A little earlier in the evening…Bianca padded softly through the Shakespeare garden, allowing her mind to wander. It had seemed like the appropriate place to go after watching 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' earlier in the evening. Bianca had never seen live theater before; it was simply breathtaking, and the play happened to be one of her favorites, making the experience all the more valuable. All that Bianca really lacked now was a hot dog…it was a shame the vendors didn't stay out this late. For a moment, looking around the deserted garden, Bianca lamented not having anyone to talk to. Her thoughts instantly flew back to the gargoyle in the museum. Bianca plucked a tiger lily and unconsciously chewed one of the petals, banishing him from her mind, as she had had to do throughout the evening. The temptation of knowing there were other gargoyles out there, more people like her, was almost irresistible. Almost.
She looked up suddenly, hearing a rustling in the bushes. The noise disturbed her…it was too big to be a squirrel…a dog perhaps? Cautiously sniffing the air, she very slowly moved away from the garden. It didn't smell like a dog either. With a frown, Bianca looked about, weighing her options. It could easily have been the wind, but she had a strange premonition that it was no longer safe here. The closest shelter was a dense group of trees to the south. They looked tall enough to glide off of…maybe. It was a bit of a distance, but if she ran she could make it. Hearing a new sound Bianca quickly jumped to the side. Something flew just past her head, hitting a rock behind her. Bianca turned to look: it was a dart. Without another moment's hesitation she bolted, racing towards the cover of the trees. As she sprinted away she heard shouting begin behind her. Then, after another minute, the laser blasts.
Goliath and Brooklyn soared through the air, feverishly scanning the city. Xanatos had explained the situation to them via Elisa, who was waiting with the news and a game plan as soon as the sun had set. All parties agreed now…the gargoyle had to be found, tonight, before the Illuminati got a hold of her. The gargoyles had all split up into pairs to take a different part of the island leaving Bronx behind, each pair taking a radio with them. They could all maintain constant contact with Elisa who would, in turn, relay their messages to one another. Elisa and Matt patrolled the streets in her car, constantly checking the police radio for any signs of a disturbance. Xanatos, meanwhile had been working on tracking the Illuminati's progress and promised to call Elisa if anything came up.
"Goliath, you there?" Elisa's voice came over his ear piece.
"What is it? Have you found something?"
"A tip from Xanatos…he thinks they're in Central Park. I called you first because you should be the closest to it."
Goliath nodded, "Yes…we should be there in two minutes. Alert the others and tell them to meet us there." He looked over at Brooklyn. He flew a little lower than Goliath devoting all of his attention to searching the streets below him, the anxiety evident on his face. "Brooklyn!" He called out. He instantly stretched his wings out a little more, letting them fill with air to raise him to Goliath's height. Silently Goliath pointed to Central Park. Brooklyn nodded briefly, his apprehension instantly heightened. For a moment he looked as if he was going to dive back down and take the lead, but exercising unusual restraint, Brooklyn remained by Goliath's side, following closely behind him. Less than a minute later they saw the laser blasts.
"Lasers!" Brooklyn exclaimed, horrified.
Goliath conjectured, "Probably set to stun or electrify…perhaps we should wait for the others."
"It could be too late by then." Brooklyn answered fearfully, staring down at the park beneath them.
"Yes…let's go." Both gargoyles went into a dive, charging head first into the fray.