Flight

Set just after the final part of the Institute Saga II

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The wind whistled through his wings and far below him, New York lay like someone had scattered a collection of gleaming gems across the ground. The decorated pillars of the skyscrapers rose, yet he was far above them all, suspended in the eternal beauty between the stars above and the stars below.

Here, in the dancing air, he could forget about the fact that he was a disappointment to his father.

He could forget about having to hide his mutation, binding his wings so tightly that the pain became almost constant, until the euphoria of release became all-consuming.

He glided through the skies.

No-one could understand the beauty of the skies, the majesty of the wind, the…

"Hello!"

Warren Worthington III jolted as a voice that couldn't have been there spoke. Almost stalling, he managed to alter his flightpath so that he could turn and…

What…

Was…

That?

A greenish winged humanoid grinned at him.

"Hi! I'm Lexington!"

"…Angel…" Warren managed after a long moment.

"What are you?"

Warren and Lexington both blinked at their unintentional chorus, then Lexington started to laugh.

"Come on, let's land and talk. Hey, wanna drink? Johnny's always got a supply of soda on the roof for us."

Lacking anything better to do and consumed by curiosity, Warren followed as the odd being dived.

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"This… is the Baxter Building." Warren said as he landed on the railing-free balcony.

"That's right." Lexington said as he opened a small fridge underneath an awning. "Pepsi, Coke, Sprite, water or juice?"

"I'll have a Sprite, thank you." Warren said, then he frowned as he caught the can that Lexington tossed to him. "Is this alright? I mean…"

"It's cool." Lexington smiled as he opened his own can. "Reed and I are friends, he's really clever, I'm learning a lot from him and he finds us Gargoyles fascinating. He set this up so that we could hang out and Johnny insisted on having sodas up here for when he joins us. Sometimes he patrols with us."

"You said… Gargoyles." Warren said. "There are more of you?"

"Yep, the Prof located over three dozen enclaves for us." Lexington grinned. "Othello and Desdemona are out there making contact with them for us, they don't need to worry about daylight like we do. Ummm, you're not really following, are you."

Warren shook his head and Lexington chuckled self-consciously. "Hooo boy. Where to begin?"

"At the start?"

Lexington chuckled. "Yeah, okay, but I warn you, it started a thousand years ago…"

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"…and now we're allied with the Avengers and the X-Men." Lexington finished. "We tend to patrol every night, we help to keep general crime down. Protect the innocent and all that. Superman pops by at least once a month to check that we're doing good and patrol with us. Hey, you wanna join the patrol tomorrow? Be good to have another flier around. Storm's nice, but she uses wind to keep her in the air and it really plays havoc with our gliding in close proximity, y'know? Plus she's an X-Man at heart, so she only pops by occasionally."

Warren lifted the bottle of Sprite to his lips and was surprised to discover that he had finished it during Lexington's recitation.

"Anyway…" Lexington began, then he looked at the horizon. "Damn. Hold on. Goliath?"

"Yes, Lexington?" A bass voice said from the device that Warren had mistaken for a watch on Lexington's wrist. "It is almost dawn."

"I know, I'm at the Baxter Building. I was going to use one of the rests that Richards provided since I don't think I'll make it back before sunrise."

"Then I shall see you tomorrow night. Good day, Lexington."

"Same to you, big-G." Lexington laughed, then he sprang up off the bench and scurried onto a short pedestal. "Will you be here at dusk?"

Warren nodded and Lexington tossed his empty can at him. "The bin's behind you, I'll see you…"

The sun rose above the horizon and Warren's eyes widened in shock as Lexington's skin turned grey.

"Lex? Lex!"

"It's alright." A voice said behind him and he spun round to see Susan Storm leaning against the doorframe. "He's just entered Stone Sleep."

Warren stared at her, then he looked back towards the statue that was his newest friend.

"I… should be going…"

"Hang on." Susan said as she walked across the balcony to rummage in a small cupboard, pulling a small disk out of a drawer. Warren took the opportunity to drop the can and the bottle into the bin. "Take this, it'll get you past the outer defences tomorrow, although it won't allow you into the building without an escort."

"Thank you." Warren said, pocketing the metallic disc. "If you'll forgive me, I need to be going…"

Susan nodded and Warren leapt off the edge of the balcony, his wings cupping the air and lifting him above the city.

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"Ah," The dark-haired man said as he glanced up from the complicated machine he was working on. "You must be Lexington's friend. I'm Reed Richards."

Warren gingerly shook the proffered hand, watching in bemused and slightly queasy fascination as the handshake translated into a small sine wave that travelled up the elongated limb. Releasing the hand, he watched as the limb retracted.

"Lexington will be waking up in a couple of minutes." Reed continued, then he closed the panel and stood up. "There, let's see how his Stone Sleep works."

The machine started to hum, then the top illuminated, creating a wireframe image of Lexington which was quickly surrounded by labels connecting to various parts of the image.

"Hmmm, let's see… skeletal structure seems rather distinct, he isn't mammalian, avian or reptilian… I think a new classification is needed… hmmmm… Gargate, yes. The skin is stone-like, as are his insides, but he is absorbing quite a bit of the solar radiation… energy patterns indicate minor rejuvenation powered by that… fascinating! There is no sign of aging while in this state!"

Warren blinked at that. "They're immortal?"

"No," Reed said absently, "They just don't age while they are asleep… I guess that explains why they can live two or more centuries… looks like that isn't actually stone… oh, that's incredible! That stone is comprised of the particles they ingest but to not need!"

"Wait." Warren managed. "He turns into… poo?"

"What?" Reed asked in confusion. "No, no no! It's more like shed skin. In fact, that's what it is, to a degree. I don't understand how it covers his loincloth, though. I can't find anything that could explain it. Status change! His body is changing from near-stone to organic… it's almost like it's uncrystallising… it's reaching the skin…"

Warren spun round as a crack appeared on Lexington, quickly expanding outwards and spiderwebbing until it covered all of him, then it seemed to explode outwards.

"Wrrraaaarrrrgh! Whoah. Oh, hey, Angel!"

"Lexington." Warren said. "Are you… okay?"

"Huh? Sure, why? Ohhhhh, your first time seeing a Gargoyle wake up, huh? Yeah, it's how we always wake up. Heya, Reed. Hey, what data did you get?"

Warren stared in near-shock as Lexington bounced over to Reed and the two of them started to discuss things using words he didn't even know existed. After a moment, Reed stopped, regaining Warren's attention.

"Magic? No, it can't be magic."

"Sure is." Lexington shrugged. "We found out about it in the Grimoire, it's called the Spell of Humility and it was cast by order of Caeser Augustus who didn't like it that Gargoyles had to take their clothes off to stop them being shredded when they woke up, or simply went around naked. It means that anything that we consider to be ours, as long as it isn't alive, is encased and protected in our stone shell."

"There must be a biological mechanism for that." Reed insisted. "Magic… doesn't make sense!"

"It put me to sleep for a thousand years." Lexington shrugged. "It exists, deal with it. Hey, Angel, ready for a patrol? I'll take you to meet Big-G!"

"Sure." Warren said as he spread his wings.

"Hey, Reed! Shoot the data to my computer, will you? Thanks!" Lexington called over his shoulder, then he leapt off the balcony. "Wahooo!"

Warren grinned as he launched himself into the night sky, following his diminutive friend.

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"Lexington."

"Goliath." Lexington grinned. "Hey, meet Angel, he's another flier."

Warren stared up at the looming figure that had stepped into the light.

"It is an honour to meet you." He rumbled and Warren gulped.

"L… likewise…"

"I am heading to the castle, Xanatos has asked for a meeting with Xavier, and for me to be there too. Brooklyn is taking over in my absence."

"Sure." Lexington chirped and Goliath nodded before leaping into the air and swooping off. Lexington grinned.

"Come on, it's time for you to meet the others!"

"Hold on." Warren said slowly. "He said Xanatos. Is that.. David Xanatos? Of Xanatos Enterprises?"

"Yep."

Warren frowned. "If David Xanatos is working with Xavier… I think I need to talk to someone tomorrow morning. Quite urgently."

Lexington looked at him in confusion and Warren sighed.

"My name is Warren Worthington III. My father runs Worthington Industries and if Xanatos is seeking an advantage, my father needs to know."

Lexington looked downcast and Warren smiled at him.

"It can wait until after sunrise as he isn't a morning person. Now, where are the others you wanted to introduce me to?"

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"In a surprise announcement yesterday, Warren Worthington the Second, the CEO and owner of Worthington Industries, announced that it is sponsering Bayville Academy, the school linked to the X-Men and their junior division, Generation-X.

"This announcement follows Xanatos Enterprises public announcement of a partnership with Superman's company K-Tech, the source of many recent technological advances in the fields of clean power generation and medical treatments.

"In related news, Warren Worthington the Third has revealed that he is a mutant. Capable of flight due to his white-feathered wings, New York's newest hero has taken to the skies as Angel. In a statement released to the press, Superman has welcomed Angel to the ranks of those who use their powers to uphold the law and protect the innocent. Angel is currently under the guidance of Goliath, the leader of the nocturnal team known as the Gargoyles…"

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Author's Afternote :-This is a character piece since introducing Angel since a couple of the planned plotlines for the Institute Saga III (when I write it next year) rely on him, but I didn't want to have him subsumed into the X-Men, so having him as a semi-independent character seems to work.