I've got a 3-day weekend, thanks to a combination of Homecoming and Veteran's Day (thanks to all those Veterans for protecting us, by the way. We salute your bravery and dedication to your country.), so I'll try and get a few more updates in. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Gargoyles or TMNT. TMNT belongs to Mirage, Gargoyles belongs to Disney. This is just for entertainment purposes only.

Metamorphosis

"I always love watching them wake up," Donatello murmured to Leonardo as the sun finally sank down. Their brothers Raphael and Michelangelo were on the other side of town, patrolling with Casey, April, and Angel. Don and Leo, as always, stopped by the clocktower to see if they could join their friends with their own patrols.

On cue, stone began to shatter as the gargoyles woke from their stone slumber. And, like always, Leo and Don stepped forward to greet their friends.

"As soon as they left, we caught the first updraft back."

Don frowned as Broadway and Brooklyn recounted their story of the strange creature they had met on their patrol.

"She was...so frightened."

"Yeah - of us."

"She needed our help!"

"We talking about the same person? From where I sat, she didn't want our help."

"She wanted mine!"

Oh, yeah, Brooklyn's in love, Don realized with a smirk.

"Lover boy took this off her wrist." Don stifled laughter at that, but upon looking at the bracelet, his chocolate eyes widened.

"Well it was a tracking device: digital, long-range, expensive," Elisa noted.

"The symbol was on the ambulance, too," Broadway mentioned.

"Gen-U-Tech?" Don's excitment got the better of him. "That's the newest, leading lab in NYC that deals with bio-engineering!"

"Gen-U-Tech..."

"Where are you going?"

Leo and Don had returned at sunset the next day, in time to catch Brooklyn about to fly off somewhere.

"Rushing off without a plan won't help her," Goliath was saying. Leo smirked; he had talked with Goliath last night, and knew exactly what was coming next.

"And I have a plan."

"We can get in through here."

"Wait!" Lex caught Brooklyn's hand just as Don and Leo landed on the rooftop after them. "See those wires? Wires mean electricity, and electricity probably means an alarm..."

"So we don't go in that way," Don concluded, walking up beside his gargoyle friend.

"Wonderful, terrific - so what do we do?" Ah, as sarcastic as Raph - no wonder the two had become such fast friends.

"Find another way in." Padding away a few feet, Goliath simply ripped open a hole in the roof. Don and Leo exchanged glances.

"Remind me to never let them become enemies," Leo muttered.

"Bro, you took the words right out of my mouth."

Once inside, Lex hopped over to the nearest computer, Don looking over his shoulder. "Would you quit fooling around?"

"Hey, I'm trying to find your girlfriend." Leo's snicker could be heard in the background, as Don rolled his eyes. "...Got it!"

A few minutes later, they saw what they had came for. Don held back a gasp. She had obviously been human once, but mutation had come into play: she was covered in a soft yellow fur, her ears were pointed, hands clawed, and a small lion-like tail was curled around her legs. But what shocked Don the most was the bat-like wings sprouting from her back.

Caught up in his trance, he missed the words exchanged between the gargoyle and mutation - but after pushing a button, alarms began to blare.

"Perfect," Don muttered. He had already slid into the chair of a nearby computer console, and with a few quick taps of the keyboard, the alarms died off.

Goliath, meanwhile, had broken the glass - but guards had just streamed in. Their guns, however, quickly proved useless - two clean sweeps of two katana left two guns cut in half in the hands of the two guards. He couldn't knock them out, however, before the door slammed shut as one commanded, "Lock down the labratory!" A smoke bomb sailed over Leo's head - Don took note, and as soon as smoke began filling the room, both Turtles closed their eyes and let their other senses take over.

Of course Don got distracted, however - with the alarms down and Lex by his side, he just couldn't help but poke his head into every room, and as consequence, fell behind the others.

"Come on already," Lex finally grumbled, sprinting ahead in an attempt to catch up. Don sighed, but obliged.

The last he saw of Lex was a tail slipping through the roof; but he didn't miss the almost-complete mutant - Derek Maza, he later realized - staring in shock with Xanatos at a limp body by a broken fish tank.

"Electric eels," Don whispered, shocked - almost literally. He stood, frozen, watching, as Xanatos ran over to the man - Sevarious, Dr. Anton Sevarious! - and checked for any signs of life.

"No pulse," Xanatos announced. "He's dead."

"No!" This was Derek - obviously in distress. "No, he can't be dead! He was my one chance...!"

"...Your one chance for reversing the mutation?" Now the two looked over at the Turtle, and Don wished he hadn't stayed, and hadn't opened his mouth. But he was in the lion's den now - there was no turning back.

"Yes." Derek was growling now. "It's yours and the gargoyles' fault!"

Before the mutant could lunge, Xanatos grabbed Derek's arm. Siezing this slim opportunity, and with a plan forming in his mind, Don slowly walked over to him.

"Look, Derek, I know alot about bio-engineering and mutation and all that," he said. "I could try and help you...all of them. Even the girl Brooklyn came for. I give you my word of honor."

Derek bit his lip with his fangs, obviously indecisive. Eyes sympathetic, Don went to leave.

"We'll let you know if I can't find anyone else." The voice of Xanatos surprised him; he turned back to stare in shock at the man.

"It'll take a while," Don warned. "I'd have to go over everything Sevarious worked on, and then turn this into my own methods so I can more easily create an antidote."

Derek's eyes were narrowed now. "What would you need?"

"Cell samples. Skin is preferable, though I won't know how the mutation might have affected internal organs unless I can do...well, pretty much the equivalent of a doctor's visit." Seeing Derek's thoughtful look, the Turtle added, "I know what it's like to be experimented on, mutated - look at me, I'm a bipedal, talking Turtle! But I've also had first-hand experience in being further mutated, manipulated; and I want to help you. I swear on my honor - which in case you didn't know, is a big deal for ninjas."

"...I'll think about it. ...Thanks for the offer, though."

With a curt bow, Don was off, trying to catch up to his friends.

The female had passed out in the excitment - and in the chaos, Leo had also lost Don. From what Lex said when the web-wing had caught up to them, he had been fascinated with all the sciency stuff that made Leo's brain hurt, and had kept poking his head in to different rooms to try and see what really went on behind Gen-U-Tech walls.

He watched, as the girl woke up, terrified. She tried to stand up, and didn't seem at all comforted when Brooklyn said, "It's OK. You're among friends."

Obviously trying to overcome her initial shock, but still backing away from the Gargoyles, she asked, "Were you...human, once, too?"

"No."

"Well I'm human! I'm not...like this. My name's Maggie - Maggie Reed. I'm from Ohio!" It seemed to Leo as though babbling like that was her way of overcoming her fear.

"You'll be safe here, Maggie," Lex said, trying and failing to once again comfort the girl.

"This is safe? I need a cure! I'm not a monster!"

"We're not monsters either," Brooklyn said, approaching her. "...Don't be afraid."

"The dawn is coming," Goliath cut in, "and we all need rest. When night falls, we'll find your cure, Maggie...even if it means confronting Xanatos at his castle."

Leo stayed behind, watching as Maggie watched the gargoyles go to their perches. She gasped as they became petrified as stone, and then sank down to the ground, hugging herself. She flinched and scuttled away when Leo put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

His dark, usually unreadable eyes were now filled with sympathy, and as the Turtle looked over, out on the horizon, he sighed. Master Splinter, Mikey, and Raph would have to wait for at least a few more hours, until he could be sure Don was OK - or until they called him.

He heard the flare of wings, the scrape of claws on stone, and looked over to see Maggie about to fly off. "Wait!"

His voice startled her, and she faltered, looking over at him.

"Can't you see? They want to help you. We all want to help you." Noticing the look of indecision on her face, he added, "My brother, Donatello, is a master with all types of science - including biology. He could probably find a cure for you."

"...What about the others?" she asked. "Would he cure them, too?"

"I'm certain he would." Leo frowned as he watched her look back out over the Manhattan skyline, and finally settled on a plan of action.

"Maggie, I want to tell you a story. It shouldn't take too long - an hour, maybe two or three at the most. After that, you are free to decide on whether you wish to stay or go."

She looked at him, emotions warring within her - he could see it in her cat-like eyes. Finally, she stepped off the rail of the clocktower, and consented to sit, back against the tower, as Leo began his story.

"Where's Maggie?"

Leo looked up from his mediation. Master Splinter had allowed him to stay here and wait for Don, who wasn't answering his shell-cell but was definitely alive - as far as his sensei could tell. He also had to tell them of what the female had done when they were asleep.

"She left."

"What? Why?"

Leo sighed - Raph was more used to dealing with Brooklyn than he was. Truthfully, he usually only came to visit with Goliath, see how things were going, and maybe talk about what their common enemies were up to. However, his previous experience had bonded him more closely to this ally clan; he could see them all becoming good friends in the near future. Thus, he tried his hand at explaining.

"I told her a story - a story of me and my brothers, and of you guys. I told her she was free to chose if she stayed or went after that. She chose to go."

"But she needs us!"

"...Brooklyn, everyone is free to their own path. Let her figure out hers."

Brooklyn's wings drooped - but then he turned and ran to the balcony. He could hear the woosh of wind as the beaked gargoyle launched himself into the night sky. Rising from his position, he sighed and turned to Goliath.

"Don still hasn't contacted me," he reported. "I'm kinda worried."

Goliath growled. "Hudson, stay here with Bronx in case either of them return. The rest of us will go to the castle."

"Owen, I want you to find me the best geneticist on the planet."

As the man walked away, Don snorted and turned to the billionaire. "What, I'm not good enough for you?"

Xanatos sighed as he continued watching the mutates fly about in the air above. "It's not that - I'm just worried they won't accept your help, or that the gargoyles won't allow you to work with me on this."

Don frowned; he had been thinking about this too. "They all want to see them cured," he concluded finally. "I got a chance to speak with Maggie - she relayed to me what Leo had told her before she came here. It sounds as though Leo wouldn't mind if I worked with you - and its so obvious Brooklyn has feelings for her. He wouldn't care if she stayed that way forever, but I'm sure it would make him happy to see her happy - even if that means her turning human again."

"True...but Goliath still won't approve."

"Leave it to me - but you had better be true on your word." Xanatos suddenly found himself between the glaring Turtle and the edge of the castle. "If I find out you've been lieing to me, than this deal we've come to is over."

"You have my word - I promise!" Turning back to the mutates, he sighed. This was going to complicate his plans a little bit...

Then, roars - gargoyle and mutate. Don groaned. "Oh, perfect."

"Detective Maza is here," Owen announced, returning to the scene.

"Send her up," Xanatos told him. "We have to stop this...senseless violence."

Rolling his eyes, Don leapt down to a lower level, where he was surprised to see...

"Leo!"

"Donnie! ...What are you doing here?"

"I'll explain later! Help me get these guys under control!"

"Freeze!"

"That'll work!"

"Now, calmly...who are you?"

Don gasped as they got a better view of the scene. "That's Derek! She doesn't know she's pointing at her own brother!"

"Call me...Talon."

"Ok...Talon..." They began circling each other. "Now...why are you stomping on my friend here?"

"Your friend...made me like this."

"Impossible. Goliath would never intentionally hurt anyone. ...Look...I want to help you."

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart."

"Hope to-"

"Derek?"

Don resisted the urge to facepalm, and Leo's eyes went wide. The Turtles ran up to stand beside Owen and Xanatos, still intent on the scene in front of them.

"Derek, is that you?"

"No!"

"Xanatos did this to you!"

"It was an accident...he's trying to cure me!"

"Elisa!"

Both stopped, looking over to Don, who had stepped forward. "Elisa, lay off him - it's true! I...I was going to...that is...I'm trying to help in finding a cure for them. All of them."

Elisa looked at Don in disbelief, as did Leo.

"Donnie...that's like...that's like me joining the Shredder, or Raph joining the Purple Dragons!"

"No it's not, Leo!" Don spun, nose-to-nose with his older brother, glaring daggers at the shocked Turtle. "Those guys are bad - and Xanatos may not be number one on the World's Nicest People list, but in this he's being genuine!" Backing off a little, Don's face took a downcast look. "Besides - don't you at least trust me?"

Leo hesitated, glancing over at Xanatos, and then Derek. Finally, he sighed. "Of course I trust you, Donnie. I just...wish you could do this without him."

"Xanatos has the resources." Derek, or Talon, had stepped forward; Don blinked at the cackle of electricity lacing his body. "Donatello has the brains. I don't care how long it takes - if Don has these resources avaliable to him, he can eventually make our cure!"

"But do you have to stay with him?" Elisa touched his arm - the electricity stopped. "I'd feel better if you at least stayed with the gargoyles."

Derek glanced at Goliath, who had risen and was now watching with obvious intrest - then shook his head. "No. I might be cured already if they hadn't burst in when they did. I know now that they were at least trying, but I still don't know if I could stand actually living with them."

"We understand." Goliath's voice was softer, filled with empathy.

"But Don has other responsibilities." This was Leo, who padded forward to stand next to his brother. "He can't work on your cure 24/7. When he has the free time, he'll work on it; otherwise, he'll be out on patrols or training. Gomen nasai - I am sorry."

Talon growled, but shook it off. "It's fine. ...We'll go now."

Talon proceeded to jump from the castle, and in the air he met with his friends. As Lex and Broadway, and then Brooklyn, landed, they watched them go.

"This still means war, Xanatos." The man was surprised by Elisa's sudden, fury-filled proclaimation. "And if you ever hurt him again, it's on your head." She turned, storming off, down the stairs.

Don sighed, eyes sparkling with sympathy. "Come on. Let's go."

April had been called in to try and comfort Elisa, who was sobbing about Derek on a pile of hay in a corner of the tower. Lex and Raph were comforting Brooklyn, while everyone else simply watched...empathy in their hearts.