All characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyrighted to Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. I've taken the idea for the Unseelie Court from the TGS. Characters and concepts from Star Trek are property of Paramount and created by Gene Roddenberry. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of SN.
Note: I'm disregarding the events of the "Goliath Chronicles", with the exception of "The Journey" because I do not wish to use the rest of the "Goliath Chronicles" as canon to my story. Also, I am altering large sections of the Star Trek storyline, especially concerning events like WWIII and the Eugenics Wars, which without the Cold War as a backdrop probably wouldn't happen the way Roddenberry wrote them, if at all. This story takes place two days after "Escaping Old Ghosts".
Annoyances
By SN/TVfan
Email: Sam_Nary
London
"I'm sorry, but Mr. Dragon is currently investigating a case that has taken away from London," Macbeth said in firm voice, "I'm afraid that I can not tell you when he will be back."
"But, my 'case' for him is certainly strange," the man insisted, "Isn't that the kind of case he said he would take on?"
"It would be, if he was able to hear your case," Macbeth tried to explain and doing a poorer job of trying to hide his frustration, "he is not even in Britain at the moment."
"Can you take the case, then?" the man asked.
Macbeth only sighed.
"I am not licensed for such work," Macbeth warned, "I'll accept any information you personally wish to share, but if does not relate to some danger to the city that any 'concerned citizen' might become involved in, I'm afraid I can not do anything."
"I'd think the thing is strange enough that it could be counted as dangerous," the man said insistently.
"Strange doesn't necessarily equal dangerous," Macbeth cautioned, "Many people thought the locomotive to be strange when it was first invented."
The man didn't look like he believed a word and completely insistent that Macbeth 'take' the case.
"Come inside," Macbeth instructed, "It'd be better discuss this inside."
Arthur then lead the man inside and to the main 'living room', which was empty for the moment. The man quickly sat down as Macbeth moved a chair over to maintain a professional atmosphere.
"Now, what is this strange thing that you think is dangerous?" Macbeth asked.
"Well, it occurred last night," the man spoke nervously, "I was actually getting ready for bed when I heard this barking howl outside my window. Now, some nut in the apartments next to ours has some yappy little dog, and at first, I thought it was that dog. But then I heard something that sounded like raw electricity going through the air, and I got curious."
The man then nervously brushed his hair back before continuing.
"So I went to my window and looked out," the man continued, "That guy's dog was out and it was barking, but that wasn't the thing that was strange. It was this thing running down the ally between our buildings. It looked like some giant dog with wings."
"A dog with wings?" Macbeth asked suspiciously.
"Yes," the man answered, "That's what it looked like."
"That does certainly sound strange," Macbeth commented, "but it sounds like what you saw was a gargoyle."
"A what?" the man asked.
"A gargoyle," Macbeth answered, "a nocturnal creature that tries to protect an area it claims as a 'protectorate'."
"Don't they live in New York, though?" the man asked, "I mean, this is London."
"There is a statue honoring the service of gargoyles in the Battle of Britain," Macbeth reminded the man, "It could be quite possible that there are some still alive in Britain."
"Can you check it out?" the man asked, "I mean suppose it views humans as threat. I mean the reports from New York seem to indicate that there is no consensus formally about whether or not gargoyles are good or not."
"I'm afraid that unless you see it commit a crime, there is little I can do," Macbeth answered, "Prove its existence, maybe, but that's about. If you truly feel its dangerous, then, I'd suggest you talk to the police or animal control."
"They didn't believe me," the man spoke, sounding embarrassed.
Macbeth sighed again and then spoke, "I'll see what I can do to see if what you 'saw' really exists, but I can not promise anything."
"Thank you," the man replied and eagerly shook Macbeth's hand, "Thank you."
Macbeth nodded and then quietly lead the man out. Once the man had shut the door, Macbeth gave a heavy and frustrated sigh. This was one of the things that was beginning to frustrate him since Arthur, Merlin, Rachel, and Una had left. He was now having to 'take' Arthur's clients that came looking for a private investigator. Normal cases, Macbeth could handle easily by either referring them to someone else, or asking them to wait, and many of those people were surprisingly willing to do so. It was the more 'unusual' cases that Arthur took on that gave him more trouble. They were usually very insistent that their case be taken an could not wait for Arthur to return.
It frustrated Macbeth because it was not something he had intended to do with his life, especially when half of the 'strange' cases were usually pranks or not serious. This one had the potential to be serious though. The sighting of a winged dog and hearing electricity tipped it off to Macbeth as to who was causing trouble. He would still have to wait until evening to really do anything about it though. Once the sun set, the gargoyles quickly came down for their breakfast while Macbeth looked over work that his students had handed in.
"So, anything happen today?" Griff asked.
"There was nothing on the news," Macbeth answered, "although
I did receive some information that you might want to watch out for."
"Such as?" Octavia asked.
"It was one of Arthur's clients," Macbeth spoke slowly, "I believe he spotted Lucius running down an alley near his apartment."
"Did he say what Lucius was up to?" Lancelot asked.
"His sighting was from a distance, and if correct, Lucius was already leaving the area," Macbeth explained, "He is rapidly becoming a nuisance more then anything else."
"Nuisance or not, Lucius and his followers are dangerous and obsessed with the past," Julia spoke, "Octavia and I respect the history of Ancient Rome, but we don't want to resurrect it.
"And with his ability as a mutate, he could do an awful lot of damage," Octavia added.
"And you should keep an eye ought for him," Macbeth nodded, "but unless he's come up with some sort of 'cartoon doomsday device' I doubt he poses a real threat to the country as a whole. He is not smart enough, and eventually the police would catch and shoot him. I'd think that our effort would be to insure that he is dealt with before he causes that much trouble."
"We're not to kill him, are we?" Chloe asked, "That could get us in trouble?"
"Not if there are any other options available," Macbeth answered, "I've see more then enough death in my lifetime. The only death I'd wan to see is my own, but I don't think I will get that opportunity. Capturing Lucius should be the main objective."
"Have you heard anything from Una and the others?" Leo asked as he entered the room.
"Nothing today, I'm afraid," Macbeth commented, "but I'm sure they're all fine."
"So, what is the plan for tonight?" Lancelot asked eagerly.
"I believe it is Guinevere's, Gawain's, and your turn to help Leo down at the shop," Griff commented, "that is unless you don't require help tonight?"
"Having a hand is always good," Leo nodded.
"The rest of us were to patrol as normal, but I suppose we could check out the area that he is active in," Griff then commented, "Did the man say where he spotted Lucius?"
"He said he saw Lucius while looking out his bedroom window in his apartment," Macbeth commented, "He did give the street address of his apartment when he first arrived. In fact, it's only a block or so away from Una and Leo's shop."
"That actually sounds good," Griff commented, "We'll check that area first. If Lucius is there alone, we'll capture him. If not, we can easily call for reinforcements."
"Will you help us?" Gawain asked, turning to look at Macbeth.
"Only as a final reserve," Macbeth answered, "I've been rather busy with things during the day and need to catch on the work that I normally do."
Elsewhere
Lucius sat quietly inside a hidden facility that the Illuminati had set him and his followers in. It was far below what he felt he deserved, but for the time being he decided he would put up with it. The Illuminati had expended a great deal of effort to train his followers in various combat styles, so that they wouldn't be completely dependent on their electric powers. That left him with a lot of spare time to try and think of some plan to destroy Arthur. Unfortunately he hadn't been able to think of much other then to directly provoke a battle, which he and his followers had not been victorious in at all.
Even if he had won some battles, the Illuminati wanted him to wait until they decided their training was no longer necessary. Waiting for that to happen was taking far longer then what Lucius had intended and was beginning to frustrate him slightly. He wanted them to be ready to fight, and his allies continually said that they weren't ready and asked for his immediate plans after defeating Arthur. Lucius never liked the look that he got when he tried to explain that he was still trying to come up with a plan to defeat Arthur, and hadn't thought about what to do after.
At present, Lucius was trying to work out some way of beating Arthur on his own. He knew that Arthur ran a private investigation service and was willing to take what might be perceived as strange cases and hoped that he might be able to lure Arthur out and alone. His plan involved creating small disturbances that would attract attention and to leave just as someone looked his way. So far it had attracted very little attention, but, he hoped that eventually Arthur would come snooping around. After a few moments, the man he knew as Agent Anglo entered the room he was in.
"Is there something you need help with?" Lucius asked.
"Not at the moment," Anglo responded, "I am here to see what you were doing and inquire if you needed any help."
"I believe I'm already receiving all the help your people are willing to give," Lucius commented.
"At the moment, all the 'physical' help, yes," Anglo nodded, "but there are other ways."
Lucius looked at the man with a slightly confused look on his face.
"We have tons of information and incredibly skilled advisors," Anglo explained, "we can help you make the right decisions and plan a battle that can work. Far better then blindly attacking someone. Brains always beats brawn."
"I already have a plan that will work," Lucius answered, "It will draw Pendragon to where I want him."
"It is already in motion?" Anglo asked, "Arthur is not in Britain. We've told you that."
"Then I will destroy his followers," Lucius replied, "he will be nothing without his allies, and then I can destroy him at my leisure."
"You're taking an awfully big risk, fighting the London Clan by yourself," Anglo commented, "Even with part of their group temporarily outside of London, you're still outnumbered, unless you thing your team is honestly ready."
And that was one of the things that really hit Lucius hard. As much as he disliked being told that his followers were weak, Lucius was doubly frustrated that that was also true. Criticism hurt and it really hurt when it was true.
"My intention is to beat them one at a time, not all at once," Lucius gave a frustrated sigh, "my men aren't ready yet."
"Then why don't you wait until they're ready?" Anglo commented, "you'd stand a better chance against the London Clan that way."
"Maybe, but it also enables them the time to make themselves stronger," Lucius answered, "this is a time for action. Not inaction."
"There are many kinds of action," Anglo warned.
"I will continue with my plan," Lucius said firmly, "You've told me that your organization wants Pendragon and his followers destroyed. I appear to be the only one actually trying to do something to accomplish that."
"Very well then," Anglo commented.
Over London
"Leo, may I ask a question?" Guinevere asked as they made their way toward the shop that was being rebuilt and opened once again.
"If Griff were here, he'd say you already asked one," Leo commented with a smile, "Go ahead and ask away."
"Um, earlier, Macbeth was talking about that he only wanted to see his own death," Guinevere commented, "What did he mean by that?"
Leo sighed slightly. The clan largely tried to avoid taking about Macbeth's personal life. Chloe did from time to time, but that was usually with Macbeth. Leo decided to at least say what he knew and keep the more personal details out of the story.
"As you know, he and Demona are forever tied to one another," Leo told the young Avalon female, "And from what we've learned about him from Chloe and from him, his life has been filled with personal loss, which means constantly remembering it in an immortal life can not be easy. I do not believe he is suicidal, but I do believe he wishes to have his mortality restored, but I do not know for sure and do not speak for him."
Guinevere nodded, "but he has new friends now, shouldn't that make him happy?"
"Old wounds are hard to heal," Leo told her, "When Una and I thought we lost Griff, we carried the wound until Goliath brought him to the present. Macbeth knew he was losing the ones he loved, and I'll also advise that it would be best to let him deal with his own personal demons in his own way."
Meanwhile, Griff, Octavia, Julia, and Chloe landed on the roof of an apartment building in the area where Macbeth's client had spotted Lucius. The night was quiet and at present there was no sign of any activity, normal or otherwise.
"I don't think that even Lucius is stupid enough to return to the scene of the original crime," Octavia commented.
"We'll have to split up then," Griff sighed, "London is too big to adequately patrol as one large group of four."
"What if we find Lucius and he has his followers with him?" Chloe asked, "Do you think two of us could beat all of them?"
"Contact the rest of us and Leo if you run into the whole group," Griff instructed, "I doubt Lucius has all his underlings working together on this, but might be best to say that it's possible. If they are together, call for reinforcements and try to shorten the distance that each reinforcing group would have to travel."
They were about to split up into their normal patrol teams when a strange barking noise was heard through the night air coming from a few blocks away. They then looked up to see what looked like a burst of electricity fly into the air and dissipate after getting what looked to them like a few feet above the rooftops.
"Or he could move a few blocks over and strike again there," Octavia commented.
"Let's go," Griff said urgently and took off, "before he gets away!"
Lucius moved as quickly as he could trying to get out of the alley he was in. He was sure he managed to get some lights turned on by barking and firing electric blasts into the air. He quickly moved to leave when someone threw a shoe at him from their apartment window. He was certain he could kill these people, but at the moment he didn't want to risk a fight with Arthur's gargoyles searching for him and potentially alerted to his location.
He quickly began to scramble up a fire escape in the hopes that it would speed his escape so that he could ambush the London gargoyles when they arrived. As he reached the roof he spotted four winged shapes in the air and moving in his direction. That immediately frustrated him and made him nervous. He planned on ambushing one gargoyle, and at most two, but he was easily outnumbered, and that meant that this would be a hard fight. His only real option for the moment was to try and get away.
"Cursed gargoyles," Lucius growled and took to the air.
"There he goes!" Octavia shouted as she spotted Lucius take off from a roof a few blocks away and begin gliding in a westward direction.
Griff looked where the Roman female was pointing and easily spotted the African Wild Dog mutate. He was indeed headed away from them and alone. Griff hoped that capturing him would stabilize the situation in London to allow them to deal with whatever problems that would arise that required Arthur's attention.
"Chloe, Julia, try to get above him and move as though to head him off," Griff instructed, "Octavia and I will chase after him directly. Hopefully, he'll focus on us too much to notice you."
Chloe and Julia nodded and quickly banked up and away to move after Lucius. Griff quickly lead the direct chase while the other two gargoyles moved to gain height.
"You're not going to be running all these RAF tactics when the breeder's moon rises, are you?" Octavia asked with somewhat teasing tone in her voice.
That made Griff blink with some surprise. Now, he and the Roman female had been growing close, but there were plenty of things he didn't get. It was his first experience at dating since he and Leo had tried to win Una's heart in the thirties, and he had found that things had obviously changed. The changes embarrassed him slightly, but he was thankful that Octavia was trying to take things slow and that the Roman female in some ways reminded him of Una, although he was determined to never tell either of them that.
"You know that is something completely different from the present situation," Griff said nervously.
"I know," Octavia replied, "But you do have a habit of referring to basic 'dog-fighting' tactics when we are in pursuit of something or someone."
"It's all that I know," Griff answered back, "the Blitz and all."
Octavia nodded, "I know. I could resist one small joke, though."
"Let's keep on the task at hand," Griff said firmly.
The two of them then pushed hard to chase after Lucius. The fleeing mutate fired a series of electric blasts at them as they got closer and forcing Griff and Octavia to dive away to avoid being hit. Lucius then made a quick turn and glided up another alley. As they resumed the chase they saw that Chloe and Julia were moving into position.
Julia and Chloe watched carefully as Griff and Octavia chased after Lucius. The mutate was trying to swerve in and out between buildings, but they had moved high enough to be above the pursuit. As Griff had earlier assumed, Lucius didn't entirely notice them. As Lucius crossed a road and began to glide over a small park, Chloe moved into steep dive, hoping to tackle Lucius before he could get amongst buildings again.
The attack was successful and Julia watched as the two disappeared through the canopy of trees in the park, smashing branches as they went. Octavia and Griff arrived shortly after.
"Chloe's taken him the ground in the park," Julia reported as the other two joined her in diving toward the ground, "I think we have him."
"Let's hope she keeps him busy long enough for the rest of us to catch up," Griff said firmly.
The landing was rather rough on both Chloe and Lucius. The female gargoyle could feel several small scrapes on the inside of her wings and could see the bruises already forming on her opponent.
"Give up!" Chloe growled, "you can't win."
"I'll show you who can't win," Lucius growled defiantly and pulled his feet up under Chloe's stomach.
Lucius then kicked hard, throwing Chloe off of him. The others only began to arrive as he did so, and the kick actually threw Chloe into Griff. Lucius was then quick to his feet and fired an electric blast that forced Julia and Octavia stop and land in front of him.
"I'll show you who can't win!" Lucius roared again and firing another barrage of electric blasts.
These forced Octavia and Julia back as Griff and Chloe scrambled to get back. Lucius continued to look forward with a determined growl.
"It is you and your foolish support for a foolish system that removes order from the world," Lucius growled, "and I will not rest until I've righted the ship!"
"You're a fool," Griff growled, "this isn't the first century."
"And you aren't Roman," Julia added, "the only people who could claim real 'Roman' ancestry are Arthur and Merlin."
Lucius roared with rage and lunged forward, firing electric blasts as he did. One blast hit Chloe and knocked her down, and forced the others to dodge the blasts as he charged forward. As he got closer he threw a punch a Griff that drove him back and landed two electric blasts a point blank range on Octavia and Julia. This sent both of them flying into a tree.
"I'm at least willing to fight for a better system," Lucius growled.
"Better, how?" Octavia questioned, "Neither the Roman Republic nor the Roman Empire were democracies, which humans today hold as the best form of government, and on top of this, it has been humanity's experience that when nations are lead by people like yourself, problems inevitably follow."
Lucius swung a leg out, trying to take the Roman female's legs out from under her, but Octavia dodged the attack easily. This also left Lucius distracted, and Griff clubbed the mutate on his upper back with both fists, knocking Lucius to the ground. Lucius tried to fire an electric blast at the English gargoyle, but Julia kicked him in the shoulder making his shot go wide.
"On top of this, there are four of us and only one you," Griff finished as Octavia and Chloe recovered and moved to help him and Julia surround Lucius.
Lucius refused to give in and fired electric blasts at Griff and Octavia, and then moved to try and escape again, realizing that he would be knocked out if he continued to force the battle against four opponents. He barely made it a few steps before he was tackled to the ground by Chloe.
"You won't be getting away that easily," Chloe growled as she wrestled Lucius into a position where he could not get away or fire an electric blast at her, "will you give in now?"
Lucius responded by electrifying his entire body, making Chloe scream with pain and release the African wild dog mutate. He began to try to run again as soon as he was free, but again Lucius did not get far. He made only a few steps before Octavia landed a flying kick against the back of his knees, which took him to the ground. The Roman female then backhanded Lucius before he could turn, knocking him out and to the ground.
"Thanks," Chloe spoke as Octavia helped her up.
"It is no trouble," Octavia replied, "I suppose we'd best get him back to the mansion."
"I'll carry him back," Griff volunteered, "I'll let you finish the patrol or go help Leo."
"We'll finish the patrol," Julia spoke, "Leo said he did need anymore help. Will you need any help, though?"
"I shouldn't," Griff answered, "At least I shouldn't have any trouble getting him to the mansion."
"I'll go with you," Octavia told him, "Just in case he wakes up."
"Do we have any way of restraining him?" Chloe asked, "I'm pretty sure that Merlin had enchanted the 'cell' we have the werewolf that bit Rachel in."
"We might," Griff commented, "I'm not quite sure. Perhaps we could throw him in with the werewolf."
"Sure," Octavia sighed while shaking her head and suppressing a slight grin.
Elsewhere
Agent Anglo sat quietly in a new office set up for him. The Illuminati had done their best to insure his safety after Arthur and his allies trashed his old office. It was still in the same building, but was now in a different part of the building and had no exterior windows. He heard a knock at his door while he shuffled some papers on his desk.
It was Jeremy Irons that entered the room.
"So, how did you're mission go?" Anglo asked as Irons stepped into the office.
"They didn't spot me this time, so I guess better," Irons answered, "If that is what you mean."
"No, I was referring to our situation with Lucius," Anglo answered firmly, trying to sound authoritative.
"Operation Clean House was successful," Irons reported with a confident smile, "he finally got the attention of the gargoyles with his little scheme. He put up a decent fight, but not a winning one and they eventually carried him off."
"Good," Anglo smiled, "That will give our section of the Illuminati an effective weapon to deal with the London gargoyles, and with Lucius now safely in their care, the weapon is now completely under our control."
"And how will these mutates help us?" Irons asked, "Didn't Lucius recruit them?"
"He did, but mostly on the promise of either revenge or power, and even then, in a very general sense," Anglo explained, "His 'followers' have little real interest in his dream of recreating the Roman Empire. They are tools to be used, and even if Arthur has no connection to the uprising in Tibet, we must assemble forces to fight him here."
"So, how do we explain to Lucius's followers that they now follow us?" Irons asked.
"I'd say that the normal tactics will work," Anglo responded, "Lie and promise them that we will 'continue' Lucius's deal, which we can do much more effectively anyway in the first place."
"Do we send them after the clan, sir?" Irons asked.
"Not yet," Anglo answered, "The Council wants us to wait until after Arthur's little journey ends, no matter how long it is."
The Mansion
The mansion in fact did not have any door or lock that would hold Lucius for long. Merlin had in fact upgraded the room that served as a cell for the Illuminati werewolf that they had earlier captured. Thankfully, Arthur had been able to legally obtain several authentic handcuffs, in case he was hired to track down the a real criminal, not likely, but still possible.
"Do you think they'll hold?" Octavia asked as Griff began placing them on Lucius.
"I hope so," Griff sighed, "I really don't know what else we can do. Perhaps we could call Mr. Burnett in New York to come and secure everything that is needed to make sure that he can't get out, but we can't do any more then what we've done already."
"And even with his help, it would take a while for him to get here," Octavia added.
Griff nodded, "I guess that's the problem with this guy. He's more of an annoyance as far as the big picture is concerned and we can deal with him easily while we're awake, but we have no idea if we can keep him here."
"I'll see to it that he stays here," came Macbeth's voice from the other end of the hallway, "Do not worry about that, although I would agree that it would be wise to contact Mr. Burnett."
"How did you..?" Griff asked in surprise.
"It's very difficult to hear you dragging something or someone through the mansion and not notice," Macbeth answered.
"We thank you for your help," Octavia spoke.
"It's no real trouble," Macbeth answered and looked down on Lucius, "He didn't give you any real trouble did he?"
"Well, he was determined to fight, but it was nothing that we couldn't handle," Griff answered, "Although, our real problems with him are just beginning."
"We can handle them a lot easier then the problems that would have arouse if he was left free long enough to become a real problem," Macbeth answered, "We've thankfully stopped him while he was still only an annoyance."
"Thankfully," Griff commented, "Was there any word from Arthur?"
"Not while you were out," Macbeth answered, "but hopefully he returns soon."
The End…