Gargoyles
"The Path Unfolding" – Part Two
By Aaron

Bathed in darkness, the room was deathly silent, until a tiny trail of light carved itself through the air in a large, oval shape. Just then, the oval opened up like a door, allowing the red-haired human and female Gargoyle to step inside. And the light from the large room on the other side of the portal quickly revealed that they had let themselves into the sealed vault of a closed bank.

"You don't think you could have come in the morning when the place was open?" the female Gargoyle asked, looking around nervously.

"You're the one who didn't want to tell anyone what had happened. You really want to wait?" the young man replied, searching along the wall for the safe deposit box number that matched the number on the key.

Finding the box, the young man pulled it out and placed it on a nearby table to open it. Reaching inside, he quickly pulled out what had been nestled inside. It was covered in dust, but nevertheless, the sight was all-too familiar as he gently gripped the tiny metallic cube in his fingertips.

"Besides…if that message was any indication," he continued as he stared intently at their prize, "timing is going to be everything."

"I don't get it. If Goliath didn't save Elisa, then who did?" Broadway asked, after Elisa had returned with Goliath to the Eyrie building to explain what had happened.

"It couldn't have been any of the clones," Lexington noted. "They're all still frozen in stone where we left them."

"Is it possible? Could there truly be a new Gargoyle in New York?" Angela piped up, a hint of optimism in her voice.

"I don't know," Brooklyn pointed out suspiciously. "Don't forget, we've been faked out before."

"Oh, trust me…there is no way some hired muscle in a cheap Halloween costume could have done what THIS thing did. He ripped through that helicopter like it was tin foil and tossed Castaway 12 feet into the air with one hand. Everything I know about you guys tells me this was DEFINITELY the real deal," Elisa argued, dismissing Brooklyn's doubts before looking at her watch. "Look, I've got to get back to the precinct. I told Captain Chavez that I wouldn't be gone much longer. But one way or another, we'll get this figured out."

There was no need for any more words to be shared as Goliath put his hands on Elisa's shoulders. And with Elisa gently taking Goliath's face in her hands, the two leaned in close, gently pressing their foreheads together. It had become something of a ritual between them in recent months whenever others were around, opting for that more reserved act of affection in lieu of a kiss, which they both felt was something best shared privately. A moment later, Elisa was heading back to work, leaving the rest of the clan all wondering exactly what had happened to her that night.

"Goliath? You've been oddly quiet," Hudson remarked, drawing the rest of the clan's attention. "What do YOU think about all this, Lad?"

Goliath didn't answer right away, mostly because he didn't have an answer to give. When he finally turned to face the clan, it was clear that he was as starved for answers as they were. But nevertheless, he was still the leader, and no matter how unknown things may have seemed, he still had a command decision to make. And in situations like this, all he could do was draw the best conclusion he could with the information he had at the time.

"If there IS another Gargoyle in this city, it is ESSENTIAL that we locate him quickly," he replied soberly, "For his OWN safety, if no one else's."

Work at a big corporation like Nightstone Enterprises basically requires everyone to act in the role of a small cog in a big machine. Despite the unending waves of inter-office meetings and group projects, each individual more or less stays focused on their own separate tasks. There simply aren't enough hours in the day to focus on anyone else's work. So there was little surprise that, despite the hum of activity buzzing around, not a single person gave notice to the quiet, unassuming man, making his long, slow plod towards the elevator. Even surrounded by his fellow employees inside the elevator car, not one gave him as much as the slightest glance. Something which made him all the more uncomfortable as each second took him closer to the top floor of the Nightstone building's head office. After all, he certainly wouldn't have minded having at least one other person to provide him with backup. After all, he'd heard the rumors…they all had…of what "Miss Dominique Destine" was capable of whenever someone told her something she didn't want to hear. And she was DEFINITELY not going to want to hear this.

Well, no point in fretting about it now. After getting off the elevator, he'd managed to drag himself to her office door. There was simply nothing left for him to do except break the bad news. Desperately trying to stop his hand from trembling, he reached up and timidly knocked on the door, announcing his arrival.

"Uh…ex…excuse me…Miss Destine?" he called nervously as he inched his way in, swallowing hard as he noticed her examining a series of papers from behind her desk. "My…my name is…Elmore Rollins…I'm from Accounting…"

"I'm about to go home for the night, Rollins," Dominique responded straightforwardly, not even looking up from her desk. "Whatever you have to say to me, say it to me quickly."

"Um…yes, well…," Rollins replied, trying as hard as he could to steady himself, "I've…I've been going over our daily expense accounts and, uh…I…discovered a…slight…discrepancy."

"What kind of a 'discrepancy'?" Dominique asked coldly, her eyes suddenly growing stern as she raised them in Rollins' direction.

"Well, I…I discovered that a rather large sum of money…20 million dollars, to be exact…was-was…transferred from our Corporate Investment Portfolio," Rollins explained, his voice shuddering as Dominique seemed to grow angrier with every word he spoke. "But-but-but-but I…I-I…h-have…no…idea…w-where the money was transferred to…or wh-wh-who it was…who…au-authorized the transfer in the first…"

"ENOUGH!" Dominique roared, slamming her fists into her desks as her eyes burned with rage. "Are you crawling in here like a worm and telling me…that someone has stolen 20 million dollars from me…but you have no idea who stole it, where it is or HOW TO GET IT BACK?"

"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I…," was all Rollins could say in response as Dominique stormed towards him. But he suddenly found Dominique's demeanor instantly shift as the sight of the sun just beginning to set outside caught her eye. At that moment, she stopped in her tracks, pausing to take a deep breath.

"You have 24 hours, Rollins," she hissed, trying to maintain her calm. "After that, you'd better come back here with FAR more than what you've come to me with now…which was NOTHING. Now leave."

Rollins couldn't get out of the room fast enough after that, closing the door firmly behind him. That was an experience that he was not looking forward to repeating. If anything, the reality of Dominique Destine's temper was far worse than any of the rumors he'd heard…especially when, for just a split second, Rollins could have sworn he saw Dominique's eyes glowing red.

Just then, as he slowly made his way to the elevator, Rollins whirled around as he heard Dominique crying out from inside her office. But the sound that met his ears, only seconds later, he could only describe as a piercing, demonic scream. Rollins had no idea what was going on in there and he didn't want to know. All he wanted to do was get as far away from that office as he could, running to the elevator as fast as his legs could carry him.

"…Castaway was then moved to North Infirmary at Rikers, where he is reportedly in stable condition. Still no leads as to last night's break-in at the Polytechnic Institute of NYU. Among the items stolen in the theft were…"

The radio broadcast was immediately interrupted as Elisa shut off her car outside the precinct. After last night's craziness, all she found herself hoping was that this night found itself a little quieter. But then, there was really nothing to do but wait and see what happened. As usual, Matt was up on the steps, waiting for her as she pulled up. But as Elisa approached him, she couldn't help but notice that he seemed somewhat impatient and distracted.

"Hey Matt," Elisa called, breaking him out of the train of thought he was lost in.

"Whoa!" Matt exclaimed. "Elisa, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Why, has Chavez got you asking?" Elisa asked, walking inside.

"Well…it's just…," Matt responded uneasily before taking Elisa's arm and guiding her down an empty hall, "Look, I'm just wondering…have you noticed anything strange happening today? You know, maybe someone following you or something?"

"Excuse me, where is THIS coming from?" Elisa wondered. "Come on, Matt, I didn't think anything other than the Illuminati could make you THIS paranoid."

"Believe me, if that was ALL it was, I wouldn't be so worried," Matt answered. "It's just…after last night…"

"Matt, relax," Elisa replied assuredly. "What happened last night is over. Nothing a little head-to-pillow action couldn't fix."

"That's not it," Matt argued, keeping his voice down. "Elisa, I don't think last night was what we thought it was. I don't think it was a jailbreak…"

"…I think it was a hit…And I think YOU were the target."

"WHAT?" Elisa exclaimed, only to lower her voice immediately as Matt hushed her. "Where did you come up with THAT all of a sudden?"

"I've been playing the whole thing over and over in my head," Matt explained. "And nothing that happened after the helicopter landing made any sense. First, it looked like the helicopter was leaking fuel, but the helicopter WASN'T leaking fuel. Then, we had all the exits to the building covered, but no one tried to get down the fire escape and no one tried to get out through the back. They all stayed inside the building. The only way that works is if they were HUNTING, not running."

"Even if you're right, how does that mean they were hunting ME?" Elisa asked.

"Everything else they did after they attacked us," Matt answered. "When those first two Quarrymen jumped us at the entrance, one of them knocked me down. He had me cold, but he turned around and focused on YOU instead. And how do you explain Castaway going after you on the roof the way he did?"

"Matt, Castaway's a psychopath," Elisa argued.

"No doubt," Matt noted. "But you and I both know, crazy doesn't mean stupid. If he REALLY wanted to get away, why didn't he just DO it? He could have flown off in the helicopter and left his last two goons behind to keep anyone busy. But he DIDN'T…"

"…He wasn't trying to escape, Elisa. He was trying to KILL you."

Elisa could only stare blankly for a moment, taking all of Matt's arguments in. In truth, her mind had been so fixated on this mysterious Gargoyle figure that saved her life she'd barely given anything else that had happened the night before a second thought. But after taking a moment to see the whole picture laid out before her, she had to admit, Matt was making some very good points.

But then, even if Matt was right, it still didn't make any sense. Granted, Elisa's friendship with the Gargoyles was a fact well-known to the Quarrymen. But even someone as single-minded as John Castaway, after sitting in jail for over a year, wouldn't suddenly go to such exorbitant lengths just to try and take her head over THAT. Clearly, a crucial piece was still missing from this puzzle. And if this truly was all about killing Elisa, as Matt feared, they needed to find out what that piece was, and fast.

"Maza, Bluestone, there you are," Captain Chavez announced from the hallway entrance, breaking them both out of their train of thought. "I need to talk to you for a second."

"What's up, Captain?" Matt asked as they both walked over.

"I'm putting you both on special assignment, starting tonight," Chavez explained. "We just got a formal request from the LAPD this morning to assist with a case they're working. Apparently, there's a syndicate out east that may be looking to get its hooks in here. They've sent one of their Detectives who's been investigating it. He'll fill you in on the details."

"When's he arriving?" Elisa asked.

"Already got here last night, apparently," Chavez replied before turning her head to the main room. "Gargan!"

"Yo!" a voice called back over the crowd as a figure rose to his feet, revealing a young man with tanned skin, dark, brushed-back hair and a black leather jacket.

"THAT'S the guy LA sent us to help with this?" Matt uttered worriedly, noting the man's teenaged appearance as he made his way across the room. "I hope he gets older as he gets closer."

"I'll grant you, he may be 25," Chavez noted quietly. "However…"

"Twenty-five…are you kidding?" Elisa whispered. "He doesn't even look like he SHAVES."

"HOW-EVER…he has an exemplary record and his Captain has personally vouched for him. He's a good cop and we're going to treat him like one," Chavez continued, shifting her focus to make the introductions to the young man, just as he approached. "Elisa Maza, Matt Bluestone…meet Detective Adam Gargan. I'll be leaving the rest to you."

"So…Adam? Mind telling us what's going on here?" Matt inquired as Chavez walked off to conduct other business.

"There's been a massive rash of science thefts in LA, recently," Adam explained. "All indications are that the robberies are the work of a new group that just started operating a few months ago."

"What makes you so sure these robberies are related?" Elisa asked. "High tech is big business for ANYONE who can move it."

"M.O. doesn't fit with any of the usual players," Adam answered. "Anyone else, the stuff usually gets fenced. But nothing that's been taken by THESE guys has even made a blip on the radar. They're not in it for the money. They're all about the tech. Consoles, software, weapons…the bigger, the better."

"For what?" Matt wondered. "What's the endgame?"

"If we could find whoever's in charge, we could probably answer that," Adam replied. "Unfortunately, it's been months and we're no closer to finding out who he/she/it is."

"So what brings you out here?" Elisa followed up.

"Finally caught a break," Adam responded. "One of the guys they brought in for a recent heist was some local dumb muscle. After we sweated him for a while, he happened to mention that the big boss was supposed to be heading out here to oversee expanding the operation into New York."

"The word of a two-bit hood isn't much to go on," Matt observed. "You'd think these guys would stick a little closer to home first if they were looking to branch out."

"Well, what can I tell you? These guys have no shortage on ambition," Adam replied. "Besides, with most of your big dogs like Tony Dracon cooling their heels upstate, New York's an open field now. Plenty of prime real estate for someone looking to set up shop."

"I know I didn't spend all those months getting that snake off the streets just so some other jerk could swagger in and start the whole thing over again," Elisa remarked at the very mention of Dracon's name.

"Neither did I," Matt agreed. "Alright, we're in. Now where do we start? After all, there's no shortage of high-tech in THIS town."

"What was that I heard on the radio on my way in?" Elisa mused. "Something about a science break-in at NYU last night? Might be nothing, but we could pull the file and give it a look."

"Sounds like a plan," Adam declared, heading for the doors. "Come on, we can look it over on the way."

"Uh…on the way to where?" Matt asked, he an Elisa exchanging a perplexed stare.

"Dinner. I'm starving," Adam answered plainly, only to turn around to see Elisa and Matt both giving him the same bewildered look.

"Come on, I know a place. My treat," he added, smiling and holding out his arms invitingly while Elisa and Matt could still only respond with confusion.

"Huh…doesn't look like anything here," Elisa pointed out, scanning over the file with Matt and Adam around the table at a local diner. "A few chips, some small hardware, but nothing major was taken. The guys you've been talking about have been going after MUCH bigger prizes. If the door to the lab hadn't been smashed open, I doubt anyone would have noticed that anything was even missing."

"I don't know. I mean, the fact that they smashed through the door…would someone really go to all that trouble just to take a few odds and ends? There's gotta be SOMETHING here we're missing," Matt chimed in before taking his last bite of food and turning to Adam. "Okay, you weren't kidding. These are definitely the best calzones I've ever had. How did YOU know about this place? I've been around this neighborhood for two years now and I didn't even know about it."

"Well, I'm not exactly a tourist. I DID grow up here," Adam replied, instantly getting Elisa and Matt's attention.

"You've been holding out on us," Elisa remarked.

"Not really. It's not my fault nobody asked," Adam responded before taking a longing look out the diner window, watching the people walk by. "I know the reputation this city has, but there's really nothing wrong with it. Truth is, one of the greatest people I've ever known was born here and she's never wanted to live anywhere else."

"Who's that?" Matt asked, hoping to gain a little more insight into their new teammate.

"My mother," Adam answered with a touching smile. "My father, on the other hand, hit a pretty rough patch for a while and ended up here. Didn't care for the city much until he met her…then he couldn't bear to leave."

"If they're still here, you should look them up while you're in town," Elisa suggested.

"I hope to, if I can get this over quick enough. Trust me, if they found out I chucked this case just to go see them, they'd never let me hear the end of it," Adam noted. "Still, it's getting pretty close to that time again. They have this thing where they like to renew their vows every five years."

"Hm…Truly in love, huh?" Matt inquired.

"Ah, just gluttons for punishment," Adam chuckled before he became more serious, leaning back in his chair and staring off into space. "Actually, I can't imagine what their lives would have been like if they hadn't found each other. Believe me, I've heard stories. He gave her a life she never knew was out there…and she made his life worth living again."

"Oh, I think there are some people out there that can relate," Elisa replied, a tender smile crossing her lips as her mind drifted to thoughts of her own personal situation.

Unnoticed by Elisa or Matt, Adam couldn't help but flash a coy grin as he noticed Elisa's expression. But soon, his attention turned to the check the waitress came and placed on the table.

"Nn…better get that," he thought out loud, pulling out a giant wad of bills from his jacket and muttering a count to himself as he peeled some away and placed them on the table.

"Yeah, that should cover it. We'd better get going," he stated plainly, getting up and walking away while Elisa and Matt could only exchange a wide-eyed look over what they had just seen.

"I'm telling you, Captain, that roll he pulled out was the size of my fist," Matt stated with emphasis back at the precinct as he followed Chavez alongside Elisa, both looking equally concerned. "How much do we really know about this guy, anyway?"

"He works hard, he plays hard. That's all his Captain told me," Chavez replied with a shrug. "But he also didn't have a single bad thing to say about the guy. Look, I see where you're both coming from, but we're going to do well by him until he gives us a reason not to, okay?"

"Maza," a uniformed officer at a desk called over, "Phone for you."

"Thanks," Elisa replied, putting the phone to her ear as Adam walked into the room to join Matt and Captain Chavez. "Detective Maza, NYPD…Wai-wait…look, slow down…! Who…waitaminute…When…? Who IS this…?"

"What is it?" Matt quickly asked as he hurried over with Chavez and Adam, while Elisa could only hold the phone in her hand with a confused expression.

"Anonymous tip. Some guy's saying that someone's about to hit one of Xanatos Enterprise's storage warehouses, down by the docks," Elisa answered, looking no less bewildered.

"Did they say when?" Chavez quickly followed up.

"According to the guy before he hung up, 7:30," Elisa replied.

"That's in five minutes!" Matt exclaimed, looking at his watch.

"Okay, you two go and check it out. We'll call it in and get back-up down there as quick as we can," Chavez ordered.

"Need some help?" Adam called over as Elisa and Matt were running for the door, reminding everyone that he was still in the room.

"Why not?" Elisa replied, waving him over. "Xanatos is a big mover and shaker in this town when it comes to high tech. Could be the guys you're looking for."

No sooner said than done. Seconds later, all three of them were bursting out the precinct doors, piling into Elisa's car and roaring off down the street.

Warehouses aren't generally known for being wild, bustling locations at night. With the doors locked and the vast space empty of laborers, nothing inside but its contents, it had more in common with a tomb than with a workplace. But tombs have an unfortunate history of getting raided. And for one of Xanatos Enterprises waterfront warehouses, it was also about to share that fact in common as the shattering clamor of a heavy loading truck slamming through the metal doors echoed throughout the building.

Losing control temporarily on impact, the driver had to swerve hard as he braked, sending the massive vehicle fishtailing into the first tower of crates. Fortunately, the impact was mercifully light, jarring many of the heavy containers loose, but only sending a few toppling. All the more relief for the other half-dozen members of the driver's crew as they ran in, since they no longer had to worry about digging out their escape vehicle.

"Alright, start loading up," one of the thugs called out to the others, sending them straight to work.

"Unh…man, this had better pay off," another groaned under the weight of one of the containers, heaving it onto the bed of the truck.

"Relax," the head thug replied. "We called it in, didn't we? All we have to do is make sure we keep loading and…"

"NYPD! FREEZE!" Elisa's voice echoed through the warehouse as the headlights of her car filled the room, causing the heavies to turn and see her and Matt, already with their guns drawn, with Adam close behind.

"Perfect," the first punk whispered before turning to the others. "NOW!"

At the first thug's command, the rest dove behind the heavy loader, each drawing pistols. Meanwhile, the pair at the front reached into the truck bed and pulled out a pair of heavy automatic weapons, aiming them straight at the police trio.

"You've GOT to be kidding…," Matt uttered under his breath, diving for cover with Elisa and Adam as the thieves immediately opened fire. Luckily, the heavy brick structure of the building, combined with what was left of the warehouse doors, kept them well-protected.

"This is nuts!" Matt shouted over the explosions of gunfire. "Who brings THAT kind of firepower to a B&E?"

"No way we can take them on like this!" Elisa replied, deciding that questions could wait for later. "We have to wait for back-up!"

Just then, Adam happened to streak past Matt, diving behind the rear door of Elisa's car. With that vantage point still partially protected by the Matt's passenger door that was still open, he poked his head up just barely over the edge of the window to examine the area inside.

"Adam, what are you doing?" Elisa cried out over the shattering hail of bullets, wondering what he could possibly be looking at…especially now that he was wearing a pair of sunglasses in the dark.

"There…," Adam murmured as he ducked back down to safety, firmly clutching his pistol as the gunfire continued to ring out around him. "Wait for it…come ooonnnnnnn…"

Just then, there seemed to be a pause in the gunfire. The two men with the automatic rifles had finally run out of ammunition and needed to reload. Quickly, they turned their attention to the truck, giving Adam the prime opportunity he was looking for.

"NOW!" he hollered, snapping up from behind the car door and firing his weapon at a furious pace, emptying his entire magazine in a matter of seconds.

But Adam's target was not the thieves firing on them, but at an overturned crate that was perched just over the heavy loader. Almost instantly after Adam fired, his bullets shredded through the seal on the crate, forcing the lid to fall open and sending an avalanche of computer chips on top of the group that was hidden behind the truck bed.

The two heavier men in front of the truck were easily distracted by the mass of chips burying their teammates, which gave Adam yet another opening to capitalize on. Hurdling over the car doors, he crossed the warehouse with lightning speed, bearing down on the two remaining thieves, who still had yet to reload their weapons. By the time the first heavy turned, Adam had already hurtled himself into the air. And with a great yell which sounded almost like a roar, he collided with a flying knee into the heavy's chest, driving his body into the door of the heavy loader.

The deep dent in the metal revealed as the thief crumpled to the ground showed just how powerful the impact had been as Adam had already lunged himself at the second man. Grabbing the second heavy by his jacket, Adam snarled as he whirled him around. And to Elisa and Matt's combined shock, Adam launched the second thug, a man five inches taller and at least 60 pounds heavier, into the air like a rag doll, sending him flying not only over the bed of the truck, but slamming into the crates behind it.

"Whoa…," Matt remarked, still wide-eyed. "Ooooo-kay…remind me not to get this guy ticked off,"

The remaining thugs were still trying to dig their way out of their landslide of computer chips. But they only managed to get their heads free just in time to see their heavier muscle go flying over their heads and collide with the crates behind them. And before any of them could recover their weapons, they looked up to see Adam already perched on the edge of the truck bed, looming over them like a bird of prey.

"Anyone ELSE want a piece of me?" he asked straightforwardly, even as a sinister grin crossed his lips.

Before anyone could answer, Elisa and Matt appeared from each side of the heavy loader, their guns trained and ready to fire. With no way out, the group of thugs was left with no option but to surrender.

More police sirens could be heard closing in as Elisa, Matt and Adam saw to getting the thieves cuffed and ready for booking. But just as Matt was handcuffing the second last one, the final one in the line, the one who'd been giving orders to the others, suddenly rose to his feet and made a mad dash for the doors.

"We've got a runner!" Adam shouted.

"I'm on it!" Elisa responded, taking off in pursuit, with Adam close behind.

"Hey, wait…!" Matt called after them, realizing he couldn't join the chase, as he was the only one left who could watch over the suspects.

"POLICE! FREEZE!" a uniformed officer shouted outside, jumping from his car as back-up arrived on the scene, cutting off the punk's retreat. However, the thug paid them no heed as he turned on he whirled around and instantly fled around the side of the building.

"I've got him!" Elisa shouted, still on the chase with Adam right on her heels. "Secure the rest inside!"

The darkened corridor between the warehouses eventually opened up to a fenced-off storage lot, filled with piles of shipping containers. Looking around, the escaping thug quickly realized he had stumbled into a dead end. Even if he could scale the fence before Elisa caught up with him, there was nowhere for him to go except to dive into the harbor.

"Don't even think about. One dip in that water and you're going to WISH I'd shot you," Elisa announced from behind, her gun trained on the suspect. "Did you really think you were going to get that far anyway, with this whole place surrounded by cops?"

"Heh…did you really think I was actually trying?" the thug chuckled in reply, turning to Elisa with a triumphant smirk.

At first, Elisa couldn't understand why the punk seemed so confident. Just then, she heard the familiar cocking sound of a gun overhead, and looked upward to see another thug she didn't recognize…one who wasn't with the original thieving party. He must have been a lookout for the rest. But all Elisa could think about at that moment was the high-powered rifle the gunman had in his hands, with the sniper scope trained right on her heart.

"Oh, just so you know…'Sugar'…Tony Dracon sends his regards," the gunman boasted as he prepared to fire. Just then, another gun cocked back from behind him as he suddenly felt a stiff pressure against the back of his neck.

"Don't…even…breathe," Adam uttered coldly, the barrel of his pistol pressed right against the gunman's brain-stem. Somehow, he had separated from Elisa during the chase and moved in to catch the gunman by surprise.

But the gunman didn't care to wonder why. His body tensing angrily, he whirled around, knocking Adam's gun out of his hand with the butt of the rifle and sending it skidding across the top of the shipping container. Before he could position himself to fire on Adam, however, Adam grabbed the barrel of his gun, whipping around and heaving the gunman over his shoulder. Losing his grip, the gunman was sent hurtling to the other side of the container, leaving the rifle in Adam's hands. But Adam merely tossed the rifle away, instead stalking towards his now-unarmed opponent.

"I hope you're proud of that shot," he remarked sternly as he strode forward, "Because it's the only one you get."

"Okay, let's try this again," a relieved Elisa stated, pulling out another pair of handcuffs as she made her way toward the thug on the ground.

Angrily, the punk charged forward to attack. But Elisa was on the offensive as well, running in and leaping into the air. Clipping her legs around the thug's neck in a head scissor as she grabbed his arm, the thug had no time to react as Elisa spun around hard, flipping him off his feet and slamming his head straight into the ground. With her opponent stunned and beaten, she quickly cuffed his wrists, bringing the fight to an end.

At the same time, Adam was dealing with his own attacker. Lunging forward, the gunman swung with a wild punch. But Adam quickly blocked the attack with his forearm before snapping it forward to deliver a quick jab into the gunman's face, which sent him staggering back. Pressing the advantage, Adam grabbed the gunman's arm and pulled back hard, jerking him face-first into Adam's pile driving fist. And as the blow plowed into the gunman's face, his feet flew out from under him, dropping him flat on his back.

"Told you," Adam boasted, chuckling as he pulled out another pair of handcuffs to bind the gunman.

"Sorry I had to ditch you back there," Adam said to Elisa as they led their two dazed suspects back to the waiting squad cars. "I saw the guy running across the roof and figured I'd better get the drop on HIM first."

"Hey, do you see ME complaining?" Elisa chuckled. "Huh…fast hands AND a dead eye. You're just FULL of surprises, aren't you?"

"Well, what can I say? My mom's a good teacher," Adam replied with a cryptic half-smile.

"You guy's okay?" Matt called over, running up before Elisa had time to follow up on Adam's comment.

"Couldn't be better," Elisa answered before shoving the thug she had into the arms of another officer. "Now we've got to get these guys talking as soon as possible, because we've got one more member of this crew to nail."

"Who's that?" Matt asked curiously.

"The one who planned all this," Elisa responded, an angry scowl crossing her face.

Seeing people on the other side of reinforced glass was nothing new for Tony Dracon since his conviction and imprisonment in upstate New York. So he was all-too familiar with the drill when he'd gotten word from the guards that he had a visitor. However, the grin quickly dropped from his face when he noticed that his visitors were none other than Elisa and Matt, who were both looking through the glass with stern expressions.

"Detective Maza…what a pleasant surprise to see you again," Dracon remarked, maintaining his composure.

"Oh, I just BET it is, Tony…especially after all the trouble you went through to make sure you WOULDN'T," Elisa noted with contempt before slapping a handful of papers against the glass, in front of Dracon's eyes.

"What's this supposed to be?" Dracon asked, still trying to keep his cool.

"Signed affidavits from each member of that goon squad you hired to kill me last night," Elisa replied, her voice growing angrier. "As soon as we got them into Interrogation, every single one of them gave you up."

"I guess you get what you pay for, Tony," Matt chimed in, sounding almost amused. "You should have splurged on the extra for them to keep their mouths shut. I mean, Conspiracy/Murder on a cop? Add that to what you're already in here for, you're NEVER getting out. Just thought you'd like to know."

With that, Matt and Elisa rose to leave, satisfied that they made their point. But just as they were about to reach the door, they found themselves turning back at the sound of Dracon laughing.

"I'm afraid I don't get the joke," Elisa responded coldly as Dracon continued to chuckle.

"YOU'RE the joke…'Honey'," Dracon answered, a wicked smirk crossing his face. "You have no idea what's really going on, do you?"

"Well then, pray, enlighten us, Tony," Matt inquired as he and Elisa walked back to the booth.

"Oh, you're so clueless. You think it ends with ME?" Dracon replied. "I didn't set up this little party. I just accepted the invitation."

"Meaning what?" Elisa shot back.

"It's out all over, Sugar. And it's spreading fast. Somebody put out a contract on you a couple of nights ago," Dracon explained. "And rumor has it, the guy who did is also the same one who got your boy, Castaway, all freaked out the other night, too."

"Really," Elisa replied cynically. "And just how high a contract are we talking?"

"Numbers are pretty much all over the place," Dracon answered with a shrug. "But I've heard it going as high as 20 million."

"Oh…you're really pushing your luck if you expect us to swallow THAT, Tony," Matt exclaimed, rolling his eyes as he and Elisa turned to leave again. "It CAN'T be anyone THAT big."

"Hey, I never SAID you had to believe me, but it's not gonna change anything! Someone out there has got a SERIOUS mad-on for your partner. And they're willing to pay TOP DOLLAR to see her take a dirt nap," Dracon protested before turning his attention back to Elisa, smirking into her scowling face. "And with THOSE numbers, pretty soon you'll have half of New York hunting you down, looking for a quick payday. Even with your little flying freaks watching your back, it won't be long before SOMEBODY-TAKES-YOU-OUT…"

"…And you know something? That may be the most satisfying thought I've had in a very…VERY… long time."

"HYAAAH!"

A shrill voice cried out as a brief metallic flash pierced the air, slicing the head cleanly off a nearby marble bust. And as the head finally rolled to a stop, Hyena slowly strode up to it, watching the saw blades in her cybernetic arms grind to a stop before a wicked grin of satisfaction crossed her lips.

"Oh yes, diamond carbide-tipped blades," she remarked, lifting her leg straight up before bringing it down and smashing the severed marble head to bits. "I just LOVE the sound of a good upgrade in the morning."

"Well, you'd better take the time and savor it," Jackal replied at his computer, having a hard time enjoying the classical music piping through the room of an undisclosed villa over Hyena's commotion. "That's the last one we're going to be able to afford for a while…not to mention the last piece of priceless marble artwork."

"Oh, please, Brother. Do you ALWAYS have to cry poverty?" Hyena complained, retracting the saws back into her arms.

"Well, SOMEONE has to make sure the books are balanced," Jackal argued. "If we'd left it up to YOU, you'd have blown through all our money in a month."

"Oh, pick, pick, pick," Hyena muttered, her voice trailing off. "Sometimes I don't know why I don't just…"

"Well now, this is interesting," Jackal pointed out as an electronic notice came up on his computer. "Okay Sister, you want me to put a stop to the penny-pinching? How would you like to make 20 million dollars for just one job?"

"Wha…20 MILLION?" Hyena shouted, dashing over to the computer. "Who do I have to KILL?"

"Funny you should ask," Jackal answered with an amused grin, slowly scaling down the page with the mouse.

As the image appeared on the screen, Hyena could only look on with surprise at first, her eyes going wide. But it took only moments before the idea slowly began to sink into her head. And a wicked smile of satisfaction slowly spread wide across her lips as she gazed intently at the familiar police photo on the screen, along with the instantly recognizable name emblazoned in large, bold letters underneath…

ELISA MAZA