Demona's Love Reborn v2 Part 2

by scottmercure

Demona is uncertain about the scientist she has hired for her project. Since meeting him she has been dragged back in time to memories she had tried to keep buried for centuries. In addition Xanatos has plans of his own, but Owen is skeptacle of them.

GARGOYLES

DEMONA'S LOVE REBORN

(Rewritten Version)

Part 2

By Scott Mercure

smercurecharter.net

This part is dedicated to Callisa "LilyDoll" Leigh

(A terrific fan and talented writer – Thanks for the

ideas!)

All Gargoyles and characters are trademarks of Disney

and Buena Vista Television, (c) MCMXCIV and used without

their consent. Professor Scott Mercure, Jacob Forelle and

all characters of the Lost Clan belong to Scott S. Mercure.

Venus Mercure, a.k.a. "The Rebel Flower", belongs to

Isabelle Saucier. Daniel Straussmore and the Athena Project

belong to Ryan Stout. All brand names or copy written

material mentioned in this story belong to their

respective owners.

Anybody who wants to use our characters is welcome to,

as long as they contact us (Scott Mercure, Isabelle

Saucier and Ryan Stout) first. Tell us what you plan to do

with them and chances are we won't mind, although I cannot

speak for Ryan..

A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR:

Okay, I know it's been a while since I posted Part 1

of this series, but I think it will have been worth the

wait. I had a lot of difficulties in writing this part of

the series as it focuses on Demona's feelings. Not many

stories seem to deal with this subject, probably because

Demona is such a complicated character and often exhibits

hate. I have always thought that she could be softened a

little if carefully tweaked and nudged in the right

directions. Hopefully this part of the story will start to

unlock those hidden feelings she keeps buried away.

Because of the massive changes in the new versions I

am not able to put a date on them as far as where they

belong in the television series. But I hope you enjoy the

story anyhow, and as always comments and feedback are

always a welcomed sight.

Now, on with the story…

James MacGregor leaned back in his chair as the Cray

computer once again flashed the line "Components unable to

exist together, formula failed, error code 442." He was

really starting to hate the scientists who thought they

were making progress with outlandish formulas such as

these. It had not been quite a week since he started

working for Xanatos and already he was starting to regret

his decision, money or no money.

"This is ridiculous!" He said aloud, although there

was nobody around to hear him. "I can't work with such

mundane information."

He shook his head and wheeled his chair over to the

first Cray terminal to see what it had come up with. A

shapeless blob was rotating slowly in the upper left corner

of the screen. To the right were several lines of code

that listed everything that was found within the blob. He

noted that for such a simple organism there seemed to be a

lot to its genetic makeup. When his eyes went to the lower

half of the screen he was met with a flashing message that

made him want to scream.

"Scanned organism found in database: Common waste

fungus normally found on citric fruits."

"And this pertains to this project how?" He asked the

computer, knowing well that it would do no good.

He got to his feet and pushed the chair under the

table which contained the row of Cray computers. This was

getting him nowhere except more confused, to which only

resulted in him being short tempered. Stepping to the

windows overlooking the parking lot he gazed down at the

vehicles that filled it. Since it was well past noontime

there was nobody walking around the parking lot. For some

strange reason he gazed up at the cloudy sky and started

wondering what Demona was doing.

She was in Paris and had told him that she would be

there a few weeks before returning, saying that it would

give him time to work on Xanatos' project. "Well," He

said to himself. "A lot of good I've done so far."

In truth he found himself missing Demona, although he

was not entirely certain why. She had not shown any real

interest in him personally, except for the few times she

accepted his feeble attempts at comforting. Suppressing a

soft chuckle he strode back to the computers and one by one

reset them. Each system beeped once before starting the

boot process, finishing with the "Xanatos Enterprises" logo

and system menu,

"Enough of this jerking around." He said as he sat at

the first system. "To do this right I am going to have to

start from scratch. Access to some of the greatest minds!"

He said, grumbling. "All the good ones are locked from

outside access."

When Xanatos said he would have access he had hoped it

would have been Sevarious, Phobos, Straussmore and the

others. He soon learned that any access to the top

scientists were restricted and accessible only by his

employer. If anyone could have helped his research it

would have been those people. In some small way he was

not really surprised, but it had bothered him.

Frowning in frustration he instructed the computer to

remove all the information associated with his project into

a backup section of the server. When the progress

indicator flashed "copy complete" he tagged the entire

directory and wiped it from the system.

"That's about what's it's worth." He said to himself,

smiling as he began a new entry.

The first thing he did was encrypt the file so that

only he would be able to unlock it, then move it to a

password protected directory. With that started he stood

up and walked over to a row of four steel cupboards with

glass fronts. Opening the second one to the left he

removed a syringe and an empty slide. From the first

cabinet he removed a rubber tie band, alcohol wipe and

bandage. As he sat down at one of the tables he began to

think of the next steps he would need to take, the blood

sample being only one. He would need to use the MRI

scanner, for that he would need help, after that he would

need access to the DNA sequencer.

But even throughout his mental checklist his thoughts

always edged back to Demona. He knew he would not be able

to get her out of his mind, no matter what he did. At this

thought he laughed and prepared his arm to extract the

measure of blood he would need.

For the uncounted time since she had arrived back in

Paris she had cursed not being able to turn into a human

during the day. It was infuriating trying to manage a

business from her London Penthouse using nothing but the

telephone and a desktop PC system. She had no idea what

was really going on at Nightstone Unlimited and whether the

employees were doing their assigned jobs. As she sat

heavily on the couch she left the glass of wine untouched

on the glass table before her. She began to think of

something to do, whether or not there had been anybody she

needed to visit.

When the image if James MacGregor came into her head

she stifled a scream of frustration and took it out on one

of the cushions. Even after the hapless pillow had been

rendered a useless pile of torn silk and fluffy feathers

she still had the urge to tear something apart. As the

delicate white feathers settled on her legs she growled and

started to get up when the phone rang.

The sound of it caused her to jump as if something had

kicked her backside. She had to let to ring four times

before she had calmed down enough to answer it without

sending it hurtling into a wall.

"Yes." Was all she said, a hint of anger in her

voice.

"Miss Destine, this is your front office." Came a

woman's voice, whom she recognized as her own secretary.

"We have done everything you asked. But I find it odd that

you are transferring your office location to New York

City." Her heavy French accent overpowered her English.

Demona felt a flash an anger build up on her once more

but she kept her voice as calm as possible. "Where I make

my office is not your concern. I just want to make certain

everything is in order while I am away."

"How long will you be in the United States?"

"I do not know, for in indefinite period I would

think." Demona replied, wondering if she would fire the

woman. "I have people here that can take care of things in

my absence. If I am needed you have the number of my New

York office."

"I understand, madam." The secretary replied. "Enjoy

your trip."

Without saying anything else Demona hung up the phone

and started pacing around the living area. She had

originally thought it would take a lot longer to square

things away here. The human scientist, Robert, would not

be expecting her to return for several more days. If she

were to return sooner than expected it would seem that she

had hurried to return to him, which is the impression she

did not want to give. Stepping into the kitchen she looked

at the refrigerator and wondered if she should eat

something. She did not feel hungry but simply waiting

around was driving her nuts.

For lack of interest she left the kitchen and returned

to the living area. She turned on the television, flopped

down on the sofa and started channel surfing. Most of the

stations here in Paris were beyond boring but when she saw

a show on vacationing in Scotland she paused. The

announcer's voice could be heard in the background

explaining all the wonderful places to visit and how

friendly the people were. As the scenes changed she saw

towering mountains, endless green plains and quaint old

villages where the inhabitants still followed the old ways.

When they started talking about the private beaches

and the ocean she could not help but think of the evening

she and Robert spent. On the television they showed a

bright sunny day, warm breezes and people playing in the

ocean. What she saw was a quiet evening alone with a human

she missed more than anything in the world. As she

pictured the way he looked an idea suddenly came to her.

It started out as a tiny tugging at the back of her mind,

like a mosquito looking for a place to land. Her mind was

telling her to go and visit the past, to once again walk

the beach as she had more than a millennium ago.

"James…" She said softly as a warm tear rolled down

her cheek when she though of the rock they had sat upon.

"If only I could have told you how I felt."

"So go." A tiny voice echoed in her mind.

For some reason she nodded at her own inner voice and

switched off the television before grabbing the phone. She

dialed her office and waited as the line rang twice before

being picked up. The voice on the other end was the

secretary she had spoken with earlier.

"Nightstone Unlimited, front office of madam Destine."

The French accented woman said.

"It's me." Demona said, knowing the woman would know

her voice. "I need you to check on flights departing for

Scotland for tonight."

"Yes, maam…" The secretary replied. Demona could

hear the woman typing on her computer. "It will take a

minute or two to search."

"Very well." Was all she said as she continued to

listen to the secretary typing on her computer.

"There are three flights leaving for Scotland

tonight." The secretary said. "The first leaves in forty

five minutes, the next is at nine thirty and the last

departs at eleven fifteen. Would you like me to book you

on one of those flights? There are first class seats

available on them all."

"No." Demona replied, tapping a deadly talon to her

chin. "I will handle it myself. Farewell."

Demona dimly heard her secretary give her own farewell

before hanging up the phone. She knew there would be no

way possible she could get a seat on a plane in her

Gargoyle form. She cursed again not being flesh during the

day, it was something she never though she would miss.

Grinning slyly she stepped out onto the terrace and

leapt out into the dark Paris sky. As she banked towards

the direction of the airport she caught a quick glimpse of

the Eiffel Tower. The towering structure, which she had

once found interesting back when it was being constructed,

had long since lost its luster to her. Most everything

else about Paris held no interest to her, at her age there

was not much she had not seen or lived through.

Ignoring the city she continued on to the airport,

where upon she dropped lower so their radar would not

detect her presence. She felt the only way she could get

onto one of the planes to Scotland was to stow away, but

first she needed to find out which one was departing.

She cursed herself for not asking her secretary the

flight information, it would have made it a lot easier. As

the lights of Paris de Gaulle airport came into view she

took extra care to glide in and around the buildings so she

would not be spotted. Without a sound she touched down on

the rooftop of the main terminal and stepped up to the he

skylights. When she peered down into the main terminal she

could see dozens of people milling about. Some with

luggage, many in line at the check-in areas and others

apparently waiting for others to arrive. What she looked

for specifically were the large monitors displaying the

outbound flights.

When she finally spotted them she peered carefully at

the flights and times. Since she knew what time the

flights were to depart it was not difficult to locate. The

soonest one was with British Airways and was set to depart

in a half hour. When she noticed a stopover in Birmingham

she frowned. Having to deal with a stopover would make the

trip more difficult, as she would have to switch planes

before reaching Glasgow.

Stepping back from the skylights she leaned against a

large air circulator and sighed. At first it had seemed

like a nice idea to return to Scotland and revisit some of

her past, but now it was getting complicated. Her other

concern was where she would actually stow away on the

flights.

"I need to be human again!" She growled softly.

A moment later she realized what she had said and

became angry with herself. She actually wanted to be a

human again, to be the one thing she was striving to get

rid of! After slicing four deep gashes into the air

recycler she spun and started walking towards the departure

terminal.

Goliath, Hudson and Brooklyn slid easily between the

buildings, their blurred forms mirrored on the skyscrapers

large office windows. Broadway and Lexington were going to

meet up with Venus at Ward's Island before rendezvousing

with them at the docks. Elisa, using some of her contacts

on the street, had discovered that Dracon was indeed

smuggling firearms in from overseas. The detective and

Matt were already on the scene, waiting in the shadows to

ensure that Dracon and his men did not run before they got

there.

As the distant ocean came into view they slowed and

gazed around at the many warehouses. Although there were

many lights around the warehouses the entire area looked

dark and sinister, like something out of an old spy movie.

From overhead they heard a familiar voice trying to get

their attention.

Looking up they saw Venus gliding several feet above,

followed closely by Broadway and Lexington. "We got here

first, Goliath, I guess that means we win." She said,

chuckling.

"This is not a race, Venus." Goliath said, shaking

his head at his sisters playfulness. "We are here for a

purpose."

Venus looked slightly annoyed. "I was only kidding,

Goliath. Sheesh, do you not ever let up?"

"Nope." Broadway said, grinning. To which Lexington

also chuckled.

Goliath, if he had heard them, did not comment but

instead motioned to a large warehouse to their left. Their

keen eyes picked up the tiny Ford Fairlane parked behind a

large stack of crates, hidden from any lights. Waiting

next to it were two familiar figures, Elisa and Matt.

Cupping their wings they went into a slow dive,

circling wide once before touching down a few feet away

from Elisa's car. The detective smiled, while Matt only

nodded, apparently still not sure about Goliath and his

kind.

"Dracon and his goons haven't moved from the warehouse

since they got here." Elisa said, stealing a quick glance

towards a large grey warehouse a block away. "We saw the

drop off boat pull in a few minutes ago loaded with several

wooden crates."

"I think you know what's inside tem." Matt said,

frowning. Broadway narrows his eyes as he stifled a hiss

though his clenched teeth.

Venus looked at Broadway for a moment, then towards

Elisa as she recalled the story about what happened with

her gun. Inwardly she shuddered, thinking about how

horrible Broadway must have felt. When Goliath started

talking she pushed the thought from his mind and

concentrated on what her brother was saying.

"Elisa and Matt will go and silence the men still at

the drop off boat." Goliath said, crossing his arms over

his wide chest. "Venus, you take Broadway and Lexington

and enter though the roof.

"Hudson, you go in though the rear entrance while

Brooklyn and myself confront Dracon from the loading dock."

The gargoyles leader uncrossed his arms and clenched a fist

in anger. "I do not want any of these men to escape!"

The group nodded before breaking off into their

assigned parties to their given destinations. Brooklyn

looked up at Goliath and smiled.

"Good night to crash a party." The young gargoyles

said, chuckling.

"Indeed." Goliath said as he unfurled his wings

before he and Brooklyn scaled the side of the warehouse.

As their talons pierced the metal wall it made a teeth

rattling tearing sound. The sudden sound motivated them to

hurry their ascent, less the noise alert their quarry.

Venus was the first to touch down on the roof of the

warehouse, followed moments later by Broadway and

Lexington. She looked back and motioned them towards the

large windows set into the roof several feet before them.

As they made their way forward Venus could sense their

human targets below them. From what she could feel they

had no idea what was about to happen, she smiled at this

useful ability. When she peered down though the dirty

glass she saw several men standing around a pile of wooden

crates.

"The one wearing the tan suit is Tony Dracon, the

leader." Broadway said, pointing down. "The tall black

dude is his right hand man, goes by the name Glasses."

"Who are the others?" Venus asked, making certain she

would not miss anybody.

"I guess they are either people buying the weapons."

Lexington answered, scratching his head. "Or they're the

ones who will go and sell them on the street."

One of the crates was open, revealing neatly stacked

laser rifles, one of which Dracon was holding. Broadway

growled at seeing the weapons but made no move, instead

looking to her for instructions. She knew they were not

used to having her instead of Goliath or Hudson, but they

respected her authority.

"We wait for Goliath to make his move." She said,

only loud enough so they could understand her. "Be

cautious when we enter, I wish none of you getting hurt by

those…" She gestured to the weapons. "things."

Lexington nodded and waited for Goliath and Brooklyn

to make their move.

It happened so suddenly that all they heard was a loud

crash, followed by a stack of crates crashing to the floor.

Dracon and his men looked around before hustling to grab at

the weapons. Venus leapt into the air, crashing though the

glass as she threw out her wings to slow her fall. She

heard the other two follow suit but did not look up, else

she lose her targets.

Goliath could be seen leaping up from behind the

tumbled crates, pinning one man to the ground. Brooklyn

was close behind, bowling one over with his body before

slamming his fist into the face of another. Both men went

down before they could release the safeties on the weapons

they were holding.

Venus saw Dracon turn and bolt towards the rear of the

building, followed closely by his right hand man, the one

Broadway called Glasses. She let Broadway and Lexington do

what they would while she followed Dracon. It was this man

they wanted most, and she was determined not to let him or

his cronies get away.

Growling loudly she leapt over a small stack of bailed

wool, when she landed she ran on all fours. Dracon and

Glasses separated, each going in opposite directions but

Venus continued after Dracon himself. She knew that Hudson

was back there someplace and would catch the other man.

Without warning Dracon suddenly spun around and

pointed the weapon directly at her. As he shouldered the

weapon she ducked to the right, but his reflexes were

quick. There was a flash of red light, then a searing pain

as the laser sliced though the membrane of her left wing.

She screamed in pain and was unable to dodge a large metal

rack. The force of her body sent the large object tilting

backwards for an instant before falling back to its

original place. From above there came a torrent of small

plastic drums, some of which pummeled her body, causing her

more pain.

Although she was not aware of it, Dracon had stopped

long enough to gloat over his small victory. She dimly

heard the man laugh for a moment, followed moments later by

a loud thud. It was all she remembered before she slipped

away into darkness.

"Venus was hit!" Broadway shouted as he wrapped a

length of steel pipe around three of Dracon's men.

Lexington and Brooklyn turned to where they had seen

Venus run, only to see Goliath holding Dracon high in the

air. The gun he had been holding was bent beyond hope of

ever being used again in his other hand. His eye were

blazing white as he stared at the spot where Venus had

fallen. All they could see was one of her legs and a wing

protruding from the mess that had fallen atop her.

"What's wrong?" Dracon said, a smug grin on her face.

"Your new friend not know the ropes."

"SIlence!" Goliath shouted as he watched the others

remove the debris from his sisters body.

When Hudson came hurrying forward he was carrying

Glasses by the back of his coat. One of the large mans

lenses was broken, showing a swollen eye underneath. Since

the man was out cold it was not hard to figure out what

Hudson had done to subdue him.

Elisa and Matt came running from the loading docks and

seemed about to relate their tale when they saw the

situation.

"Oh no!" Elisa gasped, taking Dracon into custody

after Goliath dumped him on the floor.

In a short time they had uncovered Venus, noting the

long tear burned though her wing membrane. Aside from that

she was bruised with some minor cuts but nothing seemed

life threatening. Matt assisted in rolling her over so he

could continue to check her injuries.

"From what I can see she hit her head pretty good."

Matt said as he noticed the cut on the side of her head.

"Nothing serious, but I imagine she will be sore and have a

good headache when she wakes up."

"She does not turn to stone as we do." Goliath said

as he gently took Venus in his arms. "I am fearful of her

wing injury. Come, we must get her home so she can be

tended to."

"What about them?" Lexington said, pointing to Dracon

and his men.

"Don't worry." Elisa said, still holding Dracon. "I

will radio this in and get a wagon here to pick them up.

You worry about getting Venus home."

Goliath nodded and hurried away, taking care not to

jostle Venus too much. With the others help they managed

to get her to the roof, where upon Goliath took her again

and leapt into the night air.

The rest of the Clan followed moments after.

It seemed to take a lot longer to reach Wards Island

than they thought, no doubt slowed by Goliath carrying

Venus. When the lights of the professor's mansion came

into view they descended slowly, circling twice before

landing on the upstairs terrace. Lexington hurried forward

and opened the large sliding glass doors. The little

gargoyle hurried on ahead, saying that he would inform the

professor.

Goliath set her gently on the deck, trying his best to

make her as comfortable as possible. They were not long in

waiting for the professor to arrive. Their human friend

hurried though the door way, almost out of breath from

running. When he saw Venus lying on the deck unmoving he

knelt and demanded to know what happened. Goliath was not

certain if the professor was angry or afraid, possibly

both.

As they told him what had happened he slowly inspected

her injures, cursing to himself when he saw the damage to

her wing. Jacob arrived a few minutes after carrying a

first aid case. The gargoyles stepped back as the two

humans cleaned and dressed her wounds. Neither Scott nor

Jacob knew exactly what to do about the burn in her wing.

The laser had cauterized it so there was no bleeding, but

the gaping hole was what concerned them.

"Lets get her into bed where she can be more

comfortable." The professor said as she gently brushed

some wisps of hair from her face.

They stood back as Goliath once again picked up his

sister, then followed the professor to the bedroom. Hudson

held the others back, saying that they would only be in the

way.

Scott watched as Goliath gently set Venus down on

their bed, the mattress sagging slightly under her weight.

He had long since gotten rid of the old waterbed as it both

too small and uncomfortable for two people. Goliath

stepped back and allowed the professor to kneel down next

to her, his hand gently touching her face. Jacob nodded

and motioned for Goliath to follow him out, to which the

gargoyle did not object.

She had no idea how long she bad been out, but the

throbbing his her head told her that something had

happened. When she opened her eyes she was met with a dim,

and quite blurry view of her bedroom ceiling. A moment

later her vision cleared so she tilted her head to the

side, to which she noticed Scott.

"I am home." She said softly. When she tried to

touch her head Scott reached over and stopped her.

"Do not touch the dressing now, sweetie." He said,

frowning. "Do you remember anything that happened?"

"A little." She said, wincing at the throbbing pain

in her head. "We were combating with Tony Dracon and his

henchmen. I tried to chase Dracon, he turned and fired at

me and I dodged. I remember a burning pain in my wing,

then striking something and everything went dark."

"Yes, you're wing is injured and you have a bad cut

on your head." Scott said, a hint of unpleasantness in his

tone. "Goliath carried you back here. When I learned

about what happened I thought the worst."

She noticed the look of concern on his face, the hint

of his anger could also be seen. "I am getting slow in my

old age."

Her apparent poke at being funny did not work.

"Age has nothing to do with it, Venus." The professor

said, sitting on the bed next to her. "Do you have any

idea how frightening it was to see you lying there? The

others saying you had been shot."

She did not like the tone of his voice, it only made

her head ache more. "It is a danger that can happen, no

matter how hard I try to avoid it. I am not a hatchling

and do not need you to lecture me on such things."

"I am terrified of losing you, Venus." He said,

sighing as he stood up. "After so many years of being

alone, now I have somebody important in my life. I have no

desire to go back to my single life again."

"I will not stop doing what I was raised to do." She

said, understanding how he felt.

"I am not asking you to." He said, looking down at

her bandaged head. "I know very well how you feel about

such things and will never ask you to stop. But please,

try to avoid getting shot and bashing your head in." The

last sentence he said with a soft chuckle.

She found herself chuckling softly, but the action

only made her wince in pain. When she tried to get up he

gently pushed her back down onto the bed.

"You are going nowhere for a little while." He said,

trying to ask cross with her. "You need to recover, and it

will be a while before you even think of flying."

"Why?" Venus asked, wondering how bad her wing was.

"I felt the pain in my wing, but how bad is it?" She felt

her voice waver, the thought of not being able to fly

scared her.

"It is not serious, but bad enough that you have a

long tear in the membrane of your left wing." Scott said,

reassuring her. "But it will take time to mend and that

means you're grounded until it heals."

The thought of being grounded made her feel sick

inside. She felt it would have been better if she had lost

an arm than to lose the ability of flight. Sighing, she

closed her eyes and tried to ignore her aching head and

sore body.

"Here." Scott said, sitting down next to her again.

"This will help with the pain and make you relax." He held

two small white capsules in his hand, in the other was a

glass of water.

With his help she was able to lift her head high

enough so she could take the medication and swallow the

water. It was the first time she had ever taken such a

thing, she did not trust the things, but with the pain she

decided to try it. If it helped take the soreness away

then she felt it would be worth it.

"Is there anything else you need?" Scott asked,

setting the half empty glass on the nightstand.

"Nothing right now." She replied, placing her hand on

his thigh. "I am sorry for scaring you."

He placed his hand atop hers, squeezing gently. "I

love you." Was all he said.

"I know you do." She replied, smiling. "I love you

too."

In a short time she felt the medication begin to work.

Her eyes became heavy and she felt her body start to relax

as she slid into darkness. Scott waiting until her

breathing slowed before leaving the room.

Not far down the hallway he saw Goliath and the others

waiting. He had no doubt they were waiting to know how

Venus was doing. Closing the bedroom door he went to

inform them of her condition.

Demona was more than happy to finally be free of

hiding in the cargo section of the Boeing 747. Aside from

keeping baggage company and not having the usual bag of

nuts and can of soda the flights were uneventful. She felt

foolish having to hide in such a way when she was so used

to not having to worry about being seen in public. It was

too far for her to have flown on her own so she had no

choice.

When she was finally clear of the airport she made her

way quickly over the surrounding city and did not slow

until she reached the countryside. As she took in the lay

of the land she felt as if somebody or something were

watching her. She continuously scanned her surroundings

but never saw anything. Glancing over her right shoulder

she noticed the Grampian mountains and knew she needed to

start heading west. In time the distant horizon started

becoming familiar to her, and with it came the memories.

Memories flooded her mind, both good and bad, from the

time she was a hatchling until she fled Scotland. Before

she knew what was happening the view below her was very

familiar. She had no idea how long she her been flying,

but it must have been quite a while since she saw the

hollowed out area when Castle Wyvern once stood.

She circled it a few times before heading north

towards the beach. As the dark brown stretch of beach came

into view she dipped lower until she could hear the ocean

lapping against the beach. Pulling up she hovered for a

moment before setting down on the beach.

The sand felt warm and soft beneath her clawed feet,

bringing back all to familiar memories. Closing her eyes

she pictured the time when she and Robert had walked on

this very beach. Without realizing it she started walking,

following the same path they had taken on that wonderful

evening. With each step she heard the soft crunching of

sand.

When she opened her eyes she spotted the rock on which

her and James had shared. It did not look any different

than it did over a thousand years ago. There were more

trees and bushes above the beach, and the rock was only

slightly more buried then she remembered. But aside from

that everything was just as she remembered it,

Numb to the tears filling her eyes she bounded on all

fours until she reached the rocks edge. She was about to

dig her talons into its side but something made her stop.

Doing that seemed to revolt her, almost like she was

shaming the memory by damaging something she held dear.

Pulling back her hands she glanced to her right and saw the

irregular path leading up to the top.

When she took the first step onto the path she felt a

soft wind blow past her from the ocean. It was slightly

cooler than the air but she found something soothing within

it. Inhaling the salty air she continued onward and did

not stop until she reached the summit. In front of her was

the face of the cliff, calling out to her like a long lost

lover. Holding back a sob she started forward, each step

feeling as if the rock was a magnet trying to hold her in

place.

As she stepped up to the edge she peered down at the

ocean below. The ocean swells crashing against the base of

the cliff. Everything seemed exactly like it had been,

only Robert was not here with her. Unable to hold back she

collapsed into a sitting position and cried. Her shoulders

and wings shuddering with each sob.

"Why did you have to die?" She screamed at the moon

high overhead. "Damn you, Rebel Flower!! Why did you hand

him over to me?" Her eyes were so full of tears that the

sky and moon were only a watery blur. "Damn you, Robert,

for capturing my heart."

Once again the wind began to blow, causing the damp

air below to wash over her. She felt and tasted the salty

water of the nearly invisible spray. Wiping the dampness

from her eyes and face she swung her legs over the edge and

leaned back. When she did she felt a bunch of tiny

indentations in the rock beneath her right hand.

At first she paid it no mind, as the surface of the

rock was far from smooth. But as she slid her hand away

the roughness disappeared and she felt smooth rock. When

she glanced down she saw what she believed was a manmade

etching in the rock. For a moment she became angry as to

who would do such a thing to her private memories. Her

angry turned to curiosity when she saw what looked to be an

arrow pointing towards the edge of the cliff.

She figured it was been done a long time ago as the

edges were smooth and worn away by the elements. It

puzzled her as to why somebody would carve an arrow

pointing out over the ocean.

"Compass direction?" She said softly.

Swiping her hand over the arrow she looked back out

over the ocean but she could not get it out of her head.

Growling softly she pulled her legs back up and spun around

so that she was on her stomach. Peering at the face of the

cliff she saw nothing out of the ordinary, except for a

small ledge about halfway down. It reminded her, quite

painfully, of the ledge she had taken refuge on when the

Vikings had sacked castle Wyvern.

It did not look very wide, perhaps only enough to

allow one person to stand upon. Tilting her head she began

wondering if there might be more to this arrow than she

thought. Rising to her feet she threw open her wings and

leapt off the cliff. An updraft caused by the breaking

waves below stopped her from plunging into the ocean far

below. Soaring out over the open sea she spun in a wide

circle and began to glide down to the ledge, which was

about halfway down the cliff face. From what she could see

there was some sort of opening just beyond the ledge.

Moments before she would have struck the cliff she

cupper her wings and touched down on the narrow ledge. She

immediately dug her hands into the rock to stop herself

from toppling over backward. When she regained her balance

she discovered that there was indeed a narrow opening

beyond. Crouching down, she slowly made her way inside,

taking care to avoid any loose stone overhead.

She suddenly came across what looked to be a hastily

constructed wall of stones. Several had fallen loose

revealing that the tunnel continued further inside.

"Why would somebody go though the trouble to blocking

the opening?" She said, picking up one of the fallen

stones.

For a few moments she stared at the wall, wondering is

she should continue on, which would mean tearing the wall

down. She did not think anyone would mind, not that she

cared. "Perhaps there is something hidden further in?"

Grinning in spite of the situation she reached down

and began pulling out the rest of the stones. Because of

her strength she met with no resistance and within a few

minutes the open was large enough to allow her though.

Caping her wings under her arms she slithered though the

opening. After she was though she noticed that there was

not as much light this far inside. She still had no

trouble seeing, as her keen gargoyle sight was far better

than a humans. Still, she reached to the back of her belt

as unclipped a small battery powered flashlight. The

device had come in handy during her flight as the luggage

area was not lit while in flight.

When she turned it on she saw that the walls of the

tunnel were smoother than on the other side of the wall.

She could see chisel marks where it had been widened to

allow for easier passage. It was also not as damp in here,

no doubt thanks to the wall. The other thing she noticed

was that she could almost stand upright. There was no

doubt that this tunnel was carved to a humans height.

"But why is it here?" She asked herself, trying to

remember anyone mentioning tunnels around the castle but

she came up empty.

As she continued on she ran one hand along the wall

while watching the floor for any pitfalls. After she was

walked for several minutes she found herself happy to have

the light as it was almost pitch black. She found herself

wondering if she should turn back and abandon her

spelunking as she had not found anything. However she felt

as if something was urging her to continue onward, for what

reason she did not know.

Shaking her head she pressed on, all the while panning

the light around before her. Just when she thought there

would be no end to the tunnel she stumbled into a vaulted

room. There was a slight drop where the tunnel floor met

the room, causing her to stumble forward. She was able to

break her fall with her hands but the light went skittering

away from her. The beam spun around several times, shining

along several strange looking objects, large and

rectangular.

Cursing softly she got to her feet and brushed the

dirt and dust from her arms and legs before walking towards

the flashlight. When he picked it up she pointed it to one

of the large objects and saw at once that it was a stone

sarcophagus. She felt her heart leap into her thought as

she realized what the other objects must be as well.

She had stumbled upon an ancient human tomb.

As she panned her light around she noted that there

were about ten sarcophagus' in the room. They were

arranged so that they were three across and as many long,

but the tenth seemed different. It was set away from the

others, resting on a small pedestal and seemed more

elaborate than the rest. The others were simple stone

coffins, their only ornaments being either a family crest

or the name of whoever was entombed within.

When she approached the one by itself she noticed that

the entire stone coffin was etched with many different

scroll patterns. She was no beginner when it came to

archeology but she was not able to place the scrollwork.

Moving closer she concentrated on the lid itself, hoping

there would be a name or family crest.

The surface was thickly coated with dust, telling her

that it has been here undisturbed for uncounted years.

Using her free hand she brushed the thick dust from the

surface, exposing the surface beneath. She blew the rest

away with her mouth before shining the light on the coffin

lid.

At the end which she figured was the head she did

notice a family emblem with some Latin text etched below

it. Because of the tiny light she was not able to see the

entire crest, but what she did see made her scream, forcing

her to take several steps back. It was one she herself had

back at her New York manor, locked away. Aside from her

there had only been one other person allowed in, James

MacGregor.

The crest carved on the coffin lid was from the house

of MacGregor. If that was not enough she had caught a

quick glimpse of the name below it: Robert MacGregor. The

tiny flashlight slipped from her hand as she fell to her

knees, stunned at what she had fond.

She had never been able to find out what they had done

with his body after he was killed. At the time she was so

heartbroken that she had fled the castle for several days

to mourn. When she finally returned she told herself that

she did not want to know where he was burled. With her

dabbling with the Archmage and his magic she did not want

to get any bizarre ideas.

It was so amazing that she was not even able to cry,

only shiver as if Robert himself would rise from the dead.

For several minutes she was unable to move, being only able

to stare at the coffin. The flashlight had fallen so that

the narrow beam shone upon the side of the coffin.

She reached out and grabbed the flashlight before

getting back to her feet. Her first instinct was to leave

this place, but the fact that she had found Robert's

resting place held her back. Bowing her head she once

again approached the stone coffin. When she reached it she

shone the light on the surface again, this time on the

text. As she translated the text her eyes filled with

tears.

I will never forget you, my Angel, and I pray you never

forgot what we shared.

You were the shining light in my darkest hours, your

beautiful

face was that of a Goddess…

and as a Goddess I worshiped you as no mortal man could.

Farewell, my Angel, I love you with all my heart and I pray

that somehow we will meet again.

The first thing that came to her mind was confusion.

She was touched deeply by what was written, but she could

not help but wonder who else would have known what to

write. Robert could not have told the carver since he was

dead, unless he had made earlier arrangements.

"But why?" She said softly, sniffing. "Did he know

he was going to die soon? Who else would have known this?"

Her questions were met with silence.

With her left hand she traced the text with her

finger, feeling as if by doing that she was touching him

once again. Resting her hand on his family crest she

smiled and touched her forehead to the side of the coffin.

"I love you." She said as a single tear rolling down

her cheek before dropping to the dusty floor. "I will

never stop loving you."

For a while she did nothing except remain silent,

feeling the cold stone of Robert's coffin. She had no idea

how long she had stood there, but she felt there was still

something to do. When she pulled away she sighed softly,

then placed the flashlight on a nearby coffin so that the

beam shone on Robert's.

With shaking hands she pressed them against the lid of

the coffin and gently pushed. She heard a soft grating

sound as the stone lid slid a few inches sideways. Holding

her breath she gripped the coffin lid and gently lifted it

away, not yet looking inside. She had no intention to

destroying the lid so she carried it to one of the other

coffins and gently set it on top.

When she returned to Robert's coffin she waited a few

minutes to give her own silent prayer. As she looked

inside she saw a heavy white burial cloth within. Embossed

on it was again the MacGregor family crest, done in richly

colored thread. What caught her attention more was the

hidden form beneath it. She fought the strange sickening

sensation she felt in her stomach.

"He's dead." She said, tears blurring her eyes.

"There is no reason for me to be afraid."

She could see her hand shaking as she reached down and

gripped the edge of the shroud. As slowly as she could she

peeled the shroud away, revealing the body underneath. Her

breath caught in her throat when she saw the skeleton

within. She looked away for a few moments, breathing

heavily as tears streamed down her cheeks. When she felt

more composed she swallowed heavily and turned back.

Robert was dressed in his leather armor, though it was

faded and rotted with age, with his arms crossed over his

chest. His skull stared at the ceiling, the empty eye

sockets and permanent grin gave her the shivers. Still, as

she continued to look she remembered that this was the man

whom she had once loved.

She was pleased that he had gotten the burial he

deserved, one of the few humans who welcomed the company of

her kind. Another thing she started wondering about was

what had actually happened during the burial. "Were there

gargoyles there as well to see Robert put to rest?" She

asked herself, then felt bad that she had not been there to

see him off.

"He must hate me." She said, sniffing in an attempt

to clear her nose.

"No." Came a faint, hollowed whisper from behind.

Dropping the burial shroud she spun in anger, full and

ready to tear whoever was there apart. She barley was able

to hiss when her eyes fell on a barley visible form

standing a few feet away. The image wavered for a moment

before becoming more solid, in a manner of speaking. This

time she was not able to hold back the scream that emerged

from her mouth at what was before her.

Robert MacGregor, looking just as he did before his

death, stood there. The only difference was that his form

was transparent, and when he spoke his voice sounded deep

and hollow, as if he were speaking from a pit.

"I had wondered when you come." He said, smiling.

"No…" Demona said, shaking her head and backing away.

"NO! This is not happening!"

"But it is, my Angel." He said, walking towards his

stone coffin. "Have no fears, I will not harm you. How

could I do anything bad to the one I loved."

She felt the cold touch of the wall behind her,

letting her know that she could not back away further. The

image of Robert did not attempt to approach her, but

instead looked down at his own skeletal remains. She

watched as he tilted his head, then smiled.

"I have lost weight." He said, his laugh sending

chills down her spin.

"I am seeing things." She said, turning her head and

closing her eyes. "It's this place, it's having too strong

an effect on me."

"Trust me, little Angel, you are not… seeing things."

Robert said, turning his gaze away from his coffin. "For

so long have I waited and hoped to set eyes upon you once

again."

"You can't be here." Demona said, trying her best not

to show she was scared. "You were killed, more than a

millennium ago."

The image of Robert wavered as a look of shock shone

upon his face for a few moments. "Has it been so long?

What has happened that you are still of flesh and blood?

What of the castle, and the others of your kind?"

Demona whistled softly between her teeth, wondering

how to answer his questions. "That would be a lengthy

story, to be certain."

Robert laughed, his ghostly form gazing around the

crypt before looking at her again. "I have time."

For a moment Demona found herself chuckling at his

comment, it would be like him to joke about such things.

Hoping her flashlight had enough power to keep the darkness

away she leaned against his coffin and told him all that

had happened after his death.

Xanatos watched in wonder as Owen shook his head

before getting back to his feet. It was the third time he

had gotten the better of him, which was unusual when the

sparred. David took a moment to adjust his belt before

confronting Owen.

"Well, judging by the way I am wiping the mat with you

there must be something on your mind." Xanatos said,

crossing his arms over his chest.

"It is nothing, mister Xanatos." Owen replied,

smoothing out his own uniform. "I foolishly allowed my

mind to wander when I should have been focused. It shall

not happen again."

"This is unlike you, Owen, and it disturbs me." The

billionaire said, frowning. "Perhaps you need some time

off."

Owen shook his head. "That will not be necessary,

mister Xanatos. I assure you that I am well."

"Really?" David said, smirking as he lunged a punch

towards Owen's midsection.

The major domo reacted instantly, catching Xanatos'

arm before flipping him over backwards. His employer

grunted as he landed heavily on the mat. When he looked up

he saw Owen looking down at him."

"Okay, I believe you." Was all David said.

Venus sighed as she made her way downstairs to the

foyer, trying not to look at her injured wing. It had been

several days since she had been injured, but at least the

headaches had finally gone away. What she had hated most

was spending two days in bed, only getting up to use the

bathroom. She had not remembered much about what had

happened, no doubt from when she struck her head. Not

since she had been injured fighting Xanatos in his Steel

Clan suit had she felt so horrible.

When she reached the bottom step she stopped and

listened to see if she could locate her husband. If he was

sticking to his normal routine he would be in his workshop.

Making her way there she pushed the door open and stepped

inside. As she though he was standing over a large

sandstone tablet that he had been working on for a few

weeks.

He looked up and smiled when he heard her enter.

"Hello there, sweetie. How are you feeling?"

"I feel a lot better than I did a few days ago." She

replied, standing next to him.

"How's your wing?"

At this question she sighed, her wings drooping to go

with her mood. "It irritates me to no end."

"It's sore?" He asked, genuinely concerned.

"No." She answered, shaking her head. "I am

irritated that both you and Jacob have joined together to

keep me grounded."

"You know that trying to fly this soon could tear your

wing even more." Scott said, crossing his arms.

She returned his answer with a tiny frown. "I feel

that I will go insane if I remain on the ground."

Scott grinned, which Venus did not seem very thrilled

about. "You will not go insane, Venus. Sometimes we all

have to endure things we do not enjoy." He said, then

thought for a moment. "Do you think I enjoy leaving you

alone for days or weeks while I am away in some other

country?"

"I understand what you do." She replied, shaking her

head. "I would also understand if you enjoy being on your

own for a time."

Her answer felt like a slap in the face, to which he

visibly recoiled from. "I hate every minute of it." He

said in a heated tone. "But you are twisting my question

around.

"You hate not being able to fly, I hate being away

from you. We all do things we hate, so you will just have

to get used to it."

She was not certain if it was the tone of his voice,

or the way he said it, but she felt like kissing him. "I

should be angry for what he said to me, but I am unable

to." She added to herself. Instead she shook her head and

smiled. "I suppose you are correct, but it is still

annoying."

"Well, now that we both know you are not going insane

are you up for doing some archeology stuff?" When she

nodded he pointed at a small stack of faxes on his desk.

"Those are copies of some Egyptian texts the museum faxed

me. I need you to translate them."

She nodded before picking up the stack. "When do you

need them finished?"

"There is no hurry." Scott replied as he turned his

attention back to the large sandstone tablet. "I told them

it would take a few weeks, so you have plenty of time."

With that she sat went over to the bookcase and pulled

some textbooks from the large collection they had. After

she had set the items on his desk she went over to a small

worktable and gathered up her own personal notebooks.

When she had them she sat down behind the desk and began

leafing though the faxes, sorting out the easier ones

first.

He watched her from the corner of his eye for a few

moments and smiled. She was an excellent student and

pleased that she no longer even needed his help to get

started. With that he turned his attention back to his own

work, which was starting to puzzle him.

At first there did not seem to be anything out of the

ordinary when he first looked it over. It was not until he

started cleaning it that the bizarre language emerged. He

easily recognized the Egyptian symbols but they were mixed

with others that were not. It was these odd symbols that

puzzled him, since they were clearly not Egyptian. What

was worse was that the ones he did know seemed as if they

were done by somebody who only had a basic knowledge of the

language.

Running his hand though his hair he scratched an

imaginary itch on the back of his neck. It was a habit he

did when he was presented with something that bothered him,

normally when he was unable to figure something out. When

he started humming "I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts" in

an aggravated tone it was enough to get Venus' attention.

"That difficult?" She said, trying not to smirk.

"Huh?" He said, not even realizing what he was doing.

"Oh.. You can say that. This tablet was either done by a

brilliant mind, or by somebody who had lost it."

"What do you mean?"

"Come, take a look for yourself." Scott said,

standing to one side of the tablet.

She stood up from the desk, walked over and started

down at the area he had cleaned. Like him she could pick

out the Egyptian parts but the other hieroglyphics were of

a type she had not seen. Tapping a talon against her cheek

she used her other hand to touch one of the unknown

engravings. For a moment something seemed to flash across

her vision. It lasted a split second but it was enough so

that the image caught in her mind.

"Have you looked at Mayan text?" She asked, pulling

her hand away. "For some reason that sticks in my head."

"Mayan text?" He replied, clearly puzzled. "That

sound very far fetched since both civilizations lived on

opposite sides of the world." For a moment he tapped his

chin. "But it is worth investigating, considering the

strangeness of this." He added, waving to the sandstone.

He went over to the bookshelf and scanned the many

volumes before pulling one out. Opening it to a marked

section he laid it on the table next to the tablet and

almost burst out swearing in several different languages.

"Impossible!" He said, louder that he probably needed

to. "This has to be some sort of cruel prank. This is so

far out of whack from the norm that I am now doubting its

authenticity."

"Can you have the date checked?" Venus asked, knowing

that it could be done by carbon dating.

"It appears I will have to." He replied before

sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Well,

won't that be great if I paid ten grand for a fake."

She stood behind the chair and gently started kneading

his shoulders with her hands. "You cannot know that for

certain. Wait until you have it tested before jumping to

conclusions." To herself she added. "And if it does prove

false I will see to it that this Lennox person returns what

was paid him."

"Well, it's too late to call the lab now." Scott

said, enjoying the shoulder massage. "I guess I can't do

anything more on it tonight."

"You should go and relax for a while." Venus said,

bending down to kiss the top of his head. "I will continue

with my work and join you for dinner in a little while."

"Yes dear." He said, snickering as she sat down

behind the desk. "Any idea what we are having tonight?"

She shook her head. "Jacob has not told me, nor have

I asked."

"Whatever it is I am certain it will be good." He

said, getting to his feet. "I don't think I've ever

disliked anything he's made."

"I have to agree with you." Venus said, trying poorly

to look serious. "Now, off with you so I can get some work

done."

He laughed, bowing at the waist before leaving her

alone in the workshop. When he closed the door she leaned

back for a moment to stare out the skylights overhead. The

slow rolling clouds and waning daylight above made her

desire to be out soaring wash over her. Only this time it

was not as strong, but it still bugged her. She knew he

was not grounding her to be mean, or to control her. He

feared her causing further injury and because of that she

could not be mad. In fact she felt just the opposite, she

felt even more loved because of it.

Shaking her head she pulled her thoughts from the

clouds and began concentrating on the work Scott had asked

her to do. She opened the topmost notebook and flipped

though the pages. Her flowing handwriting filled both

sides of the pages. Now and again there were pictures she

had drawn, and done quite well according to what her

husband said. In some of the margins there were also

senseless doodles that she had done which had nothing to do

with archeology.

Finding a clean page she picked up a pencil and began

copying the first page. She was at the point where she no

longer needed to look at a translating table, everything

was in her head. The letters and words came easily to her

now, and she progressed quickly. She felt confident she

would have the first fax page translated before dinner.

Scott found that Jacob was not to be found in the

kitchen, but a peek in the stove revealed pork chops

simmering. Smiling, he closed the oven and roamed around

the house for a while, wondering where his butler was.

There was nothing he really needed, except perhaps somebody

to talk with. There was something he had in mind for Venus

and he wanted Jacob's thoughts on the matter.

At one point he passed the door that lead to the

basement and found it slight ajar. Puzzled, he opened it

to find the lights turned on.

"It's not the usual day for him to do the laundry."

Scott said to himself.

Curious as to why, he made his way down the steps to

the concrete floor below. He did not often come down here

as it was mainly used for storage with a laundry room off

to his left. He was going to check there when he heard

some odd "thumping" noises coming from off to his right.

Puzzled even more he followed the noises until he came

upon a sight he had not seen in ages. He found Jacob

stripped to the waist, wearing a pair of blue and yellow

boxing shorts and red boxing gloves. His butler was

dancing around a punching bag hung from the ceiling. Every

so often he would jab at the bag one or twice, dodge to the

side as if avoiding a punch before repeating the process

again. It was not often he seen Jacob wearing only shorts

but he was amazed at just how muscular the old man was.

Sweat was trickling down the his back. Scott had forgotten

that Jacob did some minor boxing in the younger day, but he

did not think he still worked out.

As he watched Jacob dance around he noticed some

shelved on the wall containing a few small trophies. Other

items were framed pictures of Jacob, much younger, standing

in a boxing ring facing some unknown opponent. Others were

of him standing next to a woman, which Scott knew as his

late wife, Gretchen.

After another minute Jacob gave the bag one last punch

before stepping back. It was then he seem to notice Scott

for the first time.

"Sorry, sir." The old butler said, seeming a little

embarrassed. "I was unaware you needed something."

Scott held up his hand and shook his head, smiling.

"Do not stop on my account, Jacob. There was nothing

pressing, I was just curious as to where you were."

Jacob stepped over to a small bench and grabbed a

towel that was resting atop it. Placing the towel around

his neck and untied the gloves and hung them on a nail

driven into one of the shelves.

"Once in a while I get the urge to go a few round with

the old bag." Jacob said, smiling. "Helps keep me in

shape."

"I wish I had seen you when you were in the ring."

Scott said, motioning to the pictures. "You seem quite the

fighter." He made certain the use the word "seem" instead

of "seemed".

"Yes, it was one of my favorite pastimes back home."

He replied, chuckling as he picked up a random picture.

"This was when I fought Double-Fist Bruiser, one of the few

men I nearly lost to."

When Scott looked at the picture he was startled at

just how much larger the other man was. Blonde haired, cut

short and weighing what he guessed almost three hundred

pounds. Jacob looked like a teenager in the picture,

weighing probably the same amount now as he did back then.

"Were you that crazy back then?" Scott asked, clearly

amazed at Jacob had been victorious.

Jacob chuckled and placed the photo back where in its

place. "I was much younger and a little foolish when I was

younger. But, if you will excuse me I need to check on

dinner, if you will excuse me."

"Of course." Scott said as he followed the butler

upstairs, making certain to turn off the lights before

closing the basement door.

"Where is Madame Venus?"

"In the workshop." Scott replied. "I kind of hit a

block on the project I've been working on. Venus was

looking for something to occupy herself so I gave her some

translating to do."

"She seems to have picked up on archeology quite

well." Jacob said as he and the professor stepped into the

kitchen. "You must be very proud of her."

"Yes, I am." Scott said, remembering how lovely she

looked sitting at his desk. "She was the thing I have been

searching for all these years. I didn't know how shallow

my life was until I met her."

Jacob nodded as he began search the lower cupboards

for some canned vegetables. "You two were meant for one

another, sir. I saw that the first time you looked at

her."

Scott was about to say something but decided on a

different course of action. "Has Venus ever mentioned to

you when she was born?" Scott asked as he began setting

the plates. "Or hatched, I suppose."

"I have never heard her mention it." The old butler

replied, shaking his head. "Is it important?"

"I had thought of giving her a birthday party." Scott

answered, chuckling. "But without knowing the date that

will be a little difficult."

"Perhaps asking Goliath, or even detective Maza would

aid in your search." Jacob suggested.

The professor nodded as he went to retrieve the

silverware from the drawer next to the sink.

Her roar echoed throughout the burial chamber as she

broke free of her stone slumber. Hundreds of stone shards

rained down on and around the stone coffins around her.

When she opened her eyes she was met with total darkness.

Realizing where she was she reached over and grabbed the

flashlight from the coffin where she had left it.

With a quick press of a button the device shot a beam

of light which illuminated the far wall. When she lowered

it the beam came to rest of the now closed coffin of Robert

MacGregor. However, resting atop the lid was a neatly

folded white burial shroud. When she approached it the

MacGregor family crest could be seen, looking as it had the

day it was stitched. Reaching down she picked it up,

careful not to cause it to unfold. Tucking the shroud

under her arm she ran a hand over the top of Robert's final

resting place.

The words he had said before she had been forced into

stone sleep were etched into her memory. "If you throw

your heart away there will always be somebody there to pick

it up again." She had no idea what he meant, only that she

felt relived that she was able to finally tell him how she

felt. The last thing she had said before turning to stone

was that she loved him. Robert simply nodded, giving her

that smile that she always knew was just for her.

With that had come sleep.

Bowing her head over his coffin one final time she

turned and started up the other passageway she had seen

earlier. After a minute of walking she discovered why the

area had been undisturbed, a cave in had completely blocked

the passage. Turning around she walked back though the

tomb and back though the tunnel in which she had originally

entered.

After wriggling her body back though the opening she

had made the night before she took the time to block it up

again.

"It will have to do until I can come back and seal it

for good." She said to herself as she placed the last

stones in place. The last thing she wanted was for

somebody to find this place. The idea of anybody

desecrating Robert's resting place infuriated her.

When she made her way back to the top of the cliff she

only spared a moment to look at the area. Inhaling deeply

she leapt off the cliff and soared upwards on a thermal

current. As she made her way overland she started

wondering when she would be able to get a flight back to

Paris. She grumbled at the idea of hiding in a luggage

hold again, but like before there was no other way.

The flight back to Paris was just as lousy as her

previous trip, only this time they passed though a small

storm. Demona never knew how bad luggage had it until she

discovered how much it shifted around when the jet bounced.

By the time she was back at her flat in Paris she did not

know which part of her body ached more. For once she could

not wait for sunrise to come.

As she sat down on the edge of her bed she laid back

and stared at the ceiling. Stretching out her arms, her

right hand brushed against the burial shroud she had

brought with her. The fabric was soft to her touch, not

unlike when Robert used to hold her. The though of being

touched seemed very appealing to her at the moment. She

could not remember the last time she had ever been intimate

with somebody. Previously the though of getting so close

to a human, even when she was in human form, repelled her.

For a long time she only lay staring at the arched

ceiling high above her. For over a millennium she felt

alone, but it seemed even stronger now than it had visited

the past. She could not explain it, but when she started

thinking of James back in New York it felt as if something

was tugging her back there.

Sitting up she grabbed the phone and dialed her

secretary at Nightstone Unlimited. After a few rings her

secretary answered.

"Nightstone Unlimited, Madame Destine's office."

"It's me." Demona answered none to cheery. "I want

my private jet fueled and ready to depart in one hour. I

am returning to New York tonight."

"Of course, Madame." The secretary replied. "I will

make the preparations right away."

With that Demona hung up and began gathering a few

things she would take back with her. The foremost was the

burial shroud that Robert had left her. She never usually

had to worry about packing much since she had a home in

both New York and Paris. In less than a half hour she was

ready to go. The last thing she grabbed was a hooded

trench coat that she would wear when boarding the plane.

Her pilots were not normal ones, they knew how to get out

of the country without being tracked. One thing she could

not do in her condition was deal with customs and

immigration.

Making certain everything was in order and locked she

leapt off the balcony and headed to a smaller, private

airfield. She probably could have used her private jet to

go to Scotland, but it would have been seen as too bizarre,

even for her odd ways.

James got out of the cab after it pulled up in front

of his apartment building. He had been working long hours

at the Gen-U-Tech building and finally started making

progress. The easiest way he found was to use himself as

the specimen, or rather his blood and tissues. The only

thing he needed to figure out was how to increase the way

anti-bodies dealt with an injury. He had access to a ton

of research data on the Xanacorp network computers, but

nothing he found had actually answered his question.

By the time he reached the door to his apartment he

felt the beginnings of a headache. It did not help that he

had not eaten anything since this morning either. Rubbing

his temples for a moment he unlocked the door and stepped

inside. As usual the only source of light came from an

overhead stove lamp. Closing the door behind him he tossed

his keys on the kitchen table and went to the refrigerator

to see what he had for leftovers.

Sighing softly he pulled out a sealed bowl of fried

rice and another with some chicken chow mein. From what he

could see he really needed to go food shopping soon, else

he would have nothing left to eat.

He shoved both containers into the microwave to heat

them up and strode into the living room. When he turned on

the light everything was in its usual, boring place.

Stifling a yawn he went out onto the balcony and gazed out

at the city for a few minutes. Eventually he heard the

microwave beeping so he stepped back inside, leaving the

sliding door open to let in a breeze. He was feeling lazy

and did not even take the time to place the food on a

plate. Gathering a fork from the drawer he sat down on the

couch and switched on the television.

As he started forking rice into his mouth he heard a

soft thump from the balcony. When he turned to see what

the noise was he was startled when Demona stepped inside.

Her large feet made soft padding sounds as she approached,

caping her wings like a cloak.

"You look like one of my kind frozen in stone like

that." She said, a small quirk of a smile appearing on her

lips.

It was then he realized that he was staring at her, a

forkful of food hovering motionless halfway to his open

mouth. He was not certain if it was her presence or the

almost calm and comfortable look on her face as she crossed

her arms beneath her breasts.

"Welcome back, Demona." He said, placing the fork in

the container before getting to his feet and bowing

slightly.

His odd way of greeting her made her want to laugh,

but she wisely kept it in check. She did not want him to

know that she was actually glad to see him again. "Glad to

see him?" She said to herself, wondering why that was. "I

must be losing my mind!" Also to herself.

"How is your new job with Xanatos going?" She asked,

sitting down on the couch without being asked first.

He hesitated for a moment before sitting himself,

trying to sit as close to her as possible without seeming

too forward. "It is getting a little easier, but when I

first started I had almost regretted undertaking his

project idea."

"Oh? Why is that?" She asked, still wondering why

she was acting as if she was his life long friend.

Chuckling softly he told her about all the false leads

he had been given and all the headaches it had caused him.

The project had never actually been worked on to any extent

before it was handed to him, and the ones who did work on

it were idiots. It was not until he had erased everything

and started from scratch did he make any kind of progress.

"Just this afternoon I took some of my own blood and

tissue samples." He explained, lifting his sleeve to

display a bandage. "I scanned them into the mainframe and

it is currently breaking everything down.

"Once that's done I can start introducing simulated

injuries to the cells and get a map of how they deal with

it."

Demona tapped a talon on her chin as she pondered what

he was told her before speaking. "So, you plan to use the

map to figure out how to speed up the process." She was

pleased at the look of amazement on his face. "Interesting

idea, I would like to see what you come up with."

For a moment he was not certain why she was acting so

strange. When they had been together the last time she

seemed to like him one moment and then push him away the

next. He was certain that any moment now she would find a

reason to get upset and want to break something.

Demona remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"Have you given any thought to my request?" She

asked, looking at him and wondering why she could not bring

herself to simply reach out and demand an answer.

"Well, as I said at our last meeting I will take your

project." He replied, smiling at how she looked almost

innocent, not the moody creature he had met before.

"Actually it won't be too different than what I am doing

now, the procedure will be almost the same."

"What will you need from me?"

"For the most part I will need your body." He

replied, not thinking about how his reply would be taken.

If the comment effected her it did not show, instead

she nodded and glanced at the containers of food on the

table. "I have made arrangements so that I can remain in

New York for as long as I need."

"Would you like some?" James asked, motioning to the

food.

"I never touch the stuff." She replied, making a

face. "What's the sense of eating something, only to wind

up wanting to eat again an hour later?"

For the first time he noticed now nice her voice

actually was when she was not throwing a fit. It was

almost musical in a sensual sort of way, soft yet not

sounding as if she were timid. As before he could not help

but notice just how lovely a creature she was. Her

muscular, yet feminine body was curved in all the right

places, not to mention her skimpy outfit. He found himself

wondering just what was holding up the left side of her

halter top. He was being drawn into her dark eyes and

smooth face when he realized that she had asked a question

and was waiting for an answer.

"I have no idea, it's just something I've always liked

eating." He replied, regaining his composure. "I do not

have much to eat at the moment, but if you are hungry I can

arrange something."

His invitation caught her by surprise as she had not

expecting him to invite her to dine with him. She had

never actually had to prepare her own meals, being wealthy

meant not having to do such mundane things. Very seldom

had anyone actually offered to prepare something for her.

She found herself liking his offer but hesitated on

accepting as it would show too much interest in him.

"I am not hungry." She answered, deciding to lie and

decline the offer. "My kind do not require that we eat as

often as you humans do, spending half of our lives in stone

helps."

"Interesting… Perhaps when you are in stone form your

body somehow draws on ultra violet rays to nourish you."

James said, rubbing his chin while staring at the ceiling.

"This is something I will have to study… If I could figure

out what causes the stone process…." Now he was mumbling

to himself, seemingly oblivious to her sitting next to him.

"Professor?" She said, watching him as he started

mumbling about blood cells and direct sunlight. When she

spoke again she put more authority in her voice.

"Professor?"

Again he did not seem to notice her trying to get his

attention, his own now focused on altering skin cells to

reflect sunlight instead of drawing on it. "Of course I

can simulate the process using a sample of your skin

tissue…" By now he had gotten up and was pacing around,

requiring her to turn her head to keep an eye on him.

"What will this cost me?" She said, nearly shouting.

It seemed to work, but only enough for him to stop and

look at her for a few moments to reply. "Cost? Nothing,

Xanatos is already providing me with all the equipment. I

can use the MRI scanner to map your entire body…" Once

again he started rambling on, but by now he had gone into a

realm of science even she was unable to follow.

He was almost starting to look like a bird of prey the

way he was walking around the room, circling her. His

intent look on solving her problem made her want to reach

out and yank him back onto the soft with her. The thought

made her grin wickedly, mostly because the thought of it

seemed slightly evil. She waited until he was behind the

couch before reaching over and grabbing his arm.

The action had the desired effect of catching him off

guard as she pulled him over the back of the couch. With a

loud yelp he tumbled until he was sitting the wrong way,

staring at the ceiling while his legs dangled over the back

of the sofa. When he managed to figure out what happened

all he could see was Demona's face gazing down at him.

"She's so incredibly beautiful!" He said to himself,

the though of science now gone from his thoughts.

Not saying a word he made like he was trying to get

into a normal sitting position. But when he knelt on the

sofa to sit he pressed his face to hers, his mouth covering

hers. He actually felt her entire body go rigid as stone

as a muffled grunt escaped her throat. If figured that if

she was going to kill him for doing this then it would be a

nice way to die.

When she felt his mouth on hers her first instinct was

to pull away and gut him like a fish. She prepared

herself, talons bared to strike but an imagine of Robert's

voice echoed in her head. "Do not push away those who

would want to love you." Still, she wanted to shove the

human away, but she instead closed her eyes and parted her

lips. This was a sensation she had not felt in some time,

a kiss that she enjoyed. A small moan escaped her mouth as

she slid one hand around to his back, trying to pull him

closer.

As the moments passed she began working her mouth like

a fish gasping for water. When he place a hand on the side

of her face she started to lean back, her body moving as if

to lie down. She knew this was going too far but she

wanted it to continue, she wanted to feel desired, to be

touched in ways she once though beyond her grasp. Just

when she though his hands would touch her more intimately

he pulled away, slowly breaking a kiss she did not want

broken.

When she opened her eyes he saw him looking into her

eyes as his hand slipped away. She almost want to plead

for him not to stop but it was he who spoke first.

"I thought for certain you would tear me apart for

trying that." He said in a breathless voice.

Returning to a sitting position she leaned forward,

trying to slow her own breathing. "Nobody has ever tried

it before." In secret she found herself liking what he

did. It was fast and spontaneous and she had all but been

helpless when she did not fight it. "Perhaps next time I

will."

He was not certain what she meant by that so he kept

his mouth shut, but the temptation to kiss her again was

very strong. Instead he smiled and got to his feet.

"Well, when can you be available to start? I still have to

work on Xanatos' project, but I can do yours at the same

time since it's not too different."

Demona leaned back and seemed to think about it for a

moment before answering. "How long will it take for you

to… examine me?"

"Well, the scan process itself will take several

minutes and you can only wear the paper gown." He replied,

rubbing his chin. "Normal clothing will interfere with the

scanner." At this she only nodded, which he seemed to find

odd since she seemed like the type to oppose that sort of

thing. "I can do it tomorrow evening around eight o'clock.

Everybody will be gone by then."

"Very well, professor." Demona replied, getting to

her feet. "I will come in though the window as I did the

first time." She said, grinning at the memory but he only

nodded. "Now it is time for me to leave."

"See you tomorrow night, Angel." James commented,

bowing slightly at the waist.

The name caused her to pause for a moment as she

started towards the sliding door. She had not heard that

name spoke to her since she had met Goliath after he had

been released from the sleep in stone spell. The urge to

spin around and demand he never speak it again nearly

overwhelmed her. But when she turned to shout he had a

look and smile on his face that made her want to rush into

his arms.

"He looks so much like Robert." She said to herself.

"And those eyes of his, he looks at me like a predator."

What was scary was she found herself liking it… a lot.

Nodding, she forced herself to go outside, to which he

followed not far behind. As she leaned against the metal

railing she turned her head just enough so she could see

where he was standing. Allowing herself a tiny smile she

leapt onto the railing and spread her wings. "I will be

there." She said as she jumped off, then added a softer

"James" instead of "human" or "professor".

She had no idea if he head her and she had no

intentions of sticking around to find out. Catching a warm

updraft she soared higher and did not look back as his

balcony shrank from sight.

"He kissed me!" She said aloud, shaking her head in

wonder. "And I let him… I even enjoyed it." The next

thing she knew she was laughing, but not in her normal

maniacal way, but with actual joy.

"Finally!" James exclaimed as he watched several

white blood cells attack the virus he had introduced though

the microscope.

Earlier that afternoon he had finally finished mapping

the process of how damaged tissue was dealt with. He had

taken some white blood cells that he had infused with high

levels of antibiotics. The results looks very favorable

but it was still not enough in his opinion.

"There has to be to speed up the process without

killing the cells in the process." He said to himself as

he continued to monitor the cells. He had done that

earlier this morning and the end result was utter failure.

The cells had been aggressive enough, but they did it in

reverse and made the problem worse. When the process was

finished the dead cells wound up contaminating the entire

sample.

Standing, he went over to a computer he had separated

from the others on a table by itself. He had taken this

particular one and disconnected it from the network and

used it only for data analysis and storage. He had an idea

that Xanatos, if he wished it, could access anything in the

mainframe. The last thing he wanted was for somebody to

poke around into his work, especially when he started on

Demona's project.

Another thing he had done was sweep the place for any

cameras or listening devices. He had not found anything

but he still felt as if he was being monitored, which gave

him the willies. Still, there was not much he could do

about it if he was unable to locate the bugs. The other

precautions he took was to encrypt the files and store them

on a removable hard drive and not the system drive. He

would then take the data home with him and store it in a

safe hidden in his closet.

The intercom next to the door startled him when it

buzzed. Clearing the screen of any important information

he enabled the Gen-U-Tech spinning logo screen saver and

went to answer it.

"Yes?"

"Professor MacGregor, this is the medical wing." Came

a woman's voice after he released the speaker button. "We

have you down for using the MRI scanner later this evening.

Is that correct?"

"Yes, I need to run some tests for a project David

Xanatos wants me to work on." He replied, lying as to the

real reason. "Will it be free?"

"Of course, we have you booked but it is odd that you

need it so late in the evening." The woman's voice

replied. "I doubt there will be anyone around at that

time. Is there a particular reason?"

James thought for a moment before answering, no doubt

she would write down the reason on the scheduling form. "I

have a cousin coming in to assist me as the scan subject,

she was only available for later this evening."

"Very well, professor. We will leave the system

running after the medical staff is finished with it." The

voice answered. "Good day." A soft click indicated that

the woman had closed the connection.

Shaking his head he went back to the computer, sat

down and continued entering the results of the test he had

been running. Later he would have to delve deeper into the

other areas of genetic research to see if he could find

anything else to aid him. He needed to at least double the

speed healing rate as it was now, but in a way that would

not kill the cells or damage the tissue.

When he finished with the entries he saved the

information and looked up at the clock. It was after seven

and he realized he had not eaten anything since this

morning. The mere thought of food caused his stomach to

start grumbling. He growled softly and wondered why he

never just brought something in with him to eat.

"Guess I can order out for something or run to the

commissary downstairs." He mused to himself as he walked

to the large open windows. He did not feel like Chinese

tonight, or anything too spicy. "Maybe just a pizza will

do until I get home, if that ever happens." He added,

chuckling.

Sitting down next to the row of computers he picked up

the phone and dallied the number to his favorite pizza

place. The person who picked up announced the name and

asked what he was ordering. He decided on his usual of a

stuffed crust pizza with meat toppings and said as much.

The man asked if it was a pick up or delivery, to which

James answered delivery.

"It should be ready in about twenty minutes." The man

replied, the sound of people could be heard in the

background. "What is the address?"

He gave them the address to the building, adding that

he would have to tell the guard at the front gate to be

allowed inside. The man said "okay" and hung up.

Hanging up the phone himself he decided to access the

mainframe and start searching for more information.

Sitting down he logged in and began browsing the files,

concentrating mostly of Anton Sevarius.

From just outside the window, clinging to the side of

the building Demona listened to what James was saying. She

suppressed a chuckle when he ordered a delivery pizza and

peeked in. Professor MacGregor was seated at a computer

apparently researching data, she could not make out exactly

what. She was about to climb though the window when a sly

idea popped into her head. Smiling wickedly she scaled

down the wall and leapt onto the parking lot.

There was nobody else around that she could see but to

be safe she kept to the shadows. It was also then that she

noticed that there were no vehicles at all in the parking

area. She figured that James was still taking a cab to and

from work, to which she chuckled.

"He is making good money working for Xanatos, and he

still takes a cab." She said softly, shaking her head.

"Not accepting money from me. He is strange… for a human."

For a time she stood and waited, making certain to

keep watch on the front gate. Some time after she saw a

car approach and stop, to which the guard in the booth

stepped out. The guard exchanged words with the person in

the car for a minute before nodding. When the guard opened

the gate the car entered and stopped near the front

entrance.

Making certain not to be clearly seen she caped her

wings and kept her tail tucked behind her and approached

the car. As the man got out he reached in a removed a

large red bag, probably with the pizza.

"Over here." She said, still keeping to the shadows.

The deliver man, or boy from the looks of him, was

startled for a moment at hearing her voice but recovered

quickly. "Did you order a pizza with stuffed crust and

meat toppings?"

"Yes." She replied. "How much?" When the boy

started walking towards her she held out her hand and told

him to stop.

This caught him completely off guard and he asked what

for, to which she repeated the question as to the cost.

"Ummm.. Fifteen dollars and eighty five cents."

"That is an outrageous price, but very well." She

reached into her belt and pulled a thin money folder.

Reaching in she withdrew a twenty, most of which were

hundreds. Folding the bill a few times she lobbed it

towards him, where it landed on the ground next to his

feet.

"Place it on the ground before you, pick up the money

and keep the change." She said, wondering why she was not

simply tearing him apart.

He did so, a perplexed look on his face the entire

time. Picking up the money he quickly got back into his

car and left. She went and grabbed the pizza box and

scaled the wall again, heedless of the holes she was

making. It would have gone quicker if she did not have the

pizza in one hand, but she made due.

Upon reaching the window to James' laboratory she

carefully peeked inside to see where he was. He was still

seated at the computer, doing his research so she silently

crept inside. Once she was on her own feet she held the

box in one hand and stepped up behind him.

Without saying a word she poked his shoulder lightly

with a talon and watched with joy as he shot up three feet

in the air. The computer chair he was seated on topped

over as he yelped, nearly tripping on it in the process.

When he saw her standing there, laughing openly now, he

clutched at his chest as if he were have a heart attack.

"Demona!" He said, breathless. "You nearly scared me

to death."

"Here is your pizza, sir." She said, holding the box

up and bowing gracefully. "In my opinion it is

overpriced."

With deft hands he took the box she offered and set it

on the table next to the computers. The thought of eating

had fled his mind completely, he was now concentrating on

slowing his heart. When he felt as if he would no longer

collapse he straightened himself and smiled.

"I was not certain what time to arrive, professor."

She said, looking around the brightly lit laboratory.

"When can we begin?"

By now he realized that Demona's moods changed like

the weather, most often she seemed cranky or upset. Last

night must have been one of those rare times when she let

her guard down. Something must have happened since she did

not retaliate when he had kissed her.

"Well, I can take a blood sample from you." He

replied. "For the tissue sample I will need to use the

biology lab, I don't have the equipment to do that type of

extraction."

"Extraction?" She exclaimed, back away. "How much do

you need?"

At her reaction he chuckled, earning him an glare.

"It only takes a few moments and I doubt you will even feel

anything. Once I have them I can scan them into the

computer and use the data to do simulations."

"Anything else?"

"Not right away." He answered, shaking his head.

"Eventually I will need to examine you when you turn into

stone. Is there anything at all about what occurs while

you are sleeping?"

Caping her wings she leaned her back side against the

table and began rubbing her chin. "We do dream, like you

humans do, but aside from that we are helpless." When she

realized what she had told him she clamped her mouth shut

and felt like kicking herself.

"Interesting…" He said, righting the chair before

sitting in it. "If you were to lose a part of yourself,

say an arm or your tail, does it eventually grow back?"

She shook her head. "No, the stone healing process

does not work that way. When a limb is lost it is lost."

"Okay, I will have to put that information into the

file." He mumbled as he once again took in her body. "If

you are ready we can begin."

"Aren't you going to eat first?" She exclaimed,

motioning her hand towards the pizza box. "Or did I

throw away twenty dollars?"

When she empathized the fact that she had paid for the

pizza, and the stern look on her face, reminded him that he

had not eaten. Flashing her the smile she seemed to like

he nodded and opened the box.

"Want some?"

She wrinkled her nose at the pizza as if it was

something he had pulled from the raunchiest sewer. "I do

not eat such mundane things, professor, it is beneath me."

He looked at her for a moment and shrugged as he

opened the box and began eating. While he indulged himself

she walked around the laboratory and seemed to inspect the

different equipment and computers. When she reached the

computer all by itself she gazed down at the data on the

screen. He had left it open with the word processor

running, it had his notes for Xanatos' project on it.

"You can look them over if you want." He said,

swallowing a bite of cheese filled crust. He was not

worried, they were only notes and not the actual data.

"You trust me?" She said, staring at him intently.

"Not entirely." He replied, earning him another glare

but it seemed as if she found it intriguing. "I use high

encryption and never store important things on the system

itself."

She sat before the computer and nodded. "I am

impressed with your safety measures, professor, but I warn

you I have methods of my own."

"Of that I have no doubt, Demona… I have accessed

Xanatos' internal systems in the past, so with your

resources I imagine you could too." He explained as he

finished his third slice of pizza.

"You mean his inner computer core?" Demona asked.

Her respect for him being able to do so went up a few

notches. When he nodded his answer she found herself

smiling. "Very impressive, professor."

"Thanks. It was how I first discovered you and your

kind were here." James explained as he started on his

fourth slice. "Your background was encrypted, unlike the

others, so your info was very limited."

His talents were peaking her interest and she forgot

the computer in front of her for a while. "Did you manage

to get anything else from the computer core?"

"A lot of data concerning other strange project he was

working on. But his encryption system is even more complex

than mine." He said, frowning. "I was only able to get

project names, but I still have everything on my portable

computer."

She no longer really cared about what was on James's

computer, what she saw was apparently only notes anyway.

The fact that he could have stuff she did not was

tantalizing to her; she found him even more interesting

now.

Fixing him with a seductive look she asked. "With my

resources I could probably help you with that data."

"Sure." He answered, not even seeming to take the time

to think. She found this strange and had no idea on what

to say.

"Just let me know when you want it." He said, closing

the box to the half eaten pizza. "But here is one catch."

"Ahhh. He is a human after all." She said to

herself. "And what would be this 'catch'?"

"Easy, I want to be there with you. Naturally I am

also interested in seeing what those files contain."

She had thought he would want some form of payment, or

other information in return. His request was not

unreasonable by any means, but she wondered how they could

work that out. "Do I take him to Nightstone in Paris to

analyze the data, or one of my private hideaways?" All

this she asked herself, but she figured this could wait a

time.

"I think something can be arranged, professor." She

said, nodding her head and smiling at the thought of

possibly getting something good. "But if you are finished

I think we should get started on those tests."

He nodded and stood. "If you will follow me."

David and Owen stood in the elevator as it made it's

way down to the lower sections of Xanatos Enterprises. The

elevator made a barley audible hum as it began to slow its

decent. After a few moments it halted and the doors slid

silently open. Both stepped out into a brightly lit while

hallway with doors set at intervals along the way. They

had been here before, several weeks earlier when David had

shown Owen his newest idea: Project Bioclan.

"Mr. Xanatos, do you realize just how much this

endeavor of yours is costing?" Owen commented as he walked

beside his employer. "And you have not even said why you

want these… androids."

"Simple, Owen. You see, my Steel Clan robots are

useful things to have, but they lack the ability to think

for themselves." David said as they approached a door at

the end of the hall. "Not to mention they look like, well,

steel robots."

Owen lifted an eyebrow before opening the door for

Xanatos. "They seem to have served you well in the past.

Why now? Are you still set on going after Goliath and the

others? I thought you had decided to leave them be."

Xanatos shook his head and stepped though the open

door, the major domo followed close behind. "No, not for

Goliath and his clan. I wish to have my own person clan of

Gargoyles, ones who will obey and not run off."

"I still do not see your reasons, sir." Owen replied.

"But it is not my place to questions them."

David only nodded as he continued down a set of stairs

before emerging in a large, vaulted laboratory. The entire

place was filled with high tech computers along with five

large glass tubes; all empty. In the center of the room

were five gargoyles, frozen as if in stone, but were in the

flesh. Owen's eyes widened at the sight of them as Xanatos

stepped closer.

Waving a hand towards the gargoyle to the very left

and smiled. "Meet the Bioclan, Owen.. The latest in bio-

mechanical engineering. Fully functional androids with

artificial intelligence, learning sub systems and

surrounded by living tissue!"

The major domo approached the one Xanatos stood next

to. It was not as large as Goliath, but it was well

muscled with short blonde hair and bronze colored skin. It

wore a simple loincloth with unadorned belt. Two rows of

tiny pointed horns ran from the center of its forehead to

the temples. He was square jawed with both knee and elbow

spurs. Its huge bat-like wings were draped over his large

shoulders. It looked to be asleep, its slightly oval eyes

closed, but there was no signs of life in it.

"Do they have names?"

The billionaire shook his head. "Not yet, I am hoping

they will attempt to choose their own when I bring them

online."

If Owen had not known they were androids he would have

sworn he was looking as five living Gargoyles. There were

three males and two females, including the first one

Xanatos had shown him. Like the first they all looked as

if they were sleeping, wings draped over their shoulders.

The second android, a female, had long brown hair that

touched her backside. This one had the same body build as

Demona, but with dark red skin. She had an almost human

looking face, only her pointed ears and skin tone said

otherwise. Her slim body was well proportioned with firm,

well rounded breasts and slim waist. She had no knee spurs

but did have them on her elbows. Her outfit consisted of a

dark green halter top and matching skirt that stopped just

past her hips. A light blue silk scarf was also tied

around her waist with the ends hanging loosely down her

left leg.

The next one was also a female, slightly taller that

the second with shoulder length black hair and almond

shaped eyes. She had a pretty face with full lips, high

cheekbones and two small sharp horns on her forehead. Owen

was not certain, she her build was remarkably similar to

Venus but with smaller breasts. When he looked at David

the man only grinned, saying nothing. Her outfit was a

simple one piece sleeveless, off white cotton dress with

thin shoulder straps. The bottom section stopped just

above her knees, giving her an innocent "farmers daughter"

look.

After her came the fourth android, a large male with

no hair and a long beak, not unlike Brooklyn's. He was

about the same size as Goliath, with matching build but

this ones face had a close resemblance to Arnold

Schwarzenegger. Deadly looking spurs adorned both his

knees and elbows, but it was the torn jeans that gave him

the dangerous look. He wore no top, his well build chest

looked puffed out and hard as steel.

The last was also male, about as tall as the second

female with a lean body. He had strange looking off-white

skin with long silver hair that stopped below his shoulder

blades. He had round eyes, thin lips and slightly sunken

cheekbones that gave him an evil look about him. Unlike

the others, who looked more or less like normal gargoyles,

he was different. He had a row of three elbow spurs

running up the back of his arms, each one arched back and

razor sharp; the knee spurs were the same.

Owen was not certain about that one and asked Xanatos

why it was different than the rest.

"Well, he was actually the first one to be created."

David replied as he stood next to Owen. "I suppose you

could say he was the prototype model, but he has all the

same functionality as the others."

"What about flight?" Owen inquired. "I see no jet

packs, just ordinary wings."

"They are built into the base of the feet." David

replied, smiling. "Unlike Goliath and the rest, my Bioclan

robots do not need to jump from a high place. Once the

Bioclan are airborne the jets iris close and they rely on

their wings to keep them aloft."

"Fascinating, sir. I do think you have outdone

yourself this time. The females are quite… exquisite."

"Thank you, Owen, I am rather pleased with them."

Xanatos replied, then chuckled. "As to the females, well,

yes they look very attractive."

David waved Owen over to the first female and before

Owen could protest, grabbed her top and lifted it to expose

her bare chest. The major domo looked away for a moment

before he realized why his employer had done what he did.

When he took a closer look he noticed that even though the

female had breasts, they were only smooth skin and nothing

else. Owen looked dumbfounded, if that were possible, at

Xanatos, not certain what to say.

"They are engineered only to look anatomically

correct." David explained as he replaced her halter top.

"But that is where it ends. None of them have the extra…

features… that the living kind have. I might insist on

perfection, but for something like this even I have

limits."

"Of course, sir, I would not have thought otherwise."

Owen replied, quickly regaining his composure. "If I might

interject something, Mr. Xanatos, I do believe you have an

appointment with the museum curator shortly."

"Oh! Thanks for reminding me, Owen." Xanatos

replied. "I had almost forgot about that. Come, we best

not keep her waiting."

Owen only nodded and followed his employer out,

stealing one last look at the Bioclan before exiting.

There was a look of doubt in his eyes but whatever his

thought were he kept them silent.

Xanatos steepled his fingers, and with a fascinated

grin he watched as MacGregor and Demona left the

laboratory. He was very proud of the new surveillance

system he had installed. It was too small to see with the

naked eye unless you knew exactly where it was. Plus being

so thin that you would have to look at the wall perfectly

level to notice the slight bulge. There were five such

camera installed in MacGregor's laboratory, all positioned

in such a way that everything could be seen. Each camera

even had a small wireless microphone built in, letting him

hear everything that was said.

MacGregor was good, but David did not get where he was

today without knowing how to outsmart his own employees.

The one thing that did bother him, although only slightly,

was that the processor took the data home with him. Not

that it really mattered, the cameras saw everything, even

the computer he had separated from the network. What

really did annoy him was learning that the man he hired and

somehow managed to gain access to private files in the

past. He will have to have Owen look into that and try to

find out what MacGregor had stolen.

"Still, I could use that to my advantage if the good

professor decides to turn on me." He said to himself,

chuckling. "And what are you up too this time, Demona?

Hiring my own scientist for a project of your own, this is

something I must know."

Whatever it was, it had to do with her genetic makeup

since MacGregor wanted tissue samples and an MRI scan. At

least he seemed to be making some progress on the project

he had hired him to do. He snickered at how aggravated

the man had gotten trying to sort though all that junk

information that he had tossed together. The one thing

Xanatos wanted was to watch the process from scratch, not

borrowed from another persons research.

He was about to turn the screen off when he saw the

huge double doors in his office open. A moment later Owen

stepped inside, closing them behind him.

"Yes, Owen?"

"Mr. Xanatos, the curator from Metropolitan Museum of

Art is here." The major domo said in his bored, monotone

voice.

"Ah, yes." Xanatos said, switching off the screen.

"Send her in."

"Of course sir." Owen replied, nodding before opening

the door and leaving.

A few moments later a young woman stepped in, average

height and very pretty. Long, dark brown hair with blond

highlights and deep green eyes were her prominent features.

She wore a light green blouse with a vest that was slightly

darker and a purple, silk gauzed skirt stopping just above

her knees.

Tucked under her left arm was a large manila envelope

that bulged considerably. She wore the air of authority

and radiated intelligence; he could see it in her keen

eyes.

"All business with this woman." David said to himself

as he motioned to a padded chair, to which she took. "A

pleasure to meet you, Miss… I am sorry, your name escapes

me."

"Calissa… Callisa Leigh." She replied, her voice soft

but not timid. "I am honored that you have agreed to meet

with me, Mr. Xanatos."

"It's me who is honored, Miss Leigh." He replied,

standing to shaker her hand. "And what do I owe the

pleasure of your visit?"

Callisa cleared her throat and placed the envelope in

her lap before speaking. "Well, Mr. Xanatos, I am aware

that you have in your possession many priceless works of

art. I was hoping you would agree to lend some to my

museum for a new exhibition we are planning. We want to

display items from the three top archeological companies in

the United States."

"You mean like the time I donated the legendary Eye of

Odin to your museum?" He answered, faking a slight frown

and knowing that he had borrowed it back when he first

tested his exo-suit "If I remember correctly it did not

remain there very long."

The glare she gave him was so cold that if he had a

glass of water in front of him it would have frozen solid.

It only lasted for a moment, though, as she remembered why

she was here.

"Mr. Xanatos, I must apologize once again for that

incident." She said, switching from her glare back to

business-like. "But you must realize that even with the

latest in security technology in place, nothing is

completely fool proof.

"Rest assured that something like this will not happen

again. We have recently upgraded our system and hired more

security personal." She added, folding her hands over the

envelope in her lap.

"Who are the other two you were considering?" David

asked, fairly certain he already knew the answer.

"Well, there is you, and we already signed on

professor Scott Mercure." She answered, patting the

envelope in her lap. "And the other is professor Harold

Reinhart."

He nodded, not at her choice of candidates but at the

fact that he had been right. "Yes, they are very well

known and respected men. As you may know, professor

Mercure started out by working for me."

She nodded. "Yes, we have known him for several years

and that information is known to us. But I implore you to

consider donating some of your artifacts to the museum. If

it is a question of money we can come to some sort of

arrangement."

"They want to buy my trust." He said to himself, then

to her. "I do not think I could accept money from the

museum. As long as you can guarantee that my property will

remain safe I will agree."

The smile that appeared on her lovely face would have

warmed his heart if he had let it. "You do not know how

much this will mean to the museum! I cannot thank you

enough, Mr. Xanatos."

He stood up again and smiled. "A pleasure, Miss

Leigh. Now if you will follow me I will show you around

and you can let me know what catches your eye." If he had

been alone he would have been chuckling. He had no

intentions of showing her his personal gallery as the Eye

was there, nor was he planning on borrowing them back.

As she got to her feet they shook hands again.

Xanatos motioned towards the double doors, to which Owen

appeared. Calissa wondered how the man knew when to enter,

she did not see Xanatos call or page him. Owen held the

door open for them as they stepped out.

"Thank you, Owen." David said as the major domo

started to slowly close the door. Moments before it would

have clicked shut it stopped of its own accord until

Xanatos and the woman were gone. Owen waited another

minute before going into his employers office. Once inside

he went to the video monitor and began the playback of

professor MacGregor's laboratory.

As he watched the interaction between the professor

and Demona he allowed himself a small smile. "So it

begins." Was all he said before turning the screen off and

leaving the office.

To be continued…..