Guardian: City of Stone
By Xenomorph666
Disclaimer: I own Vile, HOMe, Leto, Gik'reber and the Angel twins. Everything else is owned by Marvel, FOX or Disney
Summary: As a favor to SHIELD Vile goes on a mission to New York in search of a mysterious rogue scientist. What he finds is a clan of Gargoyles. HOMeVerse-Gargoyles Crossover
AN: In this chapter connections to Vile's past open up. The Morlocks lend aide and so does a rather mouthy and annoying mercenary.
Nothing like reunions
As Spyke lead us to the Morlock den we were surprised by a sudden attack by two large men with sharp fangs and animal like eyes. Our reactions to the sudden attacks were identical, we returned with our most dangerous weapons. I with my tail and he with a flaming spike, our enemies fell and burst into flame. Vampires, I had only encountered a few, and only could say I liked one.
"I find it so odd how mythology and science can exist side by side…" I said as we continued. "Well sort of…" My eyes wandered to the piles of ash that once were vampires.
"Yeah, it gets pretty weird down here." Then he stopped and looked at me. "Hey, there's something I always wanted to ask you."
"Yes, what?" I asked in annoyed tone.
"What's a 'Jaffa'?" Springs and cogs , electricity, fire and rage all went haywire in my mind as I recalled the name.
"Where did you hear that?" I glared at him, anger obvious.
"When we first found you, you were muttering something about 'Jaffa', revenge and you kept repeating the name 'Baal'. We never knew what to make of it, and decided with your temper not to push it." Spyke shrugged.
"It's a long story." I said with an angry growl.
"We've got time; it's a twenty minute walk." Spyke said with a lopsided grin, it didn't fade when I glared at him either.
"Fine, as you know I'm a hybrid species…" We began to walk once more. "But once I was human, I had a family in a small village in England, over night our village was captured by a strange being called 'Baal'. He claimed to be our 'new god'. My father and a good number of the village men resisted him. My father managed to escape, where he met Gik'reber." I saw Mystique's eyes watched me carefully, she knew how telling this story got me in an odd emotional state. One where killing Leto was not a concern, just killing HIM. "Baal planned to use my mom and me as bait to lure him back, but she hid me in with the normal village children…"
"And?" Spyke pushed on.
"She died at Baal's hands in front of me." A look of shame crossed Spyke's face. He wasn't much for emotions, but he knew that pain could not go away easily, being separated from family. "I was raised in their advanced civilization, and made my way up the ranks as a chamber servant, with several others we attempted to assassinate Baal, but we failed. They were my adopted brothers and sisters…"
"So he did that to you?" Spyke asked, pointing to my body.
"No, he sent us all to the "God's Playground", where we would all perish, at least according to him." I explained, "What happened there was what made HoMe and me. But to answer your question; jaffa were the elite guards that captured us. I've since had a long held hatred for them all."
"Oh." Spyke said, I could see a pang of guilt cross his face for bringing up the painful memories.
"Now…" I said looking at Mystique, "Who's this 'Destine' person?"
"As far as I can tell she just someone who's possibly supplying Sevarious." Mystique said as she lost herself in thought.
"Sevarious? I know that name…" Spyke said as he stopped. "He's been recruiting mutants who want to fight back against humanity; he has this seriously weird dude by his side too. A guy named…" I cut Spyke off.
"Sinister?" Another look of rage passed by, my face.
"No, Mercutio I think his name is. Looks like some sick cross between Mystique, you and one of the Gargoyles." Spyke said.
"That's comforting." I growled as I realized they already had some good soldiers. "Combining three of the most dangerous genetic structures in existence, Leto has to be involved."
"Ok, if you say so." Spyke shrugged.
"Trust me; we need to talk to the Morlocks… NOW." I said as I literally pushed him forward. He picked up on the tone in my voice and ran. I picked up Mystique and bolted, just behind him before I lifted him on my shoulders and took to Quadra pedal movement.
"That way!" He pointed as I dodged down a pipe.
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Gik'reber was a hunter, a warrior and now a spy. For most his life he was an honorable yautja, he had taken many ooman skulls. He had even fought alongside a brave ooman warrior, who in death asked a favor of honor, one that ended up destroying Gik'reber's honor in the eyes of his brethren. The favor was to watch and guide the ooman warrior's child. In his younger years he would have laughed at the request, but the ooman he had befriended had changed him, he had found new purpose in that ooman's cause and greater purpose in his death and passing of duties. Gik'reber saw himself as a guardian of the self appointed guardian of "Los Angeles". He had promised the boy's father to guide him. And he would, at least once the boy gave him a chance.
For now though he had a debt of honor to repay the ooman's who had nursed him back to health, another strike to his racial honor, the fee of which now included spying on the odd creatures of this even more odd sky fortress.
The creatures were winged, all but one that was, and they all had varying skin tones. They even wore clothing in the same way he himself did. But he recognized them, when humans were far more primitive, hunters had to be wary of these nighttime guardians, they would appear from stone statues to rend the unwary hunter's limb from limb. An extra reason to stay hidden, for if they knew of his kind all meetings would end in blood.
Not long after his arrival though, he caught a strange movement on the side of the castle, a familiar form, the form that had taken his arm. Suddenly the old hunter in him was in want of revenge, he would take the true abomination's head as a favored trophy, even if he was an outcaste now. He leapt onto the fortresses hard stone floor and made his way through the building almost completely undetected.
It was when he came to a large room with an ooman, several of the odd creatures, and a being that would not register in his visor's eyes that he was detected. Of course it did take a while so he got to overhear and record several interesting bits of information.
"Fury gave me some rather disturbing news." The ooman said with distress clearly registering in its voice. "It seems Vile has quit SHIELD." Gik'reber smiled under his mask, the boy was much like his father, he didn't take orders for to long.
"That is distressing news, but not as distressing as Lexington's." The large purple creature said.
"Actually, I find Vile's point of view interesting." The odd ooman like creature said with a strange smile.
"You would." The smaller red creature snarled at the odd ooman.
"Well, at least he's sent a really good agent to watch over us." Gik'reber groaned inwardly at his new assignment. He was the agent, and he knew it. "Apparently he's already here, and not going to show himself unless he needs to." Gik'reber silently nodded.
"What's up Bronx?" The large round creature asked as Gik'reber noticed the small wingless beast sniffing the air. He had lingered to long and his scent had spread. The beast then growled in Gik'reber's direction, right before a scream pierced the air.
Instantly Gik'reber dropped his cloak and bolted to the scream. Blurs of people and screams surrounded him until he reached the screaming woman. In the window was Leto, the abomination that took his arm, and it was holding a young child.
"Ah, I know you don't I?" Leto notice Gik'reber, and the hunter held up his cybernetic arm which caused Leto's face to drop. "Ah, yes the hunter whose bomb nearly killed me." A glare passed between the two. "Well, Mrs. Xanatos, you should know that your son will help my race greatly."
Gik'reber saw a swooping outside the castle window. If he was right, the creatures were circling outside and the gave him a single chance to intervene and save the child, but before he could do so a flash in the middle of the room distracted them all as a small creature with long hair and odd clothes appeared.
"You know you shouldn't play so rough with young Alex." The creature said with a wag of his finger.
"Ah, the infamous Puck." Leto growled.
"You've heard of me, I'm flattered." Puck bowed with a devilish grin. "Now just hand the babe back… augh!" Puck screamed as a small device struck him in the chest and completely paralyzed him. "I can't move…" Puck screeched, "What's going on?"
"Quite simply, I stunted your magic powers to nothing. A simple fact when you consider it's all energy - ooof!" This time Leto was caught off guard as Gik'reber threw his entire body, shoulder first into the abomination.
The three of them were then plummeting out the window, Leto, the babe, and Gik'reber. Leto was confused, by what was going on, but Gik'reber knew exactly what to do and with surprising speed and care he grasped the child away from it's abductor just as a sudden yank pulled him back up; his false arm acting as a bungee cord.
When Leto finally got his sense though, he let a terrifying snarl loose as he righted himself for the painful landing he was about to have.
Back in the child's room Gik'reber was returning the child to its mother as the Gargoyles came running. Almost all of them were slightly shocked at the tall alien's appearance. Only Hudson held his hand at his sword, he knew what this was.
"I wouldn't make any sudden moves lads, these monsters are known for reacting in kind to attacks." Hudson growled as the creature instantly took a stance similar to a martial arts combat ready stance.
"Hudson…" Fox said with a glare. "He just saved Alex so shut up and help Puck."
Hudson, though slightly taken aback, knew better than to argue with a mother. So he walked over to Puck as did the hunter.
"Oh, dear god, not one of YOU!" Puck groaned as he noticed the hunter. The hunter in turn pressed a few buttons on it's small wrist computer and a hologram shimmered in the form of SHIELD's insignia. "Oh… I found the agent everybody!"
"Aye, more like he finds you just as odd as he finds us." Hudson said as he went to pry the device off of Puck, but the hunter stopped him and made an odd motion with his hands.
"What's he saying?" Puck asked.
"Well." Lexington said as he walked in with another small computer and plugged it into a small hole. "This might have something to do with it. It's a movie file."
"Play it." Xanatos said.
"Ok, sound might not be to good, but ok." Lexington hit the play command.
"Hello everyone." The image and voice of Demona a most evil gargoyle came on the screen. "Whether or not Leto has actually succeeded in taking young Alex this time I do not know. What I do know is that is the device on Puck is tampered with at all, in anyway it will self destruct with more than enough force to level two city blocks. Have a nice night." Then the message ended.
"Well that certainly makes this a lot more uncomfortable." Puck said. "I want my daddy."
Then the hunter made a few clacking sounds as it pointed out the window. The group just stared at him, so the hunter made another attempt by playing back several voice logs.
"Gik'reber… Agent… SHIELD… here… to … pro… tect…" The electronic voices mingled oddly but got his point across as it continued. "Where… Vile?"
"Vile is no longer our concern." The large purple creature said with a frown, Gik'reber then pressed a few more buttons.
"Honor… bound… father… favor… protect… son…" Gik'reber truly hated communicating like this. At least with Vile and Mystique they knew some of his language.
"Well, as far as we know he's where SHIELD last saw him." Xanatos said with a smile.
"Safe?" A voice similar to Vile's cackled over the electronics.
"Yes, with his partner." Xanatos said. "But onto introductions Agent, my name is David Xanatos, my wife is Fox and our young son is Alex. These are the gargoyles;" Xanatos pointed to each one as he introduced them. "This is Goliath, his daughter Angela, Broadway, Brooklyn, Lexington, Hudson and Bronx." Xanatos patted the dog like gargoyle on the head. "Anyway, I think it's best if we move Alex's room tonight." Gik'reber nodded in agreement as he went and hoisted Puck over his shoulder.
"Where are you taking him?" Goliath asked as he saw the look on Pucks face twist in terror.
"Don't let him flay me." The magical fairy boy pleaded.
"Actually I think he's taking you to a place away from Alex." Hudson said and Gik'reber nodded again. "Right now you're the biggest threat to him."
"Oh…" Puck's face fell. "Darn…" A small trill came from Gik'reber that sounded like a laugh.
"Don't worry; I'll be goin' with ya to make sure you're safe." Hudson eyed Gik'reber who simply cocked his head.
When Vile finally stopped he found himself in the middle of the Morlock living room. The entire underground group was staring at him in awe. Most of them were in shock, others were fearful, and few recognized him.
"You're alive!" Callisto said in shock as she stood up. "But how?"
"That's not important." Vile snapped, "I need to know how to get into Sevarious' lab."
"Why?" Calliban asked as he too stood.
"Because if we don't tell him, a really nasty alien race is going to be loose in the sewers and once that happens we're all dead and so is the rest of the world." Spyke took an uncharacteristically dotting tone.
"The surfacers don't matter, but if it's a threat to us we'll do what needs to be done." Callisto said, "What kind of alien."
"Think mutated crabs, they're parasites and they grow inside their host before they burst out in a shower of it's organs. Then they get bigger and deadlier." Vile snapped again, "Now where's the lab?"
"How do you know what they do?" Calbian asked, suspicious nature taking over.
"Because I used to live with them." Vile growled.
"Listen, that's not important." Spyke shouted. "We need to stop this psycho."
"Mr. Daniels is right." Mystique spoke up, "Sevarious is working with another dangerous life form similar to Vile, and what they're doing could kill the world and if they got off the earth, the universe."
"It's 'Spyke' now." Spyke growled as a beeping came to Mystique's side, she picked her communicator up.
"Yes?" She spoke into it, a few seconds later Mystique's eye lit up with fear as she closed it and turned to Vile. "Gik'reber needs your help with a bomb."
"What?" Vile asked, stunned by what he just heard. "Listen I'm good with mechanical things, but not bombs…"
"He needs you to take it someplace safe where he can't get." Mystique explained, he's at the waterfront.
"Right, but Leto…" Vile tried to keep himself focused.
"It can level the waterfront." Mystique kept on him.
"Right…" Vile rolled his eyes, "Why can't things like this happen to other people?" Vile groaned, "Let's go." He said as he and Mystique quickly turned to leave.
"Wait, I'll go with you." Spyke said as he went to grab a wooden staff.
"Don't bother with that, it wouldn't help you anyways." Vile said.
"Never know." Spyke said as he put it over his shoulder and climbed on Vile's back. "Ok, I'm ready." This time he noticed that Mystique had taken the form of a snake as was coiled around Vile's neck. Then everything was a blur.