Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or locations from Gargoyles, those belong to their owners.
Author's note: This story takes place the summer following "The Journey", and though it ignores the comic's continuity, I'm using Fang's real name, revealed in Bad Guys #2.
Chance Meetings
Chapter 8: The Rest of the Evening
By RemTar85
"He got away?" Elisa asked with disappointment in her voice, as she spoke to Goliath in her communicator. She was standing in a corner, near the main entrance doors to the Labyrinth. Many of the residents had gone to sleep, though some still mingled around.
"Unfortunately, yes," Goliath replied, his displeasure evident. "Before he came to the castle, he took a child hostage and brought him here. We could not risk harming the child, so we let Fang go. He promised he would release the boy near the police precinct as soon as he felt safe, but we're still quite worried. We wondered if you could check any recent happenings in regard of missing or kidnapped children. Unfortunately, the boy was unconscious and Fang had him covered with a blanket, so we can't give a physical description."
"Well, Doctor Sato went home a little while ago," Elisa said. "He needs some rest, but he asked us to call him if Derek gets better. I'll stay here for a little while longer, but I'll check everything I can on missing children as soon as I leave the Labyrinth. Hopefully I can find that boy before he mentions something about a gargoyle kidnapping him. You guys don't need any more bad press, and Fang going around and acting like a monster is bound to do just that."
"We hope to capture him before he causes any more trouble," Goliath added. "Claw is on his way to the Labyrinth. I will talk to you later, Elisa."
"Okay. Take care, big guy."
Elisa sighed softly as she turned her communicator off. She was astounded upon hearing that Fang had made the mistake of going to Castle Wyvern, only to escape once more. The fact that he had kidnapped a child and used him as a shield to escape from Goliath and the others disturbed Elisa, especially after what Fang had done to her brother. She shuddered to think how far he'd be capable to go to keep his freedom, and she was now more determined than ever to make sure he was taken down before he could hurt anybody else.
"Hey, I already told you, Maggie! I didn't do anything!"
"Don't lie to me, Tim! Nobody else could have done it!"
Elisa was startled by the sudden shouts. She turned and followed the voices to the door of the infirmary area, to find a furious Maggie confronting a blond man in his early twenties. Al was in between the both of them, trying to hold Maggie back, but finding it difficult. Elisa was shocked, as she had never seen Maggie in such a state.
"What's going on here?" Elisa asked as she joined the group.
"He's the one who helped Fang escape!" Maggie shouted, pointing accusingly at the startled man.
"No, I didn't!" Tim retaliated.
"Why do you accuse him, Maggie?" Elisa asked.
"Because he's Fang's only friend down here! Derek's state is as much his fault as it is Fang's!" Maggie snarled. She shook herself off of Al's grip, but backed away a bit, though never taking her eyes off of Tim.
"I'm sorry to say it, Tim, but Maggie has a point," Al said with a sigh. "You're the obvious choice for a suspect. We didn't even see you around all night till now."
Tim looked distressed, his voice coming out in a nervous high pitch. "You think I don't know that? I know it all points at me, but I swear I didn't do it! I mean, after all this time, why would I do it now? Especially after I've told you before how he's asked me to help him escape and I refused! I know you guys never liked me being friends with him, but I'm not stupid to go and let him loose!"
"Easy there, Tim," Elisa said in a calm voice, for Tim was getting more agitated as he spoke on. "We can solve this without a problem. From what we know, Fang seems to have escaped between seven and nine this evening. Where were you during that time?"
Tim, who was still upset, took a deep breath to try to calm down. "Okay, so I wasn't around during dinner," he said. "I had to leave early, because I got a new job. I started today, and I was working during the time you say Fang escaped. It's at a warehouse by the docks. I can give you the number so you can check, Detective Maza!"
"Best to do it right away, then," Elisa told him. The young man nodded and went quickly to find something to write on. Maggie continued to glare furiously at Tim as he moved away, but seconds later she stopped glaring and went into the infirmary to be with Derek. Al followed her, while Elisa waited for Tim outside the infirmary. She was now worried again, though, for if Tim was telling the truth, then they'd be back at square one, without suspects and no clue as to who helped Fang and where the fugitive mutate could be hiding.
Brooklyn let out a sigh of relief as Angela was finished cleaning and bandaging the claw injuries on his chest. The two of them were at the castle's infirmary, along with Broadway. Owen was nearby as well, checking himself for any injuries.
"Is it better now, Brooklyn?" Angela asked.
"Yeah, much better," Brooklyn replied with a smile. "Just need a day of sleep and I'll be good as new."
"And Bronx is doing okay, too," Lexington told the others as he walked into the infirmary. "He's with Hudson in the tv room. They're checking on the news, just in case."
"How about you, Owen?" Broadway asked the blond man. "Are you doing okay?"
"Aside from a few minor bruises, I'm fine," Owen replied. "You said that Fang had told you he came to ask Mr. Xanatos to allow him to live here once more?"
"That's what he told us," Broadway said.
"Just as he told us he didn't know we lived here," Angela added. "It's likely he won't risk returning to the castle."
Finished with checking himself, Owen put on the jacket of his suit back on and straightened his tie. "I agree, Angela," he said, "though I will still tighten security around the castle. Now, if you excuse me, I must leave to take care of fixing the damages to Mr. Xanatos's office before he returns."
Lexington shook his head as he watched Owen leave the room. "Considering all the times he's had to supervise the repairs in this castle, you got to feel sorry for him."
"Okay, everyone, back to business here," Brooklyn said, looking serious. "You said Fang had a little kid as a hostage?"
"Yeah," Broadway answered. "He shocked the poor kid till he was unconscious."
"But he was alone when I found him in Xanatos's office," Brooklyn pointed out.
"Well, maybe he hid him in another room?" Broadway suggested.
"I doubt it," Angela said. "He would not have risked the boy waking up and escaping."
"Say, Owen did mention that before he came across Fang and Brooklyn, he saw a little kid running around the castle with Bronx," Lexington said. "I have to go check something!"
The others watched as Lexington dashed out of the room on all fours. Brooklyn then sighed and looked back at the others. "Well, then, let's go check with Goliath," he said. "This whole thing is getting stranger, and we have to figure out what to do next."
Elisa returned to the infirmary, accompanied by Tim. He had given her the number minutes earlier, and she had just gotten off the phone. As they entered, Al and Maggie immediately walked over expectantly, wanting to hear everything.
"The alibi checks out," Elisa told them. "Tim did start on a new job at a warehouse today, and he was definitely there when Fang escaped. He didn't do it."
Maggie was slightly shocked at this, but then looked directly at Tim, her expression revealing how ashamed she felt. "Tim, I… I'm sorry, I…"
"It's okay, Maggie," Tim said, looking at the unconscious Talon, then back at her. "You had your reasons to suspect me, I understand."
"But that also means we're no closer to finding out who helped Fang escape," Al reminded them.
"Maybe," Elisa said. "But maybe, eliminating suspects could get us closer to finding out who did it."
The four of them looked back at Talon, who continued to remain still, silent and unconscious. Maggie went back to sitting next to his bed, and Tim decided to join her. Elisa and Al stayed a few moments longer, until Elisa walked out of the room, with Al following after her.
"I need to go back to work, Al," Elisa said. "I'll try and take some time off so I can come over again. But if anything does happen, don't hesitate in giving me a call."
Al nodded, patting her on a shoulder. "Sure thing, Elisa."
They bid each other farewell, and with hands in her jacket pockets and troubling thoughts in her head, Elisa made her way out the Labyrinth doors. She walked along the tunnels, looking forward to distracting herself by working the rest of the evening, and then getting some sleep, but she was sure she wasn't about to get any good rest. She was worried sick about her brother, and furious beyond words at Fang. She was certain she wouldn't get a moment's peace until either Fang got caught, or Derek got better, or both. Elisa was so much into her thoughts that she barely noticed how far she had walked already, and only noticed as she caught a glimpse of Claw coming around a corner. Claw noticed her as well, and they came closer, with Elisa noticing the expression on Claw's face. He looked furious and frustrated, and Elisa could not blame him, for she felt the same way.
"Hi, Claw," she greeted him as they came to a stop in front of one another. Claw nodded at her in greeting, and continued to walk in direction to the Labyrinth. He took two steps, and then felt Elisa put a hand on one of his arms to stop him. He turned to look at her, and for the first time in hours, Claw's expression changed, from anger to surprise, as Elisa hugged him firmly.
"Thank you, Claw," she said. "You were so quick to tell Goliath and the others, and you're so worried about Derek being okay and working so hard to capture Fang. I'm very grateful for that."
Claw sighed softly, and his expression changed again, now into a small smile, as he hugged Elisa as well. They broke the embrace moments later, both smiling at each other. Elisa chuckled softly and patted both of his shoulders. "A smile looks so much better on you than a scowl," she told him. "We need to keep ourselves positive through all this. Derek's gone through bad things and has always come out okay, and I know he'll do the same this time too. As for Fang, he's going down sooner or later. For now, let's just take things one step at a time. Okay?"
Claw nodded in positive reply. "You're quite the big brother to us, Claw, and I'm happy you're part of our family," she told him, making his smile widen. She waved at him as she started walking away again, and he waved in return. He watched her until she turned a corner, then sighed again and continued on his way. Though still angry at Fang and worried about Derek, Claw was calmer now. Elisa always knew how to make others feel better. Now with a clearer head, Claw returned to the Labyrinth, knowing he'd spend most of the day looking after Talon, but first looking forward to some rest. He would need all the energy he could muster, if he was to care for Talon during the day and hunt for Fang at night.
The big, comfortable swivel chair made a slight creaking noise as the young gargoyle crouched on it, rather than sitting. It was more fitting for Lexington, partly because he was used to crouching most of the time, and because it allowed him to accommodate his tail. In his left hand he held a honey bun with a napkin, which he had taken after a quick trip to the kitchen. Having searched for Fang for hours, crisscrossing the skies above the city, he had not gotten anything to eat since he woke up, and thus he wanted to replenish at least a little energy as he set to his new task. With his free hand, he pulled himself on his chair, closer to the console where many buttons gleamed in different colors, accompanied by various levers and knobs that only he among his clan understood. For some reason, technology just came easy to him, and he enjoyed it immensely.
Lexington brought the honey bun to his mouth and took a big bite of the sweet, sticky, bread-like treat, while his right hand flew through the buttons and levers of the console with astounding speed. He did not even look at them as he stared up at the many monitors on the wall. Lexington had figured that, while the others planned what to do next in regards to Fang and the human child he had taken hostage, he would do what he did best, and go for the technological aspect of things. It was the reason why he was now sitting in front of almost twenty monitors that took up a good portion of one wall of the security room. Lexington knew that if there was any clue to be found, anything that could get them one step closer to catching Fang, it would be in the footage of the security cameras in the castle.
Lexington decided to check everything since they woke up, and thus rewinded the video until he could see himself and his clan awakening. Afterwards, he set the video to fast-forward, keeping his eyes open for the first glimpse of the brown-furred mutate, taking occasional bites of his honey bun. It didn't take long until he finally noticed the mutate appear onscreen, and he immediately came to attention, pressing Play on the console. Lexington watched as the mutate came to a landing on the castle, holding on to a child, who was clinging to him and clearly conscious. Lexington became rather confused, however, as he continued to watch the video, where Fang and the boy were walking together, talking normally, and the child was curiously exploring all his surroundings.
"That doesn't look like someone who was just kidnapped by a flying creature," Lexington said in a low voice. He continued watching until he saw them entering Xanatos's office. The footage ended there, making Lexington frown for a moment. Xanatos, ever the cautious one, had made sure that the video logs for his office were kept private, with access permitted only for himself, Fox, and Owen. The young gargoyle shook his head. He and his entire clan knew perfectly well that Xanatos was always up to less than legal schemes, and he knew how to keep them secret.
Still, Lexington smirked and scoffed. His honey bun, now down to a little less than half, was put in his mouth, held there firmly by his sharp teeth, the napkin sticking to it as he now used both hands to work the console. He knew perfectly well just which buttons to press, what sequence needed to be followed. Xanatos was indeed very careful, and knew how to protect his office's video footage well, but the security measures were no match for the olive-skinned gargoyle, who bypassed them with astounding ease.
"Like taking candy from a baby," Lexington said to himself, taking the honey bun from his mouth after a big bite. Now that he had accessed the footage he needed, he hit Play and turned up the volume, as he watched Fang, looking frustrated, still accompanied by the child. Listening in to the whole conversation, Lexington was becoming increasingly confused. Not only did the child didn't look as if he had been kidnapped, he was helping Fang look for Xanatos. The footage was soon followed by Fang and the boy separating and going different ways, and Lexington kept a sharp eye on everything, ears on the alert.
Keeping an eye on both of them through the different monitors, Lexington eventually noted Bronx approaching the boy while Fang returned to Xanatos's office. As Fang was simply waiting around, Lexington decided to focus on the boy, who had just been pounced by Bronx, who proceeded to lick the boy's face. As the child and garg-beast interacted, Lexington turned up the volume to see if he could catch any necessary tidbits of information.
"Uncle Freddy never mentioned anything like you up here. You look like a gargoyle. Just without the wings, and… oh, no…"
It took Lexington a moment to register what he had just heard, as he was finishing his sweet treat while the child continued talking. He was about to deposit the used napkin in a nearby wastebasket when he suddenly realized what the child had said. "Did he just say 'Uncle Freddy'?"
Turning back to the monitors, a now fully attentive Lexington listened closely as the child got to his feet, looking worried. "The gargoyles live here, and by now they have to be searching for Uncle Fred. Oh, man, he's a sitting duck in here!" The child started running at that moment, and Bronx followed suit.
"Uncle Fred?" Lexington repeated, more confused than before. He did not like this development at all, and was quick to activate the earpiece communicator. "Goliath, Lexington here. I just found out something important. Come over to the castle's security room. You might want to ask Elisa to come, too. Something tells me we'll really need her for this one."
Fang stood by the door inside Daniel's room, breathing deeply and rapidly, having awakened from a good sleep rather suddenly and desperately. He looked back at his nephew, who was fast asleep in his bed, still fully clothed. He opened the door just a little, peeking outside at the hall and nearby living room. He cursed under his breath as he noticed that, the way the furniture was positioned, he could not catch a glimpse of Daniel's drunken stepfather. He needed to make sure the man was asleep.
The mutate sighed wearily and looked back at the closed window in Daniel's room. He was desperate right now, and thought about handling his business by going outside, but thought that maybe it was not worth taking that chance. He was still injured, after all, and did not want to risk worsening those wounds by having to struggle through that window again. He knew that, if he was to stay here for a while, he'd need to limit the times he'd go in and out, already sick and tired of how tedious it was for him to have such difficulty on something as simple as fitting in through a window.
Fang groaned softly under his breath, as his urge grew stronger, and he was becoming more desperate by the second. He knew he had no choice, and decided that he'd just take the risk of doing his deed inside. Still, he knew he had to be as cautious as possible. He slowly opened the bedroom door and walked out into the hall as silently as he could. Carefully, he walked towards the living room, and his nose reacted even before his sight did. The smell of alcohol was easy for his enhanced sense to pick up, and he then saw the still body of Daniel's stepfather. More than asleep, he seemed even unconscious, the only movement he demonstrated was his belly rising, going up and down as he breathed.
Having made sure that he was there, Fang then sneaked his way back down the hall and pressed his ear against Carmen's bedroom, where he could now hear her soft snoring. Relieved, and hoping they would not wake up, Fang immediately went to the bathroom, being careful to close the door and lock it as quietly as he could. He quickly clicked the lights on and groaned once again, lowering his trunks and sitting down on the toilet, sighing in relief as he just let nature and his body functions take care of the rest. He had not gone to the bathroom since even before he got to escape from the Labyrinth, and he was furious at having to hold it in for so many hours, considering everything else that had been taking up his time throughout the whole evening. He sighed, and decided to just sit there and forget about everything till he was finished, only hoping that neither Carmen nor her husband had a sudden urge to go to the bathroom.
Goliath had arrived to join Lexington in the security room, while the smaller gargoyle had rewinded the tape to the moment where Fang and the boy, whom they now knew was named Daniel, arrived at the castle. This time, Lexington cranked up the volume all the way for the outside cameras, to listen in on the entire conversation. Goliath was at first surprised, and now his expression was a serious frown, as he continued watching. Soon enough, they came to the part of the tape where Fang fought both Brooklyn and Owen in Xanatos's office, which Lexington had not gotten to see yet. Both were astounded at the brawl that was taking place.
"Fang's like a wild animal in there," Lexington commented. They continued to watch as Fang won the battle, stole Owen's money and decided to leave, until he remembered the child, cursing as he went back into the castle to search for him. Moments later, the gargoyles received company, as Elisa walked into the room.
"Guys, I got here as fast as I could," Elisa said, immediately looking at the monitors as she joined her friends. "What was it you wanted to show me?"
"It's about the child who Fang supposedly took hostage, Elisa," Goliath replied.
Elisa nodded. "Well, I checked at the precinct like you asked, but there were no reports of any hurt or missing children."
"That's because the kid wasn't kidnapped. Turns out he was in on it with Fang all along. He even refers to Fang as Uncle Fred," Lexington said as he kept his attention on the monitors, as he now fast-forwarded the tape to the point where Fang knocked out Bronx and reunited with the child. Fang looked both furious and relieved as he and the boy started talking.
"Oh, my God," Elisa gasped. "That's Daniel."
Goliath and Lexington immediately looked at Elisa, while Lexington paused the footage. "Elisa, do you already know this child?" Goliath asked her.
"Yes, I do," Elisa replied. "I met him in he Labyrinth. From what I learned, he seems to have a difficult living situation at home and sometimes sneaks out. He found the Labyrinth by following a couple of the residents, and has taken to visit it. Derek was concerned about it and asked me to go meet him, just in case. He's a nice boy, and he and Claw quickly became good friends."
It took only a couple of seconds for Lexington to put two and two together. "Elisa, by any chance, was Daniel visiting the Labyrinth when Fang escaped?"
"Well, yes, he was there early during the evening, but he felt ill during dinner and asked Claw to take him home," Elisa replied, and then both she and Goliath immediately realized what Lexington was getting at. "And Claw wasn't there at the moment Fang got out. Oh, good Lord, it must have been him."
"So, it seems we have found Fang's accomplice," Goliath said in a heavy voice. "Now I understand why you had such difficulty pinpointing him, Elisa."
"Yeah," Lexington said, hitting the Play button so the footage would continue. "Who would ever suspect a little kid to have been the one to let Fang go? And, from the looks of it, he sure played everybody, especially Claw."
Elisa sighed and shook her head, arms crossed. "Poor Claw. He's already taking all of this badly. Knowing that Daniel tricked him will make him feel even worse."
Goliath took a deep breath, pondering for a moment as he watched on the monitor, watching how Daniel had willingly played the part of Fang's hostage to help him escape. "I think perhaps it would be best if we don't tell Claw about this for now," Goliath finally said.
"Why not?" Lexington asked.
"I believe we should first find out more about this boy," Goliath explained. "We must remember, he found the Labyrinth by pure coincidence. It was only several visits later that he helped Fang escape, and they came together to the castle, hoping to convince Xanatos to allow Fang to live here. And there is also the matter of Daniel referring to Fang as his uncle, named Fred."
"I see where you're going with this," Elisa said. "Just because he's a kid, doesn't make Daniel stupid or naïve. This whole 'Uncle Fred' thing sounds like something too elaborate to trick him into helping Fang, so there's definitely more to this than meets the eye. I better try to find out more about Daniel and his family."
"Agreed," Goliath said with a nod. "And perhaps it's for the better that we keep this only amongst ourselves, at least for the moment."
"I agree, too," Lexington said. "It's pretty likely that Daniel will keep visiting the Labyrinth so Claw and Maggie won't get suspicious, and if we tell them about this, there's a risk that they might act in some way that could tip Daniel off before we find out more about what's up with him and Fang."
"My thoughts exactly," Goliath said. "We'll tell the rest of the clan only."
"I think you guys should also drop by the Labyrinth to check on Derek and the others occasionally," Elisa added. "If any of you get to meet Daniel, you could follow him, see where he meets with and contacts Fang."
Goliath nodded and smiled slightly. "A good idea, Elisa," he said. "Still, it's best for us to keep our distance even then. Fang could be keeping a closer eye on this boy than it could seem at first glance. For the moment, we simply keep an eye out for him while you find out more."
"Well, at least now we got a plan," Lexington said, stopping the footage as Fang and his supposed hostage flee from the castle.
Feeling much better now, Fang washed his hands with as little water as he could manage, in order to keep the noise down. Afterwards, he turned off the lights and sneaked back into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator door slowly, the light illuminating the kitchen and part of the living room. The mutate paused as the sleeping, snoring man at the couch stirred momentarily, and then grew silent once more. Fang then reached into the fridge, in which, he noticed, there were not many items. Fang took a half empty gallon of water, brought it to his mouth and took a few gulps. As he put the gallon back, his eyes were trained on Daniel's sleeping stepfather the whole time.
Having sated his thirst, Fang closed the fridge door and walked slowly back to the bathroom. The door to the bathroom was closest to Daniel's bedroom, so Fang was glad that even with his injuries, he could get from one room to the other fast enough, as he flushed the toilet and immediately rushed into his nephew's room, with plenty of time to close and lock the door before either Daniel's mother or stepfather could spot him should any of them had awakened.
Fang growled softly under his breath. His stay at his nephew's home had barely just begun, and already he found difficulty and risk in tasks as simple as entering through the window, going to the bathroom and taking a drink of water. He knew the alternative was not any better, but this didn't help uplift his mood. Making his way back to his makeshift sleeping mat, the cougar-man stifled a grunt as he lowered himself, feeling the sting of his injuries. He kept silent all the way, though, not wanting to awaken Daniel, till he finally settled down on the mat and let out a slow, long, held-in breath. Fang hoped his injuries would heal soon, for he needed to be able to come and go freely, especially when Daniel's mother and stepfather were at home. He was already thinking on what he should do from now on other than seeking refuge at his nephew's place, and though a few ideas came to him, they would have to wait, for the exhausted mutate fell asleep once more, and for the rest of the night, he did not wake up any more.
To be continued…