DISCLAIMER FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE INSANE: Do NOT try my wake-up juice at home. Seriously, don't. I am not responsible for the aftermath of your attempts to create/drink it. You have been warned.
…
If there was one thing that Willow would change about her life, it would be the amount of dust that seemed to accumulate in the clock tower she called home. It was always a huge chore to clean the large, spacious tower, especially when a certain set of three gargoyles continued to try and impede her progress. However, she always tried to dust once a week, usually on Sunday.
One particular Sunday, Willow was dusting the small museum that held all of the artifacts they had collected over time. She made sure to keep the Grimorum clean, gently wiping the leather cover with a cloth covered in leather polish. The Eye of Odin usually took care of itself, the strange power of the artifact keeping it clean. The Phoenix Gate always got an extra swipe of the cleaning rag, considering its sentimental value to Goliath. Finally, Willow turned to the museums final piece, the cybernetic gargoyle Coldstone. Willow smiled sadly as she began dusting his prone form.
"Evening Othello, Desdemona." She said as she brushed the feather duster over the metal. "Lexington told me that the virus has finally been purged from Coldstone, so that's good. Since you guys are Goliath's siblings, I'm pretty sure that you managed to stay alive."
Setting the duster aside, Willow grabbed a handful of wipes, cleaning the metal bits of Coldstone.
"Odds are, Iago's the only one you need to deal with right now." She commented. "But now that Othello's finally seen the light, I'm sure you two will have no trouble keeping him at bay."
She looked sadly at his still face, a small sigh escaping.
"Goliath misses you two a lot." She said sadly. "I guess he still blames himself for your destruction and being reduced to… well, you know. But, we're making progress on bringing you back. Lexington's working on a simple program that, with any luck, will give you guys the outlet you need to reclaim your body."
Her job done, Willow took the old blanket off of Coldstone, replacing it with a clean one. She then walked out of the room, turning off the lights behind her.
"See you next week." She said as she closed the door behind her.
…
Inside the virtual reality program in Coldstone's CPU, Othello flew through the starry sky, landing on the battlements of Castle Wyvern. Waiting for him at the top of the tallest tower, Desdemona smiled brightly as he approached her.
"My love." She called.
The two embraced, then Othello stepped back, keeping a claw hidden behind his back. Desdemona recognized the look in his eye and smirked.
"What did you find this time?" she asked.
Othello pulled his hand out, revealing a bushel of heather blossoms. Desdemona gasped in happiness, accepting the flowers with a smile.
"The hills just beyond are covered in their blooms." Othello explained, a happy smile on his face. "I saw them, and remembered they were your favorite."
Desdemona took a whiff, and her face fell as she realized they had no scent.
"Oh how I miss the real world." She lamented. "I miss the wind, the stars, the scent of spring flowers."
Othello took her in his arms, wrapping his wings around her.
"It is true this world has no substance." Othello agreed. "But it also has nothing that can separate us."
At that moment, Iago came swooping down from the sky, ineffectually trying to break the two gargoyles apart. Both Othello and Desdemona ducked, as if use to the routine by now. Othello let out a sigh.
"Iago is a stubborn one." He said with a shake of his head. "Even though he knows his efforts are futile, he continues to try and pull us apart."
"Let him lurk." Desdemona said with a dismissive wave. "He will learn soon that he has no power here anymore."
…
It was almost sunrise as Willow sat with Broadway and Hudson, the daily newspaper in front of them. Hudson held his claw over the paper, keeping his place on the paper as he read slowly.
"The city… honored… Rosaria Sanchez… and Peter Choy… who… last week… pulled a 5 year old… from the lake… in central park… and…"
He squinted at the next word, unable to figure out what it said. Willow smiled patiently.
"Resuscitated." She said slowly.
"Resuscitated him." Hudson concluded.
Willow smiled.
"Great job." She told him. "And you said you were too old to learn."
Hudson gave Willow a playful smile as he handed the paper over to Broadway. The blue gargoyle quickly found where Hudson had left off and continued reading.
"When asked… about their… Heroic act… the teenagers agreed that… it was… the r- the rig…"
"The right thing to do." Elisa finished, walking into the clock tower.
Everyone turned and smiled at Elisa, dropping what they were doing to come say hi.
"Morning Elisa." Broadway said. "How did you know what they said? Were you there?"
Elisa shook her head.
"Nah." She replied, barely stifling a yawn. "But choosing to save the child took great courage, and that always feels right."
Elisa then perked, fishing into her pocket.
"Speaking of feeling right, here Lex." She said, tossing a small flash drive at the green gargoyle.
Lexington easily caught it, looking it over with a hopeful smile on his face.
"Is this what I think it is?" he asked.
"I went down to forensics and asked our tech team for some of the best file recovery software, and I also had them write a basic operating system just in case." She explained. "It's a long shot, but it might just be what you need to pull Othello and Desdemona out of Coldstone's mind."
"Thanks Elisa." Lexington replied. "The virus is gone, but so is all of Coldstone's programming. The system will give Coldstone something to work with, and with any luck, the file recovery system will pull Othello and Desdemona to the surface."
"Just don't forget Iago." Willow commented. "He may still be in there."
"If he shows up, we'll be ready." Brooklyn assured her.
Elisa let out another yawn, one Willow soon mimicked.
"You two look tired." Hudson remarked. "Perhaps you should get some sleep."
"Definitely a good idea." Willow agreed.
She stood up, shuffling towards her room.
"See you guys tonight." She told them all.
"See ya!" everyone replied.
As Willow disappeared behind her curtain, Elisa's smile slightly drooped.
"How's she been?" She asked.
Brooklyn shook his head sadly.
"She barely leaves the clock tower." Brooklyn replied. "She eats, thank God, but we haven't gone flying in weeks."
"She is in great pain." Goliath explained. "It will take time for her to fully heal from the tragedy she has experienced."
Elisa let out a yawn and stretched.
"The best we can do is be there for her." She noted. "But right now, the best thing for me is to go home and get some sleep. Feels like I haven't slept since this entire mess started."
Goliath came over and gently squeezed her shoulder, giving her a kind smile.
"You go on and go home." He told her. "We will see you tonight as well."
Elisa gave Goliath a tired smile, then began walking back down the ladder. Once she was gone, the gargoyles turned towards the balcony, preparing to enter their stone sleep.
…
After officially going off duty, Matt walked Elisa out of the precinct. She let out another monster of a yawn, eliciting a chuckle from Matt.
"Tired?" he asked.
"Dead tired." Elisa replied.
"Trust me, the feeling's mutual." He told her. "City's still settling after that whole broadcast and mass hysteria, and we're still picking up the pieces."
"Well, we're not much use to anybody like this." She retorted. "Let's go home."
They were about to leave, but then Elisa noticed something out of the corner of her eye. A young policewoman was escorting a rather large prisoner into the police precinct. As she passed Elisa, she seemed to glare at her with a hatred Elisa had seen before.
"Who was that?" Matt asked.
"I don't know." Elisa replied. "But I think I've seen her somewhere"
"Well, whomever she is, she's obviously a rookie." Matt remarked. "I mean, who else would cuff a guy that big with his hands in front of him."
"Yeah…" Elisa remarked. "Someone should tell her."
She went to run after the cop as Matt grabbed her arm.
"Then you'll go home?" he asked.
Elisa smiled.
"Promise." She assured him.
Matt let go of her arm and waved her off as Elisa ran after the female cop. She quickly spotted her leading her prisoner past the check-in point, but they weren't heading for the holding cells.
"Hey!" Elisa called. "Rookie!"
The cop ignored Elisa's call, continuing forward. Now Elisa could tell something was going on. The cop and her prisoner rounded a corner, practically running away from Elisa. They bolted up a nearby staircase, and by the time Elisa reached the top, they had disappeared.
"Where did they-?"
The door to the squad room slammed shut, drawing Elisa's attention. She walked forward, throwing the door open. Her actions drew the attention of the cops milling about, but none resembled the rookie or her large prisoner.
"Sorry." She muttered, closing the door behind her.
As Elisa turned away, she noticed the door to the broom closet open. But not just any broom closet, the closet with the trap door leading straight to the gargoyles.
"Not good." Elisa grimaced.
Her exhaustion forgotten, Elisa bolted for the door. As she opened it, she saw the prisoner's handcuffs and ball cap on the ground. They both laid before the open trap door, the ladder leading up to the clock tower in plain view.
Elisa drew her gun, slowly ascending the ladder. As she poked her head above the opening, she didn't see anyone. Careful not to make a sound, Elisa began inching her way towards the curtain leading to Willow's room. Approaching the curtain, she yanked it back, aiming the gun. Surprisingly, all she saw was Willow, fast asleep and dead to the world.
"Jalapeña…" Elisa sighed in relief.
She turned around, where she was immediately greeted by a large hand grabbing her gun arm, the other hand covering her mouth to prevent her from calling out. A quick twist of her wrist by the man, and Elisa was forced to drop her weapon.
"Now, now detective." A familiar Scottish voice quietly chastised. "We don't want to wake the lass now, do we?"
Elisa's eyes widened as she strained to look behind her. Sure enough, she was greeted by the face of Macbeth. She struggled to try and break free of his grasp, but his partner, the woman disguised as a cop, came up and punched her hand in the gut. Elisa fell to her knees, where a chop to the back of the neck rendered her unconscious. The two stood over her, smiles gracing their faces.
"You just rest now." He told Elisa's unconscious form.
…
A few minutes later, Macbeth and his partner took off in his aircraft, leaving the police station in their dust. In the back of the craft, the woman took off her police hat, letting her hair down in a familiar wild style.
"You shouldn't have stopped me." She snarled, and she took her seat. "With the woman unconscious, I could have rid this world of her, that sleeping brat, and the gargoyles for good!"
"They were helpless." Macbeth replied curtly. "There is no honor in that."
The woman huffed, turning away from Macbeth and staring out the window.
"You and your ridiculous code of honor." She muttered.
Macbeth jammed his finger on the autopilot button, turning to face the woman angrily.
"What are you complaining about?!" he demanded. "Our stolen cargo is safely aboard and nobody saw us leave. So lighten up, Demona!"
Demona glared daggers at him, but fell silent.
…
Willow stood in the middle of downtown Manhattan. All around her, people were walking around, going about their daily life. Willow watched them, a feeling of dread making her stomach sink.
"Willow!" Elisa called.
Willow turned to see Elisa running towards her. Immediately, Willow tried to scream for her to hide. Unfortunately, her voice was gone. Elisa came up to her, taking her arm.
"Come on Willow, we need to get out of here."
Before she could say another word, the sun disappeared over the horizon. As it did, every human around Willow became stone. Willow's eyes went wide as darkness surrounded the streets.
"No…" She thought to herself. "Not again…"
A loud crash, like smashing stone, echoed through the streets. Willow jumped at the sound, trying to free her wrist from Elisa's stone grasp. Another crash came out, but this one seemed closer. Off in the distance, Willow could see many statues being reduced to rubble.
"Not again!" she mentally cried.
From the darkness, Demona emerged, a mace in one and small bits of rubble coating her from head to toe.
"Well look who it is." She taunted. "My two least favorite humans."
Willow redoubled her efforts of struggling, trying to scream for help. Unfortunately, her voice continued to fail her. Demona seemed to be amused by her attempts, laughing maniacally.
"Don't bother shouting." She told her. "Nobody will come. No human-"
She tossed something to the ground at Willow's feet. Reluctantly, she looked down at it, and almost immediately threw up. It was the stone head of Brooklyn, his beak-like jaw twisted in horror.
"-Nor gargoyle!"
Demona laughed as she raised the mace, preparing to bring it down on Willow's head.
…
Willow sat up violently, screaming in terror as sweat poured from her face. She transformed, her claws raised as if to fend off some unseen attacker. As she slowly became aware of her surroundings, her breathing evened out and she leaned against the headboard of her bed.
"Another nightmare…" she sighed as she returned to human form, "Jalapeña…"
Despite there being a good hour before sunset, Willow pulled herself out of bed. She hadn't told the gargoyles or Elisa about her nightmares, but they were getting worse. She didn't know how long she could keep them a secret, but her friends had enough on their plates to deal with without her adding to their load.
Stumbling towards her door, Willow decided to get herself some breakfast before the gargoyles woke up. However, as she pulled the curtain aside, she was greeted by Elisa's unconscious form sprawled out in front of her doorway.
"Elisa!" she screamed.
She dropped to the ground, slowly rolling Elisa onto her back. The cop slowly began to stir, rubbing the back of her neck as her eyes opened.
"Ugh… How long was I out?" she asked.
"It's almost sunset if that answers your question." Willow replied, thankful that Elisa seemed to be okay. "What happened?"
Elisa looked at Willow as her memories came flooding back. She jumped to her feet, a look of fear on her face.
"Macbeth was here." She explained.
Willow's blood ran cold as she bolted to her feet, the two women making a bee-line for the balcony. They threw the door open, Willow immediately counting the statues. When she came up with six whole, untouched gargoyles, the two of them sagged against the clock face in relief.
"They're okay…" Elisa sighed.
Willow didn't say a word. Instead, she just stood there as her racing heart began to slow down to a normal pace. After a moment, a thought crossed her mind.
"If Macbeth didn't come for the gargoyles," she pondered, "then why-?"
Suddenly remembering, Willow ran back inside, opening the door to the small museum. Once she flipped on the lights, her heart sank.
"They're gone!" She shrieked.
Elisa came up behind her, coming to a stop when she saw the room. The entire room was empty, the small cases empty and their pedestals overturned.
"They're all gone!" Willow exclaimed. "The Phoenix Gate, the Eye of Odin, the Grimorum Archanorum, even Coldstone!"
"No." Elisa responded, trying to make sense of the situation. "That's not possible. There's no way Macbeth could have just walked out of here with those artifacts, much less Coldstone. Even with that partner he had."
"Partner?" Willow asked.
"I don't know." Elisa replied. "But whatever he's planning, it can't be good."
The two women were stumped, then Elisa just slumped into Hudson's easy chair.
"Well, we can't do much now." She mused. "We might as well just sit and wait."
"Right." Willow agreed, looking out at the orange sky. "Once the sun sets, I'm sure Goliath and the others will have an idea of what to do."
…
In Macbeth's castle-like home, Macbeth was situating Coldstone's still form. As he did, the still human Demona emerged from a nearby bedroom, her police disguise replaced with her usual outfit as a gargoyle. When Macbeth saw her, he growled.
"Why do you insist on waiting until sunset?" he asked. "Neither you, nor Coldstone are stone during the day."
"You fool." Demona replied curtly. "If Coldstone awakens to me in this form, he will not recognize me. For this to work, he needs to see me as his Rookerie sister, not this miserable human form."
Macbeth may have hated Demona with every fiber of his being, but he could see the wisdom of waiting. Still, he was impatient to get this mission over with so he could be rid of the gargoyle for good. The sun soon disappeared below the horizon and Demona looked down at her hands, bracing herself.
Her skin quickly took on its usual bluish-grey hue, them her entire body began to bubble and morph. She writhed in pain, Macbeth doing the same. The room was filled with the sounds of their anguish and snapping bones as Demona's fingers fused into claws and her feet elongated to become her gargoyle feet. Then her tail and wings sprouted from her back. The transformation ended with a howl as Demona stretched, glad to be her natural form once more. Macbeth struggled back to his feet as the pain subsided.
"Is it supposed to hurt that much?" he asked. "You told me that the changeling Puck granted you the ability to become human during the day as a gift."
"Puck's gifts always come with a price." Demona replied curtly, grabbing a flash drive, the same flash drive Elisa had given Lexington earlier, from a nearby table. "My only consolation is that our magical link forces you to suffer alongside me."
Macbeth glared at Demon as the she-gargoyle inserted the flash drive into Coldstone's chest-plate.
"Brothers, sister, come back."
…
Inside the virtual reality program, Othello and Desdemona stared in utter confusion as the landscape began to twist and morph, forming a large, swirling portal. The two gargoyles looked at it, gliding closer until they were right before it.
"What is it, my love?" Desdemona wondered.
Othello just smiled happily.
"He has done it." He replied. "Goliath has found a way to free us from this place."
The two looked at each other, then back at the portal. They held hands and prepared to jump in. However, before they could, Iago landed behind them, an evil grin on his face. He grasped their tails, yanking them back. They struck a wall, rebounding off it hard and landing on the ground. As they tried to stand up, the wall seemed to melt, grabbing the two of them and pinning them in place.
"Iago!" Desdemona snarled, her eyes glowing white.
"You and Othello can rot in this dimension of nothingness together." He taunted. "I bid you both goodbye, and good riddance."
Both Othello and Desdemona continued to struggle, trying to free themselves from the stone as Iago vanished into the swirling portal.
…
Coldstone's body began to move, claws flexing as if trying to get use to moving again. Macbeth noticed this and stepped back as Demona came forward. Coldstone's cybernetic eye focused in on her, an evil smile coming to his face.
"Sister…" he muttered.
"I am called Demona now." She greeted.
"I have a name too." He replied, slowly standing up. "I am Iago."
Demona smiled, helping Coldstone to his feet.
"How do you feel, Iago?" she asked.
Coldstone returned her smile.
"Vengeful." He answered.
…
The gargoyles had awoken and Elisa had quickly explained all that had occurred. Everyone was utterly confused, and Goliath was troubled.
"Willow, you said that the Weird Sisters took Macbeth when they disappeared." He told her.
"That's right." She nodded. "He vanished in a bright light."
"Then how did he escape them?" He questioned.
"And how did he know where to find us?" Broadway added.
Brooklyn, who hadn't left Willow side since the explanation began, held her close as he voiced the question on everyone's mind.
"More importantly, why didn't he do anything to us, or to Willow?" He asked. "Why did he just rob us?"
"Macbeth is from your time period." Willow explained. "He still has his honor, even after over 900 years."
"But what about his partner?" Hudson asked. "You said she looked familiar."
"She did." Elisa agreed. "But I don't know where I've seen her before."
"What I don't know is why they took all of the artifacts, and Coldstone."
"I don't know." Goliath replied. "But we can't let Macbeth use the artifacts, or my brother."
All of the gargoyles agreed, heading towards the balcony. Brooklyn went as well, but stopped when he noticed Willow wasn't coming.
"Hey," he called. "You coming?"
"Yeah." Broadway added, turning back to her. "We'll need all the help we can get."
Willow just shook her head, holding herself.
"I'll hold down the fort until you guys get back."
Brooklyn was hesitant, but eventually turned away. As the Gargoyles took off into the night, Elisa approached Willow.
"Alright, what's going on?" she asked.
Willow looked up at Elisa, the woman looking right through her as if she was made of glass.
"It's nothing." She replied, trying to dodge the question.
"Oh no, don't give me that." Elisa interjected, grabbing Willow's shoulder. "I've known you for five years. I know when you're dodging."
Willow met Elisa's eye, the concern evident in her face.
"Come on." Elisa pleaded as she led Willow over to Hudson's easy chair. "I've got 30 minutes before my shift starts, tell me what's going on."
Willow sat down on the chair as Elisa crouched next to it. Willow took a deep breath and began explaining.
"It's… It's Demona." she finally admitted. "I haven't been able to get her, or what she did to the city out of my head."
She leaned forward, clutching her head.
"Every time I close my eyes, all I see is her standing in the middle of the street, surrounded by rubble." She explained. "And every time I think about going out there again-"
"You're afraid of something like that happening again." Elisa finished.
Willow nodded, silent tears rolling down her face.
"I'm scared Elisa." Willow told her.
Elisa didn't say a word. Instead, she just took Willow in her arms, holding her as she cried.
…
It didn't take long to reach Macbeth's estate, nor did it take much effort for Lexington to hack into Macbeth's security system and deactivate it. Within minutes of arriving, the gargoyles were already beginning their search.
"You're getting good at that hacking stuff, Lex." Broadway complimented.
"Don't give me too much credit." Lexington replied, a wary note to his voice. "It was too easy…"
Hudson nodded, his small sword already in his hand.
"Aye." He added. "And it is too quiet. I'd say Macbeth's expecting us."
The gargoyles came to a hallway which split into three paths; one to the left, one to the right, and staircase leading up.
"Then let's see if we can flush him out." Goliath decided. "Brooklyn, Bronx, you take the right. Hudson, Broadway, you take the second floor. Lexington, you're with me."
The gargoyles split up as Lexington noticed a security camera in the corner. He squinted at it, examining it thoroughly.
"That camera's online." He said. "Macbeth knows we're here."
Goliath tapped the camera with the tip of his wing, a small growl emanating from him.
"Then he is most likely watching us from his control room." He surmised. "Help me find it."
The two took off down the left path in search of the control room. After a few minutes, they found the door with the word 'Security' written on it. Both Lexington and Goliath stopped at the door, sharing a nod. With a quick kick, Goliath shattered the door, both he and Lexington preparing for an assault. However, the room was empty, save for a computer terminal displaying multiple camera feeds.
"He's gone…" Lexington muttered.
"He can't have gone far." Goliath declared. "See if you can find him on the security footage."
Lexington got to work, jumping into Macbeth's chair and typing away furiously. He flipped through multiple camera feeds, trying to find any sign of Macbeth. He was flipping through them so fast that he didn't notice when Coldstone appeared on part of the screen. Luckily, Goliath did.
"Stop!" he shouted.
Lexington stopped mid keystroke, looking up at the screen. Coldstone was on the floor, actively struggling against a net of chains that held him prisoner. At the sight of the cybernetic gargoyle moving about, both Lexington and Goliath were confused.
"He's awake!" Goliath said, a note of relief in his voice. "But how?"
"Macbeth must have taken that flash drive Elisa gave me and brought him back online." Lexington surmised. "But there's no way to tell who's in charge. It could be Othello, Desdemona… or Iago."
Goliath's eyes narrowed at that as he looked at the screen. Like Lexington had said earlier, it was too easy. This entire place smelled like a trap, but even if it was, Goliath couldn't abandon Coldstone, or the three gargoyles inside his body. He punched through the computer screen, reducing the picture to static and rendering the system useless.
"I'll just have to be very careful." He decided, yanking his fist free of the machinery.
Lexington gave an approving nod and followed Goliath out of the room.
…
On the other side of the estate, Bronx had his nose to the ground in an attempt to sniff out Macbeth. Brooklyn followed close behind, his entire body tense in preparation for a fight. The entire place was eerily silent, and it sent a chill up Brooklyn's spine.
"I hope we find Coldstone and the artifacts soon." Brooklyn muttered, "This place is giving me the creeps."
Bronx seemed to share his sentiment, sniffing the ground before catching a scent near a door. He growled at it, scratching at the wood. Brooklyn came up to the door, slowly opening it. Bronx immediately went in, following his trail as Brooklyn flipped on the lights. He sighed in relief as he realized the room Bronx had found was little more than a closet.
"Nobody here." He sighed, turning back out of the room and turning off the lights.
Bronx did not share Brooklyn's relief. He continued his search, dead ending at a wall. Suddenly, the wall lifted up, revealing Demona in all her demonic glory. With a snarl, she leapt over Bronx and out of the closet, tackling Brooklyn to the ground.
"Demona!" Brooklyn shouted. "What are you doing here?"
Demona refused to answer. Instead, she picked Brooklyn up and tossed him across the hall where he strikes a fire place. She them deftly dodges a leap by Bronx, sending him colliding with Brooklyn right back into the fireplace. With a triumphant smile, she advanced on the two fallen gargoyles.
…
On the floor above, Hudson and Broadway continued their own search. They'd gone through several of the rooms already and were about to open a large set of double doors. Both prepared for anything, Broadway opened the doors, revealing a huge library. Broadway's eyes went wide at the sight, and even Hudson was amazed.
"Look at all these books." Broadway whispered in awe.
A laser suddenly came down, blasting the ground a mere inch from where Broadway stood, interrupting his wonderment. Following the path of the shot, the two gargoyles looked up to see Macbeth. He was perched on a rolling ladder, his handheld laser gun pointed right at them
"And I know how to read them." he taunted.
With a push from the wall, he sent the ladder slid around the circular room, his destination a passage behind a bookshelf on the opposite wall.
"He's escaping!" Hudson shouted.
"No he's not!" Broadway retorted.
Not willing to let him escape, Broadway quickly scaled a second ladder, pushing himself after Macbeth. Hudson sprinted toward a spiral staircase beneath the passage, hoping to cut Macbeth off. Macbeth saw Hudson coming and stopped his ladder with his boot. However, doing so caused Broadways ladder to collide with his, sending them both tumbling to the ground hard.
…
Across the house, Demona suddenly clutched herself in pain, feeling the aftereffect of Macbeth's tumble. Both Brooklyn and Bronx were confused by her antics, but knew when to take advantage of any opening. Eyes glowing brightly, Brooklyn launched himself out of the fireplace and at Demona's groaning form. He pinned her easily, which helped to pull Demona back to reality.
"Get off me!" she snarled.
She kicked Brooklyn off her, regaining her footing, only to be pinned again, this time by Bronx. This time, it wasn't so easy to get back up. Brooklyn walked over, smiling down triumphantly at Demona's fallen form.
"Good boy Bronx." He told the gargoyle dog, giving him a well deserved pat.
…
Goliath and Lexington made their way down the stone staircase to Macbeth's basement. Having battled Macbeth in his dungeon before, he knew right where to go. Sure enough, it wasn't long before they came across Coldstone's bound form.
"Brother." Goliath said cautiously.
Coldstone turned to the two gargoyles quickly, raising a claw as high as his chains would allow.
"Don't come any closer!" He warned. "It's a trap!"
"Not anymore." Broadway interjected triumphantly.
The three turned to see Hudson and Broadway coming down the stairs, carrying an unconscious Macbeth like a sack of potatoes. They drop him on the ground with a dismissive snort.
"Our host was catching up on his reading." Hudson explained.
"You don't understand!" Coldstone insisted. "Demona is still loose!"
Lexington snorted.
"Macbeth and Demona?" he repeated "They hate each other more than they hate all of us combined. They'd never work together."
Not two seconds after Lexington said this, Brooklyn dropped Demona's still form right next to Macbeths. Everyone stared at the two, then at Brooklyn and Bronx.
"Trust me, I'm just as confused as you." Brooklyn replied.
Goliath looked down at the fallen foes in contemplation.
"They must have escaped the Weird Sisters together somehow." He mused.
"But why team up?" Broadway asked.
"Yeah." Brooklyn added. "Willow's book made it pretty clear why they would never partner up."
"We'll figure that out later." Lexington answered. "Right now, let's free Coldstone."
"Are you sure that is wise?" Goliath asked.
Lexington ran over to Coldstone, his claws already making short work of the chains.
"If you ask me, by betraying Demona's presence, Coldstone's proven that one of the good personality is in control." He explained. "Besides, maybe they can tell us what those two did with the other artifacts."
Goliath helped to break the rest of his brother's chains before offering him a claw up. Coldstone took it, pulling himself to his feet and walking over to the unconscious enemies.
"Unfortunately, the other artifacts are long gone." Coldstone told them. "I'm afraid you've lost."
Everybody winced, the thought of the artifacts in the hands of some unseen enemy making them all shudder in fear. Still, Goliath was determined to look on the bright side.
"Not all is lost." He insisted. "You are back among us once more."
Coldstone walked over to the limp forms of Demona and Macbeth, gently picking them up. As he did, Brooklyn approached him.
"So who's in charge?" he asked. "Othello or Desdemona?"
Coldstone turned to Brooklyn, his kind smile becoming cold and cruel.
"Iago." He answered.
All six of them gasped in horror as Coldstone activated his rockets, hovering a good few feet off the ground. As he did, Demona and Macbeth snap instantly awake, having been feigning unconsciousness this whole time. With a triumphant smirk, Macbeth produced a clicker from his pocket, pressing the button. In an instant, the entire chamber floor was electrified. All of the gargoyles howled in pain before falling into unconsciousness.
…
Back in the virtual world, both Othello and Desdemona continue to struggle against the binds that held them. Before them, they could still see the spiraling portal. It was open for them, providing them with a clear view of what was going on outside. When they saw Goliath and the others fall, both of them roared in anger.
"IAGO!" Othello howled. "I will make you SUFFER for this!"
"We will tear your soul to pieces!" Desdemona promised.
With more screamed threats and other profanities, the two gargoyles continued their attempts at freedom.
…
Willow had long since fallen asleep, carried to her bed by Elisa. Now, the police woman paced around the tower, anxious for her friends to return.
"Where are they?" she wondered aloud as she stifled a yawn. "If they're not back by sunrise, I don't know what I'll do."
Elisa was barely keeping her eyes open, yawning and stretching about every three minutes. During one stretch, a silhouette appeared on the horizon. For a moment, Elisa thought it was Goliath, but those thoughts were quickly dashed when Demona landed before her.
"Demona…" Elisa growled. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be in whatever hole you hide in whenever the sun comes up."
Demona just chuckled, looking out at the rising sun. As it peeked over the horizon, Elisa awaited Demona's transformation into stone. However, instead of becoming stone, Demona began howling in agony, her blue skin turning a light Caucasian tone. Her wings curled up, disappearing into her back as her legs lengthened and her feet shortened. In less than a minute, Elisa was standing before the woman that had been Macbeth's partner.
"It was you." She realized. "Since when could you become a human?"
"Since I failed to destroy you with Titania's mirror." Demona replied, her voice dripping with contempt and self-confidence.
Elisa drew her gun, aiming it right at Demona.
"Well, if you're human, you're subject to human laws." She rationalized.
Elisa was about to start reading Demona her rights, but before she could, Demona approached her, pushing the gun away from her chest.
"You've been so focused on me, I'm surprised you haven't begun to wonder where your precious Goliath is." She taunted.
Elisa gasped, then pointed the gun back at Demona.
"Where is he?" she demanded.
"I can honestly say I don't know where he is." She replied. "But I know where he will be at high noon. I'll tell you, but first…"
With a quick kick, Demona sent Elisa's gun flying out of her hands. She then grabbed the police woman, pinning her against the banister.
"Goliath and the others will be placed at Belvedere Castle in Central Park." She explained. "If you or the little brat want to see them again, I suggest you come."
"And you'll let them go?" Elisa asked.
Demona cackled.
"No." she replied coldly. "Even if you come, you won't save them and it will cost you both your lives. But if you do not show, Goliath will know what true human loyalty is. I will tell him just how cowardly his human friends hid, right before I end him."
With a shove, Demona pushed Elisa away from the balcony, leaping over it herself. Elisa ran to go after her, only to see her climbing into Macbeth's airship and flying away.
"Jalapeña." She swore.
Elisa ran back inside, making a bee-line for Willow's bedroom. Throwing the curtain aside, she began shaking her, trying to wake her up.
"Come on Willow!" she said. "Wake up!"
Reluctantly, Willow opened her eyes.
"Elisa…?" She muttered sleepily.
"Willow, it was Demona." Elisa told her. "She was Macbeth's partner."
"What?" Willow questioned, now a bit more awake. "But you said that-"
"Demona can turn into a human thanks to Puck, but her power seems more like a curse than a gift." Elisa quickly explained.
Willow was incredibly confused, and sleep was slowly trying to reclaim its hold on her. Elisa could see this and grabbed Willow's arm, pulling her out of bed.
"I know you're tired, believe me, I can relate." Elisa said. "But right now, Goliath and the others are in trouble."
Willow's eyes widened.
"What happened?" she asked.
"They've all been captured, and unless we get to Belvedere Castle by noon, we won't have a chance to save them." Elisa answered.
Willow looked out at the empty balcony, her nightmares of smashed people and gargoyles coming back to her. It was all coming true, and that thought made Willow's stomach churn.
"She's gonna destroy them, isn't she?" Willow whispered quietly.
"Yes." Elisa told her in an equally quiet voice.
Willow clenched her fists, banishing the thoughts of her nightmares. She would not let them come true. She was done letting her fears rule her. She was gonna stop Demona.
"Alright." She finally said. "Let's-"
Before she could take a step, then entire room started spinning. Willow fell to her knees, where Elisa bent down to help her.
"You okay?" she asked.
Willow shook her head.
"I'm useless like this." She muttered. "Without 12 hours of sleep, I can barely move, much less fight."
Elisa nodded. Even without a spell draining her strength, Elisa was in no better shape. Unfortunately, neither of them could afford to get the sleep they so desperately needed. Luckily, Elisa had an idea. She ran into the kitchen, opening the fridge and the pantry.
From the pantry, she grabbed a small container of black pepper corns, a jar of honey, and a bottle of vinegar. From the fridge, she grabbed two eggs, tobacco sauce, and a lemon. Not really bothering to measure, she began pouring in the liquids into a blender. Afterwards, she cracked the two eggs into the sludge, then tossed in a couple peppercorns. She quickly cut the lemon in two, squeezing the juice into the concoction. Finally, she dumped the entire jar of honey into the mix.
Hitting the puree button, Elisa grabbed two glasses before turning off the blender and pouring the contents into the glasses. She took them both, walking over to Willow and handing her one.
"Here." She said. "My mom would make me, Derek, and Beth this stuff whenever we stayed up too late on a school night. It tastes nasty, but it works."
Willow took is and sniffed it. Recoiling at the scent, she looked at Elisa
"I don't want to know what's in this, do I." Willow gagged.
"Nope." Elisa agreed.
The two women exchanged glances, then they looked down at their glasses. With thoughts of their friends in danger, they tipped their heads, back, downing their concoctions.
…
Near noon, outside Belvedere Castle, the Gargoyles were arranged in the small courtyard. All six had chains binding their forms. As Demona checked them to make sure they were snug, Coldstone looked up at the sky in fascination.
"I never imagined I would see the Sun." he mused. "Why hasn't this body turned to stone?"
"You are no longer a gargoyle." Demona explained. "Day or night, you are Coldstone."
Coldstone smiled at the thought, then he noticed a couple walking past. They were but inches from Coldstone, and yet, they did not seem to even notice him, or his companions.
"Why do they not see us?" he wondered aloud.
"Some things are best left unanswered." Macbeth replied. "Think nothing of it."
…
Inside Coldstone's virtual world, Both Othello and Desdemona had ceased their struggles. Despite being just souls, they were exhausted from their attempts at freedom and Othello was beginning to lose hope.
"It's no use." He sighed. "We are trapped here."
Desdemona looked over at her beloved, wishing she had the ability to hold his claw.
"Do not say that, my love." She tried to tell him. "We cannot give up. They are all in grave danger if we do nothing."
Othello looked through that spiraling portal, gazing on the stone forms of his brethren. He growled at the sight, turning away.
"I knew I should have destroyed every last trace of our treacherous brother when I had the chance." He muttered.
"But you didn't." An old voice called out.
Both Desdemona and Othello looked up, surprised to see a trio of figures emerging from the portal. They were very old gargoyles that neither of them recognized, identical in every way, save for their hair color. One had white hair, one yellow hair, and one black hair.
"Who are you?" Othello asked.
"Who we are matters not." The black-haired one replied.
"You two are the ones who truly matter." The white-haired one added.
…
Elisa and Willow walked into Belvedere Castle just as noon came around. Macbeth, Coldstone, and Demona all watched them enter, cautious of any trick. The two women ignored them, Elisa walking straight towards Goliath while Willow approached Brooklyn.
"I must admit, I did not think either of you would come." Demona told them as she leveled a bazooka at Elisa. "A brave, but ultimately foolish gesture."
"Neither of us are armed, Demona." Elisa told her as she gently checked Goliath's statue for even the slightest crack.
"That was your first mistake." Demona replied.
She prepared to fire, but that was when Willow spoke.
"You know, I thought Elisa was pulling my leg when she said you were a human." Willow commented. "I never thought it was the truth."
Demona's finger paused on the trigger as Willow continued.
"So what's it like?" Willow asked. "Being a 'lowly human' like me and Elisa? Obviously you feel weak, since you're hiding behind your weapon. Then again, pretty much every time I see you, you hide behind a trick or weapon."
Demona snarled at Willow, dropping her weapon. Elisa began approaching slowly, an action that garnered a raised eyebrow from Macbeth. He leaned against the wall of the castle, curious to see how this would play out. Even Coldstone was curious.
"You will regret those words, brat." Demona threatened. "Your precious Brooklyn can't save you, nor can Goliath."
"We came here to save them." Willow retorted. "And frankly, I know something you don't."
Now it was Demona's turn to raise an eyebrow. Her smug smile returned as she crossed her arms.
"And what is that?" she asked.
"I know that you're human by day and gargoyle by night." Willow replied. "But me?"
Willow's body shimmered with her green electricity as her form morphed. Soon, she was standing in all her gargoyle glory, much to Coldstone's surprise, Macbeth's amusement, and Demona's shock.
"You-" Demona tried. "You-"
"Didn't I tell you, Demona?" Macbeth commented, relishing in Demona's reaction. "The young lass can become a gargoyle at will."
If Demona was still a gargoyle, her eyes would have been red from the amount of rage coursing through her body. In a blind fury, she lunged at Willow. Thinking quickly, Willow grabbed her and tossed her aside, sending her rebounding off a nearby wall. Elisa, who had grabbed Demona's weapon and successfully hidden in in a bush, approached Demona and laughed.
"You fight like a rookie." She taunted.
Demona attempted a grab at Elisa, but the woman merely side stepped. Watching Demona sprawl on the ground, Willow joined in Elisa's taunting.
"You have over 1000 years of experience over us, and yet you're not even landing a hit." Willow said with a shake of her head. "I can't believe I was ever afraid of you."
"Willow's right." Elisa added. "Without your spells, your tricks, or your artillery, you're nothing."
Any rational thought Demona may have had was gone with those words. She gave Elisa a solid kick to the stomach, sending her skidding back, then tackled Willow to the ground. As Willow tried to get up, Elisa jumped onto Demona's back, trying to wrestler her to the ground. Both Coldstone and Macbeth watched the fight with no small degree of enjoyment.
…
The three old gargoyles approached Othello and Desdemona. With a wave of their hands, the landscape rescinded, freeing the two of them.
"You are the only ones who can stop the one called Iago." The blonde gargoyle told them.
"Go save your clan." The three of them said in unison.
Then, as quickly as they came, the three gargoyles vanished. Both Othello and Desdemona looked at each other, then took each other's hands.
"Come, my love." Desdemona said happily. "Let us save our clan."
"I couldn't agree more." Othello agreed.
With that, the two gargoyles jumped into the swirling portal.
…
Coldstone's body began to spark as electricity danced across his body. He clutched his head, falling to his knees screaming. Macbeth noticed this and turned to him.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I am besieged!" Coldstone cried in reply.
…
Inside the portal, Iago engaged Othello and Desdemona.
"You two should have stayed in that world." He threatened. "Coldstone is mine!"
"Not anymore." Othello promised.
Desdemona tackled Iago from behind, pinning him to the 'ground' of the portal
"I'll hold him." She said. "You take back Coldstone and repair the damage he has done."
With a silent nod, Othello did just that.
…
The sparks ceased and Coldstone slowly straightened. Macbeth approached him cautiously.
"Are you all right?" Macbeth inquired.
Coldstone turned to him. Then, in a flurry of motion, he pushed Macbeth into the castle.
"I am now that the true soul is back in control." Coldstone answered.
Macbeth's eyes widened and he quickly drew his small laser. Before he could fire it, Coldstone activates his arm cannon, destroying the weapon in the blink of an eye.
"It would appear that we no longer hold the advantage." Macbeth remarked. "Airship! Priority one extraction!"
Demona perked up at those words, which gave Elisa and Willow the perfect opportunity to double punch her in the face. She attempts a second tackle, but is batted away by Willow's tail. After rebounding off Broadway's stone form, Macbeth grabbed her.
"We're getting out of here." He declared.
Demona pulled herself free of Macbeths grasp, but followed him to where his airship was coming in. A rope ladder was deployed and the two of them took hold of it. With them still gripping the ladder, the ship took off. Coldstone prepared to go after them, but Willow stopped him.
"Don't!" she shouted. "Let them go. There's been enough fighting for one day."
Coldstone nodded, then looked at Willow. As her form shimmered, he smiled.
"It would seem Demona is not the only one with transformative powers." He said. "The form of a gargoyle suits you."
Willow smiled, then walked over to the statue of Brooklyn, slumping to the ground next to it. When Coldstone saw the chains, he drew his arm cannon, shatter the links of the chains and freeing all of them.
"Thank you." Elisa told him, pulling the shattered chains off of the gargoyles.
"You are welcome." Coldstone replied with a bow. "But now I must take my leave."
Willow perked up, getting to her feet and running towards Coldstone.
"Wait, what?" she asked. "But what about everyone else? They've been dying to see you again."
"I have longed to see them again myself." Coldstone replied. "But right now, this body is a battle field. Until the war is decided, no living creature, human or gargoyle, is safe."
As he powered up his boosters, he looked at Willow and Elisa, smiling warmly.
"Look after my clan." He told them. "And tell them I will see them again."
With those parting words, Coldstone took off into the day. As he vanished, Willow's eyes rolled back in her head and she fell back, landing right next to Brooklyn's statue. Her eyes closed and she fell asleep almost immediately. Following suit, Elisa slumped to the ground, leaning against Goliath before finally falling asleep herself.
…
At Macbeth's estate, Macbeth and Demona were in yet another heated argument.
"Because we did this your way, those two humans and the gargoyles are still alive!" Demona screamed.
"Destroying them was never our primary objective!" Macbeth retorted.
"And we lost Coldstone!" Demona added, then she finally registered what Macbeth had said. "What primary objective?"
Macbeth hit a button on the underside of a thick table. It opened up, revealing the stolen artifacts: the Eye of Odin, the Phoenix Gate, and Grimorum.
"With Coldstone, we managed to convince Goliath that they were long gone, and with his aid, we got the humans to focus on rescuing the gargoyles rather than recover them." He reminded her.
Demona picked up the Grimorum, looking at it as if a haze was being lifted from her mind.
"That's right." She muttered "It was a spell from the Grimorum that concealed our presence from passersby in the park."
Macbeth angrily snatched the Grimorum, placing it back on the table. Soon, the two were just staring at them, confusion clouding both of them.
"But why did we steal these things?" Demona questioned. "How did we know where to find them?"
"All good questions." Macbeth agreed as he turned to Demona. "But there is one question that I demand an answer to."
He grabbed a nearby chair, turning to Demona with the resolve to smash it on her head.
"Why are we working together?!" he snapped.
Just as the two went for each other's throat, a magical mist surrounded them, freezing them in place. Then, three separate spirals of mist appeared, and from them, the Weird Sisters emerged.
"It seems we've arrived just in time my sisters." Seline commented, approaching the two and looking upon them like a parent would to naughty children. "The compulsion we placed upon them was about to wear off."
"One can only force a person to go against their nature for so long." Luna remarked.
"The only question that remains is the wisdom behind releasing Coldstone." Seline added.
"The Child of Two worlds was in danger." Phoebe answered. "Sacrifices needed to be made to ensure her continued existence."
"Besides, we have was we truly need." Luna added, gathering the artifacts. "We will need these for the upcoming battle."
The sisters then look upon the still frozen Macbeth and Demona, smiling at each other.
"And they will need to play their part as well." Seline remarked. "But this time, we'll need a stronger spell."
The mist returned, blanketing the five of them before they all vanished, leaving not a single trace that any of them were ever there.