GARGOYLES: Re-Awakening

Reorientation: 3

Elisa and Matt looked at each other. The booming sounded like thunder, but it wasn't stormy. Outside the car, pedestrians had their heads craned upward. The partners reached for their doors simultaneously and stepped out of the car. Another boom confirmed their suspicions: the sound was coming from the top of the Xanatos building.

"Well I'd call that a sign," Bluestone said, but Elisa didn't respond because she was already headed across the street. Bluestone sprang around the front of the car and followed. They charged through the revolving doors and flashed their badges at the first security guard, moving quickly in the direction of the elevator banks before he had a chance to respond. Quickly though, two others moved in and blocked their way.

"I'm sorry," one of them said. "We can't let you go any further without an appointment."

"Really," Elisa said. "Well in that case you better get your personal attorney ready, because we're officers responding to what sounds like weapons fire, which gives us probable cause for entry. You do have a personal lawyer, don't you, because the city does not take kindly to obstructing officers responding to an emergency."

The guard glanced over at his partner. They knew they had pretty broad authority as acting security on the premises, but that was with civilians. Neither of them felt particularly confident in their ability to block police from responding to an emergency situation. They didn't get paid enough to risk serious legal action, they thought. Without replying, they cleared the way and allowed Elisa and Matt to enter the elevator.

One hundred and fifty floors above them, Xanatos and Owen were in the great hall, speaking rather calmly for two men who were now the first inhabitants of castle Wyvern to find themselves under siege in a thousand years. Xanatos had his signature half smile on his face. "So predictable," he said.

"Shall I activate the defenses?" Owen asked.

"Not yet," Xanatos replied calmly. "Our new associates have been sleeping for a thousand years. Let's give them a little exercise." He moved around behind his desk and pressed a button on the console next to his chair. The tapestry on the wall adjacent to the desk raised into the ceiling, revealing a bank of screens that flickered to life. Together, they gave a comprehensive view of what was happening outside. On one screen, a black, military type helicopter with no designating markings was hovering above the courtyard, firing laser cannons at a consistent rate. On another, Xanatos could see the gargoyles scattering.

Goliath was dazed, but only briefly. What kept him on the ground was the realization of the absurdity of the situation. Here he was, a thousand years separated from the night that he had planned to strike out and attack a band of marauding humans, only to find himself once again under attack by a band of other marauding humans. The thought enraged him. Perhaps Demona had been right. Maybe it was impossible to ever have peace as long as he and his kind lived alongside the likes of man. His eyes flared and he lept into action.

"Protect the castle!" he roared as he sprang from the edge of the tower and into the air. With an aerial view he saw that there was not one hovering object throwing bolts at them, but two. He had never seen such things. They appeared to be mechanical in nature, but he had never seen such mechanics before. One of them was setting down in the courtyard and people dressed in what looked like lightweight armor were pouring out. "Below!" Goliath yelled to his companions.

The elder peered over the side. "Aye Lad, we have them!" he yelled to Goliath. He and two of the others, the small greenish Gargoyle and a round and rather heavy looking one with a light blue tint, hopped onto the wall and then off into the air. They landed amidst the humans and immediately set about the business of bringing them to heel. The elder grabbed the nearest and, showing that his age had not diminished his strength, hoisted him directly overhead and threw him sideways against the wall. The intruder landed with a thud against the stone ground and remained motionless. The large, round Gargoyle found himself face to face with another human who quickly raised a large, strange looking weapon. He did not take long to ponder how strange it appeared. Instead, he smacked it out of the person's hands with his left arm and grabbed him around the neck with his right. He lifted him quickly into the air and then slammed him powerfully down into the ground where he remained, like a rag-doll on the wrong end of a temper tantrum.