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 am altering large sections of the Star Trek story-line, 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 immediately after "Taking Apart Empires… Part 5."
Taking Apart Empires… Part 6
By SN/TVfan
Roadside… Australia
Dingo and Matrix were both surprised to see the ambulance parked along the side of the road as the officers that had come to the mansion of Wayne Wirey. They hadn't been able to get any reference on the owner of the mansion, but Matrix was eventually able to cross reference the address and the listed name of the owner, Wayne Wirey. It only lead to further questions on Dingo's mind as to who the woman that he'd rescued was. There were things in her story that didn't seem to make sense given things, and Matrix was good enough to help find the potential holes in that story she'd told. A report that came into the agency that he and Matrix worked for helped confirm that as well, an attack, a mysterious female figure seemingly coming out of nowhere. In some ways it reminded him a bit too much of Xanatos's old schemes in New York, things he was trying to get away from. The broken down ambulance was now another one of them.
"What happened here?" the officer that had been driving the car asked as he got out and looked to the ambulance driver and his partner looking over the EMTs in the back of the ambulance.
The vehicle was stopped along the side of the road, but largely looked as though it'd coasted to a stop. There were no tire tracks or anything that would indicate a sudden stop. And as the first officer's partner let Dingo and Matrix out, it became clear that the woman that they had rescued and was supposed to be transported by the ambulance to the closest clinic or hospital was nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile the ambulance crew had casualties with one of the EMTs out cold and the other only barely conscious while the driver and his partner were tending to them. It all only added to things that didn't seem right about the woman they'd rescued from a burning mansion.
"I can't really say," the ambulance driver said, "we were driving along when all of a sudden the engine died… and I mean DIED. No power, no radio, no nothing. We just coasted to a stop."
"Then there was this "thump" in the back where the woman you rescued was," the driver's partner said to Dingo and Matrix specifically, "she knocked one of the EMTs out and put a bit of a wallop on the other. We were about to get out and try to help them get control over her… but then she just dove into the rearview mirror on the ambulance and vanished."
"I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it," the driver added.
"This adds all sorts of weird things into the mix," Dingo sighed as he looked into things, "and likely means that the woman was far from an innocent person caught up in a drunken accident."
"You think she might have attacked that mansion?" the second officer asked.
"I do now," Dingo answered, "which will only make dealing with her all the more difficult."
"Like magic and all that sort of thing?" the ambulance driver asked.
Thinking on some of the things that Xanatos had shared with the Pack with regard to the gargoyles, their abilities, how they came to New York, and things of that nature, Dingo nodded, "though more true sorcery. Like stories of Merlin or witches turning people into toads than stage magic. And something that would likely be hard to counter."
"Particular as the online sources my systems can access come to multiple and at times contradictory explanations," Matrix added.
"Probably coming from things like that being found to be "fake" in the years after the middle ages," the first officer commented, "people stop believing in it and then have no answer for it when it proves to far more real than supposed."
Dingo nodded in agreement to that. It was something that served all too much of a reminder of the things the Pack had ended up getting involved in. There had been upgrades, but Dingo could never respect Wolf, Jackal, or Hyena for giving up their humanity just to fight the gargoyles, it was something that just wasn't worth it and that had been why he left the Pack after that point. That was ultimately what got him to come back to Australia, and where he and Matrix had ended up working together in service to the Australian government with regard to "law and order." So far, most of their cases hadn't been too serious, but the present case was getting a bit close to things from the past that he'd wish to forget, and when he could, he'd contact Xanatos, just to make sure he didn't have some other scheme going on.
"And if my employers are wanting me in with this case… Matrix and I can fly back to our campsite and move to get things moving in that direction," Dingo then spoke, "for it looks like you'll have your hands full here with this."
The first officer, "yeah… hopefully you catch the woman that's caused all this trouble."
With that, Dingo gave a small salute while Matrix moved to relink with his armor. He then stepped away and lifted off into the air. Once airborne, he turned toward where his campsite had been to collect his things and return to headquarters. It was bound to be a long and difficult journey, counting all that would be required, but the situation was increasingly becoming something that would require something big in response. The flight wouldn't take long, but Dingo still did what he could to try and get some answers into things that were going on.
"Matrix, can you get a call to Xanatos or Fox?" Dingo asked as he flew along, "Make sure they aren't involved in some kind of plot…"
"Yes," Matrix answered, "connecting."
There were a few seconds before a male voice answered on the other end of the line, sounding rather stiff.
"Xanatos Enterprises, Owen Burnett, speaking," came the answer.
Dingo wasn't super familiar with the name or the voice, but he'd heard enough to know about the man being Xanatos's right hand man and chief operating officer. At times from some news reports, it'd seemed like the glorified secretary probably did more to run Xanatos Enterprises than Xanatos did. That was probably what allowed Xanatos to get involved in the schemes that he'd been involved in in the past. Dingo could only hope that the man was also well aware of some of the odd things that his boss had been involved in.
"Look, mate," Dingo spoke, "I used to work for your boss and his wife. Dingo, from the Pack."
"I am aware of who you are," came Owen's monotone answer, "is there something wrong with your armor?"
"No… but I got a bit of a problem out here that seems rather weird," Dingo answered, "and I'm just wantin' ta make sure I haven't stumbled into some grand plan of your boss's."
"Mr. Xanatos does not have any major projects in operation in Australia at this moment," Owen answered over the line, "what would seem to be the issue that has led you and the Australian government to suspect Xanatos Enterprises of involvement?"
"Just a hunch," Dingo answered as his campsite came into view, "namely that we've have a strange woman that's managed to appear out of nowhere, killed one man at a rich guy's mansion and then played the part of a victim when the rich guy got away. She then deceived me and those sent to rescue those we thought were the victims of a fire."
By this point, Dingo came in for a landing at his campsite. By now, the campfire had burned out and things were otherwise quiet. Cleaning up other things would take a while, but for the moment it would let Dingo get the information he needed, particularly while it seemed like Xanatos's personal assistant was just giving him information.
"From there, it appears she somehow disabled the ambulance, took out the staff manning it, and escaped into a mirror," Dingo then spoke, "all sounds like stuff your boss had the Pack doing once upon a time."
There was a pointed silence that lasted for a few moments. It was something that got Dingo feeling a bit nervous over this silence as it wasn't something he would have expected. He had little contact with Owen Burnett, but whenever the Pack had met with Xanatos directly, Owen was present. While that had all been before the gargoyles were awakened at the Eyrie Building, Dingo had gotten enough of an impression from Owen that the man didn't flinch all that much at things. The silence, however, did indicate some measure of surprise. That got Dingo a bit concerned.
"You alright, mate?" Dingo asked as he went about hurrying to clean up his campsite, moving he smaller things to the backseat of his truck and other things like the tent into the bed of it.
"I am fine," Owen answered, the voice sounded calm and almost emotionless to Dingo, though it did sound a bit distant, "you said this suspect escaped by fleeing into a mirror?"
"Yeah," Dingo answered, "which is why I'm wanting to make sure your boss isn't playing any games down here in Australia. It'd be bad for him and possibly worse for me given past associations."
"I can assure you that Mr. Xanatos has played no role in this," Owen answered, "though I'm afraid that what you are facing will be something easily defeated and captured."
"Can't be tougher than sending the pack after the gargoyles," Dingo pointed out.
"The gargoyles can't enter mirrors to escape trouble," Owen answered, "that is something only the fey… or those trained in their magic can do."
"The what…?" Dingo said slowly.
"The fey, the Third Race," Owen answered, "beings of tremendous magical power and have often taken on the role of deities in Earth's mythology. Not something that Mr. Xanatos can control and not something that you could easily defeat. And before you ask… YES, it is all real."
"So… can ya give me anything on what they… or at least this one of them may want?" Dingo wondered.
"I cannot guess, precisely," Owen answered, "though we've seen lots of news reports of rather odd murders and deaths radiating out of China for quite some time now. Going through the Far East and then into the rest of Asia, Europe, Africa, and now apparently into Oceania and Australia. At first these stories were written off as coincidences or accidents in some cases. Though what you're telling me now… it would lead me to think that this fey trained witch… or fey, herself… is the one behind these murders and deaths."
"And I can't stop her?" Dingo asked.
"It is possible to stop her," Owen answered, "though it would be difficult. Though I would need more information on the one you think might be the target of this mystery fey."
"Based on the files Matrix has… the target seems to be a Wayne Wirey," Dingo answered, "I'm supposed to return to my HQ to handle an emergency call he's already made to the Federal Police. If you can email those details to Matrix… we'll have them by the time we get there."
"Of course," Owen answered.
There was a few moments of silence that followed after that before Matrix moved to address Dingo as Dingo finished lowering the tent in the bed of his truck and with the last bits of things that they would need to take with them. This was then also added Dingo removing his armor while Matrix separated from it. The AI being returned to an approximation of a human like form and looked to the Australian man with a look that was almost puzzled.
"So we are not dealing with a scheme of your former employer but someone else," Matrix said slowly.
"And someone who can be just as dangerous," Dingo nodded, "you can stay aware on when Mr. Burnett is able to get an email on everything we'll need to explain to our superiors on this?"
"Yes, though I wonder how much they will actually believe," Matrix responded.
Elsewhere
Marilyn, meanwhile, emerged from a mirror a public restroom at another town. From what she sensed through the mirrors was that it was part of a restaurant, but whether that was true or not didn't matter. She knew she was now hundreds of miles from the Wirey mansion and likely wasn't in a location that the Illuminati man was headed, but she also knew that he was driving and that if she were to appear out of the rearview mirror, while she might kill Wayne Wirey, she might also end up being killed or seriously hurt in the resulting accident. That would only hurt Khan's goals and plans, besides, there were plenty of other Illuminati officials that could also be taken down while waiting for Wayne to arrive at whatever destination he was headed. Moving onto that target was interrupted when one of the metal bathroom stalls opened and an otherwise meek looking woman emerged from the stall.
"Oh… excuse me… I didn't realize anyone was in," the woman said slowly, though her eyes blinked in a way that Marilyn took as the woman being confused, "are you with a security firm?"
"In a sense," Marilyn said slowly and stepped back to allow the woman to approach.
The woman went to the sink and immediately began washing her hands for the moment while Marilyn only watched. The woman was dressed plainly and was very different from Wayne Wirey who had been dressed far more formally earlier. Marilyn guessed the woman was likely a part of the custodial staff for the facility and had to use the bathroom because of her shift. For the moment, Marilyn decided to stay silent while dealing with other possible targets and waiting for Wayne to settle down into a spot where could be properly caught and killed.
"Is Desmond Linx in?" Marilyn asked as she watched the woman finish washing her hands and then move over to an automatic dryer.
"I believe so," the woman spoke, "the restaurant closed about an hour ago… but he seemed to be going through some papers before going into his office. I haven't seen him come out yet. Is this something about the robberies that have been in the area?"
"Among other things," Marilyn answered and moved to follow the woman as she moved to walk out of the bathroom, likely to get her work materials.
The moment would allow Marilyn to play to the sort of cover of being a security person. If this town or city was dealing with rampant crime or more petty crime than what would make some degree of sense. And given that she'd done her best to limit any sort of image of her being caught on camera, few would know of her or realize that she was part of Khan's gang of supermen that had taken control of China and were presently building up their strength there, so far as Marilyn knew. Too many displays of power would likely draw more attention to her, and while the Illuminati were on their way out, there could well be others that might be able to stop her.
"But for the moment, my report would only be with Desmond Linx," Marilyn then finished.
"Of course," the woman answered, "I'll leave you to it."
"There is no one else here?" Marilyn asked.
"Some of the cooks might be in the kitchen, but they'd be cleaning up things to make sure that things don't go bad from tonight to tomorrow," the woman answered, "but they'll likely clock out shortly after. Linx is only here late because he's something of a night-owl."
"I see," Marilyn answered and gave a small smile at that and then whispered while channeling her magic, "then sleep…"
The woman managed a weak "what" before collapsing forward. She landed with a rather soft thud on the tiled floor of the bathroom and lay there sleeping quietly. There was no sound from outside the bathroom and that let Marilyn step over the fallen woman and make her way out. On some level that wasn't fully needed, but Marilyn also knew that she may have to leave through the same mirror and couldn't have someone conscious that would note her presence before she could leave. But since the woman wasn't an Illuminati member and had no power to fight her, Marilyn essentially let her live as the only alternate target she had that was here wasn't the woman she'd just put a sleep spell on.
The area outside the restroom was in rather dim shade. There were lights on, and they were enough to know that the area was at the entryway to a restaurant and that it wasn't too much wider than the restroom itself was. This meant that most dining area was going to be in a relatively narrow "area" that went back from the front doors to the back wall. The lighting was just dim enough that Marilyn couldn't tell what kind of restaurant it was, but that was also a case where she really didn't care. Her focus was on what would be a side mission. Linx wasn't to be targeted until after Wirey and using Wirey's own mansion as a base of operations in Australia for her, but Wirey had been more alert to her and that first move had only been partially successful.
"Now for the stairs," Marilyn thought to herself as she peered around the area.
She eventually spotted a point where it looked like an interior wall seemed to "narrow" the main entry way, but that indicated either a hallway or a stairway, which was what Marilyn was looking for. Some feint light also confirmed that Linx was still there and thus she made her way across the floor and toward those stairs. The walk was quiet and the narrow staircase then loomed over Marilyn as approached it. It was a narrow stairway and largely made of wood, and she carefully made her way up those stairs, though despite their wooden nature, Marilyn found they didn't creak all that much, indicating that despite what they were made out of, the stairs weren't that old. As she reached the top of the stairs she could hear a voice coming from one of the rooms.
"You haven't gotten instructions either?" a male voice asked into a phone, and Marilyn didn't hear a reply.
She kept up her slow and silent approach, hoping to hear just what was being said and what Linx knew.
"Oh, I agree that it's been this murderer that's been going about," Linx was heard to say, "Members have been going missing around the world, and often in odd and gruesome ways. Ways that local law enforcement won't connect to each other or anything else. And we're increasingly weak since so many of the grunts that have been used to protect main instillations and operations that might go against actual governments got wasted in the lost fight in Britain. Thus we're now worried about this murderer with no protection."
Marilyn smiled at that. It showed that the Illuminati really didn't have an answer for her and also confirmed some things for her. She'd found that the Illuminati leaders in the UK were already out of power, if not dead. At the time, she'd been unable to confirm how or why, but it'd also be something that was worth ignoring for the moment. It'd also spare her a battle she couldn't escape from. It let Marilyn continue on with her mission and now, that mission would have its next target taken off the list. She continued to listen in while tip toing forward.
"In my case… it'd be coming from some of the crooks running around in the area," Linx answered, "they'd give this murderer easy cover. Just hide in among some of these gang members and let them take the fall for it."
There was a silence for a moment as Marilyn made her way up to the door and noted that it was partially open.
"Yes, I know some of the murders have been odd," Linx answered, "I didn't say that the murderer was one of these gang members. Merely that the murderer would use their activity as a cover. It's why I do my best to keep a gun on hand at all times. Thus murderer can't be immortal."
"Don't be so sure," Marilyn whispered and then chanted, "man hiding from gangs afoot, and drown in gas that would leave you burnt as soot."
From there, Marilyn only turned back around as she heard Linx suddenly shout, "what the…? What…" The man never got to finish as his office filled with a rust colored gas that burned his lungs and seemed to burn everything else. By the time that Marilyn reached the stairs she could hear Linx coughing heavily. It wasn't too long after that she heard a loud "thump" as Linx hit the floor and the calls of "hello" coming through the phone line. That was one down and Marilyn was fairly sure she could move on to the man that Linx was talking to if Wayne Wirey hadn't settled down yet. And so far, no one had noted her presence. She then easily returned to the bathroom and the mirror that she'd come from.
Cairns, Australia
Wayne Wirey was relatively quiet as he pulled into the northern Australian city and the specifically the office for the Federal Police in the city. It was a fair distance from his manor, and the journey didn't remove the element of fear from his mind, nor did it provide an answer over the woman that attacked his home, killed his friend and put him on the run. He was sure the woman was connected all the deaths of Illuminati members of late, all coming at a rapid pace and in ways that the Illuminati was unable to replace. And it was something Wayne knew was dangerous for the organization from both the loss of members and what might need to be done to stop the one killing them off.
The Illuminati often had to deal with members dying off, it was a part of human mortality, but it was often something that usually occurred at a slow rate and over a lengthy period of time. This proved to benefit the secrecy the Illuminati worked with as they could either A) recruit the right people slowly and in ways that they couldn't or wouldn't reveal secrets quickly or B) were able to draw in people who were already suspicious of the Illuminati's existence and recruit them or remove them, depending on the specific circumstances. The woman… the witch who was killing off Illuminati members was doing so at such a pace that the Illuminati's normal methods couldn't keep up, not without drastic change.
And the drastic change aspect that was the most worrying. The Illuminati had run into enemies at times, and nearly every member was encouraged to have some experience with self-defense and weapons training in case some "enemy" became a threat, but this all related to the secrecy the Illuminati lived in and most often dealt with small time "enemies" who would either have little believable credibility or evidence or weren't a serious threat and thus an all-out battle wasn't needed and neither was any exposure to the Illuminati. But now, with the witch after him and in Australia, Wayne figured that a drastic change might be needed. Revealing the Illuminati would likely cause turmoil and chaos that had come about in China in the war against Khan when he exposed all the Illuminati agents in that country.
He didn't want that chaos to hit Australia, but it was likely that there really wasn't any choice. Though, his intent would be to start with the only group that might have some reason to believe at least parts of what could be told about the witch that had attacked his mansion. After all, the Federal Police were presently employing a man who was known for being part of a television program that had been produced by an Illuminati member. And while it was possible that David Xanatos knew of Dingo's involvement in the Pack's crimes, Wayne also found hat to be unlikely. In fact it wouldn't have surprised Wayne if it turned out that everything that Xanatos did in New York that brought the gargoyles there wasn't an Illuminati plan on some level. Thus by employing Dingo, the Federal Police had to be semi aware of these things and Wayne might not have to try and figure out which members that helped run it were also Illuminati members.
The guest parking area was reasonable and Wayne took a rather deep breath as he pulled into a spot and shut off the engine. He looked around to see that there were wasn't much going on and the lights of the city weren't revealing anything strange. The only light that was on was one that came from just inside the doorway to the building, which Wayne hoped was the result of someone being brought in for this regional office that wasn't just a dispatch officer there to handle emergency calls that would then be forwarded to other offices or departments to be worked on later. Wayne had no idea where the witch was at present, but he also had the sense that she could appear from anywhere. That actually left him rather nervous as he approached the doorway, only to have it open before he could even reach it.
"I trust you'd have a legitimate reason for all of this Wirey," came a low voice from the man who came out from the doorway. He wore a dark suit, though Wayne was drawn to note the pin on his lapel that had the Illuminati symbol on it. Most tended to write it off as some club pin, but for Illuminati members, it was something that could be trusted.
"I have," Wayne answered, "I believe…" He paused for a moment to look around and even behind the man who had come out of the doorway, "…I've had a run in with the one who's been murdering fellow "leaders" and even some of the "soldiers" with them."
"The murderer?" the man's voice low as he held the door open.
"Yes… a witch," Wayne answered, "my friend Roger and were on our way back to my mansion. She just appeared when we returned. We had little to fight back with and… ultimately… Roger only saved me by giving his life. He set off an explosion that had to have slowed her down while allowing me to flee."
The man was silent for a moment and tried to think. From what Wayne had just reported, it would sound as though the most logical assumption would be that the "witch," as Wayne described his assailant was dead as a result of the explosion. It was also something that would be needed, given that much of the manpower for direct Illuminati's direct "military" forces had been consumed in the fighting in Britain and then the failed fight against Khan in China. The "witch" was now just preying on the remains while the Illuminati was trying to recover and recognize after a series of losses.
"Wouldn't you think she's dead then, this witch?" the man asked carefully.
"I don't know," Wayne answered, "I didn't stick around long enough to find out. We tried to defend ourselves and nothing we did worked. I was hoping that you could get Dingo to look into stopping her."
The man sighed heavily at that. Getting someone like Dingo was helpful, and from the Federal Police's perspective also worked as a special agent, but it wasn't something that really should be that simple. Dingo had a reputation for battles with things that most would consider strange. New York's gargoyles was one of those things, and this killer was some witch, then Dingo might be the only one the Federal Police had that could cope with the witch. But the man also knew that the Illuminati had little to really build a coherent case around. They'd had leaders and agents assassinated rapidly and in odd ways at times leaving the Illuminati unable to build anything on its own. They were only able to track the murders because of local reporting ultimately did report the actions. Thus, if Wayne had escaped this witch, there was the hope for more information or more solid information.
"And you can't confirm if she's alive or dead?" the man answered.
"Correct," Wayne answered, "I can give you a description of her."
"That'll do for now, I suppose," the man said slowly, "we do have Dingo on the way here. He'd had some time off and was camping… but he shouldn't be too far away."
On the road…
Dingo's drive to Cairns was only about as fast as the law would allow and what his older sport utility vehicle could manage. At first, Dingo had actually headed back toward main headquarters and expected to make his report there, when he'd gotten a call from them. Dingo slowed down and pressed the answer button on his phone, as it was clipped to the device to the dashboard and he got an answer.
"Dingo, here," Dingo said slowly, "I was actually on my way back… with a bit of a story for you."
"About a witch trying to kill a rich guy?" came the tired response.
"Yes… how?" Dingo spoke puzzled.
"The victim has already gone to us in Cairns and somehow gotten some bigwig to clear it," the answer came, "and requested you and Matrix to help deal with said witch. They want you in Cairns…"
"It would seem that some things have progressed without us," Matrix commented, "though, not necessarily against us."
"Only makes this whole thing stranger," Dingo grumbled, "look… I got in contact with someone that might have a bit more first-hand knowledge on some of this… could I…?"
"I've been instructed to inform you that all reports will be handled AFTER you arrive Cairns," was the reply, "please make your best possible speed."
"Right, mate," Dingo grumbled and then prepared to recalculate the route and where he'd need to turn.
0-0-0
They eventually got turned and were on the way north eventually and this still represented some measure of frustration on Dingo's part where he drove along. A lot of his mind was still dwelling over what he was to do. He'd fought the gargoyles before, and thus was familiar with "odd" things, but he also had to admit that he really hadn't won before and none of the gargoyles were well versed in magic. Thus he was likely now being tasked to deal with a woman that brought things to the table that he wasn't sure he or Matrix could truly counter easily, could be anywhere, and had attacked in such a seemingly random way that the operation had to have been bigger than just the burning mansion that he'd found at the start of the present case.
The information that Owen shared was helpful, but it still only added questions in Dingo's mind. For a good many things struck Dingo that the woman was more than just someone picked up by the mansion's owner, and what Owen shared based on Dingo described to him, it was likely that the woman that they had "rescued" from the fire was involved in something big. If she was involved in a host of odd murders and actions that had been spreading around the world since the fall of China to Khan and the reports that came out that country, there might well be a reason for this "witch's" actions. It raised all sorts of questions and Dingo felt he needed more conversation with his own commanders so that they were ready and aware of what he knew. The secrecy at the transfer to Cairns only added to those concerns.
"Matrix… can you call the Cairns office and see if we can get whoever this "bigwig" there on the line?" Dingo asked.
"I can, though would this not be something best done in person?" Matrix asked, looked through to the darkness of the road, interrupted only by the occasional headlights, and then to Dingo, and then the cellphone on its clipped holding station on the dashboard.
"A lot of this is getting to a point where timing is everything," Dingo answered, "that woman may already be IN Cairns and it's still going to take us time to get there. By the time we arrive… it could be too late. We need to get at least some of what Owen told us give them some ability to know what is coming before we get there."
Matrix nodded and reached for the phone while thinking over the internet links that his nano-machines could access. It would connect him to the resources needed to contact the Federal Police office in Cairns and began dialing the numbers that came up as a result of that. It made sense and matched a lot of what Dingo had been teaching Matrix about law and order and how inherently chaotic beings like humans actually sought out some sense of order. Once the phone was ringing, Matrix then sat back and they waited for an answer and he looked to Dingo as he continued to drive along. Eventually there was an answer.
"Australian Federal Police, Cairns Office," a female voice spoke.
"Yeah, this is Dingo, calling in," Dingo cut in before the woman could continue, "I got something I need to report in on. Can you patch me through to whoever is looking over the Wayne Wirey case at the moment?"
"I've been instructed to direct you and Matrix to him when you arrive, are you here now?" the voice asked in response.
"I'm on my way… and am about twenty minutes away," Dingo answered, "but what I have to report NEEDS to be reported now and quickly. Can you pass me through to whoever is looking over the Wayne Wirey case?"
There seemed to be an uneasy silence that followed, and if Dingo were parked, he would actually look at the phone. But he was driving and kept his eyes on the road and noting only the occasional car headed in the other direction as they drove along, the lights from Cairns were actually starting to appear on the very edge of the horizon. There was some element of quietness for a few moments before the secretary's voice was heard again.
"He'll take the transfer, but says you'll need an explanation," the secretary spoke.
"Right," Dingo nodded, as that was essentially what he was trying to do.
There was then another brief pause before a male voice then picked up.
"Go ahead, Dingo," the voice spoke calmly but authoritatively.
"You're the bloke taking over this case?" Dingo asked.
"Yes, Thurman Regmann," came the man's response, "what do you have to report that requires such irregular methods…"
"It's an irregular situation," Dingo answered, "Matrix and I were at a camp site not too far from Wirey's mansion and his sensors picked up the fire we arrived just as local fire department teams arrived and with ambulances following. Likely from Wirey's emergency call… or from any neighbors close enough to see the fire."
There was a silence for a moment as Dingo continued to collect his thoughts, largely as this was going to relate to the rescue of the woman that was likely the one that had attacked the mansion and then escaped the EMTs into a mirror.
"We managed to find a lone woman in what looked like commando gear, though she claimed that she was picked up by Wirey and a friend of his," Dingo continued, "though, concerned that she was injured by the fire, she was to be sent to a hospital and interrogated on some questions and suspicions that were there regarding her story."
"You rescued the witch?!" Thurman Regmann growled over the connection.
"We didn't know what or who she was," Dingo answered, "only that she was alone in a burning building and that the owner of the building was NOT present. Basic protocol would be to at least provide the benefit of the doubt. I have questions and concerns about her, but based on the rules, I couldn't exactly try to detain her then and there."
"And that's all you have to report?" Thurman Regmann asked.
"No, more that she managed to escape the EMTs and wrecked their ambulance," Dingo answered, "using her magic to do it and escape. This included going INTO the ambulance's mirrors. Leads me to think that this… is more than just some random criminal buying advanced tech. In fact a lot of it reminded me of things that a former employer got involved with."
"We are well aware of your past involvement with the Pack," Thurman Regmann answered, "as well as Xanatos's ideas behind the Pack and its show as a cover for other activities…"
Dingo privately wondered what that meant. He knew that Xanatos had been involved in some weird things, but a lot of that became public knowledge WASN'T related all of the details that surrounded the Pack's upgrades and the other related fights with the gargoyles. In this, something about how Thurman Regmann worded things sounded as though he knew something more about Xanatos than he should know.
"Yeah, well, I made a call to make sure," Dingo spoke, "as all of this did strike me as something that he and the Pack had been involved with."
"Such as?" Thurman Regmann asked.
"Like the sort of mystical creatures the gargoyles are," Dingo answered, "but different… think more like creatures from old folklore. My source could describe them as the "third race" and can practice powerful magic but without the help of some kind of amulet or talisman."
"Sounds odd…" Thurman Regmann asked, "But could well be in line with what Wirey has reported. He reports that the woman you encountered just appeared in his home and attacked him and his friend. Some kind of sorcery would allow for it."
"It would be more than human sorcery, sir," Matrix spoke up, "the representative that we talked with that gave us the information on the nature of this woman would indicate that she is not completely human. She can perform magic, but not human magic. The records would indicate human magic requires some outside element to channel that magic. What this woman channels is a kind of magic that is identified as "fey" according to the files."
"Which means this witch can cast her magic faster and is not requiring something to channel the magic for her," Dingo picked up, "there are ways to counter it… or her. And pure iron would be needed for it, but that's only part of the warning."
"Only part?" Thurman Regmann wondered.
"The other part is that she could be using any mirror as a means to teleport through the world," Dingo answered, "likely how she got into Wirey's home and how she escaped the ambulance. That, however, means she could already be in Cairns and even in the building… or wherever you have Wirey."
"You aren't coming?" Thurman Regmann asked.
"I'm on my way, sir, but I'm not in Cairns yet and it'll take some time to get there," Dingo spoke, "you will have to be able to do something until…"
Dingo and Matrix both heard a door open in the background. Thurman Regmann was heard to respond with a question of "who are you" to whoever had opened the door. At first he would have thought it would be the woman that had first answered the phone or perhaps Wirey was being kept in custody to keep him safe, but that notion was soon turned away when another voice was heard and one that to a degree Dingo recognized.
"A shocker," came a female voice that was supremely confident and was the voice of the woman that Dingo had rescued.
Before Dingo could say anything he heard what sounded like the crackle of electricity come through the phone and accompanied by Thurman Regmann screaming. A moment of silence followed.
"Murderer!" Dingo eventually challenged, not sure if the woman could hear him, but in his frustration that was about the best he could manage.
"Murder?" came the woman's voice, "that's implying that this was just something that escalated or the result of a personal grudge between individuals."
"You've killed an officer of the law, mate," Dingo answered.
"You have NO idea who I killed," the woman answered, "but I suppose I'll leave that revelation for you to find out when you arrive. In the meantime… I have a war to win against a foe you don't even know exists. Bye."
From there the line went dead and Dingo could only grit his teeth.
Australian Federal Police, Cairns Office
Marilyn looked back over her shoulder to the smoldering body of Thurman Regmann from the lightening spell she'd hit him with. The sense of Wirey being in Cairns and near another Illuminati through the mirrors provided her with some means of optimism and gave her just enough of joy to deal with two key targets at once. Thurman Regmann was the more dangerous foe and more immediate threat and Wirey was less dangerous. The trick with him was more in finding the man, and for the moment he seemed to be using a bathroom and she didn't feel like killing a man on the toilet. So she'd gone after Thurman Regmann first.
Now that Thurman Regmann was out of the way and Wayne Wirey had no idea that she was even in the building. Then smiled as the wooden door to one of the bathrooms she'd passed earlier opened. She then quietly creeped closer in order to jump Wayne as he came out. Marilyn smiled as she noted that Wirey was whistling. The man was unaware of presence. She moved forward and grabbed Wirey by the head, silencing his whistling as one hand.
"Hello, again," Marilyn smiled and then snapped his neck, leaving Wayne Wirey to fall dead at the floor.
From there, she entered the bathroom that Wirey had just left, though also giving a small chant that would assure that Dingo would find evidence of the Illuminati on both Regmann and Wirey. She figured that act would keep Dingo distracted, either in fighting the Illuminati or too far behind her because of confusion to catch up.
To Be Continued…
