Chapter Six- Spreading

Matt clicked his pen off and nodded to the green female. "All right. Thank you, Ms. Yale."

"Can something be done about this?" she asked. "I don't really mind being a gargoyle, but I'd rather not be in pain every time I change."

"I sympathize with you but right now, there's no cure and obviously research will be done on making it painless."

Yale nodded solemnly as Matt left the guest room she was currently residing in and met up with Elisa on the tallest tower. He flipped through his pad, shaking his head slightly. "Twelve of us, including Macbeth and us with at least six who came into contact with them."

Elisa nodded. "We'll need to get in touch with them and tell them what will happen and try not to touch anyone." She gave a short ironic laugh. "Not touching someone else is practically impossible.

"We can put the word out to them anyway. Let's call them and then call it a night. I want to see my family and warn them and then see the clan."

"Sure. We can go in tomorrow and write up our reports before dark." The two headed down and asked Macbeth if they could use his phone to call the infected people. He allowed them and once they were done, glided off to relax for the rest of the night.

Elisa practiced her gliding, trying moves she had seen the clan use. Her execution wasn't smooth and sure but she didn't expect it to as she had changed just that night. She angled her wings so that she soared above the clouds. She decided that it would be better to see the clan first and then her family. She knew the clan was lying low so that they wouldn't be wrongly blamed for the virus' spreading. Most people knew the gargoyles weren't evil or monsters, but there were some who still thought they were and would blame them.

She spied Goliath on the tower where he slept and headed for him. She was prepared to embarrass herself in landing as her first and only one tonight hadn't turned out so well. So she was pleasantly surprised when Goliath moved toward her landing point with both hands extended. She glided closer and put her hands in his which helped her land nicely. Goliath then pulled into a warm embrace.

"Elisa," he said gently before tilting her head. "You look just like you did before, but a bit darker."

"I haven't looked yet, but I'll take your word for it."

"You are working tonight?"

"Of course, but it's a slow night. Matt and I were assigned to find others like us and get information from such as how they were infected and if they had contact with anyone since then. We had a little help in finding them as Macbeth had gathered them at his home and he got infected in the process."

"How many are there total?"

"Twelve, but there will be eighteen by tomorrow night."

"Twenty-one by the night after maybe," spoke up Xanatos as he appeared.

"Twenty-one?" Goliath repeated in confusion.

But Elisa understood. "You want me to infect you and your family?"

"Yes. Owen and I did some calculations on the spread of the virus and, in heavily populated areas, avoiding it is impossible. We estimated that everyone native to Manhattan will be infected in a matter of weeks or months."

Both Elisa and Goliath were silent at this pronouncement. Everyone in the city would become gargoyles at night and able to infect any visitors to Manhattan which would spread the virus beyond the island. Despite this, Elisa had no intention in infecting others. She was about to say so when Xanatos, thanks to his karate skills, had moved in quickly and put his hand on Elisa's bare arm. She gasped in horror as he released her and stepped back.

"And yes, I spoke to Fox and we agreed to all of us being infected," he said, answering the question on their minds. He turned and left to infect his wife and son.

Elisa growled angrily at being used that way and her feelings were echoed by Goliath who had also growled. "He did not have to do that," he rumbled angrily.

"Yes," she agreed. "I don't want to infect others no matter what."

"Still, we are all social creatures. It is natural to want to gather for whatever reason. It is likely that one of Xanatos' employees could have contracted the virus and spread it throughout the building."

"You have a point. I suppose if someone asks, I could grant it."

Elisa was soon headed to her parents' home, her sister being at school in Arizona. She alighted on the fire escape of their apartment and gently knocked on the glass that was still loud enough to be heard. The curtain moved to one side to reveal her mother's face- Diane. Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open at seeing her daughter a gargoyle before she pushed the curtain aside and opened the window.

"Elisa!" she exclaimed as her daughter climbed in. She went to hug her, but Elisa backed away from her.

"Mom, please don't. I can't touch anyone or they'll be infected too."

"Infected?" Peter repeated as he came in having heard his wife say Elisa's name. He too paused at seeing Elisa as a gargoyle before adding, "Are you ill with something?"

"Not exactly. I was pricked by a hidden dart and tonight I became a gargoyle because of it. The virus in the dart turns a person into a gargoyle at night and they can infect others through skin contact and those people become carriers as well."

"Are you sure?" Peter asked.

"Xanatos had his people analyze the dart I brought as it still had a small amount of the virus on it."

"What about a cure or a way to make it less contagious?"

"No cure, Dad. As for the contagious part, I don't know. Derek and the Mutates won't be affected; it only targets humans."

"Who would do such a thing to people?" Diane demanded. "Who would be so sick as to unleash such a plague?"

"Demona. The one who hates humanity. Through magic, she becomes human in daylight but it didn't change her view on humans. She wants to insure true acceptance of her kind and that's why she's doing this."

"If she wants acceptance instead of our death, perhaps her view of humans has softened," Peter suggested.

"Perhaps," Elisa said, though she highly doubted that Demona was looking at humans differently than she had in the past.

"Elisa," Diane said. "Please let us touch you. We know what will happen, but be realistic. At some point, contact will happen, whether now or later."

Elisa sighed in surrender. "You're right." She held out her arms and allowed her parents to embrace her. Their hugs brought her comfort despite the fact that they would change the night after tomorrow.

Demona smiled as she watched the international news. Despite it being only a short time, there were reports of her virus that were coming in from China, Europe, and Mexico. No one could explain how people were becoming gargoyles or how the condition was spreading. They spoke of how doctors in those affected countries were looking for a cure.

"Fools," she said. "There is no cure. The world doesn't see my kind as monsters, but that's not enough. The best way to accept us is to be a gargoyle." She laughed softly and in great satisfaction.