Flashback Part 13: The Coming of Three
By Shadow Runner
Part 13 in the series
Disney owns the characters so with any luck they won't mind me borrowing… at least I hope they don't mind in light of the fact that I'm making no money off this.
The story is mine and a few characters are mine but that's about it.
Feedback is always welcome… and I'm not too ashamed to beg for it either…
Hope you like it and Happy Reading! J
***** ***** *****
Officer Morgan glanced through the night shift reports in preparation for the dayshift change over which would be taking place in just over an hour. It was customary to double-check the Police Blotter against the Events logs before the next shift took over just to make sure everything matched and nothing of potential 'embarrassment' was listed. The Events Log tracked everything that took place on shift whereas the Police Blotters tracked only the criminal activities and would eventually be made available to the public.
Two pages into the logs, he realized the Blotter hadn't been updated. It appeared the temp who was working on this project stopped shortly after the night shift started and never got back to the detail.
"So hard to find good help now-a-days…" Morgan muttered softly. He looked around but didn't see the young man anywhere and decided it would be faster for him do it than try and find the actual person responsible.
He turned to the Events Log and began flipping through the pages when one of the items listed caught his eye. Morgan reread the entry and reached over to the phone and dialed a number and waited for someone to answer.
After three rings a voice responded, "City Impound…"
"Hey Pete, its Morgan over at the 23rd… Do me a favor and check something out…"
***** ***** *****
Goliath was stunned as he heard the words the Hunter spoke, "You think we're the ones killing your men?"
Jon released his grip on Elisa and walked over and slapped at Goliath through the bars of the cell. He remained close, as if daring the gargoyle to make a move at him, "You, Beast, have no voice in this conversation!"
Goliath knew how easy it would be for him to reach out and assault the man just as Demona had done but instead of attacking, he stepped away from the bars refusing to validate the man's suspicions. He understood to do so would only add more fuel to a fire that was rapidly burning out of control and it might cause the man to lash out at Elisa in retaliation.
"My Clan is not responsible for those men…" he voiced softly.
"I'm sure you would love me to believe that..." Jon gave the gargoyle leader one last glare before turning back to Elisa, "Please tell me that you want to be a part of the solution rather than a part of the problem…"
Elisa crossed her arms over her chest, "I think I'm looking at the biggest problem in here right now…"
Jon smiled, "Always the charmer… I can see why my misguided brother found you so attractive. It's a shame you didn't take him up on the offer when he made it… If you had, things might not have come to this…"
Goliath allowed a soft rumble to escape from his throat and his eyes again flashed white at the taunting words the Hunter spoke. Elisa knew Jon Canmore would jump to all the wrong reasons as to why Goliath would react to his words in such a way and she took her mate's reaction to mean he still wasn't quite past the knowledge that Jason Canmore had been more than interested in her.
She took a step closer to the bars in order to prevent Goliath from saying something that would give the Hunter any further advantage over them, "Not even on my worst day…"
The Hunter glared back at her but winced as a spasm of pain shot through his body from his injured shoulder. Allen Jenkins reached over and placed a hand on Jon's arm but kept his eyes and the taser pointed in Goliath's direction, "You should get that looked at Sir… it might get infected…"
Jon shook off the young man, but decided he might be right and turned to leave, his voice held the slightest traces of his accent as he paused to address Elisa, "Ye should learn to hold yer tongue woman…"
"No one tells me what to do… least of all you…" she muttered.
Elisa had dropped her voice but it was clear the Hunter heard the words she spoke. He gave her a loathing stare as he walked out of the room, "If you're not careful Detective… you might develop a terminal case of the 'No one can tell me what to dos'…"
The thinly veiled threat was enough to cause Goliath to loose the last shreds of his temper and he spoke through clinched teeth, "If you harm Elisa… you'll have to kill me…"
Elisa waited until the Hunter and the man he called Jenkins left the room, "I think that's the whole point…"
Goliath recapped his wings and draped a protective arm around Elisa's shoulder, "The Hunter thinks the Clan is killing his people…"
Elisa nodded agreement as she learned against him, "Yeah… he does."
The lavender gargoyle shifted away from his beloved and allowed his gaze to fall over to the cell across from theirs, "What were you doing in the park tonight Demona?" he inquired gravely.
Demona apparently took great offence to Goliath's question and pulled on the bars of her cell, "None of us would even be in this position were it not for her!"
"Big Guy…" Elisa rubbed absently at her wrist which was aching slightly from where Jon had grabbed her, "Now is really not the time to get into this…"
Goliath ignored Demona's rebuttal but continued to glare at her as he spoke to Elisa, "Someone saw her in the park…"
"Maybe…" Elisa voiced cautiously as she pulled her brow together in concentration and turned to the door of the cell. She crouched down to examine the latch of the cell noting there was a steel plate over the device preventing her from tampering with the lock. She glanced back to Goliath briefly, "You think you can get this off?"
Goliath reached through the bars and after a certain amount of prying he was able to slide the face place off. He was about to step back and allow Elisa to examine the lock when his instincts kicked in. He knew their time together would be short lived and a look of concerned crossed over his face, "Dawn is approaching… I fear for your safety as I will not be able to protect you My Love…"
Demona heard the words he spoke shrieked out in rage, "No!"
Elisa started to respond when a blast of pain wracked its way through her body. She reached over to brace herself against Goliath and when she did, he jolted as if she had touched him with a hot poker.
Goliath's eyes flashed white and he jerked away from her abruptly as a mishmash of emotions poured over him and he wondered if perhaps the encounter with the Hunter had effected Elisa more deeply than he realized, "Elisa?"
"You felt that…?" Elisa gasped out in surprise. She felt the pains subside but Demona continued to throw herself against the bars of the cell, her shrieks echoed in the room and the sounds seemed to be coming from everywhere at once.
Goliath ignored Demona's outburst and crouched beside Elisa, "What happened? Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I am fine…at least I think I'm fine..." She shook her head as if trying to clear her thoughts and then shifted around to address Demona, "You're the reason I can't pick up on Goliath right now aren't you?"
Demona was fighting to control herself and Elisa's question only seemed to strengthen her rage, "If you value your life do not continue to speak to me Human…"
Upon hearing the threat, Goliath reached over to pull his beloved back despite the fact he knew she was physically beyond Demona's reach. Elisa for her part allowed him to be overprotective and stepped away from the bars.
She paused for a moment before looking back at him, "I think I know what's wrong with the Bond… why I hurt and you don't…"
Goliath gave her a curious expression, "Elisa… what are you talking about? What's wrong?"
Elisa looked over at Demona with a pensive expression on her face, "The pain I keep feeling… it is a result of the Bonding." She took a deep breath pulled Goliath back the rear of the cell, "I think Lexington was right before when he said it had to be something connected to both of us…"
Goliath nodded but it was clear he had no idea what she was talking about so Elisa continued, "Demona is the connection…"
"What?!" Goliath cried out. "How can this be?"
"I don't think the connection is to you though… I think Demona was in the park because she knew I was there…"
Elisa paused and as much as she wanted to press Demona for details, the woman wasn't going to be pushed, least of all by her which meant she was only going to get to as information much as Demona wanted to give. "In fact, I think she was probably around the night the first body was discovered…"
Goliath abruptly returned to the bars to glare at his former mate, "Then you are responsible for all this… you are the one who's been killing the Quarrymen…"
"No, Demona didn't do this…" Elisa whispered as she walked back to stand next to Goliath. She locked eyes with Demona, "It must be hard on you…" she voiced softly.
Demona made no effort to respond so Elisa picked her next words cautiously because she knew things were not going to get any easier once she opened the potential Pandora's Box, but it was necessary if any of them expected to get out of there alive. "Goliath may not have bonded with you, but you did with him… and that's why he can't pick you up… because he doesn't know…"
Goliath's response was all but lost as Demona shrieked out in an effort to drown out the words Elisa spoke and while nothing coherent was voiced, it was obvious she was beyond seething. Elisa waited until the noise subsided and once again prayed the bars would continue to keep the woman secured because there was little doubt in her mind if Demona got loose, she would kill her.
Elisa turned and placed a hand on Goliath's broad shoulders, "I think I'm picking up some the feelings she's been directing at you… which might explain some of the pain…"
Goliath was shocked by the words and unwillingly found his eyes being pulled in the direction of Demona, "Is this true?"
"No it is a lie." She said the words without much conviction but with enough hatred for him to know Elisa was right.
Goliath moved to the rear of the cell and braced himself against the wall. It never occurred to him that Demona might have bonded to him and never in his entire time with her had he even thought to ask if she had experienced the Bonding. He had assumed they were both going through the motions but he now knew how wrong his earlier perceptions had been.
Demona might have loved him as she said but it was he who was unable to return the emotion fully.
He glanced back at Elisa expecting to see hurt and betrayal but only saw compassion and understanding, "When did you… how did this happen?"
"I'm not sure how but I think a lot of it has to do with emotions…" she replied slowly.
"Emotions?" Goliath walked back to her, "What kind of emotions?"
Elisa looked to the wall behind his head, the floor, past him, anyplace but directly at him, "Strong emotions…"
He cocked his head slightly, "How strong of an emotion?"
"Strong enough…" Elisa felt herself blushing. Now didn't seem to be the most appropriate time or place to get into this aspect of their relationship but the fact remained, it might be how the whole thing got started. She finally gave him an exasperated, but slightly embarrassed expression, "Think about it Big Guy… You were able to pick up me long before I was able to pick up on you… In fact I couldn't pick you up at all until I admitted how I felt about…"
Goliath suddenly understood what his mate was telling him, "Our love… the night we Bonded…"
Demona bristled at the declaration of love Goliath spoke of and the words literally cut though her like a knife. Not only did he love the human woman, she felt the same and apparently Goliath had been the one to initiate the connection. Demona had lived a thousand lifetimes and seen many things in her magic induced immorality but until that moment it never occurred to her that she never truly had Goliath's heart.
Elisa saw Demona reaction to Goliath's words so before he could say anything further she cut him off, "That and the fact someone went dinking around with my DNA… Anyway, I think what I'm picking up is Demona's rage and while it might be directed at you, you have no connection to her so somehow it's redirected to me." Elisa paused and glanced back to Demona, "The only time I can feel it is when I'm in close proximity to her… and think we have to be pretty close…"
She watched as Demona moved to the rear of her cell in a vain attempt to put as much distance between them as possible. Elisa was about to speak when the woman gargoyle suddenly cried out in pain. Not because of anything that had been said, rather because just as Demona turned to look at her, the transformation took place forcing her to double over in pain.
Elisa watched as the sleek form of Dominique Destine replaced Demona. She noted the burn marks she'd seen on the woman earlier were no longer visible and guessed the transformation must act like the Stone Sleep for the Gargoyles. Any injuries received by one were not passed along to the other once the metamorphosis took place.
"Are you alright?" Elisa questioned softly.
"Spare me your concern Human, as I have no need for it…" Dominique retorted, "The Puck did this to me out of spite…"
"Well it's nice to see your sparkling personality stays with you no matter what form you're in…" Elisa traced a finger over Goliath's stone form and gave Dominique a guarded expression, "You know who the killer is don't you…"
Dominique's eyes turned dark and hateful, "What I know or saw is of little importance since none of us will live to tell…"
Elisa realized they were bordering on another argument and since she really didn't have time to debate that particular issue she bent over to re-examine the lock. "Look, I have no intention on waiting for Mr. Personality to come back in here with a big ass hammer to bash Goliath in his sleep…"
"I'm curious as to how you plan on avoiding that." Dominique replied sarcastically, "I don't suppose you have a key hidden away in that stupid jacket of yours now do you?"
"No," Elisa glanced over at her and smiled, "But I'm thinking you might…"
***** ***** *****
Captain Maria Chavez gave Matt an irritated expression, "What do you mean Detective Maza isn't coming?"
Matt shifted uncomfortably in his chair, "Yeah… see what happened was…"
Mayor Jeffery Anderson shifted around in the chair that should haven been occupied by Bluestone's partner and cut him off before he could complete the statement, "Detective, I distinctly recall Captain Chavez saying she needed to see you AND Detective Maza…"
Maria Chavez leaned forward in her chair and allowed her eyes to fall to the Mayor, "I think I can handle this if you don't mind…"
"And you're doing a wonderful job thus far…" Mayor Anderson tone indicated he didn't think that at all and it was obvious he was practically drooling in anticipation of the boot finally being dropped on the one detective he never wanted assigned to the investigation in the first place.
Captain Chavez stood with the pretense of tearing the Mayor's head off but quickly rethought the concept since it would serve no purpose. Instead she focused on the situation and since the actual source of her hostility was indeed not present she decided her partner would have to suffice, "Get her here. NOW!"
Matt cringed, "I can't do that…"
Not wanting to give the Mayor the opportunity to jump back into the conversation Captain Chavez continued to lay into Matt. "Detective Bluestone… you and Detective Maza are testing my patience and in case you haven't noticed, I happen to be standing on the very fine line you two seem to be bent on crossing..."
Matt rubbed his hand over his face, noting he'd neglected to shave when he left his apartment earlier that morning, "Captain, I know how this must look…"
"No I don't think you do…" She countered. "Detective Maza is in danger of not only being pulled off this investigation but of being suspended as well, so unless she walks through that door in the next five seconds that is exactly what's going to happen…"
"Captain," Mayor Anderson stood up and gave her a wary smile, "I think this has gone on long enough. We all know Detective Maza is not going to be walking through that door anytime soon and taking into account Detective Bluestone has no idea where his partner is, I feel it's safe to say she should be pulled off the investigation…"
Matt took a deep breath and just as he was about to respond his brain registered what the Mayor said. He shifted around in his chair and appraised the man with a guarded expression, "What makes you think I don't know where Elisa is?"
The Mayor gave Matt a strange look, "You said it yourself earlier…"
Matt rose out of his chair and took two steps forward forcing the Mayor to step back, "No I didn't…"
All the color drained from Anderson's face and for an instant it contorted in discomfort, "I don't think I like your tone…"
"No, I don't guess you would…" Matt replied through clinched teeth, "Especially since you've been trying to her Elisa off this from the beginning…"
"Detective Maza never should have been assigned to this investigation in the first place!" Mayor Anderson waved his hand in an arbitrary manner, "Her blatant disregard for authority proves she is not capable of…"
"That it! You and me; outside!" Matt felt his temper flare and he had every intention of punching the Mayor in the mouth when Captain Chavez interjected effectively saving the Mayor's life.
"Stand down Detective…" Captain Chavez understood there was more going on and she wanted answers but didn't think she would get them from Matt with the Mayor around. She walked around her desk and moved to open the door to her office, "I think it would be best if I discussed this matter alone with Detective Bluestone…"
"Fine…" The Mayor nodded slightly and turned to leave the room as if the choice was his all along, "If you will excuse me. I have other matters to attend to…"
Captain Chavez closed the door behind him and then turned to appraise her detective, "What the hell is going on Bluestone?"
"Sorry about the outburst…" Matt dropped his hands into the pockets of his trench coat and his fingers brushed the cool metal of the objects he retrieved from his apartment before coming to the station. "I have a few things I need to check out…"
"Where's Maza?" she demanded.
"Like I told you on the phone earlier, she's checking something out…"
Captain Chavez crossed her arms over her chest, "That's not an acceptable answer and neither is keeping me in the dark… If the two of you know something about the killer or killers then I need to know about it now."
"Just give us some time…" he replied softly.
"You're out of time…" Captain Chavez walked over slowly, "Look, if Elisa is in some kind of trouble…"
"She's not…" Matt muttered softly. The lie slipped out easier than he anticipated and he ran his fingers over his face again in order to hide it from his boss. He knew he was about to embark on a dangerous path and right or wrong, the answers he was about to go looking for might cost Goliath, Elisa, the Clan, not to mention himself, their lives.
He turned to leave but paused at the door and started to tell Captain Chavez of his suspicions but at the last second changed his mind. He was no longer sure whom he could trust since the only person he did trust was missing.
Captain Chavez watched as Matt made his way through the 23rd Precinct. He stopped at his partners desk and opened several drawers, rummaging through them but apparently didn't find what he was looking for and slammed them shut and turned to leave the station.
She was about to return to her desk when Morgan poked his head in with a concerned look on his face, "Is Detective Bluestone still here?"
"You just missed him…" Chavez picked up her coffee mug and started to move past the officer, "Do me a favor, when Detective Maza shows up, tell her to come see me before she signs out…"
Morgan's facial features visibly changed and not for the better, "Ah… do you have a second Boss…?"
She shook her head slowly, "No…"
Morgan ignored the comment and pulled her back into the office and handed her the Events log, "I think you might want to take a look at entry number twelve…"
She glanced over the report with half an eye until she came to the entry Morgan was speaking of, "When did this happen?"
"It was picked up around four thirty this morning… I already checked… it's there…"
Captain Chavez lifted her coat from the back of her chair and moved to leave the office, "Call Peterson back and tell him I'm on my down…"
***** ***** *****
Matt hadn't found what he was looking for in Elisa's desk so he was hoping to find it at her apartment. He walked down the hallway quickly but slowed and drew his weapon as he approached the entrance to her apartment.
"What the hell…?" he voiced softly.
The door was open just a crack and while it didn't appear to be a forced entry he could see the tool marks from where the lock had been picked and he could hear Cagney meowing softly inside.
Matt cautiously opened the door further and slipped inside and did a quick sweep of the area noting no one was in the living room or kitchen area. Apparently, whoever had broken in wasn't looking for valuables since the TV, VCR, and stereo were still present and everything else in the room appeared to be intact.
But at the same time, he serious doubts this was the work of common criminals since Elisa lived in a top floor apartment and the average housebreaker found lugging stolen property down a flight of stairs too laborious. Beside, thieves were never this considerate about ripping off a place and the apartment looked cleaner than it had the last time he was there.
He was about to pick up Cagney when he heard a muffled thump from the back bedroom. He quietly moved to the other side of the room and cautiously poked his head around the door jam then jerked back. He saw a single man moving around the room opening and closing drawers and closets.
Matt took a defensive position near the bedroom door and when the prowler walked out he placed the muzzle of his pistol to the back of the man's head, "Hi there…"
The intruder stopped and raised his hands slowly, "I'm not armed…"
Matt immediately recognized the voice, "Well then you're an idiot on top of everything else… Now turn around slowly, keep your hands where I can see them, and don't try anything stupid unless you really want to eat a bullet…"
Special Agent Martian Hacker turned to face his one time partner but was surprised to see the 9mm pistol still pointed at him, "Is this really necessary Matthew?"
Matt nodded, "Of course it is since you're under arrest for breaking and entering… Would you like me to read you your rights now, or do you just want to forgo all that and tell me why the hell you're here?"
"Matthew," The FBI agent smiled, "If you'd put the gun down, I'll explain…"
"Oh, I'm sorry is this making you uncomfortable?" Matt glanced briefly at his weapon but continued to point it at the man, "Too bad… I guess it must have just slipped your mind that there's no reason for me to trust you anymore…"
"But you should…" The FBI agent gave him a shallow smile, "You mind it I sit down?"
"Help yourself." Matt nodded to a chair and just as Hacker went to sit, Matt kicked it out of the way and slammed into the man and pressed the gun to the side of the man's neck, "Where are they?!"
Hacker grunted softly as he hit the wall with a resounding thud, "I can't tell you what I don't know…"
"Oh, yeah, right… just like you didn't know anything about the Illuminati." Matt adjusted his grip on his gun and shifted his forearm over the man's neck. "You are so full of it and to tell you the truth, I sick and tired of messing around with you…."
"We… go… back a long way… Matthew…" Hacker gasped.
"Apparently not far enough…" Matt hiss as he increased the pressure of his forearm slightly. "Is this how you did in those poor bastards you beat and left all over the city?"
"The…Illuminati… isn't responsible…"
Matt finally noted Hacker was starting to turn an interesting shade of blue and released the pressure slightly since he really didn't want to kill the man, "Yeah, right, whatever…"
"I've always looked out for you Matthew…"
"Hacker, you were the one who helped get me booted out of the Bureau in the fist place!" Matt gave his former partner a scathing look of disgust and stepped back allowing the man to fall to his knees. "You knew about the Illuminati the entire time! Hell, you're a goddamn member of the group!"
Agent Hacker stood up slowly trying to catch his breath, "And I'm the one who got you in…"
"And you will never let me forget it will you?" Matt started to lower the weapon and then suddenly changed his mind, "What? Now because of that everything will always be on their terms? Well, they can hang that over my head but I'm not willing to bet my partner's life on their good graces…"
"Look, awhile back the Illuminati did want a Gargoyle… and since you accomplished what none of the others could do, the Society opened its doors to you." Agent Hacker bent over and picked up the fallen chair to sit down but noted he still had a weapon trained on him, "But after what happened with Mace Malone we realized there was no way we could realistically expect hold on to one. After that, the focus of the group shifted…"
"To killing innocent by standers in hopes that one of the Gargoyles would just throw themselves on the mercy of the all powerful Illuminati to make it stop?" Matt interjected.
"Not hardly… Matthew, sometimes you have to look past the obvious and see the truth for what it is… The Illuminati do not want the Gargoyles…"
Matt lowered his weapon and placed it back in his shoulder holster, "Then who does?"
Hacker sat up straight on the chain, "You know I can't tell you that…"
"See, that's were you're wrong." Matt gave him a grim smile and pulled the Illuminati pin out of his pocket and tossed it on the floor between them, "Like you said… you're the one who got me in. You're the one who's gonna help me."
Hacker moved to stand up, "Matthew…"
"It's not open to debate…" Matt pulled his pistol back out and while he didn't exactly point it at Hacker, he didn't exactly point it away either. "Let me spell it out for you, Jon Canmore probably thinks Goliath and his Clan are killing his little band of groupies but we both know those guys weren't Quarrymen…"
The FBI agent shook his head in disbelief, "You found a way into their database?"
"You know I did so don't play coy with me, I don't have the time for it." Matt pointed to the chair with his weapon, "Now sit back down and talk to me because I know you have the prints for the dead guys and I imagine you know who they are. If you didn't, I doubt you'd be ransacking my partner's apartment looking for this…"
Matt reached in his pocket and produced the Quarrymen pendant Jon had given them weeks ago. Hacker looked at it and Matt smiled when his jaw dropped open, "Surprised?"
"Where did you get that?"
"Where do you think I got it from?" Matt took a step forward, "Now I'm assuming you are looking for Elisa's…"
Hacker sat down slowly, "You both received one?
Matt was slightly shocked to discover the Illuminati weren't tapped into nearly as many sources of information as he thought, but he didn't have time to question that particular issue. "The next thing I want to hear come out of your mouth is who has Elisa and Goliath, where they are, and why are the Illuminati are posing as Quarrymen."
Hacker was slow to respond, "It's not members of the Illuminati… at least not anymore…"
Matt cocked his head, "What the hell does that mean?"
"It means if your partner and her 'friend' have been taken, it was done by factions no longer associated with the Illuminati…"
"I didn't think the Illuminati would stand for people leaving…" Matt replied slowly.
"Matthew, we are not in the habit of holding our members hostage…"
Matt rolled his eyes in disgust, "Get to the point…"
"Anytime you have a group that has been around as long as the Illuminati has, you find groups of dissidents who wish to serve their own agenda. The Klu Klux Klan has the Skinheads, the Nazi manner of thinking helped spawn the Arian Nation… The Illuminati is no exception…
"I'm still waiting on that point…"
Hacker sighed and rubbed his throat, "About a year ago some of the members of the group became… well… disenchanted with the direction the Illuminati was going… they chose to leave the Society…"
"Great vigilantes from a secret society, just what the world needs more of…" Matt mumbled as he scratched the side of his head with the muzzle of the pistol. He paused and then focused back on Hacker, "But I'm guessing you still track them…"
"Some, but not all…" Hacker reached into his pocket and handed Matt a sheet of paper, "If you look closely I'm sure you'll find the answers you need…and of course you understand I'm not the one who gave this information to you…"
Matt smirked, "This is a sham… You planned on giving this to me the whole time…"
"Maybe," Martian Hacker stood to leave and straighten out his jacket and tie, "but only because the Illuminati needs you Matthew…"
Matt barely acknowledged the statement as he tucked the list in his pocket and started to walk out of Elisa's apartment, "By the way, I really hate it when you call me Matthew…"
Hacker bent over and picked up the pin Matt had tossed on the floor earlier and held it out to him, "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Oh yeah… right…Thanks for reminding me."
Matt reached down to pick up Cagney and removed the Quarrymen pendant Elisa had put around the cat's neck for safe keeping and tucked it in his pocket along with his before dropping the cat back to the floor. "Make sure to lock up when you leave…Elisa will absolutely kill you if Cagney gets out…"
Hacker shook his head slowly as he placed the illuminati pin in his pocket, "You'll be back Matthew…"
Matt gave his former partner a half smile as he continued out the door, "Don't bet on it…"
***** ***** *****
Captain Maria Chavez stood silently looking over the towing records. She didn't need to check the inventory listing or verify serial numbers against the impound record to know what she was looking at.
Bluestone told her his partner was running a lead, but that couldn't be possible since Elisa Maza's Ford Fairlane, her pride and joy, was sitting in the center of the New York City Impound lot.
She knew there was no way Detective Maza would have allowed that to happen… not if she could help it.
Captain Chavez walked around the Fairlane slowly looking for any sign of forced entry thinking someone might have taken it for a joy ride and then left it in the park area but found none. She glanced down to the paperwork she held in her hands and read through the pages again. According to the towing records, someone reported the Fairlane being illegally parked in Central Park but it hadn't been towed until 4:37 that morning. She rolled up the impound sheet and walked back over to the building where the Impound Supervisor stood waiting for her return.
"So did you find what you were looking for Captain?" Peterson asked.
The woman responded without really answering the question, "I want the car taken over to the 23rd."
Peterson nodded, "I figured you would…" He handed her a stack of paper on a clipboard, "Just need you to fill out the release."
"Thanks…" She began signing the forms and glanced up briefly, "Who called this in?"
Peterson reached back over and grabbed a second clipboard and flipped through it, "I didn't get a name… but the call came in just after 1 AM… sounded like a young guy…. He claimed it was blocking a fire lane in the park…"
Captain Chavez nodded and handed the clipboard back, "When you get to the 23rd, Officer Morgan will sign the rest of the release forms."
Peterson nodded and walked off to get a wrecker to tow the Fairlane. As Captain Chavez watched him leave she paused for a moment to considered the sequence of events.
Detective Bluestone, herself, Mayor Anderson, and the entire GTF had been in the park at midnight and left shortly after 2 am.
The Fairlane was first called in at 1 am.
Which meant at some point while they were searching for a gargoyle in Central Park, Elisa was there as well… and Matt never mentioned it.
The Fairlane was towed at 4:37.
She talked to Matt shortly after five looking for Elisa and Matt told her she was out.
Captain Chavez folded the impound paperwork and placed it in her jacket pocket and moved to her own vehicle. She checked her watch and decided it was time to have another little chat with Detective Bluestone about his partner.
And this time she wanted the truth.
***** ***** *****
David Xanatos clicked the conference monitor off and turned around in his chair to look out over the mid afternoon sky line, "Ah… another day, another million dollar take over."
He was about to rise when he heard someone enter his office. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was since Fox had taken Alexander out for the afternoon. "What is it Owen?"
Owen Burnett cleared his voice lightly, "Detective Bluestone is here to see you Sir…"
"Tell him I'm very busy and that…" Xanatos turned to see Matt Bluestone was already in his office and quickly amended his thought process, "I'm more than happy to make time to see him…"
Matt intentionally bumped Owen on his way past causing the man to shift slightly. He moved to the only chair in the office and took a seat and glared at the billionaire businessman, "We need to talk…"
"Please, take a seat Detective and make yourself comfortable." Xanatos replied sarcastically. He cocked his head slightly and gave the detective his best 'Make it quick' look, "What can I do for you?"
Matt didn't waist any time getting to the point, "Why did you leave the Illuminati?"
Xanatos's face remained impassive but he glanced to Owen briefly before answering, "What makes you think I was ever a member Detective?"
"They sent their regards," Matt tossed the list on the desk, "Your name is third from the top."
"I assumed as much…" Xanatos carefully scanned down the names before responding, "So what does this list have to do with you wanting to know why I left the Illuminati?"
"Probably nothing, but one of the people on that list kidnapped Elisa, Goliath, and probably Demona so I need…"
"What?" Xanatos stood abruptly, "When did this happen?"
"Last night," Matt was surprised to see what appeared to be genuine concern on the man's face, "I need your help to figure out who did this before they decide to kill them…"
"I wish you had said something when this first happened…" Xanatos rubbed his goatee thoughtfully and handed the list back to Matt, "Still, if one of the people on that list did this, I doubt killing them is what they have in mind… at least not Detective Maza… although she might become a part of the formula…"
Matt shot out of his chair like a rocket, "What the hell does that mean?"
"It means I might not know who 'kidnapped' them but I may have an idea as to why they were taken… Rest assured, Detective, it shouldn't be too hard to find them." Xanatos waved his right hand man forward, "Owen, set up the locator on the Exo-frame…"
"Right away Sir." Owen walked out without another word but made it a point of bumping Matt as he walked out of the office.
Matt watched as Xanatos picked up the phone and dialed a number, "Who are you calling?"
Xanatos held up a hand to silence him, "Fox, its David… I need the frequency for the tracker…" He picked up a pen and jotted down a series of numbers, "Thank-you Darling… I love you too… Yes, I'll see you soon…"
Matt stood with his hands on his hips, "You wanna tell me what the hell is going on?"
"It's simple. When Fox had Detective Maza's jacket I had her place a tracking device inside the lining…"
"You bugged Elisa?" Matt gave him an incredulous look, "Do you go out of your way to do things like this or is it second nature?"
"Do you really think she would she have worn it willingly? We needed to track her since she's still suffering from the apparent effects of her Bond with Goliath." Xanatos smiled thinly, "Besides, I would think you'd be grateful. As long as she has the jacket, we should have no trouble finding her and the others…"
Matt shook his head in disbelief but as it stood, he had no choice but to agree, "Fine, but that still doesn't explain why they were taken in the first place…"
The billionaire businessman nodded, "True..." From the looks he was getting from the detective, Xanatos realized the man was waiting for an answer not a statement, "Take a seat Detective."
Matt sat down slowly as Xanatos began to speak, "Some time ago, I came across an item of particular interest to the Illuminati called The Cauldron of Life…"
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The story didn't take long since Matt had overheard bits and pieces of it from Hudson in the past. But even with his belief in secret societies and conspiracy theories, he still found Xanatos's version hard to accept at face value. "So you're telling me you failed to obtain the immorality the Illuminati wanted and that's why you left?"
"No, and 'failed' is such a strong word…" Xanatos shrugged, "Once I discovered the true nature of the Cauldron it was pointless to try and use it as the legend indicated."
"What was the 'true nature' of the Cauldron?" Matt questioned.
Xanatos smiled, "Let's just say the translation was truer than I… or Owen… would have expected…"
"Did you tell the Illuminati?"
"No, but I knew they were interested in the results…"
"Oh man…" Matt rubbed his eyes as the pieces began to fall into place in his mind, "I bet that's why they wanted me to get them a Gargoyle…"
"Meaning?" Xanatos questioned.
Matt leaned back in his chair, "In order to gain access to the Illuminati, I had to bring them a Gargoyle. I took Goliath…"
"Clearly they didn't keep him…" Xanatos leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers together but managed to keep the smug looks to a minimum.
"No, but only because I helped him escape..." Matt rubbed his head, "I guess they had no idea you already knew the effects…"
"No, they don't." Xanatos agreed, "Several members approached me later inquiring about the Cauldron but I had already melted it down and used the material to build the Coyote 4.0 robot. My decision to melt it down obviously caused some discourse in the group so I can only assume the factions who left the Illuminati are now trying to recreate the experiment… and since the spell calls for the skin of a Gargoyle…"
"They need a live Gargoyle…" Matt replied softly. "But why kill those men?"
"If the renegade Illuminati plans failed, and I assure you they will, I'm sure they would want a place to lay blame… The Quarrymen obviously have a problem with the Gargoyles therefor both groups make the perfect scapegoats."
Owen walked in just as Xanatos stopped speaking, "There is also the matter of the legend itself. The literal translation of the spell calls for the sacrifice of a righteous man…"
"Oh this is just great!" Matt exclaimed. He started to pace the room but stopped short and turned to Owen, "Wait… they would still need the Cauldron and Xanatos said he melted it down..."
Owen nodded, "He did, but the Coyote robot was destroyed in Arizona."
Matt turned to look at Xanatos, "But you still have the metal right?"
"No…" Xanatos shook his head, "I don't…"
"Figures…" Matt muttered softly, "OK… you have a tracker on Elisa. Turn the damn thing on and let's go get them before they try and test out the legend…"
Owen cleared his throat, "It will take several hours to install the locator on the Exo-suit and encode the frequency for the transmitter…"
Matt groaned and was about to speak when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out and flipped it open, "Bluestone…"
"Where are you?"
Matt cringed upon hearing Captain Chavez's voice, "Ah… I'm at home…"
Captain Chavez's voice was laced with anger, "Detective, I'm at your apartment now…and guess what? You're not here."
"Shit," Matt paused and checked his watch, "I'll be there in five minutes…"
He hung up the phone and handed Xanatos back the list of departed Illuminati members. "I should be back before sunset but if I'm not, give the list to Brooklyn. Tell him I said to have Lexington check the Quarrymen database against this and see if any of the current members used to be Illuminati because I'm betting there's at least one..."
"Consider it done…" Xanatos folded up the sheet and placed it in his pocket, "Where are you going?"
Matt continued to walk out of the office and through the Great Hall, "To see who I can still trust…"
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Elisa wiped the sweat from her brow with the sleeve of her bomber jacket and refocused back on the locking mechanism of the cell door. She was currently using one of Demona's arm bracelets to try and jimmy the lock open. It had taken her several hours to bend the bracelet into an acceptable shape and then several more to work it into the lock without breaking it off inside. So far she was having little success and once again she mentally berated television for making picking a lock appear to be so damn easy.
Dominique watched Elisa with a certain degree of skepticism, "If you ruin that I will not be pleased…"
Elisa held back her initial response and glanced over to her, "I'll take that under advisement, besides I think you might have mentioned two or three hundred times already…"
Dominique gave Elisa a loathsome expression but didn't have time to voice the sentiment when the door on the far side of the room came open. Elisa quickly slipped the improvised lock pick into her pocket and moved away from the bars.
She immediately went on the defensive when the three men walked in since two of the men held the tasers tightly in their grasp. The three men were more than surprised to see two humans in the cells but said nothing to either of the prisoners. Elisa instantly recognized Jenkins and felt her apprehension rise and recognized her worst fears were about to happen.
The men were going to try and destroy Goliath while he slept but there was no way she was going to let that happen without a fight.
Elisa moved closer to the bars in order to place herself between Goliath and the potential threat and watched as the men stood off to the side in quiet deliberation. Jenkins said something to one of the men and he abruptly broke ranks and moved to Dominique's cell and tried to jab her with the taser.
Human or Gargoyle, the woman would be forever suspicious of the actions of humans and sensed an attack would be coming. Dominique quickly stepped the side and grabbed the protective covering on the pole trying to pull the man closer. She managed to grab the man's shirt and was about reach for his throat when one of the other men to ran over and jabbed her from the side with the other taser effectively ending the fight. Dominique screamed in agony and dropped to the floor unmoving.
The first man apparently wasn't satisfied with her unconscious form and jabbed her again causing her to twitch involuntarily on the floor. All this happened so fast that Elisa was stunned but she knew had to do something before the man killed her.
"Hey!" she hollered out. The man turned and took two steps towards her cell and tried to repeat the action he'd taken against Dominique.
Elisa jumped back but because Goliath's stone form was now blocking her retreat, she was not able to get away in time. Stabbing pain coursed through her body and she fell into an unconscious heap on the ground.
Jenkins started to speak but fell silent when a concealed wall panel slid to the side on the opposite side of the room. A fourth man walked in and paused as he glanced into the cells. He looked from Elisa's cell to the cell where a very human Dominique Destine lay unmoving, "I thought you said two gargoyles were captured?"
Jenkins shifted slightly, "There were… I don't know how to explain it… but I'm telling you, there were two of them down here…"
The man looked thoughtful for a moment not quite understanding why the woman in the cell would be wearing a halter and a loin cloth, but then again this was New York. He glanced back to Jenkins, "Could Castaway be on to you?"
Jenkins shook his head negatively and the man nodded absently then looked over to the others and jerked a thumb over his shoulder indicating the cell occupied by Elisa and Goliath, "How long before we can get him out of the out of the cell?"
Allen Jenkins looked back to his leader, "Castaway is still having his shoulder checked out. It might be sometime before he comes back down…"
"We can't count on that…" The man checked his watch, "We only have a few hours before nightfall so we'll have to wait and hope the creature goes willingly…" He then turned to the other two men, "Prepare the others for the ceremony and have them select a new candidate."
Jenkins inclined his head slightly as the others left the room. With the exception of Elisa Maza and the unknown human woman's breathing, the room was deathly quiet. He gave the man a curious but unassuming expression, "Sir, I was to be…"
The man recognized the looked and smiled gently, "No… I'm sorry. If Castaway discovers you're missing it might cause him to go looking about, therefore it cannot be you…"
"I understand…" Jenkins replied softly. He was about to continue when he heard John Castaway calling for him, "You should go before he comes down to check on them…"
"Not to worry my young friend, your time will come…" The man moved to leave the room but paused and looked back at the unconscious form of Elisa Maza. She groaned softly but her eyes remained shut and she didn't move. He then turned his gaze to the immobile stone Gargoyle, "If you only knew how long we have waited for this moment… very soon the time will come for you to fulfill our destiny…"
The man stood and walked back over to the secret panel, "When you can do so without raising suspicion kill Maza and the other woman."
"What about Castaway?" Jenkins questioned softly.
Mayor Jeffery Anderson looked thoughtful, "I leave that to your discretion…"
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