Brooklyn hurried to the dining room. Objectively, he had learned only a few details from speaking with Sorrow, but still, he felt exhilarated by the breakthrough of having gained the ability to communicate clearly with her. He couldn't wait to tell Goliath of what had happened. After calling him on the radio, he was quite surprised to find him with Xanatos, in his office, behind a computer screen, which was not common for him.
"What's going on?" Brooklyn asked tentatively.
"We're trying to find out as much information as possible about the history of our new friend's protectorate," Xanatos explained.
"Can't they tell you that themselves?" Brooklyn asked and Goliath gave a concerned, low growl.
"Xanatos doesn't believe they are being fully honest with us," he explained.
"Not necessarily," Xanatos explained, "Some of the claims they've made simply don't add up. I'm trying to get to the truth, so we know exactly what we are dealing with here. It may be that they are trying to hide something from us, or it could be that someone else is trying to hide something from them."
Brooklyn's brow furrowed at this.
"It could also be that they just met us and they aren't really to tell us all their business," he pointed out.
"I can respect their instinct to play their cards close," Xanatos agreed, "But with what they are asking of us, I'm afraid I'm going to have to require some transparency."
"What are they asking?" Brooklyn prodded excitedly.
"It seems that the miners we have employed to test out our new machinery have invaded an area that they wish to protect. They claim that the mining operation is threatening a system of caves in the mountain that their ancestors have used for generations, along with their human allies."
"So, it's their home?" Brooklyn concluded, "It makes sense they'd want to protect it."
Xanatos gave a concerned look.
"The branch of the mine that the workers are currently excavating is nearly half a mile beneath the surface. It took the old company almost 80 years to dig that far into the mountain, using modern equipment and explosives. And the surveys submitted by the company found no natural caves or springs in the area."
"Our kind have been known to build rookeries and seek shelter in caves," Goliath pointed out, "But we don't typically dig thousands of feet below the surface."
"No," Brooklyn agreed hesitantly, "But we could if we wanted to."
"But why would we? A gargoyle can't survive for long so deep under the surface of the earth. We would languish after weeks without the sunlight. A shallow cavern with a couple well-hidden openings serves us well, but what would make a clan undertake the building of miles and miles of underground tunnels?"
"Maybe they didn't dig them to protect themselves?" Brooklyn posited.
"That's what Xanatos suspects," Goliath told him.
"Yes, and before I acquiesce to any of their requests, I mean to find out the whole story."
"What are they asking you for?" Brooklyn asked, beginning to feel a bit of suspicion himself, "Don't they just want you to mine somewhere else?"
"They certainly want the mining company to cease operation there," Xanatos explained, "They've been struggling against them for years, trying to stop them from invading deeper into the mountain without fully revealing the existence of your kind to the human world. They admit it was their warriors who attacked the miners and damaged my company's equipment, but I think they may have been up to more than that."
Grimly, Xanatos handed Brooklyn a folder, filled with printouts of recent news stories, and photocopies and microfiche of information spanning back many decades. Brooklyn's expression grew apprehensive as well, as he thumbed through the documents, scanning human accounts of monster sightings, gruesome descriptions of destroyed mining camps with bodies found, and mysterious disappearances.
"The most recent incident involved two university students who came to the area to work as interns and study geology. They were believed to have been studying caves and rock formations on the mountain when they went missing. Some of their belongings were found within the mine shaft. Years ago, the mining company shut down completely when a young man called John Ouray, who was the owner's step son, went missing. No trace of him was ever found."
"Do you think these disappearances were caused by the clan?" Brooklyn asked incredulously and Goliath sighed.
"It is not in our nature to harm the innocent," he reminded Brooklyn, then paused briefly as if conflicted. His face filled with consternation and his gaze became empty, as if he had left the material world for a moment to study his own memories in detail.
"What is it?" Brooklyn urged after a moment and Goliath sighed.
"The temptation to do wrong can be great when one feels their home, clan, and way of life is threatened," he continued, "Our kind is not immune from this temptation. But this one they call 'Beloved Mother', seems very dedicated to resolving this conflict without harming anyone. She has traveled here with us, who are complete strangers to her, to risk revealing herself and her clan to a very powerful human, in the hopes of doing so. She's made a tremendous leap of faith, and that deserves our recognition and trust… even if mistakes have been made in the past."
Brooklyn considered the wisdom of Goliath's words, though the descriptions of the disappearances in the news articles still tugged at his suspicion.
"I can see that your new friends have your confidence," Xanatos told him, "But I'm not quite ready to give them mine yet. At least not to the degree they are asking."
"What else do they want?" Brooklyn asked him, "Aside from the miners to stop mining there?"
"They want the land, for one," Xanatos told him, "The land on the western slope of the mountain has been the subject of frequent court cases. A group representing the Southern Ute people have contested a ruling that the land was not within the boundary of their land trust, but the courts have upheld the ruling. Currently, the mine is still held in trust by the defunct mining company, but my people are in the process of procuring it. She wants me to buy it so it can be passed into the hands of the clan's human friends. She believes that will ultimately stop the drilling."
Brooklyn's eyes widened at this new prospect.
"They're asking you to buy a gold mine in order to give it away?"
"Not exactly," Xanatos explained, "They wish to buy it."
"Buy it?" Brooklyn repeated incredulously, "Is there a gargoyle lending company out there that I don't know of? How does a gargoyle clan afford a gold mine?"
"By mining it, of course," Xanatos explained, "Beloved Mother wishes for me to purchase the land and the mining company and sign it over to their friend, a man named Pagosa. She also wants me to front them the remaining exoskeletons and the programming software to use them. Then Pagosa and the rest of the clan's friends can continue mining the gold until I am made whole and they can shut down the operation entirely and protect their home."
"Does this Pagosa guy have any idea what he's doing?" Brooklyn asked in a scrutinizing tone, "I thought Beloved Mother said there were only a handful of humans left that still knew about them. That can't be enough to run a mine! Who's going to do the work? And it's more than just digging. The ore has to be smelted properly before it's of any use. Does Pagosa have any idea how a mine even works?"
Xanatos raised an eyebrow at these questions.
"Of course, I've yet to meet this gentleman," he replied, "But from what I'm told, I can ascertain that he knows enough about mining to realize that the equipment we've designed allows the mining operation to work with only a fraction of the manpower that was once required. Yes. It is theoretically possible that a handful of workers could run this mine with these exoskeletons and the laser technology that comes with them."
Brooklyn considered all this new information. He understood both Goliath's eagerness and Xanatos' hesitancy.
"There's a lot of questions," he thought out loud.
"Yes," Goliath agreed, "That's why we are seeing what we can find out before our friends return from their patrol and sightseeing adventures. Hopefully, by the time they return, we'll have a better idea of what questions to ask them."
"Were you able to get anywhere with our guest in the holding cell?" Xanatos asked him, changing the subject.
"Well, yes and no," Brooklyn replied, then explained how Alex had charmed him so he could communicate with her and some of the subsequent conversation between them.
"Did Sorrow say if she was a member of the mountain clan?" Goliath asked earnestly.
"She wouldn't say anything about her clan," Brooklyn told them, "She said she had no clan…But she clearly recognized Beloved Mother. She accused us of capturing her for the mountain clan. She said she'd rather die than be turned over to them. I tried to convince her that we only just met their clan and they had no idea that she was in the castle…"
Brooklyn trailed off after he said this. He looked at Goliath in alarm.
"That's true isn't it?" he asked him apprehensively, "You didn't tell them she was here yet, did you?"
"I did not," Goliath said, "Though I'm not sure if hiding her from them is the right thing to do."
"Please?" Brooklyn begged with an earnestness that clearly surprised Goliath, "Don't tell them. At least not yet. Not until we know more about her."
"You seem very concerned about this strange female, particularly given the fact that most of the time you've spent with her, she's spent trying to destroy you."
Brooklyn looked down sheepishly.
"Yeah, I know," he replied, "But, she seemed so distressed at the thought of being captured by them. Something tells me that there is more to this and..I just don't think it's a good idea to let them know she's here yet."
Brooklyn glanced at his leader, hoping Goliath's face wouldn't show that he thought his second-in-command was some sort of lunatic, but Goliath was studying him thoughtfully.
"Besides," Brooklyn added hesitantly, "She might know some more information about what is going on in those caves. I didn't get much out of her this time, but maybe if I try again, she'll trust me a little more and…I promised her she would be safe here."
"Very well," Goliath replied resolutely, "For the time being, we will keep silent about Sorrow. It is probably best that you tell the others not to mention her as well."
"Yeah," Brooklyn replied with genuine relief, "Thanks, Goliath!"
"Thank you, for your help in this matter," he replied, which surprised Brooklyn a little, "Alex was right to give this charm to you. I'm certain that if Sorrow has any trust to give, you will be able to coax it from her."
Brooklyn flushed a little at these words. It meant a lot to him when Goliath praised him and particularly when he expressed his confidence in his ability to lead. But it made him anxious at the same time. He hoped Goliath was right that Brooklyn could get Sorrow to trust him. He didn't want to disappoint Goliath, but moreover, he didn't want to fail her.