Chapter 4

Clue Hunting

After Christine finished her story, Hudson and Brooklyn took a moment to think about her dilemma. "Did either Xanatos or Puck give you any other clues towards your identity or where you are from?" Hudson asked, stroking his beard. Christine shook her head.

"No, Puck said he needed access to my memories to figure that out." She shivered, grateful that she hadn't let the fairy dive into her mind.

"It's just as well," Brooklyn leaned back on the couch and stretched his arms. "Xanatos and Puck may have their redeeming qualities from time to time, but for the most part, their help is to aid their own self-interests. I would advise you to keep them both at arms' length."

"Aye." Hudson agreed. "Especially Puck, there's always a price to be paid with that one."

Christine nodded. "Elisa said as much." She leaned forward and held her chin on top of her folded hands. "I wonder..."

"What, lass?" Hudson asked.

"Lots of things," Christine shrugged. "But I wonder if there are any clues left behind in the alley I woke up in. Elisa said she would check it out once I could confirm where that was."

"Well, hey. No time like the present. We can check it out now if you want." Brooklyn offered.

"Really? That would be great! But um, don't you want to-"

"The eggs will be there for a while," Brooklyn shrugged. "Meanwhile, any trail of clues that you left behind will only grow colder." Brooklyn stood, eager to get going.

"Well, alright." Christine stood.

"Brooklyn, a word" Hudson hushed.

"You go on ahead to the balcony, I'll be there in a minute," Brooklyn assured her. Christine nodded and headed up the stairs that lead to the outdoor balcony. "What is it?" he asked.

"I know what you're doing lad. It's not going to make things any better for you." Hudson's tone was gentle, but he crossed his arms with disapproval.

"I just need some time to process, ok? Take my mind off things. I'll be ok." Brooklyn promised.

"I thought you made your peace about all this, years ago." Hudson frowned, feeling concerned for the young gargoyle.

"That doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt once and awhile." Brooklyn sighed. "Look, I'll go help Christine look for clues. Maybe I'll find something more about Sevarius in the process; then as soon as I get back, I'll go see Angela and Broadway in the rookery."

"I can't tell ya what to do lad, but I'll advise you not to allow petty jealousy to consume you. It makes a poor person out of anybody, and weakens the resolve of a leader." He warned. Brooklyn nodded, his heart heavier than he let on.

"I know, " He whispered.

"You go on now lad, I'll keep watch."

"Thanks, Hudson." he turned to climb up the steps to the balcony, then halfway up he turned back. "Not a word to the others."

Hudson balked. "Do you really think I would do so? Get on lad! You know my word is good. This stays between us."

"I'm sorry, it's just, the others look up to me. I don't want to lose their respect in this matter."

"Understood lad, now go! Clear your head. Perhaps another flight will do you good."

Christine made her way up to the balcony and was welcomed by a strong breeze blowing across the clouds. The castle was so high up, the winds were almost always present. Christine relished in it. Though she could remember little, she knew in an instant that she had always loved the wind. The current was so strong she felt that if it blew any stronger, the breeze would pick her up off her feet and she'd fly around like a kite. She closed her eyes, lifted her arms out like wings, and allowed the wind to completely envelop her. For a few precious moments, though the wind blew fiercely, her mind was calm and still. A few moments later, Brooklyn appeared.

"Ready to go?" He asked with a rather stiff smile on his face. Christine nodded. "Do you know which area of town you woke up in?" Christine gazed across the horizon and her eyes found the Police's clock tower.

"Let me see, if the clock tower is there, then...It's hard to tell from here. I have the worst sense of direction!" She moaned.

"Well then, let's go there first and get your sense of direction from there." Brooklyn declared as he spread his wings. "Have you ever flown before? Oh, wait, you wouldn't remember. Sorry." He gave a sheepish chuckle.

"It's ok, I... think I might have. Never with a gargoyle, though, I'm sure."

"A first for everything I guess." he turned his back to her and kneeled down. "Wrap your arms around my shoulders and hold on tight." Christine braced herself into position, her hands gripping tightly to her wrists. Then Brooklyn swooped up her legs piggy-back style. "Now, when I jump off, I'm going to let go of your legs so I can use my arms freely. Just keep holding on to my shoulders and you'll be fine."

"Have you done this with other humans before?" Christine asked as he stood.

"Not really." He replied.

"What!?" Before another word could be said, Brooklyn hopped up to the edge then dove off it to catch the updraft in his wings. Christine didn't have time to think or to scream. One second she had the sensation of falling, the next she was gliding over the city. Although she would have had every right to be afraid, somehow, she wasn't. It was more than blind faith in her new friend. It almost felt as if she had done this several times before.

"You alright up there?" he asked. "You're awfully quiet."

"I'm great!" she replied. In fact, she felt almost as light and free as she did on the castle balcony. Something about the wind both calmed and excited her. Within moments, Brooklyn posed to land and made a touchdown on the balcony of the clock tower.

"Ahh, my home away from home." Brooklyn sighed as Christine slid off his back. "We used to live here before Xanatos invited us to live back in the castle," he explained.

"What do you mean, invited you back?" Christine asked. Brooklyn waved a hand as if shooing away an insect.

"Long story for another time, but as you may have guessed, we were not always on such friendly terms with Xanatos as we are now."

"Things must have been pretty bad if you still don't trust him." Christine gazed up at Brooklyn. He was at least a foot taller than she was, and from where she stood, she saw a stern, bitter look in his eyes.

"We trust him well enough now, but we still have to be careful. Sometimes it seems that people change for the better and sometimes they don't." His gaze softened as he changed the subject. "Now, can you get your sense of direction from here?" Christine stepped closer to the edge and looked down the wall of the building. Brooklyn had landed at the main entrance face of the clock tower. She gazed out and got her bearings.

"Yes. That ghetto to the east. Elisa picked me up not far from there." With that, Brooklyn got Christine positioned onto his back once more and they were off. Once in the ghetto, it took them a couple of tries to find the right alley.

"I must have wandered further than I thought." She explained. "I was so lost, I just kept walking till I found a way to go." Finally, they had found it. "I remember that there was a tall, grassy field at one opening of the alley, and the littered trench on the other side of the street." Though neither of them had thought to bring a flashlight, they made do with the dim light of the streetlamp nearby.

"Any idea what we're looking for?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not. I'm sorry Brooklyn, this may be all for nothing, and I've wasted your night."

"Offering to help someone with a problem is never a waste," Brooklyn assured her. "Especially if that person is a friend." With that, they started to root through the litter in the alley. After several long minutes of finding nothing, Christine was ready to suggest that they call it quits when a dark shadow fell across the alley. A tall, dark-robed figure glided across the sidewalk. Both Christine and Brooklyn flinched and tried to make themselves as small as possible, so not to be noticed. But the figure turned into the alley and drew closer, a clashing and clanging sound rattling down the alley with it. As it drew closer, they heard a gravelly voice singing "I Love Trash" from Sesame Street.

Suddenly the cart stopped a few feet in front of them. "Hey!" a crackled voice called from the dark mass. "What are you doing in my alley!?" Neither Christine nor Brooklyn made a move. "Hey, girly, I'm talking to you!" Christine slowly rose to her feet, Brooklyn silent behind her, ready for action if needed. "It's about time! Care to explain what a fancy gal like yourself is doing in my home?" The owner of the cracked voice stepped out from behind her overloaded grocery cart. She was neither tall nor very old, despite her voice. The woman must have been a smoker, among other things. Christine's first impression of the woman was that she had the build of a troll. Short and stocky, only enhanced by the layers of sweaters and jackets she was wearing. Her face was smeared with dirt and grime, her dark hair was set into two braids that poked out underneath a very bright red ski cap. It must have been the only new item she owned.

"I'm very sorry ma'am, I was looking for something I may have lost here a few nights ago." Christine apologized.

"Heh," the woman chucked. Anything lost in this alley instantly becomes mine! Sorry, girly, but if you lost anything here, it ain't yours no more!" the woman cackled. Christine felt a tug on her sleeve.

"Come on, Christy, let's get out of here," Brooklyn whispered.

"What's that?" The woman had better hearing than either gave her credit for.

"Nothing!" Christine lied.

"You don't fool me, child." She peered around Christine's shoulder. "Come on out gargoyle! I see you there!" Brooklyn rose to his full height and spread his wings out once for emphasis of his presence. "Hmph, you and your kind don't often come down here to this part of the city, eh? Stay where all the big action is?"

"Often, the ones out to get us live down here." Brooklyn crossed his arms.

"True enough, some of the washed-up quarrymen haunt this part of town." She cackled once more. "But they are only gutless cowards that prey upon the weak. They've never gotten me yet!" She cackled once again, which was starting to grate on Christine and Brooklyn's nerves. "Only one thing has ever gotten the better of Crazy Cathy! You wanna know what that is girly? Aliens! Wrestled with one the other night! It just fell out of nowhere into my alley! All blue and glowing! Before it had the chance to take me up to its leader, I took my trusty lead pipe and beat the dickens out of it! Even got me this fine trophy from 'er!" Crazy Cathy held up a medallion that was suspended around her neck on an old tattered lanyard. The pieces instantly fell into place.

"You! That's mine! You nearly killed me the other night!" Christine was enraged. This crazy kook could have killed her! Brooklyn growled a low primal sound and grabbed Crazy Cathy by the lapels of her outermost jacket.

"Anything to say for yourself?" he demanded.

"Crazy Cathy don't cower to no one! Neither man, beast, nor alien!" She shouted.

Brooklyn growled again. "Just hand over the medallion and you will walk away from this, none the worse for wear."

"Why should I?" Crazy Cathy sneered.

"We're good friends with a police detective." Christine declared. "I'm sure she'd just love to know who beat me up the other night."

"Hah! Threaten me with arrest? Girly, you don't know how to bargain with a homeless person do you?"

"Or we could not tell her, and I could contact my leaders instead." Christine offered, playing along with the alien bit. "In fact, we probably don't need to call them at all. They're supposed to collect me any day now. I've almost completed a full analysis of this part of the planet, and once my time is up, my superiors will just use that medallion to beam me up and take me back to space."

Crazy Cathy took the bait and panicked. "Fine! You win! Take the stupid medal! It's probably worthless anyhow! Just take it and go!" Her feet wiggled like crazy until Brooklyn put her back on the ground.

"With pleasure." he grinned. With one swift movement, he took the medallion from Crazy Cathy and handed it to Christine. "Hold on to me," he commanded. Christine jumped onto his back and he soon began to climb up the wall with his claws.

Crazy Cathy cried out once more. "Don't let me catch you in my alley again, or I'll give you an even bigger whoopen' than before!"

"Don't worry! We won't!" Christine declared. Never in her life did she want to set foot in that dirty ghetto again, if only to avoid another face-off with Crazy Cathy. "I think I'm ready to go back, aren't you?" She asked Brooklyn with a sardonic smile.

"I'll say! I've had some crazy nights out on patrol, some stranger than this, but this will be a night to remember." he chuckled. "Let's get back home" And in his heart, he was ready.