Gargoyles
"The Path Unfolding" – Part Three
By Aaron
"Well, this was where we lost him," the armored young man noted to the female Gargoyle as they made their way through the old subway tunnel, back to the spot where their teammate had disappeared. "So this SHOULD be the best place we have for this working."
"And just how are we supposed to get it TO work?" the Gargoyle wondered.
"Well…apparently, all it is is just out of power. It should be good as new again after a quick recharge." the man replied, carefully examining the small, metal cube in his fingertips before closing it into his fist.
Closing his eyes, the young man centered himself, breathing deeply and concentrating hard. Within seconds, a faint glow could be seen emanating from his closed hand.
"Are you absolutely certain you know what you're doing?" the Gargoyle had to ask, as each passing moment only fueled her growing concern.
"Not even close, now that you mention it…," the young man replied in a straightforward manner, which didn't make his Gargoyle friend feel any better.
Just then, as if sensing something, he opened his eyes and looked down. And sure enough, as soon as he opened his hand, both he and his companion could see that the metallic cube had softly begun to illuminate on its own.
"…But at this point, I think it's pretty safe to say I've done SOMETHING."
Just then, the cube sprang to life, much in the same fashion as the pair had seen earlier. Moments later, several trails of twinkling lights began to swirl all around them, eventually beginning to close in.
"Cross everything you can…because I sure hope this works," he remarked with a hint of worry, looking around as the glittering trails converged, causing them both to vanish in a brief, split-second flash.
"Are we sure this is legit?" Hyena asked as she and Jackal walked out of the terminal at LaGuardia International Airport, both dressed in long coats and hats so as to try and not attract attention. "I mean, come on, 20 million to whack Maza? Who'd hate her THAT much?"
"A 10-hour flight into New York and this only crossed your mind just NOW?" Jackal replied in annoyance. "I DID have the sense to check this all out before we set off, you know. The message came with an electronic link to the account where the money is being stored. Unfortunately, the link only allowed me to VIEW the account, not interact with it. So if we actually want that money in our hands, we're going to have to deliver."
"And we have only THEIR word that they're going to pay us once the job is done?" Hyena noted. "I'm not a big fan of the whole 'Anonymous Donor' routine."
"If you don't like it, we can always get back on the plane and leave," Jackal responded.
"Are you kidding?" Hyena remarked with a wicked grin, snipping the claws on her first two fingers like a pair of scissors. "It IS Maza, after all."
"Captain, you CAN'T be serious!" Elisa exclaimed, slamming her hands down on Chavez's desk.
"As…a…heart attack," Chavez replied sternly as Matt backed away, keeping himself out of the conflict. "Until we find out whether this threat against your life is genuine, I'm taking you off rotation. I don't want you out there where every lowlife in town can get a free shot at you."
"You DO realize that you're basing this all on the word of Tony Dracon, right?" Elisa noted.
"Which is the only reason you're not sitting in your apartment right now, surrounded by half of New York S.W.A.T.," Chavez added.
"Come on, Captain, this is hardly the first time Dracon and I have butted heads," Elisa argued cynically. "I bet even money he only said it to get under my skin because his hitters screwed up."
"Add that to two attempts on your life in 48 hours. You want to go all-in on THOSE odds?" Chavez pointed out. "Detective Bluestone has already given me his assessment of your run-in with the Quarrymen the other night and I think his theory is sound."
"Great," Elisa muttered, tossing a disapproving frown in Matt's direction. "So I'm supposed to just let Dracon chuckle in prison while he pictures me huddled on the floor of my apartment, whimpering like a kitten?"
"All nothing compared to the jollies he'll get if he sees your death on the evening news," Chavez pointed out straightforwardly.
"Captain…," Elisa was about to bicker on. But her words were cut off as Chavez, finally having had enough, snapped up from her chair and angrily stared her down.
"Maza, we are NOT having this argument! You're one of my best cops, this thing is happening and I am simply NOT going to permit it!" she shouted before taking a moment to center herself, sitting back down and starting to leaf through a file on her desk. "Now, you've got some personal time coming. I suggest you take it."
There didn't seem to be anything more Elisa could do. Knowing she had no way of overturning Chavez's decision, she merely turned and walked out of the room. But that still didn't mean she was about to let Matt off the hook.
"Thanks a lot…'partner'." she grumbled in frustration, after closing the door to Chavez's office.
"Don't you even THINK about taking this out on ME!" Matt argued as Elisa began to storm off. "Just how many bullets did you think you were going to keep dodging, anyway?"
"So your solution was to get the Captain to take me out of the game?" Elisa yelled back. "Why couldn't you have just left it alone?"
"Because right now, you're thinking with your HEART, not with your HEAD!" Matt exclaimed, dragging Elisa off to a secluded corner before lowering his voice. "Yeah, I get it, you're mad, you want to go out there and find this guy. But there's more to it than that…because you know there are a few others who are going to want to do something about this once they find out, right? And I know how you get, Elisa. You'd throw yourself under a bus in a heartbeat to keep anyone you care about from getting hurt because YOU'RE jammed up. But you haven't played the tape to the end. You haven't thought about all the ones who'd still have to be here without you when it was all over. Do you think your parents would think that's a fair trade? Or your brother and sister…?"
"…Do you think GOLIATH would think that's a fair trade?"
Elisa could only shut her eyes tight and look away with a scowl, clenching her fists tightly as Matt said his piece. Deep down, she knew Matt was right in what he was saying. But at the same time, she still couldn't contain her anger over what was happening…anger that she wanted nothing more than to direct at the person responsible for bringing this maelstrom into her life.
"I'm not going to run and hide, Matt," she asserted quietly, still looking away.
"Then don't. But if you're going to get pro-active, at least be smart about it," Matt replied, putting his hand on her shoulder to get her attention. "With you off-shift, your movements can't be monitored. That means no one is going to know where you are at any given moment…"
"…So ask yourself…do you think that makes you LESS dangerous…or MORE dangerous?"
Elisa's eyes widened slightly, looking over at Matt's reassuring grin. And once it began to sink in that he was still on her side, Elisa had to respond with a determined smile of her own.
"I suppose you've got a plan?" she asked.
"First, there's something you should see," Matt answered, leading Elisa to the precinct doors. "I checked it out this morning, before I went home."
"Hey guys!" a familiar voice called out as they turned to see Adam trotting up toward them. "Ready to hit it?"
"Uh, yeah, we need to talk about that," Elisa nervously began to say, "See, I've just been…"
"Actually, Elisa and I just got a lead on another case we're working," Matt chimed in, cutting her off. "We've gotta go run it down before it gets cold. But you can check out some of the more recent case files until we get back, see if anything fits your pattern."
"Matt, wait…," Elisa started to protest, only to have Matt take her shoulders and lead her outside.
"Hm…," Adam could only utter, raising a curious eyebrow.
"There she is," Hyena whispered as she and Jackal watched Elisa and Matt walking outside the precinct from a nearby rooftop. "So…what are we waiting for? Let's get this over with and get paid already. I can practically TASTE that 20 million now."
"Take her out in front of a police station…another one of your brilliant ideas," Jackal replied sarcastically. "Let's let the entire NYPD know it was us so we can spend the rest of our lives hunted down like DOGS. Surely, a more favorable opportunity can be found elsewhere. In the meantime…"
Just then, a small compartment popped from Jackal's wrist, allowing him to fire a small tracer straight toward Elisa's car. The tag hit dead on, right on the rear bumper, unbeknownst to Elisa and Matt, who were coming up on it, just a few seconds later.
"Why did you lie to him?" Elisa had to ask, once they reached her car.
"Just drive," Matt answered sternly as they got inside, clearly wanting to get as far away from Adam as possible. "You'll find out when we get there."
"Get where?" Elisa wondered, becoming more and more perplexed, even though it didn't stop her from shifting into gear.
As Elisa and Matt drove off, Jackal and Hyena maintained an attentive watch from the rooftop. Hyena, for one, was beginning to grow quite impatient. But Jackal, on the other hand, couldn't be more satisfied as another compartment opened up from his opposite arm to reveal a small radar screen. And as it revealed quite clearly that the tracer he'd attached to Elisa's car was working perfectly, an evil smile slowly curled across his lips.
Another sunset was descending upon the city as a terrified Elmore Rollins once again made his long walk through the Nightstone Enterprises building, up the elevator and once again to Dominique Destine's office. He'd been working feverishly to uncover who it was that appeared to have embezzled 20 million dollars from the company. But although he'd made some headway, he was still in no hurry to go back and face Dominique again…certainly not after his horrific encounter the evening before. The only thing that forced him to swallow hard and even open the door was that he feared even more what would happen to him if he didn't go in to report his findings.
"You're late!" Dominique snapped at him before he could even walk in the door.
"I'm…I'm terribly sorry…Miss Destine," Rollins stuttered in fright, fortifying all his willpower to keep from running away. "I…was…running down a few leads and…"
"I'm not interested in your excuses!" Dominique shot back. "Whatever you have, it better be brief and it better be good!"
"Yes…well…," Rollins muttered, loosening his tie and swallowing hard. "I…discovered a digital fingerprint in the transfer request. I ran that…fingerprint down to an…unlisted account number and…found out…that same account was used…to…open a…safe deposit box…at a local bank downtown. Here's…everything I have…so far."
His body trembling, Rollins tentatively reached to hand Dominique the file, only to snap back instantly as she snatched it from his hand. But a moment later, he noticed an instant change in her expression as she leafed through the file. Her once stern, intimidating demeanor had shifted to a look of almost pure…confusion as her eyes went wide in astonishment.
"This is…ALL the data you have?" she asked, a tone of surprise lingering in her voice.
"Uh…y-yes…," Rollins answered nervously.
"Okay," Dominique responded, her tone of voice immediately softening. "At this point, I'll be dealing with this matter, personally. And I'll be trusting you to discuss whatever you've found with no one. If word got out that this much money was stolen from the company…"
"I…I understand," Rollins agreed, nodding heavily
Dominique maintained her composure as Rollins quickly backed his way out the door. But as soon as the door closed, an angry scowl crossed her face as she snapped the file back open once again. Memorizing one number in particular, her eyes instantly flashed red with anger. And a moment later, she closed the file and shoved the whole thing, contents and all, into a paper shredder next to her desk.
Walking back to the elevator, Rollins could only breathe a sigh of relief. That session ended much better than he'd expected. He got the sense that Dominique knew much more than she was letting on, as soon as she'd seen the information he'd collected. But he was just so relieved to have gotten out of there, he wasn't about to push his luck by prying…especially considering that demonic screech he heard once again just as the elevator doors closed.
"Detective Maza," Xanatos greeted inside his main office in the Eyrie Building, surrounded by Fox, Owen, Alexander and the entire Gargoyle clan. "So glad to see that you're safe and sound."
"Yeah," Lexington added. "Matt brought us all up to speed on the details."
"Nnn…I just BET he did," Elisa grumbled, tossing another dirty look in Matt's direction.
"Aw, come on Elisa, don't be like that," Broadway argued. "You're in trouble, aren't you? Did you really think anyone here was gonna stay out of this?"
With that, the rest of the clan instantly chimed in, all offering their own arguments at the exact same time. As they all closed in on her, Elisa found her gaze drifting over towards Goliath and Hudson, who had stayed back and remained silent. Of course, they hardly had to give her their own scolding lectures over the din…especially Goliath. His knowing gaze as he looked into Elisa's eyes made it clear that the rest of the clan was already providing more than enough debate.
"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT!" Elisa shouted over the commotion, quieting everyone down as she threw up her hands in submission. "Calm down! I do OCCASIONALLY know when I'm licked. Now I assume Matt directed me here because someone's got something."
"After the Dracon robbery a couple of years ago, Xanatos Enterprises has increased surveillance on all of its warehouses and shipments along the waterfront." Xanatos explained as he walked over to Owen, who was already calling up security footage for viewing on the main screen. "At Detective Bluestone's request, we pulled all the footage from last nights little escapade. And I think you'll agree that what we found was something quite interesting. Owen, if you'll do the honors?"
Without a word, Owen began to play the footage, which came on the main wall screen for everyone to see. And as the scene played out, more than one angry pair of eyes in the room looked on to see the gunman from the night before skulking along top of the shipping containers, getting ready to ambush Elisa.
"That's the guy from last night, alright," Elisa noted, "So what am I supposed to be looking at? We already KNEW it was a setup."
"Check the time stamp on the footage. This guy was setting up at least a good 10 minutes before we even got there," Matt replied, pointing at the screen, "Now Adam, the guy who APPARENTLY saved your life, said he saw the shooter running across the roof in your direction while you were both chasing the other guy, right?"
"But…if this footage is right…then the shooter was already there," Lexington deduced, finishing Matt's thought. "He couldn't have seen the guy when he says he did."
"Huh," Elisa uttered, not entirely sure what to think. "Well…could the time on the footage be off? It wouldn't be the first time we've seen that."
"That was actually the first thing I checked," Matt answered before turning in Owen's direction. "Fast-forward."
With that, Owen skipped the footage ahead. Seconds later, it slowed back down to the point where Elisa had appeared in the yard behind the warehouse, chasing the criminal that had tried to run.
"Okay, here it is, about five minutes after we got there. So here you come…the trap gets sprung…," Matt commented as the footage played out of the gunman preparing to shoot Elisa, only to be thwarted by Adam approaching from off-screen. "And now, two seconds later, here comes OUR boy."
The rest of the footage played out pretty much as Elisa remembered it. However, for Elisa, looking almost entranced by what she was seeing, the outcome was irrelevant. This new fact Matt was presenting her with added a whole new wrinkle to what she originally thought was a cut-and-dry situation.
"He lied," she uttered with a confused shrug. "Why?"
"I've got a better question," Matt answered. "If he didn't see guy, how did he KNOW he was on top of that shipping container?"
"It would appear that there is more to this…'Adam'…than meets the eye," Goliath grumbled uncomfortably as Elisa turned back to the screen with a stern glare.
"Okay, I just got off the phone with Captain Chavez," Matt announced while everyone else was huddled around computers and screens, trying to make sense out of the situation. "The entire precinct's looked and nobody's seen Gargan since we left."
"We've run a full search, but there's no record of an 'Adam Gargan' listed as staying at any hotel with computer records," Owen added.
"Well, he HAS to be somewhere. He's not just sleeping on the streets. We've gotta find this guy and get some questions answered," Elisa muttered in frustration before a sudden stab of pain shot through her side, causing her to wince. "Nnn…!"
"You okay?" Matt asked as he and Fox looked on curiously, both close enough to notice Elisa's reaction.
"I'll be fine," Elisa answered quietly, shutting her eyes tight and bearing the sensation until it subsided. "I guess I must have pulled something when I took that guy down last night. Next time, I'll leave the acrobatics to the circus."
"If it's that bad, you should think about getting some rest," Matt suggested. "I'm sure a place this big, there's got to be SOMEPLACE you can crash."
"Hm…I'll sleep when HE sleeps," Elisa replied, glancing over in Goliath's direction as he viewed the monitor screen, studying Adam's features intently.
"Well, that's very devoted, but not very smart," Fox remarked as she cradled Little Alexander in her arms. "You're no good to him hurt."
"Would you do any less for HIM?" Elisa argued, tossing her gaze over in Xanatos' direction, while he and Owen continued to search for any computer trace of Adam's location.
"Touché," Fox admitted with a smirk. "I guess that makes us BOTH idiots, huh?"
"Hey…I can think of worse things to be stupid over," Elisa chuckled under her breath.
Matt couldn't help but toss an uneasy look towards the conversation Fox and Elisa were having. There was just something a little unsettling about seeing two people talking so casually, who would have easily been at each others' throats not two years ago. Of course, if he knew what was going on just a few buildings away, he would have quickly found something else to worry about as Jackal and Hyena both crept along a nearby rooftop.
"So this is where she ran to," Jackal noted, observing his radar screen before turning his gaze towards the Eyrie Building. "I'd be lying if I said THAT surprised me."
"Well, what are we waiting for? We know where she is! Let's DO this already!" Hyena declared impatiently, which only drew an exasperated sigh from her brother as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You know, I have always carried a certain measure of pride in never demanding much from you, dear sister. But it would be SO nice…if JUST once…you could at least PRETEND to have a brain that actually FUNCTIONS!" Jackal scolded angrily. "You honestly want to just storm the EYRIE BUILDING? Even if by some MIRACLE, we got past Goliath and his clan, Fox and Xanatos would have what was LEFT of us for LUNCH!"
"Oh, and I suppose YOU have a BETTER idea, is that it?" Hyena argued.
"Is that EVEN a question?" Jackal answered back smugly. "You remember that Electro-Lance upgrade I requested for you a few months ago?"
"Ooohhhh yeah," Hyena replied hungrily, cackling as her forefinger stretched out, sparkling with electricity. "This little baby's so powerful now it could take out a target from AT LEAST half a mile away."
"That's just what I was hoping you'd say," Jackal remarked, a sinister smirk crossing his face.
It wasn't long before Matt had to return to the precinct and get back to work, leaving the search for Adam to the others. But after losing count of all the failed attempts that had been made to track him down, everyone eventually had to take a step back from the search. Hopefully, giving their minds some time to unplug would give them a chance to come back to the situation with fresh eyes.
Of course, Goliath was all too happy to oblige, offering to accompany Elisa on a stroll along the Eyrie Building promenade beneath the Castle Wyvern foundation. And under normal circumstances, the romantic night view of the entire city through the promenade windows and the feeling of Goliath holding her hand would surely have been enough to make Elisa feel quite content. But this time, Elisa just couldn't escape the events of the last few nights, still lingering in the back of her mind, like the sting of a fresh cut.
"It looks so peaceful from up here, doesn't it?" Elisa noted as she viewed the New York skyline with worry. "Looking out, it's almost impossible to think that out of all those millions of lights twinkling down there, one of them actually represents someone who wants me dead. And I have absolutely no idea why."
"I…hope you're not still angry with Bluestone for telling us what had happened," Goliath mentioned softly.
"No…not really…," Elisa sighed, pausing to take Goliath's hands in hers before looking up into his eyes. "I guess…Look, you know I've never been short on gratitude when it comes to the quick saves, right? But at the same time…I've just never been one of those girls who could always play the damsel in distress, either."
"I don't think ANYONE would ever be foolish enough to mistake you for THAT," Goliath answered with a warm smile, reaching up to tenderly brush the back of his fingers along Elisa's cheek. "But you know…it's never a weakness to ask for help when you need it. And it's never a burden when those who CAN help are willing to provide it…"
"…especially when…for some of us…the alternative is unthinkable."
"Hm…you know Matt said almost the same thing to me, earlier tonight," Elisa chuckled before throwing her arms around Goliath's neck and pulling herself up to eye level with a loving grin. "But I liked how YOU said it better."
Relieved to see Elisa finally appearing more at ease, Goliath reached up and puts his hands on her hips, holding her up as he briefly opened his wings to close them in around her. And as Elisa felt the warmth of Goliath's wings surrounding her like a warm blanket, suddenly the reality of her situation seemed very far away as she leaned in, nuzzling against his nose before pressing her forehead to his and looking deeply into his eyes.
"Eeeeeuuuuchh!" Jackal uttered from several buildings away, his cybernetic eye mounted on Hyena's wrist zooming in to watch the moment between Goliath and Elisa play out. "If this gets anymore syrupy, it's going to start giving me a craving for pancakes."
"Well then, don't just stand there! Take the shot, why don't you?" Hyena complained as Jackal kept subtly manipulating her arm into the proper angle. "I can feel the pistons in my shoulder seizing up already!"
"In a moment," Jackal assured. "Just another…slight…adjustment…there!"
At that moment, Hyena's finger extended, ready to unleash her Electro-Lance weapon at the exact angle Jackal had set. And Jackal had set it at just the right angle, so that the blast would not only hit Elisa square in the head, but also Goliath as well.
"And so it goes…two birds with one stone," Jackal stated triumphantly as his eye intently watched Elisa and Goliath slowly leaning in to kiss.
"One for business," Hyena added, as she prepared to fire. "And one for pleasure."
Just then, a series of soft footsteps could be heard dashing across the roof behind them. Before either Jackal or Hyena could think to react, a figure had already leaped through the air, driving a pair of knees into them both. Sent sprawling, Hyena's Electro-Lance blast fired wild, not even coming close to hitting Elisa and Goliath, but smashing through the promenade windows of the Eyrie Building and slamming into the foundation of Castle Wyvern, sending an avalanche of rubble down on top of them. Luckily, Goliath was able to recover from his shock just in time to race Elisa to safety, just before the debris could bury them.
Of course, they weren't the only ones feeling the jolt from Jackal and Hyena's failed attack. Putting Little Alexander down for a nap in the nursery, Xanatos, Fox, Owen and Lexington were all surprised when the sudden tremor from the impact went off, just under their feet.
"What was THAT?" Fox exclaimed, looking as perplexed as everyone else.
Meanwhile, Jackal and Hyena found themselves asking the exact same question as they slowly recovered from their mysterious assailant. But who they saw only raised more questions than answers as they both looked up to see Adam Gargan standing over them just a few short yards away, wearing his sunglasses and smirking with amusement.
"I sure hope you left a note for your loves ones, Kid!" Hyena snarled, brandishing her claws as she charged towards Adam, "Because you just committed suicide!"
Adam, however, spoke not a word, but merely stood his ground as Hyena moved in. Effortlessly slipping around her claws as she slashed at him, Adam whirled behind her and grabbed a manual switch on Hyena's back, twisting it hard and activating her rocket jets, which immediately fired at full strength. A yelping Hyena was then launched into the sky, with a grinning Adam hanging off of her and holding on tight.
"Are you alright?" Goliath exclaimed as Elisa shook herself out of her daze.
"I'm fine," Elisa answered, trying to get her bearings. "But where did that even come from?"
As if in response to Elisa's question, a screaming Hyena came blasting through the hole in the promenade windows, with Adam riding on top of her. Somehow, he'd managed to mount her back while they were flying wildly and was pulling on her arms to guide her direction of flight. And after sending Hyena torpedoing through the promenade a few moments longer, he jumped off, leaving Hyena to slam into the ground at top speed, while he, himself, landed on his feet and skidded to a gentle stop.
"And he sticks the dismount!" he announced proudly, holding up his arms. "You just KNOW the judges had to be impressed by that!"
"Adam?" Elisa blurted out as Goliath stepped forward to protect her, neither of them knowing what to expect.
"It's Hyena!" Angela called out, bursting into the nursery with the rest of the clan to get Lexington. "She's in the promenade, where Goliath and Elisa are!"
"If Hyena's here, Jackal has to be running around SOMEWHERE close by," Lexington noted unhappily.
"They're in MY HOME?" Fox shouted, storming toward the door in a rage. "If those two think they're getting away with this, they really ARE crazy!"
"Whoa! Fox, wait! Leave it us! We can handle them!" Lexington interrupted, barring Fox's way before pointing to the playpen behind her. "Besides, you KNOW where you need to be."
One look at Little Alexander's frightened face was all Fox needed to be convinced that Lexington was right. Still, her scrunched-up scowl and tightly balled fists made it clear that it was taking everything she had to keep her fury from driving her wild.
"Make it fast," she hissed angrily, "Before I change my mind."
Coughing and sputtering dirt and grass from the promenade grove, Hyena struggled to get back to her feet. It took her another few moments to shake out the cobwebs, but once she got her bearings, she looked over to see Adam standing just a few yards away with a confident grin across his face.
"Again?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders in amusement.
Snarling, Hyena darted straight towards Adam, her claws eager to taste blood. But she only managed to get a few steps before a gunshot rang out, sending a bullet drilling into the ground in front of her feet and stopping her dead in her tracks.
"Hold it, Hyena!" Elisa called out as Hyena whirled around with a wide-eyed glare, only to see Elisa's gun trained squarely on her and Goliath's imposing figure standing right beside her as backup. "I may not know what's going on here, but I know you still have SOME parts that aren't bullet-proof!"
For a moment, the action ground to a halt, as each party was trying to figure out exactly what they wanted to do next. But before any moves could be made, Elisa's eyes suddenly went wide. Screaming in pain, she collapsed to her knees, doubling over and clutching her stomach.
"Elisa! What's wrong?" Goliath shouted in panic, instantly kneeling to her side.
"I…I don't know…! I don't know…! I just…AAAAHAAAAAANNNH!" Elisa cried out, writhing on the ground in agony.
"Well, well…somebody down there likes me," Hyena remarked with a wicked smile, quickly getting over her surprise at what was happening. "This might just be an easy payday after all."
Taking advantage of Elisa's sudden affliction and Goliath's distraction, Hyena charged in to strike. But her attention was quickly diverted as Adam leaped in front of her, whipping his foot around in mid-air to deliver a spinning kick. Luckily for Hyena, she was able to stop in time and throw up her arm to defend herself. But the force of the impact was still enough to send her skidding back along the ground a few steps, which was enough to give Hyena pause, her eyes growing wide with astonishment.
"Eyes on all sides, Hyena! They're not the only ones you should be paying attention to!" Adam announced before turning his attention to Goliath. "Get her out of here, NOW! She's a sitting duck like this!"
Goliath hardly needed to be told what only came naturally to him. Grabbing Elisa in his arms, he tore off up the stairs, hoping to get her to safety and, with any luck, medical attention.
"Not gonna happen!" Hyena growled, tearing off after them.
But once again, Adam appeared to block her path. Enough was enough. With a yell of rage, Hyena lashed out, only to have Adam dodge her strike with almost no effort. From there, it was a flurry of blows as Adam dodged every single one of Hyena's attacks, with Hyena growing angrier with each passing second that Adam held her off. After all, how could this kid possibly be a match for her cybernetic body?
It was that moment that Jackal happened to arrive on the scene. Flying in through the hole in the windows, it only took a few seconds of observation to quickly realize what was happening. And he didn't like it one bit. Not only had Goliath escaped with Elisa, not only was the entire Eyrie building now aware of their presence, but Hyena was still getting nowhere in dealing with this interloper who had suddenly decided to include himself into their plans.
"This is NOT what I wanted," he muttered in frustration as he activated one of his arm missiles, preparing to fire on Adam, who was still preoccupied with Hyena. But his attempt was quickly thwarted as Angela, Broadway and Brooklyn swooped in, tackling him out of the sky, with Lexington and Hudson close behind.
Even through the stone walls of Castle Wyvern, the sounds of the battle below could be heard inside Little Alexander's nursery, with Xanatos, Fox and Owen waiting patiently to see if their efforts would be required in time. But they soon had something else to focus on as Goliath burst through the doors, with Elisa in his arms, still groaning and screaming.
"Goliath, what happened?" Xanatos exclaimed, running over with Fox. "Is she hurt?"
"I…I don't know…," Goliath shuddered as he laid Elisa down on the floor, a paralyzing fear gripping his heart. "She…she just collapsed…"
"Owen, call my personal physician!" Fox ordered. "Then contact Talon and the Mazas! I want them all here now!"
"Go…Goliath…AAH!" Elisa whimpered, desperately reaching to him with her hand before letting out another tortured yell.
"Elisa…," Goliath uttered as he held her hand with his eyes welling up and his entire body trembling, knowing he had no way to help her. Just then, he felt a hand press firmly against his chest and looked up to see Fox, staring into his eyes with a deathly seriousness.
"It's okay. We've got her," she stated methodically. "But now, it's time for you to focus. Understand? Listen to me. Do…what you need…to do."
Steady under pressure…despite her temper, that was always one feature that described Fox to a tee. Small wonder that she was hand-picked by Xanatos to be in charge of The Pack back in the day. As the sounds of battle caught his ears once again, Goliath had to admit that she was right. At that moment, he had other priorities.
And yet, another cry of pain from Elisa instantly wrenched his heart. As much as Goliath knew where he needed to be, Elisa's torment was impossible for him to ignore. At that moment, his eyes snapped open with a fierce glow, his face twisted in agonizing rage as he whirled around and thundered down the hall with a roar, back towards the fighting. Maybe there was nothing he could do to ease Elisa's suffering, or his own. But at least he knew who he could take it all out on.
"Even I wouldn't have wanted to be on the other end of THAT look," Xanatos remarked with a wide-eyed gaze before turning his attention back to Elisa.
"And that, my darling, is exactly why I'm glad the two of you are FINALLY starting to get along now," Fox noted as she and Xanatos worked to help Elisa to her feet.
Back down in the promenade, the battle between Jackal, Hyena and the clan continued to rage. Jackal had managed to keep himself in the air after the initial attack by the Gargoyles and using his rocket's to give himself the tactical edge and keep out of harm's way. But Hyena, meanwhile, had her own focus as she stayed on the ground, still viciously hacking away at Adam, yet remaining unable to land a single hit. Gradually their tussle was taking them farther and farther away from Jackal and the clan. But it wasn't enough to escape Lexington's eyes as he peered down from above and saw the action taking place.
"Come on, you little twerp!" Hyena shrieked as Adam continued to weave around her attacks. "Stop dancing around and FIGHT me already!"
"You want a fight, Hyena?" Lexington called down as he dove in from the air, slamming his full weight into Hyena's body. And before Hyena could recover, Lexington was already lifting her up over his head.
"Will I do?"
"Gee, I don't know. This one looks kinda runty," Hyena replied smugly as her legs detached from her hip sockets, wrapping around Lexington's waist with crushing force, forcing him to let her go. And while Lexington struggled free himself, Hyena's torso and legs recombined, leaving Hyena looming overhead, brandishing her claws as she took Lexington's back.
"Normally, you'd throw something like this back," she added, her legs squeezing Lexington even harder and forcing him to cry out. "But I think it'll make for some pretty good chum!"
Before Hyena could strike, however, Adam raced in from behind, grabbing her arm and heaving her over his shoulder, with Lexington still in tow. However, Hyena's legs flailed open, sending Lexington flying out of her grip and slamming into a nearby wall.
"Oooooo…sorry!" Adam called out to Lexington, who could only lie, groaning, in a bush. "Collateral damage!"
"The only one you should be worried about getting damaged is YOU!" Hyena growled, snapping to her feet. "You should've taken off when you had the chance!"
"Pretty lucid talk for someone who nearly got her head kicked off," Adam commented sarcastically.
"And just when did that happen?" Hyena shot back.
"Oh, sorry," Adam answered, looking at his wrist. "My watch is 15 seconds fast."
Snarling in anger, Hyena charged forward again, wanting nothing more than to cleave Adam's face, clean off. But Adam was already well aware of his surroundings, maneuvering himself back towards one of the largest trees in the grove. So as Hyena struck, he whirled out of the way and her claws drove hard into the trunk. Frantically, Hyena tried to get free, only to see that Adam was moving to her other side. Instinctively, Hyena lashed out with her other arm, but again, her attack was a failure. An advantage that Adam was quick to press, landing an axe kick square onto her free hand and stamping it hard into the ground. And before Hyena knew what was happening, she had been successfully pinned down, with Adam leaning in close.
"You know it really is a shame that you had to go and do all this to yourself," Adam remarked with a sigh, looking over Hyena's cybernetic body. "Confidentially, between you and Fox, I always thought YOU were the really hot one."
There was nothing Hyena could say in response. She didn't have time. The next thing she remembered seeing was Adam's roundhouse kick flashing across her face.
Even if Jackal could see what was going on between Adam and Hyena, there was nothing he could do to help her. He had problems of his own. At one point, he chanced to fly low over the grove, which gave Bronx the chance to strike, leaping into the air and clamping his jaws firmly around Jackal's foot. The added weight was more than Jackal's rockets could compensate for, keeping him hovering in the air, but unable to achieve any more lift. And the distraction allowed Broadway, Angela and Brooklyn to make another move, slamming into Jackal and finally tackling him to the ground.
"Come on, hold him!" Brooklyn shouted, with Hudson charging in to support them as Jackal struggled to get out from under three Gargoyles and their Beast.
"This…is not…what I…WANTED!" Jackal ultimately shouted at the top of his lungs as he activated an unexpected new upgrade, sending a surge of electricity suddenly ripping from his arms and exploding in a great dome all around him.
Brooklyn, Broadway, Angela and Bronx were all violently jolted from the electrical flow before the force of the blast sent them all flying. Immediately Hudson leaped in, trying to keep Jackal pinned down before he regained any momentum. But a livid Jackal was already moving to counter, blocking Hudson's sword arm and driving an open palm squarely into his chest, sending a bolt of electricity racing through Hudson's body as well, before whirling him around and tossing him into Brooklyn and Broadway, who were still trying to recover.
With a wild glare, Jackal turned his arm missile on Hudson, Broadway and Brooklyn, eager to get as many obstacles out of his way as possible. But his efforts proved fruitless as Goliath leapt down from the upper walkway, roaring in fury. Slamming his fists into the ground, Goliath unleashed small tremor that tore through the earth of the grove and sent Jackal stumbling off his feet before he could fire.
"THIS MADNESS ENDS NOW!" Goliath bellowed, his voice echoing through the promenade before rampaging forward to attack.
Scowling in anger and frustration, Jackal no longer cared about strategies, charging in to meet Goliath head-on. And as Goliath raised his fists to deliver a crushing blow, Jackal slammed both hands into Goliath's chest, tearing into him with yet another wave of electricity. And as he howled in pain, Goliath's attack seemed to be well and truly stopped, falling to one knee within seconds as Jackal gladly kept up the pressure.
Yet, as angry as Jackal thought he was, it was nothing compared to the wildfire running unchecked in Goliath's soul. In spite of the searing electrical energy Jackal was coursing through him, Goliath managed to force himself back to his feet. And with his eyes blazing in fury, he reached up, grabbing Jackal's arms and squeezing with all his might. Within moments, Jackal's arms began to buckle under the crushing pressure, eventually sending a feedback surge ripping through his entire body. Letting out a shuddering cry, Jackal completely seized up as circuits and components began blowing out all over his cybernetic parts, overloaded by the electrical discharge. Jackal would then grow silent seconds later, crumpling to his knees and collapsing to the ground in a convulsing heap.
While Goliath was disposing of Jackal, Lexington was finally shaking himself out of his painful daze. Looking up to see what had happened, he saw Adam standing over him, flashing an amused half-grin.
"Come on, Slim. Let's get you up on your feet," he invited, holding out his hand for Lexington to take.
"Goliath, are you alright?" Angela asked with concern as she ran up alongside Bronx, just as the rest of the clan was getting to their feet.
"I'm fine," Goliath replied curtly, the traces of anger still lingering in his voice as he looked around with a growl. "Where is Hyena?"
"Yeah, the little lady's had a pretty rough night, she's just taking a little nap, now," Adam piped up from behind Lexington as he came in, carrying Hyena over his shoulder and dumping her unceremoniously beside her brother.
"I cannot believe the two of them actually tried to storm our home," Hudson remarked as the entire clan looked down at the unconscious pair. "Such an act is sheer madness, even for them."
"Something tells me that was not their intention," Goliath mused, remembering the blast from outside that missed both him and Elisa, as well as how Adam had come flying in on Hyena's back just moments later.
"Well, we definitely need some answers," Brooklyn noted, looking over in Adam's direction. "And I think the best place to start is with the one guy who's still conscious to answer…WHAT THE…?"
As Brooklyn raised his voice, the rest of the clan whirled around in the direction he was looking. And to all of their surprise, Adam had completely disappeared. In fact, no one would have ever suspected that he had been standing there with them not a few seconds ago.
"Oh, you've gotta be KIDDING me!" Broadway's frustrated shouts echoed through the promenade as the clan looked around in vain for any sign of their mysterious ally. "Who IS this guy?"
In a neighborhood far from the Eyrie Building, the streets were lined with small banks and shops, places that generally closed on a regular basis. As a result, there were generally no people around to see any goings-on in the dead of night. Certainly no one would be around to see a lone Gargoyle gliding through the air as Demona delicately landed on one of the local banks, preparing to slip inside.
A flashing swipe of her talons made quick work of the building's electrical wiring, ensuring that no alarms would be set off upon entering. A moment later, she had reached the bank's skylight, tearing off the latch gently gliding inside. But once she was in, there was no more need to be subtle. Brandishing the heavy laser rifle she'd brought with her, Demona fired into the safe door, blowing it off its pins and hinges and sending to tumbling to the ground with a shattering, metallic thud.
It was a simple enough matter for Demona to heave the door aside, using her strength. But her real concern was finding the safe deposit box stored within; the same safe deposit box that Elmore Rollins had discovered during his investigation of the embezzled 20 million dollars from Nightstone Enterprises. Though "Dominique Destine" would never have told Rollins the truth, Demona instantly recognized the account number used to take out the money and open the safe deposit box.
"I don't know who you are…or how you set all this up, using one of MY private Nightstone accounts," Demona declared, tearing open a few more safe deposit boxes to keep anything from being traced back to her. "But when I find you…you're going to wish you'd never HEARD of me."
Finally, she'd reached the true target of her break-in. Shearing open the locked door with no greater effort than the others, Demona pulled the box out of its slot and quickly tore it open. But what she found inside was not what she was expecting. Nestled within the box, with no other papers or money was a simple portable monitor. Growing ever more curious, Demona pressed the button underneath the screen to turn it on. And what she saw only made her eyes grow wide with shock.
"This recording will be erased after the first viewing. Demona, if you're watching this, then this means you've discovered what I've done. But it also means that all of my previous efforts, so far, have been unsuccessful," a familiar voice spoke methodically as Demona could only look on, dumbfounded at the sight of her own face staring back at her. "I was hoping not to involve you in this, personally. And rest assured that if everything had gone as planned, I would have explained everything and you would have been more than happy with the results. But if everything else has failed, then it would seem that our hands have been forced, both yours and mine."
"First, let's get the obvious out of the way…I AM from your future," the recording of Demona continued to state onscreen. "The specifics are not important, but I will say that I've come back to this time to deal with a matter of utmost urgency…the human, Elisa Maza."
"What?" Demona remarked.
"Elisa Maza is about to become the harbinger of the greatest menace Gargoyles have ever known. If she lives, Gargoyle-kind as we know it will cease to exist. To prevent this disaster from occurring, Elisa Maza must die," the Demona recording continued as Demona watched in growing bewilderment.
"What could Elisa Maza POSSIBLY have to do with…?"
"Listen to me!" the recording exclaimed, her frantic voice and angry glowing eyes instantly diverting Demona's train of thought. "You have no idea what is coming…what it will mean when it does! Such an abomination must NOT be allowed to occur! For this tragedy to be avoided…for the future purity of your race…!"
"…ELISA…MAZA…MUST…NOT…LIVE!"