Goliath and Angela were gliding above the city while they searched for Broadway. It took them nearly an hour to reach the area Ophelia stated she had seen him. Goliath and Angela glided in silence while they searched until Angela could no longer stand the quiet.
"I really wish that you would talk with me more." Angela glided over a tall building and then dove to pick up speed. "We could help each other. I miss her to and I wish she were back."
"I know that you do, but I cannot place that burden on anyone else. I am the leader and it is my responsibility to shoulder this on my own." Goliath was quiet for a moment. "I need to protect you better than I protected them."
"There was nothing else that you could have done. You need to accept that we are warriors and we all know the risks we take each and every time we go into battle." Angela snarled angrily. Then she sighed impatiently. "I'm your daughter and I need you to be more than my leader…I need you to be my father. I lost my mother and with the way you've been behaving I fear that I may lose you too. We need each other more now than ever."
Goliath was very impressed with how his daughter had matured. He was going to reply and then noticed movement below him. He pointed towards it and Angela gasped while they both dove towards the ground. When they landed they saw Broadway about fifty yards ahead of them and he was walking towards them slowly.
"There you are." Angela started to rush forward but Goliath quickly grabbed her arm. Her eyes widened and she looked back at him in surprise. "What are you doing? We have to help him he looks hurt."
"Hold a moment. We need to make sure that it is safe." Goliath advised. He held her back and she began to get frustrated when Broadway stumbled and fell.
"There's no one else around. It should be safe. C'mon we have to help him." Angela began to run towards him again. Goliath ran forward with her and was concerned that Broadway did not seem to notice any of what was going on or even call out to them.
"The last time we saw him was during the battle with the horsemen. We need to be sure that he is still himself." Goliath pointed out. Broadway looked up and grinned wickedly when he saw them running towards him. When they got within earshot he began to act like he was in pain and called out to them.
"Goliath…Angela…Is that you?" Broadway forced himself to say the words slowly. Then he acted as if he was relieved to see them. Thank goodness I found you." He let his body crash to the ground and listened while they ran up to him. Goliath went to lift him up and thought he noticed a smile and backed away suspiciously for a moment. Angela flashed him a dirty look and he shrugged off the suspicious feeling and ran forward to help her lift him up. He looked as though he could barely keep his eyes open when they stood him up and began to help him walk back towards the hideout.
"How…how long…have I been…away?" Broadway stammered.
"It's been over a month. I've been so worried about you." Angela informed him.
You've been so concerned that you left me for a month. Broadway thought bitterly. "I'm sorry I worried you." He nearly laughed when he saw the look of surprise on her face.
"It wasn't your fault. It was those damned horsemen. Now, that you're back we need to hunt them down and kill every last one of them." Her eyes began to glow red and she looked like she wanted to go find them right that minute.
"I thought you were against killing them." Goliath grinned at her.
"Obviously, I meant after we free our friends from them." Angela snapped back.
"We will find them, but first we need to get him home and get Mary to check him out." Goliath stated firmly. "Broadway, I will need for you to let Mary run some tests when we get back."
"Do you think he's infected? I don't see any bite marks on him." Angela pointed out.
"He's been gone for a month. It's best that we take every precaution." Goliath stated. Angela was about to argue but when she saw the worried look in her father's eyes she decided it would be best to let the matter drop.
"Hey, there you are. We searched everywhere for you." After two hours of walking Goliath, Angela, and Broadway made it back to the hideout, and Lexington was there to greet them.
Yeah, well you obviously didn't search everywhere. "I'm sure you did." Broadway replied half-heartedly. Lex was concerned by the lack of emotion in his voice.
He must be exhausted after everything that happened. Lex thought and walked with them to Broadway's chambers. They laid him down and quietly began to leave the room. Angela was the last to the door and before she walked out Broadway began to sit up.
"Angela, can you stay and keep me company. I really don't want to be alone." Angela closed the door and walked back towards him.
"Sure, I guess we can talk for a while."
…
"What's taking so long to locate the seal?" Demona asked impatiently. War rolled her eyes irritably.
"Perhaps I'm just not motivated since you decided to keep my…" War didn't get the chance to finish speaking. Demona lifter her into the air by her throat and her eyes flared red.
"You keep forgetting who's in charge around here." She stated calmly. She slammed war into the wall and whispered into her ear. "I have forgiven your transgressions against me to this point. Do not push me any further, or I will make an example of you." She dropped War back to the ground and began to leave the room. "Find it quickly otherwise it will be you that will explain to Lucifer why we are delayed." War's eyes widened for a moment and Demona grinned before she stepped out of the room.
"Famine, get your brother. It's time for us to deal with Demona once and for all." War grinned and opened a case that contained a long silver blade.
…
"We have to do something now David." Fox turned the television off and threw the remote across the room. They had watched the news all day and they continued to re-show the footage they had of the gargoyles fighting the horsemen.
"If you have any suggestions dear I would love to hear them." David said irritably. "I've already lost half of my steel clan fighting these creatures." Fox glared at him for a moment but shook her head and turned back on the television.
…
Reggie walked into the bathroom and shook his head when a bright blue doorway opened beside him. A man walked through wearing a bright silver suit with a tie that lit up different colors in a random order. He wore a hat to match his jacket and pants. He had a black silk shirt on and a pair of shoes to match it. In his left hand he held the cigar that he was still smoking and in his right he held what appeared to be a remote control in his left hand.
"It's about time Al. Did Ziggy find an alternative yet?" Reggie asked irritably.
"Not yet, but we are working on it as fast as we can." Al informed him. "Sam, it's possible that there is no alternative." Al pointed out.
"We both know that I'm here because Reggie failed to find a cure for this disease right?" Sam walked closer to his friend and looked him in the eye as he spoke. "Well, what if the reason he failed is because he did it this way? What if the way to succeed is by using a different method this time around?"
"Alright, what method can you come up with that Ziggy can't in the next forty eight hours?" Al asked. Concern crept into his voice as he spoke. Sam began to pace back and forth it was a habit he had started as a kid whenever he couldn't come up with an answer to a problem he was working on.
"I don't know, but I do know that with any disease the search for the cure goes the same way. If I can get a blood sample from a living creature then that will give me a good look at what the disease affects first and how it spreads through the body to the brain." Sam began to get excited and he began to talk faster. "We can create antibodies that will fight off the disease at the point before it reaches the brain which will destroy the disease."
"Okay, but how are you going to get one of those things here alive without getting bitten yourself?" Al tried to reason with his friend.
"Ask Ziggy what the chances are of synthesizing a vaccine from the blood of one of these creatures." Al sighed and began pushing buttons on the remote. The device made a high pitched sound and he hit it a couple of times and then read what it displayed on the screen.
"Ziggy says your chances are…well, they're roughly fifty-fifty however you will need to get a big enough sample from the brain stem which from our records shows that is the place the disease sets up roots." Al gave his friend a look that Sam knew all too well was full of pity. "I don't think you can get a sample of this size without killing the host."
"I'll need multiple test subjects. With more infected people I can take smaller samples and combine them." Sam thought out loud.
"You're a doctor Sam. We both know that won't work. Everyone reacts differently to the beginning of every disease and it'll throw off your findings." Al pointed out.
"I'm still going to try. If it fails then I will concede that I may have to kill…" Sam stated irritably. David walked in just as Sam was finishing his sentence.
"Kill who? Not me I hope." David was curious about why Reggie was once again speaking to himself.
"No, definitely not I was thinking out loud…Mr. Xanatos; I need at least three live subjects so I can take samples." Sam informed him.
"What about the corpses we brought you?" David sighed and rubbed his temples. "What have you found from them?"
"I found where the disease attacks and I have found a possible way to attack the disease head on." Sam replied.
"Then why do we need live subjects?" David asked irritably.
"I need to get a live sample of this virus in order to synthesize a vaccine. Then I will need to test it on one of the creatures." David thought about it for a moment.
"I'll see what I can do. In the meantime you'll need to move your lab equipment into the basement. I won't take the chance of having one of those things in the upper levels of my office." Sam nodded and quickly left to start moving the equipment over.
Fox is not going to like this. David chuckled and picked up his phone to call Owen.
…
"Are you certain about this spell?" Arthur asked while he walked through their new neighborhood with Merlin.
"It'll bring him here, but the question is do we actually want to risk bringing him here?" Merlin asked and looked around nervously.
"These undead creatures are out of our control. Philostrene may be the only one who can put a stop to them." Arthur pointed out.
"After he puts a stop to them how then do we put a stop to him?" Merlin was curious about how they would deal with the new being that Arthur planned to summon.
"We will be able to focus all of our energy against one target and with the help of the gargoyles and their allies we can do this." Arthur advised his old friend.
"I guess we will see." Merlin sighed and they both finished their walk in silence while they were both deep in thought.
…
"I really don't think I should be here. Mary may not approve of this." Luoch stated nervously. A tall blonde woman walked up to him wearing only a blue bra and panty set. Matt was amused by his friend's discomfort and decided to add to it.
"Hey darling, why don't you give my friend the VIP treatment? Believe it or not this guy is getting married." He grinned and handed her a twenty dollar bill. Matt and Macbeth laughed and Luoch became even more nervous while the girl danced on him. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when she removed her bra and pushed her breasts into his face.
Matt bought a dance for Macbeth and himself. After a few minutes Matt had an idea and he grinned mischievously at his friend while he leaned forward to whisper in the stripper's ear. She nodded enthusiastically and whispered something back to him before she leaned over to speak to the girl that was dancing on Luoch. They both giggled and they both whispered something in Luoch's ear. He vigorously shook his head no making Matt laugh again.
"Are you sure baby, me and my girlfriend will make this a night you'll never forget." She stood up slowly and began to pull his arms to get him to stand up.
"I…I really can't…do this." Luoch stammered.
"You're married aren't you?" She giggled and she began to leave with her friend. "If you change your mind we'll be in this room here." She said while she opened the door to the first room on the right. Matt stared at his friend and shook his head.
"If you're not going to take advantage of this situation I will." He patted Luoch's shoulder and walked towards the room. He knocked twice before the door opened and he walked inside.
…
"Goliath, we found the horsemen's hideout by going down the same path that Broadway walked." Katana said excitedly. Brooklyn and Katana came into the conference room and before Brooklyn could speak she interrupted him. Goliath looked up from a paper that he had looked over every night since Adela disappeared. It was the song that she had written for him throughout the centuries.
"You should know that we saw Adela there too." Brooklyn informed him. Goliath's eyes began to glow white and he growled menacingly. He slowly rose to his feet and approached them. Brooklyn and Katana backed up a little but found themselves bumping into the wall behind them.
"She would never join them. How can you even…" Goliath snarled.
"We could barely see her from the distance we were away, but Goliath she even has her scent." Katana replied. Goliath went to the door and stopped for a moment. He glared at them impatiently.
"Take me where you saw her, and if it is her then I shall deal with it." Goliath growled. "I cannot believe that she would abandon us willingly to join them. She was against what they stood for."
"And if she is working with them?" Brooklyn crossed his arms over his chest and ignored the glare being directed at him from Katana.
"Then I will do what must be done." Goliath growled.
…
Adela opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings. She began to panic when she realized that everything was dark.
"Where am I?" She asked out loud but no answer came. "The last thing I remember was fighting and then falling, but how did I get here?"
"Good, you're awake. That will make this much more amusing." A hollow voice said in an amused tone. Adela thought she recognized the voice, but didn't know where it came from. Suddenly a light flooded the room and nearly blinded her. She put her arm up to shield her eyes and gasped. That's where I heard the voice before. Adela thought as she saw a tall figure wrapped in a black cloak. He wore a golden sword on his hip and the only parts of the figure that were visible were the bony hands and forearms.
"I told you all those years ago Demona that you haven't seen the last of me. Well here I am. I always keep my promises." Death laughed at her. Her chest heaved and she could feel a hole in her stomach.
How will I get out of here? I have to get back to Goliath. Adela thought to herself. Death grinned he stepped closer to her and caused bars to grow out of the ground and attach to the ceiling imprisoning her.
"You won't get out of here this time. There is no Goliath with a magic coin to save you. You were meant to die five years ago and after we are finished you will die." Death chuckled and started to walk away.
"I have to get back to my clan and my beloved." Adela called out. "I don't want to fight you if I don't have to. Just let me out of here."
"You know that isn't what your heart truly desires." Death walked up to her and eyed her as he spoke.
"You don't know anything about me." Adela snarled.
"Don't I? I'm inside your mind Adela or should I call you Demona. That is the name you wish to go by again is it not?" Adela shook her head and backed away from the bars.
"You don't know me." Adela said again, but this time her voice sounded less confident.
"I know you better than your clan, I know you better than your mate, and I believe I know you better than you know yourself." Adela shook her head vigorously and Death grinned at her. "I know that you still have hatred in your heart for the one known as Elisa Maza. I know that you had your doubts about rejoining your clan but losing your immortality and nearly dying caused you to panic."
"That's not true." Adela growled.
"Again, you cannot lie to me. I am in your mind. You rushed into Goliath's arms out of fear and now you surrendered your will to me because you are lost." Death replied.
"I love Goliath." Adela stated coldly.
"Perhaps, but you aren't completely the angel that he thinks you've become. You still hate how soft he is with humans and I know you detest his friendship with the detective." Adela stared at him in shock. "If you survive this you will thank me for showing you that you rushed into a path that would have caused you to resent everyone around you."
"Goliath will come for me," Adela stated in a threatening tone.
"Yes, he will, but by the time he gets here I know that you'll realize I am correct and you may not want to go back with him." Death paced back and forth in front of the bars and looked as if he were contemplating something. "I will make you a deal Demona. If you quit lying to yourself and still decide the path you've chosen is the one you want then I will leave. If you decide to go off on your own then I will send you some place the clan will never find you."
"What's in it for you?" Adela was suspicious of the offer, but wanted to know more.
"I am a horseman, but as the horseman of Death I thrive in a world that is balanced. Life and Death, Good and Evil, it is all paint on a canvas. For the last millennia you have upset that balance and when this is over I want that to be corrected. Remember, I am in your head I will know what it is you truly desire when the time comes." He left the room and Adela slumped against the wall and slid to the ground. She put her head in her hands and began to sob bitterly.
Could he be right?