In Wales, one of the oldest parts of Great Britain and is said to be the location of the legendary Kingdom of Camelot, two Archeologists, Dr. Lydia Duane and Dr. Arthur Moorwood-Smyth, are in the middle of their greatest discovery. They had located a large mineshaft that dated back centuries. They were cautious as they moved through the caves because time had taken its toll and many of the tunnels had caved in.
"Duane!" Arthur called out, "Duane! I'm through!"
"We can't be too careful down here," She insisted as she made her way to him, "The whole hillside could collapse on top of us."
Arthur gave a nod as the two made their way deeper and deeper into the tunnels. Inside, they found what they could only describe as a lab fit for a master alchemist or a wizard that was alive centuries ago. The two smile at each other as made their way through the room, careful not to disturb anything.
Suddenly, the sound of a lyre playing drew their attention. The sound was drawing the two archeologists towards its source. They ventured deeper until they stumbled across a most alluring sight. There was a shining golden lyre that was playing itself.
"It can't be…" Arthur gasped.
"True magic…" Duane whispered.
Beneath the lyre sat a small wooden chest that, like the rest of the lab, was still in amazing shape despite the centuries of abandonment. Blowing away the dust and dirt, Duane discovered a golden plate on top of the chest's lid.
"Ancient Celtic…" Duane said in surprise.
"What does it say?" Arthur asked.
Adjusting her glasses, Duane read the inscription, "The seeker of knowledge need fear nothing here; the destroyer, everything."
Desperate to unlock the secrets inside, Duane opened the chest without a second thought. Once the lid opened, the room was flooded by swirls of blue light that wrapped around the two archeologists. They watched in frozen shock as the swirling light briefly look the form of an old man's face. After a moment, the light slowly faded, retreating into the chest. Once the last of the light was gone, both archeologists could move once more.
As they acted more carefully, they approached the chest and slowly lifted the lid. Inside, they could see wax-sealed scrolls.
"The Scrolls of Merlin," Arthur said in a reverent tone.
In the clocktower, after the sun had set, Lexington was reading a magazine aloud for the rest of the clan, Elisa, Athena, and Jason to hear.
"The Scrolls of Merlin are being taken to the Metropolitan Museum for further study." Do you think they were really written by Merlin?" Lexington looked up from the magazine in his hands.
"Athena, Jason, didn't you two know Merlin?" Elisa asked them.
"We did, indeed, Elisa," Jason answered.
"It was Merlin himself who found me and brought me to Camelot to train in magic. He even introduced me to Jason at a ball that took place the night after my arrival," Athena said.
"Merlin... He was a wizard, right?" Brooklyn asked, "Like the Magus."
"Yes," She answered, "He was a white wizard in our century."
"If you're interested, the library downstairs is full of books about him," Goliath added.
"Why stare at marks on a page? Rent the video," Broadway stated plainly after eating a hoagie.
"They aren't marks when you know how to read," Lexington said as he pulled a magazine out from under a sleeping Bronx.
"Well, I can't read, and I don't think I'm missing anything," He dismissed.
"Uh-huh. Ignorance is bliss. Right, Hudson?" Brooklyn asked.
"Ooh, leave me out of this. It's time for Celebrity Hockey. Come here, Bronx," Hudson called from his recliner in front of the tv.
Athena looked at the watch on her wrist, "We better gotta go, Elisa. We're assigned to the scrolls escort team with Matt."
"Do they know what the scrolls contain?" Goliath inquired.
"Not yet, they're still sealed. The archeologists who found them think they contain magic spells," Athena replied as she and Athena walked over to the wooden hatch.
A storm was raging with pouring rain and lighting to illuminate the dark sky as the small police convoy arrived at the HMS Churchill on the choppy and wild waves. Careful not to fall into the water, Elisa, Athena, and Matt began climbing the ladder onto the Churchill.
"We didn't think you'd make it!" Dr. Duane called over the storm.
"I wouldn't have missed this if I had to swim!" Elisa called back.
The scrolls are sealed in these two canisters.
Now safely aboard the ship, Dr. Duane led them into the safety of the main cabin and showed them the scroll
"The scrolls are sealed in these two canisters," Dr. Duane told them.
As Duane and Arthur began recounting their tale of discovery to Elisa and Matt, Athena remembered her time with Merlin. How he had helped her and introduced her to Jason. She also wondered if those were spells as the archeologists think or something else Merlin had written on the scrolls.
The ship's sonar began beeping as it shows two blips. Outside, two harrier jets were descending on the ship, high-tech weaponry primed and ready to fire. The jets fired on the boat, the blast shattering the glass of the ship's windows. Matt, Athena, Elisa, the archeologist, and the crew fall to the ground to protect themselves from the glass and any more shots.
The Churchill's captain grabbed the ship's intercom radio, "Mayday! Mayday! Coastguard, this is HMS Churchill. We are under attack! Repeat, we are under attack!"
Matt, Athena, and Elisa readied their weapons. Through the wind and the rain, Elisa and Athena could make out the figures of two large fighter jets, as well as six inhumane silhouettes. The Gargoyles and Etrigan.
"You were right, Goliath. Those machines must belong to Xanatos," Hudson said.
"Harrier jets. They can land and take off like helicopters," Lexington explained, "I read about 'em."
"When your life is this exciting, who needs books?" Broadway declared.
The jets land on the deck of the Churchill as two mercenaries armed with electrical guns got out. The ship's crew attempted to intercept these mercenaries but were easily shot down.
In the cabin, Elisa, Matt, and Athena aimed their guns at the door while the Captain kept trying to reach the Coast guard on the radio.
"Coastguard, come in!" He called into the radio.
The Captain's call was cut off when the cabin door was blasted off its hinges, striking both Matt and the captain, but barely missing Elisa and Athena.
"Matt!" Elisa and Athena exclaimed, before turning their attention to the advancing mercenaries.
Both Athena and Elisa managed to let off a few shots before the mercenaries tackled them, snatching both of their weapons from them. The female mercenary walked over to Duane, who was holding them to her chest.
"Come on, " The female mercenary demanded, "Give 'em up."
"No!" Duane shouted, "These scrolls are priceless."
"Oh, man!" She said, her voice dripping in sarcasm, as she face-palmed herself and pit her weapon away, "What was I thinking?"
Duane smiled and was hopeful that the scrolls would not be taken. Suddenly, the female mercenary performed a leg sweep, knocking Duane to the ground and the canisters into the air. She caught them and tossed one to her partner before they made their way back to the jets. Powering up, the two began their getaway. While the jets were in the air, Hudson smashed through the glass of one of them, grabbing for the canister. Goliath went after the other jet and dug his claws into the wing. Elisa and Athena rush out of the cabin.
"Father! They have the scrolls!" Athena exclaimed.
Soon the mercenary realized what was going on and he activated the ship's defense field, electrocuting Hudson and sending him plummeting down, canister in hand. The other jet fired a laser at Goliath, who let go of the wing before it could hit him. Soon, both of the jets fired lasers at the gargoyles to keep them away. The gargoyles managed to dodge everyone that was fired. With the gargoyles no longer on the jets, the mercenaries high-tailed it out of there.
"Where are Hudson and Broadway?" Goliath asked as he and the others followed the jets.
"Over there," Lexington pointed to Broadway, holding onto the belly of the jet.
"Hudson's probably on the other one," Brooklyn said.
As the ship sailed and the Gargoyles and Etrigan flew off towards the docks, Hudson floated unconscious amidst the waves.
With the storm finally moving away and the ship safely docked, the police were working in full force to find out exactly what had happened. As they interviewed Dr. Duane about possible suspects.
"No, no one specific. I mean, who wouldn't want them?" Duane told the officer.
Athena and Elisa broke away from the group, heading towards the dense shadows provided by large shipping crates. The three gargoyles and Etrigan were gathered in the shadows.
"I feared the scrolls would present too great a temptation…" Goliath snarled as Elisa approached.
"Xanatos is behind it!" Elisa practically screamed, tossing her cap off, "He made me and Athena look like total amateurs!"
"But I've got no proof!" Athena said, "And without proof-!"
"Without it," Goliath interrupted, "It falls to us."
After flying to the Eyrie building, the three gargoyles, Etrigan, and Athena land in the courtyard. Goliath pushed the doors open to the parlor and enter with the others behind him. Owen was sitting on the computer typing, but got up and approached them.
"Xanatos," Goliath demanded, "Broadway. Hudson. Where are they?"
"I suppose they could be anywhere," Owen responded.
"No game! Take us to him," Goliath said, eyes glowing white. Owen smirked and looked at the notebook.
"You should know I can't do that," He said.
"Then we will find them ourselves," Goliath swore. The Gargoyles, Eitrgan, and Athena left the parlor to search the castle.
They had searched all they could, but they found nothing. The gargoyles, Eitrgan, and Athena go to Owen's office and find him reading a newspaper.
"Goliath. They aren't here." Lexington said. Elizabeth looked at the clock.
"And the sun is about to come up," Athena warned them, looking at her wristwatch.
"You didn't find them?" Owen asked, "I'm not surprised."
"We are running out of time. You know where they are. Tell us!" Goliath demanded with a growl.
"Know this little man, we are filled with wrath. Should you anger us any more there will be a bloodbath," Etrigan said to Owen with his eye glowing.
"All of Mr. Xanatos's vertical and landing craft are in the shed. You might want to try Macbeth," Owen suggested.
The three gargoyles, Etrigan, and Athena walked out of the office and flew back to the clock tower just in time for the gargoyles to turn to stone.
In the wooded area surrounding Macbeth's castle, Goliath, Brooklyn, Etrigan, Athena, and Lexington all gathered. They could see the two mercenaries from the ship walking along the battlements of the castle walls, armed with high-tech weaponry and night vision goggles.
"What now?" Lexington asked.
With a loud thump, the gargoyles, Athena, and Etrigan turn around to see Hudson behind them.
"Now we go in," He replied.
"We were worried!" Lexington exclaimed.
"Where's Broadway?" Hudson asked.
"We thought he was with you," Goliath replied.
"I have not seen him since the battle."
"Then he must be with Macbeth," Athena concluded.
"Up there," Lexington said, pointing towards the mansion where smoke was coming over the walls. Knowing that time was possibly short, they then quickly came up with a plan.
Macbeth had finally found the safest way to open the scrolls. He mixed the necessary ingredients into a strange red solution before pouring it into a clay bowl, which then began emanating puffs of thick purple smoke. But before Macbeth could continue, his mercenaries called out from the battlements.
"We got trouble!" The female mercenary shouted.
He looked up just as the silhouettes of the gargoyles and Etrigan, carrying Athena, that could be seen on the horizon.
"Then take care of it," Macbeth replied, turning back to the scrolls.
The two mercenaries scrambled into action, activating a pair of laser guns. The mercenaries began to open fire on the gargoyles and Etrigan, who dodged and weaved through the laser blasts. As they flew, they could see Broadway chained to a large pedestal near where Macbeth was working.
"Broadway," Goliath said. When he tried to go down to help Broadway, he was forced up by the blasts from the mercenaries.
Debris from the blasts fell and almost hit Broadway and Macbeth.
"It's all over now, Macbeth!" Broadway exclaimed in victory.
Macbeth dips a paintbrush into the clay bowl before brushing the liquid contents onto the scrolls' wax seal.
"We can't get past those cannons!" Lexington exclaimed.
"I have an idea," Hudson suggested.
The mercenaries watched the gargoyles and Etrigan, carrying Athena, scattered throughout the sky. They randomly fired at the skies, trying to get a hit. Suddenly, Goliath landed right on top of one of the guns. Grabbing ahold of the mercenary, he tossed him off, then smashed the gun to pieces with his bare claws. The remaining mercenary continued to fire. Hudson rammed the side of the gun, causing the shot to go wild, hitting part of the castle wall.
Macbeth fell to the ground as he dodged falling rubble before he opened the scroll in his hands and stood up.
"' He was a scabby, bony boy when first I saw this once and future king," He read, growing more confused with each word, "Had I not known what his destiny held, I would have laughed aloud? What's this? "Though young and not yet formed, his mind was open and eager..." He tossed the scroll back and picked up another, "'Today, amidst chaos and destruction, was love and beauty for I had the honor of performing the ceremony of marriage between my apprentice Athena of the Wyvern Clan and Sir Jason Blood, a knight of the table round?' This is a diary! Where are the spells?"
He was so distracted that he didn't see Goliath coming until it the gargoyle knocked him to the ground. He fell hard as Goliath grabbed the two scrolls.
"You caught me in a foul mood, monster," Macbeth went to attack her but Goliath jumped over him. The other gargoyles, Etrigan and Athena landed behind him.
"Release Broadway," Goliath demanded. Macbeth pulled out his gun and pointed it at them.
"Or what?" Macbeth asked.
"Or I'll burn the scrolls," Goliath holds the two scrolls towards the fire.
"Go ahead. They are worthless. No magic at all," He said.
"No, they are magic. Don't burn them, Goliath. You can't. It's Merlin's life. In his own words. When you read them, they take you there. It is magic, Goliath. Precious Magic," Broadway told him.
"Broadway is right, father," Athena said, with a smile and Etrigan's hand on her shoulder, "Those scrolls are a glimpse into Merlin's life. A key to the past and it should not be destroyed."
"Aye, lad. Would be the greatest shame to lose them," Hudson said in agreement.
"Your all trespassing. Take the scrolls and leave." Macbeth said, pulling a remote control from his jacket. He pushes a button and Broadway is released. Goliath turned towards Athena and handed her the scrolls. Etrigan picked her up before they flew off.
Flying over Manhattan, Athena held the scrolls with a smile on her face because she held the memories of a dear friend.
"We'll take Athena to the clocktower so that she and Elisa can return the scrolls to the museum. I can read them to you if you like," Goliath said, looking at Hudson.
"Och, no thank you. We'll read them ourselves as soon as we learn how." Hudson said, earning a smile from Athena.
Later that night, Robbins sat in his home, a braille version of the newspaper in front of him. Setting it down, he looked over at Gilly and smiled.
"You know Gilly, all this fuss over those scrolls has gotten the old juices flowing," He told her, "There may be another book in me yet."
Robbins picked up a tape recorder, hitting the record button with a smile on his face.
"The Sword and the Staff: A Book of Merlin. Frontispiece," He began, clearing his throat slightly, "The written word is all that stands between memory and oblivion. Without books as our anchors, we are cast adrift, neither teaching nor learning. They are windows on the past, mirrors on the present, and prisms reflecting all possible futures. Books are lighthouses, erected in the dark sea of time."
Standing outside Robbin's home, Hudson listened to the dictation and a pleasing smile graced his face.