Jeez you try to claim rights ONE time to some royalties and the big shots get all hoytie-toytie.
Soooo(glares at army of lawyers breathing down neck)
I don't own Gargoyles(yet). The characters, settings, and all other characteristics of the show belong to Disney(for the time being).
THERE! ARE YA HAPPY "LAW"?? ARE YA HAPPY???
Enjoy.
Chapter3
After stopping by the police station to report Elisa's disappearance and suspected kidnapping, the human, Matt Bluestone, and the two Gargoyles known as Goliath and Lexington flew over to Elisa's apartment.
As always the large window that acted as a roof was unlatched and the three let themselves in.
The apartment was as clean as ever. Every pillow was propped in its proper place. There were no dishes in the sink. The trash had been taken out. The only thing that stirred in the small apartment was Cadney, who purred and rubbed against Goliath's leg. He picked her up absently and started to look around. The two behind him followed suit and began searching for any signs of a struggle.
They had been searching for fifteen minutes when another entered the apartment.
Angela landed gracefully and folded her wings to fit in the confined space. She lifted an eye as the other's continued looking for any clue to Elisa's whereabouts.
"What are you all doing here?" She crossed her arms.
Goliath stepped out of the bedroom and walked over to his daughter.
"Looking for something. What are you doing here?"
"Elisa told me to stop by." Instantly all eyes were on her and she was cornered by the three males. Goliath grabbed her arms and searched her face.
"When? Just now? Where was she?"
Angela shook her head in confusion.
"She asked me last night to stop by." Their instant sad faces surprised her. "What's going on here?"
Matt rubbed his temples and plopped down on the couch.
"Elisa's missing."
The young gargoyle raised a hand to her mouth and gasped. "What do you mean she's missing??"
Goliath ran a hand through his long mane and shook his head. " We found her car still in the parking lot and some sort of drug by it. She never showed up for work. We have reason to believe she was kidnapped."
"Oh my God…"
Lexington looked down at the floor and then up at his leader. Goliath's jaw was locked and he gazed out of the window.
"Goliath." The large male looked down to his youngest clan member, "There's really nothing here to look at. Why don't we head back and talk to Xanatos. He can probably use his resources to help."
The leader nodded and moved toward the window. He turned around to gather Matt but found the young man heading toward the door.
"Don't you want to come with us?"
"Naw, I'm going to give Elisa's friends and relatives a phone call. If they don't know where she is then I can at least tell them." He waved and headed out the door.
The three gargoyles jumped out of the window and then spread the wings and glided home.
When she finally came to her senses Elisa found herself in yet another disagreeable situation. Her hands were raised painfully above her head. She opened her eyes and found that the black underwear she had been wearing was once again on her body. Her ankles were chained below her to the ground.
Elisa tried to move but found that her wrists were handcuffed tight to a pole of wood that extended a good ten feet above her head. Motions were limited with anything greater than a turn resulting in certain dislocation.
Accessing that she was now completely trapped she finally looked up to the site in front of her.
A mass of Quarrymen stood as one in the pale darkness. Five or six of them held torches with cast shadows over their clad forms. The flames played over their masks causing their faces to transform into those of demons.
Beyond their huddled forms she could see trees clumped together. Although painful, she raised her head a bit more and saw the stars and the almost full moon.
Elisa took a great risk and opened her mouth.
Before she could let out the great scream she thought might save her a fist connected with her jaw and another rammed into her abdomen.
She tried to suck in air but only went limp against her bonds and wheezed.
"No screaming, princess."
Elisa looked up just as Daniel began to shove something in her mouth. It wrapped around her head and he tied it in the back. He managed to catch a few hairs in the knot.
Now screaming or even making anything beyond a whimper was impossible.
"Brothers, the last step of initiation." He grabbed a piece of cloth and none too gentle pulled it over her head. "The mask: it represents our strength and our unity!" There was a quiet cheer.
The mask prevented any sort of light from entering and left Elisa in blackness.
'Now they'll do it. I'm dead…'
She managed to hold back the whimpers but the tears fell down. Death wasn't something she was ready to accept, but it was unavoidable. They were going to kill her. Her parents would be mortified once they found out. She knew Talon and Beth would be crushed. Desperately she wished she could see Goliath one last time.
'Now I lay me down to sleep…I pray the Lord my soul to keep…'
"The initiation is over boys! Time to wrap things up and head out of here…"
'And if I die before I wake…'
She heard the soft crunching nose of boots on grass approach her.
'I pray the Lord my soul to take…Amen.'
Elisa clamped her eyes tight and took a deep breath.
'I'll always love you, Goliath.'
One sharp blow to the head.
Black…
Light…
No pain…
Nothing……
Sneaking out of headquarters had not been easy. Sneaking around in general was never easy for the six foot five inch form of John Jameson. Not to mention the extreme bulkiness of his muscular torso.
Needless to say that 'hide and seek' was never a favorite game of his.
But he knew that if he were caught now it would mean possible death to him and certain death to another.
He took and let out breath through the gloves over his face. The mid-October night was extremely cold and his breath certainly left a trail of vapor that he did not need. John pulled the collar of his warm trench coat up and made a dash to another bush.
So far he hadn't seen any of his 'brothers' but it was a possibility that some could have stayed behind to watch her die.
He shuddered remembering all the torment. As they cut her hair and hand he was forced to watch; if he didn't then the others would have seen and suspected. It had seemed like a terrible movie at the time. All so surreal with the senseless violence and the twisted sense of right and wrong. He felt the guilt tear at his heart for just watching, but he knew that by saving her life it would make things a bit better.
After checking for anyone lurking about he sprang to the last trees before the open grassy field.
To his great surprise, and relief, there wasn't an entire soul anywhere near the pole that held the young woman Elisa. John stayed crouched in the bushes for ten minutes more, checking for any of the slightest movement in the bushes and trees surrounding the open space.
Looking directly at the hooded prisoner he made a mad dash for Elisa. As he ran he pulled out the long knife from its cover on his belt. It was the same knife that had cut off all the lovely, dark hair and mutilated her hand; he thought it only apropos and ironic to be the same knife that would set her free.
Finally he was right next to her. He ripped off the clansman' mask and threw it to the ground. The blow Daniel had delivered to her head had knocked her out and she remained that way even a few hours later. Her breathing was slow but at least it was there. The ripped and torn underwear they had forced her into had a few trickles of blood from where it ran down her arm.
With a great swing the chains above her head were severed. She slumped forward but John caught her with his shoulder. He leaned down a bit and cut the chains to her feet. John leant her as gently as possible against the pole and supported her with one arm. He slipped the knife back into the sheath and proceeded to take off his coat. John wrapped the large, warm coat over her and then lifted her up.
She weighed nothing to him with all the muscles he had developed over his adulthood. But he had the feeling she would weigh virtually nothing without his huge bulk anyway. This Elisa was a very petite lady. As he ran towards his car in the middle of the forest he noted how very pretty she was beyond the cuts and bruises and damage her body had taken over the past day and a half.
He was almost glad they had decided to end it quickly before they got the chance to starve her as well.
He soon reached his car, throwing caution to the wind by not keeping an eye out for Quarrymen, and buckled her into the passenger's side. She instantly slumped into the seat and rested quietly as he jumped into the driver's seat, started the car and drove off in a cloud of dust.
Soon he was clear of Central Park and was heading to somewhere he wasn't sure of. Hospitals were out of the question, Quarrymen were working undercover at every single one and she would be easy prey. He couldn't take her to his house because it was too far out in the country, a good two and a half hour drive. She needed immediate attention.
Her house…no, Quarrymen had gone there tonight to trash the place thoroughly. He looked down at the clock on the radio: 3:45 in the a.m. Yes, they would still be there until the morning rays would find them.
Wait…where had the group kidnapped her…? While swerving between cars and turning random corners in the city he tried to remember what his 'friends' at HQ were telling about the abduction…In the parking garage of the…the Evergreen Building? No…Everlast…no why would the detective be hanging around a battery building in her off time. Frustrated at the recklessness of his planning he turned another random road. A road set perfectly perpendicular to New York City's tallest building.
"The Eerie…" John smiled as he spotted his destination, put a lead foot on the accelerator and just barely cleared the red light in front of him.
David Xanatos took a once over of the abandoned car in front of him and shook his head. Goliath had come to him a few hours ago with news of the detectives' kidnap but he had just now found the time to come out and investigate things for himself. The news had made him mad for two reasons. One, the detectives' disappearance set a serious hole in Goliath's protection leaving his own family all that more vulnerable. And two, she was taken with his very own building with meant that his security was not all he thought it was.
He looked up to the two security cameras that were supposed to watch this area and found, as he expected, that they had both been shot up.
More than anything David hated being reminded he was as exposed to flaws just like every other human.
Behind him Detective Bluestone and Goliath stood watching every move.
"Hmm." David scratched his goatee, " I don't understand how anyone could have gotten passed the security guards." He walked away from the car and walked towards the two, "I can have Owen look over all the other security cameras again, but I doubt it will turn up anything more. I hate saying this, but it seems as if there's nothing I can do."
Goliath growled and made a fist. He wasn't angry with the young businessman, just at the people that had taken his Elisa and left no clues to find them.
Bluestone backed away from the larger male slightly and cleared his throat.
"All right. Elisa's family didn't know anything but they're going over to Elisa's apartment to lock things up and everything." He tapped the pencil on his lower lip and thought over all he could be doing to find his partner. "You know what…" Goliath looked down at the shorter man, "I think maybe paying Tony Dracon a visit may not be a bad idea."
Goliath's eyes began to glow preternaturally as that hated name came up, "If it was he that took Elisa, then he'll-."
Matt held up his hands, "Okaaaaaay. We don't know for sure if he did anything. Let's just see what he has to say. You come with me and wait outside of the prison yard."
Goliath nodded and the three started making their way out of the garage.
John parked his car on the level before the one Elisa's car was parked in. He carried the still bundle in his arms as he moved from post to massive post in the darkened levels. John still had no idea what awaited him at the crime scene. He was fairly certain the cops would be all over it but his choices were limited. All he had to do was get Elisa to her car make a call up to building security and then run like Hell.
The slope of the floor changed dramatically indicating that he was almost there. A large, concrete wall separated him from the car and whatever might be waiting there for him.
He was disappointed and shocked when he took a quick peek beyond the wall. For starters, the area wasn't abandoned. The infamous face of David Xanatos was there in person talking to who appeared to be a very tall cop. Standing next to the cop was a gargoyle.
Now, John didn't hate the gargoyles, he was just plain scared of them.
John quickly moved his head when he saw the pure muscle on the tall, flying demon.
He looked down at Elisa and saw there was no chance of her waking up and just walking over to them. Her lips were still tinted blue as well as her skin. He hoped that being exposed to the cold air for so long wouldn't be the death of her.
He turned ideas over in his head. With a perfectly clean record he didn't want to be caught with kidnapping charges and attempted murder. He needed away to distract their attention, but at the same time draw attention to Elisa but away from him.
John reached into his belt pulled out a small box. The armory at HQ packed a whole lot of different explosives. This one was created for distractions. If he pulled the string a small flash would occur followed by an extremely small explosion. It was designed to not even leave a dent in the floor but give cover for risky operations such as this.
Taking a deep breath he set Elisa's legs down and gathered the ball in his hand. Holding the string between two fingers he held onto the small string while letting the ball fly in the general direction of the three.
The bright flash got the attention of Xanatos, Bluestone and Goliath. The humans made a dash behind Elisa's car while Goliath stood over them with his wings acting as a shield.
Now was the time to act. The smoke was currently flooding the garage giving him perfect cover. He ran a few feet in front of him, set Elisa on the ground and ran to his car. He looked back only once as he sped out of the garage.
"Please be okay."
He flicked his wrist sending a small piece of paper fluttering through the air and turned just as it landed on her chest.
And John was gone.
Goliath awaited for the loud 'boom' but nothing came. He looked over the cars hood and saw smoke coming from the corner of the garage. Within seconds the grey cloud had reached the sealing and set off the sprinklers. The smoke was smothered in a few minutes.
The leader of the gargoyles clan smelled the air. Only the smell of smoke was there, no burning. He shook his head and stood up. The other two followed suit, though hesitantly and walked back in front of the car.
"Shouldn't something have happened by now?" Goliath looked down at Matt to see him nodding his head.
Matt rubbed his eyes and surveyed the area. Some thirty feet away from them was a huddled form on the ground. He pulled the gun from his jacket and held it in front of him, aiming at the heap.
"Goliath, you'd better hide behind the car."
Once again Goliath found himself crouching behind Elisa's red car.
"You too, Xanatos. I'll go see what that was all about."
Although David Xanatos didn't like to be told what to do, he also didn't like assassination. He too moved behind the car and stayed low.
"This is N.Y.P.D. stand up and get your hands in the air!" Matt took a step forward. The bundle remained still. He kept taking slow steps with his gun pointed in the same spot. He repeated his message once more before he finally closed in on the person. There was hardly any motion in the trench coat. Only the faint rising and falling of breaths to indicate that it was human and alive.
He was a foot away and could make out a small form underneath a huge jacket. The head was covered and there was only one visible body part. A delicate hand peaked out from underneath a huge sleeve. The other hand was covered by the sleeve but posed so as not to be a threat. Deciding that whoever was covered wasn't too much of a danger Matt held the gun close to the form and then reached down to turn it over.
The detective swallowed back the sudden feeling of nausea and the sick taste of bile before pushing over the thing.
Matt nearly threw up again as the face became visible. His thoughts became jumbled as he saw his partner lying, for all he knew, dead. His C.P.R. training came back to him in a wave as he leaned his ear over her mouth.
He sent a thank you to Heaven as he heard her breathing and then felt a pulse.
Goliath, who had been watching through the back window of the car finally stood up as Matt checked the person out. All he could see was a slim leg revealed.
"Do you need assistance?" he called over the distance.
When the detective looked over Goliath could see he was paler and was shaking terribly.
"Matt?"
Matt pointed at him and gestured for him to come over. Goliath gazed at him confused before he stood up and headed over.
Before Goliath could get over Matt slapped himself in the cheek. He knew he needed to focus if Elisa was going to make it. He cursed at himself for leaving his cell phone at his house. That's when he noticed a small piece of paper on Elisa's chest.
In very scribbled writing was a fairly simple message.
Quarrymen took her.
Don't take to hospital.
"Xanatos! Get one of your doctors down here right now!"
Matt clenched his fingers before prying open her eyes. They were the same brown he remembered with specks of amber in the center. Her pupils weren't dilated, but her eyes were so red. She must have been crying.
He didn't want to think of what whoever took her did to make her cry.
"Uh! Elisa!"
Goliath had finally reached them and was kneeling on the ground by her side. With his talons he picked up the hand still covered in the trench coat.
He started to massage it absently and stared at her face. The dark blush on her cheeks was replaced with a hollow outline. Her lips were a terrifying mixture of purple and blue. And there were so many bruises and cuts on her face alone.
Goliath dropped her hand and caressed one on her cheek.
Matt's eyes widened as he saw a huge trail of blood where Goliath touched her. His eyes darted from the hand, down the arm and rested on her limp hand. Now he noticed the crimson tint on the jacket sleeve.
He cautiously reached out, picked up her hand and pulled back the cuff. Her fingers were frozen cold but stained red from all the blood. Most of it had dried, and to Matt it seemed to form a weird pattern.
The detective pulled a hankerchief from his pocket and began to wipe away the excess blood. His napkin was soon red, but he managed to get most of the blood off.
Revealing a mark that was all too hated by those that dwelt within the walls of the Eerie building.
A circle. A hammer.
The Quarrymen.
Soooo(glares at army of lawyers breathing down neck)
I don't own Gargoyles(yet). The characters, settings, and all other characteristics of the show belong to Disney(for the time being).
THERE! ARE YA HAPPY "LAW"?? ARE YA HAPPY???
Enjoy.
Chapter3
After stopping by the police station to report Elisa's disappearance and suspected kidnapping, the human, Matt Bluestone, and the two Gargoyles known as Goliath and Lexington flew over to Elisa's apartment.
As always the large window that acted as a roof was unlatched and the three let themselves in.
The apartment was as clean as ever. Every pillow was propped in its proper place. There were no dishes in the sink. The trash had been taken out. The only thing that stirred in the small apartment was Cadney, who purred and rubbed against Goliath's leg. He picked her up absently and started to look around. The two behind him followed suit and began searching for any signs of a struggle.
They had been searching for fifteen minutes when another entered the apartment.
Angela landed gracefully and folded her wings to fit in the confined space. She lifted an eye as the other's continued looking for any clue to Elisa's whereabouts.
"What are you all doing here?" She crossed her arms.
Goliath stepped out of the bedroom and walked over to his daughter.
"Looking for something. What are you doing here?"
"Elisa told me to stop by." Instantly all eyes were on her and she was cornered by the three males. Goliath grabbed her arms and searched her face.
"When? Just now? Where was she?"
Angela shook her head in confusion.
"She asked me last night to stop by." Their instant sad faces surprised her. "What's going on here?"
Matt rubbed his temples and plopped down on the couch.
"Elisa's missing."
The young gargoyle raised a hand to her mouth and gasped. "What do you mean she's missing??"
Goliath ran a hand through his long mane and shook his head. " We found her car still in the parking lot and some sort of drug by it. She never showed up for work. We have reason to believe she was kidnapped."
"Oh my God…"
Lexington looked down at the floor and then up at his leader. Goliath's jaw was locked and he gazed out of the window.
"Goliath." The large male looked down to his youngest clan member, "There's really nothing here to look at. Why don't we head back and talk to Xanatos. He can probably use his resources to help."
The leader nodded and moved toward the window. He turned around to gather Matt but found the young man heading toward the door.
"Don't you want to come with us?"
"Naw, I'm going to give Elisa's friends and relatives a phone call. If they don't know where she is then I can at least tell them." He waved and headed out the door.
The three gargoyles jumped out of the window and then spread the wings and glided home.
When she finally came to her senses Elisa found herself in yet another disagreeable situation. Her hands were raised painfully above her head. She opened her eyes and found that the black underwear she had been wearing was once again on her body. Her ankles were chained below her to the ground.
Elisa tried to move but found that her wrists were handcuffed tight to a pole of wood that extended a good ten feet above her head. Motions were limited with anything greater than a turn resulting in certain dislocation.
Accessing that she was now completely trapped she finally looked up to the site in front of her.
A mass of Quarrymen stood as one in the pale darkness. Five or six of them held torches with cast shadows over their clad forms. The flames played over their masks causing their faces to transform into those of demons.
Beyond their huddled forms she could see trees clumped together. Although painful, she raised her head a bit more and saw the stars and the almost full moon.
Elisa took a great risk and opened her mouth.
Before she could let out the great scream she thought might save her a fist connected with her jaw and another rammed into her abdomen.
She tried to suck in air but only went limp against her bonds and wheezed.
"No screaming, princess."
Elisa looked up just as Daniel began to shove something in her mouth. It wrapped around her head and he tied it in the back. He managed to catch a few hairs in the knot.
Now screaming or even making anything beyond a whimper was impossible.
"Brothers, the last step of initiation." He grabbed a piece of cloth and none too gentle pulled it over her head. "The mask: it represents our strength and our unity!" There was a quiet cheer.
The mask prevented any sort of light from entering and left Elisa in blackness.
'Now they'll do it. I'm dead…'
She managed to hold back the whimpers but the tears fell down. Death wasn't something she was ready to accept, but it was unavoidable. They were going to kill her. Her parents would be mortified once they found out. She knew Talon and Beth would be crushed. Desperately she wished she could see Goliath one last time.
'Now I lay me down to sleep…I pray the Lord my soul to keep…'
"The initiation is over boys! Time to wrap things up and head out of here…"
'And if I die before I wake…'
She heard the soft crunching nose of boots on grass approach her.
'I pray the Lord my soul to take…Amen.'
Elisa clamped her eyes tight and took a deep breath.
'I'll always love you, Goliath.'
One sharp blow to the head.
Black…
Light…
No pain…
Nothing……
Sneaking out of headquarters had not been easy. Sneaking around in general was never easy for the six foot five inch form of John Jameson. Not to mention the extreme bulkiness of his muscular torso.
Needless to say that 'hide and seek' was never a favorite game of his.
But he knew that if he were caught now it would mean possible death to him and certain death to another.
He took and let out breath through the gloves over his face. The mid-October night was extremely cold and his breath certainly left a trail of vapor that he did not need. John pulled the collar of his warm trench coat up and made a dash to another bush.
So far he hadn't seen any of his 'brothers' but it was a possibility that some could have stayed behind to watch her die.
He shuddered remembering all the torment. As they cut her hair and hand he was forced to watch; if he didn't then the others would have seen and suspected. It had seemed like a terrible movie at the time. All so surreal with the senseless violence and the twisted sense of right and wrong. He felt the guilt tear at his heart for just watching, but he knew that by saving her life it would make things a bit better.
After checking for anyone lurking about he sprang to the last trees before the open grassy field.
To his great surprise, and relief, there wasn't an entire soul anywhere near the pole that held the young woman Elisa. John stayed crouched in the bushes for ten minutes more, checking for any of the slightest movement in the bushes and trees surrounding the open space.
Looking directly at the hooded prisoner he made a mad dash for Elisa. As he ran he pulled out the long knife from its cover on his belt. It was the same knife that had cut off all the lovely, dark hair and mutilated her hand; he thought it only apropos and ironic to be the same knife that would set her free.
Finally he was right next to her. He ripped off the clansman' mask and threw it to the ground. The blow Daniel had delivered to her head had knocked her out and she remained that way even a few hours later. Her breathing was slow but at least it was there. The ripped and torn underwear they had forced her into had a few trickles of blood from where it ran down her arm.
With a great swing the chains above her head were severed. She slumped forward but John caught her with his shoulder. He leaned down a bit and cut the chains to her feet. John leant her as gently as possible against the pole and supported her with one arm. He slipped the knife back into the sheath and proceeded to take off his coat. John wrapped the large, warm coat over her and then lifted her up.
She weighed nothing to him with all the muscles he had developed over his adulthood. But he had the feeling she would weigh virtually nothing without his huge bulk anyway. This Elisa was a very petite lady. As he ran towards his car in the middle of the forest he noted how very pretty she was beyond the cuts and bruises and damage her body had taken over the past day and a half.
He was almost glad they had decided to end it quickly before they got the chance to starve her as well.
He soon reached his car, throwing caution to the wind by not keeping an eye out for Quarrymen, and buckled her into the passenger's side. She instantly slumped into the seat and rested quietly as he jumped into the driver's seat, started the car and drove off in a cloud of dust.
Soon he was clear of Central Park and was heading to somewhere he wasn't sure of. Hospitals were out of the question, Quarrymen were working undercover at every single one and she would be easy prey. He couldn't take her to his house because it was too far out in the country, a good two and a half hour drive. She needed immediate attention.
Her house…no, Quarrymen had gone there tonight to trash the place thoroughly. He looked down at the clock on the radio: 3:45 in the a.m. Yes, they would still be there until the morning rays would find them.
Wait…where had the group kidnapped her…? While swerving between cars and turning random corners in the city he tried to remember what his 'friends' at HQ were telling about the abduction…In the parking garage of the…the Evergreen Building? No…Everlast…no why would the detective be hanging around a battery building in her off time. Frustrated at the recklessness of his planning he turned another random road. A road set perfectly perpendicular to New York City's tallest building.
"The Eerie…" John smiled as he spotted his destination, put a lead foot on the accelerator and just barely cleared the red light in front of him.
David Xanatos took a once over of the abandoned car in front of him and shook his head. Goliath had come to him a few hours ago with news of the detectives' kidnap but he had just now found the time to come out and investigate things for himself. The news had made him mad for two reasons. One, the detectives' disappearance set a serious hole in Goliath's protection leaving his own family all that more vulnerable. And two, she was taken with his very own building with meant that his security was not all he thought it was.
He looked up to the two security cameras that were supposed to watch this area and found, as he expected, that they had both been shot up.
More than anything David hated being reminded he was as exposed to flaws just like every other human.
Behind him Detective Bluestone and Goliath stood watching every move.
"Hmm." David scratched his goatee, " I don't understand how anyone could have gotten passed the security guards." He walked away from the car and walked towards the two, "I can have Owen look over all the other security cameras again, but I doubt it will turn up anything more. I hate saying this, but it seems as if there's nothing I can do."
Goliath growled and made a fist. He wasn't angry with the young businessman, just at the people that had taken his Elisa and left no clues to find them.
Bluestone backed away from the larger male slightly and cleared his throat.
"All right. Elisa's family didn't know anything but they're going over to Elisa's apartment to lock things up and everything." He tapped the pencil on his lower lip and thought over all he could be doing to find his partner. "You know what…" Goliath looked down at the shorter man, "I think maybe paying Tony Dracon a visit may not be a bad idea."
Goliath's eyes began to glow preternaturally as that hated name came up, "If it was he that took Elisa, then he'll-."
Matt held up his hands, "Okaaaaaay. We don't know for sure if he did anything. Let's just see what he has to say. You come with me and wait outside of the prison yard."
Goliath nodded and the three started making their way out of the garage.
John parked his car on the level before the one Elisa's car was parked in. He carried the still bundle in his arms as he moved from post to massive post in the darkened levels. John still had no idea what awaited him at the crime scene. He was fairly certain the cops would be all over it but his choices were limited. All he had to do was get Elisa to her car make a call up to building security and then run like Hell.
The slope of the floor changed dramatically indicating that he was almost there. A large, concrete wall separated him from the car and whatever might be waiting there for him.
He was disappointed and shocked when he took a quick peek beyond the wall. For starters, the area wasn't abandoned. The infamous face of David Xanatos was there in person talking to who appeared to be a very tall cop. Standing next to the cop was a gargoyle.
Now, John didn't hate the gargoyles, he was just plain scared of them.
John quickly moved his head when he saw the pure muscle on the tall, flying demon.
He looked down at Elisa and saw there was no chance of her waking up and just walking over to them. Her lips were still tinted blue as well as her skin. He hoped that being exposed to the cold air for so long wouldn't be the death of her.
He turned ideas over in his head. With a perfectly clean record he didn't want to be caught with kidnapping charges and attempted murder. He needed away to distract their attention, but at the same time draw attention to Elisa but away from him.
John reached into his belt pulled out a small box. The armory at HQ packed a whole lot of different explosives. This one was created for distractions. If he pulled the string a small flash would occur followed by an extremely small explosion. It was designed to not even leave a dent in the floor but give cover for risky operations such as this.
Taking a deep breath he set Elisa's legs down and gathered the ball in his hand. Holding the string between two fingers he held onto the small string while letting the ball fly in the general direction of the three.
The bright flash got the attention of Xanatos, Bluestone and Goliath. The humans made a dash behind Elisa's car while Goliath stood over them with his wings acting as a shield.
Now was the time to act. The smoke was currently flooding the garage giving him perfect cover. He ran a few feet in front of him, set Elisa on the ground and ran to his car. He looked back only once as he sped out of the garage.
"Please be okay."
He flicked his wrist sending a small piece of paper fluttering through the air and turned just as it landed on her chest.
And John was gone.
Goliath awaited for the loud 'boom' but nothing came. He looked over the cars hood and saw smoke coming from the corner of the garage. Within seconds the grey cloud had reached the sealing and set off the sprinklers. The smoke was smothered in a few minutes.
The leader of the gargoyles clan smelled the air. Only the smell of smoke was there, no burning. He shook his head and stood up. The other two followed suit, though hesitantly and walked back in front of the car.
"Shouldn't something have happened by now?" Goliath looked down at Matt to see him nodding his head.
Matt rubbed his eyes and surveyed the area. Some thirty feet away from them was a huddled form on the ground. He pulled the gun from his jacket and held it in front of him, aiming at the heap.
"Goliath, you'd better hide behind the car."
Once again Goliath found himself crouching behind Elisa's red car.
"You too, Xanatos. I'll go see what that was all about."
Although David Xanatos didn't like to be told what to do, he also didn't like assassination. He too moved behind the car and stayed low.
"This is N.Y.P.D. stand up and get your hands in the air!" Matt took a step forward. The bundle remained still. He kept taking slow steps with his gun pointed in the same spot. He repeated his message once more before he finally closed in on the person. There was hardly any motion in the trench coat. Only the faint rising and falling of breaths to indicate that it was human and alive.
He was a foot away and could make out a small form underneath a huge jacket. The head was covered and there was only one visible body part. A delicate hand peaked out from underneath a huge sleeve. The other hand was covered by the sleeve but posed so as not to be a threat. Deciding that whoever was covered wasn't too much of a danger Matt held the gun close to the form and then reached down to turn it over.
The detective swallowed back the sudden feeling of nausea and the sick taste of bile before pushing over the thing.
Matt nearly threw up again as the face became visible. His thoughts became jumbled as he saw his partner lying, for all he knew, dead. His C.P.R. training came back to him in a wave as he leaned his ear over her mouth.
He sent a thank you to Heaven as he heard her breathing and then felt a pulse.
Goliath, who had been watching through the back window of the car finally stood up as Matt checked the person out. All he could see was a slim leg revealed.
"Do you need assistance?" he called over the distance.
When the detective looked over Goliath could see he was paler and was shaking terribly.
"Matt?"
Matt pointed at him and gestured for him to come over. Goliath gazed at him confused before he stood up and headed over.
Before Goliath could get over Matt slapped himself in the cheek. He knew he needed to focus if Elisa was going to make it. He cursed at himself for leaving his cell phone at his house. That's when he noticed a small piece of paper on Elisa's chest.
In very scribbled writing was a fairly simple message.
Quarrymen took her.
Don't take to hospital.
"Xanatos! Get one of your doctors down here right now!"
Matt clenched his fingers before prying open her eyes. They were the same brown he remembered with specks of amber in the center. Her pupils weren't dilated, but her eyes were so red. She must have been crying.
He didn't want to think of what whoever took her did to make her cry.
"Uh! Elisa!"
Goliath had finally reached them and was kneeling on the ground by her side. With his talons he picked up the hand still covered in the trench coat.
He started to massage it absently and stared at her face. The dark blush on her cheeks was replaced with a hollow outline. Her lips were a terrifying mixture of purple and blue. And there were so many bruises and cuts on her face alone.
Goliath dropped her hand and caressed one on her cheek.
Matt's eyes widened as he saw a huge trail of blood where Goliath touched her. His eyes darted from the hand, down the arm and rested on her limp hand. Now he noticed the crimson tint on the jacket sleeve.
He cautiously reached out, picked up her hand and pulled back the cuff. Her fingers were frozen cold but stained red from all the blood. Most of it had dried, and to Matt it seemed to form a weird pattern.
The detective pulled a hankerchief from his pocket and began to wipe away the excess blood. His napkin was soon red, but he managed to get most of the blood off.
Revealing a mark that was all too hated by those that dwelt within the walls of the Eerie building.
A circle. A hammer.
The Quarrymen.