Athena and Jason were enjoying their night off from their jobs when Elisa called them and said that Lexington, Broadway, and Brooklyn had something to tell them. After they had paid for their dinner, Jason and Athena drove to the precinct and headed up to the clock tower. When everyone was there, the three gargoyles told them of their encounter with a feline-looking gargoyle.
"As soon as they left, we caught the first updraft back," Broadway finished the story.
"She was so frightened," Brooklyn said.
"Yeah. Of us," Broadway told Brooklyn.
"She needed our help," He argued.
"We talking about the same person? From where I sat, she didn't want our help."
"She wanted mine," Brooklyn insisted.
"Loverboy took this off her wrist," Broadway showed a bracelet to Elisa and Athena for them to examine.
"Well, it was a tracking device. Digital, long-range, expensive," Elisa explained.
"The symbol was on the ambulance, too," Broadway told
"Gen-U-Tech," Athena read the name on the collar.
The next day, Matt, Elisa, and Athena visited Gen-U-Tech. Doctor Sevarius greeted them and gave them a tour of his lab. Unfortunately, they didn't find anything suspicious and were forced to return to the precinct empty-handed.
After sunset, Elisa and Athena met with the gargoyles in the clock tower.
"I don't trust that Doctor Servatius," Elisa said while pacing back and forth. "He's hiding something. I know he is."
"Can't you arrest him?" Brooklyn demanded, sounding disappointed in their efforts.
"There's not enough evidence," Athena replied. "Without probable cause for a warrant, our hands are tied."
"Well, mine isn't," Brooklyn snarled, marching towards the balcony and took place on his perch before the sun rose and turned them to stone.
That night, Athena went up to the clock tower just as her family returned with the female feline gargoyle with the appearance of a lioness. The female gargoyle was slowly coming to. She rubbed her head and looked around, nearly screaming in fright at the sight of Bronx sniffing her. She backed right into Brooklyn, who tried to gently lift her.
"It's alright," He said softly, trying to comfort her, "You're among friends."
The gargoyle scrambled away, then noticed Athena among the group. In an almost desperate motion, she ran over to her, clinging to her arm.
"Where am I?" she asked.
"You're in the clock tower above the Manhattan precinct," Athena explained, gently pulling the female to her feet, "I promise you, you're safe. We mean no harm"
The female looked around at the Manhattan clan fearfully and tightened her grip on Athena's arm.
"Were they human once too?" she asked.
"No," Goliath said.
Brooklyn went to try and comfort her, but the female just clung to Athena tighter in fear. Athena wrapped her free arm around the woman.
"What's your name?" Athena asked.
"M-Maggie…." She replied. "Maggie Reed. I'm from Ohio…"
"You'll be safe here, Maggie," Lexington said.
"Safe?" Maggie replied, looking up from Athena's shoulder, "This isn't safe. I don't need to be safe. I need a cure. I'm not like this. I'm not a monster!"
Brooklyn then stepped forward, crouching in front of Maggie.
"We're not monsters either," Brooklyn tried to explain, "Please, don't be afraid."
He tried to reach out for Maggie, but she flinched violently, her claws digging into Athena's arm so hard she began drawing blood. Goliath approached Brooklyn.
"The dawn is coming," Goliath said, placing a hand on Brooklyn's shoulder, "And we all need rest."
Brooklyn looked down at Maggie, his face softening somewhat.
"Once night falls, we will find you the cure you seek," Brooklyn promised, "Even if it means confronting Xanatos at his castle."
The gargoyles went towards the balcony as Maggie slowly let go of Athena's arm. The two then followed the gargoyles and watched them pose for the rising sun. Brooklyn looked back at Maggie, as the sun rose, etching an expression of longing and sadness into his stone face. Maggie gasped in fright, then turned towards the trap door before bolting for it.
"Maggie, wait!" Athena called out.
Maggie stopped and turned to her. Maggie's face with filled with fear and horror.
"I can't stay here," Maggie insisted, "I need to find a cure. I can't stay here with these monsters!"
"I wasn't going to make you stay," Athena told her, causing Maggie to blink in surprise, "I have somewhat of an idea of what you are going through. Years ago, I had lost everything. I was scared, angry, and I didn't know who to trust. My family had been betrayed and were imprisoned or dead, I was left alone in the world. But I found good people who helped me with what I was going through. Maggie, what I am trying to say is that don't turn away a helping hand. It's up to you to decide what's next."
Athena left the clocktower to allow Maggie some time to think. When she got to her desk, Elisa and Matt told her that there was a break-in at Gen-U-tech. They quickly got into their car and drove off to the scene.
In the ruins of the Gen-U-Tech facility, the crime scene investigators were taking photos of everything from the holes in the different ceilings to the broken containment unit. Eventually, they got to the shattered eel tank surrounded by dead eels. Matt looked at the mess, nudging one of the eels with his foot.
"Whatever happened here, sure made a mess of things," Matt commented.
"Tell me about it," Elisa agreed, already having a good idea of what happened along with Athena.
Athena then noticed a pile of papers that seemed to have been knocked aside during the struggle and picked them up. She examined them and grinned.
"Well, well, well," Athena let out, "Look at this."
"What is it, partner?" Matt questioned.
Elisa looks at the papers and says in a triumphant tone, "Turns out Xanatos owns Gen-U-Tech."
"Happy days are here again," Athena said.
After hours of combing through everything at the facility and spending the entire day there, Elisa and Athena left to have a word with Xanatos.
Athena and Elisa arrived at the Eyrie building only a few minutes after the sunset. After being allowed to go up to the castle atop the building, Athena and Elisa found a battle. The gargoyles were fighting feline gargoyles much like Maggie. There were three other feline gargoyles with Maggie and were male. The male gargoyles were a tiger, a cougar, and a black panther. Athena and Elisa saw Goliath fighting a black panther gargoyle.
The black panther gargoyle was able to electrocute Goliath, bringing the large gargoyle to his knees. However, before he could deliver the final blow, both Athena and Elisa rush over and aimed their guns at him. Xanatos and Owen were not far behind.
"FREEZE!" They shouted.
The black panther looked up at them and starred down the barrel of the guns. He stepped away from Goliath, his arms slightly raised in the air.
"Good," Elisa said in a softer tone, "Now, who are you?"
"Call me… Talon," He decided after a minute.
Satisfied with the answer, she began to inch her way towards Goliath while Talon inched the opposite direction.
"Alright then Talon, why were you stomping on my friend?" She asked.
"Your 'Friend' made me like this," He hissed angrily.
"Impossible," Athena countered as she slowly helped her father to his feet, "Goliath would never intentionally harm anyone."
Talon snarled but said nothing. Elisa then walked towards Talon, her gun now safely holstered.
"Look, I want to help you," Elisa told him.
"Promise?" Talon asked.
"Cross my heart," Elisa told him, drawing an X over her heart.
On instinct, Talon repeated the gesture as he spoke, "And hope to-"
Elisa gasped before she softly says, "Derek?"
Talon immediately began backing away. Elisa then reached out for him.
"Derek is that you?!" she asked.
Talon tried to hide in his wings, tears of shame running down his face.
"No…" He whispered.
"Xanatos did this to you!" Elisa surmised.
"It was an accident." Talon tried to explain. "He's trying to help me."
Elisa tried to push through Talon's wings, hoping to meet her brother's eyes.
"No!" She yelled, tears forming in her eyes as well, "Don't you get it? He's lying! He's always lying to you!"
Almost instinctively, Talon released his electrical powers and they struck Elisa, forcing her backward. Talon turned, reaching for his sister to help her, but stopped when he saw the expression of terror on Elisa's face. He screamed in a combination of anger, hatred, sorrow, fear, and self-loathing. Talon took off across the castle and into the night sky, the other three mutates not far behind him.
"Should we go after them?" Broadway asked as he and Lexington landed next to Goliath.
"No..." Brooklyn replied as he landed next to Elisa and helped her up, "Let them go. She doesn't want my help…. She doesn't want me…"
Elisa turned on Xanatos with a look of anger.
"Now it's war, Xanatos." She told him, her voice laced with hatred, "You're going down for this. No matter what it takes or what I must do, I will make you suffer for what you've done."
Goliath walked over to Elisa, picking her up and flying off. The rest of the clan followed their leader, Broadway was carrying Athena, leaving Xanatos alone to contemplate Elisa's threat.
Not long after returning to the clocktower, Elisa fell to the ground crying under a staircase with Athena's arms wrapped around to comfort her. Brooklyn was staring out a window in a depressed state and Lexington placed a hand on his shoulder.
Goliath, Hudson, and Broadway watch their friend suffer the pain of losing her brother, possibly forever. Broadway shook his head in disappointment that Elisa had been hurt while Goliath and Hudson looked at each other before looking back at Elisa. Athena knew that there was not much she could do besides comforting her friend, but she knew not to give up hope.