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'm 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 "Case No. 1".
Instigating Chaos
By SN/TVfan
Email: Sam_Nary
Castle Wyvern
"So now the next shift will take its turn," Goliath rumbled in a low voice after awakening from stone sleep.
"Yes," Elisa nodded from beside him, "Largely the same as has been done before… except now you're legal and officially, attacking you will bring with it legal penalties as well as the bruises you'd surely give them."
Goliath looked over to her.
"And on the plus side, eventually we'll either draw a wage or a salary," Elisa quipped, "You'll be paid to protect."
The simplistic delivery made Goliath think for a moment that his clan had been reduced to being simple mercenaries, but he knew the subject of 'pay' was more complicated then the way Elisa put it, and that he also knew that Elisa knew it as well.
"This sounds like it will lead to more of what you call 'paperwork'," Goliath commented.
"Just wait till you have to file a tax return," Elisa chuckled.
Goliath could only chuckle.
"Come on, your shift will be heading out soon," Elisa sighed, "and the rest of us have hatchlings to watch. Best to get to breakfast."
Goliath nodded and followed her.
Getting breakfast was a rather routine event, though those that would have their first shift with the NYPD were in a bit more of a hurry then the others. Though anticipation of the work did have its own curiosity.
"So, how did it go last night?" Eve asked to Caroline and Candy who were eating their breakfast.
Lexington sat beside his mate and was fairly curious on the issue, since he didn't patrol with Candy, but he was also more used to it in a way.
"The patrolling isn't too different from what you've done before," Candy commented, "you'll be expected to report more to the dispatch officer then before, but you know that."
"There is the part of the jealous women," Caroline grumbled.
"Jealous women?" Eve asked nervously.
"Some of Elisa's policewoman friends got a little jealous over things," Caroline answered with a sigh…
23rdPrecinct, The Night Before
Caroline and Angela had brought their suspect back to the 23rd and had the man in the station's interrogation room. Flariaty was there to supervise basic procedure was followed, and included the questioning in the new 'Gargoyles Task Force' was included in the first reports to the 23rd's 'leader', Captain Chavez.
"Can we start with your name, sir?" Angela asked, "we can not just call you by pronouns for a male…"
"Very detail oriented, very interesting," the unknown man commented, "very interesting."
"Your name," Caroline gave a low growl.
"You may call me John Doe," the man answered.
Caroline and Angela glanced to Flariaty, who only shrugged.
"Very well, John," Angela continued, "can you tell us why you had the dummy gargoyle?"
"I…" John began to deny the charge.
"Forensics did confirm that you had fired the dummy gargoyle," Caroline answered, "and in doing so, caused a riot. We want to know why?"
John Doe looked down for a moment before he actually answered the question.
"It was a test really," John Doe answered slowly.
"A test?" Angela asked.
"Yes, a test," John Doe answered, "things have been changing rapidly here in New York of late. I merely wished to see what the reaction to all these changes has been."
"To see if New York supports gargoyles or doesn't support gargoyles," Angela surmised.
"Yes," John Doe answered with a nod, "that is exactly it."
"Couldn't you have just opened up some public poll?" Caroline questioned, "it might have prevented the riot that you caused."
"I have found polls to be inaccurate," John Doe answered, "especially when it comes to issues of race. No one in this country will admit it, but 'minorities' are hated by the majority of the white populace. Your kind has merely replaced the African, the Native American, the Latino, and the Asian American as the principle target."
"Things can not be that bad," Angela replied in a sort of disbelieving voice.
"Believe what you will," John Doe commented, "but your kind is in for a long road to gain equality."
"You still had no cause to start a riot," Caroline said firmly.
"Perhaps you are right there and I overdid it a little," John Doe answered, "and for that I'm sorry… I really didn't intend for anything like a riot to break out."
Caroline and Angela then looked to Flariaty again as if for guidance on what to do. Matt's present partner only shrugged.
"That's about all we can really get," Flariaty sighed, "he's been read his rights, denied to request an attorney, and has admitted to causing the riot for what would appear to be fairly innocent goals. I can finish the processing of him. You two had best shower before making your final report to Matt."
Angela then led Caroline out and began to walk slowly toward the locker rooms that the officers used to store soap and other personal items.
"I still do not understand these communal showering concept," Angela commented, "shouldn't one's body be private?"
"Broadway's seen you naked, hasn't he?" Caroline asked.
"He is my mate, the one who will sire my eggs," Angela answered, "It is different with him."
"From what I've heard from Hudson, the clan was big on this 'communal' stuff in the Middle Ages," Caroline commented, "wouldn't Princess Katherine have tried to raise you the way the clan raised its hatchlings before the massacre?"
"The Princess hated the clan before the massacre," Angela answered, "You know that from Hudson. She didn't know how the clan operated, so when the massacre showed her how wrong she and the Magus had been, they didn't know how the clan raised its hatchlings. I and my brothers and sisters were raised the way Katherine would have raised her own children if she ever would had any."
"I see," Caroline sighed.
The two continued silently for a moment before Caroline spoke again.
"I know this seems weird, but at least we'll all be female," Caroline said slowly, "there shouldn't be any men in the women's locker room… and I don't really know or sure. Maybe they have individual stalls to use."
"But why do humans do things like this?" Angela asked, "from what I've seen, humans do not have the same communal practices that the old clan had."
"I don't know," Caroline commented, "the system extends to a lot of things that we… that society doesn't consider 'private'. School… the police… the fire department… these are all institutions aimed to help society as a whole, so maybe they're a bit more 'communal' then the norm… or maybe it all boils down to money. It's cheaper to make the showers communal. As I said I don't truly know the exact reason."
"And you just accept it?" Angela asked.
"Amy, Candy, and I lived with it all our lives," Caroline answered, "we've accepted it because we've never known any other expectation. There are some things that require 'communal' showering… and since everyone is female, there has been no problem."
Again there was a silence for a moment.
"Can you deal with all of this?" Caroline asked after a moment, "from the way you've said things, it sounds like there is something more then just showering that is troubling you."
"I am uneasy about this," Angela answered, "being naked in front of strangers."
"It will only be females," Caroline answered, "you have nothing any woman hasn't seen on herself before."
"I'm sure," Angela answered slowly, "but that does not make it less embarrassing."
Caroline raised a brow-ridge. Angela only sighed.
"It happened before you and your friends joined the clan… before Elisa was even transformed," Angela answered, "I was showering to clean my hair. But the castle's plumbing has had so many improvements done by Xanatos that no one could hear the water running."
"One of boys accidentally walked in on you?" Caroline inquired.
"Elisa, actually," Angela replied, "but I didn't want anyone to see me naked, and it could have been one of the 'boys' as you put it."
"At least it was Elisa and nothing she saw was new," Caroline whispered.
"It was still embarrassing," Angela whispered back, "and it leaves me somewhat uncomfortable."
"Everyone is uncomfortable with it from time to time," Caroline answered, "believe me."
Angela only sighed and they continued on their way. They found the other female clan members on shift heading into the locker room
"How did things go for you two?" Elisa asked as she held the door open.
"Had to stop a riot caused by some nut who wanted to see if the people on New York liked us or not," Angela answered, "More frustrating I suppose then anything else."
"I know," Elisa gave a soft chuckle, "though for police work, the annoyances may be more tolerable then the big problems. Less paperwork that way."
They then slowly made their way into the women's locker room. As they entered there were a row of stalls and a couple of sinks, so that no one outside the locker room would see anything improper, even by accident. The group then slowly made their way toward a side wall that didn't fully enclose the bathroom section of the room but lead to the lockers and the showers.
The clan's lockers were all together on one section with one or two other people there as well. Caroline went quietly to hers and began to get ready to shower before making their final report for the night. There were a few others there. She did her best to focus on her own preparations, but she could guess that Angela and even Candy were somewhat uncomfortable with the idea.
"Damn," a voice spoke from the showering area.
That made Caroline pause and look up to see a couple of female human officers wrapped in towels and holding small bags of bathing supplies. Both of them were looking at them with almost wide eyes.
"Hearra, Rodriguez," Elisa responded, referring to them by their last names, which made Caroline assume that Elisa knew them before she had been transformed, "Is something wrong?"
The first woman, Hearra, blushed in embarrassment, "sorry."
The other woman was a bit more direct.
"It's just…" Rodriguez said, "damn. You don't do anything small do you?"
This made Caroline give a heavy sigh. She glanced back to see the state the other females were in. Desdemona and Candy were completely nude, though Candy was trying to hide behind her web-wings. Elisa, Amy, Angela, and herself were down to either their underwear or shorts. Despite this it gave the two women a sight that apparently made them jealous. The object of their jealousy was all too clear, the breasts of the female gargoyles present.
"I did not become a gargoyle for cosmetic reasons," Elisa answered, covering her tan breasts with her wings.
"Sure…" Rodriguez accepted the answer, "but… damn those are big."
"Gargoyle hatchlings generally drink more milk then human infants," Desdemona answered, "I suppose it would be logical to assume that our sizes are to better feed our own offspring."
Caroline wondered if the golden female had learned that sort of stuff from Candy, or her form as Coldfire was somehow linked to the internet and she learned that way. Not that the answer really persuaded Rodriguez, though.
"You sure there isn't some other explanation?" Rodriguez asked, "some sort of pill, perhaps?"
"No, all of this was a result of being turned into a gargoyle," Elisa answered and went by her.
Caroline and the others began to follow, carrying their bathing supplies with them.
"Damn," Rodriguez answered and then paused for a moment, "we'll be behind you, Maza."
"Thanks, I guess," Elisa said slowly and carried on into shower.
Castle Wyvern, Present
"They were jealous of you over that?" Eve gasped in shock, none o her sisters on Avalon were ever jealous over those sorts of things, and Princess Katherine was never bothered by it.
Caroline only nodded. It was Candy who gave a vocal answer.
"Human women are not 'built' equally," Candy said slowly, "some are bigger then others…"
"And men seem to like those who are bigger," Caroline grumbled.
"…and this leads to some competition or rivalry between women, as everyone wants to be loved," Candy finished, "which results in rather childish behavior. To be honest, I had thought those two officers would be more mature about this sort of thing by now."
"There is much about human culture that seems so…" Eve begin, "alien to me."
"I'm sure," Candy answered, "but this is all 'small potatoes' stuff in comparison to other things that could be problems for gargoyles in the future. Both of them did say they were supportive in regards to the clan."
"They are supportive of Elisa," Caroline corrected, "we don't know how they view gargoyles."
Candy only sighed, and the group worked to finish their breakfast. Once breakfast was over, they began to continue to go into what was quickly becoming routine for the clan. Part of it stayed with the Tibetan elders and the Guatemalan gargoyles to look after the Tibetan hatchlings while the rest headed out for their shift with the police.
"Remember to keep your calm, big guy," Elisa said to Goliath before he left, "being official may seem frustrating, but it has to be done."
"Of course," Goliath rumbled and rubbed her brow-ridges.
Those that would be patrolling for the night then took to the air and began to head toward the 23rd Precinct. As they went, Eve moved up to glide beside the Manhattan Clan leader.
"I hope I do not let you down," Eve said to him.
Goliath looked back to her with some puzzlement. Eve, Ethan, Ian, and Sarah had been with his clan for awhile and had faced their fair share of villains, from muggers and common street criminals to the Unseelie Court. He was certain that they had picked up enough experience that he didn't need to worry them 'letting him down'.
"I'm sure you will do fine," Goliath rumbled to reassure her, "remember the patrols with the clan that you've already done and remember what you learned in the training sessions, and you should do fine."
"I hope so," Eve answered.
Elsewhere in Manhattan
The cougar based mutate, Fang, sat alone inside an empty section of Manhattan's sewer tunnels. Most if not all of the events that had been going on in Manhattan were not known entirely to him. Mostly because of his mutated form. While people would likely mistake him for a gargoyle, he still knew that he couldn't just waltz into a store and buy what he needed, even if he didn't have a criminal record.
But Fang did know of a few things that had gone on. He wasn't that stupid and he wasn't without the means to get information. News stands were pretty easy to hit, and there were the various distribution machines that didn't have a vendor manning them. Fang actually found them to be the easiest to hit as the activity would be termed 'vandalism' and wouldn't attract as much attention.
As a result of this, Fang had learned that the clan had been deputized by the city and that it was controversial, but that was about all he knew. Though not that Fang had any real concern about this. He was never much more then a bully and a thug. His failed attempt to take over the Labyrinth had depended on joining forces with a pair of human thugs and bullying Claw into serving him. And his plan for the Labyrinth? Merely to have the people wait on him and tell him how great he was, and he was easily out fought by Talon and the gargoyles. So, while Fang knew the clan's position had become official, he had no idea how deal with that situation, as it was beyond a common thug.
And as a thug, Fang was best served as the hired muscle for some 'bigger' boss. Serving Demona and Thailog, and then more recently, the clone of Thailog. He didn't have clue as to how Demona would respond to this, but he was fairly sure Thailog would voice some curiosity at the entire situation. Thailog would want to exercise some test to see what he could get away with, and then act accordingly. As a thug, however, there was only one thing on Fang's mind at the moment, was his wonderings about how he would feed himself and how he would acquire money.
He had grown accustomed to serving the Thailog clone and was used to having these basic needs provided for him. The searching of Maddox Technologies had removed that comfortable lifestyle and Fang was once again having to live the life of a small time thug with no master. For a moment he had thought of returning to the Labyrinth, as they would feed him there, but he didn't want to be behind bars, and he doubted he would ever come in to a position where he could challenge Talon.
That left him with hitting vending machines for food, and taking whatever change was in them at the time. It was a step down from what he was used to, but it was all he could do, outside of robbing a convenience store. As his hunger grew, Fang departed, looking for some score that would make his life easier.
Manhattan Apartment
"So, what happened today?" the blood red female gargoyle, known as Holly, asked the two people standing behind her.
"There were continued protests against the mayor concerning the 'deputizing' of the gargoyles, and the recent riot was added as fuel to the proverbial fire," the man answered.
"It has not changed the mayor's opinion though," the woman added though.
Holly only nodded in response. Thailog's defeat in his final battle against Goliath's clan had been just as damaging for her as it had been for Fang, perhaps even more so, considering that she had to use her magic to escape from prison as well. Her mate, Thailog, was gone. Dead according to all the news reports that Holly had received. Maddox Technologies was under investigation and it looked like the company was going to implode, taking the robot Thailog with it. Holly knew she wouldn't be able to get anything she owned there
But unlike Fang who was returned to his roots as a common thug on the street by Thailog's defeat, Holly was perfectly capable of recovering from the defeat. She knew she was smarter then the mutate, but her recovery came more from a different factor. Holly's skills as a sorceress, which made finding a place to stay and securing it easy. Holly spent the time immediately after her escape underground, but once she had a full night to work with, she returned to the area above the sewers to prepare her recovery and her next course of action.
She had chosen a Manhattan apartment from an upper middle class part of the borough, which belonged to a Martin and Wilma Ere. The two had jumped at Holly's arrival, but one quick spell left the two humans as the entranced… enslaved… individuals that were reporting to Holly what had gone on during the day. In terms of the 'writing' of the spell, it was no different from the spell Demona had used on Goliath (or was using on Khan's supermen in Tibet), but Holly had found that while the spell's wording was fairly simple, its application could go much further.
Those who had used the spell before had commonly used it to turn a person or gargoyle into a mindless drone to battle for the spell caster. And from what Molly had read, though, the spell had far more potential then just creating a mindless drone, though to do so required some cleverness that Holly guessed a lot of earlier spell casters either didn't have or didn't consider trying.
Holly, however, did consider herself to be clever. The spell that enslaved the Eres to her left them without an independent will, but with some carefully organized commands from Holly, they were as intelligent as they were before. They still went about their normal lives, but this served Holly's purpose of using them as information gatherers and insured that ultimately Holly's own needs would be met. But they were not free. Holly had worded her orders well enough that Mr. and Mrs. Ere remained enslaved to her.
"Well," Holly said slowly, "that is good news for the clan then, isn't it… the mayor not changing his position?"
Her two slaves did not answer, but then, they weren't supposed to. They were to provide and protect Holly along with being her eyes and ears in the city, so she could know what had gone on during the day. She could watch the news, but the stations that focused on the news exclusively were covering other things deemed more important the rights of gargoyles, and the stations carrying local news weren't showing the news at that time. So, Holly relied on her slaves and might watch the news later.
As for her personal plans for the future, she wasn't sure what to really do. She did desire the opportunity for power, but taking over Manhattan was impossible. With Thailog and Maddox Technologies gone, she had no power base from which to attack. Now, she knew she could simply enslave some CEO the way she enslaved Eres, but given the fact that she was a wanted fugitive from the law and Goliath's clan was surely looking for her. And since many CEOs had so much attention paid to them, if something was done that seemed out of character, that might draw the 'deputized' gargoyles down on her, which she couldn't afford.
Now, she guessed that being elected into office was a possibility, but that would take time to erase her criminal record, even with magic. On top of that, with anti-gargoyle groups like the Order of the Phoenix about, she didn't see herself winning elected office as a gargoyle. Crushing them was an idea, but that would be tricky, since she'd need to make it look like a gargoyle was not the perpetrator of the crime. That would take time, though.
And there was Goliath's clan itself. Outside of Elisa, she had no real hatred for the clan, and a part of her considered enslaving Goliath to serve as a replacement for Thailog, but she dismissed it. For the most part her problem with the clan was their attitude. She could accept the 'protecting the city' explanation, but she didn't like selfless aspect of it that Goliath's clan followed. Humans never did anything without making sure there was some way they could profit from it. Even celebrities 'giving' to charity. For them it was more of a 'hey look at me being generous' rather then any concern for those the charity wanted to help. And then there were the political wing nuts who had found loopholes in the tax codes that by donating to charity they could lower their federal income taxes and possibly even get a good portion of that money back on a tax return. Those people weren't charitable, they merely hated the government, and Holly was certain that if they didn't HAVE to pay taxes, they wouldn't donate to charity. As far as Holly was concerned, doing something for nothing was stupid.
Dealing with Goliath's clan would be the difficult thing for her future. The only one she really wanted to kill was Elisa, but the others… if it weren't for the fact that they opposed her and had opposed Thailog, Holly found that the others to have some potential use. But they would oppose her, now with the NYPD behind them. Now, with her powers she was stronger then any of them, but if they attacked her together and the police backed them up, she might be over-powered. Defeating Goliath's clan would take numbers, which she didn't have.
Getting the numbers would be difficult. She could launch a raid on the prison that the surviving members of Thailog's 'organization' were sent to, and she would rapidly regain the forces needed to consider a fight with Goliath's clan. That would restore the Pack to her, along with Granite, Bertha, Liz, Buzz, Rage, Lucifer, and Thorn to her, but that would require a major battle with the guards to get into the prison, and then a larger battle with the police and Goliath's clan to get out. That would attract more attention then she wanted. She wanted the defeat of Goliath's clan to be subtle, as a big open battle might sway the political decisions that gave Holly her ideas for political power.
Her next option would be to use her magic to create a new clan, but that was rejected even faster then rescuing Thailog's supporters was. The only ones that might support her and follow her would be common criminals, but with no base like Maddox Technologies, such a move would have the same result as freeing Thailog's followers would. Too much attention and viewed escalation. There was also the problem that she would likely have to persuade a bunch of new gargoyles to follow her, and she didn't want that frustration.
Her next option would be to enslave Goliath's clan the way she had the Eres, but ultimately she turned that down as well. This came from her knowledge that the clan had battled sorcerers sorceresses before. She might be able tool Eres' neighbors, friends, and employers with her trick, but the likely didn't know her magic even existed. The clan would at least suspect her involvement and might be able to pick up on the spell's presence as they had learned to recognize these things.
That left her with one option, spread Goliath's clan and the police thin with various acts of chaos and over time pick his clan off one by one until only Elisa remained. Then, Holly might risk a more open engagement, as the fight would satisfy her own personal want for revenge. Then she could turn to taking over the city. That way she could carry out her long term plans without serious opposition.
"And what is a little chaos among rivals, eh?" Holly spoke to her slaves, who again did not answer, "It keeps the mind sharp."
23rdPrecinct
Goliath and the others quietly landed and went inside the police clock tower, which was now the headquarters for the NYPD's current Gargoyle Task Force. Matt and Flariaty were both waiting for them. Goliath slowly led the group as they went to 'clock in'.
"Good evening, Detective," Goliath rumbled politely.
"Good evening to all of you," Matt replied and let them all sign in before starting the night shift.
"Good evening," Flariaty said from where she was.
"Did anything happen during the day that we should be aware of?" Goliath asked, trying to be careful.
"Nothing really criminal has gone on during the day," Matt signed, "Maccio's people have continued their protests, but that isn't a crime. It isn't right, but it's still legal."
"And what is the specific problem 'e has wi us now?" Hudson wondered, his accent coming through heavily.
"His present argument is that your presence is the cause for the riot last night," Matt sighed, "that if the city had arrested you after Thailog's attack, there wouldn't have been a riot."
"Essentially blaming you for his racism," Flariaty grumbled.
"And you're sure nothing can be done?" Ian asked.
"Not unless they commit a crime the way the Quarrymen did," Matt replied, "there is no law against racism. It would violate the First Amendment right of free speech, and various groups, not just the Order of the Phoenix, use it as their shield to voice whatever empty headed opinion they have."
The present gargoyles nodded. They did not like what Ralph Maccio was doing, but they weren't about to swoop down him because they didn't like him. Such action would be wrong and against everything the clan had been trying to establish since they were revealed to the people of New York.
Matt meanwhile went to a large map of Manhattan that was placed on pegboard suspended by a wooden frame.
"And the Order of the Phoenix is nothing but noise for the moment," Matt sighed, "Unpleasant maybe, but not a concern for you guys. Basic uniformed officers have monitored their protests."
"I suppose we are to be saved for the 'bigger' problems?" Othello wondered aloud.
"In a way," Matt sighed, "Right now we're still trying to prove to people like Maccio that you aren't monsters."
Everyone sighed heavily at that. It seemed that some battles went on forever, and dealing with prejudiced humans was one of the.
"In the meantime, we gotten some reports in that are being directed for you guys to hunt down… keep an eye out for… however you want to put it," Matt began as he turned to the map.
"What is it?" Goliath asked, sensing some nervousness.
He had learned that there were some crimes were more shocking to Elisa then others, and some crimes made her more nervous then others. He had since guessed that a similar principle applied to the other officers, though what crimes they would find shocking would probably vary with the officer.
"It's more the 'who' then the 'what' actually," Matt said with a sigh, "the crimes have been nothing more then petty crime and vandalism on the south side of the city. The reports on these cases have been coming in over the past couple of days… since the battle against Thailog… and we've gotten enough reports to give us a good guess as to who might be doing this."
Matt motioned to the southern section of the city with a pencil and then turned to a desk nearby to continue the briefing.
"It's been vending machines and newspaper dispensers that have been robbed," Matt continued, "which normally wouldn't require much more then basic surveillance, but with these cases…it might require more then that. The newspaper dispensers have been pulled open, and by hand, as the stand wasn't uprooted from the ground… and the we actually had some CSI officers check the vending machines because of some surveillance camera footage that was also recorded in connection with these crimes."
"The cameras and the CSI officers confirmed who the criminal is," Flariaty spoke, "the vending machines were blown out by the result of an electrical overload, and one of the security cameras caught a winged furry shape fleeing the scene."
"Fang," Goliath growled in a low voice, knowing that many of the clan's old foes that hadn't had a history of going in and out of prison, like the Pack, were now known to the Police as a whole. Only Xanatos and Fox had escaped that, and that was because they had essentially called a truce after the clan saved Alex.
"Yes," Matt nodded, "Our best guess is that Thailog didn't have a hidden base for him to flee to, and he's been living off the streets."
"And we're to be sent after him," Goliath surmised.
"Yes," Matt nodded, "with his powers, he could be a real threat to pubic safety if he ever gets some brains."
Those that had faced Fang before nodded.
"Can ye contain, him, lad?" Hudson asked after a few moments.
"The guys at Rikers seem confident… though I think that's because since Xanatos's feud with you guys ended, he's been privately providing the funding and designs for cells that can contain crooks like Fang," Matt sighed, "probably to atone for some of his more dangerous mistakes… like the Pack…"
"But the people at Rikers are confident the upgrades will work," Flariaty finished, "from there, we can only hope. So far, Thailog's gargoyles and the Pack haven't escaped."
"So far," Goliath grumbled, "we'll be heading out now. We'll let you know if we find anything tonight."
Matt nodded as the group headed out for their patrol for the night.
Outside
Holly watched quietly from a hidden vantage point as the gargoyles of the new Gargoyle Task Force left the 23rd Precinct headquarters. Most seemed to head in a southerly direction, but Hudson and Sarah headed north. Holly was also careful to note that Elisa was not among this patrol group. Which meant to her that Elisa had either left earlier or wasn't part of the shift on duty that night. However, she had little intention of searching the city to see if Elisa was on duty. She sincerely wanted to destroy the tan female, but she wasn't going to take any major risk of getting caught by the police or Xanatos searching for Elisa.
"I wonder why they all went south," Holly commented to herself, omitting Hudson and Sarah, "Is something going on there?"
She then glanced back to the tower and saw that there were no external cameras at that height. It made her wonder what the city was thinking. Gargoyles were well known in Manhattan now. Rooftop surveillance cameras were a must because a 'gargoyle' could break into any building from the roof.
"Well, I guess I can always find out," Holly smirked and then leaped into the air and glided to the precinct building.
Holly landed quietly on the balcony and opened the door to enter the clock tower. As the blood red female entered the tower, she startled Matt and Flariaty who did not expect anyone to enter.
"YOU!" Matt exclaimed as he drew his weapon.
"Yes," Holly smirked, and cast a small spell that crushed the side arms the two officers held, forcing them to drop them before the destroyed weapons could crush their fingers as well, "me."
Holly then used her powers to have Matt and Flariaty float helplessly in front of her.
"What do you want?" Flariaty demanded.
"Merely your devoted obedience," Holly said with a grin, "Sine dubio, instantatum."
Matt and Flariaty struggled briefly, but their struggle was soon broken.
"Now, tell me, why have the gargoyles gone south," Holly commanded.
"To hunt Fang," Matt said in an entranced voice.
"Ah," Holly thought to herself, "chasing the fool…"
A part of her thought to keep the two officers entranced, but she then remembered that Goliath's clan might recognize that magic had come into play and then set both Matt and Flariaty down before her.
"You will sleep when I leave this room," Holly answered, "when you awaken, you will act as if you weren't under a spell and will remember nothing of my appearance here."
Holly then turned and left the room. As she shut the outer door to the clock tower, she heard two soft thumps as Matt and Flariaty landed on the floor in deep sleep.
"And now for some chaos," Holly smirked.
Castle Wyvern
Meanwhile those who went on patrol the night before went about their own responsibilities of looking after Tibetan hatchlings. While taking one group through the castle's library, which included a vast collection of children's books, Caroline and Candy wondered about their comrades on patrol.
"Do you think they'll run into the problems we did last night?" Candy asked quietly to Caroline.
They were observing the hatchlings activities from a distance, so things were not yet so risky as having a hatchling overhear something they shouldn't.
"Jealousy isn't something that goes away over night," Caroline responded, "those two will probably still have some jealousy on the issue."
"It was all so embarrassing, to have such focus on me… or on part of me," Candy shuddered.
"And not having Lex being the one to focus on it?" Caroline teased slightly.
"I'm not going to dignify that with a response," Candy answered that, "you know that was embarrassing. And you know I was always uncomfortable with the whole nudity issue. Even while we were human and had to shower after PE."
"I know," Caroline nodded, "it's just that jealousy isn't something that just goes away. The only way around it would be to give them what they want, but then you face the problem of what happens when they find out what they wanted isn't all its cracked up to be."
"And I doubt Demona would turn them into gargoyles, even if they asked," Candy answered, "and hopefully the fact that what they wanted was something else… they wouldn't ask to be gargoyles."
Caroline nodded, but couldn't say anymore as a group of hatchlings approached them.
Over Manhattan
Goliath and Eve glided quietly over part of the area that Fang had been active in according to the map in the clock tower. So far there was no sign of the mutate.
"Do you think he'll strike again, Goliath?" Eve asked the lavender male.
"More then likely, yes," Goliath rumbled, "from what Talon told me after I returned to New York from my 'World Tour' with Elisa, Angela, and Bronx, Fang is nothing more then a petty thug given a mutate's abilities."
The two rounded a building and continued on, so far, finding nothing.
"And that makes him dangerous in a fight," Goliath continued, "but being a common thug, he doesn't know how to pick his battles. And while he had Thailog, he had someone to give him orders to carry out…"
"A very simple life," Eve commented, "I would not have thought such a life was possible here in this city."
"You'll be surprised," Goliath answered, "anyway, with Thailog dead now, he is on his own again."
"So he'll be living like a common street thug again?" Eve asked.
"Much as did in the Labyrinth," Goliath nodded.
"Shouldn't we call Talon in?" Eve asked, "he'd have more experience, and Fang wouldn't be able to rely on long rang attacks."
"Talon is leading the Labyrinth shelter, and with our move to be official in the eyes of he law, calling someone outside the realm of law enforcement might be risky to Talon as well as us…" Goliath said slowly, "from a political point view."
"So we jump him the hard way," Eve surmised.
"If he doesn't surrender," Goliath nodded, "and as was said before, you'll do fine. You have no need to worry about whether or not you'll…"
Goliath was interrupted when a loud 'zap' rung out below them. They looked down to see a dark figure messing with an ATM machine, though from their height and the shadows the figure was in they couldn't tell if the crook was Fang or not. Goliath was quick to activate his radio and contacted the police dispatch.
"This is Goliath to the dispatch units," Goliath reported, "we have someone attempting to break into an ATM machine. We can't tell if it's Fang, be we are moving in."
The dispatch officer and responded with the numerical code that the specific crime was listed as.
"Will you require backup?" the dispatch officer asked.
"I do not believe so," Goliath rumbled back as he and Eve dove down toward the figure.
As they got closer they were able to make out the cloak that he was wearing. That didn't make the criminal Fang, but to Goliath, it increased the likelihood that it was Fang. After all, who else would be robbing an ATM, wearing a cloaked robe, and was able to generate an electrical shock.
"Eve, you approach from the eastern side of him," Goliath instructed, "I will approach from his western side."
"Okay, Goliath," Eve whispered back.
The figure of Fang didn't move as the two of them dove down. The two of them landed with a soft thump making Fang jump. The mutate turned to face the two advancing gargoyles.
"Fang, you are under arrest," Goliath spoke in a firm voice.
Elsewhere
Othello and Ethan's patrol was quiet so far. No sign of Fang, no visible sign of a crime yet, and no one had contacted them on the radio.
"Do you think we'll find him tonight?" Ethan asked, almost sounding eager to catch the mountain lion based mutate.
"That can not be determined easily," Othello commented, "if he has any real brains he'll have left the city. More then likely I think he will be hiding in the sewers. So while it's possible to catch him tonight, it isn't all that likely."
"I hope we catch him," Ethan said optimistically.
Below them and well out of sight Holly followed. Using her magics to create greater gusts of wind for her wings, she was quickly able to catch up with two of the patrolling gargoyles. And the first two she had caught up with was one of the adult males and one of the gargoyles that looked and acted like they were strangers in New York. She was confident that she could kill them easily, but she had no desire too… at least not right away.
"And now for a little chaotic intervention," Holly mused to herself, and sent a small spell to a nearby fire hydrant.
Othello and Ethan continued on. They had just rounded a corner when suddenly a fire hydrant rocketed up between them, and a geyser of water followed.
"What the…" Othello growled as he caught the hydrant before it could fall back down to Earth.
"I'll go make sure no one was hurt," Ethan volunteered.
Othello looked to the metal hydrant in his hand and sighed. He then activated his radio to inform the station what they were responding to.
"This is Othello," Othello spoke into the device, "we just had a fire hydrant blast upwards… the water is erupting from the pipes."
"Is anyone hurt?"
"Not at the moment," Othello answered, "Ethan has gone down to make sure no one messes with the water."
Othello then gave the dispatch officer the address they were at.
"Play crowd control there while you can," the dispatch officer said with a heavy sigh, "I'll get a crew to head there and deal with this… they'll probably have to replace the part that was busted…"
"It was the entire hydrant," Othello answered.
"Even better," the dispatch officer said sarcastically.
Othello heard no further response as he joined Ethan on the ground and began to help the Avalon male in providing some help in crowd control while they waited for a repair crew to arrive and work to stop the geyser that had erupted on that corner.
"What could have done this?" Ethan asked him as he landed.
"I don't know," Othello grumbled.
About a block away, Holly watched quietly from a rooftop as Ethan and Othello worked to keep people from getting hurt or getting in the way. She made sure she was out of sight to make sure she wasn't immediately fingered as the instigator of the water rupture.
All of this was for the purposes of causing some chaos for Goliath's clan to go through and allowing Holly to see the reaction, and by that it was the clan's reaction Holly wanted to see. That way Holly could catalogue who patrolled with who and set up her eventual move against Elisa. In the meantime, she would do her best to spread as much chaos as possible.
Fang's Location
Fang meanwhile had not had an easy night. He had already raided a couple of vending machines in the subway and gorged himself on candy bars, but it didn't offer him much of a score. He knew on some level that if he was gain the power that Thailog had he would need money. Thailog had talked a lot about how he had made his start, by stealing millions from David Xanatos.
Xanatos, however, was likely to protect himself from such a scheme again, and as far as Fang knew, Xanatos didn't employ anyone like Sevarius anymore. So Fang turned to a different option, and the option taken by almost any common criminal. He'd attack people and mug them or he'd rob a bank. He figured that since he could easily electrocute any human without warning that this would be an easy option for him to use.
Getting out of the sewers was fairly easy. Many of those tunnels opened up to subway tunnels, and many of the subway tunnels didn't stay below ground. But once he was out, moving around was a bit more difficult. New York City was a very populous city with an active night life. With no cloak, he would be spotted easily by someone as a 'gargoyle' and that would give him more trouble then he wanted. His other option was to glide, which had its own risks of running into one or more of Goliath's clan before he was ready for a fight.
But he decided the second option was better then ending up in a gun fight with the entire city. It lead him to a bank near the subway entrance that he had used to leave the underground. He noticed an ATM machine near the outside wall, and he landed in front of it. He tried to pry it open, and that met with a spectacular failure, so he turned to his next best option. He blasted it at close range with all the available power he had.
The machine practically exploded outward, sending several singed bills falling to the ground. Fang, however, didn't even get the chance to examine how much damage he had actually done when a firm voice spoke from behind him.
"Fang, you are under arrest," Goliath spoke in a firm voice.
Fang turned to find the lavender male gargoyle approaching him with one of the Avalon females approaching him from a different angle.
"Stay back!" Fang growled and brought his fists to a full charge.
Goliath stopped, "You are caught, Fang. There is no need for this to go any further. Surrender and you will come to no harm."
"Until they find out I'm a mutate and not a gargoyle you mean," Fang shot back and hit Goliath in the chest with an electric blast and then fled down the alley between the bank ATM he was robbing and another nearby building.
Eve was quick after him while Goliath recovered.
"Eve to dispatch, we are in pursuit of Fang now," Eve reported, "he has destroyed one of your money machines."
"Money machine?"
"You press buttons and money comes out,' Eve answered.
"An ATM?"
"Yes," Eve answered, "he has destroyed it. The paper money was smoldering as well."
"He's destroyed what was in the ATM?" the dispatch officer asked.
"Yes," Eve answered, "I am in pursuit."
"Where is he headed?"
"Down an alley just west of the bank that he was trying to get the ATM out of," Eve answered.
"Which direction down the alley? North or south?"
"The alley is to the west of the bank," Eve corrected.
"Yes, but the alley runs north or south."
"Or right," Eve nodded, "he went north."
"Okay I've vectoring the other patrol teams to you, with the exception of Othello and Ethan. They're dealing with a broken water hydrant at the moment."
Eve continued to pursue Fang as he fled in a deserted street. He looked back once to see the Avalon gargoyle continuing to pursue him. That made him growl and he bent down and pulled a manhole cover up and hurled it at Eve before jumping into the sewers.
"He's gone into the sewers," Eve reported.
"Wait for backup," the dispatch officer answered.
"But wouldn't he get away?" Eve wondered, "I could at least try to tail him and call the rest of the clan on patrol to my position."
"You're confident you can do that?" the dispatch officer questioned, "it'll take awhile for the other on duty gargoyles to get to you."
Eve was nervous for a moment, but forced a brave face.
"I will," Eve answered, and hopped down the opened manhole.
Goliath, meanwhile picked himself up from the electric blast and saw Eve chasing after Fang. He hoped this wasn't some effort to show him that she wouldn't fail, but until other officers could arrive to secure the scene and make sure no other crook came along and finished what Fang started, the lavender male would have to stay still. After a few moments the first patrol car arrived on the scene.
Goliath gave the newly arriving officers the task of finishing up the clean up of the mess that Fang had made while he moved to back up his partner. Fang had hit him with one lucky shot, but Goliath would not let that stop him. And, he would not allow Eve to make a mistake to prove that she wouldn't let the clan down.
Holly's Location
As Holly finally got to the patrolling team of gargoyles, she found it to another team of two males. One was the small web-winged male from the Manhattan Clan. The other was a young Avalon gargoyle that had apparently stayed with the Manhattan Clan. They had suddenly changed directions and practically now headed right for Holly. She couldn't allow that. She couldn't allow them to get by without facing some chaotic forces, and looking down to see the intersection below her, she smiled…
Hubert Rocke was on his way home from a long day at work, and had a long way to go before he would get there. The light in front of him had only just turned green when all of a sudden his whole vehicle seemed to glow with the same color. He then heard a strange chanting in a language he didn't understand when the light around his car came and hit him directly.
The first thing Hubert felt was that everything was getting larger. His clothing grew loser around him. At first he thought he was somehow turning into a child, but when he saw his finger nails turn into short stubby claws, that idea changed. He soon noticed fur growing on the few patches of skin, and that confirmed to him that something, somehow, was turning him into an animal.
All the while he continued to shrink and grow smaller. At first he could scoot forward in his seat, but after a few moments, even that didn't work and he was hanging from the steering wheel. When he finally pulled himself up onto the top of the steering column, and then climbed up onto the top of the dashboard, the sight that met him wasn't a cheery one for him.
The light had switched to red and mid-sized car was headed right for him, and strangely, it wasn't slowing down, honking his horn, or even swerving to try and avoid him. Hubert tried to scream, but all he managed was a terrified squeak as he leaped back driver's seat and prayed his body wasn't crushed in the coming accident.
From her hidden vantage point Holly looked on the scene below her as the two cars collided with each other. She had cast the same spell on each driver to insure that there was an accident and let it happen. She then looked up to see the two patrolling gargoyles slowly approaching them.
"There," Holly thought to herself, "that'll give them something to ponder over for awhile."
Holly then began to move away and was soon gliding away.
"And it will allow me a few pieces of chaos," Holly silently smirked, "and try to piece together a long term plan on what to do."
She left the scene quietly and was not noticed by anyone.
Lexington and Ian both saw the car crash and were both startled by it.
"Lexington to dispatch, we have a car wreck, right below us," Lex reported, "we're going in to see if there are any survivors."
The two landed in the intersection between the two wrecked cars where they finally came back to wrest. Neither car appeared to be totaled, but they would both need a lot of repair work.
"Uh Lex, shouldn't these 'cars' have a driver in them?" Ian asked as he looked into one of the vehicles.
"Yeah, he's probably slumped over from the accident," Lex answered, "best to open the door… but be careful. If he isn't in danger we don't want to move him until the paramedics can arrive."
Lex then turned to the vehicle he was near. The door opened with no difficulty, but instead of finding a driver, a hamster came crawling along the front seat and hopped down to his foot and began squeaking away something. The little rodent looked terrified of something. He looked into the car again and saw no one there, and he couldn't see any sign of a cage.
"There's no driver," Lex said slowly.
"That's what I said!" Ian answered him.
"This defies all explanation," Lex answered, "there has to be a driver, somewhere."
Lex then looked up to see the car's radio antennas to see them undamaged.
"Unless they're being remote controlled," Lex grumbled.
"Remote controlled?" Ian said nervously.
"Best to ask around to see if anyone got out of the cars…or if they could see a driver in them," Lex sighed heavily.
Fang and Eve's Location
Fang continued to run, but the Avalon gargoyle continuing to pursue him refused to give up the chase. At the same time, she also seemed to be counting and giving some directions to someone. After rounding a corner, Fang decided that enough was enough and readied an electric blast to fire on his pursuer.
As Eve rounded the corner, Fang fired the electric blast. Unfortunately she noticed it as she rounded the corner and Eve managed to roll under the electric blast.
"You're quickly becoming a nuisance!" Fang growled, "why can't you give up like human cops?"
"Because I can't let you get away again," Eve answered firmly, "I can't let you harm anyone else!"
Eve lunged forward at Fang. Fang managed to catch the thrust and used Eve's momentum against her and push her into the wall of the sewer they were in.
"And you were stupid enough to come after me without backup!" Fang snarled triumphantly, "I'll leave you for Goliath to find! See what he does then!"
Eve only responded by whipping her tail at Fang's eyes, making him roar in pain and forcing him to back away from her.
"You…" Fang began to growl.
"None of that," Eve growled back and swung one leg around to trip him, "there are ladies present."
Fang's only response was to fire an electric blast at her. At close range, the blast threw Eve against the wall of the sewer. Both then began to get up, though Fang managed to do it just slightly faster then Eve. Once on his feet, Fang fired another electric blast at the Avalon female. This time, Eve managed to dodge the attack by diving forward. Fang turned to follow her, leaving his back turned to the tunnel behind him.
"Why do you have butt your noses into business that isn't yours?!" Fang roared at Eve and again fired electric blasts at her.
The first blast missed, but the second hit Eve directly and sent her staggering back.
"Because what you're doing is not right," Eve answered, "what you were attempting to steal wasn't yours. It isn't right."
"Why can't you be morally neutral like the rest of New York?" Fang grumbled again.
Eve had no opportunity to answer as Fang was grabbed from behind. She looked up to see that it was Goliath who had grabbed the cougar-mutate, and then slammed him face first into the wall.
"I would tend to think that most of the people have very strong morals," Goliath rumbled, "the difference is that not everyone is a warrior… and to be honest, a nation at arms is not necessarily better. Now, Fang, you are under arrest."
Fang tried to struggle, but Goliath had caught him by surprise and his attack had left the mutate disoriented enough that the Manhattan Clan leader was able to wrestle Fang into a position where he couldn't do much.
"I'll hold him, Eve," Goliath spoke, "I will need your help to place the cuffs on him."
"Like human cuffs could hold me," Fang snorted.
"These cuffs are stronger and are not computerized," Goliath answered, "using your electric blasts on them would only serve to electrocute yourself."
Fang only grumbled as he felt the metal cuffs be placed around his wrists. Goliath had to turn him slightly to give Eve access to his wrists.
"You have the right to remain silent," Goliath began to tell Fang his rights.
"I know my rights," Fang growled, "not that they'll do me any good."
"What do you mean?" Eve asked.
"Oh come on, shouldn't it be obvious?" Fang asked, "I'm not the kinda guy they'll treat me with any honesty. They'll just lock me up and throw away the key."
"It's a little late to play the 'race' card," Goliath rumbled, "you ARE guilty."
Fang didn't answer and then sighed. He was beaten and he knew it. Goliath then lead him back towards the manhole that he had descended through in his attempt to try and escape through. They found Hudson and Sarah arriving at the location.
"Do ye need help, lad?" Hudson asked.
"Perhaps," Goliath rumbled, "can you lift him?"
"We can try," Sarah told him, "the others were delayed by other incidents."
"Other incidents?" Goliath wondered as he lifted Fang by the waist while Sarah and Hudson reached down.
The two managed to reach down and get a grip under Fang's shoulders. The mutate shook a little when they began to lift him.
"Hey, that tickles!" Fang cut off their to Goliath's question.
"Would ye rather we break yer arms?" Hudson replied.
Fang didn't answer that.
"Anyway," Sarah answered Goliath's question, "Othello and Ethan are dealing with a broken water hydrant and Lex and Ian are dealing with a car accident."
"Was anyone hurt?" Eve wondered as Fang was pulled out of the sewers.
"No," Sarah answered, "according to what we heard over the radio, there wasn't even any driver in the vehicle."
"Strange," Goliath answered.
"Quite," Hudson nodded, "but now that this guy is captured, I suppose we should be getting him to a cell."
As the elder gargoyle spoke, one patrol officers, now finishing the work at the bank that Fang had attempted to rob, came around the corner and parked not that far away from them. The officer left his car and slowly approached the group.
"So, you caught him," the officer surmised, taking one look at Fang.
"Yes," Goliath said slowly.
"And I trust you've read him his rights…"
"Of course," Goliath answered.
"I'll take him from here then," the officer replied and took Fang by the arm.
The mutate didn't struggle.
"Careful with him," Goliath warned, "he hasn't been the most cooperative…"
"Yeah, yeah," the officer replied, "just follow above me back to the 23rd. You can book him there."
They slowly nodded and let the officer take Fang to the car. A few moments later they were all gliding over the car as they made their way back to the 23rd Precinct.
23rdPrecinct
Lexington and Ian arrived on the balcony entrance to the clock tower at the same time as Othello and Ethan. Ian was carrying the two hamsters they had rescued from the wrecked cars. Lex had the insurance information, and the two of them intended to give the owners a call as soon as they could.
"So, how'd it go?" Lex asked as they approached.
"Other then having a fire hydrant rocket into the air, everything was just… 'peachy'," Othello grumbled.
"Can't beat a car accident with no drivers," Ian commented.
"No drivers?" Ethan wondered.
"No one but these hamsters was in them," Ian held the two hamsters.
"Strange, indeed," Othello commented, "at least Goliath had some luck in catching Fang."
"Of course… there are some consequences of catching Fang that may be difficult," Lex warned.
"His status as a mutate?" Othello asked.
"And one from the first group, which includes Talon, Maggie, and Claw as well," Lex nodded, "and was all done under Xanatos's payroll."
"Maybe the fact that Xanatos is a mutate now would let him off that hook," Ethan commented.
"We'll let Goliath, Detective Bluestone, and the Xanatoses work that problem out," Othello spoke and then opened the door.
They entered the clock tower area that was the nerve center of the Gargoyle Task Force for the NYPD. And what they found only added to the surprises that night. Both Matt and Flariaty were out cold on the floor.
"What the…" Lex gasped.
Ian was the first to reach Matt's side, and quickly shook his shoulder softly. The red headed detective slowly woke up. While Lex woke up Flariaty.
"Wha… what happened?" Matt asked as he got up.
"We were about to ask you the same thing," Lex spoke.
"The two of you were sleeping where you were on the floor," Othello explained.
Matt looked to Flariaty who shrugged and then sighed.
"I don't remember going to sleep," Matt sighed, "I don't even remember being sleepy."
Flariaty nodded in agreement.
"Strange," Ethan nodded, "though not unlike a lot of tonight's events."
"Pardon?" Flariaty asked curiously.
"Lex and I had a car wreck with no drivers and a hamster as a passenger in each," Ian spoke, "we have the insurance information and the hamsters to return to the owners…"
"That'll be something that can be passed down to the traffic cops," Flariaty commented.
"It's not that simple," Lex commented, "with no driver, it could have been controlled by some remote…"
"It's pretty hard to remote control an actual car," Matt commented, "the wheels and pedals are not explicitly controlled by a computer, and even with a cruise control system, that doesn't do anything to the pedals."
"All the more strange," Lex replied, "if it wasn't under remote control, and there was no driver, HOW was it moving?"
"I'm not saying that it wasn't a remote control," Matt said, "I'm saying that it's difficult to do, and probably wouldn't make the case seem more normal."
There were collective sighs from all the other gargoyles present. A new voice was the only thing that made them notice that someone else had arrived at the clock tower.
"Make what seem normal?" Sarah asked from the doorway as she and Hudson returned.
"Just some of the strange stuff we encountered tonight," Lex answered and then turned back to Matt, "what do we do with the hamsters?"
"I'll keep an eye on them," Matt sighed, "if the families in fact own them, they'll be delivered to them… if not… by rule they have to go to the ASPCA."
Lex and the others slowly nodded, but soon their attention was drawn to Hudson and Sarah, as they were the only ones not to be interrupted by something weird and was able to make contact with Goliath and Eve.
"According to the radio we heard you were able to help in the capture of Fang," Othello said to Hudson as he and Sarah approached, "how did that go."
"Goliath and Eve actually did more to capture then we did," Hudson answered, "they're takin' him in right now."
"How do they plan to explain Fang? If I may ask," Lex wondered.
"I believe Goliath intends to go along with the same cover we used when the press got shots of Xanatos's mutate form," Sarah commented, "that we suspect him to be a strange gargoyle with some knowledge of sorcery to explain his electric powers."
"A lie?" Ian wondered.
"Better then that then go face first into a nightmare trying to explain mutates," Hudson commented.
"What if someone finds out though?" Flariaty wondered.
"Someone might… but we're hoping that they won't until we can find some way to explain it," Hudson sighed.
"The only two ways would be for Talon, Maggie, and Claw come out and say that they were willing test subjects," Matt sighed, "or if Xanatos could present evidence that he honestly didn't know that Sevarius was using shortcuts… though that second option could still take his company from him…"
"It could?" Ethan asked.
"It'd be criminal negligence," Matt sighed, "he might be able to talk the sentence down to some community service slash probation, but he'd lose his company and his wealth."
"So either our lie will have to stand or Talon and the others will have to," Lex sighed, "or Xanatos would have to give up his company."
"What would happen to Xanatos Enterprises and the castle?" Ian wondered.
"It would probably go to its board of directors to vote on a new executive," Matt commented, "and they'd likely also make sure that the new CEO isn't also the majority stockholder in the company. Insuring that the board of directors can overrule the CEO on company matters… and that's if it survives… More then likely it'll go to an outside buyer who will sell it off piece by piece or to a rival company."
The present gargoyles all shuddered. Things were not going to be easy. They had done what they had always done, but the results looked like it would create bigger problems. Problems that wouldn't be easily solved. And the other weird events made things harder. They were in chaos, and all of them in the clock tower nodded.
To Be Continued…
