Gargoyles

by TVfan

Goliath and his clan have come a long way since awakening in New York. He has found love with Elisa. The clan has grown with the transformations inflicted on Elisa and the female trio. But, they have many battles still to fight and a long way to go to win acceptance. (transferred from the Gargoyles Fan Website where I'm SN and have forgotten my password.)

63. Games Behind the Scenes, Part 2

All characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyrighted to Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. I've taken the idea for the Unseelie Court from the TGS. Characters and concepts from Star Trek are property of Paramount and created by Gene Roddenberry. No Infringement of these copyrights is intended and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of SN/TVfan.

Note: I'm disregarding the events of the "Goliath Chronicles", with the exception of "The Journey" because I do not wish to use the rest of the "Goliath Chronicles" as canon to my story. Also, I'm altering large sections of the Star Trek storyline, especially concerning events like WWIII and the Eugenics Wars, which without the Cold War as a backdrop probably wouldn't happen the way Roddenberry wrote them, if at all. This story takes place immediately after "Games Behind the Scenes, Part 1."

Also Note: I write these chapters as a hobby. If you're a follower and want to see more... than be patient. New chapters will be added. If you wish review... review with regard to the content of the chapter... NOT that it took a while.

Games Behind the Scenes, Part 2

By SN/TVfan

A Manhattan Courthouse

"You're sure you'll be ready for this, right?" the Federal prosecutor asked the Deputy Manhattan DA again as they waited in a hallway of the courthouse.

They weren't too far from the Glass Palace Hotel, the site of the battle that had seen the Gargoyles Task Force and New York Police SWAT units take down an organized crime group that had been operating out of the hotel and had even seemed to be running the hotel as a front for everything else in their organization. The venue fit with the local jurisdiction regarding the arrests made, even if the GTF claimed custody of the bulk of the defendants and thus required bringing them back to their precinct, the 23rd. Though, the Federal prosecutor was more here because the present trial was more with the man credited for the emergency call that brought in the organized crime group, and a man that the FBI and NYPD only knew as "John Doe."

While his real name was a major unknown, and the NYPD had mostly identified him by profile sketches of him drawn by witnesses of certain crimes that he was suspected of being connected to and for run ins with the GTF at earlier times, but they'd never been able to get his name. That was frustrating, but not the greatest problem in dealing with John Doe, or even the reason why the present trial had a Federal Prosecutor joining the case. That had more to do with other things the GTF had found out while trying to identify, tail, and catch John Doe. The degree to which John Doe had managed to stretch things was astounding, and that had gone beyond the jurisdiction the NYPD had.

It started with a dragon's attack on the city, an attack that was thwarted by some gargoyles, though there was no report of them being part of the GTF. The Federal Government took possession of the dragon's body, mostly to try and see what had made it able to endure as much as it did before going down, and so far, that research was still going on. That was then when John Doe entered the picture, in which it was believed that he had somehow engineered a way to steal some of the dragon's blood and had been looking for a buyer or someone that might be able to produce another for reasons yet to fully be known. The GTF had caught onto it and had been surveilling John Doe, though that had taken them into New Jersey and which in turn brought Federal prosecutors into the case in addition to the various New York City crimes that John Doe was connected with.

That was what brought the Feds and the NYC District Attorney's Office into partnership to deal with a known thief, and one who was probably involved in more than that. But those suspicions had also raised concerns on what John Doe was involved in and what help he might have that they didn't know about. That was where it was hoped that the GTF would agree to come in and provide additional security. The attorneys felt they had the evidence to get a conviction on what John Doe would be accused of, but they didn't out of distrust of the DA's office given on how Margot Yale had tried to find ways to charge the gargoyles with something until the Quarrymen took things too far after the alliance made between her and them and leading to her death when it failed.

"We're sure we can convict John Doe," the Deputy DA spoke, "though the gargoyles aren't keen on providing extra security in case some other friends of John Doe show up…"

"They don't want to protect the court?" the Federal prosecutor asked.

"They don't think that John Doe will have any more friends that could break him out," Jasper said nervously, "they think that the ones that would have the men to break him out were among those that they and the SWAT units caught… and anyone tied to that organization might not want to help him because of his betrayal."

"Of course, they may have desires on settling that score," the Federal prosecutor commented.

"And that may happen," the Deputy DA commented, "though, if we get through the trial with no trouble, then that would be an issue within the prison system, and John Doe may end up in a Federal Prison. The mobsters that he betrayed would be in New York prisons."

The Federal prosecutor nodded with some acceptance at that. He'd followed enough of the stories that surrounded the battle at the Glass Palace Hotel and the reports, both from the news and the NYPD gave some indication that it was a 911 call from the hotel that alerted the police to the mobster's presence and armaments there. It would stand to reason that they would want revenge. The bigger problem, however, was that they didn't know much about John Doe beyond what he was suspected of doing, and some of those things had been so big that there might well be something going on with the man that posed a major threat that they didn't know of. And as the three men made their way to the offices near the courtroom their case would begin in, thoughts and fears over the unknown surrounding John Doe remained on their minds.

0-0-0

Meanwhile, in a different part of the building, John Doe made a very different arrival at the courthouse. Cuffed and in the back of the car that took him from the 23rd Precinct to this building, he was in no position to truly pull anything devious. He glanced up at the architecture that carried a fairly classical theme to it, which seemed to fit many law courts in the western world and had some private sighs of frustration, as a lot of his own plans had been defeated and, in some ways, he wasn't fully sure on how they were defeated. Some of it he gave to the mobsters that had rescued him the first time in that they fell into many of the same traps that Tony Dracon had fallen into years before and that complicated the things that John Doe wanted to do, though as he looked onto the sea of faces looking to him, and some flashing cameras, John Doe also had the sense that he couldn't really dwell too much on what had gotten him caught.

He was bombarded with questions that he ignored as he was ushered into the building. Eventually he was led to an office not too far from the courtroom where he would have to give his initial statement and see how far the trial went from there. This was something he expected and found that the court appointed attorney was there and waited for him, and they would have some time to discuss their strategy for the fight. Much of that was to look toward a form of plea deal that would pass the bulk of the responsibility onto Tora Mikazu and that the bulk of his actions were entirely to avoid being killed by the gangster, and he could then use a lot of the threats that had been made against him already as proof of that. It wouldn't defeat everything, but John Doe knew it would remove the worst of these issues, and he figured that would be enough and he could look to creating chaos once his sentence was up.

However, as he entered the office, John Doe found that there was another man there. He wore a more expensive suit than the court appointed attorney that he'd already been given and had some contact with while being questioned by the NYPD while in custody. He wasn't a federal agent, but he wasn't someone that he'd met before and so he looked to the newcomer with some degree of suspicion, remembering the complications that he'd had to deal with after Tora had decided to "rescue" him after he'd provoked a near riot between members of PIT and members of the Order of the Phoenix.

"It would seem that something has changed," John Doe said slowly as he glanced at the officers pulling back to the doorway and then out of the office, knowing that that doorway was the only way in or out of the room. He then looked to his court appointed attorneys and then finally to the newcomer, who ran his hand through his hair to push it back.

"Not everything, sir," the man answered as he gave a wave of his hand to the long table was there. Normally it was for the lawyers and clients to organize things, but it could also be used for any last-minute strategy changes that may come up. "But there could be some minor changes that I think would actually help your case."

"I really hadn't seen anything like that," John Doe said slowly, "Mister…"

"Andrews… Mathew Andrews," the man answered as he watched John Doe sit down at the desk, "I was contacted by a third party that has some interest in you and would wish your release in this matter."

"Even though I'm accused of starting a riot? For stealing blood from that dragon that the US government took possession of after it attacked the city?" John Doe asked carefully, "and then adding in the attempted solicitation of someone to try and clone that dragon? Not to mention the obvious connections with the Yakuza group that had been running the Glass Palace Hotel?"

"That would seem rather troublesome," Mathew Andrews spoke, "but from what I've seen on the news, that you are also supposed to have been the one who called the police to have them catch the Yakuza group, and the court appointed attorneys have told me that you haven't fully told them, or the police, when you first ran into those mobsters."

John Doe nodded, as he did turn Tora Mikazu over to the police when he figured that Tora and her organization, whether or not they were truly Yakuza or not he couldn't confirm, weren't about to let him control his own operations. It was a betrayal, but one designed for the control of his own life and his own plans. The one issue was that the battle at the Glass Palace Hotel had gone on long enough that John Doe hadn't been able to convince his "escorts" to follow him as though the battle had some other beginning. His arrest in turn led to them learning of his betrayal.

"Which strikes me that these mobsters were likely the cause of much of these issues you're accused of," Mathew Andrews continued, "that they caught you somewhere and used some kind of force to get you to help them in some way, which is what the police have found. If you weren't a law-abiding citizen, you would have happily gone along with them because of the volume of illicit money and violence those mobsters would have caused would have helped you gain power with them."

John Doe inwardly smiled at that but made sure not to actually do so. His actions had nothing to do with being law abiding. And to a degree, he did agree that the chaos that many elements of Tora's plans could have unleashed would have helped his own plans along. He'd only turned on her because he had the sense that he would end up her servant, which wasn't on his agenda. For the moment, though, because he didn't see a way to beat the charges against him at present, he figured to give the lawyer some leeway to work with his strategy.

"And this would include inciting the riotous behavior that the PIT members engaged in?" John Doe asked.

"Yes," Matthew Andrews nodded, "it may not fully prevent a guilty verdict… but a lot of that may have to do with some of the other details of the case that can't be avoided, BUT because from what your defense team already has and what the prosecution has, the worst of things could be passed on to the mobsters that you helped put away."

"But you think it might do this?" John Doe asked.

"If we can confirm when Tora and her mobsters first grabbed you and have a convincing argument that everything you'd done was under duress," Matthew Andrews gave a smile, "and even if that doesn't work in defeating the charges outright, it should also help secure a lighter sentence than outright asking for a plea deal, as that would imply some cooperation with the mobsters, and which many good prosecutors will either A) ignore because they think they have enough evidence to get the bigger criminals without your help or B) will want you to help them convict the bigger criminals in the case."

"And based on the fight at the Glass Palace Hotel, the NYPD can provide the evidence needed to take down the mobsters that were there," one of the other attorneys spoke up, "in this, to convict Tora, they may not need you. But based on what you'd told us… we didn't think there was much that could be done. And personally, I'd question Mister Andres claim that he could win this case."

"Oh?" John Doe looked at him.

"His strategy is simply to throw the mobsters under the proverbial bus in the hopes that the jury's reaction to the battle will get them to see you as a victim of their crimes and accept what little evidence could be presented to confirm it," the attorney spoke, "and likely gambling that these mobsters will threaten you when they find out about this accusation. Something they may wish to do, anyway, and push the jury's feelings that way. But they would be able to ask further questions of those you would be tossing under the bus, just to confirm things, and all of this will be under oath. So, if you say the mobsters grabbed you BEFORE you messed with PIT, and they say they didn't… and have proof they didn't… we would have committed perjury and that is a crime on its own."

"But you don't know when all that occurred," Matthew Andrews answered, "and I'd doubt that these mobsters kept written records on when they grabbed Mr. Doe."

John Doe inwardly smiled and let things go, as things were progressing rather interestingly and that gave him a few ideas.

Elsewhere over Manhattan

The northern part of Manhattan was fairly quiet, and Lexington and Ian were calm and quiet as they carried out their patrol for the moment. And for the most part, a lot of what they responded to were fairly quiet. A lot of this related to so many of the differences between the Gargoyles Task Force and the rest of the patrol units the NYPD had. The gargoyle's ability to glide and operate in a three-dimensional space could let them cover more ground, and thus while they operated out of the 23rd Precinct, they often covered all of Manhattan. Most often, they were tasked to patrol for various street level crimes or things of that nature. They could even respond to almost anything with the walkie-talkie sets that they had that tied into the radios that the rest of the NYPD used.

This provided the clan with a fair amount of flexibility in patrols and could even enhance them with the potential for getting calls on issues inside buildings rather than just waiting to stumble onto a crime being committed outside. To Lexington, it was a bit of a reminder on how things had been back when Castle Wyvern was in Scotland and the clan helped defend it, but had expanded in ways that even the old clan didn't have. It was a remarkable amount of progress and something that showed how through all the clan's battles, things had gotten better. The one thing that Lexington didn't fully like was not being able to patrol with the rest of the trio or with Candy, but that seemed to come more to the NYPD's rules, and after learning some things from Goliath and Elisa over the years, some of those sacrifices were worth it if it meant the clan got some of the progress they'd made thus far.

"You really don't think that the lawyers are trying to pull something, do you?" Ian asked as they rounded one corner, seeing nothing and getting no alerts on their walkie-talkies.

"I wouldn't know for sure," Lexington answered with a bit of a sigh, glancing over briefly and then looking forward again, "Yale tried to pull a lot of stunts to arrest us… back before Elisa was transformed by the Mage and then Yale was killed by Castaway. And through those years… she served to irritate both Matt and Elisa, who did their best to limit how much the NYPD could do make those arrests that Yale wanted."

"Makes me glad my group decided to join you guys AFTER all that," Ian answered.

"Makes me glad that things have gotten better since then," Lexington corrected, "I mean… before we patrolled and protected the city, but we weren't official, and to a degree, many street criminals that we apprehended ended up back on the street because were weren't official. Now we are official and can help ensure that crooks stay in jail."

The two continued along a straightaway path down a line of buildings on either side of them. A lot of the city's lights kept things lit well enough to look out, but so far things seemed quiet as they patrolled, and nothing came over their walkie-talkies to indicate a call to something.

"Well, that's all good," Ian commented, "and we have made progress…"

"Yes," Lexington nodded, "which is all good."

"But that still brings up the question on if the lawyers that replaced Yale mean to play the same tricks?" Ian asked.

"I really don't know," Lexington gave shrug, which made him drop a bit in the air for a moment as the continued along, "the attempts to try and force an arrest stopped, but until recently… when the NYPD decided to hire the clan… that might have been more deciding not to force things that couldn't be stopped. Often because Yale found that Xanatos was able to stonewall her attempts to justify an arrest. Our sleeping stone forms were denied being us and just statues and if we weren't there when Elisa or Matt were sent to "search" the castle, there wasn't much that could be done, and Yale's efforts wasted time or money."

The two banked to their left to then land on the roof of one of the buildings they were gliding by. It was something that let Lexington rest his arms for a few moments before they were to continue on.

"But that's not something that would indicate support," Lexington then finished, "more that they just didn't think there was a way to win."

Ian nodded, agreeing with that logic, "but things are different now, right?"

"Probably," Lexington replied, "but a lot of it is so new that I don't think Matt, Goliath, or Elisa know enough to say on the attorney's taking over Yale's role. So… it's something where they might have to prove themselves to us… in a way."

"So… we're just not going to trust their warning out of fear that the lawyers are laying a trap for us?" Ian asked, sounding a bit suspicious of all this, and remembering what the others had said on the battle at the Glass Palace Hotel.

Lexington paused for a moment on that. The battle at the Glass Palace Hotel, which had defeated an organized crime ring that had been running the hotel and had its leaders operating out of the rooms on the top floor. It was another thing possible because of the unique position that was set up by the new Gargoyles Task Force's position was set up, and Lexington and Ian's assignment to track and monitor John Doe's movements, which would then be turned over to the FBI and their investigators to cover jurisdictional issues showed how special the clan's position was. That was something that other standard patrol units couldn't do and was also something that could be a sign of progress in other ways.

The progress the clan had made was the one thing that made Lexington stop and think over things. To a degree, he trusted Goliath's leadership of the clan and Elisa's experience with the NYPD, even after the Mage had transformed Elisa, and that was enough for Lex not to question Goliath or Detective Bluestone. But he, Broadway, and Brooklyn had seen enough television, including some crime dramas to eventually ask Elisa how some of those sorts of things worked within New York City's system of law enforcement. The answers that had been given were enough to let him know that the police were really only part of the system and the DA's office handed the work in court to make sure that those the police arrested went to jail. The accused also got lawyers to make sure that the man accused was truly guilty and provide any evidence that might indicate something had been done wrong or missed. It was different from what Lexington remembered in Medieval Scotland, and likely what Ian was familiar with on Avalon… but it was how things operated now. As such, it would seem odd for the DA's office to try and trap the clan into something.

"I wouldn't personally think there's a trap," Lexington answered, "and it's possible that Matt, Goliath, and Elisa don't either. But they could well be concerned about other issues that would make some of the requests made by the DA could be there. Maybe there isn't a threat of someone breaking in to try and free John Doe…"

"I might personally think more might want to off him," Ian commented, "particularly if all those mobsters from the Glass Palace Hotel thing that John Doe betrayed them."

"That may be… but these courthouses generally have pretty good security there standard," Lexington responded, "and at the same time… the group that Goliath's team and the SWAT members caught was so large that I don't think the danger of them getting revenge on John Doe at the trial is likely."

Manhattan Courthouse

The conversation with the appointed attorneys and the newly arrived attorney, Matthew Andrews, took a little bit longer than expected, but in time they did have their line of argument ready and waiting. While the officers guarding the door to the room, they'd been in were patient, they did also provide some warning that they would need to also conclude their business before moving into the start of the trial. With the strategy agreed to, John Doe felt more confident in moving ahead, even with a plan that wasn't entirely his own. He could see potential risks, as they did have evidence that clearly showed his involvement in the crimes he would be charged with in the trial and the gamble that all of it was after essentially having the mobsters under Tora's command force him into it wasn't likely to be fully believed, but it played into the parts of the strategy that they had better proof for and could allow for some agreement that would lighten any sentence faced.

The only thing now was to play out the court case and hope things went well. He was escorted by the guards and the lawyers from the conference room and into the main courtroom. The décor was something that John Doe expected from a city as old as New York in North America and built up to serve that purpose. One some levels, it was a sort of design that from the outside, he actually liked and respected. At the same time, though, he didn't like the fact that he was also facing justice here, and thus any 'marvel' he had at the scene really wasn't presented. The one pleasure he could take was seeing the attorneys that represented New York City, New York State, New Jersey, and the US Federal Government looking rather impatient at having been kept waiting. On some of them, he also noted looks of nervousness, though he supposed that was probably due to other pressing matters at that time.

Of course, pressing matters likely related to all that had gone on since his arrival in New York. He'd come noting the chaos that had often followed the gargoyles, often when they ended up battling criminals or agencies that had powers on par with their own, and his only purpose was to find ways that would duplicate that chaos and take advantage of it. As certain crimes had actually spiked during some of the more explosive actions, such as in the chaos when the Quarrymen were granted extraordinary powers when one of the clan's human friends was turned into a gargoyle by an unknown figure. John Doe had only sought to duplicate those spikes but had found himself drawn into them when he ran into Tora's mobsters. They were likely the ones that the lawyers for the prosecution most feared, and likely because they thought that he was long in league with them.

"Of course, this Matthew Andrews' argument could change that entire game," John Doe thought to himself as he was ushered to the defendant's chair.

As he sat down, he noted that the judge seemed to draw a lot of attention to Matthew Andrews' presence as he looked over to the defendant's bench before bringing the court to order.

"Order, we will come to order," the judge spoke while banging his gavel, which drew all attention to him as he then continued, "we will commence the trial, United States vs. John Doe, accused of the crime of criminal conspiracy involving the transport and sale confiscated government property over state lines and engaging in various connected actions, including but not limited to theft, assault, and inciting a riot."

John Doe quietly listened to the judge's reading of the charges and then provided his name.

"This is Judge Thomas Kincaid presiding over this court," the judge spoke, "though before we proceed to the plea and opening statements, the court will as the defense on the nature of the changes to the defense council."

"Of course, your honor," John Doe spoke when the court appointed attorneys ushered him forward, "there isn't much of a change, and I would continue to hold the attorneys appointed by the court. However, an independent attorney, Matthew Andrews has offered to join the team… and has indicated he has been commissioned by an outside party. I've accepted his offer, if that is no trouble."

"So, you are adding to your defense team?" Judge Kincaid questioned.

"Yes, your honor," John Doe nodded.

"Very well, Mr. Andrews, may you present your credentials to the bench and to the prosecution," Judge Kincaid instructed.

"Of course, your honor," Matthew Andrews nodded and came around the defendant's desk and lifting up his briefcase.

John Doe watched and listened as the briefcase clicked open as Matthew Andrews lifted it up. It wasn't long before Matthew Andrews then passed a series of papers over to Judge Kincaid. The attorney then walked over to the prosecutor's table and passed the same pages to the attorneys there for the prosecution. He noted a questioning look on the judge's face, which told John Doe that the judge didn't expect to see what he saw on the documents, which made sense. From what John Doe had figured, Matthew Andrews predominantly practiced corporate law and what businesses were allowed to do regarding working conditions and pay and anything else.

If Andrews had ever done criminal law, it was a long time ago, and for the moment, gave John Doe some sense of confidence. Not because Andrews was a master defense attorney, as John Doe really put his best odds of getting a not-guilty verdict as no better than 45% based on all the information that was available. Andrews presented a rather novel argument that fit with what he'd told the police in interrogation and was part of the deal he'd initially figured to work with, and thus got a lighter sentence. And with the right delivery and a bad response, it might work against the prosecution's argument, but that was something John Doe couldn't predict. However, as he looked at the questioning look from the judge and small smiles on the prosecutors, he had the sense that those odds could improve.

For their looks appeared to indicate that they were looking down on Matthew Andrews because of the nature of the law he practiced. Andrews might know of criminal law, but if he practiced corporate law, that wasn't something done often enough to then hold a great reputation on it. It was something where they were likely looking down on Matthew Andrews, which John Doe was partially gambling on. An arrogant and unconcerned opponent would be more likely to make a mistake and that could be enough to help Matthew Andrews succeed. Though John Doe had to quickly let those things subside as Judge Kincaid then began to resume the trial.

"Does the prosecution have any concerns over the addition to the defendant's team?" Judge Kincaid asked pointedly.

"No, your honor," the federal prosecutor spoke for the prosecution team after the group nodded to each other, "the trial may continue."

"Very well," Judge Kincaid then nodded, "then the court will repeat he statement of the charges against John Doe of criminal conspiracy involving the transport and sale confiscated government property over state lines and engaging in various connected actions, including but not limited to theft, assault, and inciting a riot. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty, by reason force applied against the defendant," Matthew Andrews spoke for John Doe, which did create a small sense of puzzlement.

"Force applied against the defendant?" Judge Kincaid asked.

"Yes, your honor," Matthew Andrews answered, "the defense makes the argument that the mobsters under Tora Mikazu had put a lot of force on John Doe, including the threat of bodily harm if he did not comply with their desires."

"And you have evidence that Tora Mikazu and her organization was the cause of the actions that John Doe's actions?" Judge Kincaid asked.

"Yes, your honor," Matthew Andrews answered.

"Very well, the prosecution may make its opening statements," Judge Kincaid answered and then turned to the prosecution.

23rd Precinct, Later

Matt Bluestone returned to his desk after one trip to collect a cup of coffee from one of the break rooms. The coffee was warm, and he could even feel the heat radiating up and out from the cup. It was something that often kept those on the night shift energized and going, though something that was often what he'd found as different for the Gargoyles Task Force. Most of those working on the night shift among other detectives and standard officers would still only work closer to the standard hours that most other people worked, largely as a means to make sure that officers weren't exhausted or overworked and going into potentially dangerous situations.

However, because the gargoyles were in stone sleep between sunrise and sunset, they didn't have the energy issues that humans had. It was one of the things that Matt had learned from Elisa back when he'd first learned about the clan, and that meant the NYPD's regulations were not as applicable to gargoyles. This in turn kept the new Gargoyles Task Force going for the duration of the night. It could mean flexible hours, given the length of the day and night would change with the year, but it kept things moving forward. This then kept Matt on duty longer than normal, though for the most part, as the new task force had essentially moved him behind a desk in the precinct's clock tower. To some degree, desk duty wasn't Matt's preference, particularly because of the shifting length of his time on duty at the head of the Gargoyles Task Force, but Matt would make do with it.

After all, the present task force was something that might give the clan a better future than they would have had otherwise. The world had been paying more and more attention ever since the Hunters' Moon incident and that became ever truer when some of the more recent battles grew ever larger and more direct. It was something that took a step forward with the clan joining the NYPD, but it also came with its own problems as there would be potential criticisms for abuse and other problems that went along with political activities. Things like what the DA's office was asking for was part of all that. So far as Matt Bluestone knew and could sense, John Doe was defeated and would spend a fairly lengthy period behind bars… and most of those that might cause trouble, would want to kill John Doe rather than help him… and those were also presently in jail and awaiting trial.

And so, for the moment, the Clan was settling into a new arrangement as members of the NYPD and Matt had to work with essentially being promoted from detective. He was intent on giving the clan as good a friend and commander as they could get, before the NYPD's politics and charges around it might risk a more unfriendly commander or mayor coming into a position where they could move against the Clan. He found Detective Jennifer Flariaty, his aide and XO at her desk, sipping from her own mug of coffee. Things were quiet for the moment, which Matt took as something that would be typical of a quieter night.

"So has anything gone on?" Matt asked.

"Not much," Jennifer Flariaty answered with a nod, "Goliath and Eve caught a pretty common street thug… one that tried to mug Ralph Maccio of all people. But so far, there hasn't been much more than that."

Matt found himself chuckling a bit as he sipped his coffee at that, "I'm sure that made his day."

There was a standard chuckle that followed that and then continued that followed along after that.

"The others haven't reported anything that they could see… and haven't been called in to help with anything else," Flariaty then finished, "so… all in all, things have been quiet."

Matt nodded again, feeling some sense of relief that things were quiet. The big battles that the clan had had were the sort that would be something that probably contributed a lot to the rise of the Quarrymen after the Hunter's Moon incident and now the Order of the Phoenix in the wake of the fall of the Quarrymen and then things like the Unseelie War, and Thailog's actions that had the clan getting some attention as people noted the weird events that followed. Some periods of quiet would do well to help the clan and give the NYPD additional time to make some of their actions easier to work with. That was something that Matt could hope for and he began to head back to his own desk to continue with some of the base work requirements that were there to be done with running the task force. Though, he'd just sat down when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs from the rest of the 23rd Precinct's offices and into the clock tower where the GTF operated out of.

"This might be something," Matt said slowly and off hand, knowing that if the clan members on patrol were returning for a break and respite between patrols, they would come in from the doors in the clock-face that led outside.

It wasn't long before the Federal prosecutor, the Manhattan Deputy DA, and one of his assistants, Jasper, followed closely behind them. This only raised concerns over what happened earlier in the night, though Matt couldn't say or do anything about that. He looked up and turned to them, letting the Federal prosecutor speak first.

"Detectives," the Federal prosecutor spoke.

"Is there something you need, sirs?" Matt asked, "any trouble?"

"In a way… though not what we expected or initially feared," the Federal prosecutor commented, "from everything that's been reported on this John Doe would indicate he's quite clever and well organized…"

"He's shown an ability to play to technicalities and be "clever," which made him difficult to find and pin down," Matt answered, "though, for the most part, we've also seen him as an individual criminal. Not part of any organization… or at least not one that would actually fight to rescue him."

"But he was caught with a pair of members of a known organized crime group," the Manhattan Deputy DA pointed out, "one that was trying to replace Dracon after his organization took its latest "hit" in the area… likely after picking fights with the gargoyles."

"Yes, but we believe they took interest in John Doe at some point, possibly after either creating a public disturbance with a fake gargoyle or after provoking a riot with some of the PIT members," Detective Flariaty commented, "as there was no connection… or at least no obvious one until after those incidents occurred."

Matt gave a look to the gathered attorneys and noted looks of concern and knowledge of something going over both the Manhattan Deputy DA and the Federal prosecutor. This only raised further questions in Matt's mind on what was going on here. If these were the prosecutors in John Doe's case, that look had to mean something had gone on in the trial's opening statements that had them concerned. This was further reinforced by the Federal prosecutor running his hand through his hair while Jasper put his hands behind his back.

"You're certain of this?" the Federal prosecutor asked.

"Pretty much," Matt answered and raising one eyebrow in a bit of confusion in how things were going, "we first ran into John Doe when he supposedly made a fake gargoyle to buzz people's head's with, just to see what people would do. That wasn't enough to really warrant any real court case beyond a public nuisance and a small fine. And the next time we ever heard of him was the attempted PIT riot."

"Was there any indication of mob activity surrounding these things?" the Manhattan Deputy DA asked, "or some indication that they were either interested or coordinating things with John Doe?"

"Not until after the attempt at inciting a riot with the PIT members," Matt answered, "and that discovery came with no connection to any of the prior actions that the NYPD would have had any interest in John Doe in. I'm sure even our local precinct heads could probably have told you that."

"Why are you asking these questions?" Flariaty asked.

This brought some heads turning to Matt's deputy in running the task force. Matt noticed the looks of frustration and confusion on their faces. This only puzzled Matt more and made him wonder as to what happened in the opening moments of the trial.

"Let's say that the defense came out with an opening argument that would throw a bit of a monkey wrench into what we're hoping to get out of this trial," Jasper spoke.

"Namely that the mob members that you and the SWAT units battled at the Glass Palace Hotel were essentially controlling him from the beginning," the Federal prosecutor answered with a frown still on his lips, "and that everything he did was under duress."

Matt and Flariaty traded glances for a moment as that line was given. That wasn't something that was expected, though to some degree, Matt also didn't see it as a truly winning argument. Largely as John Doe didn't act as though he'd been under duress when he was arrested. At the same time, given that he was also the one who likely made the 911 call that exposed the weapons caches at the Glass Palace Hotel, Matt couldn't think that John Doe was in any real situation where he would have been under duress and forced to do things by the mob that he ratted out.

Matt wanted to say something of that nature when the clock door to the outside opened. It let a small rush of cooler air come in and brought more attention to the gargoyles as they came in, likely to pause between patrol sessions and before they'd approach the point where they'd need to clock out and return to Castle Wyvern for the day. Lexington and Ian lead the way before the others following behind. They also noticed the present lawyers that were in the open area that covered the office area for the task force and some of the areas that were set aside for a resting area. It left all eyes on them and to a degree left the lawyers also in an uneasy position. Probably because they didn't expect that the clan on duty would return while they were visiting.

"Well," Matt said slowly, "at least there was no violent "jail break." Though, if what you say is true and there are any of Tora Mikazu's lieutenants that weren't caught at the Glass Palace hotel… they may well try to get even, as she'd take that as betrayal."

"This isn't funny, and it is something that could put John Doe back on the streets," the Federal prosecutor spoke.

"If I may ask," came a low rumble from Goliath, which drew attention to the large lavender gargoyle, as their group had gathered near the other side of Matt's desk, "but what has happened?"

"John Doe's defense claimed that Mikazu's mob was the reason for just about all the actions that he was being charged with," the Manhattan deputy DA answered, "which, if true… would essentially let John Doe walk."

"But we've seen nothing to indicate something like that," Lexington spoke raising one brow-ridge, "he MUST be lying."

"We're hoping he is… but we need more information that could prove that," the Federal prosecutor spoke, "and that requires some conversation with your commander on what could have been found."

"I'm afraid there isn't much that we have to find," Matt answered, "we saw no evidence or reason to suggest that John Doe was truly being coerced into doing what he did. Many of these mob groups tend to keep things close enough that those trying to give those sorts of warnings are quick and often sound nervous. When John Doe gave the call that set up the raid on the Glass Palace Hotel… he came off as remarkably calm, particularly given the situation he would have been in."

"But if this guy is clever… he might or could be well aware of what Mikazu was up to and had outsmarted her," the Manhattan deputy DA commented on, "figured out how long he would be left alone and so on."

"He is clever," Matt answered, "but Mikazu had near total control over the Glass Palace Hotel. In this, she likely would have known what he was doing, even if she wasn't with him."

"That'd tie him to the rest of Mikazu's organization," the Federal prosecutor warned, "and would present a he said/she said sort of defense."

"Maybe," Goliath spoke calmly, "but it would be logical to expect. With her organization being… organized, it's not going to leave things that would allow her to keep control of her business fronts and what she'd want to have at least some means of following things."

"Which could also mean that any security footage Matt and the SWAT officers collected could also give you the moment that John Doe appeared at the Glass Palace Hotel," Lex added.

"And which we did deliver," Matt said to the Federal prosecutor, "along with notes on the key moments and where John Doe appeared and how things played out during the timeframe of the 9-11 call and to when he and his escorts left the Glass Palace Hotel BEFORE the raid happened. It would show that John Doe didn't arrive there until after the attempted riot with the PIT members, based on the date, and would show some degree of calm when John Doe made the 9-11 call."

"That could still raise another he said/she said argument," the Manhattan deputy DA commented, "particularly as the recordings don't have any audio. So, we can't prove on how John Doe sounded when making that 9-11 call… at least not in a way that would fully convince a jury. And because there is no audio, we can't know for sure if Mikazu had more indirect contact with John Doe before the attempted PIT riot."

"There isn't much more that we can do about that," Matt answered, "beyond pointing to what we think and know about John Doe's intelligence… which would bring things back to the public nuisance issue that was our first contact with him."

"That may require your officers here to be present as witnesses," the Federal prosecutor spoke, "as they would have had the most proximity to John Doe's actions… both with what happened before the attempted riot and the efforts to tail him."

"As witnesses to testify on what they know and observed, can work," Matt answered, "provided there would be time to converse with all of those involved in the monitoring of John Doe. Which, given how the clan presently works in rotating shifts with half on one night and the other half the next night, could vary on the given night."

"And at the same time, that would also be left open to misidentification," Flariaty pointed out, "that they could accuse us of seeing the perpetrator and THINK it was John Doe."

"Yes, crooks often do that when their arresting officers are part of the trial against them," the Manhattan assistant DA spoke, "but they don't work as often as you may think… and from the press reports, the gargoyles do not seem to be the sort to be so easily fooled or mistaken."

"And hopefully you're right on that," the Federal prosecutor spoke slowly, "but it's in part why we're here… double check things and make sure there isn't any evidence missed."

0-0-0

At around the same time, John Doe was being returned to his cell. To a degree, he was fairly pleased with the results of the trail's opening. He wasn't necessarily confident that he'd avoid everything that he was being accused of, as there was a lot that was out there that could be presented that would raise questions about Matthew Andrews' arguments. But there was something that also gave John Doe some measure of confidence that he might be able to get out of the worst of it, and that was the looks of surprise on the faces of the various prosecutors. It seemed as though they didn't seriously expect such an argument would be made and thus didn't plan for it.

"Andrews did surprise them," John Doe privately smirked to himself, but said nothing out loud, "and that might set things up for a better result… assuming that they look to either make a deal later or delay their efforts with the trial. Though, how well that goes may depend on how the court responds to the likely arguments on timing that will come from Mikazu."

Of course, he would have hoped that he would have been allowed bail. Bail would have allowed him some measure of freedom until the trial was over and the final verdict was given. It wasn't necessarily an option before, when his lawyers had largely planned on striking a deal to get some measure of mercy. Now, though, with Andrews' advice and a change of his plea, there was suddenly the need for bail, but he had been unable to get it. Some of that he couldn't fully explain beyond the fact that he'd been given bail for the public disturbance charge for the fake gargoyle he'd sent across the street to see how the New York population would take being buzzed. That hadn't been a big charge, but because he'd joined up with Mikazu's group after that and had missed that hearing there was the violation of bail that was then what denied him that in this case.

Some of the sounds from the other cells as he was escorted back into the cell area provided a reminder to John Doe as to why not getting bail for this trial was a problem. Mikazu and her members were in some of the other cells and were waiting for him, or at least waiting to heckle him. They had to have figured he betrayed them to the police and the Gargoyles Task Force given that there had been no actions by the NYPD around the Glass Palace Hotel prior to his call, and he had to commend Tora for being smart enough to deduce things. It went a bit further than what he'd noticed with most other organized crime groups and all common street criminals. Though, it also came with death threats that were things that did worry John Doe a bit, and they were repeated as he was led to the cell he was to be held in.

"The one thankful thing is that I'm alone in here," John Doe thought to himself as he looked into the empty cell and listened to the door unlocking as the officer escorting him undid the lock.

Eventually the door did open, and the officer waived John Doe into that cell. John Doe nodded and walked forward into it. The cells were strong, and John Doe felt secure in them, though mostly from being attacked by Tora or her followers. He could give Tora credit for figuring things out, but that didn't change the potential for Tora to want revenge and to act on that desire. The cries of vengeance, and from what he noted from a few of the others in them giving him the proverbial bird. It wasn't polite, and it would surely get worse as news on the trial came to them, and he suspected that the prosecution would try to pinpoint when Tora sent for him, and there he couldn't know for sure how that would work. All he could do was hope that the games played would continue to work out.

Victor's Apartment

It was late when Victor heard a knock on his door. He'd been asleep when he heard first the knock and then the ringing of the doorbell. It didn't sound super urgent, but Victor was also well aware on what was going on and quickly dressed himself in his best robe and made his way through the apartment, listening to the occasional repetition of the doorbell being rung and then a knock coming, which was a code that Victor had arranged for. Tightening the belt on his robe, Victor then called to the door to let the person on the other side of that door to let the person at the door know that the plan had worked.

"I'm up and on my way!" Victor called to the door as the latest round of knocks came through, and they actually stopped as he finished with that call.

He covered the distance to the door as the coded knocks and rings of the doorbell stopped, indicating that his guest had heard him. He opened the door to find a lone man, but one familiar to him standing there with briefcase. He looked a bit tired, but Victor sort of expected this. After all, Matthew Andrews had been one of his personal and business-related attorneys for years and putting him into action would add to his work.

"How did things go, Matt?" Victor asked as he stepped back from the door.

Matthew Andrews raised one hand to stifle a yawn and walked into the room and settled more before a couch. Victor closed the door and then turned to look to the attorney.

"I really shouldn't be sharing things like this with you, sir," Matthew Andrews spoke, "at least NOT until after the events in the courtroom are reported to the public. Attorney/client privilege."

"But you are my attorney, and I am paying you to provide help in Mister Doe's case," Victor reminded him, "and nothing I'm actually asking for is anything truly serious. For… I suspect that much of this will be reported on and this will include takeaways from the argument. It's not though this will be things that will not be made public."

"True… but you're also asking for information that would be classified as strategic advice… and advice that I'd remind you could also cost me my license," Matthew Andrews spoke in warning.

"If such a charge is made, you could make the point that Mr. Doe didn't provide all the information to you," Victor dismissed it, "or that the mobsters are lying about the timeline to protect their own reputation or innocence. Nothing that would necessarily affect you."

"I can understand that strategy, and I'd even think it would work out if an attempt is made," Matthew Andrews spoke, "but as your attorney… this would still be something where I'd feel it important to give you information that would affect your attorney's future. For if something does go wrong and I lose my license, I cannot represent you on business matters in the future… and it would also damage the reputation of the firm that I work for."

"But all of this is for a good cause and a good reason," Victor spoke, "you are in agreement with me… aren't you?"

Matthew Andrews gave a sigh and a nod.

"In pure theory, yes," Matthew Andrews sighed as he tapped his fingers against his leg, "I mean… I'm no great fan of the gargoyles and I'd even agree that their presence has brought so many of the weird things that have gone on in the city, but I'm still a lawyer. There are limits to what I can do that are legal, if I fail… the consequences could be dire."

"And the consequences if we don't succeed would be just as dire," Victor spoke, "inhuman beasts enforcing the law and likely gaining full civil rights… things that are liable to happen the more progress they make in New York… at least with regard to how New York City and New York State will treat them."

Matthew Andrews looked back to the man presently seated with him. He knew about the Order of the Phoenix and their lack of fortune in really inspiring people to side with them and make things open. It was something where the criminal activity by groups like the Quarrymen made messaging difficult, and to a degree some of the more recent actions taken by the gargoyles had also seemed to change many of the opinions that were out there. Many of the people that initially joined the Quarrymen had done so because of thoughts of the gargoyles attacking the 23rd Precinct clocktower. And while some of that declined over time, there was still the perception that the gargoyles were still uncontrolled and thus dangerous as a result. Once the gargoyles volunteered to work with the NYPD in a more official capacity, that fear of a lack of control began to go away.

Those changes were what was presently affecting the Order of the Phoenix. That was what worried Victor and got him to contact Matthew Andrews to take on John Doe's case. It was all something Matthew Andrews understood, and to a degree, it seemed rather underhanded as from what he knew, it was pretty clear that John Doe was likely far more involved with these groups than what he'd given to the police. But that was something that Matthew Andrews was also fairly familiar with pulling, as much of his normal work in corporate law was to manipulate things to try and get certain regulations lowered or made non-applicable to particular client's business. In some ways, the corporate law practice was more of a game than anything truly serious and Matthew Andrews in general wasn't too opposed to at least playing to certain elements that related the attempt to try and shift things in the Order of the Phoenix's favor.

"I can understand the predicament," Matthew Andrews commented, "and the desire you and your friend have for your organization to succeed… But I feel I must still make my point coming from a point of law… that IS my role as an attorney."

"Your job as an attorney is to get results," Victor answered calmly.

If there was any sense of accusation or intimidation in his voice, Matthew Andrews didn't detect it. He merely sat on the couch and observed Victor in the low light that came in from the night stars shining through the windows and from the few small lights that Victor had turned on. It wasn't perfect and it left Victor in the shadows a bit, but things were still light enough that both could see each other.

"Results within the law," Matthew Andrews spoke, "and that remains the most critical point. And I must warn you that if any of this leaks out in one way or another… I could lose my license, the firm I work for would lose its reputation, and by connection, you could also be held liable… at least in the court of public opinion. Not something that would help the Order of the Phoenix out, would it?"

Victor frowned, partially because he could see his attorney's point there. He sat quietly, understood the point and even gripped his knees in frustration, pressing his robe down tightly on them. A lot of his mission was to try and get support coming to the Order of the Phoenix, which had never gotten a huge level of support and had been steadily losing what support they had. The members were loyal and were willing to repeat the slogans, Victor was glad for that, and he did support Ralph Maccio's general strategy in approaching the gargoyle problem. But a declining number of supporters wasn't going to sway elections or see that the gargoyles get pushed into a sort of grey zone that could at least confine them to Xanatos's castle, if not sending all of them to prison.

"That's the problem that we face at the moment," Victor said slowly, "we can't go all the way to committing outright crimes… doing what Castaway did. He made things worse for the movement he wanted to forge."

Victor looked over to the attorney and saw him seated quietly. He wasn't smiling or showing any of the sense of bravado he'd likely shown earlier or anything close what Victor would expect. Matthew Andrews was a good attorney, but Victor also knew that criminal defense law was a bit outside of what he practiced… what the firm he worked for practiced. About the only times they had these sorts of cases was when a criminal couldn't afford a lawyer and the court appointed the firm out of a lottery.

"Winning this case… or at least pressuring the DA and the government's case into realizing that protecting the gargoyles could be more of a legal liability is about the only thing that can be truly done," Victor spoke, "the only thing that would have more immediate effects."

"Even if it risks my license and could come back to bite you later… particularly if it fails?" Matthew Andrews asked.

"Yes," Victor eventually said slowly, "and you can trust me… I will reveal nothing which you say about what went on with this case. Anything that comes out from the Order of the Phoenix will be limited to what is reported publicly."

Matthew Andrews finally gave a defeated sigh at that, as it seemed like Victor wasn't going to back down from this, though he also wondered how much Ralph knew of this idea of Victor's and then finally relented.

"Very well…" Matthew Andrews said as he relented, "it would appear that the prosecution expected a sort of plea deal. That John Doe would accept some of the lesser charges in an agreement that the bigger ones be dropped or equated to pressure from the mob…"

"Not too far off what your assignment is to argue," Victor mused.

"Yes, but that would have still had John Doe admit some measure of guilt on his own part," Matthew Andrews answered, "and from what the court appointed attorneys had prepared… that's also exactly what John Doe was starting with, largely on the basis that the prosecution's case is pretty solid. There are multiple witnesses of him showing up at the PIT meeting. Security footage of him at multiple other sites and the fact that he was caught with two members of the criminal organization that had been operating out of the Glass Palace Hotel. There isn't a lot really could be proven that John Doe wasn't involved… and I will remind you that the idea that John Doe was forced into it all from the start is plausible, it may not be convincing and with what they have, they could surmise that we're throwing mud at a wall to see what sticks."

"But justice in criminal cases requires that everyone be convinced," Victor reminded him, "and if it is plausible that these mobsters forced John Doe into it… it can then serve toward just ends."

"But criminal cases are not about technicalities in the law," Matthew Andrews reminded Victor with narrowed and serious eyes, "this isn't like cases over corporate law where the question of legality is far blurrier. I will remind you that things could go south in a bad way if the games you're wanting to play get revealed… or even if they only fail."

"True justice will still be served, one where humanity does not need to worry about winged monsters in the night," Victor answered, "arranging something with John Doe to get him to comply with the law can be done later."

Matthew Andrews sighed and then nodded, sensing that that was the best he could do.

Castle Wyvern, Before Dawn

The rest of the night had gone reasonably well, or at least reasonably quiet was the best word for it. There was still a great amount of surprise at the apparent shift from the DA's office in how they'd responded to what had happened at the trial of John Doe. For Lexington, who remembered all of the politicking that Margot Yale had engaged in against the clan, before her own alliances came back to literally kill her, the fact that those running the legal team that helped prosecute criminals in New York seemed to be on their side in the present case was surprising and it left the olive-green web-winged gargoyle at a loss for words. It was something he never expected. In a way, it was good news, but not the good news that was expected. The fact that it came with John Doe making a defense that might win his case only complicated matters further.

And Lexington was ultimately wrestling with this as the shift that had been on duty approached the castle. The rest of the clan was present and many of the Tibetan hatchlings were amusing themselves with things in the courtyard, though Lexington had more of his focus on Candy and her mother, Abigail. The adults on the ground did clear the areas in the courtyard where they would all land safely. Lex landed close to Candy and proceeded to give her a quick hug, which served as a way of providing some sense of unity and keeping their own bond close. The hug was returned, though Lex found that he couldn't quite hide the fact that his mind was still thinking over what had been reported to them regarding John Doe's trial… or at least the start of the trial.

"Did you have a good night?" Candy asked him.

"A fairly quiet one… at least immediately around the clan's patrols, anyway," Lex answered, mentally working over how to explain the things that had gone on at John Doe's trial, which none of the patrolling gargoyles had been present to witness. Candy seemed to let this pass fairly easy, but Abby's brow-ridge raised with some suspicion.

"Did something else happen?" Abby Wexmand asked.

"That was something that we could not observe, but may affect the clan," Goliath spoke up, overhearing the conversation, and likely wrestling with the same issues as Lexington, even while Elisa held his hand.

This drew the attention from all the others, including some of the Tibetan elders. Lexington took a moment to wipe his own brows for the moment, as he trusted Goliath to be able to relay things in a manner that would prevent Lexington from having to provide that explanation.

"And it would play into some elements of John Doe's trial and city politics," Goliath continued.

There was a collective groan from many that were there, possibly in expectation of the Manhattan DA's office looking for ways to go after them. Lex noted that the roll of Elisa's eyes was the most pronounced, likely because she'd been there for much of Yale's antics, before Yale's antics got her killed.

"This wasn't something that has us and the DA at odds?" Elisa asked.

"Thankfully, no," Goliath rumbled, "it would appear that those that replaced Yale in the DA's office are not caught up in her games to try and arrest and the clan, and the prosecutors from outside New York City appear more interested in getting John Doe for the more "federal" level crimes he committed."

"That's actually good news," Angela commented with a look of hope on her face.

"That's actually the point where the bad news comes in," Goliath said slowly and growling sigh.

"What happened?" Candy asked as she glanced to Lexington, to her mother, and then to Amy, Caroline, and Brooklyn.

"It would appear that John Doe found a lawyer that used an argument that the prosecution did not expect to use," Goliath spoke honestly and slowly, "like that the mob that had been "running" the Glass Palace Hotel was behind everything he did in one way or another."

"That sounds like just passing the blame onto someone else rather than taking responsibility for his own actions," Desdemona commented, "surely these lawyers have some understanding of that."

"They do seem to have some understanding," Goliath rumbled, "it's more that they didn't expect it."

"Great…" Elisa gave a groan, "we go from a DA that hates the clan to one that doesn't know what he's doing…"

"I get the sense that they knew their job… and from what they talked to us about, they can defeat the claim that was made in court," Lex commented, "it's just more that things seemed like John Doe was going to accept some sort of plea deal that would lighten the sentence or lower the crimes he was accused of. Thus, the sudden change in the defense's actions just caught them by surprise."

"A lot of that doesn't sound super surprising," Abby spoke up, "something that would come up in any courtroom drama…"

"Yes… but this isn't a drama," Elisa answered, "the prosecution needs to be prepared for these things just in case the defense tried to pull a fast one… as it seems they did in this case."

"Agreed," Goliath rumbled, "though I would wonder the purpose of this… for the prosecution also told us that they picked up a NEW lawyer just before the opening argument and this was all before there could have been a chance inform the prosecutors of the new attorney."

"That confirms the surprise," Amy said slowly, "and might even explain on how their surprise worked…"

Goliath nodded, though Lex noted the lavender clan leader retained a very serious look on his face. He didn't look angry or anything close to that, but there was no sign of anything like "joy" either.

"I would be more concerned on who this new lawyer is and what purpose he would have in suddenly wanted to jump in on this case," Goliath spoke in a low voice, "as it is THAT that sounds like the secret political games by someone… that someone is wanting to throw chaos into this case and cause all sorts of trouble."

"But this wouldn't affect the clan directly, correct?" one of the Tibetan elders asked.

"For the moment, that is correct," Goliath answered, "but it is the long-term situation that needs to be looked after… as if this case goes south, there are those that would be sure to use it to their advantage."

To be Continued…