Gargoyles
"The Path Unfolding" – Part Six
By Aaron
The dark clouds overhead were alive with flashes of cloaked brilliance as lightning danced around in the night sky. However, one such burst shone brighter than the others as an enormous ball of light streaked down from above and slammed into the ground, exploding on impact to reveal Goliath and the others, having been transported using Puck's magic. Goliath and the rest of the clan quickly recovered from the experience, as did Talon, Xanatos and Alexander. But for Elisa and Fox, the only two not gifted with naturally enhanced strength or protective armor, the experience proved to be much more jarring.
"Uunnh, okay…new rule," Fox groaned, pulling herself out of her daze as Goliath helped Elisa to stay on her feet. "He has SERIOUSLY got to warn us whenever he's going to do that."
"I'm fairly certain I said, 'Let's roll'," Puck argued innocently, drawing a dirty look from Fox before everyone else turned around to observe the old, abandoned manor they had been transported to.
"Huh. Creepy mansion, stormy night," Brooklyn observed, looking around uncomfortably. "It looks like your thief never met a cliché they didn't like."
"Let's focus more on whoever is inside," Goliath stated. "Now I want everyone to understand one thing. Whatever happens, our primary concern must be Fox and Elisa's safety. If either of them falls into any danger, we get them out. Agreed?"
There wasn't an ounce of hesitation from the others as they each responded with a sober nod. Elisa and Fox, however, were both wearing expressions that were considerably less agreeable.
"I realize that neither one of you likes what he just said," Xanatos replied intently. "But frankly, I don't think anyone else here cares."
Bronx, meanwhile, was already moving forward as he began sniffing along the ground for any signs of their quarry. But it was only seconds before he picked up on a scent he didn't like, looking towards the mansion with an angry growl.
"Well, Bronx already knows someone's here," Angela noted, only to have everyone's attention diverted by a radiant light that pierced the sky through the skylight in the mansion's roof.
"Hm…I don't think we needed his nose for THAT," Lexington remarked.
"Well, no sense going in through the front door," Xanatos declared. "Like most things in life, I prefer to start at the top, anyway."
"Before we move forward with that thought," Alexander remarked, pulling a laser pistol from Katana's bag and putting his hand on Adam's shoulder to get his attention. "Here. It's an upgraded prototype model just off the line. Enhanced firepower, three-millisecond recharge and the recoil is virtually nil."
"Heh…well what can I say?" Adam replied with a smirk, checking the pistol's grip before shoving it inside a jacket holster which magically appeared out of his shirt. "I always love trying out new material on the road."
Unbeknownst to Adam, however, Alexander had another motive for getting his attention. Placing his hand on Adam's shoulder had allowed him to remove a small tracking tag from underneath the collar of his jacket. Staring at the metallic bauble between his fingers for a brief moment, he let out a small chuckle before flicking it onto the ground behind him.
Sure enough, perched on a rooftop in the middle of the city, Demona gazed intently at a small radar screen in her hand, following Adam's whereabouts. She had no idea how he had suddenly gone from the Eyrie Building to practically across town in less than a second. But at that moment, she didn't care. After suffering such a humiliating defeat at his hands the night before, here eyes glowed as she took off into the sky, eager for Round Two.
Back at the mansion, Puck used his magic once again to transport the entire party over the rooftop. Goliath and Xanatos each made sure that Elisa and Fox made a safe descent along with the others. However, Fox was in no mood for making a graceful entrance.
"Alright people!" she commanded, brandishing her laser rifle and preparing to fire, "LIGHT 'EM UP!"
No sooner said than done. Between Fox's rifle, Xanatos' wrist laser, Adam's laser pistol, two wrist lasers from Alexander and a pair of electrical streams from Talon, the entire skylight was reduced to splinters.
Inside the mansion, the entire topmost floor had been hollowed out into one large room. Perched on a pedestal in the middle was a chest harness, wired to all the lens cubes that made up the New Olympians' time machine, every one of the tiny devices aglow. Greedily, a pair of hands reached out for the harness, only to be shocked by the thunderous impact of the party's attack, followed by the shattered rubble of the skylight raining into the room.
"Goin' in!" Adam called out, folding his wings closed and diving in at top speed.
"What are you doing?" Hudson called as Adam disappeared into the smoke that billowed up from the blast.
"He's crazy!" Broadway exclaimed.
"Oh, I know…," Katana sighed, rolling her eyes in exasperation.
Stumbling through the haze, a blurry figure reached out to grab the harness and pull it off the pedestal. A moment later, Adam came streaking down, the impact of his landing knocking away most of the smoke and dust before a flap of his wings took care of the rest.
"WE'RE HEEE-EEERE!" he announced as the rest of the team gently landed in behind him.
But Goliath and the rest of the clan were unprepared for what they saw next. They didn't need to see the face of their opponent. The pale blue skin and blood-red hair were more than evidence enough. Still, as Demona turned to face them with an evil chuckle, the harness strapped around her chest, they still couldn't help but all hang their jaws open in shock.
"Hmph, I'll be honest. This is actually a bit of a surprise," Demona declared wickedly. "Still…too little, too late."
"Wait…Demona is the thief?" Angela exclaimed in disbelief.
"No she's not. But someone really wants us to THINK that," Elisa answered calmly, her gaze trained squarely on Demona's eyes. "Don't you think you've overplayed your hand at this point?"
Elisa's statement came as a surprise to everyone in the room. But no one seemed more surprised than Demona, who simply looked back at Elisa with a perplexed stare.
"Oh, that's right. You keep forgetting that I'm a Detective," Elisa remarked, taking a few steps forward. "You really expect me to believe that Demona was behind all these attacks on me? Please. I know Demona. If she wanted to kill me…and I mean, REALLY wanted to kill me…she'd have come after me on her own from Day One. She wouldn't waste time manipulating lunatics like John Castaway or putting out contracts. If you're REALLY Demona, why play these games?"
"Not to mention that Demona has already attempted to alter time before, only to have met with failure," Goliath added to Elisa's deduction, walking up behind her. "Demona may be irrational at times, but never so foolish as to waste her efforts on an undertaking she knew was futile."
"Ah, but there is someone we do know who wouldn't know that," Elisa continued, "Someone who would know his way around New Olympus and who DOES like to play games and manipulate people. Someone who would have the ability to gain access to places like Castaway's jail cell…someone who can make himself look like anyone he wants…"
"…Isn't that right…Proteus?"
"Demona" spoke not a word, but merely regarded Elisa with a venomous smirk. But just then, her body began to shift and warp like liquid rubber. And suddenly, within moments, a grinning Proteus stood before the attack party, much to the shock of some, but much to the anger of others.
"You again…," Hudson growled, clearly being one of the angrier ones as he brandished his sword.
"Oh, VERY good, my dear," Proteus taunted, "So nice to see that everything you've been through the last few days hasn't dulled your senses too badly."
"Apparently, New Olympus needs to think about making some considerable improvements to its security systems," Angela noted, her eyes glowing red with fury as well.
"Xanatos Enterprises has made some very reasonable offers," Alexander replied plainly.
"I'm sure, like most everyone else in this room, I have no shortage of questions to ask," Xanatos stated, raising his fist and activating his wrist laser. "But given the circumstances, I have no qualms about shooting first."
Fox needed no encouragement to follow her husband's lead as the pair each fired a searing laser blast in Proteus' direction. Unfortunately, Proteus merely continued smirking as both streams passed harmlessly through his body and slammed into the wall behind him.
"I'd say that was a nice try," Proteus replied mockingly. "But that would be insincere."
"He's using the machine to phase himself a split-second out of alignment with normal time," Alexander observed. "We can't touch him."
"That means my magic is useless as well," Puck added while Proteus merely chuckled.
"So what's the deal, Proteus?" Elisa demanded. "Why con guys like Castaway into trying to kill me?"
"Oh please, 'con'? He couldn't be restrained," Proteus replied, pausing briefly to cause his belly to bulge for a moment. "All I had to do was spill the beans about your little…'surprise'…and he was foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog. Even I was surprised at how easy it was."
"And the contract out on me…? Hiring Jackal and Hyena…? Where did you get the money for that?" Elisa continued. "I've got to believe that New Olympus doesn't deal in recognized legal tender."
"Oh, that. You can thank Demona for that. Or at least, you can thank her money," Proteus explained straightforwardly. "After all, Demona and I have had engaged in the odd dealing or two over the years. It was hardly a challenge to gain access to one of her personal accounts."
While Elisa was getting Proteus to talk inside the mansion, outside, Demona had located the tracer that she'd planted on Adam during their battle the night before. Looking up at the lights piercing the topmost floor, it didn't take long to determine where he was most likely to be. But not being sure exactly what it was she was walking into, she chose to act with stealth, leaping onto the roof beside a nearby window and quietly peering inside. A smart move as it turned out, since once she looked in, she saw herself looking into a room filled with enemies. A few faces she didn't recognize could also be seen, but she had to believe that they couldn't be friendly. However, as she peered in, her Gargoyle hearing could make out every word that was being said. And she had arrived on the scene just as Proteus had begun talking about her.
"And what about Demona?" Elisa went on. "If all you needed was her money, why get her mixed up in all this?"
"Merely a case of misdirection in case she managed to close in on me," Proteus answered, transforming back into his Demona disguise. "In a way, she was even easier to wrap around my finger than Castaway was. All that jealousy and frustration…you've been her sights for years, my dear. She would have believed ANYTHING I told her…as long as it gave her an excuse to pull the trigger."
Hearing Proteus explain himself, Demona's eyes instantly began to glow red with rage. Not only did this upstart have the audacity to steal from her, he was also the one who sent her on her fool's errand to Castle Wyvern, where she was nearly battered to within an inch of her life.
"So what's the endgame, Proteus?" Elisa asked. "Why go to all that trouble to kill me?"
"Oh, this was never about YOU, my dear," Proteus replied as he shifted back to normal. "I just needed a convenient distraction while I attended to other matters…namely, getting the parts I needed to repair this machine and complete my modifications."
"That break-in at NYU," Elisa uttered, her mind starting to put more of the pieces together. "That WAS you."
"Guilty as charged," Proteus explained. "Mind you, that was only one of THREE robberies I pulled while you were out fighting for your life. In fact, the night you were being ambushed at that warehouse, I was on the other side of the docks, getting more parts I needed. If I had just gone smashing into buildings, willy-nilly, you would have likely dropped everything you were doing to find out who was responsible. This way, everyone was too focused on saving your pretty little neck to even notice anything else was happening…until it was too late."
"Of course, considering all the effort I went to, sending all those people after you, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping that at least ONE of them would have been able to pull it off," Proteus added before tossing a scowl in Adam's direction. "But I suppose SOME of you will just insist on becoming a thorn in my side."
"What can I say?" Adam responded with a fanged grin and a lighthearted shrug. "I'm persistent."
"But for how much longer?" Proteus answered back smugly as he pushed a button on his harness, activating the lenses and opening a swirling portal of energy behind him. "That fool, Boreas, had no idea the godlike power he would have had at his disposal. All he wanted to use it for was to retrieve some silly bauble and then throw it away. I, however, have found a much BETTER use for it."
"You have to know we won't be letting you get away with this, Proteus," Katana declared, preparing to unsheathe her swords.
"I'm curious to see how you plan to stop me, seeing as how none of you can TOUCH me," Proteus argued before grinning again. "However, it IS convenient that most of you have managed to gather in one place so that I can dispose of you all at once. Hmmm…so many ways to kill you…what to do, what to do…"
"…I know!"
Just then, numerous clusters of twinkling lights began swirling around in various sections of the room. Eventually, the spiraling trails converged into blinding flashes, equal to what had occurred when Proteus, Adam, Alexander and Katana had all arrived through time. But no one was prepared for what happened after the lights subsided. For standing in the room, across from the team, were multiple versions of Proteus, each with a wicked smirk stretched across their face.
"I think I'll try them ALL!" Proteus declared, cackling in triumph. "And this is just a FRACTION of what I'm able to accomplish. With all of time to create an army from, even Oberon HIMSELF will be helpless before my might!"
"Oh…this is VERY bad," Puck remarked nervously. "He's using that machine to pull different versions of himself from multiple points in time."
"Can he even DO that?" Lexington exclaimed.
"Can, but shouldn't," Alexander answered. "Think about it. At numerous points in history, someone who was SUPPOSED to be there ISN'T anymore. The time stream can't handle so many incursions at once."
"But I thought time was automatically supposed to correct itself," Brooklyn noted.
"The time stream isn't made of taffy! It has limits!" Alexander shot back. "If we don't fix this, he could literally rip apart all of creation!"
"Come on kid!" Puck called out, grabbing Alexander by his shoulder. "We need to whip up a barrier around this whole area. I just hope you haven't been slacking off. No matter what happens, we've GOT to keep this thing contained."
Alexander was quick to follow Puck's lead, flying out through the roof and landing on either side of the estate. Throwing out their arms, the pair instantly threw up a shimmering, multi-colored dome which quickly encompassed the entire area.
"Oh well, they can always be dealt with later," Proteus remarked before turning his attention to the others. "The rest of you, on the other hand…"
Before anyone else could react, one of the Proteus incursions charged forward, transforming into a giant Cyclops. Grabbing Goliath and Adam, he slammed them into the wall behind them, nearly sending Elisa flying as he ran by.
Instantly, Elisa sought to turn her attention to Goliath and Adam, only to have more immediate concerns as another Proteus incursion bore down on her. Acting quickly, she drew her pistol and fired rapidly, but Proteus' morphing body effortlessly bobbed and weaved around each one of her shots.
"Did you really think that mere bullets would do anything against someone who can become ANYTHING?" Proteus gloated, looking over Elisa with a menacing grin.
"Well, I was HOPING pretty hard…," Elisa replied. But she soon tossed a little smirk of her own as Bronx launched himself into the air, slamming into Proteus and chomping firmly on his arm, keeping him pinned to the floor and in too much pain to transform.
"…But just in case I was wrong…"
Meanwhile, Fox had her own problems to deal with as a third Proteus transformed in front of her, thundering forward as a giant Minotaur. With only Fox brandishing her weapon as a threat, Proteus couldn't help but regard her with a cocky smirk.
"You are in WAY out of your depth, little girl," Proteus declared as he cracked his knuckles.
"Don't judge a book by its cover," Fox replied, "Bigger opponents don't always equal better odds. Sometimes, all they mean is bigger targets."
Before Proteus could act, Fox raised her weapon and fired, directly at his legs. A pair of laser blasts quickly kneecapped Proteus and sent him collapsing to the ground, leaving Fox the one standing over him in exchange.
"Case in point," she remarked confidently.
Unfortunately, the next sound Fox would make was a cry of pain as a hard impact bashed into her stomach and drove her into the rear wall. Having transformed again, Proteus had now taken the form of a small Kraken, one of its large tentacles wrapping around her with crushing force.
"Fox!" Xanatos cried out, preparing to rocket to her aid.
Just then, a gelatinous substance wrapped around Xanatos' neck, snatching him out of the air and slamming him against the wall. Yet another Proteus was already on the attack, his body transformed into some kind of slime and was already holding Talon at bay.
With Xanatos in the clutches of the other Proteus, Fox was left to fend off her attacker alone. But as she could feel the air gradually being squeezed out of her lungs, it felt like her ribs were going to snap like kindling at any moment and an agonized scream escaped her lips, much to Proteus' delight.
But his pleasure would soon change to a flash of blinding pain as Lexington leaped up from behind, brandishing a large four-by-four wooden beam, which had once been one of the ceiling blanks. Swinging with a loud snarl, he slammed the beam across the back of Proteus' head, smashing it in two and putting him in a daze, forcing him to loosen his grip on Fox.
It took only seconds for Fox to wriggle free and reclaim her rifle. Before Proteus could recover, she switched the laser to a higher setting and fired, striking him with a heavy blast of concentrated energy. The force of the impact was too much for Proteus to bear, losing consciousness and reverting to his normal state as Lexington landed beside Fox.
"…Thanks…," she panted, still working to catch her breath, even as she kept her rifle trained on Proteus' prone form.
"Hey, you heard Goliath. Besides…what would Alex say if I let anything happen to YOU?" Lexington replied as he and Fox glanced at each other just long enough to share a brief grin.
At the same time, on the other side of the room, Hudson found himself backed into a corner as yet another Proteus towered over him, this one having transformed into a large centaur. Clapping his front hoof against the floor as he prepared to charge in, he could only smile with glee at the thought of trampling a Gargoyle.
"Too bad for you the only way to survive a stampede is to get out of its way," Proteus stated heartily.
"Don't be so sure," Hudson replied, tightly brandishing his sword. "Maybe all I need is a stampede of my own."
Before Proteus had time to wonder what Hudson meant, Broadway and Angela both slammed their shoulders into his side, knocking him off his hooves and sending him tumbling to the ground. As Proteus' hooves kicked desperately at the floor, trying to right himself up, he quickly raised his head to see Hudson, Broadway and Angela looming over him, each ready to battle on.
"You can't fight all of us, Lad," Hudson stated as Broadway and Angela snarled in defiance.
"Do tell," Proteus replied with a smirk
Adjusting to the situation, Proteus' body began to transform once again. And this time, it was the Gargoyles' turn to be caught off guard. Within seconds, they suddenly found themselves staring directly into three vicious maws as Proteus transformed into a monstrous Cerberus.
"You have GOT to be kidding…," Broadway uttered in disbelief as Proteus' three massive dog heads roared into their faces.
"Hang on, guys!" Brooklyn called out, ready to jump in with Katana to defend Hudson and the others.
But Brooklyn's cavalry-like rescue was cut short as a massive form plowed into his body, pinning him to the ground. Struggling to lift off his attacker, Brooklyn looked up to see what he was up against. But he certainly wasn't prepared for what he saw next as yet another Proteus had emerged, this one having turned himself into a fearsome Manticore.
"WHOA!" Brooklyn exclaimed as he found himself staring into Proteus' face, his mouth lined with row upon row of razor-sharp teeth.
Responding to Brooklyn's danger, Katana immediately leapt to Brooklyn's aid, mounting Proteus' large lion body. But instead of attacking to save Brooklyn, she found that all she could do was fight for her own life as it took everything she had just to fend off Proteus' scorpion tail.
Meanwhile, the future Proteus was not entirely satisfied with the performance of his other selves. One was already down at the hands of Fox and Lexington. And another was successfully being held at bay, courtesy of Elisa's pistol and Bronx's jaws. Still, he had four other versions that were still firmly in the fight, so he wasn't losing yet. However, he soon had other matters to focus on as a laser blast passed right through his head, piercing the wall behind him. Looking over, it was then that Proteus spied Demona, who had chosen to use the chaos of the battle to make her move.
"Oh great," Brooklyn groaned as he still tried to hold Proteus' Manticore body at bay. "Just when I thought this couldn't get any worse…"
"Well, this IS a surprise," Proteus remarked. "I certainly wasn't expecting to see you here."
"You preening, arrogant buffoon!" Demona shouted in rage, her attention clearly fixated on Proteus and no one else. "Did you really think anyone could get away with stealing from me?"
"Oh…you heard that, did you?" Proteus responded uncomfortably.
Hissing in anger, Demona lunged forward, her talons swiping straight towards Proteus's face. But her attack had no more effect than any of the other attacks that had been launched against Proteus so far, as her entire body phased right through him. Of course, the knowledge only made Demona angrier as she whirled around, preparing to attack again.
"And then, you had the gall to use ME as one of your pawns? NO ONE deceives me!" she snarled.
"Deceive you? Perish the thought. I simply knew that you would be far more trusting of a recording from yourself than that of a complete stranger and that was my ONLY deception. Everything else I told you was absolutely true," Proteus argued calmly, before taking a glance in the direction of Adam, who was still being held at bay by his other version's Cyclops form. "You still haven't figured out what he is, have you?"
"HEY! No tattling!" Adam shouted over as he and Goliath still struggled to free themselves from their Proteus' crushing grip.
But Proteus merely smirked in Adam's direction before leaning over to Demona and whispering silently in her ear. However, for Demona, the words might as well have come as a deafening roar as they echoed in her brain, her jaw hanging open in disbelief and her body stiff and rigid.
"…no…" she murmured under her breath, her stunned gaze slowly turning over towards Elisa, who was still trying to aid Bronx in keeping the second Proteus form down.
"You…" she uttered towards Elisa, her voice rising to a shriek as her eyes blazed with hate. "YOU!"
"Elisa!" Goliath shouted, recognizing the look in Demona's eyes all-too well.
No more time for games. Acting quickly, Adam pulled his laser pistol out of his holster and fired, grazing Proteus' shoulder and forcing him to loosen his grip. Goliath immediately followed suit as he pierced Proteus' other arm with his talons, forcing Proteus to drop Adam to the ground.
With Proteus' attention firmly trained on Goliath, Adam sprang into action, leaping to Elisa's rescue as Demona launched herself towards her, screeching in fury. Slamming a vicious lariat under Demona's arms, Adam whirled her around before slamming her hard into the floor.
Demona was quick to roll back onto her knees, ready to attack again. But her stance did little to discourage Adam, who stood between her and Elisa with a fanged smile, his eyes glowing wildly.
"Don't-even-THINK-about-it," he hissed menacingly.
"Then it IS true!" Demona snarled angrily.
"I TOLD you, you didn't want to know," Adam replied tauntingly.
Growling with a livid rage she was no longer able to control, Demona lunged forward again, intent on tearing her way through Adam to get to Elisa if she had to. But Adam stood firm against her attack and the fight was on.
Meanwhile, Xanatos and Talon were still rendered helpless by the fourth Proteus. Both encased in his body of slime, it was becoming increasingly difficult for them to move. Even worse, Proteus' body had even flowed over Talon's nose and mouth, making it impossible for him to breathe.
"Well, well, what have we here?" Proteus gloated, his slime body managing to work into Xanatos' armor and oozing up toward his face, "Two humans pretending to be Gargoyles? SOMEONE'S overcompensating, aren't they?"
"Don't look at it as compensating…," Xanatos replied calmly enough, even as he struggled to inch his arm towards Talon.
Managing to grab Talon's wrist, Xanatos glanced over in his direction. And Talon, fighting desperately to hold his breath, picked up on Xanatos' hint, clenching his fist and powering up his electrical energy. The surge of power flowed through Xanatos' exo-frame, sending a feedback discharge back out and jolting through Proteus' body and reversing his transformation. Crumpling to his knees, Proteus could only weakly lift his head to see Xanatos' wrist laser and Talon's crackling fist pointed directly at him.
"I've always preferred to think of myself as…extremely adaptable," Xanatos added as he and Talon both fired, sending Proteus flying back and landing in an unconscious heap.
"Don't misinterpret what just happened as an indication that I suddenly like you again," Talon warned Xanatos, his voice laced with contempt.
"I can live with it if you can," Xanatos answered straightforwardly.
At the same time, Adam's battle with Demona was carrying on as Demona raged against Adam with all the ferocity at her command. But they did little to deter Adam, who merely blocked her attacks and fired back with one of his own. Granted, his physical power wasn't nearly what it was in the second half their last battle, when he was flooded with adrenaline from his forced transformation. But his mental faculties were at their peak, his strikes precise and calculated, just as they were when he fought her in his human form.
But even with a clear mind, Adam still had the bestial traits of a Gargoyle at his disposal. Characteristics which soon became apparent as he and Demona lunged at each other, throwing out his arms before driving two clubbing fists into her temples. Stunned, Demona staggered back, only to have Adam grab her arm and whirl her around, throwing her into the wall behind her. Then, with a roar, Adam charged in, piercing Demona's wings against the wall with his talons and forcing her to let out an echoing shriek of agony.
"In case you haven't figured it out yet, this is NOT our first spin around the dance floor, 'D'," Adam snarled under his breath as he flexed his hands, his talons tearing into Demona's wings further and forcing her to cry out in pain once more. "It generally doesn't end well for you."
With that, Adam pulled his hands away, releasing Demona as she dropped to her knees. Shuddering as she tried to nurse her injured wings, her face was twisted in pain as she looked up to Adam, who simply glared down at her as he spoke.
"So…are you done?"
Suddenly, Demona's anger took hold once again. Her eyes glowing again as she shut out her pain, she leaped at Adam once more. But Adam stepped into Demona's attack, avoiding her talons and driving his elbow squarely between her eyes to knock her back. With Demona momentarily dazed, Adam charged in again, delivering an open-palmed fist into Demona's face and driving her head back into the wall. At that moment, Demona was well and truly defeated, collapsing to the ground as an unconscious mass.
"Yeah…you're done." Adam remarked with a scowl as he turned his attention back towards Elisa.
Once again, Elisa was nothing less than impressed at how Adam had managed to dispatch Demona so effortlessly. But she soon had other matters to focus on as Bronx let out a great yelp and she whirled around just as his body flew past and grazed her shoulder, causing her to drop her pistol and sending her spiraling to the ground. Acting quickly, Elisa got her bearings and looked up in the direction Bronx was thrown from. But she was completely unprepared for what she saw looking back at her.
Finally, Proteus had managed to wrest his arm from Bronx's grip and was now towering over Elisa's kneeling form in the form of a giant Amphisbaena. Hissing down at her, the fangs from both snake heads dripping with venom, Proteus prepared to use every muscle in his body to strike down at her at lightning speed.
But before Proteus could attack, Adam charged in first. Using his foot to drive the snake head on Proteus' tail into the floor, his hands snapped up to grab Proteus' snake body. Whipping the second head around at high speed, Adam finally pulled down with a great bellow and slammed it into the floor, rendering Proteus unconscious as his transformation came undone.
"You'd better keep your eyes open," Adam stated with a grin, his voice becoming calmer and more confident as Elisa rose to her feet. "I'm not always going to be around to look out for you, you know."
Suddenly, without warning, Elisa was lunging at Adam, grabbing the laser pistol out of his holster and spiraling around to fire at something behind him. The second Elisa squeezed the trigger, a piercing screech echoed in Adam's ears causing him to whirl around to see what had triggered her response.
What Adam saw was Demona, shuddering on her feet with a stunned gaze just a few steps away, her talons outstretched as she was slinking up behind him for a sneak attack. With a smoldering burn right between eyes, which were already rolling back in her head, she managed to utter only a few tiny rasps before she crumpled to the ground, completely lifeless.
"Same to you," Elisa replied, regarding Adam with a smirk of her own.
Just then, a thunderous impact went off beside them as Proteus' Cyclops form smashed into the ground behind them, followed by Goliath, who landed just a few paces from Elisa and Adam. He'd been managing to hold his own while Adam was protecting Elisa. But even though he was able to hold Proteus at bay, his efforts seemed to do little more than annoy him as he rose up, angrily glaring down at the three of them.
"So," Adam remarked, his eyes darting back and forth between Goliath and Elisa. "Is everyone having a good time?"
Neither Goliath, nor Elisa, had the luxury of responding to Adam's comment as Proteus roared down at them. With Bronx back on his feet, they all charged in to continue the fight, just as Proteus' massive fist smashed into the floor where they had been standing.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn and Katana were making no headway against their Proteus' Manticore form. So far, their main focuses had been for Brooklyn to avoid the rows of jagged teeth, while Katana did her best to fend of Proteus' tail. But things took a drastic turn as Proteus began pawing violently to get to Brooklyn, his claws catching one of Brooklyn's wings and tearing into it, causing him to yell in pain.
"No!" Katana cried out, her eyes glowing in anger.
Her hands taking a firm grip on Proteus' tail, Katana flipped off his back, pulling hard and hauling his giant body off of Brooklyn, heaving Proteus over her shoulder and slamming him hard into the floor. A moment, later, she drew one of her swords, hissing in rage as Proteus rolled back onto his feet. Instantly, Proteus lashed out, his scorpion tail darting in Katana's direction. But Katana lunged forward with blinding speed, avoiding Proteus' attack before bringing her sword down, slicing his tail cleanly in two.
Proteus roared in pain from Katana's strike. But he managed to have enough presence of mind to transform at the exact instant, allowing the part of his body that Katana cut off to reattach itself. Seconds later, Proteus had reshaped himself into the form of a giant Wyvern, using his tail to lunge towards Katana with his claws on his forelimbs outstretched. But once again, Katana met his attack head-on as she surged ahead, her sword running along one of Proteus' limbs as she went, shearing off his scales all the way down to the bare flesh.
Screeching in agony, Proteus lost the concentration to maintain his form, falling to his knees as he clutched his arm, which, while healed from the change back, was still feeling the gash of Katana's blade. But his momentary distraction provided Katana with the opening she needed as she grabbed his hair and pulled his head back, still brandishing her sword with her other hand. With a ferocious snarl, her eyes glowed even brighter as the tip of her blade inched ever closer to Proteus' throat.
"Wait!" Brooklyn's voice called out to her, snapping her out of her enraged trance as her head whirled around to see Brooklyn struggling to pick himself up, nursing his torn wing. "Remember what Puck and Alex said. All these time versions…they have to go back to where and when they came from. Do you understand? You kill him now and we lose any chance we have to make this right. We NEED him alive…"
"…You told me that a wise leader accepts things as they are. I'm just telling it like it is…DON'T-DO-THIS."
Struggling against her anger, Katana finally managed to lower her sword and heed Brooklyn's words, which came as a great relief to Proteus, who was still trembling in pain. Nevertheless, Katana's sudden act of mercy on Brooklyn's behalf didn't stop her from dragging Proteus close and glaring deeply into his eyes.
"Don't you EVER forget who you owe your miserable life to," she hissed, knocking Proteus unconscious with a vicious straight punch to the face before turning her attention to the original Proteus, who was growing increasing frustrated with the way the fight was going. "Here…you can have this one back now!"
With a simple flick of her wrist, Katana tossed her Proteus into the original, purely as a gesture of defiance. But the results were a little different than anyone else had expected. For as the Proteus incursion sailed through the air, his arm happened to brush against the original Proteus' hand. And the moment they made contact, Proteus' hand began to shift and warp, as if he were losing control of his shape-shifting abilities. Even the vortex behind him seemed to bend and twist.
"Wh…wh-what…?" Proteus uttered in shock.
"Whoa…" Brooklyn murmured before turning his attention to the others. "Hey guys! We may have weapons after all! All the other versions of Proteus…they can touch him!"
"That could make sense. They're all connected through the machine," Lexington noted. "But look what's happening. It must have created some kind of feedback when they made contact…it's having a de-stabilizing effect. That might be a way we can undo all this."
Before Proteus could react, Lexington and Talon were already charging towards him, carrying the two Proteus forms they'd already defeated with Fox and Xanatos. The two prone bodies slammed into Proteus, knocking him off his feet. But physical contact seemed to do that much more, as the two Proteus forms actually seemed to be merging with Proteus' body. The portal also seemed to react to what was happening, becoming much more warped and twisted.
"Wha…what's going on?" Proteus shouted, his voice even starting to warble as he and his other forms seemed to be melting together into a giant mass. "S-stop it…!"
Meanwhile, Hudson, Broadway and Angela were still trying to avoid getting eaten by Proteus' Cerberus form. Luckily, they still had one advantage. Proteus' transformation may have given him three heads, but there was still only one direction his entire body could go at any given moment. This gave Hudson an idea to strike. An idea which Angela and Broadway were quick to pick up on as they each exchanged a knowing glance.
Acting in unison, Hudson leaped into the air while Angela and Broadway dashed to either side. Instinctively, Proteus' three heads each lunged to attack a different Gargoyle, but his body remained frozen, unable to move in three separate directions. And Hudson was quick to press the advantage, coming down with a roar and slamming the hilt of his sword straight down onto Proteus' center head. With Proteus stunned from the pain, Angela and Broadway quickly made their move, lunging in with their full weight and driving Proteus' two side heads into the center, cracking them together.
Stunned, Proteus collapsed to the ground, allowing Angela and Broadway to hoist up the dazed beast and charge forward, tossing it towards the wriggling mass that was Proteus' other bodies. Upon contact, the new Proteus body began to melt in as well, causing Proteus to scream in panic as the portal began to warp even further.
Meanwhile, Goliath and Adam were still engaged in battle with Proteus' Cyclops form, alongside Elisa and Bronx. Darting to the side, Elisa fired the laser pistol she'd taken from Adam, blasting Proteus in the back of the knee and causing him to stumble, while Bronx pressed the advantage, biting down firmly on his ankle. With Proteus' vertical base destroyed, Goliath and Adam moved in, each leaping off the wall to deliver a thunderous punch, stunning Proteus and knocking him down. With that, Goliath bet everything on his final move, lifting Proteus' monstrous frame over his head and turning his attention towards the portal.
"This battle is OVER!" he roared, launching the enormous Cyclops into what was left of Proteus. The force of the impact sent them all tumbling into the portal, where they promptly vanished.
"Huh…you know, that wasn't bad for a guy your age," Adam joked, even as everyone else's attention remained fixed on the portal, wondering what would happen next.
"Uh, am I the only one who's a little worried that that portal isn't closing yet?" Fox remarked.
As if in answer to Fox's question, an enormous fist burst from the portal, slamming into the floor. The force of the impact send everyone flying as a second clawed hand pulled at the side of the portal entrance almost trying to force it open wider. A moment later, a giant mass emerged from within, seemingly a jumble of all the forms Proteus transformed into during the battle. Small patches of Wyvern scales peppered his body. A scorpion tail was all that composed his lower half. Jutting from its shoulders were three heads, each which with Proteus' face. But each head had only one eye and three rows of Manticore teeth.
"FOOLS!" he bellowed, rearing his three heads back with a howl of laughter while the others could only look up in shock.
But Proteus' emergence had an unexpected secondary effect. A wave of force emerged from the portal, knocking Goliath and the others back down as they tried to stand. The wave burst through the mansion, slamming into the barrier that Puck and Alexander had erected with crushing force. So much so, that the force of the impact was even enough to send them both sliding back a few steps.
"Oof! What are they doing in there?" Puck shouted, feeling as though he'd just been punched in the stomach.
Unfortunately, Puck has other concerns as the force wave from the portal was enough to breach the top of the barrier he and Alexander tried desperately to maintain. With the dome cracked, energy from the portal began to leak out, bursting into the sky as a stream of light. A fact Alexander was quick to notice as he did everything he could to keep the wall from opening any further.
"Come on…," he uttered under his breath as he struggled against the punishing force. "We're running out of time. It's all up to YOU now…"
Of course, the lights caused by the damaged portal were not beneath the notice of others in New York. Even across the city, at the Eyrie building, Matt and the Maza's, who were keeping an eye on Little Alexander, were able to see the eerie streak of light, firing into the night sky over the city, through the windows of the nursery. They had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was, it was obvious that that was where Elisa was. And she was right in the middle of it.
"I'm going to get on the radio. Maybe someone knows what's going on," Matt stated, running out of the room.
Diane and Peter didn't respond as Matt took off. While Little Alexander merely babbled innocently, Diane could only feel a deep pit in her stomach as she watched the geyser of light continue to illuminate the city skyline.
"Goliath…Derek…I'm begging you," she uttered, her voice trembling as she clutched her chest. "Please…bring her home."
Back at the mansion, Proteus continued to laugh with mad glee as the portal continued to swirl out of control. And Goliath and the others were left with absolutely no clue how to stop him. The fact that Proteus was able to touch the floor with his initial strike made it clear that he was at least tangible again, so he could be fought. But against such a massive opponent, even with all of them combined, what could be done?
"SUCH POWER!" Proteus bellowed in delight. "I NEVER IMAGINED IT COULD FEEL THIS GOOD!"
It was at that moment, that Elisa happened to glance over and notice the harness Proteus had been wearing. Jutting from his chest, it had become merged with Proteus' patchwork body. And it was still active. Immediately, Elisa's mind began to race with possibilities. If she could just find the right opening…and a weapon…
It was then that she looked over and noticed her service pistol, which had been knocked out of her hand when Bronx had been knocked into her. That gave her the weapon. Now all she needed was the opening. Quietly inching off to the side, she kept her eyes on Proteus' three heads, making sure that he was still too busy gloating to notice anything anyone else was doing.
"NOTHING CAN STOP ME!" Proteus shouted to the heavens. "I…AM…FOREVER!"
At that moment, Elisa seized her opportunity. Throwing herself towards Proteus before Goliath or Adam could stop her, she tucked into a forward roll, collecting her gun off the floor. And just as Proteus noticed her, Elisa flipped to her knees, her gun trained squarely on the harness in his chest.
"You're history."
Before Proteus could react, Elisa squeezed the trigger and fired. The bullet smashed through the power pack of the harness, immediately rendering it inactive. But even as the machine was shut off, the portal remained open, only now flowing inward like vacuum and threatening to absorb everything in it.
"WHAT? NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Proteus wailed as his incursion forms began pulling away from his body and vanishing into the portal, undoing his monstrous form.
Elisa, meanwhile, had dashed into Goliath's arms as he held her close, trying to keep her from getting dragged in. All the others were equally struggling against the vortex's pull. But outside the mansion, Puck could only react with confusion as the crushing force that was pressing against the barrier had suddenly vanished.
"Now what?" he remarked, only to look up towards the mansion. Curious at the sudden change, he and Alexander flew in to investigate.
Back inside, Proteus continued to be separated from his other bodies, while Goliath and the others desperately held their ground. Within moments, the last incursion disappeared into the portal, leaving only Proteus' original body and a badly frayed harness. Of course, it wasn't long before Proteus' thin feeble body succumbed to the pull of the vortex and was taken off his feet. Yelping in panic, he grabbed one of the broken floor planks trying desperately to hold on and avoid getting dragged inside.
"No…! No…! Help!" he cried out in terror. "Somebody help me!"
Just then, Proteus felt himself being pulled away from the vortex, causing him to let out an immediate sigh of relief. But his respite was short-lived as he looked over to see Adam, pulling him up by the harness and glaring into his face with glowing eyes.
"You took something that didn't belong to you," he hissed, flashing a wicked grin.
Proteus could only feel perfectly helpless, his limp body dangling in Adam's grip. But just then, the frayed straps of the harness Proteus was wearing began to give way. And as Adam was starting to pull away from the portal, the entire harness snapped, sending Proteus hurtling inside, screaming in panic as he disappeared.
There was nothing Adam could do to save Proteus without getting pulled into the vortex, himself. The best he could hope for was to try and escape with his own life. But just as he was trying to step back, the floorboards under his feet suddenly began to crack and shift.
"Oh…many things about this are not good," he remarked simply, only to let out a yelp as the floor broke under him and he was send hurtling into the vortex.
Suddenly, a pair of hands firmly gripped Adam's wrist. Looking up, his eyes went wide as he noticed Goliath had lunged forward and was now desperately pulling him back. And Elisa was right there beside him, pulling on Goliath's arm and trying to help him any way she could.
Acting quickly, the rest of the clan charged to Goliath and Elisa's aid, trying to help them rescue Adam. But it was at that moment that Alexander and Puck arrived on the scene. Flying in beside Goliath and Elisa, Alexander noticed the harness still gripped in Adam's hand. Pulling it away, he placed his free hand to Goliath's chest. And with a burst of light, Goliath and Elisa were suddenly thrown back to the other side of the room, dragging Adam with them.
"Puck…barrier…now! No matter what, keep everyone out of here!" Alexander ordered.
"Alex, what are you doing?" Fox shouted as she and Xanatos ran forward, only to be stopped in their tracks by Puck's mystical energy.
Alex didn't respond with words. But as he turned to look at her with a sober expression, his eyes had taken a mystical glow. A moment later, he turned his attention back toward the swirling vortex, holding the damaged harness in his outstretched hands. And with a deep breath, he stood firm and finally began to speak…
"PATH OF AGES, EMPIRES AND EVES,
YOU THREATEN THE EXISTENCE THROUGH WHICH YOU WEAVE,
SO WITH THE TOOLS THAT INJURED YOU TONIGHT,
I SEAL YOUR WOUND…AND END THIS BLIGHT!"
As the words escaped Alexander's lips, a radiant stream of magical energy burst from his chest, striking the harness and feeding it with energy once again. Within seconds, the lenses of the device glowed with life again, creating spirals of twinkling energy around the portal entrance. Gradually, the sparkling trails began to converge, sealing the breach of the vortex and ultimately closing it with a brilliant flash.
Everyone else could only breathe a sigh of relief as the portal finally closed. But their calm was immediately shattered as Alexander's arms dropped to his sides. A moment later, he crumpled to his knees and collapsed to the ground.
"ALEX!" Fox screamed in horror, charging forward as Puck's barrier went down.
Xanatos and Fox were the first to reach him, with Fox sliding along the floor on her knees beside Alexander's prone body. At first, she could only shudder on the spot, afraid to reach out and touch him. She could only feel the empty pit opening in her heart as every second he lay there was another second she feared the worst. It wasn't until Xanatos finally turned him over and Alexander let out a dazed breath that Fox could feel her heart beating again, her eyes welling up, almost to overflowing.
"Oooooohhhh…," Alexander groaned, still gripping the harness as Fox and Xanatos slowly helped him up. "The only thing worse than this part…is the STUPID…RHYMING."
"Hey!" Puck immediately objected.
"Oh, it's dumb and you know it's dumb," Alexander muttered.
"Well…actually, yeah, it is, kinda. But what can you do?" Puck replied with a shrug before the sounds of police sirens in the distance quickly caught his attention. "Uh, ladies? Gentlemen? I'm pretty sure this is where we get off."
"Wait…where's Demona?" Brooklyn asked, only to have everyone glance around the room and notice that Demona had once again disappeared, most likely in the confusion of the battle.
Brooklyn could only let out another heavy, exasperated sigh as Puck threw out his arms, encasing the entire party in yet another sphere of light, which burst off into the sky. And not a moment to soon, as Matt arrived on the scene with several squad cars, just in time to see Goliath and the others making their exit.
"Whoa," one of the uniformed officers remarked as the sphere took off into the clouds and disappeared from sight. "What's up with the light show, Detective?"
"I have no idea," Matt answered, turning back to one of the cars as his voice lowered to a murmur. "But I think I just might know where the answers went."