A Darker Side of Light

A Darker Side of Light

Shadow_runner4u@hotmail.com

I took a bit of a different route on this one, and it's a bit darker than some of my other stuff although it didn't start out that way. In the end I think it worked out. Let me know what you think.

Just so no one gets the wrong idea, they still don't belong to me and I still ain't making a dime off this.

Takes place after the Hunter's Moon (but once again no Goliath Chronicles).

***** ***** *****

He scanned over the screen waiting for the secure server to come online. After a few minutes the computer signaled the line had been encrypted and it was safe to receive messages. He had responded to the request two days ago and had no way of tracing the message back to its source for the moment. The nature of the message bothered him slightly, but it was an offer he couldn't afford to pass on… provided it was legitimate.

Right now it looked like another hoax. He was about to log off the system when the computer chirped indicating an incoming message.

Cautiously he scanned the communication, looking for viruses, tapeworms, tracers, and other forms of malicious logic but found none. He downloaded the message and smiled. He moved the cursor to the reply icon and clicked, typed out his response, hit send, and waited.

Four minutes later he received a conformation message from a Swiss Bank for a deposit of $100,000 and three minutes later a second anonymous email message came up.

The balance will be paid upon delivery. Immediate contact upon completion. No exceptions.

He gazed at the message for a few minutes. It was a risk to even accept the offer but it served his purpose and since he could now get paid for it, well, more the better. He smiled to himself, "Not to worry, this is a job I shall enjoy taking… as soon as I find out who you are…"

He logged into the dummy Swiss bank account and began transferring the money to a second account in the Cayman Islands.

***** ***** *****

He sat in the car gazing out the window absently as people moved across the street. He wasn't looking forward to this inconvenience but it was one he could no long afford to put off. He wanted to find the person responsible for posting the message.

So far he'd traced it back through six different countries, twelve states, and four separate Internet providers only to confirm his earlier suspicions that it had originated right there in Manhattan. He was about to turn on the remote transmitter when he noticed the crowds breaking so that traffic could again move down the street.

He nearly crashed into the car in front of him when he saw her in the crowd. It was just a glimpse, but it had been more than enough. He had discovered early on, it paid to be able to recognize a person after having seen them only briefly. Not just by face, but also by walk and movement. He knew by experience that a face could be disguised; a way of walking, hardly ever.

That was how he recognized her. No one else had that walk, so full of arrogance and smugness.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Well I'll be damned…"

His view was once again obstructed as the area was completely blanketed with people. None the less, he had seen her right away and knew there was no doubt she would eventually recognize him as well… provided she even saw him and there was no way he'd still be sitting there if she had seen him.

Of course, there was no reason for her to suspect that he would be here at all.

As far as she knew he didn't even exist anymore.

He watched as she moved through the mass of people on the street until she finally disappeared.

Perhaps the message could wait for a day or two…

***** ***** *****

It was almost too easy and it worried him for a moment, but then, as he realized before, she still had no idea. She had just stepped outside the precinct, and she was alone, which was perfect. Let her partner think she had been waylaid by some nightcrawler.

The junky next to him started to move in, but he stopped him with a gesture. He needed someone to carry her back to the building, someone that would forget by tomorrow what had been done tonight and someone completely unconnected to him. He had found what he needed with this man who was about two steps away from the walking dead.

The man beside him might have been somebody's son but now he was virtually an empty shell, lost to the living hell of addiction. An offer of a quick fix was the only enticement needed to acquire his assistance.

She gave a cursory look around before moving to her car. Moving quickly, he took aim and fired.

He smiled when she crumpled without a sound as the tranquilizer dart hit her in the back.

***** ***** *****

Feeling quite pleased with himself, he made a brief check on his prisoner, now awake and glaring balefully at him. She made no effort to speak with him as he checked her bindings, and it was just as well. He had nothing to say to her anyway.

No one had the faintest idea that he was responsible for the disappearance of Elisa Maza.

***** ***** *****

The bar was nearly filled with the beginnings of the evening crowd, but he finally found a table in the back. The lighting was poor, but suited his needs. Here he was in one of the most visible spots in all of Manhattan and no one was the wiser. He'd become more confidant with his new appearance since seeing Maza on the street that night, and was fairly certain he would not be recognized by anyone. If the authorities didn't recognize him, the riffraff in this place weren't going to either.

He discreetly checked his microlink computer. The small device still working through an extensive amount code, still searching out the source. He could have easily sent a message confirming that he had the detective but he wanted to know whom he was dealing with well before he contacted them again. He had to be getting close and once he discovered who sent the message he would be in a better position to… renegotiate.

He had no qualms about defaulting on his end of the bargain since he had the feeling the other party involved had no intention of keeping their end of the deal either.

It was only a matter of time before he would be expected to turn her over. But the truth of the matter was, he never had any intention of turning her over to the unknown requester. He planned to use her to lure the beasts to him.

And the word was out… Detective Maza was missing.

Unfortunately, it was beginning to look like he might have to kill the woman before he discovered the true identity of the requester or able to obtain his ultimate goal. He thought it odd that the beasts were making no effort to find her and there had been no sign of them what so ever.

He had been following her partner in hopes he might lead him to the beasts. So far the surveillance had been fruitless, as it seemed Matt Bluestone was not going to lead him where he wanted to go. Either the man had no idea where the beasts were or he was running this investigation by the book.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he almost failed to notice the man enter the lounge area and stand near the entrance for a moment. The man paused to allow his eyes to adjust to the dimness, then began to search the tables.

Preoccupied or not, his survival instinct kicked in, and he had a feeling that he was the object of the newcomer's search. He glanced over at Bluestone for a moment. The detective was in the process of roughing up a couple of lowlifes at the other end of the lounge.

He turned his attention back over to the newcomer and made a covert movement at his table, designed to catch the man's eye. His instincts were upheld when the man moved in his direction.

"May I sit down?"

He inclined his head, as the man sat down, "I'm surprised to see you here…"

There was a momentary silence until the visitor smiled slightly, "And I could say the same for you… Hunter."

"I'd thank you not to use that name…" Jon Canmore forced down his temper and allowed his eyes to fall over the room, several officers were assisting Bluestone in hauling up the dregs and dragging them out of the bar. The whole scene was surreal and it was almost painfully obvious this was now a matter of rounding up the usual suspects, "I thought Bluestone would have picked you up already…"

David Xanatos leaned forward, "He stopped by shortly after the story broke. My lawyers assured him I had nothing to do with the disappearance of Detective Maza." He paused for a moment when a waitress stopped by to take his order bet waived her off and turned his attention back to Jon, "Though I can't say I'm not delighted she's… missing. The woman has been a thorn in my side for some time now and I'm rather enjoying her… absence."

The Hunter hid the expression on his face, but was hard pressed not to laugh. He had no doubt Xanatos was fishing for information, but he was a bit concerned in the fact that he had found him. He pondered the idea that it may well have been him who had sent the anonymous message. If he was, now would been the best time to work a new deal. With Bluestone present, Xanatos would be more inclined to deal as to not draw attention to himself.

"Yes… I'm sure you are…" he replied neutrally.

"I'd like to make sure the situation stays the way it is…"

Jon Canmore leaned back in his chair, "And what makes you think I know anything about this… situation?"

Xanatos smiled thinly, "Let's not be coy… If you aren't the one responsible then you must know who is…"

Jon pondered the statement for a moment and decided Xanatos clearly was not the sender. If he had been, he never would have bother coming here to play this little game. Since that appeared to be the case, he saw no reason not to play the two ends against each other and increase the profits a bit, "Perhaps… but there will be a fee for my … services."

"Of course." the man replied calmly. "Will three hundred thousand be sufficient?"

A hefty amount, especially when no work was involved on his part. Jon surpressed a grin. Xanatos had sealed his own fate, in making the deal, he added himself to the risk. The billionaire business man had taken a contract out on a law enforcement officer's life… granted one who was already kidnapped, but the courts would not be inclined to split hairs, of that the Hunter was certain.

He nodded Xanatos, "Fine. I'll do what I can. However, I will require payment now, and I offer no guarantees."

"It's settled then." Xanatos turned to nod at a blond man who had walked up behind him. He set a briefcase on the table between the two men and Xanatos turned a few numbers on the lock. He spun the case towards the Hunter. Inside the case were stacks of money in various demotions. "Feel free to count it…"

Jon shook his head slightly, "That wont be necessary…"

"Trust is a wonderful thing...." He placed a small piece of paper next to the case and stood up, "You can contact me there when the job is finished." he said, and left the bar quickly.

The Hunter noticed Bluestone watching Xanatos and his companion leave. The detective tapped one of the other officers and then turned sharply to follow the pair, with a satisfied expression on his face.

He finally gave in to his laughter, fingering the case lightly. It was better than he would have thought possible. Bluestone did think Xanatos was responsible for the disappearance of his partner. Perhaps in a few days he would drop the detective a note just to confirm his suspicions.

***** ***** *****

"I really don't understand why you don't see the humor in all this. Here I am holding you prisoner, and your old nemesis hires me to kill you. Another one of life's little ironies, wouldn't you say?"

Elisa was still tied to the chair, and did not reply. Instead, she watched him for a moment, a strange, unreadable expression on her face. "You could care less," she said finally, "about what happens to me, couldn't you?"

"Are you asking generally or specifically?"

"You tell me, you're the one holding all the cards right now."

He shrugged. "Then 'no' to both. You mean absolutely nothing to me, except as a means to an end."

"They never did anything to you... it's not in their nature. All they want to do is live in peace…" Her voice faltered momentarily as her voice stiffened. "I'm wasting my time, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are… but I imagine you knew that all along didn't you?" She turned away from him and remained silent. He walked closer and turned her face back to his. "And you are wrong, they did do something to me…"

She jerked away from his touch but held his gaze, and he smiled a humorless grin, "You're loyalties so are misplaced… I thought you would have figured it by now… their kind are not capable or worthy of such… loyalty."

The look she gave him was something he didn't expect and he had the distinct feeling that she was… laughing at him.

Something began to stir in the back of his mind and he suddenly found himself wondering if he hadn't made a serious mistake in going after her instead of hunting the beasts directly.

***** ***** *****

Jon Canmore looked out over the city, darkness had fallen as a freak storm front had seized the city. The power had gone out a few hours ago and it didn't appear the city workers weren't going to get it back up any time soon. He'd seen several of the power companies trucks go by in a vain effort to get power restored.

The only light in the room came from the few windows and the computer and the security monitors, which were hooked to their own power source. The search he'd conducted was complete and he now knew who had sent the original message requesting to have Elisa Maza 'dealt with'.

The message came from Nightstone Unlimited.

He never expected it but looking back he understood he should have. Elisa Maza was wrong to think the beasts were anything but just that… beasts. She'd spoken of their loyalties and dedication, but he believed she was now beginning to understand for all their implied loyalties, they had been just that.

Implied.

He turned to speak in the dim light, "It would seem I was correct before. You're loyalties were misplaced. I don't believe your 'friends' are going to come after you at all."

The look on her face when he told her they had taken out the initial contract on her was priceless. Not only did Xanatos want her dead but the beasts did as well and they all came to him to carry out the task although he doubted the beasts realized it was he who accepted the offer.

Elisa was still secured in her chair and had said nothing to him since their conversation the previous night. He had been getting strange vibes from the woman for several hours. It was as if her own silence had been somehow heightened by the storm.

He was about to speak again when he heard a banging coming from the building door, "Who's there?" he called out.

The voice was muffled coming from the other side, "Power Company. We need to come in and check the breakers…"

"It's really not a good time." He replied slowly.

"Well, we can come back later but it might mean we don't get the power back on until tomorrow …" The voice paused, "Makes no difference to us if want to sit in the dark all night..."

Ever cautious, the Hunter looked over at the security camera monitor. Two workmen stood outside, loaded down with repair equipment. He hesitated, then made his decision. He pulled a pistol from a desk drawer and moved behind Elisa to untie her.

"Try anything and you'll force me to kill them." he was relatively certain her convictions, which held her to uphold the law, would keep her from jeopardizing innocent lives.

She said nothing, but nodded in agreement as she watched him tuck a pistol into his coat. The Hunter unlocked the door and stepped back casually. As soon as the door opened, the two workmen came in with their heads down and headed for a near by circuit box.

Jon turned to Elisa, watching for any suspicious moves on her part and keeping one hand near the grip of the weapon hidden in the folds of his clothing. Once he was satisfied she wasn't going to do anything stupid he focused back on the newcomers.

When he turned back to the electricians, he found himself staring down the muzzle of a 9-mm pistol.

Matt Bluestone smiled at him, "Hi, Jon… Long time no see…"

The Hunter lunged at the man and was surprised to find himself suspended in mid air. When he looked around he realized he was being held up by the back of his coat by one of the creatures that had hired him. The large lavender gargoyle grumbled at him menacingly, "I think not…"

The Hunter reacted faster than the gargoyle anticipated and brought his concealed pistol around to fire at Elisa when the other "workman" grabbed his arm and pulled the gun from his grasp.

"I'll take that… I doubt you'll be needed it any more tonight…" Brooklyn replied softly. He'd shed the overalls and hardhat, which had help to conceal his true nature and finally allowed his wings to uncap from his body, "Man am I glad to be out of that thing…"

Matt called out, and two more shadows rushed in, followed by a second man. He entered the room and shook the rain from his coat and broke into a smile when he saw Elisa.

"Is everything all right Detective?"

"I've been better, Xanatos." she replied tersely. She nearly stumbled as she stood up and Broadway moved over to help her up. Her legs felt like they had been anesthetized from sitting for so long and her wrists ached from the restraints, "What took you guys so long? I thought my butt was going to go fall asleep from sitting there for so long…"

Lexington smiled at her as he moved across the room, "Sorry 'bout that… 'Someone' wanted to stop to get a bite to eat on the way over…"

Broadway glared over at his rookery brother, "I did not!" he turned and gave Elisa a sheepish grin, "I ate before we left…"

Elisa smiled at the turquoise gargoyle as she rubbed her wrists in an effort to restore the circulation, "Yeah, I bet you did…" she then turned to face the only one in he room she was even concerned about, "Hey Big Guy…"

Goliath tossed the ill-fated Hunter into the chair where Elisa had been held. He then moved to her and brought her into his embrace, the relief that she was indeed safe evident in his face. Elisa hugged him tightly as the others watched on in silence.

She finally eased away from him and turned to face her former captor and eyed him impassively. "I'm surprised, didn't it ever occur to you this was a bit too easy?"

After a moment, Jon Canmore found his voice, the accent he'd fought so hard to surpress coming out in the faintest of tones, "Why don't you just arrest me and be done with it?"

"I wanted to when I heard what you were up to, but I didn't have anything concrete to go on. In fact, I wasn't even sure who I was looking for. The surgery must have set you back a bit…" Elisa ran her hands through her hair, "Besides, nothing the courts could do to you would equal what Demona will do when she finds you…"

Elisa gave him a strange smile, "It bugs me to have to work this way but it's still justice in a way..."

Her anger finally surfaced as her hands curled into fists and moved to him menacingly, "And you deserve whatever happens. For all the lives you've so casually and carelessly endangered." She glanced over to where Goliath now stood with the others on the other side of the room and whispered, "And for them…"

Xanatos walked over, temporarily interrupting the rather one sided conversation, "Like I told you before, Detective, revenge is the best way…"

He tipped an imaginary hat at the Hunter as he retrieved the small transmitter from the interior of the case he'd given him the previous night, "It was a pleasure doing business with you Mr. Canmore. I believe this may the best investment I've ever made."

Matt walked over and gave Elisa a rough hug, "Good to see ya… I was starting to get worried." he gave the Hunter a powerful glare before looking back at his partner, "You can fill me in on the details later. Right now we need to get out of here and let Angela and Hudson know everything is fine."

She gave him a inquisitive look, "Where are they?"

"The power station. Goliath thought it best for Angela to wait there in case Demona was…" Matt paused for a moment and rethought his words, "We didn't want the electricity coming back up until we were ready."

Elisa nodded, "How much time do we have?"

Matt checked his watch in the dim light, "I'd say less than an hour…" He gave her a rueful grin as he looked up, "We'd better get going before she shows up."

Elisa nodded absently and started to respond, but instead looked away, a cloud passing over her eyes as she did. Once Xanatos and Matt were gone she focused back to the Hunter.

He met her blazing eyes briefly. Revenge, he thought grimly… he never would have expected it, at least not from her, "Why would the Beast be coming here? She has no idea where to find me…" he asked at last.

"When she gets here, and she will soon, and finds out you had me and didn't contact her right away... well, you can't strive to be the Master of the Universe without becoming suspicious of everyone and Demona tends to believe the worst where humans are involved."

"You're crazy! She never knew I had you..." he stopped abruptly as the realization struck. "Unless someone told her…"

Elisa nodded, giving him a wicked smile, "You catch on quick. See, you sent one to Demona about my capture and requesting payment in full… then you sent one to Xanatos telling him where he could find me..."

"I never sent any messages…" He glanced over at Lexington, who was busily tinkering with the hard drive of his computer, "But it will look like I did by the time she gets here…"

"Did you really think we'd go through this much trouble just to walk out and let you go?" She gave him a cocked eye, "This wasn't about you… at least not entirely. We needed a way to figure out what risks she was willing to take in order to get at me."

She glanced over at Goliath and felt a chill come over her as she did, "I imagine she had the same plan you did… to use me to get at them."

"The real trick was your meeting with Xanatos," she continued, "Since the city 'seems' to believe he helped the gargoyles, we needed a way to pull the heat off of him, something that would let the city focus on something else for a little while. Nothing will do it faster than the disappearance of a cop…"

She paused to allow the significance of the last remark to sink in. A soft curse escaped the Hunter's lips, "It was a set up… designed to look like Xanatos was," Jon glared at her, "paying a ransom…"

"Should Demona, or anyone else for that matter, run your account, they're liable find a rather large chunk of change." She smiled at the others who were helping Lexington put the cover back on the computer and then rested a hand on the case Xanatos had given to him earlier, "Quite a bit of cash for someone who doesn't exist anymore."

The Hunter glanced over at the case on the table. "Am I to take this as some sort of payoff for allowing you and the beasts to live?"

"Take it or leave it, doesn't matter to me either way, but I think it's only fair to tell you as far as this whole matter is concerned I never got a good look at whoever jumped me… so as long as I don't see you, you still don't exist."

"It would seem," Jon cocked his head slightly, "I made a mistake… but believe me when I tell you it is not one I will make again. The Hunt is not over…"

"You just don't get it do you?" Elisa leaned in close to him, unmoved by his veiled threat, "This particular 'Hunt' is over. Your only hope of making in this lifetime is for the Clan to remain alive… and unmolested."

She glanced down at her watch thoughtfully, "I'd say you have less than twenty minutes… You can try to get the computer and hardware out and be here when Demona shows up… or you can save yourself and leave now. "

Jon Canmore glared at her hard as he stood, "Which will only confirm the beast's and everyone else's suspicions."

Elisa shrugged. "Like I said before, Demona tends to believe the worst." Turning quickly, she followed Goliath and the others out of the room.

When she reached the door she turned slightly, "If I were you, I'd start running."

***** ***** *****

They stood on the roof of an adjacent building, surrounded by the sounds and smells of the storm fading in the cool night air. Jon Canmore had abandoned the building, with the case, a few minutes after they left and his timing couldn't have been better.

Demona had just arrived.

They listened for a few minutes to the quiet and then heard the woman go wild. She departed a few minutes later; a rage of fury and wings into the night. The others waited until she was safely out of sight, then departed for the castle leaving Elisa and Goliath alone on the rooftop.

Elisa stood quietly thinking about how they had gotten to this point. Two weeks ago Lexington had been surfing the web and discovered the message board looking for someone to take on the job of 'dealing' with the gargoyles. It was no surprise to find such a request since they had been popping up on the web quiet often, but it was the first request that had included her name along with the rest of the Clan.

It hadn't taken the young gargoyle long to trace the request back to Demona and even less time to find that the Hunter had taken up the offer. They all knew it was only a matter of time before one of them struck and to prevent the worse from happening they wanted it to be under their terms.

Their only saving grace was that the message stated Elisa was to be taken alive and if she were 'harmed' no payment would be made. Apparently Demona wanted that task for herself and they were counting on greed to keep the Hunter in check and not do anything rash.

Goliath had been against the plan from the start as it meant involvement with Demona. But after several nights of arguing back and forth with Elisa, she eventually won him over. They both knew for the Clan to survive in the city it was necessary to keep the risks to a minimum and lately the biggest threats were the two parties who had unknowingly become partners in the attempt on Elisa's life.

This whole night had come with a price, the question was, how much had they lost?

A few feet from the ledge of the building, Elisa stopped and raised her eyes to the slowly clearing sky, it was studded with growing pinpoints of light. They stood in the quiet for several minutes and it was Goliath who finally broke the silence, "Was it fair to tell him that?"

The reply was so long in coming, he began to believe she had not heard him... or else had no intention of answering the question.

"What do you mean?" she replied softly

"That little speech. You know we will protect him… despite what he has done we harbor no ill will against him."

"He doesn't know that…"

The words reminded him of a conversation he'd had with Demona so long ago. Elisa's voice now had the same tone hers did that night and he was chilled by it. "Revenge… That's what this was about…"

"Maybe." She replied after a fashion.

Goliath took a deep breath, "It has never been your way..."

"As much as I hate to admit it… Xanatos may have been right…." She paused, her eyes still fastened on the stars, seeing some distant image invisible to him, "It's the best way to get even."

Goliath looked at her, "Do you feel any better for it?"

Elisa paused to contemplate the question, "I don't know yet…"

Goliath looked away, this was a side of her he'd never seen before and it worried him. She was displaying attributes he was accustomed to seeing in Demona, and he didn't care for the way things had been left in the building earlier. The similarities were too close. If Elisa were to change the way Demona had…

He was pulled from his reprieve by the sound of her voice calling to him.

"Goliath," She gave him a tentative look, the tears bright in her eyes, "If it did… and I'm not saying that it does… would you love me any less because of it?"

He could see the pain in her eyes and knew this was taking a toll on her physically as well as emotionally. The fact that she was concerned about how he might react to her actions told him everything he needed to know. She was not the same woman as his former love.

He took a deep breath and moved to her, "No… My love for you is even greater. You willingly sacrificed a part of yourself to keep us safe."

"I should have listened to you…" Elisa felt her legs give out and dropped to slowly to the rooftop, "There probably was a better way to do this…"

Goliath scooped her up into his arms and kissed her lightly. He whispered to her softly and felt her wrap her arms around his neck to cling to him tightly; her body shaking slightly as the tears spilled over.

After a few minutes he shifted her around and carried her to the ledge of the building, "Come My love… Let's go home…"

***** ***** *****