Chapter 44: A Coffin Dance Gone Wrong
One thousand years ago, superstition and the sword ruled. It was a time of darkness, it was a world of fear, it was the age of Gargoyles.
(Images of a castle in the sunset are shown before it switches to various gargoyles, including Bronx and both Lexington and Brooklyn as epic music starts to play.)
Stone by day. Warriors by night. We were betrayed by the humans we were sworn to protect, frozen in stone by a magic spell for a thousand years. Now we are in Manhattan. The spell is broken, and we live again!
(A Viking smashes several of the gargoyles who are still stone, before the scene changes to a scene of Goliath letting out a grief stricken howl atop a tower. Then the scene changes to a helicopter flying over Xanatos Tower before night falls as Goliath awakens, much to the man's surprise.)
The world we live in has entered a new age as we slept, called the Age of Mutants. And as they strive to create peace, likewise we will strive to help them however we can.
(Images of various mutants, including Gavin and Katerina, are shown before it changes to the gargoyle's standing at their sides.)
Because we are defenders of the night! We are Gargoyles!
(Images of Goliath rescuing Alisa, Brooklyn and Goliath crawling up walls are shown before images of Xanatos in his mech suit are shown fighting against Magneto and Demona, while Gavin is shown fighting Oberon before it cuts to Goliath roaring at a storm as the title appears.)
-Manhattan, New York. Night time-
Detective Alisa Maza was walking up to the clock tower of the Manhattan police department building, she was currently talking on the phone with someone.
"So wait, let me get this straight. You're telling me that one of your friends is now a dad at eighteen? How?" She asked the person on the other end.
"It's a long story. Hey, Aunt Alisa, why don't you come to the Institute sometime? There are a few friends I'd like you to meet." The voice of Kai replied.
"I'll see if I can take some time off to do that. Sounds like I'd be in for a treat." The policewoman replied with a smile.
As she finished walking up the stairs, she went out to the balcony where several large gargoyle statues started to crack before they shattered and came to life as flesh and blood.
"I'll talk to you later Kai, say hi to your friends for me." Alisa said before the two said goodbye and hung up. "Morning guys." She greeted the gargoyles.
"Hey, Alisa. Anything new happen today?" Brooklyn asked.
"Yeah, I just got off the phone with my niece and apparently one of her friends just got custody of a kid he didn't even know he had until recently." The woman nodded. "What baffles me the most is how he'd allow himself to be taken advantage of like that."
"I don't think it was of his own volition. There's bound to be more than what you've already heard." Hudson inputted.
"Hudson is correct. If you find an opportunity, ask him. Though be careful with your wording as you do. It is a rather sensitive subject." Goliath added.
"Yeah, you're probably right." She nodded.
(Elsewhere)
-Xavier Institute, same time-
All of the students were currently outside in either formal or semi formal wear and the entire front lawn of the Institute was being illuminated by torchlight as Bobby, Roberto, Kurt, Romano, Marcus and Johan were hoisting up Gavin's coffin on their shoulders, and it was also covered in (temporary) green paint to symbolize HYDRA as Chelsea, Bast, Pele and Kai were in black formal clothes. Yes, they were doing a mock funeral of HYDRA.
"This has to be the funniest thing we've ever done to diss HYDRA." Marcus said with a giant grin on his face.
"Si." Romano nodded. That was when they started marching the coffin towards the back cliff near the Institute, and then suddenly they started to play music. And then started to a… Coffin dance?
Yep, it was a coffin dance, alright. How else are they supposed to diss HYDRA? Though little did they know that someone actually was inside the coffin, despite the others checking to make sure there wasn't.
It was Gavin, and he hadn't woken up yet from his daytime nap. So the guys were doing their dance, with him caught right in the middle of it! As their dance went on, they passed over the Hudson River… And it was then that things went horribly wrong.
Bobby accidentally sneezed on Roberto and froze his shoulder, causing both boys to lose their positions and then one after the other they all fell down and the coffin flew off and fell into the river below before it started floating away, the paint washing off as soon as the water touched it.
Everyone could only watch the coffin float away with horrified expressions. Gavin was going to kill them for losing his bed!
"Uh, guys? Where's Gavin?" Roxy asked as she looked around.
"Wait… Wasn't this time of day his naptime?" Bast asked with a scared look, causing everyone to go pale.
"... We're fucked. We are utterly fucked." Johan whimpered. He was tough in the face of a lot of things, but angry family members were not (and never would be) one of them.
(Elsewhere)
As the pseudo vampire's coffin floated down the river, it soon entered the section of the river that flowed through Central Park. Overhead, several metallic shapes flew over the park. It was Xanatos' Steel Clan.
"Suspicious object found in Central Park River way, permission to retrieve?" The robot buzzed into its coms to Xanatos Tower.
"Granted." Came the approval of their creator. With that the robots swooped down and picked up the coffin, before flying back towards the tower. And miraculously, Gavin still wasn't awakened from his slumber.
A few minutes later, the flying hunks of metal soon passed the clock tower, gaining the attention of the gargoyles and Alisa.
"Was that a coffin I saw them carrying?" The police woman asked as she watched the robots fly by them.
"What would David Xanatos want with a coffin?" Angela, Goliath's daughter, asked.
"Knowing him it probably isn't anything good." Brooklyn grumbled, his arms folded.
"Should we stop them?" Broadway asked, all the while eating a few slices of pizza. Lexington then leapt up and looked through his binoculars.
"Definitely, judging by the way the coffin is made? I think it may have someone inside it.. Mainly because it clearly looks like someone's used it as a bed." The small gargoyle nodded.
"A little odd, in my opinion, but okay." Alisa shrugged. "Go get that coffin. I'll wait here for you guys to get back." The policewoman said, getting nods in return.
Goliath was the first to crash into the robot leading the squad, causing them to stop and drop the coffin and start flying after him, Brooklyn and Lexington.
"I got it!" Broadway said as he tried to catch the falling object, only to be pulled down with it. "Don't got it-WHOA!"
Luckily for him, Hudson was there to help, along with Angela. "This thing is heavy!" The lone female of the group groaned.
"If someone's inside this, they need to lose a bit of weight." Broadway agreed.
"Just keep the thing from hitting the ground." Hudson said as he tried to stay airborne. Meanwhile, with the other three, they were luckily able to beat the Steel Clan by using Brooklyn's favorite tactic: playing chicken.
"Gets 'em every time!" The red skinned gargoyle grinned as he and Lexington high fived as four of the robots crashed into each other and blew up. After they were dealt with, the two joined the other three in carrying the coffin back to the clock tower.
As they sat it down, Bronx, a dog-like gargoyle, ran up to the wooden box and started sniffing it in curiosity. They all stood around it as they looked it over, noting the decals and bumper stickers all over it, and the inscriptions on the top.
"I don't see anything ancient about it. In fact, it looks way too modern for it to qualify as such." Alisa said as she examined it, finding nothing ancient about it.
"Aye, I'm inclined to agree lass." Husdson nodded. As they continued to examine it, they all jumped in shock when, all of a sudden, the lid of the coffin flew open and a boy sat up from inside it. He was dressed in black pjs and had a bat shaped night mask over his eyes. He had very long black hair as well and looked to be of mixed Japanese heritage.
"Alright, who the hell's been tossing my coffin around?!" He barked irritably before he took off his mask and noticed Alisa and the gargoyles looking at him with wide eyes. "... Okay, either I'm still asleep and I'm dreaming, or this is actually real." He deadpanned after a moment.
"What the heck?!" Lexington yelped, leaping back in shock, Goliath seemed to be surprised, Brooklyn had his arms crossed, Hudson had his sword ready, Angela was behind Goliath, Bronx was growling… And Broadway had a rope of garlic at the ready.
"Stay away from me, you blood sucker!" He said, waving his garlic rope around.
"Put that thing in the trash! I'm allergic to that stuff!" The boy barked, unknowingly adding more fuel to the fat gargoyle's fire. Getting out of the coffin, he then reeled back when the loud sound of the traffic below assaulted his ears, causing him to clutch them in pain.
"You okay?" The policewoman asked in concern.
"NO! I don't have my hearing aids with me, so all that traffic is murdering my ears!" He yelled as he gritted his teeth.
"Wait, huh?" Lexington asked in confusion.
"My hearing is so sensitive that I can hear a pin drop from one side of Manhattan to the other, that's what I mean! It's why I need hearing aids!" The boy growled. Seeing that he was clearly in pain, Brooklyn went inside and brought out a pair of headphones.
"Here." He told him, handing him the headphones. Gavin immediately took them and put them on his ears, dulling the noise and making him let out a sigh of relief.
"Ah, much better." He said in a relieved tone before turning to the others. "Now, could I please get an explanation of how I ended up here?" He asked.
"You were brought here after we saved your coffin from being taken by the Steel Clan." Goliath spoke up. "I am Goliath, and this is my clan: Brooklyn, Lexington, Hudson, Bronx, Angela, and you've already met Broadway." He added while introducing the rest of the gargoyles.
"Gavin Shirakumo." The boy told them, shaking the giant's hand. "If you don't mind me asking, who's the Steel Clan exactly?" He asked.
"They're a bunch of cheap tin can imitations of us that belong to David Xanatos." Brooklyn explained irritably.
"Seriously? Wait hold on…" Gavin said before he realized something. "Wait I recognize you guys, you're the gargoyles I saw the night my friends took the X-Jet for a joyride!"
Recognition suddenly registered in Goliath's mind. "And you're the one I saw looking back at us." He noted.
"Holy shit!" The pseudo vampire said in surprise. Then he saw Alisa. "Oh for fuck's sake, the police are here." He groaned as he facepalmed.
"Oh, shut up. I've been friends with these guys for a long time." The blue haired woman huffed.
"Oh really?" The boy nodded. "So you guys know Mr. Xanatos too huh? Cool. He's been a huge help for us at the Institute I go to. Seriously, you would not believe the fiascos he's helped us avoid."
"Just what do you mean by Institute? Do you mean like a mental institution?" Alisa asked.
"No no no, none of that." Gavin replied, waving her words off. "It's an Institute for gifted youngsters." He added.
"Gifted, what do you mean?" Broadway asked, having gotten rid of the garlic he had.
"It's better if I show you. But you guys have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?" The pseudo vampire told them.
"Who would we even tell?" Lexington asked rhetorically, getting nods from the others.
"... Fair point." Gavin conceded. With that, he suddenly turned into smoke, shocking the group as he went around them and rematerialized on Goliath's shoulders. "Surprise!" The boy chirped, fangs showing.
"Superpowers!" Broadway spoke up. "I've seen stuff like that in the comics that Wildcat loaned me!"
"Yep, and it's not just me, either. There are millions of people like me all around the world." The boy nodded. "Scientifically we're known as Homosapien Superior, or more commonly: Mutants." He added.
"So what's this Institute called?" Alisa asked, slowly starting to connect the dots.
"The Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. We're located in Bayville, in upstate New York." Gavin said, getting down from Goliath's shoulders. This immediately made everything click in the detective's head.
"There wouldn't happen to be a girl named Kai there, by chance?" She asked.
"Uh, yeah there is. Why?" Gavin wondered.
"My cousin adopted her five years ago. I'm her Aunt." The woman told him. "My name is detective Alisa Maza, by the way."
"... Well, this is unexpected. Not complaining, though. Nice to meet you." He said as he shook her hand. "Where's here, by the way?" He asked as he looked around.
"The clock tower over the Manhattan police department." Alisa told him. "So, Gavin, do you know how you may have ended up here?"
"Not really, all I remember is going into my coffin to take my usual noontime nap before…" He then facepalmed as the realization came to him. "The HYDRA funeral…" He finished.
"Um… What?" The policewoman asked in confusion, which was shared by all the others.
"Long story short, HYDRA is an old Nazi organization that had been terrorizing us Mutants for years on end. At least until me and a few friends took them down a few months ago." The pseudo vampire explained. "The funeral was to celebrate that occasion."
"... Why were you throwing a funeral for an old Nazi organization?" Alisa asked blankly.
"It was a mock funeral made to make fun of them." He replied with a shrug. "Though it looks like no one bothered to look inside my coffin to see if I was in it or not." He added with a growl.
"Sounds like you're going to need to have a few choice words with your friends about that." Angela spoke up.
"Yeah…." Gavin nodded before he suddenly looked panicked as the clock struck ten. "Oh no, I just realized something."
"What?" Angela asked.
"My son, Damian, he's about to wake up to get fed any minute now!" He said, looking around for a phone. "And I'm the only one who can get him to go back to sleep!"
"Hang on." Alisa said before whipping out her phone and dialing Kai. After a moment, she picked up. "Kai, is one of your friends suddenly missing?" She asked.
"Yeah… We accidentally dunked him and his bed into the mouth of the Hudson River by mistake." Kai answered nervously, causing Gavin to whirl on the policewoman upon hearing her voice and promptly snatched the phone out of her hand.
"You guys are in so much trouble when I get back, you hear me?!" He growled into the phone, startling the girl on the other side.
"AH! Gavin, I didn't realize my aunt had found you! Are you okay?!" She asked after calming down slightly.
"Damian is going to wake up to get fed soon, and I'm the only one who can put him back to sleep! Of course I'm not okay!" He said in a distressed tone.
"Actually, Rogue's already handling it. But he really misses you, so you better get back home soon." The aquamancer explained.
"Okay, that's taken care of. But I'm not gonna be able to get back easily since I ended up in New York City." He said.
"Seriously? Wow that river moves fast. Okay I'll tell the others, just stay put!" Kai told him as she hung up.
Gavin sighed as he gave Alisa back her phone. "This is gonna be a long night…" He groaned.
(Elsewhere)
Roxy was walking towards her room when she was suddenly grabbed and forced into a bag, the figure who grabbed her quickly jumped out of the window and made their way to a car before tossing the bag into the trunk.
As the car drove off, the figure was revealed to be Mystique, who had finally recovered from the beating she had gotten weeks earlier. She then changed shape into that of the scorpion themed girl before walking into the Institute.
(Elsewhere)
In Tibet hours later, Mesmero was now bringing a tied and gagged Roxy to the doors of apocalypse. The girl was devoid of any clothing and she was being forced to look at the gates.
"I have the child, what are your instructions?" Mesmero asked the mutant at the other side of the gates. After a second, the presence of the mutant's mind directed the hypnotist to an Egyptian sarcophagus which slowly appeared in front of the gates. The sarcophagus opened, revealing it had a female shaped mold at its center. "As you wish, master." He said before placing a now struggling Roxy into the sarcophagus, which closed after she was placed in it.
Energy suddenly crackled around the gate and then struck the sarcophagus and caused the girl inside to scream as her body and mind was slowly being forcibly changed.
The birth of Harlot, Queen of the Apocalypse, had begun.
Dragon Emperor0: I'm really scared for Roxy right now. This is just like those hentai my friends keep sending me links too… which I can't stand.
ThermalsniperN7: Yeah, and Mystique is taking her place at the Institute. How long 'till she's discovered?
Dragon Emperor0: Depending on if Chelsea, Logan or Bast can sniff her out? Probably long enough for what Apocalypse has planned for her to finish. But besides that, it looks like the X-men and the Gargoyles are finally gonna meet soon.
ThermalsniperN7: IT HAS BEGUUUUUUUN! *Dramatic lightning strike*
Dragon Emperor0: *awkward cricket noises* You just sounded like Xanatos did when he said 'It's Alive!' during Cold Stone.
ThermalsniperN7: … That was not intentional. Also, I can be dramatic, too!
Dragon Emperor0: I know. Anyway, see you guys next time!