4
Another stranger
"Woa...you're not kidding..." Roger sounded awed. He looked again at Elisa's badge, absorbing every detail of the gold colored piece of metal that reflected his face. He looked up at Elisa, who was now up and about, her injury feeling better. "You really are from another world!"
"Seems that way" Elisa said as she looked out the window over the city. It resembled New York, her city, in many ways. But now that she looked harder, the differences were definite.
"I'd like to help you, Elisa" Roger said, coming up behind her and handing her badge back to her. "But I honestly have no idea where to start. I mean, this is all rather confusing."
"No kidding" Elisa said. She turned to face Roger. He scratched his chin, trying to think of ways to help.
"Master Roger" an older voice said from the door. They both turned. Elisa found herself looking an older man, his head balding and his moustache gray. He returned her gaze with his single eye, the other evidently missing as it was covered by a patch. "Dinner is served, and I set an extra place for our guest."
"Thank you Norman." Roger gave the old man a friendly smile and then turned to Elisa. "Well, Detective Maza, would you care to join us for dinner?"
Dominique Destine stormed through the upper floor of Nightstone Incorporated with a determination her employees had come to know and respect. She marched through the halls to her office, her face as usual set in a look of stony determination. Many of her employees had wondered if she ever smiled. Today was no exception.
She stopped at her secretary's desk as she always did. She opened her mouth to inquire if she had any mail or messages, but hesitated when she realized something; Candice, her secretary was not sitting behind that desk. In her place was a woman that she had never seen before. She took a moment to examine her; she had never seen anyone quite so pink. The woman wore a form-fitting dress-suit, all pink. Her blonde hair was done up in a bun behind her head, held with a pink clip. She wore a pair of thin glasses with pink frames, and around her neck a string of pink beads dangled. She smiled at Dominique with her pink stained lips and stood up, revealing her low-cut skirt and shapely legs, which lead down to pink high- heeled shoes.
"Who are you? Where is Candice?" Dominique demanded, giving the hand this woman offered her a skeptical glare.
"Candice is out sick today, Ms. Destine" the woman said. Her voice was smooth and creamy. "The temp agency assigned me to stand in for her until she is feeling better. My name is Casey Jenkins." Dominique gave the offered hand a sniff, and nodded.
"Very well. Are there any messages?"
"No, Ms. Destine, and I left your mail on your desk." Angelina offered her a friendly smile, and Dominique cocked a curios eyebrow before moving on into her office. She sat down behind her desk and began sorting through the morning mail. She tossed the junk into the paper shredder, set the important notices to the side. When she reached the final envelope, she froze, confusion setting in.
"Paradigm Corporation..." she read aloud off the envelope. She considered it a moment, and then shrugged. "Never heard of it." She dropped it into the paper shredder and did not give it another thought.
"Um, Roger..." Elisa asked, nudging him slightly with her elbow. Roger looked up from his food at her, and Elisa jerked her head down the table toward Dorothy, who sat with just a cup of tea, which she did not even sip at. Her emotionless eyes were locked on the two, unblinking. "Is...is she all right?" Elisa asked, trying not to let Dorothy know they were talking about her.
"As fine as she can be, for an android." Roger said casually, shrugging his shoulders. Elisa nearly choked.
"An android?"
"Yes Ms. Maza, I am an android." Dorothy said, breaking into the conversation. Elisa looked at her, a new sort of awe for this world having dawned in her. "I am an android, as Roger is so fond of reminding me." Dorothy seemed a little bitter at the last part, and for a brief moment Elisa could have sworn she threw Roger a dirty look.
"You'll have to forgive Dorothy" Roger said, seemingly unfazed by the attitude of Dorothy's statement. "She suffers from some personality flaws."
"Personality? An android has personality?" Elisa said, her feelings of wonder and confusion growing with each second. Dorothy did not seem to take this well at all, as she slapped her hands onto the table, stood, and left the room. There was an uncomfortable silence till Roger cleared his throat.
"This man you were chasing, Elisa" he said, digging the subject back up, "What did he look like?"
"Well...he was certainly strange" she said, straining her memory for every last detail, "He was thin, I mean, really thin, like he was from some third world county. And he was wearing this pin stripe suit, and he had the strangest face. He was wearing..."
"A mask?" Roger interrupted.
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"Sounds like Alan Gabriel." Roger's eyes narrowed.
"Who?" Rather than answer her question, Roger stood up from the table, yanking his napkin away from his neck. He looked down at Elisa, his eyes were now cold and determined.
"Nothing for tonight, Elisa. You'd better get some rest. Tomorrow we'll pay a visit to Paradigm's Chief Executive Officer."
"He was what?"
"I know it sounds impossible" Owen explained, his composure never faltering; his employer was often amazed at his ability to remain so stoic, especially consider the tricksterous Fae that resided within him. "But the intruder was from another world, I am sure of it."
"How can you be certain?" Goliath said, taking a reflexive step forward. The other's all gave nervous glances at their leader, afraid of what he might do under the pressure of this new development.
"If you remember, I am one of the Third Race" Owen explained coolly, "I detected a strange energy in the air in the alley where he vanished. I am not sure if science or sorcery summoned it, but I am sure it was some sort of a doorway into another dimension."
"But...how..." Goliath's words died in his throat. He lowered his head, his eyes shut tight as he struggled to hold back the tears, the fear that he may never see the woman he loved so dearly again.
"I understand your worries, Goliath" Owen went on. "But there is a chance we may be able to locate Detective Maza. It is not within the scope of my powers to allow us to traverse the multiverse, but I find it highly likely that this stranger did not act alone. There was more science about him than sorcery. There is bound to be someone behind him. And whoever that is won't likely use this doorway only once. If this intruder brought his master something he liked, he is certain to be sent back for more."
"And we'll be waiting for him." Brooklyn said, holding up one first to emphasize his words. Goliath gulped and nodded his head.
"And in the meantime, I will use every resource I have available to try to help, Goliath" Xanatos said. He moved away from the wall he had been leaning against and placed a comforting hand on the gargoyle's shoulder. "We shall find Elisa again, do not worry."
Goliath took a deep breath, and then turned to his clan.
"Come, the city will not defend itself" he said, "We must be about our patrols." They all smiled and followed him.
"And just who are you?" John Castaway asked. He looked this stranger over from head to foot. He was a strange looking fellow; his mustard colored suit was of the most horrible taste he had ever seen, but it seemed to match well with the stranger's eyes, which bore the gleam of a cobra circling its pray.
"Oh, I'm just a tourist" the stranger said with a sort of giggle to his voice.
"A tourist?" Castaway cocked an eyebrow.
"Yeah, from out of town." He laughed a bit at this, drawing a curios stare from Castaway and his henchman. He stifled his laughing and then ran a comb through his swirly blonde hair. "Well, enough about me, lets talk about you, and what I can do for you."
"And just what is that?" The stranger stepped forward and draped an arm over Castaway's shoulders. He held his other arm up, gesturing as if they were reading a billboard spelled out in lights.
"You are going to love this." he said, grinning like a lunatic.
"Who are you?" Castaway asked.
"The name is Beck. Beck Gold."
"Woa...you're not kidding..." Roger sounded awed. He looked again at Elisa's badge, absorbing every detail of the gold colored piece of metal that reflected his face. He looked up at Elisa, who was now up and about, her injury feeling better. "You really are from another world!"
"Seems that way" Elisa said as she looked out the window over the city. It resembled New York, her city, in many ways. But now that she looked harder, the differences were definite.
"I'd like to help you, Elisa" Roger said, coming up behind her and handing her badge back to her. "But I honestly have no idea where to start. I mean, this is all rather confusing."
"No kidding" Elisa said. She turned to face Roger. He scratched his chin, trying to think of ways to help.
"Master Roger" an older voice said from the door. They both turned. Elisa found herself looking an older man, his head balding and his moustache gray. He returned her gaze with his single eye, the other evidently missing as it was covered by a patch. "Dinner is served, and I set an extra place for our guest."
"Thank you Norman." Roger gave the old man a friendly smile and then turned to Elisa. "Well, Detective Maza, would you care to join us for dinner?"
Dominique Destine stormed through the upper floor of Nightstone Incorporated with a determination her employees had come to know and respect. She marched through the halls to her office, her face as usual set in a look of stony determination. Many of her employees had wondered if she ever smiled. Today was no exception.
She stopped at her secretary's desk as she always did. She opened her mouth to inquire if she had any mail or messages, but hesitated when she realized something; Candice, her secretary was not sitting behind that desk. In her place was a woman that she had never seen before. She took a moment to examine her; she had never seen anyone quite so pink. The woman wore a form-fitting dress-suit, all pink. Her blonde hair was done up in a bun behind her head, held with a pink clip. She wore a pair of thin glasses with pink frames, and around her neck a string of pink beads dangled. She smiled at Dominique with her pink stained lips and stood up, revealing her low-cut skirt and shapely legs, which lead down to pink high- heeled shoes.
"Who are you? Where is Candice?" Dominique demanded, giving the hand this woman offered her a skeptical glare.
"Candice is out sick today, Ms. Destine" the woman said. Her voice was smooth and creamy. "The temp agency assigned me to stand in for her until she is feeling better. My name is Casey Jenkins." Dominique gave the offered hand a sniff, and nodded.
"Very well. Are there any messages?"
"No, Ms. Destine, and I left your mail on your desk." Angelina offered her a friendly smile, and Dominique cocked a curios eyebrow before moving on into her office. She sat down behind her desk and began sorting through the morning mail. She tossed the junk into the paper shredder, set the important notices to the side. When she reached the final envelope, she froze, confusion setting in.
"Paradigm Corporation..." she read aloud off the envelope. She considered it a moment, and then shrugged. "Never heard of it." She dropped it into the paper shredder and did not give it another thought.
"Um, Roger..." Elisa asked, nudging him slightly with her elbow. Roger looked up from his food at her, and Elisa jerked her head down the table toward Dorothy, who sat with just a cup of tea, which she did not even sip at. Her emotionless eyes were locked on the two, unblinking. "Is...is she all right?" Elisa asked, trying not to let Dorothy know they were talking about her.
"As fine as she can be, for an android." Roger said casually, shrugging his shoulders. Elisa nearly choked.
"An android?"
"Yes Ms. Maza, I am an android." Dorothy said, breaking into the conversation. Elisa looked at her, a new sort of awe for this world having dawned in her. "I am an android, as Roger is so fond of reminding me." Dorothy seemed a little bitter at the last part, and for a brief moment Elisa could have sworn she threw Roger a dirty look.
"You'll have to forgive Dorothy" Roger said, seemingly unfazed by the attitude of Dorothy's statement. "She suffers from some personality flaws."
"Personality? An android has personality?" Elisa said, her feelings of wonder and confusion growing with each second. Dorothy did not seem to take this well at all, as she slapped her hands onto the table, stood, and left the room. There was an uncomfortable silence till Roger cleared his throat.
"This man you were chasing, Elisa" he said, digging the subject back up, "What did he look like?"
"Well...he was certainly strange" she said, straining her memory for every last detail, "He was thin, I mean, really thin, like he was from some third world county. And he was wearing this pin stripe suit, and he had the strangest face. He was wearing..."
"A mask?" Roger interrupted.
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"Sounds like Alan Gabriel." Roger's eyes narrowed.
"Who?" Rather than answer her question, Roger stood up from the table, yanking his napkin away from his neck. He looked down at Elisa, his eyes were now cold and determined.
"Nothing for tonight, Elisa. You'd better get some rest. Tomorrow we'll pay a visit to Paradigm's Chief Executive Officer."
"He was what?"
"I know it sounds impossible" Owen explained, his composure never faltering; his employer was often amazed at his ability to remain so stoic, especially consider the tricksterous Fae that resided within him. "But the intruder was from another world, I am sure of it."
"How can you be certain?" Goliath said, taking a reflexive step forward. The other's all gave nervous glances at their leader, afraid of what he might do under the pressure of this new development.
"If you remember, I am one of the Third Race" Owen explained coolly, "I detected a strange energy in the air in the alley where he vanished. I am not sure if science or sorcery summoned it, but I am sure it was some sort of a doorway into another dimension."
"But...how..." Goliath's words died in his throat. He lowered his head, his eyes shut tight as he struggled to hold back the tears, the fear that he may never see the woman he loved so dearly again.
"I understand your worries, Goliath" Owen went on. "But there is a chance we may be able to locate Detective Maza. It is not within the scope of my powers to allow us to traverse the multiverse, but I find it highly likely that this stranger did not act alone. There was more science about him than sorcery. There is bound to be someone behind him. And whoever that is won't likely use this doorway only once. If this intruder brought his master something he liked, he is certain to be sent back for more."
"And we'll be waiting for him." Brooklyn said, holding up one first to emphasize his words. Goliath gulped and nodded his head.
"And in the meantime, I will use every resource I have available to try to help, Goliath" Xanatos said. He moved away from the wall he had been leaning against and placed a comforting hand on the gargoyle's shoulder. "We shall find Elisa again, do not worry."
Goliath took a deep breath, and then turned to his clan.
"Come, the city will not defend itself" he said, "We must be about our patrols." They all smiled and followed him.
"And just who are you?" John Castaway asked. He looked this stranger over from head to foot. He was a strange looking fellow; his mustard colored suit was of the most horrible taste he had ever seen, but it seemed to match well with the stranger's eyes, which bore the gleam of a cobra circling its pray.
"Oh, I'm just a tourist" the stranger said with a sort of giggle to his voice.
"A tourist?" Castaway cocked an eyebrow.
"Yeah, from out of town." He laughed a bit at this, drawing a curios stare from Castaway and his henchman. He stifled his laughing and then ran a comb through his swirly blonde hair. "Well, enough about me, lets talk about you, and what I can do for you."
"And just what is that?" The stranger stepped forward and draped an arm over Castaway's shoulders. He held his other arm up, gesturing as if they were reading a billboard spelled out in lights.
"You are going to love this." he said, grinning like a lunatic.
"Who are you?" Castaway asked.
"The name is Beck. Beck Gold."
