Flashback Part 12: Friends and Enemies
By Shadow Runner
Standard disclaimer… Don't sue… not mine… Belong to Disney… No money being generated… I think that just about covers everything…
One or two are mine…feel free to ask if you want to borrow, I'm nice… I know how to share… I don't even run with scissors anymore…
I can only say and offer a million thanks for all the positive feedback everyone has been giving me about the Series. It makes the effort worth while and I hope you continue to enjoy!
Happy Reading! J
***** ***** *****
Matt stood in the middle of the Great Hall, he and Brooklyn were the last to return from the search of the city for Elisa and Goliath and the rest of the Clan was impatiently waiting to hear what they had found.
There had been no sign of them anywhere.
They had gone to Central Park in hopes of finding the pair there but instead found their worse fears realized. It was no longer just a matter of them being missing but a matter of who had taken them.
Elisa and Goliath's footprints were clearly visible along with several unknown prints and what looked to be tire tracks leading out of the park. There were signs of a struggle but no significant amounts of blood were noticed so Matt too it as a good sign because it meant who ever took them wanted them alive.
The fact remained that whatever had happened, it had apparently taken them by surprise. Matt had found Elisa's weapon at the bottom of an embankment but no shots had been fired and Brooklyn had found the police radio she had been using earlier in the evening.
Broadway took a step forward and picked up the charred canvas bag looked at it curiously, "What is it?"
Matt moved closer and retrieved the item from him and flipped it over in his hands, "It's a Flash Bang…"
Broadway pulled his brow together in concentration and rubbed his head absently, an unconscious gesture he'd picked up from Lexington some time ago, "A what?"
"A Flash Bang… it's a type of concussion grenade." Matt glanced over to the turquoise gargoyle and realized he had no idea what he was talking about so he decided to simplify the answer, "A purse that explodes…"
"I've used them before when I was still with the Bureau. They were pretty handy when the bad guys were in an area we couldn't get into easily. You toss 'em in and when they go off, the light and sounds are so intense it stuns a person and leaves them temporary disorientated. They're great for close quarters…"
Matt paused and as an after thought added, "Or if you don't want to risk getting to close…"
Hudson rubbed his talons over his beard, "And ye think someone used this… thing… to attack them in the park tonight?"
Brooklyn exhaled deeply, "Yeah… and it gets worse…"
Broadway appraised his rookery brother carefully, "How could it get any worse? I mean Elisa and Goliath are missing again. I'd say that is about as worse as it gets…"
Matt tossed the bag back on the table, "Look, we found a lot of prints out there tonight so I'm figuring maybe five of six people… Thank God for the rain or we might have missed them… but we also found a second set of gargoyle prints…"
Angela sucked in her breath, "Oh no…"
"They have to be Demona's…" Brooklyn dropped his eyes to the floor but he could feel the rage building inside him, "Do you think she got them?"
"I don't know, but it does lend some merit to the gargoyle sighting in the park earlier tonight…" Matt rubbed his eyes, "There's only one way to find out…"
"No…" Angela shifted slightly and leaned against Broadway, "We went to Nightstone Unlimited and there was no sign of them… or anyone else for that matter…"
"Any chance you could have just missed seeing Demona come in?" Matt felt his face grow hot as he leaned forward and braced himself against the table, "I mean it wouldn't be the first time she got into her own building without someone seeing her…"
Broadway shot Matt a warning looking, "Don't go there…"
Angela knew what Matt was trying to imply and she felt herself going on the defensive, "Elisa said earlier she didn't believe my Mother was involved…"
Matt cut her off before she could finish, "Well after what we found in the park, I have to disagree, and since Elisa isn't here right now…"
"Knock it off, Matt!" Broadway roared.
Matt ducked his head slightly at the sound of Broadway's voice and took a step back. He knew yelling at Angela wasn't going to help and it might get his arms ripped out of their sockets in the process. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Sorry I yelled Angela, but whatever happened out there tonight, Demona was there so I'm going with the assumption she's involved in one way or the other which means there is no way I can call anyone else in… I'm alone on this one…"
Brooklyn put a reassuring talon on Matt's shoulder, "No way, we're in this together…You and Elisa are a part of this Clan… What ever affects you two effects us…"
Matt gave him a half smile, "Thanks…"
The others nodded in agreement as Brooklyn turned to face them, "Broadway, you and Lexington go back to Nightstone, and see what you can find… Hudson, you take Angela and Bronx and go…"
Angela's eyes flashed red and her wings spread out without warning nearly knocking Broadway over, "NO! If Demona is involved then I…"
Brooklyn felt as if his heart was breaking and it was more than just the fact that his friends were missing. He looked at Angela with what he hoped was compassion, "No it's all the more reason for you to stay here. Remember what Demona said on the roof that night… this might not even be about Elisa or Goliath…"
She gave him a defiant glare, "And just what is that supposed to mean?"
Broadway turned to her and put a gentle arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, "He means this might be about getting to you…"
Awareness came over Angela's face and she realized they were all trying to protect her. She also understood Brooklyn was doing what was in the best interests of Clan.
And in her Father's absence, Brooklyn's word was law.
She recapped her wings and stood down but it was obvious she didn't agree with the rational. Brooklyn was about to continue with his assignments when he noticed Matt looking at the flash bang bag with a strange expression on his face, "What's up?"
"I'm not sure…" Matt picked the bag up examined it closer. Flipping it over, he opened the top and pulled the spent charge out and suddenly grabbed Lexington and dragged him over to the other side of the room, "I need you to check something out…"
"Where are you two going?" Brooklyn demanded.
Matt barely glanced over his shoulder as he moved to the computer, "To find out who did this…"
***** ***** *****
Elisa woke up on the floor.
Her head was ringing and she felt sick to her stomach. Coming slowly back into consciousness, she considered sitting up so she could focus on her present condition. She groaned softly and decided against it since she could feel pain just from thinking about moving.
Her memories were fuzzy until she lifted her hand to her head, then they came back in the form of actual pain. She could feel something sticky on the side of her head and realized it was blood from where she had been struck. It was matted in her hair but the flow seemed to have stopped.
Elisa finally decided her position on the ground might be contributing to some of her discomfort and any additional pain might be worth the effort just to get off the floor. She started to rise and when she did, the effort resulted in waves of nausea so she quickly sat back down and leaned against the wall in hopes that her suffering would subside and that she didn't have a concussion.
After a few minutes, she was feeling a bit better but the throbbing ache in her head persisted making her realize she probably did have one.
Goliath was lying on the floor nearby so she crawled over and shook him lightly but got no response. He was on his back and she could see he was breathing, and while she wasn't sure how long they had been there, the fact that he was flesh told her it was night.
She attempted to reach out to him through their bond but found herself unable to make a clear connection to him and the few thoughts she picked up on were fuzzy and muddled. Granted Goliath was still unconscious and that might have been the problem, but Elisa had the feeling it was something else and she wondered if the blow to the head might not have shaken loose more than her teeth.
Elisa refocused on her surroundings and saw she was in a room that could only be classified as a confinement cell similar to the ones at the 23rd Precinct. She'd put enough criminals behind bars and it chilled her to suddenly find herself in a comparable situation.
"Never thought I'd be on this side of the fence…" she murmured softly.
She crawled over the bars and looked into the cell directly across from theirs but it was unoccupied and she was unable to see anything down the corridor that separated the cells. A tray sat just outside the bars with several paper cups and Elisa pulled it closer to give the contents of one of the cups a speculative sniff. The water had a slight odor to it and while it appeared to be safe enough, she wasn't sure if it was worth risking the possibility of it being drugged.
She supposed it didn't matter, the ache in her head was effectively muting her thirst and the smell of the room was enough to make her want to gag but those were the least of her worries at the moment. She took one of the cups and moved back over to Goliath and knelt down beside him. He had yet to move or make a sound and she was afraid whatever had been used to render him unconscious might have been too much for him to take.
She called out to him lightly, "Goliath…"
He didn't respond to her voice and she hoped it was because he didn't hear her so she tried again a bit louder and shook him, "Come on Big Guy… Talk to me…"
She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard him grumble softly, consciousness finally returning. His eyes fluttered for a moment and his voice was rough and uneven when he finally found the ability to speak, "Jalapena…"
Goliath shifted slightly and as he did, Elisa saw for the first time what was done to him. She could see a large burn mark near the area where his wings and back joined and the skin beneath was scorched, charred and oozing a light colored puss.
"Oh, Goliath… what did they do to you?" she whispered.
Goliath read the look on his love's face and forced himself to rise under his own power. It would do her no good to think he'd been rendered helpless, and truth be known the wound probably looked worse than it actually felt.
"It is nothing the Stone Sleep will not cure…" he replied softly.
"They must have hit you with a stun gun, maybe a taser pulse or something…" Elisa continued with her earlier observations and ran a tender hand over his injury and did her best to clean the dirt and grime from Goliath's wound with some of water from the cup. "Sorry Big Guy, this is the best I can do under the circumstances…"
Goliath smiled tenderly at her and allowed her to administer to his injuries. Once again she was putting his needs before her own since he could see the blood on the side of her head and neck. He could feel her concern for him rolling off her like waves despite her own pain and discomfort.
"Are you alright?" he inquired softly.
Elisa winced as Goliath cautiously touched the gash on the side of her head, "Well, my head is still attached to my body… So yeah, I think I'm OK."
Goliath gave her a soft smile and then turned to scan the room, "Where are we? How did we get here?"
Elisa shrugged, "I'm not sure… so your guess is as good as mine…"
Goliath pulled her to him and held her tightly while trying to comfort her but instead of the feelings of safety and reassurance, he felt tension and what he could only describe as panic rising within her. He pulled back slightly and favored her with a look of concern, "What's wrong?"
Elisa avoided making eye contact with him, "You mean besides the fact we're locked in a cage, my head was used as a hockey puck and someone tried to toast you like a marshmallow? What could be wrong?"
He grumbled softly indicating he wanted an answer and not sarcasm. Elisa tightened her grip on him, "Big Guy… something's wrong… and I mean really wrong…"
Goliath was about to speak when a loud clanging sound brought him to silence. Carefully he stood and lifted Elisa to her feet and they moved to the bars and to try and look down the corridor.
A door on the far side of the room swung open and several men walked in half dragging, half carrying what appeared to be a new prisoner. Elisa groaned softly as she recognized the unconscious form being hauled in and dumped unceremoniously on the floor between the cells.
One of the men had long pole with a cable attached to a shoulder harness and battery pack. He turned and gave Goliath a cold glare and nodded in Elisa's direction, "Get away from the bars or she is going to take one for the team…"
They both stepped back as one of the men turned to unlock the unoccupied cell door and allowed the man wearing the battery charger on his back to enter first. He took a defensive position by the exit as the other men dragged the prisoner into the cell. The men secured the door and left, leaving Elisa and Goliath to stare in quiet contemplation at their fellow captive.
Elisa gave Goliath a tentative look, "How long before the others realize we're missing and start looking for us?"
"I'm sure they will have started already…" Goliath replied slowly.
Elisa nodded, "Good… because something tells me a bad situation just got a whole lot worse…"
***** ***** *****
Captain Maria Chavez sat at her desk going over the police reports filed for the last 48 hours. Without pulling her eyes from the reports, she picked up her mug and took a sip of coffee. Wincing slightly, she set it off to the side realizing the contents had long sense grown cold.
She thought about calling out to one of the Police Aids and getting them to refill her mug but decided against it. They had enough to do without playing waitress for her.
The last few days of working double shifts were taking a toll on everyone at the 23rd. But if she expected her detectives and officers to work around the clock on the Quarrymen Killings, gargoyle sightings, and other assorted crimes, there was no way she wasn't going to be there with them.
But despite her resolve, she was tired, exhausted, completely drained and the little trip to Central Park to stand in the rain hadn't helped things either. She gave the mug one last look and then finished off the last of the tepid liquid anyway.
She continued going over the latest report, making a few changes to account for punctuation and grammar, then set it off to the side and picked up another. She was half way through it when Officer Morgan poked his head into her office.
"Hey Cap… you got a call on line two…"
Captain Chavez continued reading the report, "Tell whoever it is I'm busy and I'll call them back later…"
"It's Mayor Anderson… and he's pretty much demanding to talk to you…"
"It's the fourth time he's called since we left the park..." Captain Chavez groaned and rubbed her eyes before looking up, "Quiet frankly I'm tired of talking to the man. Tell him you found me impaled on a letter opener and take a message…"
Morgan gave her a sympathetic smile, "I tried that already… He didn't believe me…"
The Chief of Detectives shook her head slowly, "Morgan, you are going to have to work on your lying if you expect to get anywhere in this department…"
He nodded slightly, "I know… my wife tells me the same thing all the time…" he glanced over at her empty mug just as he was about to leave, "I track down one of the temps and have them get you a refill on that coffee…"
"Thanks… and make it strong, I'm probably gonna need it…"
She contemplated not taking the call but decided it was the lessor of two evils. If she blew him off, he might show up at the station and then it would be even harder to get rid of him. Reaching over, she picked up the phone receiver and hit the release button for line two.
"Yes Mayor… what can we do for you this time?"
***** ***** *****
Matt stood impatiently behind the green gargoyle as he tapped furiously away at the keys, "How much longer is this gonna take?"
Lexington didn't bother to pull his gaze from the monitor, "Well if you would stop bugging me it would go a lot faster…"
The rest of the Clan stood behind them watching intently. After a minimal amount of hacking Lexington had been able to get into the Federal Bureau of Investigation database but he was having trouble finding the information Matt wanted.
While looking at the flash bang Matt noticed the serial number for the charge had been removed from the bag but not the charge itself. He remembered Owen Burnett had tracked the bullet slug from the roof back to the name 'Carter' and he wanted to know if the same person had obtained the grenade.
The ammunition was one thing but the flash bangs were fairly common so Matt figured the government wouldn't be as selective about who they sold them to.
But they would still want to know who had them and Matt knew the FBI was notorious about tracking people who purchased such things and he was hoping to get a break. He knew he could have called directly and asked any number of people he knew who still worked there but this wasn't something he wanted to broadcast to the rest of the world.
At least not yet.
Lexington continued to search the database and a few minutes later the computer beeped indicating he'd found what Matt was looking for. The screen was immediately filled with the names of law enforcement agencies, militant groups, gangs, and other assorted personnel who had either purchased this type of device or had them in their position.
Brooklyn looked at the listing and only got half way down before his eyes started to cross, "Man… there's a about a billion people with those things…"
Matt nodded in agreement, "Good point. Lex, try limiting the scope of the search to people in the New York area…"
Lexington tapped a few keys and the list shortened but not by much. He glanced back to the others, "This is the best I can do…"
"Is the name Carter on the list?" Matt asked.
Lexington scrolled though the list, "No… and before you ask I don't see Demona's human name either."
Matt considered the implication before replying, "What about Jan Reading? She works for Dominique Destine…"
"No… But I can tell you there are a lot of other familiar names here…" Lexington replied softly.
"Like who?" Brooklyn questioned.
"Xanatos is on here… and I recognize at least three aliases for former Pack members too." Lexington scrolled down through the list and pointed to another name, "I'm not sure but I think this one might be MacBeth…"
Matt groaned, "Great… Lex, print off the list and log off. If you stay in there much longer someone is liable to figure out there's an unauthorized user in the system…"
Broadway ran a taloned hand over his head, "What do we do now? Go and ask everyone on the list if they've recently clobbered anyone in Central Park?"
They all stood in quite deliberation realizing the huge undertaking they were about to have when Matt hollered out, "That's it! That's all we have to do!"
Everyone looked at him as if he just lost his mind as he grabbed the print out and began scanning over the names.
"Look, some of these names we can eliminate right off the bat, but the GTF has a list of the Quarrymen who have been picked up over the last few months for inciting riots, violent demonstrations, and general trouble making around the city. If we can match just one name this list against known Quarrymen, that will either eliminate Demona or confirm she's the one responsible for bushwhacking them…"
The others agreed but Lexington suddenly remembered he hadn't told them about his earlier discovery and reached over and lifted a sheet of paper from the desk, "Dragon! I completely forgot to tell you… Matt, I found a complete list of names for the Quarrymen on the web tonight…"
Broadway let out a loud whoop, "Way to go Lex!"
Angela leaned over and kissed the younger gargoyle on the head, "Elisa was right… you are a genius…"
Matt scanned the listing, hoping a name would just jump out at him and make his job easier as Brooklyn tried to read the list over his shoulder. The white haired gargoyle finally glanced up and addressed the rest of the group, "We're gonna have to hurry…"
"Wait a sec," Lex quickly spun around in his chair, "Matt… I found that in the Quarrymen database and … when I was looking at it earlier… I realized it was a roster…"
"That would explain all the names…" Matt was listening with half an ear as he continued going down the list of names, "I can see that Lex…"
"Right… but it's dated today and according to the database…" Lexington was cut off from saying anything further by the ringing of Matt's cell phone.
Matt pulled it from his coat pocket and flipped down the cover, "Yeah?"
The voice on the other end paused, "Bluestone?"
The surprise was more than evident in the tone of Matt's voice, "Captain Chavez?"
"Where are you?"
"Over at the Eyr…" he paused long enough to collect his thoughts and realized he couldn't very well tell his boss his actual location without generating some pretty serious questions, "I'm on the East Side of town…"
"Detective Bluestone, I need to speak to Detective Maza. Put her on the line…Now."
Matt literally shot out of his skin at her request, "Ah, she's… Elisa's not here… I'm ah… I'm supposed to be meeting her later…" He winced as he realized that answer did him absolutely no good. By responding the way he did, it implied he would eventually be able to produce his partner.
The others moved in closer upon hearing his end of the conversation. Matt handed the Quarrymen list to Angela and held a finger to his lips indicating for everyone to be quiet, which wasn't necessary considering the nature of his discussion and they were all well aware of who he was talking to.
"Where is she?" The tone of Captain Chavez's voice indicated she expected Matt to produce his partner no matter how far away she might be.
Matt was frantically searching for an answer but the Captain didn't even give him a chance to come up with one. "Never mind where she is, just get a hold of her, I need to see the two of you ASAP."
"What's wrong?" Matt felt a flash of panic and turned away from the others and dropped his voice to a near whisper, "We don't have another body do we?"
"No… "
Matt immediately picked up that something else was wrong and he didn't much care for the tone of his boss's voice, "Well then that might be a break… right?"
Captain Chavez hesitated for a moment, "True… It might be the break you need… "
"What do you mean I need?" he replied slowly.
"I explain when you two get here…"
She hung up without another word and Matt shut down the cell phone and placed it back in the pocket of his trench coat. He turned to the others with a grave expression on his face, "I guess you heard part of that…"
Brooklyn shook his head slowly, "What's going on?"
Matt took a deep breath, "I think Elisa just got pulled off the Quarrymen Killings…"
The group let out a collective gasp but it was Hudson who was the first to respond, "Because the lass be missing?"
"No, I don't think that's it…" Matt scratched his head absently, "As a matter of fact, Captain Chavez assumed she was with me or at the very least that I would know where she was, so the way I see it, the only people who know Elisa's missing…are right here in this room…"
"What do we do now?" Angela replied softly.
Matt began collecting his things, "You all start going over the names on the list… If you match one up, call me and we'll take it from there…"
Brooklyn glanced to the doorway leading out to the courtyard, "It'll be dawn soon… We won't have much time to start searching if we do match a name…"
"I know… I figure I can put Captain Chavez off for 48 hours at the most. After that, she's gonna question where Elisa is and then it will be an even bigger problem…"
"Why?" Broadway questioned, "Elisa come up missing before…"
Brooklyn responded before Matt even had the opportunity, "Not in the middle of a case and like Hudson said earlier… where ever Elisa is, Goliath is with her… Besides, if Demona is involved…"
Matt turned to go but Lexington reached over to delay his departure, "Wait a sec… There's something you still need to know…"
***** ***** *****
Matt drove through the streets of Manhattan like a man possessed. Lexington's discovery was enough to shake him to the very heart of his being and he knew he had to act quickly since he wasn't sure what the implications might bring.
After taking the time to think about his conversation with Captain Chavez, Matt realized for the first time in four nights, there had been no body found and he suspected it had something to do with the fact that Elisa and Goliath were missing.
The killings might not have been just an effort to draw Canmore out, but to draw Elisa in.
He was about to pull into the parking area of the 23rd Precinct when he remembered Jack Miller had called with some information about the victims. Jerking the car around he cut across the median and continued towards the downtown district.
Five minutes later he pulled up in front of the Medical Examiners office and jumped out of the vehicle. He pulled open the door and quickly flashed his police badge at the receptionist, "Detective Bluestone, 23rd… is the Chief Medical Examiner still here?"
The woman checked a sign out board behind her, "Looks like it… I'll buzz him…"
Matt waved her off, "Just let me in… he's probably expecting me…"
The woman shrugged and hit the release for the door and allowed him to enter the back area. Matt ran down the corridor checking the names on the doors as he went. He nearly slipped in the waxed floor when he realized he'd almost run past his destination. Scrambling back, he jerked the door open and saw the Medical Examiner sitting behind his desk going over some reports.
Jack Miller looked up in surprise, "Hey… What are you doing here?"
Matt walked in and leaned over the desk, "We need those autopsy reports on the Doe's…"
"Sure…" Miller pulled open a drawer and produced four files, "I was expecting Elisa to come by since she…"
"She's busy and asked me to pick them up for her…" Matt opened the top one and flipped through it, "Have you made an identification on any of the bodies yet?"
"No… But after I talked to you I got message from…"
Matt cut him off, "You said earlier the necklaces were placed on the bodies after they were already dead…"
"Yeah… The fourth Doe was the break." Jack waited to see if Matt was going to cut him off again and when he didn't, he stood and retrieved one of the files from the detective's grasp and pulled a sheet of paper out.
"I did a tissue analysis and found no sign of bruising on the thorax that would indicate the chain was worn when he was strangled. I thought it was kinda odd and since no one has claimed the bodies, I went back and checked the other three and found the same thing."
Matt nodded absently and turned to leave, "Thanks… we owe you on this…"
"No problem, I just feel bad that I didn't find it earlier…" Jack sat back down in his chair, "By the way, when you see Elisa, let her know I got her request to forward copies of the fingerprint cards to that guy at the FBI…"
Matt spun around, "What?! When the hell did she ask you to do that?"
"Tonight… about an hour or two after I talked to you…"
Matt knew damn well Elisa couldn't have called in any such request and he was alarmed to know someone out there was claiming to be her.
"What did she say?" he inquired.
"I didn't talk to her directly. I was on another line so the secretary took the message…" Jack handed Matt a torn sheet of paper, "I faxed them over about thirty minutes ago…"
Matt grabbed the note and scanned over it, "There's a phone number but no name on this…"
"Ya know, I thought it was strange for her to ask me to send them and then not give me the name of the person she wanted them sent to… I had to call the FBI and ask for Elisa's point of contact…"
"And that just didn't seem a little odd to you?" Matt was furious, "Jesus Christ, what kind of bullshit operation are you running here Jack? I mean can just anyone call up and say 'Hey send official documents to the FBI' without you people verifying the request first?"
The M.E. seemed unconcerned over the accusation, "No, we get half ass requests from police agencies like this all the time… Granted I don't usually get them from Elisa, but I figured she was in a rush and it made sense to send the prints to the FBI since we can't ID the bodies here."
Matt slammed the files down on the desk, "Jack, I don't mean to be rude but you have about two seconds to tell me who you sent those prints to or I'm gonna shoot you…"
"Hold on a sec, I have a name here someplace…" The M.E. rummaged through the paperwork on his desk and found the fax cover sheet and glanced down at it, "Here it is… ah, Hacker… Special Agent Martian Hacker…"
Matt pounded his fist on the desk, "Damn it! If 'Elisa' contacts you again, don't give or tell her a goddamn thing unless you see her face to face!" He picked up the files turned to the door, "And if Agent Hacker calls wanting information, don't give him shit either…"
***** ***** *****
Elisa shook her head slowly as she moved to the rear of the cell and leaned against the wall. The confrontation between Goliath and his former mate had begun as soon as Demona regained consciousness and despite Elisa's best efforts to stop them, it was now a battle of volume rather than facts between the former mates.
"You're compassion for such a weak species is disgusting…"
Goliath returned Demona's steely gaze, "What have you dragged us into this time?"
She spat at him, "Pah! Surely you must realize this is not my doing…"
Goliath strained against the bars in a futile effort to reach a woman who was clearly beyond his reach both physically and emotionally, "No Demona… It has always been you. If it were not for your actions we would not even be in this position!"
"If it were not for my actions you would still be gathering moss atop Castle Wyvern!" Her eyes burned fiery red as she spoke to him, "They have thrown you in a cage and still you refuse to see that humanity is our enemy!"
Elisa continued to watch and listen. She had noticed the large burn on Demona's shoulder similar to the one on Goliath's back but it didn't seem to be causing her nearly as much pain as being locked in the cage was.
The upside of the whole situation was that whoever their captors were, they had the foresight to separate Demona from them and for that Elisa was grateful. She was quite certain that if they were all to be placed in the same cell things might get ugly.
She knew neither of them was willing to listen to her and she had serious doubts if they were even listening to each other at this point. It was clearly evident the position of peacemaker was not going to work so she slipped in the one role she knew would; that of a cop.
She let loose with a shrill whistle which forced both of them to fall silent. When she determine she finally had their undivided attention her voice held the sharpest of edges, "Now do either of you have anything constructive to offer that might shed some light on what the hell happened to us tonight?"
Demona wasn't so willing to let it end until she had the last word, "Really Goliath you are so pathetic…"
"I said 'THAT'S ENOUGH'!" Elisa felt the roar of blood rushing to her ears and she could feel the pressure building in her head again. "Yelling at each other is not going to help us get out of here…"
Both gargoyles took that as their queue to begin yelling again, each accusing the other of being the cause of the evening's events. Demona finally succeeded on getting the last word and while the comment was made to Goliath it was clearly directed at Elisa.
"It is the humans who should be wiped away and destroyed..."
Elisa shook her head slightly, she knew there was no way she was going to win a debate with someone bent on the destruction of the human race but talking to Demona might shed some light on their predicament. "No one is going to be wiped off the planet tonight… not if I can help it…"
Demona ignored the statement, "Don't you see Goliath, the Humans have no loyalty… Not even to their own kind…"
Elisa considered arguing that particular point but decided it was too easy and walked back to Goliath and draped her arms through the bars of cell, "If you haven't noticed Demona, I seem to be in the same situation as you…"
"Which only goes to prove my point!" Demona snapped as she pulled vainly at her own bars. "And make no mistakes Human, you and I are not in the same 'situation' at all…"
Elisa took a tentative step back. She was feeling sick to her stomach again and not wanting to give Demona the satisfaction of watching her dry heave or pass out, she forced herself to continue to stand without holding on to the bars. "Don't be so sure about that…"
"Spare me your false bravado, Human…" Her tone clearly indicated she could care less what Elisa thought she knew, "You flatter yourself… You have concept as to the evil your species is capable of…"
Goliath, feeling his mate was being threatened in some way, placed himself between Elisa and the bars and faced Demona, "Elisa is right, this has gone on long enough…"
"Ah, I see my guests have arrived…"
The new voice was a shock to all of them and Goliath realized the earlier arguing had effectively masked the sounds of the door opening at the end of the hall. He watched as the man walked down the corridor and stopped between the two cells.
Elisa was stunned but not surprised, as the man was now recognizable. "I should have known… What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?" The man smiled at her through the bars, but there was no humor in the action, "But I must admit, I'm surprised to hear such hateful words being expressed between all of you…"
Goliath's eye's flashed white as he took a step closer to the bars, "Hunter…"
The smile disappeared from Jon Canmore's face as he moved to stand directly in front of Goliath, "The name is Castaway, and I'd thank you not to refer to me in any other way. In fact I'd prefer it if you did not refer to me at all…"
Elisa immediately went on the offensive and tried to shove Goliath out of the way but had little success in accomplishing the task. When it became obvious he wasn't going to move she stepped around him and leaned into the bars, "This is hands down the stupidest thing you have even done…"
Jon lean against the bars casually, "No… not killing the Beasts when I had the chance takes that honor…"
He was about to continue when Goliath tried to make a grab for him. Jon quickly stepped back to avoid him, completely oblivious to what was behind him, which turned out to be a nearly lethal mistake.
Elisa cringed as the shrieks of rage mixed with the cries of pain echoed throughout the makeshift prison. She felt dizzy and lightheaded and the suddenness of the feelings forced her to take an involuntary step backwards. When she did, she stumbled, landing hard on the ground of the cell, "Whoa…"
Jon spun around and glared at the cell behind him, stepping away quickly but making sure he didn't fall back into Goliath's reach either. The back of his shirt had been ripped open and there was now a steady flow of blood running from three large gashes across his left shoulder.
Demona wiped the blood on her talons off on her loincloth and smiled an evil grin, "Come Hunter… Step bit closer and I shall finish what you started long ago…"
Jon gave her a scowling glare and stepped a bit closer, but was careful to remain just out of her reach as a second man walked down the corridor with a taser. "Oh make no mistake Beast… you will pay for this..."
Goliath took no notice of what was going as his concern was focused solely on Elisa. He quickly moved to her side and knelt by her side, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah…Help me up…" Elisa started to stand and when she did, her eyes locked on the newcomer. He seemed vaguely familiar and then it clicked where she had seen him before. "I know you…"
It all seemed to happen in slow motion and Elisa never got the chance to finish the statement as Demona suddenly lunged at the young man and tried to lash at him through the bars of her cell, "You! I should have known!"
Demona made a movement towards the man just as he jabbed her with the taser. The result was an electrified pulse coursing through her body causing her to shriek in pain as she dropped to the floor of the cell unmoving.
Elisa felt a surge of rage course through her and without thinking started to react upon it. She rose to her feet and began moving towards the bars of the cell. Goliath noted her reactions and seeing what she was about to do called out to her, "Elisa! No!"
Elisa snapped around for an instant her eyes blazed red and the rage refocused on him, but as quickly as it came, the feeling was gone. She stumbled slightly and collapsed beside him and mumbled softly, "We gotta get out of here Big Guy… Fast…"
Jon moved back to the bars of Demona's cell and laughed softly as he looked down at her, "Oh how the mighty have fallen…"
The immortal gargoyle twitched causing Jon Canmore to step back, but she remained on the ground unable to rise and meet his challenge. Jon then glanced back to the young man, "It would seem the Beast doesn't care very much for you either…"
Allen Jenkins looked at the unconscious woman on the ground, "No Sir… I don't guess she would all things considered…"
Jon shrugged off the comment and appraised Elisa and Goliath who were both still sitting on the floor, "So are you ready to cooperate Detective Maza or shall I have Mr. Jenkins here inspire your assistance by frying your companion in front of you?"
Using Goliath as a brace to pull herself up, Elisa looked at the young man whom she now recognized as the temp from the 23rd she'd run into earlier in the day. She then focused back on the Hunter, "Cut to the chase, Canmore. What the hell kind of game are you playing?"
Jon Canmore stepped lightly through the blood that had been spilled on the floor earlier by Demona's attack, "It's simple. I know you 'protect' them… although I had no idea you would approve of them to going to this extreme…"
He gave Goliath a scathing look before returning his attention to Elisa, "I should have killed them that night on the roof…"
Elisa felt like she had been punched and before she could react, Goliath flew to the bars of the cell pulling at them futilely, "Because of you Elisa almost died that night!"
Jon ignored the comment and nodded to Jenkins, who held the taser at the ready position. He then looked over at Elisa and when he spoke his voice held the faintest hints of his accent, "It would have been so much better if ye had allowed them to be killed at the Cathedral."
Jenkins made a half jab at Goliath with the taser to force him back just as Jon Canmore shot his hand out and grabbed Elisa by the wrist and pulled her to the bars of the cage. She was fighting to get away from the former Hunter, but his grip was too tight and the cell prevented escape even she'd been able to break free of his grasp.
Goliath flexed his wings and roared out, "Release her!"
Out of the corner of her eye, Elisa saw Jenkins take a step forward with the taser and she knew what was about to happen and immediately stopped struggling, "Goliath! No!"
Goliath understood the reason for her warning but not the context it was given in and took a step back. His voice was laced with anger and despair, "If you harm her…"
Jon gave the lavender gargoyle a hateful grin and increased his grip on Elisa's wrist, "Good. I see we have an understanding…"
Elisa somehow managed to speak through the pain, "Look I have been pounded on enough for one lifetime… Trust me, I am totally not in the mood for an interrogation right now…"
"Tis' is not an interrogation…"
"Good then you can do the talking…" she hissed.
"No… I'd prefer to hear what you have to say…"
Elisa snorted, "Well then I guess this is gonna be a pretty short conversation seeing how I really don't have a whole lot to say to you…"
"Oh but ye do…" Jon laughed again and Elisa felt the hair on the back of her neck rise as he did, "It 'twas never my intention to have ye here at all… but recent events have forced me to change my plans."
"Yeah… I guess they would…" Elisa was fighting to control her temper and having little luck, but she knew she was going to do so if she expected to have any chance of protecting Goliath. She shot a quick glance over to Demona's cell and saw that the woman was back on her feet and watching the drama unfold intently.
"Are you ready to tell me what I want to know?" Jon demanded.
"About what?" Elisa questioned darkly.
Jon gave her a cold expression, "Don't be coy Detective Maza… tell me which one of the Beasts has been killing my men…"
***** ***** *****
Matt drove through the city processing the information he'd received already. He knew he should go back to the Castle and tell the others what he'd discovered but there wasn't enough time and he still had several stops to make before he went to check in with Captain Chavez.
Matt knew Demona wasn't responsible for the Quarrymen killings or the disappearance of his friends, but at the same time, he knew their disappearance was linked to the killings.
But not by Demona, and strangely enough not by Jon Canmore either because what Lexington had told him was true; all the Quarrymen were accounted for.
This meant the men who were killed weren't members of Jon's group, but they were being set up to look like they were and in light of his conversation with Jack Miller, Matt now had a good idea of who might be responsible for all this.
None of this was about finding The Hunter and it wasn't about drawing Elisa out either.
It was about Goliath.
The only clear question in Matt's mind was could he do anything about it without killing everyone in the process.
He double parked in front of his building and moved to the elevator. He'd told Brooklyn and the others he could stall for maybe 48 hours. Matt now though the number might be closer to 36 but more than likely they had less then 24 hours.
Once he reached his floor he exited and ran down the hall and unlocked his door and entered his apartment searching for the one thing that might save everyone's life.
***** ***** *****