GARGOYLES: Re-Awakening

Return: 2

Xanatos was sitting calmly in the back of a large cargo plane, looking at the stone Gargoyles across from him. It was funny, he thought to himself, to watch these Gargoyles, who had the ability to fly, being flown while in their stone state. Technology had a way of expanding the limits that nature set.

The plane was nearing Scotland. They had finally caught up with the sun and the Gargoyles had all turned to stone only a few minutes ago. All but one. Xanatos looked over at Demona, who had just laid down to sleep. She was beautiful as a human woman. She still had the red hair and the sharp, angular features of her Gargoyle self, but in her human form they were more eye-catching than menacing. Still, Xanatos had learned very early that while her daytime appearance might be that of a human, her nighttime self was her true self. She was every bit as vicious, cunning, and powerful in human form as in Gargoyle, and he rubbed his forearm as he remembered that fingernails could be as damaging as talons.

The plan was relatively simple. The plane would set down at a Xanatos Enterprises facility about an hour flight from the former site of castle Wyvern. There they would wait for dusk, then fly out to retrieve the Phoenix Gate. Xanatos did not believe that Cyberbiotics would be bold enough to attack his facility, but he was concerned about what would happen when they arrived at the castle's former resting place. If he and the Gargoyles didn't manage to get there first, which he doubted they would, then it would probably lead to a skirmish. He'd discussed this with Goliath and Demona, and they had made a plan. Goliath would exit the plane en route. The plane, with Xanatos and the clan would arrive first and engage the Cyberbiotics team giving Goliath cover to circle wide, avoiding the scene and then approach the caves in the cliffs, where he had hidden the Gate all those years before, from the ocean side. Hopefully, the Cyberbiotics team would not notice, especially if the others created enough chaos. Owen's job was to wait with the plane, then be ready to make a speedy exit. It was a simple plan, but Xanatos liked simple plans. He'd seen plenty of businesses fail because they over-complicated their strategy. One had to be able to tell the difference between outsmarting his opponent and outsmarting himself.

"Commencing final descent," was announced over the loudspeaker. Xanatos looked out the window and saw his facility. It was a modest place—they manufactured hydraulic components—which was perfect. No need to draw any extra attention. He planned to use the surprise visit to check in on his management staff. He smiled to himself as he imagined sending Goliath in to deal with any sloppy managers he might discover.

He bounced lightly in his seat when the wheels touched down, then adjusted his tie for the business day.

— —

Owen opened the door of the plane for his boss.

"Was everything to your satisfaction, Mr. Xanatos?" He asked.

"As good as can be expected, I suppose," was the reply. "Is the plane ready?"

"Yes, sir. Fully fueled and ready for take-off. Forty minute flight time to the site. There is, however, some news. I took the liberty of reaching out to some old contacts in the Scottish military. According to satellite intelligence, there has been some activity at castle Wyvern's former location—since this morning."

Xanatos turned and looked at Owen. He'd learned long ago not to underestimate his assistant, but he was still amazed at his ability to surprise him, which was a big part of the reason he'd retained him for so many years.

"Owen," he said, "I didn't know you had connections to the Scottish military. What else aren't you telling me?" The last question was a quip, not a serious inquiry. True to his character, Xanatos liked a bit of mystery in his relationships. It kept things from becoming too comfortable, and too much comfort always lead to negligence. Besides, they were on a timetable and Owen had just given him a critical bit of information. If Cyberbiotics had already been there for hours, then they already knew that they Gate was not readily discoverable. They had probably scanned the earth for buried materials first, then inspected what remained of the foundations of the castle, and then, when those operations failed, expanded the search outward. They may have already discovered the dozens of caves in the cliff walls behind where the castle had stood. If they hadn't found the Gate already, they would be in a position to observe Goliath's approach, which complicated the matter immensely. There would need to be a slight modification to the plan.

"Demona, may I speak with you?" Xanatos asked. He'd learned to treat her as an equal whenever plans were being made, even if he didn't intend to let her input alter his course of action.

Demona emerged from the midst of her frozen comrades. She'd been looking them over, thinking about the past. She was still wearing her Gargoyle garments, which made her look like a cave-woman out of the stone age.

"What is it?" She asked.

"I've been informed that our competitors have beaten us to the site. They've been there for several hours, which means they may already have found the caves and begun a search there. I think you should accompany Goliath, in case he encounters any hostile parties."

That suited Demona just fine. Maybe she and Goliath could use the Gate right then and there in the cave. In that case, it didn't even matter if the rest of the clan survived the battle—altering the past would make the point moot. She nodded her affirmation, then turned back to her brethren.

Xanatos watched her for a few moments. He knew he was taking a calculated risk. Demona had worked with him faithfully for quite some time now, but he was not naive. It was clear that, like him, Demona valued alliances only for their usefulness. He knew that the prospect of a powerful weapon, driven by magic, was a tool Demona had used to get him to help her awaken Goliath and the Clan. It was an exchange, not a partnership. What he was not certain of was whether holding up her end of the bargain by helping him to retrieve the Gate was a matter of honor, or if there was some other motivation at play. He knew that she may have other plans, that she might very well betray him. On the other hand, with the rest of the clan busy with him, she may be motivated to at least remain long enough for him to find out, and that might be worth the risk. Anyway, he saw few other options. Assigning one of the other Gargoyles would only tip her off to his distrust and, if she was planning something, she would simply wait for another opportunity later. It was best to give her the chance now and see what happened.

"Let's get going, Owen," he said.

Owen nodded and headed up toward the cockpit. A few moments later, they were headed down the runway. Xanatos, Goliath, Demona, and the Clan were headed off to battle together.