Home Coming
By Shadow Runner
Part six in the series
Anyone you don't recognize belongs to me all the rest belong to the mighty Disney and I bow to the all powerful Mouse daily for creating such awesome characters for me to play with. Granted I still get no money but who am I to complain… as long as they don't sue.
Guess who's coming to dinner?
Hope you like and happy reading!
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"Maza, my office. Now!"
Elisa ducked her head slightly at hearing her boss, Captain Maria Chavez, yell at her from across the 23rd Precinct.
"Damn…" she muttered. She was hoping to slip out of the station without being snared. So far it had been a good plan, Matt wasn't in yet and for the most part, none of the other officers or detectives had even taken notice of her. Lifting the collar of her jacket, she grabbed several files and headed to Chavez's office.
Captain Chavez appraised Elisa carefully as she walked in the door, "Feeling better?"
Elisa forced a cough, "Ah… yeah. Much better. Must have been a 24 hour thing..." She coughed again just for good measure and sat down in a near by chair, waiting to see that her boss wanted. Unconsciously she kept tugging at the collar of her jacket.
"Are you alright Detective?" Chavez asked cautiously.
"No… Yes… just a… It's nothing." Elisa replied lamely.
"Fine." Chavez nodded her head, not wanting to get into the subject any further than Elisa wanted to let her in on. She had other matters to clear up so she waited until Elisa finally found something better to focus on than the collar of her jacket, "What's the status of the Canmore case?"
"Well… nothing. He hasn't shown anywhere and no one has seen him." Elisa began. "He still has a few ties to people in Scotland…"
She handed Captain Chavez a file, "I think it's possible he might have felt the state or, more likely, the country."
Elisa hated lying to her boss but the truth was not exactly an option at this point. There was no way she could explain how she discovered the leader of the anti-gargoyle movement was the former hunter without looking like she was trying to discredit an, up to this point, law-abiding group with no real evidence to support her allegation.
Captain Chavez had the distinct feeling Maza was holding out, but said nothing. She leafed through the file, "Have all the interviews be completed?"
Elisa spoke carefully, "For the most part…"
Chavez stopped on the witness list comparing it to the list of statements. "I don't see a statement from Reading…" A look of concern crossed her face as she glanced up, "Where is it?"
Elisa almost flinched, "Well, I did see her…" It wasn't a complete lie, but it defiantly toed the line.
"And? What did she have to say?"
"Not much…" Still not a lie yet, Elisa thought to herself.
"Detective…" Captain Chavez's patience was growing slim, "Did you or did you not interview this woman?"
"Yes… No… "Elisa shifted uneasily in the chair, "Well, I didn't exactly interview her…"
Captain Chavez eyed the woman and frowned, "So what's the problem?"
Elisa stood up and paced in front of the desk, "No problem, she didn't have anything to say."
Again not an out and out lie since the woman didn't have much to say, at least not to her.
"I didn't see a reason to kill a tree for a statement that essentially said nothing." Elisa knew she was now beyond the point of toeing the line and suddenly had a great desire to get out of the Captain's office. She felt like the walls were closing in on her.
Chavez observed the woman, it was like watching a caged animal, "Fine," Elisa turned quickly with a surprised look on her face. "If you say you've done all you can with this... it's not like I don't have other things for you to work on right now."
She placed the documents back in to the file and handed it back to Elisa, "I had a feeling we might not get much on this anyway. We'll leave it open in case any federal agencies need information from us… In the mean time, forward what you have to the FBI and Interpool and check back with them to see if they have anything new to report."
To Elisa the words hurt more than her Captain would ever know and she came close to telling the woman everything but in the end held her tongue.
Chavez thought Elisa had something else on her mind. Something looked different about her, something about the way she carried herself. Chavez dismissed the notion for the time being, "I dropped some cases on your desk… Let me know when you're done reviewing them and have an Ops Plan ready..."
Elisa looked as if she was relieved to be dismissed and turned to leave. Only then did Captain Chavez catch sight of what the detective was trying to cover earlier.
"Maza…" she called out.
Elisa turned slowly, "Yeah Cap?"
Chavez lowered her head to review a file, "A little base will cover that…"
Even with her head down, she could see the Detective turn a bright shade of red but she had the good sense to wait until after Elisa left to burst out laughing.
Apparently the rumors about the Detective 2nd Class were wrong; she did have a social life.
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Lexington looked the clock for the fifth time, where the heck were they? He was starving. Angela had promised to bring him something to eat after running a short patrol with Broadway and Brooklyn and he hoped she hadn't forgotten him. He may not have Broadway's appetite but he still needed to eat.
He sat there tapping away at the keys of the computer killing some time until the others returned. After a minimal amount of effort he was back in the Nightstone Unlimited database. Elisa had warned him to stay out and he told himself it was just going to be for a minute or two, but thirty minutes went by and he found himself sifting through a massive amount of data.
This is new, he thought to himself… He clicked a few other icons and the screen came alive. What the…? "Oh no…"
"Lexington!" Angela landed just outside the Great Hall and ran into the room, "We got big problems…"
Lexington looked at the screen, "I know…"
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Elisa saw Matt sitting at his desk as she walked back to hers. She figured he must have come in while she was in her meeting with Captain Chavez. Since Chavez had made it a point of mentioning the hickey, she saw no point in trying to hide it as Matt was bound to see it eventually.
"Evening Partner…"
Matt looked up at her as she approached and was about to hand he a file when a broad smile started to spread across his face. "Holy hell! What the heck is that thing?"
"Shut up, Matt." Elisa spoke good naturedly to him as she sat down at her desk. There was no way he was going to let this slide, but it didn't mean she had to make it easy for him.
"Elisa…"
"I'm warning you Matt…" She paused long enough to pick up her coffee mug and moved to fill it, "Don't talk to me. Don't look at me. In fact, don't even think at me. Just shut your eyes and think about winning the lottery, the Illuminati, or whatever it is you do to keep your little mind occupied…"
"But…" He was tying to control himself but having no luck what so ever and shook his head ruefully, "Jesus Partner…"
Elisa gave him a warning glare as she returned to her desk and sat down, "And you're still talking to me because…?"
"Man, you are such a grouch this evening…", Matt stood and walked around to her desk, attempting to get a closer look at her neck, "Did you have a chance to see a doctor or is that how the whole thing got started?"
She reached over and shoved him back, "Get away from me…" she murmured. Other officers in the area were beginning to look at the pair, "Keep it down, will ya?"
Matt stood there with a wide grin on his face, "I had no idea you had contracted a case of 24 hour Leprosy…"
"You keep smiling like that and the top of your head is gonna fall off." She began flipping though some of the files piled up on her desk, "What's on your agenda tonight?" she inquired, hoping that by ignoring the topic he might bring the questions and comments to an end.
"Come on Elisa, hickeys at your age? Very classy… It's like high school all over." He began laughing again and would have continued but his name was suddenly yelled out from across the room.
"Bluestone, my office. Now!"
Elisa stuck her tongue out at him as he turned to leave, "Serves you right… I hope she makes you stay after class."
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Matt walked out twenty minutes later. From the look on his face, Elisa had the impression he'd had a conversation similar to hers with Chavez. She looked at him, the earlier teasing long forgotten, "That bad?"
"Naw, just the same old same old…" he leered at her over his desk. "You'll be happy to know Chavez is under the impression we might be sleeping together…"
Elisa felt the color rise in her cheeks, "And just how did she come to that conclusion?"
Matt waived his had in an arbitrary manner, "Hell, I don't know…"
From his evasive answer Elisa had a pretty good idea he knew exactly how Captain Chavez might have gotten the idea, "I hate this shit…" she muttered. She quickly changed the subject again by tossing a file over on his desk, "If you're not busy with important GTF business, wanna go run a lead with me?"
"Where at?" he responded absently, his mind obviously not on the conversation.
"Big case…" Elisa's tone indicated there was more to it than she was letting on.
"What is it?"
"Indecent Exposure…"
That finally got his attention, "What?"
Elisa gave him a self righteous grin, "Someone has been flashing all his glory at people in Central Park and it's up to New York's Finest to put a stop to this...."
"And you are interested in this because…?"
"No reason, just an excuse to get out of the office before more rumors start flying all over the place…" She picked up several files and headed out the door. "Put a wiggle in it Bluestone and I might even let you drive..."
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They drove though the park. Matt had ceased in his teasing since he was now about to be a part of the new office gossip. He had the good sense to not press Elisa for any of the details from her night off. It went without saying since he was relatively certain she wouldn't have told him anything anyway. She could be quite closed lipped about sharing information regarding her personal life. He looked at her sitting in the passenger seat, lost in thought, gazing out the window. He was about to break the silence when a chirping emitted from his pocket.
Elisa shot a quick glance over at him, "I meant to ask you the other day, when did you get a cell phone?"
"When I quit answering pages from the Mayor. If you're lucky maybe you'll get one too."
She grimaced, "I seriously doubt he wants to talk to me…"
He pulled it from his pocket and jabbed a key, "Bluestone…"
"Matt, it's Lex…"
Matt looked at the phone in surprise. "When did you start using the phone?"
"Is Elisa with you?"
"Yeah… when did you start using the phone Lex?"
Elisa tried to grab the phone from him, "Gimme that…"
"Wait your turn," he said pulling away as far as he could in the driver seat, "Lex, when did you…"
Lex cut him off, "Matt listen to me, you guys need to get over to LaGuardia…Fast…"
Elisa could hear bit and pieces of the conversation, and finally wrestled the phone from Matt, "Lex, it's me. What going on?"
"The Nightstone jet…It's there… now…"
"Christ… Are you sure?" she demanded. It was a stupid question she knew, but asked it anyway.
"Angela just got back… Brooklyn and Broadway are there now. We're waiting on Goliath and Hudson… They are still on patrol…"
"Damn it! You two stay put. Matt and I are on our way." she hung up the phone and was about to tell Matt to step on it but he was already way ahead of her. She opened the glove box and pulled a small police light and plugged the cord into the cigarette lighter. The lights came alive as they speed off into the night.
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Demona was highly pissed to say the least. The plane had been delayed in California, nearly causing her to go through the transformation on the aircraft. She had made it to the roof of the building just in time and glanced at the shreds of her clothing lying about on the rooftop. Another designer suit down the drain. The human form gave her added mobility, but the transformation was hell on her wardrobe.
"Puck…" she cursed the changeling for the hundredth time. "Pray you do not cross my path again soon."
Her only consolation was the knowledge that somewhere in the world MacBeth was suffering from a slight headache due to their magical connection that allowed one to feel the others pain. She spread her wings and let out a mighty shriek into the New York night. It felt good to be home as she took off into the night. She had much to accomplish tonight and hoped to bring an end to at least one of her irritating problems.
The Hunted was about to become the Hunter.
In her rush to begin the hunt, she failed to notice the two forms step out from the shadows.
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They arrived at LaGuardia with a squeal of tires and lights blazing. Elisa jumped out before the car even came to a complete stop and flashed her badge at the first Airport Police Officer she found, "NYPD! Where are the private jets parked at?"
The officer escorted the pair to the secure area and Matt quickly scanned over the Lear Jets parked around the tarmac, "Over there, looks like the crew is about to leave."
The partners ran over to the aircraft bent on keeping the crew from leaving, "Where is she?" Elisa demanded.
The pilot looked up in shock but quickly composed himself, "Who?"
"Don't jerk me around." Elisa could feel her uneasiness building. Matt was giving her a strange look, but she didn't have time to ask him what he was looking at. Right now she needed to focus her attention on getting the information she need from the pilot, "Dominique Destine. Where is she?"
The man shrugged slightly, "Hey, I don't get paid to asked questions about my passengers… besides she took off as soon as we landed. Seemed to be in an awful hurry."
Elisa had no doubt that Demona was in a hurry. By her calculations the jet would have had to land just before sunset, "Which way did she go?"
The man indicated a direction and they looked to see where he was pointing. There was a fire escape leading up to the roof of the building. Elisa let her gaze rise slowly, "Let's move."
It had taken several minutes for them to reach the top of the building. Elisa was impressed despite herself; Demona would have had to do this in a dress and heals. She was doing it in jeans and normal shoes and it was still not an easy task. Elisa knew from first hand experiences that even in Human form Demona retained some of her gargoyle agility.
They reached the rooftop and Elisa quickly scanned the area. There was a pile of rags that seemed to be out of place on the barren rooftop. She walked over and picked up the tatters; at one point it might have been a blue suit. She surveyed the rest of the scene as Matt walked up. He handed her a crumpled piece of paper, "Look at this."
It was a popcorn bag with scrawled writing on one side. Gone to follow B-B
They had seen her… Demona was back.
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They were crouched in the shadows, hiding in the darkness. Elisa spoke softly into the transmitter, "Do you see anything?"
Angela's voice came over the headset. The female gargoyle was up on the roof of the adjacent building looking into the Nightstone building, "Nothing, and there's no sign of Broadway or Brooklyn…"
They had picked up Angela before coming over to the building but Lexington was worried because Goliath and Hudson had not returned yet. Elisa considered waiting on them but decided against it since time was a luxury they didn't have right now.
In the end she thought it best to leave Lex at the castle with Bronx in case they returned. Someone needed to be there to let them know what had happened. Elisa opened the link back up in hopes she might be able to pick Goliath up but instead found only emptiness. Either he was too far away, or else he had also closed himself off in order to stay focused on his patrols.
In her mind that had to be it because she refused to consider any other option.
"Damn… I didn't think it would be that easy…" Matt muttered under his breath.
"Me either…" Elisa agreed, "Where else could she have gone?"
Angela's voice came back of the headset, "I don't think she came here…"
Elisa turned to Matt, "Could she know where to find Canmore…?"
Lexington's voice cut in, sounding small and tinny over the headset he wore at the castle, "No way. The Quarrymen database didn't have his location."
"Lex, is Goliath back?" Elisa was looking to the sky, hoping to see something.
"Not yet…"
Elisa heard Angela's breathing deepen and understood the young woman's fears since she had the same ones herself. Where are you, Demona? Where the hell are you…
"Keep looking, Angela." Elisa did her best to sound reassuring, "She has to be someplace close… There are only so many places she can go in this city…"
***** ***** *****
Two men stood on the roof opposite the Nightstone Unlimited building.
"I have her, Sir..."
John Castaway took the night vision goggles from the younger man and looked through them, "Get ready…"
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Goliath flew low near the docks of the wharf. Hudson flew just off to his left scanning the area for possible problems. It had been a quiet night, and he was thankful for it. They had spoken briefly about Goliath's evening with Elisa and while he didn't go into the details, he assured Hudson that things were fine.
"Well old friend, I believe we have covered enough for tonight. Let us return."
Hudson nodded in agreement and the two changed directions, heading back to the main part of the city.
Without warning, Goliath dropped dangerously close to the water, Hudson panicked and dove to him, catching him before he could fall into the ocean below, "Goliath! Are ya alright Lad?"
Goliath had a dazed look on his face, "No…" He struggled to collect himself as Hudson guided them both to the shore.
"What is wrong lad?"
"Elisa…"
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Castaway looked again at the sight before him, "Make it good. We only get one chance at this. Prepare to fire…"
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"Wait, someone's coming!" Angela's voice hissed over Elisa's headset. "It's them!"
Brooklyn and Broadway landed beside her and she rushed to throw her arms around Broadway. They remained in the embrace for several seconds. Once their embrace ended, she turned and hugged Brooklyn… but it wasn't the same and both of them knew it.
"Where have you been?" she inquired quickly.
"We had to stay back… keep our distance…" Broadway stated in his best 'I'm a detective so I know what I'm talking about' voice.
Brooklyn shot his rookery brother a quick glance of irritation. He was about to respond to the comment but held his tongue since that was exactly what they had been doing. Instead he glanced over to the building across the street, "Have you seen Demona yet?"
Elisa's voice cut in over the headset Angela wore, "She's in there?"
Angela removed the device and handed it to Brooklyn. He placed it around his head and spoke softly into it, "Yeah for about twenty minutes or so… Where are you?"
"We're on the street below you."
"Is Goliath with you?" he asked.
Lexington's voice cut in over the headset, "He still hasn't returned from patrol…"
Matt crouched down and reached into his pocket for his police radio, "Command Base, this is Command One…"
A voice squawked from the radio, "Go Command One. This is Base."
"Have there been any verified sightings tonight?" Matt knew he had to be specific about asking for verified sightings. The GTF received about 20 false calls a day.
There was a pause before the voice came back, "Command One, that's a negative. No verified sightings reported…"
"Copy Base. Inform me if anything happens. Command One out." He placed the radio back in his pocket, "Well they haven't been picked up or seen in the city…"
Without warning, a light came on in the building. They all reacted at the same instant, looking up at the now illuminated window. Angela peered through the binoculars at the glowing window and almost dropped them to the ground. Brooklyn took them from her and gazed through them, now seeing what she saw.
Demona stood in the window… looking directly at the location where Elisa and Matt were hidden in the shadows.
"Not good… this is not good." He quickly yelled into the headset, "Elisa! Matt! Get out of there!"
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Demona held a wicked grin on her face. This was an unexpected find tonight. She had been prepared for the Hunter, but the human Elisa Maza would be an acceptable substitute. Reaching over to the desk behind her, she picked up the laser weapon then pointed it to the street below.
She focused the sights and lined up for the shot.
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"We're in trouble…" Elisa hissed as she grabbed Matt by the back of his jacket and hauled him to his feet, "Move it Bluestone!"
Quickly, they sprinted from the darkness hoping to avoid whatever the others had seen.
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"NO!" Brooklyn yelled out. He saw what was about to happen and knew all hell was about to break loose. "Angela, you're with me!" he ordered then turned to his rookery brother, "Broadway…"
Broadway had already leaped from the ledge, "Way ahead of you, Bro!"
The larger gargoyle spread his wings and glided towards the window, knowing he only had one shot and he had to make it count. When he was close enough, he curled into a tight ball, hoping for an instant that it wasn't shatterproof glass and that his forward momentum would be enough to carry him through. If he were to bounce off the glass, he doubted he'd have enough time to spread his wings wide enough to catch an up current.
And it was a long way down to the street.
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Castaway almost gave the order to fire, but instead placed a hand on the snipers shoulder, "Hold on…" He looked in shock at the sight unfolding before him. What the hell was going on?
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A blur passed before Demona's eyes blocking the sights. She immediately refocused and peered through the sights again and realized her intended targets had disappeared. Looking around furtively she saw them being lifted by two gargoyles. The instant she recognized her daughter and Brooklyn; she howled out in rage.
Where had they come from?
She belatedly noticed a third form coming directly at her. A split second later, the room was filled with the sound of shattering glass and an explosive roar.
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Elisa felt herself being jerked back and then lifted up. Looking around she saw Brooklyn tightly holding on to Matt, carrying him to safety. Looking at her current mode of transportation, she smiled, "Thanks for the lift Angela."
The young woman smiled back at her, "Anytime…"
Soon they were on the roof of Nightstone Unlimited. Angela's landing was a bit more graceful than Brooklyn's was. Matt, unaccustomed to travelling in this manner shifted at the last moment causing Brooklyn to miss judge the rooftop. The pair crashed into a near by air conditioning vent.
"Get yer foot out of my ear Matt…" Brooklyn mumbled trying to quickly untangle himself from the mass of bodies and metal. In his attempt to get untangled, he realized the transmitter had been damaged and was now hissing at him softly, "Aw man, Lex is gonna kill me…"
Elisa looked around noting not everyone was present, "Where's Broadway?"
Angela looked distraught, "He went after Demona!"
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Hudson looked at Goliath who was now in near hysteria. Something was wrong… very wrong. There were few times he could think of that he'd ever see the lad in such a panic… and it was beginning to affect him as well, "The Castle?"
"No… It has to be someplace… close…" he closed his eyes and concentrated. His eyes popped open in horror and he exclaimed, "Nightstone!"
They changed direction and headed to the center of the city with Goliath praying they weren't too late.
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Broadway rolled over and tried to sit up causing pain to shot though him like a knife. He had been badly cut coming through the window but Demona was no where to be seen. That gave him the inspiration he needed to get up.
He focused his eyes and carefully considered the situation. Looking to the window, he knew there was no way she could have gotten out that way. The glass shards were still in place, and anyone attempting to go out that way would be cut worse than he was coming in. He carefully peered down to the street below but was no sign of the others. After a brief search, he saw the door to the office was slightly open.
He limped over and carefully looked out into the hall. There was a blood trail leading down the hall to the fire exit. Investigating further, he saw the trail went up, not down.
He was going to have to move quickly. Demona was heading for the roof and if she made it, there would be no stopping her escape.
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Brooklyn ran to the fire door and was about to pull it off the hinges when it flew open in a blast, knocking him back. Before him stood Demona, bleeding profusely from a deep cut on her right arm and several others on her face and body.
He realized she must have received them when Broadway went through the window and if she was cut like this, he could only imagine at what Broadway might look like. The injuries didn't look fatal, not that it would have mattered since Demona was not going to be slowed by mere cuts. He also noticed she had a very wicked looking laser pulse rifle with her.
This was bad… really bad.
Demona didn't even stop to focus on Brooklyn but she did zero in on Elisa right away. "I should have know!" the immortal roared. "What does it take to rid you of my life? This ends tonight Human!"
Moving faster than anyone would have given her credit for and taking into account the nature of her injuries, she pulled the weapon to the ready and sighted in on Elisa. Matt moved in to cut her off and received a swift kick to the gut for his actions. He fell to the roof in a heap, gasping for breath.
The distraction gave Elisa the seconds she needed. She plowed into Demona, catching her from the side. The motion failed to knock the weapon from her grasp but it did force the two of them to the ground. They wrestled around, each attempting to get a better hold on the other. Elisa had the slight advantage of having two free hands but Demona was acting on pure rage.
Elisa felt the adrenaline rushing through her body as the fury built within her. She felt like she was about to get the upper hand when Demona twisted in an awkward motion causing her to loose her grip. Elisa fell back, crashing into Brooklyn in the process, and the two of them fell back in a tangle of wings and arms.
Demona quickly rose and turned to fire. Angela took this as her opportunity to move in. She reached around and attempted to pry the weapon from Demona's grip. Demona finally realized who was attacking her and it infuriated her all the more. She threw the girl across the roof. "The Humans and your father have twisted your loyalties, Daughter. You should be fighting with me, not against me!"
"Never!" Angela spat back.
Matt was back on his feet by now. He pulled his weapon and yelled out, "Give it up Demona!" His voice drew her attention and Matt knew this was a bad thing because the weapon was now pointed at him. He dove for cover just as she fired at him.
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Morgan ran across the precinct and into Captain Chavez's office, "Ah… Captain…?"
"What's the problem Morgan?" She had her head down going over case files, clearly not interested in whatever the officer had to say unless it was that the building was on fire. It was the fourth interruption in the last fifteen minutes from someone wanting information from her. "Did we run out of the glazed donuts again?"
"No… I'm not sure really if it's a problem or a situation… We just got a call… Someone reported what sounded like an explosion…"
Chavez looked up sharply, "Where?"
"Over at Nightstone Unlimited…"
Captain Chavez jumped up from her chair and into the main part of the precinct. Moving to the detectives area, she scanned the area knowing she wouldn't find who she was looking for, "Where's Maza and Bluestone?"
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The sniper looked though his sights a the battle going on the roof across from them, "Do I take the shot?"
Castaway was deep in thought looking at the scene before him. It was his chance to be rid of them all. From his vantage point, and with the aide of the night vision goggles, he could clearly see all of them moving about on the roof of the building.
He lowered the goggles for a moment, "Maza is on the roof…"
"The cop who's been protecting them?"
"We don't know they are being protected by anyone Jenkins…" John looked through the goggles again.
What the hell were they doing on the roof?
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Elisa and Brooklyn crouched behind the fire exit, "This is going well…" he said with a touch of sarcasm.
"We need to get that oversized peashooter from her…" Elisa whispered.
Brooklyn looked at Elisa and scratched his head absently; an unconscious gesture he's picked up from her at some point over the years, "How do you propose we work that out? Ask nicely?"
Elisa looked him squarely in the eye, "We rush her…"
"Oh yeah, I'm really looking forward to that…"
Elisa used the sleeve of her bomber jacket to wipe the sweat from her brow, "I don't think we have a choice."
"I knew you were gonna say that…" Brooklyn rose slightly, looking carefully around the corner. Demona had her back to them. "It's now or never…" he murmured quietly as the two dashed out from their concealed position.
Demona must have sensed the movement because she turned to face them but had no time to react as the pair hit her. She managed to knock Elisa away but Brooklyn had a grip on her now. Elisa regained her footing and turned as she pulled her weapon. There was no hesitation in her actions and she had every intention of giving the woman gargoyle a double tap to the head, but Brooklyn was blocking her shot.
Brooklyn had the upper hand but shear anger was Demona's partner right now and somehow she again freed herself. Matt moved in but Demona tossed him aside like a paper doll, but she stumbled slightly as Angela rejoined the fight and pulled her off balance.
Angela whipped her tail around before her estranged mother could regain her footing. Demona's talon pulled reflexively on the trigger and the shot went wild striking an air vent causing an explosion of metal to fly up in the air.
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In the distance, Goliath saw the fireball go up. "No!" he bellowed.
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Broadway reached the roof just in time to see the explosion. The white rage finally bubbled over and he leaped out to grab the first thing he came into contact with, which happened to be Brooklyn.
Brooklyn had to react quickly to avoid being pummeled by his rookery brother, "Broadway, stop it! It's me!"
He saw several deep cuts across Broadway's back, wings and arms. He wasn't fatally wounded but it still looked bad. Brooklyn shoved him down to the ground and told him to stay put. Once he had secured him, he scanned the area and saw Demona off to the side but didn't see Elisa until the last instant.
It was almost as if she came from nowhere, striking Demona with a low blow to the legs and this time the laser weapon did come loose. Brooklyn dashed over to retrieve it and was almost to it when Demona once again came free of Elisa's hold and back handed him across the roof. He turned as he fell landing on his back.
Demona grabbed the weapon and turned to fire at Elisa point blank. But something made her stop… something that shouldn't be possible.
Brooklyn watched as the look of rage on Demona's face turned to horror. Not quite understanding what was going on but knowing her needed to take advantage of the situation he moved in on her. His eyes shifted to Elisa briefly just to ensure she was all right. What he saw nearly made him stop breathing.
Elisa stood there with a red blaze in her eyes. Not the fleeting flashes Goliath had seen before and not the quick flash Matt and Xanatos had seen either. This was a full fledge, red eye, stare of a gargoyle.
It took Demona a split second to register what she was seeing and it sent her off the deep end, "NO!" She raised the weapon to fire.
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John Castaway saw the Beast raise the weapon and point it at Maza, "Shit!" He grabbed the high power rifle from the younger man and prepared to take matters into his own hands. He lined up the crosshair square on Demona's back and fired. She disappeared from his sight but he knew it wasn't because she had been hit by his shot.
"What the fuck…?"
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Brooklyn saw Goliath a moment to late and realized from his position Goliath was unable to see the weapon pointed at Elisa, "Goliath! No!"
Goliath pulled his wings back and dove to the rooftop, striking Demona squarely in the back. She hit the ground in a heap along with Goliath. It took only seconds for the immortal to disengage from him and she spun around to look at him, "You!"
Goliath growled deeply as he charged back into her. Demona immediately side stepped him and struck him in the back with the rifle. She went to strike him again but Hudson stepped in and snatched the weapon way from her, "I think not…"
Goliath rose sluggishly and looked at his former mate, his eyes blazing white with fury. He had no words to say to her and even if he had, he didn't know if he would have been able to speak them. The treachery and pain this woman had caused was beyond words. She turned her back on him, the Clan, and everything they had ever stood for. It went beyond a betrayal of him but extended to a betrayal of all gargoyles. He finally found his voice, "You have lost, Demona."
"What have you done?" she demanded.
"I have done nothing…" He replied through clinched teeth
"You lie… You have betrayed everything!" she spat back.
"I have betrayed nothing!" Goliath retorted. He didn't like where this conversation was going, "If there was betrayal it was yours alone…"
"I have done only what was necessary to insure MY survival!" She looked at Angela and then back at him, "Did you really think I would never return to reclaim what is rightfully mine?"
Angela refused to even acknowledge her mother and Demona felt a slight twinge at the rebuff, but it only added fuel to a fire that was rapidly burning out of control. She gave Goliath a piercing stare, "I was your first… I should be the one at your side…"
He cut her off before she could say more, "No Demona. This ends now; tonight."
"It is not over!" she shrieked out in rage.
Goliath began to move in on her slowly. "I will not allow you to continue on this destructive path…"
Demona backed away from them, searching for an opportunity to escape. She surveyed the group, trying to determine which line of defense contained the weakest link. Broadway was leaning against Angela and Matt. They had managed to stop most of the bleeding but he looked very weak and Hudson stood near by with the now dysfunctional rifle.
Only Brooklyn and the human were missing from her sight.
Looking past Goliath, she saw Brooklyn kneeling on the ground near the unmoving form of Elisa Maza. She lay in a crumpled heap on the ground, which was now saturated with blood. The sight made her smile hatefully, "Oh, yes… Goliath… the matter of your… Human…"
Goliath spun around to see what she was looking at. Only now did he see Brooklyn cradling the head of a very still Elisa. With all his anger focused at Demona, he failed to notice the precarious link with Elisa had been severed, "No…" he rushed over and pushed Brooklyn away, "NO!"
While the others looked on in shock, Demona took the opportunity to make her move and leaped to the ledge of the building, "Fool. You have chosen poorly Goliath… they are a puny and weak species and there is nothing you can do to save her this time."
"You are wrong Goliath, I win again."
And then she was gone.
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Castaway was still looking at the scene before him. Maza was down. "Damn..."
Jenkins looked out over the rooftops, "One got away but we can still take the others out…"
"No… To many variables…"
"What the hell are you talking about?!" The young man cringed slightly, realizing what he'd just said and who he'd just said it to. He tried to compose himself, "They're gonna get away!" he whined.
John gave him an icy stare, "Did you not hear me before? NYPD is on the roof. Do you really want to risk killing a cop, Jenkins?"
The young man shook his head, "No…"
"Good. We wait for a better opportunity. " He gave one last look to the roof of the building across the street. No one was moving but the sirens were getting louder signaling that it was time to make their departure. He bent over to gather up their gear and was about to walk to the ladder leading back down to the ground level, when a thought jumped into his mind.
In trying to protect Maza and Bluestone he had also protected the beasts.
The beasts he'd sworn to destroy.
He questioned his attack of consciousness and wondered if it was really worth the risk.
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