I'm so sorry that this took forever to get out. When I originally put this story up I thought I would finish one chapter one after the other and have all of it out within a month of posting. Four months later, I'm still working on it. So sorry. This chapter isn't very long, but it's the best that I could do. My muse is fading while 2002 goes out. It will pick up, I will finish this story before February. I solemly swear.
Okay, y'all. I wish you all a very great new year!
This story was supposed to be posted last night, New Years Eve, but unfortunately I couldn't' access the document manager page. All the same-Happy 2003!
Chapter 4
The sun rose onto Manhatten, just as it always had, and as it always will regardless of the cycle of birth, love, and death. Its first beams hit the highest point of the city, the top tower of the castle Wyvern, where it found none of the six gargoyles that usually slept on the perepets.
Those gargoyles, regardless if the sun actually shone down on them, fell reluctantly into their stone sleep. Goliath roared, rubbing at his arms to keep the stone away, but it came over him all the same. All of the clan was locked in their stone cocoon until nightfall, with the same haunting look of sadness and confusion on all their faces.
David Xanatos didn't bother looking at them, he simply walked around their bodies and over to where the doctor was working.
He wasn't afraid about the doctor reporting the gargoyles, or Detective Maza's serious condition to anyone, after all it was Xanatos that was paying for the good doctor's daughters to go through college, and his mortgage as well. There was no question where his loyalties laid.
David crossed his arms and silently followed the work that was being done. Over the past two hours that young doctor had slowly warmed Elisa back to a normal temperature. Her normal flush was back, but she had yet to open her eyes. Frankly, Xanatos didn't blame her, if he had half of his hair chopped off, most of his hand butchered, and had been left to die in the middle of the night, well he wouldn't want to wake up anytime soon either.
Her hand had needed stitches and quite a bit of cleaning to actually find the wound buried underneath layers of blood. Now the bandages that had been put on only an hour ago were starting to show the stain of more blood.
He looked over the arms that were sticking out over the blankets. The skin that wasn't covered in band-aids was covered with purpling marks-some still that looked like hand marks.
"So…do you want to know the total damage?"
David winced. Was the doctor trying to make the woman sound like a broken car?
"If you would be so kind, doctor."
The doctor stroked his graying beard and picked up a clipboard. He flipped past the first few pages and ran his index fingers down a page as he read out loud.
"Mild hypothermia, severe lacerations to the right hand, what appears to be severe sexual abuse, and numerous cuts and bruises on her upper body."
David nodded, sorting through the list and going over in his head what he would have to tell Goliath when he awoke in…David checked his watch…eleven hours.
"Is she going to be all right?"
The doctor ran a hand through his hair and put the clipboard back down. He pinned David with a pair of dark brown eyes.
"Medically she'll survive, almost completely recover, but to be honest, Mr. Xanatos…after what this young woman has been through, I don't know if she can be as easily cured mentally."
David nodded and walked away from the bedside to look out of one of the tall windows. His city poured out all around him tinted in golden hues from the risen sun. Thousands down there remained oblivious to what magic and mythology lived and breathed above their very heads.
Owen walked into the room with a cell-phone hanging from his hand. The usual set-in-stone-serious face was gone replaced by actual bags under his eyes.
Xanatos turned away from the large window and greeted his faithful servant.
"I've contacted her family, sir, they are on their way over."
"Have we found out anything about the Quarrymen? Where they're at? Who controls them now? Anything?"
Owen pulled a palm pilot out of his pocket and started to look through his electronic notes. "There are one or two members of the Quarrymen locked up in jail, currently. Mr. Bluestone is making a visit to them as we speak."
David nodded and once again approached the detective. The doctor had left the room and she lay on the cot motionless.
"I've never really liked her."
Owen stepped closer to his boss and looked down at Elisa.
"Understandably so, sir. She's put you and your wife in prison."
The billionaire shook his head, "No. I have met some police men if like just fine. But…her…she's so unselfish it makes me cringe."
David stepped next to her bed and picked up her massacred hand.
"I've always been taught to fend for yourself. No one matters but you. But she spends her days protecting everyone but herself." His forehead wrinkled in deep thought, "I can't really stand the charitable, Owen."
The blond assistant nodded and looked over at the stone statues standing vigil over the detective.
"They're not so bad, sir."
David nodded and rested Elisa's hand on her stomach. He absently patted her cropped hair, as he did so often with Alexander when he slept.
"She didn't deserve this."
"Does anybody, sir?"
David looked at him, seriously contemplating the question. "Yes. Those who did this to her. They deserve this."
Owen nodded and waved a hand at the form of Goliath.
"I am most certain that he will take care of the punishment."
Xanatos straitened his suit and turned to leave the room. "Well, then we should hurry up and find them for him."
For a lean man Matt Bluestone knew how to pack a punch. It only helped that the two Quarrymen in jail had been obstinate in answering his questions. He now had a lot of fuel for his anger with the man he was now beating up.
It also helped that the brutish man was doing nothing to defend himself.
Matt brought back his foot and sent a powerful kick into the guy's side. He flipped over onto his back and was staring up at the red head detective.
The note that had been left on Elisa had been examined, and this man's fingerprints had been found all over it. John Jameson also had the unfortunate luck of leaving his mask out when Matt Bluestone came knocking down his door. True the detective had no warrant of any kind, but so far the other man had done nothing to stop him from entering his house and profusely beating him up.
Matt grabbed a fistful of the other man's hair and pulled upwards.
"Did you enjoy raping her, John? Did you?"
John looked up at the angry man, a quilty look in his eyes. He hadn't touched her, but he didn't do anything to stop her torture either. To him he felt that he deserved the punishment he was receiving now.
"I didn't hurt her."
Matt threw down his head; it hit the floor with a loud crack.
"Yeah, I bet you didn't." Matt shook his head disgusted with the man he was beating, "Listen, the sooner you tell me how your fingerprints got on that note, the sooner I can drag your sorry-" Matt had pulled back his fist for another punch but John held up his hand. Somehow the look in John's eyes forced Matt to lower his arm.
"I didn't rape her." John raised his hands in surrender as Matt got a wild look in his eyes. " I was there, but I didn't lay a hand on her. I swear. I'll swear it in court if I have to."
The red head leaned down, putting his face directly in front of the other mans.
"What if I don't believe you?"
"Matt."
Both men looked towards the doorway where the limping form of Jason was entering the room, "I hardly think this is legal, Bluestone."
Matt backed away from John and approached Jason, "How did you find me?"
Jason rolled his eyes and stepped passed Matt, "I followed you, naturally." Jason stepped toward John, who had stood up and was clutching his right arm, and looked the slightly taller man in the face.
"You made quite a mess of this, didn't you Bluestone?"
Matt shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. Silence prevailed in the room before John coughed, clearing his throat.
"I can't say I didn't deserve it."
John's eyes widened as Matt got the killer look in his eyes.
Jason held out his arms to separate the two, he faced John, "What do you mean by that?"
"I didn't hurt her. I would never disrespect a lady like that. But…"
"But…?" Jason prompted.
"But I didn't do anything to stop it. I watched them hurt her, I never came near her, and I never stopped them."
"Why?" Matt's jaw was clenched as he turned with hatred in his eyes toward him, "Why wouldn't you stop them."
"It would have been me against a hundred other guys. They would have killed me with her, and then and couldn't have rescued her!"
Jason stared at the man, "You rescued her? How?"
John told the two detectives how he had waited until everyone had left and he had cut Elisa down. Also how he had driven her to the Eerie building and had left her. He also admitted to leaving the smoke bomb.
"I don't want to end up in jail."
"Yeah, well I didn't want to see my partner like that."
John and Matt's eyes met, and held each other for a long moment. Matt was the first to look away.
'I'm going to believe him, Jason. What do you think about that?"
The younger detective nodded, "He's not lying. I can see it in his eyes."
Matt looked once again at the bigger man he had been pummeling only a few minutes ago, "Will you swear that the Quarrymen did this to her? In court?"
Nervousness played on the other man's face as he thought it over, "Could you protect me from them?"
Jason snickered, "The Law or the Quarrymen?"
John bit his lip, "Both."
Matt and Jason approached each other. "We could make a deal. He testifies, stays out of jail, and is put under protective custody. We could do it."
Matt nodded, "I just want whoever did it to her to rot. That's all I want."
Jason patted the shoulder of his friend, and pointed a finger at John.
'You ride back with us to the City, got it? We can keep you safe now. No one else can."
John nodded following behind them, hanging his head in quilt of his sin.
The two hour drive back to the city was mostly quiet. Jason had decided John was safer riding with him as Matt followed behind them in his car. When they entered Manhatten Jason picked up his cell phone and called Matt's number.
"It's almost twilight. Do you want to stop by and see Elisa before everyone wakes up?"
"Yeah, I want to make sure she's okay. We could also keep Mr. Jameson safe with Mr. Xanatos for a while."
"Sounds good to me. All right, see you when we get there."
"Yeah, bye."
Jason closed his phone and threw it into the passenger's seat. John was sitting in the back. Since their arrival into more public places he had put on dark sunglasses and a baseball cap to hide his face. He was looking out the window nervously as Jason pulled into the Xanatos parking garage. It was just that morning that John had fled from this same place.
Jason parked and made sure all was clear before motioning for John to get out of the car.
"So…" John started as they began the slow elevator ride up to the top of the building, " Will the girl be all right?"
Jason shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest.
"She was starting to mend this morning but…well you saw what they did to her."
"I'm sorry…"
It was barely audible above the hum of the elevator, but Jason's trained ear heard it all the same.
"Are you sorry that you were caught, or sorry for her?"
John's head had been bowed for all of the trip, but he finally looked up, staring at his reflection in the metallic walls. His cheeks were red from tears pouring down his face.
"I'm just…sorry."
The bell chimed, announcing their arrival on the one of the top floors. The site of Matt greeted them as they stepped out of the elevator.
"How'd you get here so quick?"
Matt was clutching at his stomach, but also was pointing at the retreating figure of a tall, blond man holding a baby, "I had to take the short cut."
Both Jason and John were confused at his comments, but shook it off quickly as graver business pressed upon them. Matt led them to one of the main rooms of the restored castle where Elisa had been tended to that morning.
All three men were silent as they entered the room where one lone bed stood among a vigil of stone statues.
John gasped.
His eyes jumped between the view of the almost set sun through the windows, and the muscular monsters only a few feet in front of him.
The two men that had escorted him there walked past them without a second thought and stood by the bed. John, in fear of the stone creatures, made a wide arc around them and hid behind the form of Jason. The young detective smirked at the man's fear but was more distracted by Elisa.
His passion for her never decreased, even when she had told him there was no future between them. She had helped him through his recovery, which only made him adore her all the more. Jason had always thought she was one of the more beautiful woman he had ever seen in the city. That fair, olive skin with the dark eyes were exotic to him. The blue-black hair that was hers and hers alone.
He had to hold back a sob at the butcher job they had done to the long, silky hair. She looked far from exotic, or healthy with the pale and cut up skin.
She didn't look anything like Elisa Maza.
The room darkened as the sun finally set and the monsters began to shake.
He could feel John trembling at his side and turned to the man.
"You don't have to fear them. So long as you help us get the ones that did this to her, you'll be perfectly healthy."
John nodded, not looking completely assured but couldn't take his eyes off of the creatures that stretched and roared. Their bodies were pure muscles, capable of tearing him apart easily. As they growled he could see all of their teeth, pointy and glistening even in the darkness of the room. Their eyes glowed like demons.
He did the only thing he could do. Something that he had never done before in his life; probably something that none of his forefathers had ever done. He would be shame faced afterward, but his mind was shutting down, blocking out all rational thought in the face of what he contrived to be a brutal predator that would tear him apart.
John fainted.
This is not the end....There's a quote that starts like that, the first person to write it down in their review, along with an e-mail address will be alowed to preview the next(and hopefully final) chapter. There might be many quotes that start like that, but I'm thinking of a really famous one. Thanks much!
Okay, y'all. I wish you all a very great new year!
This story was supposed to be posted last night, New Years Eve, but unfortunately I couldn't' access the document manager page. All the same-Happy 2003!
Chapter 4
The sun rose onto Manhatten, just as it always had, and as it always will regardless of the cycle of birth, love, and death. Its first beams hit the highest point of the city, the top tower of the castle Wyvern, where it found none of the six gargoyles that usually slept on the perepets.
Those gargoyles, regardless if the sun actually shone down on them, fell reluctantly into their stone sleep. Goliath roared, rubbing at his arms to keep the stone away, but it came over him all the same. All of the clan was locked in their stone cocoon until nightfall, with the same haunting look of sadness and confusion on all their faces.
David Xanatos didn't bother looking at them, he simply walked around their bodies and over to where the doctor was working.
He wasn't afraid about the doctor reporting the gargoyles, or Detective Maza's serious condition to anyone, after all it was Xanatos that was paying for the good doctor's daughters to go through college, and his mortgage as well. There was no question where his loyalties laid.
David crossed his arms and silently followed the work that was being done. Over the past two hours that young doctor had slowly warmed Elisa back to a normal temperature. Her normal flush was back, but she had yet to open her eyes. Frankly, Xanatos didn't blame her, if he had half of his hair chopped off, most of his hand butchered, and had been left to die in the middle of the night, well he wouldn't want to wake up anytime soon either.
Her hand had needed stitches and quite a bit of cleaning to actually find the wound buried underneath layers of blood. Now the bandages that had been put on only an hour ago were starting to show the stain of more blood.
He looked over the arms that were sticking out over the blankets. The skin that wasn't covered in band-aids was covered with purpling marks-some still that looked like hand marks.
"So…do you want to know the total damage?"
David winced. Was the doctor trying to make the woman sound like a broken car?
"If you would be so kind, doctor."
The doctor stroked his graying beard and picked up a clipboard. He flipped past the first few pages and ran his index fingers down a page as he read out loud.
"Mild hypothermia, severe lacerations to the right hand, what appears to be severe sexual abuse, and numerous cuts and bruises on her upper body."
David nodded, sorting through the list and going over in his head what he would have to tell Goliath when he awoke in…David checked his watch…eleven hours.
"Is she going to be all right?"
The doctor ran a hand through his hair and put the clipboard back down. He pinned David with a pair of dark brown eyes.
"Medically she'll survive, almost completely recover, but to be honest, Mr. Xanatos…after what this young woman has been through, I don't know if she can be as easily cured mentally."
David nodded and walked away from the bedside to look out of one of the tall windows. His city poured out all around him tinted in golden hues from the risen sun. Thousands down there remained oblivious to what magic and mythology lived and breathed above their very heads.
Owen walked into the room with a cell-phone hanging from his hand. The usual set-in-stone-serious face was gone replaced by actual bags under his eyes.
Xanatos turned away from the large window and greeted his faithful servant.
"I've contacted her family, sir, they are on their way over."
"Have we found out anything about the Quarrymen? Where they're at? Who controls them now? Anything?"
Owen pulled a palm pilot out of his pocket and started to look through his electronic notes. "There are one or two members of the Quarrymen locked up in jail, currently. Mr. Bluestone is making a visit to them as we speak."
David nodded and once again approached the detective. The doctor had left the room and she lay on the cot motionless.
"I've never really liked her."
Owen stepped closer to his boss and looked down at Elisa.
"Understandably so, sir. She's put you and your wife in prison."
The billionaire shook his head, "No. I have met some police men if like just fine. But…her…she's so unselfish it makes me cringe."
David stepped next to her bed and picked up her massacred hand.
"I've always been taught to fend for yourself. No one matters but you. But she spends her days protecting everyone but herself." His forehead wrinkled in deep thought, "I can't really stand the charitable, Owen."
The blond assistant nodded and looked over at the stone statues standing vigil over the detective.
"They're not so bad, sir."
David nodded and rested Elisa's hand on her stomach. He absently patted her cropped hair, as he did so often with Alexander when he slept.
"She didn't deserve this."
"Does anybody, sir?"
David looked at him, seriously contemplating the question. "Yes. Those who did this to her. They deserve this."
Owen nodded and waved a hand at the form of Goliath.
"I am most certain that he will take care of the punishment."
Xanatos straitened his suit and turned to leave the room. "Well, then we should hurry up and find them for him."
For a lean man Matt Bluestone knew how to pack a punch. It only helped that the two Quarrymen in jail had been obstinate in answering his questions. He now had a lot of fuel for his anger with the man he was now beating up.
It also helped that the brutish man was doing nothing to defend himself.
Matt brought back his foot and sent a powerful kick into the guy's side. He flipped over onto his back and was staring up at the red head detective.
The note that had been left on Elisa had been examined, and this man's fingerprints had been found all over it. John Jameson also had the unfortunate luck of leaving his mask out when Matt Bluestone came knocking down his door. True the detective had no warrant of any kind, but so far the other man had done nothing to stop him from entering his house and profusely beating him up.
Matt grabbed a fistful of the other man's hair and pulled upwards.
"Did you enjoy raping her, John? Did you?"
John looked up at the angry man, a quilty look in his eyes. He hadn't touched her, but he didn't do anything to stop her torture either. To him he felt that he deserved the punishment he was receiving now.
"I didn't hurt her."
Matt threw down his head; it hit the floor with a loud crack.
"Yeah, I bet you didn't." Matt shook his head disgusted with the man he was beating, "Listen, the sooner you tell me how your fingerprints got on that note, the sooner I can drag your sorry-" Matt had pulled back his fist for another punch but John held up his hand. Somehow the look in John's eyes forced Matt to lower his arm.
"I didn't rape her." John raised his hands in surrender as Matt got a wild look in his eyes. " I was there, but I didn't lay a hand on her. I swear. I'll swear it in court if I have to."
The red head leaned down, putting his face directly in front of the other mans.
"What if I don't believe you?"
"Matt."
Both men looked towards the doorway where the limping form of Jason was entering the room, "I hardly think this is legal, Bluestone."
Matt backed away from John and approached Jason, "How did you find me?"
Jason rolled his eyes and stepped passed Matt, "I followed you, naturally." Jason stepped toward John, who had stood up and was clutching his right arm, and looked the slightly taller man in the face.
"You made quite a mess of this, didn't you Bluestone?"
Matt shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. Silence prevailed in the room before John coughed, clearing his throat.
"I can't say I didn't deserve it."
John's eyes widened as Matt got the killer look in his eyes.
Jason held out his arms to separate the two, he faced John, "What do you mean by that?"
"I didn't hurt her. I would never disrespect a lady like that. But…"
"But…?" Jason prompted.
"But I didn't do anything to stop it. I watched them hurt her, I never came near her, and I never stopped them."
"Why?" Matt's jaw was clenched as he turned with hatred in his eyes toward him, "Why wouldn't you stop them."
"It would have been me against a hundred other guys. They would have killed me with her, and then and couldn't have rescued her!"
Jason stared at the man, "You rescued her? How?"
John told the two detectives how he had waited until everyone had left and he had cut Elisa down. Also how he had driven her to the Eerie building and had left her. He also admitted to leaving the smoke bomb.
"I don't want to end up in jail."
"Yeah, well I didn't want to see my partner like that."
John and Matt's eyes met, and held each other for a long moment. Matt was the first to look away.
'I'm going to believe him, Jason. What do you think about that?"
The younger detective nodded, "He's not lying. I can see it in his eyes."
Matt looked once again at the bigger man he had been pummeling only a few minutes ago, "Will you swear that the Quarrymen did this to her? In court?"
Nervousness played on the other man's face as he thought it over, "Could you protect me from them?"
Jason snickered, "The Law or the Quarrymen?"
John bit his lip, "Both."
Matt and Jason approached each other. "We could make a deal. He testifies, stays out of jail, and is put under protective custody. We could do it."
Matt nodded, "I just want whoever did it to her to rot. That's all I want."
Jason patted the shoulder of his friend, and pointed a finger at John.
'You ride back with us to the City, got it? We can keep you safe now. No one else can."
John nodded following behind them, hanging his head in quilt of his sin.
The two hour drive back to the city was mostly quiet. Jason had decided John was safer riding with him as Matt followed behind them in his car. When they entered Manhatten Jason picked up his cell phone and called Matt's number.
"It's almost twilight. Do you want to stop by and see Elisa before everyone wakes up?"
"Yeah, I want to make sure she's okay. We could also keep Mr. Jameson safe with Mr. Xanatos for a while."
"Sounds good to me. All right, see you when we get there."
"Yeah, bye."
Jason closed his phone and threw it into the passenger's seat. John was sitting in the back. Since their arrival into more public places he had put on dark sunglasses and a baseball cap to hide his face. He was looking out the window nervously as Jason pulled into the Xanatos parking garage. It was just that morning that John had fled from this same place.
Jason parked and made sure all was clear before motioning for John to get out of the car.
"So…" John started as they began the slow elevator ride up to the top of the building, " Will the girl be all right?"
Jason shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest.
"She was starting to mend this morning but…well you saw what they did to her."
"I'm sorry…"
It was barely audible above the hum of the elevator, but Jason's trained ear heard it all the same.
"Are you sorry that you were caught, or sorry for her?"
John's head had been bowed for all of the trip, but he finally looked up, staring at his reflection in the metallic walls. His cheeks were red from tears pouring down his face.
"I'm just…sorry."
The bell chimed, announcing their arrival on the one of the top floors. The site of Matt greeted them as they stepped out of the elevator.
"How'd you get here so quick?"
Matt was clutching at his stomach, but also was pointing at the retreating figure of a tall, blond man holding a baby, "I had to take the short cut."
Both Jason and John were confused at his comments, but shook it off quickly as graver business pressed upon them. Matt led them to one of the main rooms of the restored castle where Elisa had been tended to that morning.
All three men were silent as they entered the room where one lone bed stood among a vigil of stone statues.
John gasped.
His eyes jumped between the view of the almost set sun through the windows, and the muscular monsters only a few feet in front of him.
The two men that had escorted him there walked past them without a second thought and stood by the bed. John, in fear of the stone creatures, made a wide arc around them and hid behind the form of Jason. The young detective smirked at the man's fear but was more distracted by Elisa.
His passion for her never decreased, even when she had told him there was no future between them. She had helped him through his recovery, which only made him adore her all the more. Jason had always thought she was one of the more beautiful woman he had ever seen in the city. That fair, olive skin with the dark eyes were exotic to him. The blue-black hair that was hers and hers alone.
He had to hold back a sob at the butcher job they had done to the long, silky hair. She looked far from exotic, or healthy with the pale and cut up skin.
She didn't look anything like Elisa Maza.
The room darkened as the sun finally set and the monsters began to shake.
He could feel John trembling at his side and turned to the man.
"You don't have to fear them. So long as you help us get the ones that did this to her, you'll be perfectly healthy."
John nodded, not looking completely assured but couldn't take his eyes off of the creatures that stretched and roared. Their bodies were pure muscles, capable of tearing him apart easily. As they growled he could see all of their teeth, pointy and glistening even in the darkness of the room. Their eyes glowed like demons.
He did the only thing he could do. Something that he had never done before in his life; probably something that none of his forefathers had ever done. He would be shame faced afterward, but his mind was shutting down, blocking out all rational thought in the face of what he contrived to be a brutal predator that would tear him apart.
John fainted.
This is not the end....There's a quote that starts like that, the first person to write it down in their review, along with an e-mail address will be alowed to preview the next(and hopefully final) chapter. There might be many quotes that start like that, but I'm thinking of a really famous one. Thanks much!