Riker's Island at sunset is not what most would think of as a beautiful sight, especially when locked away inside. One of the inmates, however, enjoyed the sunset very much. Fox, the former leader of the Pack, leaned against the window sill of the tiny window overlooking the island. She allowed a small smile to play on her face, which quickly faded when her cellmate began cackling loudly.
"What is so funny this time, Hyena?" she asked.
Hyena ignored the question. Instead, she used a rubber band to shoot a small rock at a cockroach that had unwittingly scuttled into her clutches. As they tiny insect fled for its life, Fox sighed and turned back to her window.
…
Across the prison in the men's side, Jackal was tossing a rock at the wall, letting it bounce back into his hand. In rhythm to his antics, his cellmate Wolf did some one-armed push-ups.
"113…" he counted off, not even slightly out of breath despite the number he'd reached. "114… 115… 116…"
…
Outside of the prison, a strange figure scaled the walls. It was a person wearing a strange golden colored suit with the head of a coyote and long silver spikes coming out of the top of the gloves. With said spikes, the figure made short work of a set of bars in front of a hallway window. It then smashed through the safety glass, drawing the attention of a passing guard.
"What in the world?" the guard exclaimed, drawing his weapon. "What do you think you're doing?! Hands up now!"
The figure appeared to comply, until a small gun popped out of its arm and began emitting a high frequency wave. The wave cause the guard to start hallucinating, which quickly turned to fear and panic. Apparently watching his hands melt, the guard screamed in abject terror, then promptly fainted. The figure then snatched up the guard's keys and walked down the hall.
…
Elsewhere, Wolf had reached the 200s in his pushup count, and was surprised when the sound of wrenching metal was heard. He stopped his count, and Jackal stopped tossing his rock. They turned towards the door of their cell to see…
"Dingo?" Jackal said in amazement. "What are you-?"
"No time for questions." Dingo interrupted, pulling out a brick of rubber explosive. "Right now, you two need te git as far away from the door as possible."
He smeared the explosive all over the lock, and then all three of the Pack members took cover. The explosion shook the walls and blew the cell door to smithereens. Jackal and Wolf quickly picked themselves up and joined Dingo in the hallway as the alarms began blaring.
"Come along, gents." Dingo insisted. "The guards will be wanting to talk to us soon, most likely."
…
Back on the women's side of the prison, both Hyena and Fox heard the alarms and looked up in surprise.
"Looks like somebody's making a break for it." Fox commented.
"I wonder who the lucky sap is." Hyena added.
"Lucky saps, actually." The golden figure replied as it approached their cell door. "My companion Dingo should have freed your partners Wolf and Jackal by now, leaving just you two."
The two women approached the bars, examining their rescuer.
"And just who might you be, handsome?" Hyena asked, a flirtatious air to her voice.
The figure pulled out a similar explosive brick to Dingo's and smeared some on the lock.
"Please, call me Coyote." He insisted.
The two women quickly stepped back and covered their ears. The explosion made short work of their door as they turned back to Coyote.
"You coming?" he asked, holding up one of Hyena's claw gauntlets. "Or would you rather rot in jail?"
Hyena's smile became a maniacal grin as she took her gauntlet and slipped it on.
"Well, handsome and resourceful." She remarked, flexing her fingers. "You got my vote."
A guard managed to sneak up behind Coyote and attempted to bring her nightstick down on his head. However, all she did was break it on his helmet. Coyote turned to her and grabbed her, tossing her into the cell and into the grip of Hyena.
"Here's something to remember me by." she cackled, lifting her clawed hand. "For the next five seconds."
Fox quickly intervened, pulling the guard from Hyena's grasp.
"Don't!" Fox exclaimed. "There's no need to kill her!"
"I beg to differ!" Hyena retorted.
She made a grab for the guard, but Fox quickly tossed the guard out of the way and tackled Hyena. Coyote watched the fight, then intervened himself.
"There's no time for this." He told them. "Let's go."
Fox shook her head.
"No, I'm staying here." She said
"What?!" Hyena exclaimed.
Fox walked over to the fallen guard and helped her to her feet.
"I'm going to serve my time." She explained. "Pay my debt."
Hyena made the cuckoo motion, then shrugged and walked out of the cell. Coyote stood there a moment longer.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
Fox just nodded in reply.
"You're loss." Coyote said as he and Hyena made a break for it.
…
The five fugitives met up in the courtyard of the prison, where guards fired down on them, trying to heard them back inside. However, they would not be deterred from their course, which was the main gate of the prison. When they got close, it was no surprise that the large iron doors were sealed. Luckily for them, Coyote made short work of the obstacle, tearing the doors from the hinges and tossing them at some pursuing guards. Wolf whistled at the spectacle.
"Alright, I'm impressed." He admitted.
They ran through the now open gate, hiding behind the outcroppings of rocks that dotted the island's shore. As they did, Jackal took a quick head count.
"Wait, where's Fox?" he asked. "And for that matter, who's this guy?"
"Fox's lost it and decided to stay." Hyena replied. "And as for him, he's Coyote. And he is one hell of a fighter."
The prison guards continued to fire down upon the hidden fugitives, much to everyone's chagrin.
"How are we supposed to get out of here?" Wolf demanded.
"Patience, my friend." Coyote replied. "Patience."
Coyote opened a small keypad on his arm and typed in a series of keys. As he did, the ocean in front of them began to shake and churn. The water began to rise in a large dome, then quickly broke to reveal a massive air ship. The four Pack members stared in utter fascination and awe as it pulled up in front of them, opening an entry hatch.
"All aboard." Coyote said.
They all ran in quickly, grabbing the first seats they could find. As the newly freed Pack fastened their seatbelts, Coyote took the controls and got them all the heck out of dodge.
…
Willow leaned against the wall of the clock tower, laptop in her hand and a history essay up on the screen. She was so focused on the paper, she didn't notice the sun going down. However, when she heard that distinctive stone cracking sound, she looked up with a smile on her face. She quickly saved her work and closed her computer, running up the stairs to greet her friends.
"Evening guys." She called.
"Good evening lass." Hudson replied.
Brooklyn gave her a hug and Broadway gave her a noogie. She chuckled as they all headed inside, but the merriment was quickly cut short when Elisa came through the trap door. The expression on her face was that of worry, which drew Goliath's attention.
"What is it Elisa?" he asked.
"Bad news." she told him. "The Pack has escaped from Riker's Island."
"What?!" Lexington exclaimed, nearly deafening Willow. "When did this happen?"
"Earlier today actually." She explained. "Around sunset."
"Then we gotta track them down!" Lexington insisted, his eyes glowing in anger. "Before the trail gets cold!"
"Whoa there." Willow told him, her ear still ringing from his shouts. "Calm down. You don't even know what happened."
"She is right." Goliath added. "Elisa, how did they escape?"
"Dingo and some guy in a black and gold dog costume broke them out quick and clean." Elisa quickly supplied. "The only one who didn't escape was Fox, who opted to stay and serve her time."
Willow shivered at the mention of Fox. She felt her leg, the one she had broken when they first fought the Pack, begin to tingle and itch. Lexington too was shivering, in pure, unadulterated rage in leu of fear.
"What are we waiting for?!" he shouted. "We need to get out there NOW!"
He went to run up the stairs, but Broadway and Brooklyn both grabbed him.
"Wait a minute." Broadway insisted. "You don't even know where to start."
"He's right Lex." Willow told him. "Manhattan's a much bigger castle to protect then Castle Wyvern. You could search all night and still not find them."
"Pack Media Studios." Lexington told her, trying to free himself from his brothers' grips. "I'll start there."
"It was converted into a news studio remember?" Brooklyn reminded him. "They wouldn't go there."
"Then that old warehouse we found after taking down Jackal and Hyena." Lexington tried again. "They've got to be there!"
"What warehouse?" Elisa asked.
Willow quickly opened her laptop again and brought up the street address.
"This one." She said, turning her laptop so she could show Elisa. "It was owned by the studio but was mostly used to store props for the show. Nobody ever really gave it any thought."
"Well, I'm adding it to the list of places we're checking out." Elisa told her, already jotting down the address on a small notepad in her pocket.
As Elisa closed the notebook, Willow looked at Lexington. The green gargoyle was still trying to pull free of his brothers' grasp, seemingly beyond reason. Recognizing the stubborn determination and lust for vengeance in his eyes, she let out a sigh.
"Lexington…" she said softly. "You're gonna go after them no matter what we say aren't you."
"You bet I am." He said with a snarl. "Those guys need to pay for what they've done."
Willow sighed.
"Alright but let someone come with you at least." She insisted.
"I'll go with you." Brooklyn volunteered.
Lexington stopped fighting his brothers and looked at Brooklyn in surprise.
"You will?" he questioned.
"Hey, you're my Rookery Brother." Brooklyn reminded him. "Of course, I'll help."
He released Lexington, and so did Broadway, albeit reluctantly. Willow then grabbed her gauntlet, slipping it onto her arm.
"I'm coming too." She told them. "Someone's gotta keep you two hotheads out of trouble."
In any other time, Lexington would have smiled happily at the prospect. However, all he did was shrug, then jump off the balcony and into the night. Brooklyn scooped Willow up and they exchanged weary looks.
"This isn't gonna end well, is it?" Brooklyn asked.
"Not in the slightest." Willow replied.
With that cheery thought, they took off as well, quickly catching up to Lexington. As they did, Goliath stroked his chin in thought.
"The Pack will not be foolish enough to return to any of their old hideouts." He mused.
"Aye." Hudson nodded in agreement. "And I'm sure that Willow and Brooklyn are aware of this."
"They're just trying to keep Lexington from doing anything foolish." Goliath surmised. "Meanwhile, I think it's time we have a talk with the true leader of the Pack… Xanatos."
…
Having successfully evaded the police in the airship, Coyote engaged the automatic pilot, standing up.
"We'll be safe for now." He told his passengers. "The police won't be able to find us."
"What about radar?" Jackal asked.
"Not to worry." Coyote assured her. "We're stealth rigged."
The Pack unfastened themselves from their seats and stood up as Coyote made his way over to them. While grateful for the jailbreak, they were a bit uneasy about Coyote, and their defensive stances proved this.
"Alright Dogface." Wolf announced. "Now that we're 'safe' as you put it, I think some answers are in order."
"Agreed." Jackal said with a nod. "Just who exactly are you?"
"I will explain everything later." Coyote replied. "For now, we need to discuss the plan."
"Now wait just a minute." Wolf snarled. "Who died and made you the boss?"
"I've appointed myself leader in Fox's absence." Coyote explained.
Wolf chuckled, then brought his fists up.
"Well then congratulations." He growled. "You just set the record for the shortest term in office."
Dingo quickly ran to Wolf's side, grabbing his arm.
"Don't even think about it, mate." He said. "You don't know what yer gitten yerself into."
Jackal mulled these words over before breaking out into a small, sinister smile.
"He has a point." He voiced. "After all, when was the last time you pulled an iron gate off its hinges, Wolf?"
"I guess you'll just have to settle for me tearing this jerk in half." Wolf replied with a feral growl.
He launched at Coyote, preparing to tackle him to the ground. However, he was surprisingly stopped by a single hand from Coyote. Electricity pierced through his body as he was thrown back against the wall of the airship.
"Wanna see me use both hands?" Coyote asked.
Wolf, breathing hard but not down yet, just snarled in anger and attacked again. This time, he pulled Coyote into a bear hug, one that would break any normal person's ribs like toothpicks. However, Coyote broke his grip without any difficulty and pulled Wolf into a headlock. He then sprayed Wolf in the face with a strange purple gas, which knocked the guy out in seconds. The rest of the pack watched as their comrade fell to the ground like a limp ragdoll, then they looked back up at Coyote.
"Don't feel too bad." He told them "I am wearing battle armor after all."
"Handsome, resourceful, strong, and witty." Hyena said with a smile. "Is there anything you don't have?"
"Us." Jackal replied. "The Pack doesn't follow just anybody. So, for the last time, who are you?"
Coyote reached up and twisted the helmet of the battle armor off. He pulled it off revealing none other than David Xanatos. The three conscious Pack members all gasped in surprise as Coyote put the helmet on a nearby seat.
"Surprised?" he asked.
Hyena cackled loudly.
"This day just keeps getting better and better!" she laughed.
"You just bought yourself a whole mess of trouble, rich man." Jackal snarled, preparing to attack.
Once again, Dingo intercepted the attacker before he could end up like Wolf.
"Fox is the one who let you rot in prison." He reasoned. "This guy got you out."
"Besides, it's the gargoyle who are our true enemies." Coyote added, turning back towards the front of the ship.
Hyena lifted a single eyebrow, then followed him.
"Our enemies?" she repeated, mildly confused. "What did they do to you? I thought they saved your tail back when Fox had us try to kill you."
"They took something from me." Coyote explained as he opened a small compartment hidden under the pilot's seat. "Something very important. I want it back."
He pulled out three orange duffle bags and tossed them at the Pack. Wolf finally began to stir again, just in time to be hit with the bag. They opened them to see their old Pack uniforms, complete with weapons. Wolf put his on with a wry smile.
"Alright…" he said after he got dressed. "You win. I'll play your game, but what do we get out of this? Aside from our freedom."
"What everyone on this ship wants." Coyote replied. "Revenge against the gargoyles."
…
Hudson, Goliath, and Broadway all flew through the night sky with Bronx in their arms, heading for the Eyrie Building. They landed in the castle courtyard and made their way inside. Goliath threw open the main doors of the castle, entering the great hall. There, Owen stood waiting for them.
"We're here to see Xanatos." Goliath told him.
"I'm afraid Mr. Xanatos isn't here right now." Owen replied with a smug smile. "He's in the middle of an important meeting. However, I doubt it is him you are truly here for."
"What makes you say that?" Broadway questioned.
"I know your true purpose is to locate the Pack." Owen answered. "As it just so happens, their social calendar shows them arriving at one of Pack Media studios storage facilities any minute now. They're expecting you."
Goliath's eyes narrowed in anger. If the Pack was expecting them, then Willow, Brooklyn, and Lexington may have just flown into a trap. Without another word, they turned to leave.
"One more thing, Goliath." Owen added as the gargoyle turned to him. "Mr. Xanatos has a message for Miss Willow. Please tell her that he hasn't touched her room since she left, and she's welcome to return at any time."
"I'll deliver your message," Goliath growled, "if you deliver mine."
The gargoyle then hoisted Owen into the air, wiping the smug smile off the man's face.
"If anything happens to any member of my clan, including Willow, I will make sure he pays." He swore.
He dropped the man unceremoniously to the ground and stalked out the door. Owen stood up and dusted himself off.
"Message received." He muttered.
…
Perched on a rooftop overlooking the Pack Media Studio warehouse, Lexington, Brooklyn and Willow stared down at the mass of police gathered at the door.
"Looks like Elisa managed to send the address to the precinct." Willow commented. "If they're here, the police will catch them for sure."
"They can have them…" Lexington snarled. "Once I'm through with them."
Brooklyn and Willow looked at Lexington, a bit scared of the murderous undertones in his voice.
"Lex, I know how you feel." Brooklyn told him. "You trusted the Pack, and they used you. How do you think I felt after I learned Demona had tricked me?"
"But if you let your anger and hurt cloud your mind, then you'll just end up getting yourself and others hurt." Willow insisted. "Anger has a way of clouding your judgement, leaving you vulnerable to your enemies."
"When I let Demona manipulate me, I had to rely on Willow to get me out of the mess I made." Brooklyn reminded him. "Had she not shown up when she did, Goliath would still be under a spell."
"You have every right to be angry." Willow concluded. "But you also need to remember what's truly important. Family, friends, protecting our home."
"You two have your priorities, and I have mine." Lexington snapped.
Willow sighed, and Brooklyn shook his head. Lexington was stubborn, even more than Goliath. They turned back to the police, who were pulling away into the night.
"Guess they were a no show." Brooklyn commented, a note of relief in his voice.
"I'm checking it out." Lexington declared
He leapt off the roof, flying towards the seemingly abandoned warehouse. Not wanting to leave their riled-up comrade to his own devices, Brooklyn and Willow quickly follow. They make their way inside the warehouse do discover…
"Nothing?" Lexington exclaimed. "Nothing?!"
"The Pack wouldn't return here." Brooklyn surmised. "They know we know about their hideouts."
Lexington sighed in frustration.
"Maybe your right…" he allowed.
The three of them turn to leave, but about that time, the ground began to shake. Turning back to the warehouse, the trio watched as a bright light began to emanate from the floor as a hidden landing pad began to lift into the warehouse. Seated on the pad was one of the biggest airships any of them had ever seen. Willow readied her gauntlet and the two gargoyles got into defensive stances as the ship's bay doors opened and out came the Pack.
"Well, well, well." Wolf said with a smile. "Look who it is. Beak face and Igor with their little pet."
Lexington's eyes began glowing so brightly, his face was obscured by the light. Brooklyn and Willow went to intercept him before he did anything stupid, but he threw them off and launched at the Pack. He landed right on Wolf, claws and fangs bared as he attempted to maul the man. Brooklyn rubbed his head and helped Willow to her feet.
"Told you this wasn't gonna end well." Willow told him.
The two of them entered the fray as well, with Brooklyn going after Jackal. Hyena saw Willow and let a cruel smile played on her face.
"Been waiting to pay you back for blasting me in the face." She sneered.
"Bring it on." Willow challenged.
Hyena raked at Willow, forcing her to dodge. She brought up her own claws in hopes of landing a blow, but Hyena blocked it with ease.
"I went easy on you last time." She told her. "I'm not doing that again."
She spun kicked Willow, connecting with her stomach and sending her flying right into Brooklyn. The two went skidding across the ground, where they quickly stood again. Meanwhile, Lexington was yanked off Wolf by Dingo, who put him in a headlock despite the furious struggled the gargoyle put up.
Jackal and Hyena surrounded Brooklyn and Willow, both grinning like maniacs. Thinking fast, Willow aimed her gauntlet up at a hanging scaffolding and fired. This brought it swinging down, where it knocked Dingo to the side and right into Jackal and Hyena.
"See how you like getting thrown about!" Brooklyn shouted.
The two of them bolted over to Lexington, pulling him to his feet. He yanked himself free of their grip, snarling in anger.
"I'm fine!" He yelled.
"Not for long." A voice from behind them called.
The three of them turned just in time to see Coyote right behind them. He lifted his arm and the small ray gun came out. He fired it, sending the hallucinogenic rays at the trio. After a minute of mind warping hallucinations, the three of them collapsed into a small pile.
"Nighty night…" Jackal taunted as they lost consciousness. "Don't let the bedbugs bite."
…
Goliath and the rest of the Manhattan Clan arrived at the warehouse about an hour later. As they made their way inside the warehouse, they were shocked to find it completely empty. More than that, from the dangling scaffolding and the claw marks on the ground, there had obviously been a struggle. Bronx went over to one of the marks and began sniffing it with great gusto. He then let out a howl of sadness.
"Were we too late?" Broadway asked.
"It appears so, lad." Hudson replied, examining a set of claw marks. "Question is, who was the victor?"
Suddenly, the wall phone right next to Goliath went off, surprising all three. Bronx snarled at it, voicing everybody's opinion. Whomever was on the other line, they knew they were there, meaning it could only be one of two groups. The Pack, or Willow's group.
"Goliath?" Broadway asked.
Goliath nodded, then picked up the phone.
"Who is this?" he demanded.
"Goliath, I'm so glad I reached you." Owen's voice answered. "I've been instructed to invite you to an intimate get together the Pack is hosting. If you and your clan are free around midnight, please consider attending. It's at the oil tankard, The Toshimaru, in the bay. If I am not mistaken, some members of your party are already in attendance."
The line clicked at Owen hung up, and Goliath clenched his fist on the phone so hard it crumbled into piece.
"The Pack has them all." Goliath snarled. "We need to get to the bay, now!"
…
On the Toshimaru oil tankard, Lexington slowly regained consciousness. As he did, he spotted Brooklyn and Willow leaning against the wall of the large room they were in. From the looks of it, they seemed to be in some sort of hold meant for cargo. The walls climbed far above the two, and there was no visible door.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"A ship, I'm guessing." Willow replied. "One meant to withstand a serious amount of damage."
"What makes you say that?" Lexington questioned.
Brooklyn leaned to the side, revealing the multiple scratch marks and grey char marks on the wall.
"We've been awake about ten minutes now. Spent eight of it just trying to make a dent in this wall." Brooklyn explained. "The walls are solid steel, and who knows how many feet thick."
Lexington pounded the ground in anger.
"Damnit!" He snarled. "We almost had them!"
Willow snorted.
"Oh yeah, they were practically begging for mercy." She replied, her voice dripping in sarcasm.
"We told you something like this would happen if you went in all anger and no plan." Brooklyn chastised. "Now we're stuck here until Goliath finds us."
"I don't need Goliath's help." Lexington growled. "I can take them all myself."
Willow stood up, facing the small gargoyle.
"You're still not listening!" she shouted. "Don't you get it? We're stuck! All we can do is wait until Goliath or one of the other members of the clan finds us. Until then, just sit down and try to calm down. All this anger will just bring us all into a bigger mess of trouble then we're already in."
Lexington completely ignored her, pushing past her and scratching at the wall they had been attacking. Willow and Brooklyn watched and shook their heads.
"I hope Goliath gets here soon, or I just might do something stupid to Lexington." Willow whispered.
"Not if I get to him first." He replied.
…
Up above the captive three, The Pack were readying weapons provided by Coyote to prepare for the arrival of the gargoyles. While testing the sights on his gun, Dingo spoke up.
"D'ya think they'll come?" He asked. "They gotta know it's a trap."
"They'll come." Coyote assured him.
Weapons prepped and ready for action, the Pack formed a circle, guns aimed up at the foggy night sky. They scanned the clouds for any sign of their prey and weren't disappointed. Coming in from the side, Goliath and the rest of the Manhattan clan swooped down, howling loudly into the night. Coyote was the first to see them and let off a laser blast to bring them down. The gargoyles spread out, avoiding the blast as Goliath gave his enemies something to aim at.
While Coyote and the Pack focused on Goliath's moving form, Broadway swooped down from behind, landing right on top of Wolf. As he landed, he shoved Jackal and Dingo as well, knock all three of them to the ground. While Broadway tussled with these three, Goliath chased Coyote across the tankard. Bronx launched himself at Hyena, snarling and biting at her while Hudson searched the ship for any sign of the missing clan members
"Come on lads…" he muttered as he scanned the ship. "Where did they hide ya?"
Over the din of the fighting, Hudson heard a constant metallic banging, as if someone was pounding and scratching at the metal walls of the ship. He followed the noise to a heavily chained valve leaving down to the oil containment room.
"There ya are." He let out.
About that time, Broadway suddenly came flying at him, knocking Hudson to the side. The two gargoyles recovered as the three Pack members surrounded them.
"Did you honestly think it would be that easy?" Wolf asked
As if to prove his point, Bronx skidded across the floor of the tankard, coming to a stop right next to Hudson and Broadway. Now surrounded on all four sides, the two gargoyles went back to back with Bronx snarling at their feet. The Pack slowly closed in, hoping to dogpile the three. Unfortunately for them, the gargoyles would have none of it.
Dingo went to tackle Broadway but ended up grabbing an armful of air as the large gargoyle jumped over him. As he landed on the Australian man's back, Hudson drew his small sword. He sliced through the claws on Jackal's glove, reducing them to mere glove fingers. As Jackal examined his glove in shock, Hudson grabbed the front of his shirt and tossing him at Dingo's fallen body. Hyena snarled in anger, going for a wild attack at Hudson until Bronx tackled her again, locking his jaw on her arm.
Broadway turned his attention to Wolf, grappling with the large man as Hudson returned to the chained valve. He raised his sword, bringing down on the old chains and slicing them to bits. Then, with a solid yank, he tore the valve free of its hinges, opening the way.
"LADS!" he shouted down into the darkness. "LASS! ARE YA DOWN THERE?!"
Lexington clambered through the hole, not even bothering to acknowledge Hudson or his question. He pushed past the old gargoyle, lunging at Wolf's back and grabbing hold like a bull rider in the rodeo. Brooklyn climbed out of the hole as well, pulling Willow out by her gauntlet arm.
"Thanks for the save." Willow said to Hudson.
"Yeah, thanks." Brooklyn added.
Lexington was then thrown back across the ship, narrowly missing the newly freed clan members. Brooklyn and Willow quickly put on their game faces and ran into the battle, claws bared, and blaster armed.
On the other end of the ship, Coyote rounded a corner and hid in a doorway, mere seconds before Goliath came about. Surprised to find his prey suddenly missing, Goliath stopped running, scanning the shadows with his glowing white eyes. Hoping to catch him off guard, Coyote brought out his hallucinogenic weapon and aimed it at Goliath. The gargoyle heard him and quickly turned, just as Coyote activated the gun.
At first, the weapon seemed to be doing what it was supposed to, and Goliath fell to his knees in slight agony. However, he did not fully fall, and slowly rose to his feet, forcing himself to see through the illusions the wave made him see. Realizing his weapon wasn't having the desired effect, Coyote switched arms and brought out his laser weapon, firing at will.
Goliath grabbed him and shoved him against the wall, causing a shot to go wild and hit one of the many barrels of oil that littered the deck of the ship. As the barrel exploded and a fire began to spread across the deck, Goliath wrenched the helmet off Coyote's head. When he saw who was underneath, he crushed the helmet in his free hand.
"Xanatos…" He snarled.
"Nice to see you too, Goliath." Coyote replied.
Coyote then grabbed the arm Goliath was using to pin him to the wall and forced him to the side. He then kicked off Goliath's chest, landing on the flame covered lower deck. Growling in rage, Goliath followed him without hesitation.
Elsewhere on deck, the Pack and the rest of the gargoyles continued their own personal battles. Jackal grappled with Lexington, just barely holding off the feisty gargoyle with his single clawed glove. Broadway tussled with Wolf, putting the man into a headlock. Dingo tried to escape by punching the larger gargoyle in the gut but found his efforts futile with the amount of protection Broadway's size provided. Hudson found himself doing his best to keep Dingo from strangling him, while Dingo tried to find an opening in Hudson's defenses. And, once again, Willow found herself facing Hyena once more.
"I'm getting real tired of you, little brat!" Hyena shouted as she tried to bring her claws down on Willow's face.
"Trust me, the feeling's mutual!" Willow replied, rolling out of the way.
Willow regained her footing and fired at Hyena, but the trained fighter easily dodged. She then leapt into the air, going for a double kick at Willow's face. Bronx came to Willow's rescue though, pushing the girl out of the way seconds before Hyena's blow connected.
"Thanks Bronx." Willow told him, rubbing the top of his head. "I owe you big."
The two then turned towards Hyena, who eyed them with a feral gleam in her eye.
"I'll go high, you go low." Willow said quietly.
Bronx gave a small nod and the two went to attack. About that time, Hudson finally managed to get ahold of Dingo and hoisted him into the air. He flung the man in Broadway and Wolf's direction, calling out as he did.
"Heads up lad!" he shouted.
Broadway quickly released Wolf and tossed him into Dingo's path. The two men collided with a loud thud, landing in a heap on the burning deck. As they slowly got to their feet, Lexington managed to grab ahold of Jackal, tossing him into the air. With a quick spin, he tail whipped the unfortunate man into the stairs leading to the upper deck. While he celebrated his minor victory, Dingo grabbed one of the guns they had prepared earlier and leveled it with Lexington's head.
"You're all mine…" he said with a grin.
Broadway quickly grabbed the gun from Dingo's hands, bending it until it almost snapped in two. With a quick flick of his wrist, he sent the improvised boomerang at Dingo, striking him in the stomach hard.
Back on the other end of the ship, Goliath continued to wrestle with Coyote. The two were almost evenly matched, Goliath with his brute strength and Coyote with his battle armor. They pushed back and forth at each other, rolling across the burning deck, narrowly avoiding the deadly flames.
Even over the roaring flames, and the battles surrounding them, Willow and Bronx could hear their struggles. Hyena lay beneath them, unconscious due to the combined efforts of the two. Now, they turned their attention to Goliath's fight.
"Looks like he could use some help." Willow accessed
Bronx snarled in agreement, running between Willow's legs and putting her on his back. She hugged his neck as he leapt over the wall of flames separating Goliath and Coyote from the rest of them. Once clear, Willow jumped off Bronx and dug her gauntlet's claws into Coyote's back armor.
"Hello Xanatos." She said when he turned to her.
Bronx then aimed for his feet, helping Goliath bring the guy down. He hit the deck and Goliath dragged him across the ground. As he did this, sparks flew from his face, surprising all three of the clan members.
"What the hell?" Willow whispered.
Willow pulled her claw free of Coyote as Goliath spun Coyote onto his back. He landed with a metallic clang, revealing his face, or what was left of it. Right side of his face was gone, revealing a metallic skull and frayed wires underneath a synthetic skin layer.
"He's-" Goliath gasped.
"A robot." Willow finished.
"Blimey!" Dingo exclaimed. "We've been following a tin can!"
Coyote pushed himself up off the ground, turning towards Goliath to continue the fight. Willow quickly brought up her blaster and fired. The blast tore through Coyote's robot body, leaving a gaping hole in his stomach as he fell to the ground. The rest of the gargoyles flocked to their leader as Willow tore the head of the robot, tossing it at the feet of the Pack.
"Anyone else?" Lexington asked.
The Pack members turned away in fear, only to be confronted by something far more terrifying. The fire had spread to the several other stacks of oil barrels, causing them to explode. With each explosion, the tankard lost its integrity and began to shake and shift.
"Perhaps we should save this for another day." Jackal suggested.
"As much as I hate running, you have a point." Wolf replied.
Dingo grabbed Hyena's unconscious form, throwing her over his shoulder as the Pack made a hasty retreat from the ship. Lexington saw this and snarled in fury.
"NO!" He shouted. "THEY WON'T GET AWAY AGAIN!"
He ran after them, grabbing one of the weapons that was still functional. He reached the edge of the tankard just as the Pack climbed into the airship, taking off into the night. Lexington went to aim his weapon, but another explosion sent Brooklyn flying across the ship. He hit a metal pole hard and fell to the ground unconscious.
"BROOKLYN!" Willow screamed
The boat began to tilt violently. and Brooklyn began to slide across the ground towards the edge. Willow ran to his side, grabbing Brooklyn's arm and planting her feet. Unfortunately, she wasn't strong enough and she began sliding across the floor.
"Lass!" Hudson shouted.
The rest of the can went to go to their aid, but the fire had grown too big for any of them to cross. The only one close enough to help was Lexington, who was currently leveling his gun at the airship.
"LEXINGTON!" Willow shouted, catching the gargoyle's attention. "I'M SLIPPING!"
Lexington looked over at Willow, then back up at the retreating airship. He hesitated for a minute, then tossed the gun aside, running to Willow's side. He wrapped his arms around Willow's waist, and together, the two of them pulled Brooklyn away from the edge. Once Brooklyn was safe, Lexington turned towards the wall of flames surrounding the clan.
"This ship is going down!" He called. "We need to get out of here!"
Another explosion blew a large hole in the hull of the ship and water began to pour in. The ship tilted until it was almost horizontal. Willow shook Brooklyn hard, rousing him from his unconscious state.
"We need to fly, NOW!" She told him.
One by one, the gargoyles abandoned the sinking vessel, Willow safely in Brooklyn's arms, and Bronx in Goliath's grasp. As the ship sank and the gargoyle's flew to safety, Brooklyn looked down at Willow.
"Hey, thanks for saving my bacon before it got fried." He told her.
"Thank Lexington." She replied. "We were both about to go over until he grabbed me."
Brooklyn blinked in surprise, then a smile came onto his face.
"Thanks bro." He called out to Lexington.
"Don't mention it." Lexington replied. "Besides, it helped me get my priorities straight."
…
The next day, Fox stood in front of a parole board. The five officials had convened after receiving word of the Pack's break out, and her decision to stay behind.
"Miss Fox." The head of the board began. "In consideration of your overall exemplary behavior since your arrest, as well as your decision to serve your time and aid the guard rather than escape with your former comrades, this board hereby grants you an early parole."
Fox gave a small smile and nodded at the board.
"Thank you very much." She told them. "I promise you, you won't be disappointed."
After the board adjourned, Fox walked out of the prison gates towards the large stretch limo waiting for her. The driver's side door opened, and Owen stepped out.
"Nice to see you again, Miss Fox." He greeted.
"Same to you Owen." She replied. "He's inside I take it."
Owen opened the back-passenger door, revealing the real David Xanatos sitting in the back. She climbed in and reached for him, and he eagerly reached back. They embraced, kissing passionately as Owen closed the back door.
"I've missed you." Xanatos told her once they stopped kissing.
"Not as much as I missed you." Fox replied. "So, who won?"
"It never mattered who won." Xanatos answered. "That was merely the icing. You're the cake."
They kissed again, then Xanatos continued.
"The whole escape was staged to give you a chance at an early parole." He explained. "Plus, I got a chance to test my new humanoid robot."
"But they destroyed it." Fox argued. "What about your revenge? What about getting Willow back?"
"Revenge, as they say, is a sucker's game." Xanatos replied. "Besides, Willow will return to me in time, and I have something just as precious as her. I have you."
They shared another passionate kiss as Owen drove off.
