Angela:

Angela had chosen to go to Battery Park. It was large, and the farthest South, so she only took that one to go through. Many of the others took two or three, depending on the distance and park size, but she had chosen to do just the one.

She kept to the building roofs, and when that was no longer an option, she took to the treetops.

She stood ready to help the officers that had swarmed the area, keeping her eyes and ears open in case her help was needed.

When the park had been cleared, she took back to the skies, catching an updraft that would help her get back to the height that she'd need to get back to the top of the Aerie building.

She was just making out the outline of the building on the horizon, with the ancient castle on the top, when the explosion happened. The fireball appeared first, the sudden yellow and orange of the flames lighting up the midnight darkened sky, with what looked like a rain of fire and debris raining down onto the street below.

In the few moments that it took for Angela to process what she was seeing, the soundwave hit her with a deafening roar. Her heart felt as if it had screeched to a sudden and painful halt, her body paralyzing in fear.

All she could think at that moment was that her children were still in the building.

That thought spurred her on, shaking her from the sudden paralysis, and she folded her wings to gather speed so that she could get to the castle.

Broadway:

Marcus Garvey Park was a good sized park, and was the farthest from the castle on his chosen route.

He stayed in communication with the clan through the communicator in his ear, especially with Lexington who was relaying information from the police radio as information was coming in. A lot of the smaller parks had already been searched, and the larger parks were starting to be cleared as more and more officers began converging on the areas.

This particular park had a large recreation center for Manhattan residents to gather and participate in sporting events. The park had a large swimming pool and several sport fields that were used primarily on the weekends for everything from Extreme Frisbee matches to soccer matches.

Broadway had seen a few events on his patrols, even stopping to watch a few when he had the time. He enjoyed watching the kids play, kicking the round ball from one side of the field to the other.

In his time, more than a century ago, there were similar games played by the youth of the kingdom. They kids tended to stop playing when the Gargoyles were near, as their parents had taught them to fear the clan. It was kind of a relief to see that some things, even as simple as a game, had survived the many years between.

"Alright, Broadway," Lexington's voice came loud and clear. "Garvey Park has been cleared. All the other parks have been cleared, or have a clan member there. Go ahead and go back to the castle, and I'll let you know if something happens at one of the others that you might be able to help at."

"Gotcha Lex," Broadway said. Extending his wings, he glided upward and turned in the air toward the Aerie building.

He was thinking of how to make a ball and teaching his children how to play the game when the sudden brightness of the explosion burned into his darkness adjusted eyes, causing white dots to swim through his vision.

Blinded temporarily, it took a few precious moments for his brain to process the threat. When it did, his voice raised in an angry roar, Broadway began picking up speed to protect his home and family from the sudden threat.

Brooklyn:

Highbridge Park was quiet, with the exception of the officers who had been scouting out every nook and cranny of the area. It was a large area to cover, and more and more officers were coming to help. Soon, there were officers everywhere, and Brooklyn had no choice but to remain hidden.

He had started at the farthest Northern edge of the park, where the signs proclaimed it as Harlem River Park, and working his way South. He was currently sitting atop the tall tower building behind the recreation center.

He was keeping in contact with Lexington, as were the rest of the clan, but he still couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had taken root in his mind. This whole situation was a mess.

First, the halflings. They were going to be trouble, and if they were serious about trying to get Oberon's attention, it could get messy fast.

Then there was Skyler and her connection. She seemed like a good person, and he sincerely hoped that it wasn't just a facade. He liked her, and it was probably the first time he'd liked a female who might actually return the feelings.

Goliath and Elisa had opened a door to options that had been frowned upon for centuries. Knowing that his leader and mentor was supportive of such relationships helped to ease his mind.

"All clear," came a chorus of voices around the recreation building.

With a sigh, and wondering why it didn't make him feel any better, Brooklyn stood and stretched. He had been perched up here, immobile for too long.

He took to the air as soon as it was safe, when the officers were heading back to their cars and would not notice the dark figure heading upward into the night sky.

There was a shout from below that had Brooklyn heading back to the building.

"...Explosion of some kind," one officer was shouting. "They are asking for anyone whose areas have been cleared to report to the building."

Brooklyn frowned, scanning the night sky. There, just on the horizon, was a large cloud of smoke rising into the air.

Brooklyn once more took to the skies, heading in the direction that the smoke was coming from.

As he got closer, he started to recognize the buildings and where he was.

Eyes glowing a fluorescent white in his rage, Brooklyn gathered speed. Damning the need to remain hidden from human eyes, he made a straight line for the Aerie building.

Hudson:

Hudson had offered to take Inwood Hill Park. It was the farthest away, and it was mostly wooded area. There were a few scattered baseball fields, but most of the area was covered by a thick layer of trees. Keeping out of sight wasn't a problem, but keeping watch on the ground below the treeline was aggravating. So many officers had answered the call to this area that Hudson was not really able to get to the ground and look for himself.

He was suddenly thankful that he had left Bronx behind at the castle. He hated to admit that the Gar-Dog was getting too heavy for Hudson to carry everywhere anymore, and tonight Bronx would have been more burden than help. He wouldn't have been able to be allowed to run loose on the ground where he would have been the most use, and Hudson would have been limited as to where he could perch to do what he could to aid the humans.

There were still officers looking around when their radios crackled to life.

"All available units," The female dispatcher's voice called out, her voice ringing out in the quiet night air. "There is a report of an explosion downtown. Corner of East 57th Street and Park Avenue."

"Shit," and officer called out below where Hudson was currently scanning from the treetops. "That's the Xanatos building."

Hudson turned his full attention to the men below.

"Are you serious?" Another officer asked, incredulity mirrored in his voice.

"Yeah," the first officer said grimly. "Let's get this area cleared, and we can head over there to help."

"That's a damn big building," the second one said. "How many people would be in there this time of night."

"Enough," the first one said, walking faster now.

Hudson had heard enough, and took to the sky. He was too far away. He couldn't even make out the Aerie Building's unique silhouette yet.

All he could do was to move as quickly as he could, and pray that his clan, his family, was safe.

Lexington:

Bryant Park was located south of the Aerie Building, and while it was not a typical park, Lexington headed there. He was perched atop the New York Public Library building, and observed the officers below.

Most of the park was a large open area that people tended to gather on for their lunch hours during the day, and to socialize in at night.

The officers cleared the area in record time, and had moved on to assist the officers in other parks.

Lexington stayed where he was, however, and monitored the radio chatter to relay on to his clan mates. It had been almost two hours, and no sign of the children or the hostage situation had been found.

He listened in as one area after another was cleared, and the officers were directed to other locations.

He was thinking of packing up his electronic equipment and head back to the castle when the explosion knocked him from his feet. Being the smallest of the clan, Lexington had long ago mastered the art of tucking into a ball and rolling until he could gain his footing again.

When the initial reverberation had ceased, he sprung to his feet and scanned the area for any threats.

That was when he saw the fire and flaming sparks raining from the castle levels of his home.

With a roar of rage, his electronics forgotten in his haste, Lexington flung himself off of the Library building and took to the air.

Goliath:

Washington Square Park was the last of Goliath's patrol. The others had been cleared, and he was doubtful that the hostages would be in such a wide, open area as this park. Goliath sat on the top of the arch that was as centrally located as he could get, keeping an eye on the officers the whole time.

He was ready to help protect them all, but had spotted the familiar red haired Detective Bluestone in this park. The clan had long ago brought Matt into their close knit group, and Goliath knew that his wife and partner were very close.

Elisa would be upset if something happened to Matt, and Goliath would do his best to make sure that Elisa was not upset.

He had been passively listening to the clan's voices on the communicator, but had the utmost faith that they would handle anything that would come up. They would call if aid were needed, but the channel was kept clear except for location updates.

There was a distinctive popping sound of a communicator linking up, and Elisa's voice came through.

"Goliath," she said, "Please be there."

Something in the tone of her voice had Goliath's senses going on full alert. He tapped his communicator to activate the microphone.

"Elisa," He responded to his wife's call. "What is wrong? Have you found the one responsible?"

"No," Elisa shouted. "I think it was a false report. I think it was the Halflings, and they were trying to get you all out of the castle. I am heading back there now…"

There was a loud explosive noise that seemed to shake the very air around him. He whipped around and stared in horror at the scene before him.

There were panicked shouts from the officers in the park as they began running for their cars. The sounds of sirens began piercing the night around him, but for a moment, he was held motionless in the grip of the terror that took hold.

His home. His friends. His family.

His child.

All were held in the ancient stone castle that was now under attack, and he was so far away.

His voice raised in a roar of pure fury, his eyes luminescing to a pure white, he launched himself from the top of the arch, not caring if any humans saw him.

He had lost most of his family within the walls of the castle many years ago. He was not going to lose anymore.

The halflings had orchestrated it perfectly. The fake police call about endangered children would ensure that the gargoyles would be spread all over the city, leaving the castle largely unprotected.