father sacrificed his honor to help a man who never knew what honor was to begin with," Yama spoke.
"They're only hatchlings," Sora cried into his shoulder, "Not even out of he rookery yet."
"And hopefully all of this will be over by the time they are ready to come out of the rookery," Yama spoke, "and all thing will go back to the way they were before I was foolish enough to listen to Taro."
Demona and Wedrington were meanwhile in a discussion with Kai.
"I'm afraid this will be a long trip," Demona spoke, "I'm afraid it will be awhile before we return."
"Do what is necessary," Kai spoke, "and go with honor."
Demona nodded and then changed her tone, "You are fortunate to live here. From what I saw last night, the humans of Ishimura are far more open then they are elsewhere in the world. Your village gives me some hope that a brighter future for all gargoyles is possible."
"We feel we are fortunate," Kai nodded, "Mostly as we have learned to live by bushido's code and the way of the warrior. Go with honor."
Demona and Wedrington bowed and then turned the boat. Kai remained on the shore watching it as it pulled out to sea. One of Ishimura's policemen approached him as the boat sailed off.
"They left," the officer spoke as the boat sailed off.
"Yes," Kai nodded turning to face him, "Is something wrong?"
"Possibly in China," the officer answered, "things have been busy there while you slept and I was sent to warn Yama and the travelers. They are sailing to utter chaos."
Kai gasped and then turned to look at the boat as it sailed off and now began to turn south.
"May any god who hears my plea watch over you," Kai then spoke, "for if you're sailing into chaos, then I fear that the path may be long and dark."
To Be Continued…