The Plan Comes Together
Liz went in to the office early the following morning to continue
her conversation with Conners and Maddox. She managed to convince them that
they shouldn't place the warehouse under surveillance. There was too much
of a chance that the gang would know about it.
She was back at the penthouse before nine a.m. Poking her head into
her office to let Goliath know that she had returned, she found him tied up
on the phone with the Hotel's MPD department. She shook her head, amazed
that he could keep up with so many of the niggling duties involving her
household and the Hotel.
Picking up her cellular phone, she collected a glass of iced tea
from Mary and headed out to the garden. It was a beautiful day outside. Warm
and clear with birds singing in some of the garden trees, it was the kind of
day which left her unmotivated to do anything other than lounging around
outside. She parked herself at the little cafe table. Oh well, she had alot
to do so she might as well get to it.
She dialed Todd's office number.
"Todd, it's Liz. What time should we drop by?"
"How about the warehouse at eleven?"
"That's fine."
"How are you feeling today? Is your arm all right?"
"I'm fine. See you there." She clicked off, sipped her iced tea and
decided to phone Xanatos while Goliath was still busy.
"Xanatos Enterprise, Mr. Burnette speaking."
"Owen, it's Elizabeth Antelope. Is Mr. Xanatos available?"
"Hold on a moment," Owen put her on hold but was back in just a few
moments. "Mr. Xanatos is tied up on another line, can you hold for a while?"
"Sure. How are the guys doing?"
"They miss you both, especially Angela. Brooklyn also wishes that
you'd both return. I fear that the responsibility of leadership is wearing
him out."
"Oh come on now! He led the entire time we were on our little world
tour!"
"True, but at that time he got a lot of support from Hudson. Hudson
has left everything up to him this time, telling him it was time for him to
fly solo. I believe that he has a new appreciation for his clan leader.
Speaking of which.."
"He's fine, and yes, he has a new appreciation for what Xanatos'
majordomo does," Liz snickered and then glanced around to make sure that the
person in question had not heard.
"Mr. Xanatos tells me that he is ready for your call now. It has
been nice hearing from you. Good luck to you both." Owen transferred the
call.
"Hello, Liz! How are things in DC?"
"Everything is going very well. We hope to be back in a week or
two."
"Glad to hear it. So your project is suddenly picking up then?"
"Yes. Everything's falling into place."
"You can call me tonight at 212/555-9119. It's a secure line so
we'll be able to discuss this in detail," Xanatos paused for a moment as if
he were trying to think of something to say. "How is your Majordomo? I take
it that he was satisfactory?"
Liz could almost see Xanatos' arched eyebrow. "You have no idea!
I'd put him on the phone but he's tied up with business."
"Well, let him know that things have been quiet since he left but
that doesn't necessarily mean that he's not missed."
"I'll tell him. I'll try to call back tonight, but I may be in the
middle of that project..."
"No problem. Call when you can. Oh, and Liz?"
"Yeah?"
"Both of you take care."
Click.
Liz stared at the phone for a while. Maybe Xanatos was capable of
changing...
Goliath was tied up with his household duties until sometime around
ten o'clock. He had gotten a head start on it by getting up as soon as his
transformation had been complete. Once he had made sure that Elisa was
feeling all right, he was showered and in Liz's penthouse office by six
thirty. She had poked her head in later to say that she was going to the
Croft office and then again to say that she was back. He had hardly been
aware of time passing between her appearances.
He had found her out in the garden and spent a few precious minutes
with her, drinking iced tea and enjoying the morning. She filled him in on
the conversation with Xanatos and let him know that they'd be leaving to
meet Todd soon.
He had had the nightmare again last night and found himself nearly
overwhelmed with the desire to be home in New York again. Glancing over at
Elisa, he realized that he still could not bring himself to tell her about
the dreams. She would no doubt think he was being overprotective anyway, so
he kept it to himself. The assignment was going well and they would be home
soon. Maybe he was just being paranoid.
Eleven o'clock found them in the back room of the warehouse. Todd
had introduced them to all the girls and made it clear to them that they
were to follow any orders given to them by Liz or Lyath.
The doors Elisa had seen on the side of the room led to a large
office, a dorm with a bathroom suite and a kitchen/dining area. After
showing them around, Todd led them into the office where he rummaged around
in a file cabinet and eventually produced some blueprints. He lay them down
on the table and spread them out so that she and Lyath could see them.
They were the floor plans for Nightstone Unlimited. Elisa nudged
Goliath, who did some fast thinking and grabbed Daniel's arm.
"Where did you get these? I know that Dominique would have taken
precautions to keep them out of anyone's hands except her own... Even
necessary engineering personnel would have no access to them except on her
say-so."
Daniel laughed merrily. "I was already working for her when the
DC branch building was commissioned. It was an easy matter to bribe the
chief engineer into making up an extra copy for me." Carefully disengaging
Stoneman's hand from his arm, Todd began pointing out important areas on the
blueprints.
"You see this area of the sub-basement? There's a small service way
where the main pipes enter from the utility tunnels under the street. This
is how we gained entrance the last time we 'broke in'. The problem is that
Destine knew we were gonna do it. Hell, it was her idea, right down to how
we entered the building. You can bet that we'll never get in that way
again!"
Liz leaned over to get a better look. "So how were you planning to
get in this time?"
Todd moved to another blueprint. "Via the roof. There are security
cameras everywhere but I noticed something interesting a few weeks ago when
I was in the control room. The security cameras picked up everything except
a landmark I was looking for. My favorite restaurant has a roof view of the
Nightstone building. I've eaten there many a time and gazed across at N.U.,
but as I took in every single camera view from the roof, I realized that the
restaurant was not visible."
Daniel pulled out a map of the city which showed a blown up area
around the N.U. building. There were lines drawn with a ruler leading from
different areas of the building in question.
Daniel pointed at a building. "This is where the restaurant is." He
then pointed at the top of the N.U. building. "These circles represent the
locations of the roof and facade cameras. The lines leading away from each
one shows the extent of it's surveillance area."
Todd was right. None of the cameras was set up to see the building
he had mentioned. According to Todd's calculations there was a small area of
the roof and an entire section of ninth floor windows which were not under
surveillance.
Liz looked at Daniel. "Why would she leave that area uncovered?
What is located there?"
Todd smiled. "There is nothing out of the ordinary about those
areas. No stairs. No equipment. No elevator shaft. No air ducts. Nothing
except the fact that the ninth floor windows belong to Destine's office. As
for why she's done this..." Here he turned toward Lyath. "I was hoping you
knew."
Goliath met Elisa's eyes before looking back at Daniel. "I might be
able to tell you, but I'll need a copy of this and a some time to think it
through."
"Not a problem."
Liz caught Todd's attention. "So you have a clear area on the roof.
How were you planning to get up there unnoticed? The rest of the cameras
are sure to pick you up if you intend on climbing the building."
Todd rolled up the plans and handed them to Lyath. "Come with me."
He led the way out of the office and back to the rear corner of the
room where five large crates were sitting. Lifting the top off of one of
them revealed...
"My God!" Elisa exclaimed. "It's a one of Xanatos' flying bio-armor
suits!"
Stoneman did a double take. "Where did you get these?"
"He must have gotten them when they held up the local Xanatos
Enterprise building."
"Exactly. I'll bet that your friend, Xanatos, was very upset about
it."
"I'm sure he was! So...with these babies, you could easily land five
people on the roof. Maybe even as many as ten, if each carried somebody
else."
"All we need is a silent way in. We can't risk tampering with
Destine's windows - it might set off an alarm. If Mr. Thailog here comes up
with something, we'll be good to go."
"How will you get past the cameras inside the building?" Liz asked.
"We can discuss all that once we have a way in."
"All the rest of your excursions have been in broad daylight,"
Lyath stated. "There is no way that you're going to be able to pull this one
off during the day without being spotted."
"Yes, I'm afraid that this time we'll have to go in under cover of
darkness."
Liz and Lyath looked at each other as Todd checked his watch. The
same thought was no doubt running through both their minds.
"Have either of you had eaten yet? I'll treat you both to lunch at
that restaurant I mentioned."
"Lunch sounds good to me," Lyath said.
"I'll second that," Liz chirped.
"Great. We'll have lunch and then I'll have to run back to the
office before my other boss fires me. Check out the plans. We can meet back
here tomorrow anytime. Just give me a buzz." With that, he led the way out.
As soon as they had returned to the hotel, Elisa made for the
privacy of her office. Goliath closed and locked the door behind him.
"If I had to keep quiet about this for another minute, I think I
would have lost my mind," Elisa was pacing the room with pent-up excitement.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking about the surveillance black-out around
Demona's office?"
"She would, of course, need some way to enter and leave the
building unnoticed while in her 'evening form'." Goliath's eyes glittered
with excitement as well. "We can fly over there tonight and check it out.
I'm sure that there is a way to enter which does not involve any alarms."
Elisa suddenly sat on the sofa and pulled Goliath down beside her.
"What are we gonna do about the actual break-in? You can't be there after
sunset!"
Goliath picked up Elisa's hand and enclosed it within his own.
"Perhaps we should tell Todd the truth about Dominique Destine, and
Alexander Thailog as well."
"You mean to tell him that you're a Gargoyle!" Elisa's eyes were
wide with shock. "Goliath, no! It would be too dangerous! There's no way to
know how he might react. He may decide to take you out so that he can get
the company. After all, how do you think he's gonna feel about having a boss
who's a gargoyle?"
"He already has a boss who is a gargoyle. This may prove attractive
to him since he knows that Thailog, being a gargoyle at night, would have
to give Todd enough power, enough clout to do whatever had to be done
during that time frame." Here Goliath kissed the back of Elisa's hand.
"Don't you see how perfect this is? Todd would be assured of his position
with the company because if Thailog is unfair to him, he can threaten to
expose his...alternate lifestyle."
"So, you're saying that you would still participate in the break-
in, but in your true form?" Elisa still looked skeptical.
"Yes, and I wouldn't even require a bio-suit."
"What about the cops? You know that they're gonna be watching the
building that night. They'll find out what you are!"
"Will they actually realize that the gargoyle that they see and Mr.
Stoneman are one and the same? Remember that my voice is unchanged by my
transformation."
"Whoa! You're right! They would be hearing Stoneman over the
headsets, but that doesn't mean that they would know that the voice is
coming from the mysterious gargoyle!" Elisa's face lit up, but then dropped
again. "We would have to be very careful to make sure that you were called
something other than Stoneman or Thailog during the break-in, or it would be
a dead give-away. How in the world are we gonna explain that one to Todd?"
"That is a good question and one that will take some thought.
Perhaps we will come up with something later." He slowly pushed her down on
the sofa and over the next few minutes did his best to seduce her, but to no
avail.
"Sorry Big Guy," she said as she pushed him away and struggled to
sit up. "We can't be doing this right now...for the reasons we've discussed
before."
Goliath did something so human that Elisa blinked twice in surprise
- which quickly became amusement. He looked at his watch. He caught the
amused look on her face and gave her a sour look of his own, but then
smiled. "I'll go ask Mary to leave right after she sets out dinner so that
we can enjoy it in private."
He rose to his feet and pulled Elisa up after him. Nibbling on her
neck, he paused long enough to whisper near her ear. "Really, Elisa, could
we not use some of that 'protection' you humans are always talking about?"
He gave her a look which melted her heart.
She managed not to let on that he had nearly swayed her into
relenting. Instead she merely raised an eyebrow. "I guess you must be pretty
curious about how the other half lives, huh?"
Goliath actually looked embarrassed, as though she had discovered
some secret fetish of his. "Well, er...I mean...we may never again get the
chance to...explore what it would be like if we were both...the same
species."
Elisa sighed and went up on her tiptoes to kiss him. "I understand.
When I was a gargoyle, I wondered what it would be like to...love you while
in that form." She kissed him again. "I still do sometimes. OK, perhaps another
day when we have more time to ourselves. Just remember that we can't make a
habit of it. No sense in getting used to something that cannot be."
"My love!" She was rewarded with a brilliant smile and a kiss
before Goliath slipped back into his role of majordomo and went to check on
the Mary and the rest of the staff.
Elisa followed him into the penthouse where the smell of freshly
brewed coffee filled the air. On the way to her bedroom she paused to
collect a cup of that coffee and see what Mary was going to prepare for
dinner.
"Barbecued ribs tonight, Miss. I'm making enough to feed your little party
and still have some for lunch tomorrow," Mary suddenly furrowed her brow.
"Unless they all eat like Mr. Stoneman and yourself, that is."
"When will it be ready?" Elisa was unsure of what Mary was saying, about
the 'party' so she decided to ignore that portion of the conversation.
"Mr. Stoneman asked that they be done at six, miss."
"Thank-you, Mary. I'm sure that they'll turn out wonderfully."
"Thank-you, Miss! I Hope your little get-together goes well," the cook
replied as Liz disappeared in the direction of her room.
She was twenty minutes into her relaxing soak in the Jacuzzi when
Goliath entered the room.
"When will you update Conners?" he asked as he sat on the edge of
the spa.
Elisa bolted upright, soaking his pants with a tidal wave of water.
"You're right! I completely forgot about the change in plans! Where's my
cel-phone?"
Goliath, who had jumped to his feet when his pants got soaked, gave
her an amused look and went to fetch the equipment in question. He returned
in a moment with the phone and without his clothing.
Elisa ogled him until he had settled down into the froth beside her. Only
then did she have the presence of mind to take the phone he had been holding
out to her.
As she dialed, she noticed that although he had settled back and had his
eyes closed, Goliath also had a satisfied smirk on his face.
"You enjoy doing that to me, don't you?"
He merely nodded an affirmative.
Liz spent the next half hour explaining to Conners that Xanatos had
flown in a gargoyle to help with the operation. She convinced him that the
gargoyle had infiltrated the gang but was really on their side. The Detective's
disbelief quickly gave way to annoyance.
"This investigation is getting more complicated all the time," he huffed.
"Look at it this way, Conners. At least he's on our side."
"Yeah, yeah. I just keep asking myself what other surprises are gonna pop
up."
Conners hung up.
Elisa turned back to her companion, who appeared to be dozing.
"Any idea what time it is?"
"Not even three."
Elisa stood up and began to towel off.
"And where do you think that you are going?" Goliath's eyes were wide
open.
"I was gonna take a nap. After all, it's going to be a long
evening." She wiggled her back-end as she made for the bedroom.
"Wait!" he said as he hastily left the spa. "I'll join you."
"Big Guy, I was hoping you'd say that."
Elisa and Goliath enjoyed a wonderful dinner. When Elisa asked him
why Mary had made five sides of ribs, Goliath confessed that he had led Mary
to believe that several people would be joining them for dinner.
Even though Goliath had polished off all the food, they cleaned up
a bit before making themselves comfortable in front of the television. There
they rested a few hours, digesting their meal and allowing the night to get
dark and quiet. They watched the evening news, hopeful of an update on the
Gargoyle activity back home, but nothing was mentioned.
It was nearing midnight when Goliath stood up and offered a hand to
Elisa. "Shall we?"
"It'll be great to fly with you again. It's been such a long time!"
She gathered up her gun, hiding it in the waistband of her black pants.
After her nap, she had changed into a tight black sweatshirt, the pants and
her favorite black booties. Her hair was pulled back into a single thick
braid which fell well past her shoulders.
"It HAS been too long," he replied as he led the way out to the
pool area. Moving over to the wall, he gathered Elisa into his arms and then
made the leap up to the edge. Seeing that she was smiling in anticipation,
he grinned as well and then took a fantastic leap out into the night...
Elisa laughed joyously as Goliath soared upward and began banking
toward the Nightstone building. She had not realized just how much she
missed the exhilaration of the wind in her hair and world moving far below
her.
She sometimes dreamed she was soaring the night in Goliath's arms.
The sound of his wings being buffeted by the air currents was always the
last part of the dream to fade away when she awoke. In some ways she had
become so...gargoyle. Sharing the night with her clan, sharing the sensation
of flight with Goliath... Sharing that need to protect the weak, the innocent.
Sometimes she yearned to be one of them physically as well, but
she also knew what the daylight was like and did not think that she could
bring herself to give it up. She was brought out of her reverie by Goliath.
"My love, are you all right?" he stared at her with concern.
"Just remembering what it was like to be a gargoyle," she smiled
reassuringly at him. "Wondering how it would be if I could be one
permanently. Wondering if I could give up the life I have now..."
"Wondering how 'the other half lives'?" His canines flashed as he
grinned broadly.
She swatted him playfully on the shoulder. "You!"
"Yes. Me," he growled just before he shifted his hold on her. Elisa
suddenly found herself pressed firmly along his length. Cradling her beneath
him, Goliath kissed her leisurely. "I love you as you are," he said close to
her ear.
Before she could respond, Goliath executed a series of dizzying
loops and rolls, leaving her shrieking and laughing with giddy excitement.
He was laughing as well as he shifted his hold so that she was resting in
his arms once more. She had no doubt that his last words were true. His
acrobatic outburst had communicated to her just how happy he was. She
wrapped her arms around his muscular neck and gave him a strong hug.
"I love you too Big Guy."
They cuddled briefly, but Goliath put an end to it as he announced
their arrival at the N.U. building.
He made a slow, carefully approach to Destine's windows from the
direction of the 'invisible' restaurant and landed on a very narrow ledge
outside.
Goliath could remain on the ledge only by digging the talons of his
left hand into the wall. Elisa eased her feet down till they found the
ledge, but kept her arms around his neck. The two of them looked around.
"There!" Goliath pointed to an area of the building closer to the
corner. "Between those two windows there are claw marks." He boosted Elisa
up onto his back and made his way toward the area in question, taking care
not to leave any more marks of his own.
Elisa looked over Goliath's shoulder as he examined the marks.
"Well?"
"It is obvious that this is where she lands, but other than that I
can find no evidence pointing to a way in."
"Well. if those marks are being made by her hands, then she
definitely must remain standing. The switch or entrance or whatever must be
within her reach," Elisa surmised.
Goliath ran his hands over the wall and windows but still found
nothing.
"Maybe she has an electronic device with her which opens the
entrance. Darn!" Elisa slumped briefly but suddenly became animated again.
"Goliath! check under the ledge with your tail!"
Goliath suddenly glanced over his shoulder at her. "There is a
lever! Here goes..."
There was a snap followed by a sinking sensation as the ledge
Goliath was standing on sunk downward. Beneath them a door sized section of
the wall was sliding into itself like a pocket doorway. The ledge was the
very top portion of the opening door. When it stopped moving, they
found themselves still on the outside of the building, but now they were one
floor down. There was an open doorway in the wall in front of them, but it
was dark and they could make out nothing about the interior.
"Wow..." was all that Elisa could manage.
"I'm going in. Hold tight to me in case we need to leave quickly,"
Goliath's voice was but a whisper. He took a step forward.
Nothing happened.
He took another step.
The door began to rise behind them. They held their breaths,
waiting to see what would happen next.
The lights came on. In the soft glow, they could see that they were
in a square room which was about ten feet across. There were monitors and
countertops on three sides. It looked like an electronic wonderland.
Elisa slid off Goliath's back and approached the closest monitor.
She pushed the power button and was rewarded with the image of an office
interior. Judging by the windows and the spaciousness, she would have to
guess that it was Dominique's.
Looking up, she spotted a small lever on the ceiling. Goliath
followed her gaze and reached up to grasp it. He looked down at her.
Elisa nodded her head and he pulled the lever.
A section of the ceiling tilted down towards them. They now had a
staircase leading up.
Goliath made his way up with Elisa trying to see around him. Near
the top, he reached up and pushed gently on a section of ceiling which was
still covering them. It tilted smoothly to one side.
They poked their heads through and looked around. It was Destine's
office just as it had appeared on the monitor.
They stared at each other. They had an easy way into the building.
They retreated, careful to leave everything the way they had found
it and flew back to the hotel.
Elisa wasted no time in calling Xanatos to tell him what they had learned.
"I was afraid of that," he replied. "The suits could prove very useful
to you, though. Make sure that you wear suit number 01..."
Saturday morning found them lazing around in bed. Elisa had opened
the windows in her room a few hours earlier and now the curtains fluttered
gently. The air outside was already warm and the breeze carried the scent of
spring flowers and the sound of chirping birds. It was shaping up to be a
gorgeous day.
Elisa lay against her human companion's shoulder, content to listen
to the beat of his heart and enjoy the calm morning. Goliath had been
stroking her hair, but now he paused.
"I've been thinking about the break-in. You could refer to me
as 'Big Guy'."
She smirked. "I like that handle."
"As Stoneman, I could be the go-between. For instance, once I
entered the building, I could get on the headset as Stoneman and say, 'The
Big Guy is in the building and reports that all is clear'."
"That would work. The detectives and anyone else listening in would
never know that the gargoyle and Mr. Stoneman were one and the same. Just do
me a favor."
He met her eyes. "What?"
"Don't get confused."
At noon, Daniel Todd joined them for lunch at the penthouse. Elisa
had ordered room service and had everything set out on the garden table.
She was nervous about the situation. Lyath was going to tell Todd
about Dominique and himself. There was no way to know how their guest would
react. Even if he took it well, there was a good chance of a double-cross
later on.
She had her gun hidden under her jacket - just in case.
---
Lunch went well. The food was delicious, the weather was beautiful
and Todd seemed to be in a good mood. They made small talk and discussed
sports until the meal was over.
Lyath steered the conversation in the right direction as they stood
and headed for the patio area and the uncluttered table there.
Taking out the blueprints Todd had given them the day before, he
spread them out and pointed to the location of the hidden door.
"Here is our way in," he announced.
Todd was perplexed. "Huh?"
"Dominique has a hidden entrance in the side of the building. I
know how to open it."
"Why would she have an entrance in the side of the eighth floor?"
"So that she can come and go unobserved. Trust me on this one - she
has ways to get up there."
"You better be right about this..."
"I am. In fact Liz and I got into the building through that
entrance just last night."
"How? Wait! Let me guess. Liz borrowed a few flying suits from her
friend, Xanatos!" Daniel gave them a radiant grin. "This is great! We've got
two more suits AND a way in!"
"Uh, Daniel, it's not quite that easy. I didn't borrow any suits,"
Liz spoke quietly, but her hand on his arm commanded his instant attention.
"Lyath has something very important to tell you. Listen to him, it's the
truth. I've seen it."
Todd realized that his companions were tense and something very
serious was about to be said. He turned toward Stoneman. "Go on, I'm
listening."
"You've never seen Dominique during the night, have you?"
"Well, no, but what.."
Lyath interrupted him. "You've no doubt heard that the Gargoyle myth
is no longer a myth? That there is a clan of Gargoyles living in New York?"
"Are you telling me that she is a Gargoyle?"
"Yes." Lyath searched his face, trying to determine what his
reaction would be. He never would have guessed what happened next.
Daniel began to laugh!
"Thank goodness! I was beginning to think I was losing my mind!"
Liz was shocked. "You mean that you knew?"
"No, I suspected, but I kept telling myself that I was crazy. How
could she be a Gargoyle and look so human?"
Lyath crossed his arms in front of himself. "She has become the
victim of a spell... although by now she no doubt finds it useful."
"Let's for a moment say that I believe in magic; how do you two
know all this? She must have let you in on it...wait a minute! Why would
she need to tell you? You're never around at night..." Todd suddenly
put two and two together. He glanced fearfully at Lyathand took a
few steps backward. "You're a gargoyle too, aren't you?"
"Yes. I hope this isn't going to destroy our working relationship?"
Lyath raised an eyebrow, hoping that the human gesture would put Todd at
ease.
Liz smiled as well. "Don't worry - he doesn't bite. Really, Daniel,
Mr. Thailog here is nothing like Demona."
"Demona?"
"Yes," Lyath responded. "It is her true name."
"Aren't you worried about bringing down one of your own kind? Think
of the media circus when the world finds out that Dominique Destine is a
gargoyle!" Daniel moved a little closer to Lyath.
"She is no longer one of us. Her entire life revolves around her
fantasy of destroying the human race...or enslaving it. The rest of us will
have nothing to do with her mad schemes and so, in her twisted mind, we too
are the enemy. She plots our downfall as well." Lyath frowned. "A public
trial may be a good thing. We want humans to see that we wish to live among
them, even if it means subjecting ourselves to their laws."
Todd stared at him blankly. Realizing that this was all a bit much
for the man to take in, Liz steered him to a chair and went to get him a
drink.
"How many of you are there?"
Lyath seated himself next to Daniel and sighed. "Not very many. If
humanity continues to shun us, I despair of our future."
Liz returned and handed Todd a whiskey. She too found a seat.
"Daniel, I know this is a shock, but it shouldn't change anything. We have a
way into the Nightstone Building and Thailog doesn't even need a power
suit. In fact, he should probably be the first one in since he travels
silently. He can give us the all-clear."
"Well, I wanted to know why she had a secret entrance on the eighth
floor and I got one hell of an explanation." Todd sipped some more
whiskey. "Please excuse me if I ask for a bit of proof that what you told me
is true."
Lyath laughed. "I'll meet you outside the warehouse tonight at
nine."
Todd slugged-back the rest of the whiskey and placed the glass on
the table as he rose. "I'll be there all right." He shook his head. "Thank-
you for lunch...it's been unreal. If you'll excuse me, I need to go check on
a few things."
Liz and Lyath watched as he let himself out.
"Well," Elisa sighed. "He actually took that pretty well."
"Indeed. He took it far better than I would ever have imagined." He
reached over and pulled her onto his lap. "Kiss me."
"Mmmmm," she gave him a few pecks. "I love it when you say that!"
"It's our day off. What would you like to do?" he asked.
"Let's do the tourist thing today," she answered without hesitation.
Todd waited nervously in the doorway to his warehouse. A glance at
his watch showed that it was just a few minutes after nine.
He had gone directly home after his luncheon with Thailog and spent
the next few hours laying in his bed trying to come to grips with what he
had learned.
Daniel was aware of the Gargoyle sightings in Manhattan - he made
sure to follow all the stories, but to actually meet one? To find out that
his suspicions about his boss had been true?
It was almost too much to believe...and yet, he would soon know
beyond a shadow of a doubt. Thailog should be arriving soon.
Daniel stepped out from under the door lintel and scanned the sky.
"Where are they?" He gave in to his impatience and spoke aloud.
He jumped at the sudden thump behind him. "Right here," came the
deep voice of Thailog.
Todd swung around and saw...
a gargoyle.
A very BIG gargoyle!
Thailog held Liz in his arms for a moment before setting her gently
on her feet. He swung his wings forward over his shoulders so that they
resembled a cape.
Daniel continued his scrutiny of the creature until he realized
that he was being watched in turn. His face flushed with embarrassment when
he realized that Thailog was waiting for him to finish his appraisal.
"Well, I'm not sure what to say, except that you do appear to be a
real live gargoyle."
Thailog gave him a winning smile and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Do not worry. You'll get used to it."
Todd was amazed by how unchanged his features were. He was
recognizably the same person he had had lunch with that afternoon.
Liz, who felt that Todd had been standing there gaping long enough,
cleared her throat to get his attention. "Do you think that we can go
inside before someone notices us?"
"Yes, of course," he muttered as he mentally shook himself. He
quickly unlocked the door and led the way back to his office. He offered
them each a seat, but Thailog elected to stand.
"OK," Todd began. "The fact that you're a gargoyle shouldn't change
the operation. In fact, it's a big help. The problem is Destine...or
Demona, or whatever her name is. How do we know that she won't come flying
in right in the middle of the break-in? What do we do if she shows?"
Lyath and Liz exchanged looks.
"I will scout the office area out carefully before attempting to
enter." The lavender giant paced around the room as he spoke. "We could
station people on the Nightstone roof as well as at your favorite
restaurant. Since she has to approach the building from that direction, we
should be able to spot her."
"What do we do then?"
Liz stepped forward. "Give me a suit and leave her to me."
Lyath's mouth hung open for a moment before he was able to respond.
"No. She's my problem. I'll deal with her."
"You're wrong this time, Lyath. We don't want her to know that
you're here," she raised an eyebrow at him. "You understand what I'm saying?
She would never recognize me in the suit though. I'm the one to handle
her."
"We will discuss this later," he replied, unwilling to back down.
"Yes we will, but you know I'm right. Besides, I owe her one."
Daniel watched as they argued and quickly realized that they were
part of a love triangle involving Destine.
"That's enough! I appreciate that you both have an ax to grind with
the red-haired witch, but that is not our focus during this operation." He
saw that he had their attention. "Liz will be your back-up. She'll deal with
Destine. You just make sure that you get the rest of our team in there. If
it turns out that she's already at the office when you arrive, I'll call her
away or distract her somehow."
Liz got his attention. "Let me have suit 01."
"Why that suit?" Todd sounded suspicious.
"I have it on good authority that it is the strongest suit. If I
have to deal with Demona, I'll need every advantage I can get."
"Very well, it's yours."
"Do we have a window yet?" Liz asked as she smirked at Lyath.
"Tomorrow night. If Destine comes in at all, she doesn't stick
around very long on Sundays. Let's hope that she's not in the habit of
returning later on."
"What's on the agenda for tonight?" Liz asked.
"The girls have already been updated, but I want them to see
Thailog before dawn. We can't afford to have any of them acting spooked
tomorrow night." Daniel stood. "Why don't you both come back around three
a.m.? Plan on staying here till the action starts. We'll go over the plan
until everyone knows it like they know the back of their hand."
Lyath began to head towards the door with Liz. "We will be here."
Todd stood outside and watched as Thailog scaled the building with
Liz and glided off into the night. It was apparent to him that the two of
them had a 'relationship' despite the fact that Thailog was not human.
A strange emotion bubbled up inside Daniel. Yes, there was
jealousy, but something more as well. Outrage, indignation that she should
be with a gargoyle and not with him. He could feel the attraction he had
felt for her shriveling...twisting. Transforming into contempt.
In a way, this was all a good thing. It had helped him decide on
his next course of action. He had been unsure of what to do, but not any
longer.
"Everything is going according to plan," he said.
As soon as they arrived back at the penthouse, Elisa called Conners
and arranged an emergency meeting back at the Croft Corp. Building. She
changed her clothes and arrived by limo at eleven and spent the next hour
and a half going over what she knew of the break-in. This would be her last
contact with the detectives before the operation began. She just hoped that
there would be no drastic change in the plan between now and then.
She and the detectives came up with the most efficient plan for
ending their operation.
The detectives and their back-up units would be in plain clothes
and secreted in various surrounding buildings. They would be able to listen
in on all conversations via a secondary monitor which she would be wearing.
Elisa would deliver the girls wearing the battle armor and Todd,
who would also be wearing a bio-suit, to the Police. Xanatos had informed
her that suit 01 contained a master control system which could be used to
override or completely shut down the other suits. All she needed to do was
give the correct verbal order and the strongest team members would be
neutralized.
The rest of the team would remain trapped within the Nightstone
building. Liz, Stoneman and the Gargoyle would act as if they didn't know
what had happened to the rest of the team. Once Elisa shut their microphones
down it would be as though they dropped off the face of the earth. She
could then enter the building and make sure that each one of the suits and
its passenger ended up down in the street where they could be taken into
custody. Hopefully each would be out of sight of the other team members long
enough...
As for the other team members, once they had the software and
incriminating documents, they would discover their teammates missing. Their
only options would be to let Liz or the gargoyle fly them out, or try to get
out the front door - which they all knew would get them caught.
Elisa and the gargoyle would then deliver them, goods and all,
directly to Conners and Maddox. She told Conners that she would then return
to the building for Stoneman.
She decided not to tell them that Destine was a gargoyle until they
were ready to take her into custody. The police were having a hard enough
time believing that a gargoyle would be helping them out.
By the time Elisa arrived back at the Hotel, it was two a.m.
Goliath was snoozing on the sofa and she was glad that he had managed to get
some rest. She was used to going without sleep, but he had never in his life
missed a sleep period.
She brewed herself a small pot of coffee and sat on the rug near
his head sipping it while she stroked his hair back from his face. She
briefly wished she was an artist so that she could create an abstract
sculpture and name it, 'Gargoyle Sleeping on Sofa'.
He was a mass of lavender and black wings with deep brown hair
tumbling out beneath. The tip of his tail peaked out from under a fold
of wing, but it was impossible to tell where it began. Until she had moved
his hair back from his face she hadn't even been sure of which direction he
was facing. He was facing her.
She let him sleep until she finished her coffee, content to simply
watch over him.
At two thirty, she awoke him and filled him in on the meeting.
Then they headed for the warehouse.
She was brought out of a drug-induced sleep by the sound of her
telephone. It was ringing incessantly with no sign that it would quit
anytime soon. Just leaning over enough to reach it was painful and she let
out a string of curses as she finally got it off it's cradle.
"What?" she practically shouted into the receiver.
"Hello, Janette. Sorry to wake you, but could you do me a favor?"
"I don't know. Last time I did you a favor, I got trashed in front
of my friends."
"Oh I think you'll like this little favor," Todd purred.
Janette's interest was piqued. "OK, I'll bite. What is it?"
Thailog spent the first half hour at the warehouse trying to keep
curious hands off his wings. Rather than being frightened of him, the gang
members had pronounced him to be 'cool'. The problem was that they seemed to
feel it was their right to run their hands where they pleased - as though he
were some sort of prize horse which they were purchasing.
It was becoming embarrassing - some of the girls were now trying to
out-brazen each other. He looked in Liz's direction in the hope of some
help, but she was in deep conversation with Todd and Brenda.
Realizing that it was time to set some limits, he threw his wings
back and spread them to their full eighteen foot span. With a roar and his
eyes glowing, he arched his back and raised his claws in an intimidating
display.
Liz jumped and turned when she heard her companion's roar. She had
been secretly amused by the gang's admiration of his physique, but now
realized guiltily that she should have helped him out. He must be pretty
perturbed to resort to such a display.
She watched as the girls backed up and stared at him with open
mouths. The big guy had just settled his wings around himself and seemed to
have regained his composure, when Tara stepped forward and grasped his arm.
"Honey, I'm all yours!" she said, melting against him.
The big guy looked like he was going to bolt. Liz would have helped
him, but she was too busy laughing behind her hand.
Thankfully Todd stepped in. "May I remind you all that this is
still Mr. Thailog and that he is our benefactor?" He let his anger show. "I
do not find this immature display in the least bit amusing!"
The girls grumbled but moved away from Thailog, who in turn, moved
to stand next to Liz.
"I Never thought I'd see you in need of protection from a bunch of
hormonally challenged humans. Don't worry though, I'll protect you from
them," Liz whispered.
The lavender gargoyle simply crossed his arms and huffed.
Liz hung onto one of his massive forearms. "Wait till I tell the
others that you have groupies," she continued.
Lyath looked positively shocked.
"Don't tell me that you actually know what a groupie is?" Liz asked
in disbelief.
He had the grace to blush, but then he did something completely out
of character for him. He briefly stuck his pointy tongue out at her, causing
her to do a double take before Todd began talking again.
Liz snuck a peek back at Lyath's face. It was as stony as ever.
Perhaps she HAD imagined the tongue.
By the time dawn broke, they had gone over the break-in plan in
detail. Some things had been fine-tuned, some things completely re-worked,
but the final plans looked good.
Two of the girls had gone out to pick up breakfast and they all
would break for their meal and a chance to digest it before resuming with a
walk-through of the plan.
Although the girls had backed off where the Big Guy was concerned,
they still annoyed him by ogling him when they thought he wasn't watching.
Right now he was gathering his clothing for the coming day out of
his duffel bag. The girls watched him with interest and a few actually stood
up to follow him as he made his way to the restroom to change!
Deciding that enough was enough, Liz intercepted them at the door.
"He's already spoken for and the next one of you to get cute with him is
gonna wind up keeping Janette company. Understand?" Liz's voice emerged as
a snarl.
The girls raised their hands palms forward and quickly scattered.
Liz, who was no longer amused, stood guard outside the door and continued
to fix any who looked in her direction with an intense scowl.
The now-human Stoneman emerged from the restroom a short while
later and the two of them joined the others for breakfast.
