The New Year had come and gone for New York City, the crisp nights of early January settling over everything. Those nights however, were spent by the gargoyles searching for their missing friends and clan members. This night in particular felt colder than normal to Brooklyn, who crossed off another day on Willow's calendar. He sighed as he looked at the date, a handwritten note marking it as Willow's birthday. He sighed, lowering the pen.

"Happy birthday, Willow..." he sighed. "Wish you were here."

Movement at the face of the clock tower drew his attention as he ran towards the balcony. There, Lexington and Hudson landed, neither of them looking happy.

"Any sign of them?" He asked.

"Not a trace, lad." Hudson replied solemnly.

"I've been up the east side and down the west." Lexington reported. "No Goliath, Bronx, or Willow."

Brooklyn let out a growl, running his claws through his hair.

"It's been over a week since they just vanished." he declared. "Her phone's offline, and everywhere we've searched has turned up empty!"

"We're all worried, lad." Hudson told him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

About that time, Broadway's silhouette appeared on the horizon. Everyone turned as he joined them on the balcony.

"I swung by Elisa's place." he declared. "Her mail's been piling up, and Cagney here looks like she hasn't eaten in days."

He held up Cagney, Elisa's cat, who meowed hungrily in Broadway's grip.

"Think she's with Willow, Goliath, and Bronx?" Lexington asked.

"Good question." Hudson admitted, taking the cat from Broadway. "Here's another, what do we do now?"

"We find our friends, that's what we do." Brooklyn declared. "If Elisa's with them, then they might be on some sort of secret mission, like she was when she was taking down that protection racket."

"If that's true, I can drop by Matt's place, see if he's heard anything." Broadway offered.

"You do that." Brooklyn nodded. "Lex, you check out the rest of Elisa's family. Maybe they've heard something."

"And what about you?" Hudson asked.

"I'm going to check with the mutates." Brooklyn answered. "Talon's Elisa's brother, and he deserves to know. Besides, we're going to need all the help we can get."

"I will wait here then." Hudson elected. "Just in case one of them should return."

"Contact us the second they do." Brooklyn told him before flying off.

The gargoyles watched him go, looking nervous.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Lexington asked. "I can't remember the last time he was this upset."

"He is just concerned for Willow." Hudson told him. "That, and the burden of leadership is weighing heavily on his heart."

"Is there anything we can do?" Broadway wondered.

"The best we can do is continue our search, and pray our friends return safely." Hudson answered.

...

Brooklyn hopped down into an abandoned subway line, one that led to the former Cyberbiotics lab underground. It was there that the mutates had decided to set up their home, as well as a sanctuary for the homeless of Manhattan to protect them. Brooklyn began making his way towards the doors of the lab when he heard a voice cry out in fear.

"No, no please!" the voice begged. "Stay away from me!"

Brooklyn picked up the pace, coming around the corner to see an older homeless man running along the tracks. He tripped, falling flat on his face and giving two thugs the opportunity to catch up to him. They grabbed him and lifted him to his feet as Fang and Claw approached.

"Come on, Al." Fang let out. "We just wanna talk, see?"

As Fang and Claw closed in on him, the two thugs pushed him forward.

"You know my rules, Al." Fang declared. "You want in, you got to pay my fee. So, what do you have to offer, huh?"

Al quickly fished around in his coat, eventually pulling out some spare change. He held it out, his hands shaking.

"Coins?" Fang let out, feeling insulted. "Al, take a look at me. Do I look like the kind of guy who can just waltz into a store and plunk down coins for a pack of cigarettes?!"

As he shouted this, he grabbed Al and threw him across the tracks. Fang then began shooting at Al with his lightning powers, spurring Brooklyn into motion. He tackled Fang to the ground, stopping the blasts and saving Al.

"I don't recall Talon allowing this sort of nonsense in his clan, Fang." He snarled, his eyes glowing as he faced down the mutate.

As the two wrestled on the ground, the two thugs came up and tried holding him back. Brooklyn just swatted them away with his tail, but they quickly recovered and joined the tussle. Claw watched the entire fight unfold, unsure of what to do. Luckily for him, he was spared the effort of deciding by the timely arrival of Talon and Maggie.

"Enough!" Talon declared, grabbing the two thugs and pulling them off the quarreling gargoyles.

Brooklyn finally managed to get the upper hand on Fang, delivering a hard uppercut that knocked him back.

"Brooklyn?" Talon let out in surprise. "What's going on here?"

"Ask your friend Fang here." Brooklyn snarled. "He was shaking down a defenseless human, then he tried to fry him."

"Again, Fang?" Talon questioned. "How many times do I have to tell you? Everyone is welcome, and the weak are to be protected."

"Who died and made you king?" Fang remarked.

"Down here, there are no kings." Talon responded. "Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Fang muttered.

Satisfied for the moment, Talon ushered Brooklyn away. Maggie did the same with Al, helping the man as she turned to Talon.

"Shouldn't we do something about him?" she asked.

"He'll come around eventually." Talon insisted. "Just give him time."
Back with Fang, he just scowled at Talon and the others.

"I'll show him who rules down here." He insisted.

...

Up in the city, Matt Bluestone returned to his apartment from work. He hung up his coat and tossed his keys into a bowl next to the door. He then flipped the lights on and turned around, coming face to face with Broadway.

"Hiya, Matt." Broadway greeted.

Matt went stumbling back in shock, eventually letting out a laugh as he put a hand on his beating chest.

"I'm still not used to you guys." he muttered. "How did you even get in here?"

"Your back porch." Broadway answered, gesturing to the patio. "Listen, have you talked to Elisa lately?"

"No, not for days." Matt told him. "The whole squad's been looking for her. I thought she was with you guys."

"No." Broadway shot down. "She's missing, along with Goliath, Bronx, and Willow."

"Not good." Matt lamented. "Did they leave any indication about their plans? Where they were going?"

"They just… vanished." Broadway explained. "Neither Elisa nor Willow have answered their phones. We've checked everywhere we can think of to check, and have come up empty each time."

...

Down in the underground complex, dubbed the Labyrinth by its inhabitants, Brooklyn gave Talon a similar rundown. Upon hearing everyone was missing, he seemed distraught.

"I'm sorry to say I haven't heard from any of them." Talon said quietly. "I'd assumed Elisa was busy up in the real world."

"If only." Brooklyn muttered. "I just wish I had some idea of where to look."

"My first guess would be Xanatos." Talon proposed.

"Wouldn't surprise me." Fang remarked, walking up to them. "Think about it. First he turns us into flying bug zappers, then he tries to trick you into killing Goliath. Besides, it's no secret he wants his kid back, and that Goliath was one of the only things standing in his way."

"He's right." Brooklyn snarled. "If he's hurt any of them, I'll rip him to shreds!"

He stalked out of the Labyrinth, Talon quickly following after him.

"Brooklyn, wait." he insisted. "Don't go without back-up, okay?"

"Just don't slow me down." Brooklyn replied.

The two left as Maggie watched them in worry before turning to Fang.

"Why did you provoke Brooklyn?" she questioned. "He's upset and irrational. If he goes up to Xanatos' castle he could himself and Talon killed!"

"Awww." Fang let out, his voice dripping with sarcasm and contempt. "And wouldn't that be a crying shame?"

He then brushed her off and walked away, the two thugs and Claw following close behind.

...

At the clock tower, the remnants of the Manhattan clan regrouped inside, none of them having any good news.

"Sorry guys," Lex spoke up. "I listened in at the Maza house. They're just as worried about her as we are."

"Nothing from Matt, either." Broadway announced. "Doesn't anyone know where-?"

He cut off when he saw a familiar silhouette flying up to the clock face. His face brightened and he hopped to his feet, rushing to the door. He came to a sullen stop when the door opened, revealing only Talon.

"Oh, hi Talon." Broadway greeted, downtrodden.

"Hey Talon." He greeted, unable to keep the disappointment in his voice.

Brooklyn landed not long after, looking at his Rookerie brothers.

"I'm guessing you guys came up empty as well." he guessed.

"Afraid so." Lex confirmed.

"We may have an idea of who might know." Talon spoke up. "We were on our way to Xanatos' castle, but figured it would be best to get back-up before doing so."

"You sure that's a good idea, lad?" Hudson asked. "If Xanatos isn't responsible, this will let him know about the disappearances."

"Even so, it's our only lead." Brooklyn rationalized. "And if he's not responsible, he's going to be pouring all his resources into finding Willow. That's a win in my book."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Talon questioned. "Let's go!"

"Right behind you." Broadway declared.

"I will stay here." Hudson decided. "In case there is word."

"Suit yourself." Brooklyn replied, turning to leave. "Just keep us in the loop if anything changes."

"You know I will." Hudson assured him.

Brooklyn nodded, then took off with his Rookerie brothers and Talon. Hudson went to sit down in his chair as Cagney came and rubbed against his leg.

"Well, you're no Bronx." He told the cat, picking it up. "But I guess you'll have to do."

...

The four gargoyles streaked through the sky, making their way towards the castle.

"What's the plan?" Lexington asked.

"Odds are, Xanatos already knows we're coming." Talon rationalized.

"And without Willow with us, he has no reason to hold back." Broadway added.

"Then we won't hold back either." Brooklyn declared. "Just watch each other's tails and keep your eyes sharp. Got it?"

"Got it." Lexington and Broadway replied.

"Since when have you been in charge?" Talon questioned.

"Goliath named me his second in command in case something ever happened to him." Brooklyn explained. "Disappearing for over a week definitely qualifies."

"Fine." Talon replied.

The four gargoyles flew off towards the castle, determined to get their friends back.

...

As expected, the four appeared on a set of security monitors scanning for aerial threats. Owen watched them approach, his eyes narrowing.

"Sir, we have four gargoyles approaching from the west." he reported.

"Which ones?" Xanatos asked, setting down some paperwork.

"Brooklyn, Lexington, Broadway, and Talon." Owen listed off.

Xanatos mused over the list, then a small smirk graced his face.

"Is the new security system ready for testing?" he asked.

"Just say the word, sir." Owen replied.

"Then let's see how it holds up against our four 'guests'." Xanatos decided.

...

As the four gargoyles swooped down towards the castle, several of the towers began to open up, revealing large laser cannons that were getting ready to fire at them. The first blast nearly clipped Lexington, the small gargoyle barely dodging in time. Another blast was aimed at Talon, but he dodged as well, causing the blast to hit the side of the castle. By this point, all of the gargoyles were performing some tricky aerobatics to keep themselves from getting vaporized.

Though the shots were going wild and missing the gargoyles, those that struck the castle were causing untold amounts of damage. Flying shrapnel rained down on the gargoyles, threatening to knock them out of the sky. What made it worse was that the damage could even be felt below the castle in Xanatos' office. The man had to cover his head to avoid getting crushed by a ceiling that threatened to cave in.

As Brooklyn dodged some oncoming blaster fire, Broadway landed on the turret that was shooting at him.

"Don't worry Brooklyn, I got ya covered!" He called out before bending the gun barrel upwards.

While Broadway dealt with his turret, Talon and Lexington double teamed on another, drawing its fire away from the large gargoyle. This allowed him to literally tie the turret in a knot before directing one final blast at the other turret. The entire tower exploded on impact, right before Broadway's turret overloaded.

"This is gonna hurt." he let out, just before he was sent flying into the air by the explosion.

As he flew through the air, he collided with Brooklyn and the two went plummeting downward. They smashed right through the weak spot in the ground, crashing into the middle of Xanatos' office. As they picked themselves up, Xanatos stood up from where he had taken cover, brushing stray dust and rock chunks off himself.

"Gentlemen, what a pleasant surprise." Xanatos greeted. "To what do I owe the honor?"

The two turned to Xanatos as Talon and Lexington jumped down to join them.

"You know damn well why we're here." Talon snarled, powering up an electrical blast.

Before he could get a shot off though, Owen came up and used his stone hand to punch Talon back.

"I see you've managed to incorporate your handicap quite nicely, Owen." Xanatos remarked, sitting down at his desk while subtly reaching for a gun. "Now, someone care to explain what's going on here?"

He just had time to grab it before Broadway disarmed him, smashing the gun in his hand.

"We're the ones asking questions here." Broadway declared.

Brooklyn stalked forward, slamming his hands on Xanatos' desk as he eyes glowed brightly.

"Where. Is. Willow?" he snarled.

"I have no idea." Xanatos replied. "She's been hard to keep track of these days."

"She went missing over a week ago." Lexington informed him. "Her phone's dead, and nobody's seen her."

Xanatos paused, a look of worry passing over his face. Even so, he did his best to mask it.

"Hmmm…" Xanatos let out. "This is troubling. I swear to you I am not behind her disappearance."

"Now why don't I believe you?" Talon remarked.

"What you believe is of no consequence to me." Xanatos replied. "Though I have to wonder why Goliath isn't here with you. Is he missing as well?"

Everyone paused for a moment, all the answer Xanatos needed.

"I see." he mused. "And if Talon is here, perhaps Detective Maza is also missing."

"And considering our prior history, we were your first suspects." Owen guessed.

"While I have no knowledge of their whereabouts, I can promise I will do everything I can to find them." Xanatos promised.

"You'll understand if we don't take what you say at face value." Lexington remarked.

"Of course." Xanatos nodded. "Feel free to look around. Talon, you used to work here. I'm certain you still have a sharp memory of the place. And Lexington, my files are open to you."

"Lex, see what you can find." Brooklyn ordered. "Broadway, watch his back. Talon and I will search the place."

"Right." Lex agreed, taking a seat at the computer.

Talon and Brooklyn went off to search as Broadway leaned against the wall to keep an eye on him. Xanatos walked away, turning his back to the gargoyles. Once he was certain they couldn't see him, he finally allowed his fear to show. He looked at his shaking hands before closing them into fists, letting out a shaky breath.

...

Down in the Labyrinth, Fang, Claw, and the two thugs were exploring a previously unknown part of the tunnels. As they walked, one of the thugs was explaining something to Fang.

"So, me and Chaz were checking out the tunnels, right?" he began. "Like, looking around for stuff. So we start digging, and find this."

He shined a flashlight on an excavated hole in the wall, revealing a sealed off room with incredibly high-tech security.

"Only problem is, we can't get it open." the thug explained. "Then we figured you guys could just do your electrical thing and just zap it open!"

"I get the picture." Fang replied. "Let's do it, Claw."

Together, the two blasted the door, pumping it full of enough electricity to short circuit all of the wiring inside. It fizzed and sparked before eventually exploding, allowing entrance into the secret room. Upon entering, they found several pieces of machinery, and rows and rows of old computers. However, what was most fascinating was a tall, round capsule that contained a set of high-powered rifles.

"Aw, cool." One of the thugs let out. "Look at these babies."

"Someone could cause a lot of damage with these." Chaz remarked.

Fang quickly shoved them aside and tried to open up the case. However, the door refused to budge. After giving it a few tugs, Fang attempted to blast it, but the case just ended up rebounding the shot off the wall and into the shelf of electronics. Angry at being kept out, Fang began furiously banging on the case, shouting with each blow.

"Open! Up! You! Stupid-"

His rantings were cut off by a keycard on a chain being dangled in his face. Fang followed the chain to see Claw holding it, smiling at his leader.

"Give me that!" Fang let out, snatching the keycard.

He found a slot on the door for the keycard and gave it a slide. The door beeped, then slid open, providing the group with access to the weaponry.

"C'mon boys," Fang offered. "Stores open."

The thugs immediately grabbed the weapons, checking them out. Even Claw got in on the action, looking at the gun in surprise. As they prepared to leave, Fang grabbed the capsule as well, ripping it off the ground and hoisting it onto his back.

"You never know when something like this might come in handy." he remarked as they all took their leave of the bunker.

...

Back in the Eyrie building, Lexington had finished his search coming up empty. He sighed, something that didn't go unnoticed by Broadway.

"Anything?" he asked.

"Aside from some credit card statements and her phone bill, I've found no trace of her in the system." he explained. "Same with the others."

The doors to the office opened, allowing Brooklyn and Talon to return.

"We've searched the building from top to bottom." Brooklyn reported. "No luck."

Xanatos turned to face the gargoyles, once again wearing his usual stoic mask.

"Convinced?" He asked.

"For now." Brooklyn replied. "C'mon everyone, it's almost sunrise."

They prepared to head out, but Xanatos stopped Brooklyn by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I know we've had our differences, but should you hear from Willow… please let me know." he asked. "I'll do the same, should my own investigation turn up anything."

"... Sure." Brooklyn replied before heading out.

...

The sun was beginning to peek over the horizon as the remnants of the Manhattan clan prepared to rest. Hudson climbed up onto his perch, sighing mournfully.

"Yet another night without word from Goliath." he lamented.

"I'll be back tonight." Talon promised. "We could all use some rest."

He flew off as Brooklyn looked out at the horizon.

"Damnit..." he cursed. "Where are you?!"

His angry howl froze on his face as the morning rays petrified him.

...

Not much later, Talon returned to the Labyrinth, only to find the doors sealed shut, and Fang standing in front of it.

"Well, the king finally returns to his little domain." Fang remarked.

Talon landed in front of Fang, his weariness making it hard for him to brush off his fellow mutate.

"I've told you, there are no kings down here." he insisted. "Now let me in. It's been a long night, and I'm exhausted."

"Let me in Fang, protect the weak Fang, Fang do this, Fang do that." Fang listed off in a mocking voice. "You know, for someone who doesn't like to be in charge, you sure do like giving out orders."

"Fang, please open the door." Talon asked, trying very hard not to snap. "I am not in the mood to deal with you."

He reached for the door, only to get pushed aside by Fang.

"You know, I always figured you were a weakling." Fang remarked, leering at Talon. "Now I know it's true! You're not fit to lead us, but I am!"

"Yeah right," Talon dismissed. "You and what army?"

With that, the door slid open to reveal Claw and the two thugs, all armed with their stolen high-tech guns.

"This one." Fang answered. "And you're our first prisoner of war."

He cut himself off, chuckling.

"Well, second." he amended. "I forgot about your cowardly sidepiece."

"Maggie…" Talon realized. "What did you do to her?!"

The thugs parted ways, revealing Maggie trapped in the container Fang had taken from the bunker. She was banging on the thick glass, her voice distorted as she shouted for Talon to get out of there. Upon seeing her imprisoned, Talon instinctively dove for her. Fang quickly moved to intercept, the two wrestling in midair. The homeless of the Labyrinth watched from below as the two duked it out, running for cover in fear of what the outcome would mean.

The homeless were not the only ones nervous about the fight. Claw watched the battle with trepidation in his eyes. Though he followed Fang, he only did so out of fear and a desire to not be targeted by the bully mutate. This showed when the two thugs closed in to aid Fang, shooting their new weapons at Talon, while Claw remained hidden behind the ledge of the tracks.

"Claw, please." Maggie begged. "You have to open this container. Let me out of here so I can get help."

Claw looked at her, then at the key card dangling around his neck. His eyes drifted up to the battle, where Fang was still heavily distracted. Certain he wouldn't be caught, Claw gulped, then used the keycard to open the container.

"Thanks." Maggie replied, gently kissing him on the forehead. "I'll be back with help."

She then took off out of the Labyrinth, just as the thugs finally managed to nail Talon. He howled in pain as the shots connected, then plummeted downward. The second he hit the ground, the two thugs jumped him, Fang landing before him with a grin.

"Well done, boys." he commended before noticing that Maggie was gone. "Wait a minute… Where's Maggie?"

He turned to Claw, who instantly began pantomiming a blatant lie about what happened. Fang couldn't make out what he was trying to say, and simply elected to snatch the keycard off of his neck.

"Whatever." he dismissed. "She's even more useless then he is."

He looked over at Talon as his thugs lifted him to his feet.

"Put him in the canister." Fang ordered.

"But what about Maggie?" Chaz questioned.

"What did I just say?!" Fang snapped. "She's got nowhere to go! It's broad daylight, and looking like that, people will run the other way before helping her."

...

Up topside, Maggie managed to hide herself with some baggy clothes stolen from a clothes line. Hiding her feline features and wings in the fabric, she made her way to the police station, climbing up the side. She made it to the clock tower, sighing when she saw all the statues. She knew sunset was still far off, but also knew there was nowhere else to go. Exhaustion finally overtook her as she stumbled inside, making her way to the alcove that housed Willow's room. She flopped on the bed, asleep before she hit the pillow.

...

As sunset came, the gargoyles awoke from their stone slumber, yawning, growling, and stretching as they awoke. They all shuffled inside to get something to eat, then Brooklyn noticed that the curtain in front of Willow's room had been moved.

"Willow?!" He let out in hopeful delight.

Everyone turned, seeing the disturbed curtain, as well as the shape of a gargoyle asleep on her bed. They all practically materialized in the doorway, their elation evaporating when they saw it was Maggie.

"Maggie?" Brooklyn said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

She blinked, waking up and seeing the gargoyles.

"You're awake!" she said in clear relief. "I'm sorry for barging in like I did, but I need your help!"

They ushered her out of Willow's room, Brooklyn closing the curtain once again.

"What happened, lass?" Hudson asked.

"It's Fang." she explained. "He's taken over the Labyrinth. He managed to get his hands on some high tech weaponry, and he's-"

She choked, tears coming to her eyes.

"He's imprisoned Talon." she sobbed. "Please, you have to help me save him."

She clutched onto Brooklyn, crying into his shoulders. Brooklyn patted her back, trying his best to soothe her as his gaze hardened.

"What do you wish to do, lad?" Hudson asked.

"We need to help Talon." Brooklyn insisted, gently disentangling himself from Maggie's grip. "All of us, including you Hudson."

"That will leave our home empty, should the others return." Hudson pointed out. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

"This has nothing to do with what I want." Brooklyn replied. "We have a job to do, so let's go."

With that, he led the gargoyles out of the clock tower and into the night sky.

...

Talon had long since awoken from his forced slumber, and had spent the time trying to smash his way out of the capsule holding him prisoner. His attempt as shocking the door open had ended with him stunning himself silly. Fang was enjoying the scene immensely, wielding his blaster rifle in his hands.

"Aw, what's the matter Talon?" he taunted. "Feeling a little cooped up? You getting claustrophobic?"

He even began dangling the keycard hanging around his neck in front of the glass, his eye practically brimming with confidence and arrogance.

"How does it feel to be a lowly subject?"

"I never claimed to be in charge." Talon insisted. "I thought we could all work together, and we still can."

"And do what?" Fang replied. "Babysit a bunch of worthless deadbeats? No thanks."

He then turned to all of the homeless, who were cowering in fear at the thugs and mutates pointing guns at them.

"I got a little announcement for you, kiddies!" Fang called out. "There's a new sheriff in town! From now on, I call the shots! You have to follow my orders!"

He let out a warning shot at that all of the homeless screaming and trying to get cover. Fang practically doubled over with laughter, but cut off when the ceiling began to collapse. From the freshly opened holes dropped the Manhattan clan and Maggie, all of them looking ready to fight.

Fang tried shooting at them, but Brooklyn quickly tackled him to the ground, his shot going wild. The two thugs immediately began firing on the other gargoyles as the homeless scattered, both taking a particular interest in Broadway and Lexington. The two flew around the room dodging the blast in great succession before snagging one of the many clothes lines that had been strung up.

Diving for the thugs, they used the line to trip them both, causing them to face plant. Once they were on the ground, the two gargoyles grabbed large pieces of rubble, using them to smash the guns to pieces. The two thugs watched in fear, unable to do much else.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn and Fang continued to wrestle on the tracks, the former almost managing to get the upper hand. However, Fang charged up his hands, frying Brooklyn. This power surge also supercharged his gun, causing it to overload and explode. Brooklyn was sent flying backwards and into a pile of cardboard.

Claw, meanwhile, was slowly making his way towards the exit, no doubt to try and escape from the madness. Hudson spotted him from above, diving for the mutate. In a panic. Claw lifted a hand and fired an electrical blast, one that hit Hudson's raised sword arm. Hudson howled in pain, dropping his blade before swooping down. Claw quickly ducked out of the way, shooting Hudson in the back. The blast knocked him out of the air, much to the mutates relief. His relief was short lived when Brooklyn came in behind him, knocking him to the ground.

While all that was going on, Maggie snuck over to Talon's prison to try and free him. She landed before him, placing her claws against the glass.

"Talon, are you alright?" she asked.

He went to answer, but that's when Fang grabbed her, pinning her arm painfully behind her back.

"I wouldn't be worried about him if I were you." He told her.

He then powered up his hand, turning to the other gargoyles.

"Manhattan Clan!" he shouted. "I've got no gripe against you! Leave now, and you can take Maggie with you. Stay, and you'll all fry!"

"Alright!" Brooklyn relented. "You win."

"What?!" Broadway let out. "We're leaving Talon?"

"We don't have choice, Broadway!" Brooklyn snapped. "If we don't play along, Fang will kill all of us."

"Smart move, Brooklyn." Fang replied, shoving Maggie forward.

Maggie stumbled forward, tears in her eyes as she pounded on Brooklyn's chest.

"You expect me to just leave here without Talon?" She cried bitterly. "I brought you here to help me! I trusted you!"

"You wanna stay with him, fine with me." Brooklyn snapped, grabbing her hands. "I'm sure you two will be perfectly happy together."

She was about to say something, then felt him slip something into her hands. She paused, opening her hands to see that it was the keycard to Talon's container. Closing her hands around it, she glanced back at Fang, seeing the empty chain on his neck and realizing Brooklyn had grabbed it during the explosion.

"Yeah, I thought that would shut you up." Brooklyn growled, still playing his part. "Now say goodbye to your boyfriend and let's go!"

Maggie clutched the keycard tightly as she walked over to Talon, keeping a look of sadness of her face. Talon watched her, upset to see her go, but clearly grateful she would be safe. Using her wing to keep what she was doing hidden, she produced the card.

"Goodbye, Talon." she told him, using her words to cover up the beep of the door. "I will not forget you."

As Maggie walked back over to Brooklyn and the others, Talon slowly opened the door to his container, stalking towards an oblivious Fang.

"Glad to know that you have some sense." He declared, looking at Brooklyn. "Once I get things settled down here, maybe we can work together."

"Not on your life." Brooklyn threw back. "Now!"

Talon then tackled Fang to the ground, pinning him harshly. As he struggled in Talon's grip, the mutate turned to Claw, who was watching the entire scene with uncertainty.

"Claw!" He shouted. "Help me! Do something!"

Claw looked genuinely conflicted, then Hudson approached.

"He has no power over you, lad." He told the mutate.

"Don't listen to that weakling!" Fang snapped. "Now get your stripy tail over here and help me out!"

Claw looked at Fang, then at the Manhattan Clan. Making his choice, he lifted up his rifle and smashed it against the wall, destroying it. Brooklyn smirked at that, crossing his arms.

"Looks like you're all alone, Fang." he declared.

"Terrific." Fang let out sarcastically.

Brooklyn and Talon then dragged Fang over to the capsule, shoving him in and slamming the door.

"Hope you're not claustrophobic, Fang." Talon told him, knocking on the glass.

"Come on, guys!" Fang called out. "I didn't mean nothing by it, it was all a joke. You know, a little mutate humor!"

The group ignored him as Broadway and Lexington bring forward the two thugs. They both cower as Talon approaches, snarling at both of them.

"Don't ever let me catch you two down here, again." Talon threatened.

The two thugs quickly nodded in agreement, running out of the Labyrinth as fast as they could. Talon watched them go, then addressed the homeless as a whole.

"From now on, all weapons are banished!" Talon declared. "In the Labyrinth, justice prevails, even for those who don't deserve it."

He glared at Fang on that last notion. His mood then lightened greatly as Maggie ran forward and hugged him. He returned the hug in kind, a sight that made Brooklyn's heart ache. He turned away from the sight, his fists tightening.

"Hey Brooklyn, thanks for the save." Talon called out. "I know it must have been hard to set your search aside, even for a little."

"It needed to be done." Brooklyn dismissed. "As leaders, we need to focus on what needs to be done for everyone, not just ourselves.

"Wise words, lad." Hudson commended.

"Thank you." Brooklyn responded. "I'll lead you to the best of my ability, but that doesn't mean we'll give up the search. We'll find them all one day, I promise."

"We will follow you, Brooklyn." Lexington declared. "Until Goliath and the others return."

"We all will." Broadway promised.

They all hugged, something the red gargoyle sorely needed. He accepted the hug happily, glancing upward.

"Thanks guys." he told them. "Now, let's go home."

Everyone nodded in agreement, heading out of the Labyrinth and making for home.