Heat Seeker

Part 2

By Leah Wood

Note to Readers: (Italics) signifies telepathic speaking of some characters!

Prelude: The Predator has just discovered the gargoyles and now they are his chief prey item! Also Venus is hurt...unable to help her family.

Back at the Castle half an hour after Venus was hurt...

Angela stroked Venus's unmoving form gently and sniffed. She was hurt and no one knew why or how. Since Venus didn't breath and had such an unusual heartbeat, it was hard to tell how injured she actually was inside. No doctor or medicine could help her. All they could do was wait and pray that the little alien's healing powers would repair her injured mind.

Goliath placed a gentle hand on his daughter's shoulder and she touched his hand saying, "I'm staying with her tonight."

He nodded, "Very well," he turned to the others, "Come! We will scour the city, report anything unusual. We will find this killer and put an end to this bloodshed."

Angela turned quickly, "Father!" He glanced back. "Be careful!"

He listened from outside the castle..."FatherFatherFatherFather!" it mimicked the female's voice that made the largest Stone Warrior turn. Female voices were much harder to imitate, but they generally were the most effective in catching a male's attention.

It had been quite a challenge following these winged creatures to the top of this structure, but climbing was his forte; trees, buildings, walls, he'd never found a structure yet he couldn't ascend. Through a small window his vision zoomed in on the largest Stone Warrior. THAT was the one he wanted! Powerful...huge...and perhaps a worthy opponent. The three young male Stone Warriors were not as big or powerfully built. He could pass those up. There were two other possibilities...the older Stone Warrior or the beast next to him. They could make fine trophies as well...but he wanted the biggest one. Experience taught him that rushing into a hunt without first observing the quarry was foolish. First, he'd study this Stone Warrior and THEN begin the hunt.

Bronx whimpered next to Venus's still form on the bed. He could sense the little alien was hurt and it hurt him to see her like this. The gargdog wished he could help her. All at once he caught a faint, unfamiliar scent. Sniffing intently he growled and arched his back aggressively. There was something nearby that didn't belong here!

Hudson glanced down at the bristling gargdog, "What tis it boy?"

Bronx growled and stared up at the high window where the scent was strongest. There was something out there! He could smell it!

His vision adjusted and focused on the beast. The creature was staring directly at him. He very much doubted the beast could see him but it probably had an extraordinary sense of smell, even though he was downwind from his quarry. Very slowly he climbed away from the window and dropped down into the courtyard below. He'd wait for the Stone Warrior to leave and then he'd follow him from the buildings.

"What's wrong with Bronx?" Lexington asked Hudson.

The elder shrugged, "I'm not certain lad. Easy boy!"

Bronx growled a moment longer but then the unusual scent dissipated leaving him confused as to what exactly he'd smelled. Snorting the gargbeast quieted and lay at the foot of Venus's bed. Perhaps it was nothing.

Goliath snapped his wings open and strode out onto the parapet with his clan following, "We will search around the warehouse for anything unusual. Whoever did this will not get away with it!"

Leaping onto an air current the five warriors launched themselves from the castle and soared over the city unaware baleful eyes followed their path.

Several hours later on top of a different warehouse...

Broadway and Brooklyn were the last ones to land on the roof after the fruitless search, "We circled this area one hundred times and didn't see ANYTHING," Brooklyn stated in an annoyed tone.

"Aye! We saw nothin' either." Hudson confirmed.

Goliath growled in frustration and sighed in thought. "I've been thinking. These murders seem very familiar."

Broadway shrugged, "I don't think we've ever seen murders like this! Well, except for when those Space Spawn came."

"No...it's not that. They reminded me of Castle Wyvern all those centuries ago."

"How do ye mean lad?" Hudson asked.

"The way those bodies were hung and skinned...they reminded me of the deer we used to hunt. When we brought them back we'd skin and clean them JUST like those humans were." Goliath stated.

Hudson nodded in agreement, "Are ye thinkin' whoever did this was...hunting these humans?"

He nodded solemnly, "Yes, that's what I'm thinking." Pausing for a moment Goliath looked to the East. Light was beginning to glow on the horizon. "It's only a few hours before dawn. I'm going to check on Elisa and see if she's discovered anything new. Go back to the castle. I'll be along soon."

Nodding his clan launched from the building and headed back while Goliath flew in the opposite direction.

Many questions filled his mind. Who or what was committing these unspeakable acts of murder? What happened to Venus? Would this killer strike again? It angered him not to know. He worried as well. He worried for Elisa's safety as well as the other humans. Checking on his beloved Elisa would give him some piece of mind at least for tonight.

After a few minutes of flying around Manhattan Goliath reached Elisa's apartment and landed on her balcony. Her light was on so he caped his expansive wings and let himself in.

He watched the Stone Warrior from a building across the street. Still cloaked in his camouflage he watched his prey's behavior in a resting crouch. Heat vision zooming in he could see the Stone Warrior within the structure and could hear him speaking to another. Soon a much smaller heat image drew near the large Stone Warrior...a Flathead female...the same one he'd seen tonight. As he watched, the Flathead female wrapped her arms around the Stone Warrior's neck and he embraced her back. Affection. The female was perhaps his mate? That didn't seem quite correct since they were of different species. But...the signs and change in body heat were unmistakable...they were showing affection for one another.

He listened intently to their distorted voices, "Elisa?""In here Goliath!" "Elisa...are you alright?""Of course Goliath, why wouldn't I be?""I...was concerned for you. Did you find out anything else?""Nothing that we don't already know. Is Venus alright?""We don't know. She's unconscious and not responding but...we don't know.""I hope she pulls through...poor little thing! So...just came by to check on me?""Yes. I wanted to know you were alright...It's nearly dawn. I need to get back now."

The pair's heat emissions spiked as they touched their mouths together...a definite gesture of affection for Flatheads. Then, walking out the door, Goliath...as the female Elisa had called him...took off into the air once more and headed back to his roost. He looked toward the horizon and noticed the sun was about to rise. The Stone Warrior, Goliath would turn to stone until night came again. He'd have to wait for the hunt...but he would be ready for it. Until then, there were plenty of Flatheads to hunt during the day.

Nightfall...

A few minutes after Goliath and his clan awoke and from their daytime slumber and Angela glided up to the window to Venus's room, Mr. Xanatos met the males inside.

He seemed concerned, "I just finished watching the news. There have been two more killings like the ones last night. Turns out the Quarrymen are pinning all of these brutal murders on you guys and they are going to be out in full force tonight; destroying every statue they can smash their hammers on!"

The gargoyles all growled in their throats. They should've known those hooded psychopaths would stick the blame on them!

Goliath's eyes flashed, "Then it will not be safe for us to patrol. But if we do not find this killer he could strike again!"

As Xanatos and Goliath talked Bronx's ears perked. There was that scent again! But this time it was closer...stronger! He'd never smelled anything that resembled it, but his keen instincts told him: DANGER! A low menacing growl filled the gargdog's chest as he stalked toward the scent coming from outside in the courtyard.

Bronx's growl caught the gargoyles' attentions and they stared at their pet. "What tis it boy?" Hudson grated.

Broadway squinted in thought, "He was growling like that last night. What's he smelling?"

Bronx slowly stalked out into the courtyard, following the unfamiliar scent. The clan curiously followed him until he stood stock still, raising his growl into an aggressive snarl. His phosphoric eyes blazed as he stared straight ahead into the trees. The gargoyles followed his gaze but...they couldn't see anything.

Hudson squinted his one good eye, "What in blazes are ye lookin' at Bronx? There's nothin' there!"

All at once Bronx let loose a snarling roar, charging head-long into the trees! None of the gargoyles knew what had set the gargbeast into this fit, until they suddenly found out! Bronx leaped through the air, fangs bared and claws flared in a killer leap! But suddenly, part of the trees moved and with a sharp yelp of pain the huge gargdog was thrown at least twenty yards to the side! Something...HIT him! There was a blur of movement, but...there was nothing there! That's when an object appeared out of thin air. It looked like some type of high-tech spear just floating above the grass. No...not floating. As the gargoyles stared longer they could make out a figure...a transparent outline of...someone...or something holding the spear. What the heck was that!

Shaking his head Bronx turned again and leaped at the ghostly figure despite the outcry of his masters. The blurry figure turned quickly, swirling the spear around and proficiently jammed the dagger point into the leaping gargdog's shoulder! Bronx howled in agony as the tip gouged his flesh. Using Bronx's own momentum the ghostly silhouette flipped the gargbeast over its head and threw him across the grass; retracting the blood tipped spear in the same fluid motion! Bronx rolled across the courtyard in a heap, terribly wounded and bleeding.

At length a rattling growl-like noise came from the blurry figure and the spear rose in a challenging posture. Hudson bellowed in rage, drawing his sword and partially glided over the ground to meet the ghostly thing in battle! The spear swirled in a circle over the figure's head and parried Hudson's first sword thrust sending sparks off both sword and spear! Keeping its back to the edge of the castle wall, the figure swung the huge spear expertly blocking all of Hudson's sword thrusts! Not being able to see his opponent very clearly presented quite a challenge for the elder warrior. It was like fighting Hakon's ghost except whatever this was twice as skilled as and very much stronger than that spook!

Just as the other gargoyles were about to converge on the blurry attacker, it stabbed the spear point into the ground, gripped the side of the weapon, kicked both of its legs up and slammed them into Hudson's chest! The elder gargoyle grunted in pain as the powerful blow sent him tumbling backward over the grass! Then, retracting the spear from the ground the figure turned and jumped over the side of the castle wall!

Brooklyn got there first just in time to see the figure slide down one of the huge support beams that held the castle atop the Eerie Building, "THERE! There it goes!"

Once the blur came to the end of the beam it swung around it and underneath the castle base out of Brooklyn's sight.

Just as the crimson gargoyle was about ready to take after the ghostly attacker Goliath's strong hand grabbed his shoulder. "WAIT Brooklyn! We'll all go at the same time! Are you alright Hudson?" he asked his mentor.

Hudson staggered over to his clan and they gasped when they saw that his chest armor was considerably dented from the attack! "Aye! That BASTARD damaged my armor, but I'll be fine!"

Goliath nodded. "Get Bronx inside. The rest of you follow me!"

Spreading his massive dark wings Goliath glided down to the bottom part of the castle where the dervish had disappeared with his clan behind him. That HAD to be this mystery killer! But what was it? Why did it come here? How did it find them? What did it want? One way or another Goliath was going to find out!

The lavender gargoyle's keen eyes scanned the underside of the castle. So many support beams and stone to sort through. Pointing he commanded, "Spread out! Leave no crevice unsearched!"

Steadily the gargoyles glided around the base of the castle. As Goliath rounded a steel beam he heard Angela's voice, "FATHER!"

Ballooning his wings Goliath stopped and turned, "Angela?" Wait...Angela was in the castle with Venus...how...

Suddenly a heavy body dropped down onto Goliath's broad back! Snarling in surprise Goliath tried to compensate for the force of the hit, but he felt the thing on his back forcefully grab the bases of his wings and press them into his body! Panic nearly took him when he couldn't open his wings and he fell down onto a building far below! Just before he hit the roof with bone shattering force, the figure on his back dismounted and landed nimbly on its feet nearby.

Groaning in pain Goliath slowly got up. He felt like he'd been run over by a Semi or something. As he lifted his body up he spotted the ghostly silhouetted attacker standing nearby, apparently looking at him, waiting for him to get up. With a roar of rage Goliath spread his wings to the full extent and lashed his tail imposingly.

At that second the transparent figure touched his wrist and a beeping sounded. Then out of thin air the figure suddenly materialized and Goliath viewed his attacker for the first time. Standing a tad taller than Goliath himself the being was strong and lithe of build, but not nearly as broad and beefy as the gargoyle. His attire consisted of metal and leather-like armor that spanned his broad shoulders and covered his lower regions and thighs. On the wrists he bore metal cuffs that appeared intricate and highly technological and also metal bands encasing his calves. Lacing his pale skinned body was a fish-net-like material that donned little skulls of some unknown creatures, like morbid decorations. But the most striking feature of the being's attire had to be the metal pewter colored mask. With slanted glassy eyes and sharp swooping curves, the mask conveyed a chilling aura about the being. Hanging from behind the mask was the figure's hair. But...it wasn't hair. More like banded, spiked dreadlocks made of some hard flesh. Instantly Goliath noted the being's hands. Five fingers...claws...and the flesh appeared scaly and reptilian. Definitely NOT a human but he looked every inch a hunter. A Predator. But there was no doubt in Goliath's mind that THIS was the killer!

Rumbling threateningly at the armored being Goliath asked aggressively, "WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

The mask cocked to the side slightly and all at once an electronic SVVVREEP! sounded signaling the appearance of a tiny cannon mounted on the being's shoulder. Goliath tensed as a triangle of red dots appeared right onto his chest from above the eye piece of the mask! In the blink of an eye Goliath dove to the side just as a fiery blast spat from the cannon! Rolling quickly Goliath dodged the shoulder cannon's fire until a uniform roar from the Trio echoed through the air. Acting as one the three young gargoyles swooped down at the masked attacker and tackled him onto the roof! A shrieking bellow of surprise came from the Predator as he was driven to the ground.

Eyes glowing Broadway pinned the being's shoulders while Brooklyn and Lexington used their own weight to subdue his legs and lower body. Thinking quickly Broadway slammed his fist down onto the being's shoulder cannon, smashing it with a flurry of sparks. An aggressive rattle vibrated behind the chilling mask that suddenly erupted into a guttural bellowing roar! Suddenly, before any of the Trio could react the Predator's legs jerked out from under Brooklyn and Lexington. Then spreading his legs out he kicked them together hard, bashing both gargoyle's heads together! Brooklyn and Lexington saw bright flashes of light in their vision as they dizzily fell away from the being leaving only Broadway to hold him down.

Broadway was strong and heavy yes, but this being was just as strong and lividly pissed! The hunter closed his right fist and in the blink of an eye a pair of razor edged blades at least 2 feet long ejected from the metal wrist band! Driving his free knee into the turquoise gargoyle's ample stomach made the gargoyle loosen his hold only for a moment. Broadway gasped when he felt the duel blades swing around and rake a pair of nasty gashes across his chest! He tried to back away but the masked assassin swung the deadly wrist blades again, this time ripping part of Broadway's wings membrane in a spray of blood! Broadway's wings instinctually slapped to his body in agony.

Rattling the Predator stood and raised his blades again but in the knick of time Goliath grabbed his arm and threw him back away from his wounded clansman. Staggering for balance the masked warrior slid backward and dropped down into a low fighting crouch. The lavender giant's eyes burned hot white and a low growl emanated from his chest. But before he could attack, the being tapped some controls on his left wrist band and he disappeared behind his cloaking camouflage. Goliath could barely see the blurry outline turn and leap onto the next building roof.

Brooklyn and Lexington rose, slowly regaining their bearings from the powerful head bashing.

"You two! Help get Broadway back to the castle! He's wounded! I'LL deal with this hunter!" Goliath ordered.

Taking a powerful leap Goliath jumped to the next building to chase after the now camouflaged attacker. Every now and again his keen eyes would catch a blurry blip of movement against the city lights and he followed undaunted. After jumping onto three different roofs, the being leaped straight down from the edge of a building and disappeared from view. Goliath stopped at the edge and peered into the alleyway below. Nothing. No silhouette. No hunter.

Suddenly, a large hand grabbed Goliath's wrist from below and jerked him powerfully over the edge! That bastard had jumped down onto a window ledge and hid! Now falling Goliath grabbed the ghostly hand's wrist in return so they'd fall together. Using his immeasurable strength the gargoyle squeezed the invisible wrist and much to his surprise it sparked, making the masked warrior reappear in a crackling of blue electricity! Shrieking in rage the Predator positioned his body over Goliath's and the gargoyle hit the pavement first!

Now without his camouflage the hunter squeezed his right hand again and the duel blades shot out of his other wrist armor. Aggressively he swung them down on Goliath but the powerful gargoyle grabbed his hand to hold him off. The two titans growled deeply at each other, the double blades pointing precariously close to Goliath's neck. They seemed to match one another's strength. Thinking quickly Goliath whipped his tail around and coiled it around the Predator's neck. Then, with all his strength Goliath managed to throw him off of him and against the alley wall. The hunter hit hard, but he quickly recovered.

The Predator stared at his prey's vibrant heat emissions. This Goliath was just as powerful and as skilled a fighter as he'd hoped! This was almost better than hunting Hive Drones (Aliens)! He didn't have his cannon or his camo...this would require major hand to hand combat! But...that's the way he liked it! However, he needed more room. He needed to get back on a roof. That would present plenty of room to wield his spear or wrist blades or any other weapon he had left. Quickly, he turned and clung to the side of the alley wall, climbing as fast as he could. A wise hunter puts his prey in a position that will benefit him and that's what he was going to do!

Goliath rose and saw the masked hunter climb agily up the side of the wall. He growled and leaped onto the wall beneath him. Using his steely talons he climbed after the Predator until they were both standing on the roof. Goliath's eyes flashed and he bared his fangs as the fighter retracted a squared out rod from his back. With a quick squeeze the rod periscoped outward until it formed the spear he'd so expertly wielded against Hudson. The Predator crouched low, rattling in anticipation. Slowly the combatants circled one another, never breaking eye contact.

With a raspy roar the masked warrior swirled the spear fancily before him and expertly left a tiny slit across Goliath's pec. The lavender gargoyle felt the tiny cut and realized it was a dare. As if the hunter was saying, "Come on! Let's see what you've got!"

Roaring defiantly Goliath spread his wings and leaped into the air. Expectantly the Predator raised his spear to skewer the gargoyle, but Goliath executed a spin in midair that evaded the spear jab! Whipping his tail around Goliath smacked the pewter colored mask as he flew over, making it ring. The hunter reeled back a moment in shock but was instantly brandishing the spear at his opponent. Goliath flared his wings imposingly, but the hunter was undaunted. In the blink of an eye the Predator swung the spear in a high arc and then down low, turning and twirling it until Goliath could barely see the weapon anymore! Then he jabbed it making contact with Goliath chest! The gargoyle roared as the deadly tip pierced his flesh, but managed to grab the weapon just in time before it punctured past his ribs. Had he not stopped it, the spear would've cleaved his heart to pieces. This Predator was deadly accurate!

Pitting their strength against one another the combatants tried to kill and tried to prevent being killed. At last Goliath retracted the jagged point from his flesh and turned the spear perpendicular to him which brought the hunter and him chest to chest with the spear over their heads! Shrieking defiantly the Predator planted his clawed foot into Goliath's midsection and rolled over backward, throwing the huge gargoyle over onto his back! Goliath rose to his knees, but stopped short. He felt two blades tickling the underside of his jaw! His chin lifted up, Goliath saw the Predator holding the deadly wrist blades under his throat and the mask's glassy eyes glinting at him. He rattled and toyingly lifted the gargoyle's head higher. He had him. Now all he had to do was jab and the trophy would be his!

Suddenly a bullet ricocheted off the ground between Goliath and the masked assassin! Both turned as a blindening strobe light filled their vision and exposed them! A pair of helicopters! Goliath squinted and saw them...the Quarrymen! Two whole choppers full of them! He was trapped between his masked hunter and dozens of masked gargoyle killers!

TO BE CONTINUED...