A short while later, upon the rooftop of the Nomura apartment and tailor shop, a moderate gathering of Gargoyles assembled close as Brooklyn said, "Bluestone said his source for the lead only said that the bomb had something to do with payback for the destruction of a club. But which one, I can't be sure."
"Well, that narrows it down," Broadway sighed with frustrated sarcasm, "The Dracon Mafia must have dozens of clubs across the city; no doubt all of them as seedy as they are illegal."
"Given how each side keeps getting more aggressive with their attacks upon each other, we must assume it was recent," Goliath said.
"The only recent one I know of was that Hips and Lips place Brooklyn, Sata, and I steaked out weeks ago," Angela said, "Because right after dozens of members of both gangs were arrested from there, Elisa and Matt told us somehow it blew up right after. Could that have something to do with it?"
"Angela, you just might make a detective yet," Broadway gushed proudly as he pulled her close, making her giggle.
"She is right, my leader," Sata said, "I remember that steak out well, and no doubt if this is retaliation the Dracons will have invaded a place of equal measure to the Yakuza."
"An eye for an eye. Some things really do never change, eh, Babe?" Brooklyn said as he embraced her.
"I can attest to that," Griff said low.
"Then we must think of what place the Dracon mafia would attack that they would consider of equal merit," Goliath said thoughtfully.
"And while they're at it, taking half the city with them, like the scumbags they are," Broadway hissed as he made a fist.
"Indeed," Othello said gruffly, "Which is all the more reason why we need to capture and imprison the lead scumbags, and I fail to see how this will accomplish that."
"Are you still obsessing with that, Othello?" Desdemona said annoyed, "We will deal with that when the time comes. Keep your head in the here and now."
Othello gave a stone-faced frown as Desdemona glared at him, barely noticing Goliath's equally stone-faced look with a touch of annoyance in his eyes.
"Searching the rest of the blacked-out areas will take too long," he said, "most likely till dawn, so we must act quickly. Some teams will return to observing the police patrols while others will search the surrounding area from here, including my team. Let's go."
About a minute after the rest of the teams glided off to their assigned destinations, a hidden scarlet Gargoyle saw his chance to get another's attention.
"It's funny, yet it shouldn't be too surprising," Griff said.
"What is?" Goliath asked.
"That the cultures these human gangs are supposed to be from were part of the Axis Powers during the war under Mussolini and Hirohito. Now in a way they war with each other, and innocent people are still caught in the middle."
"Those who crave power often will do anything to achieve it, even tear down their own allies and justify themselves for doing so. In the end, no matter how long it takes, that power will destroy them in one form or another."
"And while my friends and I are here, let's be sure we're that form."
Othello wasn't really listening to the conversation, he just brooded as his seething thoughts wandered about the city skyline as though trying to locate his targets psychically. He just leaned against a ledge as he impatiently waited for his brother's orders when a small sting struck his ear. He waved a hand to shoo the annoying insect away as he faintly heard a 'psst', but ignored it certain it was his imagination.
But then came a harder sting, as though a small rock hit his temple and a slightly harder and louder 'pssst.'
"Over here, you blue fool," a familiar voice whispered hard, making Othello turn to find Typhon trying to signal him from the shadows.
He quickly glanced at Goliath and Griff, still wasting time talking, as he snuck off to Typhon's hiding place.
"What are you doing here?" he accused, "How did you find me?"
"That doesn't matter," Typhon dismissed, "Just that I know how to find what you seek."
"Fine, lead me there."
"Will you first tell me what your leader said about relocating?"
Othello frowned with a deepened furrowed brow as he said with frustration, "Isn't it clear by now? This is our home, and we will continue to defend it. We won't hide like cowards."
Typhon sighed in disappointment, but wasn't surprised.
"Then until this matter is resolved, I too will stay."
"Do whatever you wish, just lead me to what I seek."
"Perhaps Sharon could help…" Goliath began thoughtfully as Griff asked confused,
"Uh, where's your brother going? And who's that?"
Goliath turned around at the moment Othello and a familiar scarlet Gargoyle leaped from the next rooftop to glide away, making him gasp, "Typhon!"
"Typhon?"
Goliath just ran and leaped into the air to follow, with a confused Griff not far behind.
"How do you know where we're supposed to go?" Othello demanded.
"A spell the Fury cast," Typhon grumbled, "But it diverged into two paths, as though her thoughts were elsewhere. It led me to a group of young Gargoyles, one of whom I assume is the daughter she often speaks fondly of. That is how I found you, unintentionally."
He just grunted.
Unaware of being followed, Goliath told Griff about Typhon as they tried to keep up with the fleeing Gargoyles.
"This Typhon character sounds rather dodgy to me," Griff said, "He's either a double agent or can't decide who he works for."
"Nevertheless, if he's leading my brother into a trap, I will stop him," Goliath growled.
With stoned faced determination, he and Griff followed as fast as the wind would carry them, unaware they too were being tacked and followed from below.
Beyond bored. There was no other way to describe it.
This was completely pointless and tedious beyond comprehension.
Surely the boss and Cool Hand Luke were just being paranoid. There was no point for him to be here and guard what was so obviously so well hidden not even New York's finest would be able to find it in time.
As much as he and his buddies enjoyed getting back at the stinkin' Yaks trying to muscle in on their territory, surely even Mr. Marrow's talents and newly acquired powers could be put to better use. Plus, he did still have some smarts and wasn't as dumb as he seemed, even if he wasn't a mastermind.
He understood caution, but this had to be going overboard.
Nobody was going to find the bomb in, literally, a thousand years. Yet it also seemed so obvious, but that was what was genius about it.
Mr. Marrow a gave long yawn of boredom and exhaustion, his jaw now bore a thick underbite with razor sharp tusks, barely hearing a light whoosh of air and the tone of voices he heard with enhanced hearing and earpieces he wore to pick up police radio signals.
Pulling down night vision goggles, he saw unusual humanoid shapes and body heat signatures. He wondered how he missed noticing the cops coming around until he realized some of the strange movements of the heat signatures were from wings.
Gargoyles.
Perhaps the boss wasn't being so paranoid after all.
Mr. Marrow quickly radioed Baby Face and Cool Hand about the development before cautiously and eagerly moving in to take care of the situation.