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 "Chaos".
Desperate Measures
By SN/TVfan
Email: Sam_Nary
Beijing, China
China's Premier stood alone in his former office in the government sector of the Chinese capital. The room was thoroughly trashed as though there had been a major shootout in it, and there probably had, given the violence that had presently erupted in China after Khan's revelation to the Chinese people about the Illuminati. The Pro-Illuminati faction of the army and the police had managed to secure Beijing the day before and he was able to leave the bunker the Illuminati had managed to whisk him to, and he was now able to overlook the damage that the week of violence had caused.
From what he saw, so far, the damages were far greater then what he felt his right to rule over China, Communist, Nationalist, Illuminati supported, or not. Large sections of the city had been burned to the ground, and many more were it at least destroyed. Not even the Forbidden City had escaped damage, as large sections of it appeared burned and were also damaged by gunfire. The interior of his own offices had also been badly damaged.
"I know it's rough, seeing all this," an Illuminati agent spoke as he entered the room, "but you must know that things would be worse without the Illuminati."
"China seemed to do fine without the Illuminati," the Premier answered, "After the Illuminati we've suffered even more. We've had the Mongol invasions, the 'invasions' of the British, French, and the division of our country into spheres of influence of the European Empires, the Japanese invasion, the Civil War which technically is still raging, the undeclared war with the United States in Korea, and now this war with Khan. I wonder if all of this is really worth Illuminati rule."
"Dynasties rose and fell before the Illuminati, and the periods between each were fairly violent," the agent spoke, "the only thing that has changed is the technology used in the violence. Besides, the Mongols were not under Illuminati influence and many of the events of World War II were only just under our control."
"Mostly as an experiment with men's lives to see who would win," the Premier grumbled, "I joined because I thought it was a way to improve the lives of everyone. Now look at everything. It looks like we've done more to destroy the world then anything else."
"It's not the Illuminati that caused this," the agent responded, "it was Khan's betrayal that caused this."
"Then perhaps you shouldn't have created him," the Premier answered, "because the consequences of his betrayal are horrendous, and I doubt our reign in China will be easy."
"You're probably right there," the agent sighed, "but we have to focus on stopping Khan now, because as bad as we may have become, he will be worse."
The Premier only sighed and looked out over the devastated city again in silence.
Nanchang
Things had slowed down considerably for Demona and the Tibetan gargoyles. The violence between the pro-Illuminati and anti-Illuminati forces had actually forced the group to largely walk to get to each bunker that the Illuminati agent in Shanghai said was open for them. They either would get pulled into a firefight to save someone from being murdered or would be caught in an area with weak winds. It infuriated Demona that she could not use her wings, but she kept quiet on the subject.
"Things don't look any better here," Shi La spoke as the group paused on a hill overlooking the village.
Demona then looked down at the town. Like much of Shanghai looked when they arrived in China, it looked as though a war had hit it. Smoke was clearly visible rising from various buildings, although there was no sign of fire, and there were no sign of fighting at the moment.
"Who do you suppose controls the town?" Yoshi asked curiously.
"Can't tell from here," Wedrington commented.
"Checking will have to wait until tomorrow night," Demona answered as she activated the hidden switch that opened the door to the bunker, "dawn is coming."
They then made their way into the bunker, not knowing that it was not unoccupied.
Inside the bunker, a two Illuminati scientists and one man holding an old leather bound book scrambled frantically on a small project.
"You're certain this will work?" one of the scientists asked.
"We do not have much choice," the man holding the book spoke, "Khan's revolution has caught us all by surprise, perhaps if we could journey back to when this all started, maybe we can stop Khan from even getting started."
"But isn't time travel something that only magic can do?" the other scientist asked.
"That is where I come in," the man answered, "I will provide the magic. You're to provide the technology to make my magic work, since the best tool for time travel is the Phoenix Gate, which we do not yet posses."
The man then began chanting in Chinese and gathering an emerald energy in the book he held while the scientists activated the large circular device that they had built. The device glowed with an electric purple light. It was at this point that Demona's group began to make their way into the room from the outside.
"What the…" Demona spoke in surprise, not expecting anyone to be there.
The scientists present turned in surprise, but the man holding the book did nothing visibly to appear shocked, but as he pointed his book at the device, his incantation came out different. A green glow then came out of the book and shot out to the glowing device. What resulted was an outward surge from the device. The two scientists dove away, but the man with the book stood still, while the gargoyles rushed forward. The surge caught the man and Demona and then pulled back to the stains of the device that had been made. Neither Demona or the man with the book were now there.
"They're gone!" Je Lu gasped in surprise.
"Where did they go?" a male in Je Lu's clan, Mar Ti, asked.
Wedrington glanced at the spot where Demona and the man had been and then growled, "I don't know, but I want to find out."
The white sphinx-like gargoyle then turned to the two scientists who were trading nervous glances between the device and the gargoyles. Wedrington quickly grabbed both by the collar and lifted them into the air.
"What have you done?" Wedrington demanded, trying to sound as calm as possible.
"Nothing, nothing," the first spoke, "if she hadn't have rushed forward it wouldn't have caught her."
Wedrington only growled in response, almost passively. It was Yama, who placed a hand on his shoulder that calmed him. Wedrington only sighed, embarrassed, and dropped the two men.
"What is this place?" Wedrington asked again, "What is that device?"
"Why are you here?" the second scientist asked back.
"We asked first," Yama spoke slowly.
The two scientists glanced at each other and then sighed.
"It should be a time machine," the first scientist sighed, "the man your friend tried to 'save' believed that we could use time travel to stop Khan's reign of terror before it started."
Wedrington blinked and then spoke, "but there are rules to space and time. Without sorcery, you can't travel through time."
"That was our opinion," the second scientist answered, "at least the time travel part. We have been experimenting with teleportation devices, although that is only through space, and the bugs haven't been entirely worked out yet."
"But this guy knew magic, Chinese magic, but magic nonetheless," the first scientist cut in, "he claimed that with his spell combined with one of our experimental teleporters could allow him to travel through time."
"So the energy surge?" Yoshi asked.
"Must have been how the technology and the spell interacted, "if everything worked correctly, they're in the past and in Tibet. Hopefully before the trouble with Khan started."
"How will they come back?" Shi La asked.
Both scientists shrugged.
"We don't know," the first spoke nervously, "we were just hired to bring in the teleporter."
Wedrington glared at the two scientists and then back at their device.
"Why are you here?" the second scientist asked.
"An Illuminati member in Shanghai told us we could use these bunkers to sleep in," Je Lu answered, and then, almost as if on cue, turned to stone for the day.
Elsewhere
Demona found herself in a strange place that resembled a purple tube of electric energy. She kept her grip firmly on the man and his book to make sure he didn't touch the energy, which she was sure would kill him. The man, however, was not too enthusiastic about her being there.
"What are you doing here?" the man demanded.
"Trying to save you, human," Demona growled back, "don't make me regret it."
"I don't need to be saved," the man gestured to the energy around them, "this was supposed to happen."
"And what is this?" Demona questioned.
"This is the result of years of scientific experimentation and the mixing of science with sorcery," the man answered, "I intended for it to transport me to the past, before Khan's uprising. I could then eliminate him before he could cause the trouble he's present forced upon China."
Demona blinked in surprise at the answer. Outside of the Phoenix Gate, she didn't know of any other spells that could allow for time travel. Although, after her attempt to try and get her younger self to essentially launch a coup against both Goliath and the humans of the castle, she had found out that even with the Phoenix Gate, changing the past was unlikely, and any changes made would likely be changes that were to be made anyway. That had persuaded her to forget about trying to alter the past, but apparently, the Illuminati hadn't learned the same lesson.
"But now, thanks to you, my portal is ruined," the man continued, "we could appear in any time and in any place."
"And how long would we be there?" Demona questioned.
"I don't know," the man answered, "the spell was supposed to last for three days, but thanks to your interference, it could be as short as a minute or as long as forever."
Demona groaned as she didn't want to be caught anywhere for forever. While she still had the man with her, she decided to see if she could get some information.
"And why do you think time travel will help you?" Demona questioned.
"You've certainly seen what Khan has unleashed on China," the man answered, "the countless lives destroyed, if not lost. The buildings and livelihoods destroyed. If Khan is stopped, the destruction his rebellion has caused will be undone and the Illuminati will have its rule secured."
"Time travel will not work," Demona told him, "Khan can only be dealt with in the present, not the past."
The sky blue female felt slightly odd teaching that lesson, but she had to go with it. It was something that Wedrington likely preferred.
"And how do you know that?" the man demanded, sounding skeptical.
"Do you know who I am?" Demona asked pivoting the man so that he could look into her eyes.
The man then nodded after a moment.
"I once used the Phoenix Gate to try and change events in my past," Demona spoke, "all I ended up doing was making time flow as I remember it. My past self did not act as I intended. Time is like a river. You may alter its course, but it will eventually return to the original path."
Demona felt odd saying that, but did her best not to show it. The man was unable to answer as the portal suddenly opened and they were dumped out of the energy tunnel they were in, and were now left looking around their new surroundings.
Tibet, Present Day
"I can't move!" a Chinese soldier exclaimed.
"I can't fire!" another yelled nervously as he tried to squeeze the trigger on his rifle as two people advanced on their position.
The weapon did not fire, and that allowed Khan and Marilyn to approach the two soldiers easily. The approached calmly and once close, Khan reached out and pulled the rifles out of the hands of the two soldiers. He then fired a single round into he air.
"I think you lie," Khan taunted, "these weapons function quite well."
The two soldiers looked horrified at that, thinking they were about to be executed. They had come across the two as they followed a group of 'insurgents' that were in front of them. They unit had already been decimated by internal infighting over the discovery of the Illuminati and they had escaped to avoid the fighting as they had no interest in fighting their countrymen for either side. It was then that they were caught.
"Oh, be nice," Marilyn chided, "I think these two might be persuaded to join us. Their minds are not sold on the Illuminati."
Khan gave her a knowing smile and then turned back to the two soldiers who looked quite fearful of him and Marilyn. The discovery of the two soldiers had been an accident for them. They were supervising a scouting team that was spearheading the move to determine how strong the resistance was in front of Khan's forces, allowing him to figure out how long it would be before he could begin actively fighting the Chinese army. These two were the only ones they'd found and they were not the fighting type.
"You're that guy, Khan," the first soldier stuttered.
"Yes," Khan smiled, "the man fighting to free China from Illuminati control."
"You're the reason our troops are fighting each other," the second soldier gasped.
"The Illuminati can be blamed for that," Khan answered, "If they weren't trying to control your people, they wouldn't be fighting each other now. All I did was reveal their presence."
The two soldiers couldn't answer that.
"So what brings you two out here?" Khan spoke, "You've said that your own people are now fighting each other over the Illuminati. Shouldn't you have taken a side in that conflict?"
The two soldiers shared brief glances before the second spoke.
"We aren't too keen on fighting our own people," the second soldier replied, "regardless of the circumstances. They're still our countrymen. We came out here to deal with you whom we know to be a foreign interloper."
"But I'm not," Khan answered, "I was born here, in Tibet. I'm every bit a native as you."
"You don't look Tibetan," the first soldier spoke.
"Maybe," Khan replied, "but I was born here and my parents were legal residents."
The two soldiers were silent.
"And as I said before, I'm here to rid China of the Illuminati's influence on its people," Khan spoke, "it is they who have kept China divided between the Communists and the Nationalists on Taiwan. Between the Han and the Tibetan and those like me. I'm trying to free China from their oppression."
"And that can't be a bad thing, can it?" Marilyn asked.
The two soldiers exchanged glances for a moment and then turned back to face their interrogators.
"Probably not," the first soldier shrugged nervously.
"And where do you stand in regards to dealing with the Illuminati?" Khan asked.
"We're not really for them," the second soldier commented, "but we aren't really for shooting our own people either."
"Suppose I offered you a quartermaster's position?" Khan offered, "I am willing to welcome all who will fight the Illuminati, but wars are not won by infantrymen alone."
"You're recruiting us?" the second soldier gasped, "I thought you wanted to kill us."
"I have no desire to kill anyone," Khan replied, "It is unfortunate that such things tend to happen in war, but I have no desire to cause death. If you do not wish to fight your own people, I would gladly accept you in a non-combat position."
The two soldiers didn't know how to answer that as it was not something they expected. Eventually they only answered with a simple sentence.
"Thank you," they said, nearly in unison.
In a Different Time
Demona and the man landed hard on a stone structure, which neither of them immediately recognized as they were trying to recover from being dumped out of the energy tube they had been. As they got up it was clear to Demona that they were not in Tibet. As she looked out, she saw the familiar towers of Castle Wyvern, and she could hear the sounds of New York traffic going on down below them. They were in New York sometime after the castle had been brought there, but the question was when.
"Great," the man grumbled, "the hornet's nest. Your interference has taken us far off the course I had intended to take."
"You can not alter the past, so it was fruitless gamble on your part," Demona answered, "Right now, all we can do is figure out when we are."
Demona did not see any of the clan present, so she couldn't tell if it was still during the clan's rivalry with Xanatos or not at the moment. She then turned the outer edges of the walls to think. She felt tired at the moment, which she assumed was because it had been fairly close to dawn when she go sucked into the energy vortex that the man with her had created.
"And why did you 'people' barge in on my bunker anyway?" the man then demanded, "How did you know where our bunkers where?"
"An Illuminati agent in Shanghai gave me and my allies the location of the bunkers," Demona answered, "he understood that I am not concerned with the Illuminati. I am seeking to avenge a wrong done against a clan of gargoyles."
"No doubt wiping out humanity in the process," the man shot back.
Demona gave an angry growl. Genocide wasn't her goal any more as she was certain that it would upset Angela and Wedrington, but that didn't mean that she was going to tolerate people using her past against her. She then continued looking out over the city, hoping to find something to indicate the time. She then stepped back when she noticed that the World Trade Center towers were gone. Now, she knew that there was a time when they hadn't been built yet, but they were built before the Eyrie Building which held Castle Wyvern. For the castle to be there and the World Trade Center to be gone, was surprising.
"Something is strange here," Demona spoke after a short moment.
"I'll say," the man complained, "you've ruined my attempt to save the world, and now we're trapped in New York City in an unknown time for an unknowable amount of time."
"There are worse places," Demona answered back.
The man was about to respond when a voice spoke out from below them in the courtyard.
"I know I heard something? Do you think it's Broadway? That he and the others returned early?" the voice spoke.
That was Angela, Demona realized quickly and immediately decided that hiding was for the moment the best option. She grabbed the man and rushed for a corner turret that would prevent anyone in the courtyard from seeing them. The man was about to protest, but Demona countered him before he could.
"That is my daughter coming, and since we do not know our present time, it could very well be during a time when I and the Manhattan Clan were bitter enemies," Demona answered, "If she spots us, it could lead to trouble."
"Yeah, sure," the man grumbled.
Demona then leaned out a bit to see who Angela was in the courtyard with. It couldn't be Broadway, as she had heard her daughter inquire if Broadway was back. As she looked out, Demona was startled heavily by what she saw.
Unknown Location, Present Day
Two and Three stood silently as their representatives in Nanchang delivered their report.
"They came right to you?" Three asked curiously, "Have you smashed them yet?"
"No, they did not appear to be against the Illuminati, sir," the first spoke, "I think they might even be Khan's enemies as well."
"Demona is an ENEMY of Khan?" Two questioned.
"We would assume so," the second man said, "they were told about our bunkers by an Illuminati Agent in Shanghai."
"Pax," Three growled, "that man is a thorn in our side. It sickens me that he is of our order."
"Pax is a peaceful member of the order," Two reminded him, "We have him in China because he might be able to persuade the rebels to settle down and accept us, and if that fails, his presence will at least insure that many of the more radical members on our side are kept in check and don't begin slaughtering whole villages."
"I find it hard to believe that people can be peaceful in war," Three grumbled.
"Pax believes so, and thus, he now has his opportunity," Two answered.
"What should we do about the gargoyles, sir?" the first man asked nervously.
"Interrogate them when they awaken, although, since our combat forces are stretched in China at the moment," Three spoke, "I would suggest you avoid doing anything that would make them angry."
Two nodded, and the two men saluted. The transmission then cut off.
"First our own creation rebels against us," Three grumbled, "now we're potentially allying ourselves with a female gargoyle that spent the better part of her life trying to slaughter all humanity."
"These are tough and strange times," Two replied, "and might require us to take a stronger stance against those others that already know of our existence. They might decide to reveal us to the rest of the world."
Castle Wyvern, Some Other Time
Demona was shocked beyond belief by what she saw. Two female gargoyles had come out into the courtyard, one of which was her daughter. The other was herself. She had walked out into the courtyard with her daughter, and that wasn't really the thing that shocked her. What shocked her was that both this version of herself and her daughter were both heavily pregnant.
"We're in the future," Demona spoke after a few moments, "We've gone forward in time."
"At least we know what our interference has done," the man grumbled back, "but how do you know that?"
"Gargoyles only breed once every twenty years," Demona answered, "and my former clan in the present is only preparing for the breeder's moon in 2008, and my daughter is too young to have participated in the 1978 breeder's moon, and I have only been pregnant once before."
"So this is 2008?" the man asked.
"No, 2009, and probably close to the spring equinox," Demona answered, "both my future self and my daughter are looking close laying, and the breeder's moon rises with the autumnal equinox."
The man then only shrugged as gargoyle reproduction was not important as far as he was concerned. His goal was to stop Khan.
"So, can we get help?" the man asked, "if you're there with your daughter, wouldn't that mean that your past differences have been settled?"
"Maybe," Demona answered, "although I would warn you that the clan has had no reason to like the Illuminati."
"We have no choice," the man answered, "your interference ruined what the spell and the device were supposed to do and we are now stuck in a different time and in a different place. We need help to get us back."
"Back where?" a voice asked from the doorway of the turret that Demona and the man were hiding near.
They then turned to find Elisa standing there. The tan gargoyle was just as pregnant as Angela and Demona's future self were. Demona looked extremely surprised by Elisa's appearance.
"What?" Elisa asked, "I take it you didn't expect me to be pregnant along with the rest of the clan."
Demona found herself unable to directly answer.
"You're still in your phase where you think that because I was born human, I am not truly what I am now," Elisa continued, "and therefore, because I'm not a 'true gargoyle' I do not have or understand a gargoyle's instincts, and can not possibly conceive an egg with Goliath because that doesn't fit your world view. Well I'll have you know that not only do I feel those things, but I will be laying my egg in a week. All of us will."
Demona didn't really know how to answer that. Although she and the detective in their time had largely put most of their rivalry behind them, Demona still did not like Elisa Maza. She did believe that the transformed detective was not truly a gargoyle because she was only a gargoyle because of the Mage's spell. She thought that the gargoyle before her was only a gargoyle in form. Things obviously were different.
"You will have to forgive me," Demona then spoke, "apparently old wounds and rivalries have yet to fully heal."
"They will in time," Elisa replied, "So what brings you here from the past?"
"Accidentally interrupting an Illuminati experiment with time travel," Demona spoke gesturing to the man she had been sucked into the vortex with.
"This dates back to all that Khan business I'll bet," Elisa commented, sparing a glance at him, "they must be pretty desperate if they honestly think time travel will help them."
"That was my opinion," Demona spoke, "but that is not the important thing right now. Right now we must get back to the time we came from."
"I'm sure that can be arranged," Elisa answered, "but, that will mean talking with the clan members that are versed in magic."
Demona nodded. The man, however, was not so easily pleased.
"Wait, we know we will get back, as she obviously has to get back in order to mate," the man spoke, tugging on one of Elisa's wings, "you must tell me. Was Khan defeated?"
"You seek to know if the Illuminati still rule the world?" Elisa asked back, as she managed to regain her balance, "I'm afraid I can't answer you. You're already desperate to do what can't be done, knowing the future you will face and how dangerous it will be will only make things worse. We will try to help you get home, but we will not reveal what happens in the future."
Elisa then moved along the wall to a staircase into the courtyard with Demona and the man following behind them. As they came down into the courtyard they we greeted by Angela and Demona's future self.
"Who is here, Elisa?" Angela asked, "is it Broadway?"
"No," Elisa answered as she stepped aside to give them a better look, "just a couple of time travelers."
Both Angela and the future Demona blinked in surprise at both the man and the past Demona.
"I'd almost forgotten about all of that," the future Demona spoke, "I suppose you're both wishing to get back to your time?"
"Yes," the man said urgently, "Khan must be stopped."
The future Demona only nodded and then spoke, "come along inside. I believe I know what must be done, but it will require two to perform it, and it would be best if you could perhaps refresh my memory on what you intended to do."
They then began walking towards a door that lead them inside. As they did so, the future version of Demona dropped back to speak with her past self.
"I sense you're a bit confused," the future Demona commented quietly.
"I never thought I would ever be pregnant again," the past Demona sighed back, "seeing what will become of me is a bit surprising."
"It was enjoyable though," the future Demona smiled, which was something the past Demona didn't expect.
"The father," the past Demona began to ask, "is it… Wedrington?"
The future Demona smiled inwardly as her past self sounded almost hopeful, and then nodded.
"And you are not too far away from reciprocating the attraction he feels toward you," the future Demona spoke.
"He is…" the past Demona gasped.
"He is a male gargoyle and you are a female, and the only single female he knows and has been around," the future Demona answered, "and he is a capable warrior, even if at times he lacks the confidence of one. And unlike Thailog, Wedrington is loyal, and unlike your time with Goliath, you have largely gotten over the ambition and anger that drove you and Goliath apart."
The past Demona was unable to answer. It was true that the circumstances that drove her and Goliath apart were done, as that come as part of her wish to annihilate the human race, which after being with Wedrington, both his human and gargoyle form, that sort of mindset wasn't attractive to her anymore. And Wedrington had also proven very trustworthy to her. Not merely because he was there, but because he did not leave after he learned the truth of her actions. That was not something that a 'good' person would easily do, given her past.
"It is amazing to you, isn't it?" the future Demona commented, "how over time when with the right partner how you move away from your old hatreds?"
The past Demona nodded, "Maybe I should have met someone like Wedrington long ago."
The future Demona nodded, "Hopefully that'll help you with what is coming, and it won't be easy."
"Hey, quit talking to yourself, back there," Elisa commented somewhat humorously, which raised a slight giggle from Angela.
"Very funny detective," the future Demona groaned, knowing that joke had been coming for a while, "I didn't think that joke was funny when I first heard it. It did not get any better now that I'm hearing it for a second time."
The past Demona did not answer while her future self shook her head.
"Where are the others?" Demona asked, knowing that there had to be more than the small group she was with.
"The males should be patrolling right now," Angela answered, "the rest of us are here, as we're rather… egg heavy."
"Will you all just move along?" the man grumbled, "the sooner this is stopped, the sooner I can return to my time to stop Khan."
"He's learned nothing, has he?" the future Demona questioned as she over at her past self.
The past Demona only nodded.
Nanchang, Present Time
Wedrington and the others awoke again to find that little had changed over the course of the day. The two scientists were still there, but they were now armed. Wedrington turned to where he thought Demona would be, but then remembered that she had been sucked into the vortex with the Illuminati magician. None of them were restrained at the moment.
"Relax, you are in no danger, for the moment," the first scientist spoke, "We have confirmed with the Council and the agent you say you met in Shanghai. It is their preliminary conclusion that you are not here to fight us."
"Thank you for being so understanding," a female in Je Lu's clan answered politely, although Wedrington had a few choice words he decided to keep to himself.
"It is the Council's wish that you explain why you are in China and that you tell us whose side you are on," the second scientist spoke, trying to sound tough, but was clearly failing.
"We are hear for justice," Je Lu spoke, stepping forward, sensing that Wedrington was still highly concerned about Demona, and as Tibetan leader, it was his responsibility, "before your present war, Khan destroyed our monastery in Tibet, probably for its likely proximity to the base from which you had Khan operating from at the time. We seek to bring justice to our clan and our protectors. To be honest, we wish to take no direct role in your war. Should the anti-Illuminati or the pro-Illuminati factions win, it is of no direct concern, but we will stop Khan."
"Khan is the cause of the current war," the first scientist pointed out, "if you are against him, then you are on our side."
"This war started because you hide your influence from everyone," Yama commented, "An honorable warrior would have long admitted it and ruled justly. Khan has merely provided the spark in this instance."
Je Lu nodded in agreement, "We intend to deal with Khan directly, but we will take no direct action kill or wound any Chinaman threatened by your war with the non-Khan related rebels."
"We will try to save those who appear to be threatened with needless death," Shi La added, "regardless of whose side they're on."
"Most of these smaller rebel groups the Council still believes they can control," the second Scientist spoke, "and Khan is the heart of the matter. If you seek to stop him, I'd think the Council would consider you an ally at best. I don't think they'll consider you an enemy, for the moment."
"I suppose that is the best we can hope for," Je Lu spoke, "now, how do we go about recovering Demona and your comrade?"
"Unless one of you does magic, I doubt there is anything we can do," the first scientist sighed, "we'll just have to wait until they return on their own."
Castle Wyvern, the Future
Both Demonas sat quietly listening as the man explained both the spell he intended to cast and the words of the spell he ended up casting. Both Elisa and Angela sat nearby, either looking curious or protective in a manner of speaking.
"So, mother, can you undo the spell?" Angela asked from the couch she was on.
Both Demonas nodded.
"Yes," the future Demona spoke, "despite interrupting and changing his spell, its terms are barely at the beginner level."
"All that needs to be done is meet that rather simple terms of the spell cast," the past Demona continued, "since the 'timed return' portion has been removed. And that condition is 'until the night becomes light'."
"But, Manhattan is bright enough from all the street lights, shouldn't that have sent you both back already?" Elisa asked.
"Those are ground lights," the future Demona spoke, "the spell refers to lights in the sky. If there had been a full moon tonight, my past self and her apparent companion would have been sent back, but there is no full moon tonight."
"When is the next full moon?" the man asked urgently.
"Not for a few weeks," the future Demona answered, "probably too long for you to wait. The only possible option is for my past self and I to summon the Northern Lights to New York."
"New York is too far south for that," the man pointed out.
"Naturally, yes," the future Demona acknowledged, "but, between my past self and I, we have more than enough power to summon them, if only for a few seconds."
"But mother, your egg," Angela protested.
"Will be fine," the future Demona answered, "It is an easy spell that is quickly cast. It will do no damage to my egg. Come, we'd best send these two on their way before the males return."
That ended any potential argument and the group then went out and began to make their way to the courtyard. They found it empty for the moment. The past Demona and her human traveling partner moved toward one of the outer walls while the future Demona remained in the center of the courtyard.
"Thank you for your help," the past Demona spoke, "and for everything."
"It is no problem," the future Demona answered.
The two sky blue female gargoyles then began chanting in Latin and raised their hands to the air. They then released a great sphere of emerald energy up into the sky. Almost immediately the sight of the northern lights swirled over the castle, with all the other signs of their presence. They seemed to swirl into a purple colored circle that circled over the past Demona and the man. A second later, both were pulled into the air and 'sucked' into that circle. After that point, they and the lights, disappeared from sight.
Nanchang, Present Time
Yoshi was quietly writing their recent experiences he had in a journal he had picked up while they had been in Ishimura when the device the two Illuminati scientists had erected began to glow again with its electric purple color.
"Come quick," Yoshi yelled to get the attention of the group that was fiddling around with the computers nearby, "something is happening!"
The others rushed over to see Demona and the man thrown out of the device, both unharmed. Wedrington was quick to rush to Demona's side.
"Are you alright?" Wedrington asked as he helped her up.
"Fine," Demona said weakly, "but I'm nearly exhausted. I hate to say this, but I need a day in stone."
Wedrington glanced to the two scientists and Je Lu and then shrugged, "I suppose we could rest here. Where did that thing take you?"
Demona glanced at the white lion-like gargoyle and gave an embarrassed sigh, remembering what she had seen. Although, a thought ran through the back of her mind, commenting that he was caring, which she knew Thailog wasn't, and something she barely bothered to even notice in Goliath.
"A very nice place," Demona gave a weak smile, trying to hide her own embarrassment, which only left Wedrington confused.
Wedrington didn't answer, guessing that Demona would reveal everything at more opportune time. They were also drawn to the scientists talking with the man that Demona 'saved'.
"Now that I am back, you are to prepare the device again," the man ordered, "I am going to complete our mission."
"You can't be serious," Demona gasped, "You can't alter time. Regardless of whether or not your method of travel works."
"You merely failed," the man shot back, "one can, so long as they do it right. I will stop Khan before he becomes a threat, now stand back."
The man then cast his spell again and was sucked into the device. This time no one followed him. The device then shut off.
"Is he gone?" one of Je Lu's clan asked.
A second later, the device activated again and the man's body was thrown out of it. He did not move once his momentum ran out and he came to a stop. Yama moved to check him, and upon close inspection found the man dead. He had evidently died by strangulation.
"He's dead," Yama spoke.
"How? Did he at least succeed?" the second scientist asked.
"No," Demona spoke up, "I've tried altering the past before. I failed in accomplishing my intended mission, but actually insured that my own memories would happen. I probably even set myself on the path of mistakes that fill my past."
"What does that mean?" the first scientist demanded.
"It means that the past can not be changed," Demona answered, "Even if he kills Khan, the same actions he's started will come about in some other manner. How he met his end will probably only be known to Khan himself."
Tibet, the Past
The man arrived inside a rather large base to find it full of hustle and bustle of activity. Some of it had been stopped by his sudden appearance, but he recognized them as Illuminati agents.
"Who are you?" one man, a guard demanded.
"I am Wang Chi, I need to speak with the base commander," the man answered, "Please take me to him."
The guard glanced at the other people nearby. Eventually one nearby nodded and the guard motioned for Wang Chi to march in a specific direction. He was marched into a large conference room that had a screen displaying a map of Tibet on it.
"This man insists he speak with you, sir," the guard spoke.
The commander then turned around, revealing that he had been speaking with Khan directly. Wang Chi became extremely nervous and immediately reached for a gun he had hidden on his person.
"I come under urgent orders from the Illuminati Council," Wang Chi spoke, "Khan is a threat that must be destroyed."
The guard grabbed him from behind before he could fire and Wang Chi found himself disarmed.
"Sir, Khan has been a loyal enforcer and has already dealt with one major external threat to this base already," the commander answered, "simply saying he's a threat is not going to cut it. And your actions make me question if you're really here under orders, and not some maniac who's managed to infiltrate our ranks for his own purposes."
"But he is," Wang Chi answered, "I'm from the future, Khan will eventually rise against you, believing everything the Illuminati has given him makes him superior. He will try to conquer China."
"Take him away," the commander growled.
Two hours later, Wang Chi sat alone in the base's detention center. His mission had failed, for the moment. He could not hear anything going on outside his room. Eventually the door opened to reveal Khan.
"I'm not talking to you," Wang Chi growled.
"A pity," Khan answered, "as you strike me as a strange one. Talking of time travel. Exactly, how do I take over China, now?"
"You know how will do it," Wang Chi growled.
Khan walked forward and lifted Wang Chi up by the neck.
"Do what?" Khan asked, "to be honest, I had never thought about betraying the Illuminati until you arrived. Your words intrigued me. You say I believe myself to be superior."
Wang Chi didn't answer as he looked at the man with utter terror in his eyes.
"I think that is true," Khan answered, "as you can see, I'm human, but far stronger then you, and I have been engineered to have a superior intellect. I think it is only just that the strong rule the weak. The Illuminati's time has past, and I want to thank you for preparing the way for MY time."
Khan then tightened his grip until Wang Chi couldn't breathe any longer, and died. He then dropped the body and left the cell.
To Be Continued…