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 "Questing for Honor and Redemption".
Attack of the Clones
By SN/TVfan
Email: Sam_Nary
Tibet
"As you can see, my Lord," one of Khan's supermen officers reported as he pointed to map showing their line of advance, "we now control a swath of territory running from Ejin in Nei Mongol Zihiqu province to Chengu and then to Chongqing in Sichuan province to Guiyang in Guizhou province to Kunming and then to Jiangcheng in Yunnan province. We have made rapid progress in our advance to conquer China from the Illuminati."
Khan slowly nodded. The territorial gains made in the last week were good, but he had already written of the Illuminati presence in China. Their defeat was a matter of time, as some of the details in their recent advance would actually show.
"I would advise caution, though," a Chinese officer who was one of the leading figures in the various anti-Illuminati forces that had joined his army alongside his genetically engineered supermen, "Most of this advance has come because the Illuminati has been pulling their forces back, probably to lay some sort of trap or draw up a defensible line between us and Beijing."
"You think they've set a trap?" Khan's second asked.
"It could be he only explanation how we gained so much territory without them even firing a shot," the Chinese officer answered, "if they felt over extended or beaten, they'd at least perform a fighting withdrawal to insure that we pay for every mile of territory gained."
"And that is a standard tactic," Khan nodded, "Until I give further notice we are to pause all our attacks. Besides, we still have many new anti-Illuminati factions to bring in since our latest expansion. We might as well consolidate power in these areas before we begin the next campaign to silence the Illuminati."
"Of course," came a unified answer from the officers present.
Khan then quietly waited while most of the officers left the room, leaving him with his Second in Command and with Marilyn, who had not said anything during the meeting. Once they had left, Marilyn was the one to speak.
"The real battle is with Demona," Marilyn spoke, "not with the Chinese or with the Illuminati. They're still distracted with various pockets of anti-Illuminati resistance throughout China, and some of it coming from their army. Their attention is divided while that gargoyle's is solely focused on us."
"Where is her group?" Khan asked, "do we have their location?"
"Our captured drones have come up with images of them near the town of Gonjo," the Second in Command reported, "I think Demona has been trying to avoid the main supply lines of our army… but I'm not sure why."
"Most likely to focus entirely on us," Khan answered, "the leaders, which makes her more dangerous then the Illuminati. They have to kill the body in order to get at us, but Demona intends to strike at the leaders without even exhausting herself with our followers."
Both his Second in Command and Marilyn nodded in agreement.
"Therefore it is obvious that we take direct steps against her," Khan answered, "but, for the time being, I'd like Demona to retain the illusion that we can not strike at her or her allies during the day for a short period of time. It may draw her in to a position where we will gain an easier advantage…"
"It'd still be good to whittle her numbers down a bit," Marilyn spoke, "she is powerful in magic, and with her gargoyle strength to augment it, our troops are outclassed against her, and even I have been pushed to the edge of my own abilities."
"Which is why in the coming battle, I want to test Damien against her," Khan spoke, "see how she reacts to seeing a gargoyle with her exact same powers."
"And he is likely to be stronger given his gender," the Second in Command mused.
Khan nodded, "but mostly this is a test of his powers through sorcery. Marilyn, I would like you to go with him, just in case Demona gains the upper hand. You will be responsible for getting him out, should that happen."
"We'll go as soon as he awakens for the night," Marilyn answered, "and then I'm sure Demona will be in for one nasty shock."
Gonjo, Xizang Zizhiqu (Tibet) Province
Demona and the gargoyles with her awoke to find that they were still in the empty bunker they had found at the end of the previous night. Their advance had been slow and cautious since their discovery that Khan knew where the Illuminati bunkers were. So far though, they had only found out that Khan's troops did not stay in bunkers that they had taken. The bunkers had been stripped of anything that they could use. Computer equipment, food, weaponry, even articles of clothing were gone. That left others being dependent on Demona's powers through sorcery to deal with what they were lacking.
"It doesn't look like they found us," a Tibetan female named Mei spoke.
"More then likely, they simply didn't come back for us," Demona grumbled, "Khan knows about these bases… I don't know how… whether or not he suspects we are using them is a different matter."
"Should we keep using them, then?" Shi La asked, "If Khan knows about these bases, he might be checking them. Even if he doesn't know we're using them to sleep in, he might find us accidentally."
"But why would they come back here?" Wedrington commented, "they've stripped this place bare. If they do come back, they'd have to know where we are beforehand, which raises different questions."
Demona nodded in agreement with Wedrington, silently proud at how much the transformed archeologist had learned how to think like a warrior. She silently mused to herself that she was rubbing off on him. But for the time being, she couldn't dwell on that. They were yet to reach the Tibetan clan's old, and likely destroyed home, which meant that they couldn't begin searching for Khan's base yet.
"How much further do we have to go?" Demona turned to Je Lu, trying to get the discussion back on a more goal oriented line of thought.
"We just passed Gonjo on our way to this base," Je Lu spoke, "So, we have entered Tibet, but the monastery was in a location that is far more remote and to the northwest of our present position. At gliding speed, and at that rate we are traveling, it'd be several weeks before we get there."
That raised a heavy sigh from all present. The recent battles had convinced Demona that trying to move quickly would only invite more battles and risk destroying their entire plan before they could get close enough to Khan to stop him. This had lead to some rivalry with Yama, who was driven to defeat Khan's supermen at nearly every opportunity.
Demona did not pretend to understand Yama's concept of 'bushido', but she did respect that the Japanese exile for his drive to carry out his mission. Her problem was mostly in trying to define how certain tactical and strategic decisions were honorable, which she had trouble with.
"Can you tell if there any troops nearby?" Yama asked as he approached the immortal female gargoyle.
"No," Demona answered, "and even if I did, fighting them wouldn't do much. Remember, that what must remove Khan from the field. Without him, his supermen will fall apart without their leader."
"Of course," Yama sighed, doing little to hide the fact that he was looking for a fight.
Beijing
Meanwhile, China's premier sat quietly as his generals, all Illuminati members continued to argue over strategy. A lot of it was becoming more and more difficult to bear as the lists of people killed or defected came in, and the fact that army was so heavily involved in fighting anti-Illuminati forces behind the lines that Khan's troops were still able to advance. All of it depressed him heavily.
"Are you paying attention, sir?" the commanding general asked after a few moments.
"Yes," the Premier answered with a heavy sigh, "just thinking back to happier days. You may continue your briefing."
The commanding general and then turned to a map of China hanging behind him. Drawn across the country in red was the line that indicated Khan's present advance and scattered throughout the region that the pro-Illuminati troops controlled were small pockets, drawn in green, that represented anti-Illuminati activity.
"We originally thought that Khan was trying to move toward Beijing directly, but recent recon has shown that his current target is more economic then political in nature," the commanding general reported, "given that most of his supermen have moved in a largely southeastern direction toward Macao, Canton, and Hong Kong."
"I take it this is why we've pulled back from many sectors near the front?" the premier questioned.
"Yes, largely to build up our defenses in the area," the commanding general answered, "when Khan attacks toward those cities, he will hit stiff resistance, which he hasn't faced so far, because of the side war with these anti-Illuminati groups. But, since the only group of anti-Illuminati forces in the region are isolated on the island of Hainan, they can not help Khan take the major cities of Canton, Macao, and Hong Kong."
"Can we maintain some defensive formation around Beijing?" the premier asked, "there are more anti-Illuminati groups in the northern provinces."
"Largely, yes," the commanding officer nodded, "although mostly because pulled back so much. We now have a shorter line to defend which reduces the need for massive troop formations elsewhere."
"And what of this strange woman that has been leading Khan's forces in the field?" the premier questioned.
"She hasn't been seen over the past few days," the commanding general sighed, "we are hoping she doesn't return, but we are getting the guns together needed to shoot her down when she does."
"That's the best we can do?" the premier asked.
"For the moment," the commanding general spoke.
"Very well," the premier sighed heavily, sensing that regardless of who won the coming battles, things would not be good, "you may continue, but let me know when the battle begins."
The premier then slowly left the room and moved out to look out a window. The view had not improved much. The debris from the initial riots had been cleared away, but with most of the troops being drawn to the battlefront, the damage that had been done by the anti-Illuminati rioters had not been repaired or removed.
"You seem unfocused," came a voice from a different of the hallway he had entered.
The premier turned to see the man who directly represented the Illuminati Council approaching him. The man seemed to be everywhere in the present conflict, and that the premier wonder as to whether or not the Illuminati had China's best interests in mind. He heard rumors that they had recently starting causing trouble in Britain as well as dealing with Khan's trouble in China.
"I'm not a military man," the premier answered, "and as I've told you before, I'm doing this try and improve everyone's life, not conquer it… and it seems that this war with Khan is more about conquest then anything else."
"Khan seeks to do evil," the Illuminati representative spoke, "you should know that."
"I'm not arguing that," the premier answered, "I just do not like the fighting. Nothing we've done is working… there has to be another way… a way that doesn't kill so many people."
"Maybe not with the death of many, but beginning with the death of one," the Illuminati told him with a slight smile.
"What are you talking about?" the premier asked nervously.
"I'm telling you that you have allies," the Illuminati representative told him, "partners who are out to stop Khan at all costs."
"Which country have you talked into intervening in a 'Chinese' affair?" the premier questioned, "Russia? The United States?"
"Not a country, an individual," the Illuminati representative answered, "a gargoyle named Demona."
"A gargoyle? Aren't they those creatures that America can't control?" the premier asked, trying to put together what he had heard over earlier news reports on the international scene.
"Yes, but Demona doesn't truly belong to that clan," the Illuminati representative spoke, "and for some reason she knows about and has some grudge against Khan. So she is here."
"I doubt she his here to really help the Illuminati, then," the premier gave a depressed sigh.
The Illuminati representative nodded in agreement, "her motives are not the Council's concern for the moment. The defeat of Khan is."
Super Puma Helicopter, over Tibet
Damien looked quietly out of the Eurocopter AS 532 Cougar EC 725 Cougar RESCO as it flew over the mountainous terrain of the province that Khan's forces. Khan had designs for equipment that would be all their own, but for the most part they would have to settle for using Chinese equipment that they had captured or had received as part of the defections of anti-Illuminati Chinese factions. The French built helicopter was among them.
"I don't know why we're going this way," the male clone grumbled, "You could easily teleport, and I can glide. We do not need this contraption."
"True," Marilyn answered him, "but would take time for you to glide there, and I believe Khan wants fast results… which even with our powers we can not provide quickly if we are to also take your back up along."
Marilyn then gestured to a squad of Chinese troops that had joined Khan's forces. Damien paid little attention to them, as he sensed that the humans were scared of him.
"And remember, Damien," Marilyn then spoke in a much firmer voice, "we are in a position to win great power. If we win, we will share it with Khan over much of the world. If we fight amongst ourselves for personal power, we'll either destroy each other, or Demona will destroy us."
"I mean no disrespect, my Lady," Damien answered, "I merely feel that if Khan wants to test me against Demona, that we could handle the mission ourselves. Let the soldiers deal with the Illuminati and the Chinese."
"That phase is taking a slight break while we reorganize and prepare for the final push on Hong Kong," Marilyn told him, "which leaves us with Demona to deal with. Besides, she has a clan of gargoyles supporting her. We'll need the extra muscle."
Damien nodded. With that over, Marilyn turned to the helicopter's pilot who was seated ahead of them.
"Do you see anything?" Marilyn asked the pilot.
"Nothing but the mountains, ma'am," the pilot answered, "Perhaps Demona's forces are moving at a slower pace as they approach our headquarters."
"Maybe," Marilyn commented, "just stay alert. Demona might try to take down the helicopter using sorcery if we get too close."
"Of course," the pilot answered.
Not that far away, the small group of gargoyles made their way over the terrain. They glided wherever possible, but from time to time, the winds lead them to mountains that were higher in elevation then the level they were gliding at, and there wasn't enough of a cross wind for them to glide around it. So they would land on the mountain and walk around it until they got to the other side.
The trip was not easy. Wedrington, Yama, and Yoshi were not used to the thin air at the high elevations that made up Tibet, and as a result felt slightly out of breath. It wasn't that much of picnic for Demona, either, but she felt her 'immortality' gave her some help, but she also knew that it was mostly a matter of coping. People had been living in Tibet for many years. If humans could adapt, she was certain that gargoyles could adapt.
"Did you hear something?" Yoshi asked as they all walked down a narrow path around the sound of a mountain they were on.
"Hear what?" Wedrington asked back, as he found his hearing restricted by the winds blowing around them.
"It sounded faintly like a helicopter," Yoshi answered, "Didn't you hear it?"
"I couldn't hear anything over this wind," Wedrington admitted.
"I think I might have heard it…" Je Lu commented, "but it's likely only a transport helicopter. The fighting has left this area. Khan should have any reason to have attack helicopters here."
Demona nodded agreement from her position on the path. As she took a few more steps, however, her feelings of confidence instantly evaporated when a lightning bolt came out of nowhere and knocked a large boulder down into the path they were walking on.
"What the devil…?" Demona gasped in surprise.
"Speak of the devil, and she appears," came Marilyn's voice, taunting the sky blue female.
"You!" Demona growled angrily.
Demona was about to attack when Marilyn snapped her fingers and a squad of Chinese infantrymen appeared on a path twenty feet above the path that the gargoyles were on.
"As much as I would like to crush you, I'm afraid that tonight you'll have to tangle with someone else," Marilyn said with a confident smile.
"Your human servants don't frighten me," Demona growled back while the rest of the Tibetan gargoyles recovered and readied for an attack.
"Good, because they aren't here to fight you," came a new male voice, that sounded strangely familiar to Demona, but she couldn't place it.
Their shock was not over as a sage brown male gargoyle climbed on top of the rock that Marilyn had knocked in front of him. Demona was startled by his appearance, but was only inclined to growl at the new gargoyle. It was Wedrington who actually noticed something about this new arrival.
"Demona, doesn't that male look a little familiar to you?" Wedrington asked.
"I've never seen that male before," Demona answered.
"That's because he is the opposite gender of the one we took the DNA from!" Marilyn laughed.
That made something click in Demona's mind.
"He's a clone?" Demona asked.
"With a little genetic modification to insure I am male," Damien growled in a low voice, "mother."
"WHAT!?" Demona roared, eyes glowing.
Damien didn't give Demona the benefit of an answer and dove at the immortal female. He tackled the sky blue female around the waist an drove her off the edge of the path they were on. Wedrington gave a gasp of shock and then dove after the two gargoyles. Meanwhile, the Chinese soldiers opened fire with their weapons forcing the rest of the Tibetan gargoyles to scramble back in search of cover.
Marilyn merely levitated herself higher into the air and activated a small communicator.
"The battle has begun," Marilyn spoke.
Damien's attack sent both the clone and Demona down several feet until they landed hard on a rocky ledge about thirty feet below where the rest of the clan was battling the Chinese soldiers. Demona took the worst of the landing as she felt one of her wing bones audibly snap upon impacting a rock. As she climbed back to her feet she glared angrily at gargoyle that called her 'mother'.
"I only have one child," Demona growled, "You are not her."
"Maybe," Damien answered, "but I am YOU, if you were male, that is."
"Impossible," Demona growled and sent out a lighting spell at Damien.
"No, it's true," Damien answered, "all Khan's geneticists had to do was remove one X chromosome from your blood sample and insert a Y chromosome that carried no other genetic markers other then gender… allowing your DNA to generate a male clone. Not easy, I assure you, but doable."
Demona only growled and hurled a rock at Damien, hoping to set him up for something more sophisticated, but the clone jumped into the air and hit Demona with a lightning spell of his own. That spell hit her in the chest and threw her against the side of the mountain.
"And this was way to easy," Damien said with a confident.
His confidence evaporated when Wedrington's voice cut into the fight.
"Leave her alone!" Wedrington gave a protective roar and slashed out at Damien with his own talons.
Damien managed to dodge in time to avoid a serious injury, but Wedrington, did leave some claw marks in his shoulder, and made the clone seem to pivot around in the air. That allowed Demona the time to cast her own lightning spell again, which sent Damien tumbling away for the moment while Wedrington returned to her side.
"Did he tell you how they did this?" Wedrington asked.
"No," Demona growled, "but they must have gotten MY blood from somewhere."
"Your wing is broken," Wedrington spoke, noticing the injured wing.
"It'll heal at sunrise," Demona shrugged that off, "right now we have bigger problems."
Above them, Je Lu and the others clung to the side of the mountain, trying to duck under the hail of bullets fired at them by the Chinese soldiers. Above the soldiers, Marilyn remained still, not doing anything.
"Why isn't that witch doing anything?" Shi La questioned a bullet bounced off a rock near her right foot and went off into the air behind them.
"I don't know," Yoshi commented, "but so long as she is doing nothing, I'd suggest we deal with these soldiers before they kill us."
The Japanese librarian then thrust his talons into the side of the mountain and pulled out a palm sized rock and heaved it at one of Chinese soldiers. The rock didn't hit the soldier he was aiming at, but it made him stoop shooting to dodge the rock.
"Throw the rocks at them!" Yoshi urged, "it might distract them long enough to let some of us climb up there!"
Yoshi repeated the process again as various Tibetan gargoyles joined in, sending baseball sized rocks flying at the Chinese soldiers. Again, the thrown rocks did little more then distract the soldiers, but they did allow Je Lu, Yama, and four other Tibetan males to climb up the side of the cliff they were on.
Je Lu was the first to reach the level that the Chinese soldiers were on, and despite the fact that he didn't have Demona's experience or Yama's training, he could see that the Chinese soldiers were frightened of him. He then rushed their position, knocking one down onto the next level down on the other side of the boulder that Marilyn had sent down, and landing one strong punch against another before Yama and the others arrived.
Yama landed a flying kick that knocked two soldiers out, and the others managed to rush the remaining soldiers, although they had recovered by now and they fired a few shots, that kept them from delivering a knockout blow against them. One of the males was nicked by a bullet that went by his shoulder, and then through one wing membrane. Je Lu wanted move to help the others, when he was hit in the tail by a round fired the soldier that had been knocked down to the lower path.
"Shi La, get the last soldier," Je Lu called down, "he's behind the boulder. I'll distract him.
On that lower level, Shi La nodded, and ignoring her concern for her wounded mate began to scale the boulder that had been knocked in front of them. She also watched as more rocks were thrown down where Je Lu had told her where the soldier was. She found the Chinese soldier shielding himself with his helmet and rifle. She then dove on the man and sliced the gun in half with her talons before slapping the man in the face with her tail. That finally knocked the soldier out.
Above everything, Marilyn quietly watched as the battles continued. A few of the Tibetan gargoyles, had been wounded, but the Chinese soldiers proved to be little more then a distraction… although that had been expected. Further down, Damien was dueling with Demona and Wedrington. Demona appeared to have broken wing and Wedrington was doing his best to keep Damien from just bombarding the immortal female from a distance, but the sage brown clone seemed more interested in a physical battle then using sorcery. Marilyn wondered if that was something that related to his species or whether or not Demona's full reputation as a sorceress was entirely deserved.
But, then, that was not really her concern as so far, Damien seemed to be holding his own. If he preferred to be physical, that was his decision. Marilyn remained still. If the Tibetan gargoyles finished their fight soon, she might be forced to engage them, or pull away to give Damien the time to win his fight, or she would have to end Damien's fight prematurely. She hadn't decided which course of action to take.
Wedrington ducked down as Damien made another diving attack, casting a few minor lightning spells as he went over, but these weren't accurate. The only concern with these that Wedrington had, was that he might be trying to destroy the ledge they were on.
"There's got to be something we can do to get at him," Wedrington grumbled as he watched Damien circle above them.
"You'll have to get close and slow him down," Demona spoke, "I can cast lightning spells or levitate rocks at him, but with this busted wing, I can't glide, which means I'm next to useless unless he slows down so I can hit him."
Wedrington had little room to argue as he was forced to dodge a lightning spell that ended up landing between him and Demona.
"Here goes nothing," Wedrington muttered and leaped from the ledge, but it would take awhile for him to gain the momentum to begin gliding again.
Damien, fortunately for Wedrington, ignored the white lion-like English gargoyle and kept his attack focused on Demona. He teleported several hand grenades from the unconscious soldiers above him and pulled the pin out of each and dropped them toward Demona. Demona was forced to leap up and begin trying to scale the mountain to get away from grenades. She managed to get away from the explosions, but couldn't get away from a lightning bolt that Damien sent into the middle of her back. Demona roared with pain and fell back on the ledge and didn't move.
"And now to finish you!" Damien said triumphantly as be prepared to unleash the most powerful spell he could think of while Demona was trying to recover.
"NO!" Wedrington roared as he finally gained the air speed needed to glide and returned to the fight.
His attack caught Damien by surprise as he dove down and lunged at the sage brown clone, and knocked him face first into the side of the mountain. The attack stunned Damien long enough for Demona to get back to her feet.
"I think it is time to finish you," Demona growled, "clone."
Demona then summoned a spear to thrust into Damien's chest when a bright flash of light stopped all of them. When the light faded away, Demona looked to see Wedrington standing beside her and Marilyn hovering above her with Damien over her shoulder.
"I thank you for providing us with this test, Demona," Marilyn said with a smile, "I'm sure Khan has found it most informative."
And with that, Marilyn vanished from sight with Damien, leaving Demona and Wedrington on the ledge. Demona looked rather enraged that she was unable to kill the gargoyle clone.
"It's happened again," Demona growled.
"Again?" Wedrington asked.
"Someone has cloned me, again," Demona growled, "I know you can't understand, but know that I do not like clones."
"It is kinda freaky," Wedrington nodded, "but at least Damien's been altered somewhat to be a male clone. No one would suspect him of being you at first glance. And if Khan sent him out here to battle you as a test of his powers, I'm sure you'll get another shot at him."
Demona nodded, not saying a word. The two then slowly began to climb back to where Je Lu and his clan was. They found them all recovering from the battle they had just gone through. There were no injuries that would require serious medical attention, but many in the group had take some minor bullet wounds.
"Is everyone alright?" Wedrington asked.
"About as well as one can be after getting caught in a firefight with nothing to shoot back with," Yama spoke as he rubbed a spot on his leg where a bullet had run along the side his leg.
Demona then noted that she wasn't the only one to sustain injuries.
"Do we need to stop?" Demona asked.
"I think we can continue," Je Lu said weakly, "but it will need to be slow. And on foot."
"We'll have to, with a broken wing I won't be able to glide until tomorrow night," Demona spoke.
"Where are the soldiers?" Wedrington wondered as he noticed that none of them where present.
"Marilyn saved them once we'd knocked them all out, much like she saved Damien from Demona," Shi La spoke, "made this whole thing very strange."
"All of this was a test," Demona growled in an agitated voice, "Marilyn had no intention of fighting an all out fight to win. She and Khan were testing that clone…"
"Thankfully, the clone was beaten," Wedrington reminded the immortal female, calming Demona slightly.
"We'd best keep going," Demona said after a few moments, and began walking along the path again.
Khan's Base, Hours Later
Khan stood by quietly observing the Chinese soldiers being carried on stretcher's to the base's medical center. When Marilyn returned taking Damien's stone form to his sleeping chamber, he waited for her report.
"How did they fare?" Khan asked.
"The soldiers provided a good distraction," Marilyn answered, "although, once the gargoyles got close, they couldn't compete with their strength. If we are to battle them at close quarters, the men will need to be armed with swords, or we'll need to leave the gargoyles to the supermen."
Khan nodded, but didn't say anything.
"Damien did fairly well against Demona," Marilyn then continued, "although much of the fight was shaped by specific conditions. Demona had help from a white English gargoyle, which reduced Damien's effectiveness, but he also broke one of Demona's wings in the initial attack which gave him an advantage over Demona individually."
"So I take it this other gargoyle was able to defeat Damien, or at least distracted him from defeating Demona," Khan surmised.
"Yes," Marilyn nodded.
"We might need to separate Demona from her followers if we are to stand a chance of victory then," Khan mused, "although, such an action will be fairly complex."
"Both Damien and I will be ready," Marilyn answered.
"Good," Khan smiled.
To Be Continued…