Gargoyles: For It May Come True

by Embracethehavoc

Goliath has to see what would have become of his clan, should he had never been born. He thought the worst case scenario for humanity was the 'Xanatos Empire' Puck had shown him. He was wrong. He was so wrong. (A dark AU of season 3's 'For It May Come True")

==Content Warning==

Contains Mild Gore

Goliath's fingers burned as if gripping to the eaves of the rooftop was gripping to Concertina Wire. His chest screamed an agonizing shriek, the sweltering pain of the Anti-Aircraft Gun hadn't killed him - but dragon above, had he wished it had.

"Can't… get….." his eyes rolled over white "Ngggghhhhh…."

The strength of his tendons failed. His fingertips scrapped off the edge in his fleeting consciousness, the cold rush of freefall greedily welcoming him into its arms. His vision filed to a pin needle, he watched the parapets of Manhattan rush higher into the sky. He should have listened to Hudson's pleas to fall back… he should have…. Have….

Everything went dark.

---

*THUM*

And instantly, everything went white.

The crack of lightning lit the night ablaze in a flash of thunder. Goliath's back hit the ground of the alleyway "OMPHF!" The fall was surprisingly short and tender for having freefallen from 20 stories in the air.

Now mysteriously free of the sweltering pain in his chest, Goliath leapt back up to his feet in an instant - get back in the fight! His eyes snapped back and forth to get his bearings, he needed eyes on Brooklyn and Angela for aerial control! He'd need to rally with Broadway and Hudson use their combined heavyweight in a ground assault on the Quarrymen's Anti-Air Guns! And then… and…. And…

With gritted teeth, he spun in a circle - what in Oberon's name?

Silence. Save for the drowning white noise of the ice cold sleet that pierced against his bare flesh, the explosive cacophony of Anti Aircraft guns had been silenced. The barking commands of Brooklyn, the war cries of Quarrymen, the gun shots from Elisa's gun, and the orchestra of battle; all of them had ceased.

Something had happened, he needed to get to higher ground. He leapt forward to spear his talons into the brick wall and climb but-

Goliath recoiled at the back of his hand, stumbling backwards with an incoherent exclamation.

His hand was pale and human. His taloned feet stumbled back across the dilapidated concrete, the shoes he now sported splashed its heels into a puddle. He snapped his attention downwards, immediately tugging on his jacket and shirt to see if they were indeed real. Eyes wide and panicked, his hands clasped to his face, chin, jaw and all to inspect the features - he was human?

He tightly shut his eyes over and over again, clapping his temple a few times with the meat of his palm to hopefully realign his brain - a brain that was playing tricks and hallucinations on him! He stumbled out of the alleyway to gain what imaginary bearings he could find, but Elisa's gun cracked through the night again. His vision locked in.

"Elisa!" he bellowed, charging out into th-

His fearless charge screeched to a halt the second he barreled out into the roads of Manhattan… what was left of it, to say.

The adjacent row of apartment buildings didn't exist, the entire block of 200 foot tall buildings had long since collapsed into a 20 foot pile of rubble. Goliath had to shield his eyes from the gust force winds that drove the rainfall into his sides like icy needles. Through the near white out of the rainfall, he jerked his head around. The Manhattan Skyline was like a post-apocalyptic wasteland from Lexington's Sci-fi movies. Mighty skyscrapers had toppled to the ground, the lights of the 20th century metropolis had gone dark, smoke billowed out so black and thick that not even the torrential downpour could quell the flames that produced them.

"Puck." Goliath snarled, he grit his fists and raised his voice from the heavens, not another illusionary dream "PUCK! I KNOW THIS TO BE YOUR DOING!" he bellowed "I haven't time for these foolish games! Release me from this illusion! The Phoenix Gate is no longer mine to give away!"

Goliath was no fool. This was the exact dystopia Puck had tossed him into back when he sought the Phoenix Gate from him, well Puck would have to be leaving empty handed. He expectantly awaited for Puck to zip into existence with a defeated huff… but none came. Goliath growled and bellowed again "BESIDES! I know you are forbidden to wield magic outside of your mentorship of young Alex!"

*BANG! BANG!*

The shots rang out again in the direction from where they had come before. With an impatient snarl, Goliath dashed in its direction. Fine, he'd entertain Puck's fake world, the way out was obvious anyways: Puck could only create worlds based off the facts HE knew, simply point out the flaws and gaps in logic, and the story would eventually fall apart.

Goliath stumbled through the soaking wet remains of what was once Downtown Manhattan. Puck had clearly upped the stakes since his last lie, rather than it be a depressing dystopia, he had whipped up a full apocalypse setting to try and fool him. The streets were utterly devoid of all life, rather than the throngs of homeless humans like before. The abandoned houses had fallen to the ground as if Judgment Day was yesterday. The pavement had been ripped apart like a Magnitude 10 Earthquake had split the earth - forcing Goliath to slip up and down the remains of debris like scaling a mountainside.

The gun fire became more frantic, the shrieks of terrified screaming split the night like a blade, distorted howls spat out in a grotesque echo.

Goliath was now in a full on sprint, his feet slipping and clocking his jaw against the wet incline of asphalt he had attempted to ascend too quickly. Goliath snapped a hand over the lip of the edge, yanking himself up and into the collapsed in building of what was once a skyscraper and-

*BA-BUM*

Goliath Froze.

A human woman lay disemboweled on the floor. Her chest and stomach had been ripped open by the disgusting four legged creature that had now buried its snout into the warmth of her cavity, feasting on the entrails within. Goliath's entrance had been heard. No sooner had he gotten barely a glimpse, the muzzle of the quadruped tugged itself out and flashed its intestines-flecked fangs at him.

It was an horrid amalgamation of a garg-dog and who knew what else. It was bloated with growths and malformations across it's body, a tumor like growth on its jaw forced its drooling chops permanently open. The creature bristled with a vile snarl, it's eyes illuminating their nocturnal and feral white.

Goliath stumbled backwards in shock, his hand finding a piece of rebar that had been set free when the building became rubble. All of a sudden, he felt that primal, instinctual fear; he felt like he was a 10 year old boy again faced down by a rabid animal in Scotland. With the entrails of the woman still stuck in it's mangled jawline, the creature charged.

Fight or Flight battled in Goliath, but instinct made him plant his feet and spear the dog… who ran right into it!? Goliath recoiled in shock as the pointed shaft of steel speared through the roof of the dog's mouth and splattered out through it's eye! Rather than convulse or go limp, It rabidly snapped and foamed at him still! Goliath leapt back - the dog followed. It slashed.

"GRAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Goliath screamed. The overgrown claws of the creature slashed through his thigh like hot knives through butter. Warm blood spilled forth in thick rivers of red. Goliath clutched his maiming wound, adrenaline kicking in but agony burning like hell! He half stumbled/half hopped his way past the dog that now thrashed on the ground with it's eye dangling from it's skull by a thin scrap of flesh.

Goliath's hand, now soaked in his own blood, slapped onto the railing of a half-gone stairwell, desperately trying to seek higher ground! He yanked himself up step after step, the blood from his wound already seeping through the gaps between his fingers. He was going to bleed out in less than five minutes! "PUCK! PUCK!' he roared "STOP!"

The dog was already back on its feet, Goliath's terrified eyes snapped back to see its maddened chops foaming from the mouth, scuttering and scurrying towards him like a horrifically contorted demon. Goliath was at the top of the stairwell, his forearm bashing open one of the doors to hopefully find shelter - it only opened up to a room that had it's wall torn off- a 100+ foot drop into a crater in what was once the center of a city block.

"GRAAAAAAAAAA!"

Goliath shrieked bloody murder, the white hot pain of carnivorous jaws biting through his achilles tendon forced blood to jettison from his mouth. He collapsed to the ground, stabbing the foaming beast with a shard of glass he scraped up from the floor. His feeble strength as a human sapped him of any chance of fighting off a garg-dog, especially not a mutation like this! His own blood pooled around him "STOP! STOP!" he screeched.

*BANG*

A gunshot exploded in the air, a far larger caliber than from before. Part of the dog's head exploded and splattered over Goliath's face and chest. The dog stumbled to the side, dropping its death bite upon his ankle. The sound of footsteps racing up the staircase grew louder.

*BANG* *BANG*

Two more ear splitting shots cracked out, exploding two more chunks out of the beast's skull. Lexington leapt through the door frame, a smoking magnum in one hand, a glowing blade in the other. With a warrior's yell, both hands raised the saber overhead before smiting it's tip into the beast's torso. Immediately, the sword went electric, igniting the beast until it smoldered from every orifice. It dropped to the ground dead

"Amalgamation down! One injured! Administering first aid!"

Lexington was on Goliath in a flash, slinging the backpack off his shoulder and yanking it open "You're going to be okay, human." he said, suddenly dropping his voice from the scream to a hushed croon "You're alright… You're alllllllllllllright."

"L-Lexington? I- NGGGHHH!" Goliath grunting in pain as Lex applied a life-saving tourniquet above his leg wound, cinching it tight to cut off the flow of blood to what could have damn well been a sliced artery.

Lex turned his attention back to the door from whence he came "Elisa! Second floor! Gimme a SITREP!" he barked, snapping his attention to Goliath's injuries again. The elder hissed as Lexington began Gauze-packing his mangled ankle. Goliath's eyes misted from the sheer pain, he got a good look at Lexington. He wasn't wearing the golden, cybernetic armor from the last 'version' of this illusion. He was adorned in crudely repurposed human armor. A flak jacket hugged his torso that matched a set of improvised forearm bracers and shinguards.

Had Goliath had claws still, they would have ripped into the floor below. He knew illusions could simulate pain, but nothing THIS intense. He steeled himself "L-Lex… Lexingt-"

Elisa dashed in "Keep your voice down!" she hissed to the little gargoyle, slinging her own backpack off her back. Goliath's heart nearly stopped. Her hair had been cut to be only two inches long, a nasty scar ran long and deep from the tip of her nose down to the backside of her neck, a lightweight iteration of police riot gear had replaced her usual red jacket "You're going to be okay, sir. My name is Elisa Maza, you're with friends now." she said with a droning, rushed tone as she reached into the pseudo-first-aid-kit that she produced from her backpack. She flicked the needle of a syrette "Morphine." she identified to him, before pricking it into the meat of his shoulder.

As sweet numbness rushed through his body to dull the pain, Goliath looked down at Lexington who completed gauze-wrapping his foot "L-Lexington? Elisa? What's happened? Wh-"

"You were injured in an attack by one of the Amalgamations." Elisa said back blankly like she had said it a thousand times before, before repeating "You're going to be okay, sir. My name is Elisa Maza, you're with friends n-."

"Elisa!" Goliath interrupted "Elisa, it's me! Goliath!"

She nodded, not making eye contact as she quickly inspected him for hidden wounds "Goliath, that's a great name." she said sincerely, yet again emptily "Tell us more about yourself, okay Goliath? Just stay awake. Don't fall asleep."

"Elisa!" he exclaimed with widening eyes, locking his attention down "Lexington! It's me!"

Lexington cocked his head slightly, exchanging furrowed brows with Elisa "...You know my name." Lex stated in confusion.

"Yes! Lexington, Elisa, please listen to me! It's me! Goliath!" Feeling like he was going mad for needing to repeat it a third time "I don't know how-" he quickly shook his head with blinking eyes "-No. No! I know you're neither Lexington, NOR Elisa, Puck! Now release me from this spell! I won't be a puppet in your game again!"

Goliath stumbled to his feet, but collapsed in pain once he even attempted putting weight on his achilles, he roared in agony and fell to all fours.

"He's delusional." Goliath's ear caught Lexington muttering to Elisa "Radio in the 9-line, we gotta get back underground. They'll have heard the gunshots."

"I don't think he can walk as he is n-"

"Yup yup, I got him." Lexington mumbled quietly. The sound of his talons clicking across concrete was quickly followed by his olive drab claw taking hold of Goliath's wrist "Alright, Goliath. We're going to get you out of here-" hoisting the human up onto his shoulders in a fireman's carry "-but you'll need to be very still, and very quiet. We won't let anything happen to you."

Goliath nearly ordered his clan mate to drop him on reflex, but the searing pain in his left thigh and right ankle made him hold off that command. Elisa darted past them with pistol raised to take point, Lexington dashed out immediately behind her "Wh… What was that thing?" Goliath strained as the no-longer-twitching garg-dog laid in the dark pool of its own blood.

"One of the newer Amalgamations." Lexington responded quietly "The genetic code gets less pure with each batch, so they keep having to supplement the gaps with more local fauna DNA every new generation. Don't worry though, they don't secrete venom anymore."

That did absolutely nothing to answer Goliath's question. At the bottom of the staircase, Elisa shoved aside a panel of sheetwood to reveal a hole in the wall - they weren't going back onto the mainstreet. As Goliath managed to barely turn his head enough to see through the gaps of rubble in the alleyway, he groaned out "What…. What has happened?"

"Shit, he's fading- get plasma ready." Lexington whispered to Elisa and then raised his voice to conversational volume "You were attacked by an Amalgamation, Goliath. My name is Lexington, this is Elisa, we're goi-"

"I know what happened, Lexington!" Goliath retorted sharply "That is not what I mean… I… THIS is what I mean. What has become of our home!?"

"I'm sorry, you must have had friends here-" Elisa empathized "-Demona and Wyvern have gotten far less cautious with their attacks. Now that they've guessed we've moved underground, they've stopped being so careful when deciding to level a block or two…"

"Demona?" he stifled a hiss of pain when his ankle acted up again "Wasn't she fighting alongside your resistance against Xanatos?"

"Damn, this guy really DID hit his head…." Lexington muttered

"At least the streets are free of people…" observed Goliath "...I only hope they managed to flee the tyranny of this false Xanatos's rule.." he glanced down at Lexington, remembering how this went the last time he was sucked into a clearly false world. After all, Xanatos was merely a program in the last world… and the REAL mastermind was….

"...I wonder if the citizens know the real Xanatos is dead." Goliath said darkly to Lexington

"Considering the fact his execution was broadcast live the Night of Stone, I'd assume as much" Lexington said dryly.

The sweltering pain in his leg was getting worse, Goliath had no time to deal with this illusion any further… it had nothing to do with the fact that something about this illusion felt more dread-inducing than the last time, of course. The way out of it was simple though: Puck could only create a world based on what he knew (hence all the gaps in logic from the last illusion) All Goliath had to do was poke holes in this lie until the elf finally gave up and set him free.

"So your name is Lexington, right? That's an interesting name… how'd your parents name you that?"

"They didn't, gargoyles are born without names. I chose the name for myself when I first came here."

*Too broad of a question, get more specific* Goliath thought "Why'd you choose that name in particular?"

Lexington made the verbal equivalent of a shrug "Uh uh Ave used to have the best computer stores in Manhattan before the EMP. I saw a bunch of TVs in the windows my first night here, I remembered the street name so I could come back to it later. Just stuck with the name."

Goliath flinched… okay, well Owen was no doubt listening to their conversations non-stop their first nights on Xanatos Tower. He had to ask about someone Owen wouldn't have had constant surveillance on "Maza was your last name, was it?" Goliath said coyly "Doesn't sound that common for New York."

"It was my father's last name…" she said somberly "...He was Native American-"

"Navajo?" Goliath quickly planted the wrong answer.

"Hopi." she corrected.

That quick of an answer made Goliath tense up a second time. Well, no matter, Xanatos had no doubt ordered Owen to do extensive background checks on Elisa considering how close she was to the Gargoyle. *Need to go back further, more personal. Things Puck could never know.*

"Uh… Lexington. I never thanked you for saving my life back there! You were a true demon with that blade! Are all Gargoyles taught to be so adept with weaponry?"

Lexington stopped his stride a half-step to re-lift Goliath more comfortably onto his shoulders "Nah, not really. Back when I was a youngling, gargoyles never used weapons - stupid rule our racist human landlords back at the castle had, didn't want us armed. Only the elderly or the injured were allowed weapons to defend themselves…. But that didn't stop me from sneaking off every now and then to get lessons in swordplay from my previous clan leader."

Goliath's blood chilled. That… Only Lexington, Hudson, and himself knew that story! He had caught Lexington sneaking out of the castle one night and followed him, only to learn he'd been meeting with Hudson to receive tutoring in duels! After spanking Lex stupid, Goliath pledged to not spread around the fact he had gone behind his back, IF he promised to end practicing with weapons. Goliath had upheld that vow…

That… there was no possible way anyone other than him knew that. His eyes widened, suddenly, his frantic words returned "Lexington, Elisa, do you truly not recognize me!? It's me, Goliath! Lexington, when you were found out to have been sneaking off to partake in forbidden training, who was the clan leader who stopped your lessons?"

"Whoa, easy Goliath." Lexington said, tightening his grip "And keep your voice down, we're here."

Eisa squatted down and slid aside a manhole cover "Broadway: Lexington and Elisa returning. One survivor in tow." she droned into her walkie talkie.

"...Solid Copy…" Broadway's empty voice responded in static.

The stench of the sewers was abysmal. As Goliath was now free to walk by himself with one of the dozens of crutches stationed at the bottom of the ladder, he was practically blind without his gargoyle night vision. The only light was provided by a wind-up powered flashlight brandished in Lexington's hands, guiding their way deeper into the darkness.

"We have blankets and pillows." the gargoyle said plainly "Once our medic clears you, someone will hand them to you once Elisa and I head back to the surface."

The tightness of the tunnel opened up into the larger (relatively speaking) expanse of an unfinished wing of the subway system. There was no lighting or electricity to speak of. The silent huddles of maybe a few hundred or so humans were only illuminated with the orange flicker of oil lamps or hand-cranked camp lights.

"Do these people not have power?" Goliath said in concern "Lexington, aren't you able to reroute something to get them some light? Some coolers? The summer heat will cook these people if they stay underground."

The gargoyle scoffed "Yeah, well. That EMP wiped out every electrical grid on the eastern seaboard, so if YOU find a working power plant within 500 miles, then hey, you let me know."

"You used…" he paused as he tried to remember what Lexington had called them "You used a 'Dee-zel Powered Engine' at the clock tower though! Aren't those a possibility?"

He shook his head grimy "Those make way too much noise, they'd find us in an instant. And honestly… YOU'RE making too much noise…" he noted with irritation "Elisa, I'm gonna restock on gauze, I'll meet you back at the ladder in five."

Goliath quickly snapped his attention to his human lover "Elisa, these people cannot stay here! What of the Labyrinth? Surely that would be a safer place to move these people."

Goliath felt the movement of a hulking figure come up from behind.

"Great, another joker…" Talon's voice growled. The black panther emerged from the darkness like a reaper, his right eye covered in a makeshift bandage eyepatch. Slung over his shoulder was a heavily modified plasma rifle carrying all manner of upgrades that just screamed of Lexington's handiwork. His single yellow eye glared down coldly at the puny Goliath, empty disgust burrowing into him before turning its gaze to Elisa "...Demona and Wyvern haven't been seen since sunset, we might be able to make another supply run for dried food, sis."

"Right, get the scavenger party ready, then. Lexington and I want to do one more patrol for survivors, just a basic 5 block sweep."

He merely grunted and nodded his head "A'ight…" before glaring back at Goliath "Welcome to The Hub. Keep your voice down, don't draw attention, never go out during the daytime."

"Wait! Elisa! Lexington!" Goliath hissed out quietly as they both went in separate directions "What's happening!? Who are you hiding these people from!? Wh-"

A clap to his shoulder made him jump, his head snapped around "BROADWAY!"

"Hey hey, easy there newcomer." A heavily scarred Broadway eased, the nasty scar tissue of what looked like to have been a shrapnel blast covered his entire torso "Don't let my friend Talon scare you, he's a big old softie. He used to be one of you humans, ya know!"

The forced smile Broadway had pinned on his lips did nothing to hide the thousand yard stare in his cold, jaded eyes - dead eyes, more like it. Goliath latched onto him in an instant, his hands gripping his blue shoulders "Broadway! What has happened to our home!? Surely you are able to recognize my voice!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, hey, easy, easyyyy. Deep breath, human." Broadway said tiredly, eyes frantically glancing around to see that Goliath's panic did not infect the other refugees that now turned their heads in his direction "You're okay, you're safe down here." he assured.

Broadway draped a wing around Goliath's entire form, leading him away quietly, but promptly "Yeah…. Lex mentioned you were a little confused after hitting your head or something. Here, let's get you someplace quiet and cool, alright? Everything's going to be just fine. You're with friends now."

Goliath was led up the stairs of a scaffolding in the underground construction site… it's all that could possibly pass for 'privacy' in the overcrowded shelter camp. Goliath found himself sitting down on a steel stool with Broadway sitting across from him, the large blue gargoyle wiping the palm of his hand over his exhausted complexion and then immediately perking up again "Okay, now I heard you must have gotten a little amnesia. Just ask away with any questions, I'll get you back up to speed."

Goliath looked down at the refugees below. This was nothing like the Xanatos-run Dystopia filled with patrolling armies, dilapidated buildings, and hopeless poverty-stricken people. This wasn't a dystopia, this was a post-apocalypse.

Manhattan was a wasteland, the single human he had seen on the surface had been torn apart by a mutated abomination, and this miniscule batch of survivors that sat aimlessly in the dark was the most populated place he had seen. Last time, the Gargoyle Rebellion against Xanatos was a jaded, yet fire-fueled assault against his tyranny… but now, they seemed to want to do nothing but hide in the darkness!

"Broadway! I… This…. What has happened to our home? Our Clan?" He blurted out, before trying to at least slow down to the immediate needs of those around him "The…. The refugees, these people: why are they all kept here beneath the city? Why are the streets empty? Are you staging them here so you can evacuate them out of New York and beyond Xanatos's reach?"

There was a long pause of silence. Broadway raised a hand slowly "Human….New York is all that's left."

Goliath felt ill.

Broadway spoke slow and cautiously as if he was disarming a bomb "...Xanatos is dead, Demona aired his execution on live television 2 years ago."

"Wha….. What?"

Broadway took a deep inhale and let out a great exhale "Guess I'm gonna have to run through the whole thing, then."

He cleared his throat "Two years ago, on November 9th, 1995, Demona began her extermination of humanity. With the Grimorum Arcanorum in her possession, she tricked David Xanatos into airing a live feed of her reading the Stone Flesh Incantation - turning all of Manhattan's humans into stone. Immediately before the Incantation was read, Wyvern murdered Xanatos on screen as an intimidation tactic. Once the incantation was read, Demona and Wyvern seized his vast array of warheads. With no resistance, they were able to use Xanatos Industries's Weapons Department to take out the nerve centers of the American Government. And after overriding the Pentagon and the rest of DC's broadcasts with the live feed, nearly the entire US Capitol was frozen in stone just in time for the first bombs started leveling the place"

Broadway exhaled through his nose and sat back against the railing "...Turns out they only needed the threat of Nuclear War to CAUSE Nuclear War… Ain't that just poetic? By killing the entire federal government, sending a few hacked signals to the midwest, and using an EMP that knocked out the entire North East's power grid, They were able to fool what remained of the US Military's Chain of Command that they were under Nuclear Attack by Russia."

The gargoyle grit his teeth as he muttered to himself "...And I sat right next to him when he watched the damn movie that would give him the idea…." his voice then returning to the formal narration "With an estimated 400,000 fatalities in DC, including the President and the next seven people in the Presidential Line of Succession dead, The Secretary of Commerce approved a Nuclear Response."

Goliath felt like Broadway's voice was a thousand miles away, or he was listening to this through a screen. Demona was evil, but this? "W…Why would she do such a thing?"

"Wasn't her idea." Broadway muttered "But it was because the Russian Nuclear Response would wipe out all defenses here in the US. By November 11th, 1995, The Mutually Assured Destruction killed an estimated 3 billion people and threw the entire human world into utter anarchy. Using what remained of Xanatos's Iron Dome Program, the missiles targeting New York were shot down before they could detonate - keeping Demona and Wyvern sparkling clean of the explosions that was their own fault. With most of the American People dead and most of the nation irradiated, New York became Demona and Wyvern's personal playground so they could test out the Grimorum Arcanorum."

"They canceled the Stone Sleep spell so they'd have valid test subjects as guinea pigs. And well…. Now , here we are." he said with raised hands "The amalgamations that Demona summoned with the Grimorum now prowl the streets and back alley ways while Demona and Wyvern comb the skies for surviving humans. But…." he tapped the side of his head "WE got smart and moved everyone subterranean, the one place they can't see. They aren't able to patrol the underground as well as they can the surface in the air. This entire island is a network of mazes that are impossible to navigate in the dark, even for a gargoyle. And as long as my clan is still here, they won't risk carpet bombing the place….." his boast then soured to a sneer "...they still think we'll join their side. Can't kill potential clan mates…. Sick bastards."

Goliath snapped to his feet, knocking over the stool with a loud bang "THAT… This cannot be! Her plan failed! She wasn't able to kill Xanatos the Night of Stone! Such weapons never fell into her possession! Her plan was thwarted by our clan and Macbeth!"

"Macbeth? Macbeth was buried beneath 10 feet of liquid cement, dude. Immortal or not, he's not strong enough to dig his way out of that." he said casually, before blinking and clearing his throat "But hey….. They can't get you down here, you're with friends now."

Goliath jerked his hands away "No! This is not how it is meant to be! We are gargoyles, we are protectors of Manhattan! We do not slink away and corral the victims, we take the fight to the enemy! We topple the wicked from their thrones!" Goliath clenched his fists before his chest "Send for the others! Demona cannot be allowed to continue such a poisonous dream!"

"Human, please…" Broadway sighed, placing his hands on Goliath to root him in place.

"We must prepare an assault on the castle and take back humanity's fate! Call back Lexington! Where is Brooklyn and Hudson!?-"

Broadway's tired eyes instantly hardened into a steely gaze.

"Both of them must return here and rally wi-"

Broadway's chops curled back into a venomous snarl and his eyes illuminated white. Goliath's barks were silenced, Broadway snatched his shirt collar and yanked him into the air "I don't know who you are…" Broadway sneered "...So I'm going to assume that saying their names was a bad joke and I don't have to throw you to the surface with a siren strapped to your back."

Broadway threw Goliath to the metallic walkway of the scaffolding "Hudson gave his life for us the night Xanatos turned on us with his Steel Clan. He and Bronx died so that me and my brother could live on…" Broadway stomped forward, planting a foot on Goliath's ribcage "Us gargoyles are the only ones who know those two names… So you're going to tell me…. How do YOU know?"

*rumble*

A muffled tremor came from overhead. Broadway's eyes immediately lost their glow.

*Rumble*

Horror carved itself into the blue gargoyles face, the terror in his eyes immediately snapping up to the ceiling overhead.

*RUMBLE*

Dust sprinkled out as the ceiling shook, the mass of refugees stumbled to their feet in mute horror. Talon and Lexington pushed against the fleeing crowds of humans, their eyes trailed upwards in helpless fear just the same.

*BOOM!*

A spear of red energy exploded through the ceiling, The two gargoyles on the ground tackled what few humans they could out of the way, the unfortunate souls who couldn't be reached were splattered into red paste beneath the collapsing concrete.

"DEMONA!" Broadway roared. The male gargoyle leapt the 20 foot drop to the ground and charged towards the pillar of smoke that now vomited through the 10 foot hole left in the ceiling.

She had found them. The all too hated sight of Demona made Goliath's hair bristle in fury. Her glowing eyes of red emerged from the cloud of dust, an all too satisfied cocksure grin was plastered onto her face, the familiar pose of a still smoking bazooka resting against her hip was too recognizable "Hiding underground with the rats?" she coyly lamented "My my… you truly have fallen, my friends."

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" the feral roar of Talon bellowed out, the rapid burst of blasts from his rifle's barrel illuminating the underground a sporadic red. None got within a foot of her. The energy blasts plinked harmlessly away from Demona by a cybernetic green barrier that immediately materialized to protect her.

Half of the humans stampeded in a mad dash in all directions, the other half snatched up what small arms they had managed to stockpile. Lexington tossed his larger brother a set of electrified gauntlets "BROADWAY" while they both converged on the intruder in a sprint.

"When we leveled The Labyrinth, I thought I had managed to kill all you half-breed abominations." she pinned the butt of her favorite choice of firearm into her shoulder "Oh well… I suppose one or two rat escapes every drowning ship~"

"SHE HAD A FUCKING NAME!" Talon screamed "MAGGIE!" emptying the plasma magazine in his gun before charging in. The three on one fight was now hand to hand! Lexington's electrified blade slashed at Demona, causing her to dash back in a frantic dodge! Broadway followed up instantly with a devastating right hook that sparked with lightning, missing her yet exploding a 3 ton boulder into gravel!

The awaiting bicep of Talon clothes-lined Demona, a snatch of his hand grabbing her tail and swinging her away with a bloodthirsty snarl - he was out for blood. Goliath raced down the scaffolding, trying to keep his eyes on the fight while keeping his footing in the dark. He snatched up a rusted metal pole from the ground and charged in. He didn't care if he was just a pitiful human right now, all he had to do was distract her for two seconds and let one of the gargoyles get a finishing blow on her!

"TARGET! TARGET! TARGET!" A human's voice bellowed from up above. Without needing to look, all three gargoyles sprung back

*THUM!*

A concussion grenade shot above from a grenade launcher before impacting just inches from Demona's torso, the green barrier reappearing again to take the blast, but not saving her from being knocked flying backwards. Lexington leapt upon her with a terrible roar, trying to stab her exactly as he had the Amalgamation from before. She rolled away and kicked him in the chest.

"You fools have thrown your lot in with these humans!" Demona snapped, her practiced targeting letting her line up a shot and send it in less than a split second "You have abandoned your kind! Abandoned our ways!"

"YOU'RE the one out of your mind!" Broadway bellowed as he spiked a fist into the ground that Demona almost got nicked by. A barrage of bullets from a dozen human's rifles cracked out as Demona leapt away from the three below.

"DON'T LET UP!" A human screamed "We can kill her! She's alone!"

She was down and behind cover in an instant, Goliath unable to keep track of just how quickly she danced around in the air. She was faster than he'd ever seen her in combat before, she was more deliberate…. But even she couldn't win with odds like this! She was so focused on lining up a shot onto a balcony of fleeing humans that she hadn't been able to see Talon charging right behind her

"GRAOOOR!"Talon slammed his shoulder into her like a linebacker. The gasp of shrill pain made her drop her firearm, the wind thoroughly knocked out of her. Broadway and Talon were on top of her instantly, Lexington threw the bazooka a dozen yards away, his magnum revolver being drawn and empting 4 shots into it and causing it to short circuit in a flume of sparks.

"You know NOTHING of clan, Demona!" Broadway clenched his fists and illuminated the gauntlets Lexington had made in white lightning, raising them overhead "You came alone! And for all you've done, you'll DIE alone!"

Pinned beneath the crushing feet of the two heavyweights, her gritting teeth curled up into a grin "...Ngh…. Who's says I'm alone~? …..I Just had to check that you all were actually here before I called him~"

*THUUM*

The entire subway system shook. A muted impact overhead made the ground beneath them tremble.

*THUUM!*

Goliath fell backwards from the shuddering earth. The little remaining lighting underground went dark. Cracks ruptured over the ceiling like splitting Ice.

*THUM!** **THUM!** **THUM!**

"Oh Godddddd…." Talon begged with the divines above "Oh Godddd, No!"

**SMASH!**

The entire ceiling shattered! The whole construction yard collapsed in on itself! Rock and cement plummeted to the ground in a deafening explosion! The terrified shrieks of the fleeing humans from before were multiplied tenfold! A portion of the despairing screams were silenced in the sounds of flattening bones. Goliath had to shield his face from the incoming debris and smoke, coughing up with watering eyes as he tried to keep the blinding smog of dust from getting into his lungs.

Remaining bits of gravel sprinkled down, the sound of flapping wings accompanied the glowing eyes descending through the dusty cavern. Every creature, both gargoyle and human, looked up in religious fear.

"Ohhh ho ho ho, poor Taloooon~" a gravelly voice laughed out from overhead.

*No…* Goliath's stomach dropped, the wind from flapping red wings parted the smoke.

Brooklyn's psychotic grin stretched from ear to ear "You actually thought you could hide from me? Hiding in the literal shit?" the crimson gargoyle snickered with an outstretching of his arms, his white eyes piercing through the night. The Eye of Odin worn proudly around his neck.

The three remaining gargoyles within the collapsed tunnel laid scattered by the debris, all three mutely shaking, their eyes latched onto the grim reaper above.

"My god. Look at you…. Pathetic~!" Brooklyn chortled at how pitiful it all was. The sparking of Demona's still short-circuiting Bazooka culminated in an explosion that illuminated the gargoyle's red skin above.

"You're makin' me feel bad, man!" His scolded in an overtly cheery voice "I'll tell you what-"

*whoom* It a split second, Brooklyn shot forward, snatched Talon by the face, and held him aloft in mid air. No one was fast enough to even flinch "-I won't make you feel a thing~"

Brooklyn crushed his hand into fist, Talons' skull instantly jettisoned its substances; brain matter and blood spewed into the air through Brooklyn's fingers, his black arms swung down limply at his sides.

Elisa's shrieks of anguish screamed out, bullets flew from her pistol, they shattered uselessly against Brooklyn's flesh - until he dropped Talon's twitching carcass to snatch the last three bullets out of the air in single hand "Hey guys~" his beak redirecting it's demented grin to Broadway and Lexington "You look good!"

The feral brothers bellowed in distraught rage, their white eyes flashing in the dark as their electric weapons ignited in sparks. Brooklyn dashed in with an arching sweep of his leg, spinning his shoulder around Broadway's left hook and leaping up to sock Lexington in the jaw "Aw come on! Going in for the Anvil/Hammer combo? Come on! At least say 'hi'!"

"I got 'em~" Brooklyn cackled as he dodged Broadway's double hammer first that nearly took his head off "Pick off the stragglers, Demona, this'll be way easier once we got them out of the picture."

Not that Demona needed the prompt, she was already sending enough tracer rounds into the tunnel of fleeing humans to make a strobe light.

"Guys, GUYS! Come on, you gotta work with me, here!" Brooklyn complained to the olive and blue gargoyles with a laugh. He flicked away the devastating blows of Broadway like nothing and dodged the lightning fast attacks of Lexington like each blow came with a 5 hour warning.

"YOU FUCKING PYSOPATH, WYVERN! HE WAS OUR FRIEND!" Broadway wailed, tears streaming from his face.

"Okay, see? I can't talk to you when you get like this, bro." Brooklyn hummed as leapt backwards, a cruel crack of his tail sending the larger gargoyle catapulting into a scaffolding and dropping the entire thing on him "Cool. Take five, talk to me when you've calmed down."

Goliath tried to wrestle his way from beneath the rubble, but the sheet of concrete that kept his ankle in place was thrice the size he was. He grabbed a piece of the metal railing that had splintered off "BROOKLYN, STOP!" he pleaded, using what little leverage he could manage to at least attempt to pry himself free

The red gargoyle shot a callous glare into the direction his name had come from. Goliath felt his heart throb in his ears - his knees nearly buckled.

"WYVERN!" Lexington screamed, slashing at his once rookery brother. The distracted Brooklyn barely managed to avoid it this time, the blade cut so closely to his flesh that half his silver hair was sliced clean off!

"Come on Lex." Brooklyn sighed as he regained focus, now able to dodge every following stab at him like he was rehearsing a practiced dance routine "The three of us have been together our whole lives - I know every technique, every fighting style, every strategy in your guys' book. There's not a single hideout you can think of that I won't know to check. So come on, man. STOP fighting us on this!"

"YOU'RE NOT ONE OF US!" Lexington screamed, a flurry of bullets from his magnum sprinkled between the deadly strikes of his sword "We'd never fight alongside you! YOU'RE POISON!"

Brooklyn's ever present smirk descended into a sneer, his lips parting to showcase gritting teeth "Okay, that's stretching the truth! I'm TRYING to save lives!" snatching Lexington's wrist with one hand, effortlessly holding his sword away "Why can't you see that!? I w- OMPHF!"

Brooklyn's sentence was cut short by Broadway clocking Brooklyn square in the jaw. The red gargoyle was sent flying into a stack of wooden boxes that now exploded into a cloud of splinters. "YOU MURDERED BILLIONS!" they heavyset one spat.

Brooklyn was instantly out of the dust with a leap "Heh heh, The only person I REALLY killed was Xanatos, everything else was human weapons." he defended with a returning grin and coy shrug, swiping the hair from in front of his eyes "All I did was speed up the process of M.A.D., dude. The rest of this is just clean up work."

Lexington and Broadway came down on Brooklyn with a synchronized kick, both of which Brooklyn now held back with quaking arms, the Eye of Odin flashing blue "All this bloodshed could have been prevented had you guys just came with me!" Brooklyn barked "The night Xanatos killed Hudson and Bronx in our escape from Castle Wyvern, you should have known this century was a lost cause! When Demona came to us, you should have left with me! With all of us working together, we'd had the Phoenix Gate by now! All we had to do was stick together!"

"And do what?! Join in your fucking holocaust of humanity?" Lexington roared "Turn into psychopaths like the both of you?"

"I'M keeping our species safe!" Brooklyn snarled "How many times did The Pack attack you before I killed them? How many times did Sevarius try to swipe your blood before I finally stuck him on a pike? How many mass genocides have these humans done to gargoyles and each other? Hundreds? Thousands?" he rattled off "You may be happy to roll over like a dog and just let what's left of us be killed, I'M not! Turnabout is fair play and I'm bein' MORE than fair with them!"

Broadway sunk his talons into Brooklyn's forearm, it didn't phase him "Our species? You murdered the entire Labyrinth Clan!"

Brooklyn yanked his brother's forward, cracking a headbutt into the craniums and flinging them away "You mean the guys who attacked you on three separate occasions and refused to listen to reason? Uh, yeah, I definitely blew those guys up."

"You DESTROYED this entire world, you bastard!" Lexington spat whilst struggling to his feet "What's left for you to kill?! You and Demona just spending the rest of your lives on an empty planet? Sitting in the rubble and calling it peace?"

"It wouldn't have to STAY this way if you'd stop fighting back and just join us!" Brooklyn snarled, knocking a bus-sized boulder of concrete away with a single backfist "You guys, we're SO. DAMN. CLOSE! We already have two of The Three Keys of Power! With Demona having the Grimorum Arcanorum and me having the Eye of Odin, we just need to use the Phoenix Gate to put everything right!"

"Don't you get it!?" Brooklyn almost pleaded, the glowing blue light in his eyes almost appearing to dim "We're THIS close, you guys! THIS close to bringing everyone back! Once we have the Phoenix Gate we can go back in time and prevent the massacre from ever happening!"

Lex scoffed and shook his head at the sheer absurdity "Oh, of course! And I'm assuming that you'll just MAGICALLY be able to change history, even though the Phoenix Gate explicitly can't do that?"

The light in Brooklyn's eyes dimmed again "I'M willing to try, idiot! Unlike you, I'm not fine with abandoning our homes and family to cuddle up with the race that killed them! You all chose names of this city made up by…. ''Humans'." he said that that word like there was slime in his mouth "But I was right to fashion a NEW name for myself in honor of our fallen clan!"

"YOU were the first of us to choose a name before Demona got in your head!" Broadway threw back "Then you got your hands on that stupid eye and suddenly started thinking you were some god! You were just happy being called Broo-"

'Wyvern' dashed forward, snatching Broadway by the throat and hoisting him overhead "I NO LONGER ANSWER TO THAT NAME!" he bellowed, the poisonous growth the eye had forced into him was all the more apparent in the now sheer size difference between him and his younger brother. Lexington leapt up with an arch of his sword, only to be throat choked and lifted just as brutally "I AM WYVERN!" he proclaimed with a terrible roar "I am the flame of our dead brothers and sisters! Fathers and Mothers! Sons and Daughters! I am the last TRUE gargoyle from Castle Wyvern! The one thousand fallen souls live on one thousand years later THROUGH ME!"

Wyvern's blue-hued eyes erupted back into their blinding glow. The two gargoyles who were once his most beloved brothers thrashed uselessly in his grasp "One life of our clan is worth one billion of these humans! I WILL restore our clan! And With the Three Keys to Power in my possession, I will liberate them for all time! With the Phoenix Gate, I shall undo their death! With The Eye of Odin, I shall be the leader they NEED!" his voice turned somber "...And with the Grimorum Arcanorum, I shall wipe both your memories of this horrid future."

"E-Everything-" his eyes were wild even without pupils "-Everything will go back to the way it was! Everything will be the way it's supposed to be! So stop this! Come with me!"

Lexington latched onto Wyvern's wrist with gritting teeth "I-I'd rather DIE." he gurgled with venom in every word. The blistering hatred in Broadway's eyes signaled to Wyvern that the vow was shared by him.

"WHAT?" a flabbergasted Wyvern exclaimed "Guys, I'd never kill you! But…" He tightened his grip, forcing a gag from each of their gullets "...I can't let you stand in the way of our kind anymore."

Goliath's feet raced across the floor to him.

Wyvern inhaled and exhaled, steeling himself

Goliath outreached his hands, screaming at him to stop.

Terror replaced hatred in the brother's eyes, choking pleas condemning the monster that had taken their brother's place.

Brooklyn squinted his aglow eyes with grim purpose: "Sine dubio. Instantatum."

And then they were his. Bodies and souls. An emerald blast of magic exploded from his palms and into their bodies.

"BROOKLYN NO!" Goliath screamed.

Wyvern dropped the two brothers to the ground. Their eyes glowed an unnatural green, empty moans came from the bottom of their hollow voices, their faces sat sunken in a ghoulish state. They were his, they knew it, but there was nothing they could do to fight it.

**woosh -SNAP!**

Wyvern's tail had snapped out like a noose around Goliath's throat when he had run for his two sons. Whatever trace of remorse was in the red one's face was replaced by the return of his beak-long grin

"Ah! A volunteer~!" he chimed out

Goliath was forced to his knees, his vision filing to a pin needle and ears going deaf. Wyvern's tail had the strength to make a constricting anaconda look pathetic. Goliath couldn't hear or see anything, but he mutely screamed out Brooklyn's real name, and that it was him, Goliath.

His voice must have been audible, because suddenly, a hint of oxygen snuck back into his lungs. Wyvern looked down at him with disgust… and with a hint of puzzlement.

"B-Brooklyn it's me! It's me, Brooklyn! Goliath!" he repeated.

"Oh cute, they taught the dogs how to speak old names." Wyvern noted tersely "...You got 10 seconds to live, better fill it worth words."

"Brooklyn! I'm a gargoyle from our clan! A spell has made me human!"

"Five seconds."

"Your biggest fear was the rabid wolf on the west side of the cape outside the castle!"

Wyvern flinched,his tail losing just the slightest bit of grip.

Goliath slammed his eyes shut and rerouted his strength to his suffocating voice "When you were just a hatchling, you saw a human girl who worked in the fields getting attacked by a rabid wolf! You knocked it away and saved her, even though you were squeamish around blood!" Goliath rattled off as quickly as his raised voice could. "When you brought the girl back and thought she could be cured, it horrified you to watch her slowly descend into madness and die from the symptoms - you didn't know rabies was 100% fatal. After that, you were too terrified to leave the castle for nearly a week! Every stone sleep you had nightmares of getting bitten by the wolf and going insane too! Some nights you were too scared to even get off the highest castle walls!"

Wyvern's eyes went wide, his lips flinched together as if trying and then failing to make a sound

"-But after watching the child's funeral and seeing her parents weep, it made your heart burn with anger, it filled you with a lust for vengeance! You snuck out past curfew and hunted the wolf down on your own, even though I had expressly forbade anyone from venturing into the woods alone when a rabid animal was reported. You tore apart the wolf with your bare claws and brought its head back as a trophy to prove to her parents you killed it! It was the first time you ever killed something!"

Goliath exhaled "I was so furious for you putting yourself in danger, I grounded you with your wings tied for an entire month, you hated me for it - you said you were 'just protecting people by killing the bad guys'. Even as you got older, you still stubbornly held firm that you made the right decision and that you'd do it all over again!"

Brooklyn's eyes seemed to almost dart back and forth within the blue haze of his sclera. Then suddenly, Wyvern's death grip returned "Cute, you can remember the story my brothers once told you. Well if you paid more attention, you'd remember it was HUDSON who got pissed at me and ordered my confinement."

"Brooklyn! Please! You HAVE to remember me!" he barked "What has happened to you? What put you down such a path? Demona tempted you with her hatred of humanity once before! But you refused it! Your abhorrence for her was unmatched by even me! You fought her away because…. Because…"

Because Demona hurt Goliath.

"Well, as much as I'd love to give ya a full dissertation as to the 5 W's, I gotta schedule to keep." Wyvern quipped, looking at a watch that wasn't there. His talons raised over his head with a glint "So time you-"

*BANG*

A gunshot rang out and a bullet ricocheted off Wyvern's temple

"...Mother. Fucker…." he hissed with eyes shut tight and irritation inhaling through his nostrils.

Elisa, bloodied and dusty, had pulled herself out of one of the connecting tunnels, her gun smoking from what had been its final shot. She now frantically clicked empty shots from an empty magazine.

Without a word, Wyvern kicked up a piece of rebar on the floor, spinning it up into the air into his grasp. With a whoosh of his hand and a mortified cry from Goliath, Wyvern chucked it like a javelin. It shot through the air like a railgun, everything seemed to move in slow motion, Elisa dropped her gun as she tried to dive out of the way, Goliath thrashed desperately to break free.

Then time sped up again. Elisa was skewered to the subway wall with the rebar pinning through one of her arms and the meat of her torso, her face frozen in contorted shock with her feet dangling a full foot from the ground. Blood waterfalled from her twitching body.

Goliath's attempt to scream Elisa's name in anguish were silenced by Wyvern snatching both hands around his gullet. With a snapping open of his wings, the red gargoyle snapped them both down with thunderous swoop, taking off into the sky like a rocket. The howling of wind deafened all noise, Goliath seeing the zombified forms of Lexington and Broadway far below disappear into the whiteout of rain once Wyvern flew them up and back into the elements.

The full devastation of Manhattan was laid bare as Wyvern flew them higher and higher. The uncanny darkness of a metropolis without light. Well over half the island was nothing but cratered wasteland. Less than a dozen skyscrapers remained standing across the entire island… off in the distance, Xanatos Tower remained the only building completely unharmed, The outline of the castle now a silhouette before the full moon.

Wyvern held Goliath out before him with a single arm, his hellish white eyes grinning at him while Goliath squirmed and held onto that red forearm "Take solace, human. After you, there finally won't BE any humans left for us to kill. After you, no other human has to die!" crossing his heart with his free hand "You have my word~"

Wyvern's flapping wings slowed, hovering in the sleeting rain at well over a hundred feet. The lightning struck with a deafening thunder. Wyvern shrugged his shoulders "So, you're really a gargoyle from my clan, hm? I'll give you the chance to prove it, then."

His grip loosened

"It's simple: Fly or Die."

Goliath's son let go of him. He slipped through his red fingers and experienced freefall. Lightning crashed as he plummeted to the ground, his Second in Command was a shrinking demon above him. The wind howled, the air spun around him, so this is what falling to his death felt like. The darkness of the city's ruins slowly replaced the darkness of the sky. He grit his teeth.

He closed his eyes and waited for the impact.

---

It didn't come.

His free fall slowed and his spinning steadied for his feet to find footing beneath him in a white void.

The familiar sensation of divine magic, something he had felt rarely in his life, became known. The swirling of smoke produced a familiar figure.

"Titania…." Goliath identified in a murmur.

The Queen of the Third Race. Someone Goliath didn't realize he'd be so relieved yet so simultaneously vexed to see.

"Don't be ungrateful." she crooned with an outstretched hand "I just gave you a gift. A chance to experience the world without you."

Goliath shook his head with wide open eyes… his heart finally catching up to the sheer terror of what he just witnessed, now that adrenaline was fleeting "...Why? …HOW? How could you do this?"

"For my grandson, Alex, and Fox, my daughter. You do not realize the extraordinary protection your clan affords them."

"Yes…" Goliath growled "But I don't see-"

"You were questioning your worth, Goliath." she interrupted promptly "Considering if all you've done and sacrificed, both you and your clan, has ever amounted to anything of value. I saw it prudent to show you just what fruits your labor bore."

Goliath took a step back, rubbing his throat and realizing the burning sensation of having been strangled by Brooklyn, as well as the agony in his legs and ankle had both left "...But how? How could such a world be caused? Why would you forge such a terrible dream?" his voice simply lacking the drive and spirit he had the last time this had happened.

"That was no dream, Goliath, I assure you…" she stated morbidly "Puck can create illusions even the greatest of magical scholars cannot break through, yes. But he can only create worlds based on that he knows, his illusions are but stories he creates. My magic is far above such limitations-" she flicked her wrist.

The white void melted away, the two of them now floating in the night sky of Manhattan, freezing time in the middle of a lightning strike that now illuminated the maniacal laughter of Wyvern in the still precipitation. They were moved in to stand eye to eye with the bearer of The Eye of Odin. His head was thrown back in a mad guffaw to the night's sky.

"I struck your name records of fate to create a world without you." she said, extending her hands across the barren wasteland "Look upon the results."

Goliath merely grit his teeth at said results.

"Your leadership has been crucial to your clan in more than just strength and tactics…. But in morals. Have you forgotten that Brooklyn never truly forgave the humans for their treachery? Even still, he is the least amiable to the humans of your time. When Demona seduced him with the sacrament of revenge and safety, he willingly turned against your entire clan to give her one of the Three Keys of Power. He openly believed her words and was willing to fight humanity, only when she turned on YOU did his heart change and rebuke her."

Goliath scoffed, turning away fiercely from the false Brooklyn she had created "Brooklyn is stubborn and begrudging, I grant that, but he is nothing like Demona! The rest of the clan would have been MORE than enough to keep him loyal to our clan!"

"Perhaps." Titania acknowledged "But without you to shift the tides of battle the night Xanatos turned on you with the Steel Clan, you would not have come away unscathed…"

The scene melted away to show The Trio huddled around a fatally wounded Hudson lying on his back. With blood dripping from his mouth, one hand clutched by Broadway and another hand laid on Lexington's cheek, he breathed his final words to them. The three boys watched helplessly with tears flowing from their eyes, begging their last parent to please stay with them.

"Hudson and Bronx died saving those three boys the night Xanatos sent the Steel Clan after them, laying down their lives so they could escape into the city." Titania elucidated "When Hudson named Brooklyn leader with his dying breath, he ordered him to protect his brothers at any cost."

The scene shifted to the boys sheltered under a water tower for the night, getting away from the rain "Elisa would have taken them in, yes. But without you there to forge the unbreakable bond you had with her, and with Hudson and Bronx dead, they were too scared to trust any human."

"But Demona-"

"Demona never got the chance to reveal she was the traitor as she had with you. Without you, The Steel Clan was plenty capable of defeating the clan without her interference. None of them knew of her deceit."

The world materialized into the sight of a malnourished Trio cautiously accepting food from a visiting Demona, the first real meal they had gotten after having to steal every calorie from street vendors "And so her offer was all the more enticing to three young warriors… three young warriors who were angry at losing their family, angry at losing their home, angry at losing their freedom, angry at losing their father, angry at losing their dignity."

Lexington and Broadway had their backs turned in the next scene, sleeping soundly before a flickering TV Lexington had hotwired to play Terminator 2 - in the background, Brooklyn looked back at them as he prepared to leap off to glide away "Lexington and Broadway rejected the course of revenge, despite their heartache and fear…. But Brooklyn? Bogged down with the responsibility of leadership and the fear of his failure leading to the death of all he had left in the world? The promise of security and clan with their mother was all too tempting for him to refuse."

The world materialized to the red gargoyle and the blue demoness.

Brooklyn shamefully shook hands with Demona

"He gave into temptation."

An older Brooklyn snapped the neck of a gang member who had drawn a knife on him

"He gave into anger."

A bloodthirsty Brooklyn ripped a living, breathing David Xanatos in half, spewing his blood and organs across the floor for the video camera to capture.

"He gave into vengeance."

A jaded, downtrodden Brooklyn lifted the necklace containing the Eye of Odin and adorned it over his neck. A cooing Demona feverishly encouraged him to do so.

"He gave into power."

The images melted away back into the white expanse from before "You, Goliath, were the only mortal in history with enough self control to remove the Eye of Odin on your own." she gestured to the sky "You were a protector seeking to defend, but your second in command was a protector seeking vengeance."

There was a long pause and Golaith didn't even know what she was promoting him to say anymore "So what then… Why show me all this?"

"You are worried about giving up, not just the fight, but giving up on humans - giving up on your morals." Titania stated "Heed this cautionary tale, Goliath, your oath of protection and justice must be a beacon to your clan." the white mist began to envelope Goliath "Continue to set the example for your sons and daughter, Leader of Clan Manhattan. For once you are gone, your lessons are all they'll have to guide them."

---

Goliath's time in the white expanse ended. He was falling through the darkness yet again, the searing pain in his body had returned. Above him on high, Brooklyn continued to look down at him.

No, Brooklyn was rushing towards him.

"GOLIATH!" he screamed in terror, his red talons shot out and snatched Goliath beneath the arms, arms that felt MUCH bigger and heavier than his scrawny human body. Brooklyn gritted in exertion, arching his wings to catch an updraft "I gotcha, Goliath! I gotcha!" he strained out.

The explosions below rang out as Anti AirCraft guns were destroyed by improvised debris and Lexington turning some guns to even fire upon themselves. Goliath blinked his hazy eyes awake, his splitting headache having returned. He tried to muster up the strength in his vocal chords to bark out commands but-

"ANGELA! HUDSON!" Brooklyn bellowed out with conviction "Close off the perimeter! Don't let any civilians get hurt in the explosions!"

Fleeing Quarrymen were knocked out by a swooping Broadway below. Angela scooped up two guards and dropped their unconscious bodies next to Elisa who had all the handcuffs in the world to go around. Lexington plugged his ears and dove behind the safety of a brick wall just as the last A.A. Gun he rigged to blow went up in a glorious fireball. Hudson kicked open a fire hydrant to douse the flames before they reached a nearby building.

Goliath shook his head to regain his senses, but he watched with relieved, brimming pride as the day was won completely without his help. Brooklyn ducked his head beneath his armpit as he lowered Goliath to the ground "Eaaaaaaasy, Goliath." he urged with barely hidden concern "Y-You took one nasty hit back there. Just take it slo- MPHF!"

Brooklyn shut up completely, Goliath had snatched him into a bearhug… a bearhug that had his feet dangling a full foot off the floor "Uhhhhhhhhh…" Brooklyn said intelligently.

Elisa rounded the corner "Goliath! Thank goodness." she sighed in relief "I saw that round explode by you and-" she slowed in her tracks, just as bewildered as the Manhattan Clan's Second in Command, Goliath wasn't a very huggy kind of gargoyle.

Goliath's eyes snapped open in complete relief "ELISA!" he cried out, not putting Brooklyn down as he cleared the distance between them in a mere two strides. He nearly fell to his knees, crushing her in an embrace that he refused to end. The sight of her dead on the wall was- No, that was fake. she was here. She was alive. She was safe.

The rest of the Manhattan clan swooped down, a different extremity of eyebrow cocking shared by each of them.

ALL of them were safe and alive.

Goliath's enormous wingspan and arm length was able to crudely corral most of them. He couldn't even hope to be able to hug all his clan at once… but he'd do everything he could to have them as close to his presence as possible.

Angela immediately joined in on the hug with a beaming smile. The boys shared confused looks, but then shrugged and happily joined in on it themselves. Hudson asked Goliath if he had been hitting the bottle recently (Elisa promptly smacked him upside the head for that).

Goliath looked down at Brooklyn who ruffled his little brother's head "HA! We totally trashed them!" he hurrahed. Goliath smothered the thought of his maniacal laughter with the genuine cheers he now made.

"We? WE? You speakin' French, bro? IIIIIIIII blew up the most guns!" Lexington laughed. Broadway immediately brought up that he by far had the most Quarrymen K.O.s. The usual post-fighting cod-piece measuring contest began in earnest.

The radio call in was simple, Paddy Wagons were already on their way in force once half of downtown heard the A.A. gun going off, so much so that the clan was able to get airborne even earlier than usual. The jubilation and chest pounding of the younger males was always joined in by Hudson and Angela, should it last long enough. Elisa looked up inquisitively up at Goliath as she was carried, cocking a concerned eyebrow, but quickly shaking her head and breaking the duo's silence with a laugh

"Heh, boys, just can't accept not being the champion of a night." she giggled at the bravado "I think they're destined to do this forever."

Destined.

Goliath's jaw tightened. Brooklyn chased after Lexington after he had joked about his superior smarts being the winning hand in the evening's festivities. The red one's laughter and joy was so genuine… he couldn't get the imagine out of his head: the maddened laughter of what could have been.

"Destiny… yes…" he contemplated aloud "...Truly…. It is delicate."

---

Author's notes: I consider "For It May Come True" the ONLY 'good' episode in the Goliath Chronicles. Goliath, being a bit of a Mary Sue, and being stoic AF means we almost never get to see him get character development. Seeing HIM actually be the vulnerable one who's helpless and desperate, having to learn how much he needs his clan and how much they need him was SO satisfying. I make no secret of how much I hate Goliath spending all his time with Angela and Elisa after Avalon, totally snubbing his quality time with the Trio and Hudson. So having an episode dedicated to show how much he desperately wanted to be with The Trio and Hudson again, was SO fulfilling. Stoic guys need character arcs when they're desperate!

That being said... I think there'd be FAR more dire consequences from Goliath's absence~. And MAN do I adore stories when an impressionable young hero turns evil! And come on... Evil Brooklyn would be so much fun! I was watching Invincible, and that one scene were the Black-Goggles Mark appears, I thought "Oh yeah... I gotta do this"

On a separate note: i wrote this One-Shot as challenge with a specific goal... AND I FAILED MISERABLY. My goal was to keep it under 5,000 words and I missed that target awfully. I've realized I drag on details too long and pack stories with too much fluff, not getting to the real MEAT of the plot and making writing take too long. I feel like I could have easily shaved off 3,000 words or more from this. But oh well, this was good practice XD. And hey, it gave me a chance to work on my 3D modeling so I can now add Pics in future Gargoyle Stories!

Oh, right, Fanfiction doesn't allow inline images, here's the link to the story that comes with pictures! /works/57404356