33 - "Breakdown Part 2: Descent Into Madness"
Originally Written: June 16th, 2000
Author's Note: A comment has popped up, and yes, I am well aware the previous story,
and this one, are similar to the episode "Shadows Of The Past" from season 2.
That's...uh, kind of the entire point. It was INTENDED!!! ...from the very beginning.
This story serves as a continuance of what Goliath felt over the loss of his clan, and will
bring the entire plot thread full circle, with what started in that episode. Please don't
condemn these stories before reading them and seeing how a new twist will develop in
the continuing chapters.
Laters...The Barracuda
Author's Note 2: If there's any GundamWing fans out there, I have posted the first of
three stories here in the Gundam section. Just trying something a little different. Ugh,
shameless plug, I feel so dirty...
January 25th, 2001
"Jeez, that stings!" Elisa winced as the cotton swab glided across her skin.
"If you would hold still, detective Maza." Owen Burnett casually replied as he tended to
the three massive lacerations on her face. "The rubbing alcohol will only hurt for a
couple of minutes. The wounds are deep and we need to keep them clean if they are to
heal properly."
"Yeah, whatever." Elisa reluctantly conceded and allowed Owen to dress her wounds
with gauze, covering her entire left cheek. As soon as Owen finished and moved away
from her, a caramel hand gently caressed her shoulder. Elisa turned to catch sight of
Desdemona taking a seat next to her on the couch. She quickly turned away again and
focused her gaze on the large marble and stone fireplace, adorning the wall near the
balcony doors. A fire had been started and the flames roared high, sustaining themselves
on the fumes of natural gas being fed into the stone enclosure. Elisa stared into the
inferno of color and light, losing herself in their fiery waltz, until she felt the gargoyle's
hand tighten it's grip.
"Elisa?" Desdemona asked softly, knowing the human beside her was being consumed
slowly by her own mental anguish. "Are you all right?"
Elisa quickly turned her head towards the gargoyle and scowled, efficiently letting her
obvious resentment towards the question, which had been repeated to her many times in
the past half hour, be known to Desdemona and the others gathered in her bedroom.
"Oh...I'm just friggin' peachy." she quipped, coming off a little more irate than she
intended.
"I apologize for the foolish question, but I'm..."
"Worried, I know." Elisa rose from the couch and slowly walked into the center of the
bedroom, eyeing the other members, and noticing the expressions of concern, of anxiety,
of total fear on each and every one of their distinct and divergent faces.
For less than thirty minutes ago, their human friend, the woman who had risked her life
for them on more times then they could remember, was brutally tossed aside like a rag
doll at the hands of her husband, his taloned hand digging into her flesh and leaving a
very visible mark. A sign of his unintended transgression, that would eventually heal and
fade from sight in time, but the memory of the swift attack threatened to cling to Elisa's
mind for an eternity.
News of her assault spread through the castle like wildfire, prompting the entire clan to
converge on the bedroom that once sheltered two people who were once thought to be
the perfect couple, with the perfect marriage.
Annika was the first to find Elisa, sprawled on the floor, trying unsuccessfully to keep the
blood from draining from her wounds. The detective was almost catatonic and babbling
incoherently, barely forming words that blended together in one unending line, most of
them centering on Goliath. Annika tried to calm her but could not break Elisa from her
euphoria, until a rose-colored hand came across the side of her face. A light slap that
sufficiently brought her back to consciousness.
As the others arrived, one by one, Elisa braved the onslaught of questions and solemnly
explained how three large gashes appeared on her cheek. The clan was stunned. All had
known of Goliath's foul mood but never would have imagined their leader would strike
the woman he cherished more than his own life.
"I still can't believe it." Todd's comment brought Elisa back to the present and she
turned his way. "I mean, he worships the ground you walk on and he does this to you?"
"It wasn't his fault," Elisa replied, "he's sick."
"How can you tell?"
"A wife understands her husband, and I know Goliath. Better than he knows himself."
Elisa gingerly stroked the patch on her face and could almost feel the blood still seeping
through, clotting within the white gauzed fabric. "There was something in his eyes."
"That would explain the headaches and hallucinations." Angela perked up slightly from
her position on the mahogany rocker, partially wrapped in the white shawl. She had
chosen the wooden chair as it was her father's favorite place to lull Trinity to sleep, a
cherished afterimage left in the young gargess' eyes. "And the voices he was hearing.
It's the same when we arrived in Scotland after leaving Avalon." She leaned back into
the soft fabric, causing the chair to creak. "Only worse."
"But how did he get sick in the first place?" Broadway asked as he leaned against the
wall, near the archway leading into Trinity's small room.
"Sobek..." The name rolled off Elisa's tongue like poison. "Just before he escaped, he
jabbed some kind of needle into Goliath's neck. Probably some form of poison, a toxin."
The slender human clenched her fists with anger and disgust. "That bastard..."
"The damage has been done, Elisa." Xanatos stepped forward, having heard the entire
discussion from the far side of the room. "Now our primary concern is finding your
husband and getting him healthy."
"He could be anywhere." Annika added, as she tightened her grip around her boyfriend's
shoulders.
"Then we'll have to find him." Elisa said, and turned to her adopted family. "Split up in
groups of three. Each team will take a different section of the island. I'll call Derek and
have the other mutates start searching as well. Owen, call Dr. Pierce and get him over
here. Tell him to get ready..." Elisa stood defiantly and watched the clan rise to their
feet, a renewed spirit growing in each of them. "We're bringing Goliath home."
****************************************
The smell of used and acrid motor oil permeated the night air, effectively blocking any
other scent from the immediate area, no matter how powerful it may be. Timeworn
vehicles, now nothing but empty husks, piled up from the ground, almost seeming to
grasp for the heavens and creating a fortress of steel and glass, plastic and rubber. A
veritable labyrinth lay within, covered with the freshly fallen snow and disguising any
tracks left behind.
A large figure loomed over the wrecks, desperately trying to find shelter from the
onslaught of nature's fervent fury. It staggered through the cars and trucks until it spotted
a small cavity created by an entanglement of metal. It crawled in and a pair of massive
wings curled around, providing a natural barrier against the snow.
Goliath closed his eyes, and tried to steady his breathing. But he could not silence the
voices within his head, calling to him and steadily tearing away at his very soul.
...Goliath...
"No, please..." Goliath appealed to the voices, but his continued efforts only made them
stronger.
...you abandoned us...
"I was doing my duty. I thought you would be safe back at the castle."
...you left us to die...
"NOOOOO!!!" Roaring his sorrow for all creatures to hear, the lavender giant swiped
away his refuge and sent the cars flying in all directions. He stood to his full height, his
skin straining to hold the muscles contained within, and grasped his taloned hands to the
sides of his head. "You are not real, you are not real!" He tried desperately to convince
himself.
...destroyer...murderer...
"No...I don't hurt those I love."
...then why did you strike your wife?...
Goliath looked to his hand, still covered with small amounts of Elisa's blood, which had
dried and caked to his skin. "I didn't mean to..."
...yes, you did...
"No...no..."
...murderer...
"RRRAAAUUUUUGGHHH!!!!" Goliath's once powerful legs weakened and he sunk to
the ground, causing the soft soil to compress under his tremendous weight. The snow
still fell, piling higher on his shoulders. Goliath never noticed. He was lost within his
mind, a victim of a plague that was eating him alive. A powerful virus that had caused
him to lash out at his family and attack his beautiful wife. He felt as if his very spirit was
dying. "W-What...is happening to me?"
****************************************
"This is becoming futile." Shadow cussed beneath his breath. "I would think trying to
find a seven and a half foot tall, lavender gargoyle would be easier than this."
"Manhattan is bigger than you think, Shadow." Delilah replied as she flew beside him.
"Goliath could be anywhere."
"And in his condition, he could be a threat to anyone who comes in contact with him."
Shadow and Delilah turned to see Annika fly below, her dark rose wings extended to
their full reach, catching enough cool air to lift her to her friends' level. "We've got to
find him fast." she sighed and scanned the white round below her, desperately searching
for anything that could lead her to Goliath. Her large blue eyes pierced the swirling
snow, as building after building passed beneath them, eventually opening into a large
fenced area, filled with hundreds of wrecked automobiles. And within those walls of
steel, a familiar shape huddled on the ground, engulfed within the frozen ice. "We've
found him."
****************************************
His breath was husky, his throat raw, his eyes conveying the agony he was forced to
endure. The pain had taken over all of his senses, numbing all feeling and ravaging any
cognizant thought. Goliath curled deeper into the mass of snow, and shivered violently,
though he felt no cold. The voices continued. Continued to beckon and to blame and to
torment. They had not let up since he landed in the junkyard hours ago. They would not
stop and let him rest. He could find no peace, even inside the confines of his very
subconscious.
So enraptured by the voices, Goliath would not, or could not notice the sounds of
footfalls in the deep snow.
Annika slowly approached her friend, being cautious due to his explosive temper
worsened by the virus. "Goliath?" The lavender giant never moved. "Goliath?" Annika
asked again, taking a step closer.
Goliath stirred slightly as a voice, separate from the others in his head, broke through the
haze. He looked up to see a slender female form standing over him. But what he saw
was different from what was really there. He did not see rose pink skin, he saw a golden
pumpkin orange complexion, blending flawlessly with a full leather tunic. Spiral horns
grew from auburn hair and curved upwards, ending with tapered tips. Goliath finally
moved, rising slowly from the ground and eyeing Annika with a look of astonishment.
He stood to his full height and blinked his eyes, trying to clear the image standing before
him, not being able to trust his senses any longer. "Sister?"
Annika edged back a little. "Pardon?" Though Goliath considered her a friend and
family member, he never referred to her with that particular title.
"My clever sister...you are alive!!" Goliath bellowed and swallowed Annika's smaller
body in a giant bearhug. "I...I thought you were destroyed."
"Goliath!" Annika tried to push away but was held firmly in place. It was not until
Shadow and Delilah came forward when Goliath dropped her to the ground.
"Brother...sister, you have survived as well." He staggered towards the couple, who in
turn, gave each other confused looks, and turned back to their approaching leader. But
Goliath stopped in midstep, his joyous smile quickly disappearing. The two gargoyles
before him began to fade from sight as darkness engulfed his surroundings. "Wha...what
is happening?" The pain returned with a vengeance as Goliath grabbed his head and
stared at what he thought were his family lost to him a thousand years ago. Their forms
changed, altered, metamorphosed into something unrecognizable. Wings grew and claws
lengthened. Soft skin became rough and boned spurs erupted from their scaled hides.
From noble gargoyles, demons were born. Hideous and misshapen, they smelled of evil,
filling Goliath's besieged senses with a pungent stench.
...THEY killed your clan... The voices came back, this time blaming the others before
him.
...they must be destroyed... They grew louder, forcing Goliath to mind, and compelling
him to obey.
"Goliath-sama, why are you staring at us in such a manner?" Shadow quietly questioned
the lavender giant, whose only response was a low growl, as the virus distorted the dark
warrior's words into squalling gibberish.
"DESTROYERS!!!" With eyes blazing white hot, Goliath screamed forward and struck
Shadow in the face. The dark warrior, not expecting such a savage attack from his
comrade, could barely block in time, but the force of the blow knocked him back into an
old rusted cadillac, causing the metal to fold in on itself.
Delilah watched in horror as Shadow slumped to the ground. "Goliath?! What are you
doing?" She came up behind him, placing a copper hand on his broad shoulder. "We're
your friends. Why are you attacking us?"
Goliath slowly turned to face the clone, his eyes burning with anger. "Murderer!!"
Delilah edged back slowly as Goliath advanced on her. She was stopped by the wall of
steel, outlining the yard, and was forced to watch as Goliath's immense shadow plunged
her in a bitter darkness. She sucked in a rasped breath as he raised his fist, bringing it
level with her face.
"Destroyer...you will pay!!"
"I think not." A dark grayish-purple hand caught Goliath's arm. Shadow had come to
aid his blossom and held the lavender giant back. "I do not want to hurt you
Goliath-sama, but I cannot allow you to destroy your own clan, especially the woman I
have come to love." Shadow quickly slipped his arms under Goliath's shoulders and
clasped the back of his head, forming a powerful full nelson and keeping the sick
gargoyle from lashing out at his very family.
Goliath struggled furiously, and Shadow strained to keep him on the ground. Goliath
screamed his rage and fought with all of his strength to break free from the dark warrior's
grip. He was stronger but Shadow's fighting skill allowed him to hold tight to Goliath's
frame...barely.
"Why does this seem so familiar?" Shadow chuffed quietly. "Please, Goliath, cease your
struggle. We're here to help you!" Shadow tried to appeal to Goliath's sense of
judgment, but it was completely ineffectual.
...they destroyed your clan...
"You destroyed my clan!! You killed my family!!" the lavender giant screamed.
"Demons!!! Monsters!!!"
...yes, Goliath...they are your enemies...they caused the death of your clan...they must
die...
The voices spoke to Goliath. Days ago, they would torment him about his role in the
death of his clan, even though he had no part in the betrayal of Wyvern and its residents.
Now, they have turned him against his closest friends. "Let me go!!" he bellowed.
Annika rushed forward and grabbed his hands, knowing Shadow could not hold him for
much longer. "Goliath, you've got to stop this! Goliath?!"
The lavender giant saw nothing but wraiths in his eyes, surrounding him, tearing into his
flesh. "DEMONS!!!"
(((Goliath))) A new voice whispered from the void, freezing Goliath in his tracks.
(((Goliath...don't fight your friends))) The voice was soothed and calming, different from
the others' chorused, frenzied rasp.
"They are demons!" Goliath answered back.
(((no...they are not...look again)))
Goliath looked down, into Annika's face. For the first time tonight, he saw her for what
she really is. "A-Annika? But...but I saw..."
(((what you perceived were illusions...created by the virus devouring your body)))
"V-Virus?"
"Yes, Goliath." Annika answered as Shadow cautiously released him. "You're very sick.
You have to come back with us to the castle."
"I...I cannot. I may harm someone...again..."
"If we don't find a cure, who knows what you may do. You're dangerous in this
condition and a hazard to the very people you've sworn to protect."
"No...no..."
(((listen to your friends, Goliath...they would never deceive you...think of your clan)))
"My...clan."
Annika cocked an eyebrow to Shadow, who in turn just shrugged. "Who the hell is he
talking to?" she whispered.
"I have absolutely no idea, Annika-chan." Shadow replied. "Perhaps it's the toxin
affecting him once more."
(((listen to them Goliath...they want to help you))) The soothing voice continued.
...they betrayed you...killed your clan... The other voices attempted to drown out the
solitary speaker.
"No..." Goliath squeaked.
(((don't listen to the others...listen to me...focus on me)))
...murderer...betrayer...
(((leader...friend)))
"No...leave me alone..." Goliath was almost brought to tears as a war raged for control
of his mind.
...killer...they died because of you...
(((it was not your fault)))
"NOOOOOO!!!"
"GOLIATH!!!" A shrill voice pierced the air, bringing all three gargoyles to attention. It
was Delilah. During the short but intense struggle, she had remained on the sidelines.
After all the grief she had experienced in the last few months, she had chosen not to fight
against one of her dearest friends. But she could not hold back anymore. She stepped
between Annika and Shadow and steadily drew near, eventually coming close enough to
stand inches away from Goliath's giant frame. "Please Goliath, I can't stand to see you
like this. I've already lost four of my brothers," she placed her hand against his,
interlocking his fingers with her own, "I don't want to lose my father as well. Come
back. For us. For Elisa."
"Elisa?...but I...I hit her."
"She knows you were sick. She is waiting back at the Eyrie for one of us to bring you
home. She's sick to death with worry."
Goliath released a breath and lost his balance, leaning against Delilah's smaller form.
She strained to hold him and motioned for the others to help her. Shadow propped the
lavender giant up with his shoulder and watched his eyes flutter open. He was fighting a
losing battle against the emptiness of unconsciousness. The virus was taking it's toll.
"...Elisa..."
"I believe...you should call Mr. Xanatos, Annika-chan, I don't think...oof...we should
allow him to fly." Shadow said as he strained to keep seven hundred pounds of gargoyle
on his feet. Annika nodded and pulled a cell phone from her belt, punching in the
castle's private number.
Delilah graced the lavender giant's cheek with her warm hand. A touch so gentle yet
strong enough to bring him back if only for a moment. "It's all right. We're taking you
home."
Goliath dipped his head in his best effort to show his acceptance. "...Elisa..."
****************************************
"Get him on the stretcher." Dr. Adam Pierce called to the gargoyles as they disembarked
from the sleek black helicopter Fox had used to pick them up from the junkyard just
minutes ago. Goliath was still fighting to stay awake and could barely support himself.
Shadow hefted the lavender giant up and onto the white sheets of the hospital stretcher,
specially reinforced for great amounts of weight. "Let's get him to my office." Dr.
Pierce allowed Shadow to push the cart behind him as they headed for the elevator doors.
The lift lurched to a stop and the large doors hissed open, revealing the sparkling white
tiled floor of the Eyrie building's interior, and the level that housed Dr. Pierce's massive
lab and hospital room. The rest of the clan were waiting from them outside of his office,
especially Elisa.
She had elected to stay at the castle, desperately hoping for any word on her missing
husband. The night continued on in darkness as she lingered, engulfed in fear,
threatening to devour her last reserves of strength. Shattering the desolation of her
bedroom, seeming even bigger to the lone occupant, the telephone's piercing ring
signaled the good news she had hoped against all odds to hear.
As soon as she caught sight of her husband being wheeled around the corner, she rushed
to greet the group, immediately coming to the steel cart's side. "Oh thank god...Goliath."
She leaned over his body, and ran her fingers down his brow.
Upon feeling the soft skin of his mate, Goliath's eyes slowly opened and Elisa's blurred
form came into view. He particularly noticed the bandage covering the left side of her
face. "Elisa...I'm so sorry..."
"Shhhh, I know, I know. It wasn't your fault. You're very sick." Elisa grabbed his
lavender hand and gave it a hard squeeze, resonating her own pain. "But we're going to
get you well again. I promise."
"...I hear voices...I see those long dead..."
"I know." Elisa assured him, though she was not sure if she believed him or not. She felt
a hand grab her shoulder as Dr. Pierce came forward, trying to be as courteous as
possible, but still allowing the human a moment with her gargoyle husband.
"Elisa, I have to get him in the lab. If we're going to find what's making him sick, Dr.
Weathers and I need to start right away. Any time we waste could result in more damage
to his immune system."
"All right, but I'm staying with him." said Elisa defiantly. Dr. Pierce, with Dr. Trishia
Weathers joining him from the office, took the stretcher from the dark warrior's hands
and moved through the throng, as the clan looked on at their fallen leader with a
saddened gaze. A figure so immense, so powerful, it was hard to believe anything could
bring the lavender giant to the breaking point. He was more than their leader, more than
their friend, Goliath was the very heart and soul of the clan, and now he was withering
away before their eyes.
Elisa slowly followed behind and took one last glance at the clan before disappearing
into the darkened office and closing the door behind her.
To be continued...