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 storyline, especially concerning events like WWIII and the Eugenics Wars, which without the Cold War as a backdrop probably wouldn't happen the way Roddenberry wrote them, if at all. This story takes place one week after "Even in the Darkest Night…".
Preparations
By SN/TVfan
Email: Sam_Nary
Tibet
"And you're afraid they'll have China nuke this base?" Marilyn asked as she walked with Khan through the base that Khan's supermen had taken from the Illuminati.
"That is what I've told you," Khan answered, "The entire emphasis of this operation is to insure that when the rebellion begins, the Chinese have no nuclear arsenal."
"They'll only build more if I destroy them in their silos or launching facilities if they have them above ground," Marilyn answered.
"My suggestion was that your magic could deal with them," Khan answered, "I did not ask that you blow them up. If I wanted t blow them up, I'd order my men to begin a very complex mission that would probably take a year to accomplish the same results that you could do in less time."
"Yes, but countries armed with nuclear weapons generally check them," Marilyn answered, "I'd have to do the same thing all over again if I were to turn the plutonium or uranium in the missile warheads into lead or something that will not go through a fission or fusion reaction so easily."
"You can not put a delayed action spell on them?" Khan asked.
"Hm?" Marilyn asked back.
"Cast a spell that would not take effect until they tried to launch the missile," Khan answered, "Then when it launches, the spell takes effect and the missile is made harmless."
"I've proved that I am powerful in magic and that your cloners can duplicate magical ability successfully. But, I can sense limits. Something like that would require a lot more power then I have available, as it would require one spell cast on the missile to transform it and then another spell cast on the first spell to hold it back and then a third spell on that and connected to the launching devices that would unlock the first spell as the missile is launched. Such spell casting is beyond me."
Khan grumbled something that Marilyn couldn't hear, and chose to ignore it.
"Perhaps continued visits might help," Khan spoke thinking, "If their missiles suddenly turn to wood or something and the factories responsible for producing nuclear material are suddenly destroyed, they will suddenly find us less important."
"Even while we wage an insurgency against them, even while making sure that they do not know who we are?" Marilyn asked, "Logically, if someone was fighting us, I wouldn't care about nuclear weapons, I'd care about destroying the enemy first."
"Yes," Khan nodded, "that would be the logical and even reasonable answer. But, the Illuminati has made sure that the leaders of the world have had an obsession with the weapon ever since its creation. The United States and the Soviet Union spent years racing each other to see who could build more. According to the files that we have here from the Illuminati, it got so bad that they had to directly step in and order both the American President and the Soviet Premier to sign treaties agreeing to reduce the number of weapons that they have."
"So we let China militarize itself to death?" Marilyn asked.
"Fruitless spending," Khan answered with a smile, "no one likes money being spent on things that bring them no benefit. That's why Western Democracies have so many riots. Lots of people with different ideas as to how their money can be or should be spent."
"There is still a difference in culture," Marilyn reminded him, "The Chinese are not European and they most certainly aren't American."
"True," Khan answered, "but politics is politics, and that is what we will be manipulating. I do not seek to change anyone's culture."
"Just the rulers," Marilyn chuckled.
"Yes," Khan smiled, "Will you need any help in disabling the Chinese missiles?"
"No," Marilyn smiled, "And I can insure that the Illuminati learn only what will help us."
With that, Marilyn disappeared from view as Khan continued into the briefing room that now also housed a long range communications device. Approaching the desk, Khan pressed one of a series of call buttons and sat down at the table.
"This is Khan to Long range recon, over," Khan spoke.
"I'm here," came an answer over the radio, "Are we secure?"
"Not even the Illuminati can detect our transmissions," Khan answered confidently, "Now report what you've found."
"You sent me out in search of something that could distract American attention while you prepare to deal with China, and I must say there are plenty of things to be distracted with, once you get past the fact that most of it is desert," the man answered, "there are a variety of things that could distract American politicians, although I have only been observing so far. Whether or not they will is a different matter."
"What have you observed?" Khan asked.
"Everything from religious based terrorist groups, theocratic governments, and one secular dictator," the man answered, "I would also like to say that I do not wish to meet with any of these people as they all seem to be a rather suspicious sort."
"Keep observing them for now, but do not get involved and do not jeopardize my mission," Khan answered, "If they are anti-American that is perfectly fine. They can shield us from facing the might of the American armed forces."
"What makes you think they will act as a shield for us?" the man asked.
"Religion makes good people do rather evil things when they think what they're doing is 'God's will'," Khan answered.
Bismarck, North Dakota, USA
"I truly dislike landing here to spend the day under a bridge," Demona grumbled as she and the Chinese gargoyles walked under a bridge over the Missouri river.
"True, but it's the safest place around here," Wedrington commented from beside her, "We're out of sight and even shielded from the elements."
"Yes, but we'll have to do a lot of walking to leave this place," Demona answered, "If we used one of the rooftops as a roost we could just glide away tomorrow night."
"Maybe so," Yama commented from beside the water, "but buildings in this city are not tall enough nor styled the right way that would make the appearance of gargoyles there to be normal. Someone would be bound to see us and given that America knows about Goliath's clan, we could walk into a trap if we were to roost in the open out here."
Demona didn't know how to answer that. Safety and security were among her chief concerns, and given human reaction in New York to gargoyles, she figured that the reaction elsewhere would be worse.
"Perhaps," Demona sighed, "I just prefer roosting somewhere that has a higher altitude though."
"That's natural for a gargoyle," Je Lu answered, "As we can not fly like the birds or like bats can, we need a fair amount of height in order for our wings to catch whatever breeze is blowing at the moment. But Yama is right. Tibet is a long way away from here and we can not stop those supermen if we are smashed by some rabble rouser starting a rally."
Their discussion stopped as the sun rose and the gargoyles turned to stone for the day.
China
Ki and Dien stood quietly at attention outside one of China's nuclear missile launch sites as they made sure that no one got close enough to do anything that could either damage the equipment or destroy the missile. They weren't the only guards, but they were the only ones guarding this specific gate, and they were under orders to stop anyone who approached it. The region they were in at present was not near any major city or any tourist site, which is why they were surprised when a woman with white hair and wearing a very low cut dress suddenly came walking along the road toward them.
"Hello, what's on the other side of the fence?" the woman asked.
Ki and Dien exchanged glances and crossed their assault rifles to make sure the woman stopped walking.
"The area is off limits to all persons under the protection of the People's Republic and people traveling as tourists within the People's Republic," Ki spoke first, "You are to turn around and return to where you came from."
"What, you mean that isn't the Great Wall?" the woman asked.
Ki and Dien glanced at each other again.
"The Great Wall is over five hundred miles north of our location," Dien answered, "You need to stop walking ma'am, or we will be forced to use lethal force."
"Oh you wouldn't want to do that to little ol' me? Would you?" the woman asked leaning forward and running her hands along the jaw line of Ki and Dien.
"We have orders not to let anyone pass," Ki answered, "We can not leave our post."
The woman had by now come so close that she was practically leaning on Ki and Dien.
"Good," the woman answered, her tone changing from one that sounded like she was trying to seduce them to one that was more evil and triumphant.
She then grabbed Ki and Dien and threw them in opposite directions. In their panic, the two soldiers fired their weapons, but as they had not been looking where they were aiming and that their shots were based on reflex rather then training, they ended up shooting each other. Marilyn's normal image of a white haired woman in commando gear then appeared at the gate. She heard Ki and Dien groaning from where they landed, indicating that they weren't dead, but she was sure they had to be hurting. With one strong kick, she broke down the chain-link gate and walked into the compound.
"You'll at least know that you did your duty," Marilyn commented and kept walking towards the center of the compound.
Location Unknown
"They've what!?" Six gasped as one of the intelligence men finished a report.
"She, singular," the man answered, "She was the only one in these raids."
"I find that hard to believe," Six answered, "All reports indicate that Demona is in New York, with her clan of things."
"All the security camera footage we've got indicates that she's in China," the intelligence man reported, "and that she's been destroying China's nuclear missile sites one by one."
"I'll have to see the footage," Six answered, not believing a word that he had been told.
"If you'll follow me, sir," the man responded.
The man then lead Six to a video recording type area where various Illuminati agents were watching the recorded images from important places around the world, mostly from security cameras that had been installed in those locations as part of a nerve center that did not allow much to escape.
"Okay, this is the first missile site that she broke into," the man reported.
Six then watched the black and white screen display the image of a gargoyle, looking like Demona approach a mobile Chinese nuclear missile launcher and then turn the missiles into large wooden logs and then glide off.
"And this the second missile site," the man continued.
The image then changed to what appeared to be an underground bunker type setting as Demona walked through at least twenty armed Chinese guards, throwing off lightning spells and physically throwing those who got close. From what Six could see on the screen, all her blows were lethal. He could then see through a monitoring window on the screen that she turned the missile inside a silo into gasoline and then left. The camera shortly thereafter recorded a brief spark and then static.
"We haven't received the security camera footage from the rest of her attacks, but our 'call in' reports all say that she was there," the man finished.
"You're sure it's Demona?" Six asked, "Judging by these camera shots."
"Same facial features," the man replied, "same clothing and jewelry, same physical fighting style, obvious sorceress, and is not using any other object as a magical conduit."
"These screens are all in black and white," Six answered, "Gargoyles come in all different colors and for all we know, we could have a clone doing this. We've received some strange reports about the goings on in New York concerning the clan there."
"That is possible, sir, but we know that Demona was involved somehow in the funding of the clone experiments in New York and would not allow herself to be cloned," the man answered, "and as for lacking a 'color' analysis, while yes we can not tell if the female is sky blue, I would say that that is the most likely color, as there are not enough Scottish gargoyles for us to make a mistake in identifying the wrong gargoyle."
There was a brief silence for a time before the man continued.
"And even if we are wrong, Demona surely knows who this gargoyle is, and that this proves that gargoyles, or at least some portion of their population are involved in this insurgency against us," the man finished.
"I will need to take this before the Council," Six commented, "But I thank you for your report and your input."
Tibet
Khan was looking over reports from his ambush teams that were out gathering supplies and equipment for the coming campaign he had to first wage against China when Marilyn reappeared inside his office.
"It is finished for now," Marilyn answered, "China has no nuclear missiles and three of their launch facilities have also been destroyed."
"And there was no way for any radiation damage?" Khan asked.
"None," Marilyn answered, "They were not built to withstand magic and have no iron. Radiation is easily countered and eliminated through mystical means."
"Good," Khan answered, "Why rule a world that is destroyed in nuclear rays? That is why that weapon is pointless. The nations that ought to war with each other won't because of the other's presence of 'the bomb' and they commonly use the threat of it to bully those who don't have 'the bomb'."
"I suspect that will all be different by the time that we are done," Marilyn commented, "No weapons of mass destruction for anyone to use, even if the only viable option would be to use it."
"Yes," Khan nodded with a smile, "That would greatly tip the scales in our favor."
Unknown Location
"I knew that these gargoyles were in league with, if not the creators of this insurgence!" Three exclaimed, "Now we have proof."
"We have proof that Demona is involved," Six corrected, "We must apprehend her first before we can discern as to whether or not the entire gargoyle race is against us."
"The clan in London is against us," four commented.
"They are also under the influence of Pendragon and Merlin," Three answered, "I'll agree that they are proof, but they are not our chief concern as Merlin is for the time being powerless. There is nothing they can do."
One nodded from his seat.
"The London Clan has been removed from our concern for the time being," One answered, "and the Manhattan clan is already under tight surveillance. If Demona has left New York to run this campaign, it means she is either on her own or is working with a different clan. Did the images show her with any other gargoyles?"
"No, she was on her own," Six answered, "And even still, in terms of power, she is the equal of the Mage. Even alone she is far more dangerous then the rest of these insurgents."
"I think we can agree that finding her is to be our top priority and that we are to put our top agents on this project,"
The rest of the Council nodded, "Then we are in agreement. I want all our available resources to begin searching for Demona. With her powers as a sorceress, she could be anywhere by now."
Bismarck, North Dakota, Dusk
The area was quiet as Demona and the Chinese gargoyles awoke for the night. She stretched briefly and sighed when she heard the sound of heavy traffic going over the bridge above them.
"We'll need to walk for a while until we can find a place to glide," Yama commented.
"That is better then being smashed," Je Lu replied, "Besides, it will allow for more time to admire the landscape. This river is almost as big as the ones in China."
"Come on," Demona urged, "We'd best go. Human street gangs commonly use these places as hideouts when they think the police won't find them there."
The group sighed and began to follow Demona and Wedrington along the bank of the river in search of either a vacant area near a tall building or a telephone pole of power line tower near the river that they could use to gain enough height to glide away. It took awhile, but they did find one eventually. As they left, however, they were spotted by a policeman who had just picked up someone for being drunk in a public place. He immediately went back to his car and pulled out a phone.
"Watchbase Dakota, this is James Bell in Bismarck," the officer reported, "I believe I've sighted Demona and what appears to be an entire clan of gargoyles take off from along the Missouri River."
"You're sure it's Demona?" a demanding voice asked back.
"Yes," Bell answered, "I would try to get a better look at the group but I've got 'other' work to deal with."
"That is understood," the voice answered, "We will deal with them."
Demona and her group had just made it outside the city limits when the attack came. It was a trio of helicopters, each armed with a fifty caliber machinegun mounted on the nose of each helicopter. Wedrington had actually heard the engines before they had a chance to fire, and the group scattered when they did fire. All three helicopters flew threw in a straight line and slowly turned around.
"Quarrymen!" Demona growled as the three helicopters flew past, eyes blazing red.
"I thought they were destroyed," Wedrington asked as the helicopters began to turn around.
"The ones in New York were," Demona answered.
"I can not see any insignia on the helicopters," Yama commented from his position, "How can you tell?"
"The humans have not sent any military or police after our kind any sort of hunt," Demona answered, "and all government aircraft must have some sort of insignia. The Quarrymen as a private group, do not."
"They're coming around again," Shi La spoke pointing toward the three helicopters.
The three helicopters did not move forward his time, but began training their guns and firing from a distance. Je Lu took one round through his shoulder, and screaming with pain, fell from the air. Yohi was hit three times in his wings, but fortunately, none hit any of his wing bones, but he would not be able to glide well for awhile. Demona watched all this and growled in anger.
"Blasted humans!" Demona screamed, and fired a series of lightning spells at the closest helicopter.
The helicopter exploded and forced the other two the swerve away so that they would not be hit by flying shrapnel.
"We must bring one of the helicopters down relatively safely," Yama yelled, as Demona prepared to attack again, "It will be the only way that we learn who is attacking us and why."
Demona nodded and aimed her next lightning spell at the rear rotor of the second helicopter. Without the rear rotor, the helicopter spun out of control and crashed in flames on the ground. Shi La and on of the other Chinese females quickly landed near it and began to pull the pilots out of the helicopter.
"Make sure they aren't armed!" Demona called down to them.
Shi La was about to give an answer when she saw four bullets fly through Demona's body, one shattering her right shoulder, a second going through her chest and out her back, a third shattering her left shoulder, causing Demona to fall from the air, landing hard, not more then five feet away from the crashed helicopter.
"Demona!" Shi La screamed.
"She'll be fine," Wedrington answered from above her, "We'll deal with this last helicopter, somehow, you get the pilots of that one out."
Wedrington meanwhile moved toward the third helicopter, which was still preparing to aim at its next target, while Yama and Yoshi quickly moved to follow him. While his heart screamed to go to Demona's side, he knew that unless Macbeth as the pilot of the helicopter, she would be alive again fairly shortly, and he was fairly certain that he wasn't. He was successful in getting onto the side of the helicopter, but quickly found that the glass that surrounded the cockpit was too strong for even him to break or tear off. Thankfully, his added weight slowed the helicopter down and allowed Yoshi and Yama to latch onto the helicopter.
"How do we bring this down?" Yama questioned, "Even if Yoshi and I had swords, they would not stop this thing."
"I've met a gargoyle who fought in World War II with the RAF," Wedrington answered, "He didn't need a sword to take down German fighters, although, I don't know for sure if they had bullet proof glass back then."
"Let's get that gun taken off of this thin before he fires again," Yoshi cut in, "He might simply leave if we remove his lone weapon to attack us with."
Yoshi then climbed underneath the helicopter and grabbed the barrel of the machine gun that was mounted there. He cringed slightly as it was still hot from firing, but did not let go. With one strong tug, he managed to pull the gun off of its housing and threw it to the ground.
"There, now it can not shoot at us any more," Yoshi spoke with triumph in his voice.
Almost as if on cue, the sides of the helicopter electrified, causing all three of the gargoyles to let go and fall a little ways before regaining control and gliding after the helicopter. Chasing after the vehicle now seemed to be a rather difficult option, as it was flying away at a faster and faster speed and gaining altitude as it went.
"We drove it off!" Je Lu sighed as Wedrington and the others landed.
"They'll be back," Wedrington answered, "and possibly in greater numbers. We'd best get out of here."
"I don't know if we can win though now," Je Lu spoke, his voice suddenly grave, "Demona is dead, and she is the one we've come all this way for."
"We'll be fine," Wedrington answered as he picked up Demona's body, "Demona's association with sorcerers and other beings of magic given her a conditioned immortality. The only one who can truly kill her is a man named Macbeth."
"What if he was the pilot of the helicopter?" Shi La asked.
"Then the helicopter would have crashed," Wedrington answered, "as he is linked to her. If he kills her, he dies as well. And since that helicopter flew off quite fast and under control, I doubt it was piloted by Macbeth."
"So she will be okay?" a Chinese female asked.
"In time," Wedrington answered, "Now, we must move quickly, and bring the downed chopper pilots with us."
"He's right," a Chinese male spoke, "I can hear sirens."
The group then began to sprint away from the area as fast as they could go, Wedrington carrying Demona, and Shi La and another Chinese female carrying the two downed helicopter pilots. Ten minutes later two police cruisers and a fire engine showed up and quickly observed the crashed helicopters and the fires coming from them.
Hours Later
Demona awoke to finding herself laying on the limb of a large tree in what appeared to be a small grove of them.
"Where am I?" Demona asked as she struggled to get into a seated position.
"We're in a small grove of trees about ten miles from the last city we were in," came Wedrington's voice, "We're still along the river, although I think we might be on someone's ranch or farming land."
"I have no interest in farmers," Demona answered.
"You might have interest in the pilots of the helicopter that you didn't destroy," Yoshi spoke up from a different branch, "They've been up for half an hour and have been saying rather nasty things about you, which I wouldn't care to repeat."
Demona looked up to see two Chinese males holding the two men down against another large branch. Both men were screaming obscenities.
"You, humans!" Demona shouted at them to get their attention, "I have some questions for you."
"You will not win, you fowl creature!" the first pilot shouted back.
"What branch of the Quarrymen do you work for?" Demona asked, trying to hold her temper, although it was clear in her voice that these men irritated her.
"We don't work for those wackos," the second pilot screamed back, "So get over yourself. We only attacked you because of what you've done!"
"And what have I 'done' that has you attacking innocent gargoyles?" Demona growled, her eyes taking on a faint glow.
"Innocent!" the first pilot answered, "You're all involved! You're all trying to destabilize the world! The way it's been set, you're trying to destroy it!"
"We were attacked by strange supermen," Je Lu answered from a different tree, "My clan seeks to protect our clan's 'home' from these invaders before they cause greater problems."
"And as for me, my only designs on the world would be that gargoyles rule it," Demona answered, "But there aren't enough gargoyles for that to be possible and I have promised to let my former mate build a bridge between humans and gargoyles. Although with racists like yourselves, I might consider taking my promise back, now tell me WHO DO YOU WORK FOR!?"
"We primarily work for the ones who rule the world," the first pilot answered, "The ones who bring order to chaos. The Illuminati."
Demona only growled at this.
"And you attacked China to aide the insurgents there!" the second pilot added.
"The insurgents are likely the same supermen that attacked my clan," Je Lu countered, "We intend to stop them."
"If this happened recently, I should also tell you that I was here in stone sleep when these attacks occurred," Demona growled, "I have not attacked China!"
The two pilots began to yell something, which finally broke Demona's temper and the gargoyle sorceress chanted in Latin and sent a wave of emerald energy at the two pilots. As the energy touched them, they felt themselves pulled down to the ground and then began to scream in pain as they both turned into a pair of Holstein bulls.
"What did you do to them?" Wedrington asked.
"Given them a new lease on life," Demona answered, "If this is ranch land or farm land, someone will find them, and humans do not eat that type of cattle."
"They don't eat the females because they're used as diary cattle," Wedrington answered, "I do not know what they would do with Holstein bulls, especially in an area that is used for raising beef cattle. They might just be sold to make ground beef anyway."
"Two less racists to worry about," Demona answered shrugging it off.
"That wasn't right," Yama spoke, "They may have been in the wrong, but it was dishonorable to do such a thing to them."
"And let them run back to the Illuminati and let them know where we are sleeping?" Demona asked back, "Honor is not my concern. Survival is. If we had done the honorable thing, they would return to the their masters and we would be smashed during the day because of actions that took place in China."
"How could they think you got all the way to China?" Yoshi asked.
"They probably thought I used magic to do it," Demona answered, "Not knowing that teleportation spells are fairly complex and can not be done over many miles."
"My greater concern would be why and who would be impersonating you to get the Illuminati's attention?" Je Lu asked.
"It has to be that Marilyn woman," Demona answered, "The one who attacked us in Detroit. She must have disguised herself as me!"
"Why?" Wedrington wondered, "She seemed quite powerful from the way you described her. Why would she need to disguise herself as you?"
"I do not know," Demona answered in a frustrated sounding voice, "I would assume it is because that she does not want me to make it to China where she and where the supermen are."
"I think that Marilyn woman is in league with the supermen," Shi La commented, "Her clothing as you described it matches the uniforms that the supermen wore."
"That makes everything much clearer," Demona could only sigh, "We still have no ideas as to why she or the supermen have been doing what they're doing, other then a basic wish to take over the world, but there has to be something more then that. Why else would the Illuminati be involved."
"They tried to stop us from getting to New York," Je Lu commented, "I think that they think we are behind this insurgency in Tibet, which as some secret society, they do not want."
"We will get to Tibet and we will stop these supermen," Demona answered, "This, I vow to you."
"We understand," Je Lu answered.
"You will understand however that things are going to be much harder now as they are likely to be hunting us if they think we attacked facilities in China," Demona explained slowly.
"They will see things differently after we stop the supermen," a Chinese male answered, "I'm sure we can endure until then."
"I have sworn on my honor that their home will be restored," Yama answered, "I, at least will see this through until their home is restored. We may need to stop in Ishimura to drop of Yoshi though, as I only dragged him away from our clan so I could understand the Chinese gargoyles, and since Coyote's spell has made it possible for us to understand other peoples and be understood by them, I'm sure Yoshi would wish to return home."
"Actually, Yama, the entire adventure has been rather interesting," Yoshi commented, "One worth a grand story, which would go great in Ishimura's library. I think I might like to continue on to record the events of this adventure. But it still might be wise to stop at Ishimura and restock our supplies, and perhaps teach Demona a thing or two about bushido."
"I am not concerned with 'honor' systems," Demona answered.
"Maybe so," Yama answered, "But there are ways that those men could have been dealt with without robbing them of their humanity, and in being honorable. You perform acts of sorcery, a sleeping spell would have been better."
Demona growled silently, as she did not like anyone challenging her or lecturing her. She only calmed when Wedrington put a hand on her shoulder.
"We'll consider it," Wedrington spoke, "It might prove useful for other things."
And with that the sun rose again, leaving the gargoyles as stone statues, perched on strong thick branches for the day. The calls of two Holstein bulls could be heard in the distance echoing in the wind.
To Be Continued…