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 immediately after "Khanate".
Broken…
By SN/TVfan
Email: Sam_Nary
Beijing
Marilyn strode confidently into the Chinese capital as it had finally fallen to Khan's forces. China was essentially theirs. What remained of its army was broken and in retreat into Manchuria. Their forces would eventually advance into that region and end the present phase of the war, but that was unimportant. The important part of the battle had occurred during the attack toward the Chinese capital and Marilyn's fight with Five and One from the Illuminati Council. Their death would break the Illuminati's ability to control their soldiers while they squabbled amongst themselves over who would lead them.
But that would still come later. For now, she could enjoy strolling through the streets of the Chinese capital. For the most part it appeared deserted and damaged… broken by the riots and by the initial attacks made on the city. Much of the famous Forbidden City were only smoking ruins now, thanks to a few hits from artillery. The hits weren't intentional, Marilyn had the sense that the Chinese people wouldn't take kindly to the destruction of their historical artifacts. She decided she research the matter of rebuilding it, or restoring it before mentioning it with Khan and his Second-in-Command.
As she turned to head up another street, one of the supermen under her command in the area approached and saluted her.
"My lady," the superman reported, "we have secured the main government offices."
"Excellent, lieutenant," Marilyn answered, "perhaps with One and Five dead, we can persuade the Chinese government to surrender to Khan's forces… eh?"
The superman gave a half nervous gulp, "that is the other part of my report, my Lady… and I fear it is not one that would be of your liking."
"They've fled, haven't they?" Marilyn questioned, her mood immediately souring.
"Yes, my lady," the superman nodded, "I do not know where they could have gone."
"It'll be Shenyang in Liaoning Province, Changchun in Jilin Province, or Harbin in Heilongjiang Province," Marilyn answered, "that is if they remain together as a government, as they are the only cities that have the size and infrastructure to support a government."
"What about Taiwan?" the superman wondered, "wouldn't this make them desperate? Ask them for help, despite the old rivalries between Nationalist and Communist?"
"Possible," Marilyn sighed, "Khan has informed me that the radiomen have picked some communiqués to that effect, but I don't know how successful they've been… but for the moment, lieutenant, let us enjoy the victory."
"Of course, my Lady," the superman responded.
Khan's Base, Tibet
Khan, Khan meanwhile stood quietly as he waited for the helicopter that would be carrying the bodies of Five and One for identification. If Marilyn was right, then she had won a great victory, even if she was only now just entering Beijing. The Illuminati organization as a whole was one of his chief goals, and the loss of the Council leader would surely create an atmosphere of confusion that would have to be corrected.
Eventually a lone Super Puma helicopter came into view of the base's exterior lights, allowing Khan and his second-in-command to see it coming in for a landing.
"Who do you suppose One and Five are?" his second-in-command wondered, "they didn't list the Council Members' real names on their files."
"Not really," Khan answered, "they also didn't keep records of who was promoted from specific ranks, and not all Illuminati members get the anti-aging drugs… and some that do quit using them on occasion…"
"It'll mean identifying them will be extremely difficult," his second-in-command grumbled in a fairly frustrated voice, "as if there weren't enough stresses to deal with."
"You mean Demona's recent activity?" Khan wondered.
"I fear she may team up with the Illuminati units in Nepal and India and strike at us from the south," his second answered.
"Possible, but even the Illuminati's data on her indicates that she has little trust for humans," Khan replied, "so, such a scenario isn't likely. She's likely hiding somewhere nearby so that she can launch her periodic raids."
"Just her and the gargoyles we drove out of the monastery?" his second gasped, "that's suicide… they'd need help from someone."
Khan nodded, "not every general goes along with the most effective plan. I'm sure she believes herself to invincible because of her magic, but ultimately, that overconfidence will fail her. Damien and Marilyn will work together and defeat her."
"Marilyn isn't here," his second reminded him, "Damien is the only one on the helicopter."
Again Khan nodded, Marilyn wouldn't actually return until they had secured his domain throughout the borders of China. Until then Damien would have to do in terms of deflecting Demona's attention away from their forces. But even there, Khan was confident that Damien would do well enough to deal with the female gargoyle he had been cloned from.
Slowly but surely the helicopter came in to land in front of them. Once it fully touched down, the main passenger doors were opened to reveal Damien's sleeping stone form and two bodies wrapped in cloth. Khan immediately motioned to several supermen that were there with them.
"Take the bodies to the base morgue," Khan ordered, "I'll supervise the autopsy and identification of their bodies there… Place Damien in a safe place allowing him to look out over my domain."
"Yes, sir," the supermen that were there answered and set to work.
The work of moving the bodies was done swiftly and quietly. Damien's stone form was placed on a different section of the roof while the bodies of One and Five were carried inside with Khan and his Second-in-Command following the orderlies carrying the bodies. They were met by a lone doctor as they entered the base's morgue.
"I was told that I would have some 'high ranking bodies' to examine," the doctor quipped, "are these them?"
"One and Five of the Illuminati Council, yes," Khan nodded.
"Are you wanting to determine the cause of death exactly, sir?" the doctor inquired, "or are we just going to try to identify the bodies?"
"We're just identifying them," Khan answered, "once we know who they were and have the evidence needed to prove they're genuine, they are to be cremated. The exact cause of death is unimportant."
"Of course, sir," the doctor nodded and turned to the men carrying the bodies, "place One on the table on the right, and Five on the table on the left."
The superman carried out their orders and then left the room, leaving Khan, his Second, and the doctor. The doctor started with Five, figuring that as the lower ranking Council member, he would be easier to identify.
The sight of the body made the cause of death rather obvious, a snapped neck. The doctor then decided to neglect reporting that out loud, as it was fairly obvious and set to work on identifying the body. He had rather plain looking features with relatively long hair and a long beard with still fairly dark hairs, likely the result of various drugs the Illuminati gave its higher ranking members to keep them from aging.
"I wonder how the Chinese could have functioned with him here," the Second commented, "he doesn't look Chinese."
"I'm sure the Chinese people resented his presence," the doctor answered, "but I'd think that after we exposed them, they moved more like any ruling party…it didn't matter WHAT he looked like."
Khan nodded, "and now we are reversing that trend."
Both of the other two men nodded and the doctor then moved to check something on the computer screen behind him on one of the other panels in the room. While he did so, the Second came closer as if to get another look at the dead man's face.
"You know, his face seems rather familiar," Khan's Second commented, "not in the sense that he's been here, but that he is a recognizable character from history."
"Many of the Council members likely are, given all the drugs the Illuminati has that they do not share with the rest of the world," the doctor commented, "and this man is no exception."
"Do the Illuminati have DNA samples to confirm who he is?" Khan inquired.
"On Five?" the doctor answered, "yes, though I'm having to check records dating back to 1900... It would appear that the Illuminati wish to keep the Council members anonymous from even the rest of the Illuminati. But I am capable of getting a match on an earlier sample from before he became Five."
The doctor returned to Five's body and drew blood from Five's arm with a small syringe and returned to the computer analysis equipment. Khan and his Second waited patiently for a few minutes while the doctor ran his tests. When that was done, the doctor looked at the results and the two men then heard a soft hum of acknowledgement.
"We have full confirmation on who he is," the doctor answered, "he is who he appears to be… the Russian monk Rasputin…"
Khan and his Second nodded.
"I wonder how they faked his death," the Second commented curiously, "a double or illusion?"
"We'd need to be able to travel through time to find that out," Khan answered, "which is unimportant. The future is what is important. You may proceed onto One."
The doctor then turned to One and removed only the part of the blanket that covered his face. The man appeared far older then Five did with gray hears and facial hair more in the style of someone from the orient. He bore a striking resemblance to Genghis Khan, but there were also noticeable differences from the paintings of the late medieval Mongol leader. When the doctor finished his blood tests, he again turned to Khan and his second.
"Well?" Khan asked.
"In this case, I can not trace an exact name," the doctor sighed, "either he did a better job of covering his past involvement with the Illuminati then Five did… or maybe he joined the Council before true DNA testing and sample collecting could be done… which would mean that what slowed his aging was magical in nature rather then scientific."
"And it isn't perfect," Khan nodded.
"Well of course," the doctor nodded, "outside of the fey, magic generally isn't strong enough in other forms of life to allow for perpetual life… there are exceptions, but they do not necessarily give one what they want… usually a result of the wording used in the original spell. According to the files we copied out of the Illuminati's files, the only way to get true 'immortality' would be to steal whatever magical energies 'mortals' hold and absorb it… like being a vampire that feeds on magic rather then blood… which largely results in a mortal that is carrying enough magical energy that he/she might as well be considered a 'mortal fey'."
"Then he didn't do that…?" Khan's Second wondered.
"It's likely that he didn't," the doctor nodded, "but I'm not versed enough in magic to know which spells were used to prolong this man's life."
"Unimportant," Khan dismissed it, "you said the tests can not identify who he is?"
"Not as an individual," the doctor nodded, "but I have identified who his ancestor ultimately was. One who shares a name with you, sir, Genghis Khan."
"So the descendent of a world conqueror gains leadership over an organization that rules the world," Khan mused, "and is defeated by one carrying his ancestor's name. Amusing, isn't it."
"Of course, sir," his Second answered.
"You will prepare photographs for the announcement that One and Five are dead," Khan instructed his second, and then turned to the doctor, "once that is done, their bodies are to be cremated."
"It will be done, sir," the doctor answered.
Unknown Location
Three calmly stalked the hallways of the main Illuminati base. It took a great deal of self control, as he was actually in a very foul mood at the time. Reports of Khan's latest offensive had come in, and they did not look good. The pro-Illuminati forces were breaking, and Khan's troops had entered Beijing, the Chinese capital. One and Five were there, and they were there to take over the fight against Khan's forces which had been steadily going against the Illuminati from the beginning.
It could mean that One and Five were dead. Which would be an absolute disaster for the Illuminati on almost every level, and Three hoped that was not the case. Of course none of the reports mentioned the witch or the male gargoyle that had taken to aiding Khan's forces, so Three guessed that One and Five had defeated them and were now on their way to retaking the main base and removing Khan from their 'hair' once and for all.
But that was only a guess. And without any report from them, they had no way of knowing for sure WHAT had been going on with their Council Members. Three's pondering walk soon came to an end when a man quickly rounded a corner and approached him, looking somewhat nervous.
"Yes?" Three said slowly.
"Sir, we've received a communiqué from Khan," the man spoke it appears that he wants to talk to us."
"Now the traitor wants to talk?" Three growled.
"Yes, sir," the man nodded.
Three slowly followed the man as he lead the Council member to the main communications center in the area in which the Illuminati maintained their main headquarters. He found the large communications screen already on with Khan waiting for him.
"Hello, Council Member," Khan spoke on the screen, "I trust you are well?"
"Spare me pleasantries, traitor," Three growled, "what do you want?"
"Please, Council Member, please," Khan retorted, "It is quite common for two heads of state to maintain fairly cordial relations even if they are at war…"
"That was BEFORE the concept of 'total war'," Three answered.
"I see no reason to think of it that way," Khan quipped, "Keeping things cordial is far better then personally hating one another. Don't you think?"
"Cut the link, I don't have time for this," Three ordered.
"No time to know on the progress of One and Five?" Khan spoke before the technician could follow the order.
"What did you say?!" Three roared, his fears returning to him, "What have you done to them?"
"I? I have done nothing," Khan answered, "but you must remember that we are at war, presently Council Member. You can not shout at me like am some criminal…"
"You are a traitor," Three answered, "one created to serve the Illuminati against all possible threats. By all senses of the word, you are a traitor… a criminal."
"Then you shouldn't behave so to one who is performing a courtesy for you," Khan answered.
"What have you done to them?!" Three roared.
"As I said, I have done nothing," Khan answered, "but I am afraid I must inform you that One and Five ran afoul of Marilyn during my latest offensive and she bested both of them in combat. They were killed in action and died fighting. I suppose you could say they died with honor."
Three was silent for a moment. One and Five were dead. The Council was essentially gone. Two and Six were gone in Britain. Now One and Five in China. Only Four and himself remained. By the Illuminati's own rules, their entire operation would have to stop for a new Council to be elected since One was dead.
"Did you hear me, Council Member?" Khan asked.
"Yes, I heard you," Three answered before a moment of curiosity hit him, "Why are you telling me this?"
"As some cordial information from leader to leader," Khan answered, "as I expect the official announcement of the death of One and Five will be made soon… and the news reporters are not going to be as tactful as I am trying to be… and we expect the announcement that the last of your followers in China to be defeated and either killed or captured within the next few days, so I am informing you that you fought a good fight before you become mired in criticisms from your own members on your defeat."
"This is some aristocratic way of gloating if I've ever heard it," Three grumbled to himself, and low enough that Khan couldn't hear. He then recomposed himself and looked up firmly, "the men in the service of the Illuminati will not surrender to the likes of a traitor."
"I had thought not," Khan answered, "but you may rest assured that those taken prisoner will be treated well… that is all that I have for now…"
Three then heard a chuckle.
"Perhaps when you admit surrender in this battle, we can meet face to face and not face to computer screen," Khan mused, "discuss our differences like all the great kings of old did."
"Shut it off," Three growled as he stalked out, being unable to take any more.
He then stalked out again with greater urgency then before. He had to talk with Four and quickly. A new Council had to be elected and quickly, if Khan was to be defeated. If not… Khan would in this round, and their reaction to any future move he will make will be poor and ineffectual. That combined with the problems in Britain could break the Illuminati. Three was determined to get them through the present crisis, at least, as quickly as possible.
Khan's Base, Tibet
Khan returned to the roof following his chat with Three. The sun was preparing to set, and he was sure that Damien would want his next set of instructions. Or at least an update on the offensive he had participated in. He was unmoved as the stone form cracked and broke, releasing the stone gargoyle within.
"Tibet…" Damien said in a low voice.
"Yes, Tibet," Khan answered, "the offensive that you supported was successful. Beijing is now in our hands."
Damien didn't answer immediately.
"You did well," Khan then told him.
"Thank you, sir," Damien answered, "though I would have liked to march through Beijing. See what kind of city we've 'liberated'."
"The city is probably a ruin," Khan dismissed it, "and besides, I have more important tasks for you to deal with."
Damien turned and cloaked his wings.
"More important?" Damien asked.
"Demona," Khan answered, "she has been raiding the convoys we've sent out to either resupply or reinforce our troops at the front."
"I will crush her!" Damien vowed.
"That is unnecessary," Khan answered.
"But you said she's attacking your men!" Damien gasped.
"Yes," Khan nodded, "but ultimately, she will come here. I'm certain of that. She seems to think my driving of the Tibetan clan from their monastery was part of some personal vendetta, and will wish to destroy me personally."
"All the more reason to crush her!" Damien urged.
"Oh, she will be crushed, but the move I intend to make will be a bit more subtle then attacking her head on, which she likely expects," Khan answered, "if she comes here to avenge my attack on the Tibetan clan's shrine, I intend for her to run into both you and Marilyn… at the same time…"
"A trap," Damien spoke.
"Precisely," Khan nodded, "but the trap won't be ready until Marilyn can finish off the last pockets of Pro-Illuminati resistance… so until then, I will need you to monitor Demona's actions. Make sure she doesn't do any serious damage… possibly even pinpoint the exact location of her base so any survivors from the trap will be caught."
"Of course," Damien nodded, eagerly waiting for when Demona would make the ultimate move and fall into the trap that Khan was planning.
Chaoyang, Liaoning Province
With the Chinese capital now in Khan's hands, the placing of the military units under Khan's command were changing. Normal Chinese troops were being pulled back into more garrison work inside the rest of the China's territory while Khan's supermen remained at the front against the Pro-Illuminati troops. This was mostly done to ensure that the final military campaign against the Illuminati was swift and easy… especially with Marilyn taking out the strongest defenses that remained, and to make sure that the Chinese people and the anti-Illuminati Chinese that joined him felt that they actually played a role in governing China. Khan's supermen, for the moment, wouldn't be enforcing the laws. Normal Chinese soldiers would.
And for Marilyn, she was for moment observing the movements being taken by the scattered units of pro-Illuminati soldiers a few yards away. She knew Khan's plans, and had even helped formulate them, but for the most part she really didn't concern herself with those details. Breaking the back of the Pro-Illuminati forces was her main concern.
"I believe the attack to take Beijing has broken their back, ma'am," a superman commando reported to her, "we've observed them digging several improvised trench systems… but there are few, if any, heavy weapons, and no tanks at all."
"From what I can see the trenches are also being dug with desperation," Marilyn commented as she looked out to the Chinese lines.
"Which will hopefully make this the last campaign," the commando replied.
"In this war," Marilyn reminded him, "we may end up fighting many more rounds with the Illuminati before this s all over."
The commando nodded and then looked toward the Chinese lines. After a brief sigh, he returned his attention to Marilyn.
"We are ready to begin when you are," the commando answered.
"Begin with the artillery," Marilyn ordered, "I want to see how willing they are to cling to their delusion that the Illuminati gives them strength."
"At once ma'am," the commando acknowledged the order.
On the Chinese side of the line, the Pro-Illuminati troops desperately tried to form some semblance of a defensive line. The task was almost a monumental one. Every soldier knew that they had lost all their remaining armor and most of their other heavy weapons in the battle leading up to Beijing's capture by Khan's forces. And those assigned to monitor the advance of Khan' forces had also determined that the men advancing toward them were all superman commandos, who had proven to be extremely fierce warriors already. From that alone, they knew they would be in for a tough fight.
Of course, by know many of them also knew that One and Five had been killed in battle with Marilyn and that the Illuminati was essentially leaderless. And for many members of the Illuminati, that was the real kicker. The organization was not truly evil, and they certainly didn't see themselves as evil. They saw themselves as enlightened leaders whose duty was to lead the world toward a bright and better future. And in doing so, they had found themselves being lead by the likes of people like the Council and the Mage who had more designs for their own personal power and didn't necessarily do what was in the best interests of everyone, but they were still the leaders. The best and the wisest of the Illuminati, and these members obeyed orders… and now, no one was there to give the orders.
Many were considering surrendering to Khan's forces, while a few more even considered defecting to Khan's side. After all, maybe the superman leader could inspire leadership and action that had been the reason many of these men had initially joined the Illuminati in the first place. However, these thoughts didn't last long as the first shells began falling on them.
Khan's forces had taken Beijing earlier in the day, and now that the sun had set again, they were resuming their offensive. Shells landed on trenches, on men outside them, and or one group of soldiers, the sounds of battle were simply too horrendous to mention.
"Keep down men," an officer urged to small group of soldiers tasked with defending the line, "we have to hold them…"
"They've already killed One and Five," one of the soldiers replied, "shouldn't we get out of here… head for Russia or North Korea? Regroup there?"
"Khan won't stop at those borders," the officer answered, "we have to keep the war in China. We have to hold them off until a new Council can be formed."
In that moment, Marilyn suddenly appeared in front of them and landed a swinging kick to head of the first soldier in the group, knocking him out.
"The witch!" the officer gasped.
"Precisely," Marilyn smiled as she slammed the last two soldiers together, knocking them out.
"Your villainy ends here, witch!" the officer growled as he aimed his pistol at her.
"And how would a rabbit such as you use such a big gun?" Marilyn asked, and sent a small spell into the officer.
He staggered back a few steps before feeling odd. His clothing was growing larger, and his hands were having increasing difficulty in holding onto the handgun he had drawn. Marilyn was standing over him with a smirk as the gun fell from his hand. As he brought them up to see, he saw what looked far more like paws then hands. And the feeling of everything else getting bigger, or him getting smaller began to accelerate. His body began to itch as he shrank down and he felt a tugging sensation at his ears. He tried to fight all of this, but he simply continued to shrink, until he seemed to disappear into his clothes.
Marilyn then approached the pile of clothing and removed the jacket to reveal a small white rabbit sitting terrified in what had been the pants of the Chinese Pro-Illuminati officer.
"Don't worry," Marilyn commented as she then glanced out to see the rest of Khan's men taking the opposing lines easily and almost without a fight, "your army is broken. Your cause is broken. Your organization is broken. There is no need for me to do anything more to you."
The rabbit looked up at Marilyn, obviously terrified.
"Hop along," Marilyn tapped at it with her foot, sending it fleeing toward North Korea.
Marilyn turned to continue on her way. As the Pro-Illuminati army broke, she knew it had to be driven hard to insure that China would be Khan's and the next phases of the plan to keep the Illuminati off balance continued.
Unknown Location
"We can not have a new Council election," Four spoke, "forgo it. Declare yourself to be an 'interim' One until Khan can be crushed."
"And how will that work?" Three shot back, sounding frustrated and possibly even defeated, "our armies in China are crushed… defeated… and Khan knows it. It's why he called us to tell me that One and Five were dead. He was gloating the entire time."
"So we give up?" Four asked, "let Khan win? You know that if we do what we've always done in these times, all the regional offices will change hands as well… and with the problems in Britain and China… the result will be total chaos. You know that Khan will take advantage of that to improve his position."
"And what else can we do?" Three retorted, "we've long established the rule to keep affairs within countries to be solved within those countries."
"And you also know full well that we can't fully control everything," Four replied, "countries have intervened in other countries internal affairs despite all our best efforts, usually under some pretext that the intervention was in their national interest."
"For the most part those have been few and far between," Three answered, "and one or two were even inspired by us to put a more appropriate leader on the throne or in power. And Khan will likely be watching every move we make from here."
"So we just give up?" Four questioned, "let him have China."
"Absolutely not," Three answered, "but neither of us are really in a position to truly make our next move."
"You would if you declared yourself to be One, now, and went without an election," Four repeated his earlier advice.
"And how would I control the countless other Illuminati agents who want promotions," Three replied, "they normally back down from commands from the 'Council', but the Council no longer exists. They will demand the right to run. We block them and we'll end up with a 'civil war' within the Illuminati, not just against Khan."
"He'll take advantage of it!" Four repeated.
"Of course he will," Three sighed, "but I fear that nothing can really be done. We may have to accept that Khan has broken us in China… forced us into a tight position… broken us…"
"What can we do to stop him?" Four asked.
"For moment?" Three sighed, "not much. We might be able to maintain a covert war… sneaking in, launching strikes, and then sneaking out… but for moment, we can't do much more."
"And, dare I ask, what will allow us to do more?" Four asked nervously, getting the sense that the answer would not be to his liking.
"We'll have to wait until Khan begins to expand his domain outside of China," Three sighed, "Hopefully… hopefully our replacements are able to use the resulting international incident to bring the world's full strength down on Khan."
"You think it would really come to a world war?" Four asked nervously.
"It may…" Three sighed heavily, "but, in this case, we are more prepared for it. Khan can not repeat the tactics he used to discredit us in China…"
"He probably still has our lists of Illuminati members around the world," Four warned, "outside of the Council Members, of course."
"Of course," Three agreed, "but unlike before, he no longer has our exact websites or passwords to prove such accusations. Anyone outside of the Illuminati who goes to those sites would only think they have another conspiracy theory website and ignore it, negating the accusation Khan could throw at us… it is our only saving grace, as we are for the moment…" Three then gave a heavy sigh as he truly hated to admit that they had been defeated, "…broken."
"So, you're going to go ahead with a new Council election?" Four asked.
"We have to," Three sighed nervously, "we have to."
To Be Continued…