GARGOYLES: Re-Awakening

Understanding: 3

Goliath and the Elder were looking down from the roof above where Matt was still lying unconscious. A light rain was starting. Suddenly, the metal door which lead to the alley swung open with a bang and Elisa stepped out, swinging her gun from side to side. She knelt down as soon as she had seen it was all clear, and Matt began to stir.

"I'll say one thing for the lass," the Elder said. "She's no fear within 'er."

A slight smile passed over Goliath's lips. Since Elisa had disappeared below ground no more than ten minutes had passed. He and the Elder had been gliding in wide circles, waiting for her to reemerge when they saw a commotion in one of the alleys a few hundred yards from where Elisa had descended. Immediately, they had altered their path to get a closer look. What they saw was a young man, one of the ones who had been with Elisa the first time they'd seen her, being attacked by another. The one they recognized had been struck in the back of the head.

What had happened next went quickly. The one who had struck stood over the other and had raised his hand menacingly. Goliath had immediately tucked his wings and gone into a free-fall. A few dozen feet before the ground he had spread his wings, caught the wind, and glided straight into the would be killer. The assailant had wound up at the far end of the alley, slammed against a wall. After seeing that he was out cold but still breathing, Goliath had then climbed the side of the building to the roof, where the Elder then landed. A few seconds later Elisa had emerged.

As they watched, the alley slowly filled with more police officers. A few emerged from the same door Elisa had, others were coming from the street. They fanned out quickly and soon came upon the unconscious assailant. Seeing that there would be no more opportunity to speak with Elisa, Goliath rose and began walking to the opposite side of the roof.

"It will be dawn soon," he said to the Elder. "We must return."

"And what of the lassie?" The Elder asked. "How will we find her again?"

"We'll return to her...precinct tomorrow. She will be there," Goliath said, and with that he was off.

Ten minutes later, they were landing back at the tower of the castle. The others were there, waiting for them. Goliath did not pause to hear from them though. He headed down the stairs and into Xanatos' office, where he found him and Demona. They had been expecting his return.

"Welcome back Goliath," Xanatos said. "Was your outing productive?"

Xanatos' tone was even, a little too even, but Goliath said nothing. He simply waited. Xanatos knew that there was no need for pleasantries and decided to cut straight to the chase.

"Goliath, while you and your companions were out, Owen and I have been doing some investigating. We've been able to narrow down where we believe the Phoenix Gate is being kept. Thanks to you and Demona's work at the Flying Fortress, Cyberbiotics has only one facility left with the resources to safe-guard such an object." Once again, Goliath said nothing and waited, much to Xanatos' annoyance.

"Cyberbiotics has a secure site on Roosevelt Island. It is ostensibly a standard research and development facility, but the lower levels contain high security laboratories. We believe it will be there."

"Very well," Goliath said. "We will retrieve the Gate tomorrow." He turned and was headed away when Xanatos called after him.

"Not tomorrow," he said.

Goliath stopped and turned.

"We're going to need more intel Goliath. Even with you and your friends, I don't think you'll be able to just bash your way in and wander around looking for it. We're going to have to be more precise. I have assets within Cyberbiotics. In a couple of days I'll be able to get a precise location. From there we'll be able to devise a plan."

"Then we will wait," Goliath said. And with that, he turned and left the room.

Xanatos rose suddenly as if to call him back, then decided against it. Instead he turned and glared at Demona.

"He is proving to be far less helpful than you promised me, Demona," he said.

"What I promised you, Xanatos, was the location of the Phoenix Gate. I delivered," she said angrily. "If you are unable to hold it, that's your concern!"

Another wave of anger flashed over Xanatos' face but, once again, he quickly suppressed it and regained his composure.

"Let's not lose site of the balance sheet here, shall we?" He said. "You wanted me to break the spell and awaken your family. I have. In return, I was to receive the Phoenix Gate. The way I see it, until the gate is firmly in my possession our transaction is still open."

Demona's eyes flashed red with anger, but she too contained herself. "I will uphold my side of the bargain," she said and with that she turned and left the room.

Once they were alone, Xanatos turned to Owen.

"She may be a Gargoyle, Owen, but she's as readable as any human. Maybe more-so," he said.

"You believe she is hiding something?" Owen asked.

"Clearly," Xanatos replied flatly. "Demona is a formidable creature. She is strong, bold, and detached. All assets in business. But she's a linear thinker. If all she had wanted was for us to awaken the others and if she had believed that her side of the transaction was simply to locate the Gate, she would have pushed back harder just now. Instead, she let me bully her, and she is not one to be bullied. No, no, Owen—she wants something, something more than she is telling."

Owen waited patiently.

"We're going to have to be prepared, Owen. I need you to accelerate Project Nightwing."

"That could be problematic, sir," Owen replied, a bit tentatively. "As you suspected, detective Maza has gotten close."

"The phone call you received?" Xanatos said.

"Yes sir," Owen said. "She was directed by one of our compliance managers to our New Jersey facility."

"Maza can be dealt with through the usual channels," Xanatos said.

"There's more, sir," Owen said. "She appears to have had help. Help from individuals with, shall we say, seemingly extraordinary abilities." Owen stepped forward and the pitch of his voice lowered. "My men seem to have been overwhelmed with a speed and efficiency they described as...superhuman."

Xanatos smiled. "So," he said. "Goliath is making friends."

"Shall I see to it that it goes no further?" Owen asked.

"No, Owen," Xanatos responded. "On the contrary, I want it to go much further. In fact, if we time this right, it may be exactly what we needed."

Owen raised an eyebrow. Xanatos looked out the window.