Chapter 1

The Lost One

A young woman strode swiftly through the lamp-lit streets of Manhattan. She didn't know where she was or how she got there. She had no memory of what had happened before she woke up cold and bleeding on the pavement of an empty alley. She wasn't even sure who she was, which was unsettling. When she woke up with a pounding headache just a few minutes earlier, she could hear the echo of the name "Christine" echoing through her head. She wasn't even sure if Christine was her name, but it was the only name stuck in her mind, and it seemed to fit her. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window of a foreclosed building, the streetlight illuminating her reflection. Logically, she knew the girl in the glass had to be her, but she did not recognize her own reflection!

When she leaned in for a closer look, she could see silver streaks in her platinum blond hair shimmering in the lamplight. Surely she must have had a shock of some kind. No wonder she couldn't remember anything that had happened before she woke up. Though disoriented, she knew she had to keep moving, But where? She wondered to herself. She took one last one look at her reflection. The leather armor that covered her chest, shoulders, and legs was white - or it used to be before it was covered in blood and dirt. Her skin-tight sleeves and leggings were an ethereal mix of purple and blue, and her holster wrapped around her right thigh was empty. Out of the corner of her vision, a dark figure passed behind her, a reptilian face with six glowing eyes came into view on the glass. Flint!

Christine turned quickly, her heart racing, unprepared to face her foe. Flint wasn't there, only an old man slowly pushing an overloaded grocery cart full of his belongings down the street. With a deep sigh of relief, Christine turned left and kept walking. Whoever Flint was, she did not want to come face to face with him any time soon. Where to go? In the distance, police sirens wailed in the night. A pair of police cars sped by a few blocks ahead. Of course, I should find the authorities! Though sore all over, Christine picked up the pace and headed towards the sirens. As she ran, a blue aura shone around her and glowed in her eyes. A gentle breeze picked up and followed her as she jogged along.

Several minutes later, the city changed from the ghetto to developments and tall business buildings. She looked left and right. Though she could still hear sirens in the distance, she could not find any police vehicles nearby. She stopped and sighed, taking a moment to catch her breath. She hoped she would find help soon. She was already feeling rather helpless. The last thing she needed was to get caught into some kind of trouble. She stayed close to the street lamps, hoping their light would ward off shady creatures.

She walked past a red Chevrolet where a man and a woman were seated inside. Christine kept walking, hoping it was just an ordinary car with ordinary people sitting inside it. She hadn't gotten far when she heard the car door open and the woman popped out.

"Miss, do you need help?" Christine's defenses rose, but she did her best to look calm as she turned her shoulders back in the direction of the woman. As she turned to look at the woman, she saw a kind and compassionate face. "Miss, you're hurt. What happened?" The woman was tall, had a mocha complexion, long dark hair, and a red jacket.

"I d-d-don't know." Christine stuttered, her nerves jumping like an electric wire. Unbeknownst to her, her aura began to glow as her anxiety mounted. The woman's eyes widened for just a moment, but gave no other indication of shock at what she had just seen. She turned to glance at her partner as if to say Did you see what I just saw?

She reached into her jacket and pulled out her badge. "Don't be afraid. I'm Elisa Maza, I'm a police detective. That's my partner, Detective Matt Bluestone." She pointed to the gentleman who had also popped out of the car.

"What seems to be the trouble ma'am?" He asked as his gaze moved up and down her tattered appearance.

"I need help," she said meekly.

"No kidding," Elisa replied. "She's definitely had some trouble Matt. we better take her back to the station and let Simmons take over the watch."

"It's alright miss," said Matt, "We're here to help."

At the police station, the detectives took Christine to an office and gave her a blanket and a warm drink to help calm her down. .

"So, can you tell us your name, hon?" asked detective Maza kindly.

"Christine... I think."

"You think? Are you telling us that you don't remember?" Detective Bluestone asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"No. I mean yes, I mean... I don't remember anything before I woke up an hour ago."

"Well then, We might have to run a missing person report before the night is out." said detective Maza. "Sometimes victims of an accident or an assault have temporary memory loss. What can you tell us? Where did you wake up?"

Christine told detective Maza all she could which wasn't much, detective Bluestone wrote everything down.

"Well miss, I can assure you that we'll do all we can to help you. But for now, until more details come to the surface, the only thing left we can do tonight is take you to a hospital and let the docs check you out." Said Bluestone as he clicked his pen and closed his notepad. Maza put a reassuring hand on Christine's shoulder.

"Don't worry, this is just a precaution. We don't know what happened to you tonight. We just want to make sure that you're alright." Maza gave her a compassionate smile and helped Christine up to her feet.

"I understand. Thank you, Detective." Christine was nervous, but Detective Maza's kind smile helped ease her.

Three hours later, Christine was in a shared, but quiet hospital room. The doctors had given her a medicine to help calm her jumping nerves and aching body, but there was no magic pill to bring her memory back. It was unnerving. Christine felt so empty, so lost, and alone. She wondered if she would ever be whole again. She lay in the hospital bed, trying to find some though to comfort herself. The minutes felt like hours as she lay there, trying to find some consolation. Somehow amidst the beeping monitors, the sound of murmuring voices in the halls, and the sterile smell of antiseptic, fatigue took over and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

At the NYPD

"Something is definitely wrong here, Matt. Dr. Sevarius is rumored to be running around, gathering more "subjects" for his experiments again." Elisa used air quotes, cringing in disgust at the thought of Dr. Anton Sevarius conducting more experiments. She could never forgive him after what he had done to her brother six years ago. "And this woman shows up where we were staked out glowing like a glowstick? It can't be a coincidence."

"I agree, but we still need more evidence. That woman may or may not be connected to Sevarius. She could be connected to Xanatos, or there's something else going on."

Elisa shook her head. "I don't think Xanatos is behind this. He has his track record, but he's been behaving himself lately. Besides, it's much easier to keep an eye on him when he lives under the same roof as the gargoyles. All the same, whether this woman is connected to Sevarious or not, we need to get the others involved."

"That's just what I was thinking." Matt agreed with a smile, knowing exactly who she would get in contact with for help.

The Eyrie Building

Elisa looked around at her clan, a family of seven gargoyles; brave and fearless warriors who had faced many challenges over the years, especially magical ones. She told them the whole story of what she had seen that night on patrol.

"A mystery woman?" The leader, Goliath asked.

Elisa nodded. "She just showed up out of nowhere while Matt and I were on our stakeout. She had no memory of who she is or how she got here."

"What do you need us to do?" Asked Brooklyn, the second in command.

"Truthfully, I'm not sure yet. Remember when I told you about the rumors of Dr. Sevarius collecting more subjects downtown near the ghettos?"

"Yes. Do you think this woman may be connected to those rumors?" Goliath asked. "What makes you think so?"

"She appeared on the same side of town where Sevarius is rumored to have his newest lab. What's more, she was glowing a blue light when I first spoke to her...It was unusual to say the least. If she is connected to Sevarius, we need to find out why she was glowing like that and what that means."

"Sounds more like magic if you ask me," Came a new voice from behind. Elisa and the clan turned around to face Mr. David Xanatos who had entered the room unexpectedly. David Xanatos had once been an enemy to the clan, driving them out of their ancestral home and abusing their strengths for his benefit. Things began to change for the better after the gargoyles saved Xanatos's infant son after he was kidnapped for ransom four years ago.

"I know I'm more of a man of science, but after what I've seen from my in-laws, my wife, son, and assistant, I think it's safe to say that the possibility is there. This is why you're asking for help from the clan isn't it?" Xanatos deducted.

"Yes, the possibility did cross my mind, but what do you care?" Elisa asked crossly. Though the rocky relationship between Xanatos and the clan had improved over the years, Elisa still had trouble trusting him. He too, had once been affiliated with Dr. Sevarius.

"You wound me, Detective. I'm a very caring man. This case of yours is very interesting indeed, and I'd like to be of service."

Elisa crossed her arms defensively, but Goliath was much more gracious. "In what way?" He asked.

"Owen is the magic expert, and personally I would love to learn more about it, especially since he's training my son in the arts of magic. Perhaps together we can figure out who this mystery woman is and what she's capable of."